text:
Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands

Christiansted is the largest town on Saint Croix, one of the main islands composing the United States Virgin Islands, a territory of the United States of America. The town is named after King Christian VI of Denmark.

History
The town was founded by Captain Frederik Moth after he was made governor of St. Croix in 1733. Departing from St. Thomas, Moth's party had cleared a space for Fort Christianswærn by 5 September. In a ceremony next to this fort on 8 January 1734, the French formally handed the island over to the Danes in the form of the Danish West India and Guinea Company. St. Croix was to be allotted 300 plantations, 215 for sugar and the rest for cotton. The plantations surveyed were 3,000 by 2,000 feet. In addition, the company established a sugar refinery and distillery. The fort was completed by 1740. The 1742 census listed 120 sugar plantations, 122 cotton plantations, 1,906 slaves, about 300 Englishmen, and 60 Danes. By 1743, St. Croix had a hospital. In 1745, the number of slaves had increased to 2,878. By 1754, the town included 83 "white inhabitants", "each of whom owned from a single slave to sixty-six of them", according to Westergaard. Slaves on the island numbered 7,566.

Christiansted is a former capital of the Danish West Indies and home to the Christiansted National Historic Site. It has preserved the 18th-century Danish-style solid stone buildings in pastel colors with bright red tile roofs line the cobblestone sidewalks, adding a touch of 18th-century European architectural style. Because the town was constructed by African slaves, there are also African influences in Christiansted's design, making it one of the world's few "African-Danish" towns. The town's symmetry, with streets running at right angles to the waterfront, makes it popular for walking tours. The commercial area centers on King and Company streets, adjacent to the Christiansted National Historic Site. The residential area, including portions that were originally settlements for free blacks, extends inland and uphill from the commercial area. The botanist Julius von Rohr started a botanic garden in the 18th century and produced a number of landscapes of the island.

Christiansted has small hotels and many restaurants. In 1947, The Buccaneer resort, to the northeast of town, was opened by the Armstrong family as an 11-room inn. Several scuba shops operate in town, as the wharf has easy access to diving attractions on the island's north side. A small point of interest is Protestant Cay, a cay near Christiansted.

Demographics
As of 2020, Christiansted had a population of 1,770, while the larger sub-district had a population of 1,866.

The population decreased by almost 30% between 2010 and 2020 due to the impact of Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Economy
Seaborne Airlines was formerly headquartered in Christiansted.

Transportation
Christiansted is served by one commercial airport, Henry E. Rohlsen Airport, with flights on several airlines, including American and Delta. A ferry serving the Hotel on the Cay resort runs between Christiansted and Protestant Cay.

Education
Public schools serving the community are operated by the St. Croix School District.

Climate
Christiansted has a tropical savanna climate (Koppen Aw/As).

Notable people

 * Judah P. Benjamin, a Confederate politician and a seminal figure in the United States Civil War, was born in Christiansted while it was still a Danish colony.
 * NBA player Tim Duncan (two-time MVP, five-time NBA champion) is a native.
 * Alexander Hamilton was a resident in 1765 after leaving his birthplace of Charlestown, Nevis at age 11. Upon reaching 17 years old, he moved from the then-Danish Virgin Islands to New York City and never returned to the Caribbean.
 * Victor Borge was a long-time resident of Christiansted
 * Audre Lorde died in Christiansted on November 17, 1992 at the age of 58. She was a famous poet.
 * Carolyn Carter was born in Christiansted and is a model and beauty queen.
 * "Queen" Mary Thomas one of the leaders of the fireburn riots, was imprisoned here from 1887 to 1905.
 * Casper Holstein, a mobster involved in the Harlem "numbers rackets", was born in Christiansted in 1876.

title: Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands


text:
Democratic League of Kosovo

The Democratic League of Kosovo (Lidhja Demokratike e Kosovës, LDK) is the oldest and one of the largest political parties in Kosovo.

At the legislative elections held on 24 October 2004 the party won 45.4% of the popular vote and 47 out of 120 seats, seven of which have defected to the Nexhat Daci-led Democratic League of Dardania. One of the founding members, Ibrahim Rugova was the president of the party as the president of Kosovo until his death, on 21 January 2006. At the last legislative elections held on 17 November 2007, the party won only 22.6% and 25 seats but went on to form a Coalition government with Hashim Thaçi's Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK). In October 2010, the LDK withdrew from the coalition.

History
During the late 1980s, nationalism was on the rise throughout the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Since 1974 the province of Kosovo, although part of the Socialist Republic of Serbia, was a self-governed entity over which the Serbian parliament had almost no factual control (see Political status of Kosovo). In the late 1980s, civil unrest which had been striking the province for decades, suddenly erupted further in Kosovo as ethnic Albanians demanded more autonomy (in view of becoming the 7th Yugoslav Republic). At the same time, Serbian Communists' leader Slobodan Milošević used the situation in Kosovo as a political means to win popularity among Serbs. In 1989, he abolished the autonomy of Kosovo using amendments to the Serbian Constitution, reverting Kosovo to its pre-1974 status, thus restoring Serbia's control of the province. In response, a group of Albanian intellectuals gathered the same year to form the Democratic League of Kosovo, which opposed these measures, as well as the ratification of Kosovo's parliament in 1990 which returned the level of Kosovo's autonomy to how it had been sixteen years earlier.

Because of its ideology, which was deemed nationalist and separatist, it was banned by the Yugoslavian authorities, together with the self-styled shadow Kosovo Parliament that opposed the ratifications of Kosovo's real assembly in July 1990. As a result, its members proclaimed in protest on the steps of the parliament building the "Republic of Kosova", independent from Yugoslavia, which drafted its own constitution. Claiming that conditions for Albanians were not addressed, the LDK successfully called for a boycott of the Kosovar Albanians of the first free elections in 1990. Following the 1991 population census, in which LDK President Rugova also called for boycott, resulting in only 9,091 Albanians recorded which composed around 2.53% of the Kosovar population, the LDK called the Albanian people to leave and boycott all state institutions until the solution of the Albanian national question. The LDK opposed the centralized control imposed by Belgrade, which reintroduced the Serbian language as the language of Kosovo as well as making other implementations; and they were growing deeply concerned about Belgrade's handling of the Albanian populace with regards to the wider group interests.

By the spring of 1991, the LDK had support from the diaspora in Zürich, Stuttgart and Brussels and numbered a massive membership of approximately 700,000 people. In September 1991 the LDK-constituted shadow Albanian parliament of the self-styled Republic of Kosova adopted a resolution supporting full-scale "Independence and Sovereignty of Kosovo". The LDK then led the "Coordinating Committee of Albanian Political Parties in Yugoslavia" that included most ethnic Albanian political parties in the country. The decision was that only two choices are viable for peace and stability of the region: 1) unification of all Albanian-populated areas in Yugoslavia, or 2) an undivided Albanian state of all Albanians in the Balkans

The LDK was one of the chief organizers of a poorly organized referendum for self-determination in 1992, in which 87% of Kosovo's Albanian population (numbering 80% of the province's population) voted for independence. The referendum was declared illegal and further drove a rift between Albanians and Serbians in Kosovo. In 1992 the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was formed and Kosovo remained an autonomous province of the Republic of Serbia. The LDK successfully called for Albanians, including those in Central Serbia and in the Preševo Valley, to boycott of general elections.

The LDK expressed bitterness when Kosovo was ignored during the Dayton Accords in 1995. Supporting an Albanian resistance movement the "National Movement for the Liberation of Kosovo", it abandoned its support of the subsequently organized Kosovo Liberation Army, which used violent means to achieve its goals. After 1997, the government of Albania changed, with a first democratic cabinet formed. Most LDK members abandoned the desire to unite Kosovo with Albania at this point. The LDK's desire for a peaceful solution to the Kosovo conflict lost support among the population and was replaced by the militarist KLA when war erupted in late 1998 and 1999 between the KLA and the Yugoslavian and Serbian forces. Severe atrocities against the Albanian population in Kosovo met with harsh criticism from the LDK. With recommendations from the United States, the LDK abandoned pursuits for an independent Kosovo and sought negotiations with Belgrade with a goal of achieving a substantial level of autonomy for Kosovo, with Ibrahim Rugova traveling to Belgrade and meeting President Milošević (now federal leader) on this matter. This act was criticized by the Albanian public and further downgraded the LDK's popularity. After the NATO bombing campaign in 1999, leading LDK members were present for the signing of the Kumanovo Treaty that adopted United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 and formalized the cessation of hostilities in Kosovo. However, despite their support of Resolution 1244, which mandates significant autonomy for Kosovo while recognizing the "sovereignty and territorial integrity" of Yugoslavia, the LDK continually supported the independence of Kosovo. It is suspected that hundreds of supporters of the Democratic League of Kosovo were kidnapped, tortured and some killed in secret prisons of the Kosovo Liberation Army, mainly between 1998 and 2001, because perceived as rivals of the Democratic Party of Kosovo. While still the second largest political party in Kosovo, the LDK's support has steadily declined since Kosovo's first elections (municipal) in 2001. Other political parties, including those linked to the former Kosovo Liberation Army, such as the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), have scored much gains at LDK's expense. The party is presided by a president and five vice-presidents.

Ideology
The Party initially started out as an Albanian nationalist right-wing movement which campaigned for Kosovan independence. It was then led by Ibrahim Rugova a moderate leader who separated with the Kosovo Liberation Army faction. After the war the party remained under the conservative leadership of Rugova. The party also adopted several pro-European policies as well as moving farther to the centre of the political spectrum. However, after Rugovas' death the party went through a period of turmoil with several factions vying for control over the party. The more liberal-conservative stance of Fatmir Sejdiu took over, leading to Nexhat Daci and 6 other MAs forming the more conservative Democratic League of Dardania.

After losing seats consistently under Sejdius leadership unrest within the party began to grow and before the Kosovan parliamentary election, 2010 Isa Mustafa emerged as the new leader securing more than two thirds of the votes. Mustafa's leadership has seen the party return to the more hardline conservative stance, and some politicians have even come to describe the League as a social conservative party as well.

Critics have said the party has considerably abandoned their traditional, Kosovo-Albanian nationalist policies and policies of their founder Ibrahim Rugova. Since August 2014, it has been attacked by Vetevendosje on that front.

The Democratic League of Kosovo has been described as centrist, centre-right and right-wing.

Controversies
Former party leader Isa Mustafa had over 70 cases submitted to the prosecutor over alleged abuse of office while serving as Prishtina mayor. These cases were all thrown out from the prosecutors in charge as the former mayor had no ties with the cases submitted. Former Minister of Culture Astrit Haraqia has been accused of abusing office during 2004–2007 as well as being involved in a large scheme to sell Schengen visas with other party official Ukë Rugova. Suspected of corruption is also current MP Naser Osmani for alleged wrongdoings while in the board of Kosovo Privatisation Agency. He ran and gained a seat in the Assembly despite the accusations. Former Obiliq municipality mayor Mehmet Krasniqi is being investigated for abuse of office. Mehmet Krasniqi has since been found not guilty on the charges.

Former MP of the Democratic League of Kosovo Uke Rugova, the son of the late President Ibrahim Rugova, was accused for alleged involvement in a visa scam by the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo. Kosovo’s Special Prosecution had filed an indictment against Uke Rugova and a number of other individuals linked with the Democratic League of Kosovo over an alleged scam concerning Italian visas. Police from the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo first arrested him in February 2014 when he was a member of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, according to the charges, Uke Rugova led a criminal group that falsified travel documents for Kosovo nationals.

In October 2020, the Hoti Government drafted the Recovery plan which provided assistance to businesses. In the list made by the Minister of Finance, Labor and Transfers of Kosovo Hekuran Murati a total of 50 businesses had benefited 60 million euros from the recovery package drafted by the Hoti Government. The Recovery plan fueled big businesses in Kosovo instead of small ones, "Viva Fresh" had been given over 860 thousand euros, "Elkos" of Ramiz Kelmendi with over 675 thousand euros, "Proex" with over 335 thousand euros, "Hib Petrol" with over 307 thousand euros. In the Recovery plan also benefited the security company "Balkan International SHPK" which is owned by Besnik Berisha, a former advisor to Isa Mustafa when he was Prime Minister of Kosovo, his company received over 100 thousand euros.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Democratic League of Kosovo


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/The Lieutenants

The Lieutenants
Band vanity. Couldn't find any relevant Google results. "They are about to play their first gig" says it all. David Johnson 17:49, 8 Dec 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. It doesn't even say where they'll be playing their first gig! Even as a vanity piece, it fails!  P Ingerson 19:10, 8 Dec 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. Appears to be an advertisement for a yet to be established band, by two of its members. At some point we will record 'Go' and produce some Cd's. I shall place dates here at the time of much knowing. Ummm, others have tried. Both contributors are IPs with significant edit histories, so the welcomes are going to be a bit tricky. Andrewa 20:19, 8 Dec 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete not yet notable. By the way, the plural for CD is CDs, not CD's. Wyss 20:29, 8 Dec 2004 (UTC)
 * School Marmish Comment: Nope.  The plural is "CD's."  An apostrophe is used for the plural of numerals and acronymns.  The purpose is to make clear that the plural marker is not part of the acronymn (C-Des, rather than CDS and 19 70es, rather than the 1970s).  Geogre 22:13, 8 Dec 2004 (UTC)
 * If my recollection of Eats, Shoots and Leaves serves, then I think CDs would be the currently accepted usage in Britain, while CD's is still currently the preferred way in the U.S. So you're both right. Unless I'm wrong. Which I could be. And by the way Delete. Wikipedia is not your band's liner notes. -R. fiend 00:03, 9 Dec 2004 (UTC)
 * It's true that misuse of the possessive apostrophe is more widely tolerated in the US, but it's still plain wrong. Correct usage: My Abba's Greatest Hits CD's jewel box broke yesterday, so I nicked one from one of my flatmate's poxy Britney Spears CDs. The lower case s clearly shows that it's separate from the acronym CD. Wyss 01:11, 9 Dec 2004 (UTC)
 * Reference Works on My Desk School Marmish Comments:
 * 7.15 Letters, abbreviations, and numerals. Capital letters used as words, abbreviations that contain no interior periods, and numerals used as nouns form the plural by adding s. (Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Edition, pg 281)
 * Form the plural of an acronym by adding an s with no apostrophe (Microsoft Manual of Style, 3rd Edition, page 210) (And yes, they use the word "acronym" incorrectly, as shown by the examples they cite)
 * Form the plural of an acronym or initialism by adding an s. Do not use an apostrophe. (Handbook of Technical Writing, 6th Edition, page 18)
 * 12.M.3 Initials can be made plural
 * MPs (Members of Parliament)
 * VIPs (very important persons)
 * OAPs (old age pensioners)
 * UFOs (unidentified flying objects)
 * (A Practical English Grammar, 4th Edition, page 28)
 * Delete --Calton 00:30, 9 Dec 2004 (UTC)
 * Were those British sources? I didn't know that there was variant between the nations (although Chicago I can easily explain).  There is a time when an acronymn is so common that it ceases to carry the periods, and it seems like those sources are saying that those cases can take an -s without the apostrophe.  Whereas my humble Harcort Brace English Grammar 11th ed. states no such thing, but rather that only the very most common acronymns may be treated so familiarly (and never numbers).  "UFO" is common enough to go without the periods and thus without the apostrophe.  I'm old fashioned, though, and still regard the CD as having its periods, even if it's now too old for them. Geogre 01:03, 9 Dec 2004 (UTC)
 * The first three are American, and the last British, from the OUP.
 * A quick, fairly random, check of some news sites:
 * The Guardian - "...You could also win a boxed set of CDs of the new series..."
 * BBC - "Illegal CDs, DVDs, computer software and games worth Â£10m are seized in central Scotland."
 * Houston Chronicle - "Among new releases this week are CDs from teen queens Lindsay Lohan ..."
 * Sky News - "Don't miss your chance to get hold of some fantastic ABBA CDs..."
 * New York Times - "These days jazz musicians reflexively put together well-balanced CD's..."
 * Looks like the NY Times is the outlier here.--Calton 02:51, 9 Dec 2004 (UTC)

 * Delete, obviously. Gamaliel 20:34, 8 Dec 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. Non-notable. Jayjg 20:35, 8 Dec 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete, but I wouldn't have a problem with it being moved to the appropriate user page. [[User:MacGyverMagic|Mgm|(talk)]] 21:53, Dec 8, 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete: Unsigned, not distributed, not yet notable. Geogre 22:13, 8 Dec 2004 (UTC)


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Marbach am Neckar

Marbach am Neckar is a town about 20 kilometres north of Stuttgart. It belongs to the district of Ludwigsburg, the Stuttgart region and the European metropolitan region of Stuttgart. Marbach is known as the birthplace of Friedrich Schiller, to whom it owes the additional designation of Schiller City, which it has officially held since 2022.[2] The town is home to the Schiller National Museum, the German Literature Archive and the Modern Literature Museum.

Geographical location
Marbach is located in the Neckar Basin on the eastern bank of a loop of the Neckar, whose impact slope is interrupted by two deep cuts. The northern of the two cuts is flowed through by the largely blocked Strenzelbach stream, the southern by the Eichgraben ditch. Marbach's old town lies on the southern slope of the Strenzelbach valley, some 30 metres above the Neckar, while the newer residential and commercial areas are spread across the slopes further to the north-east, east and south. Even further south, somewhat secluded by the cutting of the Eichgraben, is the residential area of Hörnle with about 1600 inhabitants. The furrow formed by the Strenzelbach cuts short a loop of the Murr, which flows into the Neckar just north of the town, and forms an important traffic axis for Marbach and the surrounding area.

Districts and exclaves
In addition to the immediate surroundings of the Inner City, the urban area includes a narrow strip extending southwest along the Neckar River and incorporating the Marbach power plant.

Furthermore, three exclaves belong to the urban area. Two of them are the districts of Rielingshausen and Siegelhausen, both of which are spatially separated from Marbach. While the area of the core town itself is almost free of forest, the largest part of the forest area of Marbach comprises the uninhabited exclave in the Hardtwald to the north-east of the district of Rielingshausen, which is assigned to the Schwäbisch-Fränkische Waldberge natural area.

Rielingshausen, with about 2800 inhabitants, is located about five kilometres northeast of Marbach on a hill between the Murr and the Hardtwald. The hamlet of Hinterbirkenhof, one and a half kilometres to the north, also belongs to the village. The district is divided by several stream valleys, all of which lead to the Murr. The village centre lies in the shallow hollow of the Weidenbach, while the Kaisersbach forms a depression between Rielingshausen and Hinterbirkenhof. The eastern boundary of the village is formed by the Eichbach, which disappears halfway through in a sinkhole. The Sulzbach flows through a wide valley southeast of the village. After being straightened during the land consolidation in the 1970s, it was renaturalised at the end of the 1980s. This measure was awarded the cultural landscape prize of the Swabian Heritage Society in 1991.

Siegelhausen, a small hamlet with about 30 inhabitants, is located about five kilometres southeast of the core town off the road between Affalterbach and Hochdorf in the valley of the Strombach, which is also called the Apfelbach.

History
Marbach am Neckar was founded by the Franks in the 8th century AD between the Duchies of Swabia and Franconia and the Prince-Bishoprics of Speyer and Constance. Marbach received its town rights in 1009 from Walter Marktrecht, Bishop of Speyer. Around the mid-13th century, those rights were reaffirmed by the Dukes of Teck. In 1302, the Dukes of Teck sold Marbach to the County of Württemberg, who made the city the seat of its own administrative district later in the 14th century and then an Oberamt, Oberamt Marbach, in 1758. That Oberamt was dramatically enlarged on 18 March 1806, but then dissolved entirely in 1938. Marbach was subsequently assigned to a new district, Landkreis Ludwigsburg. On 1 July 1972, Marbach incorporated the town of Rielingshausen.

Geography
The city (Stadt) of Marbach am Neckar covers 18.06 km2 of the district of Ludwigsburg in a total of four separate exclaves. Marbach is, according to government urban planning, part of the Stuttgart Metropolitan Region. Marbach's municipal areas are physically located in Neckar basin the Neckar, with the exception of its easternmost exclave, which lies in the Swabian-Franconian Forest. The lowest elevation above sea level in the municipal area, 190 m Normalnull (NN), is found where the Neckar flows out of Marbach and into Benningen am Neckar. The highest elevation, 355 m, is found in the east, at the top of the Bülzberg.

Politics
Marbach has two boroughs (Ortsteile) – Marbach am Neckar and Rielingshausen – and three villages: Hinterbirkenhof, Hörnle, Siegelhausen. Also in Marbach's municipal area are the minor administrative units of Dampfkraftwerk, Eichgraben, and Häldenmühle, and the abandoned villages of Hegnachsiedel, Kaisersberg, and Sigebotesbuch.

Sister cities
Marbach am Neckar is twinned with:

 * 🇫🇷 L'Isle-Adam, Val-d'Oise, France, since 1987
 * 🇺🇸 Washington, Missouri, United States, since 1990
 * Tongling, Anhui, People's Republic of China, since 2005

Coat of arms

Marbach am Neckar's coat of arms displays its field, gold in color, as divided party per pale into halves. The left half has three black Hirschstange, taken from the arms of Württemberg. The right half has a crenelated, white tower wrapped with green vines growing two clusters of blue grapes. The placement of Württemberg's arms is derived from town seals in since Württemberg's purchase of the city in 1302, when their arms replaced those of the Dukes of Teck. The tower first appeared around 1547 as a reference to local viticulture. The current coat of arms was devised in 1938 from a 1593 town seal. Marbach has had a municipal flag since 1871.

Notable people

 * Tobias Mayer (1723–1762), an astronomer famous for his studies of the Moon.
 * Elisabetha Dorothea Schiller (1732–1802), an innkeeper's daughter, mother of Friedrich Schiller.
 * Christophine Reinwald (1757–1847), an artist, the eldest sister of Friedrich Schiller.
 * Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805) a playwright, poet, and philosopher.
 * Kurt Pinthus (1886–1975), an author, journalist, critic and commentator; lived in Marburg at the end of his life
 * Fritz Aldinger (born 1941), a materials scientist.
 * Cornelia Kallisch (born 1956), an operatic mezzo-soprano

Sport

 * Rolf Geiger (born 1934), a former footballer with 245 club caps and 8 for Germany
 * Sascha Maier (born 1974), a former footballer with 371 club caps
 * Jörg Bergen (born 1966) a football manager and former player with 330 club caps.

title: Marbach am Neckar


text:
Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar

Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar (MPINB; Max-Planck-Institut für Neurobiologie des Verhaltens – caesar) in Bonn is a non-university research institute of the Max Planck Society. It was founded on 1 January 2022. The institute had been associated with the Max Planck Society since 2006, known as the Center of Advanced European Studies and Research (caesar) and has had its focus on neurosciences since this time.

The MPINB focuses on basic research in neuroethology. The international team of researchers studies the link between brain activity and animal behavior. In cooperation with the local university and research organizations, the MPINB trains the next generation of neuroethologists.

Research
The team of researchers at the MPINB is interdisciplinary and brings together unique expertise: biologists, physicists, computer scientists, veterinarians and psychologists work together to unravel the causal link between neural activity and complex natural behaviors. This effort combines expertise in behavioral quantification and analysis, cellular resolution functional imaging in freely behaving animals and Electron Microscopy (EM) -level connectomic analysis of neuronal circuits. The research questions drive the development of new technology, both in experimental instrumentation as well as in computational modeling and data analysis methods. In addition to the technological breadth of the research groups and departments at MPINB, the neuroethological questions are comparative in nature and incorporate a diverse set of species allowing to study a wide repertoire of behaviors across the animal kingdom.

Departments and Research Groups
The MPINB is home to two departments and seven independent research groups (as of March 2024).

Departments

 * Computational Neuroethology (Director: Kevin Briggman). The aim of the Department of Computational Neuroethology (CNE), headed by Dr. Kevin Briggman, is to develop computational models which can predict goal-directed animal behaviors.
 * Behavior and Brain Organization (Director: Jason Kerr). The primary aim of the Department of Behavior and Brain Organization, headed by Prof. Jason Kerr, is to understand how mammals use vision to make decisions and what the underlying neural processes are.

Research Groups

 * Cellular Computation and Learning (Aneta Koseska). The lab focuses on identifying basic dynamical principles of biochemical computations and single-cell learning.
 * Neurobiology of Magnetoreception (Pascal Malkemper). The lab studies the neurobiological basis of magnetic orientation in mammals
 * In Silico Brain Sciences (Marcel Oberlaender). The lab reconstructs neural networks and elucidate mechanistic principles of how the brain integrates sensory information)
 * Neurobiology of Flight control (Bettina Schnell). The lab studies how the brain of Drosophila melanogaster controls flight.
 * Neural Information Flow (Monika Scholz). The lab uses the foraging behavior of the roundworm C. elegans to research general principles of signal compression, attention and context-dependency in neural systems.
 * Neural Circuits (Johannes Seelig): The lab focuses on adaptive neural circuits underlying sensorimotor integration.
 * Genetics of Behavior (James Lightfoot). The lab investigates the fundamental principles and molecular mechanisms behind kin-recognition and its associated social behaviors.

More and up-to-date information on the departments and independent research groups can be found on the institute’s website.

History - The Center of Advanced European Studies and Research
The Center of Advanced European Study and Research (caesar) was founded in 1995 as part of the compensatory actions under the Berlin/Bonn law, which were intended to support structural change in the region of the former capital. In 2022, the institute became a full member of the Max Planck Society and is now called Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar.

Until 2021, the independent foundation operated under private law with foundation capital from the governments of Germany and the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Caesar was closely associated with the Max Planck Society (MPG). The President of the Max Planck Society chaired the board of trustees. The caesar-directors have been scientific members of the Max Planck Society. The appointment of the directors, the evaluations and the safeguarding of scientific excellence were realized according to the criteria of the Max Planck Society.

The foundation operated a research center, which did research in the field of neurosciences with modern photonic, molecular biological and chemical methods as well as methods of microtechnology. Here, particularly optical methods have been utilized for brain research and brain control. Over the years, the focus was more and more on neuroethology and on the question how brains control behavior.

Within the main building there used to be the Life Science Inkubator (LSI). The LSI was a public–private partnership (PPP), one partner being caesar. Other partners were e.g. Fraunhofer Society and Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres.


text:
Euclea

Euclea, from the Greek eukleia meaning "glory and fame", denotes a group of flowering plants in the Ebenaceae or ebony family. They were described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1774. The genus includes evergreen trees and shrubs, native to Africa, the Comoro Islands and Arabia. Several species are used for timber, producing a hard, dark heartwood timber similar to ebony.

Species
There are some 16 to 18 species, including:

 * Euclea acutifolia E.Mey. ex A.DC. – Cape Province
 * Euclea angolensis Gürke – Angola
 * Euclea asperrima E.Holzh. – Namibia
 * Euclea balfourii Hiern ex Balf.f.
 * Euclea coriacea A.DC. – Lesotho, South Africa
 * Euclea crispa (Thunb.) Gürke – southern Africa
 * Euclea dewinteri Retief – Limpopo
 * Euclea divinorum Hiern – from Ethiopia to KwaZulu-Natal
 * Euclea lancea Thunb. – Cape Province
 * Euclea laurina Hiern ex Balf.f.
 * Euclea natalensis A.DC. – from Somalia to KwaZulu-Natal
 * Euclea neghellensis Cufod. – Ethiopia
 * Euclea polyandra (L.f.) E.Mey. ex Hiern – Cape Province
 * Euclea pseudebenus E.Mey. ex A.DC. – Angola, Namibia, Cape Province
 * Euclea racemosa L. – from Egypt to Cape Province; Comoros, Oman, Yemen
 * Euclea sekhukhuniensis Retief, S.J.Siebert & A.E.van Wyk – Mpumalanga
 * Euclea tomentosa E.Mey. ex A.DC. – Cape Province
 * Euclea undulata Thunb. – from Zimbabwe to KwaZulu-Natal

title: Euclea


text:
The Fleetwoods

The Fleetwoods were an American vocal group from Olympia, Washington, whose members were Gary Troxel (born November 28, 1939), Gretchen Christopher (born February 29, 1940), and Barbara Ellis (born February 20, 1940).

Early history
The band members met as high school students in Olympia, Washington. Originally the band consisted of only Gretchen Christopher and Barbara Ellis, but Gary Troxel was asked to accompany them with jazz trumpet, later switching to vocals. They then started performing in 1958 as "Two Girls and a Guy" but later changed the name to the Fleetwoods after the Fleetwood telephone exchange.

In 1959, they were noticed by producer and Dolton Records founder Bob Reisdorff, and together they recorded their self-written first hit, "Come Softly to Me," which shot to #1 in Billboard and was also covered by others. The UK's Frankie Vaughan and the Kaye Sisters had a top 10 chart hit in the United Kingdom with the song, though the Fleetwoods exceeded them, simultaneously charting in the UK's top 5. Their second hit, "Graduation's Here," was co-written by Ellis and Christopher, with Troxel later adding a scat line in counterpoint. That one was followed by "Mr. Blue," which, like "Come Softly To Me", also topped the US pop chart.

The Fleetwoods continued recording into the 1960s. They hit the Top 10 again with a cover of Thomas Wayne's "Tragedy" in 1961. Though they went on to have a total of eleven hits on the Hot 100, the beginning of the end for the group came when Troxel had to fulfill his obligation to go onto active duty in the United States Navy, as he had joined the Naval Reserve in 1956. Additionally, the British Invasion of the mid 1960s changed the public's taste. The trio's hits ended in 1963 with Barbara Ellis singing lead on "Goodnight My Love". Vic Dana, who was to go on to a successful solo career, replaced Troxel in the group when he was in the service, solely for live performances.

Later years
In the late 1970s, Troxel was working in a plywood plant in Washington, Ellis was managing a trailer park in California and Christopher was a housewife and modern jazz dance teacher in Washington at St. Martin's College and at Evergreen State College. Ellis is now retired from performing. In 1983, Troxel gave his written resignation from The Fleetwoods, leaving Christopher as manager with the sole authority to contract for both the original and replacement Fleetwoods. Troxel formed a new Fleetwoods group in the 1980s. His group has been performing regularly since the mid 1980s doing several "oldies" concerts each year with two performances on the PBS Doo Wop series.

While Christopher trained replacement Fleetwoods, she also resumed her solo music career, billing herself as "Gretchen Christopher of the Fleetwoods." Both Troxel and Christopher each continue to perform and occasionally release new recordings. A new Fleetwoods version of "Graduation's Here" appeared on Christopher's autobiographical solo album, Gretchen's Sweet Sixteen (Suite 16), which is one of the 2007 Billboard critics' picks for 10 Best Albums of the Year. It included both the hit arrangement of "Come Softly To Me" and an a cappella version, with Christopher singing all the parts.

Since their 1988 induction into the Northwest Area Music Association Hall of Fame and their 2005 induction into the Olympia High School Alumni Association Hall of Fame, The Fleetwoods have been inducted into both the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and the Doo-Wop Hall of Fame of America in 2006.

The November 2007 release of Gretchen's Sweet Sixteen (Suite 16) was launched in Las Vegas with the second Annual Cool Bobby B Doo Wop Convention and Grand Finale Concert, headlined by 'The Fleetwoods starring Gretchen Christopher.' A year later, though, all three originals were inducted and invited to the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. Christopher was the only original member of the Fleetwoods who accepted, attended and performed, dedicating songs to each of her absent partners. Troxel had every intention of attending but decided it was more important to be with his wife, because of her breast cancer treatment.

In 2000, Troxel and his wife Jenifer lost Troxel v. Granville, a landmark grandparents' rights case before the Supreme Court of the United States. The court held that under the United States Constitution, non-parents seeking custody or visitation rights of a child against the wishes of the child's parents must prove that the parents are not acting in the best interest of the child in refusing custody or visitation.

In 2008 and 2009, Christopher testified before the Washington State Senate in support of the Truth in Music Advertising Bill, which, in 2009, passed both the Washington State House and Senate unanimously and was signed into law by Governor Chris Gregoire. The law provides that a performing group shall not be advertised by the name of a recording group, unless the performing group includes from the hit-making recording group at least one original member who is authorized to use the name. The authorization resides solely with Christopher, according to the performance contract and resignation signed by Troxel.

To date, The Fleetwoods are the earliest vocal group to have a #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 with all members still living.

Original albums

 * Mr. Blue (1959)
 * The Fleetwoods (1960)
 * Softly (1961)
 * Deep in a Dream (1961)
 * The Best Goodies of the Oldies (1961)
 * For Lovers by Night (1963)
 * Goodnight My Love (1963)
 * Before and After (1964)
 * Folk Rock (1965)

Compilations

 * The Fleetwoods' Greatest Hits (1962)
 * In a Mellow Mood (1966)
 * The Very Best of the Fleetwoods (1974)
 * Buried Treasure (1983)
 * Come Softly to Me: The Very Best of the Fleetwoods (1993)

title: The Fleetwoods


text:
The Queen of Spades (opera)

The Queen of Spades or Pique Dame, Op. 68 (Пиковая дама, Pikovaya dama, La Dame de Pique) is an opera in three acts (seven scenes) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to a Russian libretto by the composer's brother Modest Tchaikovsky, based on the 1834 novella of the same name by Alexander Pushkin, but with a dramatically altered plot. The premiere took place in 1890 at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Composition history
The Imperial Theatre offered Tchaikovsky a commission to write an opera based on the plot sketch by Ivan Vsevolozhsky in 1887/88. After first turning it down, Tchaikovsky accepted it in 1889. Toward the end of that year, he met with the theatre's managers to discuss the material and sketch out some of the scenes.

He completed the full score in Florence in only 44 days. Later, working with the tenor who was to perform the lead character, he created two versions of Herman's aria in the seventh scene, using different keys. The changes can be found in the proof sheets and inserts for the first and second editions of the printed version of the score. While composing the music, Tchaikovsky edited the libretto significantly, changing some of the text and adding his own lyrics to two arias.

Performance history
Herman, the lead character, sings in all seven scenes. This requires great skill and endurance by the performer. The part was written with the notable Russian tenor Nikolay Figner in mind, and he performed it at the premiere. His wife Medea Mei-Figner played the role of Liza.

The composer himself took part in the preparation of the Saint Petersburg premiere. Critics gave rave reviews. Tchaikovsky later wrote, "Figner and the Saint Petersburg orchestra... have made true miracles." The premiere's success was tremendous. The opera was just as successful at the Kyiv premiere twelve days later. The Bolshoi Theatre premiere took place the following year. Tchaikovsky was extremely pleased with his effort.

Saint Petersburg and world premiere

 * Date: 19 December, (O.S. 7 December), 1890
 * Place: Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg
 * Conductor: Eduard Nápravník
 * Scene Designers: Vasilyev, Yanov, Levot, Ivanov, Andreyev
 * Balletmaster: Marius Petipa

Kyiv premiere

 * Date: 31 December (O.S. 19 December), 1890
 * Place:
 * Conductor: Iosif Pribik

Moscow premiere

 * Date: 4 November 1891
 * Place: Bolshoi Theatre
 * Conductor: Ippolit Al'tani
 * Scene Designers: Karl Valts (Waltz), Lebedev
 * Balletmasters: Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov

Other notable performances

 * 11 or 12 October 1892, Prague, first performance outside Russia; conducted by Adolf Čech in the presence of the composer (sung in Czech, trans. V. J. Novotný)
 * 1902, first performance in Vienna, Vienna State Opera, conducted by Gustav Mahler
 * 1904, Moscow, Bolshoi Theatre, conducted by Sergei Rachmaninoff
 * 5 March 1910, Metropolitan Opera, New York City, first performance in the USA (in German), conducted by Gustav Mahler
 * 29 May 1915, London, first performance in England (in Russian); starring Vladimir Rosing.
 * 27 December 1972, Metropolitan Opera, New York City, first performance in its original Russian language (This was the first performance by the Metropolitan Opera of a Russian opera in its original language.)

Roles
Note: The contralto roles of Milovzor and Polina and the baritone roles of Zlatogor and Tomsky can be performed by the same singers. Prilepa has occasionally been double cast with Liza, although Tchaikovsky did not approve of this doubling, unlike the others.

Synopsis
Time: The close of the 18th century

Place: Saint Petersburg, Russia

Act 1
Scene 1

During the reign of Catherine the Great (1762–96), children are at play in Saint Petersburg's Summer Garden pretending to be soldiers. Two officers—Tsurin and Chekalinsky—enter, the former complaining about his bad luck at gambling. They remark that another officer, Herman, seems obsessed with the gaming table but never bets, being frugal and methodical. Herman appears with Tomsky, who remarks that his friend hardly seems like his old self: is anything bothering him? Herman admits he is in love with a girl above his station whose name he does not even know. When Prince Yeletsky, an officer, strolls into the park, Chekalinsky congratulates him on his recent engagement. Yeletsky declares his happiness while Herman, aside, curses him enviously. Yeletsky points out his fiancée, Liza, who has just appeared with her grandmother, the old Countess. Catching sight of Herman, the two women note they have seen him before, staring at them with frightening intensity. Herman realizes that Liza is his unknown beloved. When Yeletsky and the women leave, Herman is lost in thought as the other officers discuss the Countess: known as the Queen of Spades and formerly as the Muscovite Venus, due to her beauty, she succeeded at gambling in her youth by trading amorous favors for the winning formula of Count St. Germain in Paris. Tomsky says only two men, her husband and, later on, her young lover, ever learned the secret of playing three special cards, because she was warned by an apparition to beware a "third suitor" who would kill her trying to force it from her. Musing on the winning sequence of three cards, the others lightly suggest that this might be the way for Herman to win without risking any money. Threatened by approaching thunder, all leave except Herman, who vows to learn the Countess's secret.

Scene 2

At home, Liza plays the spinet as she and her friend Polina sing a duet about evening in the countryside. Their friends ask to hear more, so Polina launches into a sad ballad, followed by a dancelike song. As the merriment increases, Liza remains pensively apart. A Governess chides the girls for indulging in unbecoming folk dancing and asks the visitors to leave. Polina, the last to go, urges Liza to cheer up; Liza replies that after a storm there is a beautiful night and asks the maid, Masha, not to close the French windows to the balcony. Alone, Liza voices her unhappiness with her engagement; she has been stirred by the romantic look of the young man in the park. To her shock, Herman appears on the balcony. Claiming he is about to shoot himself over her betrothal to another, he begs her to take pity on him. When the Countess is heard knocking, Liza hides Herman and opens the door to the old woman, who tells her to shut the windows and go to bed. After the Countess retires, Liza asks Herman to leave but is betrayed by her feelings and falls into his embrace.

Act 2
Scene 1

Not long afterward, at a masked ball, Herman's comrades comment on his obsession with the secret of the winning cards. Yeletsky passes with Liza, noting her sadness and reassuring her of his love ("Ya vas lyublyu" "I love you"). Herman receives a note from Liza, asking him to meet her later. Tsurin and Chekalinsky sneak up behind him with the intent of playing a joke on him, muttering he is the "third suitor" who will learn the Countess's secret, then melt into the crowd as Herman wonders whether he is hearing things. The master of ceremonies announces a tableau of shepherdesses. Liza slips Herman the key to her grandmother's room, saying the old woman will not be there the next day, but Herman insists on coming that very night. Thinking fate is handing him the Countess's secret, he leaves. The guests' attention turns to the imminent arrival of Catherine the Great, for which a polonaise by Osip Kozlovsky is played and sung in greeting.

Scene 2

Herman slips into the Countess's room and looks in fascination at her portrait as the "Muscovite Venus"; musing how their fates, he feels, are linked: one of them will die because of the other. He lingers too long before he can go to Liza's room and hears the Countess's retinue coming, so he conceals himself as the old lady approaches. The Countess deplores the manners of the day and reminisces about the better times of her youth, when she sang in Versailles "Je crains de lui parler la nuit ("I fear to talk with him at night", in French; Laurette's Aria from André Grétry's opera Richard Cœur-de-Lion) before the Pompadour herself. As she dozes off, Herman stands before her. She awakens in horror as he pleads with her to tell him her secret. When she remains speechless, he grows desperate and threatens her with a pistol—at which she dies of fright. Liza rushes in, only to learn that the lover to whom she gave her heart was more interested in the Countess's secret. She orders him out and falls sobbing.

Act 3

Scene 1

In his room at the barracks, as the winter wind howls, Herman reads a letter from Liza, who wants him to meet her at midnight by the river bank. He imagines he hears the chorus chanting at the old Countess's funeral, then is startled by a knock at the window. The old woman's ghost appears, announcing that against her will she must tell him the secret so that he can marry and save Liza. Dazed, Herman repeats the three cards she tells him—three, seven, ace.

Scene 2

By the Winter Canal, Liza waits for Herman: it is already near midnight, and though she clings to a forlorn hope that he still loves her, she sees her youth and happiness swallowed in darkness. At last he appears, but after uttering words of reassurance, he starts to babble wildly about the Countess and her secret. No longer even recognizing Liza, he rushes away. Realizing that all is lost, she commits suicide.

Scene 3

At a gambling house, Herman's fellow officers are finishing supper and getting ready to play faro. Yeletsky, who has not gambled before, joins the group because his engagement has been broken: "unlucky in love, lucky at cards". Tomsky entertains the others with a song. Then Chekalinsky leads a traditional gamblers' song. Settling down to play, they are surprised when Herman arrives, wild and distracted. Yeletsky senses a confrontation and asks Tomsky to be his second if a duel should result. Herman, intent only on betting, starts with a huge bet of 40,000 rubles. He bets the three and wins, upsetting the others with his maniacal expression. Next he bets the seven and wins again. At this he takes a wine glass and declares that life is but a game. Yeletsky accepts his challenge to bet on the next round. Herman bets everything he has on the ace but when he shows his card he is told he is holding the queen of spades. Seeing the Countess's ghost laughing at her vengeance, Herman takes his own life and asks Yeletsky's and Liza's forgiveness. The others pray for his tormented soul.

Principal arias and numbers

 * Act 1
 * Aria: "I don't even know her name" «Я имени еë не знаю» (Ya imyeni yeyo nye znayu) (Herman)
 * Aria: "Once in Versailles (Three Cards)" «Однажды в Версале (Три Карты)» (Odnazhdï v Versalye (Tri kartï)) (Tomsky)
 * Romance: "Lovely lady friends" «Подруги милые» (Podrugi milïe) (Polina)
 * Arioso: "Why these tears" «Откуда эти слëзы» (Otkuda eti slyozï) (Liza)
 * Aria: "Forgive me, celestial creature" «Прости, небесное созданье» (Prosti, nyebesnoye sozdanye) (Herman)

 * Act 2
 * Aria: "I love you beyond measure" «Я вас люблю» (Ya vas lyublyu) (Yeletsky)
 * Aria: "Je crains de lui parler la nuit" ("I fear to talk with him at night", in French) (Countess)

 * Act 3
 * Arioso: "I am worn out by grief" «Ax! истoмилacь я гopeм» (Akh! istomilas ya goryem) (Liza)
 * Song: "If pretty girls could fly like birds" «Если б милые девицы» (Yesli b milïye dyevitsï) (Tomsky)
 * Aria: "What is our life? A game!" «Что наша жизнь? Игра!» (Shto nasha zhizn? Igra!) (Herman)

Instrumentation
Source: Tchaikovsky Research
 * Strings: violins I & II, violas, cellos, double basses
 * Woodwinds: three flutes (3rd doubling piccolo), two oboes (first doubling cor anglais), two clarinets (B-flat, A), bass clarinet (B-flat), two bassoons
 * Brass: four horns (F), two trumpets (B-flat, A), three trombones, tuba
 * Percussion: timpani, snare drum, bass drum
 * Other: harp, piano

In popular culture
"Life is but a game" («Что наша жизнь? Игра!» (''Shto nasha zhizn? Igra!''), literally, "What is our life? A game!") a quote from act 3 of the opera, became a proverb in Russian. What? Where? When?, a trivia game and one of the most popular TV-shows in Russia and former Soviet countries, starts with a musical quotation from the opera, Herman singing the phrase "Life is but a game."

Recordings

 * 1937: Samuil Samosud (conductor), Bolshoi Theatre Chorus & Orchestra; Nikandr Khanayev (Herman), Ksenia Derzhinskaya (Liza), Faina Petrova (Countess), Alexander Baturin (Count Tomsky), Piotr Selivanov (Prince Yeletsky), Nadezhda Obukhova (Polina). Melodiya
 * 1942: Samuil Samosud (conductor), Bolshoi Theatre Chorus & Orchestra; Nikandr Khanayev (Herman), Ksenia Derzhinskaya (Liza), Bronislava Zlatagorova (Countess), Alexander Baturin (Count Tomsky), Panteleimon Nortsov (Prince Yeletsky), Maria Maksakova (Polina). Aquarius
 * 1947: Arthur Rother (conductor), Radio-Orchester Berlin; Rudolf Schock (Herman), Elisabeth Grümmer (Liza), Margarete Klose (Countess), Jaro Prohaska (Count Tomsky), Hans Hermann Nissen (Prince Yeletsky), Anneliese Müller (Polina). Gala (Abridged in German)
 * 1950: Alexander Melik-Pashayev (conductor), Bolshoi Theatre Chorus & Orchestra; Georgi Nelepp (Herman), Evgeniya Smolenskaya (Liza), Evgeniya Verbitskaya (Countess), Alexei Ivanov (Count Tomsky), Pavel Lisitsian (Prince Yeletsky), Veronika Borisenko (Polina). Great Hall
 * 1952: Artur Rodzinsky (conductor), Chorus and Orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino; David Poleri (Herman), Sena Jurinac (Liza), Gianna Pederzini (Countess), Mario Petri (Count Tomsky), Ettore Bastianini (Prince Yeletsky), Rina Corsi (Polina). Andromeda (Live in Italian)
 * 1955: Krešimir Baranović (conductor), Yugoslav Army Chorus, Children's Choir of Radio Belgrade, & Orchestra of the National Opera, Belgrade; Alexander Marinković (Herman), Valerija Heybal (Liza), Melanija Bugarinović (Countess), Jovan Gligorijević (Count Tomsky), Dušan Popović (Prince Yeletsky), Biserka Cvejić (Polina). Deutsche Grammophon
 * 1958: Sergei Yeltsin (conductor), Choir and Orchestra of the State Kirov Opera; Matvei Gavrilkin (Herman), Ludmila Revina (Liza), Sofia Preobrazhenskaya (Countess), Lipa Solomiak (Count Tomsky), Konstantin Laptev (Prince Yeletsky), Valentina Krayushkina (Polina). IM Lab (Live)
 * 1961: Nino Sanzogno (conductor), Teatro alla Scala Chorus and Orchestra; Antonio Annaloro (Herman), Leyla Gencer (Liza), Marianna Radev (Countess), Ivo Vinco (Count Tomsky), Sesto Bruscantini (Prince Yeletsky), Adriana Lazzarini (Polina). Gala (Live in Italian)
 * 1966: Boris Khaikin (conductor), Bolshoi Theatre Chorus & Orchestra; Zurab Andzhaparidze (Herman), Tamara Milashkina (Liza), Valentina Levko (Countess), Mikhail Kiselev (Count Tomsky), Yuri Mazurok (Prince Yeletsky), Irina Arkhipova (Polina). Melodiya
 * 1974: Mark Ermler (conductor), Bolshoi Theatre Chorus & Orchestra; Vladimir Atlantov (Herman), Tamara Milashkina (Liza), Valentina Levko (Countess), Vladimir Valaitis (Count Tomsky), Andrei Fedoseyev (Prince Yeletsky), Galina Borisova (Polina). Melodiya
 * 1976: Mstislav Rostropovich (conductor), Choeur Tchaikovsky, Maîtrise de Radio France, & Orchestre National de France; Peter Gougaloff (Herman), Galina Vishnevskaya (Liza), Regina Resnik (Countess), Dan Iordachescu (Count Tomsky), Bernd Weikl (Prince Yeletsky), Hanna Schwarz (Polina). Deutsche Grammophon
 * 1984: Algis Zhuraitis (conductor), Bavarian State Opera Chorus and Orchestra; Vladimir Atlantov (Herman), Julia Varady (Liza), Elena Obraztsova (Countess), Alexander Voroshilo (Count Tomsky), Bodo Brinkmann (Prince Yeletsky), Ludmila Semtschuk (Polina). Orfeo (Live)
 * 1989: Emil Tchakarov (conductor), Bulgarian National Chorus 'Svetoslav Obretenov' & Sofia Festival Orchestra; Wieslaw Ochman (Herman), Stefka Evstatieva (Liza), Penka Dilova (Countess), Ivan Konsulov (Count Tomsky), Yuri Mazurok (Prince Yeletsky), Stefania Toczyska (Polina). Sony Classical
 * 1990: Vladimir Fedoseyev (conductor), The Yurlov State Academic Russian Choir, The Children's Choir 'Vesna', & Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra; Vitaly Tarashchenko (Herman), Natalya Datsko (Liza), Irina Arkhipova (Countess), Grigory Gritsuk (Count Tomsky), Dmitri Hvorostovsky (Prince Yeletsky), Nina Romanova (Polina). Relief
 * 1992: Seiji Ozawa (conductor), Tanglewood Festival Chorus & Boston Symphony Orchestra; Vladimir Atlantov (Herman), Mirella Freni (Liza), Maureen Forrester (Countess), Sergei Leiferkus (Count Tomsky), Dmitri Hvorostovsky (Yeletsky), Katherine Ciesinski (Polina). RCA Victor Red Seal
 * 1993: Valery Gergiev (conductor), Kirov Theater Chorus & Orchestra; Gegam Grigorian (Herman), Maria Guleghina (Liza), Irina Arkhipova (Countess), Nikolai Putilin (Count Tomsky), Vladimir Chernov (Prince Yeletsky), Olga Borodina (Polina). Philips Records
 * 2015: Mariss Jansons (conductor), Bavarian Radio Chorus & Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra; Misha Didyk (Herman), Tatiana Serjan (Liza), Larissa Diadkova (Countess), Alexey Shishlyaev (Count Tomsky), Alexey Markov (Prince Yeletsky), Oksana Volkova (Polina). BR-KLASSIK

title: The Queen of Spades (opera)


text:
Marthanda Varma

Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma was the founding monarch of the southern Indian Kingdom of Travancore (previously Venadu) from 1729 until his death in 1758. He was succeeded by Rama Varma ("Dharma Raja") (1758–98). While he was the heir to the throne, he suggested to his uncle the idea of forming an alliance with the Mughal Nawab of Carnatic. Rama Varma pledged allegiance to the Mughal empire and embraced the title of "Zamindar of Malabar". The feudatory status of Travancore persisted even during the era of Hyder Ali.

Marthanda Varma defeated the Dutch East India Company forces at the Battle of Colachel in 1741. He also put an end to the Ettuveetil Pillamars and the Ettara Yogam council and took full power as a king. The Yogakars and Pillamars were always against the Royal Family of Venad (Padmabhaswamy Temple Judgement page :16) He then adopted a European mode of discipline for his army and expanded his kingdom northward (to what became the modern state of Travancore). He built a sizeable standing army of about 50,000 nair men, as part of designing an "elaborate and well-organised" war machine, with the role of the travancore army and fortified the northern boundary of his kingdom (Travancore Lines). His alliance in 1757 with the ruler of Kochi (Cochin), against the northern Kingdom of Calicut, enabled the kingdom of Kochi to survive.

Travancore under Marthanda Varma made a deliberate attempt to consolidate its power by the use of Indian Ocean trade. It was the policy of Marthanda Varma to offer assistance to Syrian Christian traders (as a means of limiting European involvement in ocean trade). The principal merchandise was black pepper, but other goods also came to be defined as royal monopoly items (requiring a license for trade) between the 1740s and the 1780s. Eventually, Travancore challenged and broke the Dutch blockade of the Kerala coast.

Trivandrum became a prominent city in Kerala under Marthanda Varma. He undertook many irrigational works, built roads and canals for communication and gave active encouragement to foreign trade. In January, 1750, Marthanda Varma decided to "donate" his kingdom to the last Tiruvadi Sri Padmanabha (Vishnu) and thereafter rule as the deity's "vice-regent" (Sri Padmanabha Dasa). Marthanda Varma's policies were continued in large measure by his successor, Rama Varma ("Dharma Raja").

Early life
Marthanda Varma was born in 1706 to queen Karthika Thirunal Umadevi, the Queen of Attingal, and Raghava Varma of Kilimanoor Palace. Queen Karthika Thirunal Uma Devi - an adoptee from the northern Kolathunadu ruling family - was the senior queen of Attingal at the time. His father Raghava Varma Koil Thampuran died of severe fever when Marthanda Varma was one year old.

At the time of Varma's birth, Trippappur Swaroopam (Thiruvithamkoor or Travancore) was a small chiefdom extending from Edava in the north to Aralvaimozhi in the south. The fundamental politico-economic structure of medieval Kerala was going through a crisis.

The power of the king of Venad was very weak and he could not sustain his control over his territory. The old political structure of the medieval Kerala was going through a crisis in the beginning of the 18th century.

 * Decentralized state (complex feudal and political relations). Influence of the local land lords (the Ettuveetil Pillamar) and the barons (landlords known as Madampimar). The authority of the throne was also curbed by the Council of Eight and a Half (the Yogakkar), the managing committee of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple. There was no standing army.
 * European monopoly in Indian Ocean spice trade. The constant Dutch blockade of the Malabar Coast. Trade with the Europeans was an important source for augmenting the financial reserves of the Kerala kingdoms.
 * Quarrels and open warfare among the various royal lineages (increased the dependence of the royals on their warriors and collectors of dues). Trade rivalries between the Dutch and English companies had a role in intensifying the conflict among the branches.

An English East India Company factory was established at Vizhinjam in 1644. The Ajengo Fort was established in 1695. The ruler Rama Varma (1721/22 - 1729 ) entered into treaties with the English East India Company (1723) and the Madurai Nayaks with the aim of strengthening his position (in the fight against the nobles and other hostile elements in Tranvancore). The role played by Marthanda Varma in these moves are highlighted by P. Shungoonny Menon, the 19th-century Travancore court historian. The Dutch Company positioned themselves against the emerging Travancore by helping Quilon and Kayamkulam. The English Company became an ally of Travancore against the Dutch.

Becoming the Mughal Zamindars of Malabar
Marthanda Varma's actions precipitated a significant turning point in Travancore's history. In 1726, while his uncle, Rama Varma, ruled Venadu, he recognized that the military allegiance lay primarily with local feudal lords rather than the sovereign. Acknowledging this issue, Marthanda Varma, then the heir apparent, advised his uncle to make a pivotal decision: to pledge allegiance to the new Mughal Governor of the Carnatic and seek assistance in subduing rebellious feudatories. Consequently, Rama Varma journeyed to Trichinopoly, where he swore fealty to the Mughal empire. As part of the agreement, Rama Varma agreed to pay a tribute of three thousand rupees to the Mughal Nawab of Carnatic, who offered him protection. A treaty was formalized, designating Rama Varma as the Mughal Zamindar of Malabar. With Mughal support, Rama Varma anticipated using the dispatched army to quell his adversaries. Their allegiance was even present during the times of Haidar Ali.

Rule of Marthanda Varma
Marthanda Varma ascended the throne when the crisis in Travancore had already deepened. King Rama Varma was forced to invite troops from Tamil Nadu to collect dues and impose order. Even the Padmanabha Swamy Temple affairs were heading towards a crisis due to lack of funds. The Thampi brothers, sons of Rama Varma, immediately revolted against Marthanda Varma (who was the legitimate successor on the basis of the Nair matrilineal system) with the assistance of a Tamil army.

Marthanda Varma's reign was one of constant warfare, against opponents both inside and outside his territory. After reducing the power of the Ettuveetil Pillamar, the Nair aristocracy, and their associates, the Yogakkars, Marthanda Varma turned his attention to central Kerala. He realised that Dutch power in Kerala stemmed from their flourishing spice trade at the port of Kochi. He set out to conquer the major spice-producing areas supplying cargo to Kochi. After declaring a state monopoly on pepper in Travancore in 1743, between then and 1752, the king annexed Quilon, Kayamkulam, Thekkumkur, Vadakkumkur and Purakkad to Travancore (thereby delivering a serious blow to the commerce of the Dutch).

 * In 1731, the port of Kollam (Quilon) - which was ruled by a branch of the Venadu family to which Marthanda Varma also belonged - was defeated and its last chief was made to sign a treaty allowing the annexation of his chiefdom by Travancore after his death. The chief was brought to Trivandrum and lodged almost as a state prisoner in the Valikoikkal Palace. A contingent of the Travancore army under Dalavay Arumukham Pillai was stationed at Kollam.
 * The neighbouring chiefdom of Kayamkulam - sensing an imminent invasion by Travancore - soon allied itself with Kochi, Purakkad and Vadakkumkur. The Kayamkulam chief was also successful in rescuing the Kollam chief from his Trivandrum prison. The allies built new fortifications and strengthened their defences against the threat of Travancore. The Dutch East India Company also professed to support the war effort.
 * The subsequent invasion of Marta by the Kayamkulam chief signalled the outbreak of the war. The Travancore army seized Nedumangadu and Kottarakkara and prevented the joined forces of Elayadathu and Kayamkulam. Travancore Dalavay Ramayyan then lead an expeditionary force to capture the city of Kollam. But, he was forced to withdraw without accomplishing his mission.
 * Having equipped their forces with the help of the French and the English Companies, Travancore renewed a military operation against the chief of Kollam. In the campaigns that ensued, the ruler of Kayamkulam was killed (1734). But the defence of Kollam continued under the leadership of the brother of the deceased chief and Travancore forces were forced to fall back once again.
 * Travancore's next campaign was against Elayadathu Swaroopam (Kottarakara). When the chief of Kottarakara who was kept in solitary confinement in Trivandrum died in 1739, Marthanda Varma refused to recognise the claim of the senior female member to succession. The princess fled to Thekkumkur where the chief gave granted her asylum. At this juncture, the Dutch Governor of Ceylon Gustaaf Willem van Imhoff sensed an opportunity to involve further in the politics of Kerala.
 * In 1739, van Imhoff arrived in Kochi, took up the cause of the female ruler of Kottarakara and protested against the annexation of that chiefdom by Marthanda Varma in a meeting between the two. In 1741, the Dutch reinstated the female ruler of Kottarakara against the wishes of Marthanda Varma, who attacked the chiefdom and defeated the combined Kottarakkara - Dutch forces before finally fully annexing the chiefdom to Travancore while the female ruler fled to Kochi.

Chanda Sahib invasion of Travancore
In 1740, Carnatic Sultanate forces under Chanda Sahib invaded Travancore territories such as Nagercoil, Suchindram and Kottar. The Travancore forces under Ramayyan Dalawa couldn't resist the invasion. Marathanda varma paid tributaries to Nawab Dost Ali Khan the Nawab of Arcot and he gave the captured territory back to Travancore.

Battle of Colachel (1741)

Travancore then launched a series of raids on the Dutch forts in the area and captured them all. In retaliation, a Dutch artillery force landed at Colachel from Ceylon and conquered up to Kottar. The Dutch forces then advanced against Kalkulam, Travancore's capital. Marthanda Varma, who was then in the north of his state promptly marched his forces to the south and arrived at Kalkulam just in time to prevent its fall to the Dutch.

In the following battle at Colachel (10 August 1741), the Travancore forces won a resounding victory over the Dutch. More than twenty Dutch were taken as prisoners of war from Colachel. Among them was Eustachius de Lannoy, who attracted the king's special notice. Eustachius de Lannoy, commonly known in Travancore as the 'Valiya Kappittan' (Senior Captain) was entrusted with the organisation and drilling of a special regiment, which he did to the "entire satisfaction of the king". De Lannoy was raised to the rank of general in Travancore army and proved of considerable service to Marthanda Varma in subsequent battles.

Treaty of Mavelikkara (1753)

 * Following the expulsion of the Dutch, Marthanda Varma now turned his attention once again towards Kayamkulam (which continued to seek help from the Dutch Company). In 1742, Travancore forces attacked Kayamkulam possessions at Kollam and fought the Kayamkulam army led by Achuta Warrier and chiefs from Valiya Kakkanadu Madhom. Although Travancore was defeated in this battle, Marthanada Varma reinforced his army with cavalry brought in from Tirunelveli before mounting an attack on Kayamkulam, which led to the final defeat of the chiefdom. A treaty known as the Treaty of Mannar (1742) was signed, under which Kayamkulam became a tributary state of Travancore.
 * However, by 1746, the Kayamkulam chief once again showed signs of rebellion and when his "conspiracies" with the northern chiefdoms such as Kottayam, Changanassery, Kochi and Ambalapuzha came to the attention of Marthanda Varma, Kayamkulam was annexed by a final battle in which the chief fled to Kochi and a branch of the family settled near Charamood known as "Moothantedom". Travancore now extended from Kanyakumari to Kayamkulam in the north.
 * Following this, Ambalapuzha, Kottayam and Changanassery were also annexed to Travancore by 1753. The principality of Meenachil was also annexed.
 * In 1753, the tributary states of Kochi collectively known as Karappuram and Alangad were ceded to Travancore. In 1755, the ruler of Kozhikode was also defeated at a battle in Purakkad. He was supported by the armies of some other local chiefs.

The ascent of Travancore seems to have been particularly rapid after about 1749. Marthanda Varma had declared a state monopoly on pepper in Travancore in 1743, thereby delivering a serious blow to the commerce of the Dutch. A treaty (the Treaty of Mavelikkara ) was concluded between Marthanda Varma and the Dutch East India Company. It was signed at Mavelikkara on 15August 1753. Thereafter, the Dutch Company officials report that "considerable spice producing lands came under direct royal control, while those merchants participating in illegal trade in spices stood in danger of being executed".

Administration

 * Use of maritime outlets: Marthanda Varma made a determined bid to consolidate his authority by the use of Indian Ocean spice trade. The control of ocean trade was crucial for the statecraft of 18th century India. Travancore challenged and eventually broke the Dutch blockade of the southern Malabar Coast.
 * Royal monopoly (the Kuttakam): a number of traded goods such as black pepper were defined as royal monopoly items. These items required a state licence for trade in Travancore.
 * Dismantling of the old aristocracy - complete restructuring of the medieval political framework: Marthanda Varma reduced the power of the Nair aristocracy (especially the Ettuveettil Pillamar, and their associates, the Yogakkar of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple ) in Travancore. Kings of Kerala had earlier been dependent militarily on these powerful community of nobles.
 * Patronage to Syrian Christians: To limit the European involvement in trade, Marthanda Varma extended his patronage to the ancient mercantile community in Kerala. The Syrian Christians soon enhanced their position as landholders and those who controlled the new monopoly.
 * Extensive bureaucratisation : a Dalava was appointed to head the military, fiscal and commercial administration. Below the Dalava was established an extensive hierarchy, from the Valia Sarvadhi Kariakkars to the Kariakkars, Manikars and Adhikaris. Upper positions of this new system was dominated by Brahmins effectively reduce the Nairs influences in the administration.  The old Pandara Kariakkar and Swarupi Janam were replaced by a new administrative system. Divisions known as Adhikaram and Mandapattu Vatukkal were introduced.
 * Dalavas under Marthanda Varma
 * Arumukham Pillai 1729–1736
 * Thanu Pillai 1736–1737
 * Ramayyan Dalavay 1737–1756
 * Marthanda Pillai 1756–1758
 * Military machine: a substantial standing army, roughly estimated at 50,000, was created. The soldiers were mainly ordinary Nairs who received tax concessions (the Irayili) for the period under service and a pension (the Irayili Aduthoon) on retirement. Marava Cavalry and Pathan Cavalry was also used by Marthanda Varma. Assistance from some defected Dutch officers were also received (after the victory at Colachel). With the beginning of the conflict against Quilon and Kayamkulam (who were being supplied arms by the Dutch), supply of English arms and ammunition also began to increase. Artillery batteries were positioned facing the Arabian Sea from Purakkad to Cape Comorin. Construction of intricate fortifications in Travancore, including the Travancore Lines.
 * Expansion of agricultural production: development of water harvesting and irrigation projects, and the so-called "Kulikkanam" tenure. The Kulikkanam was applicable to "newly planted trees and freshly sown lands", where a tax reductions (the Naduvukkur and Vettalivu) were granted. The tenure was found along with the Otti tenure, similar to the Kanam tenure (found elsewhere in Kerala). A number of commercial crops were cultivated in lands under this tenure. The Kulikkanam cultivators usually went to the market to sell their goods for cash (and hence the Kulikkanam dues were collected as cash).
 * The basis for the changes in the political and economic relations was provided by the transformation of the old agrarian relations. Extensive land survey and settlement.

Culture and religion
Marthanda Varma was born a samanthan Nair. Wanting the status of a (Kshatriya), he performed a set of elaborate and expensive Mahadana rituals as which included the Hiranyagarbha. Marthanda Varma started normalising the relationship between the royal family (the ruler) and the Padmanabhaswamy Temple (the administrative body of the temple) as soon as he came to the throne. He undertook the Prayaschittam retribution that was long overdue from the earlier Venadu kings. He reorganized the collection of dues from the temple lands. After the land survey of 1739–40, the allotment of expenses for the temple was fixed.

Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram was re-created as the gigantic structure of today and new state ceremonies such as Murajapam, Bhadra Deepam, and others were introduced by Marthanda Varma. The main Vishnu idol of the shrine, which was mostly destroyed in a fire during his predecessor Rama Varma's time, was also re-constructed. He also created Ottakkal Mandapam as well as the Sheevelippura. Out of the seven floors of the temple gopura, five were finished during his reign.

Thiruvananthapuram became a prominent city in Kerala under Marthanda Varma. As a result of the annexation of neighbouring chiefdoms, the artists and scholars from these places migrated to Trivandrum, turning it into a cultural centre. Marthanda Varma gave patronage to different temple art forms including Koothu, Padhakam, Kathakali, Thullal, and Koodiyattam. Noted artists such as Ramapurathu Warrier and Kunchan Nambiar amongst others served as his court poets.

Thrippadidanam
In 1749–50, Marthanda Varma decided to "donate" his realm to Sri Padmanabha (Vishnu) and thereafter rule as the deity's "vice-regent" (Sri Padmanabha Dasa).

Purpose of Thrippadidanam

 * Separation of the newly formed "unitary kingship" (and political power) from the disputes and frictions in the civil society.
 * Formalisation of the new power structure in Travancore.
 * To integrate the existing social divisions in Kerala under the emerging power structure.

Death
Ramayyan Dalava, prime minister and a close friend of Marthanda Varma, died in 1756. Ramayyan's death caused terrible grief to Marthada Varma, and he died two years later in 1758. He was succeeded by his nephew Rama Varma ("Dharma Raja"). Marthanda Varma's policies were continued in large measure by Dharma Raja (1758–98). He also went on to successfully defend Travancore against the aggression of the Kingdom of Mysore. Marthanda Varma's legacy involved a major restructuring of the medieval political and economic relations of southern Kerala.

title: Marthanda Varma


text:
VDO (company)

VDO is a German brand of Continental Automotive which makes automotive electronics and mechatronics for powertrains, engine management systems and fuel injection systems. A full range of Tachograph, Data Management, and Telematics products are produced. VDO has also supplied components for pleasure boats, yachts and sailing boats since 1958. In 2018 the marine business was separated into VDO Marine, offering products made by Swiss manufacture Veratron AG.

History
VDO was founded by Adolf Schindling and the result of a merger between DEUTA (Deutsche Tachometer-Werke GmbH, English: German Speedometer Works, Ltd.) and OTA Apparate GmbH (Offenbacher Tachometer-Werke GmbH, English: (City of) Offenbach Speedometer Works, Ltd.) in Frankfurt am Main in 1929. VDO stands for "Vereinigte DEUTA - OTA, English: United DEUTA - OTA."

In 1991, the company was acquired by Mannesmann. In 1999, Mannesmann was acquired by Vodafone and VDO was offered for sale. In 2000, the company was acquired by Siemens and re-branded as Siemens VDO. Siemens sold VDO to Continental in 2007.

title: VDO (company)


text:
Peace Dale, Rhode Island

Peace Dale (also spelled Peacedale) is a village in the town of South Kingstown, Rhode Island. Together with the village of Wakefield, it is treated by the U.S. Census as a component of the census-designated place identified as Wakefield-Peacedale, Rhode Island.

The Peace Dale Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district in 1987. The historic district is roughly bounded by Kersey Rd., Oakwoods Dr., Kingstown Rd., School, Church and Railroad Sts., and contains the historic core of the village.

History
Peace Dale was established as an official town in 1793 by South Kingstown industrialist Rowland Hazard who named the village in honor of his wife, Mary Peace Hazard. Around 1804, Hazard reputedly pioneered the use of carding machines to process wool in Rhode Island. In 1814, Hazard was also one of the first American manufacturers to employ narrow-width power looms, and also was the first woolen manufacturer to combine all his manufacturing processes under one roof, from wool carding through spinning, weaving, and dyeing.

In 1819 Rowland Hazard's sons Isaac P. Hazard and Rowland G. Hazard assumed management responsibility for the Peace Dale Manufacturing Company. A third brother, Joseph P. Hazard, joined them as a partner in 1828, and the business took the name "R.G. Hazard & Co."

Around 1820 the senior Rowland Hazard renamed the nearby industrial village to Wakefield after the town and family of the same name in England, who were friends of his. Prior to this, the village had been called McCoon's Mill for the snuff mill that by the 1820s had been converted to manufacturing woolen textiles.

After an 1845 fire destroyed one of the mill buildings, the brothers built new facilities, including expanded hydropower systems and a fireproof stone factory. In 1848 the partnership incorporated, becoming the Peace Dale Manufacturing Company, with Isaac P. Hazard as president and Rowland G. Hazard as secretary/treasurer. In 1849 the business started a transition into making woolen shawls and other high-quality woolens instead of cheaper fabrics.

Later in the 19th century, the sons of Rowland G. Hazard, John N. and Rowland Hazard II (1829-1898), assumed responsibility for operating the Peace Dale Mills. In 1856 Rowland Hazard II, an amateur architect, designed several new buildings in Peace Dale, including a new stone weaving mill and a stone building located across from the mills that housed offices, a store, the village post office, and a public hall. Over the next several decades he influenced the construction and design of numerous additional buildings, accounting for more than half of the built environment of modern Peace Dale. Rowland Hazard II also was an initial investor in the Solvay Process Company, with works at Solvay, New York, and served as the company's first president.

Peace Dale's mills operated for woolen manufacturing until 1948, when the manufacturing machinery was removed.

The Hazard family also owned and operated the Narragansett Pier Railroad which connected their textile mills in Peace Dale and Wakefield to the New York, Providence and Boston Railroad at Kingston Station (Rhode Island) and to shipping at South Pier in the village of Narragansett Pier.

Contributing properties
Buildings in Peace Dale that are identified as contributing properties in the historic district include:
 * Peace Dale Congregational Church, a Gothic Revival church built in 1870-72 on Columbia St.
 * Peace Dale Manufacturing Company Barn, a secondary structure built in 1866, on Green St.
 * Peace Dale Grammar School, a Colonial Revival school built in 1923, on Kersey Rd.
 * Former Peace Dale Grammar School, built in 1902 at 8 Kersey Rd., later used for storage.
 * Peace Dale Manufacturing Co. Water Power Sys., an energy facility built in the 1850s on Kingstown Rd.
 * Hazard Memorial/Peace Dale Library, a Romanesque former auditorium, built in 1890-91 on Kingstown Rd.
 * Peace Dale Office Building, built circa 1856 at 604 Kingstown Rd.
 * General Isaac Peace Rodman House at 1789 Kingstown Rd.
 * Peace Dale Woolen Mill, a Greek Revival factory built in 1847 at Kingstown Rd. and Columbia St.
 * Peace Dale Railroad Station (former), built in 1875-76 on Railroad St.
 * Peace Dale Pump House, a former water mill that was a restaurant and is now occupied by Shady Lea Guitars, a guitar oriented shop, studio, and performance venue located on Kingstown Rd.

title: Peace Dale, Rhode Island


text: User talk:68.96.20.118

title: User talk:68.96.20.118


text:
Guo Xi

Guo Xi (c.  1020 – c. 1090) was a Chinese landscape painter from Henan Province who lived during the Northern Song dynasty. One text entitled "The Lofty Message of Forest and Streams" (Linquan Gaozhi 林泉高致) is attributed to him. The work covers a variety of themes centered on the appropriate way of painting a landscape. He was a court professional, a literatus, well-educated painter who developed an incredibly detailed system of idiomatic brushstrokes which became important for later painters. One of his most famous works is Early Spring, dated 1072. The work demonstrates his innovative techniques for producing multiple perspectives which he called "the angle of totality." This type of visual representation is also called "Floating Perspective", a technique which displaces the static eye of the viewer and highlights the differences between Chinese and Western modes of spatial representation.

The following is an excerpt from his treatise, "mountains and waters": "The clouds and the vapours of real landscapes are not the same at the four seasons. In spring they are light and diffused, in summer   rich and dense, in autumn scattered and thin, in winter dark and solitary. When such effects can be seen in pictures, the clouds and vapours have an air of life. The mist around the mountains is not the same at the four seasons. The mountains in spring are light and seductive as if smiling: the mountains in summer have a blue-green colour which seems to be spread over them; the mountains in autumn are bright and tidy as if freshly painted; the mountains in winter are sad and tranquil as if sleeping."

Another painting that can be attributed to him is The Coming of Autumn. Both paintings capture the seasonal atmosphere and are regarded as important accomplishments of the Song Dynasty.

Guo Xi was often referred to as a "Northern Song master" when it came to painting. His work inspired many later artists and he even had landscapes dedicated to him. His lesser-known "Deep Valley" scroll painting depicts a serene mountain valley covered with snow and several trees struggling to survive on precipitous cliffs. The ink washes and amorphous brush strokes are employed to model surfaces that suggest the veiling effects of the atmosphere. One of Guo Xi’s techniques was to layer ink washes to build up forms and his "Deep Valley" is a masterpiece of the use of light ink and magnificent composition.

His son later described how Guo Xi approached his work: "On days when he was going to paint, he would seat himself at a clean table, by a bright window, burning incense to right and left. He would choose the finest brushes, the most exquisite ink; wash his hands, and clean the ink-stone, as though he were expecting a visitor of rank. He waited until his mind was calm and undisturbed, and then began."

title: Guo Xi


text:
Talk:Assassins (musical)

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment
This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 4 September 2021 and 10 December 2021. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): SillySaltyFish. Peer reviewers: Doufsh, Harrietsmith33.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 14:52, 16 January 2022 (UTC)

 * cool but i am an actual assasin Broski7 (talk) 23:22, 22 March 2023 (UTC)

Discussion
From another article, that has been partially merged:

 * Assassins (musical), a 1991 musical by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman. Dealing with the culture, psychology, and atmosphere which surrounds the unique American phenomenon of presidential assassination, it features every successful and attempted presidential assassin in American history (from John Wilkes Booth to John Hinckley). First opening off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in 1991, it received its Broadway debut on April 22, 2004. The production won six out of seven 2004 Tony awards for which it was nominated (Best Revival of a Musical, Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Michael Cerveris), Best Lighting Design (Peggy Eisenhauer and Jules Fisher), Best Direction of a Musical (Joe Mantello), and Best Orchestrations (Michael Starobin). After a limited run of 101 performances, it closed on July 18th, 2004.

not every attempted assassination is chronicled in the musical... the attempt on Andrew Jackson is left out.

At some point, there needs to be some mention of the various versions of the piece (with roles conflated in some, songs added, etc.) - Nunh-huh 23:59, 19 May 2005 (UTC)

It also leaves out former President Theodore Roosevelt while campaigning in 1912. 173.91.88.197 (talk) 04:10, 30 August 2016 (UTC)

Synopsis
I added a synopsis. It was taken from http://www.mtishows.com/show_plot.asp?ID=000136 however I do not know how to cite it. any help? 69.138.90.108 19:45, 17 March 2007 (UTC)

Excellent. The synopsis was very long, so I did a paraphrase-and-edit to slim it down (with credit to source both in article and in citation/reference). I tried to do the whole slimming in two giant saves, so if anyone really hates what I did and wants to go back to the original go ahead and revert (but be sure to revert both saves). If you find a grammar, spelling, etc. error I made don't revert, that will wipe out the whole thing, just put your correction in on top.

The Musical Theater Project guidelines ask us to include the titles of each of the songs in the synopsis as they appear in the show, but I haven't seen this show. Does someone who feels confident integrate the missing song titles? I'm leaving the 'Expert' tag up for that.

~ Otterpops 01:03, 19 March 2007 (UTC)
 * I copied the list of songs from the Sondheim.com and (assuming that was the only "expert" need) removed the expert tag. --teb728 00:04, 20 March 2007 (UTC)

 * Nope, the Project guidelines call for integration of song titles into the Synopsis section rather than a separate bulleted list of songs. The reason I put the Expert tag up was that so many of the scenes contain no named musical number: I haven't seen this show so I wanted someone who had to check that the list of songs was complete. I did check the Synopsis against the list before clipping it - it looks like they're all present and accounted for. Good enough!
 * ~ Otterpops 18:09, 20 March 2007 (UTC)

I have a question regarding Scene 17 - while it takes place immediately following the JFK assassination sequence, the lyrics don't mention JFK; per the book, they were done that way deliberately so they could apply to any of the assassinations, so I'm wondering if this should be acknowledged in the description of the scene? Thanks Starmiter 03:28, 11 November 2007 (UTC)

Sarah Vowell
Author Sarah Vowell begins her book Assassination Vacation with an anecdote about leaving New York City to see a production of it in New England. This seems pretty significant, but how to incorporate it into the article? Telestylo 06:59, 15 November 2005 (UTC)
 * Perhaps in a bit of trivia? A section on trivia at the end? --Travlr23 16:55, 12 September 2006 (UTC)

Perfomance section
Does anyone else think the last section on "Performing Assassins" is NPOV at worst and unnecessary at best?

Historical accuracy?
It would be interesting to say something in this article about how accurate or otherwise the script is in portraying history. 69.229.20.210 21:27, 9 March 2007 (UTC) : For one, Booth didn't commit suicide. He was shot by a Union soldier. This definitely deserves a mention. Mdiamante 17:39, 20 April 2007 (UTC)
 * Actually, it's still unclear if he committed suicide, or was shot by a Union soldier, and we probably will never know either way Starmiter 03:24, 11 November 2007 (UTC)

 * Additionally, it is highly likely that Anton Cermak was, in fact, Giuseppe Zangara's target, thus rending the character entirely useless. Sam Byck, in reality, was a calm, cold person, which you can witness for yourself if you go to YouTube and search for some of his tape recordings. Lastly, Sara Jane Moore never knew Charles Manson or Squeaky Fromme, much less tried to kill Ford simultaneously with Fromme.

Anonymous 23:16, 10 February 2014 (EST)

Started Copy Edit
Will finish up tomorrow. ~ Otterpops 02:07, 16 March 2007 (UTC)

Linking days & years?
???

~ Otterpops 12:59, 16 March 2007 (UTC)

List of songs
Comparison of versions of recordings worth the large number of bulleted lists in this article? Tempted to cut the list of songs. Feedback? ~ Otterpops 13:42, 16 March 2007 (UTC)

 * Never mind, found the Project Page instructions. ~ Otterpops 16:17, 16 March 2007 (UTC)

My edit was reverted. "November 22, 1963" is not a song. It is a track listing on the CD for a scene that is purely dialogue. The song in which the assassins convince Oswald to shoot Kennedy is listed in the score as "Scene 16," but in "Look I Made a Hat," Sondheim calls the song "Family." 24.152.180.2 (talk) 18:08, 14 June 2012 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Assassins CD Cover.png
Image:Assassins CD Cover.png is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images lacking such an explanation can be deleted one week after being tagged, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

BetacommandBot (talk) 03:54, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

Assessment
This is not a B-class article at present. Although it has most of the necessary information, it is disorganized, some of the "references" are to websites, without even pointing to the correct page within those websites and do no comply with WP:CITE; the plot synopsis does not comply with the article structure guidelines at WP:MUSICALS. -- Ssilvers (talk) 16:44, 7 April 2008 (UTC)

Song cut?
The page says that the song in the "November 22, 1963" scene was cut in later productions. Is this true? I seem to recall seeing the song in place in videos of the show on Youtube, including a bootleg of the Broadway revival. Given that the "song list" had listed pieces of dialogue and not songs, this may simply be an error on the part of an editor who went by track listing. 130.191.89.156 (talk) 23:12, 15 February 2011 (UTC)

This is an error. The song was not cut from the show at all. The only thing cut from the show in the revised version are about five or six lines of dialogue in the bar scene following the Ballad of Booth User:Ringkichardthethird  —Preceding undated comment added 07:23, 7 June 2011 (UTC).

Copy violation, synopsis
The synopsis added on June 17, 2013 is a copy from []. I have returned the synopsis to the earlier good version to delete what is a clear copy violation (see WP:COPYVIO for the very strict policy regarding copyright violations).Flami72 (talk) 22:03, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

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Lee Harvey Oswald is the alleged, repeat alleged, assassin of JFK
Since no one saw Lee Harvey Oswald shoot JFK, and since Oswald was never tried and convicted of shooting/killing JFK, he is legally the alleged, repeat alleged, assassin of JFK. Booth was seen to shoot Lincoln although he was shot and fatally wounded before he could be tried and convicted of doing so. The killers of President Garfield and President McKinley were observed to commit the crime and were then tried and convicted of doing so in a court of law. Since no one saw Oswald shoot JFK, and he was never tried and convicted of shooting/killing JFK, he should be described as the alleged assassin of JFK. 2605:E000:CA45:AA00:C87F:6257:44EA:852A (talk) 05:57, 6 September 2017 (UTC)

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title: Talk:Assassins (musical)