Biography.

Eugène François Vidocq was born during the night of 23 to 24 July 1775 as the third child of Henriette Françoise Vidocq (maiden name Dion, 1744–1824) and her husband, the baker Nicolas Joseph François Vidocq (1744–1799) in Arras in the Rue du Mirroir-de-Venise, in France.

Childhood and youth (1775–1795).

Little is known about his childhood; most of it is based on his ghost-written autobiography and a few documents in French archives. His father was well educated and, for those days, very wealthy, since he was also a corn dealer. Vidocq had six siblings: two older brothers (one of whom had died before he was born), two younger brothers and two younger sisters.  Vidocq's teenage years were a turbulent time period. He is described as being fearless, rowdy and cunning, very talented, but also very lazy. He spent much time in the armories (fighting halls) of Arras and acquired a reputation as a formidable fencer and

Years of wandering and prison (1795–1800).

Vidocq did not stay long in the army. In autumn 1794, he spent most of his time in Brussels, which was then a hideout for crooks of all kinds. There, he supported himself by small frauds. One day, he was apprehended by the police, and as a deserter, he had no valid papers. When asked for his identity, he described himself as Monsieur Rousseau from Lille and escaped while the police tried to confirm his statement.  In 1795, still under the alias of Rousseau, he joined the "armée roulante" ("flying army"). This army consisted of "officers" who in reality had neither commissions nor regiments. They were raiders, forging routes, ranks and uniforms but staying away from

The turnaround (1800–1811).

Vidocq returned to Arras in 1800. His father had died in 1799, so he hid in his mother's house for almost half a year before he was recognized and had to flee again. He assumed the identity of an Austrian and spent some time in a relationship with a widow, with whom he moved to Rouen in 1802. Vidocq built up a reputation as a businessman and finally felt secure enough to let his mother come live with him and the widow; but finally, his

The Sûreté (1811–1832).

At the end of 1811, Vidocq informally organized a plainclothes unit, the "Brigade de la Sûreté" ("Security Brigade"). The police department recognized the value of these civil agents, and in October 1812, the experiment was officially converted to a security police unit under the Prefecture of Police. Vidocq was appointed its leader. On 17 December 1813, Napoleon Bonaparte signed a decree that made the brigade a state security police force. From this day on, it was called the "Sûreté Nationale".  The Sûreté initially had eight, then twelve, and, in 1823, twenty employees. A year later, it expanded again, to 28 secret agents. In addition, there were eight people who worked secretly for the Sûreté, but instead of a salary, they received licences for gambling halls. A major portion of Vidocq's subordinates were ex-criminals like himself. He even hired them fresh from the prisons; for example, Coco Lacour, who would later become Vidocq's successor at the Sûreté. Vidocq described his work from this period:  Vidocq personally trained his agents,

Le bureau des renseignements (1833–1848).

In 1833, Vidocq founded "Le bureau des renseignements" ("Office of Information"), a company that was a mixture of a detective agency and a private police force. It is considered to be the first known detective agency. Once again, he predominantly hired ex-convicts.  His squad, which initially consisted of eleven detectives, two clerks and one secretary, pitted itself on behalf of businesspeople and private citizens against "Faiseurs" (crooks, fraudsters, and bankruptcy artists), occasionally using illegal means. From 1837, Vidocq quarreled constantly with the official police because of his activities and his questionable relations with various government agencies such as the War Department. On 28 November 1837, the police executed a

Last years (1849–1857).

In 1849, Vidocq briefly went to prison one last time, on a charge of fraud. In the end, however, the case was dropped. He withdrew more and more into private life and accepted only small cases every now and then. In the last years of his life, he suffered great pain in his right arm, which had been broken and had never healed properly. Also, unwise investments had cost him a large portion of his assets, so he had to curb his living standard and live in rented accommodations. In August 1854, despite a pessimistic prognosis by his doctor, he survived a bout of cholera. Only in April 1857 did his condition deteriorate to the point he could no longer stand. On 11 May 1857, Vidocq died at the age of 81 in his home in Paris in the

Criminology legacy.

Vidocq is considered by historians as the "father" of modern criminology. His approaches were new and unique for that time. He is credited with the introduction of undercover work, ballistics, criminology and a record keeping system to criminal investigation. He made the first plaster cast impressions of shoe prints. He created indelible ink and unalterable bond paper with his printing company. His form of anthropometrics is still partially used by French police. He is also credited with philanthropic pursuits – he claimed he never informed on anyone who had stolen out of real need.  At the same time, his work was not acknowledged in France for a long time because of his criminal past. In September 1905, the Sûreté Nationale exhibited a painting series with its former heads. However, the first painting of the series showed Pierre Allard, Vidocq's successor. The newspaper "L'Exclusive" reported on 17 September 1905 that on obtaining information concerning the omission, they had gotten the answer that Vidocq had never been head of the Sûreté.

Remodelling of the police force.

When Vidocq gave his allegiance to the police around 1810, there were two police organizations in France: on the one side, there was the "police politique", an intelligence agency whose agents were responsible for the detection of conspiracies and intrigues; on the other, the normal police, who investigated common crimes such as theft, fraud, prostitution, and murder. Since the Middle Ages, those constables wore identification insignia that, over time, had developed to full uniforms. Unlike the often covertly operating political police, they were easy to spot. For fear of attack, they did not dare to enter some Parisian districts, limiting their efforts at crime prevention.  Vidocq persuaded his superiors to allow his agents, who also included women, to wear plain clothes and disguises depending on the situation. Thus, they did not attract attention and, as former criminals, also knew the hiding places and

Identification of criminals.

Jürgen Thorwald stated in his book "Das Jahrhundert der Detektive" (1964) that Vidocq had a photographic memory that allowed him to recognize previously convicted criminals, even in disguise. Biographer Samuel Edwards reported in "The Vidocq Dossier" about a trial against the fraudster and forger Lambert, in which Vidocq referred to his memory of the accused. Vidocq regularly visited the prisons to memorise the faces of the inmates and made his agents do the same. The English police adopted this method. Until the late 1980s, British investigators attended court hearings to observe the spectators in the public galleries and become aware of possible accomplices.  As Vidocq said at Lambert's trial,

Scientific experiments.

Forensic science did not yet exist during Vidocq's time. Despite numerous scientific papers, the police did not recognize its practical benefits, and this could not be changed by Vidocq. Nevertheless, he

The Vidocq Society.

In 1990, the "Vidocq Society" was founded in Philadelphia by forensic artist/sculptor Frank Bender (d. 2011). Its members are forensic experts, FBI profilers, homicide investigators, scientists, psychologists, coroners, and any other competent professionals. At

Depictions of Vidocq.

Literature.

In 1829, two journalists under the pseudonym of a criminal named Malgaret published the book "Mémoires d'un forçat ou Vidocq dévoilé" to expose criminal activities Vidocq allegedly had committed. Other police officers followed the example of Vidocq's memoirs and published their own autobiographies in the following years, among them the prefect of police, Henri Gisquet.  Vidocq's life story inspired many contemporary writers, many of them his closest friends. In Balzac's writings, he was regularly the model of literary figures: his experiences as a failed entrepreneur were used in the third part of "Illusions perdues", "Les Souffrances de l'inventeur"; in "Gobseck", Balzac introduced the policeman Corentin; but most clearly, the connection to Vidocq can be found in the figure of Vautrin. This character first appears in the novel "Le Père Goriot", then in "Illusions perdues", "Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes" (as the main character), "La Cousine Bette", "Le Contrat de mariage", and finally as the main character in the 1840 theatre play "Vautrin". Not only Vidocq as a person but also his methods and disguises inspired Balzac in

Theatre.

Vidocq was a friend of the theater. During his lifetime, the Boulevard du Crime, a road with several theatres that regularly presented crime stories in the form of melodramas, was quite popular. One of these theatres was the Théâtre de l'Ambigu-Comique, which was sponsored by Vidocq to a great extent. According to the biographer James Morton, Vidocq also submitted a play, but it was never produced. He also had plans to dabble in play acting but never carried them out.  Not only were many of Vidocq's paramours actresses, but many of his friends and acquaintances were also from the theatre scene. Among them was the famous actor Frédérick Lemaître, who among other things played the main role in Balzac's "Vautrin", a play which debuted on 14 March 1840 at Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin after numerous problems with censorship. Lemaître tried to adapt his appearance to that of Vidocq, on whom the character Vautrin was based. At the premiere, there were commotions because the wig Lemaître had used was also similar

Film.

A film based on Vidocq's memoirs was released in France on 13 August 1909, a short black-and-white silent film "La Jeunesse de Vidocq ou Comment on devient policier". Vidocq was played by Harry Baur, who also portrayed him in two sequels: "L'Évasion de Vidocq" (1910) and "Vidocq" (1911). Under the direction of Jean Kemm, the silent movie "Vidocq" based on the memoirs appeared in 1922. The screenplay was written by Arthur Bernède and the main role was played by René Navarre. The first sound film, again entitled "Vidocq", appeared in 1939. Jacques Daroy directed André Brulé in the title role. The film focused largely on Vidocq's criminal career.  On 19 July 1946, the first American film about

Comics.

Vidocq's life inspired a comics series by Dutch artist Hans G. Kresse, which was published in the magazine

Video games.

"Assassin's Creed Unity" takes place during the French Revolution, and features a series of side missions based on investigating murders in Paris. While Arno,

Writings.

Around 1827, Vidocq wrote an autobiography, which he planned for the bookseller Emile Morice to publish in summer 1828. Honoré de Balzac, Victor Hugo, and Alexandre Dumas thought that the story was too short, so Vidocq found a new publisher, Louis-François L'Héritier. In December 1828, L'Héritier published the memoirs, which had grown to four volumes through the help of some ghostwriters. The work became a bestseller and sold over 50,000 copies in the first year.

Eugène-François Vidocq (; July 24, 1775 – May 11, 1857) was a French criminal turned criminalist whose life story inspired several writers, including Victor Hugo, Edgar Allan Poe, and Honoré de Balzac. The former criminal became the founder and first director of the crime-detection Sûreté nationale as well as the head of the first known private detective agency. Vidocq is considered to be the father of modern criminology and of the French police department. He is also regarded as the first private detective.

Eugène François Vidocq [] (* 23. Juli 1775 in Arras; † 11. Mai 1857 in Paris) war ein französischer Krimineller und Kriminalist, dessen Leben zahlreiche Schriftsteller wie Victor Hugo und Honoré de Balzac inspirierte. Durch seine Aktivitäten als Begründer und erster Direktor der Sûreté nationale sowie die anschließende Eröffnung einer Privatdetektei, die wahrscheinlich die erste der Welt war, wird er von Historikern heute als „Vater“ der modernen Kriminalistik und der französischen Polizei betrachtet und gilt als erster Detektiv überhaupt.


Life.

Georg Graf was born in Münsingen, Germany, in 1875. He entered the seminary of Dillingen, where he studied Greek, Latin and Hebrew, while privately he also studied Syriac and Arabic. In 1902-1903 he completed his studies at Munich, studying ancient Egyptian, Coptic, modern Greek and later Georgian. In 1903 he obtained a doctorate of philology with his thesis on Arabic-Christian literature up to the 11th century, which was published in 1905. This brought him to the attention of the founder of the journal al-Machriq, Louis Cheikhô, for whom Graf held a high regard. From 1910 - 1911 he studied Christian literature at monasteries, while living in Jerusalem. He also visited Beirut for a short stay.  In 1918 Graf obtained a doctorate of theology from the University of Freiburg with a monograph on Marqus Ibn al-Qunbar ("Ein Reformversuch innerhalb der Koptischen Kirche im zwölften Jahrhundert"), published in 1923. Further research visits to Egypt, Syria and Palestine followed. In 1930 he was named Honorary Professor for Christian Oriental literature at the theology faculty of the university of Munich. In 1946 he was appointed a papal chaplain. He died in Dillingen an der Donau in 1955. The tennis star Steffi Graf is a distant relative.

Legacy.

Graf's "Nachlass", (collected documents) is housed in Munich. The Centre for Christian Arabic Literature and Research in Beirut CEDRAC continues his work in the field of research.

Geschichte der christlichen arabischen Literatur.

Five Volumes; 2,384 pages.  Literaray encyclopedia of Arab-Christian authors, with related biographic and bibliographic material, summary of their works, editions, translations and studies, and index to the manuscripts sources. Many works listed remain unpublished and untranslated.

Other Works.

Graf published over 270 books, articles and essays on the Christian orient. At the time much of the literature in Arabic remained unpublished. He was a long-term contributor to the Arabic series of the Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium and the journal "Oriens Christianus".  He translatied a number of Arabic texts into German, including the works of Theodore Abu-Qurrah.

Georg Graf (15 March 1875 – 18 September 1955) was a German Orientalist. One of the most important scholars of Christian-Arabic literature, his 5-volume "Geschichte der christlichen arabischen Literatur" is the foundational text in the field.

Georg Graf (* 15. März 1875 in Munzingen (Wallerstein); † 18. September 1955 in Dillingen an der Donau) war ein deutscher Orientalist. Er war ein Vertreter der Wissenschaft vom Christlichen Orient.


Production.

The film is subtitled "a film without actors" and was filmed on Sundays in the summer of 1929. The actors were amateurs whose day jobs were those that they portrayed in the film—the opening titles inform the audience that these actors have all returned to their normal jobs by the time of the film's release in February 1930. They were part of a collective of young Berliners who wrote and produced the film on a shoestring. This lightly scripted, loosely observational work of New Objectivity became a surprise hit.  "People on Sunday" is notable for its portrayal of daily life in Berlin before Adolf Hitler became chancellor and as an early work by writer/director Billy Wilder before he moved to the United States to escape from Hitler's Germany.  The film is the directorial debut of the Siodmak Brothers. The film was co-produced by Moriz Seeler, founder of the Filmstudio 1929 production company and Seymour Nebenzal, cousin to the Siodmaks, whose father Heinrich put up the money. The film began a 30-year collaborative friendship between Nebenzal and Wilder.  Siodmak called it "a nice little film" and said Wilder only worked on the movie "a couple of minutes" contributing some ideas.

Plot.

The film opens at Bahnhof Zoo train station one Saturday morning. Its opening scenes show the bustling traffic of central Berlin. The movie follows five central characters over a weekend. Wolfgang (Wolfgang von Waltershausen), a handsome young man, sees a pretty woman (Christl Ehlers) who seems to be waiting in the street for someone who has not arrived. He takes her for an ice cream, teases her about having been stood up and invites her to a picnic the following day.  Erwin (Erwin Splettstößer) is doing his day job as a taxi driver. While he is fixing the car, his depot receives a phone call from his girlfriend, Annie (Annie Schreyer), who wants to know if they are going to the cinema that evening. Erwin clearly is not keen to go. (One of the motifs of the movie is to play down the importance of the cinema in the lives of these young Berliners.) At the end of the day, Erwin returns home to find Annie moping about in their threadbare apartment. The couple bicker continually as they prepare to go to the cinema. The first row is over the pictures of movie stars in their bathroom. Annie cherishes the pictures of various actors while Erwin enjoys the photos of actresses, and the couple tear up each other's pictures during the squabble. Another argument arises over whether Annie should wear the brim of her hat up or down. (Another theme of the movie is the self-centred machismo represented by Erwin and Wolfgang.) Wolfgang arrives in the middle of this argument and Annie never gets to the cinema; Erwin and Wolfgang drink beer instead and plan to go to the countryside the following day.  The next morning, the two men take a train to Nikolassee, accompanied by Christl and her friend Brigitte (Brigitte Borchert). Annie stays home, sleeping away the day. The four daytrippers walk to Wannsee, along with many other Berliners, to enjoy the beaches and parks. As the four friends have a picnic, swim in the lake and play records on a portable gramophone, Wolfgang flirts with Brigitte, to the annoyance of Christl. He later play-chases Brigitte into the forest, where they find a secluded spot and make love. Afterwards, the four friends take a boat-ride, during which Erwin and Wolfgang flirt with two girls who are in a rowing boat.  As they head back into Berlin, Brigitte suggests to Wolfgang that they meet again the following Sunday. He agrees, but Erwin reminds him afterwards that they had planned instead to attend a football match. Wolfgang's decision remains unresolved. Erwin returns to find Annie still lying in bed, slowly waking up to realize this was the day for their excursion. Erwin angrily shows her what time it is. The final scene returns to shots of the streets of Berlin. The closing series of intertitles announces: "And then on Monday...it is back to work... back to the everyday... back to the daily grind... Four... million... wait for... the next Sunday. The end.".

Cast.

Four well-known actors of the Weimarer Republic appear in small roles:

Reception.

Contemporary critics regarded the movie as an accurate and laconic portrayal of the Berlin they knew and saw the closing intertitles as an accurate claim that these characters represent ordinary real-life Berliners. In retrospect, these closing words have gained an ironic poignancy in light of the later horrors of Nazi Germany.

Revivals.

In the autumn of 2002, "Menschen am Sonntag" was presented at one of Berlin's popular Jewish Culture Days. The Berlin-based Eastern European group Trio Bravo+ was commissioned to produce a new silent movie score for the film, which proved highly successful and was subsequently released as a standalone soundtrack CD.  In 2005, the Netherlands Film Institute released an updated DVD of the film, restoring some missing scenes and commissioning a new score from Elena Kats-Chernin. This is the version used by the British Film Institute as the basis for its own DVD entitled "People on Sunday", released 25 April 2005.  The Criterion Collection released their edition of "Menschen am Sonntag" on Blu-ray and DVD in the United States on June 28, 2011, with a score by The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, and the Elena Kats-Chernin soundtrack as an alternate.  Prior to the production of the German television series Babylon Berlin, producer Stephan Arndt and director Achim von Borries screened "Menschen am Sontag" for the entire cast and crew to help them better understand Weimar life in Berlin before the Nazi era.

People on Sunday () is a 1930 German silent drama film directed by Robert Siodmak and Edgar G. Ulmer from a screenplay by Billy Wilder. The film follows a group of residents of Berlin on a summer's day during the interwar period. Hailed as a work of genius, it is a pivotal film in the development of German cinema and Hollywood. The film features the talents of Curt Siodmak (story), Fred Zinnemann (cinematography) and Eugen Schüfftan, who had developed the Schüfftan process for three years earlier.

Menschen am Sonntag ist ein Stummfilm von Robert und Curt Siodmak, Edgar G. Ulmer und Billy Wilder. Er wurde von Moriz Seelers Produktionsfirma „Filmstudio 1929“ produziert und entstand in den Jahren 1929 und 1930 in Berlin und Umgebung. Die Uraufführung war am 4. Februar 1930. Er zählt zu den späten Vertretern der Neuen Sachlichkeit im Film.


Background.

In the 1930s, the region faced Japanese invasion. By 1949, the Communist Party of China's (CPC) People's Liberation Army had largely defeated the Kuomintang (KMT)'s National Revolutionary Army in the Chinese Civil War on the mainland. This forced the Kuomintang to relocate the Government and institutions of the Republic of China to the relative safety of Taiwan, an island which was placed under the control of the Republic of China after the surrender of Japan at the end of World War II in 1945. With the establishment of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949, the CPC-controlled government saw itself as the sole legitimate government of China, competing with the claims of the Republic of China, whose authority is now limited to Taiwan and other islands. This has resulted in a situation in which two co-existing governments compete for international legitimacy and recognition as the "government of China".  The phrase "mainland China" emerged as a politically neutral term to refer to the area under control of the Communist Party of China, and later to the administration of the PRC itself. Until the late 1970s, both the PRC and ROC envisioned a military takeover of the other. During this time the ROC referred to the PRC government as "Communist Bandits" () while the PRC referred to the ROC as "Chiang Bandits" (). Later, as a military solution became less feasible, the ROC referred to the PRC as "Communist China"" (). With the democratization of Taiwan in the 1990s, the phrase "mainland China" soon grew to mean not only the area under the control of the Communist Party of China, but also a more neutral means to refer to the People's Republic of China government; this usage remains prevalent by the KMT today.  Due to their status as colonies of foreign states during the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the phrase "mainland China" excludes Hong Kong and Macau. Since the return of Hong Kong and Macau to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 and 1999, respectively, the two territories have retained their legal, political, and economic systems. The territories also have their distinct identities. Therefore, "mainland China" generally continues to exclude these territories, because of the "One country, two systems" policy adopted by the PRC central government towards the regions. The term is also used in economic indicators, such as the IMD Competitiveness Report. International news media often use "China" to refer only to mainland China or the People's Republic of China.

Political use.

Mainland China.

In the People's Republic of China, the term ('inland') is often contrasted with the term ('outside the border') for things outside the mainland region. Examples include "Administration of Foreign-funded Banks" () or the "Measures on Administration of Representative Offices of Foreign Insurance Institutions" ().  Hainan is an offshore island, therefore geographically not part of the continental mainland. Nevertheless, politically it is common practice to consider it part of the mainland because its government, legal and political systems do not differ from the rest of the People's Republic within the geographical mainland. Nonetheless, Hainanese people still refer to the geographic mainland as "the mainland" and call its residents "mainlanders". In some coastal provinces such as Guangdong, Fujian and Jiangsu, people often call the area of non-coastal provinces in of mainland China as "Inland" ().

Hong Kong and Macau.

Hong Kong and Macau are both sovereign territories of the People's Republic of China. However, due to the One Country Two Systems policy, the two regions maintain a high degree of autonomy, hence why they are considered not to be part of mainland China.  Geologically speaking, Hong Kong and Macau are both connected to mainland China in certain areas (e.g. the north of the New Territories). Additionally, the islands contained within Hong Kong (e.g. Hong Kong Island) and Macau are much closer to mainland China than Taiwan and Hainan, and are much smaller.  In Hong Kong and Macau, the terms "mainland China" and "mainlander" are frequently used for people from PRC-governed areas (i.e. not Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau). The Chinese term "Neidi" (), meaning the "inland" but still translated "mainland" in English, is commonly applied by SAR governments to represent non-SAR areas of PRC, including Hainan province and coastal regions of mainland China, such as "Constitutional and Mainland Affairs" () and Immigration Departments. In the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (as well as the Mainland and Macau Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement) the CPG also uses the Chinese characters "inner land", with the note that they refer to the "customs territory of China".

Taiwan.

In Taiwan, there are differing opinions as to the neutrality of the term "mainland China". However, the term is considered somewhat more neutral than historical terms used to describe the territories under the control of the People's Republic of China (PRC) (which is in turn led by the Communist Party of China (CPC)).  Since 1949, the Republic of China on Taiwan (led by the Kuomintang/Nationalists (KMT/GMD)) has referred to the territories under the control of the Chinese Communist Party with several different names, e.g. "(territory controlled by the) Communist bandits", "occupied/unfree area (of China)" (as opposed to the "free area of the Republic of China"), "Communist China" (as opposed to either "Nationalist China" or "Democratic China"), "Red China" (as opposed to "Blue China"), and "mainland China (area)". In modern times, the term "Communist bandits" is generally considered both inflammatory and offensive by supporters of the Kuomintang and other Pan-Blue political parties [the KMT and other aligned parties believe that "China" encompasses both sides of the Taiwan Strait], so it is no longer used by them. Similarly, terms implying illegal occupation (of the mainland) or an intent to reclaim the mainland tend not to be used by both Pan-Blue and Pan-Green individuals. Therefore, only the terms "Communist China" or "mainland China" are still commonly used by Taiwanese (Chinese) people aligned with Pan-Blue ideologies. Somewhat synonymous to the term "Communist China" is the term "People's Republic of China (PRC)" (which is either considered to encompass Hong Kong and Macau or isn't, due to the confusion and ambiguity of One Country Two Systems). Meanwhile, the term "mainland China" is often simply abbreviated to "the mainland" among speakers of Chinese in Taiwan or from Taiwan.  However, the Pan-Green Coalition in Taiwan, led by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) [the DPP and other aligned parties usually support Taiwanese independence to a certain degree], tend to be opposed to suggestions that Taiwan is part of China, regardless of the subtlety of said suggestions. Referring to the territories under the control of the Chinese Communist Party as "mainland China" suggests that Taiwan is part of China. That is, the term "mainland China" suggests that Taiwan is a "satellite island" of China, and that Taiwan is tethered to China (much in the same way that one might say that "Kinmen is tethered to Taiwan"). Therefore, Pan-Green individuals tend to prefer the term "China", rather than "mainland China", since the term "China" suggests that Taiwan and China are two separate countries. Pan-Green Taiwanese might also prefer to refer to China as "Communist China" or "the People's Republic of China (PRC)" or "Red China". However, these terms suggest that there exist "two Chinas". Certain Pan-Green Taiwanese believe that there exist "two Chinas" and that the Republic of China (ROC) and Taiwan are one and the same, so they would be more inclined to use these terms (compared to those who believe that the ROC is illegally occupying Taiwan). Individuals in Taiwan who are aligned with Pan-Green ideologies might be more inclined to refer to the People's Republic of China as "the Communist bandits" or "occupied/unfree area" (compared to those aligned with Pan-Blue ideologies), due to their negative (or indifferent) views towards mainland China and the Chinese Communist Party, though they generally don't have any intention of "reclaiming the mainland".

Other terms.

Other use of geography-related terms are also often used where neutrality is required.

Mainland China, also known as the Chinese mainland, is the geopolitical as well as geographical area under the direct jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China (PRC). It includes Hainan island and strictly speaking, politically, excludes the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau, even though both are partially on the geographic mainland (continental landmass).

Festlandchina () ist ein politisch-geographischer Begriff, der sich auf den größten Teil des heutigen Staatsgebiets der Volksrepublik China bezieht. Synonyme Begriffe hierfür sind Kontinentalchina oder Chinesisches Festland. Er beschreibt im Rahmen der Ein-China-Politik einen Teil Großchinas. Er dient zur Abgrenzung von den beiden Sonderverwaltungszonen Hongkong und Macau sowie vom Territorium unter der "De-Facto"-Kontrolle der Republik China („Nationalchina“) auf der Insel Taiwan (früher auch Formosa genannt) mitsamt den Pescadoren (Penghu-Inseln) und den dem chinesischen Festland vorgelagerten Inselgruppen Kinmen und Matsu. Seit 2002 ist das „Separate Zollgebiet Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen und Matsu (Chinesisch Taipeh)“ Mitglied der WTO und seit 1991 der APEC (als "member economy Chinese Taipei").


Definition.

Strictly speaking, the only true defining characteristic of the dory is that it is planked up with wide boards running fore-and-aft; "It should be well understood, that it is the dory's special mode of construction, not its hull shape, that sets it, and its related sub-types apart from other boats". More generally speaking, the dory can be defined as a small boat which has:  The hull's bottom is transversely flat and usually bowed fore-and-aft. (This curvature is known as "rocker".) The stern is frequently a raked narrow transom that tapers sharply toward the bottom forming a nearly double-ended boat. The traditional bottom is made from planks laid fore and aft and not transverse, although some hulls have a second set of planks laid over the first in a pattern that is crosswise to the main hull for additional wear and strength.  Despite their simplicity of design, dories were known for their seaworthiness and rowing ease, although this reputation owed more to the skill of the operators than inherent factors in the design. Because of their narrow flat bottoms, they have little initial stability and are "tippy". Traditionally, they were designed to carry large amounts of wet fish—often over a ton. They were commonly rowed by experienced seamen who understood the characteristics of the design and could compensate for the limitations. Dories exhibit high ultimate stability, tipping to a point and then stiffening up significantly and resisting further heel. By design they are quite voluminous and can carry a heavy load for their size. Their high sides give ample freeboard even when heavily loaded, and as the load increases, so does the stability.

History.

With no clear definition of the type, and few early illustrations or detailed descriptions to go by, the early history of the dory is muddled at best. The first known mention of a dory in detail was in 1719. Until about 1870, there are to be found no recorded dory lines, details, nor any list of particulars that would enable us to say with certainty what the earlier dories were really like." In its most popular form, the dory was created in New England fishing towns sometime after the early 18th century. Howard Chapelle writes, "... some kind of dory boat was in use on the Massachusetts coast as early as 1726." A definite precursor to the dory type was the early French bateau type, a flat bottom boat with straight sides used as early as 1671 on the Saint Lawrence River. The common coastal boat of the time was the wherry and the merging of designs between the wherry type and the simplified flat bottom construction of the bateau initiated the birth of the dory. Other anecdotal evidence exists of much older precursors throughout Europe. England, France, Belgium, and Italy all have small boats from the medieval periods that could reasonably be construed to be predecessors of the Dory. Dories were widely built from Long Island Sound to Newfoundland.  In Nova Scotia, the towns of Lunenburg and Shelburne maintained a rivalry in mass production of dories. A distinction emerged in 1887 with the use in Shelburne of "dory clips", metal braces used to join frames, versus the more expensive but stronger natural wood frames used in Lunenburg dories. The John Williams Dory Shop in Shelburne was one of several Shelburne factories mass-producing dories. It is now the Dory Shop Museum, operated by the Nova Scotia Museum and continues to produce banks dories.  The Dory Shop in Lunenburg first opened its doors in 1917 when W. Laurence Allen began building Banks Dories for the many fishing schooners that filled Lunenburg's Harbour. Though ownership has changed hands a few times since then, they are still producing dories today using the very same jigs and patterns used 100 years ago. Very little has changed in the way they build their dories, however they now also build many other types of wooden boats as well and offer dory building classes for fishing history enthusiasts.  Today many Hollywood producers have employed the iconic form of the dory and they are choosing to use a traditional dory over many of the modern-styles of small wooden boats. Some more notable appearances of Lunenburg dories are in "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl", at the opening scene when Captain Jack Sparrow steps off the mast of his ship Jolly Mon; the final scene in "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End" where Captain Jack is seen sailing away in a smaller Black Rocks dory; "Reign III" when King Francis and Queen Mary take a few days alone to sail together; "Pirate Master" Emmy Award-winning producer Mark Burnett’s tall ship based reality TV show; and many more!

Traditional types.

Beach dories.

The earliest known dories were beach dories developed for beach-launched fishing operations. The principal example is the Swampscott dory, named after Swampscott, Massachusetts where they were introduced. Early wherry types were modified with flat bottoms and borrowed construction techniques found in the French bateaus. This resulted in an almost-round-sided boat with a narrow flat bottom, well suited to launching through the surf and able to hold up against aggressive ocean conditions. The narrow "tombstone" transom assured that the boat rode well against a following sea or breaking surf, and also made the boat easy to row.

Banks dories.

It is often assumed that the Banks dory was the original dory. In fact, the Swampscott dory preceded the Banks dory by fifty years. The Banks dories first appeared in the 1830s and were probably the most numerous at their height of popularity. They were "designed specifically as a ships boat but it became so well known and so common a type that it not only was used alongshore but influenced the design of some local fishing boats". Adapted almost directly from the low-freeboard French river bateaus, with their straight sides and removable thwarts, bank dories could be nested inside each other and stored on the decks of fishing schooners, for their trip to the Grand Banks and other fishing banks. They are not as handy or easy to row as the slightly more complicated Swampscott dories but were mass-produced in much larger numbers. Banks dories were also popular as work boats.

Sailing dories.

As the need for working dories diminished, the Swampscott or beach dory types were modified for pleasure sailing. These sailing dories became quite popular at the beginning of the 20th century around the town of Marblehead, Massachusetts. They were generally longer, yet remained narrow with low freeboard and later were often decked over. Another common distinctive feature of the sailing dory was a long boom on the rig that angled up with a mainsail that was larger along the foot than the luff. The Townclass, a sailboat still raced today, is a late example of a sailing dory. Earlier types were the Beachcomber and Alpha series, built by the famed dory builder William Chamberlain, and raced extensively in Salem and Marblehead between 1900 and 1910. Few of the original Chamberlain-designed dories remain intact. An original Alpha dory can be seen at the Marblehead Historical Museum in Marblehead, Massachusetts.

River dories.

The western river dory, though sharing features with sea dories, is adapted for a different place and purpose. The key differentiating features are wider beam, more flare to prevent waves coming on board, and extensive built-in buoyancy/storage areas with water-resistant hatches to shed water and keep the boat afloat in the event of a capsize. The first small flat bottomed dory run of note on the Colorado River was made by Ramon Montez and George Flavell on an 1896 river cruise from Green River, Wyoming, through the Grand Canyon to Temple Bar, Arizona. Western river dories have additional special features such as strong rowlocks, long oars, and long blade oars to operate in the highly aerated waters in rapids. In rapids the master rower faces down river to see the rock and or hydraulic obstacles. In a rapid the oars are often used to steer the boat as well as to propel it. The first documentation of this "stern first" technique in Grand Canyon was by George Flavell in 1896. Credit for the "stern first" technique is often given to Nathaniel Galloway who used it on his cruise through Grand Canyon a few months after the Flavell-Montez cruise.

Motor dories.

With the introduction of the outboard motor the "semi-dory" or "half-dory" was developed. Because typical dory bottoms are so narrow, the thrust of an outboard motor pushes the stern of the dory down creating a very unstable and inefficient boat. The semi-dory is basically a Swampscott dory with the stern widened and the rocker straightened aft to support the thrust of the outboard motor.

Other dories, and related types.

Other, less but traditional types were the double ended surf and gunning dories. The pointed bow and sterns made these boats excel at launching through the surf. Gunning dories were built quite light in comparison to the more traditionally constructed beach dories.  The "dory skiff" is another variation of the dory type. For inshore work the transom was widened, and freeboard was lowered making an exceptionally easy-to-row boat that was more stable (initial stability not ultimate stability) than their offshore cousins. However, they are not as seaworthy as the Swampscott or Banks dories.  The Gandelow, much like a dory design from midships forward, is native to the Shannon estuary in Ireland. The main difference is that, at the stern, the gandelow has upper 'butterfly planks' which are twisted to make the stern wider and more buoyant, while the lower planks, twisted opposite, form a hollow boxed skeg, much like a Sea Bright Skiff. The space created, when covered, provides a netlocker and a platform.  The cot, a protean Irish traditional boat, has variants quite similar to dories, although some have a transom bow as well as stern, resembling a jonboat. (The boat name originated as a word for an open dugout canoe, "coit", but became used for many types of small open boats.)  The dory type spread by contact among fishing fleets, and was naturalized in many countries.

Modern interpretations.

In recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in the dory style. Many contemporary marine architects and backyard amateurs have been experimenting with the dory type and refining the type to some extent. These boats are designed primarily for pleasure and utilize new building materials and techniques not available to the originators of the dory. The basic form remains however ensuring the survival and growth of the type. New England is no longer the center of dory construction and dories have been built all over the world.  Modern dory designers include Phil Bolger of Gloucester and John Welsford of New Zealand. Most modern dories are about 15–16 feet long, built of lightweight plywood, fastened by fibreglass tape and epoxy resin. They are much lighter than traditional dories and compensate for the lack of initial stability by having slightly wider bottoms and very low (8 inch high) seats and are fitted with skegs for directional stability. Welsford recommends the carrying of a water container on a rope that can be thrown to either the bow or stern to adjust trim in different sea conditions. Unlike a conventional wide bottom dinghy it is dangerous to sit or stand in the extreme ends due to the minimal displacement. Modern designs, like their traditional counterparts, gain significant stability when heavily laden amidships.

A dory is a small, shallow-draft boat, about long. It is usually a lightweight boat with high sides, a flat bottom and sharp bows. They are easy to build because of their simple lines. For centuries, dories have been used as traditional fishing boats, both in coastal waters and in the open sea.

Als Dory, auch Dorie oder Doriboot wird ein kleines ruder- und segelbares Hilfsboot in der Fischerei bezeichnet. Diese flachbordigen Fischerboote wurden etwa seit 1760 als plattbodige 3,5 bis 5 Meter, selten bis 7 Meter lange Arbeitsboote gebaut. Die Boote hatten einen sehr breiten, aus bis zu vier Bodenplanken bestehenden flachen Boden. Die Bordseiten fielen etwa 30 Grad nach außen. So konnten mehrere Boote ineinander gestapelt, platzsparend an Oberdeck der Fangschiffe mitgeführt werden. Die als Duchten bezeichneten Sitzbretter konnten einfach entfernt werden.


Plot.

Two wounded soldiers, a Bosniak (Čiki, portrayed by Branko Đurić) and a Bosnian Serb (Nino, portrayed by Rene Bitorajac) are caught between their lines in the no man's land, in a struggle for survival. The two soldiers confront each other in a trench, where they wait for dark. They trade insults and even find some common ground. Confounding the situation is another wounded Bosniak soldier (Cera, portrayed by Filip Šovagović) who wakes from unconsciousness. A land mine had been buried beneath him by the Bosnian Serbs; should he make any move, it would be fatal.  A French sergeant (Marchand, portrayed by Georges Siatidis), of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR), gets involved in effort to help the three trapped soldiers, despite initial orders to the contrary by high command. UNPROFOR's mission in Bosnia was to guard the humanitarian aid convoys, to remain neutral and act as a mere bystander. Luckily, an English reporter arrives on scene, bringing media pressure to bear that moves the United Nations high command to swing into action to try to save the soldiers.  A row between the stressed out and fatigued Čiki and Nino gradually escalates even after being rescued. Eventually, Čiki shoots Nino and is in turn shot by a Peacekeeper. Meanwhile, it is found that the mine cannot be defused. The UNPROFOR high command tries to save face: they lie, saying that Cera has been saved and they leave the area, along with the reporters and everyone else.  In reality, Cera is left alone and desolate in the trenches, still immobilized by the mine. Meanwhile, the UNPROFOR commander has arranged false information to be passed to both Bosnian and Serb troops, to make them believe their enemies will be trying to reoccupy the trench at night (which each side would try to counter with an artillery barrage that presumably will kill Cera and obliterate the evidence).

Accolades.

Some of the awards that the film won are:

No Man's Land ("Ničija zemlja" / Ничија земља) is a 2001 Bosnian war film that is set in the midst of the Bosnian War. The film is a parable and marked the debut of Bosnian writer and director Danis Tanović. It is a co-production among companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Italy, France, Belgium and the UK. The film won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2001.

No Man’s Land (bosnisch/kroatisch/serbisch "Ničija zemlja") ist ein Kriegsfilm aus dem Jahr 2001. Regie bei der europäischen Co-Produktion führte Danis Tanović, der auch das Drehbuch schrieb und die Filmmusik komponierte.


Life.

Virginia Centurione was born on 2 April 1587 in Genoa and was of noble origins. She was the daughter of Giorgio Centurione (who was the Doge of Genoa from 1621 to 1623) and Lelia Spinola.  Despite her desire to live a cloistered life, she was forced into marriage to Gaspare Grimaldi Bracelli, who was a rich noble, on 10 December 1602. She had two daughters: Lelia and Isabella. The marriage did not last long, for she became a widow on 13 June 1607 at the age of 20. She refused another arranged marriage brought on due to her father's influence and took up a vow to live a chaste life.  After her husband's death she began charitable works and assisted the poor and the sick. To help alleviate the poverty in her town she founded the "Cento Signore della Misericordia Protettrici dei Poveri di Gesù Cristo". The center was soon overrun with people suffering from the famine and plague of 1629–30 and soon she had to rent the Monte Calvario convent to accommodate all the people that came in. Around 1635 the center was caring for over 300 patients and received recognition as a hospital from the government. Due to declining funds given from the middle and upper classes the institute lost its government recognition in 1647. Bracelli spent the remainder of her life acting as a peacemaker between noble houses and continuing her work for the poor.  Bracelli died on 15 December 1651 at the age of 64.

Sainthood.

The informative process for the canonization cause commenced on 28 April 1933 and finished its set business in 1957. Theologians approved all of her writings to be in line and respective of the faith in a decree dated 10 April 1959. Historians were tasked to assess whether the cause had obstacles that would impede it and make the process difficult. But the historians cleared it on 1 December 1971 and allowed for the cause to proceed.  The formal introduction of the cause came on 7 January 1977 under Pope Paul VI in which she was accorded the title of Servant of God as the first official stage of the proceedings. An apostolic process was held after this while both processes were validated in Rome so that the Congregation for the Causes of Saints could commence their own investigation. Theologians approved the cause on 18 October 1983 while the C.C.S. approved it on 20 March 1984. On 7 April 1984 she was made Venerable when Pope John Paul II confirmed her heroic virtue.  Bracelli was beatified on 22 September 1985 and was later canonized on 18 May 2003.

Saint Virginia Centurione Bracelli (2 April 1587 – 15 December 1651) was an Italian Roman Catholic from Genoa. Her father was the Doge of Genoa and she had a short marriage due to being widowed in 1607.

Virginia Centurione Bracelli NSRMC (* 2. April 1587 in Genua; † 15. Dezember 1651 in Genua) war eine Ordensgründerin und Mystikerin. Papst Johannes Paul II. sprach sie 1985 in ihrem Geburtsort selig und 2003 heilig.


Early life.

Anthony Terrell Smith was born March 3, 1966, in Los Angeles, California, the son of Margaret, who managed a retirement home, and James Smith.

Career.

Mainstream success, (1989–1991).

Tone Lōc's debut album, "Lōc-ed After Dark", was released in January 1989. The video for the first single, "Wild Thing," became a staple on MTV in the US. The song rose to No. 2 on the US Hot 100, and the top twenty in Australia. The second single, "Funky Cold Medina," also became a hit. It reached the top 5 in the US, peaking at No. 3; the top ten in Australia; and the top twenty in the UK.  "Lōc-ed After Dark" reached No. 1 in the US. Since its release, has been certified 2x platinum there.  Tone Lōc's second album "Cool Hand Lōc" was released in November 1991. The album's first single was "All Through the Night", which found moderate success, reaching #80 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and #16 on the Rap Songs chart. It received frequent airplay on MTV and BET.

"Ace Ventura Pet Detective" franchise, and other endeavors (1994–2004).

Tone Lōc's song "Ace Is in the House" (which samples AC/DC's song "T.N.T.") is featured in the films "" (1994) and "" (2009).  He provided vocals for Fefe Dobson for the track "Rock It 'Til You Drop It" on her first album, 2003's "Fefe Dobson".  Tone Lōc also voiced "Fūd Wrapper", the host of the animatronic show "Food Rocks". This was played at Epcot from 1994 to 2004. In this latter role, he sang the song "Always Read the Wrapper", a parody of his second hit single "Funky Cold Medina".  He appeared as Albert in Touched by an Angel, season 2 episode 8, which aired November 11, 1995.

Television, film and voice acting (1992–present).

Tone Lōc has performed in several feature films, including "Poetic Justice", "Blank Check" and "Posse". As a voice actor, Tone Lōc has voiced characters in several television cartoon series such as "King of the Hill" and "C-Bear and Jamal", and was featured in the animated film "Bébé's Kids", playing the wise-cracking baby Pee Wee. He voiced the character Lou the Goanna in the 1992 film "". He has also provided his signature voice for episodes of "Uncle Grandpa", and "Chowder", both airing on Cartoon Network.

"I Love the 90s" Tour (2016–present).

Currently, he is among the list of performers on the "I Love the 90s tour" which has performed worldwide from April 2016 to the present, as well as having featured appearances on the "" from July 2017 to September 2017. Both tours invite attendees to reminisce about the trend-setting decade with some of the most iconic figures in rap, hip hop and R&B.

Personal life.

Legal issues.

In December 2010, Lōc was arrested for an alleged DUI. He was released on bail claiming a medical condition had caused a seizure.  On June 18, 2011, Tone Lōc was arrested for felony domestic violence and felony possession of an assault weapon (a Colt AR-15 Sporter rifle, restricted by California law, but not involved in the domestic incident) after an altercation with the mother of one of his children. He was released less than three hours later after posting $50,000 bail. On October 3, 2011, he entered a plea of no contest to both charges, and was sentenced to one day in county jail, three years of probation, 52 weeks of anger management counseling and 30 days of community service.  On the afternoon of March 23, 2019, Tone Loc was detained by the Midland Police Department in Midland, Texas.

Health problems.

Tone Lōc has collapsed onstage multiple times since 1995; some if not all of these collapses have been due to seizures, according to at least one report. On May 29, 2009, he was rushed to a Florida hospital after collapsing during a concert in Pensacola. The rapper cut his elbow when he fell and was released the same day. On October 15, 2011, he was hospitalized for exhaustion after collapsing onstage during a concert in Atlanta. He was taken to a local hospital where he was intravenously rehydrated. Another similar incident occurred in 2012. On March 16, 2013, he collapsed onstage, at a performance at the "Bridge Bash" in Des Moines, Iowa, but he refused hospital care. He collapsed onstage on December 6, 2013, during a performance in San Francisco, California, and collapsed again on November 26, 2016, during a performance in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, but he later returned to the stage. He wears his signature sunglasses at every performance to help offset the likeliness of a seizure.

Anthony Terrell Smith (born March 3, 1966), better known by his stage name Tone Lōc (), is an American actor, rapper, voice actor, and producer. He is known for his raspy voice, his hit songs "Wild Thing" and "Funky Cold Medina", for which he was nominated for a Grammy Award, and for being featured in "We're All in the Same Gang", a collaborative single by the West Coast Rap All-Stars.

Tone Lōc, auch Tone Loc und Tone-Lōc, eigentlich Anthony Terrell Smith (* 3. März 1966 in Los Angeles, Kalifornien), ist ein US-amerikanischer Hip-Hop-Musiker, Rapper, Songwriter und Schauspieler, der vor allem durch seine 1989 erschienenen Hitsingles "Funky Cold Medina" und "Wild Thing" bekannt wurde. Ein Markenzeichen ist seine rauchige bis heisere Stimme.


History.

1880s–1970s.

The club was formed in 1886, when a team known as St Jude's (formed in 1884) merged with Christchurch Rangers (formed in 1882). The resulting team was called Queen's Park Rangers and their official formation date is considered to be 1882, which is the original founding date of Christchurch Rangers. The club's name came from the fact most of the players came from the Queen's Park area of north-west London. St Jude's Institute on Ilbert Street W10 is still in use as a community hall and in July 2011 club icon Stan Bowles unveiled a plaque celebrating its place in history.  QPR became a professional team in 1889. They were elected into the Southern Football League in 1899. They first won the Southern Football League in 1907-08. As Southern League champions that year, they played in the first ever Charity Shield match, against the Football League champions, Manchester United. They lost 0-4 in a replay after the first game had finished 1-1. Both games were played at Stamford Bridge. QPR were Southern League champions for a second time in 1911-12.  QPR joined the Football League in 1920, when the Third Division was formed, mainly with Southern League clubs. When the Third Division was split into North and South the following season, QPR, like most of the former Southern League clubs that had joined the Football League to form the Third Division, were in the Third Division (South).  QPR played their home games in nearly 20 different stadia (a league record), before permanently settling at Loftus Road in 1917, although the team would briefly attempt to attract larger crowds by playing at the White City Stadium for two short spells: 1931 to 1933, and the 1962–63 season.  QPR were promoted as champions of Division 3 South in the 1947–48 season. Dave Mangnall was the manager as the club participated in four seasons of the Second Division, being relegated in 1951–52. Tony Ingham was signed from Leeds United and went on to make the most ever league appearances for QPR (519). Arguably the club's greatest ever manager, Alec Stock, arrived prior to the start of the 1959–60 season. The 1960–61 season saw QPR achieve their biggest win to date: 9–2 vs Tranmere Rovers in a Division 3 match. In time, Stock, together with Jim Gregory who arrived as chairman in the mid-1960s, helped to achieve a total transformation of the club and its surroundings.  In 1966–67, QPR won the Division Three championship and became the first Third Division club to win the League Cup on Saturday, 4 March 1967, beating West Bromwich Albion 3–2, coming back from a two-goal deficit. It is still the only major trophy that QPR have won. It was also the first League Cup final to be held at Wembley Stadium. After winning promotion in 1968 to the top flight for the first time in their history, Rangers were relegated after just one season and spent the next four years in Division Two. Terry Venables joined from Spurs at the beginning of the 1969–70 season and Rodney Marsh was sold to Manchester City. During this time, new QPR heroes emerged including Phil Parkes, Don Givens, Dave Thomas and Stan Bowles. These new signings were in addition to home-grown talent such as Dave Clement, Ian Gillard, Mick Leach and Gerry Francis.  In 1974, Dave Sexton joined as manager and, in 1975–76 led QPR to the runners-up spot in the First Division, missing out on the championship by one point with a squad containing seven England internationals and internationals from the home nations. After completing their 42-game season, QPR sat at the top of the league, one point ahead of Liverpool who went on to defeat Wolverhampton Wanderers to clinch the title. Wolves were relegated to the Second Division that same season. The late 1970s also saw some cup success with Rangers reaching the semi-finals of the League Cup and in their first entry into European football reached the quarter finals of the UEFA Cup losing to AEK Athens on penalties. Following Sexton's departure in 1977 the club eventually slipped into the Second Division in 1979.

1980s–1990s.

In 1980, Terry Venables took over as manager and in 1981 the club installed an artificial turf pitch. In 1982 QPR, still playing in the Second Division, reached the FA Cup Final for the only time in the club's history, facing holders Tottenham Hotspur. Tottenham won 1–0 in a replay. The following season QPR went on to win the Second Division championship and returned to English football's top division. After a respectable fifth-place finish, and UEFA Cup qualification, the following year, Venables departed to become manager of Barcelona. In 1988 the club had a new chairman, 24-year-old Richard Thompson. Over the next seven years, various managers came and went from Loftus Road and the club spent many seasons finishing mid table but avoided relegation. The most successful season during this period was the 1987–88 season in which QPR finished fifth, missing out on a UEFA Cup campaign due to the ban on English clubs in European competition as a result of the Heysel Stadium disaster. They were also runners up in the 1986 League Cup, losing to Oxford United. Gerry Francis, a key player in the 1970s QPR side who had proved himself as a successful manager with Bristol Rovers, was appointed manager in the summer of 1991. In the 1991–92 First Division campaign they finished mid-table in the league and were founder members of the new Premier League, finishing fifth, as top London club, in the 1992–93 inaugural season. Francis oversaw one of QPR's most famous victories, the 4–1 win at Old Trafford in front of live TV on New Year's Day 1992. Midway through the 1994–95 season Francis resigned and very quickly became manager of Tottenham Hotspur and Ray Wilkins was installed as player-manager. Wilkins led QPR to an eighth-place finish in the Premiership. In July 1995 the club's top goalscorer, Les Ferdinand, was sold for a club record fee of £6 million to Newcastle United.  QPR struggled throughout the following season and were relegated at the end of the 1995–96 season. QPR then competed in Division 1 until 2001 under a succession of managers. Gerry Francis returned in 1998; however, the 2000–2001 season proved to be a disaster, and Francis resigned in early 2001.

2000–present.

Charismatic former player Ian Holloway became manager, but was unable to stop Rangers from being relegated to England's third tier for the first time for more than 30 years. Following the 2003–2004 season QPR returned to Division 1 and struggled for consistent form over the next two campaigns before Holloway was suspended amidst rumours of his impending departure for Leicester City. A poor series of results and lack of progress at the club saw Holloway's successors Gary Waddock and later John Gregory – both former players – fail to hold on to the manager's job.  During this same period, QPR became embroiled in financial and boardroom controversy. Although the club had floated on the Alternative Investment Market in 1991, in 2001 it entered administration (receivership). A period of financial hardship followed and the club left administration after receiving a £10m high-interest emergency loan which continued to burden the club. Scandals involving the directors, shareholders and others emerged in 2005–06 season and included allegations of blackmail and threats of violence against the club's chairman Gianni Paladini. In an unrelated incident, QPR were further rocked by the murder of youth team player Kiyan Prince on 18 May 2006 and, in August 2007, the death of teenager and promising first-team player Ray Jones in a car crash.  Following this low point in the club's history as Rangers also faced mounting financial pressure, in the same month it was announced that the club had been bought by wealthy Formula One businessmen Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone (see "Ownership and finances" below). During the 2007–08 season, Rangers competed in the Football League Championship (see also: 2007–08 Queens Park Rangers F.C. season). John Gregory's reign as manager came to an end in October 2007 after a string of poor results left QPR at the bottom of the Championship and he was replaced by Luigi De Canio until the end of the 2007–08 season. Further investment followed in early 2008 as the club looked to push for promotion to the Premier League within four years, on the back of greater financial stability. On 14 May 2008, Iain Dowie was announced as the manager to begin the campaign to return Rangers to the top flight. However, on 24 October 2008 Dowie was sacked after just 15 games in charge of the club. On 19 November 2008, QPR named former Portugal midfielder Paulo Sousa as their new first team coach. However, on 9 April 2009, his contract was terminated after he allegedly divulged confidential information without authority. On the same day as Sousa's sacking, player/coach Gareth Ainsworth was appointed as player/caretaker manager for a second time. In June 2009 Jim Magilton was named as new manager of QPR. Despite leading QPR to a good start to the 2009–10 season, a loss of form combined with an alleged head-butting incident with Hungarian midfielder Ákos Buzsáky saw the club further embroiled in controversy. Magilton left the club by mutual consent on 16 December 2009, along with his assistant John Gorman. They were replaced by Paul Hart and Mick Harford on the next day. Less than a month and only five games after becoming manager at QPR, Hart parted with the club on 14 January 2010; the reasons for his leaving the club were unstated.  On 30 April 2011, QPR secured promotion to the Premier League by winning the Championship with a 2–0 win over Watford. A subsequent FA investigation involving QPR's acquisition of Alejandro Faurlín threatened to deduct points from the side and put their promotion into jeopardy. The investigation concluded on 7 May 2011, with QPR found to be at fault in two of the seven charges, and received a £875,000 fine. However, there were no points deducted by the FA, and QPR's promotion to the Premier League was secured.  In January 2012, club chairman Tony Fernandes appointed Mark Hughes as team manager 36 hours after the previous incumbent Neil Warnock was sacked. Following a tough start to his Loftus Road career and after a run of five straight home wins, Hughes and QPR escaped relegation despite a dramatic 3–2 defeat at Manchester City on the last day of the season.  On 23 November 2012, Mark Hughes was sacked on the back of a poor start to the 2012–13 season, having amassed only four points in 12 games and with the club languishing at the bottom of the Premier League despite significant financial investment in new players in the 11 months of Hughes' tenure. A day later, Harry Redknapp was confirmed as the new manager. On 28 April 2013, in a 0–0 draw against fellow relegation rivals Reading, and with three games of the season to play, QPR were relegated from the Premier League down to the Championship after two seasons in the top flight.  During the 2013–14 season, QPR finished fourth in the Championship, and qualified for the play-offs where they defeated Wigan Athletic in the semi-finals. In the final against favourites Derby County on 24 May 2014, QPR won 1–0 with a goal scored by Bobby Zamora in the 90th minute to return to the Premier League.  Following promotion to the Premier League, QPR endured a difficult 2014–15 campaign. Harry Redknapp resigned in February after poor results and mutual frustration with the board. He was replaced by Chris Ramsey. The club finished the season in last place, amassing only 30 points, and were relegated back to the Championship after only one season. After a poor start to the following season, Ramsey was sacked in November 2015 and former manager Neil Warnock returned to the hot seat in interim charge. On 4 December 2015, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was appointed the club's new manager on a rolling contract. Hasselbaink was sacked on 5 November 2016, just 11 months after being in charge. Then six days later QPR reappointed Ian Holloway who was in charge 10 years previously. Holloway left the club at the end of the 2017–18 season.  On 17 May 2018, QPR appointed former England manager Steve McClaren as manager. Despite a promising first half of the season in which the team sat as high as eighth by Christmas, results quickly tailed off following the turn of the year and McClaren was sacked in April 2019 after a 2–1 loss to Bolton.  On 8 May 2019, Mark Warburton was appointed as McClaren's successor on a two-year deal.

Stadium.

Rangers have led a somewhat nomadic existence in their history. The several grounds used prior to 1886 are unknown but were probably in the Queens Park area (the first being "The Queens Park" itself). Thereafter, the club played at 15 different locations in west London, but since joining the Football League in 1920, they have only played at two grounds: Loftus Road and White City Stadium.  There were plans to build a new 40,000-seater stadium called New Queens Park; however, plans have been shelved with the club looking to build a stadium on the site of the Linford Christie Stadium with 30,000 seats. The club have argued this would bring a huge financial boost to the local area, but their plans were met with some initial scepticism by Hammersmith & Fulham Council.  QPR have also been involved in a long-running legal battle to build a training ground at Warren Farm in Southall. In November 2018, Supreme Court judges rejected the final appeal from local objectors against the proposals, paving the way for the redevelopment of the site to begin.  In June 2019, the club gifted the stadium naming rights to The Kiyan Prince Foundation, a local charity set up by the father of Kiyan Prince. Prince was a former QPR youth player who was fatally stabbed in 2006.

Rivalries.

According to a survey conducted in August 2019, Rangers' fans consider fellow West London clubs Chelsea, Fulham and Brentford to be their biggest rivals, with nearby Watford and Luton Town following.

Ownership and finances.

British music, media and sport entrepreneur Chris Wright bought QPR in 1996, eventually relinquishing his majority shareholding in 2001 having ploughed £20 million into Loftus Road over the previous five years; the club struggled financially and went into administration that same year. Following lengthy negotiations in December 2004, Wright agreed to sell his remaining 15% stake; 50% of the money paid to him was given back to QPR, which was significant amount of cash to the club.  After a number of years of financial difficulties which included a period in financial administration, QPR was bought by Formula One tycoons and multi-millionaires Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore in a £14 million takeover in August 2007. In spending £690,000 to acquire a 69% majority stake in the club from a Monaco-based consortium led by Italian football agent, Antonio Caliendo, Ecclestone spent £150,000 on his 15%, while Briatore bought 54% for £540,000 through a British Virgin Islands registered company, Sarita Capital. In addition, Briatore and Ecclestone were believed to have promised £5 million in convertible loan facilities to help buy players and have covered £13 million of debt, in a total commitment to the club of around £20 million. At the time of purchase, the remaining 31% of shareholders turned down the offer of 1p a share.  On 20 December 2007, it was announced that the family of billionaire Lakshmi Mittal had purchased a 20% shareholding in the club from Flavio Briatore. The purchase price of the 20% stake was just £200,000. As part of the investment Lakshmi Mittal's son-in-law Amit Bhatia took a place on the board of directors. While Gianni Paladini remained chairman of the football club, Alejandro Agag, as chairman of QPR Holdings (the parent company) was the de facto chairman, until he was replaced by Flavio Briatore in early February 2008. Agag moved into the role of managing director, supported by a deputy managing director, Ali Russell, who moved from Hearts in the Scottish Premier League.  Despite QPR's perilous financial condition in 2007–08, the combined personal wealth of the club's new owners – which included the then world's eighth richest man, Lakshmi Mittal – sparked speculation that QPR would receive significant further investment from their new benefactors, drawing parallels with their wealthy West London neighbours Chelsea and Fulham. However, no significant further funds were made available to the club other than those injected as part of the purchase of its share capital, and much of the subsequent player transfer activity involved loan acquisitions or free transfers. Indeed, it was reported in January 2008 that the investors had not discharged the £10 million loan from ABC Corporation – secured on the club's stadium – together with its £1 million annual interest burden—despite the club's prospective annual turnover of between £10 million and £15 million. Furthermore, around £2 million was still owed to former director and major shareholder, Antonio Caliendo, who waived £4.5 million of loans when Briatore and Ecclestone bought the club. It was expected that the ABC loan would be discharged in June 2008 on its maturity and that the debt owed to Caliendo would be paid off "in early 2008" in line with a funding strategy which Ecclestone publicly stated would not result in the wealthy owners simply bankrolling the club. In fact, the ABC loan was discharged on or around 31 July 2008.  Mittal's investment is thought to be primarily motivated by his son-in-law's interests and it was assumed that Mittal himself would remain a silent investor while Briatore, Ecclestone and Bhatia worked together to implement the strategy of slowly building the club up ahead of a push for promotion to the Premier League in 2009. The new owners also pledged to refurbish Loftus Road and use their experience in Formula One to increase sponsorship revenues. On 25 March 2008, QPR confirmed that, from the 2008–09 season and for five seasons, their kits would be supplied by Lotto Sport Italia as part of a number of new partnerships formed by Flavio Briatore. The investment potential of the club's new backers resulted in a number of wildly speculative storylines in the football press throughout the 2007–08 season, including rumoured signings of former World Player of the Year winners Luís Figo and Zinedine Zidane, the latter as a possible manager.  In May 2008, billionaire Vijay Mallya was linked with buying into the club, as part of the Ecclestone, Briatore and Mittal consortium. Following the termination of the club's sponsorship deals with Car Giant, Le Coq Sportif and Sellotape at the end of the 2007–08 season, in early July 2008 it was expected to be announced that Gulf Air would be the new shirt sponsors for three years. Further sponsorship packages were also announced, including Abbey Financial Services and Lotto Sport Italia. On 12 September 2011, Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia announced sponsorship of QPR's shirts for the two seasons, with the sponsorship costing some £6.2 million. Flavio Briatore's future as QPR chairman came into question in September 2009 after he left the Renault F1 team in the midst of race fixing allegations. The Football League board discussed the matter on 8 October 2009 and declared that they would be awaiting a response from Briatore to various questions before commenting further. Meanwhile, the club continued to make losses (£18.8m in 2008–09 and £13.7m 2009–10). Briatore sold his 62% share to Ecclestone in December 2010, with the Italian possibly retaining a right of first refusal should Ecclestone sell, and initially stepped back from the day-to-day running of the business in favour of Amit Bhatia and Ishan Saksena, the company chairman and managing director respectively. However, his involvement gradually returned, and conflicts between Briatore on the one hand and Bhatia and Saksena on the other resulted in both Bhatia and Saksena leaving QPR in May 2011.  On 18 August 2011, Malaysian businessman Tony Fernandes was unveiled as the majority shareholder after having bought out Ecclestone's 66 percent stake in the club for a rumoured fee of around £35 million, while the Mittal Family retained their 33% stake. Amit Bhatia was restored to his position as vice-chairman. Phillip Beard was announced as the new chief executive of the club and Gianni Paladini removed as club chairman. Briatore and Ecclestone were no longer involved with the club, with no board representation or other financial ties. Bhatia also explained in the takeover announcement that the loan, representing the refinanced ABC Corporation debt secured using the stadium as collateral, had now been "bought off" by the new regime – that is, refinanced by new debt. It is thought that the current debt is represented by a shareholder loan to the club and is non-interest-bearing. Despite the club's fortunes in attracting investors, it continues to be mired in controversy from previous ownership regimes and has been subject to proceedings from former investors Carlos Dunga and Antonio Caliendo.  On 15 August 2018, Bhatia took over as chairman of the club.  The club also has a variety of other sponsors and partners, which include Royal Panda (primary), Erreà (technical), Carlsberg, SKYEX, Land-Fx, BT, Metro Bank, Infiniti & BMI.

QPR in Europe.

QPR's first foray into European competition came when they qualified for the 1976–77 UEFA Cup reaching the quarter finals where they were eliminated by AEK Athens on penalties. The club also qualified for the 1984–85 UEFA Cup, but were knocked out in the second round.

Notable former players.

Retired numbers.

(2006–2007) "posthumous honour"

Queens Park Rangers FC 'All Time XI'.

Queens Park Rangers fans were asked for a vote for their all time strongest squad in 2008.

Managers.

"The last ten managers of QPR:"

Honours.

"Note: the leagues and divisions of English football have changed somewhat over time, so here they are grouped into their relative levels on the English football league system at the time they were won to allow easy comparison of the achievement"

eSports team.

On 7 November 2017, QPR announced that the club would partner with Virtual Pro Gaming to field a team in 11v11 FIFA, with a first team competing in the VPG English eSports Prem and a reserves team competing in the VPG English L1 South.

Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is an English professional football club based in White City, London. The club currently competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They were founded in 1886 after the merger of Christchurch Rangers and St Judes Institute, although their official founding date is 1882 which is when Christchurch Rangers were first formed. In the early years after the club's formation in its original home of Queen's Park, London, they played their home games at many different grounds, until finally the club settled into its current location at Loftus Road, renamed Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium at the beginning of the 2019/20 season.

Die Queens Park Rangers (offiziell: "Queens Park Rangers Football Club", oft kurz auch "QPR" genannt) sind ein englischer Fußballverein aus London, der in der Football League Championship aktiv ist. Die Queens Park Rangers werden wegen ihrer quergestreiften Trikots auch als "Super Hoops" ("Super Reifen") bezeichnet.


Development.

Their first transregional known songs were "Pet Sound" (2003, New Noise Label) and "The Bigger the Better" (2005, Louisville Records). The band members of the Puppetmastaz Crew are always seen as puppets on stage. Whilst music is played by their DJ, the band members rap live by their puppets.  The band's frontman is "Mr. Maloke", a mole rapper whose characteristic sign is wearing a glitter topper, played by Paul PM aka Paul Affeld, who is also the heartbeat of that puppet-universe. According "to the legend" he founded the Puppetmastaz in the late 1990s. Step by step the band became bigger by puppets from all over the world. The puppets which later worked with the actual Puppetmastaz acted as first ones on shows in 1996 at Berlin's dance club "Ex-Kreuz-Club".  The first shows as a hip hop act were organized in 1999, where also their first music video was made and titled with "Wick-a-Woo". On TV the puppet band were first seen in 2000. Their first maxi EP "Humans Get All The Credits" was released in 2002 and let grown the band's profile nationwide.  In 2003 were produced the maxi EP "Pet Sound" and "Zoology" as the album "Creature Funk". It followed a remix vinyl which was published as "Prosettis Disco Balls" but only as a limited vinyl edition. In October 2005 were released the EP "Bigger the Better" and the album "Creature Shock Radio".  The Puppetmastaz's shows were regional as also trans regional known as "first toy group". Especially in France, where their live shows got 5000 visitors they became well known and got a big and constantly growing fan community.  In 2007 the Puppetmastaz published a cover of John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance" in support of Amnesty International what had warmed even Yoko Ono's heart how the Puppetmastaz said in an interview.  Their latest album "The Takeover" (CD and double vinyl) was released in 2008.  They also started in June 2009 their own satire magazine with its title "Puppetry Fair - The Glossy Gossip Gazette".  In 2009, the Puppetmastaz were touring in Germany, Spain, France, Austria, Japan and Belgium on their own shows as on festivals like Pukkelpop in Belgium and Sonnenrot Festival in Eching, Munich.  They toured China in October 2010, the first hip hop puppet crew to do so since the Chinese opening and reform.

Puppetmastaz is a German hip hop group founded in Berlin with members from Germany, United States and Canada, like Max Turner, Chilly Gonzales, Paul PM (aka Mister Maloke), Mocky and Alex Tiller, who left the band in 2003. Formed in 1996, the group perform their shows with hand puppets and meet music styles of rap, funk and electronica.

Die Puppetmastaz sind eine Berliner Hip-Hop-Band, die ausschließlich aus Handpuppen besteht und von Paul Affeld und Alexander Tiller 1995 gegründet wurde. Überregional bekannt wurden sie mit den Songs "Pet Sound" 2003, der als zweite Vinyl-Maxisingle der Band beim Plattenlabel New Noise erschien und "The Bigger The Better", welcher 2005 bei ihrem neuen Label Louisville Records erschien. Hierbei sind auch auf der Bühne als Mitglieder der Band stets nur die Puppen zu sehen, es gibt keine Menschen in der Puppetmastaz Crew. Während die Musik, wie bei Hip-Hop-Bands üblich, vom DJ abgespielt wird, werden alle Rap-Einlagen live vorgetragen.


History.

Anzonico is first mentioned in 1226 as "Ançonego". By 1229 it was listed a "Degagna" or associated farms to the greater Giornico area. It belonged to the parish of Giornico until the creation of a separate parish in 1602. The parish church of St. John the Baptist was first mentioned in 1404. The church, like most of the town was destroyed on 19 January 1667 by an avalanche. It was rebuilt in 1670 in a sheltered location. The population lived mostly through agriculture and livestock (sheep), though many temporarily emigrated for work. On the sun-drenched slopes of the mountains, the community's vineyards are found everywhere below in elevation. Starting in 1850, the population began to drop drastically. Many "Rustici" or traditional houses have been converted into apartments.

Geography.

Anzonico has an area,, of. Of this area, or 3.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 67.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, or 3.7% is settled (buildings or roads), or 0.4% is either rivers or lakes and or 16.7% is unproductive land.  Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 1.0% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.4%. Out of the forested land, 63.1% of the total land area is heavily forested and 4.3% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 2.5% is used for growing crops. All the water in the municipality is flowing water. Of the unproductive areas, 12.3% is unproductive vegetation and 4.3% is too rocky for vegetation.  The municipality is located in the Leventina district, near the Biaschina Loops of the Gotthard railway on the left side of the valley.

Coat of arms.

The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is "Azure three chevrons Argent and in a chief of the last a mullet of eight Gules."

Demographics.

Anzonico has a population () of., 19.8% of the population are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of -10.3%.  Most of the population () speaks Italian(83.7%), with Portuguese being second most common ( 5.1%) and German being third ( 5.1%). Of the Swiss national languages (), 5 speak German, 3 people speak French, 82 people speak Italian. The remainder (8 people) speak another language. , the gender distribution of the population was 46.2% male and 53.8% female. The population was made up of 38 Swiss men (35.8% of the population), and 11 (10.4%) non-Swiss men. There were 48 Swiss women (45.3%), and 9 (8.5%) non-Swiss women. In there was 1 live birth to Swiss citizens and in same time span there was 1 death of Swiss citizens. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was an increase of 1 and the non-Swiss population remained constant. This represents a population growth rate of 1.0%.  The age distribution,, in Anzonico is; 7 children or 6.6% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 0 teenagers between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 5 people or 4.7% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 12 people or 11.3% are between 30 and 39, 6 people or 5.7% are between 40 and 49, and 17 people or 16.0% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 23 people or 21.7% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 21 people or 19.8% are between 70 and 79, there are 15 people or 14.2% who are over 80. , there were 48 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2 persons per household. there were 188 single family homes (or 94.5% of the total) out of a total of 199 inhabited buildings. There were 5 two family buildings (2.5%) and 5 multi-family buildings (2.5%). There were also 1 buildings in the municipality that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose).  The vacancy rate for the municipality,, was 0%. there were 214 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 3 room apartment of which there were 69. There were 16 single room apartments and 43 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 48 apartments (22.4% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 164 apartments (76.6%) were seasonally occupied and 2 apartments (0.9%) were empty., the construction rate of new housing units was 9.5 new units per 1000 residents.  The historical population is given in the following table:

Sights.

The entire villaggio of Anzonico is designated as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites

Politics.

In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the FDP which received 37.26% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP (33.15%), the SP (20.55%) and the Ticino League (7.12%). In the federal election, a total of 47 votes were cast, and the voter turnout was 55.3%.  In the "Gran Consiglio" election, there were a total of 86 registered voters in Anzonico, of which 64 or 74.4% voted. The most popular party was the PLRT which received 22 or 34.4% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PPD+GenGiova (with 18 or 28.1%), the PS (with 13 or 20.3%) and the SSI (with 6 or 9.4%).  In the "Consiglio di Stato" election, 1 blank ballot was cast, leaving 63 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT which received 21 or 33.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PPD (with 19 or 30.2%), the PS (with 12 or 19.0%) and the SSI (with 7 or 11.1%).

Economy.

, Anzonico had an unemployment rate of 1.42%., there were 16 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 6 businesses involved in this sector. 4 people were employed in the secondary sector and there was 1 business in this sector. 6 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 4 businesses in this sector. There were 40 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 45.0% of the workforce. , there were no workers who commuted into the municipality and 25 workers who commuted away. Of the working population, 15% used public transportation to get to work, and 50% used a private car., there were 2 hotels in Anzonico.

Religion.

From the, 82 or 83.7% were Roman Catholic, while 4 or 4.1% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. There are 9 individuals (or about 9.18% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 3 individuals (or about 3.06% of the population) did not answer the question.

Education.

In Anzonico about 55.4% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a "Fachhochschule").  In Anzonico there were a total of 5 students (). The Ticino education system provides up to three years of non-mandatory kindergarten and in Anzonico there were no children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the municipality, 1 student attended the standard primary school and no students attended the special school. In the lower secondary school system, students either attend a two-year middle school followed by a two-year pre-apprenticeship or they attend a four-year program to prepare for higher education. There were no students in the lower secondary program.  The upper secondary school includes several options, but at the end of the upper secondary program, a student will be prepared to enter a trade or to continue on to a university or college. In Ticino, vocational students may either attend school while working on their internship or apprenticeship (which takes three or four years) or may attend school followed by an internship or apprenticeship (which takes one year as a full-time student or one and a half to two years as a part-time student). There were 0 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 2 who attend part-time.  The professional program lasts three years and prepares a student for a job in engineering, nursing, computer science, business, tourism and similar fields. There were 2 students in the professional program. , 7 residents attended schools outside the municipality.

Anzonico is a former municipality in the district of Leventina in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. On 1 April 2012, it was incorporated into the municipality of Faido along with the former municipalities of Calpiogna, Campello, Cavagnago, Chironico, Mairengo and Osco.

Anzonico war bis zum 31. März 2012 eine politische Gemeinde im Kreis Giornico, im Bezirk Leventina des Kantons Tessin in der Schweiz.


Wine regions.

Poulsard is found almost exclusively in eastern France, particularly in the Jura between Burgundy and Switzerland where it has been grown since the 15th century. Because of its versatility and its distinctive floral aromas, the grape was once the most widely planted grape variety in Jura but because of various viticultural difficulties and changing trends in the wine market, its numbers have declined. However, it is still the second most widely planted in Jura.  It is a permitted grape in several Jura AOCs including the Arbois and Côtes du Jura AOC where it is blended with Trousseau noir and Pinot noir to produce red and "rosé"; the L'Etoile AOC where it is used to produce a "blanc de noir" white wine and the Crémant du Jura AOC where it is used to make white and sparkling "rosé". Outside Jura, it is grown in the Bugey wine region located near the Beaujolais wine region. There Poulsard is blended with Gamay, Pinot noir and Mondeuse noire to produce light reds.

Viticulture.

While the grape can grow in many different vineyard soils, in Jura it is most often planted on shale marl, limestone and clay soils. The grape clusters produce tightly compacted bunches with thin-skinned oval berries that have a light violet to black color.  The Poulsard vine tends to buds early, which makes it prone to the viticultural hazard of early spring time frost. In some vintages, "coulure" can set in and affect yields (which are usually very low to begin with). Additionally the vine is very susceptible to various grape diseases including downey mildew, grey rot and oidium. These issues, coupled with its low phenolics and coloring pigments, have contributed to the grape's decline in overall plantings, though it still maintains its presence in Jura.  Historically, Poulsard has been used in eastern France as a table grape but its thin skin has made transport of the grape beyond local villages difficult.

Clones.

Over the centuries the Poulsard grape has developed a number of mutations that have allowed clones of the variety to emerge. In addition to the light red-berried form that is most commonly found, there is a completely white-skin and separate pink-skinned variety of Poulsard as well as deeply aromatic, darker skin variety "musqué" clone.

Wine styles.

Though technically a red-skinned "noir grape", Poulsard often produces "Vin gris" either due to low extraction of color compounds or from oxidation of the must that lightens the color even further. While most red skin grape contribute color over a matter of hours to a few days during the maceration process where the skin is kept in contact with the fermenting must, the amount of pigment in Poulsard is so low that even after a week of extended maceration very little color has seeped into the must. It is for this reason that Poulsard is often used in the production of white and lightly colored "rosé" wines, though officially more than 80% of the harvest in Jura is used for red wine production.  Though Poulsard can be used to produce a varietal wine, it is often blended the grape with other varieties either for enhanced color or to allow the Poulsard to contributes to the aroma of the blend. Among the grapes that Poulsard are often blended with is Trousseau noir, Trousseau gris, and Pinot noir.

Synonyms.

Poulsard and its wines have been known under a variety of synonyms including Belossard, Blussart, Blussard Blau, Blussard Frueh Blau, Blussard Modry, Cornelle, Drille-de-Coq, Kleinblaettrige Fingertraube, Malvasier Schwarz, Mècle, Mescle, Méthie, Miècle, Olivette, Pandouleau, Pelossard, Peloussard, Pendulot, Plant d'Arbois, Pleusard, Pleusart, Plousard, Ploussard, Plussart, Pulceau, Pulsar, Pulsard, Quille de coq, Raisin Perle and Yurskii Zhemchug.  The white clone version of Poulsard blanc shares many similar synonyms in addition to Blussard weiss, Pelossart, Pulsar Belyi and Quille de Coque.

Poulsard (also Ploussard) is a red French wine grape variety from the Jura wine region. The name Ploussard is used mainly around the town of Pupillin but can appear on wine labels throughout Jura as an authorized synonyms. While technically a dark-skinned "noir grape", the skins of Poulsard are very thin with low amounts of color -phenols and produces very pale colored red wines, even with extended maceration and can be used to produce white wines. Because of this, Poulsard is often blended with other red-skin varieties or used to produce lightly colored "rosé" wines. Additionally the grape is used to make "blanc de noir" white wines and sparkling "cremants".

Poulsard ist eine seltene Rotweinsorte aus dem Jura. Die Spezialität gedeiht besonders gut in den nördlichen Regionen des Jura. Poulsard gibt einen hellen, duftigen Wein. Die Schale ist sehr arm an Pigmenten (siehe auch den Artikel Phenole im Wein), so dass der Wein oftmals eher einem Roséwein ähnelt. Dennoch verfügt der Wein über ein Alterungsvermögen von etwa fünf bis acht Jahren. Aufgrund seines duftigen Aromas wird er gerne im Verschnitt mit Trousseau oder Pinot Noir eingesetzt. Im Jahr 2007 wurde eine bestockte Rebfläche von 313 Hektar erhoben. (Quelle ONIVINS)


History.

The organization was founded in 1984, consisting of writers from Los Angeles, New York City and Philadelphia. Jim Holliday, AVN Award-winning producer and historian, is considered the founding father of the X-Rated Critics Organization. After Holliday's death, the position of XRCO Historian was temporarily filled by XRCO founding member Bill Margold until 2006. James Avalon, a former editor of "Adam Film World"’s special editions, was also a founding member of XRCO.  XRCO's original Chairman, Jared Rutter, stepped down in 2004 and is now recognized as an "Honorary Chairman". The current co-Chairmen are "Dirty Bob" Krotts and Dick Freeman.

Members and management.

In 2005, XRCO added its first European members. Its members now include writers from a wide range of adult publications and Internet sites. Many members work full-time at this occupation; some have university degrees with emphasis on Film Criticism. XRCO members remain active members after being evaluated yearly to determine if they are still active in the adult business, still qualified, and still participating in the XRCO Award nomination and voting processes. Anyone not participating is placed on an "inactive" list for one year and, if found to still be lacking and not participating after that time, are then dropped. There is no membership fee to be an XRCO member.  There are currently 27 award categories, including the XRCO Hall of Fame, which honor the achievements of performers, directors and movies.

Award program.

The first XRCO Awards were presented in Hollywood on February 14, 1985. Until 1991, the awards were presented on Valentine's Day each year. The award program also includes a Hall of Fame ceremony and inductions.

The X-Rated Critics Organization (XRCO) is a group of writers and editors from the American adult entertainment industry who each year present awards in recognition of achievement within the industry. After the controversy and criticism of the Best Erotic Scene win for the movie "Virginia" in 1984 at the Adult Film Association of America awards, the XRCO and its "Heart-On Awards" were founded.

Die X-Rated Critics Organization (Abkürzung "XRCO") ist eine US-amerikanische Organisation von Kritikern pornographischer Filme. Die XRCO wurde 1984 gegründet, um Journalisten und Herausgebern der Pornoindustrie zu ermöglichen, die jährlich besten Pornofilme auszuzeichnen. Verliehen werden die Auszeichnungen bei der jährlich im Frühjahr in Los Angeles stattfindenden XRCO Awards Show. Die Mitgliedschaft in der Organisation erfolgt nur auf Empfehlung und nur bei besonderen Kenntnissen über die Branche. Nominiert werden Filme für das Jahr, in dem sie erscheinen. Im Unterschied zu der AVN Award Show, die für Gäste und akkreditierte Journalisten im Rahmen der AVN Adult Entertainment Expo wie ein Event zugänglich ist und auf Freizügigkeit der Darsteller setzt, findet die XRCO Show nur für Mitglieder und die Nominierten in einem besinnlicheren Rahmen statt. Besondere Leistungen in der Pornoindustrie werden mit der Aufnahme in die XRCO Hall of Fame belohnt.