Daniel Bernardi

Daniel Leonard Bernardi (born June 16, 1964) is a Professor of Cinema at San Francisco State University, founder and President of El Dorado Films and Commander in the United States Navy Reserve. Bernardi earned a Bachelor of Arts in Radio-TV (1984) and a Masters of Arts in Media Arts (1988) from the University of Arizona. He went on to earn a PhD in Film and Television Studies from UCLA (1994). He completed a University of California postdoctoral research fellowship in 1997.
His main academic interests are media studies, narrative theory, critical race theory, and rumors as narrative IEDS. His work in media, which is perhaps most well known, emphasizes whiteness as a historical formation of meanings. Borrowing from Michael Omi and Howard Winant's theory of racial formation, he argues that whiteness is a historically powerful set of meanings that serves to either implicitly or explicitly dominate the shifting and reforming meaning of race in U.S. media.
Bernardi is also a documentary filmmaker. His current body of work focuses on telling the veteran story. One of his more recent films, The American War (2018), tells the story of the Vietnam War from the perspective of the Vietcong. Another used discovered archival footage to tell the story of first World War, and is titled The War to End all Wars. Both films are distributed by Journeyman Pictures.
Career.
Bernardi has taught film, television and new media at UC Riverside (1997–1998), UCLA (1999-2000), Arizona State University (1999-2011), and SFSU (2011–Present). He was awarded a Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship (1994), a UC President's Post-Doctoral Fellowship (1995–1997), and a Fulbright Fellowship (2009). His deployment to Iraq prevented his acceptance of the Fulbright Fellowship. From 1998 to 2000, he worked for the Sci-Fi Channel as a consultant, writer and producer/host of the web feature "Future Now" (since deleted).
Daniel Bernardi has earned a reputation of notoriety among the more avid Star Trek fans due to his writings about the role of race in the films.
Bernardi is also an officer in the United States Navy Reserves. He has served at sea on the , the , the , and the , as well as at shore in Italy, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and at the Pentagon with the Chief of Navy Information. From May 2009 to February 2010 he was recalled to Active Duty in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom for ten months. In Iraq, Bernardi served with US Special Forces as the Public Affairs Officer for Special Operations Task Force-Central, where he trained Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF) and Emergency Response Brigade (ERB) Soldiers on combat camera and media operations. He also managed US media embeds, including CNN, NBC and AP, and US Army and US Navy journalists and photographers. In 2011 he returned to Active Duty for nine months and served as the Mission Public Affairs Officer for Pacific Partnership 2011, an annual humanitarian assistance initiative sponsored by the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Bernardi managed a team of military (U.S., Australian and New Zealand) and NGO (Project Hope) photographers, videographers and writers assigned to document and report on the mission.
Following his tour in Iraq and the South Pacific, Bernardi, working with a larger research team including H. L. (Bud) Goodall Jr., received a $1.6 million renewable grant from the Office of Naval Research to catalogue and study the impact rumors have on counterinsurgency operations. As an example, when multinational forces began a cattle vaccination program in 2005, a rumor spread among the Iraqis that U.S. forcers were poisoning their livestock. Though they had intended on using modern medicine to protect their food supplies, the rumor completely disarmed their efforts. In order to combat such debilitating narratives, Bernardi and his team worked to create a comprehensive database of known Islamist narratives and reveal how these narratives are used to influence populations in the Middle East and North Africa. The hope is that expeditionary forces would have access to these narratives and, through the team's analysis' on hand, work against them.
In 2012, Bernardi launched the Veteran Documentary Corps (VDC) project. Founded by donations and grants, the VA and National Cemetery Administration including, VDC produces and exhibits short documentaries on the struggles and successes of veterans from across the world. To-date, VDC has produced and distributed fifty short documentaries on veterans dealing with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the fall-out of the former "don't ask, don't tell" policy, and a range of other topics. The films are made by professional filmmakers. Bernardi acts as executive producer. He has also directed two of the films, one on Tim Koches (Vietnam War) and one on Michael Blackwell (Iraq War). Blackwell was a Combat Camera photographer that served with Bernardi in the U.S. Iraq War. Bernardi directed many of the films, including the award-winning Noble Sissle’s Syncopated Regime (2019). Many of the films in the series are directed by professional filmmakers, including Jesse Moss, Andrés Gallegos, Sylvia Turchin, Eliciana Nascimento, among others.
The Veteran Documentary Corps was met with wide acclaim, and was received positively from veterans and the public alike. Created in 2018 by Bernardi, El Dorado Films brought superior talent and organization to the Veteran Documentary Corps' mission of creating 100 'shorts' by 2020.
Bibliography.
As author.
Examines the business and craft of screenwriting in the era of media convergence. Daniel Bernardi and Julian Hoxter use the recent history of screenwriting labor coupled with close analysis of scripts in the context of the screenwriting paraindustry—from “how to write a winning script” books to screenwriting software—to explore the state of screenwriting today. They address the conglomerate studios making tentpole movies, expanded television, Indiewood, independent animation, microbudget scripting, the video games industry, and online content creation. Designed for students, producers, and writers who want to understand what studios want and why they want it, this book also examines how scripting is developing in the convergent media, beneath and beyond the Hollywood tentpole. By addressing specific genres across a wide range of media, this essential volume sets the standard for anyone in the expanded screenwriting industry and the scholars that study it.
Bernardi and his co-authors characterize rumors as bits and pieces of prevailing narrative systems and local cultural artifacts, and that their anonymous origin and dubious truth claims afford them a type of concealment until their effects are known and the damage is done. Focusing on the impact of rumors on counterinsurgency operations (Iraq), counter terrorism whisper campaigns (Indonesia), and civil disobedience online (Singapore), they argue that rumors are "narrative IEDs", or Improvised Explosive Device, in that they’re constructed of locally available materials and hidden in the landscape until detonation. Bernardi and his co-authors see rumors as similarly "ad hoc", constructed of bits and pieces of narrative systems, and lying unseen to the military information operator, diplomat, civic outreach coordinator, or business strategist until exploding and disrupting expensive and highly wrought communication campaigns.
Bernardi traces the shifting and reforming meaning of race articulated throughout the "Star Trek" television series, feature films, and fan community, investigating and, in his word, "politicizing" the presentation of race in "Star Trek" in the original series of the 1960s, the feature films and television spin-offs of the 1980s and 1990s, and the current fan community on the Internet. Through both critical and historical analysis, he proposes a method of studying the framing of race in popular film and television that integrates sociology, critical theory and cultural studies. Bernardi goes on to examine the representational and narrative functions of race in "Star Trek" and explores how the meaning of "race" in the science fiction series has been facilitated or constrained by creative and network decision-making, by genre, by intertextuality, and by fans. He interprets how the changing social and political movements of the times have influenced the production and meaning of "Trek" texts and the ways in which the ongoing series negotiated and reflected these turbulent histories. Unpopular with many Trekkers, "Star Trek and History" went into a second printing after a year of its original publication. Other readers feel Bernardi apologies for Star Trek's racial vision.
As editor.
In these books, Bernardi relies on a range of scholars to show how race in general and whiteness in particular formed unique representational, narrational, and institutional patterns across U.S. film history. The introductions to each book set out a broad theory of whiteness in American film that, in brief, positions whiteness as a performance about who passes and who doesn't pass as white — and what it means in specific films and periods of film history to either pass or not pass as white. The last book in the series, "Filming Difference", includes essays and interviews by filmmakers who address critically and creatively how they go about representing race, gender and sexuality in their work. .


Irrelevant speech effect

The irrelevant speech effect refers to the degradation of serial recall when speech sounds are presented, even if the list items are presented visually. The sounds need not be a language the participant understands, nor even a real language; human speech sounds are sufficient to produce this effect.
This theory is also sometimes known as the Irrelevant sound effect(ISE). The theory covers speech as well as music or other background sounds. There have been many studies on this theory and it has been consistently proven that unrelated or irrelevant background sounds inhibits one's ability to perform well at serial recall (Perham & Vizard 2010)
Interference hypothesis.
It is possible that the visual stimuli (the list of items) is held in working memory as a phonological code. The phonological loop is composed of the articulatory rehearsal loop and the phonological store. If that is the case, the irrelevant speech could interfere with the articulatory rehearsal process, degrading the information in the phonological store. This would result in degraded performance on trials where irrelevant speech is presented. However, the effect should be greater for words rehearsed longer (i.e. presented earlier in the series) since they are rehearsed more often, hence having more opportunity for degradation.


Scott Sehon

Scott Robert Sehon (born 1963) is an American philosopher and a professor of philosophy at Bowdoin College. His primary work is in the field of philosophy of mind, metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of action, and the free will debate. He is the author of "Teleological Realism: Mind, Agency and Explanation" (MIT University Press, 2005) in which he takes a controversial, non-causalist view of action explanation. Sehon has also published in the area of Philosophy of Religion, with a particular focus on the problem of evil and whether or not religious faith is a necessary foundation for morality.
Sehon received his B.A. in philosophy from Harvard University, where he worked with Warren D. Goldfarb, and earned a Ph.D. in philosophy at Princeton University, where he worked with Mark Johnston and Harry Frankfurt. His thesis was titled: "Action Explanation and the Nature of Mental States."


Kid Icarus (series)

Kid Icarus is a Japanese media franchise of fantasy video games by Nintendo. The games are set in a fantasy world based on classical antiquity and Greek mythology, called "Angel Land". The gameplay consists of a mixture of action, adventure and platform elements. The "Kid Icarus" franchise is known as a cult classic and a sibling series to the Metroid franchise.
The first installment, "Kid Icarus", was released in 1986 for the Nintendo Entertainment System and was received to critical acclaim despite poor sales. A sequel, ' was later released for the Game Boy. On June 15, 2010, at their E3 conference, Nintendo announced ' on Nintendo 3DS, thus reviving the franchise after a 20-year hiatus.
History.
After Nintendo's release of commercially successful platforming games in the 1980s, including "Donkey Kong", "Ice Climber", and "Super Mario Bros.", as well as the critically acclaimed adventure game "The Legend of Zelda", the company was interested in entering a different genre. They began work on an action game. The game was called "Metroid". Nintendo released "Metroid" for the Family Computer Disk System on August 6, 1986, and on the Nintendo Entertainment System one year later. One year later "Kid Icarus" was developed alongside as its sister game, it shares elements and programmers with "Metroid". The game was produced by the same man who produced "Metroid", Gunpei Yokoi, who previously produced "Donkey Kong", "Donkey Kong Junior" (1982) and the original "Mario Bros." (1983), and it featured music written by Hirokazu Tanaka, who also composed for "Duck Hunt" (1984).
After the release of its handheld sequel, ', the series received no new installments for two decades. An installment for the Nintendo 64 was rumored to be in development, but was never released. In 2006, Pit was revealed to appear in "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" with a new design. This appearance eventually led to cancellation reimagined title that a series revival was planned for the Wii, development under Factor 5. On June 15, 2010, during their E3 event, Nintendo unveiled ' for the Nintendo 3DS. The game was released in March 2012 and it was the first Kid Icarus game with 3D graphics.
Characters.
The "Kid Icarus" series has a cast of recurring characters. The most common characters in the series are Pit, Palutena, Dark Pit, Poseidon, Hades, Medusa, Viridi, and Thanatos.


Stream of consciousness (psychology)

The stream of consciousness is a metaphor describing how thoughts seem to flow through the conscious mind. Research studies have shown that we only experience one mental event at a time as a fast-moving mind stream. William James, often considered to be the father of American psychology, first coined the phrase "stream of consciousness". The full range of thoughts—that one can be aware of—can form the content of this stream.
Buddhism.
Early Buddhist scriptures describe the "stream of consciousness" (Pali; "viññāna-sota") where it is referred to as the Mind Stream. The practice of mindfulness, which is about being aware moment-to-moment of one's subjective conscious experience aid one to directly experience the "stream of consciousness" and to gradually cultivate self-knowledge and wisdom.
Buddhist teachings describe the continuous flow of the “stream of mental and material events” that include sensory experiences (i.e., seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touch sensations, or a thought relating to the past, present or the future) as well as various mental events that get generated, namely, feelings, perceptions and intentions/behaviour. These mental events are also described as being influenced by other factors such as attachments and past conditioning. Further, the moment-by-moment manifestation of the "stream of consciousness" is described as being affected by physical laws, biological laws, psychological laws, volitional laws, and universal laws.
Proponents.
In his lectures circa 1838–1839 Sir William Hamilton, 9th Baronet described "thought" as "a series of acts indissolubly connected"; this comes about because of what he asserted was a fourth "law of thought" known as the "law of reason and consequent":
In this context the words "necessarily infer" are synonymous with "imply". In further discussion Hamilton identified "the law" with modus ponens; thus the act of "necessarily infer" detaches the consequent for purposes of becoming the (next) antecedent in a "chain" of connected inferences.
William James asserts the notion as follows:
He was enormously skeptical about using introspection as a technique to understand the stream of consciousness. "The attempt at introspective analysis in these cases is in fact like seizing a spinning top to catch its motion, or trying to turn up the gas quickly enough to see how the darkness looks." However, the epistemological separation of two levels of analyses appears to be important in order to systematically understand the “stream of consciousness.”
Bernard Baars has developed Global Workspace Theory which bears some resemblance to stream of consciousness.
Conceptually understanding what is meant by the “present moment,” “the past” and “the future” can aid one to systematically understand the “stream of consciousness.”
Criticism.
Susan Blackmore challenged the concept of stream of consciousness. "When I say that consciousness is an illusion I do not mean that consciousness does not exist. I mean that consciousness is not what it appears to be. If it seems to be a continuous stream of rich and detailed experiences, happening one after the other to a conscious person, this is the illusion." However, she also says that a good way to observe the "stream of consciousness" may be to calm the mind in meditation. Suggestions have also been made regarding the importance of separating “two levels of analyses” when attempting to understand the “stream of consciousness.”
Literary technique.
In literature, stream of consciousness writing is a literary device which seeks to portray an individual's point of view by giving the written equivalent of the character's thought processes, either in a loose interior monologue, or in connection to his or her sensory reactions to external occurrences. Stream-of-consciousness as a narrative device is strongly associated with the modernist movement. The term was first applied in a literary context, transferred from psychology, in "The Egoist", April 1918, by May Sinclair, in relation to the early volumes of Dorothy Richardson's novel sequence "Pilgrimage". Amongst other modernist novelists who used it are James Joyce in "Ulysses" (1922) and William Faulkner in "The Sound and the Fury" (1929).


Kay Nolte Smith

Kay Nolte Smith (July 4, 1932 – September 25, 1993) was an American novelist, essayist, and translator. She was for a time friendly with the philosopher-novelist Ayn Rand, who was her leading literary and philosophical influence.
Smith was born in Eveleth, Minnesota and grew up in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Smith launched her literary career after her separation from the Ayn Rand circle. In 1981, Smith wrote her first novel "The Watcher," mystery story, and was winner of the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel. Smith's second novel, "Catching Fire," was written in 1982 and is set in the world of the New York theater, with an anti-trade union political stance. Two years later, "Mindspell" was written to centre on the conflict between science versus religion, with Nolte Smith stating this fiction was written "to challenge strongly the belief in the occult". In 1985, just a year after her third novel, "Elegy for a Soprano" was written as a "roman a clef" inspired by Rand, Nathaniel Branden, and the circle around them. "Elegy for a Soprano" also portrays the life of Jewish Holocaust survivors from Czechoslovakia and Norway.
In 1987, Smith wrote her fifth novel, "Country of the Heart." Two of her novels—"Elegy for a Soprano" and "A Tale of the Wind"—were nominated for Prometheus Awards in 1986 and 1992, respectively.
She published seven novels before her death from cancer at age 61.
Bibliography.
Translations.
Smith translated the play "Chantecler: A Play in Four Acts" by Edmond Rostand in 1987 into English from the French original.
Essays.
"Truth or the Consequences" in "Women without Superstition: No Gods, No Masters."


Hippias

Hippias of Elis (; ; late 5th century BC) was a Greek sophist, and a contemporary of Socrates. With an assurance characteristic of the later sophists, he claimed to be regarded as an authority on all subjects, and lectured on poetry, grammar, history, politics, mathematics, and much else. Most of our knowledge of him is derived from Plato, who characterizes him as vain and arrogant.
Life.
Hippias was born at Elis in the mid 5th-century BC (c. 460 BC) and was thus a younger contemporary of Protagoras and Socrates. He lived at least as late as Socrates (399 BC). He was a disciple of Hegesidamus. Owing to his talent and skill, his fellow-citizens availed themselves of his services in political matters, and in a diplomatic mission to Sparta. But he was in every respect like the other sophists of the time: he travelled about in various towns and districts of Greece for the purpose of teaching and public speaking. The two dialogues of Plato, the "Hippias major" and the "Hippias minor" characterize him as vain and arrogant. The "Hippias major" (the authorship of this work by Plato is sometimes doubted) concerns the question about the beautiful, and purposely puts the knowledge and presumption of Hippias in a ludicrous light. The "Hippias minor" discusses the deficiency of our knowledge, and characterizes Hippias as ridiculously vain.
Work.
Hippias was a man of very extensive knowledge, and he occupied himself not only with rhetorical, philosophical, and political studies, but was also well versed in poetry, music, mathematics, painting and sculpture, and he claimed some practical skill in the ordinary arts of life, for he used to boast of wearing on his body nothing that he had not made himself with his own hands, such as his seal-ring, his cloak, and shoes. On the other hand, his knowledge always appears superficial, he does not enter into the details of any particular art or science, and is satisfied with certain generalities, which enabled him to speak on everything without a thorough knowledge of any. This arrogance, combined with ignorance, is the main cause which provoked Plato to his severe criticism of Hippias, as the sophist enjoyed a very extensive reputation, and thus had a large influence upon the education of the youths of the higher classes. A mathematical discovery ascribed to Hippias is sometimes called the quadratrix of Hippias.
His great skill seems to have consisted in delivering grand show speeches; and Plato has him arrogantly declaring that he would travel to Olympia, and there deliver before the assembled Greeks an oration on any subject that might be proposed to him; and Philostratus in fact speaks of several such orations delivered at Olympia, and which created great sensation. If such speeches were published by Hippias, then no specimen has come down to us. Plato claims he wrote epic poetry, tragedies, dithyrambs, and various orations, as well works on as grammar, music, rhythm, harmony, and a variety of other subjects. He seems to have been especially fond of choosing antiquarian and mythical subjects for his show speeches. Athenaeus mentions a work of Hippias under the title "Synagoge" which is otherwise unknown. An epigram of his is preserved in Pausanias.
Natural law.
Hippias is credited with originating the idea of natural law. This ideal began at first during the fifth century B.C. According to Hippias, natural law was never to be superseded as it was universal. Hippias saw natural law as a habitual entity that humans take part in without pre-meditation. He regarded the elite in states as indistinguishable from one another and thus they should perceive each other as so. Because of this they should consider and treat each other as a society of a unanimous state. These ideas were passed on through Cynicism and Stoicism later being the foundation for turning Roman law in legislation. Along with natural law, Hippias also wrote about self-sufficiency as a binding principle. He used this principle in his teachings as he gathered knowledge in numerous subjects so as to be never outwitted or have his reputation questioned.


James D. Wallace

James Donald Wallace (May 21, 1937 – July 7, 2019) was an American philosopher and professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Biography.
Wallace was born in Troy, New York on May 21, 1937. wrote several books on morality and ethics that draw on the American philosophical tradition of pragmatism, in particular the ethical theory of John Dewey. His works include "Norms and Practices" (2008), "Ethical Norms, Particular Cases" (1996), "Moral Relevance and Moral Conflict" (1988), "Virtues and Vices" (1978), and numerous articles. Wallace taught a variety of subjects, including value theory, practical reasoning, social and political philosophy, bioethics, ancient Greek philosophy, and philosophy of art.
Wallace was the father of the novelist David Foster Wallace. He was an atheist.
Wallace died on July 7, 2019 in Tempe, Arizona.
Education.
Wallace graduated with a BA from Amherst College in 1959 and a PhD from Cornell University in 1963.


Casanova (novel)

Casanova is the second novel by English author, Andrew Miller, released on 3 September 1998 through Sceptre. The novel was relatively well received by reviewers and was shortlisted for an Encore Award in 1999.
Plot.
Set in 1763, this novel centres round the historical figure of Giacomo Casanova and loosely follows his autobiographical "Histoire de ma vie". The plot of the novel concerns Casanova falling for a woman and having, for the first time, to deal with rejection and the pain which it causes him.
Reception.
The novel was relatively well received with reviewers praising Millers prose and sense of place. Critics of the novel cited Millers basic plot and lack of originality when compared with Casanova's own "Histoire de ma vie".
The novel was well received by Stephanie Merritt of "The Daily Telegraph" who stated that "Miller has drawn an exquisite and convincing picture of 18th-century London" and complemented the novel's "elegant prose", "luxurious imagery" and "wry humour". It was also relatively well reviewed by "The Independent", who stated that "The only problem posed for the reader is whether to dwell on the sumptuous pleasures of Miller's intricate prose or to race along with the farcical complications of his plot.". The novel was well received by "The New York Times", with reviewer Lorna Sage stating "Miller's Casanova, ingeniously translated to our own fin de siècle, is a New Age narcissist -- so observant, so chastened, that self-love can save him after all."; and, while commenting on the implausibility of the novels premise, stating "that's precisely the confidence trick Miller is so good at, conjuring the phrases that get sensation onto the page, keeping you in obsessive, close-up focus". The novel was praised in the "Seattle Times" also, with reviewer Michael Upchurch praising the novels "extravagant humor" and "wealth of period detail", while stating "Miller, born in 1961, seems a mite too young to have passed this particular threshold of experience himself. But he sure gets it painfully and hilariously right.".
The novel did not, however, receive universal acclaim. Elspeth Barker, also reviewing for "The Independent", stated "this is a disappointing and unsatisfying book", calling Casanova himself a "two-dimensional creature, too shallow and self-absorbed to engage sympathy" and mentioning that "his actions and the actions of those around him often seem merely arbitrary" and stating "some of the prose is oddly awkward and laboured". She does, however temper this by stating "despite its flaws, at its best it confirms the unshakeable certainty which possesses anyone who has read Miller's marvellous Ingenious Pain: that here is a writer of very rare and outstanding gifts, no matter what.". In a review by Michael Arditti, again for "The Independent", Arditti states "Casanova is a deeply disappointing second novel from the author of Ingenious Pain. There is no sense of personal impetus behind the writing, which offers a rehash of well-known images and themes." and criticises the "basic plot", simple characters and lack of originality. He further states of Miller that he "hope[s] he gives more scope to his own proven powers of imagination in his next book.".


Jude Patrick Dougherty

Jude Patrick Dougherty (July 21, 1930 – March 6, 2021) was an American philosopher, Dean Emeritus of the School of Philosophy at the Catholic University of America, and Editor-in-Chief for 44 years of "The Review of Metaphysics".
Personal life.
Jude was born in Chicago, Illinois to Edward Timothy Dougherty and Cecelia Anastasia Loew. His sister was Inez Juanita Bowling. While a student at Catholic University, Jude met Patricia Ann Regan, who was studying nursing. On December 28, 1957, Jude and Patricia were married at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Hoopeston, Illinois, and were married 62 years before Patricia’s passing on December 8, 2020. Together, they had four sons and ten grandchildren. He died on March 6, 2021, in Potomac, Maryland. A Mass of Christian Burial took place on March 15, 2021 at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. The sermon was held by Msgr. Robert Sokolowski.
Career.
In 1954, Jude earned his Bachelor’s degree from Catholic University, followed by a Master of Arts in 1955. He was subsequently an instructor at Marquette University, as well as Bellarmine College. In 1960, Jude received his Doctor of Philosophy from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. Dougherty was an Assistant and Associate Professor at Bellarmine College from 1960-66. From 1966-76, Dougherty was an Associate Professor, and a Professor from 1976 onwards at Catholic University. He was a Visiting Professor from 1974-75 at Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven in Belgium. In 1967, Dougherty was named the first lay Dean of the School of Philosophy at the Catholic University of America, a position he held for over 30 years. In December 1971, Jude became Editor-in-Chief of "The Review of Metaphysics", a position he held for 44 years. Over 900 articles were published during his tenure, one of the longest-running editorships of a prestigious journal in history.
Dougherty’s acquaintance and subsequent friendship with Polish prelate Cardinal Karol Wojtyła, a fellow philosopher, led to an invitation for the Cardinal to lecture at Catholic University in July 1976. Cardinal Wojtyła would become Pope John Paul II (and later Saint) in 1978, and visited Catholic University again in 1979.
Dougherty’s published works include "The Logic of Religion"; "The Good Life and its Pursuit"; "The Nature of Scientific Explanation"; "Wretched Aristotle: Using the Past to Rescue the Future"; "Western Creed, Western Identity: Essays in Legal and Social Philosophy"; "Jacques Maritain: An Intellectual Profile"; "Briefly Considered"; "Interpretations"; "Approaches to Morality"; "The Impact of Vatican II"; "The Theological Directions of the Ecumenical Movement"; "Recent American Naturalism: An Exposition and Critique"; and "Religion - Gesellschaft - Demokratie: Ausgewählte Aufsätze". In addition, Dougherty wrote numerous essays on various contemporary and philosophical topics over the years.
Dougherty held many leadership positions in multiple organizations. He was President of the American Catholic Philosophical Association (1974–75), President of the Society for Philosophy of Religion (1978–79) and President of the Metaphysical Society of America (1983–84). Dougherty was an emeritus member of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas since 1980. He was also a member of the American Philosophical Association (Program Chairman Eastern Division 1988, Executive Committee Eastern Division 1989-93), the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars (Executive Secretary 1994-97, Treasurer 1994-97), and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts since 1991. He was also the Founder and President-elect of the Kentucky Philosophy Association (1966), and President of the Washington Philosophy Club (1968–69). Dougherty was a trustee at Bellarmine College from 1972–75, and the University of Bridgeport from 1995-99. He was also a member of the board of advisors for the Franklin J. Matchette Foundation since 1971.
Media.
Dougherty was a friend of Pope John Paul II for 30 years. In 2005 upon his death, Dougherty discussed the legacy of Pope John Paul II on CNN's Larry King Live, Fox News Channel, BBC World television, WJLA-TV and was interviewed by the Washington Post, Newhouse News Service, Scripps Howard News Service, Knight Ridder Tribune News Service Voice of America radio, the Washington Blade, the Sunday Bulletin and the Fresno Bee.


List of BDSM organizations

This is a list of educational, campaigning and community organizations related to BDSM.
Where an organization clearly indicates on its website that membership is restricted by gender or sexual orientation, this is noted. "Pansexual" in this context means that no such restrictions apply. Note, however, that many BDSM organizations of the social/community variety will require prospective members to attend an "orientation" meeting, where among other things, the organizers will attempt to screen out the obviously mentally ill and those whose interest in BDSM is professional (for example as journalists or law enforcement personnel) rather than personal.


Verse paragraph

Verse paragraphs are stanzas with no regular number of lines or groups of lines that make up units of sense. They are usually separated by blank lines. It stands for a group of lines in a poem that form a rhetorical unit similar to that of a prose paragraph.
Milton's 'Paradise Lost"
and Wordsworth's 'The Prelude' consist of verse paragraphs.
Verse paragraphs are frequently used in blank verse and in free verse.


Lacritus

Lacritus () was a sophist, and native of Phaselis, known to us chiefly from the speech of Demosthenes against him, and for having been the tutor of Archias of Thurii.
The subject of the speech entails a man named Androcles, who had lent a sum of money to Artemo, the brother of Lacritus. The latter, on the death of his brother, refused to refund the money, though he had become security for his brother, and was his heir. Hence the suit instituted against him by Androcles, for whom Demosthenes composed the speech in question. Lacritus was a pupil of Isocrates, of which he seems to have been rather vain. speaks of him likewise as the author of some Athenian laws.


Gigapackets

Gigapackets are billions (109) of packets or datagrams. The packet is the fundamental unit of information in computer networks.
Data transfer rates in gigapackets per second are associated with high speed networks, especially fiber optic networks. The bit rates that are used to create gigapackets are in the range of gigabits per second. These rates are seen in network speeds of gigabit Ethernet or 10 Gigabit Ethernet and SONET Optical Carrier rates of OC-48 at 2.5 Gbit/s and OC-192 at 10 Gbit/s.


Bunt (community)

Bunt () is an Indian community, who traditionally inhabit the coastal districts of Karnataka. With agrarian origins, Bunts had a martial background and are the landed gentry of the region. They are the dominant, land-owning farming community of Tulu Nadu and speak Tulu as well as Kundagannada as their mother tongue. The Bunts today are a largely urbanised community with a population size of 1 million worldwide. Bunts are considered a forward upper caste community. They are categorized as Other Backward Class (OBC / 3B) by the Government of Karnataka.
Etymology.
The word "Bunt" means "powerful man" or "warrior" in Tulu language. Bunts are also referred to as "okkelme," which means farmers or cultivators and references their agrarian origins.
History.
American anthropologist Sylvia Vatuk states that the Bunt community was a loosely defined social group. The matrilineal kin groups that constituted the caste were linguistically, geographically and economically diverse, which were united by their arrogation of aristocratic status and power. The Bunts speak Tulu and Kannada as their native language and were traditionally an agrarian caste engaged in rice cultivation. The Bunts follow a matrilineal system of inheritance called Aliyasantana. They have 93 clan names or surnames and are divided into 53 matrilineal septs called Bari. Members of the same bari did not intermarry. According to S. D. L. Alagodi, the Bunts "originally belonged to the warrior class. Being the martial race of Tulu Nadu, they served the ruling chiefs which brought them considerable benefits and allowed them to become the landowners and nobles of the region."
Bunt clans claim descent from the ancient Alupa dynasty (circa 2nd century CE - 15th century CE). Historian P. Gururaja Bhat mentions that the Alupa royal family were of local origin possibly belonging to the Bunt caste. The title Alupa (Alva) survives till this day among the Bunts according to historian Bhaskar Anand Saletore. Some ruling and feudal clans of North Kerala adjacent to Tulu Nadu were also likely descended from Bunts. Indian anthropologist Ayinapalli Aiyappan states that a powerful and warlike clan of the Bunts was called "Kola Bari" and the Kolathiri Raja of Kolathunadu was a descendant of this clan.
Norwegian anthropologist Harald Tambs-Lyche, states that the Bunts were warriors of the Jain kingdoms. Jainism gained a foothold in the Canara region during the rule of the Hoysala dynasty who were themselves Jains. The Hoysala Ballal kings are known to have appointed Bunts as military officers A section of Bunts believe that they were originally Jains who later became a caste group. A legend prevalent among the Bunts states that one of the Jain kings of the Bunts abandoned Jainism and took to eating peacock meat to cure a disease. Veerendra Heggade, the hereditary administrator of the Dharmasthala Temple has also publicly spoken about the Jain origin of the Bunts. Heggade is the current head of the Pattada Pergade family of Bunt heritage which continues to practice the Jain religion.
The concept of personal landed property existed in South Canara district from at least the 12th century and also a military tenure not very different from the feudal system of Europe. The Bunts, being a martial caste, were exempt from paying land taxes. Around the 15th century, the Bunts had consolidated themselves as a land-owning feudal caste grouping. Among the Bunts existed rich landlords as well as poor labourers who were often exploited by the former. Bunt families controlled several villages and lived in a manor house. Several villages were generally united under a single Bunt chiefdom, and the chiefdoms had considerable autonomy despite being vassals to the Jain kings. The Bunt chiefs and petty princes became virtually independent after the rise of the Nayakas of Keladi. The Haleri Rajas, who were likely a cadet branch of the Nayakas of Keladi invited Bunt families to settle in Kodagu district after establishing the Kingdom of Coorg
At the start of the 16th century, the Tuluva dynasty came to control the Vijayanagara Empire with its capital at Hampi in North Karnataka. It has been suggested by scholars Mysore Hatti Ramasharma and Mysore Hatti Gopal that the Tuluva rulers were of Bunt origin. A section of Bunts called Parivara Bunt have also traditionally claimed to be Nayaks (chieftains) of the Vijayanagara Empire.
The feudal life and society of Bunt began to disintegrate in the succeeding colonial British Raj period leading to urbanisation.
Religion.
The Bunts practice Hinduism and a section among them follow Jainism. Alagodi wrote in 2006 of the Tulu Nadu population that, "Among the Hindus, a little over ten per cent are "brahmins", and all the others, though nominally Hindus, are really propitiators or worshippers of tutelary deities and "bhutas"." Amitav Ghosh describes the Tulu Butas as protective figures, ancestral spirits and heroes who have been assimilated to the ranks of minor deities. The cult worship of the Butas is widely practiced in Tulu Nadu by a large section of the population. The Bunts being the principal landowners of the region were the traditional patrons of the Buta Kola festival which included aspects akin to theatrical forms like Yakshagana.
Butas and daivas (tutelary deities) are not worshiped on a daily basis like mainstream Hindu gods. Their worship is restricted to annual ritual festivals, though daily pujas may be conducted for the ritual objects, ornaments, and other paraphernalia of the būta. Unlike with the better-known Hindu gods of the puraṇic variety, buta worship is congregational and every caste in the Tulu speaking region has it own set of butas and daivas that they worship.
Depending on the significance of the people who worship them, butas or daivas can be family deities (kuṭuṃbada buta), local or village deities (jageda buta, urada buta), or deities associated with administrative units such as manorial estates (Guțțus, Beedus), groups of estates (magane), districts (sime) or even small kingdoms (royal butas or rajandaivas). The deity Jumadi is cited as an example of a Rajandaiva, i.e. a royal deity who reigns over a former small kingdom or large feudal estate. Jumadi is worshiped mainly by the rich land-owning Bunts who are the chief patrons of his cult. In the myth, as well as in the religious Buta Kola dance, Jumadi is always accompanied by his warrior attendant, called Bante, who appears to be specially related to the patrons of the Bunt caste. "Kodamanthaye", "Kukkinanthaye", "Jaranthaye", "Ullaya" and "Ullalthi" are some of the other deities from the royal Buta cult.
Manor houses.
Most Bunts followed a matrilineal system of inheritance and the eldest male member in the female line was the head of the family. This head of the family was called "Yajmane" and he would preside over the manorial court during the feudal era.
The Nadibettu Aramane house in Shirva was built in the 14th century and has copper plate inscriptions of the Vijayanagara Empire Chavadi Aramane of Nandalike, the manorial house of the "Heggade" chieftaincy has inscriptions from the 16th century. Suralu Aramane of the Tolaha dynasty is another house of chieftains in Udupi district; it dates from the 15th century. The Suralu Mud Palace is currently under the ownership of Sudarshan Shetty, a descendant of the Tolahas who is leading a restoration project. The Suralu Palace is a State protected Monument which was partially restored in 2016 with help from the Government of Karnataka
Some other houses of the Bunts that preserve medieval architecture include the Kodial Guthu house of Mangalore. Badila Guthu in Kannur, Shetty Bettu, Puthige Guthu, Markada Guthu and Kodethur Guthu
Organisation.
The traditional community council of the Bunts have been replaced by a body of elected members called the Buntara Yane Nadavara Mathr Sangha (Bunt and Nadava Association). It was established in 1908 in Mangalore and has been called the apex body of the Bunt community by "The Hindu" newspaper. Similar regional and international organisations operate in areas where the Bunts have migrated.
The Bunt association, including its regional bodies, also runs schools, colleges, hostels and dispensaries.
Varna Classification.
The traditional "chaturvarna" system is largely not found in South India. According to Buchanan and historians like P.N Chopra, Gundimeda Sambaiah and Sanjay Subrahmanyam etc. Bunts were classified as Sat-Shudras or Upper Shudras. In Southern India, the upper Shudras were generally the landholding ruling classes of South India and were analogous to Kshatriyas and Vaishyas in North India.
According to Historian K.N.Yogeeshwarappa, Bunts are Nagavanshi kshatriyas.
References.
Notes
Citations


Aitareya Upanishad

The Aitareya Upanishad (Sanskrit: ऐतरेय उपनिषद् IAST "") is a Mukhya Upanishad, associated with the Rigveda. It comprises the fourth, fifth and sixth chapters of the second book of Aitareya Aranyaka, which is one of the four layers of Rig vedic text.
Aitareya Upanishad discusses three philosophical themes: first, that the world and man is the creation of the Atman (Soul, Universal Self); second, the theory that the "Atman" undergoes threefold birth; third, that Consciousness is the essence of "Atman".
Chronology.
According to a 1998 review by Patrick Olivelle and other scholars, the Aitareya Upanishad was likely composed in a pre-Buddhist period, possibly 6th to 5th century BCE.
Discussion.
Aitareya Upanishad is a primary ancient Upanishad, and is listed as number 8 in the Muktika canon of 108 Upanishads. Considered one of the middle Upanishads, the date of composition is not known but has been estimated by scholars to be sometime around 6th or 5th century BCE.
The Aitareya Upanishad is a short prose text, divided into three chapters, containing 33 verses.
First chapter.
In the first chapter of the Aitareya Upanishad, Atman is asserted to have existed alone prior to the creation of the universe. It is this Atman, the Soul or the Inner Self, that is then portrayed as the creator of everything from itself and nothing, through heat. The text states that the Atman created the universe in stages. First came four entities: space, "maram" (earth, stars), "maricih" (light-atom) and "apas" (ur-water, cosmic fluid). After these came into existence, came the cosmic self and eight psyches and principles (speech, in-breathing, sight, hearing, skin/hair, mind, out-breathing, reproductivity). Atman then created eight guardians corresponding to these psyches and principles. Then, asserts Aitareya Upanishad, came the connective principles of hunger and thirst, where everything became interdependent on everything else through the principle of "apana" (digestion). Thereafter came man, who could not exist without a sense of Self and Soul (Atman). But this sense then began cogitating on itself, saying that "I am more than my sensory organs, I am more than my mind, I am more than my reproductive ability", and then asked (abridged),
Paul Deussen summarizes the first chapter of Aitareya Upanishad as follows,
Second chapter.
In the second chapter, Aitareya Upanishad asserts that the Atman in any man is born thrice: first, when a child is born (procreation); second, when the child has been cared for and loved to Selfhood where the child equals the parent; third, when the parent dies and the Atman transmigrates. The overall idea of chapter 2 of Aitareya Upanishad is that it is procreation and nurturing of children that makes a man immortal, and the theory of rebirth, which are the means by which Atman sustainably persists in this universe.
Third Chapter.
The third chapter of Aitareya Upanishad discusses the nature of Atman. It declares that consciousness is what defines man, the source of all intellectual and moral theories, all gods, all living beings (man, animals, plants), all that there is. Then the Upanishad asserts that the key to the riddle of the Universe is one's own inner self. To know the universe, know thyself. Become immortal, suggests the Aitareya Upanishad, by being you.
Max Muller translates parts of the chapter as follows (abridged),
Aitareya Upanishad, like other Upanishads of Hinduism, asserts the existence of Consciousness as Atman, the Self or Brahman. It contains one of the most famous expressions of the Vedanta, "Prajnanam Brahma" (Knowledge is Brahman/god/divine/holy), which is one of the Mahāvākyas.
Sanskrit commentaries.
Aitareya Upanishad is one of the older Upanishads reviewed and commented upon in their respective "Bhasyas" by various ancient scholars such as Adi Shankara and Madhvacharya. Adi Shankara, for example, commented on Aitereya Upanishad, clarifying that some of his peer scholars have interpreted the hymns in a way that must be refuted. The first meaning, as follows, is incomplete and incorrect, states Shankara
Adi Shankara then reminds the reader that the Aitereya Upanishad must be studied in its context, which starts with and states "Atma va idam" in hymn 1. It doesn't start with, nor does the text's context, mean that "I am alive, thus God". Rather, states Shankara, the context is abundantly clear that one must know, "Atman exists, I am consciousness, and that self-realization of one's Atman, its Oneness with Universal Soul is the path to liberation and freedom. Know yourself. Worship yourself." Adi Shankara then explains that rituals, sacrifices, merit-karma (worship) does not lead to liberation, the wise do not perform these and rituals such as "Agnihotra", they seek Atman and understanding of their own Being and their own Inner Self, and when one has achieved "Self-knowledge, full awareness of one's consciousness" does one achieve moksha.
Translations.
The first English translation was published in 1805 by Colebrooke. Other translators include Max Muller, Paul Deussen, Charles Johnston, Nikhilānanda, Gambhirananda, Sarvananda, Patrick Olivelle and Bhānu Swami (with commentary of Śrī Raṅgarāmānujācārya).
Credits.
The author of the "Aitareya Aranyaka" and the "Aitareya Upanishad" has been historically credited to rishi Aitareya Mahidasa.


Myles Dillon

Myles Dillon (11 May 1900 – 18 June 1972) was an Irish historian, philologist and celticist.
Myles Dillon was born in Dublin; he was one of six children of John Dillon and his wife Elizabeth Mathew; James Matthew Dillon, the leader of Fine Gael, was his younger brother.
Myles Dillon graduated from University College Dublin, than travelled to Germany and France, where he studied in deep Old Irish and Celtic philology under Joseph Vendryes and Rudolf Thurneysen. Dillon taught Sanskrit and comparative philology in Trinity College, Dublin (1928–1930) and University College, Dublin (1930–1937). In 1937 moved to USA, where he taught Irish in the University of Madison (his son John M. Dillon was born in Madison), in 1946-1947 taught in Chicago. On his return to Ireland worked in the School of Celtic Studies in Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies; was the director of the School from 1960 till 1968, edited Celtica. Volume 11 of Celtica is dedicated to his memory. From 1966 to 1967 he was President of the Royal Irish Academy.
Myles Dillon is the author of a number of important scholarly books, handbooks and translations from Old Irish. Among his most notable works are "The Cycles of the Kings" (1946), "Early Irish literature" (1948), "The Celtic realms" (1967, with Nora Kershaw Chadwick). M. Dillon published a modern translation and commentary of "The Book of Rights" (, 1962). He also translated "Dieux et héros des Celtes" by Marie-Louise Sjoestedt into English, thus making the book available for a wider scholarly audience. The monograph "Celts and Aryans", published posthumously by the Indian Institute of Advanced Study reflects Dillon's interest in the traces of the shared heritage in the Indian and Irish cultures deriving from Proto-Indo-European society based on a period of research Dillon spent in Simla, India.


Wang Youqin

Wang Youqin (Chinese: 王友琴; born 1952) is a scholar specializing in East Asian studies and is currently a professor at the University of Chicago. Professor Wang is notable for her research on the Chinese Cultural Revolution, especially the Red August of Beijing. She keeps an online list of victims of the Cultural Revolution and their stories.
Early life and education.
Wang was born in Beijing in 1952. After graduating from the Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University, she was among the "educated youths" who were "sent down" to Yunnan Province during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. In 1979, she attended Peking University after the National College Entrance Examination was resumed in 1977. In 1988, she obtained her PhD in Literature from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and then left for the United States.
Research on the Cultural Revolution.
Wang taught Chinese in Stanford University before moving to the University of Chicago in 1999. She is currently a Senior Instructional Professor in Chinese Language at the University of Chicago's Department of the East Asian Languages and Civilizations.
Professor Wang was among the first scholars to study the Red August of Beijing, the origin of the "Red Terror" of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, during which students attacked and even killed their teachers. This included the well-known murder of Bian Zhongyun, who was the first education worker in Beijing killed by Red Guards, including Bian's own students such as Song Binbin. Professor Wang has published papers and books about the individual victims of the Cultural Revolution. She also keeps an online record of hundreds of the victims and their families.


Worldwide Endometriosis March

The Worldwide Endometriosis March (abbreviated EndoMarch, formerly Million Women March For Endometriosis) was the first global campaign involving synchronized, multi-city ‘march and rally’ demonstrations for the cause of endometriosis, an incurable and potentially debilitating disease that is quite common, affecting at least 1 in 10 women and girls, but which has an average diagnostic delay of about 10 years. The EndoMarch movement was founded and sponsored by Drs. Camran, Ceana, Farr, and Azadeh Nezhat, and Barbara Page, and is registered as a 501(c)(3) public charity nonprofit, with headquarters in Palo Alto, California.
Attendance.
The first Worldwide EndoMarch took place on March 13, 2014, and occurred in approximately 43 countries, with a flagship event held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Multiple medical societies and medical schools co-sponsored the event, including the American Medical Association, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Society of Reproductive Medicine, Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, The National Infertility Association, Howard University, and the World Symposium on Endometriosis and Oncofertility. Several U.S. public figures attended the first Washington, D.C. EndoMarch, including Oracle Co-CEO Safra Catz, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow, Law and Order SVU Actress Stephanie March, MSNBC News reporter Mika Brzezinski, and TV Political Analyst Michelle Bernard. Public figures from other countries have also supported the international marches.
The Second Annual Worldwide EndoMarch took place on March 28, 2015, and occurred in dozens of cities around the world, with fairly large turnouts in about 17 countries, and included demonstrations in several cities in the U.S., including Palo Alto and San Diego in California, Dover, Delaware, Hilo, Hawaii, New York, New York, Houston, Texas, and again in Washington, D.C.
Organizers.
As a mostly volunteer-run movement, endometriosis patients and patient advocates have been the main organizers and participants advocating for more awareness, as endometriosis is still so poorly understood that patients are routinely denied adequate medical care because their expressions of chronic pain are mistaken as signs of drug seeking, malingering, or mental illness.


Black Rose (BDSM organization)

Black Rose is a pansexual educational and support group for the BDSM community in the Washington, D.C. area. It was founded in June 1987, was the center of the local BDSM community for almost 20 years, and continues to this day. Jack McGeorge was one of its founders.
Black Rose was one of the founding coalition partners of the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, which was founded in 1997.
From 1997 through 2012, the organization held hotel-based conventions that included educational sessions, vendor rooms and play parties. For much of that time, the events were annual and by 2000 had grown to be among the largest such events held on the East Coast. Annual events continued through 2009. The group's last large event was held in 2012 to celebrate its 25th anniversary.
In 1998, Black Rose X received the Large Event of the Year award as part of the Pantheon of Leather Awards. Also, in 1998 and 2000, Black Rose received the Large Club of the Year award as part of the Pantheon of Leather Awards.
Over Thanksgiving weekend, in 2002, an article in "The Washington Post" publicly highlighted Black Rose cofounder Jack McGeorge’s leadership in the Washington, DC BDSM and leather community. McGeorge had made no attempt to conceal his involvement in the BDSM and leather lifestyles; his full name appeared prominently on websites, and he said as much to the Post and other media. He did, however, offer his resignation to Hans Blix, hoping to preserve the credibility of his organization (the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, called UNMOVIC) before the weapons inspections in Iraq. Blix refused to accept McGeorge's resignation. Later, Hua Jiang, spokeswoman for U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, said that being into BDSM was no more likely to be a cross-cultural problem in the Middle East than any number of other issues.
The increased prominence of the internet, and especially the founding of the social networking site Fetlife in 2008, allowed alternative sexuality groups to multiply and flourish. This diminished Black Rose's central position in the Washington BDSM community, although it remains a significant presence. It is an especially important resource for newcomers to BDSM, for whom its educational emphasis is both practical and less intimidating than other points of entry.
Black Rose hosts regular educational classes addressing BDSM activities, issues, and safety, currently at The Crucible, Washington's longstanding BDSM club, in Washington, DC. For most of its history, the group has also hosted monthly socials whose emphasis have varied over time from hands-on educational workshops to social play parties.
Black Rose is governed by a board of directors elected by its membership.
Special interest groups.
Black Rose includes several special interest groups (SIGs):
Awards.
Among its other activities, Black Rose annually grants awards:


Scott Eyman

Scott Eyman (born March 2, 1951) is an American author, and former book editor and art critic of "The Palm Beach Post". He is a frequent book reviewer for "The Wall Street Journal" and "Film Comment," and was a contributor for "The New York Observer". His books specialize in the Golden Age of Hollywood. He is the author of "Cary Grant: A Brilliant Disguise", (Simon & Schuster, 2020); "Hank & Jim: The Fifty-Year Friendship of Henry Fonda and James Stewart", (2017); "John Wayne: The Life and Legend", (2014); "Empire of Dreams: The Epic Life of Cecil B. DeMille", (2010); "Louis B. Mayer: Lion of Hollywood" (Simon & Schuster, (2005); "Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford" (2001); "Ernst Lubitsch: Laughter in Paradise" (1993); "The Speed of Sound: Hollywood and the Talkie Revolution 1926-1930" (1997); "Mary Pickford: America's Sweetheart" (1990), and "Five American Cinematographers" (1987). With co-author Louis Giannetti, he published ": A Brief History of Film" (1986), now in its seventh edition.
Robert Wagner's autobiography, "Pieces of My Heart: A Life", written with Eyman, was published on 23 September 2008, and was on the "New York Times" Bestseller List. Their second collaboration, "You Must Remember This", was published March 11, 2014, about life off the studio lot, and was also on the "New York Times" Bestseller List (March 30, 2014). Their third collaboration was "I Loved Her In The Movies: Memories of Hollywood's Legendary Actresses," (2016).
He is an adjunct professor at the University of Miami in the Department of Cinema & Interactive Media, where he has taught film history since 2015.


Independence Day (Finland)

Finland's Independence Day (, ) is a national public holiday, and a flag day, held on 6 December to celebrate Finland's declaration of independence from Russia in 1917.
History.
The movement for Finland's independence started after the revolutions in Russia, caused by disturbances inside Russia from hardships connected to the First World War. This gave Finland an opportunity to withdraw from Russian rule. After several disagreements between the non-socialists and the social-democrats over who should have power in Finland, on 4 December 1917, the Senate of Finland, led by Pehr Evind Svinhufvud, finally made a Declaration of Independence which was adopted by the Finnish parliament two days later.
Independence Day was first celebrated in 1917. However, during the first years of independence, 6 December in some parts of Finland was only a minor holiday compared to 16 May, the Whites' day of celebration for prevailing in the Finnish Civil War. The left parties would have wanted to celebrate 15 November, because the people of Finland (represented by parliament) took power 15 November 1917. When a year had passed since declaration of independence, 6 December 1918, the academic people celebrated the day.
Observance.
During the early decades of independence, occasion marked by patriotic speeches and special church services. From the 1970s onwards, however, Independence Day celebrations have taken livelier forms, with shops decorating their windows in the blue and white of the Finnish flag, and bakeries producing cakes with blue and white icing.
It is traditional for Finnish families to light two candles in each window of their home in the evening. This custom dates to the 1920s; but even earlier, candles had been placed in Finnish windows on poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg's birthday as a silent protest against Russian oppression. A popular legend has it that two candles were used as a sign to inform young Finnish men on their way to Sweden and Germany to become jägers that the house was ready to offer shelter and keep them hidden from the Russians.
State festivities.
Official Independence Day festivities usually commence with the raising of the Finnish flag on Tähtitorninmäki ("Observatory Hill") in Helsinki. A religious service is held at Helsinki Cathedral, and official visits are made to the war memorials of World War II. Another event is the annual military parade by personnel of the Finnish Defense Forces, which is one of the big highlights and is a nationally televised event.
YLE, Finland's national public service broadcaster, broadcasts the movie adaptation of Tuntematon Sotilas ("The Unknown Soldier"), based on Väinö Linna's iconic novel. In most years, the original 1955 film has been shown (dozens of times) and every year since 2000; but the 1985 version has also been shown once—in 1997.
The traditional torch cavalcade by students has been held annually since 1951. The cavalcade is held in various towns and cities with a university and wreaths are placed on war graves.
In the evening, the Presidential Independence Day reception is held for approximately 2000 invited guests at the Presidential Palace. This event, known informally also as "Linnanjuhlat" ("the Castle Ball"), is broadcast on national television and has been a perennial favourite of the viewing public. The first presidential ball was organized in 1919, and the event has been held most years since.
The reception invariably attracts the attention of demonstrators in support of various causes, and various demonstrations and shadow parties are held to coincide with the official event. The late philanthropist Veikko Hursti organized the most popular of these demonstrations, providing free food to the poor and underprivileged. Since Hursti's death in 2005, the tradition has been carried on by his son, Heikki Hursti.
The most popular television segment of the Independence Day reception is the entrance of the guests. These include persons who receive invitations every year, including the knights of the Mannerheim Cross (traditionally the first ones to enter), members of the government and the Parliament of Finland, archbishops, judges, high military and police officers, and various diplomats and dignitaries. The second group includes guests of the President's own choosing: typically entertainers; activists; sportspersons; and in general, people who have been in the spotlight over the past year. The last guests to enter are always the surviving former Finnish presidents.
90th anniversary commemorative coin.
The 90th anniversary of Finland's Declaration of Independence was selected as the main motif for a high-value commemorative coin, the €5 90th Anniversary of Finland's Declaration of Independence commemorative coin, minted in 2007. The reverse shows petroglyphic aesthetics, while the obverse has a nine-oar boat with rowers, symbolizing collaboration as a true Finnish trait. Signs of music and Finnish kantele strings can be discerned in the coin's design.
100th anniversary.
The centenary of Finland’s independence was celebrated in 2017. The theme was "Together".
Global illuminations.
Country, city, site illuminated:


Edmund Crosby Quiggin

Edmund Crosby Quiggin (23 August 1875 – 4 January 1920) was a British linguist and scholar. Born in Cheadle, Staffordshire, he was educated at Kingswood School in Bath. In 1893 he matriculated at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge University, to read Modern and Medieval Languages. He graduated with first-class honours. The fellows of Caius included the lawyer and legal historian Charles Henry Monro, who spoke Irish and encouraged Quiggin to study in this area.
In October 1898, Quiggin was appointed English Lector at the University of Greifswald, where he completed his doctorate, "Die lautliche Geltung der vortonigen Wörter und Silben in der Book of Leinster Version der Tain bo Cualnge" ('The phonetic quality of pre-stress words and syllables in the Book of Leinster version of the "Táin Bó Cúailnge" '). In 1901, Quiggin returned to Cambridge and between June 1903 and January 1906 went on to undertake fieldwork on Ulster Irish in County Donegal, resulting in the book "".
In 1907, Quiggin married the anthropologist Alison Hingston Quiggin, author of "A Survey of Primitive Money" and other works.
In 1909 Caius College used a bequest of Charles Henry Monro to create the Monro Lectureship in Celtic for Quiggin. This lectureship was the first of its kind and one of the forces which fed into the creation of the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic. (The department has, since 1993, commemorated Quiggin through the Quiggin Memorial Lecture, in which series the fullest biography of Quiggin so far has been published.)
Quiggin's next publication was his "Prolegomena to the Study of the Later Irish Bards, 1200–1500". However, with the outbreak of the First World War, Quiggin found himself in war service from 1915 to 1919, first in Boulogne and then in the Admiralty's Intelligence Division. In 1919 he returned to work and study at Cambridge, but died from ill health on 4 January 1920 in Warlingham.


Miho Mosulishvili

Mikheil "Miho" Mosulishvili (; ; born December 10, 1962) is a Georgian writer and playwright.
Biography.
Mosulishvili graduated in 1986 from the Tbilisi State University. Afterwards, he worked as a geologist and as a journalist in various newspapers, published several Georgian stories, novels, translations, and plays. His plays were performed in Georgia at theaters, on television and on radio. Some of his works have been translated into Latvian, English, German, Armenian and Russian. His main works are "Flight Without a tun" and biographical novel "Vazha-Pshavela".
The physicist Liguri Mosulishvili was Miho's uncle; and the style of his different thinking had influence on Miho Mosulishvili's creativity.


Impact depth

The physicist Sir Isaac Newton first developed this idea to get rough approximations for the impact depth for projectiles traveling at high velocities.
Newton's approximation for the impact depth.
Newton's approximation for the impact depth for projectiles at high velocities is based only on momentum considerations. Nothing is said about where the impactor's kinetic energy goes, nor what happens to the momentum after the projectile is stopped.
The basic idea is simple: The impactor carries a given momentum. To stop the impactor, this momentum must be transferred onto another mass. Since the impactor's velocity is so high that cohesion within the target material can be neglected, the momentum can only be transferred to the material (mass) directly in front of the impactor, which will be pushed at the impactor's speed. If the impactor has pushed a mass equal to its own mass at this speed, its whole momentum has been transferred to the mass in front of it and the impactor will be stopped. For a cylindrical impactor, by the time it stops, it will have penetrated to a depth that is equal to its own length times its relative density with respect to the target material.
This approach only holds for a blunt impactor (no aerodynamical shape) and a target material with "no fibres" (no cohesion), at least not at the impactor's speed. This is usually true if the impactor's speed is much higher than the speed of sound within the target material. At such high velocities, most materials start to behave like a fluid. It is then important that the projectile stay in a compact shape during impact (no spreading).


High level forums on aid effectiveness

Four high level forums on aid effectiveness were held between 2003 and 2011 as part of a "continuous effort towards modernising, deepening and broadening development co-operation and the delivery of aid" coordinated through the OECD. They took place at Rome (2003), Paris (2005), Accra (2008) and Busan (2011). (The phrase "aid effectiveness" appeared in the titles of the latter three forums; the Rome forum was retrospectively seen by the OECD as having been the first of the series.)
The main theme of the forums was improvement in coordination of aid between donor and recipient states. Its most famous product was the 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness which set out five fundamental principles for making aid more effective, namely: ownership (by the recipient country), alignment (of donor aid with recipients' objectives and systems), harmonisation (of donor systems), managing for results, and mutual accountability. The Declaration established 12 targets (later expressed as 13 quantified targets) for the fulfilment of these principles by 2010. The official review in 2011/12 found that only one of the 13 targets had been met, although "considerable progress" had been seen in some of the other areas.
The fourth and final high level forum, at Busan in 2011, resolved to "broaden our focus and attention from aid effectiveness to the challenges of effective development". To this end, it mandated the creation of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation whose process superseded that of the high level forums on aid effectiveness.
Background.
The four high level forums on aid effectiveness (2003-2011) took up the challenge of a previous high-level conference that had been convened by the UN in 2002 at Monterrey, Mexico on the subject of financing for development. The Monterrey Consensus, arrived at by heads of state and government, urged (among other things) developed countries to increase the quantities of development aid, recognizing that this demanded enhanced aid effectiveness which would involve increased harmonization and use of "development frameworks that are owned and driven by developing countries".
The Monterrey Consensus had in turn referred back to previous events, in particular the United Nations Millennium Declaration (grounding the Millennium Development Goals whose eighth goal was "a global partnership for development"), and the September 11 terrorist attacks (which had occurred just six months earlier and were exacerbating a global economic slowdown, and also had implications for global security cooperation).
Rome High Level Forum on Harmonisation, 2003.
Held on 24-25 February 2003, the Rome forum brought together the heads of governmental and inter-governmental aid agencies with leaders of aid recipient countries. It resulted in a "Rome Declaration" in which the parties pledged principally that aid should adopt the priorities and leadership of recipient country governments and result in greater ownership by them, and that the bureaucratic burdens imposed by donors on recipients (and vice versa) should be reduced.
The Working Party on Aid Effectiveness.
Following the Rome forum, the OECD's Development Assistance Committee (DAC) set up a Working Party on Aid Effectiveness. In its early stage, this sought to create a framework for monitoring the Rome commitments. It was at first made up mainly of DAC members, i.e. representatives of the traditional governmental donors. Later it was joined by non-traditional donors, aid recipient countries, civil society organisations and others in what the OECD hailed as ""the" international partnership for aid effectiveness". This Working Party became the lower-level forum overseeing preparations for the subsequent high level forums.
Paris High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, 2005.
In February 2005, the international community came together at the Paris High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, hosted by the French government and organised by the OECD. The role of aid in promoting development was attracting increasing public scrutiny in the run-up to the G8 Summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, and the global campaigns such as Make Poverty History.
While some progress had been made in harmonising the work of international aid donors in developing countries, it was acknowledged that much more needed to be done. The aid process was still too strongly led by donor priorities and administered through donor channels, making it hard for developing countries to take the lead. Aid was still too uncoordinated, unpredictable and un-transparent. Deeper reform was felt to be essential if aid was to demonstrate its true potential in the effort to overcome poverty.
At the Paris meeting, more than 100 signatories—from donor and developing-country governments, multilateral donor agencies, regional development banks and international agencies—endorsed the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. The Paris Declaration went much further than previous agreements; it represented a broader consensus among the international community about how to make aid more effective. At its heart was the commitment to help developing-country governments formulate and implement their own national development plans, according to their own national priorities, using, wherever possible, their own planning and implementation systems.
The Paris Declaration contains 56 partnership commitments aimed at improving the effectiveness of aid. It lays out 12 indicators to provide a measurable and evidence-based way to track progress, and sets targets for 11 of the indicators to be met by 2010. Some country-level aid information management systems, such as the Development Assistance Database, are tracking indicators based on the principles of the Paris Declaration for tracking aid effectiveness and measuring donor performance.
Principles of the Paris Declaration on aid effectiveness.
The Declaration is focused on five mutually reinforcing principles:
A first round of monitoring of the 12 Paris Declaration indicators was conducted in 2006 based on activities undertaken in 2005 in 34 countries. A second survey was organised in early 2008 in which 54 developing countries examined progress against the targets at country level. This 2008 Survey covers more than half all the official development assistance delivered in 2007—nearly USD$45 billion. The evidence so far suggests that progress has been made.
For example, more than one third of developing countries surveyed had improved their systems for managing public funds; almost 90% of donor countries had untied their aid; and technical cooperation is more in line with developing countries’ own development programmes. Despite these improvements, however, the results of the Survey show that the pace of progress remains too slow to reach the targets set in 2010. In particular, although many countries have made significant efforts to strengthen their national systems (for instance by improving how they manage their public funds), in many cases donors are still reluctant to use them.
The predictability of aid flows also remains low (with just over a third of aid disbursed on schedule), thereby making it hard—or impossible—for governments to plan ahead. In summary, whilst some progress has been made there are still many areas where the pace of change must be accelerated if the targets set for 2010 are to be reached. In addition to the data from the monitoring survey a useful way of understanding donor and recipient country performance is to examine donor and recipient country self-assessments, donor evaluations and Development Assistance Committee Peer Reviews.
In some quarters, the Paris Declaration is almost synonymous with aid effectiveness; it is expected that aid will be effective and achieve development outcomes when the principles are observed for government sector aid. However, there continue to be criticisms and alternative views, particularly from non-government aid organisations. Implementation of the Paris Declaration still needs to be significantly stepped up, according to the results of the 2008 Monitoring Survey. Concrete targets set for 2010 (such as an increased proportion of aid to be untied; establishment of "mutual accountability" mechanisms in aid recipient countries; and for two-thirds of aid to be delivered in the context of so-called programme approaches rather than projects) may be difficult to meet. Independent NGOs, such as Eurodad, also release their own evaluations, showing that the Declaration is not being implemented as planned. The Overseas Development Institute has specified that better monitoring of the relationship between the Paris Principles and development results at sector level is necessary.
Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, Accra, September 2008.
The Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF-3) was held in Accra, Ghana from September 2–4, 2008. Its aim was to build on the work of the two previous meetings, in Rome and Paris, to take stock of progress so far, and to accelerate the momentum of change.
The Forum was attended by senior ministers from more than 100 countries, as well as representatives of multilateral aid institutions such as the European Commission (EuropeAid), the World Bank, the United Nations (UN), private foundations and civil society organisations. It was the first of three major international aid conferences in 2008, all aimed at speeding up progress toward the Millennium Development Goals. It was followed by the United Nations High Level Event on the MDGs in New York on 25 September and the Follow-up International Conference on Financing for Development in Doha, Qatar, 29 November-2 December.
The Accra Forum took place against a rapidly changing international aid landscape. Donor countries such as China and India are becoming increasingly important and there are more global programmes and funds that channel aid to tackle specific problems, such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Private funding sources such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are becoming major players, and civil society groups are increasingly active. The new players bring substantial new resources and expertise to the aid process, but increase the complexity developing countries face in managing aid. The HLF-3 aims to encourage the formation of broad aid partnerships, based on the principles of the Paris Declaration, that will encompass all players.
The Accra meeting was different from its predecessors in that developing countries played a more active role in the preparations and the agenda. Some 80 developing countries took part in the regional preparatory events. Fifty-four developing countries participated in the OECD’s 2008 Survey of progress against the Paris Declaration targets. Civil society is increasingly involved in discussions of aid effectiveness; globally, more than 300 civil society groups, including grass roots groups, were involved in consultations in the lead-up to the Accra meeting.
There is broad acknowledgement that new global challenges, such as rising food and fuel prices and climate change, bring added urgency to efforts to make aid as effective as possible. On the first two days of the HLF-3, there was a series of nine Roundtables covering the key issues in aid effectiveness, from country ownership to managing aid in situations of conflict and fragility. On the third day of the Forum, ministers endorsed the Accra Agenda for Action (AAA). This ministerial statement has been developed with support from a multi-national consensus group working under the auspices of the OECD’s Working Party on Aid Effectiveness.
Attention is being focused on stepping up progress toward the commitments outlined in the Paris Declaration by committing signatories to accelerating the pace of change by focusing on key areas that should enable them to meet the 2010 targets agreed in Paris. Drawing on evidence from the latest evaluations, the 2006 and 2008 Surveys on Monitoring the Paris Declaration and on in-depth contributions from developing countries, the AAA identifies three main areas where progress toward reform is still too slow.
The Accra Agenda for Action sets out a list of commitments for its signatories, building on those already agreed in the Paris Declaration. It asks the OECD’s Working Party on Aid Effectiveness to continue monitoring progress on implementing the Paris Declaration and the Accra Agenda for Action and to report back to the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in December 2011. Many donor and recipient governments will have to make serious changes if the AAA’s aims are to be fulfilled. The fact that ministers have signed up to these changes in Accra makes the AAA a political document—rather than a technocratic prescription—to move from business as usual to a new way of working together.
Between Accra and Busan.
Research by the Overseas Development Institute based on in-person interviews with senior politicians and government officials in Ethiopia, Sierra Leone and Zambia suggested that the Accra Agenda for Action (AAA) and Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness's indicators were too narrowly defined and lack depth. The principles of "predictability" and "transparency" were highlighted as lacking depth and important sub-dimensions not given enough emphasis, for instance on adaptation to local contexts. The interviews revealed recipient governments felt "predictability" meant donors should provide funding within the quarters scheduled: the Paris Declaration worked on an annual basis and made no distinction between the first and fourth quarter. Also mentioned were the differences between pledges and actual commitments, the need to speed up the approval process and the need to make explicit and achievable conditions on the aid, to prevent withholding of funds when minor conditions are not fully achieved. Transparency in the reasons for donors' decisions was also seen as very important, the need to be 'frank' about why less funding was disbursed than committed, why feedback from the recipient government was not taken on board, and why a given percentage of funds was earmarked for certain activities such as technical assistance (TA). The resulting conclusion from these interviews and other studies was that repeatedly, the three most important issues for donor recipients were:
Those donor agencies highlighted by aid recipients as particularly attentive to these issues are the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the World Bank, followed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Asian Development Bank (AsDB).
Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, Busan, South Korea, November 2011.
The Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness was held in Busan, South Korea from 29 November 2011 to 1 December 2011. The forum brought together political leaders, government representatives, parliamentarians, civil society organisations and private sector representatives from both developing and donor countries. South Korea held a large stake in the forum. It was one of few countries that has transformed from a net aid recipient to a net aid donor. The holding of the forum in Busan allowed South Korea to share its own development experience, which had attracted a considerable amount of research in the country since 2008.
Despite the fact that the international community had addressed the effectiveness issue through the Paris Declaration and the subsequent Accra Agenda for Action, it was recognised that the implementation of this agenda had been difficult. There was broad consensus that aid could still be managed more effectively, answering a call for greater program quality and accountability.
At the forum there was much stress on the need for a broader and more inclusive partnership for development. The forum's final declaration expressed many mutual commitments along these lines including the establishment of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation.
Evaluation and critiques.
The official review in 2011/12 found that, of the 13 monitored targets established by the Paris Declaration, only one had been met, though it observed that "considerable progress" had been seen in some of the other areas.
The principles agreed upon in the declarations are, however, not always practiced by donors and multilateral bodies. In the case of Cambodia, two experts have assessed donor misbehaviour.


Quantum field theory in curved spacetime

In particle physics, quantum field theory in curved spacetime is an extension of standard, Minkowski space quantum field theory to curved spacetime. A general prediction of this theory is that particles can be created by time-dependent gravitational fields (multigraviton pair production), or by time-independent gravitational fields that contain horizons.
Description.
Interesting new phenomena occur; owing to the equivalence principle the quantization procedure locally resembles that of normal coordinates where the affine connection at the origin is set to zero and a nonzero Riemann tensor in general once the proper (covariant) formalism is chosen; however, even in flat spacetime quantum field theory, the number of particles is not well-defined locally. For non-zero cosmological constants, on curved spacetimes quantum fields lose their interpretation as asymptotic particles. Only in certain situations, such as in asymptotically flat spacetimes (zero cosmological curvature), can the notion of incoming and outgoing particle be recovered, thus enabling one to define an S-matrix. Even then, as in flat spacetime, the asymptotic particle interpretation depends on the observer (i.e., different observers may measure different numbers of asymptotic particles on a given spacetime).
Another observation is that unless the background metric tensor has a global timelike Killing vector, there is no way to define a vacuum or ground state canonically. The concept of a vacuum is not invariant under diffeomorphisms. This is because a mode decomposition of a field into positive and negative frequency modes is not invariant under diffeomorphisms. If "t"′("t") is a diffeomorphism, in general, the Fourier transform of exp["ikt"′("t")] will contain negative frequencies even if "k" > 0. Creation operators correspond to positive frequencies, while annihilation operators correspond to negative frequencies. This is why a state which looks like a vacuum to one observer cannot look like a vacuum state to another observer; it could even appear as a heat bath under suitable hypotheses.
Since the end of the eighties, the local quantum field theory approach due to Rudolf Haag and Daniel Kastler has been implemented in order to include an algebraic version of quantum field theory in curved spacetime. Indeed, the viewpoint of local quantum physics is suitable to generalize the renormalization procedure to the theory of quantum fields developed on curved backgrounds. Several rigorous results concerning QFT in the presence of a black hole have been obtained. In particular the algebraic approach allows one to deal with the problems, above mentioned, arising from the absence of a preferred reference vacuum state, the absence of a natural notion of particle and the appearance of unitarily inequivalent representations of the algebra of observables. (See these lecture notes
for an elementary introduction to these approaches and the more advanced review )
Applications.
The most striking application of the theory is Hawking's prediction that Schwarzschild black holes radiate with a thermal spectrum. A related prediction is the Unruh effect: accelerated observers in the vacuum measure a thermal bath of particles.
This formalism is also used to predict the primordial density perturbation spectrum arising from cosmic inflation, i.e. the Bunch–Davies vacuum. Since this spectrum is measured by a variety of cosmological measurements—such as the CMB - if inflation is correct this particular prediction of the theory has already been verified.
The Dirac equation can be formulated in curved spacetime, see Dirac equation in curved spacetime for details.
Approximation to quantum gravity.
The theory of quantum field theory in curved spacetime can be considered as a first approximation to quantum gravity. A second step towards that theory would be semiclassical gravity, which would include the influence of particles created by a strong gravitational field on the spacetime (which is still considered classical and the equivalence principle still holds). However gravity is not renormalizable in QFT, so merely formulating QFT in curved spacetime is not a theory of quantum gravity.


Puteri Gunung Ledang (film)

Puteri Gunung Ledang is a 2004 Malaysian epic fantasy period film directed by Saw Teong Hin. The film is based on the Malay legend of the Gunung Ledang princess, who is said to have lived on top of Gunung Ledang, and a Malaccan sultan's effort to court her. The film stars Tiara Jacquelina (who also co-produces it alongside Shazalli Ramly), M. Nasir and Adlin Aman Ramlie.
It was the first big-budget Malaysian movie ever made, with a production cost of US$4 million.
Development.
Mamat Khalid pitched the original idea of creating a love story between the Princess of Mount Ledang and legendary warrior Hang Tuah for a television series called "Hikayat". When Tiara Jacquelina heard his story, she stopped him from pursuing the project, insisting that the story was "too good" for television. The story was eventually expanded into a film project.
Filming took place over the course of 92 days spread over nine months. Meanwhile, Tiara had visited the Mangkunegaran Palace in Solo, Java to do further research as to prepare her for the 'princess' role.
Plot.
Set in the late 15th century Sultanate of Malacca and the Javanese kingdom of Majapahit, against a backdrop of war and mysticism, the film is about the forbidden romance that blossomed between Gusti Putri, a Javanese Hindu princess, and Hang Tuah, the famed Malay Muslim warrior from Melaka.
Gusti Putri Retno Dumillah (Tiara Jacquelina), a princess of the Majapahit Kingdom, has fallen in love with Malaccan warrior Hang Tuah (M. Nasir). The Princess leaves her assigned palace life without the consent of her king, travelling to Mount Ledang in the hopes of being reunited with her beloved.
Soon after the princess’ parting, Majapahit is attacked by the Sultanate of Demak. Desperate to quell the invasion, Gusti Putri's brother and King, Gusti Adipati Handaya Ningrat (Alex Komang), offers his sister's hand in marriage to the Prince of Demak. Her absence renders this solution impossible. The King's only hope for security is to forge an alliance with the Malaccan Sultanate by offering his sister's hand in marriage to Sultan Mahmud of Malacca (Adlin Aman Ramlie).
Hang Tuah is ordered to head the royal delegation to present the royal proposal to Gusti Putri. The warrior leads the convoy up Mount Ledang. Gusti Adipati is angry that Hang Tuah is getting in his way and invokes supernatural powers to combat him. Despite his supernatural prowess, he is defeated by Hang Tuah and his magical Taming Sari kris. The injured Gusti Adipati expresses that the fate of his country is more important than love, and Hang Tuah's meddling has destroyed his only hope of saving his people. The guilty Hang Tuah resigns from his post as Admiral and cast his Taming Sari kris into the river, never to be found again.
After a fleeting reunion, the Princess is aware that her beloved's foremost duty is that of a warrior. Despite confessing his love for her, Hang Tuah will not forsake the Sultan's wishes. Brokenhearted, she agrees to marry the Sultan on the proviso that he is able to fulfill seven prohibitive conditions:
When the Sultan learns of the Princess' prohibitive conditions, he is more determined to marry her. But before he can draw blood from his son, a mental projection of Gusti Putri appears before him, explaining that her conditions were in fact an indirect refusal of his proposal. The angered Sultan plants a curse on her, stating that from next sunlight whomsoever sees the princess will die coughing blood.
Hang Tuah, having heard of the curse of the Sultan from the Bendahara, rushes to Mount Ledang to see her one last time. He only arrives after the sun has risen, but Gusti Putri reveals herself to him. It is unknown what their final fate will be.
Cast.
Tiara Jacquelina and M Nasir also provide the theme songs for the film ; the former with "Asmaradana" produced by Edry Abdul Halim, while the latter with "Bagaikan Sakti" which features Siti Nurhaliza.
Awards.
Puteri Gunung Ledang won five awards at the Malaysian Film Festival 2004 including best director, best screenplay, best art direction, best music score. Tiara Jacquelina won the "Best Actress" category at the 50th Asia Pacific Film Festival, as well as the "Best Producer" award at the inaugural Asian Festival of First Films in Singapore (2005).
This film was submitted as Malaysia's official entry for the 2004 Academy Awards but failed to be long-listed.
Adaptation.
The Legend of Gunung Ledang is set during the rule of Sultan Mahmud. At this time, Hang Tuah was already an old man at the end of his career, for he had begun his royal service during the reign of
Sultan Mansur, who was Sultan Mahmud's grandfather. The film modifies this by making Hang Tuah still a physically capable man.
The most notable change to the film is that the original legend doesn't feature any romantic relationship between Hang Tuah and the Princess of Gunung Ledang. In some versions of the tale, Hang Tuah did not even make it to the peak of Mount Ledang, for he was already ailing in health. The man who made it to the peak and presented the proposal in Hang Tuah's stead is a young warrior named Tun Mamat. The Puteri was also never subject to any curse from the Sultan, for he was the one who rejected her, not the other way round as depicted in the film.
Relatively minor changes are that the Princess is a Majapahit human princess with supernatural abilities, while in the legend she is not of this world.


The Ten Principal Upanishads

The Ten Principal Upanishads is a version of the Upanishads translated by Irish-poet W. B. Yeats and the Indian-born mendicant-teacher Shri Purohit Swami. The translation process occurred between the two authors throughout the 1930's and the book was published in 1938; it is one of the final works of W.B. Yeats.
Background.
Irish theosophist-writer George William Russell (also known as Æ) would often quote passages of the Upanishads to Yeats during their forty-year friendship and each time Yeats say to himself: "Some day I will find out if he knows what he is talking about." The translations Yeats read (probably those by Anquetil-Duperron, themselves based on the "Sirr-i-Akbar", a Persian version by the Mughal-mystic Dara Shukoh) left him incredulous, so upon meeting Shri Purohit Swami he proposed that the two of them of them translate the ancient text as though the original was written in common English, quoting the following line from Aristotle as part of his motivation:
W.B. Yeats could not travel to India as planned, so the bulk of translation took place on the Western Mediterranean island of Majorca between the years 1935-1936, with the book finally being published in 1938. This bulk was during a time of rejuvenation for the health and creativity of W.B. Yeats (following a Steinach operation in 1934, performed by Australian sexologist-physician Dr. Norman Haire), as he notes in a 1935 letter: "I find my present weakness made worse by the strange second puberty the operation has given me, the ferment that has come upon my imagination. If I write poetry it will be unlike anything I have done".
While Yeats only knew English, Shri Purohit Swami knew Sanskrit as well as English, Hindi, and Marathi. Yeats and Swami also communicated with one another via letters between the years 1931–1938. Although much of the correspondence concerns their translation of the Upanishads, W.B. Yeats also inquired about Shree Purohit Swami's life (including his nine-year pilgrimage across India) and the two shared conversation on many other topics, exhibiting a fond friendship cemented together by their mutual interests in mystical principles. On 28 January 1939, Yeats passed away in Menton, France, less than a year after the publication of his and Shri Purohit Swami's translation of the Upanishads.
Contents.
The chapters are listed as follows: