Running Shaadi

Running Shaadi (), previously known as: Runningshaadi.com, is an Indian romantic comedy film produced by Shoojit Sircar and Crouching Tiger Motion Pictures about the unique concept of helping people elope to get married. The unlikely duo of a conscientious Bihari and a Sardarji geek create a platform providing "High Take Social Service" to Indian couples who want to spend their lives with their soulmates.The film was shot in late 2013. The film was released on 17 February 2017.
The Shoojit Sircar production stars Amit Sadh, Taapsee Pannu, Saahir Banwait, and Arsh Bajwa. It was released in over 1,100 screens with music from an assembled list of performers.
Plot.
The story revolves around three characters — Ram Bharose, Sarabjeet, and Nimmi. Nimmi is the daughter of a bridal shop owner. Bharose works in a shop named 'Singh & Singh' and his friend Sarabjeet (aka Cyberjeet) dreams of creating another Facebook. A flashback to their school days shows Nimmi getting pregnant by an acquaintance, and she ends up asking her close friend Bharose for help. Cyberjeet helps her by creating a fake school application for a sports tournament which Nimmi uses as an excuse to go out of the town for a night. Then Bharose poses as her husband and helps Nimmi to get an abortion.
Time passes by and Bharose loses his job at Singh's shop due to a disagreement with him. During this time Bharose's uncle has set Bharose's marriage with his friend's daughter, Neha.
One evening Bharose and Cyberjeet are having tea at a stall where they witness a man being beaten up for eloping with his girlfriend. Upon witnessing this incident, Bharose and Cyberjeet brainstorm a website which will help needy couples to elope.
They successfully help 49 couples to elope and wait to help the 50th couple as their platinum achievement. Nimmi drops by and says that the doctor who had performed her abortion had visited her father's shop. Her father finds out about the abortion and he decides to fix her marriage. She says that she needs Bharose's help in eloping with her friend Shunty who had gotten her pregnant.
Bharose decides to help Nimmi and plans her elopement even after repeated warnings from Cyberjeet. After everything goes according to their plan, Nimmi informs Bharose that she planned to run away with Bharose and not Shunty. She admits to lying and blames Bharose for ignoring her repeatedly.
Bharose now completely shocked asks Nimmi to return home. She says that she has already written a letter addressing her parents and they must be looking for her. They end up at Nimmi's aunt's house, but Nimmi's family finds her there and begin shooting at her. Nimmi gets hurt in this episode and Bharose brings her to a hospital. After that they travel to Dalhousie, but her family reaches this place while looking for her when Nimmi posts her location online.
They plan to go to Patna where Bharose's uncle lives. Bharose meets his to-be-bride, Neha, in Patna. She reveals to him that she has a boyfriend and wishes to marry him but her father is against their marriage. Bharose and team find an opportunity. They convince Neha and her boyfriend to comply with their plan to get hitched.
Finally Neha's marriage day arrives. However, Neha's boyfriend and Cyberjeet end up at a police station. Nimmi tries to help Neha run away, but Neha's family finds her and brings her back to the mandap. Bharose goes to the bathroom and finds a man whom he had helped to elope. This man helps him with Neha's elopement.
In the end, Bharose gets tired of running along with Nimmi and he decides to confront her family and get married with their consent.
Soundtrack.
The music of Shoojit Sircar's films has always received high critical and commercial success. His film "Vicky Donor" was commercially successful, and its audio was hugely popular. The music of his films "Madras Cafe" and "Piku" is very unconventional as well.
The music from "Running Shaadi" has been created by an assembled team taking the feel of mixed cult. The music is by Anupam Roy, Abhishek-Akshay and Zeb and features the voices of singers like Bappi Lahiri, Papon, & Labh Janjua. The full movie soundtrack released on 27 January consists of seven songs. The music rights are bought by Times Music.


Basel Dove

The Basel Dove (Basel German: "Basler Dybli", ) is a notable stamp issued by the Swiss canton of Basel on 1 July 1845 with a value of 2½-rappen. It was the first tricolor stamp in the world and the only postage stamp issued by Basel. At the time each canton was responsible for its own postal service. There were no uniform postal rates for Switzerland until after the establishment of a countrywide postal service on 1 January 1849. The only other cantons to issue their own stamps were Zürich and Geneva.
The stamp, designed by the architect Melchior Berri, featured a white embossed dove carrying a letter in its beak, and was inscribed "STADT POST BASEL". The stamp is printed in black, crimson and blue, making it the world's first tri-coloured stamp. It was valid for use until 30 September 1854, by which time 41,480 stamps had been printed.


Anne de Carbuccia

Anne de Carbuccia is an environmental artist, photographer and world traveler.
Biography.
Anne de Carbuccia was a student of anthropology and art history at Columbia University. During her studies she developed her interest in the concept of human beings as a new geological force: Anthropocene.
Since then she has been traveling the world to develop her work that documents the relationship between mankind and the environment.
She lives and works between Milano and New York City
Major work.
"One Planet One Future" is Anne de Carbuccia's ongoing artistic project that documents human caused threats to the environment.
On her numerous expeditions, Anne de Carbuccia travels to powerfully document fast disappearing environments, animal species and cultures.
Her work is both a reminder of the urgency to change individual behaviors and a plea to re-imagine the future.
Her exhibition at the Museum of Oceanography in Montecarlo- WATER AT DUSK- in January 2016 was a precursor to a larger art event that opened on September of the same year at the Westbeth Art Gallery in New York.
"One Planet One Future" is a series of photographs and videos documenting Anne de Carbuccia's on-site installation: the "time shrines"
Main themes are:
In 2016 Anne de Carbuccia established the Time Shrine Foundation. Anne de Carbuccia has also written and directed "One Ocean", a short film that had its world
premiere at the 75th Venice International Film Festival in September 2018.
Exhibitions.
"One Planet One future" exhibitions are organized around the world and are open to the public free of charge.
Latest exhibitions:


Fern Shaffer

Fern Shaffer (born 1944) is an American painter, performance artist, lecturer and environmental advocate. Her work arose in conjunction with an emerging Ecofeminism movement that brought together environmentalism, feminist values and spirituality to address shared concern for the Earth and all forms of life. She first gained widespread recognition for a four-part, shamanistic performance cycle, created in collaboration with photographer Othello Anderson in 1985. Writer and critic Suzi Gablik praised their work for its rejection of the technocratic, rationalizing mindset of modernity, in favor of communion with magic, the mysterious and primordial, and the soul. Gablik featured Shaffer's "Winter Solstice" (1985) as the cover art for her influential book, "The Reenchantment of Art", and wrote that the ritual opened "a lost sense of oneness with nature and an acute awareness of ecosystem" that offered "a possible basis for reharmonizing our out-of-balance relationship with nature."
Shaffer is also known for feminist and ecology-themed paintings that critics have described as romantic, dizzying and panoramic, spiritual, and capable of combining the scientific, personal and universal. She has been a long-time activist for women in art through her involvement and leadership at the Chicago alternative art space Artemisia Gallery and work with the national Women's Caucus for Art. In addition to exhibiting work throughout the U.S. and internationally, Shaffer has been active as an arts administrator, public lecturer, and educator.
Life.
Born in Chicago, Shaffer studied art locally, earning a BFA from University of Illinois at Chicago in 1981. She followed with postgraduate work there and at Art Institute of Chicago, before earning an MA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Columbia College Chicago in 1991. In the early 1970s, Shaffer was part of a group of emerging women artists, including Barbara Blades, Carol Diehl, Elizabeth Langer and Sandra Perlow, who studied with painter Corey Postiglione at Evanston Art Center. Blades, Perlow and Shaffer would later be key contributors at Artemisia Gallery.
In the mid-1980s, Shaffer received increasing attention for her painting, and particularly, her performance rituals, with exhibits throughout the U.S. and in Colombia, Germany, Israel, Italy and the United Kingdom. Her work has been featured at institutions including Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago ("Art in Chicago: 1945–1995" survey), Portland Art Museum, Shedd Aquarium, and in solo shows at Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Bogotá Museum of Modern Art, and Medellín Museum of Modern Art. Shaffer has received awards from the Andrea Frank Foundation (2000), Nancy H. Gray Foundation for Art in the Environment (1999), and International Friends of Transformative Art (1992).
In addition to her work as an artist, Shaffer has served on the advisory board of New Art Examiner, as Program Director of Humanitas Institute in Chicago, and as a chairwoman in that city's Department of Cultural Affairs. For the past 25 years, she has been Program Director at Selfhelp Home, a senior living community originally founded to help refugees and survivors of the Holocaust find community and rebuild their lives.
Work.
Shaffer has worked in a wide range of media, including painting and drawing, sculpture, installation and performance, most frequently addressing themes of the body, gender, nature and ecology, and the intersections between them.
Painting.
In her early work, Shaffer painted in a minimalist, abstract style influenced by artists such as Barnett Newman. Her first solo show, "Ontology at 36" (1981), however, marked a shift that would continue, toward experimentation with mixed materials, representational elements such as the figure, landscape or symbolic imagery, and more emphatic themes. The "Morphogenic Fields" series (1983)—its title referencing the aura of radiation that emanates from living beings—features the female form, rendered in soul-baring, tenuous outline. Shaffer uses a shifting figure/ground relationship calling to mind the flow of energy in, out and through us, depicting women enveloped within fields of gestural DNA-like marks or packed with radiating color strokes like bursts of energy set against darker voids. Evoking both the personal and universal, these works address women's identity on the threshold of exploring, and perhaps realizing, the possibilities for fulfillment opened up by feminism.
The monumental paintings of Shaffer's "Greenhouse Effect" exhibition (1991) demonstrate a shift in theme, as she employed minimal color-fields to suggest haunted landscapes affected by eco-devastation. Describing them, critic Michelle Grabner wrote, "This ecological commentary combined with Shaffer's choice of scale, interest in color, and seductive mark making evokes the ‘tainted sublime.'" In her "Healing Plants" works (1994–Present), in works such as "Aloe," "Lungwort" or "Gingko" (1994), Shaffer combines "careful study, connection and fine draftsmanship" to create "portraits" of plants that echo Matisse cutouts, and which convey and pay tribute to the endurance, healing powers, and necessity of plants to human survival. Shaffer's recent paintings, "Passenger Pigeons", reflect on the extinction of wildlife species in the modern era.
Performance & Ritual Works.
In 1980, inspired by her interest in Edgar Cayce, Mircea Eliade and Michael Harner, and prompted by ecological concerns shared with her collaborator Othello Anderson, Shaffer began enacting self-designed shamanistic rituals as a form of spiritual intervention. Anderson documented the rituals in sequential photographs that were later exhibited with elements (ceremonial garments and objects) from the performances. Feminist art critic Gloria Feman Orenstein situated Shaffer's work as part of an emerging Ecofeminism movement, describing the rituals as introducing "feminist matristic resonances" intended to create connections and restoration in the sites and communities within which they are enacted. According to Suzi Gablik, Shaffer's "process of creating a shamanic outfit to wear can be likened to creating a cocoon, or alchemical vessel, a contained place within which magical transformations can take place." Art critic Thomas McEvilley related the garments to "an earth mother or fertility-goddess motif," evoking "non-Western or non-Modern identities" in the service of ecological concern. The artists describe the rituals in terms of "energy and thought centered on the equal balance and harmony between Nature, science, and spirit," connecting with the Earth as a living entity whose energy can be reached and unblocked through ritual, prayer and touch, much like acupuncture works on the human body.
The first performance cycle included four rituals, one for each solstice: "Winter Solstice" (1985, at the shores of Lake Michigan); "Spiral Dance" (1986, at Cahokia Woodhenge, the site of an ancient solar calendar); "Forest Cure" (1986); and "Medicine Wheel" (1986). Critic Margaret Hawkins wrote that the "primitive costume and reliance on natural cycles" creates "a mystical, almost pantheistic feel" expressing a "reassuring respect for the ineffable." According to "New Art Examiner"'s Garrett Holg, the cycle "examines the distinctions ‘modern' civilization makes between science and myth, between fact and imagination," while its "displayed objects, like ‘ethnological artifacts' have a powerful and iconographic presence."
Shaffer and Anderson staged later rituals at a beach in the shadow of an Indiana nuclear plant, Big Sur, and in the case of the cycle "Urban Series" (1991), uncharacteristic, litter-strewn, urban vacant lots and rubbish heaps. For those three rituals, designed to initiate environmental healing by evoking archaic mystery and connection, Shaffer donned a garment pointedly fabricated from bubble wrap and other refuse. Between 1995–2003, the artists created "Nine Year Ritual", a cycle of annual healing ceremonies enacted at sites affected by mining, the greenhouse effect or waste material accumulation, including Death Valley, Temagami Island, the head waters of the Mississippi River, Green Point, Newfoundland, and the Cache River Basin Wetlands. In 2015, the documented rituals comprised an exhibition at Chicago's Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.
Feminism & Artemisia Gallery.
Shaffer worked on issues involving women and art for many years. She was a member and president (1982-1992) of the alternative art space Artemisia Gallery, one of the first women artist collaboratives in the U.S., which was founded in Chicago in 1973 by a group that included Phyllis Bramson, Vera Klement, Susan Michod and Margaret Wharton. During Shaffer's leadership, the gallery featured exhibitions and lectures by Eleanor Antin, Judy Chicago, Ann Hamilton, Barbara Kruger, Betye Saar, Pat Steir and Joan Truckenbrod, as well as discussions with authors and artists such as Vito Acconci, Carol Becker, Suzi Gablik, and Thomas McEvilley.
In addition to her work with Artemisia, Shaffer served on the National Board of Directors for the Women's Caucus for Art (1991-2). In 2003, she was named to the Honor Roll of Feminist Artists by the Veteran Feminists of America, an organization that honors and preserves the history of the accomplishments of women and men in the feminist movement.
Shaffer has lectured on topics including feminist and environmental art, ritual, and alternative art spaces at the Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, Illinois National Organization for Women (NOW) Conference, Midwest Sociologists for Women in Society, University of Wisconsin, Women's Caucus for Art National Conference, the Embassy of the United States Tel Aviv and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Office, Medellín Museum of Modern Art, and Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, among others. She continues to live and work in Chicago.


Malcolm Dixon (actor)

Malcolm Dixon (died 9 April 2020) was an English actor best known as "Strutter" in the 1981 movie "Time Bandits". He had many roles which took advantage of his height, such as ewoks and dwarfs.
Life and career.
Malcolm Dixon was the youngest of seven brothers and the only child with dwarfism. He was raised in Crook, Durham, England. His parents died when he was young and he outlived all his brothers.
Dixon worked on his parents' poultry farm and as a floral artist. He was discovered by a talent agent who was keen on Dixon's talents with ice skates at the Durham Ice Rink. He then worked in an ice show at Empire Pool, Wembley. His stature and physical abilities landed him work with Jim Henson's Creature Shop, where he worked in multiple movies and television shows until becoming an independent actor, most notably starring in "Time Bandits" and also in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" as an Oompa-Loompa (an uncredited role). He featured in many music videos for artists including David Bowie, Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet.
Dixon was married to Anita Dixon and had two children. He died on 9 April 2020.
Filmography.
Dixon had acted in over 30 films and 2 TV shows, including:
Theatre.
His main leading role in theatre was as Bilbo Baggins in an adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" at the Fortune Theatre in London, England, from 1986 to 1989. From 2000 to 2020, he was a regular in panto productions of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". His other theatre roles included:


Kincsem

Kincsem (; Hungarian for "My Precious" or "My Treasure"; March 17, 1874 – March 16, 1887) was a Thoroughbred race horse who has the most wins of any unbeaten horse in the history of the sport, having won 54 races from 54 starts. The next closest such record belongs to Black Caviar, with an unbeaten record of 25 wins from 25 starts. Foaled in Kisbér, Hungary in 1874, Kincsem is a national icon, and is widely considered one of the top racehorses of the 19th century.
Over four seasons, Kincsem won against both female and male company at various race tracks across Europe, including multiple Classic race wins in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. She also raced frequently in Germany, winning the Grosser Preis von Baden three times. In her four-year-old campaign, she traveled to England to win the Goodwood Cup, then won the Grand Prix de Deauville in France.
As a broodmare, Kincsem produced just five foals, one of which died young. Nevertheless, two of her foals became Classic winners and her daughters also proved to be outstanding producers. Her family has proved a lasting influence on the breed, with modern descendants including English Classic winners Polygamy and Camelot.
Background.
Kincsem was bred at the stud of Ernő Blaskovich at Tápiószentmárton, in The Hungarian part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Her sire, Cambuscan, was bred by Queen Victoria and in 1864 went on to win the July Stakes and place in the St. Leger Stakes. He was sold to Hungarian interests and was brought to stand at the Hungarian National Stud in the Kisbér District in 1873. Cambuscan was by Newminster, while his dam, The Arrow, was by Slane. Kincsem was out of the Hungarian mare Waternymph, a daughter of the English horse Cotswold. Kincsem's third dam, Seaweed was also by Slane, making Kincsem inbred to him in the third and fourth generations (3x4).
At that time, there were thieves in Hungary called betyars who stole cattle and horses. One night they tried to steal horses from an open summer stable of Blaskovich that had only a crossbar through the door. They made a noise, so stable staff chased them away and the horses, including Waternymph, were saved. This legend was later distorted and attributed to Kincsem, who in the new version was allegedly stolen by wandering Gypsies and later returned to her owner.
Kincsem was once offered for sale as part of a package deal with six other yearlings for £700. However, she and one other filly were rejected by the buyer, Baron Alex Orczy, who felt they were of inferior quality. Kincsem thus raced for Blaskovich as a homebred. She was trained by Englishman Robert Hesp and ridden in most of her starts by Englishman Elijah Madden. Kincsem was devoted to her groom, who traveled with her everywhere and was subsequently known as Frankie Kincsem.
Kincsem was a liver chestnut without any white markings who stood high at maturity. Despite Kincsem's talent, she was faulted throughout her racing career for her plain looks and lengthy frame. B.K. Beckwith, author of "Step and Go Together", wrote, "She was as long as a boat and as lean as a hungry leopard ... she had a U-neck and mule ears ... she was lazy, gangly, shiftless ... she was a daisy-eating, scenery-loving, sleepy-eyed and slightly pot-bellied hussy." However, this contradicts her description in horseracing newspaper Sportblatt from 8 April 1876: "The chestnut mare by Cambuscan from the Waternymph looks most like a racehorse. She is over and over full of quality, long and deep, stands on dry, strong, flawless legs and shows herself to great advantage in a fast gallop. We think we are not mistaken in expressing the view that [she] is destined to play an excellent role on the racetrack."
Kincsem was noted for her quirky personality, though some details may have become exaggerated over time. For example, a legend claims that she always traveled with a cat and might not move if separated from it. A painting shows her with a cat that some sources name Csalogány (nightingale). Contemporary sources make no mention of the cat but many articles of Sportblatt refer to her her traveling with a "horse" named Csalogany. During Kincsem's extensive travels, all her hay and grain came from Blaskovich's stud farm (then an unusual arrangement), and she refused to eat anything else. She was also particular about the quality of the water she drank. On one occasion at Baden-Baden, the water ran out and she refused to drink for two days until a suitable substitute was found at what was subsequently known as Kincsem's Well.
Racing career.
1876: Two-year-old season.
Another legend, used in the Hungarian movie Kincsem, speculates that Kincsem started her career in Germany because Blaskovich was ashamed of her, but the real reason was a summer break on Austrian and Hungarian racetracks. During the three-month break, Austrian and Hungarian stables traveled to German racetracks with their best horses, particularly the two-year-olds who did not have races in Austria-Hungary until September. Trainer Robert Hesp traveled to the Berlin with some of his horses and the first to start was Csalogany, who won easily at odds of 3–2. Kincsem made her debut three days later on 21 June and beat three German horses by 4 lengths as the 1/3 odds-on favourite.
The next stop was Hannover, where on 1 July Csalogany won the Zukunfts-Rennen by 1 length in front of the Austro-Hungarian colt Hamburg. On the next day, Kincsem won the Vergleichspreis also by 1 length with Hamburg in second. Third was a three-year-old, Double Zero, who would later win the Deutsches Derby. On 3 July, Csalogany added another win and the expedition continued to Hamburg. On 9 July, Kincsem won the Hamburger Criterium by lengths ahead of the German filly Adelaide and colt Hamburg. Csalogany ran two races in three days in Hamburg, winning the Vergleichs-Rennen ahead of the filly Little Luder. She was subsequently beaten by the great four-year-old colt Basnas in Pokal and got a break.
Kincsem added three more wins in Germany, beating the Austro-Hungarian colt Blücher by lengths at the Royal Meeting in Bad Doberan and German filly Regimentstochter by 10 lengths in a match race in the Louisa Rennen in Frankurt. Her sixth victory came on 31 August in the Zukunfts-Rennen (Zukunftspreis that time) in Baden Baden, where she beat her stablemate Criterium by 2 lengths.
The stable then returned to Hungary for the fall campaign. On 2 October, Kincsem showed her best two-year-old form when beating Little Luder in the Polgárok dija in Sopron by a huge margin. The Hungarian horseracing newspaper "Vadász- és Versenylap" reported that she won by 15 to 20 lengths. A description of Kincsem was published after the race in "Sportblatt": "Despite the fact that this two-year-old filly measures , all her limbs are built perfectly proportionally and impress with their regularity and colossal strength, in which the durability peculiar to the filly "ad oculos" is demonstrated."
In her next start on 15 October, she met stablemate Csalogany in the Kétévesek versenye in Budapest. Elijah Madden, who had ridden both fillies before, chose to ride Kincsem. The field of ten was the biggest ever faced by Kincsem. "Vadász- és Versenylap" reported that Kincsem and Csalogany left the rest the field behind and fought from halfway head to head, with Kincsem holding off Csalogany by half a length. Little Luder was third. This race is associated with the legend that Kincsem had bad starts. The source of the legend was jockey Robert Smart, who told a story 34 years later that the horses were standing at the starting line but Kincsem stood behind them and grazing. According to Smart, the starter ignored her, let down the flag and she lost 40 meters. Smart probably mistook either the horse or the race involved, because the original race reports never described the bad starts of Kincsem, and the report from this particular race says: "An excellent start, after which the field goes in a bunch...".
On 22 October, Kincsem stepped up in distance from sprints and won the Kladruber Preis at 1600m in Vienna, beating colts Der Landgraf and Hamburg by 5 lengths. She finished her two-year-old campaign on 29 October by winning the Kladruber Criterium at 1400m in Prague, cantering home lengths in front of Criterium.
Kincsem finished the year with ten wins from ten starts. She and Csalogany were the best two-year-old fillies of Austria-Hungary by earnings. The form of Csalogany subsequently fell and she subsequently won only one race, while traveling with Kincsem as a stable friend and lead horse for training. She was with Kincsem in Newmarket and in Goodwood when she prepared for the Goodwood Cup in 1878, and her Newmarket workouts with Kincsem were reported in "Vadász- és Versenylap".
1877: three-year-old season.
Over the winter, Kincsem was made the even-money favourite for the Nemzeti Dij (Hungarian 2000 Guineas) ahead of Csalogany, and was the 2/1 favourite for the Austrian Derby. She was not entered in the Deutsches Derby, in which the 6/1 favourite was Blücher, who had finished second behind her in the Erinnerungsrennen in Doberan.
Both the "world wonder fillies" of trainer Hesp opened the season on 27 April in Bratislava. In the Trial Stakes (Austro-Hungarian 2000 Guineas), Kincsem set the pace and beat Blücher "hands down" by one length in field of eight horses. However, Csalogany shockingly disappointed that day when she finished third behind Pfeil in the Staatspreis (State Prize) at odds of 2/10. Csalogany lost again two days later and both fillies went to Budapest.
A week later, Kincsem won two races in three days. The Nemzeti Dij and Hazafi Dij were recognized as the Hungarian equivalent of 2000 Guineas and 1000 Guineas respectively, but were restricted races at that time to Hungarian breds. In the Nemzeti dij on 6 May, Camillo set the pace, followed by Kincsem and Csalogany. At the halfway point, Kincsem moved to the front, and continued to draw away. She won as she willed ahead of Camillo and Csalogany. The final margin was not disclosed in any available sources from 1877 but the final time has been published - 1:47 for 1600 metres. In the Hazafi dij on 8 May, Kincsem had a fair start but waited behind opponents in a bunched field of six. Halfway through the race, she moved to the front with Bimbo, and then pulled ahead to win easily by lengths in a time of 1:45 with Csalogany unplaced.
After the meeting in Pest, Kincsem along with 11 of Hesp's other horses went to the Derby meeting in Vienna. In the Preis des Jockey-Club (Austrian Derby) on 21 May, her main rival would be Tallós, a colt that had finished second in the Criterion Stakes at Newmarket. He was owned by Alexander Baltazzi, who had won the previous year's Epsom Derby with Kisber. At the start, Tallós lost several lengths but soon moved close to Kincsem, who waited in third place behind Premier Coup and Pfeil. Before the last turn, Blücher moved to the lead but Kincsem responded. In the 700-meter long straight, Kincsem set a strong pace to the last 200 meters, then cantered home. Her jockey Madden reportedly had the reins in one hand and was patting her with the other. Tallós was second by two lengths, three lengths ahead of Pfeil and Blücher in a field of eight runners, according to the Viennese newspaper "Sportblatt". The Budapest racing bulletin "Vadász és Versenylap" reported that she won by 10 lengths and that was the biggest discrepancy in her race reports.
Three days later on 24 May, Kincsem dropped back in distance to a mile in the Trial Stakes. She was not herself and Madden had to use the spurs to beat stablemate Vsecko-jedno by 2 lengths. (Note: there were multiple races called Trial Stakes at the time. This particular race was for horses aged three and up, not a classic race. The Austrian equivalent of the 2000 Guineas was the May Trial Stakes in Pressburg, moved to Vienna in 1879. Others Trial Stakes disappear or were renamed.) Just three days later, Kincsem returned to form in the Kaiserpreis over two miles. While carrying 50 kg, she set the pace and won by 10 lengths ahead of her older stablemate Hirnok (69 kg). She ended the spring season with 6 wins in 30 days.
From Vienna, the Austro-Hungarian stables traveled on their usual summer journey through German racecourses. In Berlin, Blaskovich's two-year-old Bolygo won the Erstes Criterium, the same race as Kincsem won the previous year. The stable then moved to Hannover, where horses trained by Hesp won four races. Kincsem was entered in the featured race, the Grosser Preis von Hannover, run on 24 June over a distance of 3000 meters. She beat the great Austro-Hungarian mare Konotoppa by 6 lengths with Derby winner Double Zero third in a field of five runners.
Next stop was Hamburg. Kincsem was not entered in the Deutsches Derby (supplementary entries were not allowed at that time), but in the Renard Rennen on 9 July, she beat the Derby winner Pirat by four lengths with Konotoppa far behind. To the credit of Pirat, he ran against the fresh Kincsem the day after a hard battle with Tallos in Derby.
Kincsem was given a rest then returned on 3 September for her first start in the Grosser Preis von Baden over a distance of 3200 metres (roughly 2 miles). The field of three contained no German horses that year, but instead featured another duel between Kincsem and Konotoppa. After a few changes in the lead, Kincsem won unchallenged by three lengths ahead of Konotoppa. Third and last was French horse Mambrin in the colours of Hungarian owner Tassilo Festetics. Five days later, Kincsem demonstrated her class again in the Wäldchens-Preis in Frankfurt. Although heavily eased, she beat Pfeil by 10 lengths, with the sole German runner Schnellläufer 25 lengths behind. Pfeil won 10 races that year and was beaten only twice, finishing third to Kincsem and Tallos in the Austrian Derby and second to Kincsem in Wäldchens-Preis.
Back in Austria-Hungary, Kincsem ran seven races on four racetracks in 25 days. In 19th century racing, prize money was for the two places only with big difference between the winner and runner-up. Walkovers were common because there was no reason to run for second place against big stars. Kincsem earned six wins by walkover and also won a couple of races cantering against her stablemates, who did not challenge her, just running to take the second-place money. She picked up easy money in the Alamidij (City Prize) in Oedenburg (Sopron) on 29 September where she beat her sole opponent, stablemate Prince Gregoire, by three lengths. The next day, she entered a race of the same name and the result was stated as a "compromise", meaning Kincsem cantering for the agreed win over her stablemate Blankenese.
In Pest, Kincsem entered the St Leger on 7 October over a distance of 2800 meters. In a field of seven, the early pacemaker opened up a lead of 30 lengths, while Kincsem rated at the head of the trailing pack. In the last turn, she went to the lead and won by 10 lengths ahead of Prince Giles The First. Two days later, Kincsem entered the Kanczadij, now known as the Hungarian Oaks but at that time a race for fillies and mares age three and up. Kincsem was assigned a weight of . She again followed a long-margin leader in second place and won easily, beating her old rival Konotoppa by three lengths.
On 14 October, Kincsem returned to Vienna, where she won the Freudenauer Preis by walkover. She then travelled to Prague for the Kaiserpreis on 21 October at a distance of 2400 metres. She met Prince Giles The First for the second time and beat him by a length, leading all the way. Two day later, she won another Kaiserpreis by walkover. She ended the season with 17 wins, having won at distances from 1600 metres to 3200 metres.
After the 1877 season, British racing journalist Mr. Langley from the "Morning Post" delivered a challenge in the name of Mr. John Fiennes, who owned the Epsom Oaks winner Placida. As Placida was better at distances from to a mile, Fiennes suggested a match over miles in the spring of 1878 at either Ascot or Goodwood. Blaskovich accepted the challenge but altered the conditions, suggesting a match for a purse of 50,000 - 500,000 Austro-Hungarian gulden (roughly equivalent to €600,000 to €6 million in 2020), at a distance from 2400m to 2800m, held halfway between the two home bases, in either Frankfurt or Baden-Baden. The match was widely discussed in the newspapers in the winter but Fiennes refused the conditions, explaining that he did not want to travel outside England with Placida.
1878: four-year-old season.
In 1878, Kincsem turned four years old, meaning that while in the previous year she had a weight for age advantage against older horses, she would now have to concede weight to three-year-olds. In the spring, the form of previously undistinguished three-year-old horses can improve dramatically, which posed problems for Kincsem in her first two starts of the season, in the two cheapest races she ran that year. In the Eröffnungsrennen on Easter Monday 22 April, Kincsem looked to have little competition in a field of five runners on paper form. However, the three-year-old Wild Rover stayed on strongly under 53.5 kg and Madden had to ride hard until Kincsem, under 65.5 kg, broke his resistance 50 meters before the finish and won by two lengths. Wild Rover had been unplaced at two but developed into one of the best three-year-old horses of 1878 with five wins and four second-place finishes.
Another up-and-coming three-year-old colt met Kincsem three days later in the Praterpreis over 2000 meters, where she set the early pace under 67.5 kg. Count Henckel's Oroszvar under 54.5 kg challenged her in the straight and come close, but Madden pushed Kincsem home three lengths ahead of the colt, who later won the Trial Stakes (A-H 2000 Guineas), Union Rennen, Deutsches Derby and Renard Rennen.
On the way back from Vienna, Kincsem made a stop in Bratislava, where she met Count Henckel's Prince Giles The First for the third time. In a match race in the Államdij over 2400 meters, Kincsem set a moderate pace, easily repulsed a short attack of Prince Giles The First, and won by 5 lengths while giving him a 5 kg advantage.
On 14 May, Kincsem met Prince Giles The First again in Budapest, in the Allamdij over two miles. The three-year-old filly Gondolat set the pace under 46 kg and led by 30-40 lengths ahead of Kincsem (67 kg), followed by Prince Giles (62.5 kg). At the halfway point, Kincsem made her move and easily went by Gondolat. Turning into the stretch, she led by five lengths and cantered home 5 to 6 lengths ahead of Prince Giles The First. Two days later, Kincsem beat Prince Giles The First for the fifth time. In a match race in the Kisbéri dij over 2000 metres, Kincsem set a slow pace under 69.5 kg, then increased the pace after half a mile. Prince Giles the First under 65 kg could barely hold her and Kincsem won "as she willed" by two lengths.
In the Allamdij over 2400 metres on 19 May, Count Henckel sent former champion mare Konotoppa against Kincsem in a field that also included the best three-year-old filly Altona, who like Kincsem was trained by Hesp. Kincsem (69.4 kg) took the early lead setting a slow pace, then Altona (51 kg) took over as the pace picked up. In the last turn, Kincsem struck and beat her stablemate by a couple of lengths. A further 4 to 5 lengths behind was Konotoppa (66.5 kg), who was reported in foal and went to Henckel's stud Hugo Telep in Oroszvar (Rusovce) after the race.
In the Austrian Derby on 26 May, Kincsem's half-brother Outrigger (Ostreger x Waternymph) was defeated by a head. That same day, Kincsem won the Staatspreis over 2800 meters, beating the nearest of three rivals easily by a length. On 28 May, she repeated last year's victory in the Trial Stakes over a mile, beating Prince Giles The First for the sixth time, in this case by 10 lengths while giving him a 6.5 kg advantage. On 30 May, she repeated her victory in the two mile Staatspreis, cantering home five lengths ahead of two rivals.
That concluded the spring part of her campaign, in which Kincsem won nine races in a span of 39 days at distances from 1600 to 3200 meters at the three main Austro-Hungarian racetracks. Directly from Vienna, the Austro-Hungarian stables went to Berlin. Count Henckel won four races there, including the Union Rennen, in which Oroszvar beat the best German three-year-old Vitus, and Hesp's Altona won the Stutenrennen (Preis der Diana). Kincsem did not race in Germany as she was now targeting the Goodwood Cup in England. While in Berlin though, she was measured by the famous painter Emil Adam, who then created a rare drawing signed 8 June 1878 in Hoppegarten. Her basic measurements were described as body length 170 cm, total height 165 cm (of which the chest measured 76 cm), width of chest 40 cm and width of hips 50 cm.
Ten days later in Hannover, Altona was beaten by a head in the Grosser Preis von Hannover and Hesp's stable continued to the Derby meeting in Hamburg. At this point, Kincsem with her stable friend Csalogány sailed to England. The Hungarian racing bulletin "Vadász- és Versenylap" cited turfwriter "Vigilant" from the newspaper Sportsmann, who wrote: "Kincsem last Sunday (June 30) sailed across the channel to England, in very nice quiet weather and in the evening she was with Mr. Daley in Newmarket; and on Monday morning she took a morning walk with her stablemate."
After Altona won the Hansa-Rennen in Hamburg, jockey Elijah Madden went to Newmarket, where he rode Kincsem in workouts. One of the reports said that Kincsem and Csalogany were in good health and could be seen walking every day on the Newmarket lawn, and galloping every other day from two to miles. However, the English papers were no longer as sympathetic towards Kincsem and there was some unfavourable talk. One report speculated that that the air, food and water in England were having an adverse effect on Kincsem's form, and noted that Csalogany was no longer a good lead horse because she could not force Kincsem to the required speeds during their gallops. The subsequent explanation was that they didn't have good drinking water in Newmarket. Hesp solved the problem by boiling the water, then cooled it and gave it to Kincsem. This story is probably the basis of the legend that Kincsem drank only water from their home and traveled with her own water supply, which is rather unrealistic due to the enormous amount of the water that they would have to carry by train on several months' journeys.
In mid-July, the racing stables and studs around Newmarket were affected by an epidemic so Hesp was forced to leave the area. The Duke of Richmond, owner of the Goodwood House next to Goodwood racetrack, accommodated the Hungarian expedition for the last 14 days before the Goodwood Cup.
There were originally 17 horses entered in the Goodwood Cup, held on 1 August over miles (4000 m). This had reduced to five by raceday, and then Ascot Gold Cup winner Verneuil and Lord Clive were withdrawn at noon. Kincsem went off at odds at 3/1, the sole race in her career where she was not an odds-on favorite. She won by two lengths over 5/4 favourite Pageant, winner of the Brighton and Chester Cups, and subsequently the Doncaster Cup. Lady Goligthly, winner of the Yorkshire Oaks, Nassau Stakes and Park Hill Stakes in the previous year, was far behind under Fred Archer at odds of 2/1. The Austrian and Hungarian newspapers enthusiastically reported about another easy win of the "Wonder Mare", but English turfwriters were shocked by the ride of Madden, well known as hard whip rider in Austria-Hungary and Germany. The newspaper "Press" wrote: "The race was run at a slow pace, which was not increased much till three-quarters of a mile from home, when Lord Falmouth's mare was beaten, and it looked a thousand to one on Pageant, the Hungarian mare being beaten and being ridden hard – shamefully so, in fact, and Madden must surely have been apprenticed to a butcher. He has, I believe, ridden the mare in nearly all her races, and the only wonder to me is that there is anything of her left, as she was spur marked from shoulder to tail; however he kept at it, and, catching Pageant a hundred yards from home, won in a canter."
The "Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic News" published a picture of the fight between Kincsem and Pageant alongside a picture of spectators viewing Kincsem's injuries after the race. Turfwriter "Skylark" wrote: "How she won is now a matter of history, but how she might have won with Cannon or Archer up it is most difficult to conjecture, Madden riding her in rather butcher-like fashion after she had the race well in hand." English reports later came to Austria-Hungary and the satirical magazine "Kikeriki" published a cartoon showing a donkey watching the torture of Kincsem with the caption, 'Oh how happy I am that I am not a talent!'
Francis Cavaliero reported that he was asked from several quarters whether the mare was for sale and with the consent of her owner asked for the sum of £20,000, whispering "she is not for sale".
The Goodwood meeting was a great one for Hungarian thoroughbred breeding. A day before the Goodwood Cup, a two-year-old own brother to Tallos named Galantha was a close third behind Rayon d'Or in the Levante Stakes, and on the day of the Goodwood Cup, a two-year-old colt (subsequently named Molecomb) by Cambuscan out of Honey Bee won the Molecomb Stakes under Fred Archer at odds 100/15. The winning prizes in the Goodwood Cup and Molecomb Stakes were £480 and £1,125, converted to 4,800 and 11,250 Austro-Hungarian Gulden, but Austro-Hungarian and German owners and spectators won much more on bets. "Vadász- és Versenylap" reported that Tassilo Festetics, Béla Zichy and the Grand Duke of Hesse won 150,000 guldens each, while Blaskovich won 30,000, Cavaliero 20,000 and Elijah Madden 10,000. Together they netted 510,000 Austro-Hungarian Gulden which was equivalent to about €6.5 million in 2020.
The team of Kincsem had avoided the French railways on their way to England through Germany and did so as well on their way to Deauville. Kincsem almost certainly sailed from Portsmouth, which is about 15 miles (24 km) from her Goodwood stable, to Le Havre, about 10 miles (16 km) as the crow flies to Deauville. "Vadász- és Versenylap" published a short message that on 4 August Kincsem made her way to France and ended up in Havre to await her duty in Deauville. The same report said that a match against Epsom Derby and St. Leger winner Silvio, offered by Lord Falmouth in Goodwood, would not take place.
In the Grand Prix de Deauville over 2400 meters on 18 August, Kincsem's main rival was Fontainebleau, winner of the Poule d'Essai des Poulains. The pace was set by Ellevion, a stablemate of Fontainebleau, but Kincsem used him as her own pacemaker, following him at the front of the pack. On the backstretch, she went to the lead and only Fontainebleau could keep her pace. Kincsem held off his drive and won a half length having the advantage of 3 kg. Four lengths behind followed Gift (subsequent winner of the Grand Prix de Vichy), Mondaine (winner of the Prix de Diane and Grand Prix de Vichy) and Vinaigrette (previous winner of the Grand Prix de Deauville) in a strong field of 8 runners.
On the way from Deauville to Baden-Baden, Kincsem and Csalogany had to use the French railways, which at the time were badly designed with lines focused to Paris. Hesp later reported that Kincsem's form in Deauville was about 10 pounds (in terms of ratings) below her top form from Goodwood and fell even more during the protracted railway journey when Kincsem could not do her daily working routine.
There was persistent rain before the Baden-Baden meeting in 1878 and on 3 September, the day of the Grosser Preis von Baden over 3200 meters, the area was hit by heavy rain. "Vadász- és Versenylap" said that the racetrack looked like a country road in spring. Five runners went to the start, with Kincsem going off as the 1/8 favourite against her old rival Prince Giles The First at 8/1. He was at his top form, having just smashed heavy favourite Vitus in Doberan. Other starters were Altona at 25/1, the sole German runner Purple at 40/1, and Vsecko-Jedno with no bets because his owner declared he was only running to try a muddy track before starting in the next race. Vsecko-Jedno was pulled up shortly after the start and Purple set the pace, followed by Altona, Prince Giles and Kincsem. In front of the stands, Prince Giles and Kincsem moved to second and third place. On the opposite side of the track, the pace increased and Altona was beaten. Purple led into the straight where Prince Giles struck, followed by Kincsem three-quarters of a lengths behind. Jockeys Tom Busby and Elijah Madden were working hard, with Kincsem closing inch by inch on a muddy track while carrying an extra 7 kg. Both horses reached the finish together. Purple was 25 lengths behind and Altona was pulled up.
At the time, there were several options to determine the winner in case of dead heat – a deciding heat, the agreement of the owners, or a draw. Blaskovich and Henckel decided to run a second heat, in which many backers turned to Prince Giles The First, a powerfully built colt with a significant weight advantage. Nonetheless, bets were 7/4 in favour of Kincsem. They ran head to head through the first half of the race, and Kincsem looked to have gained the upper hand on the far side. However, a dog then jumped out of the bushes and tried to catch Kincsem. Both horses were scared and only started to calm on the turn, where Busby on Prince Giles The First took advantage of the situation and went to the lead on the inside. Kincsem, ridden hard by whip and spurs, fought back, closing more and more. She caught up with him with 200 meters to go and won "deadly tired" by five lengths.
Nineteenth century Thoroughbreds were tough but Kincsem was exhausted. Hesp canceled her program in Frankfurt and send her to the Vienesse racetrack Freudenau to rest before races in nearby Sopron. Kincsem's rivals went to Frankfurt. Altona was a close third in the Wäldchens-Preis, Purple was fourth in Frankfurter Handicap under top weight and Prince Giles The First won the Ehrenpreis. Then Altona was quickly shipped to Hungary, where she won five races in a short time span: on 13 September she won over 2400 meters in Debrecen, on 15 September over 3200 meters, on 20 September over 3212 meters in Cluj, on 22 September over 4824 meters, and on 28 September over 2400 meters in Sopron.
Kincsem returned to racing on 29 September in the Allamdij in Sopron, where she won by "compromise" with Lőrincz and on 20 October in Budapest, she won the Ritterdij by walkover. However, on 22 October in the Kanczadij over 2400 meters, she met her stablemate Altona. This time it was not a predetermined result and for the first time since her two-year-old campaign against Csalogany, her invincibility was threatened by a stablemate. The owner of Altona, János Sztáray, engaged top jockey Tom Busby, who had been beaten by Kincsem many times on Henckel's horses Prince Giles The First, Konotoppa, Blücher and Oroszvar. Kincsem with Madden (67.5 kg) set a strong pace challenged by the three-year-old Altona (58.5 kg). In the straight, they fought head to head until the 200 meter pole where Kincsem finally broke the resistance of Altona. She won by half a length and went for a well deserved winter break with 15 wins that year.
1879: five-year-old season.
After the 1878 season, Kincsem's stable friend Csalogany went to the stud and become a successful broodmare, producing 10 winners from 10 foals, including Hungarian and Austrian Oaks winner Csalfa. Madden, who had ridden Kincsem in all 42 of her wins to date and who had been champion jockey in Austria-Hungary from 1876 to 1878, left Hesp's stable. After 17 years in Austria-Hungary, Madden went to Germany, to the stable of Prince Hohenlohe-Oehringen.
Kincsem's new jockey arrived in Vienna from England in the spring of 1879, a 23-year-old jockey Archie Wainwright. On 28 April, he rode Kincsem for the first time in a much anticipated race against Tallos, who not met her since finishing second in the 1877 Derby. With three wins in 1878, Tallos was regarded as the clear second-best horse in Austrian-Hungary, despite an unsuccessful trip to England where he faded to fifth in the Cambridgeshire Handicap and was unplaced in the Lincolnshire Handicap, when . He came into the race against Kincsem with two straight wins in 1879. "Vadász- és Versenylap" reported that Kincsem was much calmer than her two restless opponents and looked good but not "fit", having had only three or four true workouts before the race. A strong pace was set by three-year-old lightweight Myrtle from Hesp's stable, followed by Kincsem four lengths behind, then Tallos. On halfway, Kincsem moved forward. Tallos made an effort to match the move but Kincsem under 72 kg quickly built up a 10 length lead before turning into the short straight. She cantered home 8 to 10 lengths ahead of Tallos (73.5 kg) "in the midst of the cracking joy of the audience".
Next week in Budapest, Kincsem did not find an opponent in the Gróf Károlyi dij over 3600 meters and won by walkover. On 6 May over 3200 meters, she won by two lengths, beating Austrian Derby and Hungarian St Leger winner Nil Desperandum with her former jockey Madden up. On 8 May, she won by two lengths over 2400 metres, beating the up-and-coming three-year-old Harry Hall, later winner of Hungarian St Leger, giving him the advantage of 24 kg (53 pounds). Unplaced in the field of five runners was Prince Giles The First, who then met Kincsem again on 18 May in Vienna, where he was beaten by 10 lengths over 2800 meters. and 20 May in tenth and final race against Kincsem he was last, being beaten by Kincsem and her pacemaker over 3200 m
The stables then moved to Germany, where the Austro-Hungarian horses won all the major races at the Berlin meeting. Count Henckel's Picklock and Ilona won the Union-Rennen and Stutenrennen (Preis der Diana), and Kincsem won the Silberner Schild Sr. Majestät des Kaisers over 2400 meters. She was not disturbed by a great storm and led all the way, easy beating her stablemate Altona by two lengths with the sole German runner Vitus 20 lengths behind. A great fan of Kincsem, German Emperor Wilhelm I, regardless of the rain and lightning came down from the stand to take a close look at the "Wonder Mare".
The foray in Germany was interrupted in Hannover on the way to the Hamburger Derby meeting. Henckel's horses fell sick, while both Kincsem and Altona refused to drink. Kincsem was shipped home to Göd along with Blaskovich's Purdé, who had been the favourite for the Deutsches Derby but was injured in a workout fall.
After a long break, Kincsem returned to the track on 25 August in Frankfurt, where she rounded the number of victories to 50 in the race supported by her great fan, the Grand Duke of Hesse. Under jockey Wainwright, she led all the way over 2800 meters and won in a canter by four lengths ahead of leading German three-year-old colt Blue Gown, hard ridden by Madden.
A week later, she defended her previous two victories in the Grosser Preis von Baden over 3200 meters, but before that there was an affair with her jockey. Wainwright has been seen shaking hands and talking to a man from a rival stable shortly before the race and Hesp became suspicious that the jockey was bribed. Despite the protests of Wainwright, Hesp replaced him and gave an opportunity to Henckel's skilled jockey Tom Busby, who had been beaten by Kincsem in 32 races before, 17 times as the runner-up. Kincsem under 64.5 kg was the sole Austro-Hungarian raider against Derby winning three-year-old filly Künstlerin from the stable of Prince Hohenlohe-Oehringen, carrying only 51 kg and ridden by Madden. Other runners were Hessenpreis (55.5 kg), the full sister to Tallos, and Rococo (59.5 kg), both sold to German owners from Austro-Hungarian stables. Rococo set a very slow pace on soft ground and the race was turned into a sprint in the stretch, which was against a staying Kincsem. Nonetheless, she held up with the pace and went to the lead after Busby went to the whip. She won by three quarters of a length ahead of Künstlerin, with Hessenpreis a half a length behind in third and Rococo three lengths further back. The finish looked dramatic but Busby reported that he had the result under control and did not need to ask Kincsem for more.
Returning to Hungary, Kincsem won the Államdij in Sopron under Wainwright by walkover after withdrawn of Harry Hall and Prince Giles The First, then won the Ritterdij in Budapest by walkover under Busby. Her final start was in the Kanczadij, where she with Busby up smashed German Oaks winner Ilona by 10 lengths, despite giving her advantage of 14.5 kg (32 pounds).
1880: six-year-old season.
In January 1880, "Vadász- és Versenylap" published a short message stating that Kincsem would stay in training as a six-year-old. A later message said that her new jockey would be Tom Osborne. The April issue reported that the Kincsem was as good as ever, having become a bit wider. She had been seen galloping with such ease as before and her legs were as clean as ever. According to the article, she was to run in Budapest and Vienna in May and then travel to Germany and France. That year Kincsem's own brother Szent Marton arrived at Hesp's stable but he proved a disappointment. He was unraced at two, was injured at three in a spring workout, and from two starts on the flat, he gained only one second-place finish and 415 guldens in earnings. He was renamed as Marczi and won five small races over hurdles.
Kincsem was supposed to start the season on 2 May in Bratislava but was withdrawn. Two weeks later, a report was published that she had been kicked by a stablemate. Although the bruise healed, Blaskovich decided to retire her. Kincsem went to the National Stud in Kisber and on 26 May, she was covered by Verneuil.
Race record.
Source: Vadász- és Versenylap 1876–79, Galopp-Sieger
Breeding record.
Kincsem produced five live foals:
"Vadász- és Versenylap" once wrote that Kincsem alone was never sick and never hurt. Her offspring were not always so fortunate.
Kincsem was barren when covered by Verneuil in 1880. In 1881, she was again covered by Verneuil but was reported barren, so was subsequently covered by Buccaneer, which was successful. Kincsem produced her first foal on 1 January 1882 at five in the afternoon at the train station in Buda – Kincsem had been travelling to Kisber in anticipation of her next breeding session during her "foal heat". The filly was named Budagyöngye – Pearl of Buda. She was a promising two-year-old with three wins and three seconds, but was injured in the spring of her three-year-old campaign before the classic season. After three bad runs, she finished third in Austrian Derby at odds of 40–1, then was 2nd in the Union Rennen. The highlight of her career came with a victory in the Deutsches Derby. Before the Grosser Preis von Baden, she was injured again and went to stud. She produced two classic winning fillies, Viglány and Disco, and become a highly influential broodmare. From her branch of Kincsem's female family among others become 28 classic winners in 11 European countries, including Calandria (French St Leger), Oberon (Derby Italiano), Polygamy (Epsom Oaks) and Camelot (2000 Guineas, Epsom Derby, Irish Derby).
Olyan Nincs raced from age two to four. In the spring of her three-year-old campaign, she developed a cough, but recovered by the fall to win five races, including the Hungarian St Leger. She also become a highly influential broodmare. From her branch of Kincsem's female family came 33 classic winners in 8 European countries, including Falada (German Oaks), Wolke (German Oaks and Derby), Wauthi (German 2000 Guineas and St Leger), Wahnfried and Wicht (both German St Leger), Walesiana and Well Proved (both German 1000 Guineas), Widschi (German 2000 Guineas) and most recently German Derby winners Windstoss and Weltstar.
After the birth of Olyan Nincs, a false report that Kincsem had died was published in the newspaper "Neues Wiener Tagblatt" on March 7, 1883. That year (1883) Kincsem was not covered. She struggled with a chronic nasal discharge and was shipped to the Imperial Stud Fogaras (Făgăraș, now Romania) where she underwent surgery in February 1884 on the forehead and nasal bones. Soon after the surgery, she went to Kisber to be covered by Buccaneer, and in 1885 produced her first colt. Talpra Magyar was named after the Hungarian national poem Nemzeti dal, also known as "Talpra Magyar". He was considered quite promising after two second-place finishes at two. At three he won his first start, beating the Austro-Hungarian Triple Crown winner and Ascot Gold Cup third Buzgo. After that race though, he developed a heavy cough. He became a roarer and fell sharply in class. He later won one selling race and was bought by Johannes Frohner, who sent him to his stud Karolina-udvar (Carolinenhof). In his first crop, Talpra Magyar sired 2 winners from 2 foals, including probably the most popular horse in Austria-Hungary since Kincsem, the very small but exceptional fighter Tokio, winner of 23 races including the Austro-Hungarian Triple Crown, Grosser Preis von Berlin and Grosser Preis von Baden. After the death of Frohner in 1894, when Tokio was two years old, Talpra Magyar was sold to Germany and sired Hut Ab (Preis der Diana), Xamete (Grosser Preis von Berlin and Grosser Preis von Baden) and Faith (Austrian Oaks).
Her next colt was Kincsőr (Treasurer), winner of one race from five starts at age two. At three he improved rapidly. After two places to start the year, he won the Cambuscan Rennen, then was second in the Austrian Derby and won the Buccaneer Rennen. He was heavily wagered on before the Deutsches Derby – he fell from 7–2 to Evens, and his last price was 2-10. However, he developed colic shortly after arrival in Hamburg. He struggled for a few days and on the day before the Derby, he was withdrawn. He died shortly before the race, won by his stablemate Uram bátyám.
The last foal of Kincsem was Kincs (Treasure), born on 6 February 1887. She was injured in a training accident and was unraced. She was a useful broodmare, producing classic winning fillies Napfeny and Csokos-Asszony, and another two in the next generations, but her branch of Kincsem's female family no longer exists.
On 12 March 1887, Kincsem developed colic and despite all available care she died on 16 March 1887, a day before her thirteenth birthday. "Vadász- és Versenylap" published a more detailed tribute on the front page of their next edition, but the main newspapers reported her death in a few brief articles. Shortly after Kincsem's death, on 25 April 1887, her former trainer Robert Hesp died of pulmonary edema at a Vienna hospital at the age of 64.
Kincsem's corpse was sent to the Veterinary institute in Budapest and the autopsy revealed she died of a worm aneurysm, specifically "Thrombosis and embolism caused by colonization of Sclerostomum armatum in the aneurysmal mesenteric artery, which had led to blockage of the artery, edematous, inflammatory and hemorrhagic processes in the intestinal membranes, paralysis of the same and congestion in the mesenteric veins and in the portal vein."
Kincsem's skeleton was preserved and is on display in the Museum of Hungarian Agriculture.
Legacy.
Kincsem Park, Hungary's premier racecourse and located in Budapest, is named in her honour. There is a life sized statue of her by the entrance to the old grandstand. Blaskovich's stud farm now houses the Kincsem Equestrian Park and Kincsem Museum, which contains a room devoted to the mare's career. Streets named for Kincsem are in Tápiószentmárton, where she was born, in Kisbér where she died, in Göd, where she was trained, and in Dunakeszi, the biggest training centre in Hungary. There is also a Kincsem Street in Iffezheim (Baden Baden). Kincsem's training stable in Göd was abandoned for many years but in 2016-17 was reconstructed and a statue Kincsem was placed there. Many small businesses around the stable are named after her. A photo of the skeleton of Kincsem was used in an advertisement for her descendant Westorkan in 1967.
When including Kincsem in his book of the 100 Greatest Racehorses, racing commentator Julian Wilson noted that although the competition she faced in Hungary was difficult to evaluate, she was "probably one of the best mares to ever race in Europe." Taking into account her ability to handle heavy weights and the range of distances over which she was successful, turf historian Richard Sowers wrote that there was "little question that [she] compares favorably with any Thoroughbred in history."
Film.
A Hungarian film, "", directed by Gábor Herendi, was released in 2017. The feature film presented Kincsem's history with fictitious details. The movie set a record as the most expensive domestic movie ever produced with a total cost of 3 billion forint. The Hungarian National Film Fund contributed 2,078 billion forint toward the total production cost. The movie was released in Hungarian cinemas on 16 March 2017 and was later shown at the Cannes Film Festival.
Automotive tribute.
In 2021, Tibor Bak (a Swiss-based Hungarian who named his company after the racehorse) showed proposals for an electric hypercar called the Kincsem Hyper-GT, with 54 production models due to be built as a tribute to the 54 races that the horse won.
Pedigree.
Although Kincsem is Hungarian bred, her pedigree is mainly British. She was also the result of a mistake: Blaskovich had planned to breed his mare Waternymph to Buccaneer, but instead the mare was mated with Cambuscan. Both stallions had been imported from England to stand at the Hungarian National Stud. Cambuscan had earned nine wins including the July Stakes during four seasons of racing. Originally retired to stud in England, Cambuscan was not considered a great success though he did sire 2000 Guineas winner Camballo. In his new country, Cambuscan sired multiple champions including Altona (won Preis der Diana, Kanczadij - Hungarian Oaks), Illona (Preis der Diana, Kanczadij - Hungarian Oaks, Nemzeti dij - Hungarian 2000 Guineas), Gamiani (German Derby), Mereny (Preis der Diana, Kanczadij - Hungarian Oaks, Union-Rennen), Isolani (Nemzeti dij - Hungarian 2000 Guineas, Hungarian St Leger), La Gondola (Grosser Preis von Baden), Gyongyvirág (Zukunfts Rennen, Kanczadij - Hungarian Oaks), Cambrian (Kanczadij - Hungarian Oaks), Frangepan (Hungarian St Leger), Czimer (Union-Rennen) and Pasztor (Hungarian St Leger).
Kincsem's dam Waternymph (or Water Nymph in some sources) won the Hungarian equivalent of the Oaks and 2000 Guineas. In addition to Kincsem, Waternymph also produced Hungarian Oaks winner Harmat. Waternymph was a daughter of British sire Cotswold, who had been imported to Germany in 1858. The Hungarian studbook lists The Mermaid as Waternymph's dam, a British mare who had won the King John Stakes as a two-year-old. Kincsem's full pedigree can be found on the Jockey Club's official online database, Equineline.


Bounce (film)

Bounce is a 2000 American romantic drama film starring Ben Affleck and Gwyneth Paltrow and directed by Don Roos.
Plot.
In Chicago's O'Hare airport, advertising executive Buddy Amaral (Ben Affleck) is delayed by a snow storm for a return flight to Los Angeles, on the same airline he has just signed as a big client. He meets writer Greg Janello (Tony Goldwyn), and when his flight resumes boarding, Buddy gives his ticket to Greg so he can get home to his sons, 8-year-old Scott (Alex D. Linz) and 4-year-old Joey (David Dorfman). Buddy convinces his friend and airline employee Janice Guerrero (Jennifer Grey) to allow Greg to take his place on the flight. While spending the night with fellow stranded passenger Mimi (Natasha Henstridge), Buddy sees on television that the flight crashed. He has Janice check into the computer system to remove his name from the passenger manifest and add Greg's name.
Greg's wife Abby (Gwyneth Paltrow) is woken up by news of the crash, and for many hours is torn between hope and despair, clinging to the belief that Greg would still arrive on the later flight on which he was originally booked, until his death is confirmed.
Once back in L.A., the airline dictates that Buddy run a series of innocuous ads to ameliorate the tragic consequences of the crash, which win a Clio award. Plagued with guilt, Buddy makes a drunken scene at the awards show, and begins a stint in Alcoholics Anonymous. One of the steps in recovery is to make up for past misdeeds, so Buddy seeks out Abby, a budding realtor, giving her a tip on a commercial office building that Jim (Joe Morton), Buddy's partner and boss, has put a bid on. In return, Abby treats Buddy to a night at Dodger Stadium. Their relationship blossoms, even as Buddy does not tell her about being indirectly responsible for Greg's death.
When the airline settles with Greg's estate, Abby next wants to put her boys on an aircraft to Palm Springs to get over their fear of flying. Buddy asks to go along with them, and soon develops a strong bond with the two boys. On the return trip, Buddy says he has a secret he will reveal the next day.
It all comes apart when Mimi shows up, with a video of Greg and Buddy having a drink in the airport bar. Abby is devastated by Buddy lying to her and demands that he leave her home and her life - though also demands that he say goodbye to the boys. Buddy comes back the next day and talks to Scott, who is afraid that his father died trying to get home for a Boy Scouts Christmas tree outing. Abby harbors the same guilt for pressuring Greg to come home on the fateful flight.
The victims' families sue the airline for damages, and Janice's role is revealed when Buddy is called to testify. As Abby watches on television, Buddy explains that he gave his ticket to Greg and did not take Greg's in exchange. In coercing Janice to change the roster, the airline's security procedures were compromised, which gets her fired. Buddy is excused by the judge, but still feels guilty.
Buddy resigns from his firm, having compromised his client, the airline. Abby comes by to tell him that his talk with Scott had helped them both. Buddy, sensing that Abby is about to leave, asks her to help him rent his beachfront home or put it up for sale. As Buddy starts to talk about his plans, Abby realizes she can forgive him.
Production.
"Bounce " was a project previously in development with Polygram Filmed Entertainment. Principal photography began on August 30, 1999, with shooting completed on November 7, 1999.
The film marks the first major motion picture to be delivered via satellite, with AMC Empire playing "Bounce" exclusively in its digital format/digital production. The film was later released in United States on video on April 10, 2001.
Reception.
"Bounce" received generally mixed reviews from film critics. As of January 2012, review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes has given it a 52% rating, with an average rating of 5.5 out of 10, based on 106 reviews. The film opened at #4 at the North American box office making $11.4 million its opening weekend.
Roger Ebert noted that the plot was a familiar one. "Lovers with untold secrets are a familiar movie situation ..." yet, he liked the film because the characters, from lead actors to secondary roles, were honest and endearing.


Home Sweet Home (2005 film)

Home Sweet Home is a 2005 Hong Kong horror film directed by Cheang Pou-soi, starring Karena Lam, Shu Qi, Alex Fong and Lam Suet.
Plot.
May moves into a new apartment in Hong Kong with her husband Ray and son Chi-lo. While they are moving in, Chi-lo and May see a hideous creature. They tell Ray what they have seen and he suggests moving out. However, as they have already paid a lot for their new home, May and her family decide to stay.
One day, May brings Chi-lo to a neighbour's birthday party. During this time, Chi-lo is kidnapped by the creature, which is revealed to be an deformed, insane woman who has mistaken the boy for her son. After informing the police, May and Ray begin searching the complex. In the parking garage, Ray is stabbed by the woman with a makeshift knife. Critically wounded, he is rushed to the hospital.
With her neighbours refusing to help, May is forced to continue the search alone. While searching the complex's air ducts and nearly being attacked by the woman, she falls through a vent cover leading to the outside of the complex and gets knocked out upon hitting the ground. A second attempt involves the help of a dog, which quickly picks up the woman's scent and tracks her to a rooftop. The dog scares Chi-lo and is killed by the woman, but not before it bites off one of her fingers. When May arrives, she ends up collecting the severed finger from the dog's mouth.
May then brings the finger to a police detective working on the case. Through fingerprint testing, they are able to identify the woman as one Chan Yim-hung, who lived with her husband and son Wing-man, as well as Hong Kong's poorest residents, in the same area of the apartment complex years ago when it still a squatter area. When the government tried to reclaim the area, a riot ensued and Chan's husband was killed in a subsequent explosion. Although the squatter area had been cleared, Chan had returned there with her son to continue their lives. After her son was killed by falling debris while looking for food, Chan left the area and returned some time after the new apartment was completed. By then, she had been driven insane by the loss of her son.
May decides to lure Chan out by printing copies of her photos and throwing them in the complex's air ducts. Chan sees the photos and attacks May in her apartment, ordering May to return her son. While May tries to tell her that her son had died years ago, Chi-lo arrives and Chan takes him out of the apartment while driving back May. Back in the complex's utility systems, Chan sees a vision of her dead husband, begging her to let go of their "home" that no longer exists. Upon seeing a reflection of herself in the glass door of an electrical grid, she smashes it, causing a blackout throughout the entire complex.
Once May sees a cloth belonging to Chi-lo floating down from the sky, she quickly realises they are on the rooftop. After squeezing her way through the police who had been sent to investigate the blackout, she comes across Chan, who is preparing to jump off with Chi-lo. May quickly stops them and attacks Chan for kidnapping and traumatising Chi-lo. While May and her son embrace, Chan plunges to her death, wanting to reunite with her family in the afterlife. As the screen goes black, Chi-lo can be heard asking, "Mom, would you abandon me?", to which May replied, "Of course not, not even if you abandon me."


Egyptians Raising Water from the Nile

Egyptians Raising Water from the Nile is an 1890–1891 painting by John Singer Sargent. It is part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Sargent made several trips to Egypt, Greece and Turkey as part of a project commissioned by the Boston Public Library to explore the origin of Western religion through art. Whilst in Egypt he created this canvas in 1890–91, depicting a group of locals drinking or collecting water from the Nile which had been raised to the bank by a shaduf.


Gunnar Brynolf Wennerberg

Gunnar Brynolf Wennerberg (16 August 1823, Lidköping - 3 October 1894, Göteborg) was a Swedish painter of the Düsseldorf School and a major landowner. He specialized in animal paintings (mostly horses) and genre scenes.
Biography.
His father, Gunnar Wennerberg den äldre (1782-1860), was a rural dean in Lidköping. His brother was the poet and composer, Gunnar Wennerberg.
He developed an early interest in music and painting, but eventually decided to focus on the latter. His first studies were with Uno Troili in Stockholm. In 1850, he continued his studies in Copenhagen. When his brother received a royal scholarship, he accompanied him to Germany on a study trip. Their first stop was Leipzig, where they attended concerts and visited museums. In Düsseldorf, he registered as a student at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, while his brother continued on to Italy. He was one of only two Swedish students at the academy; the other being Carl d'Unker. He stayed there for three years, during which time his primary instructors were Karl Ferdinand Sohn and Rudolf Wiegmann.
After his studies, he returned home and became involved in his father's church. He and some friends published an album called "Bilder ur Svenska Folklifvet" (Pictures from Swedish Folklife), which had some mild success. He was home for only short time when the money earned from painting portraits of a local nobleman and his family enabled him to make another trip overseas. In 1857, he went to Paris, rented a studio and took lessons from Thomas Couture. In 1860, he once again returned to Lidköping to marry Georgina Charlotta Schoug (1830-1870), the daughter of Johann Peter Schoug (1802-1890), a wealthy merchant from Germany. In 1870, Charlotta died of pneumonia. Two years later, he married her younger sister, Eugenia Louise (1845-1915).
He built an estate near Lidköping, Krongodset Djurgården, where he farmed and bred horses. It became an important meeting point for local artists, including Frederik Collett and Arvid Mauritz Lindström. Emma Meissner, the soprano, and her brother, , the conductor, were also frequent guests.
Between 1860 and 1890, he participated in several exhibitions at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts, but his works (mostly pictures of horses) received little serious attention. In 1889, a fire broke out at his estate and the main building was destroyed. Some paintings were rescued and sent to the local , but they made no attempt to rebuild and moved to Göteborg. His younger children were sent to boarding schools and, until his death, he spent the summers at one of the surviving buildings on his estate.
His son by his first marriage, , also became an artist and his daughter from his second marriage, Sara Wennerberg-Reuter, was a well known organist and composer.


Coat of arms of Perm

The coat of arms of Perm () is the official municipal coat of arms of Perm, Russia. The current design, adopted on 9 June 1998, features a red field with a silver bear with a yellow Bible resting on its back and a white four-pointed star above. The design is very similar to the coat of arms of Perm Krai.
Several different designs have served as the arms of the city. The first coat of arms was adopted in 1783 and was changed in 1969, during Soviet times. The current coat of arms is a modified version of the 1783 coat of arms.
Design and symbolism.
The bear symbolizes the abundance of animals that live in the area's forests. It is colored silver to symbolize natural resources, such as metal, salt, marble, and other stones, that can be found in the area of the city. The bear holds a special significance for Komi peoples, who lived in the area. Tales, songs, and legends were written about the creature. Fangs and claws were worn by hunters as amulets and special holidays were celebrated to honour the bear. The Bible symbolizes the Christian enlightenment of the city around the time that Russian Orthodoxy was becoming more popular. The silver four-pointed star represents the Sun and symbolizes protection and victory. The red field symbolizes the city's status as the capital of Perm Krai. This symbolism can also be found in the coat of arms of Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
History.
First coat of arms.
The first coat of arms was adopted on 17 July 1783, by decree of Catherine II. It featured a silver bear on a red field, with a gold Bible on its back and a silver four-pointed star above. The bear symbolizes the savagery of inhabitants prior to Christian enlightenment, which is represented by the Bible.
The bear and Bible design dates back to the times of Alexis of Russia, who used it as an emblem when he was Tsar. Francisco Santi is listed as the author of the emblem. The Perm Governorate submitted a draft of the coat of arms to the Senate in the mid-18th century, which featured the same design, topped with a crown.
Second coat of arms.
In 1967, during Soviet rule, Perm City Council announced a competition for a new coat of arms, which continued through 1968. The winner was announced on 25 September 1969. It very much featured elements commonly found in heraldry for Soviet cities. The Bible was replaced by a generic open book and elements of the city's industry could be found throughout the flag. A modified version of the coat of arms, minus the silver star, was shrunk and placed near the bottom of the shield, representing the city's history. The shield itself was a vertical tricolour of red, blue, and green. The red and blue meant that it was a part of Russia, the blue and green represented the natural resources of the area, like its rivers and forests. The center of the shield depicts a monument to the Russian Revolution in Motovilikhinsky. A golden glow surrounds most of the emblem's design, representing the city's highly developed electrical and mechanical engineering industries.
Third coat of arms.
On 23 December 1993, the city restored the historical coat of arms and on 9 June 1998 the current coat of arms, which is a modified version of the 1782 coat of arms, was adopted.


Bobby, the Petrol Boy

Bobby, the Petrol Boy () is a 1929 German silent film directed by Carl Boese and starring Gustav Rickelt, Sophie Pagay, and Ruth Weyher.
The film's sets were designed by the art director Otto Moldenhauer. It was distributed by the German branch of First National Pictures.


Rihaee (film)

Rihaee (Devnagari: रिहाई, English: Liberation) is a 1988 Hindi film directed by Aruna Raje, starring Vinod Khanna, Hema Malini, Naseeruddin Shah and Mohan Agashe in lead roles. The film dealt with the promiscuity of male migrant workers to urban India, and also the sexuality of women, left behind in the rural regions.
Hema Malini received a nomination for the Filmfare Best Actress Award for her role in the film.
Plot.
The story is set in a remote village in Gujarat. Menfolk here, like in many other villages across India go to the cities to work, leaving behind their families.
Mansukh (Naseeruddin Shah) after working for a long time in Dubai, returns to his native village. This is the village where all the men have gone to work in the cities. The lonely women of the village are all excited with the arrival of Mansukh and many are after him. Especially Sukhi (Neena Gupta) and Reema Lagoo. Taku (Hema Malini), wife of Amarji (Vinod Khanna) is a woman with an attitude. She is an independent and strong woman, who is different from the group. Mansukh becomes interested in her and he goes after her. After his persistent attempts he succeeds and they start having a relationship.
After a while, Mansukh leaves the village. The women Sukhi and Taku later find out that they are both pregnant. How they deal with their pregnancies is the subject of the movie.
This is a staggering movie that shakes some of the fundamental rules of Indian society. It talks about equal opportunity to females in all aspects.
The movie starts with the introduction of the village characters through a postman (Harish Patel). Later, the movie targeting the men folk on their attitude towards women, hooks them with a common man's dream story. A man in a village filled with longing women. Then it slowly turns and develops through various threads to tell how women is differentiated in the eyes of the society, what a baby means to a woman and what is real manliness.
Jhumkhu (Ila arun) for example, loses her son in a fire accident and is forced to do the funeral without her husband, as he is not able to come to the village. She goes through that trauma all alone. She almost becomes insane on that loss, this character is later used to convey the message that whether it is an accident or an abortion, the trauma of losing a child for a woman is the same. Like Jhumku, there is a story behind every female character, and they have one problem or the other because of the fact that they are women.
The movie puts the double standard followed for men and women through various village characters. Mansukh's father in the panchayat blames the women of the village to be punished, without saying anything about his son who was responsible for everything. The movie also points out the hypocrisy of the society which says it is okay to hide the truth rather than reveal it openly.


John Louis Clarke

John Louis Clarke (March 23, 1881 – November 20, 1970) was a Blackfoot wood carver from Montana.
Biography.
Clarke was born in Highwood, Montana. His Blackfoot name was Cutapuis. At the age of 2 Clarke became deaf from scarlet fever in an outbreak that killed five of his brothers. He attended the North Dakota School for the Deaf in Devils Lake, North Dakota; the Montana School for the Deaf and the Blind in Great Falls, Montana; and the St. John School for the Deaf in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Career.
Clarke opened and operated an art studio up until his death in 1970, in what is now East Glacier, MT. One of Clarke's sculptures was owned by Warren G. Harding and was displayed in the White House. In 1924, John D. Rockefeller purchased 4 of Clarke's sculptures. In 1940, Clarke was commissioned to create a pair of relief panels. When they were completed they each weighed more than a ton, today the two panels adorn the Blackfeet Hospital lobby.


The Christmas List

The Christmas List is a 1997 TV movie, shown first on The Family Channel, thereafter on ABC Family during its "25 Days of Christmas" programming block. It stars Mimi Rogers.
Synopsis.
The story follows the life of the 35-year-old Melody Parris (Played by Mimi Rogers), a skilled perfume girl, who is living a somewhat flavorless life in Seattle, with a pompous, pushy boyfriend named George and an overbearing mother (Stella Stevens) who lives right next door to her, who is obsessed with her getting married.
It starts with another unsatisfactory day at work for Melody, but on the bus, her best friend Naomi tells her to make a Christmas list for selfish fun. She starts to but then receives a call from George, who is on a flight home from a business trip.
During a talk with her mother that evening, she asks her if they could try to make their Christmas "Dickens-Style"; however her mother is reluctant to do this. Another neighbor's daughter, Amber Mottola, is a supermodel, and her mother harps on how Melody's sister is married, and so Melody storms out, saying that she's sorry she's not anything that makes her mother proud, missing her mother saying that she is proud.
The next day at work, Melody is passed over for a promotion to the head of the perfume department at the department store where she works for a younger, less skilled co-worker, April May, whose main objective is to sell, not to serve. Melody finally decides to finish her Christmas list, and the next day, she takes it to work and (after some playfulness with Naomi) Naomi puts it in Santa's Mailbox at the department store. Then, things begin to change. She meets Danny Skylar, a boy who wants to buy a perfume that was similar to the smell of his late mother's, and when he can't pay the full amount, Melody loans him the rest, and he puts her name, along with his, on the entry form in a sweepstakes at the store to win a new Ford Mustang convertible.
Danny drags his father to attend the drawing for the Mustang, and his father is surprised when Danny and Melody win. Melody gets into trouble because store employees cannot enter drawings, but Danny explains the mix-up and pledges to give her the car until he can drive. Melody is attracted to Danny's father, Dr. David Skylar, and while she gives them the car, her boyfriend intervenes and they work out a schedule so that they can share the car, which offers opportunities for Melody and Dr. Skylar to start to share a close bond. That same night, a tree appears in Melody's apartment, and Melody's mother changes as well, becoming more maternal and says that the whole family is going to be celebrating Christmas Dickens-style.
When Danny goes to make another payment on the perfume, he asks Melody to go to lunch with him, and George comes as well. However, at lunch Melody and George argue, resulting in Melody pouring a bowl of Creme Brulee onto George's lap. A woman named Faith (Marla Maples) is dating Dr. Skylar and wants to eliminate any competition, so she fakes her engagement to Dr. Skylar, buying a fake ring and bragging to Melody. Upset, Melody gives the car to the Skylars to keep. When George proposes clumsily, Melody declines, and when they start to fight, Melody's mother recoils at George, and we find out she put the tree in Melody's apartment, and acted the way she did because she wanted for her daughter to know that she was proud of her. David finds out about Faith's treachery and dumps her. He and Danny drive to Melody's apartment building where David proposes and Melody accepts, much to Danny's delight and approval.
Throughout the movie, Melody starts getting other things on her list that she wanted, whether it be fuzzy slippers, or wanting her family to celebrate Christmas Dickens Style. But she slowly realizes that while getting everything she wants, repercussions are inevitable, and she realizes that what you want is not always what you need. As she starts to fill up the holes from the list, she begins a new life with David, Danny and even having a new baby.
Critical reception.
The film was well received by viewers, for its original script, both comedic and dramatic, and was nominated by the Young Artists Awards in 1998 for Best Family Cable TV Movie, and Bill Switzer was nominated for Best Performance in a TV Movie as a Supporting Young Actor. The film was also dubbed into Italian, Spanish, German, Romanian and Dutch.
Title Song.
The song at the beginning of the film is a vocal holiday rendition of "A Time For Tony", written in 1963 by Merv Griffin (the film's executive producer). "A Time For Tony" is better known by its alternate title "Think!", which has been used as the music for the final round of the game show "Jeopardy!" since the show's premiere in 1964 and also as the show's theme song beginning in 1984.


Marshy Landscape

Marshy Landscape is an oil painting created in 1883 by Vincent van Gogh.
Description.
From 1883–85, van Gogh lived in Drenthe, a remote district of the Netherlands, flat and riven with canals, a landscape of marsh and mist. Throughout 1883, the artist worked on his series of peasants' cottages, exploring the local terrain of marshes and peat fields, ditches and canals. Like much of his work of this period, "Marshy Landscape" is rendered with subdued earthy tones, giving the impression of being painted with the very soil itself. Alone in the wilderness, Vincent drew upon the power of nature, the stillness and silence of the marshes inspiring him. He wrote to his brother Theo:


Bade Miyan Chote Miyan

Bade Miyan Chote Miyan () is a 1998 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film directed by David Dhawan starring Amitabh Bachchan and Govinda in dual roles alongside Raveena Tandon, Ramya Krishnan, Anupam Kher, and Paresh Rawal, with Madhuri Dixit making a special appearance. "Bade Miyan Chote Miyan" was Bachchan's first box office hit since his comeback to Bollywood after a hiatus of few years, and its muharat shot was done by Bachchan's daughter Shweta Nanda on 22 December 1998. Produced on a budget of , "Bade Miyan Chote Miyan" was theatrically released on 16 October 1998 alongside Karan Johar's "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" and Broke opening day, opening weekend and opening week record; though the latter emerged as the biggest success of the year, it became the second biggest hit in the list and went on to gross over worldwide.
Plot.
Arjun Singh (Amitabh Bachchan) and Pyare Mohan (Govinda) are police inspectors. They share a friendly bond. Arjun's sister, Seema (Raveena Tandon), is in love with Pyare. Arjun has no girlfriend and some petty comments are made about his age.
Zorawar (Paresh Rawal) runs a business smuggling arms and diamonds, under the cover of being a statue maker. Once, in a hotel, he discovers that he is being spied upon and along with the cop spying on him, he gets rid of Madhu (Divya Dutta), an eyewitness.
Madhu's friend, Neha (Ramya Krishnan), witnesses Madhu's murder. Scared, and with the gangsters after her, she calls the police station and asks for Pyare, but since he is not there, Arjun is asked to go to her, and masquerade as Pyare, who had been described as a very good person to Neha by her dead friend. In a considerable amount of confusion, he takes her to Pyare's house and even goes to the extent of asking Pyare to masquerade as Arjun.
Two petty thieves, Bade Miyan (Amitabh Bachchan) and Chote Miyan (Govinda), who are look-alikes of Arjun and Pyare respectively, arrive in town. Confusion ensues when every crime the crooks commit are blamed on Arjun and Pyare. Things goes further downhill when Shyamlal (Anupam Kher), the police commissioner, is also thrashed by the doubles. Arjun and Pyare are blamed for stealing a diamond from a bank and messing up the security operation of Madhuri Dixit (herself). Even Seema and Neha mistake Bade and Chote for Arjun and Pyare.
Arjun and Pyare further land in trouble when Zorawar kidnaps Seema and asks for the diamond and Neha in return. Arjun and Pyare, who have been arrested, are saved by the arrival of Bade and Chote, who confuse their acts of theft and conning, and promise to get Neha and Seema back. Bade and Chote arrive at Zorawar's hideout and stall them while Arjun and Pyare come with the police force and everyone at the hideout is arrested. The crooks leave after apologising to Neha and Seema for the confusion.
However, some of Zorawar's men hijack the police van which is taking Zorawar and his associates to jail. They are stopped on the way by Bade and Chote, asking for a lift. The latter realises who really are in the van and proceed to badly thrash Zorawar and his men and return him to jail. Arjun and Pyare are criticised for their mistake regarding the hijacking of the van and the two crooks are given a job in the police force by the commissioner himself. The film ends with Arjun and Pyare ending up being demoted to the post of traffic police officers and Bade and Chote taking their place as police inspectors.
Music.
The songs of the film, composed by Viju Shah with lyrics by Sameer, worked well. Similar to Shah's prior compositions for films like "Mohra" and "Gupt" that became quite popular, the album noticeably showed his offbeat mode of music yielding the tuneful numbers like the hit title track "Bade Miyan Chote Miyan", the hit zippy bhangra number "Makhna" and the groovy "Kisi Disco Mein Jaayein". Singers Udit Narayan, Sudesh Bhosle, Amit Kumar, Alka Yagnik, Jaspinder Narula, Anuradha Paudwal and Kavita Krishnamurthy allied and rendered their voices for the songs listed below:
Interesting facts.
1-In one of the scenes the lead characters need to release Satish Kaushik’s character (Sharafat Ali) from the police station. Hence both Amitabh Bachchan and Govinda impersonate as police officers and visit the police station. This entire scene is inspired by a scene from a Pakistani play titled Humsa Ho To Samne Aye, which is penned by renowned Pakistani writer, and actor-Umer Sharif.
2-Juhi Chawla was the original choice for the role of Neha but was replaced by south actor Ramya Krishnan.
3-Bade Miyan Chote Miyan is the first film where music director Viju Shah and Director David Dhawan worked together.
4-Bade Miyan Chote Miyan is the first film where Amitabh Bachchan and Madhuri Dixit were seen on the big screen together.
5- Bade Miyan Chote Miyan had a box office clash with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.
6- The director of the film David Dhawan has a cameo scene in the film which only lasted for around 10 seconds.
7- Bade Miyan Chote Miyan saved Amitabh Bachchan from making a hat-trick of flop films, as two of his previous films Mrityudata and Major Saab did not perform as expected at the box office.
8- Many elements from this movie were copied from the American film "Bad Boys" starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. In this film, a major part of Bad Boys was copied including action sequences.
Box office.
The film's final worldwide collection was . It was declared a blockbuster and proved to be the second biggest success of the year behind "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai".


Love on the Spectrum

Love on the Spectrum is an Australian reality television show produced by Northern Pictures for the ABC, and currently available to stream on Netflix.
Release.
"Love on the Spectrum" first aired on the ABC in November 2019. In July 2020, it was released on Netflix to other territories in a five-part format. A second season was confirmed in September 2020; it will feature a new group of people.
Reception.
The show has received positive reviews from critics. It was awarded 4 out 5 stars by Rebecca Nicholson of "The Guardian", saying that "at its best, this show is a compassionate, human celebration of difference, and of love." Brett White of Decider recommended for viewers to stream the show, observing that ""Love on the Spectrum" is unlike any Netflix reality dating show you’ve seen before, in the best way." Alison Foreman of Mashable gave the show a positive review, saying that ""Love on the Spectrum" is an affecting show that paints telling portraits of human connection that are so lovely, so moving, and so wholly satisfying, it's hard to imagine reality dating being done any other way", while Brian Lowry of CNN Entertainment said that the show "exhibits empathy toward the featured players without condescending toward them, and quickly bridges any cultural barriers in a broadly universal manner." In his review of the series, Daniel Hart of Ready Steady Cut was also positive, concluding that "a reality series that helps to dispel some of the stigma surrounding autism is particularly welcome." Although Michael Phillips of the "Chicago Tribune" was somewhat more critical of certain parts of the series, he nevertheless observed that "Unlike "Tiger King" or "The Bachelor", or certain real-life political reality shows that lost touch with the real world a long time ago, "Love on the Spectrum" is about empathy. And about something more interesting than contempt."