United Rocket and Space Corporation

The United Rocket and Space Corporation () or URSC was a Russian joint-stock corporation formed by the Russian government in 2013 to renationalize the Russian space sector. The government intended to do so in such a way as to "preserve and enhance the Roscosmos space agency". The reorganization continued into 2014 with a Sberbank cooperation agreement, and 2015 with a process to merge with the Russian Federal Space Agency to create the Roscosmos State Corporation. "Roscosmos Space Agency", as a state agency, was abolished in December 2015 and the Roscosmos state-run corporation took over 1 January 2016.
History.
In announcing the new corporation in August 2013, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said "the failure-prone space sector is so troubled that it needs state supervision to overcome its problems."
The name for the organization had first been provisionally floated in July 2013 when—three days following the failure of a Proton M launch—the Russian government announced that "extremely harsh measures" would be taken "and spell the end of the [Russian] space industry as we know it."
Rogozin indicated it would be "consolidate[d] under a single state-controlled corporation within a year."
More detailed plans released in October 2013 called for a re-nationalization of the "troubled space industry," with sweeping reforms including a new "unified command structure and reducing redundant capabilities, acts that could lead to tens of thousands of layoffs." The Russian space sector employs about 250,000 people, while the United States has about 70,000 people working in the field.
"Russian space productivity is eight times lower than America’s, with companies duplicating one anothers’ work and operating at about 40 percent efficiency."
In December 2013 President Putin issued the presidential decree setting up the corporation. The decree stipulated that the corporation will take over manufacturing facilities from the Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos).
The President of Energia, Vitaly Lopota was removed from his post as president on August 1, 2014. Dmitry Rogoziin indicated that this was the start of "Long-awaited personnel reform in [the Russian] space industry ... Tough times require tough decisions."
In November 2014, it was announced that one part of the URSC charter is to increase the relative wages of those who work in the Russian space sector in order to attempt to counteract the low productivity and brain drain that has been hindering the industry. The average space industry employee was then paid per month (, or approximately per year). URSC projected that the Russian space sector would employ 196,000 people by 2016. URSC's publicly-stated long-term goal in late 2014 was to increase productivity of the space sector, threefold while doubling real wages by 2025.
Despite Russian state efforts in the reorganization, two more Proton launch vehicle failures occurred in 2014 and 2015.
The government reorganized all of Russia's rocket engine companies into a single entity in June 2015. NPO Energomash, as well as all other engine companies, became a part of URSC.
The decree to actually abolish Roscosmos as a state agency was signed by Vladimir Putin in December 2015, which was replaced by a state-run corporation effective 1 January 2016.
In May 2018, Putin selected Rogozin to be the head of the Russian state space corporation Roscosmos.
Organization and entities.
When formed, the company included most companies and design bureaus, save for some defence companies. The corporation initially consisted of nine federal unitary enterprises to be turned into open joint-stock companies. The URSC's authorized capital included the shares of 13 other companies. Subsequently, each of them was expected to contribute 100 percent of their shares minus one share to the new corporation's authorized capital. The corporation was 100 percent state-owned.
By August 2013, United Rocket and Space Corporation planned to acquire a controlling interest in rocket-engine manufacturer Energia, of which the Russian government previously owned a 38 percent interest.
"The consolidation [of the Russian space industry] will absorb 33 space organizations, including 16 enterprises. The main focus will be on subcontractors and suppliers."
Heavy-lift rocket.
Following the URSC formation announcement, Oleg Ostapenko, the head of Roscosmos, the Russian Federal Space Agency, proposed in November 2013 that a new heavy lift launch vehicle be built for the Russian space program. The rocket would be intended to place a payload of in a baseline low Earth orbit and is projected to be based on the Angara launch vehicle technology.
Impact.
Even the Russian mainstream press have called this a radical reorganization of an important Russian industry. For example, RIA Novosti called it a radical centralization of the Russian space industry.
In February 2014, Yevgeny Anisimov was removed from his position of head of Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan, after a 30-year career at the center, and having been head since 2010.


Rodrigo Pacheco, 3rd Marquess of Cerralvo

Don Rodrigo Pacheco y Osorio de Toledo, 3rd Marquess of Cerralvo () (c. 1565, Spain – June, 1652, Madrid) was a Spanish nobleman, inquisitor of Valladolid, and viceroy of New Spain. He held the latter position from November 3, 1624 to September 16, 1635.
Early career and appointment as viceroy of New Spain.
Rodrigo Pacheco y Osorio was born in Spain in the 1560s. He was a relative of Juan Antonio Pacheco, viceroy of Catalonia. After distinguishing himself in military service, he was named inquisitor of Valladolid.
When the rioting and disorders involving the previous viceroy, Diego Carrillo de Mendoza, 1st Marquess of Gelves, and the archbishop of Mexico, Juan Pérez de la Serna came to the attention of King Philip IV of Spain, he chose Pacheco y Osorio to investigate the causes and take charge of the government. Pacheco received specific, detailed instructions, among them to uncover the true causes of the disorders and punish those in the wrong. He was given extraordinary powers to accomplish these ends.
Foreign threats.
He arrived in Mexico City on November 3, 1624, and took up the reins of government. However, his specific instructions were put aside so that he could deal with more urgent matters. Spain was now at war with France and the Dutch Republic, and a Dutch fleet was menacing the Pacific port of Acapulco. Pacheco immediately busied himself with the defense of Acapulco.
On December 15, 1628 Dutch Admiral Piet Hein captured a Spanish fleet in the straits between Florida and the Bahamas. This fleet was transporting 12 million pesos (mostly gold) and much merchandise from New Spain to the mother country.
Later in his administration, Dutch corsairs occupied the city of Campeche (April 17, 1633), but were driven out by 200 militiamen under the command of Captain Francisco Maldonado. However they returned August 12, under Jean de Fors, and sacked the city.
To protect against Indian incursions from the north, Pacheco established the presidio of Cerralvo in the New Kingdom of León y Castilla (present day Nuevo León).
The drainage projects.
The other major problem facing the new viceroy was drainage, a perennial problem for Mexico City resulting in major flooding from the early sixteenth century through to the late nineteenth century. After major flooding in 1607, there was a large-scale project to drain water from the city via a combination of an open drainage ditch and tunnels. The project was known as the "Desagüe" and was a hugely expensive undertaking in terms of finances and diversion of Indian labor. Concerned that the construction on dikes and the drainage system had been suspended, Pacheco y Osorio restarted some construction in 1626. He restored and reinforced the walls surrounding the city and began some other minor projects to complete the earlier plans of the engineer Adrian Boot. The following year, the Río Cuautitlán broke through the dike that separated it from Lake Zumpango. The waters rose half a meter, flooding the city. The city government asked the viceroy to order the construction of more drainage projects. Time passed in consultations, and the water receded.
In 1629 the city suffered its worse flooding in recorded history. The Río Aculhuacán broke through its dikes, flooding the entire city from 1 to 2 meters deep. Transportation was by canoe, and many families left the city permanently. The rains continued, and the flood waters did not recede. Probably 30,000 persons died, and it was feared that the capital might disappear completely. Parts of the city remained flooded for four years. On May 19, 1630, the viceroy ordered the capital moved to Tacubaya, nearby but on higher ground, pending an open discussion in the guilds of the city. The guilds were opposed, resolving instead to restart the engineering works. By the end of the year, the engineer Enrico Martínez had restarted the work. By 1632 the Huehuetoca canal had finally been completed and the Calzada de San Cristóbal, atop a wall surrounding the city that served as a dike, had been renovated.
Return to Spain.
The viceroy was not an honest administrator of public funds. Because he directed many public works, much money passed through his hands, and was diminished somewhat in the transaction. He returned to Spain in September, 1635 an immensely rich man. Philip IV heaped honors on him, making him councillor of state, lord of the bedchamber and majordomo of the palace. Later he was Spanish ambassador to Vienna. He died in Madrid in June, 1652.


Cottonwoods Station

Cottonwoods Station was a stop on the San Antonio-San Diego Mail Line and later the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach station in El Paso County, Texas.
Its location was described by Waterman L. Ormsby, a reporter who rode the first westbound stagecoach on the Butterfield Overland Mail:
About 21 miles from Franklin we changed horses at a station in a pretty grove of cottonwood trees - the only habitation before reaching Fort Fillmore eighteen miles further on.
Cottonwoods Station, according to Ormsby, was 21 miles above Franklin, Texas on the old road into New Mexico, along the Rio Grande. G. Baily, a postal inspector, reported it in 1858 to be 22 miles from Franklin. The station is thought to be somewhere in Anthony, Texas although the exact location is still in dispute. One site is believed to be at another is .


Dalitso Kabambe

Dalitso Kabambe (born 1973) is an economist, banker and politician from Malawi. He served as the 13th Governor of the Reserve Bank of Malawi from 2017 until 2020
Career.
Kabambe is a Malawian development economist who was appointed Governor for the Reserve Bank of Malawi on 21 April 2017 by the then Malawi President Peter Mutharika.
Prior to his governorship of the country's central bank, Kabambe worked in the Malawi Government Economic Service for a period of 19 years from 1998. He held different positions such as Principal Economist, Chief Economist, Deputy Director of Economic Planning and, Budget Director in the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development. He also served as Secretary for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for close to 2 years. He was replaced as governor by Wilson Banda on 9 July 2020.
Person Life.
Kabambe is married to Brigitte Kabambe. The couple has three children. He is a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church where he is also a Church Elder.
Education.
He holds a PhD and a master's degree in Development Economics from Imperial College, University of London, United Kingdom which he obtained in 2008 and 2001 respectively. He got his first degree from the University of Malawi in 1998.
Joining Politics.
Kabambe publicly announced his decision to join active politics on 31 December 2020 when he was unveiled as a member of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (Malawi). Media reports indicate Kabambe will run to be leader of the party in order to stand as its torchbearer in the 2025 Malawi presidential elections. He is yet to announce his candidacy for the DPP leadership seat.
Controversies.
Kabambe was rocked in a salary controversy when it emerged that as governor of Malawi's central bank, his monthly perk was billed at K24 million (about US$30,000). In an interview with Zodiak, Kabambe confirmed the reports, saying his salary was approved by the Bank's board in line with the Reserve Bank of Malawi Act of Parliament and his years of service.
While reports indicate that salary for Kabambe's successor, Wilson Banda, has been reviewed, this has not not yet been evidentially confirmed by any of the country's media outlets. One of the country's civil society organisations (CSOs) described as politically motivated the forensic audit that leaked Kabambe's salary owing to the ex-governor's decision to join active politics. The organisation, Centre for Democracy and Economic Development (CDEDI), claimed in a report that it released to the media that the audit was illegal and that the leakage smacked of a conspiracy to stop Kabambe from becoming DPP's torchbearer in order to oust the incumbent president, Lazarus Chakwera in the 2025 Malawi presidential elections. The organisation called the audit illegal.


David Klein (economist)

David Klein (; born 1935) is an Israeli economist who served as governor of the Bank of Israel from January 2000 to January 2005.
Biography.
David Klein earned a BA in general history and economics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1959. In 1972 he was awarded a PhD in economics from George Washington University. His thesis was "Velocity of Money, Production Costs, and Short-run Price Level Determination".
Finance career.
In 1959–1966, Klein worked in the budget department of the Israel Ministry of Finance. In addition to oversight and planning duties, he was involved in the establishment of the town of Arad and the reconstruction of the town of Qazvin in Iran after an earthquake.
In 1966–1972 Klein worked for the International Monetary Fund in the Fiscal Affairs Department. he was responsible for fiscal policy in developing countries.
In 1972–1976, he worked in econometrics as the Tevel Institute of Policy Studies in Jerusalem. From 1976 to 1987 he worked for Bank Leumi Le-Israel as a senior economist and head of the strategic planning division.
In 1987–2005, Klein served in various senior roles at the Bank of Israel and was a member of the management team.
In 2000–2005, he was Governor of the Bank of Israel.


Lehigh and Hudson River Railroad


Minister of State for Asia

Minister of State for Asia is a mid-level position in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in the British government. It is currently held by Nigel Adams MP who took the office on 13 February 2020.
Responsibilities.
The minister's responsibilities include:


Noch (song)

Night (, incipit "Loves me, loves me not, I am struggling ...", also known under the title Unfinished) is a 1984 song composed by David Tukhmanov with lyrics based on the poem by Vladimir Mayakovsky which he penned before his death (1930, started in 1928), written by Tukhmanov for the beginning of Nikolay Noskov's solo career. The song aired only once in the USSR in the program "The Music Kiosk", because it was banned afterwards the severely critical article by Sergey Obraztsov in the newspaper "Soviet Culture". After 28 years, in 2012, "Night" was first recorded by Noskov on his solo album "Bez nazvaniya".
History.
After the failure at the end of 1982 of the first and last album "UFO" of the group "Moscow" which he created, David Tukhmanov continued to formally lead the group by inertia, but did not organize its concerts nor offer any new songs. By early 1984, Tukhmanov, tired of the group's constant bans and the need to overcome them, completely took off the already ephemeral duties of a producer and group leader, and so the group practically disbanded. The key musician, the soloist of "Moscow", Nikolai Noskov, for whom Tukhmanov wrote almost all the songs of the group, and who at that time already began to work in the ensemble "Singing Hearts", he offered to start a solo career and for this purpose wrote the first song "Night" based on fragments of the unfinished poem of Vladimir Mayakovsky written around the time of his death, 1930 (started in 1928).
In 1984, the song was recorded in Tukhmanov's studio and aired on the TV show "The Music Kiosk". The show was seen by Sergey Obraztsov, one of the major officially recognized theater figures of the USSR, a puppeteer who wrote a devastating article on the song in the newspaper "Soviet Culture". At the conclusion of his article, Obraztsov wrote: "I hope that this song will sound no more", after which "Night" was completely banned. Tukhmanov, after almost thirty years, recalled this: "An item appeared in the newspaper, in which it was written: how can you take such holy verses and make a pop song out of them?" Noskov found out some things regarding the prohibition, although no one even contacted him regarding this incident: "Tukhmanov said that the authorities do not like my vocal timbre". For Nikolai Noskov, the ban on the song became a landmark; not only the song was banned, but also him:
"It seemed to me that if a composer like Tukhmanov made a song for Mayakovsky's verses, then perhaps it would not attract the attention of Soviet censorship. But I was wrong, the song became forbidden, like the one who performed it ..."
During the perestroika and after the collapse of the USSR, the ban on the song was lifted by itself, but Nikolai Noskov, who was first employed in the Gorky Park group, and then with his own songs in the solo career, performed "Night" rarely. Later the song returned to his repertoire, and in 2012, 28 years after the appearance of the song, Noskov first recorded it on his solo album "Bez nazvaniya". In 2013, "Night" was performed by Nikolai Noskov in the television episode of "The Property of the Republic" entirely dedicated to the songs of David Tukhmanov, among eleven other Tukhmanov songs.


Demna of Georgia

Demna (, a hypocorism for Demetrius, ) (born before 1155 - died c. 1178) was a Georgian royal prince and pretender to the throne proclaimed as king during the failed nobles’ revolt of 1177/8.
He was the only son and heir of King David V, who had deposed his father, Demetrius I, in a palace coup in 1155. Shortly after David’s death (1155), Demetrius declared his younger son, George (the future King George III), heir apparent violating thus a principal law of succession and depriving Demna of his rights to the throne.
The medieval Georgian and Armenian chronicles are confused about the circumstances in which David died. According to the medieval Armenian historians, George was somehow implicated in his murder though Georgian sources say nothing about it. An Armenian chronicler, Vardan Araveltsi, says that David was murdered “by Sumbat and Ivane [Orbeli] in a plot of the Orbels... They had made an agreement with Giorgi, Davit’s brother, that he would appoint them generals”. Ivane Orbeli was indeed rewarded by George III with the title of amirspasalar on his coronation. Another Armenian Stepanos Orbelian, a descendant of the Orbeli clan, writing shortly after Vardan, denies any family involvement in the murder of the king and claims George had sworn to his reigning brother that he would rule only until Demna reached his majority, but then reneged on his vow. He claims that the Orbelis had been the witnesses of this vow and that they led the 1177 revolt to restore Demna, who was now adult, to his rightful position. Either way, Demna was considered by many as a lawful pretender to the Georgian crown and victim of injustice. Furthermore, he had married the daughter of Ivane Orbeli and the family’s interest in the revolt was clear. Demna was also sympathized by several high-ranking courtiers and military officers who had their fiefdoms mainly in southern Georgian and Georgian-dominated Armenian lands.
The rebellion led by Ivane Orbeli broke out in 1177. The insurgents crowned Demna the king at the Agara Castle and marched, with 30,000 men, to the Georgian capital of Tbilisi. However, Orbeli’s plan of a surprise attack failed. George III relied mainly on crack troops provided by the Kipchak mercenaries and Caucasian mountaineers. By force and diplomacy, he induced many of the rebel nobles to surrender. Orbeli, however, refused to comply and retired to the Lorhe fortress (now Lori, Armenia). The royal army quickly overran the fiefdoms of rebel lords and put Lorhe under siege. Orbeli requested aid from the neighbouring Seljuk rulers but his forces completely exhausted before the reinforcements could arrive. Demna was the first to surrender. Throwing himself and his followers on the mercy of his uncle, he was blinded and castrated to ensure the primacy of George’s branch of the family, and the Orbelis were extirpated and their lands and wealth seized. Imprisoned, Demna did not survive the punishment and soon died.
The Georgian female poet Tamar Eristavi proposed, in 1988, a romantic though unreliable and otherwise unproved hypothesis identifying Prince Demna with the famous Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli, who was allegedly in love with his cousin, Princess Tamar; he survived the repressions and wrote his poem "The Knight in the Panther's Skin" (dedicated to Tamar) in exile under the assumed identity of "Rustaveli".


Patricia Holmes (diplomat)

Patricia Ann Holmes is an Australian diplomat and is an officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
On 13 September 2011, Acting Foreign Minister Craig Emerson announced the appointment of Holmes as Australia's Ambassador to Argentina; with concurrent non-resident accreditation to Paraguay and Uruguay. She presented her credentials to President of Argentina Cristina Fernández de Kirchner on 10 April 2012.
Prior to her appointment to Argentina, Holmes was Assistant Secretary, Legal Counsel Branch, a position she held since April 2010. Holmes has served previously in Geneva WTO (Counsellor 2006-2009), Papua New Guinea (First Secretary 1998-2000) and Vanuatu (Third, later Second, Secretary 1994-1996).
Holmes holds a Bachelor of Science with a Bachelor of Law degree from Macquarie University; a Graduate Diploma in Legal Studies from the University of Technology, Sydney; a Masters of Arts in Foreign Affairs and Trade and a Masters of Laws in Environmental Law from the Australian National University. Holmes was admitted to the Bar of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory in 1992. Holmes speaks Spanish. She has a partner and three children.


A Little Chaos

A Little Chaos is a 2014 British period drama film directed by Alan Rickman. The story was conceived by Alison Deegan who co-wrote the screenplay along with Rickman and Jeremy Brock. The film stars Kate Winslet, Matthias Schoenaerts, Alan Rickman, Stanley Tucci, Helen McCrory, Steven Waddington, Jennifer Ehle and Rupert Penry-Jones. The film was financed by Lionsgate UK and produced by BBC Films. It was the second film directed by Rickman, after his 1997 directorial debut "The Winter Guest". It was the second collaboration of Rickman and Winslet after their 1995 film "Sense and Sensibility". Production took place in London in mid-2013. The film had its world premiere at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival as the closing night film on 13 September 2014.
Plot.
King Louis XIV of France assigns the design and construction of the Gardens of Versailles to landscape architect André Le Nôtre. Le Nôtre interviews several other garden designers who have submitted designs for the project, including one woman, Sabine de Barra. He sees her move a potted plant in his garden prior to her interview, and asks her if she gives deference to order in design. Sabine affirms her respect for his work but suggests that she would like to create something uniquely French rather than follow classical and renaissance styles. He shows her the door, and she leaves disheartened.
After all the interviews, André mulls over the candidates, oppressed by the weight of the king's expectations. A few judicious words from his assistant prompt him to reconsider Sabine's designs. Later that evening, André surprises Sabine at her home and, after examining her seemingly untamed but magical home garden, tasks her with responsibility for an outdoor "bosquet" ballroom at Versailles, surrounded by fountains and landscaping. André's plans had called for a constant supply of water from a distance at great expense, but Sabine devises another engineering solution: a reservoir from which water can be continuously recycled through the fountains. As work begins on her design, Sabine initially makes little progress with the workmen recommended by one of the designers rejected by André. Another competitor and an acquaintance of hers, Thierry Duras, intervenes and offers the use of his crew.
As a striking commoner, artlessly beautiful and fearlessly honest, Sabine attracts attention at court, and is befriended by the King's brother Duc Philippe d'Orleans and his wife Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine. At times, Sabine appears haunted by recurring images of wagon wheels in movement and brief glimpses of a young girl or the girl's voice. Sabine and André become increasingly attracted to each other but do not act on their feelings. André quietly endures the infidelities of his wife Françoise, who insists that her husband's success is founded on her influence at court. When Françoise senses his interest in Sabine and warns him against an affair, he quotes her own speech declaring their right to seek comfort elsewhere, and becomes resolute in his intention to pursue a relationship with Sabine.
Queen Maria Theresa dies suddenly. The king is stunned at the loss of his wife and takes refuge in one of his gardener's work areas, among his prized pear trees. Sabine finds the king there as she delivers perennials for a trade, initially mistaking him for the gardener. The king enjoys her warmth and forthrightness, and after she recognizes him she agrees to continue their conversation as equals. He invites her to travel with him and his court to the Palace of Fontainebleau.
At the Versailles garden site, Sabine is visited by Françoise, who tells her that André's interest in her is only a whim and will prove short-lived. After they both have left the site, Françoise's lover opens the sluice gates from the reservoir in the middle of a powerful storm and floods the work site, destroying much of the earthworks. Sabine nearly drowns trying to close the gate, and André helps pull her from the gushing water. The next morning, Sabine works vigorously to mend some of the damage done by the storm and flood. That same day, Louis XIV visits Sabine's work site and assesses the project skeptically but allows it to proceed.
Afterwards, André finds a glove at the worksite that he knows belongs to his wife Françoise. He realizes she is behind the sabotage of the project, confronts her with the glove, and ends their relationship.
Sabine goes to court again, where Duc de Lauzun introduces her to the king's mistress, the Marquise de Montespan, who in turn introduces her to the women of the court. At first they tease her, but when they learn that Sabine is widowed and also lost her 6-year-old daughter, they reveal their own losses and welcome her into their circle, where they often discuss topics the king forbids at court. The Marquise formally presents Sabine to the king when he arrives, and Sabine offers him a four-seasons rose — the same kind found in the garden where they first met. They converse about the nature of the rose and its life cycle, beauty, hardships, and death, and the gardener's responsibilities — all of it Sabine's veiled defense of Madame de Montespan, who has begun to lose the king's favor. Again, the king is charmed and touched by her observations.
André waits for Sabine outside her room that night, and they finally make love. In the morning, André finds himself alone in bed. Sabine is upstairs, lost in the memory of the day her daughter and husband died: he was taking their daughter with him on a day trip. Prior to leaving, he reveals to Sabine that he has a mistress. He then rounds up their daughter and gets into the carriage. As they are leaving, Sabine sees that the carriage has a faulty wheel and learns from the footman that her husband is taking their daughter to his mistress's home — not on a business trip as he had indicated. She races after the carriage, and when she tries to block the carriage in the road, it veers off track and topples down a steep hill, killing both father and daughter. André finds Sabine in the grip of this memory, evoked by her conversation with the ladies of the court and her intense night with him, and he convinces her to stop blaming herself for their deaths.
When Sabine's project is complete, the king and his court arrive for its inauguration. To the music of a hidden orchestra, everyone begins dancing as the fountains send water coursing down the tiers around the ballroom floor. After Sabine dances with the king, she and André leave the others and walk into the garden together.
Production.
The story was conceived by Allison Deegan, who co-wrote the screenplay along with Rickman and Jeremy Brock. The film was financed by the Lionsgate UK and produced by BBC Films.
Production began in March 2013. Producer Zygi Kamasa of Lionsgate said that "we are delighted to be working with the best of British actors and directors like Kate Winslet and Alan Rickman as we move forward in doubling our investment in British films in 2014." Rickman said: "The film is not just frills at the wrists and collars. It's about people getting their hands dirty and building something in order to entertain the other world they serve. It's about how one world maintains the other, often at the cost of women."
Casting.
On 17 January 2013, it was announced that Kate Winslet and Matthias Schoenaerts had been cast as the leads in the film. Rickman had Winslet in mind for the lead role of Sabine de Barra and continued with her when two weeks into shooting, Winslet announced that she was pregnant. In addition to directing, Rickman took the role of King Louis XIV. He explained that "the only way I could do it was because in a way, he's like a director, Louis, so you kind of keep the same expression on your face. As a director, you see everything somehow. It's like a huge all-encompassing eye that sees everything, and it's able to cherry pick; ‘Move that,’ ‘Don't do that,’ ‘Do it this way,’ ‘Change this colour.’ And I don't know where that comes from, but it does, once you're given the job, and I have a feeling Louis probably would've been a great film director."
Filming.
Despite being set in France, complete filming took place in England. Principal photography commenced on 27 March 2013 and continued over eight weeks in Black Park, Cliveden House, Pinewood Studios, Blenheim Palace, Waddesdon Manor, Hampton Court Palace, Ham House, Ashridge and Chenies Manor. Filming ended on 8 June 2013 in Richmond, London.
According to Rickman, filming "wasn't easy, though; throwing Kate into freezing water at 1 a.m., the carriage crash, scenes with 80 extras, tight schedules in venues like Blenheim Palace. It's a constant tap dance between control and freedom and of course the budget guides everything."
Music.
The soundtrack was composed by Peter Gregson. It was the first feature film for Gregson, who previously composed music for a 2014 short film "Every Quiet Moment". Veigar Margeirsson's 2008 composition "Rise above" was used in the trailer of the film but was not part of soundtrack album, which was released by Milan Records on 16 April 2015.
Distribution.
Promotion.
BBC Films revealed footage from the film as part of their "BBC Films Sizzle Showreel 2013" on 25 November 2013. First stills of Kate Winslet were released on 22 July 2014 with the announcement of film's premiere at 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. Three images from the film featuring Winslet, Alan Rickman and Jennifer Ehle were released on 27 August 2014. A scene from the film featuring Winslet and Rickman was revealed on 9 September 2014. The full-length official trailer was revealed on 19 December 2014. The first poster and another trailer were released on 20 January 2015. On 11 June 2015, another scene from the film featuring Stanley Tucci was released.
Release.
The film had its world premiere at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival as the closing night film on 13 September 2014. It was then shown in gala screenings as "Love Gala" at the 2014 BFI London Film Festival on 17 October 2014. Rickman presented the film at Camerimage film festival in November 2014. The United States premiere was held at the Sonoma International Film Festival on 25 March 2015. It had a theatrical release in Australia on 26 March 2015 and in UK on 17 April 2015.
It was initially set for a theatrical release on 27 March 2015 in the United States but it was later pulled out. Focus Features finally gave the film a theatrical and VOD release simultaneously in United States on 26 June 2015.
Reception.
Box office.
As of July 2015, the film has been opened in fourteen territories including Australia and UK and had grossed $10,084,623 worldwide.
Critical response.
The film generated mixed reviews from critics, with the performances from the cast being highly praised. , the film holds a 48% approval rating on review aggregator, Rotten Tomatoes, based on 92 reviews with an average score of 5.41/10. The site's consensus states that "Stylish and well-acted without ever living up to its dramatic potential, "A Little Chaos" is shouldered by the impressive efforts of a talented cast." At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film holds an average score of 51, based on 21 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews".
Catherine Shoard of "The Guardian" gave the film two out of five stars and wrote that "Winslet manages emotional honesty within anachronistic confines, and Schoenaerts escapes with dignity." Mark Adams in his review for "Screen International" said, "the film is a gracefully made delight, replete with lush costumes, fruity performances, love amongst the flowerbeds and even a little mild peril. Yes it lacks real dramatic edge and may be seen as a typical British period costume film, but it is also a classily made pleasure that will delight its target audience." David Rooney of "The Hollywood Reporter" felt that "This decently acted film is agreeable entertainment, even if it works better on a scene by scene basis than in terms of overall flow." Tim Robey in The Telegraph said in his review: "If you see only one film about 17th-century French landscape gardening this year, it probably ought to be "A Little Chaos", a heaving bouquet of a picture."
However, David Sexton of the "London Evening Standard" gave the film a negative review, saying that "Kate Winslet charms as a gardener at the Court of Louis XIV, but it's not enough to keep this inauthentic piece from wilting." Dennis Harvey of "Variety" also criticized the film, writing that "A Little Chaos" is "all too tidy as it imposes a predictable, pat modern sensibility on a most unconvincing depiction of late 17th-century French aristocratic life." Kaleem Aftab of "The Independent" gave the film two out of five stars, noting that while the performances were exceptional, the talents of the players were wasted. He wrote that "it all starts off so promisingly" and praised the camera work and language, but found it quickly fails as "a melancholic look at grief" where "at least four different genres [clash] against each other, occasionally in the same scene" and "the romance seems to take place off-screen." She concluded: "There was a 17-year gap between Rickman's first and second film and on this evidence it's easy to see why. While he can get performances out of the actors, he lacks command of pacing and plot."
Historical accuracy.
Some of the film's characters are fictional, including Kate Winslet's Sabine de Barra. The film is set in 1682, but André Le Nôtre began work at Versailles in 1661. Le Nôtre was nearly 70 in 1682, twice the age he appears to be as portrayed by Schoenaerts in the film. A garden much like that in the film exists at Versailles, the Salle de Bal or "Bosquet de la Salle-de-Bal" (the Forest Ballroom).


Malia and Sasha Obama


United Nations Security Council Resolution 596

United Nations Security Council resolution 596, adopted unanimously on 29 May 1987, considered a report by the Secretary-General regarding the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force. The Council noted its efforts to establish a durable and just peace in the Middle East but also expressed its concern over the prevailing state of tension in the area.
The resolution decided to call upon the parties concerned to immediately implement Resolution 338 (1973), it renewed the mandate of the Observer Force for another six months until 30 November 1987, and requested that the Secretary-General submit a report on the situation at the end of that period.


Commerzbank

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft is a major German bank operating as a universal bank, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main. In the 2019 financial year, the bank was the second largest in Germany by the total value of its balance sheet. The bank is present in more than 50 countries around the world and provides almost a third of Germany's trade finance. In 2017, it handled 13 million customers in Germany and 5 million customers in Central and Eastern Europe. Commerzbank is a member of the Cash Group.
15% of the shares are owned by the Federal Republic of Germany and 85% are in free float.
The bank has been subject to several corruption investigations, paying $US1.5 billion in fines in 2015.
History.
Empire.
On February 26, 1870, mainly Hanseatic merchants, merchant bankers and private bankers founded the Commerzbank and Disconto Bank in Hamburg. Shipowner C. Woermann was the first chairman of the supervisory board of Commerz- und Disconto-Bank from 1870. In the founding consortium, the following banks were represented:
In 1873, the subsidiary London and Hanseatic Bank was founded, which was active until the First World War. In Germany, Commerzbank was initially active in Hamburg until 1897 branches were built in Berlin and Frankfurt am Main. After the merger in 1905 with the Berliner Bank, founded in 1871, the focus shifted increasingly to Berlin.
Weimar Republic.
In 1920, Commerzbank AG merged with in Magdeburg to form "Commerz- und Privat-Bank AG", thereby gaining a dense branch network in the provinces of Saxony and Thuringia. In the early 1920s, many smaller banks were taken over (including the Hessian Bank Association) and in 1929 it merged with the in Frankfurt am Main. In 1927 Commerzbank took a large loan of 20 million dollars in ten-year gold notes at 5.5% at the American Chase National Bank.
In 1931, during the Great Depression Commerzbank, ran into difficulties. The Reich government under Chancellor Heinrich Brüning decided in February 1932 to merge Commerzbank with , which had a dense branch network in northern and western Germany. Majority of shares of this bank were bought by the government and the Reichsbank.
Third Reich.
In 1937, the nationalized shares were then transferred back to private shareholders. In 1940, the name Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft, which had already been used in public, was adopted and the logo changed to "C" with side wings. Through Aryanization of the property of Jews displaced or murdered during the Holocaust, Commerzbank participated and benefited mostly through brokerage commissions. From 1940 to 1944, Commerzbank opened several subsidiaries in countries occupied by the German Reich, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Estonia and Latvia. Commerzbank fell back from third to fourth place among the major banks by total assets in the 1940s.
Allied Occupation.
With the division of Europe after World War II, three regional banks were united in 1958 to form Commerzbank AG, which had its headquarters in Düsseldorf. Commerzbank stepped up its economic financing activities and started expanding around the globe. From 1970 onwards, the bank's administrative activities were shifted to Frankfurt am Main, which has been its legal domicile since 1990.
Federal Republic.
Commerzbank suffered reversals in a disastrous foray into investment banking in the first half decade of the 2000s and eventually shut down its Commerzbank Securities investment banking unit run by Mehmet Dalman and Roman Schmidt after Chairman Klaus-Peter Müller labelled it a "problem child" and a review by consulting firm Mercer Oliver Wyman which concluded that Commerzbank Securities lacked a viable business model. What was left of Commerzbank Securities was folded into a division of the commercial bank called Corporates and Markets.
Acquisition of Dresdner Bank.
Further mergers, acquisitions and restructures saw the group grow to servicing over 4 million customers in 1998, 6 million customers in 2001 and 15 million post the global financial crisis oriented takeover of Dresdner Bank from Allianz for €5.5 billion in 2008. Commerzbank was hit hard by the financial crisis and received an €18 billion ($22.3 billion) state bailout. In September 2016, Commerzbank planned to cut 9,600 jobs or about a fifth of its workforce in 4 years.
In late 2019, Commerzbank entered into talks with Petrus Advisers to buy its 7.5% stake in Comdirect and take over the entire online bank.
Shareholders and management.
As of December 2018, the bank's two largest shareholders were the Government of Germany (15.6%) and Cerberus Capital Management (5.01%). In July 2020, the bank's chairman Stefan Schmittmann announced that he will be resigning by August 3. Subsequently, Martin Zielke, Commerzbank's chief executive said that he is ready to step out of its function. The decisions were made after in June 2020, Cerberus attacked the firm's leadership team, "significant change at the supervisory board, the management board and the company’s strategic plan to stop a 'downward spiral' caused by what the investor said were bloated costs, low profits and managerial inaction." In the Q2 of 2020, the company made an operating profit of €205 million; it was 34 per cent less compared to the same period of 2019. "According to people familiar with the matter", the bank's profit was more affected by the insolvency of Wirecard than the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In September 2020, the bank named Deutsche Bank AG German retail head Manfred Knof to take over as the chief executive officer on Jan 1, 2021.
Controversies.
For more than a decade, Commerzbank was involved in laundering hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars out of Iran, Sudan and Myanmar, against United States sanctions. Commerzbank agreed to pay $US1.5 billion in fines and dismiss several employees for their role in laundering US$253 billion, and for helping the Japanese company Olympus Corporation orchestrate accounting fraud.
In 2017, Frankfurt prosecutors, together with federal crime police and tax officials, conducted searches of Commerzbank offices as well as the flats of three suspects in Frankfurt and nearby Hanau. The police raid was about a "tax evasion probe in which several current and former managers are suspected of evading €40 million in taxes via dividend stripping, also known as "cum-ex" transactions". The investigation also extended to trades in 2008 at Dresdner Bank, which was taken over by Commerzbank in 2009. Commerzbank said "it proactively notified the authorities with the preliminary results of that investigation and is cooperating fully". In 2019, Cologne prosecutors again raided Commerzbank's Frankfurt headquarters as part of the criminal investigation.
It was announced in July 2019 that Commerzbank was being investigated by the European Central Bank and BaFin for facilitating its subsidiary mBank's toxic financial product offering in Poland, as well as for the linked potential tax evasion resulting from Commerzbank's financing of mBank's CHF-linked toxic financial products.
Restructuring.
In 2021 the bank announced it will reduce the number of branches in Germany from 790 to 450 and cut jobs by 10,000 (a third of its German workforce) by 2024.


George Washington Adams

George Washington Adams (April 12, 1801 – April 30, 1829) was an American attorney and politician. He was the eldest son of John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States. Adams served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and on the Boston City Council. He is believed to have committed suicide at age 28.
Biography.
George Washington Adams was born in Berlin, the capital of the Kingdom of Prussia, on April 12, 1801. He was a member of the distinguished Adams family. Adams was the eldest son of John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States, who was then serving as a diplomatic representative of the United States, and his English-born wife Louisa Catherine Adams. He was named for the first president. His grandfather John Adams was the first vice president of the United States and also the second president. He was born a month after his grandfather left office.
Adams's grandmother, Abigail Adams, was unhappy with the decision of her son to name the child after George Washington and not after her husband. She thought the decision "ill judged" and "wrong," adding that John Adams also seemed offended. John Quincy Adams's second son John Adams II (1803–1834) was named after his grandfather.
Adams graduated from Harvard University in the Class of 1821 and studied law. After briefly practicing as an attorney, he ran for state office. He was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1826 and served one year. In 1828, Adams served on the Boston City Council. He delivered an Independence Day speech, "An Oration delivered at Quincy, on the Fifth of July, 1824", which was later published as a pamphlet.
Adams disappeared on April 30, 1829, while on board the steamship "Benjamin Franklin" in Long Island Sound during passage from Boston to Washington, D.C. He was last seen at about 2 A.M., and his hat and cloak were found on deck, leading to the conclusion that he had intentionally jumped. His body washed ashore on June 10. An alcoholic, Adams had left notes hinting that he intended to kill himself; he had appeared to be delusional while on the ship, asking the captain to return to shore and declaring that the other passengers were conspiring against him. The consensus in news accounts of the time and among historians subsequently is that he committed suicide, by drowning after he jumped from the "Benjamin Franklin".
Family.
Adams and his brothers Charles and John were all rivals for the same woman, their cousin Mary Catherine Hellen, who lived with the John Quincy Adams family after the death of her parents. In 1828, John Adams II married Mary Hellen at a ceremony in the White House, and both his brothers refused to attend.
Adams fathered an out-of-wedlock child with a mistress, Eliza Dolph. Dolph was the chambermaid to Dr. Thomas Welsh, the Adams family's Boston doctor. She had a child in December 1828 and was moved to another location so Adams could visit her and the baby in secrecy.


Rashid Temrezov

Rashid Borispiyevich Temrezov (; ) is a Karachay politician who is the head of Karachay–Cherkessia since 2011.
In 2017 he led tributes to the Soviet agronomist Zuhra Bayramkulova.


James Dunn (diplomat)

James Stanley Dunn (6 January 1928 – 31 January 2020) was an Australian public servant and diplomat. He was Australia's consul in Portuguese Timor from 1962 to 1964.
In 1977 Dunn's report on war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Indonesian troops in East Timor was released, prompting international attention. He alleged that American weapons had been used in the Indonesian invasion of East Timor in 1975. He also argued that Australia's policy related to East Timor was inadequate.
His book "Timor: A People Betrayed" (published 1983) was a tribute to the tragedy of the Timorese. The book was launched by Gordon McIntosh at the Lakeside Hotel in Canberra. In a review published in "Woroni", Dunn was praised for his sincere tone. J.A.C. Mackie, writing for "The Canberra Times" wrote that the book was "disappointingly unconvincing".
In the 2001 Queen's Birthday Honours, Dunn was made a Member of the Order of Australia for "service to humanity as an advocate for the rights of the East Timorese."
He died on 31 January 2020; Prime Minister and former President of East Timor, Taur Matan Ruak, praised him as "one of the greatest international advocates for Timor Leste's self-determination".


Skilled Group

Skilled Group is an Australian company headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria. Its core business is labour hire.
The company manages offices across multiple countries; including Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Malta and the United Arab Emirates.
Corporate history.
The company was founded in 1964 by Frank Hargrave AO.
In October 2015, Programmed Maintenance (ASX:PRG) acquired Skilled Group.
In October 2017, Programmed Maintenance was acquired by Persol Holdings.
Legal controversies.
In 2011, Telstra trainees took the company and its subsidiary Excelior to the industrial relations tribunal. The union said that trainees were not compensated enough for expenses during mandatory training.
In 2015 in a landmark case, a couple was awarded damages of $720,000 against the company after being refused jobs for being non-union.


Mangalia shipyard

 Mangalia shipyard is a large shipyard located south of the Port of Constanţa, in Mangalia, Romania.
Daewoo Heavy Industries era.
In 1997 Daewoo-Mangalia Heavy Industries or DMHI was formed as a joint venture between South Korean company Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering and the "2 Mai Shipyard" in Mangalia. Since it was founded the company built over 127 new ships and repaired around 300 ships.
Operations.
The shipyard is spread over an area of , has three dry docks with a total length of and of berths. In 2002 the company delivered two tankers of to the Norwegian company Kleven Floro used for the transportation of orange juice. One of the main customers of the shipyard is the German company Hamburg Süd which ordered six container ships of around each, and seven ships of each as well as four tugboats. The company also signed in 2005 an agreement with Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A., NSB Niederelbe, Gebab and Conti Reederei companies for the construction of 12 container ships of around each that will be delivered in stages until 2011 at a total cost of US$1.1 billion.
Goliath Crane.
In 2008 the shipyard bought the largest gantry crane in North America, the "Goliath Crane", formerly located in Quincy, Massachusetts, from the General Dynamics company. Built in 1975, the crane, nicknamed "Goliath", "Big Blue", "The Dog" or "Horse", has a height of , a span of , a weight of and a lifting capacity of . The cranes's re-assembly has been under way since March 2009.


Bakers Crossing, Texas

Bakers Crossing, a populated place located on the east bank of the Devils River in Val Verde County, Texas. It lies at an elevation of 1516 feet.
History.
Bakers Crossing is named for a pioneer that settled on that site at the "second crossing of Devils River" by the San Antonio-El Paso Road located at that place. Texas State Highway 163 now crosses the river on a bridge slightly to the west of the original crossing and the site of the earlier highway bridge. Camp Hudson, later Fort Hudson was located nearby to the south on the opposite bank near the mouth of Hudson Canyon and Huffstutler Springs.


Machnovka (Hasidic dynasty)

Machnovka (various spellings) is a Hasidic dynasty Chernobyl dynastic group of families.
It takes its name from the village Makhnivke in Ukraine, where its founder lived. Machnovka is an extant Hasidic group which survived the Holocaust. Its Hasidic court is now located in Bnei Brak, Israel.
Machnovka is also a sub-dynasty of Skver. It is a living legacy of the unique culture of the Polish and Ukrainian Jews and their Hasidic dynasties.
Lineage.
The founder the Chernobyl dynasty was Rebbe Menachem Nachum Twersky of Chernobyl, a disciple of Rabbi Yisroel ben Eliezer, the Baal Shem Tov, who established the Hasidic movement
Rabbi Avrohom Yehoshua Heshel served as Machnifker Rebbe for 70 years, from 1917 to 1987. For many years in the USSR he defied the communist authorities by spreading the teachings of Judaism and Hasidism. After World War II he was invited by the Soviet authorities to serve as Chief Rabbi of the Soviet Union. His refusal to accept this position led to him being banished to Siberia. In 1965 he received permission to leave the Soviet Union and he emigrated to Bnei Brak, Israel.


New York City Comptroller

The Office of Comptroller of New York City, a position established in 1801, is the chief financial officer and chief auditor of the city agencies and their performance and spending. The Comptroller also reviews all city contracts, handles the settlement of litigation claims (amounting to $975 million in 2019), issues municipal bonds, and manages the city's very large pension funds ($240 billion in assets under management as of 2020).
The Comptroller is elected citywide to a four-year term, and can hold office for two consecutive terms. As of 2021, the Comptroller had a staff of 800 people, and a budget of over $100 million. If vacancies were to occur simultaneously in the offices of Mayor of New York City and New York City Public Advocate, the Comptroller would become Acting Mayor.
The current Comptroller is Democrat Scott Stringer. He was elected in 2013.
The 2021 New York City Comptroller election will consist of Democratic and Republican primaries on June 22, 2021, followed by a general election on November 2, 2021. Incumbent Stringer is barred from running for a third term by term limits. Notable candidates include State Senator Brian Benjamin, former US Marine Zach Iscol, City Councilmember Brad Lander, State Senator Kevin Parker, and State Assemblymember David Weprin.
Duties and staff.
The Comptroller is responsible for auditing the performance and finances of city agencies, making recommendations regarding proposed contracts, issuing reports on the state of the city economy, marketing and selling municipal bonds, and managing city debt. The Comptroller also "is the custodian and investment advisor to the Boards" of the five pension funds of the city, which are collectively referred to as "NYC Public Pension Funds" or "New York City pension funds". The funds collectively amounted to $240 billion in assets under management as of 2020, the fourth-largest public pension plan in the US. The Comptroller's regulations are compiled in Title 44 of the "New York City Rules".
If vacancies should simultaneously occur in the offices of Mayor of New York City and New York City Public Advocate (formerly president of the city council or board of aldermen), the Comptroller would become Acting Mayor. The Comptroller serves as a check on the mayor, and is arguably the second most important elected official in New York City after the mayor.
As of 2021, the Comptroller had a staff of 800 people, and a budget of over $100 million.
History.
1801-present.
The office was created as an appointive office in 1801 by the New York City Common Council. On September 6, 1802, after a tie vote by the New York City Common Council Committee on whether to pass an ordinance for the appointment of a Comptroller with a salary of $1,500 ($ in current dollar terms), the ordinance was adopted by the Recorder, John B Prevost, Esquire, casting a vote in favor. Thirty years later, the Comptroller became head of the Department of Finance. In 1884 the office became elective, and in 1938 the Comptroller became head of a separate, independent department of the City's government. No Republican has been elected Comptroller since 1938.
The Comptroller served on the eight-member New York City Board of Estimate, created in 1873, until the Board was held unconstitutional in a unanimous decision by the US Supreme Court in 1989 in "Board of Estimate of City of New York v. Morris". The Board was composed of the Mayor of New York City, the Comptroller, and the president of the New York City Council, each of whom was elected citywide and had four votes, and the five Borough presidents, each having two votes, despite the differing population sizes of each borough. That construct was held by the US Supreme Court to violate the principle of one person, one vote. The Board of Estimate was then abolished.
In fiscal year 2019, the Comptroller resolved 13,712 claims and lawsuits against New York City for $975 million. The Comptroller also issued 61 audits and special reports on the effectiveness and service quality of city programs, as well as on financial issues, identifying actual and potential revenue and savings.
2009 election.
The Democratic nominee in the 2009 general election, John Liu, won 76% of the citywide vote on November 3. The Republican nominee, Joseph Mendola, won 19%; the Conservative nominee, Stuart Avrick, 2%; and others 2%.
2013 election.
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer won the September 10, 2013, Democratic primary with 52% of the vote, defeating former New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer, who had been forced to resign as governor over various scandals and who received 48% of the vote. Former Wall Street financier John Burnett was unopposed as the Republican candidate. Hesham El-Meligy, an independent candidate with the support of some Libertarians, was also a candidate for the office. Stringer won the general election with 80% of the vote, as Burnett had 17% of the vote, the Green Party's Julia Willebrand had 2% of the vote, and El-Meligy had 0.5% of the vote.
2017 election.
In 2017, there was no Democratic primary for the position. Stringer faced Republican Michel Faulkner in the general election, and won, with 77% of the vote.
2021 election.
The 2021 New York City Comptroller election will consist of Democratic and Republican primaries on June 22, 2021, followed by a general election on November 2, 2021. The primaries will be the first Comptroller election primaries to use ranked-choice voting. Incumbent Comptroller Scott Stringer is barred from running for a third term by term limits.
Notable candidates include State Senator Brian Benjamin, former US Marine Zach Iscol, City Councilmember Brad Lander, State Senator Kevin Parker, and State Assemblymember David Weprin. A number of other members of the New York City business and political communities are also running.


Mithridates IV of Parthia

Mithridates IV (also spelled Mithradates IV; "Mihrdāt") was a Parthian king from to 57 to 54 BC. He was the son and successor of Phraates III (). Mithridates IV's reign was marked by a dynastic struggle with his younger brother, Orodes II, who eventually emerged victorious and had Mithridates IV executed, thus succeeding him.
Etymology.
"Mithridates" is the Greek attestation of the Iranian name "Mihrdāt", meaning "given by Mithra", the name of the ancient Iranian sun god. The name itself is derived from Old Iranian "Miθra-dāta-".
Biography.
Mithridates IV was a son of Phraates III (), under whom he served as the ruler of the central province of Media. In 57 BC, Mithridates murdered his father with the assistance of his younger brother Orodes. However, the two brothers quickly fell out, and Orodes revolted with the support of the Suren clan. They both assumed the title of King of Kings to demonstrate their claims of superiority over each other.
This changed the meaning of the title; originally being used as a symbol of political dominance over other realms, the title became known as a symbol of power and legitimacy for contenders in a royal family. Mithridates IV was forced to flee from to Roman Syria. He took refuge with Aulus Gabinius, the Roman proconsul and governor of Syria. Mithridates IV then returned to invade Parthia with Gabinius in support. The Roman proconsul marched with Mithridates IV to the Euphrates, but turned back to restore another ruler, Ptolemy XII Auletes of Egypt, to his throne. Despite losing his Roman support, Mithridates IV advanced into Mesopotamia and managed to conquer Babylonia. He ousted Orodes and briefly restored his reign as king in 55 BC, minting coins in Seleucia until 54 BC.
However, king Mithridates IV was besieged by Orodes' general, Surena, in Seleucia, and after a prolonged resistance, offered battle to Orodes' forces and was defeated. Mithridates IV was afterwards executed in 54 BC by Orodes.


Long Branch and Sea Girt Railroad


National State Auditors Association


Thiele (retail opticians)

Thiele is a chain of retail opticians headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. The company is owned by Jens Henrik Brandt (95%) and Profil Optik (5%).
History.
The company was founded in 1817 when Frederik Anton Thiele (1792-1859) was granted a royal license to "manufacture and sell any kind of astronomic, mathematical, chemical, physical, optical, mineralogical and mechanical instrument or device".
His son Johan Christian Thiele, who had studied both at the College of Advanced Technology and abroad, took on the company following the death of his father in 1859. He expanded the business but died just 39 years old in 1871. His widow then continued the operations until their son Frederik Axel Thiele (1866-1944) was ready to join it in 1888 after completing his training in professor Jürgensen's mechanical workshop and at the College of Advanced Technology. He was the sole owner of the company from 1891. His eldest son, Johan F. A. Thiele, joined him in 1921.
The company was converted into an "aktieselskab" in 1824. It was granted status of Purveyors to the Court of Denmark in 1931.
The first branch opened in Bispestræde in Aalborg in 1929. Ot was followed by many new branches in the 1960s and 1970s.
Jens F.A. Thiele, fifth generation of the Thiele family to own the company, sold it to Jens Henrik Brandt (95 %) and Profil Optik (5 %) in 2005.


Bobov (Hasidic dynasty)

Bobov (or Bobover Hasidism) (, ) is a Hasidic community within Haredi Judaism, originating in Bobowa, Galicia, in southern Poland, and now headquartered in the neighborhood of Borough Park, in Brooklyn, New York.
Bobov developed into a leading Hasidic dynasty through the leadership of Shlomo Halberstam, a Holocaust survivor.
There are currently two independent Bobov communities, each with their own rebbes and institutions. The first, which carries the name Bobov and inherited all Bobov institutions, is led by Benzion Halberstam. The second one, named Bobov-45, broke away from the main group in 2005, and established their own institutions; they are led by Mordechai Dovid Unger.
Bobov communities are found in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn; in Monsey, New York; Lakewood, New Jersey; Montreal; Toronto; Antwerp; and London. In Israel, Bobov has large branches in Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Ashdod, Elad, Beitar Illit, and an enclave, "Kiryas Bobov", in Bat Yam.
History.
First Rebbe, Shlomo Halberstam.
Bobov originated with Rabbi Shlomo Halberstam, who was the grandson of Grand Rabbi Chaim Halberstam of Sanz, in the Galician village of Bobowa.
While most of the early yeshivos (Talmudical academies) originated in Lithuania, the 19th century saw the opening of similar institutions in Poland. The first yeshiva in Poland was established by the first Bobover Rebbe in 1881 in Vishnitsa, where he was rabbi then; and it later moved with him to Bobov.
Second Rebbe, Benzion Halberstam.
His work was continued by his son, Grand Rabbi Ben Zion Halberstam, author of "Kedushas Tzion". The Bobov Yeshiva was originally situated only in the town of Bobov itself. However, under his guidance, the court grew in numbers, with Hasidic youth flocking to Bobov. Subsequently, as many as sixty branches of the yeshiva under the name Etz Chaim were established throughout Galicia.
During World War II, the Bobov Hasidic movement was destroyed. The second Rebbe himself died in the Holocaust (1874 - 1941/3 Menachem Av, HY"D), together with family members and thousands of his followers.
Third Rebbe, Shlomo Halberstam.
Barely 300 Hasidim survived, and the Rebbe's son, Rabbi Shlomo Halberstam, took it upon himself to rebuild Bobov. He first settled in the West Side of Manhattan, later moving to Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn. The yeshiva was located on the west side of Brooklyn Avenue, at 184 Brooklyn Avenue, between Park Place and Prospect Place; it later moved to nearby Borough Park. Rabbi Shlomo was known as a very wise man and a "gaon" (exalted) in "middos" (good attributes). He was noted for his steadfastness in not taking sides in disputes. This brought him great popularity and respect.
Over the more than fifty years that Rabbi Shlomo was Rebbe of Bobov, he founded and built a worldwide network of synagogues, Hasidic schools for boys and girls, "mesivtas" (high schools), and post-high school houses of learning. Besides schools, a summer camp for boys was founded in 1957 in Ferndale, New York, and a girls camp, Camp Gila, was founded a few years later. At the time of his death in August 2000, he was mourned by more followers than his father had in pre-war Poland. His Hebrew date of death was the first of Av, the same as that of Aaron, the Biblical High Priest. Many have noted their similar characteristics of "Ohev Shalom VeRodef Shalom" (Loved peace and pursued peace).
Fourth Rebbe, Naftuli Halberstam.
With Rabbi Shlomo Halberstam's death, his son, Rabbi Naftali Zvi Halberstam, succeeded him. Rabbi Naftali Zvi died on March 23, 2005 (12th of Adar II, 5765), at age seventy-four, leaving a wife, two daughters, and two sons-in-law: one, Rabbi Yehoshua Rubin, Rav of Bobov-45, and the other, Rabbi Mordechai Dovid Unger, Rebbe of Bobov-45.
Fifth and current Rebbe, Benzion Halberstam.
After Grand Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Halberstam of Bobov died in 2005, a dispute arose among Bobover Hasidim as to who should succeed the dynasty leadership; the majority preferred Rabbi Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam,the brother of the late Rebbe, while another smaller group of people preferred Rabbi Mordechai Dovid Unger, the son-in-law of the late Rebbe. For seven years, while a prolonged arbitration proceeding at a "beth din" was going on, both groups claimed the rightful Bobov leadership. After seven years of deliberation, the "beth din" ruled, among other decisions regarding assets, that Rabbi Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam, brother of the previous Rebbe, has the only right to claim the name Bobov and is the rightful successor. however, the ruling allowed Rabbi Mordechai Dovid Unger to be named Bobov-45 rebbe.
Bobov-45.
Bobov-45 is an offshoot of the Bobov dynasty, also headquartered in Borough Park. It has branches in Williamsburg, Monsey, Lakewood, Montreal; Toronto; London, Manchester, and Antwerp. In Israel, Bobov-45 has branches in Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Beit Shemesh, Ashdod, Elad, and Beitar Illit and an enclave "Yishuv of Chasidei Bobov-45" in Union, New Jersey.
Mordechai Dovid Unger is the first, Grand Rabbi of Bobov-45. He is the younger son-in-law of the fourth Bobover Rebbe, Naftali Zvi Halberstam. Yehoshua Rubin, the older son-in-law of Halberstam, is the current "dayan" and rabbinical leader of the sect.
History of Bobov-45.
The third Bobover Rebbe, Shlomo Halberstam, rebuilt the Bobov Hasidic dynasty in the United States, after losing his wife and most of his children in the Holocaust; his son, Naftali, survived. After the war, Shlomo Halberstam remarried, and had a son, Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam, half-brother to Naftali.
Naftali became the fourth rebbe upon his father's death. He had no sons, but left two daughters, one of whom married Yehoshua Rubin, and the other Mordechai Dovid Unger.
In 2005, after the death of Naftali Halberstam, a breakaway group of Bobover Hasidim loyal to his son-in-law, Mordechai Dovid Unger, set up a grand hall under his leadership on 45th Street in Borough Park, Brooklyn. A leadership dispute then arose between Unger and Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam, who both claimed the title of Bobover Rebbe.
The dispute was taken to a "beth din" (arbitration panel), which ruled that the faction following Halberstam held the rights to the name "Bobov". Unger was also allowed to use the name Bobov, as long as a distinguishing identifier would be added to it. The qualifying suffix "-45" was henceforth adopted in tribute to the street on which the community center of the sect was located at the time. In addition, the "beth din" ordered Bobov to pay $6,200,000 to Bobov-45's Rebbe and "dayan" in twenty-five quarterly installments, as an allotment of their faction's share of the inheritance of the Bobov enterprise's assets, which was valued at over $50,000,000 at the time. The award was based upon the number of members in the two communities.
As the Rebbe of Bobov-45, Mordechai Dovid Unger has also been active in the wider Jewish community.
Institutions.
Community institutions, such as a synagogue, have been built within Bobov-45. Other infrastructure includes a beth midrash (study hall), "cheder" (elementary school), yeshiva ketana (secondary school), "mesivta", girls school, day camp, and wedding halls.


Oliver Sinclair

Sir Oliver Sinclair de Pitcairnis (or St Clair) (died 1576?) was a favourite courtier of James V of Scotland. A contemporary story tells that James V gave him the battle standard and command at the Battle of Solway Moss. Another story tells how at the end of his life he shamed the haughty servant of Regent Morton by showing him how his own prosperity had faded.
Life.
At the royal court.
Oliver Sinclair was a brother of William Sinclair of Roslin. Like many minor aristocrats he had a role at the Royal court. Oliver and his wife Katherine Bellenden were involved in the administration of the King's purse with John Tennent of Listonsheils. Oliver had the keeping of the king's purse during his trip to France in 1537. He also bought some feathers for decorations at the King's entry to Paris and the tournaments following the wedding at Notre Dame. Sinclair also bought feathers in February 1541. With John Tennent, he supervised Mary of Guise's archery practice in the summer of 1542. His official role at court was cupbearer, and he was given livery clothes at Christmas time to the value of £20. This was the second tier; the clothes of the two Masters of the Household cost £50, the laundress Maus Atkinson's (John Tennent's wife) livery was £13-6s-8d, and the outfits of the men who turned the spit in kitchen cost 26 shillings and eightpence. When the King's mother Margaret Tudor was dying in October 1538, Oliver and John Tennent rode with the King to her at Methven Castle. She had died when they arrived, and Oliver and John were ordered to parcel up her belongings.
Solway Moss and after.
Oliver Sinclair was captured by the English at the Battle of Solway Moss in November 1542. Among a list of prisoners, Oliver, James Sinclair, and Alexander Sinclair were listed together as men of small value and substance. They were released with the Laird of Cleisburn's son kept as their hostage or 'pledge' in England. George Douglas of Pittendreich sent a report to Henry VIII of England stating that Sinclair was commander. However, reports by the English commanders fail to mention any commanding role. George Douglas was also the source of the story that James V died in a feverish delirium at Falkland Palace still lamenting the loss of his standard and the capture of his favourite Oliver at Solway. Whether or not Sinclair actually was commander at the defeat of the Scottish army, the immediate currency of the story shows that James V's employment of lesser nobles caused jealously amongst those who were excluded, especially the exiled Douglas Lords. Henry VIII obtained another story on 12 December 1542, before the death of James V and the birth of Mary, Queen of Scots were known, that James V had left his army in the west and gone to Tantallon Castle to meet a mistress that Oliver's wife kept there for him.
Cleisburn's son was still a prisoner after the Battle of Pinkie, and was released in February 1548. The Privy Council ordered Thomas Wharton to free the "pledge" but asked him to protract the process, if possible, to increase Cleisburn's devotion to England. Oliver Sinclair himself was given a reward of £50 from Edward VI of England on 17 February 1548 when the deal was concluded.
David Hume of Godscroft writing around 1600 gives the usual story of Oliver deserted by the nobility of Scotland at Solway (Solemne-Mosse), but adds an epilogue to his career. Regent Morton, in the 1570s, had a servant, George Auchinleck of Balmanno, who controlled access to his master and thereby justice. One day Sinclair came to Edinburgh Tollbooth and caught Auchinleck's attention, and when he came over and asked his business, all the old man said was, "I am Oliver Sinclair", then slipped away. Hume of Godscroft explains that Sinclair meant that Auchinleck would all too soon become insignificant, and the incident was much discussed at the time.
Stories of Solway Moss.
George Douglas of Pittensreich's account of the events before Solway was that after James V had left the Scottish army, Oliver Sinclair was appointed commander instead of Lord Maxwell. Some Scots who would not accept Oliver's authority then refused to fight and the battle was lost. This account was accepted by subsequent sixteenth-century Scottish chronicle writers. However, writing about 80 years after, the author and poet William Drummond of Hawthornden collated an alternative version of events. Hawthornden attributed the defeat to a misunderstanding; Sinclair was tasked only to deliver the message that Maxwell was in command, and when he was raised up to speak, the anxious army thought he had been made leader. During their confusion the English attacked.
Family.
Oliver married Katherine Bellenden. Their daughter Isobel married James Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh, who assassinated Regent Moray in 1570.


Stage Beauty

Stage Beauty is a 2004 romantic period drama directed by Richard Eyre. The screenplay by Jeffrey Hatcher is based on his play "Compleat Female Stage Beauty", which was inspired by references to 17th-century actor Edward Kynaston made in the detailed private diary kept by Samuel Pepys.
Plot.
Ned Kynaston (Billy Crudup) is one of the leading actors of his day, particularly famous for his portrayal of female characters, predominantly Desdemona in "Othello". His dresser, Maria (Claire Danes), aspires to perform in the legitimate theatre but is forbidden because of a law, at that time in effect, forbidding theatres to employ actresses. This law was enacted by the Puritans prior to the restoration of the House of Stuart. Instead, she appears in productions at a local tavern under the pseudonym Margaret Hughes. Her popularity is aided by the novelty of a woman acting in public, which attracts the attention of Sir Charles Sedley (Richard Griffiths), who offers his patronage. Eventually, she is presented to King Charles II (Rupert Everett).
Nell Gwynn (Zoë Tapper), an aspiring actress and Charles II's mistress, comes upon Kynaston ranting about women on stage and seduces Charles II into banning men from playing female roles. Kynaston, having gone through a long and strenuous training to play female roles, finds himself without a guise by which to keep the attention of his lover, George Villiers (Ben Chaplin), the Duke of Buckingham, as the latter never had intentions to lead a homosexual life and Kynaston has lost the acceptance of London society which had started to circulate rumors about their association. He is reduced to performing bawdy songs in drag in music halls, while Maria's career thrives, although her ability to emulate Kynaston falls short because, as she says, Kynaston never fights as a woman would do.
Called upon for a royal performance, Maria panics and her friends implore Kynaston for coaching, during which she coaches him to develop his ability to regain a theatrical career in male roles. He agrees, with the proviso that he replace the company head Thomas Betterton in the role of Othello. Maria becomes a theatrical star.
Production.
While the film is rooted in historical fact – the first English theatre actress, although her name is unknown, is believed to have performed the role of Desdemona – some liberties with the truth were taken. Nell Gwynne is represented as a mistress of the King who subsequently becomes an actress, but in reality she already was a noted theatre personality when Charles II met her. The sequence in which Maria and Kynaston discover naturalistic acting is anachronistic, as naturalism was not developed until the 19th century.
Interiors were filmed at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich and Shepperton Studios in Surrey. According to commentary by production designer Jim Clay on the DVD release of the film, because so little English Restoration architecture remains in London, and documentation of the period is minimal, he was required to use his imagination in creating buildings and back alleys on sound stages.
In the DVD commentary, several cast members recall the film was shot during the hottest UK summer on record (2003), and the temperature under the lights usually hovered at 46 °C (115 °F), making performing in the heavy, layered costumes a grueling experience.
The Costumes were designed by Tim Hatley. Twelve costume houses were involved in the production, including The Royal Shakespeare Company, The National Theater, and Angels & Bermans, as well as the Italian houses Sartoria Farani, Tirelli, Costumi d'Arte, E. Rancati, G.P. 11, and Pompei.
The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in May 2004 prior to its general release in the UK. It was shown at the Deauville Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival, and the Dinard Festival of British Cinema in France before opening in New York City.
Release.
Critical reception.
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 63% based on 127 reviews, with a weighted average of 6.53/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Uneven but enjoyable, "Stage Beauty" uses historical events as the springboard for a well-acted romance with a charming Shakespearean spin." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 64 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
In his review in "The New York Times", A.O. Scott said, "At times, the movie feels like a fancy-dress version of "A Star Is Born" . . . Mr. Crudup's fine features, which flicker between masculine and feminine as the lighting changes and the mood shifts, are well suited for the role, though his sinewy, birdlike frame suggests Hollywood anorexia more than Restoration curviness . . . "Stage Beauty" is both timorous and ungainly, words that might also describe Ms. Danes's performance. Trapped in an English accent and in a character who must appear conniving and warmhearted in turn, she veers from teariness to brisk indignation like an Emma Thompson doll with a jammed switch. The British actors in smaller roles handle the material better . . . George Fenton's Sunday-brunch score, on the other hand, is an indigestible dose of good taste ladled heavily over even the film's witty and delicate moments."
David Rooney of "Variety" called the film "an intelligent and entertaining adaptation . . . skillfully acted, handsomely crafted" and added, "Eyre's spry direction of the refreshingly literate, witty drama shows a pleasingly light touch and a genuine feel for the bustle, backbiting and rivalry of the theater milieu . . . In a delicately measured performance that favors graceful subtlety over campy mannerism, Crudup conveys a nuanced sense of a man struggling to know himself . . . Put in the unenviable position of playing second fiddle to her male co-star in terms of feminine allure, Danes is lovely nonetheless . . . George Fenton's rich orchestral score enlivens the action with an occasional rousing Celtic flavor."
In "Rolling Stone", Peter Travers rated the film three out of a possible four stars and called it "bawdy fun . . . . the gender role-playing puts spine in this period piece that is vital to the here and now."
Carla Meyer of the "San Francisco Chronicle" said, "The film rarely matches Crudup's performance, appearing confused itself about whether it's farce or drama. But its palette of burnished browns and reds pleases the eye, and at its best, "Stage Beauty" captures the tensions and electricity of backstage dramas."
In "The New Yorker", David Denby observed, "Second-rate bawdiness – that is, bawdiness without the wit of Boccaccio or Shakespeare or even Tom Stoppard — is more infantile than funny, and I'm not sure that the American playwright Jeffrey Hatcher, who concocted this piece for the stage and then adapted it into a movie, is even second-rate. "Stage Beauty" might be called the spawn of "Shakespeare in Love", and, unfortunately, this is a "Shakespeare" that lacks the graceful spirit and breathless narrative drive of its progenitor."
Owen Gleiberman of "Entertainment Weekly" rated the film C+ and described it as "an odd amalgam of high spirits, lively ambition, and botched execution."
Awards and nominations.
The film won the Cambridge Film Festival Audience Award for Best Film, was cited by the National Board of Review for Excellence in Filmmaking, and was named the Overlooked Film of the Year by the Phoenix Film Critics Society.


Hamburger Bank

The Hamburger Bank was a public credit institution founded in 1619 by the Free City of Hamburg. It operated independently until , when it became part of the newly created Reichsbank.
History.
The Hamburg City Council made the decision to create the bank in February 1619, following lengthy negotiations with its civic stakeholders. Like its model, the Amsterdamsche Wisselbank which had been founded in 1609, it was intended to improve monetary stability in uncertain times and to simplify trade between merchants. The numerous English merchant adventurers, Portuguese Sephardi Jews and Dutch religious refugees living in Hamburg at the time brought their capital and knowledge to the bank, thus contributing to its initial success.
The bank was administered free of charge by two Senators, two City elders ("Oberalten"), two "treasury citizens" ("Kammereibürger") and five "bank citizens" ("Bancobürger"), namely citizens who had an account at the bank. The bank's premises were in Hamburg City Hall. To open an account at the bank, one had to bring an initial amount of at least 400 Lübeck Marks. In addition, regulations were issued that prohibited bills of exchange and private trade in metallic money, and bills of exchange over 400 Lübeck Marks had to be processed through the Hamburger Bank.
On , "Lehnbanco" was founded as a department of the Hamburger Bank. It gave loans against collateral to merchants as well as to the City of Hamburg itself. The Hamburger Bank was also assigned the municipal mint and the municipal grain warehouse, but these still had independently accounting. From 1725 to 1736, the "Courantbank" was set up as a subdivision of the Hamburger Bank, with the aim to counteract massive currency debasement at the time. "Courant" is an old word for currency and refers to coins whose precious metal content supports their value.
The Hamburger Bank held a reputation for good governance and integrity. German economist described it as follows:
The Savary brothers made similar observations:
The bank weathered successive crises with various degrees of success. Unsecured loans were a undamental problem. In 1770 the bank was comprehensively reformed. During the era of Napoleonic rule in Hamburg, the bank was looted and hit hard by economic crisis, but it survived.
The Hamburger Bank ceased to be a stand-alone entity following the Unification of Germany and was converted into a branch of the newly created Reichsbank at the end of 1875.
Mark.
The account holders' deposits, paid in metallic money, were recorded in the Bank's books in units that were first the and later the "Mark Banco". The silver content of the Bancotaler in 1619 was set according to the Imperial regulation of currency known as the . The Mark Banco, however, was a pure unit of account and was not issued as metal currency. In 1622 a Mark Banco corresponded to a silver weight of 8.66 g. The bank took silver bars at a rate of 59 1/3 Marks Banco per Custom Pound ("Zollpfund") and credited it to the depositor on his account ("Folium"). From there he could make cashless payments to other account holders by credit and debit. The Mark Banco was divided into 16 shillings ("Schilling") of 12 pennies ("Pfennig") each. Since the Mark Banco was viewed as stable in value, it was used in wholesale and mortgage loans, and the merchants carried their books in Mark Banco. In addition, the rates for other currencies and goods were published regularly. Later, a Mark coin was also minted in Hamburg, which was called the Mark Courant and whose value was different from the Mark Banco.
At the time of German currency unification in 1875, the new currency was named "Mark" (the German gold mark), as a comparatively neutral choice to replace the various southern Guilders and northern Thalers, and to accommodate sensitivities in Hamburg about the disappearance of the celebrated local bank. The German national currency would retain the name "Mark", inherited from the Hamburger Bank, until its replacement by the euro.
Namesake.
On a cooperative bank was founded with a similar name, the "Hamburger Bank von 1861 Volksbank eG". It is now known as .


Juraj V Zrinski

Juraj V Zrinski (; 31 January 1599 – 28 December 1626) was a Croatian Ban (viceroy), warrior and member of the Zrinski noble family.
Biography.
Juraj V Zrinski was born in Csáktornya Kingdom of Hungary (today Čakovec, a town in the Međimurje County, the northernmost county of Croatia). He was the grandson of one of the greatest Croatian Ban, Nikola IV Zrinski, who died in the tragic and heroic Siege of Szigetvár (), at a town in the western Hungary where the Ottoman invasion to Vienna had been stopped.
He was the son of Count Juraj IV Zrinski, Master of the treasury in the Kingdom of Hungary and Croatia, and Countess Sofija Zrinski née Stubenberg. Educated in Protestantism, he later turned to Catholicism and "purified" his estates from Lutheranism.
On 15 November 1622 Zrinski was appointed Ban of Croatia. At that time, he was widely recognized as a brave and courageous warrior. He fought the Turks in many battles.
His wife Magdalena née Széchy bore him two children: Nikola Zrinski and Petar Zrinski, who both later became distinguished Croatian bans and died a violent death.
Juraj Zrinski died in a military camp near Pressburg, during the Thirty Years' War. His chivalry and rapier-tonguedness were, unfortunately, a thorn in his superior's, general Albrecht von Wallenstein's, side and von Wallenstein had Zrinski poisoned after a verbal duel in 1626. At age 27 the ban was buried in Pauline monastery of Sveta Jelena ("St. Helen" in English) near Čakovec, next to the graves of his ancestors.


Operation Varsity Blues


H. D. Revanna

Hardanahalli Devegowda Revanna (born 17 December 1957) is an Indian politician from the state of Karnataka, and a member of the Legislative Assembly in the state of Karnataka, representing the Holenarasipur constituency in Hassan district. His political party is Janata Dal (Secular).
Personal life and family.
He is one of the sons of former Prime Minister of India H. D. Deve Gowda and Chanamma, and is the elder brother of H. D. Kumaraswamy. Education : 7th Std Pass. He is married to Bhavani Revanna and he has two sons Suraj and Prajwal. His son, Prajwal Revanna, was elected to Lok Sabha from Hassan constituency in 2019.
Political career.
He won the Holenarasipur Karnataka Legislative Assembly seat in 1994. He again contested unsuccessfully in 1999, he was elected again in the 2004 General Elections for the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from the same Constituency. This time he became Minister for PWD (Public Works Department) and Energy Department in Dharam Singh and H. D. Kumaraswamy Government.
H. D. Revanna was also the president of Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) for 9 years.
In 2018 Karnataka assembly elections, HD Revanna took 92,713 votes from Holenarasipur.


Hans Henric von Essen

Count Hans Henric von Essen (26 September 1755 – 28 June 1824) was a Swedish officer, courtier and statesman.
Hans Henric von Essen was born at Kavlås Castle in Tidaholm Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. He was a member of the Essen family. He was educated at Uppsala University. He entered the army becoming a cornet at age 18. He accompanied Gustav III in his travels and campaigns. He accompanied Gustav III at the 1792 masquerade ball at the Royal Opera House in Stockholm on 16 March 1792, where the king was shot and mortally injured. Hans Henrik von Essen was credited with immediately ordering the doors to the ball room to be locked, in order not to let the assassin get away.
In 1788, Hans Henric von Essen was the center of a scandal at the royal court. He had for about ten years been involved in a relationship with the famous lady-in-waiting Augusta von Fersen. In 1788, however, he proposed to Charlotta Eleonora De Geer (1771-1798) and was accepted. His proposal was met with great dislike within the royal court because of sympathy with the popular Augusta von Fersen, and he was challenged to a duel by captain count Adolph Ribbing. Ribbing had also proposed to De Geer but had been declined by her father, which he refused to accept as he believed he had reasons to think that De Geer preferred him and that Essen had proposed because of economic reasons, as De Geer was very wealthy, and as von Essen's proposal and marriage plans was commonly disliked within the court. The duel took place in the royal riding house in the presence of several officers and led to the defeat of von Essen, who was slightly injured. The duel was regarded as a scandal and a crime against the King
Hans Henrik von Essen was appointed Colonel in 1787, Major General in 1795 and Field Marshal in 1811. He served as the Over-Governor of Stockholm from 1795 to 1797 and as the Governor-General of Pomerania from 1800 to 1809. Upon the revolution of 1809 he received the title of count and a place in the Council of State. In 1810 he was sent as Ambassador to Paris by Charles XIII, and his negotiations with Napoleon's ministers restored Pomerania to Sweden.
In 1814, Hans Henrik von Essen served as the commander of the Swedish military forces at the border with Norway. By the Treaty of Kiel, the King of Denmark had to cede Norway to the King of Sweden, due to the alliance of Denmark-Norway with France during the later phases of the Napoleonic Wars. This treaty was however not accepted by the Norwegians. The Norwegian-Swedish War of 1814 was fought in the summer of 1814. Subsequently, the Convention of Moss was signed resulting in the Union between Sweden and Norway. Hans Henrik von Essen served as the Governor-general of Norway until he was succeeded by Count Carl Carlsson Mörner during 1816.


Constitutional review in Germany

The constitution (Grundgesetz) of the Federal Republic of Germany establishes a separate Federal Constitutional Court of Germany (Bundesverfassungsgericht) that is empowered with reviewing acts of the legislature (so mainly from the Federal Republic Congress - the Bundestag) for their constitutionality.
Most states (Bundesländer) also have separate courts for the according purpose. These are separate Supreme Courts that do not deal with appellate cases in civil and criminal law - but rather, just in constitutional cases.
The Federal Constitutional Court of Germany can also review and reject constitutional amendments on the grounds that they are contradictory to the rest of the Federal Republic Constitution ("Verfassungswidriges Verfassungsrecht"), unlike, for instance, the Supreme Court of the United States and the Supreme Court of Canada.


Beida Jade Bird Universal Sci-Tech

Beijing Beida Jade Bird Universal Sci-Tech Co., Ltd. known as Jade Bird Universal is a Chinese listed company. It manufactured electronic fire equipment, as well involved in tourism industry and other equity investments. The largest shareholder of Jade Bird Universal is the non-wholly-owned subsidiaries of Peking University.
Jade Bird Universal was a former constituent of Hang Seng China Enterprises Index from 10 August 2000 to 3 October 2001.
Name.
Beida Jade Bird Universal Sci-Tech, known as Jade Bird Universal () once had an intermediate parent company "Beijing Beida Yuhuan Microelectronic System Engineering" (). Yuhuan () and Huanyu () literally a word play of the Chinese word Universal (). Like other sister companies, they all bear the brand "Beida Jade Bird", "Jade Bird", "PKU Jade Bird" or "Peking University Jade Bird"
History.
Beijing Beida Jade Bird Universal Sci-Tech Co., Ltd. was incorporated on 29 March 2000. In the same year the company was registered in Hong Kong as a foreign company. Before initial public offering, the share capital (70 million number of shares of each) were owned by a subsidiary of Heng Huat Investments (employee ownership of Jade Bird Software) for 31.43% shares, Jade Bird Software subsidiaries (Beijing Jade Bird, Jade Bird Software System, Beida Yuhuan Microelectronic System Engineering) for 33.57% shares, Beijing Tianqiao Beida Beida Jade Bird Sci-Tech (), an associate company of Jade Bird Software for 10.71%, Mongolia Energy Corporation (formerly known as New World Cyberbase) for 10.00%, a private equity fund AR Asia Special Strategies Fund for 7.14%, as well as private investors Dragon Air Investments (NOT related to Dragonair) and Hinet (NOT related to Chunghwa Telecom) for 4.29% and 2.86% respectively. The IPO issued at first 24 million H shares for HK$11 each.
As at 31 December 2015 the H shares had expanded to 484.8 million with each in par value.
Shareholders.
Peking University via various subsidiaries, owned 24.05% shares in total as the largest shareholder as at 31 December 2015: 9.71% shares were held by Beijing Beida Jade Bird directly; Beijing Beida Jade Bird itself was 46% owned by ; Jade Bird Software itself was 48% owned by Peking University. An additional 7.17% shares were held by Shenzhen Beida Jade Bird Sei-Tech, a subsidiary (90%) of Beijing Beida Jade Bird; an additional 7.17% shares were held by another indirect subsidiary (46%) of Jade Bird Software: Haikou Jade Bird Yuanwang Sci-Tech Development; the shares held by "Jade Bird Shenzhen" would be transferred to "Jade Bird Haikou".
The second largest shareholder was Heng Huat Investments for 17.34% shares (a company for employee-ownership); it was followed by "Grand East (H.K.)" () for 9.28%, Mongolia Energy Corporation for 7.14% and AR Asia Special Strategies Fund (via subsidiary Asian Technology Investment) for 4.22%.


Francisco de las Casas

Francisco de las Casas y Saavedra (1461–1536) was a Spanish Conquistador in Mexico and Honduras.
Francisco de las Casas was born in Trujillo, Spain. By 1513 las Casas was married to Maria de Aguilar, daughter of Geronimo de Aguilar, and they maintained a house in Trujillo, where she sold a block of land in Trujillo that she owned. They had a son, Gonzalo. Cortés refers to Francisco de las Casas as "mi primo" in his fifth letter to the Spanish Crown. Maria is also Cortés' cousin.
In the service of Hernán Cortés.
In October, 1522, King Carlos wrote, appointing Hernan Cortés as governor of New Spain. Francisco de las Casas, along with Rodrigo de Paz brought this news from Spain to Mexico, by way of Cuba, where they stopped to notify Cortés's political enemy Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar. They arrived in Mexico City in 1523 and their news was a cause for celebration. Cortés rewarded Francisco de las Casas by appointing him a Captain, and giving him the town of Yanhuitlan in encomienda. Francisco was elected Alcalde Mayor of Mexico City in 1524.
The colony of Honduras.
In January, 1524, Cortés directed captain Cristóbal de Olid to establish a colony for him in Honduras. Olid sailed with a force of several ships and over 400 soldiers and colonists. He sailed first to Cuba, to pick up supplies Cortés had arranged for him, where Governor Velázquez convinced him to go and claim the colony he was to found as his own. Olid sailed from Cuba to the coast of Honduras, coming ashore at Triunfo de la Cruz where he initially settled and declared himself governor.
Hernán Cortés, however, in 1524, got word of Olid's insurrection and sent his cousin, Francisco de las Casas, along with several ships to Honduras to remove Olid and claim the area for Cortés. Las Casas, however, lost most of his fleet in a series of storms along the coast of Belize and Honduras. His ships limped into the bay at Trujillo, where Olid had established his headquarters.
When Las Casas arrived at Olid's headquarters, a large part of Olid's army was inland, dealing with another threat from a party of Spaniards under Gil González Dávila. Nevertheless, Olid decided to launch an attack with two caravels. Las Casas returned fire and sent boarding parties which captured Olid's ships. Under the circumstances, Olid proposed a truce to which Las Casas agreed, and he did not land his forces. During the night, a fierce storm destroyed his fleet and about a third of his men were lost. The remainder were taken prisoner after two days of exposure and without food. After being forced to swear loyalty to Olid, they were released. However, Las Casas was kept a prisoner, soon to be joined by González, who had been captured by Olid's inland force.
The Spanish record two different stories about what happened next. In one version, Olid's men rebel and swear allegiance to las Casas, and Olid is tried and beheaded in Trujillo. In another version, Olid escapes and hides in Naco, where las Casas finds him, and kills him in a knife fight.
In the meantime, Cortés had marched overland from Mexico to Honduras, arriving in 1525. Cortés ordered the founding of two cities, Nuestra Señora de la Navidad, near modern Puerto Cortés, and Trujillo, and named Francisco de las Casas Governor. However, both las Casas and Cortés sailed back to Mexico before the end of 1525, where Francisco was arrested and sent back to Spain as a prisoner by Estrada and Alboronoz. Francisco returned to Mexico in 1527, and returned again to Spain with Cortés in 1528.
Settling down and growing old.
In Yanhuitlan, Cortés is credited with giving Maria de Aguilar, Francisco's wife, the mullberry seeds for starting the silk industry for which Yanhuitlan became famous in the colonial period. In 1567, Francisco hired the painter, Andres de Concha, to paint the images on the retablo in the church at Yanhuitlan, Oaxaca, his encomienda.