Whatever

What Is Battle of Laon

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 09 Mar 2015 07:54:00 +0000

What Is Battle of Laon

Battle of Laon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Battle of Laon (9–10 March 1814) was the victory of Blücher's Prussian army over Napoleon's French army near Laon.

An Allied coalition attempted to complete the destruction of Napoleon's French Empire in 1814. France had been defeated in Russia in 1812 and in Central Europe in 1813. Napoleon's French Empire was now fighting for its survival.

In the last week of February 1814, about a month after the start of the Allied invasion, Blücher seized the initiative and advanced on Paris with his forces. Napoleon's two marshals in the immediate vicinity, Édouard Mortier and Auguste Marmont, were covering the city with two detached corps, but they only had 10,000 men and would be unable to hold out against Blücher's larger force.[5] Napoleon hurried westwards to their rescue with around 30,000 troops, hoping to trap Blücher against the Marne river.[5]

Blücher unsuccessfully attacked Marmont and Mortier along the Ourcq river in late February and early March and ordered a retreat north to regroup when he heard of Napoleon's advance. Prussian troops crossed the swollen Aisne river and arrived at Soissons on 4 March. There they linked up with reinforcements that brought Blücher's total force to 100,000.[6] On 7 March, a clash ensued at the Battle of Craonne as Napoleon attacked westwards along the Chemin des Dames (literally, the "ladies' path"). Blücher's outflanking maneuver did not materialize in time and the Prussians were forced to withdraw towards Laon.

Battlefield

Blücher chose to fight at Laon because it was an important road junction with a superb defensive position. Laon was located on a flat-topped hill with steep slopes that rose 330 feet above the surrounding area. The countryside to the north was flat and open, but the south contained rough and wooded terrain that made military maneuvers difficult. The villages of Ardon and Semilly at the foot of the hill served as good bastions for the Prussian and Russian forces.[2]

Preparations

Blücher now had about 90,000 troops and 176 guns.[2] Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Bülow's Prussian corps was assigned the defense of Laon itself. Blücher's western wing was covered by a Russian corps under Ferdinand von Wintzingerode while the eastern wing was defended by two Prussian corps under Generals Yorck and Kleist. Two Russian corps under Generals Langeron and Osten-Sacken stood in reserve. After Craonne, Napoleon had taken the bulk of his forces northeastwards towards Laon while detaching about 10,000 troops under Marmont to advance on Laon via the Berry-au-Bac road.

Battle

Preliminary fighting on the evening of 8 March saw the French vanguard chase off a small Russian detachment from the village of Urcel on the Soissons road. In the early hours of 9 March, the French renewed their push along the road. At 5:30 a.m., French dragoons arrived in front of Laon, but had lost the element of surprise and withdrew under heavy fire. From 7:00 a.m. onwards, the French repeatedly attacked the Allied positions at Ardon and Semilly. Some troops from the Young Guard even reached the top of the hill before being driven back.

Blücher was suffering from a fever and could not direct affairs as closely as he was accustomed during previous engagements. By 11:00 a.m., however, the fog had lifted and the Allied command staff had a clear view of the battlefield below. Blücher, (because of poor intelligence sources), was operating under the impression that the French had 90,000 troops and was generally reluctant to have his troops launch any attacks.[2] The Allies might have scored a decisive victory had they launched a full attack against Napoleon's 30,000 men, but the uncertainty about the situation led Blücher to commit only Winzingerode's corps against Napoleon's left flank. Winzigerode's attacks were feeble and easily repulsed by the French.

Blücher now decided to isolate Napoleon's western forces from Marmont's column to the east. A convincing Allied attack captured the village of Ardon, but the victorious Prussian infantry brigade was ordered to halt because Blücher feared that French forces to the east would outflank them. Renewed French assaults late in the evening of the 9th led to the capture of Clacy, a village on Blücher's western flank. By the end of the first day of fighting, however, Laon still remained in Allied hands.

Meanwhile, at around 5:00 p.m. on 9 March, Marmont's troops had attacked the village of Athies and driven off the Prussian advanced units. Marmont then sent 1,000 men under Colonel Fabvier westerwards to establish contact with Napoleon's main army.[7] Blücher and Gneisenau (Blücher's chief-of-staff), heard the fighting to the east and ordered a powerful counter-attack with two corps. The Allies slammed into Marmont's troops and drove them back. Marmont was saved by Colonel Charles Nicolas Fabvier, who returned on his own initiative with 1,000 troops to clear the road, and by 125 veterans of the Old Guard, who repelled the Allied cavalry trying to block the French from escaping. Marmont had taken a bad beating, losing 3,500 men and 45 guns.[8]

At midnight on the 10th, Blücher decided on a bold outflanking maneuver intended to crush the French. He was even more ill on the 10th (Gneisenau was effectively in command), but the army still defended Laon. A few more French attacks throughout the day produced no results, and Napoleon retired his forces late at night.

Aftermath

This setback did not by itself spell the end for Napoleon. Just a few days later the French crushed an isolated enemy corps at Rheims. Blücher's Army of Silesia remained inactive for a week after the victory. Nevertheless, the Allied stand had prevented Napoleon from driving them further north. The Allies were still in a position to advance on Paris, which they did at the end of March.

References

Notes

1. Jump up^ Uffindell, p. 203.

2. ^ Jump up to:a b c d Uffindell, p. 201.

3. Jump up^ Uffindell, p. 207.

4. Jump up^ Chandler, p. 991.

5. ^ Jump up to:a b Uffindell, p. 198.

6. Jump up^ Uffindell, p. 200.

7. Jump up^ Uffindell, p. 205.

8. Jump up^ Uffindell, p. 206.

source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Laon

The Scorch Trials

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 06 Feb 2015 08:52:00 +0000

The Scorch Trials

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Scorch Trials is the second book – preceded by the 2009 novel The Maze Runner – in a young-adult dystopian science fiction trilogy by James Dashner. The novel was published October 5, 2010 by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House. On October 11, 2013, it was reported that Fox had acquired the rights to The Scorch Trials. The film will be released on September 18th, 2015.[1]

Plot

The book starts in the middle of the night when Thomas wakes up and cannot get back to sleep. He calls Teresa's name telepathically. After a while, Thomas finally falls asleep, then Thomas has a "dream vision" of his mom and dad.Teresa calls out to him telepathically, but cannot seem to get Thomas's attention. He wakes up to seeing everyone panicking about Cranks, people infected with the Flare, outside their door. Thomas and the rest of the Gladers go around to investigate, and find that the room in which they'd eaten pizza with the people who rescued them is locked.

They ram the door down and turn on the lights to find the bodies of their rescuers hanging from the ceiling. They enter Teresa's room, which is empty except for a boy named Aris, who's from Group B. He can also talk telepathically and even had a telepathy partner named Rachel, who was killed just like Gally had killed Chuck in the first book. Outside of the room is a plaque that says "Teresa Agnes. Group A, Subject A1. The Betrayer." An alarm, similar to the one on the Glade, goes off and the room door locks until the alarm stops. Thomas opens the door to find no dead bodies. Even the plaque is changed to "Aris Jones, Group B, Subject B1. The Partner."

Next they find a man sitting in the middle of the next room who they call Rat Man. He tells them they are to make their way through the Scorch, a burned out section of the land. As an incentive, they've all caught the Flare and will receive a cure when they reach their destination. Shortly after he leaves, the Gladers discover tattoos on the back of their necks: Newt's says he's "The Glue", Minho's says "The Leader", and Thomas' says 'To be killed by Group B".

The Gladers enter a Flat Trans and wander through darkness for about an hour, when they hear strange whispers. Two boys get killed by molten steel balls that cover then decapitate their victims before they roll away. Winston gets attacked too, but Thomas manages to save him. They enter the Scorch, eventually come to a building in which they had heard screaming. Teresa exits the building, and Thomas senses a trap when he approaches her. Teresa is crying, telling him to get away from her. She kisses him and tells him to tell the Gladers to get as far away from her as possible.

Thomas and the Gladers hike towards a city to stock back up on supplies, along the way, he has another "memory dream" where Teresa and Thomas practice talking telepathically. A storm soon hits, killing off seven boys, including Winston. They stay inside a building when a Crank named Jorge welcomes them into the Crank House. Minho insults him and Jorge kicks him twice in a place where he was burnt from getting struck by lightning. Minho attacks Jorge and all the Cranks from upstairs come down. Fortunately, Thomas negotiates a deal with Jorge, keeping the Gladers from getting killed. Thomas meets Brenda, who becomes very forward when he first meets her. They go downstairs and eat, when the roof collapses, separating Thomas and Brenda from the others.

The two of them walk through the Underneath and fight some Cranks. Eventually, they make it onto the surface and sleep in a truck. Thomas wakes up from a nightmare and goes back to sleep. He has another dream memory where he and Teresa are listening in on a conversation between WICKED employees. Thomas wakes up again and sees words printed on a brick saying "Thomas, you're the real leader." They leave the car and are forced into a club by a few strangers. They dance to the music and are forced to swallow drinks that make them feel dizzy. Brenda tries to kiss Thomas, but he says "You're not...her." and "You could never be her."

They wake up in a dark room with the 4 strangers who took them to the club. They are about to kill them when Minho and the other Gladers save them. While fleeing the strangers, a man that Thomas calls "Blondie" shoots Thomas in the left shoulder with a rusty bullet, giving him an infection. After the Gladers fail to heal Thomas, WICKED goes down and gets him in a machine called a Berg. While being healed, he overhears one of the worker's conversations in which a woman stated that he wasn't supposed to get shot. He's taken back to where he came from, and he explains everything to the Gladers.

Later, Thomas hears Teresa's voice in his head, warning him that something terrible will happen, leaving him hurt and scared. And he had to trust her no matter what. She pauses and says that he won't hear from her for a while until they're back together. Newt and Thomas talk about how WICKED only made an exception for him and no one else. They see Teresa and Group B walking towards Group A with weapons. She hits Thomas multiple times with the butt of her spear and drags him back to their base. Thomas is fed once they get there and falls asleep, having another memory dream. The next morning the girls decided not to kill him. Thomas and the girls get about 7 miles away from the "safe haven" when Teresa motions for Thomas to follow her.

Aris appears and holds a knife to Thomas's back and leads him into a cave. Thomas sees a glowing green door, which he thinks could mean that there is radioactive substance inside. Teresa reveals that she and Aris had a relationship both before and during the Maze and the Scorch Trials. She also said that she manipulated Thomas to escape the Maze. Teresa holds Aris and kiss right in front of Thomas who felt betrayed. Betrayal and anger overpower Thomas' feelings towards Teresa. They lead him through the door and into a gas chamber. Thomas attacks Aris and Teresa, but does not succeed. Gas is then released and Thomas passes out.

While knocked out, Thomas has another dream of one of his memories about being sent into the Swipe, then into the Maze. Thomas wakes up, and then the gas chamber opens. Aris and Teresa then enter and begin to explain everything and how their betrayal was not real. Teresa apologizes, but Thomas still won't trust her. He takes his chances and joins them both as they run to catch up with the other groups, as they only have a few hours until they must be at the safe haven. Teresa explains along the way that her telepathy with Thomas was "cut off" when WICKED came into her room and told her to tell Aris that they had to get Thomas to the point that he feels totally betrayed by them, and if they did anything against WICKED, Thomas dies. They kiss near a valley, but Thomas feels nothing, clearly indicating that their relationship will not be the same from there on.

They make it to the safe haven, but monsters with bulbs all over their bodies appear out of strange pods and start engaging both groups and then they begin to fight. Three people die in the fight. The Berg comes back and picks up the Gladers. A guard on it gets angry for them taking Jorge and Brenda with them, forcing Thomas to choose whom to kill. He chooses Brenda, thinking it's a test, but he's wrong. He manages to keep both. They're fed and bathed and all fall asleep.

Thomas has one more dream where Brenda speaks to him telepathically, saying things are about to get bad. He wakes up in a padded white room. Teresa is telepathically speaking to him, saying the Flare was rooted too deeply in him, and they took him away. Thomas, who feels betrayed, decides not to trust Teresa anymore after all the lies that she had said. Telepathically, he finds courage and tells Teresa, "Teresa. Go away." Words that he could not have said aloud. Teresa agrees and tells him one final thing, "WICKED is good" and stops all telepathy.

Characters

Thomas: The protagonist, a teenage boy who was a Runner in the Glade. He discovered that he had a part in helping WICKED and building the Maze when he was stung by a griever. He has the ability to speak telepathically with Aris and Teresa. The tattoo on the back of his neck that was given to him by WICKED researchers says, "To be killed by Group B". Thomas struggles with many conflicts throughout the book, such as becoming the real leader, being betrayed by Teresa, and most importantly, SURVIVING THE SCORCH. This causes him to become confused, hurt, and betrayed.

Newt: An English boy with long blonde hair. He was the leader of the Gladers while in the maze after the former leader Alby died in the first novel. He has a slight limp,and is Thomas's and Minho's friend. The tattoo on the back of his neck designates him as "The Glue".

Minho: A Korean American boy who was the Keeper of the Runners in the Glade. He is snarky, aggressive, and stubborn which gets him in trouble frequently. He is friends with Newt and Thomas. The tattoo on the back on his neck shows that WICKED intended for him to be "The Leader"

Brenda: A girl from Canada who has turned almost full crank. Both Jorge and herself help lead the Gladers through the Scorch, but Brenda mostly leads Thomas after they become separated from the rest of the group. She looks up to Jorge as a father.

Aris Jones: Another boy who was involved with WICKED before the maze. He spent the first novel with Group B. He can speak telepathically with Thomas and Teresa. His best friend - Rachel - was killed when Group B escaped their maze. The tattoo on his neck designates him as "The Partner".

Teresa Agnes: Thomas's best friend before the Glade. She can speak telepathically with Thomas and Aris. She spends much of the novel with Group B, whom she becomes the leader of. She becomes under control of WICKED at times, which makes it difficult for Thomas to trust her. She was to be known as the "The Betrayer".

Jorge Gallaparga: A man who presents himself as the leader of the Cranks. He appears to be dangerous and psychotic, yet also humorous. He is a father figure to Brenda.

Sonya: A past leader of Group B.

Harriet: A past leader of Group B.

Rat Man(Dr. Janson): The first researcher to present himself to the group.

Rachel: She played the same role as Thomas, but in Group B. She was killed as Group B was escaping their maze.

Frypan: The cook for the Gladers in Group A.

Winston: The keeper of the Slicers in Group A, responsible for killing the livestock for food.

Film adaptation

The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials

On October 11, 2013, it was reported that Fox had acquired the rights to The Scorch Trials. A screenplay will be written by T.S. Nowlin, with director Wes Ball supervising the scriptwriting.[1] The film will be titled The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials. On July 25, 2014, Ball announced at San Diego Comic-Con International that they want to start shooting in Fall 2014 should its predecessor become a success when it hits the theatres in September 2014; also unveiling a concept image at the conference, which leads us to assume that he will be directing the sequel as well.[2]

However, two weeks prior to the film's release 20th Century Fox decided to move ahead with the sequel and pre-production as well as preping the sets began in early September 2014 in New Mexico. Director Wes Ball is set to return, as are actors Dylan O'Brien, Ki Hong Lee, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Kaya Scodelario. On September 26, 2014, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Aidan Gillen was signed in to play the antagonist, Rat Man in the sequel. On 1st October, 2014, it was announced that Rosa Salazar and Jacob Lofland had signed to play Brenda and Aris Jones, respectively. On 3rd October, 2014, it was announced that Giancarlo Esposito is to play Jorge in the film. Creature designer Ken Barthelmey is designing the creatures for the film.[3]

References

1. Chitwood, Adam (October 11, 2013). "Fox Hires Writer to Start Work on MAZE RUNNER Sequel THE SCORCH TRIALS". Collider. Retrieved October 11, 2013.

2. Sciretta, Peter (July 25, 2014). "The Maze Runner Sequel The Scorch Trials Concept Art Revealed [Comic Con 2014]". slashfilm.com. Retrieved July 26, 2014.

3. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm5634815/

Source

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scorch_Trials

The Maze Runner

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 29 Jan 2015 01:30:00 +0000

The Maze Runner

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Maze Runner is the first book in a young-adult post-apocalyptic science fiction trilogy of the same name by James Dashner.[1][2] The novel was published on October 6, 2009, by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House, and was made into a 2014 major motion picture by 20th Century Fox. The sequel to the movie, The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials is set to be released on September 18, 2015. The novel spawned two sequels: The Scorch Trials (2010) and The Death Cure (2011).

Dashner also wrote a prequel to The Maze Runner, entitled The Kill Order, that came out in 2012.[3] He also announced that another prequel, The Fever Code, is set to be released in 2016.

Plot

Thomas arrives in a place known as the Glade, left with no memories except his name. He meets other teenage boys called Gladers who have created a community. Each Glader is assigned to a task in different departments headed by a Keeper. Shortly after arrival, Thomas gets a tour by Alby, the oldest and the leader, and some other Gladers.

A gigantic maze surrounds the Glade. Inside, mechanical creatures called Grievers roam it at night. The huge doors into the maze close at sunset and reopen in the morning. Every month supplies are sent, and a new boy arrives in an elevator called, "the Box," It is the same elevator Thomas arrived in. There are also Beetle Blades, mechanical bugs which spy on the Gladers, with "W.C.K.E.D." (World in Castastrophe - Killzone Experiment Department) written on them.

After Thomas arrives, an unconscious girl arrives carrying a note reading, "She's the last one." She is taken to the infirmary to recover from a coma before being questioned. Meanwhile, Thomas learns that the Gladers have unsuccessfully been trying to solve the Maze for two years, and that the antidote to a Griever sting revives small bits of memory. Chuck (a twelve year old boy), and Newt (the Gladers' second-in-command), befriend Thomas. Gladers exploring the Maze are called "Runners." Minho, the Keeper of the Runners, and Alby, the Gladers' leader, search for a dead Griever that Minho found while running the maze the day before. However, the Griever is found to be not dead and it stings Alby. Minho struggles to carry Alby back to the Glade, but as the doors close on them, Thomas runs into the Maze to help.

Hearing approaching Grievers, Minho leaves Thomas with an unconscious Alby. Thomas saves Alby and, finding Minho, tricks pursuing Grievers into falling off "the cliff" (an abyss within the Maze). Minho and Thomas return to the Glade as the doors open the next morning.

As the acting leader, Newt calls a "Gathering" to decide Thomas's fate for entering the Maze without permission. It is decided to make Thomas a Runner after serving one day in "the Slammer" (jail).

The day after, Thomas joins Minho running the Maze. They quickly discover a "Griever Hole" through a cliff, exposing the outside world. He also discovers words covered in vines that say, "World in Catastrophe: Killzone Experiment Department", assuming that WICKED is the acronym.

After returning to the Glade, Thomas is shocked that the girl speaks telepathically to him. Her name is Teresa, and she says she has triggered an "Ending." Soon afterward, Teresa awakes and befriends Thomas. The same day, the sky turns a dull gray, which Thomas attributes to the Creators of the Glade. That night, the Maze doors remain open, leaving the Gladers unprotected from the Grievers. The Grievers start taking one person each night. Alby also burns down the map room, but Minho and the other Runners had moved all the maps to a secret room. The Gladers align the maps, which spell out words. They have no relation to each other, and the Gladers determine it is a code.

Desperate to retrieve his lost memories, Thomas allows a Griever to sting him. After recovering, Thomas explains that he and Teresa were forced to help the Creators design the Maze. He says he and Teresa share a telepathic link. The way out of the Maze is over a cliff face and that it is an illusion to trick them. This is where the Grievers enter and exit the Maze. By following the Grievers, they can escape by punching the code words into a computer on the other side. Thomas leads the Gladers into the Maze and they confront a small army of Grievers. About half the Gladers die, but Thomas, Teresa, and Chuck escape down the hole and punch in the code and shut down the Maze. A door opens nearby.

The 21 remaining Gladers descend down a spiraling slide that dumps them into a massive underground bunker. There they meet the Creators: thin, pale, joyless adults who take copious notes while observing them from behind glass. A woman greets the Gladers, telling them they have done well. Gally appears and throws a knife at Thomas. Chuck steps in front of it, sacrificing his life to save him. Enraged, Thomas attacks Gally and knocks him unconscious.

Suddenly, a group of gunmen storm the room and shoot the woman and the Creators. The Gladers are taken out of this facility and put into a large bus. As they are boarding, a hideously scarred woman grabs Thomas and tells him that he is here to save everyone from the Flare before the driver runs her over. Thomas and Teresa learn from a rescuer that the world was ravaged after solar flares slammed Earth, killing millions within days, leaving the world a wasteland. A disease known as the Flare now threatens humanity. The group's goal is to stop the tests WICKED is doing, and find the cure for the Flare.

After two hours, the bus stops at a dormitory-like building. Inside, the Gladers find bunk beds with blankets, bathrooms, and food. They finally feel safe. Thomas drifts off to sleep feeling there is hope for the future.

In an epilogue, it is suggested that the apparent rescue of the Gladers is yet another test masterminded by the Creators of the Maze and that the one Thomas escaped is not the only one WICKED have been observing.

Characters

Alby: A boy who is the eldest and the leader of the Gladers, he tries to keep order within the group by having all the boys follow the rules they've set down to survive. He is in a very close relationship with his second in command, Newt. He was in the group of 30 people who first arrived in the glade

Ben: A Builder and good friend of Gally's who was stung by a Griever. He becomes very violent and tries to kill Thomas. He is then banished from the Glade.

Chuck: A young and chubby boy with a curly hair who was the newest Glader until Thomas arrived. He immediately becomes friends with Thomas and acts like a little brother towards him. Around 12 years old.

Clint: One of the two Med-jacks and the keeper of the Med-jacks. He works closely with Jeff healing victims of the Griever's sting with "The Grief Serum".

Deshawn: A minor member of the Gladers who appears to be the group's weapons specialist. He is shown several times sharpening spears.

Frypan: The Gladers' cook and Keeper of the Cooks. He is described as very particular and a very talented cook.

Gally: A Glader who lives by the rules Alby put in place. He does not trust Thomas and shows an immense dislike for him. Keeper of the Builders. Estimated to be around 15 years old. He runs away from the glade and eventually kills Chuck.

Jeff: One of the two Med-jacks. He works closely with Clint healing victims of the Griever's sting with "The Grief Serum".

Minho: The Keeper of the Runners - in charge of navigating and mapping out the Maze. He is very sarcastic, hotheaded and impulsive, but at the same time charming, smart and loyal towards his friends. As a Runner, he's in very good shape and is described as "dark-haired with strong arms." He and Thomas become best friends.

Newt: A tall, strong, smart boy with blond hair and a British accent. He used to be a Runner, but had to quit when he injured his leg a while ago by trying to kill himself by jumping off one of the maze walls. He is very kind, friendly and welcoming to Thomas. He calls Thomas for Tommy and they end up being best friends. He is Alby's closest friend and second-in-command and takes over as leader when Alby no longer feels capable.

Teresa: The only girl to enter the glade, she has black hair, blue eyes and is very beautiful. She is the last person who was put in the glade. She has a telepathic connection with Thomas, and Aris.

Thomas: A teenage boy who wakes up in a lift that takes him to The Glade, he has no memory of his life before except his name. He has a telepathic connection with Teresa and Aris. He has dark hair and is in good shape. He becomes a Runner and runs together with Minho.

Winston: The Keeper of the Slicers - in charge of slaughtering livestock for food. Described to have acne.

Zart: A big, brooding boy and keeper of the Track-hoes who are in charge of farming. Very smart and kind to Thomas. He is often made fun of by the other Gladers.

Development

In late 2005, Dashner had published four books to complete The Jimmy Fincher Saga, which had been with a small regional publisher. His publisher wanted him to write another book, but he decided he would try for a national book market instead. In November of that year he had an idea when going to bed about, "a bunch of teenagers living inside an unsolvable Maze full of hideous creatures, in the future, in a dark, dystopian world. It would be an experiment, to study their minds. Terrible things would be done to them. Awful things. Completely hopeless. Until the victims turn everything on its head."[4] Dashner wrote the book from December 2005 to March 2006.[4]

Reception

Kirkus Reviews wrote, "Hard to put down, this is clearly just a first installment, and it will leave readers dying to find out what comes next".[5]

Jessica Harrison of the Deseret Morning News labeled The Maze Runner as "a thrilling adventurous book for kids ages 13+ that will get readers' hearts pumping and leave them asking for more." She noted that it "starts out a bit slow" but as it matched Thomas's confusion and picked up pace as he became more accustomed, she wrote that "it's almost as if Dashner is easing the reader into what becomes a fast-paced, nonstop action." However, she thought the "only drawback" was the "fictionalized slang" that although it "feels realistic and fits with his characters, it gets old pretty fast. On the plus side, however, it's used so often that the reader almost becomes desensitized and learns to ignore it."[6]

Film adaptation

The Maze Runner

Fox released a film adaptation of the book, titled The Maze Runner, on September 19, 2014. Wes Ball signed on as director and T.S. Nowlin wrote the screenplay.[7] Dylan O'Brien played the lead role of Thomas,[8] and Thomas Brodie-Sangster portrayed Newt[9] and Kaya Scodelario Teresa,[10] respectively. Ki Hong Lee, Blake Cooper, Will Poulter and Aml Ameen were added to the cast as Minho, Chuck, Gally and Alby. Patricia Clarkson played the role of main antagonist Ava Paige, while Jacob Latimore portrayed Jeff and Randal Cunningham portrayed Clint. Chris Sheffield played Ben and Dexter Darden was Frypan, while Joe Adler portrayed Zart. That was the main cast for The Maze Runner movie, and already a few of the stars for the Scorch Trials movie (the movie to the second book in the series) has recently been announced.

Wayne Haag served as an artist on the film, and Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Lindsay Williams and Lee Stollman as producers.[11]

Creature designer Ken Barthelmey designed the monsters called Grievers for the film.[12]

Filming started on May 13, 2013,[13] and ended July 12, 2013.[14]

References

1. to:a b Shill, Aaron (November 25, 2009). "'Maze Runner' on 'right track'". Deseret Morning News. Archived from the original on December 19, 2009. Retrieved December 19,2009.

2. Dig, Enric (September 24, 2014). "The Maze Runner 2014 Full Movie Review". Publishers Weekly. RetrievedSeptember 24, 2014.

3. "The Kill Order to be published in August 2012" (Press release). New York: Delacorte LShakshahxjdPress. November 21, 2011. Retrieved November 24, 2011.

4. to:a b Dashner, James (July 16, 2008). "The Tale of The Maze Runner". The Dashner Dude. Retrieved February 5, 2012.

5. "The Maze Runner". Kirkus Reviews. September 15, 2009. Retrieved February 5, 2012.

6. Harrison, Jessica (October 3, 2009). "'Maze Runner' provides a thrilling adventure". Deseret Morning News. Archived from the original on December 19, 2009. Retrieved December 19, 2009.

7. Zeitchik, Steven (January 4, 2011). "Young-adult sensation 'The Maze Runner' gets ready to run the movie gantlet (Updated)". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 5,2012.

8. Wilkinson, Amy (April 18, 2013). "'Maze Runner' Finds Its Thomas". MTV. Retrieved June 28, 2013.

9. "Movie Casting Round-Up: Thomas Brodie-Sangster Joins ‘Maze Runner’; Scott Glenn Added To ‘Trigger’". deadline.com. Retrieved March 13, 2013.

10. "Kaya Scodelario Joins The Maze Runner". empireonline.com. Retrieved April 8, 2013.

11. "We have @jamesdashner The Dashner Dude, then we got @wesball Mr Director Dude and now we have @ankaris Mr Designer Dude!! Good that". Twitter. December 7, 2011. Retrieved December 22, 2012.

12. http://theartofken.com/viewgallery.php?galleryID=the-maze-runner-21

13. Dashner, James (March 29, 2013). "Much more casting news should be coming very soon. They start filming in May. Release date of September 19, 2014 #dashnerchat".Twitter. Retrieved March 30, 2013.

14. simg, murphy. "The Maze Runner Review".http://azim.org/movies/422-the-maze-runner. Retrieved15 September 2014.

source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Maze_Runner

Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 Pro

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 09 Dec 2014 03:25:00 +0000

Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 Pro Quick Review

Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 Pro: Portable theatre experience -

An Android tablet with a large 13-inch display is unusual enough. But Lenovo goes even further by building a projector into its new Yoga slate.

This large tablet packs an 854 x 480-pixel pico projector. It can project a 50-inch image onto a screen 2m away. But at 50 lumens, it is not as bright as a full-sized projector.

With its "Home Theater Anywhere" tagline, Lenovo wants consumers to see the Yoga as an entertainment device. Reinforcing this argument are the JBL stereo speakers and a subwoofer, which sound good for a tablet.

This tablet holds much promise as a business companion due to the projector. The only stumbling block is that it runs Android instead of Windows. While you can still open and edit PowerPoint slides on Android, it is not as versatile as Windows for work.

The design is largely similar to previous Yoga slates, though with a 13-inch screen, the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro is the largest one yet. Its cylindrical spine holds a beefy 9,600mAh battery and the pico projector.

The integrated kickstand pops out when you press a button at the back. This stand now has a hole in the middle, so you can hang the tablet on a hook. Choose a sturdy hook - the Yoga tablet weighs a hefty 950g.

Its 2,560 x 1,440-pixel screen looks lovely. Colours seem to pop and text is sharp. It is probably the tablet's best feature.

Lenovo has heavily skinned the default Android 4.4 system with an interface reminiscent of Apple's iOS. For instance: the Gallery icon is a doppleganger of the Photos app in iOS 8. The Yoga's default starry sky wallpaper also gave me an iOS flashback.

Unlike stock Android, you swipe from the bottom to bring up the settings. The icons remind me of the ones on iOS. But the interface looks polished and feels responsive.

Like Samsung, Lenovo has created its own multi-window feature to take advantage of the Yoga's expansive 13-inch screen. Up to three apps can run at the same time, each in its own floating and resizeable window.

Touch the multi-window icon on the lower-left corner of the interface to bring up a list of compatible apps. Currently, there are only six apps, including e-mail, video player and the Chrome browser. Overall, this feature feels clunky compared with Samsung's implementation on the Galaxy Note devices.

Using the projector to play a video, the Yoga lasted 6hr 35min. In our usual battery test, the Yoga clocked 8hr 11min.

With a $1,199 price tag for the LTE version, Lenovo should have included more than the measly 32GB of internal storage.

Lenovo's latest tablet is big and pricey. The screen is nice and the projector works surprisingly well. A Windows 8.1 option would be good.

Background story

TECH SPECS

Price: SGD $1,199

Processor: Intel Atom Z3745 (1.86GHz)

RAM: 2GB

Display: 13.3 inches, 2,560 x 1,440 pixels

Camera: 8 megapixels (rear), 1.6 megapixels (front)

Storage: 32GB, microSD expandability up to 64GB

Battery: 9,600mAh

RATING

Features: 5/5

Design: 4/5

Performance: 4/5

Value for money: 3/5

Battery life: 4/5

Overall: 4/5

source : http://www.straitstimes.com/digital-life/tablets/story/lenovo-yoga-tablet-2-pro-portable-theatre-experience-20141121#sthash.VV2Hk8Ub.dpuf

LG G3 Quick Review

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 19 Jun 2014 23:37:00 +0000

LG G3 Quick Review

LG G3 - The Best Android smartphone in the market

In crafting a new smartphone, the trick is not just to do it better than everyone else, but to do it better where it actually counts.

LG seems to have almost perfected it with its new G3 flagship.

There are no redundant features such as biometric sensors (Apple iPhone 5s), heart-rate monitors (Samsung Galaxy S5) or ultra-pixel cameras (HTC One), backed by some 64-bit architecture or octa-core extravagance.

Instead, users get improvements that most will appreciate and understand, including a Quad High Definition (QHD) screen displaying super sharp 2,560 x 1,440 pixels that also marks a first appearance on a globally available smartphone, a Laser Auto Focus that aids photo taking and other minor upgrades that show that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts

The bright QHD screen instantly stands out. This provides more details in the image. The question is whether the human eye can appreciate such a high level of sharpness on a 5.5-inch display?

Probably not. This screen is likely to be even sharper than your PC or TV at home, but on such a small screen, any improvement in image quality is unlikely to be discernible.

Where the difference does matter is in reading text and this is important as your eyes are now staring at the phone screen for longer stretches. Sharper text puts less strain on your eyes. Being able to read without interference from a grainy black background does matter.

The same goes for video. A screen that supports such high-quality video provides a better viewing experience overall.

Users will definitely notice the Auto Laser Focus on the camera.

Autofocus has been a boon to shutterbugs, but the experience, especially on smartphones, is mixed.

Samsung is among the companies that use phase detection focus, which speeds up focusing time.

In LG's case, the laser bounces infrared pulses between the lens and the subject, and it is all done in 0.276 seconds, so LG says. The G3 boasts a one-touch shutter - tap an object on the screen and the phone focuses and snaps the picture.

This tap-and-snap option is also available on other smartphones, but LG's implementation is one of the most dynamic that I have used.

Many phone cams fail in low-light conditions because the autofocus has difficulty in discerning between individuals and the stranger moving behind them, which results in blurry photos.

The laser solves this problem by using infrared signals to determine focus depth, resulting in low-light images that are clearer and sharper.

LG has taken pains to improve this, so in low light, it fares better than the Samsung Galaxy S5. It is also much faster than the overall speed offered by the Sony Xperia Z2.

On well-lit shots, LG puts more importance on details and reduces emphasis on the colours.

Overall, it makes for an impressive 16-megapixel camera and the G3 possibly has the best camera of smartphones in the market today.

Design-wise, LG has managed to fit a 5.5-inch screen into a smaller form factor, with a thin bezel and a curved back that allows you to hold this relatively large phone with ease.

Though its removable rear panel is touted as having a "metallic skin", the rear panel is actually 80 per cent plastic and 20 per cent metal, putting the G3 somewhere between the metal HTC One (M8) and plastic Samsung Galaxy S5.

I did not try to snap the panel in half to test its durability, but I did feel that its use of plastic diminished its overall stature. The good news is that the ridged rear panel is not a magnet for fingerprints and the material did not heat up much despite prolonged use.

In terms of an interface, LG has taken the opposite approach to its competitors by placing Android front and centre, instead of insisting on putting its own resource-draining stamp on the operating system.

Such features as Knock On and Knock Code let users wake up the device with a tap on the screen. This is hardly bloatware. Content Lock stores files on the device behind a password. Careless users will appreciate the Kill Switch, which allows them to disable the device remotely if it has been stolen.

After several experiences with LG phones, the positioning of the power and the volume buttons at the back instead of the side edge now feels "normal" and makes the controls easier to access.

Despite the use of a leading processor, benchmark tests of 22,945 on Quadrant Standard and 31,528 on AnTuTu place the G3 as slightly slower than the leading competitors, even though I tested the 32GB version, which has 3GB of RAM.

To counter the excessive drain on the battery, LG has tweaked the system resources to make the most of it and this is where the battery life test was inconclusive.

Our test loops a 720p video on full brightness, but the G3 automatically dims the screen in video playback, so the almost nine hours of battery life is not reflective of actual use. Using the VLC player, which did not dim the brightness, the battery clocked less than four hours, which is below average battery performance.

sherwinl@sph.com.sg

- See more at: http://www.straitstimes.com/digital-life/phone/story/lg-g3-the-best-android-smartphone-the-market-20140612#sthash.SeNVBpEB.dpuf

Samsung Galaxy S5 Quick Review

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 10 Jun 2014 01:57:00 +0000

Samsung Galaxy S5 Quick Review

Samsung Galaxy S5: Most power-packed Android device right now
By Sherwin Loh

A Samsung smartphone launch tends to be more exciting than launches of other brands.

On one hand, I know that the company will stuff loads of features into every dTECH SPECSevice, though not all of them may work perfectly and some are not even necessary. A few, like the motion and gesture features, have later been adopted by other brands.

On the other hand, I want to be there when it finally announces that it is junking plastic for more premium materials in its phones.

The latest, the Galaxy S5, still uses a plastic shell, but the added features are finally droolworthy enough to make me overlook the plastic.

It has stuck with the curved corners and the single front button design that is a hallmark of all its flagship Galaxy devices.

While many brands choose to seal their smartphones, making it hard to change your battery, both Samsung and LG have stuck with removable back covers.

On a recent trip to South Korea, I noticed that South Koreans prefer this to using external battery packs, so perhaps this design is more cultural than technological.

Samsung still uses TouchWiz, but it has made changes to this interface so that its presence is more subtle. For instance, its new customisable settings menu lets users create a list of favourites to appear on a drop-down menu, rather than forcing them to comb through the swelling list of features that Google and Samsung have shoehorned into the Android operating system.

Fast to focus

The biggest change is in the camera. The most obvious of the several remarkable changes is in the fast autofocus, which makes it less likely that you will lose any precious moments.

It focuses quickly even at night, producing great-looking pictures. The overall image quality of its 16-megapixel camera is comparable to that of the Sony Xperia Z2's 20.7MP camera, but the Z2 has the edge, with better details.

In low-light images, the S5 matches the Z2 in brightness levels.

Then there is live HDR mode. It takes the same photo under different exposures in quick succession, then merges all of them into one photo to even out light and dark areas, for a more balanced image.

It lets you see the final HDR image on screen before you press the shutter button, so that you can, if you wish, reposition the camera to produce the best lighting results.

Like the competition, Samsung has also included the refocus feature, which takes a photo with varying depths of focus, allowing users to select the focus in the final photo.

Many handset makers have introduced different versions of this feature, but unfortunately, none stands out.

HTC's method turns the unfocused area into an aggressive tilt-shift effect, while LG's use is a one-time thing as users cannot revisit the original picture to change the point of focus later on.

Samsung's Selective Focus does not let you pick a specific focusing point in the photo. Instead, you get to pick a near focus for foreground objects, far focus for background objects, or pan focus for everything to be sharp.

This automatic breakdown of near and far means the software may not detect the objects in the background that are meant to be in focus while the photo is being taken, leading to the camera simply snapping regular photos instead.

While HTC has this refocus feature set by default, Samsung's feature needs to be turned on.

Live HDR and Selective Focus cannot be used at the same time.

Finger activation

A significant addition to the S5 is the biometric sensor. You activate it by swiping a finger (it will store the biometric information for three fingers) downwards over the lozenge-like sensor.

This has to be a two-handed action, whereas for the Apple iPhone 5s, this can be done with one hand as it requires just a finger to be placed over the sensor.

What makes the S5's sensor dangerously useful is that Samsung has tied up with e-payments provider PayPal to enable biometric authorisations. You will not even need a password to be a big spender.

The new heart-rate monitor may be useful to older folks and people who work out frequently, but for most people, it will simply be the garnish on a dish few will bite into.

Samsung has added two terrific new features that will appeal to compulsive downloaders and heavy users of smartphone features.

Download Booster, when enabled, lets users concurrently download files larger than 30MB over 4G and Wi-Fi networks to speed up overall download times. But this applies only to sites without secured download protocols. In other words, not for cloud services such as Dropbox.

It took 20min 10sec to download the latest 130MB Open Office file over 4G. On Wi-Fi, it took 37min 36sec to complete.

With the booster turned on, it took only 12min 4sec. So the time saved is significant.

The other new feature which I like is the Ultra Power Saving mode. Most smartphones, including the Galaxy S5, have a power saving feature that disables mobile data, dims the screen and limits push services.

In Ultra Power Saving mode, the S5 restricts background data and greyscales the display. Because the Super Amoled screen does not use a backlight, all black pixels on display, including text and images, do not draw power.

Ultra mode lowers the brightness to 87 nits, instead of 400 nits, and caps the processor speed at 1.5GHz.

This is supposed to keep the phone running for another 24 hours, and still leave a 10 per cent charge.

Having a greyed-out phone that can handle calls and send SMS messages sure trumps having a super-fast smartphone with a colourful screen - and a flat battery.

In benchmark tests, the S5 clocked an impressive 25,598 on the Quadrant Standard.

The S5 packs some fancy frills, but offers enough useful features to make it the most power-packed Android device in the market so far.
sherwinl@sph.com.sg

This article was first published in The Straits Times Digital Life on April 16, 2014.

BACKGROUND STORY

TECH SPECS

Price: $1,068 (Singapore)

Processor: 2.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801

Display: 5.1-inch Full HD Super Amoled 1,920 x 1,080 (432 pixels per inch)

Camera: 16 megapixels (rear), 2 megapixels (front)

Operating system: Android 4.4.2 (KitKat)

Memory: 32GB, 2GB RAM

Battery: 2,800mAh

RATING

Features 5/5

Design 4/5

Performance 5/5

Battery life 5/5

Overall 5/5

- See more at: http://www.straitstimes.com/digital-life/phone/story/review-samsung-galaxy-s5-20140421#sthash.tb2qx5Ek.dpuf

Wolfenstein: New order, old rules

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 10 Jun 2014 01:26:00 +0000

Wolfenstein: New order, old rules
BY MATT BERTZ

Twenty-two years after its smashing debut, the godfather of first-person shooters is still piling up Nazi corpses.

Over this impressive span, the Wolfenstein franchise has experienced highs — namely Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Enemy Territory — and a few lows, like the hollow 2009 re-imagining.

To reinvigorate the brand, Bethesda tapped Machine Games, a new studio led by former members of Starbreeze Studios — the developer best known for its criminally under-celebrated The Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay.

RAMPAGE: Only after his caretakers are shot and killed does Blazkowitz snap out of his vegetative state and start a new rampage against the totalitarian regime.

New Order is an amalgamated reimagination featuring a few familiar characters and a new central premise. After a failed attempt to assassinate General Deathshead in 1946, B.J. Blazkowitz suffers a head trauma and spends the next 14 years as a vegetable.

During his absence, the Nazi Wehrmacht conquers the world. Only after his caretakers are shot and killed does Blazkowitz snap out of his vegetative state and start a new rampage against the totalitarian regime.

Along the 20-hour campaign he joins a colourful resistance group hiding within Berlin, infiltrates a prison to save some old friends, steals some valuable vehicles, and even journeys to the moon to retrieve the nuclear launch codes necessary to wipe the Nazi regime off the map.

The varied environments do an effective job of keeping things fresh, and the varied cast is much more memorable than most first-person shooter campaigns.

Blast from the past

In building its own vision for the brand, Machine Games is hardly forgetting the series’ past. Many homages exist to New Order’s precursors, including the muscular character model for Blazkowitz, using Nazi helmets as icons for armour pickups, secret rooms hidden in each level, and even a “nightmare” dream sequence that lets you play the first level of Wolfenstein 3D.

Traces of Machine Games’ DNA are also evident throughout the game. From the surprisingly varied and satisfyingly brutal close-quarters melee takedowns to the quiet moments interspersed between action sequences, New Order shares many similarities with the Riddick title.

PAYING HOMAGE: New Order shares many similarities with the Riddick title.

The studio also endows Blazkowitz with an internal dialogue to give the character more depth, but these monotone philosophical ponderings feel at odds with the wanton brutality he projects through the rest of the game.

The combat is a mash-up of both lineages. You can dual-wield and decapitate enemies with headshots, or take a more measured approach to combat.

Most levels have Nazi commanders stationed throughout. Sneaking up and performing a stealth takedown prevents them from pulling the alarm once the bullets inevitably start flying, giving cautious players a tactical option. You can also fire from cover, but the cumbersome mechanic makes this the least valuable tool in your arsenal.

The RPG-lite perks system offers some incentive for experimenting with your approach.

Meeting certain requirements, like completing a certain amount of stealth takedowns or racking up a set body count from cover, unlocks useful upgrades that give you an edge in combat that isn’t necessarily needed thanks to the stunted AI.

Fish in a barrel

New Order offers a wide array of enemies, from traditional soldiers and panzer hounds to monstrous mechs and heavily armored super troops. None of them are very smart.

Their casual approach to patrols makes it easy to run through levels carelessly making stealth takedowns (including on the hounds, which seems highly implausible), and they have the unfortunate habit of running for the furthest cover away from them in the middle of live fire, giving you ample time to line up kill shots.

The final boss fight is the only exceptional challenge, but this battle essentially boils down to classic trial-and-error. If you’re looking for a challenge, I strongly suggest you up the difficulty.

FISH IN A BARREL: Scavenging for enigma codes unlocks new challenges to give seasoned players a run for their money.

With no multiplayer modes on offer, Machine Games adds replayability by littering levels with collectibles and introducing an early choice that changes the trajectory of the narrative.

Deciding which of two fellow soldiers lives changes who participates in the resistance, and gives you different alternate navigation routes in levels, but otherwise the game is essentially the same.

Scavenging for enigma codes and cracking them also unlocks new challenges to give seasoned players a run for their money.

Wolfenstein: The New Order is a positive step forward for the series after the last dud.

Machine Games presents a competent shooter with more polish and a better array of characters, but ultimately the game feels more comfortable recompiling established conventions than it does striving for innovation. — Game Informer/ McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

Wolfenstein: The New Order

(Machine Games/Bethesda Softworks)

First-person shooter for PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Price: US$59.99

source : http://www.thestar.com.my/Tech/Games/2014/06/02/New-order-old-rules/

Nikon’s DF-initely retro DSLR Review

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 10 Jun 2014 01:04:00 +0000

Nikon’s DF-initely retro DSLR Review

http://www.thestar.com.my/

Nikon’s DF-initely retro DSLR

Nikon’s first retro DSLR has retro styling, but inside, it’s all modern.

AS I’VE mentioned before numerous times, I’m a big fan of retro-styled cameras and while companies like Fuji and Olympus have been riding high on retro-styled cameras, neither Nikon nor Canon have produced a retro-styled digital camera. Until now.

With the Df (or Digital Fusion as it apparently stands for), Nikon is making its first foray into retro cameras and has produced a camera which brings to mind classic SLRs in the company’s proud history, namely the Nikon FE2 and Nikon FM2.

Styling aside, the Nikon Df is actually a DSLR through and through, with a full-frame 16-megapixel image sensor taken right from the Nikon D4 professional DSLR, mixed with the innards of cameras like the Nikon D600 and D7000.

Since so much of the Nikon Df is all about emotional response, this review will inevitably stray towards how it feels to use the Df as opposed to its performance (which is actually really good).

Partial retro

The Df is available in a choice of two colours — the basic black, and a silver and black version.

Now while I generally like my retro cameras in silver and black leatherette, to my eyes, the Df actually looks better in black. Most users may find the silver version nicer.

Anyway, the whole intent of the Nikon Df is bring back the classic control scheme found in film SLRs and in this camera, it’s successful — up to a point.

In terms of weight, the Nikon Df is apparently lighter than most DSLRs in the company’s range and in size, it’s actually smaller than the D600.

BIGGER: The Nikon Df (top) is quite a bit fatter than its ancestor, the Nikon FM2.

When compared to its film ancestor the Nikon FM2, however, the Df is a lot larger in every dimension — it’s taller, fatter and wider.

On the top of the camera is where most of the retro controls go — you get a full shutter speed dial with all the speeds you’d expect in full stops as well as Bulb (shutter opens as long as shutter button is held down), Timed (shutter opens on first press and closes on second press of shutter release) and X-sync (flash sync) options.

Additionally, if you’d prefer to have a modern control system, the shutter dial has a “1/3 increments” option — when set to this position, you can use the command dial on the back of the camera to adjust your shutter speeds, the same as a modern Nikon DSLR.

SHOOTING MODES: The tiny MASP shooting mode dial on the Nikon Df has to be lifted up before you can change modes.

On the other side of the top plate are two dials stacked on top of each other — the larger dial at the bottom is the ISO setting dial while the smaller one on top is an exposure compensation dial.

Both dials have separate locks to prevent accidental switching, but I personally would have preferred the dials without locks — I feel they’re already stiff enough to prevent accidental switching.

Presentation is key

One rather weird concession to modern DSLR design is that the Df has a tiny LCD display on the top and a P,S,A,M mode dial.

Now I feel that the tiny LCD — which shows shutter, aperture, battery life and exposure count — is completely unnecessary since you can get that same information in the viewfinder and on the back LCD.

ALL DIGITAL: The Nikon Df back plate should be familiar to most modern Nikon DSLR users.

As for the P,S,A,M mode dial, while I can understand why Nikon put it there, a more elegant solution would have been to simply put an “Auto” on the shutter dial and a switch near the lens bayonet mount with an “A” similar to how Fuji does it in the X100S.

The way Fuji has set up the X100S is how old cameras used to work — with both switches set to “A” you get full Programmed auto, while moving the shutter dial out of A will give you shutter priority auto, while moving both switches out of A would give you full manual control.

Nevertheless Nikon’s P,S,A,M mode dial on the Df works alright — you just have to lift it and twist the tiny dial to change modes.

One interesting feature of the Df is that it’s compatible with modern as well as old manual focus Nikon lenses made before 1977, making it the first Nikon DSLR to support such a wide variety of lenses in the Nikon range.

AWKWARD PLACEMENT: The front command dial of the Nikon Df is too awkwardly located for comfortable use.

Most modern Nikon DSLRs have some compatibility with older non-autofocus Nikon lenses but the Df goes further and offers compatibility with non-AIS lenses made between 1959 and 1977.

However, using these non-AIS lenses — which have no aperture couplings to tell the camera what aperture is set on the lens — you get metering, but you need to manually set the aperture based on the camera’s recommendation obtained from the exposure meter.

On the back of the Nikon Df, it’s all modern DSLR — you get a control scheme that should be familiar to any modern Nikon DSLR user, including a Live View button on the back and a 3.2in LCD screen.

What you don’t get is video recording — that’s right, the Df doesn’t have a video recording option and does not have a built in microphone nor a port to add an external microphone.

Oh yes, my one real gripe with the Nikon Df is that Nikon has relocated the front command dial to an area that actually makes it a little hard to use — I found the positioning of the front dial awkward and a little hard to spin with my forefinger.

In use

After a couple of weeks using the Nikon Df, I found that despite not being as retro as I would have liked it to be, it was still a joy to shoot with it.

The camera feels good in the hands and is reasonably speedy.

Some people may object to Nikon’s choice of integrating a 16-megapixel image sensor into the Df instead of the 24-megapixel one from the D600/610, but in use, the Df’s sensor performed very well — coupled with a good lens, images were pin sharp and ISO performance was simply amazing.

If anything, the Df’s image sensor outperforms the professional D4 in terms of noise and produced perfectly usable results from ISO100 to ISO6400.

Although there is obvious noise reduction at ISO12,800, the results were actually quite usable at a pinch.

All in all, very impressive ISO performance from the Nikon Df.

Also particularly notable is that the white balance on the Df is nearly perfect — producing correctly colour-balanced shots in almost every type of lighting condition that I could throw at it.

Despite having a smaller 1,230 mAh lithium ion battery than professional and semi-professional siblings, the Df actually had very good battery life — I charged it once and went through many days of reasonably heavy shooting before I had to recharge again.

Unfortunately the single SD card slot is also located inside the battery compartment — if you have the camera mounted on a larger tripod plate, the door may not be accessible while the camera is mounted on the tripod.

That said, I personally didn’t have any problems with this as my tripod mounting plate is pretty small.

Conclusion

All in all, I really liked the Nikon Df as a camera — where it matters most, i.e. in image quality, the camera produced consistently accurately exposed and sharp images.

ISO performance is also top notch — this camera will really allow you to shoot handheld in lower lighting than ever before and still produce usable images.

In terms of handling, while it doesn’t hold you back when shooting, I feel Nikon could have gone even more retro with the Df — the whole point of a retro camera is to minimise the number of buttons and yet retain the control that advanced users need.

With the Df, there’s still a plethora of buttons and dials, some of which I could have done without.

That being said, the Df is a nice camera to use — I really did enjoy shooting with it and certainly used my test unit long after I was done with the review.

Pros: Relatively light for a Nikon DSLR; retro styling is quite nice, especially in black; excellent image quality and ISO performance.

Cons: Nikon needs to go more retro with the design; front command dial a little hard to use.

Df
(Nikon Corp)
DSLR
Sensor: 16-megapixel (4928 x 280-pixels) full-frame CMOS
Viewfinder: Optical and 3.2in 921k-dot LCD
Lens: None
Shutter speed: 30sec — 1/4000sec
ISO range: 100 — 25,600 (up to ISO 204,800 in ISO boost mode)
Shooting modes: P, S, A, M
Video format: None
Battery: EN-EL14a 1,230mAh lithium-ion
Storage: single SDXC card slot
Interface: USB 2.0
Other features: Compatible with Nikon SLR lenses made before 1977
Dimensions (W X H X D): 144 x 110 x 67 mm
Weight: 760g
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Quick Spec

Class : DSLR
Manufacturer : (Nikon Corp)
Other Features : Compatible with Nikon SLR lenses made before 1977
Dimensions : (W x H x D): 144 x 110 x 67 mm Weight
Weight : 760g
Sensor : 16-megapixel (4928 x 280-pixels) full-frame CMOS
Lens : None
Shutter Speed : 30sec — 1/4000sec
ISO range : 100 — 25,600 (up to ISO 204,800 in ISO boost mode)
Shooting Modes : P, S, A, M
Video Formats : None
View Finder : Optical and 3.2in 921k-dot LCD
Battery : EN-EL14a 1,230mAh lithium-ion
Storage : Single SDXC card slot
Interface : USB 2.0

source : http://www.thestar.com.my/Tech/Cameras/2013/12/24/Nikons-DFinitely-retro-DSLR/

Lady Gaga Biography (Update June 2014)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 09 Jun 2014 02:01:00 +0000

Lady Gaga Biography (Update June 2014)

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (/ˈstɛfəniː dʒɜrməˈnɒtə/ ste-fə-nee jur-mə-not-ə; born March 28, 1986), better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, LGBT activist, and actress. She was born, raised, and lives in New York City.[2] Gaga studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart before briefly attending Collaborative Arts Project 21 (CAP21). She withdrew from CAP21 to focus on her musical career. She soon began performing in the rock music scene of Manhattan's Lower East Side. By the end of 2007, record executive and producer Vincent Herbert signed her to his label Streamline Records, an imprint of Interscope Records. Initially working as a songwriter at Interscope Records, her vocal abilities captured the attention of recording artist Akon, who also signed her to Kon Live Distribution, his own label under Interscope.
Gaga rose to prominence with her August 2008 debut album, The Fame, which was a critical and commercial success. The record included the international number-one tracks "Just Dance" and "Poker Face". In November 2009, her extended play, The Fame Monster, was released to a similar reception, and produced the hit singles "Bad Romance", "Telephone", and "Alejandro". Gaga's second studio album, Born This Way, was released in May 2011 and topped albums charts in most major markets. It was preceded by the chart-topping songs "Born This Way", "Judas", and "The Edge of Glory". After taking a sabbatical for a hip injury and the cancellation of the remaining dates of the Born This Way Ball Tour, Gaga's third album Artpop was released in November 2013, and became her second number one album in the US.
Influenced by David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Queen, Gaga is recognized for her flamboyant, diverse, and outré contributions to the music industry through her fashion, performances, and music videos. As of November 2013, she had sold an estimated 24 million albums and 125 million singles worldwide and her singles are some of the best-selling worldwide.[3][4] Her achievements include five Grammy Awards and 13 MTV Video Music Awards.
Gaga has consecutively appeared on Billboard magazine's Artists of the Year (scoring the definitive title in 2010), ranked fourth in VH1's list of 100 Greatest Women in Music, is the fourth best selling digital singles artist in US according to RIAA,[5] is regularly placed on lists composed by Forbes magazine, including their list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women from 2010 to 2013,[6] and was named one of the most influential people in the world by Time magazine.[7][8]
1986–2004: Early life
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta was born in New York City to a Catholic family on March 28, 1986.[9] She is the elder daughter of internet entrepreneur Joseph Anthony "Joe" Germanotta, Jr. and Cynthia Louise "Cindy" Bissett (born c. 1955).[10][11][12] Gaga has Italian and French ancestry.[13][14] Her sister Natali (born c. 1992) is a fashion student.[15][16] Despite her affluent upbringing on Manhattan's Upper West Side, Gaga says that her parents "both came from lower-class families, so we've worked for everything—my mother worked eight to eight out of the house, in telecommunications, and so did my father."[17][18] From age eleven she attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart, a private all-girls Roman Catholic school on Manhattan's Upper East Side.[19][20][21] She described her academic life in high school as "very dedicated, very studious, very disciplined" but also "a bit insecure": "I used to get made fun of for being either too provocative or too eccentric, so I started to tone it down. I didn't fit in, and I felt like a freak."[22] Gaga began playing the piano at the age of four, wrote her first piano ballad at thirteen, and started to perform at open mic nights by the age of fourteen.[23] She performed lead roles in high school productions, including Adelaide in Guys and Dolls and Philia in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.[24] She also appeared in a very small role as a mischievous classmate in the television drama series The Sopranos in a 2001 episode titled "The Telltale Moozadell" and auditioned for New York shows without success.[17][25]
After high school, her mother encouraged her to apply for the Collaborative Arts Project 21 (CAP21), a musical theater training conservatory at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.[17] By age seventeen, after becoming one of twenty students to gain early admission, she lived in an NYU dorm on 11th Street.[24] In addition to sharpening her songwriting skills, she composed essays and analytical papers on art, religion, social issues, and politics, including a thesis on pop artists Spencer Tunick and Damien Hirst.[26][27] She also auditioned for various roles and won the part of an unsuspecting diner customer for MTV's Boiling Points, a prank reality television show.[17][28]
2005–07: Career beginnings

Gaga withdrew from CAP21 at 19, in the second semester of her sophomore year, deciding to focus on her musical career.[29] Her father agreed to pay her rent for a year, on the condition that she re-enroll at Tisch if unsuccessful. "I left my entire family, got the cheapest apartment I could find, and ate shit until somebody would listen," she remembers.[24] Settled in a small apartment on Rivington Street towards the summer of 2005, Gaga recorded a couple of songs with hip-hop singer Grandmaster Melle Mel, for an audio book accompanying the children's book The Portal in the Park, by Cricket Casey.[17][30] She also began a band called the Stefani Germanotta Band (SGBand) with some friends from NYU – guitarist Calvin Pia, bassist Eli Silverman, drummer Alex Beckham and booking manager Frank Fredericks – in September of that year.[17][24] The band played a mixture of songs: some self-penned alongside classic rock numbers like Led Zeppelin's "D'yer Mak'er". Playing in bars like the Greenwich Village's The Bitter End and the Lower East Side's the Mercury Lounge, the band developed a small fan base and caught the eye of music producer Joe Vulpis.[17] Soon after arranging time in Vulpis' studio in the months that followed, SGBand were selling their extended plays Words and Red and Blue (both 2005) at gigs around New York while becoming a local fixture of the downtown Lower East Side club scene.[24] SGBand reached their career peak at the 2006 Songwriters Hall of Fame New Songwriters Showcase at The Cutting Room in June where Wendy Starland, a musician, appeared as a talent scout for music producer Rob Fusari. Starland informed Fusari – who was searching for a female singer to front a new band – of Gaga's ability and contacted her. With SGBand disbanded, Gaga traveled daily to New Jersey to work on songs she had written and compose new material with the music producer.[17] While in collaboration, Fusari compared some of her vocal harmonies to those of Freddie Mercury, lead singer of Queen.[31]

Fusari claims to have created the "Lady Gaga" moniker after the Queen song "Radio Ga Ga". Gaga was in the process of trying to come up with a stage name when she received a text message from Fusari that read "Lady Gaga." He explained, "Every day, when Stef came to the studio, instead of saying hello, I would start singing 'Radio Ga Ga'. That was her entrance song" and that the text message was the result of a predictive text glitch that changed "radio" to "lady". She texted back, "That's it," and declared, "Don't ever call me Stefani again."[32][33]

Although the musical relationship between Fusari and Gaga was unsuccessful at first, the pair soon set up a company titled Team Lovechild in which they recorded and produced electropop tracks and sent them to music industry bosses. Joshua Sarubin, the head of A&R at Def Jam Recordings, responded positively and vied for the record company to take a chance on her "unusual and provocative" performance. After having his boss Antonio "L.A." Reid in agreement, Gaga was signed to Def Jam in September 2006 with the intention of having an album ready in nine months.[17] However, she was dropped by the label after only three months – an unfortunate period of her life that would later inspire her treatment for the music video for her 2011 single "Marry the Night".[34] Devastated, Gaga returned to the solace of the family home for Christmas and the nightlife culture of the Lower East Side.

She became increasingly experimental: fascinating herself with emerging neo-burlesque shows, go-go dancing at bars dressed in little more than a bikini in addition to experimenting with drugs.[17][20] She was a go-go dancer at St. Jerome’s, a Rivington Street dive in New York's lower East Side.[35] Her father Joe, however, did not understand the reason behind her drug intake and could not look at her for several months.[20][33] "I was onstage in a thong, with a fringe hanging over my ass thinking that had covered it, lighting hairsprays on fire, go-go dancing to Black Sabbath and singing songs about oral sex. The kids would scream and cheer and then we'd all go grab a beer. It represented freedom to me. I went to a Catholic school but it was on the New York underground that I found myself."[26] It was then when she became romantically involved with a heavy metal drummer in a relationship and break-up she likened to the musical film Grease: "I was his Sandy, and he was my Danny, and I just broke." He later became an inspiration behind some of her later songs.[36]

During this time, she met performance artist Lady Starlight, who helped mold her on-stage persona.[37] Starlight explained that, upon their first meeting, Gaga wanted to perform with her to songs she had recorded with Fusari. Like SGBand, the pair soon began performing at many of the downtown club venues like the Mercury Lounge, The Bitter End, and the Rockwood Music Hall. Their live performance art piece was known as "Lady Gaga and the Starlight Revue" and, billed as "The Ultimate Pop Burlesque Rockshow", was a low-fi tribute to 1970s variety acts.[38][39] Soon after, the two were invited to play at the 2007 Lollapalooza music festival in August that year.[40] The show was critically acclaimed, and their performance received positive reviews.[38] Having initially focused on avant-garde electronic dance music, Gaga had found her musical niche when she began to incorporate pop melodies and the glam rock of David Bowie and Queen into her music. While Gaga and Starlight were busy performing, producer Rob Fusari continued to work on the songs he had created with Gaga. Fusari sent these songs to his friend, producer and record executive Vincent Herbert.[41] Herbert was quick to sign her to his label Streamline Records, an imprint of Interscope Records, upon its establishment in 2007.[42] Gaga later credited Herbert as the man who discovered her, adding "I really feel like we made pop history, and we're gonna keep going."[41] Having served as an apprentice songwriter under an internship at Famous Music Publishing, which was later acquired by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Gaga subsequently struck a music publishing deal with Sony/ATV. As a result, she was hired to write songs for Britney Spears and labelmates New Kids on the Block, Fergie, and The Pussycat Dolls.[43] At Interscope, singer-songwriter Akon recognized her vocal abilities when she sang a reference vocal for one of his tracks in studio.[44] Akon then convinced Interscope-Geffen-A&M Chairman and CEO Jimmy Iovine to form a joint deal by having her also sign with his own label Kon Live, making her his "franchise player."[34][45]

Towards the end of 2007, her former management company introduced her to songwriter and producer RedOne, whom they also managed.[46] The first song she produced with RedOne was "Boys Boys Boys", a mash-up inspired by Mötley Crüe's "Girls, Girls, Girls" and AC/DC's "T.N.T.".[33] Gaga continued her collaboration with RedOne in the recording studio for a week on her debut album and also joined the roster of Cherrytree Records, an Interscope imprint established by producer and songwriter Martin Kierszenbaum, after co-writing four songs with Kierszenbaum including the singles "Christmas Tree" and "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)".[43] Despite her secure record deal, she admitted that there was fear about her being too "racy", "dance-orientated" and "underground" for the mainstream market. Her response: "My name is Lady Gaga, I've been on the music scene for years, and I'm telling you, this is what's next."[21]

2008–10: The Fame and The Fame Monster

By 2008, Gaga relocated to Los Angeles in order to work extensively with her record label to complete her debut album and set up her own creative team called the Haus of Gaga, modeled on Andy Warhol's Factory.[33][47] The Fame was first released on August 19, 2008 to slow radio play. Gaga supported it by performing around Europe and in small gay clubs around the US in addition to being billed as a supporting artist on the North American leg of New Kids on the Block's reunion concert tour.[48][49] A sleeper hit, lead single "Just Dance", had preceded the album's release by four months but only hit the summit of the international charts in January 2009, provoking the instant success of the album, earning her first Grammy Award nomination (for Best Dance Recording) and becoming one of the best-selling singles worldwide.[48][50] Gaga achieved a greater unexpected success when "Poker Face", another sleeper hit, reached number one in most major music markets worldwide in early 2009, selling 9.8 million singles worldwide.[51][52] It won the award for Best Dance Recording at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, with nominations for Song of the Year and Record of the Year.

The Fame itself was nominated for Album of the Year while winning Best Dance/Electronica Album at the same ceremony.[53] Contemporary critics lauded the album, describing it as an exploration of her obsession with fame and the intricacies of a rich and famous lifestyle, noting its combination of genres "from Def Leppard drums and hand claps to metal drums on urban tracks", the inspiration drawn from 1980s synthpop and incorporation of dance music with clear hooks.[34] The Fame went to number one in Austria, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland and the UK and appeared in the top five in Australia, the US and 15 other countries.[54][55] It also stayed atop the Dance/Electronic Albums chart for 106 non-consecutive weeks and, since its release, has sold over 12 million copies worldwide.[56] The album's success spawned many 2009 honors including Billboard magazine's Rising Star award and the accumulation of 3 of 9 MTV Video Music Awards nominations, winning Best New Artist with the video for her single "Paparazzi" gaining Best Art Direction and Best Special Effects.[57][58] In addition to being an opening act on the Pussycat Dolls' Doll Domination Tour during the first half of 2009 in Europe and Oceania, she also embarked on her own six-month critically appreciated worldwide concert tour The Fame Ball Tour which ran from March to September 2009.[59][60]

While she traveled the globe, she wrote The Fame Monster, an EP of eight songs released in November 2009. Each song, dealing with the darker side of fame from personal experience, is expressed through a monster metaphor. Making Gaga the first artist in digital history to have three singles (alongside "Just Dance" and "Poker Face") to pass the four million mark in digital sales, its lead single "Bad Romance" topped the charts in eighteen countries and reached the top two in the US, Australia and New Zealand while accruing the Grammy Awards for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Short Form Music Video.[61] The second single "Telephone", which features Beyoncé, was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals and became Gaga's fourth UK number one single; its accompanying music video, although controversial, received positive reception from contemporary critics who praised her for "the musicality and showmanship of Michael Jackson and the powerful sexuality and provocative instincts of Madonna."[62][63] Her following single "Alejandro" paired Gaga with fashion photographer Steven Klein for a music video similarly as controversial – critics complimented its ideas and dark nature but the Catholic League attacked Gaga for her alleged use of blasphemy.[64]

Despite the controversy surrounding her music videos, they made Gaga the first artist to gain over one billion viral views on video-sharing website YouTube.[65] At the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, Gaga won 8 of her 13 nominations, including Video of the Year for "Bad Romance" (with "Telephone" also nominated), which made her the first female artist to be nominated twice for the award.[66][67] In addition, The Fame Monster garnered a total of six nominations at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards – equating to the amount of Grammy nominations her debut received – winning Best Pop Vocal Album and earning her a second-consecutive nomination for Album of the Year.[68][69] The Fame Monster and the 2010 compilation The Remix were Gaga's final releases under Cherrytree Records. While her reasons for departing the label are unknown, her manager Troy Carter stated in 2011 that they still collaborate with label head Martin Kierszenbaum on strategies for marketing Gaga overseas.[70]

The success of The Fame Monster allowed Gaga to start her second worldwide concert tour, The Monster Ball Tour, just weeks after the release of the album and months after having finished The Fame Ball Tour.[71] Upon finishing in May 2011, the critically acclaimed and commercially accomplished tour ran for over one and a half years and grossed $227.4 million, making it the highest-grossing for a debut headlining artist.[72] Concerts performed at Madison Square Garden in New York City were filmed for a HBO television special titled Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden. The special accrued one of its five Emmy Award nominations and has since been released on DVD and Blu-ray.[73] Gaga also performed songs from the album at international events such as the 2009 Royal Variety Performance where she sang "Speechless", a power ballad, in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II; the 52nd Grammy Awards where her opening performance consisted of the song "Poker Face" and a piano duet of "Speechless" in a medley of "Your Song" with Elton John; and the 2010 BRIT Awards where a performance of an acoustic rendition of "Telephone" followed by "Dance in the Dark" dedicated to the late fashion designer and close friend, Alexander McQueen, supplemented her hat-trick win at the awards ceremony.[74] Other performances might have included her participation in Michael Jackson's This Is It concert series at London's O2 Arena. "I was actually asked to open for Michael on his tour," she stated. "We were going to open for him at the O2 and we were working on making it happen. I believe there was some talk about us, lots of the openers, doing duets with Michael on stage."[75]

In 2009, she collaborated with consumer electronic company Monster Cable Products to create a pair of in-ear jewel-encrusted headphones titled Heartbeats. "They are designed to be the first ever fashion accessories that double as the absolute best sonically sounding headphones in the world," she commented.[76] Gaga also partnered with Polaroid in January 2010 as their Creative Director.[77] Excited about "blending the iconic history of Polaroid and instant film with the digital era," Gaga unveiled the first trio of new products called Grey Label: a pair of picture-taking sunglasses, a paperback-sized mobile printing unit and an updated version of the traditional Polaroid camera at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show.[78] But her collaboration with past producer Rob Fusari led to her production team, Mermaid Music LLC, being sued in March 2010 when he claimed that he was entitled to a 20% share of the company's earnings. Gaga's lawyer, Charles Ortner, described the agreement with Fusari as "unlawful" and declined to comment, but five months later, the New York Supreme Court dismissed both the lawsuit and a countersuit by Gaga.[79][80] In addition to such strife, Gaga was tested borderline positive for lupus, but claimed not to be affected by the symptoms. The revelations caused considerable dismay among fans, leading to Gaga addressing the matter in an interview with Larry King, saying she hopes to avoid symptoms by maintaining a healthy lifestyle.[81][82]

2011–12: Born This Way

Gaga released her second studio album, Born This Way, on May 23, 2011. Described as a marriage of electronic music with metal, rock 'n' roll, pop and anthemic style melodies with sledge-hammering dance beats and referred to as an album "about what keeps us up at night and what makes us afraid," Gaga characterized it as "something so much deeper than a wig or lipstick or a fucking meat dress" and, upon hearing it, Akon remarked that she is taking music to the "next level."[83][84] Upon release, the album received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised its range of different styles and her vocals.[85][86] Born This Way sold 1.108 million copies in its first week in the US, debuted atop the Billboard 200, and topped the charts in more than 20 other countries.[87] In addition to exceeding 8 million copies in worldwide sales, Born This Way received three Grammy Award nominations, including her third consecutive for Album of the Year.[88] In March 2012, Gaga was ranked fourth on Billboard's list of top moneymakers of 2011, grossing $25,353,039, which included sales from Born This Way and her Monster Ball Tour.[89]

Born This Way was preceded by singles "Born This Way", "Judas", and "The Edge of Glory", and the promotional single "Hair". The lead single and title track, first sung live at the 53rd Grammy Awards in a performance that saw Gaga emerge from an egg-like vessel, deals with self-acceptance regardless of race or sexual orientation. The single debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the 19th number-one debut and the 1,000th number-one single in the history of the charts.[90] It sold 3,918,000 digital copies in the US by August 2013, becoming her eighth consecutive single to exceed sales of 2 million and, with worldwide sales of 8.2 million copies by November 2011, one of her five best-selling singles worldwide.[91][92] Critics noted artistic and cultural references and praised the concept of the song's accompanying music video, in which Gaga gives birth to a new race amidst surrealistic images.[93][94]

The video for "Judas", in which Gaga portrays Mary Magdalene, and Biblical figures such as Jesus Christ and Judas Iscariot are also featured, was criticized for its religious references but received acclaim for its overall delivery and praise from others who claimed that there was nothing offensive about it.[95] "Judas" also peaked within the top ten in several major musical markets, while "The Edge of Glory", first a commercial success in digital outlets, was later released as a single to rave reviews from critics, accompanied by a video which was notably stripped down from her usually "extravagant" efforts.[96][97] She released "You and I" and "Marry the Night" as the following singles from Born This Way. Although their "crazy and ambitious" videos were praised for their audacity, both songs failed to match the international success that their predecessors achieved.[98] Gaga was later ranked as the second most-played artist of 2011 in the UK by the PPL.[99]

New songs for Gaga's third studio album, Artpop, were "beginning to flourish" as she worked with producer Fernando Garibay in early 2012.[113][114][115] Gaga's manager, Vincent Herbert, said the singer began working on the project during the Born This Way Ball tour and promised new material consisted of "insane, great records".[116] Gaga herself explained that she yearned to make audiences have "a really good time" with Artpop, crafting the album to mirror "a night at the club".[117] "When you listen to it, it really flows nicely. It's really fun to pop in with your friends. I really wrote it for me and my friends to pop in from start to finish."[117] At the same time, Gaga began collaborating with Terry Richardson on a documentary detailing her life, the Haus of Gaga and the evolution of Artpop.[118] The album was released on November 11, 2013 in the United States through legal music downloading outlets as well as through an app developed by the Haus of Gaga.[119] It eventually became her second number-one album in the United States with first week sales of 258,000 copies.[120] Music critics were divided in their assessments of Artpop.[121] The album has thus far spawned successful singles in "Applause" and "Do What U Want", the latter featuring R&B singer R. Kelly.[122][123][124] Gaga had split from her longtime manager, Troy Carter, shortly thereafter citing "creative differences".[125] On March 28, 2014, Gaga's 28th birthday, "G.U.Y." was released as the third single from Artpop.[126]

Gaga starred in Robert Rodriguez's project Machete Kills as La Chameleón. The picture, released on October 11, 2013, was poorly received critically and commercially.[127][128][129] Her performance earned her a Golden Raspberry nomination for Worst Supporting Actress.[130] The singer also hosted the November 16, 2013 episode of Saturday Night Live, closing out the program with a performance of "Do What U Want" with Kelly.[131] Later that month, she held her second Thanksgiving Day television special on ABC, Lady Gaga and the Muppets' Holiday Spectacular, where she played a selection of songs with The Muppets, Elton John, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and RuPaul.[132] Future film projects for Gaga includes a cameo in another Robert Rodriguez film, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, scheduled for release on August 22, 2014.[133]

Besides her film endeavors, Gaga would also be involved in other musical ventures. Cheek to Cheek, a jazz album with Tony Bennett, was supposed to be released on January 1, 2014, but it was later announced that the release has been delayed tentatively until the fourth quarter of 2014.[134][135] In early 2015, Gaga will perform the first ever concert in space as part of Zero G Colony, a three-day music festival. She will travel via Spaceport America, the world's first commercial spaceport, in New Mexico, and the event will feature a mix of entertainment and cutting-edge technology. Gaga will be the grand finale.[136]

Musical style

Continually experimenting with new musical ideas and images, Gaga's musical and performance style is the subject of much analysis and scrutiny from critics. She professes that she is "liberating" herself by constantly reinventing her sound and image, insisting that she has been drawn to such a practice since her childhood.[137] Vocally, Gaga possesses the range of a contralto and exhibits "overwhelming expression, instinctive vocal phrasing, '80s rock reminiscent chest belts and animalistic vocal ticks" while being able to move through 2.7 octaves.[138][139] Refusing to lip sync, Gaga – whose range is frequently compared to those of Madonna and Gwen Stefani – has manipulated her vocal style over the course of her career yet considers Born This Way (2011) "much more vocally up to par with what I've always been capable of."[140][141] In summation of her voice, Entertainment Weekly wrote, "There's an immense emotional intelligence behind the way she uses her voice. Almost never does she overwhelm a song with her vocal ability, recognizing instead that artistry is to be found in nuance rather than lung power."[142]

Although her early lyrics have been criticized for lacking intellectual stimulation, "[Gaga] does manage to get you moving and grooving at an almost effortless pace."[143] Gaga believes that "all good music can be played at a piano and still sound like a hit."[144] She has covered a wide variety of topics in her songs: while The Fame (2008) meditates on the lust for stardom, The Fame Monster (2009) expresses fame's dark side through monster metaphors. Born This Way (2011) is sung in English, French, German, and Spanish and includes common themes in Gaga's controversial songwriting such as sex, love, religion, money, drugs, identity, liberation, sexuality, freedom, and individualism.[145][146]

The structure of her music is said to echo classic 1980s pop and 1990s Europop.[147] Her debut album The Fame (2008) provoked The Sunday Times to assert "in combining music, fashion, art and technology, [Gaga] evokes Madonna, Gwen Stefani circa 'Hollaback Girl', Kylie Minogue 2001 or Grace Jones right now" and a critic from The Boston Globe to comment that she draws "obvious inspirations from Madonna to Gwen Stefani... in [her] girlish but sturdy pipes and bubbly beats."[148][149] Music critic Simon Reynolds wrote that "Everything about Gaga came from electroclash, except the music, which wasn't particularly 1980s, just ruthlessly catchy naughties pop glazed with Auto-Tune and undergirded with R&B-ish beats."[150] The follow-up The Fame Monster (2009), saw Gaga's taste for pastiche, drawing on "Seventies arena glam, perky ABBA disco and sugary throwbacks like Stacey Q" while Born This Way (2011) also draws on the records of her childhood and still has the "electro-sleaze beats and Eurodisco chorus chants" of its predecessor but includes genres as diverse as opera, heavy metal, disco, and rock and roll.[145] "There isn't a subtle moment on the album, but even at its nuttiest, the music is full of wide-awake emotional details," wrote Rolling Stone, who concluded: "The more excessive Gaga gets, the more honest she sounds."[146]

Influences

Gaga grew up listening to artists such as The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Queen, Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd, The Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, Whitney Houston, and Elton John, who all significantly influenced her.[151][152] She also cited heavy metal bands like Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath as her favorite musicians.[153]

"I am a real family girl. When it comes to love and loyalty, I am very old-fashioned. And I am quite down-to-earth for such an eccentric person", she insists.[154] "I'm quite traditional in the family sense. I've always been that way."[151] According to Gaga, Joanne Germanotta – her aunt who died of lupus, aged 19 – lives on through her and inspires all of her music and art.[155] Joanne's date of death is tattooed on Gaga's body and, despite dying 12 years before her birth, Gaga commented, "I really believe I have two hearts. I think I actually carry two souls in my body, and that I'm living out the rest of her life and her goodness – she died a virgin, she died never having experienced all these things that we all get to love and experience in our lives."[156]

Another spiritual influence on Gaga has been the Indian physician, public speaker, and writer Deepak Chopra. Labeling him a "true inspiration", she stated that "he's always reminded me to work in a life of service to my fans and to fulfill my vision and my destiny" in addition to thinking about Chopra when it comes to her work as a musician: "I want so much for it to go beyond the music for my fans."[157] Gaga also lifted a quote from Osho's book Creativity on Twitter.[158][159] When asked about her connection to him, Gaga said she was influenced by his work and that, for her, "the creativity is the greatest way of rebellion": "Equality", she concluded, "is one of the most important things in my life."[160]

Musically, Gaga takes influence from numerous musicians from dance-pop singers like Madonna and Michael Jackson to glam rock artists like David Bowie and Queen whilst employing the theatrics of artists like Andy Warhol and of her musical theater roots in performance.[34][161][162] "The Philosophy of Andy Warhol: From A to B and Back Again" by Andy Warhol has been noted for shaping Gaga's approach to celebrity. Warhol advised that enigmatic blankness generates an allure that could serve as the basis of fame. Some identify the mystery surrounding the "Gaga" identity as such a strategy.[163]

The Queen song "Radio Ga Ga" inspired her stage name: "I adored Freddie Mercury and Queen had a hit called 'Radio Gaga'. That's why I love the name [.....] Freddie was unique—one of the biggest personalities in the whole of pop music," she commented.[164] Gaga has often been compared to recording artist Madonna who admits that she sees herself reflected in Gaga.[165] In response to the comparisons, Gaga stated, "I don't want to sound presumptuous, but I've made it my goal to revolutionize pop music. The last revolution was launched by Madonna 25 years ago" in addition to commenting that "there is really no one that is a more adoring and loving Madonna fan than me. I am the hugest fan personally and professionally."[166]

Like Madonna, Gaga has continued to reinvent herself and, over the years of her career, has drawn musical inspiration from a diverse mix of artists including Whitney Houston, Grace Jones, Cyndi Lauper, Blondie singer Debbie Harry, Scissor Sisters, Prince, Marilyn Manson, Yoko Ono, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera.[167] Gaga has mentioned Spears in several interviews, and revealed, "Britney certainly doesn’t need any freakin' tips from me! Britney Spears is the queen of pop. I was learning from her."[168] Gaga also paid tribute to Spears during the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards with the MTV Video Vanguard Award, adding that the pop singer "taught us all how to be fearless, and the industry wouldn't be the same without her."[169]

Gaga has identified fashion as a major influence and has been stylistically compared to Leigh Bowery, Isabella Blow, and Cher.[20][29][154][170] She commented that "as a child, she somehow absorbed Cher's out-there fashion sense and made it her own."[170] She has considered Donatella Versace her muse and the late English fashion designer and close friend Alexander McQueen as an inspiration, admitting that "I miss Lee every time I get dressed" while channeling him in some of her work.[20][81] Modeled on Andy Warhol's Factory, Gaga has her own creative production team, which she handles personally, called the Haus of Gaga, who create many of her clothes, stage props, and hairdos.[171] Her adoration of fashion came from her mother, who she stated was "always very well kept and beautiful."[172] In an interview with Larry King, she stated that after her own mother and grandmother, the most important woman to her was 20th century fashion icon Princess Diana; "I love Princess Diana so much. She was an enormous influence on me when I was younger because my mother worshipped her so much. When she died, I'll never forget, my mother was crying. It was this very powerful moment in my childhood watching my mother so connected to someone".[173]

"When I'm writing music, I'm thinking about the clothes I want to wear on stage. It's all about everything altogether—performance art, pop performance art, fashion. For me, it's everything coming together and being a real story that will bring back the super-fan. I want to bring that back. I want the imagery to be so strong that fans will want to eat and taste and lick every part of us."[29] Gaga made her runway debut at Thierry Mugler's Paris fashion show in March 2011 where she wore items from Nicola Formichetti's debut women's wear collection. She has since devoted her time as a fashion columnist for V magazine, where she has written about her creative process, her studying of the world of pop culture, and her ability to tune into the evolution of pop-culture meme.[174]

The Global Language Monitor named "Lady Gaga" as the Top Fashion Buzzword with her trademark "no pants" a close third.[175] Entertainment Weekly put her outfits on its end of the decade "best-of" list, saying, "Whether it's a dress made of Muppets or strategically placed bubbles, Gaga's outré ensembles brought performance art into the mainstream."[176] Time Magazine placed Gaga on their "All-Time 100 Fashion Icons List" amongst some of Gaga's inspirations such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, and the The Beatles, stating: "Lady Gaga is just as notorious for her outrageous style as she is for her pop hits. After all, Gaga, born Stefani Germanotta, has sported outfits made from plastic bubbles, Kermit the Frog dolls, and raw meat."[177]

Videos and stage

With constant costume changes, backup dancers, and provocative visuals, Gaga's music videos are often described as short films.[178] "Being provocative is not just about getting people's attention. It's about saying something that really affects people in a real way, in a positive way," she professes.[178] Exploring bondage and sadomasochism in addition to highlighting prevalent feminist themes, "the three central themes that shape Lady Gaga's music videos are sex, violence, and power."[179] "Vaudevillian and carnal, Lady Gaga has got the knack of sending rape-like fantasies—in songs and videos that double as catch club hits—to the top of the charts," wrote one critic.[180] "Whether it is physical violence or sexual exploitation, these videos offer vivid depictions of male power over women's bodies," wrote another.[179] While she labels herself "a little bit of a feminist" and asserts that she is "sexually empowering women,"[180] Gaga strives to empower young women to stand up for what they believe in.[179] She also attempts to liberate her fans so they can feel "less alone."[181] "She not only reiterates her assertion of total originality," professed pop critic Ann Powers, "but also finesses it until it's both a philosophical stance about how constructing a persona from pop-cultural sources can be an expression of a person's truth—a la those drag queens Gaga sincerely admires—and a bit of a feminist act."[182] In summation of her videos, Rolling Stone used the rhetoric: "does anyone look to a Lady Gaga video for restraint?"[98]

Her performances are described as "highly entertaining and innovative"; the blood-spurting performance of "Paparazzi" at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards was described as "eye-popping" by MTV.[183] She continued the "blood soaked" theme during The Monster Ball Tour, in which she wore a revealing leather corset and was "attacked" by a performer dressed in black who gnaws on her throat, causing "blood" to spurt down her chest, after which she lies "dying" in a pool of blood. Her performances of that scene in England triggered protests from family groups and fans in the aftermath of a local tragedy, in which a taxi driver had murdered 12 people.[184] "What happened in Bradford is very fresh in people's minds and given all the violence which happened in Cumbria just hours earlier, it was insensitive," said Lynn Costello of Mothers Against Violence.[185] Her unconventionality continued at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards: performing in drag as her male alter ego, Jo Calderone, and delivering a lovesick monologue before a performance of her song "You and I".[186] Some have defended her flamboyant and provocative behavior. "Well, she's Lady Gaga," Chris Rock said. "She's not 'Lady Behave Yourself.' Do you want great behavior from a person named Gaga? Is this what you were expecting?"[187] As Gaga's choreographer and creative director, Laurieann Gibson provided material for her shows and videos for four years. However, the pair parted in November 2011; Gaga replacing her with Gibson's assistant Richard Jackson.[188] Gaga admits to being a perfectionist when it comes to her elaborate shows. "I'm very bossy. I can scream my head off if I see one light fixture out. I'm very detailed – every minute of the show has got to be perfect."[178]

Public image

While Chris Molanphy from Rolling Stone named Gaga the "Queen of Pop" in a ranking published by the magazine in 2011 (between 15 artists, such as Adele and Britney Spears), public reception of Gaga's music, fashion sense and persona are mixed.[189] Her status as a role model, self-esteem booster for her fans, trailblazer and fashion icon who breathes new life into the industry is by turns affirmed and denied.[190] Gaga's albums have received mostly positive reviews and critics have pointed out her unique place in pop music, the need for new movements in popular culture, the attention Gaga brings to modern social issues, and the inherently subjective nature of her art.[191] Gaga wore a dress made of raw beef to the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards which was supplemented by boots, a purse, and a hat that were also all made out of raw beef.[192] Partly awarded in recognition of the dress, Vogue.com UK named her one of the Best Dressed people of 2010 while Time magazine's named the dress the Fashion Statement of 2010. However, it received divided opinions, attracting the attention of worldwide media but also invoking the fury of animal rights organization PETA.[193][194][195] In view of her influence on modern culture and her rise to global fame, sociologist Mathieu Deflem of the University of South Carolina has organized a course titled "Lady Gaga and the Sociology of the Fame" since spring 2011 with the objective of unravelling "some of the sociologically relevant dimensions of the fame of Lady Gaga."[196] When Gaga briefly met with US president Barack Obama at a Human Rights Campaign fundraiser, he described the interaction as "intimidating" as she was dressed in 16-inch heels making her undoubtedly the tallest woman in the room.[197]

Towards the end of 2008, comparisons were made between the fashions of Gaga and recording artist Christina Aguilera that noted similarities in their styling, hair, and make-up.[20] Aguilera stated that she was "completely unaware of [Gaga]" and "didn't know if it [was] a man or a woman."[20] When interviewed by Barbara Walters for her annual ABC News special 10 Most Fascinating People in 2009, Gaga dismissed the claim that she is intersex as an urban legend. Responding to a question on this issue, she stated, "At first it was very strange and everyone sorta said, 'That's really quite a story!' But in a sense, I portray myself in a very androgynous way, and I love androgyny."[198] In addition to Aguilera's statement, comparisons continued into 2010, when Aguilera released the music video of her single "Not Myself Tonight". Critics noted similarities between the song and its accompanying music video with Gaga's video for "Bad Romance".[199] There have also been similar comparisons made between Gaga's style and that of fashion icon Dale Bozzio from the band Missing Persons. Some have considered their respective images to be strikingly parallel although fans of Missing Persons note that Bozzio had pioneered the look more than thirty years earlier.[200]

While devout followers call Gaga "Mother Monster", Gaga often refers to her fans as "Little Monsters" which has been tattooed on "the arm that holds my mic" in dedication.[201][202] To some, this dichotomy contravenes the concept of outsider culture. Camille Paglia in her 2010 cover story "Lady Gaga and the death of sex" in The Sunday Times asserts that Gaga "is more an identity thief than an erotic taboo breaker, a mainstream manufactured product who claims to be singing for the freaks, the rebellious and the dispossessed when she is none of those."[203][204] Writing for The Guardian, Kitty Empire opined that the dichotomy "...allows the viewer to have a 'transgressive' experience without being required to think. At [her performance's] core, though, is the idea that Gaga is at one with the freaks and outcasts. The Monster Ball is where we can all be free. This is arrant nonsense, as the scads of people buying Gaga's cunningly commercial music are not limited to the niche worlds of drag queens and hip night creatures from which she draws her inspiration. But Gaga seems sincere."[205] Gaga has also launched "littlemonsters.com", the first official social network devoted to fans of an artist that went online in July 2012.[206]

In 2012, Gaga become a feature of a temporary exhibition The Elevated. From the Pharaoh to Lady Gaga marking the 150th anniversary of the National Museum in Warsaw.[207] An exhibition devoted to the mechanisms and the iconography of power was co-financed from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage funds.[207] Its purpose was to show the ubiquity of hierarchy from antiquity to the present.[207] The central showpiece of the exhibition was the effigy of two women who had achieved a high status in the society of its time.[208] Gaga was presented in a dress of raw meat, described by Polish weekly Wprost as "an icon of modernity elevated by the power which she exercises over mass media, a prominent specialist in creating her own image".[208] The meat dress was later displayed at the National Museum of Women in the Arts located in Washington, D.C. with an explanation of her political message.[209]

A new genus of ferns, Gaga, and two new species, G. germanotta and G. monstraparva have been named in her honor. "The epithet "monstraparva" honors Gaga's fervent and loyal fans, her "little monsters." The official little monster greeting is the outstretched "monster claw" hand, which bears a striking resemblance to a tightly inrolled young fern leaf prior to unfurling."[210]

Philanthropy

Besides her career in music, Gaga has also contributed to various charities. For natural disasters, Gaga has helped various relief efforts. Although declining an invitation to appear on the single "We Are the World 25" to benefit victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, she donated the proceeds of her January 24, 2010 concert at New York's Radio City Music Hall to the country's reconstruction relief fund.[211] All profits from her official online store on that day were also donated. Gaga announced that an estimated total of US$500,000 was collected for the fund.[212] Hours after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on March 11, 2011, Gaga tweeted a message and a link to Japan Prayer Bracelets. All revenue from a bracelet she designed in conjunction with the company was donated to relief efforts.[213] As of March 29, 2011, the bracelets raised $1.5 million.[214] However, attorney Alyson Oliver filed a lawsuit against Gaga in Detroit in June 2011, noting that the bracelet was subject to a sales tax and an extra $3.99 shipping charge was added to the price. She also believed that not all proceeds from the bracelets would go to the relief efforts, demanding a public accounting of the campaign and refunds for people who had bought the bracelet. Gaga's spokesperson called the lawsuit "meritless" and "misleading".[215] On June 25, 2011, Gaga performed at MTV Japan's charity show in Makuhari Messe, which benefited the Japanese Red Cross.[216]

In October 2012, Gaga was reported to have met the founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange, at the Ecuadorean embassy in London.[217] On October 9, 2012, Yoko Ono gave Gaga and four other activists the LennonOno Grant for Peace in Reykjavík, Iceland.[218] On November 6, 2012, Gaga pledged to donate $1 million to the American Red Cross to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy. Gaga also contributes in the fight against HIV and AIDS, focusing on educating young women about the risks of the disease. In collaboration with Cyndi Lauper, Gaga joined forces with MAC Cosmetics to launch a line of lipstick under their supplementary cosmetic line, Viva Glam. In a press release, Gaga declared, "I don't want Viva Glam to be just a lipstick you buy to help a cause. I want it to be a reminder when you go out at night to put a condom in your purse right next to your lipstick."[219] The sales of Gaga-endorsed Viva Glam lipstick and lipgloss have raised more than $202 million to fight HIV and AIDS.[8]

Born This Way Foundation

In 2012 she launched the Born This Way Foundation (BTWF), a non-profit organization that focuses on youth empowerment and issues like self-confidence, well-being, anti-bullying, mentoring, and career development. It takes its name from the 2011 single and album. The foundation plans to work with a number of partners, including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The California Endowment and the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.[220][221][222][223] Media proprietor Oprah Winfrey, writer Deepak Chopra, and United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius spoke at the inauguration at Harvard University.[224][225] The foundation's original funding included $1.2 million from Gaga, $500,000 from the MacArthur Foundation, and $850,000 from Barneys New York.[226] The foundation works in partnership with the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, the MacArthur Foundation, the California Endowment,[227] and, as lead media partner, Viacom.[228][229] In July 2012, the BTWF partnered with Office Depot, which will donate 25% of the sales-a minimum of $1million-of a series of limited edition back-to-school products that promote the foundation's message[230][231] The foundation's initiatives have included, in March–April 2012, a poster competition that asked participants to submit images that answer the question "What does bravery mean to you?";[232] the "Born Brave Bus" that would follow her on tour as a youth drop-in center as an initiative against bullying;[233][234] and the "Born Brave" community and school groups.[235]

LGBT advocacy

Gaga is an outspoken activist for LGBT rights worldwide.[236] She attributes much of her early success as a mainstream artist to her gay fans and is considered a gay icon.[237] Early in her career she had difficulty getting radio airplay, and stated, "The turning point for me was the gay community."[238] She thanked FlyLife, a Manhattan-based LGBT marketing company with whom her label Interscope works, in the liner notes of The Fame.[239] One of her first televised performances was in May 2008 at the NewNowNext Awards, an awards show aired by the LGBT television network Logo.[240] In June of the same year, she performed at the San Francisco Pride event.[241] After The Fame was released, she revealed that the song "Poker Face" was about her bisexuality. In an interview with Rolling Stone, she spoke about how her boyfriends tended to react to her bisexuality, saying "The fact that I'm into women, they're all intimidated by it. It makes them uncomfortable. They're like, 'I don't need to have a threesome. I'm happy with just you'."[36] When she appeared as a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in May 2009, she praised DeGeneres for being "an inspiration for women and for the gay community".[242]

She called the October 11, 2009, National Equality March rally on the National Mall "the single most important event of her career."[243][244][245] Gaga attended the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards accompanied by four gay and lesbian former members of the United States Armed Forces who had been unable to serve openly under the U.S. military's "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) policy.[246] Gaga released three videos on YouTube urging her fans to contact their Senators in an effort to overturn DADT. In September 2010 she spoke at a Servicemembers Legal Defense Network's rally in Portland, Maine. Following this event, editors of The Advocate commented that she had become "the real fierce advocate" for gays and lesbians, one that Barack Obama had promised to be.[247][248] Gaga appeared at Europride, a pan-European international event dedicated to LGBT pride, held in Rome in June 2011. She criticized the intolerant state of gay rights in many European countries and described homosexuals as "revolutionaries of love".[249]

References

1. Killoran, Ellen (June 22, 2011). "Lady Gaga: How Much is She Worth?". International Business Times. IBT Media. Retrieved March 26, 2014.

2. "Lady Gaga". Forbes. Retrieved March 8, 2014.

3. "Lady Gaga to perform at Belfast MTV awards". BBC Online. October 17, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2011.

4. "Lady Gaga 'ARTPOP' Release Events to Be Live-Streamed (Exclusive)". Billboard(Prometheus Global Media). November 9, 2013. Retrieved November 9, 2013.

5. "RIAA – Top Artists (Digital Singles)". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 28, 2013.

6. "Power Women". Forbes. May 21, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2013.

7. Caulfield, Keith (September 12, 2010). "Lady Gaga Is Billboard's 2010 Artist of the Year, Ke$ha Takes Top New Act". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media.

8. "Lady Gaga Profile". Forbes. Retrieved October 8, 2010.

9. Naoreen, Nuzrat (March 29, 2013). "Monitor: Court trips, birthdays, and more". Entertainment Weekly (1252): 30. Retrieved May 24, 2013.

10. "Lady GaGa: Biography". TV Guide. Retrieved July 28, 2010.

11. "Lady Gaga's Universe: Mom Cynthia Germanotta". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. Retrieved March 25, 2014.

12. "Mom accompanies Gaga to control her wild ways". Sify.com. Retrieved October 20, 2011.

13. "Lady Gaga's Universe: Dad Joseph Germanotta". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. Retrieved March 25, 2014.

14. Pierce, Kathleen (May 14, 2011). "Just call him pop culture's sleuth". The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 23, 2014.

15. FitzSimons, Amanda. "Lady Gaga's Little Sister, Natali Germanotta Tells All". Teen Vogue. Retrieved December 4, 2011.

16. "Lady Gaga's Sis Makes Cameo in "Telephone" Video". uk.eonline.com, E! Online. Retrieved May 30, 2011.

17. Morgan, Johnny (2010). Gaga. Sterling Publishing. ISBN 1-4027-8059-1.

18. Barber, Lynn (December 6, 2009). "Shady lady: The truth about pop's Lady Gaga". The Sunday Times (London). Retrieved June 14, 2010.

19. Montogomery, James (June 9, 2010). "Lady Gaga's 'Alejandro' Director Defends Video's Religious Symbolism". MTV. Retrieved January 11, 2011.

20. Hattie, Collins (December 14, 2008). "Lady GaGa: the future of pop?". The Sunday Times(London). Archived from the original on May 17, 2011. Retrieved December 6, 2009.

21. Sturges, Fiona (May 16, 2009). "Lady Gaga: How the world went crazy for the new queen of pop". The Independent. Retrieved May 26, 2009.

22. Bream, Jon (March 21, 2009). "Don't Gag on Gaga". Star Tribune. Retrieved January 23, 2010.

23. "Musicians @ google interview". YouTube. Retrieved March 22, 2011.

24. Grigoriadis, Vanessa (March 28, 2010). "Growing Up Gaga". New York. Retrieved March 29, 2010.

25. Ditzian, Eric (October 11, 2010). "Lady Gaga's 'Sopranos' Cameo Surfaces". MTV. Retrieved July 2, 2011.

26. Carlton, Andrew (February 16, 2010). "Lady Gaga: 'I've always been famous, you just didn't know it'". The Telegraph. Retrieved February 9, 2011.

27. Florino, Rick (January 30, 2009). "Interview: Lady GaGa". Artistdirect. Artistdirect, Inc. Retrieved February 18, 2009.

28. Anitai, Tamar (October 5, 2009). "Vintage Lady Gaga! Watch Gaga On MTV's 'Boiling Points' In 2005". MTV. Retrieved July 2, 2011.

29. Harris, Chris (June 9, 2008). "Lady GaGa Brings Her Artistic Vision Of Pop Music To New Album". MTV. Retrieved May 7, 2009.

30. Musto, Michael (January 19, 2010). "Lady Gaga Did a Children's Book In 2007!". The Village Voice. Retrieved January 19, 2010.

31. Gregory, Jason (May 28, 2009). "Lady GaGa gets naked for Rolling Stone cover shoot". Daily Mirror (Trinity Mirror). Retrieved May 28, 2009.

32. Rose, Lisa (January 21, 2010). "Lady Gaga's outrageous persona born in Parsippany, New Jersey". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved January 23, 2010.

33. Reporter, Staff. "Lady GaGa Profile". Contactmusic.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.

34. Birchmeier, Jason (April 20, 2008). "Lady Gaga". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved January 3, 2010.

35. "Lady Gaga’s early days: "The sexual energy was palpable. You could smell it"". Salon. August 27, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2013.

36. Hiatt, Brian (May 30, 2009). "The Rise of Lady Gaga". Rolling Stone (New York) 1080 (43).ISSN 0035-791X.

37. Cassis, Christine (February 22, 2010). "Meet the woman who inspired Lady Gaga". Thaindian News. Retrieved February 3, 2010.

38. Hobart, Erika (November 18, 2008). "Lady GaGa: Some Like it Pop". Seattle Weekly. Retrieved January 10, 2009.

39. "Lady Gaga". Broadcast Music Incorporated. July 9, 2007. Retrieved February 26, 2009.

40. D'Souza, Nandini (October 18, 2007). "Going Ga-Ga for Lady Gaga". W Magazine. Retrieved January 3, 2009.

41. Haus of GaGa (December 16, 2008). Transmission Gaga-vision: Episode 26. Lady Gaga Official website.

42. Mitchell, Gail (November 10, 2007). "Interscope's New Imprint". Billboard 119 (45): 14.ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 6, 2010.

43. Harding, Cortney (August 15, 2009). "Lady Gaga: The Billboard Cover Story". Billboard. Retrieved May 6, 2010.

44. Cowing, Emma (January 20, 2009). "Lady GaGa: Totally Ga-Ga". The Scotsman. Retrieved February 20, 2009.

45. Vena, Jocelyn (June 5, 2009). "Akon Calls Lady Gaga His 'Franchise Player'". MTV. Retrieved June 20, 2009.

46. "Interview With RedOne". HitQuarters. March 23, 2009. Retrieved December 19, 2009.

47. Herbert, Emily (2010). Lady Gaga: Queen of Pop. John Blake Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84454-963-4.

48. Paramor, Jordan (2010). "Smash Hits Special: Lady Gaga". Smash Hits.

49. Reporter, Staff (January 8, 2009). "International Pop Star Lady Gaga Set to Tour With New Kids on the Block". Thomson Reuters. Retrieved January 8, 2009.

50. "The 51st Annual Grammy Awards Nominations List". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved January 2, 2009.

51. "Lady Gaga – Poker Face – World Charts". aCharts.us. Retrieved January 3, 2009.

52. "Lady Gaga World Tour". Press Association. Retrieved March 19, 2012.

53. "List of Grammy winners". CNN. Turner Broadcasting System. February 1, 2010. Retrieved April 25, 2010.

54. Williams, John (January 14, 2009). "Lady GaGa's 'Fame' rises to No. 1". Jam!. Retrieved January 14, 2009.

55. "Lady Gaga – The Fame – World Charts". aCharts.us. Retrieved January 8, 2009.

56. "Lady Gaga Opens Up". CBS News. CBS Interactive Inc. August 3, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2010.

57. Caulfield, Keith (October 3, 2009). "Beyonce Accepts Billboard's Woman Of the Year Award, Lady Gaga Is Rising Star". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2009.

58. "2009 MTV Video Music Awards Winners". MTV. Retrieved September 14, 2009.

59. "Lady Gaga : News : Lady Gaga Doll Domination Tour Details with PCD". Interscope Records. Universal Music Group. Retrieved June 17, 2010.

60. Menze, Jill (May 29, 2009). "Lady Gaga / May 2, 2009 / New York (Terminal 5)". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2009.

61. Grein, Paul (June 23, 2010). "Week Ending June 20, 2010: Let's Thank Him Now". Yahoo!. Retrieved December 31, 2009.

Grein, Paul (July 23, 2010). "Chart Watch Extra: Gaga's Nice Round Number". Yahoo!. p. 2. Retrieved July 24, 2009.

"Lady Gaga Returns With 8 New Songs on 'The Fame Monster'" (Press release). Interscope Records. October 8, 2009. Retrieved October 9, 2009.

"Lady Gaga – Bad Romance – World Charts". acharts.us. Retrieved April 17, 2010.

"53rd annual Grammy awards: The winners list". CNN. Retrieved February 21, 2011.

62. "Lady Gaga tops UK album and single charts". BBC News. March 22, 2010. Retrieved December 13, 2010.

63. McCormick, Neil (March 17, 2010). "Lady GaGa's Telephone video". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved December 13, 2010.

64. Montgomery, James (June 8, 2010). "Lady Gaga's 'Alejandro' Video: German Expressionism With A Beat!". MTV. Retrieved December 13, 2010.

65. Whitworth, Dan (October 26, 2010). "Lady Gaga beats Justin Bieber to YouTube record".BBC (BBC Newsbeat). Retrieved December 28, 2010.

66. "MTV Video Music Awards 2010". MTV. September 12, 2010. Retrieved January 30, 2012.

67. "Lady Gaga, Eminem Top VMA Nominations". MTV. August 10, 2010. Retrieved January 30, 2012.

68. "53rd annual Grammy awards: The winners list – The Marquee Blog – CNN.com Blogs". Marquee.blogs.cnn.com. Retrieved July 17, 2011.

69. "Nominations list for the 53rd annual Grammy awards". USA Today. December 1, 2010.

70. Newman, Melinda (June 29, 2011). "Martin Kierszenbaum has a knack for finding the next big thing". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 13, 2013.

71. Herrera, Monica (October 15, 2009). "Lady Gaga Unveils 'The Monster Ball'". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2009.

72. Nestruck, Kelly (November 30, 2009). "Lady Gaga's Monster Ball, reviewed by a theatre critic". The Guardian. Retrieved December 1, 2009.

Adams, Jeremy (December 2, 2009). "Live Review: Lady Gaga Brings Her Pop Theatricality to Boston in First U.S. "Monster Ball" Show". Rolling Stone. ISSN 0035-791X.

"Top 25 Tours 2010". Billboard. December 13, 2010. Retrieved December 14, 2010.

Waddell, Ray (May 5, 2011). "Lady Gaga's Monster Ball Tour Breaks Record for Debut Headlining Artist". Billboard. billboard.com, Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 2, 2011.

73. "Lady GaGa Presents The Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden". Emmy Awards.Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved August 25, 2011.

74. "Lady Gaga wins Brit Awards triple". BBC News. February 16, 2010. Retrieved December 28, 2010.

75. Herrera, Monica (June 1, 2010). "Lady Gaga Talks Michael Jackson, Lupus Diagnosis with Larry King". New York. Retrieved May 30, 2011.

76. Williams, Martyn (September 7, 2009). "Lady Gaga Storms IFA With New Headphones". PC World. Retrieved January 27, 2012.

77. Swash, Rosie (January 8, 2010). "Lady Gaga to become Polaroid's creative director". The Guardian. Retrieved January 27, 2012.

78. O'Dell, Jolie (January 6, 2011). "Polaroid & Lady Gaga Launch New Line at CES [PICS]".Mashable.

79. Reporter, Staff (March 20, 2010). "Lady Gaga bites back at music producer". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved March 20, 2010.

80. "Lady Gaga and jilted producer drop legal dispute". Thomson Reuters. September 10, 2010. Retrieved September 11, 2010.

81. Moran, Caitlin (May 23, 2010). "Come party with Lady Gaga". The Times. Retrieved May 24, 2010.

82. Temple, Sarah (June 2, 2010). "Gaga was to open Jackson's This Is It tour". ABC News. Retrieved June 2, 2010.

83. Dinh, James (November 9, 2010). "Lady Gaga Says Born This Way Will Be 'Greatest Album Of This Decade'". MTV. Retrieved November 30, 2010.

84. Vena, Jocelyn (November 18, 2010). "Lady Gaga's Born This Way Will 'Grab All The Monsters,' Akon Says". MTV. Retrieved December 2, 2010.

85. Markovitz, Adam (May 25, 2011). "Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 29, 2011.

86. Cinquemani, Sal (May 21, 2011). "Lady Gaga: Born This Way | Music Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved October 29, 2011.

87. Montgomery, James (June 2, 2011). "Lady Gaga Crashes Billboard With 1.1 Million". MTV. Retrieved June 2, 2011.

88. IBTimes Staff Reporter (October 5, 2011). "Lady Gaga Biopic: 5 Stars Who Could Play the Role". International Business Times. Retrieved February 12, 2012.

89. "Music's Top 40 Money Makers 2012". Billboard. Retrieved March 9, 2012.

90. Vena, Jocelyn (February 15, 2011). "Lady Gaga Talks Grammy 'Vessel,' Born This Way Details". MTV. Retrieved February 1, 2012.

"Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way': The New Gay Anthem?". MTV. February 11, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2011.

Trust, Gary (February 16, 2011). "Lady Gaga Claims 1,000th Hot 100 No. 1 with 'Born This Way'". Billboard. Retrieved February 16, 2011.

91. "IFPI Digital Music Report 2012" (PDF). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. January 23, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2012.

Trust, Gary (October 7, 2011). "Ask Billboard: J. Cole Helps Bring R&B/Hip-Hop Back To No. 1". Billboard. Retrieved February 1, 2012.

Grein, Paul (July 6, 2011). "Week Ending July 3, 2011. Songs: Sons Of A Legend". Yahoo! music. Retrieved July 11, 2011.

92. Trust, Gary (August 23, 2013). "Ask Billboard: Who's Sold More, Katy Perry Or Lady Gaga?".Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 24, 2013.

93. Montgomery, James (February 28, 2011). "Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way' Video: A Pop-Culture Cheat Sheet". MTV (MTV Networks). Retrieved October 29, 2011.

94. Montgomery, James (February 28, 2011). "Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way' Video Premieres". MTV (MTV Networks). Retrieved October 29, 2011.

Rose, Philip Fox (May 6, 2011). "Lady Gaga's Judas video: sacrilege or sacred art?".The Washington Post. Retrieved October 29, 2011.

McCall, Tris (May 5, 2011). "Lady Gaga 'Judas' video debuts: Is it as blasphemous as they say?". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved October 29, 2011.

95. Corner, Nick (May 11, 2011). "Lady Gaga Makes Edge Of Glory Official Single?". Digital Spy. Retrieved October 29, 2011.

96. Young, Eleanor (June 17, 2011). "FIRST LOOK! LADY GAGA'S EDGE OF GLORY VIDEO".Marie Carie. Retrieved February 1, 2012.

97. Perpetua, Matthew (September 16, 2011). "Video: 'Yo and I'; Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 1, 2012.

Perpetua, Matthew (December 2, 2011). "Video: 'Marry the Night' | Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 1, 2012.

Daw, Robbie (December 12, 2011). "Lady Gaga's "Marry The Night": Will Facebook Campaign Help It Chart Better?". Idolator. Retrieved February 1, 2012.

98. "Adele PPL's top artist of 2011". Retrieved June 13, 2012.

99. Vena, Jocelyn (September 14, 2011). "Lady Gaga Is 'The Biggest,' Tony Bennett Says". MTV (MTV Networks). Retrieved September 21, 2011.

100. "Lady Gaga preserves 'massive', 'beautiful' hit for duet with Cher". The Times of India. September 20, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2011.

101. Herrera, Monica (January 28, 2011). "Lady Gaga, Elton John Duet Won't Appear On Film Soundtrack". Billboard. Retrieved February 4, 2011.

102. Michaels, Sean (October 25, 2010). "Elton John and Lady Gaga record duet". The Guardian. London. Retrieved December 15, 2010.

103. Lady Gaga (May 30, 2011). The Kyle & Jackie O Show (FM radio broadcast) (Radio interview). (Interview). The Kyle & Jackie O Show. 104.1FM. Sydney. Retrieved May 30, 2011.

Mrkic, Mike (May 30, 2011). "Gaga confirms Oz visit". Sydney Star Observer. Retrieved May 30, 2011.

Perpetua, Mathew (October 17, 2011). "Lady Gaga, Bono Rock For Clinton Foundation".Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 21, 2011.

104. A Very Gaga Thanksgiving audience numbers and commercial reception:

Tucker, Ken (November 25, 2011). "'A Very Gaga Thanksgiving' review: Singing and talking turkey with Gaga, 'America's Picasso'". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved December 28, 2011.

Freeman, Hadley (November 25, 2011). "Lady Gaga goes mainstream with a twist on Thanksgiving TV special". The Guardian. Retrieved December 28, 2011.

Gorman, Bill (November 25, 2011). "'A Very Gaga Thanksgiving' Ranks No. 1 And Improves Its Slot By Wide Margins". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 28, 2011.

Greenwald, David (November 23, 2011). "Lady Gaga Releases Holiday EP". Billboard. Retrieved December 28, 2011.

105. "Lady Gaga To Launch LADY GAGA FAME, The First Fragrance From Haus Laboratories".PR Newswire. Coty, Inc. June 14, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2012.

106. Waddell, Ray (February 8, 2012). "Exclusive Info: Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way Ball' Tour to Hit Asia, Europe, Latin America This Year; North America in 2013". Billboard.biz. Retrieved June 24, 2012.

107. "'Vulgar' Lady Gaga refused entry by Indonesia for sold-out show". The Daily Telegraph.

108. BBC TEAM. "Lady Gaga tour starts in Seoul with adults-only concert". BBC News. Retrieved May 25, 2012.

109. "Lady Gaga cancels Indonesia show after threat from Muslim extremists". May 27, 2012.

110. "Lady Gaga cancels tour, will have hip surgery". CNN. Retrieved February 14, 2013.

111. "Lady Gaga says she's had hip surgery". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved February 21, 2013.

112. Copsey, Nick (August 5, 2012). "Lady GaGa's new album to be called 'ARTPOP'". Digital Spy. Retrieved August 6, 2012.

113. Vena, Jocelyn (June 13, 2011). "Lady Gaga Says Next Album Is 'Beginning To Flourish'".MTV News. Viacom International Inc. Retrieved January 2, 2012.

114. Vena, Jocelyn (November 28, 2011). "Lady Gaga 'Doing Prep' For Tour, Next Album". MTV News. Viacom International Inc. Retrieved January 2, 2012.

115. "Lady Gaga's manager promises singer will deliver an 'insane' third album". NME. IPC Media. Retrieved May 31, 2012.

116. Vena, Jocelyn (September 18, 2013). "Lady Gaga's ARTPOP Isn't An Album, But 'A Night At The Club'". MTV News. Viacom. Retrieved October 17, 2013.

117. Szalai, Georg (December 25, 2012). "Lady Gaga Announces Documentary About Her Life, Creation of New Album". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 29, 2012.

118. Vena, Jocelyn (July 31, 2013). "Lady Gaga Reveals Juicy ARTPOP Details". MTV News. Viacom. Retrieved October 17, 2013.

119. Caulfield, Keith (November 20, 2013). "Lady Gaga Scores Second No. 1 Album With 'ARTPOP'". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 20, 2013.

120. "ARTPOP Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 30, 2013.

121. Caulfield, Keith (August 21, 2013). "Robin Thicke Leads Hot 100, Katy Perry Holds At No. 2".Billboard (Prometheus Global Media). Retrieved October 17, 2013.

122. "August 24, 2013 Top 40 Official Singles Chart UK Archive". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 17, 2013.

123. Lipshultz, Jason (October 22, 2013). "Lady Gaga: R. Kelly Duet 'Do What U Want' Is Now 'ARTPOP's' Second Single". Billboard (Prometheus Global Media). Retrieved October 22, 2013.

124. Rivera, Zayda (November 5, 2013). "Lady Gaga, longtime manager Troy Carter split over 'creative differences': report". NEW YORK DAILY NEWS. Retrieved November 6, 2013.

125. Mompellio, Gabriel (March 28, 2014). "G.U.Y.: Lady Gaga" (in Italian). Radio Airplay Italy. Retrieved March 28, 2014.

126. Chitwood, Adam (January 15, 2013). "Machete Kills Set for Release on September 13, 2013". Collider.com. Retrieved January 15, 2013.

127. "Machete Kills (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 30, 2013.

128. Vejvoda, Jim (October 13, 2013). "Machete Kills Flops at the Box Office". IGN. Retrieved November 30, 2013.

129. "Grown Ups 2 Leads Razzie Nominations – Today's News: Our Take". TVGuide.com. January 15, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2014.

130. Rivera, Zayda (November 17, 2013). "Lady Gaga hosts 'Saturday Night Live,' plays future self without fame or applause". NY Daily News.

131. Messer, Lesley. "Lady Gaga Teams Up With the Muppets and Adorable Photos Result". ABC News. Retrieved October 17, 2013.

132. Vena, Jocelyn (August 29, 2013). "Lady Gaga 'Nailed It' In 'Sin City' Sequel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt Reveals". MTV News. Retrieved August 29, 2013.

133. "Lady Gaga to record jazz album with Tony Bennett". NME. IPC Media. February 28, 2013. Retrieved March 9, 2013.

134. Sauro, Tony. "Iconic Tony Bennett brings tour to Hope". Recordnet.com. Retrieved November 2, 2013.

135. Savage, Lesley (November 6, 2013). "Lady Gaga to perform in space (no, really!)". CBS News. Retrieved November 6, 2013.

136. "Lady Gaga liberated through reinvention". The Times of India. September 8, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2011.

137. Chatterjee Shukla, Ishani (November 18, 2010). "Lady Gaga's biography". Buzzle (California: Buzzle.com, intelligent life on the web).

138. "Ranking the Voices of 10 Women in Pop". Bark Bite. June 1, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2011.

139. Sciarretto, Amy (October 21, 2010). "Lady Gaga Doesn't Lip Sync". Artist Direct. Retrieved November 27, 2011.

140. Copsey, Robert (February 10, 2011). "Lady GaGa announces next single title". Digital Spy. Retrieved November 27, 2011.

141. Blauvelt, Christian (February 23, 2011). "Lady Gaga talks early struggles, denies lip-synching, shouts-out Liza Minnelli and Marisa Tomei at Madison Square Garden". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 27, 2011.

142. Sawdey, Evan (January 12, 2009). "Lady GaGa The Fame". PopMatters. Retrieved April 30, 2009.

143. Love, Ryan (March 23, 2011). "Lady GaGa: 'LP shows songwriting ability'". Digital Spy. Retrieved November 27, 2011.

144. "Lady Gaga: Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 27, 2011.

145. Sheffield, Rob (May 20, 2011). "Lady Gaga, 'Born This Way'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 27, 2011.

146. Petridis, Alexis (January 3, 2009). "Lady Gaga: The Fame". The Guardian (London). Retrieved May 6, 2010.

147. Hajibageri, Sarah (December 14, 2008). "Lady GaGa: the future of pop?". The Sunday Times (London). Retrieved August 9, 2009.

148. Rodman, Sarah (October 27, 2008). "Lady Gaga". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 9, 2009.

149. Reynolds, Simon (January 22, 2010). "The 1980s revival that lasted an entire decade". The Guardian (London). Retrieved January 22, 2010.

150. Britney, Free (May 10, 2011). "Lady Gaga: Just a Normal, Family-Oriented Girl". The Hollywood Gossip. Retrieved November 26, 2011.

151. Rap, Up (March 19, 2012). "Lady Gaga on Whitney Houston: 'she's the greatest of all time'".Rap-Up. Retrieved March 19, 2012.

152. "Lady Gaga: 'Iron Maiden Changed My Life'". Blabbermouth. May 25, 2011. Retrieved October 27, 2013.

153. Van Meter, Jonathan (February 10, 2011). "Lady Gaga: Our Lady of Pop". Vogue. Retrieved November 26, 2011.

154. Rainey, Naomi (February 19, 2011). "Lady GaGa: 'My aunt lives through me'". Digital Spy. Retrieved November 27, 2011.

155. "I have two hearts, two souls: Lady Gaga". The Times of India. February 19, 2011. Archived from the original on March 21, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2011.

156. "TIME 100: Lady Gaga on Her Biggest Influence". TIME.

157. Osho (1999). Creativity: Unleashing the Forces Within (1 ed.). ISBN 0-312-20519-8. Retrieved January 11, 2011.

158. "I read Osho because I love his work". OSHO International Media and Publishing News. October 28, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2011.

159. "Lady Gaga cantará ante un público selecto en el GP de Fórmula 1 de la India". EFE. October 28, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2011.

160. Petridis, Alexis (September 9, 2010). "Lady Gaga's direct line to Andy Warhol". The Guardian. Retrieved November 27, 2011.

161. Still, Jennifer (May 20, 2011). "Lady GaGa: 'I was inspired by musical theatre'". Digital Spy. Retrieved November 27, 2011.

162. Galante, Matthew. All We Hear is Lady Gaga. Dots and Dashes. Retrieved December 11, 2011.

163. Thomson, Graeme (September 6, 2009). "Soundtrack of my life: Lady Gaga". The Guardian(London). Retrieved May 6, 2010.

164. "Madonna Talks Divorce, Lady Gaga & Being A 'Geek' In High School". Access Hollywood. October 14, 2009. Retrieved November 27, 2011.

165. THR staff (February 15, 2011). "Lady Gaga: Madonna Approves 'Born This Way'". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 27, 2011.

166. Musical influences of Lady Gaga:

Reporter, Staff (February 10, 2010). "Britney Spears/Lady Gaga collaboration in the works".The Sun (London: Pop Crunch). Retrieved June 20, 2010.

"Lady Gaga: I can't wait to come to India". IBN Live. April 21, 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2011.

Symonds, Alexandra (July 10, 2009). "Lady GaGa: "Grace Jones, Androgynous, Robo, Future Fashion Queen"". Prefix. Retrieved July 11, 2009.

Tann, Remmy (July 11, 2011). I was born this way: Lady Gaga. Yahoo!. Retrieved July 11, 2011.

Smith, Liz (October 25, 2009). "Debbie Harry Would Love To Perform With Lady Gaga".Evening Standard. Retrieved October 30, 2009.

Gallo, Phil (May 18, 2011). "Lady Gaga Reflects on Springsteen Influence for 'Inside the Outside' Doc". Billboard. Retrieved November 26, 2011.

Van Meter, Jonathan (February 10, 2011). "Lady Gaga: Our Lady of Pop". Vogue. Retrieved November 26, 2011.

Johnson, Zach (December 18, 2013). "Christina Aguilera and Lady Gaga Perform on The Voice, Effectively Putting Feud Rumors to Rest". E! Online. E!. Retrieved January 25, 2014. "I'm a very big fan of Christina Aguilera..."

167. "Lady GaGa: I don't have time for dating". Now. February 9, 2009. Retrieved May 17, 2012.

168. "Britney Spears Accepts Video Vanguard VMA – And A Kiss From Lady Gaga". MTV. MTV Networks. August 28, 2011. Retrieved March 6, 2012.

169. Dresdale, Andrea (September 26, 2011). "Lady Gaga Says Cher's Outfits Inspired Her Own Crazy Style". ABC. Retrieved November 27, 2011.

170. Garcia, Cathy (March 8, 2009). "Lady Gaga Burning Up Album Charts". The Korea Times(Hankook Ilbo). Retrieved March 10, 2009.

171. Warrington, Ruby (February 22, 2009). "Lady Gaga: ready for her close-up". The Sunday Times. Retrieved February 22, 2009.

172. "Larry King Live – Interview With Lady Gaga". CNN. Retrieved March 7, 2014.

173. Vena, Jocelyn (May 13, 2011). "Lady Gaga Talks About Fashion Obsession In V Magazine". MTV. Retrieved May 13, 2011.

174. Silva, Horatio (March 4, 2010). "The World According to Gaga". The New York Times. Retrieved April 25, 2010.

175. Geier, Thom (December 11, 2009). "The 100 Greatest Movies.. Trends That Entertained Us Over The Past 10 Years". Entertainment Weekly. 1079/1080 (74): 84. ISSN 1049-0434.

176. "All-Time 100 Fashion Icons". Time. Retrieved November 21, 2013.

177. Parvis, Sarah (2010). Lady Gaga. Andrews McMeel Publishing. ISBN 0-7407-9795-6.

178. Fogel, Curtis; Quinlan, Andrea (2011). "Lady Gaga and Feminism: A Critical Debate".Cross-Culture Communication.

179. Smith, Emily Esfahani (April 7, 2010). "The Pop Singer as Ultimate Predator". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 4, 2012.

180. Juzwiak, Rich (January 19, 2010). "Lady Gaga Approximately". The Village Voice. Retrieved February 4, 2012.

181. Powers, Ann (December 13, 2009). "The Cultural Critic; Lady Gaga". Los Angeles Times.

182. Vena, Jocelyn (September 13, 2009). "Lady Gaga Lets It Bleed During Eye-Popping VMA Performance". MTV. Retrieved June 18, 2010.

183. Roberts, Sorya (June 3, 2010). "Fans protest Lady Gaga's blood-spattered Monster Ball show in England after shooting spree". Daily News. Retrieved June 23, 2010.

184. "Gaga's bloody stage show sparks fury". Hindustan Times. June 4, 2010. Retrieved June 23, 2010.

185. Dinh, James (September 28, 2011). "Lady Gaga Bends Gender, Minds With VMA Monologue". MTV. Retrieved September 28, 2011.

186. Patrick, Dan (July 9, 2010). "Q&A with Chris Rock". CNN. Retrieved July 16, 2010.

187. Kennedy, Gerrick (November 14, 2011). "Lady Gaga dismisses longtime creative director Laurieann Gibson". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 15, 2011.

188. Molanphy, Chris (June 29, 2011). "Introducing the Queen of Pop". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 27, 2011.

189. Buckner, Michael (December 28, 2009). "The Year in Style | Lady Gaga". The New York Times. Retrieved June 17, 2010.

Caramanica, Jon (May 3, 2009). "An Artist Whose Chief Work Is Herself". The New York Times. Retrieved June 17, 2010.

Vineyard, Jennifer (July 7, 2009). "Lady Gaga, You Are No Grace Jones". MTV. Retrieved June 17, 2010.

Lewis, Luke (August 9, 2009). "Lady Gaga Vs. Roisin Murphy – Spot The Difference". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on November 17, 2009. Retrieved June 18, 2010.

"Kylie Minogue thinks there's an element of her in Lady Gaga". Hollywood News. June 13, 2010. Retrieved June 18, 2010.

190. "Lady Gaga: The Fame". Metacritic. Retrieved January 9, 2009.

Browne, David (January 9, 2010). "Is Lady GaGa a saviour of Pop?". Entertainment Weekly1091 (2). ISSN 1049-0434.

Andres, Joanna (April 9, 2010). "Heather Cassils: Lady Gaga's Prison Yard Girlfriend". Out. Retrieved June 18, 2010.

"Lady Gaga Fashion – Vote on 15 of Lady Gaga's Outfits". Elle. December 1, 2009. Retrieved June 18, 2010.

191. Roberts, Laura (September 14, 2010). "Lady Gaga's meat dress divides opinion". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved June 12, 2010.

192. VOGUE.COM UK VOGUE.COM UK – The Best Dressed People of the Year 2010

193. Luscombe, Belinda (December 9, 2010). "Lady Gaga – The Top 10 Everything of 2010 – TIME". Time. Retrieved December 15, 2010.

194. Winterman, Denise; Kelly, Jon (September 14, 2010). "Five interpretations of Gaga's meat dress". BBC (BBC Online). Retrieved June 12, 2010.

195. Vena, Jocelyn (October 30, 2010). "US College Offering Lady GaGa Degree". MTV Networks. Retrieved November 3, 2010.

Deflem, Mathieu. "SOCY 398D – Lady Gaga and the Sociology of the Fame". Retrieved March 11, 2010.

Katharine Q. Seelye (October 28, 2010). "Beyond ABCs of Lady Gaga to the Sociology of Fame". The New York Times.

196. Dwyer, Devin. "President Obama Calls Lady Gaga 'A Little Intimidating'". ABCNews. Retrieved October 2, 2011.

197. Walters, Barbara (December 30, 2009). "Lady Gaga: 'I Love Androgyny'". ABC News. Retrieved May 3, 2010.

198. McRady, Rachel (September 23, 2013). "Lady Gaga Calls Christina Aguilera Feud "Total Nonsense" on Watch What Happens Live". Wetpaint.com. Retrieved September 28, 2013.

199. Tarradell, Mario (December 14, 2009). "Dale Bozzio should be flattered...maybe". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2010.

200. Hattenstone, Simon (May 14, 2011). "Lady Gaga: Lording it". The Guardian. Retrieved February 11, 2012.

201. Odell, Amy (February 3, 2010). "Lady Gaga dedicates her new 'Little Monsters' tattoo to her fans". Daily News. Retrieved April 2, 2010.

202. Paglia, Camille (September 12, 2010). "Lady Gaga and the death of sex". The Sunday Times. Retrieved October 4, 2010.

203. Fynes-Clinton, Jane (September 15, 2010). "Lady Gaga's grab for attention enough to make you gag". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved October 4, 2010.

204. Empire, Kitty (February 21, 2010). "Lady Gaga at MEN arena, Manchester". The Guardian(london). Retrieved June 18, 2010.

205. Bort, Julie. "FIRST LOOKS: Lady Gaga Opens Her Own Social Network To The Public". Business Insider. Retrieved July 10, 2012.

206. "Those Elevated Ones. From the Pharaoh to Lady Gaga". www.warsawvoice.pl. Retrieved July 6, 2012.

207. "Od faraona do Lady Gagi. Wywyższeni w warszawskim Muzeum Narodowym". Wprost. Agencja Wydawniczo-Reklamowa Wprost. Retrieved July 6, 2012. "Wizytówką wystawy jest zestawienie w holu muzeum wizerunków dwóch kobiet, które osiągnęły wysoki status w społeczeństwie swojej epoki. Jedna z nich, Dorota de Biron pochodziła z książęcego rodu i za sprawą urodzenia, ale też urody i intelektu, była powszechnie podziwianą osobistością późnego XVIII wieku, celebrytką ówczesnej kultury dworskiej. Amerykańska piosenkarka Lady Gaga, która na zdjęciu w muzeum prezentuje się w sukni z surowego mięsa to – zdaniem autorów wystawy – ikona współczesności, wywyższona poprzez władzę jaką sprawuje nad lansującymi ją mass mediami."

208. "Lady Gaga's meat dress headed for D.C. museum". CBS News. August 9, 2012. Retrieved September 6, 2012.

209. Fay-Wei Li, Kathleen M. Pryer, Michael D. Windham (2012). "Gaga, a new fern genus segregated from Cheilanthes (Pteridaceae)". Systematic Botany 37 (4): 845–860.doi:10.1600/036364412X656626.

210. Vena, Jocelyn (February 5, 2010). "Lady Gaga Explains Her Absence From 'We Are The World' Recording". MTV. Retrieved January 6, 2011.

211. Kaufman, Gil (January 27, 2010). "Lady Gaga Says She Raised $500,000 For Haiti Relief". MTV. Retrieved January 6, 2011.

212. Vena, Jocelyn (March 21, 2011). "Lady Gaga Designs Japanese Tsunami Relief Wristband". MTV. Retrieved March 29, 2011.

213. Mangalindan, JP (March 29, 2011). "Today in Tech: Lady Gaga gives to Zynga, Apple delaying iPhone 5?". CNN. Retrieved March 29, 2011.

214. "Lady Gaga sued over fundraising for Japan". MSNBC. Associated Press. June 29, 2011. Retrieved June 30, 2011.

215. Schwartz, Rob (April 14, 2011). "Lady Gaga to Appear at MTV Japan Charity Event".Billboard. Retrieved April 15, 2011.

216. Assange, Julian (October 9, 2012). "Lady Gaga takes tea with". The Guardian. Retrieved November 21, 2013.

217. "Lennon Ono Grant For Peace 2012 awarded to Rachel Corrie, John Perkins, Christopher Hitchens, Pussy Riot and Lady Gaga". Imagine Peace. October 5, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2013.

218. Chao, Ning. "Going Gaga". Marie Claire. Retrieved January 6, 2011.

219. Vena, Jocelyn (November 2, 2011). "Lady Gaga Launches Born This Way Foundation".MTV. Retrieved December 12, 2011.

220. "Lady Gaga Launches Born This Way Foundation". abcnews.go.com. March 1, 2012. Retrieved March 4, 2012.

221. May, Jackie (June 25, 2012). "Lady Gaga's quest for kindness makes her 'Reel Cool'". The Times (South Africa).

222. Lee, Leon (May 6, 2012). "She does it her way; Lady Gaga stands up for individuality". South China Morning Post.

223. "Lady Gaga, Oprah at Harvard, launch singer’s youth-empowerment foundation". The Washington Post (Washington, DC). February 29, 2012. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 4, 2012.

224. "Oprah Teams Up With Lady Gaga for Born This Way Foundation Launch". Billboard. February 14, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2012.

225. "Lady Gaga Testifies at Harvard on Behalf of Born This Way Foundation.". Mental Health Weekly Digest. March 12, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2012.

226. "Oprah Winfrey to Join Lady Gaga for Born This Way Foundation Launch". prnewswire.com. February 14, 2012. Retrieved March 4, 2012.

227. Loading Tumblr posts. "Born This Way Foundation". Born This Way Foundation. Retrieved July 6, 2012.

228. "Viacom Joins Forces with Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation as its Lead Media Partner – Blog.Viacom". Blog.viacom.com. May 17, 2012. Retrieved July 6, 2012.

229. "Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation Partners With Office Depot – ARTISTdirect News". Artistdirect.com. Retrieved July 23, 2012.

230. "MTV Style | Born This Way Foundation Sells Bravery Bracelets At Office Depot". Style.mtv.com. July 16, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2012.

231. "Poster Contest Official Rules". Born This Way Foundation. Retrieved July 6, 2012.

232. Krasny, Ros (March 1, 2012). "Lady Gaga lends star wattage to youth empowerment". Reuters. Retrieved July 5, 2012.

233. "Menace of cyber bullies". Cape Argus. April 11, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2012.

234. "Born This Way Foundation Unveils 'Born Brave' Groups; Lady Gaga's foundation to launch community-based youth organizations nationwide". PR Newswire. June 28, 2012.

235. Zak, Dan (October 12, 2009). "For Gay Activists, The Lady Is a Champ". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 12, 2009.

236. Thomas, Matt (July 9, 2009). "Going Gaga". Fab (Pink Triangle Press) 54 (9): 45.

237. Vena, Jocelyn (May 7, 2009). "Lady Gaga On Success: 'The Turning Point For Me Was The Gay Community'". MTV. Retrieved August 11, 2009.

238. The Fame (Liner notes). Lady Gaga. Interscope Records. 2008. 2726601.

239. "NewNowNext Awards". May 3, 2008. Retrieved August 11, 2009.

240. "2008 Main Stage Line-Up". San Francisco Pride. June 13, 2008. Retrieved August 11, 2009.

241. "Lady GaGa knocks out Ellen Degeneres". Zee News. May 24, 2009. Retrieved September 26, 2013.

242. Brand, Fowler (October 12, 2009). "Kanye Who? Lady Gaga Teams Up With President Obama". E! Entertainment Television (E! Online). Retrieved December 12, 2009.

243. Vena, Jocelyn (August 14, 2009). "Lady Gaga's Shocking 2009 VMA Fashion Choices". MTV. Retrieved August 19, 2009.

244. Carter, Nicole (December 10, 2009). "Lady Gaga performs her version of 'Imagine' at the Human Rights Campaign dinner in Washington D.C". Daily News. Retrieved June 12, 2010.

245. Zezima, Katy (September 20, 2010). "Lady Gaga Goes Political in Maine". The New York Times. Retrieved September 21, 2010.

246. "Gaga: We've Found Our Fierce Advocate". The Advocate. September 28, 2010. Retrieved September 21, 2010.

247. McGann, Laura (December 8, 2008). "Obama: I'm a 'Fierce Advocate' for Gay and Lesbians". The Washington Independent. Retrieved September 28, 2010.

248. "Lady GaGa Performs At EuroPride In Rome". MTV. June 13, 2011. Retrieved June 20, 2011.

249. Kaufman, Gil (March 19, 2010). "Lady Gaga/ Rob Fusari Lawsuit: A Closer Look – Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV.com. Retrieved October 8, 2013.

250. "Lady Gaga Sued By Producer Rob Fusari". Billboard. Retrieved October 8, 2013.

251. "Lady Gaga fell for Taylor Kinney on video shoot". November 25, 2013.

252. MEdia Podcast. "Joseph Gordon Levitt With Ramiros House". WJMN. Retrieved August 28, 2013.

253. "The Secret Service: Lady Gaga to play herself in the film". IBN Live. September 17, 2013. Retrieved September 17, 2013.

source : wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Gaga

A Cross Cultural View of Health Problems Associated With Weight

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 23:18:00 +0000

A Cross Cultural View of Health Problems Associated With Weight

Over the last couple of decades, the United States has seen a surge in obesity rates and other weight problems. For example, childhood obesity rates have gone up so much that on May 3rd, 2006, many of the nation's largest beverage distributors announced that they would no longer sell non-diet sodas to most public schools. (cnn.com). However, obesity rates and other weight related health problems vary from culture to culture and country to country.

Because the United States is an industrialized nation with easy access to junk food, especially for kids, obesity is definitely one of our nations most pressing weight related health problems. The situation is not the same in other cultures. Many people living in third world countries, especially in Africa, simply don't have the resources to obtain food.

This results in widespread malnourishment. This one example simply shows that one nation, the United States, has more resources to feed its people than many of the poverty stricken countries in Africa and elsewhere. However, when you look at this issue cross culturally, its not this simple. The amount of food available in a culture certainly is a factor to consider when studying the various health issues associated with weight, but there is much more to consider.

In our culture, many young females develop eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia, that cause malnourishment yet is not caused by a lack of resources; peer pressure and a cultural pressure of females being thin is the causes for the rise in rates of conditions such as anorexia and bulimia for females. These examples barely scratch the surface of this issue, yet many interesting questions arise from the preceding examples.

How can one country with vast resources and another country stricken with poverty both have many people who are malnourished? Why are they malnourished? Besides the availability of food, what other factors must be considered for the various health problems that exist in many different cultures as a result of weight? The overwhelming amount of evidence shows that the culture one lives in, genetics and food availability contribute to the various health problems plaguing the world as a result of weight.

It is important to note that the culture one lives in defines the foods they eat, which is what results in weight and health problems. Thus, different cultures have different health problems associated with weight and if two or more cultures have a similar health associated weight problem, the causes may be different. Also, different cultures have different explanations for the various health problems they encounter, and as a result practice different forms of healing and fixing these problems.

The culture one lives in is extremely important to consider when looking at all the health problems associated with weight. A look into the health of two ethnic groups located in Queensland, Australia, who migrated from the Pacific Islands, the Samoans and Tongans, show some interesting things regarding health and weight. (Queensland Samoa). The Samoans and Tongans are an interesting group to look at because, according to the Queensland Government, "Mortality rates for those born in the Pacific Islands are higher than for other Australians.

They are one of the few ethnic groups where this is the case." Samoans and Tongans belief that one's status is higher the more one eats. This has resulted in "obesity and its associated conditions, cardiovascular disease and diabetes... Asthma is also a problem for the Samoan community" (Queensland Samoa). Now traditionally, Samoans led a very active way of life and some genetic evidence shows that Samoans are bigger, and weigh more, than people of other cultures. However, "urbanization, lack of exercise, smoking and dietary changes have taken their toll" (Queensland Samoa). Their culture believes that spirits causes illness. Because Queensland's climate and soil allow growth of plants associated with traditional medicine in Samoa, many Samoans choose traditional healers and perceive Western medicine as ineffective.

Samoans also believe prayer is extremely important in the healing process. Now, looking at a completely different ethnic group living in Queensland, Italians, we notice some interesting differences in their health and weight problems compared to Samoans/Tongans and the general Australian population. (Queensland Italy). Even thought Italians living in Queensland show low exercise patterns, many women are overweight (more than men), many men smoke (more than woman),"... both men and women have lower mortality rates than the Australian born population" (Queensland Italy). Alcohol is also used less by Italians than the general Australian population. Food is used as preventative medicine because many Italians believe high-energy intake is a kind of preventative medicine because they believe thin people get sick more often. (Queensland Italy).

The following is important comparative information regarding Italians living in Queensland, provided by the Queensland government:There were lower mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures in Italian born migrants compared with an age-matched Australian-born sample. Smoking and obesity are higher in males born in Southern Europe, but there is a low level of mortality due to heart and respiratory disease. Thalassaemia rates are higher in Italians than the general Australian population.

Mortality rates from diabetes are higher in Italian women than other Australian women. (Queensland Italy) In addition, Italians in Queensland rarely use hospitals, but they do tend to use western medicine. Analysis of these different ethnic groups living in the same place reveals some very important information. The preceding examples shows that Samoans/Tongans, Italians, and mainland Australians living in Queensland have much different health problems associated with weight even though they live in the same place.

This shows the effect culture has on weight and health. Samoans and Tongans have higher mortality rates than both the Italians and mainland Australians living in Queensland. Italians have the lowest mortally rate between these groups. There are many reasons for this, much of it cultural and food related. First, the similarities between these groups will be shown, and than the differences that led to these different mortality rates. It seems that both Samoans and Italians have low exercise patterns.

Thus, they burn off less energy than people of other cultures. Both groups also smoke, which is on the rise. Now the differences are startling. According to Anne Caprio Shovic, an assistant professor and the Plan V director in the Department of Food and Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Hawaii, "Samoans are known to be the most overweight population in the world. They suffer from high rates of weight-related disease such as heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus" (Shovic).

This happens to be a result of the foods they eat and is also genetic. According to NSW Health, saturated fat and, to a lesser extend, cholesterol, are the main causes for the weight of Samoans. (NSW Health). According to NSW Health, these are the main 'problem foods' Samoans eat,But although many foods - like offal (egg liver and kidney), shellfish (egg prawns) and egg yolks, for example - are naturally high in cholesterol, they're not the main problem.

The main cause is an unhealthy fat called saturated fat found in foods such as: fatty meat, fatty mince, chicken, chicken skin, sausages, tinned corned beef, mutton flaps and turkey tails. Full fat dairy foods like milk, cheese, cream, sour cream, yogurt, ice cream fats and oils such as butter, lard, solid cooking fat from the butcher and cooking oils labeled 'vegetable oils'. (NSW Health). It's obvious that when your culture eats these types of food consistently, even though they are tasty, they contribute to all the problems Samoans have with weight.

Since these are what Samoans have been eating for many years now, they are genetically predisposed to being overweight and/or having weight related medical problems. Italians, on the other hand, are not known to be overweight. According to Rosemary Furfaro, "For the most part, meat does not play a regular part of many Italian diets with vegetables, grains and legumes taking center stage in most homes" (Furfaro).

Furfaro goes on to say, Basically, Italian cuisine is a combination of vegetables, grains, fruits, fish, cheeses and a scattering of meats, fowl and game usually seasoned or cooked with olive oil (with the exception of the far north). The reliance upon what the country can produce has shaped a diet popular for centuries, particularly with the poorer Italian people, and is called la cucina povera.

Now we are seeing a resurgence of this "poor people's food" and the Mediterranean diet is being touted as the model around which we should restructure our eating habits. (Furfaro).Now it seems like the picture is clear. Samoans have a tradition of eating foods loaded with cholesterol and saturated fats. This leads to all sorts of problems already discussed, such as heart disease and diabetes. On the other hand, Italians are leading the way with the Mediterranean diet:The traditional Mediterranean diet delivers as much as 40% of total daily calories from fat, yet the associated incidence of cardiovascular diseases is significantly decreased.

As a monosaturated fatty acid, olive oil does not have the same cholesterol-raising effect of saturated fats. Olive oil is also a good source of antioxidants. Eating fish a few times per week benefits the Mediterranean people by increasing the amount of 'Omega-3 fatty acids'- something that the rest of the developed societies don't get enough of.

Eating red meat sparingly seems to also increase health. There is a general consensus among health professionals that the Mediterranean Diet is healthier than the North European and American diet because more grains, such as spaghetti, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and olive oil are consumed. (Mediterranean Diet).

It seems clear now why two different ethnic groups living in the same place, Queensland, Australia, have such different health problems associated with weight. The main difference is cultural. Samoans believe the more you eat, the higher status you have.

They also believe many illnesses are caused by spirited. Thus, many don't see a correlation between the foods they eat and the health problems they develop. It is extremely difficult to try to change their eating habits, however, an effort is being made. According to Anne Caprio Shovic of the University of Hawaii, "The Samoan exchange lists are now being distributed worldwide to health care professionals who work with Samoan clients" (Shovic). Prior dietary intervention for Samoans depended on foods not historical part of a Samoan diet. "A literature search, personal interviews, and site visits at local grocery stores and village homes were conducted to determine what foods are common to the Samoan diet. These foods and recipes were then computer-analyzed.

Foods that are high sources of vitamins A and C, sodium, and fat are also highlighted in the Samoan exchange lists" (Shovic). It's noteworthy to mention that must Samoans are rather proud of their size and weight. Because they see it as a status symbol, and because of their traditional diet, it may be difficult to change their diets to benefit them. The new Samoan exchange lists are an excellent idea. Instead of replying upon foods Samoans don't eat, nutritionists finally developed recipes using Samoan food. Hopefully, this will start to benefit these people.

The Italians living on Queensland, who have less of a mortality rate than main land Australians, rely on the Mediterranean diet for their healthy diet. Italians don't see food as a status symbol, yet they are extremely proud of the foods they produce and eat. Many other countries have tried to even replicate the Mediterranean diet, with some success. (Furfaro). The Samoans and Italians living in Queensland share the same environment, jobs, land, social networks and more among themselves and mainland Australians. The only difference is the culture they bring to Queensland. And the culture they brought to Queensland is the biggest factor regarding the health problems they have as a result of their weight.

The preceding example is just one of many that show that culture is vital regarding dietary health. Another excellent example is the comparison of the French diet to the American diet. According to Dr. Will Clower, an American neuroscientist who spent two years in France, "Only 8% of the French people are overweight compared to almost 50% of Americans. They live longer and have less heart disease" (Weber). What is so amazing about this? The French diet goes against just about everything American doctors and scientists have been telling us. "The French diet includes full fat cheeses, bread, creamy sauces, chocolate, wine, after dinner liqueurs, in fact all the foods that Americans are told to be afraid of" (Weber). Dr. Clower gives a rather good explanation for the striking difference in American's obesity rate compared to France and the foods we eat.

The French eat very high quality foods and avoid processed foods. They always eat olive oil with meals, which is the key to the Mediterranean diet. And most importantly, the French have small portion sizes and eat their food slowly, as well as with wine. (Weber). Americans are told to take in low carbohydrates, low fat, medium protein and many fruits and vegetables. The French, who also eat fruits and vegetables, eat the right kind of carbohydrates and fats, and limit their portion sizes. America's obesity rate is extremely high compared to the French, and only proves again that the culture you were born in is a huge factor in your weight and health problems.

There are other factors to consider regarding weight and health that are not so dependent on food. An excellent example would be Bolivia's coca chewing population. Many workers and farmers in Bolivia rely on coca leaves, which can be made into the powerful stimulant cocaine, to make it though the day. (Barker). It has been proven that coca leaves are not addictive (Barker), and the peasants rely on them to make it though the workday.

Now this is an extremely complicated issue. On one hand, you have the United States government's "War on Drugs" which leads to the eradication of many coca plants in South America. It's true that many coca leaves are processed in cocaine and smuggled into the United States. It's also true that the 'eradication' of coca leaves has not lowered the rate of cocaine use or the amount of cocaine smuggled into the country. Instead, peasants in Bolivia might find that they are the only ones hurt with this policy. These peasants are malnourished, and have a very low life expectancy rate.

Most grow up, work the fields and die young, between the ages of 30-50. When a child reaches the age of nine, they start using coca leaves because that is the age they usually start to work. (Barker). Food availably for peasants in Bolivia is low, and many wouldn't have the energy to even earn the meager wages or food they do without coca leaves.

And it's not the leaves that led to the low life expectancy rate; it's the lack of the availability of food for the peasants. This is a very interesting example because it shows what a culture does when food is limited yet work needs to be done to get that food. Another interesting example is some of the Jewish eating customs.

Many people of Jewish faith eat certain foods; those that are kosher, and don't eat other foods, such as pork. (Mom). Jewish religion only allows us to eat kosher food. A rabbi blesses kosher food, and the quality is thoroughly inspected. It's also more expensive. In addition, even though Jewish people can eat kosher meat, and eat kosher dairy products, you cannot mix those two together. (Mom). It becomes 'un-kosher' to do this.

In addition, all kitchen utensils used for meat and others used for dairy products must be kept separate. In addition, pork is strictly forbidden to be eaten by Jewish people. It's considered a "very dirty animal" (mom) and is extremely unhealthy. Now what are the results of these limitations? First, because kosher food is thoroughly inspected, the quality of the food is much higher, especially for meat. Also, most people who mix meat and dairy products together get bad stomach indigestion. And most importantly, pork really is a rather dirty animal. Pigs spend much of their time laying in their own 'manure,' In addition, pork must be cooked to a crisp in order to kill all the bacteria present in the meat. Cases of ringworm and other horrible stomach ailments have results from undercooked pork. Jewish people who stay kosher eat high quality food, don't mix certain foods together, and don't eat 'dirty' animals. As a result, many Jewish people stay in shape and have a good weight. Also, because of the preceding, Jewish people who stay kosher don't get many health problems associated with weight. (Mom).

The foods a person eats, which depend on the culture (or religion) they come from, as well as one's genetics, play the most important role in weight management, which leads to a healthier culture. With enough dedication (through exercising) and knowledge, anybody can manage their weight and be healthy (assuming food is plentiful).

Sadly, this is not the case. Many people simply don't exercise and have other bad habits, such as smoking cigarettes. Many people also don't have the knowledge to maintain good weight and health. People come from all sorts of different cultures. As shown with the Samoans and Italians living in Queensland, two (or more) cultures living in the same environment can have strikingly different diets that are based on their cultures and thus drastically different weight and health problems.

The Samoans, loaded with foods containing cholesterol and saturated fat, seem to be considered the most overweight culture in the world. The Italians, with their Mediterranean diet, are leading the way for health. Americans, with our vast resources and wealth, have a culture that loves the wrong types of food. As a result, we have a very high obesity rate.

Also, Americans have placed a great burden on young females, who malnourish themselves to look 'thin and sexy'- as the media likes to portray. This is how a rich American woman and a poor South American farmer can both be malnourished. In essence, the culture one is apart of plays a significant role in the foods one eats, how much they weigh, and ultimately, their health. Different cultures have different norms for the words 'fat' and 'skinny'. No culture is right or wrong with their terms for fat and skinny. However, the statistics and evidence clearly shows that some cultures are simply better handled to deal with health issues associated with weight than other cultures are.

For Discounted Land For Sale, Visit Silver Discount Properties. You can buy land for huge discounts, and even sell your own land!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gregory_Akerman

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/577480

Ferrari FF: The closest thing to an SUV from Maranello

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 00:06:00 +0000

Ferrari FF Reviews

Ferrari FF: The closest thing to an SUV from Maranello

Makers of fine luxury-sport cars are succumbing to the lure of enhanced revenue by adding SUVs to their lineups. Porsche set this particular stage with the Cayenne, while Bentley, Jaguar, and even Lamborghini explore the idea.

Ferrari, with its laser-like focus on performance, would seem immune to the siren song of SUV profits, but I hold that the FF model serves as an SUV stand-in among the very limited lineup. The FF offers seating for four, close to the typical five of an SUV, as well as additional cargo space. It also comes with all-wheel-drive designed to make it more capable in slippery conditions.

The Ferrari FF is about as close to an SUV as I would ever expect to see from a car bearing the prancing horse badge.

Despite its passenger and cargo space and all-wheel-drive system, the FF still drives like a Ferrari. The rigid body responded promptly to steering input, and the driveline always felt connected, as if coasting wasn't in its vocabulary. There is no sound I have enjoyed more than the scream of the FF's 6.3-liter V-12 engine, amplified by the optional sport exhaust, rebounding off the mountainsides of twisty valley roads.

Technically, the body style of the FF is referred to as a "shooting brake," a term with a history involving English hunters and horse carts. Looking like no other Ferrari, the roofline maintains its height as it extends back from the windshield, ending in a hatch. You might think of it as the hottest hatch in the history of the world.

The bodywork is all smooth Pininfarina styling. It looks like every slight curve was sculpted with artistic purpose. Two long doors allow access to front and rear seats. The headlight casings and their stacked LED running lights combined with the low, wide grille make the front look like a smiling face with the skin around the eyes drawn back by sheer speed.

The example delivered to CNET had a newish feature, a glass roof allowing scenic relief to rear seat passengers. That curved glass roof added a bit of space-age style to a body that, to me, has a definite 1960s modernist class.

The artwork didn't end with the body. Lifting the hood, I was greeted by gorgeous red-painted intake manifolds, their length hinting at the six cylinders running down each side. Underneath, direct injection technology helps bring the output up to 651 horsepower and 504 pound-feet of torque. As Ferrari no longer does manual transmissions, the FF comes with a seven-speed dual-clutch automated manual.

Unique among Ferrari models is the all-wheel-drive, a lightweight electronically controlled system that can send up to 20 percent of torque to the front wheels. Unlike Audi's Quattro all-wheel-drive, this Ferrari system isn't designed to enhance high-performance handling. It operates only when the car is in its Snow or Comfort modes, so its purpose is to make the FF more usable in places with real winters.

Three times the charm The all-wheel-drive system didn't play a part when I stretched the FF's legs on my favorite section of twisty road. With the Manettino switch on the steering wheel turned to Sport, I changed down to second gear with the paddle shifter and headed carefully into the first of a set of turns. The rigidity of the body became apparent when I turned the wheel, but the steering action was comfortable and responsive, not twitchy.

A red light embedded at the top of the steering wheel served as a warning that I was approaching the FF's 8,000 rpm redline, so I paddled up to third before the second of those four lights came on. I wasn't trying to impress anyone.

However, the car impressed me with how easily it took the turns. When I took the time to glance at one of the two speed displays, each on an LCD bracketing the big, yellow tachometer, I could see the car was holding 50 or 60 mph without much effort through the corners. Second gear wasn't needed, and the car was ready for fourth on each following straight.

Getting more comfortable with the FF, I took it up a notch, delighting in the snappy shifts from the gearbox, the easily modulated power from the throttle, but most of all the sheer artistry of the handling. The front responded to my steering input without a hint of understeer, while I could feel the rear track out just a bit, enough for some real seat-of-the-pants enjoyment.

In fact, I had so much fun taking the FF through these turns, and noticing that no cars had passed going in the opposite direction, that I did a u-turn and drove the whole run again. And since conditions remained traffic-free, another u-turn let me experience the FF through these corners a third time.

I would have been perfectly happy running the FF back and forth along this section of road all day. Adding to the enjoyment was that V-12 engine note reverberating around the mountains, so beautiful that I kept the windows down and the stereo off.

Leaving the transmission to shift for itself in its automatic sport mode, I was impressed by how well it responded. Powering up a straight, a stab at the brake pedal initiated an immediate downshift, getting the FF ready for the ensuing turn. Under full throttle, the automatic program held its gears right up to redline, proving more aggressive than my manual shifting and creating even more enjoyable engine sounds.

Always engaged Appropriately for the FF's four-seater design, it proved very comfortable slogging through traffic in the city or breezing along a boring freeway. Switching the Manettino to Comfort mode loosened up the adaptive suspension, taking some of the hardness out of the ride. While it never got a soft as a car with an air suspension, Comfort mode did an estimable job of soaking up rough pavement.

More importantly, the FF did not feel as high-strung as some supercars when subjected to day-to-day traffic. Using the transmission's automatic mode, the fact of the 651 horses did not create a problem when I had to match the 10 mph of the traffic ahead, or set off from a stoplight while surrounded by buses and box trucks. The FF accelerated smoothly and did not need to leap at the lightest touch on the throttle. Under these conditions, the transmission shifted early, attaining fourth gear at only 35 mph.

While tame in the city, the FF always felt engaged. This is a car that demands an owner who enjoys the act of driving. I found it noteworthy that, while cruising down the freeway in seventh gear, the throttle required attention. The tight driveline means engine and wheels are constantly connected, with very little coasting.

There are a few quirks about driving the FF. Ferrari did not program "creep" into its dual-clutch transmission, nor will you find a conventional shifter. Instead, I had to turn the ignition, tap the right paddle shifter to put it in first gear, then actually push the accelerator to get it moving. Parking was a matter of stopping it with the brake pedal, then pulling the electronic parking switch.

Letting down the luxury side was an ugly navigation head unit in the dashboard. This unit, with a small LCD and plastic buttons on either side of the bezel, was recognizable from the Chrysler parts bin. Similar to Chrysler vehicles, volume and station selection buttons were embedded behind the steering wheel.

This head unit may have been serviceable for navigation, music, and hands-free phone calls, but it's a bit laughable in a high-priced Ferrari. I've seen this formula repeated in other exotic vehicles, where a company with decades of fine engineering and coach-building experience lacks the resources for a modern electronics department. It surprises me that there are no high-end electronics makers willing to custom build and supply cutting-edge connected head units for the likes of Ferrari, just as these automakers rely on high-end stereo makers for their audio systems.

As a boon to Apple fans, Ferrari has been aggressive about implementing CarPlay. The FF is slated to get this iPhone-integration technology.

Now, the bad news The base price of a Ferrari FF comes to just under $300,000. The example I drove was optioned up a little, adding a carbon-fiber steering wheel for example, bringing the total to just under $350,000. That price makes the FF even less attainable than a 458 Italia.

However, if you look at an FF as a work of art, then it might seem more reasonable. Just consider that Norman Rockwell's 1960 painting, "The Flyswatter," sold last month for $989,000. I guarantee the FF will be a lot more fun than a picture.

Looking at Internet chatter, the shooting brake body style proves polarizing. Some people just love the long cab and hatchback style, while others commonly call it a "clown shoe." I am a fan of the style, along with its associated practicality.

Online rumors suggest that Ferrari has recognized that the FF suffers a popularity problem and will replace the model in 2016 with something more similar to the F12 Berlinetta.

source : http://www.cnet.com/products/2013-ferrari-ff/

Explorer 1 Satellite

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 23 May 2014 00:04:00 +0000

Explorer 1 Satellite

Explorer 1 was the first satellite of the United States, launched as part of its participation in the International Geophysical Year. The mission followed the first two satellites the previous year; the Soviet Union's Sputnik 1 and 2, beginning the Cold War Space Race between the two nations.

Explorer 1 was launched on January 31, 1958 at 22:48 Eastern Time (equal to February 1, 03:48 UTC) atop the first Juno booster from LC-26 at the Cape Canaveral Missile Annex, Florida. It was the first spacecraft to detect the Van Allen radiation belt,[2] returning data until its batteries were exhausted after nearly four months. It remained in orbit until 1970, and has been followed by more than 90 scientific spacecraft in the Explorer series.

Explorer 1 was given Satellite Catalog Number 4, and the Harvard designation 1958 Alpha 1,[3] the forerunner to the modern International Designator.

Background

The U.S. Earth satellite program began in 1954 as a joint U.S. Army and U.S. Navy proposal, called Project Orbiter, to put a scientific satellite into orbit during the International Geophysical Year. The proposal, using a military Redstone missile, was rejected in 1955 by the Eisenhower administration in favor of the Navy's Project Vanguard, using a booster produced for civilian space launches.[4] Following the launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, the initial Project Orbiter program was revived as the Explorer program to catch up with the Soviet Union.[5]

Explorer 1 was designed and built by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), while a Jupiter-C rocket was modified by the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) to accommodate a satellite payload; the resulting rocket known as the Juno I. The Jupiter-C design used for the launch had already been flight-tested in nose cone reentry tests for the Jupiter IRBM, and was modified into Juno I. Working closely together, ABMA and JPL completed the job of modifying the Jupiter-C and building Explorer 1 in 84 days. However, before work was completed, the Soviet Union launched a second satellite, Sputnik 2, on November 3, 1957. The U.S. Navy's attempt to put the first U.S. satellite into orbit failed with the launch of the Vanguard TV3 on December 6, 1957.[6]

Spacecraft design

Explorer 1 was designed and built by the California Institute of Technology's JPL under the direction of Dr. William H. Pickering. It was the second satellite to carry a mission payload (Sputnik 2 was the first).

The total weight of the satellite was 13.37 kilograms (30.80 lb), of which 8.3 kg (18.3 lb) were instrumentation. In comparison the first Soviet satellite Sputnik 1 weighed 83.6 kg (184 lb). The instrument section at the front end of the satellite and the empty scaled-down fourth-stage rocket casing orbited as a single unit, spinning around its long axis at 750 revolutions per minute.

Data from the scientific instruments was transmitted to the ground by two antennas. A 60 milliwatt transmitter fed a dipole antenna consisting of two fiberglass slot antennas in the body of the satellite operating on 108.03 MHz, and four flexible whips forming a turnstile antenna were fed by a 10 milliwatt transmitter operating on 108.00 MHz.[7][8]

Because of the limited space available and the requirements for low weight, the payload instrumentation was designed and built with simplicity and high reliability in mind, using transistor electronics, consisting of both germanium and silicon devices. This was a very early time frame in the development of transistor technology, and was the first documented use of transistors in the U.S. Earth satellite program.[9] A total of 29 transistors were used in Explorer 1, plus additional ones in the Army's micrometeorite amplifier. Electrical power was provided by mercury chemical batteries that made up approximately 40 percent of the payload weight.

The external skin of the instrument section was sandblasted stainless steel with white stripes. Several other color schemes had been tested, resulting in backup articles, models, and photographs showing different configurations, including alternate white and green striping and blue stripes alternating with copper. The final coloration was determined by studies of shadow–sunlight intervals based on firing time, trajectory, orbit, and inclination.

Science payload

The Explorer 1 payload consisted of the Iowa Cosmic Ray Instrument without a tape data recorder which was not modified in time to make it onto the spacecraft. The real-time data received on the ground was therefore very sparse and puzzling showing normal counting rates and no counts at all. The later Explorer 3 mission, which included a tape data recorder in the payload, provided the additional data for confirmation of the earlier Explorer 1 data.

The scientific instrumentation of Explorer 1 was designed and built under the direction of Dr. James Van Allen of the University of Iowa containing:[7]

Anton 314 omnidirectional Geiger-Müller tube, designed by Dr. George Ludwig of Iowa's Cosmic Ray Laboratory, to detect cosmic rays. It could detect protons with E > 30 MeV and electrons with E > 3 MeV. Most of the time the instrument was saturated;[10]

Five temperature sensors (one internal, three external and one on the nose cone);

Acoustic detector (crystal transducer and solid-state amplifier) to detect micrometeorite (cosmic dust) impacts. It responded to micrometeorite impacts on the spacecraft skin in such way that each impact would be a function of mass and velocity. Its effective area was 0.075 m2 and the average threshold sensitivity was 2.5×10−3 g cm/s;[11][12]

Wire grid detector, also to detect micrometeorite impacts. It consisted of 12 parallel connected cards mounted in a fiberglass supporting ring. Each card was wound with two layers of enameled nickel alloy wire with a diameter of 17 µm (21 µm with the enamel insulation included) in such way that a total area of 1 cm by 1 cm was completely covered. If a micrometeorite of about 10 µm impacted, it would fracture the wire, destroy the electrical connection, and thus record the event.[11][12]

Flight

The Juno I rocket was launched January 31, 1958, putting Explorer 1 into orbit with a perigee of 358 kilometers (222 mi) and an apogee of 2,550 kilometers (1,580 mi) having a period of 114.8 minutes.[13][14][15] At about 1:30 a.m. ET, after confirming that Explorer 1 was indeed in orbit, a news conference was held in the Great Hall at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC to announce it to the world.[16]

Mercury batteries powered the high-power transmitter for 31 days and the low-power transmitter for 105 days. Explorer 1 stopped transmission of data on May 23, 1958[17] when its batteries died, but remained in orbit for more than 12 years. It reentered the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean on March 31, 1970 after more than 58,000 orbits.

Results

To the surprise of mission experts[who?], Explorer 1 changed rotation axis after launch. The elongated body of the spacecraft had been designed to spin about its long (least-inertia) axis but refused to do so, and instead started precessing due to energy dissipation from flexible structural elements. Later it was understood that on general grounds, the body ends up in the spin state that minimizes the kinetic rotational energy for a fixed angular momentum (this being the maximal-inertia axis). This motivated the first further development of the Eulerian theory of rigid body dynamics after nearly 200 years—to address this kind of momentum-preserving energy dissipation.[18][19]

Sometimes the instrumentation would report the expected cosmic ray count (approximately 30 counts per second) but sometimes it would show a peculiar zero counts per second. The University of Iowa (under Van Allen) noted that all of the zero counts per second reports were from an altitude of 2,000+ km (1,250+ miles) over South America, while passes at 500 km (310 mi) would show the expected level of cosmic rays. Later, after Explorer 3, it was concluded that the original Geiger counter had been overwhelmed ("saturated") by strong radiation coming from a belt of charged particles trapped in space by the Earth's magnetic field. This belt of charged particles is now known as the Van Allen radiation belt. The discovery was considered to be one of the outstanding discoveries of the International Geophysical Year.

The acoustic micrometeorite detector detected 145 impacts of cosmic dust in 78,750 seconds. This calculates to an average impact rate of 8.0×10−3 impacts per m−2 s−1 over the twelve-day period (29 impacts per hour per square meter).[20]

Legacy

Explorer 1 was the first of the long-running Explorer program. A follow-up to the first mission, Explorer-1 [PRIME], was successfully launched aboard a Delta II rocket in late October, 2011. The PRIME was built using modern satellite construction techniques. The orbiting satellite was a backup, since the initial Explorer-1 PRIME, launched on March 4, 2011, failed to reach orbit due to a problem in the launch vehicle.[21]

An identically constructed flight backup of Explorer 1 is on display in the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum, Milestones of Flight Gallery in Washington, DC.

References

1. Garber, Steve (October 10, 2007). "Explorer-I and Jupiter-C". NASA. Retrieved November 16, 2009.

2. Paul Dickson, Sputnik: The Launch of the Space Race. (Toronto: MacFarlane Walter & Ross, 2001), 190.

3. Yost, Charles W. (1963-09-06). Registration data for United States Space Launches (PDF). United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs. Retrieved 2009-02-19.

4. "Project Vanguard—Why It Failed to Live Up to Its Name". Time (magazine). October 21, 1957. Retrieved 2008-02-12.

5. "Sputnik and the Dawn of the Space Age". NASA History. NASA. Retrieved 2008-02-13.

6. McLaughlin Green, Constance; Lomask, Milton (1970). "Chapter 11: from Sputnik I to TV-3". Vanguard—A History. NASA. Retrieved 2008-02-13.

7. "Explorer-I and Jupiter-C". Data Sheet. Department of Astronautics,National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2008-02-09.

8. Williams, Jr., W.E. (April 1960). "Space Telemetry Systems" (fee required). Proceedings of the Institute of Radio Engineers (IEEE) 48 (4): 685–690. doi:10.1109/JRPROC.1960.287448. Retrieved 2008-02-05.

9. "The First Transistors in Space—Personal Reflections by the Designer of the Cosmic Ray Instrumentation Package for the Explorer I Satellite". A Transistor Museum Interview with Dr. George Ludwig. The Transistor Museum. Retrieved 2008-02-25.

10. "Cosmic-Ray Detector". NSSDC Master Catalog. NASA. Retrieved 2008-02-09.

11. "Micrometeorite Detector". NSSDC Master Catalog. NASA. Retrieved 2008-02-09.

12. Manring, Edward R. (January 1959). "Micrometeorite Measurements from 1958 Alpha and Gamma Satellites". Planetary and Space Science(Great Britain: Pergamon Press) 1 (1): 27–31.Bibcode:1959P&SS....1...27M. doi:10.1016/0032-0633(59)90019-4.

13. "Explorer 1 First U.S. Satellite—Fast Facts". JPL, NASA. Retrieved 2008-02-06.

14. "Trajectory Details". NSSDC Master Catalog. NASA. Retrieved 2008-02-06.

15. "Solar System Exploration Explorer 1". NASA. Retrieved 2008-02-06.

16. McDonald, Naugle (2008). "Discovering Earth's Radiation Belts: Remembering Explorer 1 and 3". NASA History (American Geological Union) 89 (39). Retrieved 2008-10-14.

17. Zadunaisky, Pedro E. (October 1960). "The Orbit of Satellite 456 Alpha (Explorer I) during the First 10500 Revolutions". SAO Special Report #50 (1960) (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory) 50.Bibcode:1960SAOSR..50.....Z.

18. Efroimsky, Michael (August 2001). "Relaxation of wobbling asteroids and comets—theoretical problems, perspectives of experimental observation" (fee required). Planetary and Space Science (Elsevier)49 (9): 937–955. arXiv:astro-ph/9911072.Bibcode:2001P&SS...49..937E. doi:10.1016/S0032-0633(01)00051-4. Retrieved 2008-02-08.

19. Efroimsky, Michael (March 2002). "Euler, Jacobi, and missions to comets and asteroids" (fee required). Advances in Space Research(Elsevier) 29 (5): 725–734. arXiv:astro-ph/0112054.Bibcode:2002AdSpR..29..725E. doi:10.1016/S0273-1177(02)00017-0. Retrieved 2008-02-05.

20. Dubin, Maurice (January 1960). "IGY Micrometeorite Measurements" (fee required). Space Research—Proceedings of the First International Space Science Symposium (Amsterdam: North-Holland Publishing Company) 1 (1): 1042–1058. Retrieved 2008-02-11.

21. Evelyn Boswell (23 October 2011). "MSU’s twin satellite to launch Oct. 28 on NASA rocket". Space Science and Engineering Laboratory. Retrieved 1 October 2013.

22. "Astronomy Picture of the Day on January 31, 2008". Marshall Space Flight Center, NASA. 2008-01-31. Retrieved 2008-02-03.

23. "NASA—JPL Ground Antenna". Nasa.gov. Retrieved 2012-03-30.

*Explorer 1*
Spacecraft properties
Photograph of the Explorer 1

Mission type	Earth science
Operator	Army Ballistic Missile Agency
Harvard designation	1958 Alpha 1
SATCAT №	4
Mission duration	111 days

Manufacturer	Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Launch mass	13.97 kilograms (30.8 lb)
Power	60.0 watts

Start of mission
Launch date	February 1, 1958, 03:48 UTC^[1]
Rocket	Juno I RS-29
Launch site	Cape Canaveral LC-26A

End of mission
Last contact	May 23, 1958
Decay date	March 31, 1970

Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	MEO
Semi-major axis	7,832.2 kilometers (4,866.7 mi)
Eccentricity	0.1398490071296692
Perigee	358 kilometers (222 mi)
Apogee	2,550 kilometers (1,580 mi)
Inclination	33.2400016784668°
Period	114.80000305175781 minutes
RAAN	334.6171 degrees
Argument of perigee	311.5310 degrees
Mean anomaly	48.3249 degrees
Mean motion	16.27546304
Epoch	31 March 1970 00:50:24 UTC
Revolution number	58402

source : wikipedia.org/wiki/Explorer_1

Battle of Ramillies

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 22 May 2014 23:36:00 +0000

Battle of Ramillies

The Battle of Ramillies /ˈræmɪliːz/, fought on 23 May 1706, was a major engagement of the War of the Spanish Succession. For the Grand Alliance – Austria, England, and the Dutch Republic – the battle had followed an indecisive campaign against the Bourbon armies of King Louis XIV of France in 1705. Although the Allies had captured Barcelona that year, they had been forced to abandon their campaign on the Moselle, had stalled in the Spanish Netherlands, and suffered defeat in northern Italy. Yet despite his opponents' setbacks Louis XIV was desirous of peace – but he wanted it on reasonable terms. For this end, and in order to maintain their momentum, the French and their allies would swing over to the offensive in 1706.

The campaign began well for Louis XIV's generals: in Italy Marshal Vendôme had defeated the Austrians at the Battle of Calcinato in April, while in Alsace Marshal Villars had forced the Margrave of Baden back across the Rhine. Encouraged by these early gains Louis XIV urged Marshal Villeroi to go over to the offensive in the Spanish Netherlands and, with victory, gain a 'fair' peace. Accordingly, the French Marshal set off from Leuven (Louvain) at the head of 60,000 men and marched towards Tirlemont, as if to threaten Zoutleeuw (Léau). Also determined to fight a major engagement, the Duke of Marlborough, commander-in-chief of Anglo-Dutch forces, assembled his army – some 62,000 men – near Maastricht, and marched past Zoutleeuw. With both sides seeking battle, they soon stumbled upon one other on the dry ground between the Mehaigne and Petite Gheete rivers, close to the small village of Ramillies.

In less than four hours Marlborough's Dutch, English, and Danish forces[4] overwhelmed Villeroi's and Max Emanuel's Franco-Spanish-Bavarian army. The Duke's subtle moves and changes in emphasis during the battle – something his opponents failed to realise until it was too late – caught the French in a tactical vice. The battle proved decisive. With their foe broken and routed, the Allies were able to fully exploit their victory. Town after town subsequently fell, including Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp; by the end of the campaign Villeroi's army had been driven from most of the Spanish Netherlands. With Prince Eugene's subsequent success at the Battle of Turin in northern Italy, the Allies had imposed the greatest loss of territory and resources that Louis XIV would suffer during the war. The year 1706 had indeed proved to be the Allies' annus mirabilis.

Background

After their disastrous defeat at Blenheim in 1704, the next year brought France some respite. The Duke of Marlborough had intended the 1705 campaign – an invasion of France through the Moselle valley – to complete the work of Blenheim and persuade King Louis XIV to make peace, but the plan had been thwarted by both friend and foe alike.[5] The reluctance of his Dutch allies to see their frontiers denuded of troops for another gamble in Germany had denied Marlborough the initiative,[5] but of far greater importance was the Margrave of Baden’s pronouncement that he could not join the Duke in strength for the coming offensive. This was in part due to the sudden switching of troops from the Rhine to reinforce Prince Eugene in Italy, and part due to the deterioration of Baden’s health brought on by the re-opening of a severe foot wound he had received at the storming of the Schellenberg the previous year.[6] Moreover, Marlborough had to cope with the death of Emperor Leopold I in May and the accession of Joseph I, which unavoidably complicated matters for the Grand Alliance.[6]

The resilience of the French King, and the efforts of his generals, also added to Marlborough’s problems.[7] Marshal Villeroi, exerting considerable pressure on the Dutch commander, Count Overkirk, along the Meuse, took Huy on 10 June before pressing on towards Liège. With Marshal Villars sitting strong on the Moselle, the Allied commander – whose supplies had by now become critical – was forced to call off his campaign on 16 June. "What a disgrace for Marlborough," exulted Villeroi, "to have made false movements without any result!"[8] With Marlborough’s departure north, the French now transferred troops from the Moselle valley to reinforce Villeroi in Flanders, while Villars marched off to the Rhine.[9]

The Anglo-Dutch forces gained minor compensation for the failed Moselle campaign with the success at Elixheim and the crossing of the Lines of Brabant in the Spanish Netherlands (Huy was also retaken on 11 July), but a chance to bring the French to a decisive engagement had eluded Marlborough.[10] The year 1705 proved almost entirely barren for the Duke whose military disappointments were only partly compensated by efforts on the diplomatic front where, at the courts of Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Vienna, Berlin and Hanover, Marlborough sought to bolster support for the Grand Alliance and extract promises of prompt assistance for the following year’s campaign.[11]

Prelude

On 11 January 1706, Marlborough finally reached London at the end of his diplomatic tour, but he had already been planning his strategy for the coming season. The first option (although it is debatable to what extent the Duke was committed to such an enterprise) was a plan to transfer his forces from the Spanish Netherlands to northern Italy; once there, he intended linking up with Prince Eugene in order to defeat the French and safeguard Savoy from being overrun.[12] Savoy would then serve as a gateway into France by way of the mountain passes or, alternatively, an invasion with naval support along the Mediterranean coast via Nice and Toulon in connection with redoubled Allied efforts in Spain.[13] However, it seems that the Duke’s favoured scheme was to return to the Moselle valley (where Marshal Marsin had recently taken command of French forces) and once more attempt an advance into the heart of France.[14] But these decisions soon became academic. Shortly after Marlborough landed in the Dutch Republic on 14 April, news arrived of major Allied setbacks in the wider war.

Determined to show the Grand Alliance that France was still resolute, Louis XIV prepared to launch a double surprise in Alsace and northern Italy.[15] On the latter front Marshal Vendôme defeated the Imperial army at Calcinato on 19 April, pushing the Imperialists back in confusion (French forces were now in a position to prepare for the long-anticipated siege of Turin). In Alsace, Marshal Villars took Baden by surprise and captured Haguenau, driving him back across the Rhine in some disorder, thus creating a threat on Landau.[16] With these reverses, the Dutch now refused to contemplate Marlborough’s ambitious march to Italy or, indeed, any plan that denuded their borders of the Duke and their army.[17] Therefore, in the interest of coalition harmony, Marlborough prepared to campaign in the Low Countries.[17]

On the move

The Duke left The Hague on 9 May. "God knows I go with a heavy heart," he wrote six days later to his friend and political ally in England, Lord Godolphin, "for I have no hope of doing anything considerable, unless the French do what I am very confident they will not … " – in other words, court battle.[18] On 17 May the Duke concentrated his Dutch and English troops at Tongeren, near Maastricht. The Hanoverians, Hessians and Danes, despite earlier undertakings, found, or invented, pressing reasons for withholding their support.[16] Marlborough wrote an appeal to the Duke of Württemberg, the commander of the Danish contingent – "I send you this express to request your Highness to bring forward by a double march your cavalry so as to join us at the earliest moment …"[19] Additionally, the King in Prussia, Frederick I, had kept his troops in quarters behind the Rhine while his personal disputes with Vienna and the States-General at The Hague remained unresolved. Nevertheless, the Duke could think of no circumstances why the French would leave their strong positions and attack his army, even if Villeroi was first reinforced by substantial transfers from Marsin’s command.[20] But in this he had miscalculated. Although Louis XIV wanted peace he wanted it on reasonable terms; for that, he needed victory in the field and to convince the Allies that his resources were by no means exhausted.[21]

Following the successes in Italy and along the Rhine, Louis XIV was now hopeful of similar results in Flanders. Far from standing on the defensive therefore – and unbeknown to Marlborough – Louis XIV was persistently goading his marshal into action. "[Villeroi] began to imagine," wrote St Simon, "that the King doubted his courage, and resolved to stake all at once in an effort to vindicate himself."[22] Accordingly, on 18 May, Villeroi set off from Leuven at the head of 70 battalions, 132 squadrons and 62 cannon – comprising an overall force of some 60,000 troops – and crossed the river Dyle to seek battle with the enemy. Spurred on by his growing confidence in his ability to out-general his opponent, and by Versailles’ determination to avenge Blenheim, Villeroi and his generals anticipated success.[23]

Neither opponent expected the clash at the exact moment or place where it occurred.[24] The French moved first to Tirlemont, (as if to threaten Zoutleeuw, abandoned by the French in October 1705), before turning southwards, heading for Jodoigne – this line of march took Villeroi’s army towards the narrow aperture of dry ground between the Mehaigne and Petite Gheete rivers close to the small villages of Ramillies and Taviers; but neither commander quite appreciated how far his opponent had travelled. Villeroi still believed (on 22 May) the Allies were a full day’s march away when in fact they had camped near Corswaren waiting for the Danish squadrons to catch up; for his part, Marlborough deemed Villeroi still at Jodoigne when in reality he was now approaching the plateau of Mont St. André with the intention of pitching camp near Ramillies (see map at right).[24] However, the Prussian infantry was not there. Marlborough wrote to Lord Raby, the English resident at Berlin: "If it should please God to give us victory over the enemy, the Allies will be little obliged to the King [Frederick] for the success."[25]

The following day, at 01:00, Marlborough dispatched Cadogan, his Quartermaster-General, with an advanced guard to reconnoitre the same dry ground that Villeroi’s army was now heading, country that was well known to the Duke from previous campaigns. Two hours later the Duke followed with the main body: 74 battalions, 123 squadrons, 90 pieces of artillery and 20 mortars, totalling 62,000 troops.[26] At about 08:00, after Cadogan had just passed Merdorp, his force made brief contact with a party of French hussars gathering forage on the edge of the plateau of Jandrenouille. After a brief exchange of shots the French retired and Cadogan's dragoons pressed forward. With a short lift in the mist, Cadogan soon discovered the smartly ordered lines of Villeroi’s advance guard some four miles (6 km) off; a galloper hastened back to warn Marlborough. Two hours later the Duke, accompanied by the Dutch field commander Field Marshal Overkirk, General Daniel Dopff, and the Allied staff, rode up to Cadogan where on the horizon to the westward he could discern the massed ranks of the French army deploying for battle along the four mile (6.4 km) front.[26] Marlborough later told Bishop Burnet that, ‘the French army looked the best of any he had ever seen’.[27]

Battle

Battlefield

The battlefield of Ramillies is very similar to that of Blenheim, for here too there is an immense area of arable land unimpeded by woods or hedges.[28] Villeroi’s right rested on the villages of Franquenée and Taviers, with the river Mehaigne protecting his flank. A large open plain, just over 1 mile (~2 km) wide, lay between Taviers and Ramillies, but unlike Blenheim, there was no stream to hinder the cavalry. His centre was secured by Ramillies itself, lying on a slight eminence which gave distant views to the north and east. The French left flank was protected by broken country, and by a stream, the Petite Gheete, which runs deep between steep and slippery slopes. On the French side of the stream the ground rises to Offus, the village which, together with Autre-Eglise farther north, anchored Villeroi’s left flank. To the west of the Petite Gheete rises the plateau of Mont St. André; a second plain, the plateau of Jandrenouille – upon which the Anglo-Dutch army amassed – rises to the east.[28]

Initial dispositions

At 11:00, the Duke ordered the army to take standard battle formation. On the far right, towards Foulz, the British battalions and squadrons took up their posts in a double line near the Jeuche stream. The centre was formed by the mass of Dutch, German, Protestant Swiss and Scottish infantry – perhaps 30,000 men – facing Offus and Ramillies. Also facing Ramillies Marlborough placed a powerful battery of thirty 24-pounders, dragged into position by a team of oxen; further batteries were positioned overlooking the Petite Gheete. On their left, on the broad plain between Taviers and Ramillies – and where Marlborough thought the decisive encounter must take place[29] – Overkirk drew the 69 squadrons of the Dutch and Danish horse, supported by 19 battalions of Dutch infantry and two artillery pieces.[30]

Meanwhile Villeroi deployed his forces. In Taviers on his right, he placed two battalions of the Greder Suisse Régiment, with a smaller force forward in Franquenée; the whole position was protected by the boggy ground of the Mehaigne river, thus preventing an Allied flanking movement.[31] In the open country between Taviers and Ramillies, he placed 82 squadrons under General de Guiscard supported by several interleaved brigades of French, Swiss and Bavarian infantry. Along the Ramillies–Offus–Autre Eglise ridge-line, Villeroi positioned Walloon and Bavarian infantry, supported by the Elector of Bavaria's 50 squadrons of Bavarian and Walloon cavalry placed behind on the plateau of Mont St. André. Ramillies, Offus and Autre-Eglise were all packed with troops and put in a state of defence, with alleys barricaded and walls loop-holed for muskets.[32] Villeroi also positioned powerful batteries near Ramillies. These guns (some of which were of the three barrelled kind first seen at Elixheim the previous year) enjoyed good arcs of fire, able to fully cover the approaches of the plateau of Jandrenouille over which the Allied infantry would have to pass.

Marlborough, however, noticed several important weaknesses in the French dispositions.[33] Tactically, it was imperative for Villeroi to occupy Taviers on his right and Autre-Eglise on his left, but by adopting this posture he had been forced to over-extend his forces.[34] Moreover, this disposition – concave in relation to the Allied army – gave Marlborough the opportunity to form a more compact line, drawn up in a shorter front between the ‘horns’ of the French crescent; when the Allied blow came it would be more concentrated and carry more weight. Additionally, the Duke’s disposition facilitated the transfer of troops across his front far more easily than his foe, a tactical advantage that would grow in importance as the events of the afternoon unfolded.[34] Although Villeroi had the option of enveloping the flanks of the Allied army as they deployed on the plateau of Jandrenouille – threatening to encircle their army – the Duke correctly gauged that the characteristically cautious French commander was intent on a defensive battle along the ridge-line.[35]

Taviers

At 13:00 the batteries went into action; a little later two Allied columns set out from the extremities of their line and attacked the flanks of the Franco-Bavarian army.[36] To the south the Dutch Guards, under the command of Colonel Wertmüller, came forward with their two field guns to seize the hamlet of Franquenée. The small Swiss garrison in the village, shaken by the sudden onslaught and unsupported by the battalions to their rear, were soon compelled back towards the village of Taviers. Taviers was of particular importance to the Franco-Bavarian position: it protected the otherwise unsupported flank of General de Guiscard’s cavalry on the open plain, while at the same time, it allowed the French infantry to pose a threat to the flanks of the Dutch and Danish squadrons as they came forward into position.[37] But hardly had the retreating Swiss rejoined their comrades in that village when the Dutch Guards renewed their attack. The fighting amongst the alleys and cottages soon deteriorated into a fierce bayonet and clubbing mêlée, but the superiority in Dutch firepower soon told. The accomplished French officer, Colonel de la Colonie, standing on the plain nearby remembered – "this village was the opening of the engagement, and the fighting there was almost as murderous as the rest of the battle put together."[38] By about 15:00 the Swiss had been pushed out of the village into the marshes beyond.

Villeroi’s right flank fell into chaos and was now open and vulnerable.[39] Alerted to the situation de Guiscard ordered an immediate attack with 14 squadrons of French dragoons currently stationed in the rear. Two other battalions of the Greder Suisse Régiment were also sent, but the attack was poorly co-ordinated and consequently went in piecemeal. The Anglo-Dutch commanders now sent dismounted Dutch dragoons into Taviers, which, together with the Guards and their field guns, poured concentrated musketry- and canister-fire into the advancing French troops. Colonel d’Aubigni, leading his regiment, fell mortally wounded.[40]

As the French ranks wavered, the leading squadrons of Württemberg’s Danish horse – now unhampered by enemy fire from either village – were also sent into the attack and fell upon the exposed flank of the Franco-Swiss infantry and dragoons.[41] De la Colonie, with his Grenadiers Rouge regiment, together with the Cologne Guards who were brigaded with them, was now ordered forward from his post south of Ramillies to support the faltering counter-attack on the village. But on his arrival, all was chaos – "Scarcely had my troops got over when the dragoons and Swiss who had preceded us, came tumbling down upon my battalions in full flight … My own fellows turned about and fled along with them."[40] De La Colonie managed to rally some of his grenadiers, together with the remnants of the French dragoons and Greder Suisse battalions, but it was an entirely peripheral operation, offering only fragile support for Villeroi’s right flank.[42]

Offus and Autre-Eglise

While the attack on Taviers went in the Earl of Orkney launched his first line of English across the Petite Gheete in a determined attack against the barricaded villages of Offus and Autre-Eglise on the Allied right. Villeroi, posting himself near Offus, watched anxiously the redcoats' advance, mindful of the counsel he had received on 6 May from Louis XIV – "Have particular care to that part of the line which will endure the first shock of the English troops."[36] Heeding this advice the French commander began to transfer battalions from his centre to reinforce the left, drawing more foot from the already weakened right to replace them.[41]

As the English battalions descended the gentle slope of the Petite Gheete valley, struggling through the boggy stream, they were met by Major General de la Guiche’s disciplined Walloon infantry sent forward from around Offus. After concentrated volleys, exacting heavy casualties on the redcoats, the Walloons reformed back to the ridgeline in good order. The English took some time to reform their ranks on the dry ground beyond the stream and press on up the slope towards the cottages and barricades on the ridge.[43] The vigour of the English assault, however, was such that they threatened to break through the line of the villages and out onto the open plateau of Mont St André beyond. This was potentially dangerous for the Allied infantry who would then be at the mercy of the Elector’s Bavarian and Walloon squadrons patiently waiting on the plateau for the order to move.[44]

Although Henry Lumley’s British cavalry had managed to cross the marshy ground around the Petite Gheete, it was soon evident to Marlborough that sufficient cavalry support would not be practicable and that the battle could not be won on the Allied right.[45] The Duke, therefore, called off the attack against Offus and Autre-Eglise. To make sure that Orkney obeyed his order to withdraw, Marlborough sent his Quartermaster-General in person with the command. Despite Orkney’s protestations, Cadogan insisted on compliance and, reluctantly, Orkney gave the word for his troops to fall back to their original positions on the edge of the plateau of Jandrenouille. It is still not clear how far Orkney’s advance was planned only as a feint; according to historian David Chandler it is probably more accurate to surmise that Marlborough launched Orkney in a serious probe with a view to sounding out the possibilities of the sector.[41] Nevertheless, the attack had served its purpose. Villeroi had given his personal attention to that wing and strengthened it with large bodies of horse and foot that ought to have been taking part in the decisive struggle south of Ramillies.[46]

Ramillies

Meanwhile, the Dutch assault on Ramillies was gaining pace. Marlborough’s younger brother, General of Infantry, Charles Churchill, ordered four brigades of foot to attack the village. The assault consisted of 12 battalions of Dutch infantry commanded by Major Generals Schultz and Spaar; two brigades of Saxons under Count Schulenburg; a Scottish brigade in Dutch service led by the 2nd Duke of Argyle; and a small brigade of Protestant Swiss.[47] The 20 French and Bavarian battalions in Ramillies, supported by Irish dragoons and a small brigade of Cologne and Bavarian Guards under the Marquis de Maffei, put up a determined defence, initially driving back the attackers with severe losses.[48]

Seeing that Schultz and Spaar were faltering, Marlborough now ordered Orkney’s second-line British and Danish battalions (who had not been used in the assault on Offus and Autre-Eglise) to move south towards Ramillies. Shielded as they were from observation by a slight fold in the land, their commander, Brigadier-General Van Pallandt, ordered the regimental colours to be left in place on the edge of the plateau to convince their opponents they were still in their initial position. Therefore, unbeknown to the French who remained oblivious to the Allies’ real strength and intentions on the opposite side of the Petite Gheete, Marlborough was throwing his full weight against Ramillies and the open plain to the south. Villeroi meanwhile, was still moving more reserves of infantry in the opposite direction towards his left flank; crucially, it would be some time before the French commander noticed the subtle change in emphasis of the Allied dispositions.[49]

At around 15:30, Overkirk advanced his massed squadrons on the open plain in support of the infantry attack on Ramillies. Overkirk's squadrons – 48 Dutch, supported on their left by 21 Danish – steadily advanced towards the enemy (taking care not to prematurely tire the horses), before breaking into a trot to gain the impetus for their charge.[50] The Marquis de Feuquières writing after the battle described the scene – "They advanced in four lines … As they approached they advanced their second and fourth lines into the intervals of their first and third lines; so that when they made their advance upon us, they formed only one front, without any intermediate spaces."[51]

The initial clash favoured the Dutch and Danish squadrons. The disparity of numbers – exacerbated by Villeroi stripping their ranks of infantry to reinforce his left flank – enabled Overkirk's cavalry to throw the first line of French horse back in some disorder towards their second-line squadrons. This line also came under severe pressure and, in turn, was forced back to their third-line of cavalry and the few battalions still remaining on the plain.[52] But these French horsemen were amongst the best in Louis XIV’s army – the Maison du Roi,[53] supported by four elite squadrons of Bavarian Cuirassiers. Ably led by de Guiscard, the French cavalry rallied, thrusting back the Allied squadrons in successful local counterattacks.[54] On Overkirk’s right flank, close to Ramillies, ten of his squadrons suddenly broke ranks and were scattered, riding headlong to the rear to recover their order, leaving the left flank of the Allied assault on Ramillies dangerously exposed. Notwithstanding the lack of infantry support, de Guiscard threw his cavalry forward in an attempt to split the Allied army in two.

A crisis threatened the centre, but from his vantage point Marlborough was at once aware of the situation.[45] The Allied commander now summoned the cavalry on the right wing to reinforce his centre, leaving only the English squadrons in support of Orkney. Thanks to a combination of battle-smoke and favourable terrain, his redeployment went unnoticed by Villeroi who made no attempt to transfer any of his own 50 unused squadrons.[45] While he waited for the fresh reinforcements to arrive, Marlborough flung himself into the mêlée, rallying some of the Dutch cavalry who were in confusion. But his personal involvement nearly led to his undoing. A number of French horsemen, recognising the Duke, came surging towards his party. Marlborough’s horse tumbled and the Duke was thrown – "Milord Marlborough was rid over," wrote Orkney some time later.[56] It was a critical moment of the battle. "Major-General Murray," recalled one eye witness, " … seeing him fall, marched up in all haste with two Swiss battalions to save him and stop the enemy who were hewing all down in their way."[57] Fortunately Marlborough’s newly appointed aide-de-camp, Richard Molesworth, galloped to the rescue, mounted the Duke on his horse and made good their escape, before Murray’s disciplined ranks threw back the pursuing French troopers.[57]

After a brief pause, Marlborough’s equerry, Colonel Bringfield (or Bingfield), led up another of the Duke’s spare horses; but while assisting him onto his mount, the unfortunate Bringfield was hit by an errant cannonball that sheared off his head. One account has it that the cannonball flew between the Captain-General’s legs before hitting the unfortunate colonel, whose torso fell at Marlborough’s feet – a moment subsequently depicted in a lurid set of contemporary playing cards.[57] Nevertheless the danger passed, enabling the Duke to attend to the positioning of the cavalry reinforcements feeding down from his right flank – a change of which Villeroi remained blissfully unaware.[58]

Breakthrough

The time was about 16:30, and the two armies were in close contact across the whole four-mile (6 km) front, from the skirmishing in the marshes in the south, through the vast cavalry battle on the open plain; to the fierce struggle for Ramillies at the centre, and to the north, where, around the cottages of Offus and Autre-Eglise, Orkney and de la Guiche faced each other across the Petite Gheete ready to renew hostilities.

The arrival of the transferring squadrons now began to tip the balance in favour of the Allies. Tired, and suffering a growing list of casualties, the numerical inferiority of Guiscard’s squadrons battling on the plain at last began to tell.[60] After earlier failing to hold or retake Franquenée and Taviers, Guiscard’s right flank had become dangerously exposed and a fatal gap had opened on the right of their line. Taking advantage of this breach, Württemberg’s Danish cavalry now swept forward, wheeling to penetrate the flank of the Maison du Roi whose attention was almost entirely fixed on holding back the Dutch. Sweeping forwards, virtually without resistance, the 21 Danish squadrons reformed behind the French around the area of the Tomb of Ottomond, facing north across the plateau of Mont St André towards the exposed flank of Villeroi’s army.[61]

The final Allied reinforcements for the cavalry contest to the south were at last in position; Marlborough’s superiority on the left could no longer be denied, and his fast-moving plan took hold of the battlefield. Now, far too late, Villeroi tried to redeploy his 50 unused squadrons, but a desperate attempt to form line facing south, stretching from Offus to Mont St André, floundered amongst the baggage and tents of the French camp carelessly left there after the initial deployment.[62] The Allied commander ordered his cavalry forward against the now heavily outnumbered French and Bavarian horsemen. De Guiscard’s right flank, without proper infantry support, could no longer resist the onslaught and, turning their horses northwards, they broke and fled in complete disorder.[63] Even the squadrons currently being scrambled together by Villeroi behind Ramillies could not withstand the onslaught. "We had not got forty yards on our retreat," remembered Captain Peter Drake, the Irish mercenary serving with the French – "when the words sauve qui peut went through the great part, if not the whole army, and put all to confusion"[64]

In Ramillies the Allied infantry, now reinforced by the English troops brought down from the north, at last broke through. The Régiment de Picardie stood their ground but were caught between Colonel Borthwick’s Scots-Dutch regiment and the English reinforcements. Borthwick was killed, as was Charles O’Brien, the Irish Viscount Clare in French service, fighting at the head of his regiment.[65] The Marquis de Maffei attempted one last stand with his Bavarian and Cologne Guards, but it proved in vain. Noticing a rush of horsemen fast approaching from the south, he later recalled – " … I went towards the nearest of these squadrons to instruct their officer, but instead of being listened to [I] was immediately surrounded and called upon to ask for quarter."[66]

Pursuit

The roads leading north and west were choked with fugitives. Orkney now sent his English troops back across the Petite Gheete stream to once again storm Offus where de la Guiche’s infantry had begun to drift away in the confusion.[67] To the right of the infantry Lord John Hay’s ‘Scots Greys’ also picked their way across the stream and charged the Régiment du Roi within Autre-Eglise. "Our dragoons," wrote John Deane, "pushing into the village … made terrible slaughter of the enemy."[67] The Bavarian Horse Grenadiers and the Electoral Guards withdrew and formed a shield about Villeroi and the Elector but were scattered by Lumley’s cavalry. Stuck in the mass of fugitives fleeing the battlefield, the French and Bavarian commanders narrowly escaped capture by General Cornelius Wood who, unaware of their identity, had to content himself with the seizure of two Bavarian Lieutenant-Generals.[68] Far to the south, the remnants of de la Colonie’s brigade headed in the opposite direction towards the French held fortress of Namur."[69]

The retreat became a rout.[70] Individual Allied commanders drove their troops forward in pursuit, allowing their beaten enemy no chance to recover. Soon the Allied infantry could no longer keep up, but their cavalry were off the leash, heading through the gathering night for the crossings on the Dyle river.[71] At last, however, Marlborough called a halt to the pursuit shortly after midnight near Meldert, 12 miles (19 km) from the field.[71] "It was indeed a truly shocking sight to see the miserable remains of this mighty army," wrote Captain Drake, "… reduced to a handful."[72]

Aftermath

What was left of Villeroi’s army was now broken in spirit; the imbalance of the casualty figures amply demonstrates the extent of the disaster for Louis XIV’s army: (see below). In addition, hundreds of French soldiers were fugitives, many of whom would never remuster to the colours. Villeroi also lost 52 artillery pieces and his entire engineer pontoon train.[73] In the words of Marshal Villars, the French defeat at Ramillies was – "The most shameful, humiliating and disastrous of routs."[74]

Town after town now succumbed to the Allies. Leuven fell on 25 May 1706; three days later, the Allies entered Brussels, the capital of the Spanish Netherlands. Marlborough realised the great opportunity created by the early victory of Ramillies: "We now have the whole summer before us," wrote the Duke from Brussels to Robert Harley, "and with the blessing of God I shall make the best use of it."[75] Malines, Lierre, Ghent, Alost, Damme, Oudenaarde, Bruges, and on 6 June Antwerp, all subsequently fell to Marlborough’s victorious army and, like Brussels, proclaimed the Austrian candidate for the Spanish throne, the Archduke Charles, as their sovereign.[76] Villeroi was helpless to arrest the process of collapse. When Louis XIV learnt of the disaster he recalled Marshal Vendôme from northern Italy to take command in Flanders; but it would be weeks before the command changed hands.

As news spread of the Allies’ triumph, the Prussians, Hessians and Hanoverian contingents, long delayed by their respective rulers, eagerly joined the pursuit of the broken French and Bavarian forces. "This," wrote Marlborough wearily, "I take to be owing to our late success."[77] Meanwhile, Overkirk took the port of Ostend on 4 July thus opening a direct route to the English Channel for communication and supply, but the Allies were making scant progress against Dendermonde whose governor, the Marquis de Valée, was stubbornly resisting. Only later when Cadogan and Churchill went to take charge did the town’s defences begin to fail.[78]

Vendôme formally took over command in Flanders on 4 August;[79] Villeroi would never again receive a major command – "I cannot foresee a happy day in my life save only that of my death."[2] Louis XIV was more forgiving to his old friend – "At our age, Marshal, we must no longer expect good fortune."[80] In the mean time, Marlborough invested the elaborate fortress of Menin which, after a costly siege, capitulated on 22 August. Dendermonde finally succumbed on 6 September followed by Ath – the last conquest of 1706 – on 2 October.[81] By the time Marlborough had closed down the Ramillies campaign he had denied the French most of the Spanish Netherlands west of the Meuse and north of the Sambre – it was an unsurpassed operational triumph for the English Duke but once again it was not decisive as these gains did not defeat France.[2]

The immediate question for the Allies now was how to deal with the Spanish Netherlands, a subject which the Austrians and the Dutch were diametrically opposed.[82] Emperor Joseph I, acting on behalf of his younger brother King ’Charles III’, absent in Spain, claimed that reconquered Brabant and Flanders should be put under immediate possession of a governor named by himself. The Dutch, however, who had supplied the major share of the troops and money to secure the victory (the Austrians had produced nothing of either) claimed the government of the region till the war was over, and that after the peace they should continue to garrison Barrier Fortresses stronger than those which had fallen so easily to Louis XIV’s forces in 1701. Marlborough mediated between the two parties but favoured the Dutch position. To sway the Duke’s opinion, the Emperor offered Marlborough the governorship of the Spanish Netherlands. It was a tempting offer, but in the name of Allied unity, it was one he refused.[83] In the end England and the Dutch Republic took control of the newly won territory for the duration of the war; after which it was to be handed over to the direct rule of ‘Charles III’, subject to the reservation of a Dutch Barrier, the extent and nature of which had yet to be settled.[84]

Meanwhile, on the Upper Rhine, Villars had been forced onto the defensive as battalion after battalion had been sent north to bolster collapsing French forces in Flanders; there was now no possibility of his undertaking the re-capture of Landau.[85] Further good news for the Allies arrived from northern Italy where, on 7 September, Prince Eugene had routed a French army before the Piedmontese capital, Turin, driving the Franco-Spanish forces from northern Italy. Only from Spain did Louis XIV receive any good news where Das Minas and Galway had been forced to retreat from Madrid towards Valencia, allowing Philip V to re-enter his capital on 4 October. All in all though, the situation had changed considerably and Louis XIV began to look for ways to end what was fast becoming a ruinous war for France. For Queen Anne also, the Ramillies campaign had one overriding significance – "Now we have God be thanked so hopeful a prospect of peace."[86] Instead of continuing the momentum of victory, however, cracks in Allied unity would enable Louis XIV to reverse some of the major setbacks suffered at Turin and Ramillies.[87]

Casualties

The total number of French casualties cannot be calculated precisely, so complete was the collapse of the Franco-Bavarian army that day.[73] David G. Chandler’s Marlborough as Military Commander and A Guide to the Battlefields of Europe are consistent with regards to French casualty figures i.e., 12,000 dead and wounded plus some 7,000 taken prisoner. James Falkner, in Ramillies 1706: Year of Miracles, also notes 12,000 dead and wounded and states ‘up to 10,000’ taken prisoner. In The Collins Encyclopaedia of Military History, Dupuy puts Villeroi’s dead and wounded at 8,000, with a further 7,000 captured. John Millner’s memoirs – Compendious Journal (1733) – is more specific, recording 12,087 of Villeroi’s army were killed or wounded, with another 9,729 taken prisoner. In Marlborough, however, Correlli Barnett puts the total casualty figure as high as 30,000 – 15,000 dead and wounded with an additional 15,000 taken captive. Trevelyan estimates Villeroi’s casualties at 13,000, but adds, ‘his losses by desertion may have doubled that number’. La Colonie omits a casualty figure in his Chronicles of an old Campaigner; but Saint-Simon in his Memoirs states 4,000 killed, adding 'many others were wounded and many important persons were taken prisoner'. Voltaire, however, in Histoire du siecle du Louis XIV records, 'the French lost there twenty thousand men'.

Notes

1. All dates in the article are in the Gregorian calendar (unless otherwise stated). The Julian calendar as used in England in 1706 differed by eleven days. Thus, the battle of Ramillies was fought on 23 May (Gregorian calendar) or 12 May (Julian calendar). In this article (O.S) is used to annotate Julian dates with the year adjusted to 1 January. See the article Old Style and New Style dates for a more detailed explanation of the dating issues and conventions.

2. Lynn: The Wars of Louis XIV, 1667–1714, 308

3. All statistics taken from Falkner.

4. Denmark never joined the Grand Alliance, but Danish troops, hired by the Maritime Powers (England and the Dutch Republic), were central to Allied success at both the Battle of Blenheim in 1704 and Ramillies, 1706.

5. Barnett: Marlborough, 140

6. Chandler: Marlborough as Military Commander, 154

7. Falkner: Ramillies 1706: Year of Miracles, 18

8. Chandler: Marlborough as Military Commander, 157

9. Lynn: The Wars of Louis XIV, 1667–1714, 298

10. Barnett: Marlborough, 152

11. Chandler: Marlborough as Military Commander, 164

12. Barnett: Marlborough, 158

13. Trevelyan: England Under Queen Anne: Ramillies and the Union with Scotland, 102.

14. Chandler: Marlborough as Military Commander, 169

15. Barnett: Marlborough, 159

16. Chandler: Marlborough as Military Commander, 168

17. Falkner: Ramillies 1706: Year of Miracles, 33

18. Barnett: Marlborough, 160

19. Falkner: Ramillies 1706: Year of Miracles, 38

20. Chandler: Marlborough as Military Commander, 170

21. Trevelyan: England Under Queen Anne: Ramillies and the Union with Scotland, 103

22. Saint-Simon: Memoirs, vol i, 298

23. Villeroi was convinced that Marlborough had won the Battle of Blenheim by mere chance.

24. Chandler: Marlborough as Military Commander, 172

25. Trevelyan: England Under Queen Anne: Ramillies and the Union with Scotland, 104

26. Barnett: Marlborough, 161

27. Trevelyan: England Under Queen Anne: Ramillies and the Union with Scotland, 106

28. Barnett: Marlborough, 162

29. Barnett: Marlborough, 163

30. Chandler: Marlborough as Military Commander, 173

31. Falkner: The Wars of Louis XIV, 1667–1714, 50

32. Falkner: Ramillies 1706: Year of Miracles, 51

33. Chandler: A Guide to the Battlefields of Europe, 30

34. Lynn: The Wars of Louis XIV, 1667–1714, 304

35. Falkner: The Wars of Louis XIV, 1667–1714, 55

36. Chandler: A Guide to the Battlefields of Europe, 31

37. Falkner: Ramillies 1706: Year of Miracles, 57

38. La Colonie: The Chronicles of an old Campaigner, 306

39. Falkner: Ramillies 1706: Year of Miracles, 61

40. La Colonie: The Chronicles of an old Campaigner, 309

41. Chandler: Marlborough as Military Commander, 175

42. Falkner: Ramillies 1706: Year of Miracles, 65

43. Falkner: Ramillies 1706: Year of Miracles, 69

44. Falkner: Ramillies 1706: Year of Miracles, 71

45. Chandler: Marlborough as Military Commander, 176

46. Trevelyan: England Under Queen Anne: Ramillies and the Union with Scotland, 109

47. Falkner: Ramillies 1706: Year of Miracles, 75

48. Falkner: Ramillies 1706: Year of Miracles, 77

49. Falkner: Ramillies 1706: Year of Miracles, 78

50. La Colonie: The Chronicles of an old Campaigner, 313

51. Falkner: Ramillies 1706: Year of Miracles, 80

52. Falkner: Ramillies 1706: Year of Miracles, 81

53. Maison du Roi (Household Cavalry): The mounted elements of the French Maison du Roi at Ramillies consisted of the Gardes du Corps, the Royal Carabiniers, the Mousquetaires, the Compagnie des Grenadiers à Cheval and the Compagnie des Gens d’Armes.

54. Falkner: Ramillies 1706: Year of Miracles, 82

55. Trevelyan: England Under Queen Anne: Ramillies and the Union with Scotland, 113

56. Falkner: Ramillies 1706: Year of Miracles, 83

57. Barnett: Marlborough, 168

58. Falkner: Ramillies 1706: Year of Miracles, 85

59. Chandler: Marlborough as Military Commander, 177

60. Falkner: Ramillies 1706: Year of Miracles, 87

61. Chandler: Marlborough as Military Commander, 177. Trevelyan calls this the decisive manoeuvre of the day.

62. Trevelyan: England Under Queen Anne: Ramillies and the Union with Scotland, 116. After the retreat had become general, further disaster and confusion resulted from the block of waggons breaking down in the mud. The artillery could not pass, resulting in the loss of most of Villeroi’s cannon.

63. Falkner: Ramillies 1706: Year of Miracles, 92

64. Trevelyan: England Under Queen Anne: Ramillies and the Union with Scotland, 115

65. Falkner: Ramillies 1706: Year of Miracles, 94

66. Falkner: Ramillies 1706: Year of Miracles, 95

67. Falkner: Ramillies 1706: Year of Miracles, 98

68. Chandler: Marlborough as Military Commander, 178

69. La Colonie: The Chronicles of an old Campaigner, 316

70. Lynn: The Wars of Louis XIV, 1667–1714, 306

71. Falkner: Ramillies 1706: Year of Miracles, 102

72. Trevelyan: England Under Queen Anne: Ramillies and the Union with Scotland, 118

73. Falkner: Ramillies 1706: Year of Miracles, 105

74. Barnett: Marlborough, 170

75. Chandler: Marlborough as Military Commander, 179

76. Trevelyan: England Under Queen Anne: Ramillies and the Union with Scotland, 121

77. Falkner: Ramillies 1706: Year of Miracles, 116

78. Falkner: Ramillies 1706: Year of Miracles, 118

79. Chandler: Marlborough as Military Commander, 181. Lynn states 1 August

80. Falkner: Ramillies 1706: Year of Miracles, 119

81. Chandler: Marlborough as Military Commander, 182

82. Trevelyan: England Under Queen Anne: Ramillies and the Union with Scotland, 132

83. Trevelyan: England Under Queen Anne: Ramillies and the Union with Scotland, 135. Marlborough never fully abandoned the hope that one day he might be proclaimed governor of the Spanish Netherlands. It was his own personal ambition that created mutual suspicion between the Duke and the Dutch.

84. The Dutch expected the Belgians to contribute to the cost of the war and the maintenance of the garrisons. Subsequently, the hardships felt by the Belgians led to serious military setbacks when in 1708, Bruges and Ghent swapped sides.

85. Lynn: The Wars of Louis XIV, 1667–1714, 309

86. Gregg: Queen Anne, 216

87. Lynn: The Wars of Louis XIV, 1667–1714, 312

source : wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ramillies

The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 06 May 2014 23:48:00 +0000

The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power" is an article, written in 1991 by U.S. investigative journalist Richard Behar, which is highly critical of Scientology. It was first published by Time magazine on May 6, 1991, as an eight-page cover story,[1][2] and was later published in Reader's Digest in October 1991.[3] Behar had previously published an article on Scientology in Forbes magazine. He stated that he was investigated by attorneys and private investigators affiliated with the Church of Scientology while researching the Time article, and that investigators contacted his friends and family as well. Behar's article covers topics including L. Ron Hubbard and the development of Scientology, its controversies over the years and history of litigation, conflict with psychiatry and the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, the suicide of Noah Lottick, its status as a religion, and its business dealings.

After the article's publication, the Church of Scientology mounted a public relations campaign to address issues in the piece. It took out advertisements in USA Today for twelve weeks, and Church leader David Miscavige was interviewed by Ted Koppel on Nightline about what he considered to be an objective bias by the article's author. Miscavige alleged that the article was actually driven by the company Eli Lilly, because of Scientology's efforts against the drug Prozac. The Church of Scientology brought a libel suit against Time Warner and Behar, and sued Reader's Digest in multiple countries in Europe in an attempt to stop the article's publication there. The suit against Time Warner was dismissed in 1996, and the Church of Scientology's petition for a writ of certiorari to the Supreme Court of the United States was denied in 2001.

Behar received awards in honor of his work on the article, including the Gerald Loeb Award, the Worth Bingham Prize, and the Conscience-in-Media Award. The article has had ramifications in the current treatment of Scientology in the media, with some publications theorizing that journalists are wary of the litigation that Time Warner went through. The article has been cited by Anderson Cooper on CNN, in a story on Panorama's 2007 program "Scientology and Me" on the BBC, and has been used as a reference for background on the history of Scientology, in books from both the cult and new religious movement perspectives.

Research for the article

Before penning "The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power", Behar had written a 1986 article in Forbes magazine, "The Prophet and Profits of Scientology", which reported on the Church of Scientology's business dealings and L. Ron Hubbard's financial success.[4] Behar wrote that during research for "The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power", he and a Time contributing editor were themselves investigated by ten attorneys and six private investigators affiliated with the Church of Scientology.[5][6][7][8] According to Behar, investigators contacted his friends and previous coworkers to ask them if he had a history of tax or drug problems, and obtained a copy of his personal credit report that had been obtained illegally from a national credit bureau.[6][8][9][10] Behar conducted 150 interviews in the course of his research for the article.[11]

Behar wrote that the motive of these operatives was to "threaten, harass and discredit him".[5][8] He later learned that the Church of Scientology had assigned its head private investigator to direct the Church's investigation into Behar.[8] Anderson Cooper 360° reported that Behar had been contacted by Church of Scientology attorneys numerous times while doing research on the article.[12] The parents of Noah Lottick, a Scientologist who had committed suicide, cooperated with Time and Reader's Digest.[13]

Synopsis

The full title of the article is "The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power: Ruined lives. Lost fortunes. Federal crimes. Scientology poses as a religion but is really a ruthless global scam — and aiming for the mainstream".[14][15] The article reported on the founding of the Church of Scientology by L. Ron Hubbard and controversies involving the Church and its affiliated business operations, as well as the suicide of a Scientologist.[2][13] The article related the May 11, 1990, suicide of Dr. Edward Lottick's son Noah Antrim Lottick.[13] Lottick was a Russian studies student who had taken a series of Scientology courses; he died after jumping from a hotel tenth floor window.[16] The Church of Scientology and Lottick's family have differing positions on the effect Scientology coursework had on him. While none of the parties assigned blame, they expressed misgivings about his death. Initially, his father had thought that Scientology was similar to Dale Carnegie's self-improvement techniques; however, after his ordeal, the elder Lottick came to believe that the organization is a "school for psychopaths".[17] Mike Rinder, the head of the Church of Scientology's Office of Special Affairs and a Church spokesman, stated "I think Ed Lottick should look in the mirror ... I think Ed Lottick made his son's life intolerable".[16]

The article outlined a brief history of Scientology, discussing Hubbard's initial background as a science fiction writer, and cited a California judge who had deemed Hubbard a "pathological liar".[2] The Church of Scientology's litigation history was described, in addition to its conflicts with the Internal Revenue Service, with countries regarding whether or not to accept it as a religion, and its position against psychiatry.[2] Behar wrote of the high costs involved in participation in the Church of Scientology, what he referred to as "front groups and financial scams", and harassment of critics.[7] He estimated that the Church of Scientology paid US$20 million annually to over one hundred attorneys.[7] Behar maintained that though the Church of Scientology portrays itself as a religion, it was actually a "hugely profitable global racket" which intimidated members and critics in a Mafia-like manner.[6][18][19]

Cynthia Kisser, then director of the Cult Awareness Network, was quoted: "Scientology is quite likely the most ruthless, the most classically terroristic, the most litigious and the most lucrative cult the country has ever seen. No cult extracts more money from its members".[2][20]

Post-publication

Church of Scientology's response

The Church of Scientology responded to the publication of "The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power" by taking out color full-page ads in USA Today in May and June 1991, on every weekday for twelve weeks, denouncing the Time magazine cover article.[21] Two official Church of Scientology responses were titled "Facts vs. Fiction, A Correction of Falsehoods Contained in the May 6, 1991, Issues of Time Magazine", and "The Story That Time Couldn't Tell".[22] Prior to the advertising campaign, Scientologists distributed 88-page bound booklets which disputed points from Behar's article.[23] The "Fact vs. Fiction" piece was a 1⁄4-inch-thick (6.4 mm) booklet, which criticized Behar's article and asserted "Behar's article omits the information on the dozens of community service programs conducted by Scientologists ... which have been acknowledged by community officials".[24] One of the advertisements in USA Today accused Time of promoting Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany, and featured a 1936 issue of Time which had Hitler's picture on the front cover.[25] The Church of Scientology sent out a news release condemning Time's "horrible history of supporting fascism", and said that the article was written because Time had been pressured by "vested interests".[23] When asked by the St. Petersburg Times whether this was the case, Time Executive Editor Richard Duncan responded "Good Lord, no".[23] Heber Jentzsch, at the time president of Church of Scientology International, issued a four-page news release which stated "Advertising is the only way the church could be assured of getting its message and its side of the story out to the public without the same vested interests behind the Time article distorting it".[25]

After the advertising run critiquing Time magazine in USA Today had completed, the Church of Scientology mounted a $3 million public relations campaign about Scientology in USA Today, in June 1991.[26] The Church of Scientology placed a 48-page advertising supplement in 1.8 million copies of USA Today.[26] In a statement to the St. Petersburg Times, Scientology spokesman Richard Haworth explained "What we are trying to do is put the actual facts of dianetics and Scientology out there".[26]

In response to the Church of Scientology's claims of inaccuracies in the article, a lawyer for Time responded "We've reviewed all of their allegations, and find nothing wrong with the Time story."[27] In June 1991, Newsweek reported that staffers for Time said they had received calls from a man claiming to be a paralegal for Time, who asked them if they had signed a confidentiality form about the article.[27] Time editors sent staffers a computer memo, warning them about calls related to the article, and staffers told Newsweek that "sources named in the story say detectives have asked about their talks with Time".[27] A Church of Scientology spokesman called the claims "scurrilous".[27]

On February 14, 1992, Scientology leader David Miscavige gave Ted Koppel his first interview on Scientology on the ABC News program Nightline.[28] The program noted that Scientology has vocal critics and cited Behar's 1991 article. Behar appeared on the program and gave his opinion of why individuals join Scientology, stating that the organization's "ulterior motive" is really to get people to take high-priced audit counseling.[28] Behar stated on the program that he had evidence that members of the Church of Scientology had obtained his personal phone records.[28] Later in the program, Koppel questioned Miscavige on the Church of Scientology's response to the Time magazine article, particularly the $3 million the church spent advertising in USA Today.[28] Miscavige explained that the first three weeks of the advertising campaign was meant to correct falsehoods from the Time article, and the rest of the twelve-week campaign was dedicated to informing the public about Scientology. Koppel asked Miscavige what specifically had upset him about the Time article, and Miscavige called Behar "a hater".[28] Miscavige noted that Behar had written an article on Scientology and the Internal Revenue Service three years before he began work on the Time piece, and made allegations that Behar had attempted to get two Scientologists kidnapped. When Koppel questioned Miscavige further on this, Miscavige said that individuals had contacted Behar after an earlier article, and Behar had told them to "kidnap Scientologists out".[28] Koppel pressed further, noting that this was a serious charge to make, and asked Miscavige if his allegations were accurate, why he had not pressed charges for attempted kidnapping. Miscavige said Koppel was "missing the issue", and said that his real point was that he thought the article was not an objective piece.[28]

Miscavige alleged on Nightline that the article itself was published as a result of a request by Eli Lilly and Company, because of "the damage we had caused to their killer drug Prozac".[28] When Koppel asked Miscavige if he had affidavits or evidence to this effect, Miscavige responded "You think they'd admit it?"[28] Miscavige stated that "Eli Lilly ordered a reprint of 750,000 copies of Time magazine before it came out", and that his attempts to investigate the matter with Eli Lilly and associated advertising companies were not successful.[28]

Litigation

The Church brought a libel lawsuit against Time Warner and Behar, seeking damages of $416 million.[9][29] The Church alleged false and defamatory statements were made concerning the Church of Scientology International in the Time article.[30] More specifically, the Church of Scientology's court statements claimed that Behar had been refining an anti-Scientology focus since his 1986 article in Forbes, which included gathering negative materials about Scientology, and "never accepting anything a Scientologist said and uniformly ignoring anything positive he learned about the Church".[30] In its initial complaint filing, the Church quoted portions of the Behar article that it alleged were false and defamatory, including the quote from Cynthia Kisser, and Behar's own assertion that Scientology was a "global racket" that intimidated individuals in a "Mafia-like manner".[30]

Noah Lottick's parents submitted affidavits in the case, in which they "affirmed the accuracy of each statement in the article"; Edward Lottick "concluded that Scientology therapies were manipulations, and that no Scientology staff members attended the funeral" of their son.[30] During the litigation, the Church of Scientology attempted to subpoena Behar in a separate ongoing lawsuit with the Internal Revenue Service, and accused a federal magistrate of leaking information to him.[16] Behar was questioned for over one hundred and ninety hours during thirty days of depositions with Scientology attorneys in the libel case.[16] One question was about Behar's life in his parents' home while he was still inside the womb.[16] St. Petersburg Times explained that this question was prompted by Scientology teachings that certain problems come from prenatal memories.[16] Behar told the St. Petersburg Times he "felt it was extremely excessive".[16] In a countersuit, Behar brought up the issues of Church of Scientology private investigators and what he viewed as harassment.[9][16] By July 1996, all counts of the libel suit had been dismissed.[12][31] In the course of the litigation through 1996, Time Warner had spent $3.7 million in legal defense costs.[16] The Church of Scientology also sued several individuals quoted in the Time article.[16]

The Church of Scientology sued Reader's Digest in Switzerland, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Germany for publishing a condensed version of the Time story.[32] The only court to provide a temporary injunction was in Lausanne, Switzerland.[33] In France, Italy, and the Netherlands, the courts either dismissed the Church of Scientology's motions, or set injunction hearings far beyond the date of actual publication.[32] The company defied the injunction and mailed copies of the article, "Scientology: A Dangerous Cult Goes Mainstream", to their 326,000 Swiss subscribers.[32] Worldwide editor-in-chief of Reader's Digest, Kenneth Tomlinson, told The New York Times that "a publisher cannot accept a court prohibiting distribution of a serious journalistic piece. ... The court order violates freedom of speech and freedom of the press".[32] The Church of Scientology subsequently filed a criminal complaint against the Digest in Lausanne, and Mike Rinder stated it was in blatant violation of the law.[32] By defying the Swiss court ban, the Reader's Digest risked a fine of about $3,400, as well as a potential three months' jail time for the Swiss Digest editor-in-chief.[32] A hearing on the injunction was set for November 11, 1991, and the injunction was later lifted by the Swiss court.[32][34]

In January 2001, a United States federal appeals court upheld the dismissal of the Church of Scientology International's case against Time Warner.[35] In its opinion, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that Time Warner had not published "The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power" with an actual intent of malice,[36] a standard that must be met for libel cases involving individuals and public groups.[36] On October 1, 2001, the Supreme Court of the United States refused to consider reinstating the church's libel case Church of Scientology International v. Time Warner Inc., 00-1683.[36][37] Time Warner said it refused to be "intimidated by the church's apparently limitless legal resources."[36] In arguments presented to the Supreme Court, the Church of Scientology acknowledged that church officials had "committed improper acts" in the past, but also claimed that: "allegations of past misconduct were false and distorted, the result of the misunderstanding, suspicion and prejudice that typically greet a new religion".[36] Of the rulings for Time Warner, the Church of Scientology complained that they "provide a safe harbor for biased journalism".[36] Behar commented on the Church of Scientology's legal defeat, and said that the lawsuit had a chilling effect: "It's a tremendous defeat for Scientology ... But of course their doctrine states that the purpose of a suit is to harass, not to win, so from that perspective they hurt us all. They've had a real chilling effect on journalism, both before and after my piece".[14]

Awards

As a result of writing the piece, Behar was presented with the 1992 Gerald Loeb Award for distinguished business and financial journalism, the Worth Bingham Prize,[38] the Conscience-in-Media Award from the American Society of Journalists and Authors,[31][39] awarded to "those who have demonstrated singular commitment to the highest principles of journalism at notable personal cost or sacrifice,"[40] and the Cult Awareness Network's Leo J. Ryan Award, in honor of Congressman Leo J. Ryan.[41][42] Paulette Cooper was also awarded the 1992 Conscience-in-Media Award by the American Society of Journalists and Authors, for her book The Scandal of Scientology.[39] This was the only time in the history of the American Society of Journalists and Authors that the award was presented to more than one journalist in the same year.[39]

In a February 1992 issue of Time, editor Elizabeth Valk congratulated Behar on his Conscience in Media Award, stating "Needless to say, we are delighted and proud".[40] Valk noted that the honor had only been awarded seven times in the previous seventeen years of its existence.[40] Managing editor Henry Muller also congratulated Behar in an April 1992 issue of Time.[43]

Analysis

Several authors have commented on the article and used it as a reference for background on Scientology.[2][12] Not all analysis of the article has been positive. David Healy's book criticizing the pharmaceutical industry, Let Them Eat Prozac, was critical: "The Time article was way over the top. Even Saddam Hussein was portrayed less badly." Healy addressed the article's claim that lawsuits were one of the Church's key tactics against enemies. He noted that the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a Church of Scientology affiliated group discussed in the article, had filed a petition with the Food and Drug Administration inquiring what it was going to do about Prozac. Healy dismissed the notion that CCHR engaged in "orchestrated campaigns", writing that very few of the fifty lawsuits filed against Prozac were related to the Church of Scientology.[2] Mark Silk criticized Behar's article in his book Unsecular Media: Making News of Religion in America.[44] Silk classified the work among what he referred to as the "false-prophecy topos", and characterized Behar's account of Noah Lottick's suicide as an "atrocity tale".[44]

Insane Therapy noted that Scientology "achieved more notoriety ... with the publication of the journalist Richard Behar's highly critical article".[7] Larson's Book of World Religions and Alternative Spirituality described the cover design of the article as it appeared in Time, writing that it "shouted" the headline from the magazine cover.[18] In a 2005 piece, Salon.com magazine noted that for those interested in the Church of Scientology, the Time article still remains a "milestone in news coverage", and that those who back the Church believe it was "an outrageously biased account".[19]

Legacy

The Church of Scientology's use of private investigators was cited in a 1998 article in the Boston Herald, and compared to Behar's experiences when researching "The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power".[5] After the paper ran a five-part series of critical articles in 1998, Church of Scientology President Heber Jentzsch confirmed that a private investigative firm was hired to look into the personal life of Joseph Mallia, the reporter who wrote the articles.[5] In a later piece titled "Church of Scientology probes Herald reporter—Investigation follows pattern of harassment" this investigation was likened to Behar's assertions of harassment, as well as other reporters' experiences from 1974, 1988, and 1997.[5]

Because of the history of conflict between Reader's Digest and Scientology, the writer of a 2005 cover story on Tom Cruise agreed to certain demands, including giving Scientology issues equal play in the writer's profile of Cruise, submitting questions for Cruise to Church of Scientology handlers, and sending the writer of the article to a one-day Church immersion course.[45] Also in 2005, an article in Salon questioned whether the tactics of the Church's litigation and private investigations of Time Warner and other media sources had succeeded in decreasing the amount of investigative journalism pieces on Scientology in the press.[19] A 2005 article in The Sunday Times cited the article, and came to the determination that the Church of Scientology's lawsuit against Time Warner "served to warn off other potential investigations", and that "The chill evidently lingers still".[46]

"The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power" continues to be used today by journalists in the media, as a reference for historical information on the Church of Scientology.[47][48][49][50] In April 2007, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper interviewed former Office of Special Affairs director Mike Rinder,[51] in a live piece on Anderson Cooper 360° titled "Inside Scientology".[12] The CNN story was prompted by the May 2007 airing of a BBC Panorama investigative program, "Scientology and Me". In the interview, Anderson Cooper quoted directly from "The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power" article, when asking Rinder about the history of Operation Snow White, and if those tactics were currently used by the Church.[12] Rinder answered by stating that the individuals involved with Operation Snow White were no longer involved in Church of Scientology activities, and that the incident was "ancient history". Cooper then again referenced the Time magazine article noting that Behar asserted that he was illegally investigated by Scientology contacts during research for his article.[12] Cooper questioned Rinder on the dismissed lawsuit against Time Warner, and Rinder acknowledged that all of the Church of Scientology's appeals against Time Warner were eventually rejected.[12]

The article has been cited as a reference used for background on Scientology in books which take a critical look at cults such as Larson's Book of World Religions and Alternative Spirituality and Insane Therapy: Portrait of a Psychotherapy Cult,[7][18] those that analyze new religious movements including Understanding New Religious Movements and The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements,[52][53] and in a work that includes researchers from both schools of thought, Misunderstanding Cults: Searching for Objectivity in a Controversial Field.[54]

Cover page in Time's issue: "The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power"
Writer	Richard Behar
Categories	Investigative journalism
Frequency	Published in Time, May 1991, and Reader's Digest, October 1991
First issue	May 6, 1991
Country	United States
Website	Cover Story

References

1. Behar, Richard (May 6, 1991). "Scientology: The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power". Time. Retrieved 2014-03-20.

2. Healy, David (2004). Let Them Eat Prozac: The Unhealthy Relationship Between the Pharmaceutical Industry and Depression. NYU Press. p. 58. ISBN 0-8147-3669-6.

3. Staff (October 1991). "A Dangerous Cult Goes Mainstream".Reader's Digest. Retrieved 2007-10-25.

4. Behar, Richard (October 27, 1986). "The Prophet and Profits of Scientology". Forbes.

5. MacLaughlin, Jim; Andrew Gully (March 19, 1998). "Church of Scientology probes Herald reporter—Investigation follows pattern of harassment.". Boston Herald.

6. Kincaid, Cliff; Sherrie Gossett (June 20, 2005). "The Press and Scientology". Accuracy in Media. Archived from the original on December 22, 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-25.

7. Ayella, Marybeth F. (1998). Insane Therapy: Portrait of a Psychotherapy Cult. Temple University Press. p. 9. ISBN 1-56639-601-8.

8. Linn, Virginia; Alana Semuels (July 31, 2005). "PostScript: When scientologists aren't so clear: Leaders of the Church of Scientology have long had the reputation of being uncooperative with the media. Still, we were surprised at their tenaciousness in trying to control our stories.". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2007-10-25.

9. Frantz, Douglas (March 9, 1997). "An Ultra-Aggressive Use of Investigators and the Courts". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-10-25.

10. Mitchell, Susan (July 17, 2005). "Scientology: A solution for life or just an evil cult?". The Sunday Business Post.

11. Morton, Andrew (January 15, 2008). Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 155. ISBN 0-312-35986-1.

12. Staff, CNN; Anderson Cooper (April 14, 2007). "Massive Manhunt Continues For Three Missing U.S. Soldiers in Iraq; Inside Scientology". Anderson Cooper 360°. Retrieved 2007-10-25.

13. Lottick, M.D., Edward (1993). "Survey Reveals Physicians' Experience with Cults". Cult Observer (International Cultic Studies Association) 10 (3). Retrieved 2007-10-25.

14. Marr, David (January 19, 2008). "Print and be damned – CULT".The Age. p. 3, First Edition, Section: Insight.

15. Staff (April 30, 1991). "Time takes a critical look at Scientology". St. Petersburg Times. p. 3B, Section: Tampa Bay and State.

16. Morgan, Lucy (1998-02-08). "Scientology got blame for French suicide". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on November 9, 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-17.

17. Church of Scientology International v. Time Warner, Inc., et al., 92 Civ. 3024 (PKL), Judge Leisure, Opinion and Order (United States District Court for the Southern District of New York July 16, 1996).

18. Larson, Bob (2004). Larson's Book of World Religions and Alternative Spirituality. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. p. 431. ISBN 0-8423-6417-X.

19. Strupp, Joe (June 30, 2005). "The press vs. Scientology: After years of conflict, the church and the media seem to have reached a truce. Is it because Scientology has become less confrontational—or because the press is scared?". Salon. pp. 1–3. Retrieved 2007-10-25.

20. Signorile, Michelangelo (May 4, 1993). Queer in America: Sex, the Media, and the Closets of Power. [Random House. p. 275. ISBN 978-0-679-41309-7.

21. Staff (May 31, 1991). D. "Scientology's Critical Ads". The New York Times. p. 5, Column 1, 342 words.

22. Miller, Timothy (1995). America's Alternative Religions. SUNY Press. p. 390. ISBN 0-7914-2398-0.

23. Krueger, Curtis (May 29, 1991). "Scientology lambasts Time magazine in ad". St. Petersburg Times. p. 1B.

24. Cote, Neil (May 10, 1991). "Church whiffs while trying to whomp Wogs". The Tampa Tribune. p. 1.

25. Duckworth, Erika N. (May 29, 1991). "Church of Scientology Attacks Time". Greensboro News & Record. p. B3.

26. Holifield, Rhonda (June 29, 1991). "Scientologists answer critics with advertising". St. Petersburg Times.

27. Howard, Lucy; Gregory Cerio (June 10, 1991). "Scientology Takes On Time". Newsweek. p. 8.

28. Ted Koppel, Forest Sawyer (November 18, 2006). "Scientology Leader Gave ABC First-Ever Interview: David Miscavige, Scientology Leader and Best Man at Tom Cruise's Wedding, Spoke to ABC News' 'Nightline' in 1992". ABC News. pp. 1, 3. Retrieved 2007-10-25.

29. Kumar, J.P. (Summer 1997). ""Fair Game": Leveling the Playing Field in Scientology Litigation". The Review of Litigation. pp. 16 Rev. Litig. 747.

30. Leisure, District Judge. "Church of Scientology v. Time and Richard Behar". Court TV, library Web site (United States District Court for the Southern District of New York). pp. 92 Civ. 3024 (PKL), Opinion and Order. Retrieved 2007-10-25.

31. Staff (July 16, 1996). "Judge Dismisses Church of Scientology's $416 Million Lawsuit Against Time Magazine". Business Wire.

32. Carmody, Deirdre (October 2, 1991). "Reader's Digest Defies Court". The New York Times. pp. Section D, Page 6, Column 5, 465 words. Retrieved 2007-10-25.

33. Steffens, Brian (November–December 1991). "Scientology's Current Target: Reader's Digest". The Quill. p. 39. Retrieved 2007-10-25.

34. Staff (November 27, 1991). "Swiss Lift Ban on Digest". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-10-25.

35. Staff (January 13, 2001). "Time Magazine wins approval of libel suit dismissal". Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

36. Staff (October 1, 2001). "Court Passes on Scientology Libel Case". Associated Press.

37. First Amendment Center Online staff (October 2, 2001). "High court refuses to hear First Amendment appeals". First Amendment Center. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2007-10-12. Retrieved 2007-10-26.

38. Ebner, Mark; Andrew Breitbart (2004). Hollywood, Interrupted: Insanity Chic in Babylon – The Case Against Celebrity. John Wiley and Sons. p. 362. ISBN 0-471-45051-0.

39. Staff (2007). "ASJA Award Recipients: Outstanding Author Awards". American Society of Journalists and Authors. Retrieved 2007-10-26.

40. Valk, Elizabeth P. (February 24, 1992). "From the Publisher".Time. Retrieved 2007-10-25.

41. Behar, Richard (1992). "Richard Behar, acceptance speech, 1992 Leo J. Ryan award". (OLD) Cult Awareness Network conference, Los Angeles. Retrieved 2007-10-25.

42. Henderson, Bob (1992-12-28). "Hubbard from Pinellas to Russia".St. Petersburg Times. p. 1.

43. Muller, Henry (1992-04-13). "From the Managing Editor". Time. Retrieved 2007-10-25.

44. Silk, Mark (1995). Unsecular Media: Making News of Religion in America. University of Illinois Press. pp. 96–97. ISBN 0-252-06742-8.

45. Staff (June 8, 2005). "Reader's Digest on Cruise Control". Radar.

46. Rowan, David (July 12, 2005). "Tom, three questions for you: The film star should be facing robust media interrogation about Scientology, but there is craven silence". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 2007-10-25.

47. O'Keefe, Mark (September 26, 1996). "Church of Scientology Is No Stranger to Criticism". The Oregonian. p. A16.

48. "Science Fiction? – Factual results needed from reading program".The Commercial Appeal. September 5, 1995. p. A6.

49. Estrada, Heron Marquez (October 22, 2005). "Scientology: Fact or fiction? The Church of Scientology, after years out of the spotlight, is under renewed scrutiny—and the object of greater curiosity in the Twin Cities—following Tom Cruise's public psychoanalysis spat with Brooke Shields". Star Tribune. pp. 12E.

50. Friedman, Roger (June 21, 2005). "Katie Holmes' Missing Days".Fox News. Retrieved 2007-10-25.

51. Cook, John (March 17, 2008). "Scientology – Cult Friction: After an embarrassing string of high-profile defection and leaked videos, Scientology is under attack from a faceless cabal of online activists. Has America's most controversial religion finally met its match?". Radar.

52. Saliba, John A.; J. Gordon Melton, foreword (2003). Understanding New Religious Movements. Rowman Altamira. p. 200. ISBN 0-7591-0356-9.

53. Lewis, James R. (2004). The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements. Oxford University Press. p. 202. ISBN 0-19-514986-6.

54. Zablocki, Benjamin David; Thomas Robbins (2001).Misunderstanding Cults: Searching for Objectivity in a Controversial Field. University of Toronto Press. p. 65. ISBN 0-8

source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thriving_Cult_of_Greed_and_Power

Tips On Exciting And Different Valentine Gifts For Her

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 00:06:00 +0000

Tips On Exciting And Different Valentine Gifts For Her

If you're in the market for the perfect valentine gifts for her, you must look into giving completely unique gifts that make for life long memories.

Don't even think about the usual presents like gourmet chocolates or roses. You should be a good deal more resourceful by looking at other resources apart from the more common choices like earrings, watches, dinner out and a bouquet of flowers. Experience gifts end up being more treasured and enjoyable.

Experience gifts help make dreams be realized and you can now see your partner's wishes become real life through a valentine's present.

For instance, if your special lady or wife has wanted to go on a ride on a boat, you can have it setup and also make the experience more significant. Get a chef create her favorite meal and delight in dinner with your sweetheart while the vessel cruises across the bay.

Gals like eating out and you can now make this kind of night out special by choosing a special upscale location like a hotel.

Be sure that the hotel you decide on is recognized to serve fine food and actually serves the dishes your lady would want to eat. You might at the same time arrange a nice room for the night to head up to right after dinner. Get yourself a baby sitter for the evening so that the both of you can cherish valentine's day.

If you have an athletic girlfriend, she may be attracted to extreme sports like drag racing or kite-surfing. Give your partner free lessons for a the activity of her choice.

This is something the majority of active ladies are rarely getting to experience very often possibly due to career or family limits. A day doing sporting activities is exhilarating and will be an amazing experience for your love.

If intense sports are not on your loved one's bucket list, she may like to try something a bit less physically demanding like playing golf.

Get her a few lessons at the local golf course and then see if she gets an understanding for the game of golf. Your gal or better half might want to keep on trying to learn and actively playing the sport and this would be a good time to purchase her a nice set of clubs.

For ladies with a bit more daring pursuits, look into gifting her with flying lessons. Flying is a popular wish for lots of people, both men and women. By giving her the chance to experience flying on her own, you will have accomplished a life time dream. Flying instruction should always be given by pro instructors. Find out about instructional classes that will get her flying as quickly as possible.

Who knows, your gal might want to have a shot at driving around an actual race track. See whether you can get a professional race car driver to teach her how to handle an authentic race car.

After a couple of laps, she may be driving around a race track like a pro driver. This type of gift isn't just for men and your significant other may possibly love to do this for even just one day.

These are a handful of Valentine's gifts for her that can generate unforgettable memories. Valentine's day this February could very well be completely different from the others, by simply creating a truly distinctive experience for your loved one.

Not all fellas can make this kind of impact on Valentine's day with standard presents like a bouquet of flowers and chocolates.

If you're looking for the most unique Valentines gifts for her, check out Cloud9Living.com today. You check out all the information about experience gifts and check out all our experience gift certificate ideas now.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8264126

Vladimir Putin Biography

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 03:00:00 +0000

Vladimir Putin Biography

Vladimir Putin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (Russian: Влади́мир Влади́мирович Пу́тин, IPA: [vɫɐˈdʲimʲɪr vɫɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪt͡ɕ ˈputʲɪn] ( listen), born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician who has been the President of Russia since 7 May 2012. He previously served as President from 2000 to 2008, and as Prime Minister of Russia from 1999 to 2000 and again from 2008 to 2012. During that last term, he was also the Chairman of the United Russia.

For 16 years Putin served as an officer in the KGB, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before he retired to enter politics in his native Saint Petersburg in 1991. He moved to Moscow in 1996 and joined President Boris Yeltsin's administration where he rose quickly, becoming Acting President on 31 December 1999 when Yeltsin resigned unexpectedly. Putin won the subsequent 2000 presidential election and was re-elected in 2004. Because of constitutionally mandated term limits, Putin was ineligible to run for a third consecutive presidential term in 2008. Dmitry Medvedev won the 2008 presidential election and appointed Putin as Prime Minister, beginning a period of so-called "tandemocracy".[1] In September 2011, following a change in the law extending the presidential term from four years to six,[2] Putin announced that he would seek a third, non-consecutive term as President in the 2012 presidential election, an announcement which led to large-scale protests in many Russian cities. He won the election in March 2012 and is serving a six-year term.[3][4]

Many of Putin's actions are regarded by the domestic opposition and foreign observers as undemocratic.[5] The 2011 Democracy Index stated that Russia was in "a long process of regression [that] culminated in a move from a hybrid to an authoritarian regime" in view of Putin's candidacy and flawed parliamentary elections.[6]

During Putin's first premiership and presidency (1999–2008), real incomes increased by a factor of 2.5, real wages more than tripled; unemployment and poverty more than halved and the Russians' self-assessed life satisfaction rose significantly.[7] Putin's first presidency was marked by high economic growth: the Russian economy grew for eight straight years, seeing GDP increase by 72% in PPP (sixfold in nominal).[7][8][9][10][11] As Russia's president, Putin and the Federal Assembly passed into law a flat income tax of 13%, a reduced profits tax, and new land and legal codes.[12][13] As Prime Minister, Putin oversaw large scale military and police reform. His energy policy has affirmed Russia's position as an energy superpower.[14] Putin supported high-tech industries such as the nuclear and defence industries. A rise in foreign investment[15] contributed to a boom in such sectors as the automotive industry. Putin has cultivated a "he-man" and "super hero" image and is a pop cultural icon in Russia with many commercial products named after him. He is currently ranked as the world's most powerful man according to Forbes.[16]

Ancestry, early life and education

Putin was born on 7 October 1952, in Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (modern day Saint Petersburg, Russia),[17] to parents Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin (1911–1999) and Maria Ivanovna Putina (née Shelomova; 1911–1998). His mother was a factory worker, and his father was a conscript in the Soviet Navy, where he served in the submarine fleet in the early 1930s, and later served in the NKVD during World War II.[18][19][20][21] Two elder brothers were born in the mid-1930s; one died within a few months of birth, while the second succumbed to diphtheria during the siege of Leningrad in World War II.

Vladimir Putin's paternal grandfather, Spiridon Ivanovich Putin (1879–1965), was employed at Vladimir Lenin's dacha at Gorki as a cook, and after Lenin's death in 1924, he continued to work for Lenin's wife, Nadezhda Krupskaya. He would later cook for Joseph Stalin when the Soviet leader visited one of his dachas in the Moscow region. Spiridon later was employed at a dacha belonging to the Moscow City Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, at which the young Putin would visit him.[22]

The ancestry of Vladimir Putin has been described as a mystery with no records surviving of any ancestors of any people with the surname "Putin" beyond his grandfather Spiridon Ivanovich. His autobiography, Ot Pervogo Litsa (English: In the First Person),[18] which is based on Putin's interviews, speaks of humble beginnings, including early years in a communal apartment in Leningrad.

On 1 September 1960, he started at School No. 193 at Baskov Lane, just across from his house. By fifth grade he was one of a few in a class of more than 45 pupils who was not yet a member of the Pioneers, largely because of his rowdy behavior. In sixth grade he started taking sport seriously in the form of sambo and then judo. In his youth, Putin was eager to emulate the intelligence officer characters played on the Soviet screen by actors such as Vyacheslav Tikhonov and Georgiy Zhzhonov.[23]

Putin graduated from the International Law branch of the Law Department of the Leningrad State University in 1975, writing his final thesis on international law.[24] His PhD thesis was titled "The Strategic Planning of Regional Resources Under the Formation of Market Relations" and it argued that Russian economic success would depend on creating national energy champions.[25] While at university he became a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and remained a member until the party was dissolved in December 1991.[26] Also at the University he met Anatoly Sobchak who later played an important role in Putin's career. Anatoly Sobchak was at the time an Assistant Professor and lectured Putin's class on Business Law (khozyaystvennoye pravo).[27]

KGB career

Putin joined the KGB in 1975 upon graduation, and underwent a year's training at the 401st KGB school in Okhta, Leningrad. He then went on to work briefly in the Second Chief Directorate (counter-intelligence) before he was transferred to the First Chief Directorate, where among his duties was the monitoring of foreigners and consular officials in Leningrad.[28][29]

From 1985 to 1990, the KGB stationed Putin in Dresden, East Germany.[30] Following the collapse of the communist East German government, Putin was recalled to the Soviet Union and returned to Leningrad, where in June 1991 he assumed a position with the International Affairs section of Leningrad State University, reporting to Vice-Rector Yuriy Molchanov.[29] In his new position, Putin maintained surveillance on the student body and kept an eye out for recruits. It was during his stint at the university that Putin grew reacquainted with his former professor Anatoly Sobchak, then mayor of Leningrad.[31]

Putin finally resigned from the active state security services with the rank of lieutenant colonel on 20 August 1991 (with some attempts to resign made earlier),[31] on the second day of the KGB-supported abortive putsch against Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.[32] Putin later explained his decision: "As soon as the coup began, I immediately decided which side I was on", though he also noted that the choice was hard because he had spent the best part of his life with "the organs".[33]

Political career

Saint Petersburg administration (1990–1996)

In May 1990, Putin was appointed as an advisor on international affairs to Mayor Anatoly Sobchak. Then, on 28 June 1991, he became head of the Committee for External Relations of the Saint Petersburg Mayor's Office, with responsibility for promoting international relations and foreign investments.[34] That Committee headed by Putin also registered business ventures.

Less than one year later, Putin was investigated by the city legislative council, and the investigators concluded that Putin had understated prices and permitted the export of metals valued at $93 million, in exchange for foreign food aid that never arrived.[35][36] Despite the investigators' recommendation that Putin be fired, Putin remained head of the Committee for External Relations until 1996.[37][38] From 1994 to 1996, Putin held several other political and governmental positions in Saint Petersburg.[39][39]

Early Moscow career (1996–1999)

In 1996, Mayor Anatoly Sobchak lost his bid for reelection in Saint Petersburg. Putin was called to Moscow and in June 1996 became a Deputy Chief of the Presidential Property Management Department headed by Pavel Borodin. He occupied this position until March 1997. During his tenure Putin was responsible for the foreign property of the state and organized transfer of the former assets of the Soviet Union and Communist Party to the Russian Federation.[27]

On 26 March 1997, President Boris Yeltsin appointed Putin deputy chief of Presidential Staff, which he remained until May 1998, and chief of the Main Control Directorate of the Presidential Property Management Department (until June 1998). His predecessor on this position was Alexei Kudrin and the successor was Nikolai Patrushev, both future prominent politicians and Putin's associates.[27]

On 27 June 1997, at the Saint Petersburg Mining Institute, guided by rector Vladimir Litvinenko, Putin defended his Candidate of Science dissertation in economics, titled "The Strategic Planning of Regional Resources Under the Formation of Market Relations".[40] This exemplified the custom in Russia for a rising young official to write a scholarly work in midcareer.[41] When Putin later became president, the dissertation became a target of plagiarism accusations by fellows at the Brookings Institution; though the allegedly plagiarised study was referenced,[42][43] the Brookings fellows felt sure it constituted plagiarism albeit perhaps not "intentional".[42] The dissertation committee denied the accusations.[43]

On 25 May 1998, Putin was appointed First Deputy Chief of Presidential Staff for regions, replacing Viktoriya Mitina; and, on 15 July, was appointed Head of the Commission for the preparation of agreements on the delimitation of power of regions and the federal center attached to the President, replacing Sergey Shakhray. After Putin's appointment, the commission completed no such agreements, although during Shakhray's term as the Head of the Commission there were 46 agreements signed.[44] Later, after becoming president, Putin canceled all those agreements.[27]

On 25 July 1998, Yeltsin appointed Vladimir Putin head of the FSB (one of the successor agencies to the KGB), the position Putin occupied until August 1999. He became a permanent member of the Security Council of the Russian Federation on 1 October 1998 and its Secretary on 29 March 1999.

First Premiership (1999)

On 9 August 1999, Vladimir Putin was appointed one of three First Deputy Prime Ministers, and later on that day was appointed acting Prime Minister of the Government of the Russian Federation by President Boris Yeltsin.[45] Yeltsin also announced that he wanted to see Putin as his successor. Still later on that same day, Putin agreed to run for the presidency.[46]

On 16 August, the State Duma approved his appointment as Prime Minister with 233 votes in favour (vs. 84 against, 17 abstained),[47] while a simple majority of 226 was required, making him Russia's fifth PM in fewer than eighteen months. On his appointment, few expected Putin, virtually unknown to the general public, to last any longer than his predecessors. He was initially regarded as a Yeltsin loyalist; like other prime ministers of Boris Yeltsin, Putin did not choose ministers himself, his cabinet being determined by the presidential administration.[48]

Yeltsin's main opponents and would-be successors were already campaigning to replace the ailing president, and they fought hard to prevent Putin's emergence as a potential successor. Putin's law-and-order image and his unrelenting approach to the Second Chechen War, soon combined to raise Putin's popularity and allowed him to overtake all rivals.

While not formally associated with any party, Putin pledged his support to the newly formed Unity Party,[49] which won the second largest percentage of the popular vote (23.3%) in the December 1999 Duma elections, and in turn he was supported by it.

Acting Presidency (1999–2000)

On 31 December 1999, Yeltsin unexpectedly resigned and, according to the Constitution of Russia, Putin became Acting President of the Russian Federation. On assuming this role, Putin went on a previously scheduled visit to Russian troops in Chechnya.

The first Presidential Decree that Putin signed, on 31 December 1999, was titled "On guarantees for former president of the Russian Federation and members of his family".[50][51] This ensured that "corruption charges against the outgoing President and his relatives" would not be pursued.[52] Later, on 12 February 2001, Putin signed a similar federal law which replaced the decree of 1999.

While his opponents had been preparing for an election in June 2000, Yeltsin's resignation resulted in the Presidential elections being held within three months, on 26 March 2000; Putin won in the first round with 53% of the vote.[53]

First Presidential term (2000–2004)

The first major challenge to Putin's popularity came in August 2000, when he was criticized for his alleged mishandling of the Kursk submarine disaster.[54] That criticism was largely because it was several days before he returned from vacation, and several more before he visited the scene.[54]

Vladimir Putin was inaugurated president on 7 May 2000. He appointed Minister of Finance Mikhail Kasyanov as his Prime minister.

Between 2000 and 2004, Putin apparently won a power-struggle with the Russian oligarchs, reaching a 'grand-bargain' with them. This bargain allowed the oligarchs to maintain most of their powers, in exchange for their explicit support – and alignment with – his government.[55][56] A new group of business magnates, such as Gennady Timchenko, Vladimir Yakunin, Yury Kovalchuk, Sergey Chemezov, with close personal ties to Putin, also emerged.

Many in the Russian press and in the international media warned that the death of some 130 hostages in the special forces' rescue operation during the 2002 Moscow theater hostage crisis would severely damage President Putin's popularity. However, shortly after the siege had ended, the Russian president was enjoying record public approval ratings – 83% of Russians declared themselves satisfied with Putin and his handling of the siege.[57]

A few months before elections, Putin fired Prime Minister Kasyanov's cabinet and appointed Mikhail Fradkov to his place. Sergey Ivanov became the first civilian in Russia to take Defense Minister position.

In 2003, a referendum was held in Chechnya adopting a new constitution which declares the Republic as a part of Russia. Chechnya has been gradually stabilized with the establishment of the parliamentary elections and a regional government.[58][59]

Throughout the war, Russia severely disabled the Chechen rebel movement. However, sporadic violence continued to occur throughout the North Caucasus.[60]

Second Presidential term (2004–2008)

On 14 March 2004, Putin was elected to the presidency for a second term, receiving 71% of the vote.[53] The Beslan school hostage crisis took place in September 2004, in which hundreds died. In response, Putin took a variety of administrative measures.

In 2005, the National Priority Projects were launched to improve Russia's health care, education, housing and agriculture.[61][62]

The continued criminal prosecution of Russia's then richest man, President of YUKOS company Mikhail Khodorkovsky, for fraud and tax evasion was seen by the international press as a retaliation for Khodorkovsky's donations to both liberal and communist opponents of the Kremlin. The government said that Khodorkovsky was corrupting a large segment of the Duma to prevent tax code changes such as taxes on windfall profits and closing offshore tax evasion vehicles. Khodorkovsky was arrested, Yukos was bankrupted and the company's assets were auctioned at below-market value, with the largest share acquired by the state company Rosneft.[63] The fate of Yukos was seen in the West as a sign of a broader shift of Russia towards a system of state capitalism.[64][65]

A study by Bank of Finland's Institute for Economies in Transition (BOFIT) in 2008 found that state intervention had made a positive impact on the corporate governance of many companies in Russia: the governance was better in companies with state control or with a stake held by the government.[66]

Putin was criticized in the West and also by Russian liberals for what many observers considered a wide-scale crackdown on media freedom in Russia. On 7 October 2006, Anna Politkovskaya, a journalist who exposed corruption in the Russian army and its conduct in Chechnya, was shot in the lobby of her apartment building. The death of Politkovskaya triggered an outcry in Western media, with accusations that, at best, Putin has failed to protect the country's new independent media.[67][68] When asked about the Politkovskaya murder in his interview with the German TV channel ARD, Putin said that her murder brings much more harm to the Russian authorities than her writing.[69] By 2012 the performers of the murder were arrested and named Boris Berezovsky and Akhmed Zakayev as a possible clients.[70]

In 2007, "Dissenters' Marches" were organized by the opposition group The Other Russia,[71] led by former chess champion Garry Kasparov and national-Bolshevist leader Eduard Limonov. Following prior warnings, demonstrations in several Russian cities were met by police action, which included interfering with the travel of the protesters and the arrests of as many as 150 people who attempted to break through police lines.[72] The Dissenters' Marches have received little support among the Russian general public, according to polls.[73]

On 12 September 2007, Putin dissolved the government upon the request of Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov. Fradkov commented that it was to give the President a "free hand" in the run-up to the parliamentary election. Viktor Zubkov was appointed the new prime minister.[74]

In December 2007, United Russia won 64.24% of the popular vote in their run for State Duma according to election preliminary results.[75] United Russia's victory in December 2007 elections was seen by many as an indication of strong popular support of the then Russian leadership and its policies.[76][77]

In his last days in office Putin was reported to have taken a series of steps to re-align the regional bureaucracy to make the governors report to the prime minister rather than the president.[78][79] Putin's office explained that "the changes... bear a refining nature and do not affect the essential positions of the system. The key role in estimating the effectiveness of activity of regional authority still belongs to President of the Russian Federation."

Second Premiership (2008–2012)

Putin was barred from a third term by the Constitution. First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was elected his successor. On 8 May 2008, only a day after handing the presidency to Medvedev, Putin was appointed Prime Minister of Russia, maintaining his political dominance.[80]

The Great Recession hit the Russian economy especially hard, interrupting the flow of cheap Western credit and investments. This coincided with tension in relationships with the EU and the US following the 2008 South Ossetia war, in which Russia defeated NATO ally Georgia.

However, the large financial reserves, accumulated in the Stabilization Fund of Russia in the previous period of high oil prices, alongside the strong management helped the country to cope with the crisis and resume economic growth since mid-2009. The Russian government's anti-crisis measures have been praised by the World Bank, which said in its Russia Economic Report from November 2008: "prudent fiscal management and substantial financial reserves have protected Russia from deeper consequences of this external shock. The government's policy response so far—swift, comprehensive, and coordinated—has helped limit the impact."[81]

Putin has named the overcoming of consequences of the world economic crisis one of the two main achievements of his 2nd Premiership.[62] The other named achievement was the stabilisation of the size of Russia's population between 2008–2011 following the long period of demographic collapse started in the 1990s.[62]

At the United Russia Congress in Moscow on 24 September 2011, Medvedev officially proposed that Putin stand for the Presidency in 2012, an offer which Putin accepted. Given United Russia's near-total dominance of Russian politics, many observers believed that Putin was all but assured of a third term. The move was expected to see Medvedev stand on the United Russia ticket in the parliamentary elections in December, with a goal of becoming Prime Minister at the end of his presidential term.[82] During the 2012 presidential campaign, Putin published 7 articles to present his vision for the future.[83]

After the parliamentary elections on 4 December 2011, tens of thousands Russians engaged in protests against alleged electoral fraud, the largest protests in Putin's time; protesters criticized Putin and United Russia and demanded annulment of the election results.[84] However, those protests, organized by the leaders of the Russian "non-systemic opposition", sparked the fear of a colour revolution in society, and a number of "anti-Orange" counter-protests (the name alludes to the Orange Revolution in Ukraine) and rallies of Putin supporters were carried out, surpassing in scale the opposition protests.[85][86][87]

Third Presidential term (2012–present)

On 4 March 2012, Putin won the 2012 Russian presidential elections in the first round, with 63.6% of the vote.[53] While extraordinary measures were taken to make the elections transparent, including the usage of webcams on the vast majority of polling stations, the vote was criticized by Russian opposition and some international bodies for perceived irregularities.

Anti-Putin protests took place during and directly after the presidential campaign. The most notorious protest was 21 February Pussy Riot performance, and subsequent trial.[88] Also, an estimated 8,000–20,000 protesters gathered in Moscow on 6 May,[89][90] when eighty people were injured in confrontations with police,[91] and 450 were arrested, with another 120 arrests taking place the following day.[92]

Putin's presidency was inaugurated in the Kremlin on 7 May 2012. [93] On his first day as President, Putin issued 14 Presidential decrees, sometimes called in the media "May Decrees", including a lengthy one stating wide-ranging goals for the Russian economy. Other decrees concerned education, housing, skilled-labor training, relations with the European Union, the defense industry, inter-ethnic relations, and other policy areas dealt with in Putin's programme articles issued during the Presidential campaign.[94][95]

In 2012 and 2013, Putin and the United Russia party backed stricter legislation against the LGBT community, in Saint Petersburg, Archangelsk and Novosibirsk; a law against "homoxxual propaganda" (which prohibits such symbols as the rainbow flag as well as published works containing homoxxual content) was adopted by State Duma in June 2013.[96][97][98][99][100] Responding to international concerns about Russia's legislation, Putin asked critics to note the law was a "ban on the propaganda of pedophilia and homosexuality" and he stated that homosexual visitors to the 2014 Winter Olympics should "leave the children in peace" but denied there was any "professional, career or social discrimination" against homosexuals in Russia.[101]

Also in June 2013, Putin attended a televised rally of the All-Russia People's Front where he was elected head of the movement,[102] which was set up in 2011.[103] According to journalist Steve Rosenberg, the movement is intended to "reconnect the Kremlin to the Russian people" and one day, if necessary, replace the increasingly unpopular United Russia party that currently backs Putin.[104]

Domestic policies

Putin's domestic policies, especially early in his first presidency, were aimed at creating a vertical power structure. On 13 May 2000, he issued a decree putting the 89 federal subjects of Russia into seven administrative federal districts and appointed a presidential envoy responsible for each of those districts (whose official title is Plenipotentiary Representative)

According to Stephen White, Russia under the presidency of Putin made it clear that it had no intention of establishing a "second edition" of the American or British political system, but rather a system that was closer to Russia's own traditions and circumstances.[105] Putin's administration has often been described as a "sovereign democracy".[106] According to the proponents of that description, the government's actions and policies ought above all to enjoy popular support within Russia itself and not be determined from outside the country.[107][108]

In July 2000, according to a law proposed by him and approved by the Federal Assembly of Russia, Putin gained the right to dismiss heads of the 89 federal subjects (there are presently several fewer federal subjects in Russia than there were in 2000). In 2004, the direct election of those heads (usually called "governors") by popular vote was replaced with a system whereby they would be nominated by the President and approved or disapproved by regional legislatures.[109][110] This was seen by Putin as a necessary move to stop separatist tendencies and get rid of those governors who were connected with organised crime.[111] This and other government actions effected under Putin's presidency have been criticised by many independent Russian media outlets and Western commentators as anti-democratic.[112][113] In 2012, as proposed by Putin's successor Dmitry Medvedev, the direct election of governors was re-introduced.[114]

During his first term in office, Putin moved to curb the political ambitions of some of the Yeltsin-era oligarchs, resulting in the exile or imprisonment of such people as Boris Berezovsky, Vladimir Gusinsky, Mikhail Khodorkovsky; other oligarchs such as Roman Abramovich and Arkady Rotenberg[115] soon joined Putin's camp. Putin presided over an intensified fight with organised crime and terrorism that resulted in two times lower murder rates by 2011,[116] as well as significant reduction in the numbers of terrorist acts by the late 2000s (decade).[117]

Putin succeeded in codifying land law and tax law and promulgated new codes on labour, administrative, criminal, commercial and civil procedural law.[13] Under Medvedev's presidency, Putin's government implemented some key reforms in the area of state security, the Russian police reform and the Russian military reform.

Economic, industrial, and energy policies

Under the Putin administration from 2001 to 2007, the economy made real gains of an average 7% per year,[118] making it the 7th largest economy in the world in purchasing power. Russia's nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased 6 fold, climbing from 22nd to 10th largest in the world. In 2007, Russia's GDP exceeded that of Russian SFSR in 1990, meaning it overcame the devastating consequences of the 1998 financial crisis and preceding recession in the 1990s.[10]

During Putin's eight years in office, industry grew substantially, as did production, construction, real incomes, credit, and the middle class.[8][10][11][119][120] Putin has also been praised for eliminating widespread barter and thus boosting the economy.[121] Inflation remained a problem however.[10]

In 2001, Putin obtained approval for a flat tax rate of 13%;[122][123] the corporate rate of tax was also reduced from 35 percent to 24 percent;[122] Small businesses also get better treatment. The old system with high tax rates has been replaced by a new system where companies can choose either a 6-percent tax on gross revenue or a 15-percent tax on profits.[122] The overall tax burden is lower in Russia than in most European countries.[124]

A central concept in Putin's economic thinking was the creation of so-called National champions, vertically integrated companies in strategic sectors that are expected not only to seek profit, but also to "advance the interests of the nation". Examples of such companies include Gazprom, Rosneft and United Aircraft Corporation.[125]

A fund for oil revenue allowed Russia to repay all of the Soviet Union's debts by 2005.[10] Payments from the fuel and energy sector accounted for nearly half of the federal budget's revenues. The large majority of Russia's exports are made up of raw materials and fertilizers,[10] although exports as a whole accounted for only 8.7% of the GDP in 2007, compared to 20% in 2000.[126]

After 18 years of trying, Russia joined the World Trade Organization on 22 August 2012. However, there were few immediate economic benefits evident from that WTO membership.[127]

Under Putin as President and Premier, most of the world's largest automotive companies opened plants in Russia, which Putin encouraged via tax incentives, as well as protectionist measures which discouraged imports.[128]

In 2005, Putin initiated an industry consolidation programme to bring the main aircraft producing companies under a single umbrella organization, the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC). The aim was to optimize production lines and minimise losses.[129] The UAC is one of the so-called national champions and comparable to EADS in Europe.[130]

In a similar fashion, Putin created the United Shipbuilding Corporation in 2007, which led to the recovery of shipbuilding in Russia. Since 2006, much efforts were put into consolidation and development of the Rosatom Nuclear Energy State Corporation, which led to the renewed construction of nuclear power plants in Russia. In 2007, the Russian Nanotechnology Corporation was established, aimed to boost the science and technology and high-tech industry in Russia.[131]

In the decade following 2000, energy in Russia helped transform the country, especially oil and gas energy. This transformation promoted Russia's well-being and international influence, and the country was frequently described in the media as an energy superpower.[14] Putin oversaw growing taxation of oil and gas exports which helped finance the budget, while the oil industry of Russia, production, and exports all significantly grew.

Putin sought to increase Russia's share of the European energy market by building submerged gas pipelines bypassing Ukraine and other countries which were often seen as non-reliable transit partners by Russia, especially following Russia-Ukraine gas disputes of the late 2000s (decade). Russia also undermined the rival pipeline project Nabucco by buying the Turkmen gas and redirecting it into Russian pipelines.

On the other hand Russia diversified its export markets by building the Trans-Siberian oil pipeline to the markets of China, Japan and Korea, as well as the Sakhalin–Khabarovsk–Vladivostok gas pipeline in the Russian Far East. Russia has also recently built several major oil and gas refineries, plants and ports. Additionally, Putin has presided over construction of major hydropower plants, such as the Bureya Dam and the Boguchany Dam, as well as the restoration of the nuclear industry of Russia, with some 1 trillion rubles ($42.7 billion) allocated from the federal budget to nuclear power and industry development before 2015.[132] A large number of nuclear power stations and units are currently being constructed by the state corporation Rosatom in Russia and abroad.

A construction program of floating nuclear power plants will provide power to Russian Arctic coastal cities and gas rigs, starting in 2012.[133][134] The Arctic policy of Russia also includes an offshore oilfield in the Pechora Sea is expected to start producing in early 2012, with the world's first ice-resistant oil platform and first offshore Arctic platform.[135] In August 2011 Rosneft, a Russian government-operated oil company, signed a deal with ExxonMobil for Arctic oil production.[136] "The scale of the investment is very large. It's scary to utter such huge figures" said Putin on signing the deal.[136]

Environmental policy

In 2004, President Putin signed the Kyoto Protocol treaty designed to reduce greenhouse gases.[137] However Russia did not face mandatory cuts, because the Kyoto Protocol limits emissions to a percentage increase or decrease from 1990 levels and Russia's greenhouse-gas emissions fell well below the 1990 baseline due to a drop in economic output after the breakup of the Soviet Union.[138]

Putin personally supervises and/or promotes a number of protection programmes for rare and endangered animals in Russia:

The Amur Tiger Programme[139]

The White Whale Programme[140]

The Polar Bear Programme[141]

The Snow Leopard Programme[142]

Religions policy

Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Judaism, defined by law as Russia's traditional religions and a part of Russia's "historical heritage"[143] enjoyed limited state support in the Putin era. The vast construction and restoration of churches, started in 1990s, continued under Putin, and the state allowed the teaching of religion in schools (parents are provided with a choice for their children to learn the basics of one of the traditional religions or secular ethics). His approach to religious policy has been characterised as one of support for religious freedoms, but also the attempt to unify different religions under the authority of the state.[144] In 2012, Putin was honored in Bethlehem and a street was named after him.[145]

Putin regularly attends the most important services of the Russian Orthodox Church on the main Orthodox Christian holidays. He established a good relationship with Patriarchs of the Russian Church, the late Alexy II of Moscow and the current Kirill of Moscow. As President, he took an active personal part in promoting the Act of Canonical Communion with the Moscow Patriarchate, signed 17 May 2007 that restored relations between the Moscow-based Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia after the 80-year schism.[146]

Putin and United Russia enjoy high electoral support in the national republics of Russia, in particular in the Muslim-majority republics of Povolzhye and the North Caucasus.

Under Putin, the Hasidic FJCR became increasingly influential within the Jewish community, partly due to the influence of Federation-supporting businessmen mediated through their alliances with Putin, notably Lev Leviev and Roman Abramovich.[147][147][148] According to the JTA, Putin is popular amongst the Russian Jewish community, who see him as a force for stability. Russia's chief rabbi, Berel Lazar, said Putin "paid great attention to the needs of our community and related to us with a deep respect."[149]

Military development

The resumption of long-distance flights of Russia's strategic bombers was followed by the announcement by Russian Defense Minister Anatoliy Serdyukov during his meeting with Putin on 5 December 2007, that 11 ships, including the aircraft carrier Kuznetsov, would take part in the first major navy sortie into the Mediterranean since Soviet times.[150] The sortie was to be backed up by 47 aircraft, including strategic bombers.[151]

While from the early 2000s (decade) Russia started pumping more money into its military and defence industry, it was only in 2008 that the full-scale Russian military reform began, aimed to modernize Russian Armed Forces and made them significantly more effective. The reform was largely carried by Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov during Medvedev's Presidency, under supervision of both Putin, as the Head of Government, and Medvedev, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces.

Key elements of the reform included reducing the armed forces to a strength of one million; reducing the number of officers; centralising officer training from 65 military schools into 10 'systemic' military training centres; creating a professional NCO corps; reducing the size of the central command; introducing more civilian logistics and auxiliary staff; elimination of cadre-strength formations; reorganising the reserves; reorganising the army into a brigade system; reorganising air forces into an air base system instead of regiments.[152]

The number of Russia's military districts was reduced to just 4. The term of draft service was reduced from two years to one, which put an end to the old harassment traditions in the army, since all conscripts became very close by draft age. The gradual transition to the majority professional army by the late 2010s was announced, and a large programme of supplying the Armed Forces with new military equipment and ships was started. The Russian Space Forces were replaced on 1 December 2011 with the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces.

In spite of Putin's call for major investments in strategic nuclear weapons, these will fall well below the New START limits due to the retirement of aging systems.[153]

Putin has also sought to increase Russian military presence in the Arctic. In August 2007, a Russian expedition planted a flag on the seabed below the North Pole.[154][154] Russian submarines and troops have been increasing in the Arctic.[155][156]

Foreign policy

As of late 2013, Russian-American relations were at a low point.[157] The United States canceled a summit (for the first time since 1960), after Putin gave asylum to Edward Snowden, who had stolen NSA secrets.[157]

Washington regarded Russia as obstructionist and a spoiler regarding Syria, Iran, Cuba and Venezuela. In turn, those nations look to Russia for protection against the United States.[157]

Europe needs Russian oil, but worries about interference in the affairs of Eastern Europe. Russia remains angry over the expansion of NATO into Eastern Europe. Central Asia sees Moscow as a former overlord, which is too powerful to ignore, even as countries assist American involvement in Afghanistan.[157]

In Asia, India has moved from a close ally of the Soviet Union to a partner of the United States with strong nuclear and commercial ties. Japan and Russia remain at odds over the ownership of the Kurile islands; this dispute has hindered cooperation for decades.[157] China has moved from a client state of Russia in the 1950s, to a bitter antagonist in the 1960s and 1970s, to a situation where its economic powerhouse sees Russia as a source of raw materials, as well as an ally in the United Nations.[157]

On the lighter side, Putin has won international support for sport in Russia. In 2007, he led a successful effort on behalf of Sochi (located along the Black Sea near the border between Georgia and Russia) for the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2014 Winter Paralympics,[158] the first Winter Olympic Games to ever be hosted by Russia. Likewise, in 2008, the city of Kazan won the bid for the 2013 Summer Universiade, and on 2 December 2010 Russia won the right to host the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and 2018 FIFA World Cup, also for the first time in Russian history. In 2013, Putin stated that gay athletes would not face any discrimination at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.[159] President Barack Obama is not planning to attend the 2014 Winter Olympics,[160] joining other western leaders in the apparent symbolic boycott.[161]

Relations with NATO and its member nations

Under Putin, Russia's relationships with NATO and the U.S. have passed through several stages. When Putin first became President, the relations were cautious. After the 9/11 attacks when Putin quickly supported the U.S. in the War on Terror, the opportunity for partnership appeared.[162] However, the U.S. responded by further expansion of NATO to Russia's borders and by unilateral withdrawal from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.[162] Since 2003, when Russia did not support the Iraq War and when Putin became ever more distant from the West in his internal and external policies, the relations continued to deteriorate. According to Russia scholar Stephen F. Cohen, the narrative of the mainstream U.S. media, following that of the White House, became anti-Putin.[162] In an interview with Michael Stürmer, Putin was quoted saying that there were three questions which most concerned Russia and Eastern Europe: namely, the status of Kosovo, the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty and American plans to build missile defence sites in Poland and the Czech Republic, and suggested that all three were linked.[163] In Putin's view, concessions on one of these questions on the Western side might be met with concessions from Russia on another.[163] In a January 2007 interview, Putin said Russia is in favor of a democratic multipolar world and of strengthening the systems of international law.[164]

In February 2007, Putin criticized what he called the United States' monopolistic dominance in global relations, and "almost uncontained hyper use of force in international relations". He said the result of it is that "no one feels safe! Because no one can feel that international law is like a stone wall that will protect them. Of course such a policy stimulates an arms race."[165] This came to be known as the Munich Speech, and former NATO secretary Jaap de Hoop Scheffer called the speech, "disappointing and not helpful."[166] The months following Putin's Munich Speech[165] were marked by tension and a surge in rhetoric on both sides of the Atlantic. Both Russian and American officials, however, denied the idea of a new Cold War.[167]

Putin publicly opposed plans for the U.S. missile shield in Europe, and presented President George W. Bush with a counterproposal on 7 June 2007 which was declined.[168] Russia suspended its participation in the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe on 11 December 2007.[169]

Vladimir Putin strongly opposed Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence, warning supporters of that precedent that it would de facto destroy the whole system of international relations.[170][171][172]

Putin had friendly relations with former American President George W. Bush, and many European leaders. Putin's "cooler" and "more business-like" relationship with Germany's current Chancellor, Angela Merkel is often attributed to Merkel's upbringing in the former DDR, where Putin was stationed when he was a KGB agent.[173]

Relations between Russia and the United Kingdom deteriorated when the United Kingdom granted political asylum to Putin's former patron, oligarch Boris Berezovsky in 2003.[174] This deterioration was intensified by allegations that the British were spying and making secret payments to pro-democracy and human rights groups.[175] The end of 2006 brought more strained relations in the wake of the death by polonium poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko in London.[176][177] In 2007, the crisis in relations continued with expulsion of four Russian envoys over Russia's refusal to extradite former KGB bodyguard Andrei Lugovoi to face charges in the alleged murder of Litvinenko.[174] Mirroring the British actions, Russia expelled UK diplomats and took other retaliatory steps.[174]

Relations with South and East Asia

In 2012, Putin wrote an article in the Hindu newspaper, saying that "The Declaration on Strategic Partnership between India and Russia signed in October 2000 became a truly historic step".[178][179] Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during Putin's 2012 visit to India: "President Putin is a valued friend of India and the original architect of the India-Russia strategic partnership".[180]

Putin's Russia maintains positive relations with other BRIC countries. The country has sought to strengthen ties especially with the People's Republic of China by signing the Treaty of Friendship as well as building the Trans-Siberian oil pipeline geared toward growing Chinese energy needs.[181] The mutual-security cooperation of the two countries and their central Asian neighbours is facilitated by the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation which was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

The announcement made during the SCO summit that Russia resumes on a permanent basis the long-distance patrol flights of its strategic bombers (suspended in 1992)[182][183] in the light of joint Russian-Chinese military exercises, first-ever in history held on Russian territory,[184] made some experts believe that Putin is inclined to set up an anti-NATO bloc or the Asian version of OPEC.[185] When presented with the suggestion that "Western observers are already likening the SCO to a military organisation that would stand in opposition to NATO", Putin answered that "this kind of comparison is inappropriate in both form and substance".[182]

Relations with Middle Eastern and North African countries

On 16 October 2007 Putin visited Iran to participate in the Second Caspian Summit in Tehran,[186][187] where he met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.[188][189] This was the first visit of a Soviet or Russian leader to Iran since Joseph Stalin's participation in the Tehran Conference in 1943, and thus marked a significant event in Iran-Russia relations.[190] At a press conference after the summit Putin said that "all our (Caspian) states have the right to develop their peaceful nuclear programmes without any restrictions".[191]

Subsequently, under Medvedev's presidency, Iran-Russia relations were uneven: Russia did not fulfill the contract of selling to Iran the S-300, one of the most potent anti-aircraft missile systems currently existing. However, Russian specialists completed the construction of Iran and the Middle East's first civilian nuclear power facility, the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, and Russia has continuously opposed the imposition of economic sanctions on Iran by the U.S. and the EU, as well as warning against a military attack on Iran. Putin was quoted as describing Iran as a "partner",[163] though he expressed concerns over the Iranian nuclear programme.[163]

In April 2008, Putin became the first Russian President who visited Libya.[192] Putin condemned the foreign military intervention of Libya, he called UN resolution as "defective and flawed," and added "It allows everything. It resembles medieval calls for crusades."[193][194] Upon the death of Muammar Gaddafi, Putin called it as "planned murder" by the US, saying: "They showed to the whole world how he (Gaddafi) was killed," and "There was blood all over. Is that what they call a democracy?"[195][196]

Regarding Syria, from 2000 to 2010 Russia sold around $1.5 billion worth of arms to that country, making Damascus Moscow's seventh-largest client.[197] During the Syrian civil war, Russia threatened to veto any sanctions against the Syrian government,[198] and continued to supply arms to the regime.

Putin opposed any foreign intervention. In June 2012, in Paris, he rejected the statement of French President Francois Hollande who called on Bashar Al-Assad to step down. Putin echoed the argument of the Assad regime that anti-regime '’militants'’ were responsible for much of the bloodshed. He also talked about previous NATO interventions and their results, and asked "What is happening in Libya, in Iraq? Did they become safer? Where are they heading? Nobody has an answer."[199]

On 11 September 2013, an opinion, written by Putin, was published in the New York Times regarding international events related to the United States, Russia and Syria.[200] Putin subsequently helped to arrange for Syria to disarm itself of chemical weapons.[201]

Relations with post-Soviet states

A series of the so-called color revolutions in the post-Soviet states, namely the Rose Revolution in Georgia in 2003, the Orange Revolution in Ukraine in 2004 and the Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan in 2005, led to frictions in the relations of those countries with Russia. In December 2004, Putin criticised the Rose and Orange Revolution, according to him: "If you have permanent revolutions you risk plunging the post-Soviet space into endless conflict".[202]

A number of economic disputes erupted between Russia and some neighbours, such as the Russian import ban of Georgian wine. And in some cases, such as the Russia–Ukraine gas disputes, the economic conflicts affected other European countries, for example when a January 2009 gas dispute with Ukraine led state-controlled Russian company Gazprom to halt its deliveries of natural gas to Ukraine,[203] which left a number of European states, to which Ukraine transits Russian gas, to have serious shortages of natural gas in January 2009.[203]

The plans of Georgia and Ukraine to become members of NATO have caused some tensions between Russia and those states. In 2010, Ukraine did abandon these plans.[204] Putin allegedly declared at a NATO-Russia summit in 2008 that if Ukraine joined NATO Russia could contend to annex the Ukrainian East and Crimea.[205] In public Putin has stated that Russia has no intention of annexing any country.[202]

In August 2008, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili attempted to restore control over the breakaway South Ossetia. However, the Georgian military was soon defeated in the resulting 2008 South Ossetia War after regular Russian forces entered South Ossetia and then Georgia proper, and also opened a second front in the other Georgian breakaway province of Abkhazia together with Abkhazian forces.[206][207] During this conflict, according to high level French diplomat Jean-David Levitte, Putin intended to depose the Georgian President and declared: "I am going to hang Saakashvili by the balls".[208]

The President of Ukraine elected during the Orange Revolution, Viktor Yushchenko, was succeeded in 2010 by Viktor Yanukovych, which led to improved relations with Russia.[209][210] The President of Kyrgyzstan since 2009, Almazbek Atambayev, wants a "common future" with its neighbours and Russia.[211]

Despite existing or past tensions between Russia and most of the post-Soviet states, Putin has followed the policy of Eurasian integration. Putin endorsed the idea of a Eurasian Union in 2011,[212][213][214][215] (the concept was proposed by the President of Kazakhstan in 1994).[216] On 18 November 2011, the presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia signed an agreement, setting a target of establishing the Eurasian Union by 2015.[217]

Relations with Australia, Latin America, and others

Putin and his successor Medvedev enjoyed warm relations with the late Hugo Chávez of Venezuela. Much of this has been through the sale of military equipment; since 2005, Venezuela has purchased more than $4 billion worth of arms from Russia.[218] In September 2008, Russia sent Tupolev Tu-160 bombers to Venezuela to carry out training flights.[219] In November 2008, both countries held a joint naval exercise in the Caribbean.[220] Earlier in 2000, Putin had re-established stronger ties with Fidel Castro's Cuba.

In September 2007, Putin visited Indonesia and in doing so became the first Russian leader to visit the country in more than 50 years.[221] In the same month, Putin also attended the APEC meeting held in Sydney where he met with Australian Prime Minister John Howard and signed a uranium trade deal. This was the first visit by a Russian president to Australia.

Speeches

Addresses to the Federal Assembly

During his terms in office Putin has made eight annual addresses to the Federal Assembly of Russia,[222] speaking on the situation in Russia and on guidelines of the internal and foreign policy of the State (as prescribed in Article 84 of the Constitution[223]).

Speeches abroad

One of the most important and widely publicized speeches of Putin made abroad was made on 10 February 2007 on the Munich Conference on Security Policy, and hence became known as the Munich speech. It was dubbed by the press to be "the turning point of the Russian foreign policy", and western observers called it the most tough speech from a leader of Russia since the time of the Cold War.[224] The speech was also seen as been made by Putin to openly assert the new (old) role of Russia in the international politics, the role close to that of the Soviet Union and the return to which role is seen as one of the achievements of Putin's Presidency.[224]

In the Munich speech Putin called for upholding the principle "security for everyone is security for all", criticized the policies of the United States and NATO, condemned the unipolar model of international relations as flawed and lacking moral basis, condemned the "hypocrisy" of countries trying to teach democracy to Russia, condemned the domination of hard power and enforcement by the U.S. of the Western norms and laws to other countries bypassing international law and substitution of the United Nations by NATO or the EU.[224]

Putin also called for a stop to the militarization of space and questioned the plans to deploy American missile defense in Europe as threatening strategic nuclear balance and spurring a new arms race. He also claimed that the countries dubbed as rogue states by the West were not going to be capable of threatening Europe or the U.S. with ballistic missiles in the foreseeable future.[224] His speech was criticized by some attendant delegates at the conference, including former NATO secretary Jaap de Hoop Scheffer who called it "disappointing and not helpful."[166]

Outdoor speeches

Notable Putin's outdoor speeches include his addresses during the Victory Day Moscow Military Parades one every 9 May in the years between 2000 and 2007. Under Putin's presidency and premiership, the old Soviet tradition of 9 May Parades, which had been in decline in 1990s, was gradually restored in full grandeur. Since the 2008 Moscow Victory Day Parade the armoured fighting vehicles resumed regular taking part in the Red Square parades. Putin often used the Victory Day occasion to discuss Russia's military development and Russia's security and foreign affairs. For example, he said on 9 May 2007 that "threats are not becoming fewer but are only transforming and changing their appearance. These new threats, just as under the Third Reich, show the same contempt for human life and the same aspiration to establish an exclusive dictate over the world."[226]

During his 2012 presidential campaign Putin made a single outdoor public speech at the 100,000-strong rally of his supporters in the Luzhniki Stadium on 23 February, Russia's Defender of the Fatherland Day.[87] In the speech he called not to betray the Motherland, but to love her, to unite around Russia and to work together for the good, to overcome the existing problems.[227] He said that the foreign interference into Russian affairs should not be allowed, that Russia has its own free will. He compared the political situation at the moment (when fears were spread in the Russian society that 2011–2012 Russian protests could instigate a color revolution directed from abroad) with the First Fatherland War of 1812, reminding that its 200th anniversary and the anniversary of the Battle of Borodino would be celebrated in 2012.Putin cited Lermontov's poem Borodino and ended the speech with Vyacheslav Molotov's famous Great Patriotic War slogan "The Victory Shall Be Ours!" ("Победа будет за нами!").[87][227]

On the post-election celebration rally, while making an acceptance speech, Putin was for the first time ever seen with tears in his eyes (later he explained that "it was windy"). He said to a 110,000-strong audience: "I told you we would win and we won!"[86][228]

Public image

Ratings, polls and assessments

According to public opinion surveys, Putin's approval rating was 81% in June 2007, and the highest of any leader in the world.[229][230] In January 2013, his approval rating fell to 62%, the lowest point since 2000 and a ten-point drop over two years.[231] Observers see Putin's high approval ratings as a consequence of the significant improvements in living standards and Russia's reassertion of itself on the world scene that occurred during his tenure as President.[232][233] One analysis attributed Putin's popularity, in part, to state-owned or state-controlled television.[234] A 2005 survey showed that three times as many Russians felt the country was "more democratic" under Putin than it was during the Yeltsin or Gorbachev years, and the same proportion thought human rights were better under Putin than Yeltsin.[234]

Putin was Time magazine's Person of the Year for 2007.[235] In April 2008, Putin was put on the Time 100 most influential people in the world list.[236]

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev credited Putin with having "pulled Russia out of chaos",[237] but has also criticized Putin for restricting press freedom and for seeking a third term in the presidential elections. Putin's press spokesman responded to this criticism by saying Gorbachev "was basically responsible for the dissolution of his country".[238]

Criticism of Putin has been widespread especially over the internet in Russia,[239] and it is said that the Russian youth organisations finance a full "network" of pro-government bloggers.[240] In the U.S. embassy cables published by WikiLeaks in late 2010, American diplomats said Putin's Russia had become "a corrupt, autocratic kleptocracy centred on the leadership of Vladimir Putin, in which officials, oligarchs and organised crime are bound together to create a virtual mafia state."[241][242] Putin called it "slanderous".[243]

By western commentators and the Russian opposition, Putin has been described as a dictator.[244][245] Putin biographer Masha Gessen has stated that "Putin is a dictator," comparing him to Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus.[246][247] Former UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband once described Putin as a "ruthless dictator" whose "days are numbered."[248] U.S. Presidential candidate Mitt Romney called Putin "a real threat to the stability and peace of the world."[249]

In the fall of 2011, the anti-Putin opposition movement in Russia became more visible, with street protests against allegedly falsified parliamentary elections (in favor of Putin's party, United Russia) cropping up across major Russian cities. Following Putin's re-election in March 2012, the movement struggled to redefine its new course of action.[250]

Outdoorsiness, singing, painting, songs about him, brands, Putinisms

Putin has an outdoor, sporty, tough guy image in the media, demonstrating his physical capabilities and taking part in unusual or dangerous acts, such as extreme sports and interaction with wild animals.[251] For example, in 2007, the tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda published a huge photograph of a bare-chested Putin vacationing in the Siberian mountains under the headline: "Be Like Putin."[252]

Photo ops during his various adventures are part of a public relations approach that, according to Wired, "deliberately cultivates the macho, take-charge superhero image".[253] Some of the activities have been criticised for involving deception or being completely staged.

Notable examples of Putin's macho adventures include:[254] flying military jets,[254] demonstrating his martial art skills,[254] riding horses, rafting, fishing and swimming in a cold Siberian river (doing all that mostly bare-chested),[252][255] descending in a deepwater submersible,[256] tranquilizing tigers with a tranquiliser gun,[252][257] tranquilizing polar bears,[258] riding a motorbike,[254][259] co-piloting a firefighting plane to dump water on a raging fire,[253][254] shooting darts at whales from a crossbow for eco-tracking,[254][260] driving a race car,[254][261] scuba diving at an archaeological site,[262][263] attempting to lead endangered cranes in a motorized hang glider,[264] and catching big fish.[265][266]

On 11 December 2010, at a concert organized for a children's charity in Saint Petersburg, Putin sang Blueberry Hill accompanying himself on the piano. The concert was attended by various Hollywood and European stars such as Kevin Costner, Sharon Stone, Alain Delon, and Gérard Depardieu.[267][268] At the same event (and others) Putin played a patriotic song from his favourite spy movie "Щит и меч", The Shield and the Sword.[268]

Putin's painting "Узор на заиндевевшем окне" (A Pattern on a Hoarfrost-Encrusted Window), which he had painted during the Christmas Fair on 26 December 2008, became the top lot at the charity auction in Saint Petersburg and sold for 37 million rubles.[269] The creation of the painting coincided with the 2009 Russia-Ukraine gas dispute, which left a number of European states without Russian gas and amid January frosts.[203]

There are a large number of songs about Putin.[270] Some of the more popular include:

[I Want] A Man Like Putin by Singing Together[271]

Horoscope (Putin, Don't Piss!) by Uma2rman[272]

VVP by a Tajik singer Tolibjon Kurbankhanov (Толибджон Курбанханов)[273][274]

Our Madhouse is Voting for Putin by Working Faculty.

Putin's name and image are widely used in advertisement and product branding.[253] Among the Putin-branded products are Putinka vodka, the PuTin brand of canned food, the Gorbusha Putina caviar and a collection of T-shirts with his image.[275]

Putin also is a subject of Russian jokes and chastushki, such as the popular "[Before Putin] There Was No Orgasm" featured in the comedy film The Day of Elections.[276] There is a meta-joke that, since the coming of Putin to power, all the classic jokes about a smart yet rude boy called Вовочка (Vovochka, diminutive from Vladimir) have suddenly become political jokes.

Putin features in the colouring book for children Vova and Dima (presented on his 59th birthday),[277] where he and Dmitry Medvedev are drawn as good-behaving little boys, and in the Superputin online comics series, where Putin and Medvedev are portrayed first as superheroes,[253] and then as a troll and an orc in the World of Warcraft.[278]

Vladimir Putin was portrayed by internet personality Nice Peter in his YouTube series Epic Rap Battles of History, in Season 2's finale episode, "Rasputin vs. Stalin" (aired on 22 April 2013).[279]

A Russian movie called A Kiss not for Press was premiered in 2008 on DVD. The movie is said to be based on biography of Vladimir Putin and his wife Lyudmila.[280]

Putin has produced a large number of popular aphorisms and catch-phrases, known as putinisms.[282] Many of them were first made during his annual Q&A conferences, where Putin answered questions from journalists and other people in the studio, as well as from Russians throughout the country, who either phoned in or spoke from studios and outdoor sites across Russia. Putin is known for his often tough and sharp language.[282] The examples of most popular putinisms include:[283]

To bump off in a toilet. Made in 1999, when he promised to destroy terrorists wherever they were found, including in toilets.[283][284]

She sank. Curt and self-evident answer to a question from Larry King in 2000 asking what happened to the Russian submarine K-141 Kursk.[283]

Ploughed like a slave on a galley. This is how Putin described his work as President of Russia from 2000 to 2008 during a Q&A conference in 2008.[282]

Ears of a dead ass. According to Putin, that was what Latvia would receive instead of the land claimed by Latvia in a territorial dispute.[282]

At the very least, a state leader should have a head. Putin's response to Hillary Clinton's claim that Putin has no soul. He recommended that international relations be built without emotion and instead on the basis of the fundamental interests of the states involved.[283]

Shearing a pig- In 2013, Putin responded to complaints that he was harboring whistleblower Edward Snowden, saying that he does not wish to get involved in this issue because "it's like shearing a pig – lots of screams but little wool". (визгу много, шерсти мало).[285]

Personal life

Family

On 28 July 1983 Putin married Kaliningrad-born Lyudmila Shkrebneva, at that time an undergraduate student of the Spanish branch of the Philology Department of the Leningrad State University and a former Aeroflot flight attendant. They lived together in Germany from 1985 to 1990. During this time, according to BND archives, a German spy befriended Putina, who said that Putin beat her and had love affairs.[286] When the couple left Germany in 1990 it was rumoured that Putin left behind an illegitimate child.[286]

Putina was rarely seen with President Putin[287][288] and there were rumours, according to the Daily Mail and other newspapers, that the couple separated.[287][288][289] Putin has been linked by newspapers with other women, including gymnast Alina Kabayeva[287][288] and ex-spy Anna Chapman.[289][290] These rumours have been denied.[291][292] Vladimir Putin and his wife, Lyudmila, announced on 6 June 2013, that their marriage was over, ending years of speculation about their relationship. Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said no official divorce had been drawn up yet, and he did not know when it would be, but he attached little importance to the formality.[293][294]

Putin and his wife have two daughters, Mariya Putina (born 28 April 1985 in Leningrad, Soviet Union) and Yekaterina Putina (born 31 August 1986 in Dresden, East Germany). The daughters grew up in East Germany[295] and attended the German School in Moscow until his appointment as Prime Minister. After that they studied international economics at the Finance Academy in Moscow, although it was not officially reported due to security reasons. According to the Daily Mail, their photographs have never been published by the Russian media, and no family portrait has ever been issued.[289] According to an article in the newspaper De Pers, Mariya is married to the Dutchman Jorrit Faassen.[296][297] Today they live in Voorschoten, Netherlands.[298]

One of Vladimir Putin's relatives is Viktor Medvedchuk – controversial Ukrainian business oligarch influential until the 2004 Orange Revolution. Putin became the godfather of Medvedchuk's daughter Darina in 2004.[299][300] The two maintain regular relations since,[300][301] with their meetings sometimes covered by the Russian state-controlled TV channels.[302]

Personal wealth and residences

Figures released during the legislative election of 2007 put Putin's wealth at approximately 3.7 million rubles ($150,000) in bank accounts, a private 77.4-square-meter (833 sq ft) apartment in Saint Petersburg, 260 shares of Bank Saint Petersburg (with a December 2007 market price $5.36 per share[303]) and two 1960s-era Volga M21 cars that he inherited from his father and does not register for on-road use. In 2012 Putin reported an income of 3.6 million rubles ($113,000). This has led opponents, such as politician Boris Nemtsov, to question how Putin can afford certain possessions, such as his 11 luxury watches worth an estimated $700,000.[304]

Putin's purported 2006 income totalled 2 million rubles (approximately $80,000).[306] According to the data Putin did not make it into the 100 wealthiest Duma candidates of his own United Russia party.[307]

Unconfirmed claims by some Russian opposition politicians and journalists allege that Putin secretly possesses a large fortune (as much as $70 billion[308]) via successive ownership of stakes in a number of Russian companies.[309][310] Nina L. Khrushcheva of the The New School estimates his net worth to be between $40–70 billion.[311] Asked at a press conference on 14 February 2008 whether he was the richest person in Europe, as some newspapers claimed; and if so, to state the source of his wealth, Putin said "This is plain chatter, not worthy discussion, plain bosh. They have picked this in their noses and have smeared this across their pieces of paper. This is how I view this."[312]

Not long after he returned from his KGB service in Dresden, East Germany Putin had built a dacha in Solovyovka on the eastern shore of Lake Komsomolskoye on the Karelian Isthmus in Priozersky District of Leningrad Oblast, near St. Petersburg. The dacha had burned down in 1996. Putin built a new one identical to the original and was joined by a group of seven friends who built dachas beside his. In the fall of 1996, the group formally registered their fraternity as co-operative society, calling it Ozero (Lake) and turning it into a gated community.[313]

As President and then Prime-Minister, apart from the Moscow Kremlin and the White House, Putin has used numerous official residences throughout the country. In August 2012 Nemtsov listed 20 villas and palaces, 9 of which were built during Putin's 12 years in power. This compares to the President of the United States' 2 official residences.[314] Some of the residences include: Gorki-9 near Moscow, Bocharov Ruchey in Sochi, Dolgiye Borody in Novgorod Oblast, Novo-Ogaryovo in Moscow Oblast and Riviera in Sochi (the latter two were left for Putin when he was Prime-Minister in 2008–2012, others were used by Dmitry Medvedev at that period).[315] Furthermore, a massive Italianate-style mansion costing an alleged USD 1 billion[305] and dubbed "Putin's Palace" is under construction near the Black Sea village of Praskoveevka. The mansion, built on government land and sporting 3 helipads, a private road paid for from state funds and guarded by officials wearing uniforms of the official Kremlin guard service, is said to have been built for Putin's private use. In 2012 Sergei Kolesnikov, a former business associate of Putin's, told the BBC's Newsnight programme, that he had been ordered by deputy prime minister, Igor Sechin, to oversee the building of it.[316]

Languages

Apart from Russian, Putin speaks fluent German. His family used to speak German at home as well.[317] After becoming President he was reported to be taking English lessons and could be seen conversing directly with Bush and native speakers of English in informal situations, but he continues to use interpreters for formal talks. Putin spoke English in public for the first time during the state dinner in Buckingham Palace in 2003 saying but a few phrases while delivering his condolences to Queen Elizabeth II on the death of her mother.[318] In an interview in 2013, the Kremlin chief of staff Sergei Ivanov revealed that he and Putin sometimes conversed in Swedish.[319]

Religion

Putin's father was "a model communist, genuinely believing in its ideals while trying to put them into practice in his own life". With this dedication he became secretary of the Party cell in his workshop and then after taking night classes joined the factory's Party bureau.[320] Though his father was a "militant atheist",[321] Putin's mother "was a devoted Orthodox believer". Though she kept no icons at home, she attended church regularly, despite the government's persecution of the Russian Orthodox Church at that time. She ensured that Putin was secretly christened as a baby and she regularly took him to services. His father knew of this but turned a blind eye.[320]

According to Putin's own statements, his religious awakening followed the serious car crash of his wife in 1993, and was deepened by a life-threatening fire that burned down their dacha in August 1996.[321] Right before an official visit to Israel his mother gave him his baptismal cross telling him to get it blessed "I did as she said and then put the cross around my neck. I have never taken it off since."[320] When asked whether he believes in God during his interview with Time, he responded saying: "...There are things I believe, which should not in my position, at least, be shared with the public at large for everybody's consumption because that would look like self-advertising or a political striptease."[322]

Martial arts

One of Putin's favorite sports is the martial art of judo. Putin began training in sambo (a martial art that originated in the Soviet Union) at the age of 14, before switching to judo, which he continues to practice today.[323] Putin won competitions in his hometown of Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg), including the senior championships of Leningrad in both sambo and judo. He is the President of the Yawara Dojo, the same Saint Petersburg dojo he practiced at when young. Putin co-authored a book on his favorite sport, published in Russian as Judo with Vladimir Putin and in English under the title Judo: History, Theory, Practice (2004).[324]

Though he is not the first world leader to practice judo, Putin is the first leader to move forward into the advanced levels. Currently, Putin holds a 6th dan (red/white belt)[325] and is best known for his Harai Goshi (sweeping hip throw). Putin earned Master of Sports (Soviet and Russian sport title) in judo in 1975 and in sambo in 1973. At a state visit to Japan, Putin was invited to the Kodokan Institute, the judo headquarters, where he showed different judo techniques to the students and Japanese officials.

Putin also holds a 6th dan black belt in Kyokushin kaikan karate. He was presented the black belt in December 2009 by Japanese champion Kyokushin Karate-Do master Hatsuo Royama.[326]

In 2013, Putin re-introduced the GTO physical fitness program to Russia[327] with the support of Steven Seagal.[328][329]

Other sports

Putin often is seen on outdoor activities with Dmitry Medvedev, promoting sports and healthy way of life among Russians: they were seen alpine skiing in Krasnaya Polyana,[330] playing badminton, cycling and fishing.[331] Putin also started to learn ice skating and playing ice hockey after he promised to do so on a meeting with the Russia men's national junior ice hockey team who had won the 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[332] Putin also enjoys watching football and supports FC Zenit Saint Petersburg, the main team of his native city.[333]

Pets

Putin owns a female black Labrador Retriever named Koni, given as a gift in 2000 by General of the Army and Russia's Minister of Emergency Situations Sergey Shoigu. Koni is often seen at Putin's side and has been known to accompany him into staff meetings and greet world leaders. In fact, when Putin first met Angela Merkel, he brought Koni along knowing full well that Merkel had a fear of dogs, having been bitten by one as a child.[334] In 2003 Koni gave birth to eight pups which were later given as presents to Russian citizens, politicians and foreign ambassadors.[335] Koni gained additional fame in 2004 when the largest Russian publisher of children's books published a book entitled Connie's Stories.[336] In 2008 Koni became the first recipient of a GLONASS-enabled pet collar to highlight the progress of the Russian global navigation satellite system.[337]

In 2010 Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov gave Putin a Karakachan dog who was then named Buffy according to a suggestion by a five-year old boy from Moscow, Dima Sokolov.[338]

Recognition

In September 2006, France's president Jacques Chirac awarded Vladimir Putin the Grand-Croix (Grand Cross) of the Légion d'honneur, the highest French decoration, to celebrate his contribution to the friendship between the two countries. This decoration is usually awarded to the heads of state considered very close to France.[339]

In 2007, Putin was named Time magazine's Person of the Year.

On 12 February 2007 Saudi King Abdullah awarded Putin the King Abdul Aziz Award, Saudi Arabia's top civilian decoration.[340]

On 10 September 2007 UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan awarded Putin the Order of Zayed, the UAE's top civil decoration.[341]

In December 2007 Putin was named Person of the Year by Expert magazine, an influential and respected Russian business weekly.[342]

On 5 October 2008 the central street of Grozny, the capital of Russia's Republic of Chechnya, was renamed from the Victory Avenue to the Vladimir Putin Avenue, as ordered by the Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov.[343]

In February 2011 the parliament of Kyrgyzstan named a peak in Tian Shan mountains Vladimir Putin Peak.[344]

On 15 November 2011 the China International Peace Research Center awarded the Confucius Peace Prize to Putin, citing as reason Putin's opposition to NATO's Libya bombing in 2011 while also paying tribute to his decision to go to war in Chechnya in 1999.[345] According to the committee, Putin's "Iron hand and toughness revealed in this war impressed the Russians a lot, and he was regarded to be capable of bringing safety and stability to Russia".[346]

In 2011, the University of Belgrade awarded Putin an honorary doctorate.[347]

References

1. Hale, Henry E.; Timothy J. Colton (8 September 2009)."Russians and the Putin-Medvedev "Tandemocracy": A Survey-Based Portrait of the 2007–08 Election Season". The National Council for Eurasian and East European Research(Seattle, WA: University of Washington). Retrieved 15 March 2012.
2. Vasilyeva, Natallya. "Putin claims to support term limits as he readies to take helm for 3rd time", China Post (12 April 2012).
3. "Putin Hails Vote Victory, Opponents Cry Foul". RIA Novosti. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
4. "Elections in Russia: World Awaits for Putin to Reclaim the Kremlin". The World Reporter. March 2012. Retrieved March 2012.
5. Treisman, D. "Is Russia's Experiment with Democracy Over?". UCLA International Institute. Retrieved 31 December 2007.
6. Democracy Index 2011,http://www.sida.se/Global/About%20Sida/Så%20arbetar%20vi/EIU_Democracy_Index_Dec2011.pdf
7. Guriev, Sergei; Tsyvinski, Aleh (2010). "Challenges Facing the Russian Economy after the Crisis". In Anders Åslund, Sergei Guriev, Andrew C. Kuchins. Russia After the Global Economic Crisis. Peterson Institute for International Economics; Centre for Strategic and International Studies; New Economic School. pp. 12–13. ISBN 9780881324976.
8. "Russians weigh Putin's protégé". Moscow. Associated Press. 3 May 2008. Retrieved 29 December 2008.
9. of Russia from 1992 to 2007 International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 12 May 2008
10. c d e f "Russia's economy under Vladimir Putin: achievements and failures". RIA Novosti. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
11. Putin's Economy – Eight Years On. Russia Profile, 15 August 2007. Retrieved 23 April 2008
12. "The Putin Paradox". Americanprogress.org. 24 June 2004. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
13. Sharlet, Robert (2005). "In Search of the Rule of Law". In White, Gitelman, Sakwa. Developments in Russian Politics 6. Duke University Press. ISBN 0-8223-3522-0.
14. Russia, China in Deal On Refinery, Not Gas by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen. The Wall Street Journal, 22 September 2010
15. ПОСТУПЛЕНИЕ ИНОСТРАННЫХ ИНВЕСТИЦИЙ ПО ТИПАМ Rosstat
16. "Forbes ranks Putin world’s most powerful person, downs Obama". Russia Today. 30 October 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
17. Biography at the Russia's Prime Minister web site at theWayback Machine (archived May 14, 2010)[dead link], in Russian
18. First Person. trans. Catherine A. Fitzpatrick. PublicAffairs. 2000. p. 208. ISBN 978-1-58648-018-9. |coauthors= requires|author= (help)
19. First Person An Astonishingly Frank Self-Portrait by Russia's President Vladimir Putin The New York Times, 2000
20. Putin's Obscure Path From KGB to Kremlin Los Angeles Times, 19 March 2000
21. Portrait of the Young Vladimir Putin Newsweek and the Daily Beast, 20 February 2012
22. (Sakwa 2008, p. 2)
23. "Prime Minister". Russia.rin.ru. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
24. theme: Russian: «Принцип наиболее благоприятствуемой нации»Выпускники за 1975 год at the Wayback Machine(archived April 2, 2012). Saint Petersburg State University's website. ("The principle of most favored nation").
25. Mehdi, Ahmed (6 May 2012). "Putin's Gazprom Problem".Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
26. Владимир Путин. От Первого Лица. Chapter 6
27. c d Pribylovsky, Vladimir (2010). "Valdimir Putin".Власть-2010 (60 биографий) (in Russian). Moscow: Panorama. pp. 132–139. ISBN 978-5-94420-038-9.
28. (Sakwa 2008, pp. 8–9)
29. Hoffman, David (30 January 2000). "Putin's Career Rooted in Russia's KGB". The Washington Post.
30. "Putin set to visit Dresden, the place of his work as a KGB spy, to tend relations with Germany". International Herald Tribune. 9 October 2006.
31. Sakwa, Richard (2007). Putin : Russia's Choice (2nd ed. ed.). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. p. 10. ISBN 9780415407656. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
32. R. Sakwa Putin: Russia's Choice, pp. 10–11
33. R. Sakwa Putin: Russia's Choice, p. 11
34. Archived February 21, 2007 at the Wayback Machine
35. Kovalev, Vladimir (23 July 2004). "Uproar at Honor For Putin".The Saint Petersburg Times.
36. Hoffman, David (30 January 2000). "Putin's Career Rooted in Russia's KGB". The Washington Post.
37. Putin's Name Surfaces in German Probe at the Wayback Machine (archived September 27, 2007) by Catherine Belton
38. Walsh, Nick Paton (29 February 2004). "The Man Who Wasn't There". The Observer.
39. "Владимир Путин: от ассистента Собчака до и.о. премьера" (in Russian). GAZETA.RU.
40. "ПУТИН — КАНДИДАТ НАУК" (in Russian). zavtra.ru. 24 May 2000.[dead link]
41. Gustafson, Thane. Wheel of Fortune: The Battle for Oil and Power in Russia, p. 246 (Harvard University Press, 2012).
42. "It All Boils Down to Plagiarism". Cdi.org. 31 March 2006. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
43. Maxim Shishkin, Dmitry Butrin; Mikhail Shevchuk. "The President as Candidate". Kommersant. Retrieved 30 March 2010.
44. The Half-Decay Products (in Russian) by Oleg Odnokolenko. Itogi, #47(545), 2 January 2007.
45. "Text of Yeltsin's speech in English". BBC News. 9 August 1999. Retrieved 31 May 2007.
46. Yeltsin redraws political map BBC, 10 August 1999
47. "Yeltsin's man wins approval". BBC News. 16 August 1999. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
48. Richard Sakwa Putin: Russia's choice, 2008. p. 20.
49. Political groups and parties: Unity at the Wayback Machine(archived July 2, 2001) Norsk Utenrikspolitisk Institutt
50. УКАЗ от 31 декабря 1999 г. № 1763 О ГАРАНТИЯХ ПРЕЗИДЕНТУ РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ, ПРЕКРАТИВШЕМУ ИСПОЛНЕНИЕ СВОИХ ПОЛНОМОЧИЙ, И ЧЛЕНАМ ЕГО СЕМЬИ. Rossiyskaya Gazeta
51. Александр Колесниченко. ""Развращение" первого лица. Госдума не решилась покуситься на неприкосновенность экс-президента". Newizv.ru. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
52. Ignatius, Adi. Person of the Year 2007: A Tsar Is Born, Time, page 4 (19 December 2007). Retrieved 19 November 2009.
53. c History of Presidential Elections in Russia: InfographicsRIAN
54. Spectre of Kursk haunts Putin, BBC News, 12 August 2001
55. Putin: Russia's Choice, By Richard Sakwa, (Routledge, 2008) page 143-150
56. Playing Russian Roulette: Putin in search of good governance, by Andre Mommen, in Good Governance in the Era of Global Neoliberalism: Conflict and Depolitisation in Latin America, Eastern Europe, Asia, and Africa, By Jolle Demmers, Alex E. Fernández Jilberto, Barbara Hogenboom (Routledge, 2004)
57. Moscow siege leaves dark memories, BBC News, 16 December 2002
58. "Can Grozny be groovy?". The Independent. 6 March 2007. Archived from the original on 28 March 2007.
59. "Human Rights Watch Reports, on human rights abuses in Chechnya". Human Rights Watch. Archived from the originalon 21 November 2006. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
60. Russia Factbook Central Intelligence Agency
61. "The challenges of the Medvedev era". BOFIT Online (Bank of Finland). 24 June 2008. ISSN 1456-811X. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
62. c Путин очертил "дорожную карту" третьего срока BBC
63. How to Steal Legally The Moscow Times, 15 February 2008 (issue 3843, page 8).
64. Putin’s Gamble. Where Russia is headed[dead link] byNikolas Gvosdev, nationalreview.com, 5 November 2003.
65. Putin's Kremlin Asserting More Control of Economy. Yukos Case Reflects Shift on Owning Assets, Notably in Energy byPeter Baker, The Washington Post, 9 July 2004.
66. Andrei Yakovlev State-business relations and improvement of corporate governance in Russia Bank of Finland Institute for Economies in Transition, 29 December 2008
67. "Putin's Russia failed to protect this brave woman – Joan Smith". The Independent. 9 October 2006. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
68. Anna Politkovskaya, Prominent Russian Journalist, Putin Critic and Human Rights Activist, Murdered in Moscow, Democracy Now
69. Answers on questions asked during interview to ARD TV channel (Germany), Dresden, 10 October 2006
70. "The accused of murder of Anna Politkovskaya name possible clients" (in Russian). Information Telegraph Agency of Russia. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
71. Lee, Steven (10 March 2007). "Kasparov, Building Opposition to Putin". The New York Times (Russia). Retrieved 2 March 2010.
72. "Garry Kasparov jailed over rally". BBC News. 24 November 2007. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
73. VCIOM: Dissenters' Marches Do Not Interest Russians, Regnum.ru, 3 July 2007
74. "Putin Dissolves Government, Nominates Viktor Zubkov as New Prime Minister". Fox News Channel. 12 September 2007. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
75. Election Preliminary Results for United Russia, 4 December 2007, Rbc.ru
76. Russians Voted In Favour of Putin, 4 December 2007,Izvestia
77. Assenters' March, 3 December 2007, Izvestia
78. Будущий премьер Путин намерен лично контролировать губернаторов NEWSru.com 30 April 2008.
79. Губернаторов начальник. Будущий премьер намерен лично контролировать региональных руководителей (The chief of governors. The future premier intends to personally check regional leaders.) Nezavisimaya gazeta 30 April 2008.
80. Putin Is Approved as Prime Minister
81. "Russian Economic Reports". World Bank. 10 November 2009. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
82. "Russia's Putin set to return as president in 2012". BBC News. 24 September 2011. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
83. Paul Bummer. "7 статей и джек-пот: Путин завершил серию публикаций". Neprussia.ru. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
84. Russian election protests – follow live updates, The Guardian. Retrieved 10 December 2011
85. Как митинг на Поклонной собрал около 140 000 человекpolitonline.ru (Russian)
86. ‘We Won in Fair and Open Fight' – Putin RIAN
87. c Putin Supporters Fill Moscow Stadium RIAN
88. Elder, Miriam (17 August 2012). "Pussy Riot sentenced to two years in prison colony over anti-Putin protest". The Guardian.
89. Провокация вместо марша vz.ru
90. "Russian police battle anti-Putin protesters". Reuters. 6 May 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
91. СК пересчитал пострадавших полицейских во время "Марша миллионов" Lenta.ru
92. Parfitt, Tom (7 May 2012). "Vladimir Putin inauguration shows how popularity has crumbled". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 7 May 2012.
93. "Vladimir Putin inaugurated as Russian president amid Moscow protests". Guardian. 7 May 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
94. ""Putin Inaugurated; States Intention for Russia to Be "Center of Gravity for the Whole of Eurasia", May 8, 2012". Larouchepac.com. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
95. ""Putin decrees EU closeness policy", Voice of Russia, May 7, 2012". English.ruvr.ru. 7 May 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
96. "Госдума приняла закон о "нетрадиционных отношениях"". BBC Russia. 11 June 2013. Archived from the original on 12 June 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
97. "ГД приняла закон об усилении наказания за пропаганду гомосексуализма среди подростков". РБК. 11 June 2013. Archived from the original on 12 June 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
98. "Discrimination in Russia: Arrests for Violation of St. Petersburg Anti-Gay Law", Spiegel Online, April, 06, 2012
99. "Russian parliament backs ban on "gay propaganda",Reuters, 25 January 2013
100. "Russia moves to enact laws against 'homosexual propaganda'", Fox news, 21 January 2013
101. Jivanda, Tomas (19 Jan 2014). "Vladimir Putin: 'I know some people who are gay, we're on friendly terms'". The Independent. Retrieved 8 Feb 2014.
102. Putin becomes Popular Front for Russia leader[dead link],Interfax-Ukraine (13 June 2013)
103. "Echo of Soviet era in Putin's bid for votes". The Australian. 17 June 2011.
104. "Putin inaugurates new movement amid fresh protests". BBC. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
105. White, Stephen (2010). "Classifying Russia's Politics". In White, Stephen. Developments in Russian Politics 7. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-230-22449-0.
106. R. Sakwa, Putin: Russia's Choice, 2008, p. 42-43
107. Sovereignty is a Political Synonym of Competitiveness at theWayback Machine (archived December 8, 2006)[dead link]Vladislav Surkov, public appearance, 7 February 2006
108. Our Russian Model of Democracy is Titled «Sovereign Democracy» at the Wayback Machine (archived November 5, 2006)[dead link] Vladislav Surkov, briefing, 28 June 2006.
109. Lynch, Dov (2005). "The enemy is at the gate": Russia after Beslan. International Affairs 81 (1), 141–161.
110. Putin tightens grip on security, BBC News, 13 September 2004.
111. "Президентское фильтрование губернаторов оценили политики". Radiovesti.ru. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
112. Kramer, Andrew E. (22 April 2007). "50% Good News Is the Bad News in Russian Radio". The New York Times (Russia). Retrieved 24 September 2011.
113. Masha Lipman, Anders Aslund (2 December 2004). "Russian Media Criticism of Vladimir Putin: Evidence and Significance". Carnegieendowment.org. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
114. "State Duma Approves Liberal Political Reforms". RIA Novosti. 28 February 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
115. "Arkady Rotenberg". Forbes.com. 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
116. "Несмотря на двукратное снижение числа убийств, на фоне европейских показателей оно остается крайне высоким". Demoscope.ru. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
117. "МВД рапортует: количество терактов снизилось в 15 раз". Finmarket.ru. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
118. "Report for Selected Countries and Subjects". Imf.org. 14 September 2006. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
119. "Ежегодно объем потребительского кредитования в России удваивается". Bank.samaratoday.ru. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
120. "Основные Социально-Экономические Индикаторы Уровня Жизни Населения". Gks.ru. Archived from the original on 18 February 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
121. Iikka. Korhonen et al. The challenges of the Medvedev era. Bank of Finland's Institute for Economies in Transition, 24 June 2008.
122. c Daniel Mitchell Russia's Flat-Tax Miracle at the Wayback Machine (archived June 29, 2011). The Heritage Foundation. 24 March 2003.
123. "Putin Advocates Strong Russia, Liberal Economy; President Surprisingly Candid in First State of Nation Address". Encyclopedia.com. 9 July 2000. Archived from the original on *. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
124. Preobragenskaya, Galina; McGee, Robert W. (2006). "A Comparative Study of Taxation in Russia and Other CIS, East European and OECD Countries". Accounting and Financial Systems Reform in Eastern Europe and Asia. New York: Springer. pp. 277–298. doi:10.1007/0-387-25710-1_10.ISBN 978-0-387-25709-9. SSRN 526745.
125. Goldman, Marshall I. (2008). "Chapter 5". Petrostate: Putin, Power and the New Russia. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-534073-0.
126. Rosstat Confirms Record GDP Growth Kommersant. Retrieved 5 May 2008.
127. Aris, Ben. "Russia's WTO Entry: One Year On, Business is Disappointed”, Financial Times (27 June 2013).
128. Krkoska, Alan; Spencer (2008). "Automotive Industry in Russia: Impact of foreign investments in car assembly plants on suppliers’ entry". European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
129. Zvereva, Polina (11 October 2009). "State-sponsored consolidation". Russia & CIS Observer 3 (26).
130. "Annual Report 2009". United Aircraft Corporation. 2010.
131. Future Vision The Wall Street Journal
132. Russia builds nuclear power stations all over the world at amur.kp.ru
133. Richard Galpin (22 September 2010). "The struggle for Arctic riches". BBC News. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
134. Peter Fairley (2 July 2010). "Russia Launches Floating Nuclear Power Plant". IEEE Spectrum. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
135. "Prirazlmonaya sea platform to be delivered to offshore oil field". Information Telegraph Agency of Russia. 26 August 2011. Retrieved 28 August 2011.[dead link]
136. Andrew Kramer (30 August 2011). "Exxon Reaches Arctic Oil Deal With Russians". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
137. The New York Times. 6 November 2004. Retrieved 20 April 2008.
138. Tony Johnson. "G8's Gradual Move toward Post-Kyoto Climate Change Policy". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
139. THE AMUR TIGER PROGRAMME[dead link] premier.gov.ru
140. THE WHITE WHALE PROGRAMME[dead link] premier.gov.ru
141. THE POLAR BEAR PROGRAMME[dead link] premier.gov.ru
142. THE SNOW LEOPARD PROGRAMME[dead link]premier.gov.ru
143. Bell, I (2002). Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia.ISBN 978-1-85743-137-7. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
144. A religion for the nation or a nation for the religion: Putin's third way for Russia, Beth Admiraal, in Russian Nationalism and the National Reassertion of Russia, edited by Marlène Laruelle, (Routledge, 2009)
145. "Bethlehem street named after Putin". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 27 June 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
146. "he President of Russia attended the ceremonial signing of the Act on Canonical Communion that was held in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour" (Press release). Embassy of Russia in Ottawa. 17 May 2007. Archived from the original on 2 October 2008. Retrieved 2 October 2008. Archived by WebCite atwww.webcitation.org/5bGjBVfm6
147. No love lost, Yossi Mehlman, Haaretz, 11 December 2005
148. Phyllis Berman Lea Goldman, (15 September 2003). "Cracked De Beers". Forbes
149. Krichevksy, Lev (10 October 2011). ""In Putin's return, Russian Jews see stability". Jewish Telegraphic Agency". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
150. Beginning of Meeting with Defense Minister Anatoliy Serdyukov, 5 December 2007, Kremlin.ru
151. Guy Faulconbridge Russian navy to start sorties in Mediterranean. Reuters. 5 December 2007.
152. "Military reform to change army structure. What about its substance?". RIA Novosti. 17 October 2008. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
153. Kristensen, Hans M. "New START Data Released: Nuclear Flatlining." FAS, 3 October 2012.
154. William J. Broad (19 February 2008). "Russia's Claim Under Polar Ice Irks American". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
155. Adrian Blomfield (11 June 2008). "Russia plans Arctic military build-up". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 27 July 2011.
156. Mia Bennett (4 July 2011). "Russia, Like Other Arctic States, Solidifies Northern Military Presence". Foreign Policy Association. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
157. c d e f Shuster, Simon. "The World According to Putin,"Time 16 Sep 2013, pp 30–35
158. wmf . media.kremlin.ru (2007)
159. "Sochi 2014: Putin declares gay athletes welcome", BBC (October 28, 2013).
160. "President Obama joins list of world leaders to snub Sochi Olympics". Salon. December 18, 2013.
161. "Putin Plays Games to Salvage Olympics". Bloomberg.com. December 19, 2013.
162. c America's Failed (Bi-Partisan) Russia Policy by Stephen F. Cohen, Huffington Post
163. c d Stuermer, Michael (2008). Putin and the Rise of Russia. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. pp. 55, 57 & 192.ISBN 9780297855101. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
164. "Interview for Indian Television Channel Doordarshan and Press Trust of India News Agency, 18 January 2007". Kremlin.ru. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
165. 43rd Munich Conference on Security Policy. Putin's speech in English, 10 February 2007.
166. Watson, Rob (10 February 2007). "Putin's speech: Back to cold war? Putin's speech: Back to cold war?". BBC.
167. "Munich Conference on Security Policy, As Delivered by Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, 11 February 2007". Defenselink.mil. Retrieved 2013-12-21.
168. "Press Conference following the end of the G8 Summit". Kremlin.ru. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
169. "Russia walks away from CFE arms treaty". Agence France-Presse. 12 December 2007. Retrieved 13 December 2007.
170. "EU's Solana rejects Putin's criticism over Kosovo's independence". IRNA. 23 February 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
171. "Putin: supports for Kosovo unilateral independence "immoral, illegal"". Xinhua News Agency. 14 February 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
172. "Putin: Kosovo case terrible precedent". Press TV. 22 February 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
173. Simpson, Emma (16 January 2006). "Merkel cools Berlin Moscow ties". BBC News. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
174. c Gonzalo Vina and Sebastian Alison (20 July 2007). "Brown Defends Russian Expulsions, Decries Killings". Bloomberg News.
175. UK spied on Russians with fake rock BBC
176. "Litvinenko's father apologises for accusing Russia", BBC News, 12 February 2012
177. Litvinenko: MI5, MI6 death files ordered released, RT
178. Vladimir Putin (24 December 2012). "For Russia, deepening friendship with India is a top foreign policy priority by President Vladimir Putin". The Hindu. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
179. "India, Russia sign new defence deals". BBC. 24 December 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
180. Rajeev Sharma, specially for RIR (24 December 2012). "13th Indo-Russian Summit reaffirms time-tested ties: Russia & India Report". Indrus.in. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
181. Page, Jeremy (26 September 2010). "Russian Oil Route Will Open to China". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 28 September 2010.
182. Press Statement following the Peace Mission 2007 Counterterrorism Exercises and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit, 17 August 2007, Chelyabinsk Region.
183. Russia restores Soviet-era strategic bomber patrols, 17 August 2007, RIA Novosti, Russia.
184. SCO Scares NATO[dead link], 8 August 2007, KM.ru
185. Russia Over Three Oceans, 20 August 2007, "Chas", Latvia.
186. Putin: Iran Has Right to Develop Peaceful Nuclear Programme, 16 October 2007, Rbc.ru
187. "Putin's warning to the U.S.". Reuters. 16 October 2007. Archived from the original on 17 October 2007.
188. Putin Positive on Second Caspian Summit Results, Meets With Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, 16 October 2007, Kremlin.ru
189. Visit to Iran. Second Caspian Summit, 15–16 October 2007, Kremlin.ru
190. Vladimir Putin defies assassination threats to make historic visit to Tehran, 16 October 2007, The Times.
191. Answer to a Question at the Joint Press Conference Following the Second Caspian Summit, 16 October 2007, Tehran, Kremlin.ru
192. "Putin's visit 'historic and strategic'". Gulf News. 18 April 2008. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
193. Parks, Cara (21 March 2011). "Putin: Military Intervention In Libya Resembles 'Crusades'". Huffington Post.
194. "Putin states the West has no legal right to execute Gaddafi – RT". Russia: RT. 26 April 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
195. "Vladimir Putin Blames US Drones For Gaddafi Death, Slams John McCain". Mediaite. 15 December 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
196. Citizen, Ottawa (16 December 2011). "Putin claims U.S. planned murder of Gadhafi". Canada.com. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
197. Trenin, Dmitri (9 February 2012). "Why Russia Supports Assad". The New York Times.
198. Fred Weir (19 January 2012). "Why Russia is willing to sell arms to Syria". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
199. Viscusi, Gregory (1 June 2012). "Hollande Clashes With Putin Over Ouster of Syria's Assad". Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
200. Putin, Vladimir V. (11 September 2013). "A Plea for Caution From Russia". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
201. ”Putin says US, Russia agree on how to destroy Syria's chemical weapons”, The Jerusalem Post (8 October 2013).
202. Polish head rejects Putin attack, BBC News (24 December 2004)
203. c Q&A: Russia-Ukraine gas row, BBC News (20 January 2009).
204. Ukraine's parliament votes to abandon Nato ambitions, BBC News (3 June 2010)
205. "After Russian Invasion of Georgia, Putin's Words Stir Fears about Ukraine", Kyiv Post (30 November 2010)
206. "Russia and Eurasia". Heritage.org. Archived from the original on 28 May 2009. Retrieved 10 May 2009.
207. "Day-by-day: Georgia-Russia crisis". BBC News. 21 August 2008. Retrieved 10 May 2009.
208. Sparks, Ian (14 November 2008). "Putin planned to topple the president of Georgia and 'hang him by the b****', says Nicolas Sarkozy's chief adviser". Daily Mail (London).
209. World Report 2011: Ukraine, Human Rights Watch
210. Russia, Ukraine agree on naval-base-for-gas deal, CNN (21 April 2010)
211. Kyrgyzstan profile, BBC News
212. New Integration Project for Eurasia – A Future That Is Being Born Today, Izvestiya (3 October 2011)
213. Новый интеграционный проект для Евразии – будущее, которое рождается сегодня (Russian)
214. Bryanski, Gleb (3 October 2011). "Russia's Putin says wants to build "Eurasian Union"". Yahoo! News. Reuters. Retrieved 4 October 2011.[dead link]
215. "Новый интеграционный проект для Евразии – будущее, которое рождается сегодня". Izvestia (in Russian). 3 October 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
216. Kilner, James (6 October 2011). "Kazakhstan welcomes Putin's Eurasian Union concept". The Daily Telegraph(London). Retrieved 8 October 2011.
217. "Russia sees union with Belarus and Kazakhstan by 2015". BBC News. 18 November 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
218. Russia forges nuclear links with Venezeula[dead link] France 24
219. Russian bombers land in Venezuela BBC
220. [1] at the Wayback Machine
221. "Russia Courts Indonesia". Brtsis.com. 12 October 2007. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
222. "Addresses to the Federal Assembly". Kremlin.ru. Archived from the original on 6 June 2008. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
223. "Article 84 of the Russian Constitution". Constitution.ru. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
224. c d "СМИ: мюнхенская речь Путина – поворотная точка во внешней политике РФ". Nr2.ru. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
225. Медведев поздравил любимую группу Путина с 20-летиемnewsru.ua
226. Speech at the Military Parade Celebrating the 62nd Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, Red Square, Moscow, 9 May 2007.
227. Путин: Главное, чтобы мы были вместе vz.ru
228. "'We won!' Teary-eyed Putin proclaims victory". Setyoufreenews.com. 4 March 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
229. Madslien, Jorn (4 July 2007). "Russia's economic might: spooky or soothing?". BBC News. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
230. "Putin's performance in office — Trends". Russiavotes.org. 31 October 2007. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
231. Arkhipov, Ilya (24 January 2013). "Putin Approval Rating Falls to Lowest Since 2000: Poll". Bloomberg. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
232. "Quarter of Russians Think Living Standards Improved During Putin's Rule" (in Russian). Oprosy.info. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
233. No wonder they like Putin by Norman Stone, 4 December 2007, The Times.
234. Russia through the looking-glass openDemocracy. "...while only about half of Russian households have a telephone line at home, well over 90% have access to the First Channel and Rossiya. And for a vast majority of Russians, they are virtually the only source of information about political events. Given that typically well over half of their news broadcasts consist of sympathetic coverage of Vladimir Putin and members of the United Russia party, and oppositional figures are always presented in a negative or ironic light (if at all), it is unsurprising that the president is enjoying considerable popularity.". Retrieved 16 April 2008.
235. Adi Ignatius. Person of the Year 2007, Time.
236. Albright, Madeleine. "Vladimir Putin", Time. Retrieved 1 May 2008.
237. Struck, Doug. "Gorbachev Applauds Putin's Achievements",The Washington Post, 5 December 2007.
238. "Пресс-секретарь Путина ответил Горбачеву" [Putin's press spokesman answered Gorbachev]. Korrespondent (in Russian). 25 December 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
239. "Das Internet prägt Russlands Wahlkampf" [The internet characterises Russia's campaign] (in German). RP online. 17 February 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
240. Smirnova, Julia (8 February 2012). "Wie die Putin-Jugend das Internet manipulierte" (in German). Retrieved 6 March 2012.
241. David Leigh; Luke Harding (2011). WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy. PublicAffairs. p. 223. ISBN 978-1-61039-062-0.
242. Marcel Van Herpen (25 January 2013). Putinism: The Slow Rise of a Radical Right Regime in Russia. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 161. ISBN 978-1-137-28280-4.
243. Parfitt, Tom. "WikiLeaks row: Putin labels US embassy cables 'slanderous'", The Guardian, 1 December 2010.
244. Andrew Osborn (25 September 2011). "Fears Vladimir Putin will turn Russia into outright dictatorship". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
245. William J. Dobson (10 June 2012). "What, Me a Dictator?".The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
246. Stephen Romei (18 May 2012). "Putin the elected dictator is doomed, biographer claims". The Australian. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
247. Masha Gessen (21 May 2012). "The Dictator". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
248. "David Miliband: Vladimir Putin Is A 'Ruthless Dictator'".Huffington Post. 4 March 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
249. "Mitt Romney: Vladimir Putin 'a threat to global peace'". The Daily Telegraph. 23 December 2011.
250. "Russia's Anti-Putin Opposition: One Year On". [RIA Novosti]. 12 December 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
251. Bass, Sadie (5 August 2009). "Putin Bolsters Tough Guy Image With Shirtless Photos, Australian Broadcasting Corporation". ABC News. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
252. c "Putin gone wild: Russia abuzz over pics of shirtless leader.". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Associated Press. 22 August 2007. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
253. c d Rawnsley, Adam (26 May 2011). "Pow! Zam! Nyet! 'Superputin' Battles Terrorists, Protesters in Online Comic".Wired. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
254. c d e f g 7 Reasons Vladimir Putin Is the World's Craziest Badass cracked.com
255. В.В.Путин взял в понедельник однодневный отпуск и провел его в Тыве at the Wayback Machine[dead link]
256. В.В.Путин, находящийся с рабочей поездкой в Сибирском федеральном округе, совершил спуск на глубоководном аппарате «Мир» на дно озера Байкал at the Wayback Machine[dead link]
257. Организаторы сафари для Путина объяснились по поводу "подставы с тигром": "Кому-то что-то показалось"newsru.com
258. Putin attaches satellite tag to tranquilized polar bear in Russia's Arctic Fox News Channel
259. "Finland accidentally bans Putin". 3 News NZ. 11 April 2013.
260. Using crossbow, Putin fires darts at whale MSNBC
261. "Премьер-гонка: Владимир Путин протестировал болид "Формулы-1"". Rg.ru. 17 March 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
262. Путин погрузился с аквалангом на дно Таманского залива tetis.ru
263. Vladimir Putin diving discovery was staged, spokesman admits, The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 16 March 2012
264. Vladimir Putin leads endangered cranes on migration route in hang glider The Guardian
265. "Russians smell something fishy in Putin's latest stunt". Reuters. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
266. "Putin's Big Fish Story Leaves Russians in Doubt". Bloomberg. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
267. "Putin Sings Blueberry Hill for Charity". Nonprofitquarterly.org. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
268. "Владимир Путин сыграл на рояле "С чего начинается родина"". Dp.ru. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
269. Картина Путина стала самым дорогим лотом на аукционе в Петербурге RIAN
270. @openspace_ru (14 March 2008). "Песни про Путина". Openspace.ru. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
271. "Такого, как Путин". YouTube. 23 February 2008. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
272. "Гороскоп (Путин, не ссы!)". YouTube. 2 February 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
273. ВВП on YouTube
274. WATCH: No One In Russia Can Work Out If This Pro-Putin Dance-Pop Song Is Sincere — Or Satire businessinsider.com
275. Как используется бренд "Путин": зажигалки, икра, футболки, консервированный перец Gazeta 30 November 2007.
276. "Частушки (Не было оргазма)". Sergeysv.net. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
277. Вова и Дима Lenta.ru
278. "Superputin official site". Superputin.ru. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
279. Epic Rap Battles of History Stalin vs. Rasputin on YouTube
280. Фильм о любви человека, похожего на Путина BBC
281. "Come to me, blogger-logi!". Themoscownews.com. 16 January 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
282. c d Путинизмы – "продуманный личный эпатаж"? BBC(Russian)
283. c d 20 высказываний Путина, ставших афоризмамиRIAN
284. Премьер-министр Владимир Путин: Их нужно выковырять со дна канализации Izvestia
285. Putin: NSA whistleblower Snowden is in Moscow airport | World news. The Guardian. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
286. Day, Matthew (2 November 2011). "Vladimir Putin 'a wife beater and philanderer', documents allege". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 19 May 2012.
287. c Osborn, Andrew (18 October 2010). "Vladimir Putin and wife spark divorce rumours with photo shoot". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 19 May 2012.
288. c Elder, Miriam (27 February 2012). "Will Vladimir Putin's voting chances be hurt by 'cloistered wife' rumours?". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 19 May 2012.
289. c "Mystery of Russia's missing First Lady: Is Putin's 'affair' with spy Anna Chapman the reason Lyudmila is never seen in public... or is she just locked away in a monastery?". Daily Mail(London). 23 April 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
290. Quetteville, Harry de (17 April 2008). "Vladimir Putin 'to wed Olympic gymnast half his age'". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 17 April 2008.
291. "Putin denies tabloid report that plans to marry former champion gymnast". International Herald Tribune. 18 April 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2008.
292. Shaun Walker, in The Independent, quoting Moskovski Korrespondent (18 April 2008). "A president, the gymnast and marriage rumors that won't go away". London. Retrieved 18 April 2008.
293. "After Night at Ballet, Russia's First Couple Announces Divorce". RIA Novosti. 24 May 2002. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
294. Craggs, Ryan. "Putin Divorce: Russian President And Wife Lyudmila Say Marriage Is Over On TV". Huffington Post.
295. Yablokova, Oksana (9 August 2002). "Putin's Girls Having La Dolce Vita Break". The St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 13 February 2009.
296. "'Onze' Jorrit versiert de blonde dochter van Poetin". Depers.nl. Archived from the original on 17 January 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
297. "Russia's mysterious Dutch businessman". Rnw.nl. 12 January 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
298. "Dochter Poetin woont in Voorschoten – Binnenland | Het laatste nieuws uit Nederland leest u op Telegraaf.nl [binnenland]". De Telegraaf. 8 April 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
299. "Медведчук і Марченко помінялися місцями". Tablo ID (in(Ukrainian)). 2007-11-11. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
300. "Russia's Plan For Ukraine: Purported Leaked Strategy Document Raises Alarm". RFE. August 20, 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
301. "Medvedchuk flexes muscles after protesters pay house call". Kyiv Post. Dec 30, 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
302. "Acceptable compromises and shared hypocrisies". Kyiv Post. Oct 8, 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
303. "Quote.Rbc.Ru :: Аюмй Яюмйр-Оерепаспц — Юйжхх, Ярпсйрспю, Мнбнярх, Тхмюмяш". Quote.ru. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
304. "Vladimir Putin: the Russian president’s 'life of four yachts and 58 aircraft’". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
305. Foreign, Our (3 March 2011). "'Putin palace' sells for $350 million". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 5 May 2012.
306. ЦИК зарегистрировал список "ЕР" Rossiyskaya Gazeta N 4504 27 October 2007
307. ЦИК раскрыл доходы Путина Vzglyad 26 October 2007
308. "Is Vladimir Putin the richest man on earth?". News.com.au. 26 September 2013.
309. Gennadi Timchenko: Russia's most low-profile billionaireSobesednik № 10, 7 March 2007
310. Harding, Luke (21 December 2007). "Putin, the Kremlin power struggle and the $40bn fortune". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 18 August 2008.
311. "Nina L. Khrushcheva examines the affinities between Russia's leader and Argentina's post-war strongman.". Project Syndicate. Retrieved 2013-12-21.
312. "Что касается различных слухов по поводу денежного состояния, я смотрел некоторые бумажки на этот счёт: просто болтовня, которую нечего обсуждать, просто чушь. Все выковыряли из носа и размазали по своим бумажкам. Вот так я к этому и отношусь." The President's annual press conference for the Russian and foreign media, 14 February 2008, Kremlin.ru
313. How the 1980s Explains Vladimir Putin. The Ozero group. By Fiona Hill & Clifford G. Gaddy, The Atlantic, February 14, 2013
314. "Vladimir Putin 'galley slave' lifestyle: palaces, planes and a $75,000 toilet". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
315. "Тайна за семью заборами". Kommersant.ru. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
316. "Putin's palace? A mystery Black Sea mansion fit for a tsar". BBC. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
317. Wagner, Hans (30 June 2006). "Das Konfliktpotential mit den USA wächst (German)". Retrieved 29 March 2007.
318. Wardell, Jane (25 June 2003). "Putin treated royally on historic London visit". Findarticles.com. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
319. Kremlin Chief of Staff Surprised but Not Alarmed by Navalny, The Moscow Times, 2 October 2013.
320. c (Sakwa 2008, p. 3)
321. Timothy J. Colton, Michael MacFaul (2003). Popular Choice and Managed Democracy: the Russian elections of 1999 and 2000. Washington DC: The Brookings Institution.
322. Putin Q&A: Full Transcript Time. Retrieved 22 March 2008
323. Vladimir Putin: the NPR interview US radio station National Public Radio New York (15 November 2001)
324. Putin, Vladimir; Vasily Shestakov, Alexey Levitsky (July 2004).Judo: History, Theory, Practice. Blue Snake Books. ISBN 1-55643-445-6.
325. Black-Belt President Putin: A Man of Gentle Arts by Yasuhiro Yamashita
326. Moskovsky Komsomolets: “Putin becomes sixth-level black belt” at the Wayback Machine[dead link] by Oleg Fochkin. premier.gov, re-publication of a Moskovsky Komsomolets article.
327. "Putin urges revival of Soviet-era fitness tests – New York News | NYC Breaking News". Myfoxny.com. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
328. Reuters in Moscow. "Vladimir Putin teams up with Steven Seagal to promote healthy lifestyle". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
329. "Steven Seagal, Vladimir Putin sell revival of Russia fitness program". National Post. 13 March 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
330. Медведев и Путин покатались на горных лыжах в Сочиrosbalt.ru
331. "Д.Медведев призвал россиян активнее играть в бадминтон" (in Russian). Top.rbc.ru. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
332. "Путин провел тренировку по хоккею с Фетисовым". Lifenews.ru. 19 November 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
333. "Putin to talk pipeline, attend football game". B92. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
334. "Vladimir Putin: The coldest warrior". Express. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
335. "Putin's lab bitch prominent negotiator". RIA Novosti. 9 April 2005. Retrieved 22 December 2008.
336. "Любимая собака Путина заговорила по-английски с детьми" (in Russian). NEWSru. 19 July 2005. Retrieved 2 December 2009.
337. "Prime Minister Vladimir Putin chaired a meeting on expanding the Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS)". Prime Minister of Russia. 17 October 2008. Archived from the originalon 24 July 2011. Retrieved 24 December 2008.
338. Председатель Правительства России В.В.Путин выбрал имя для своей новой собаки. И помог ему в этом пятилетний Дима Соколов из Москвы at the Wayback Machine[dead link]
339. (French) Video Chirac décore Poutine
340. Atul Aneja Putin goes calling on the Saudis. The Hindu. 20 February 2007
341. Putin Receives Top UAE's Decoration, Order of Zayed, Rbc.ru, 10 September 2007
342. "Глобальный игрок. ''Expert'' magazine. № 48 (589) 24 December 2007". Expert.ru. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
343. В Грозном появился проспект имени Путина Lenta.ru
344. Парламент Киргизии присвоил горной вершине имя Путина. Lenta.ru. 17 February 2011
345. "Vladimir Putin in China Confucius Peace Prize fiasco". BBC. 15 November 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
346. Wong, Edward (15 November 2011). "In China, Confucius Prize Awarded to Putin". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
347. "B92 News: Belgrade University to award Putin honorary doctorate". Retrieved 11 June 2012.

source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Putin

Enrico Letta Biography

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 02:13:00 +0000

Enrico Letta Biography

Who Is Enrico Letta?

Enrico Letta

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Enrico Letta (pronounced [enˌriːko ˈlɛtta]; born 20 August 1966) is an Italian politician who has been the Prime Minister of Italy since 2013, leading a grand coalition comprising the centre-left Democratic Party, the centre-right People of Freedom, and the centrist Civic Choice. He has also been a Member of the Chamber of Deputies since 2006.[1] He was previously Minister of European Affairs from 1998 to 1999 and Minister of Industry from 1999 to 2001, and served as Secretary to the Council of Ministers from 2006 to 2008. His uncle is centre-right politician Gianni Letta, a trusted advisor of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Early life and education

Enrico Letta was born in Pisa, Tuscany, to Giorgio Letta, an Abruzzo-born professor of mathematics who teaches probability theory at the University of Pisa (member of the Accademia dei Lincei and of the Accademia nazionale delle scienze), and Anna Bianchi, a Sardinian born in Sassari and raised in Porto Torres.[2][3] Born into a numerous family, uncles on his father's side include the centre-right politician Gianni Letta—a close advisor of Silvio Berlusconi—and the archeologist Cesare Letta, while one of his paternal aunts, Maria Teresa Letta, is vice president of the Italian Red Cross;[2] a maternal great-uncle is the poet and playwright Gian Paolo Bazzoni.[3]

After spending part of his childhood in Strasbourg[4] he completed his schooling in Italy at the liceo classico Galileo Galilei in Pisa.[5] He has a degree in political science, which he received from the University of Pisa and subsequently obtained a Doctorate at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies (a Graduate School with University status).[6][n 1]

Political career

Letta began his political career in the party Christian Democracy (DC),[8] the dominant Roman Catholic formation that housed diverse right- and left-leaning political factions within a single catch-all party. From 1991 to 1995 Letta was president of the Youth of the European People's Party,[6] (the official youth wing of the European People's Party—the political party at European level founded by national-level Christian democratic parties, including the Italian DC); he used his presidency to help strengthen long-term connections among a variety of centrist parties in Europe, and has since remained a convinced supporter of the European Union.[9][10]

During the Ciampi government (1993–1994) he worked as chief-of-staff for the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Beniamino Andreatta; this left-leaning Christian Democrat economist with whom Letta had already been collaborating in a think tank (Agenzia di Ricerche e Legislazione, AREL) played a highly influential role in his political career.[6][9]

Following the collapse of the DC in 1994, Letta joined its immediate successor, the much smaller Italian People's Party; after serving as secretary general of the Treasury's Euro Committee (1996–1997), he became deputy secretary of the party in 1997–1998, when it was fully allied with the centre-left.[11] In 1998, he was appointed Minister of European Affairs in Massimo D'Alema's Cabinet at the age of 32, becoming the youngest cabinet minister in post-war Italy.[8] In 1999 Letta became Minister of Industry. In the 2001 general election he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies as a member of Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy, a newly formed centrist formation to which the Italian People's Party had adhered.[11][12]

In 2004 Letta left the Italian Parliament to be elected as a member of the European Parliament, where he sat in the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) group and was a member of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs.[13] In 2006 he returned to the Chamber of Deputies and was made Secretary to the Council of Ministers in the Prodi II Cabinet, thereby succeeding his uncle Gianni Letta who had held the same post in the outgoing third Berlusconi Cabinet, before reconsigning the post to his uncle two years later on the formation of the fourth Berlusconi government.[9][10]

Having been a founding member of the Democratic Party (PD) in 2007, Letta stood in the first leadership election (an open primary) and came third with 11% of the vote.[14] During the next leadership election of 2009, he supported the eventual winner, Pier Luigi Bersani, and went on to be elected (on 7 November) Deputy Secretary by the party's national convention.[15]

On 20 April 2013, together with the effectiveness of the resignation of the Secretary Bersani, owing to the bankruptcy of the candidates for President of the Republic of Franco Marini and Romano Prodi, during the 2013 presidential election the whole leadership of the Democratic Party, including Deputy Secretary Letta, resigned from their positions.

Prime Minister

On 24 April 2013, Letta was invited to form a government by President Giorgio Napolitano, after the resignation of Pier Luigi Bersani following weeks of political deadlock after the 2013 general election.[16] On 27 April Letta formally accepted the task of leading a Grand coalition government, with support from the centre-left Democratic Party (of which he stays Deputy Secretary), the centre-right People of Freedom, and the centrist Civic Choice, and subsequently listed the members of his Cabinet. The government he formed became the first in the history of the Italian Republic to include representatives of all the major candidate-coalitions that had competed in the election. His close relationship with his uncle Gianni Letta, one of Silvio Berlusconi's most trusted advisors, was perceived as a way of overcoming the bitter hostility between the two opposing camps.[4][17] Letta appointed Angelino Alfano, secretary of the People of Freedom, as his Deputy Prime Minister. Letta was formally sworn-in as Prime Minister on 28 April; during the ceremony, a man fired shots outside Palazzo Chigi and wounded two Carabinieri.[18]

On 14 June 2013 Letta promotes a summit at Palazzo Chigi with Ministers of Economy and Labour of Italy, Germany, France and Spain on the issue of youth unemployment.[19] On 15 June, the government issues the "Decree of doing," measure aimed at hiring policies for economic recovery.[20]

On 17 and 18 June, he participated in his first G8 at Lough Erne in Northern Ireland.[21]

On 28 September the five ministers of The People of Freedom resigned on the orders of their leader, Silvio Berlusconi, pointing to the decision to postpone the decree that prevented the increase of the VAT from 21 to 22%, thus opening a government crisis.[22] The next day, Letta had a meeting with President Napoltiano to take stock of the possible alternatives. Previously the Head of State had said he would dissolve parliament only if there were no possible alternatives.[23]

On 2 October, Letta won a parliamentary vote of confidence.[24][25] Dozens of Berlusconi's supporters prepared to defy him and vote in favour of the government, prompting him to reverse course and announce that he too would back the prime minister.[26][27][28] The government got 235 votes in favor and 70 against in the 2 October morning vote in the Senate, and in the afternoon the Chamber of Deputies voted 435 in favor and 162 against. Letta could thus continue his Grand coalition government.[29] He called for another vote on 11 December after Forza Italia pulled out of the coalition after Berlusconi was evicted from parliament.[30]

Other activities

Letta is the secretary general of the think tank Agenzia di Ricerche e Legislazione (AREL), founded by Beniamino Andreatta. He himself founded the associations Trecentosessanta and VeDrò.[31] Letta is a member of the European committee of the Trilateral Commission[32] and of the executive committee of the Aspen Institute Italia.[33]

Personal life

He is married to Gianna Fregonara and they have three children,[34] Giacomo, Lorenzo and Francesco Letta.

He is known to be fond of listening to Dire Straits and playing Subbuteo.[35] He speaks French and English.[10]

Notes and references

Notes

1. It is not altogether clear whether the Doctorate degree was obtained in International Law in 1997 as reported in his curriculum vitae,[5] or in Political Science in 1999 as reported by ANSA.[7]

References

1. Italian Parliament Website LETTA Enrico – PD Retrieved 24 April 2013

2. Motta, Nino (2 February 2013). "Un Letta per ogni stagione".Il Centro.

3. "Gli zii di Enrico Letta. Non solo Gianni: c’è anche Gian Paolo Bazzoni a Porto Torres". Sardinia Post. 25 April 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2013.

4. Winfield, Nicole (24 April 2013). "Enrico Letta Appointed Italian Prime Minister, Asked To Form Government". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 4 May 2013.

5. Letta, Enrico (2013). "Curriculum Vitae" (PDF). Retrieved 3 June 2013.

6. c "Enrico Letta: la bio del giovane dalla grande esperienza". Huffington Post (in Italian). 24 August 2013. Retrieved 3 June 2013.

7. "Su esecutivo marchio scuola Sant'Anna: Pisa Letta si e' specializzato, Carrozza e' stato rettore" (in Italian). ANSA. 27 April 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2013.

8. "Profile: Enrico Letta". BBC News. Retrieved 3 June 2013.

9. c Povoledo, Elisabetta (28 April 2013). "An Italian Leader and a Political Acrobat". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 June 2013.

10. c Dinmore, Guy (24 April 2013). "Italy’s Enrico Letta a party loyalist and bridge-builder". Financial Times.

11. Sachelli, Orlando (24 April 2013). "Enrico Letta, il giovane Dc che deve far da paciere tra Pd e Pdl". Il Giornale (in Italian). Retrieved 7 June 2013.

12. "Pisano, milanista, baby-ministro. Ecco chi è Enrico Letta, l'eterno "giovane" del Pd". Libero (in Italian). 24 April 2013.

13. "European Parliament Website". European Parliament. Retrieved 7 May 2013.

14. "Veltroni stravince con il 76% ma è la festa dei cittadini elettori". la Repubblica (in Italian). 14 October 2007.

15. "Pd, Bersani indica la rotta "Noi, partito dell'alternativa"".Quotidiano.net (in Italian). 9 September 2009. Retrieved 26 April 2013.

16. Frye, Andrew (24 April 2013). "Letta Named Italian Prime Minister as Impasse Ends". Bloomberg. Retrieved 26 April 2013.

17. "Bridge-builder Enrico Letta seals Silvio Berlusconi deal".The Australian. 29 April 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2013.

18. "New Italian 'grand coalition' government sworn in". BBC News. 28 April 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2013.

19. Vertice lavoro, Letta ai ministri europei: «Non c'è più tempo, si deve agire subito Scelta sciagurata guardare solo i conti» - Il Messaggero. Ilmessaggero.it. Retrieved on 2013-08-24.

20. Il Decreto del fare, misura per misura - Europa Quotidiano. Europaquotidiano.it (2013-06-16). Retrieved on 2013-08-24.

21. G8, il debutto di Enrico Letta Prima l'incontro con Obama L'incognita Siria divide già - Quotidiano Net. Qn.quotidiano.net. Retrieved on 2013-08-24.

22. http://www.repubblica.it/politica/2013/09/28/news/berlusconi_no_ultimatum_letta-67472967/?ref=fbpr

23. http://www.repubblica.it/politica/2013/09/29/news/crisi_la_preoccupazione_di_napolitano_oggi_letta_sale_al_quirinale-67505254/?ref=HREA-1.shtml

24. http://www.ansa.it/web/notizie/rubriche/politica/2013/09/30/Irrevocabili-dimissioni-ministri-Pdl_9383173.html

25. http://www.ansa.it/web/notizie/rubriche/politica/2013/09/30/Letta-mercoledi-Camera-Senato_9384062.html

26. Berlusconi U-turn secures Italian government survival

27. Italian PM wins confidence vote after Berlusconi abandons revolt

28. Italy crisis: PM Letta wins vote after Berlusconi U-turn

29. http://www.repubblica.it/politica/2013/10/02/news/governo_letta_fiducia_in_senato-67704336/?ref=HREA-1

30. http://www.thestar.com.my/News/World/2013/12/03/Italy-PM-Letta-to-seek-new-confidence-vote-on-December-11.aspx

31. "Noi". Associazione Trecento Sessanta. Retrieved 10 March 2010.

32. "Trilateral". Retrieved 23 September 2011.

33. "Comitato Esecutivo". Aspen Institute Italia. Retrieved 26 April 2013.

34. "Enrico Letta Profile: Mild-Mannered AC Milan Fan who is Italy’s Next PM". International Business Times. 24 April 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2013.

35. Kington, Tom (24 Apr 2013). "Enrico Letta to become youngest Italian prime minister in 25 years". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 4 May 2013.

source : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enrico_Letta

Who Is Thirteen Prime Transformers?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 04 Feb 2014 02:23:00 +0000

Well of All Sparks.

The Primus

Who Is Thirteen Prime Transformers?

Thirteen

We are the 13, the first, the forgotten, each of us serving a function vital to the survival of the universe. Each of us designated a Prime and given a function to serve during the long march of infinity.

Vector Prime, "Vector Prime: In the Beginning"

The Thirteen are the first Transformers created by Primus. Rightfully huge and powerful, each was designated a Prime,[1] and given unique roles and natures to battle Primus's ancient foe Unicron.

Conceptual history

Despite how often their importance is trumpeted, the fact of the matter is, the concept of the Thirteen hasn't actually been around that long, hasn't been related in much detail, and hasn't been presented in a very linear manner. The development of the concept is described in this section to minimize confusion; for details of their history and actions in specific bits of fiction, see below.

The very earliest seeds of the Thirteen can probably be found in material produced by 3H Productions for BotCon, most notably 2000's "Covenant". This story introduces the undeniably similar concept of the Covenant, a group of twelve zodiac-themed robots who are the first creations of Primus, created as a test-run for the Transformer race. Despite the basic similarity between the Covenant and the Thirteen, though, the two groups have not been connected, and those same stories by 3H would ultimately contradict the later lore of the Thirteen by introducing Primon, a Matrix-bearer who preceded Prima, which should not be possible.

It was in the pages of 2004's Transformers: The Ultimate Guide that the mysterious "Thirteen Original Transformers" were first spoken of, and their basic origin was laid down: they were the first Transformers created by Primus to battle Unicron, and their number included Prima, the first Matrix-bearer from the Marvel Comics series and The Fallen, an enigmatic servant of Unicron from Dreamwave Productions' 2003 comic, War Within: The Dark Ages. The book also noted that if Alignment had been published, the Liege Maximo, an ancient evil Cybertronian from the Generation 2 comics, would have been counted among them as well (retroactively, of course, since Alignment predated the idea of the Thirteen).

The book also contained a passing mention that the enigmatic manager of Maccadam's Old Oil House, a Cybertronian pub introduced in the UK Generation 1 Marvel Comics, was rumored to be one of the Thirteen (though it also admits that this could be a fabrication by the pub's drunken patrons). Not surprisingly, it was the creator of all four of these characters, Simon Furman, who both wrote the guide and conceived the idea of the Thirteen[2]. While it was Furman who also created the Covenant, it is not yet known whether or not he was deliberately drawing upon his old idea when he introduced the Thirteen in this book.

The concept of the Thirteen quietly bubbled under for the next year, until another element was added with the introduction of Vector Prime in 2005's Cybertron series. Although presented merely as a very ancient Autobot in the original Japanese version of the Cybertron cartoon, Hasbro envisioned him as one of the Thirteen, and writer Forest Lee made this explicit in the first story produced for the Transformers Collectors' Club. This story also introduced the idea that all of the Thirteen were Primes, and that each had a specific function or purpose; Vector Prime's was stewardship of time, while a 2007 bio written for The Fallen's Titanium Series toy would later reveal he was the overseer of entropy. Between these two releases, in 2006, the short Japanese text story Beast Wars Reborn introduced Logos Prime; as a Japanese creation, his status among the Thirteen would be in question for years not because of anything in the fiction itself—which was pretty clear-cut on the matter—but purely because fans doubted that Hasbro were aware of the character.

While it was not immediately apparent, Hasbro had put a plan in motion for the Thirteen with the Collectors' Club comic: across the next five years, five separate robots were introduced who were gradually revealed to be components of a combiner, Nexus Prime, who was one of the Thirteen. During this five-year span, the subject of the Thirteen often came up at BotCon Q&A sessions, during which the idea of them being multiversal singularities solidified.

Also during this time, current Transformers comic license holders IDW Publishing spoke often of a potential comic book mini-series about the Thirteen to be written by Simon Furman, but this was eventually nixed, with Furman noting in 2009 that this was because it had "become more of a Hasbro thing than an IDW thing."[3] Hasbro's desire to control and fully conceptualize the story of the Thirteen was further made evident when, after Fun Publications' Nexus Prime story concluded in the same year, they effectively took "custody" of the character as part of their future plans. This control, however, was evidently not all-encompassing: also in 2009, The Fallen made a surprising appearance as the titular villain of the second-live action Transformers film, Revenge of the Fallen, where he was a member not of a group of thirteen, but only seven Primes. Hasbro's October 2009 online Q&A retroactively justified this by explaining that while all the Thirteen were Primes, only seven actually had the word "Prime" in their names.

Eventually, in 2010, the grand scope of the new Aligned continuity family became the "delivery method" for Hasbro's long-percolating tale of the Thirteen. However, the "Aligned" continuity was also established to not be part of the multiverse in which all preceding Transformers fiction took place, which until then had lain the groundwork for the Thirteen. As such, the new information introduced by the Aligned continuity was only true for that continuity, and even chose to ignore or overrule some previous pieces of the story that had been revealed in "Multiverse" stories—The Fallen was given a much more tragic origin story that involved no connection to Unicron, Logos Prime was not included in the ranked of the "Aligned Thirteen" (which does not preclude his inclusion in the "Multiverse Thirteen"), while Alpha Trion was named as a member of the Aligned group, while he cannot possibly be a member of the Multiverse group given the established existence of alternate versions of himself (most significantly, his evil mirror universe Shattered Glass self.

It was the novel Transformers: Exodus which revealed Trion to be one of the Thirteen, and which also revealed the Fallen's real name to be "Megatronus". New "Aligned" designs for Megatronus (and his "Fallen" form), Prima, Vector Prime, Alpha Trion and the now-canonized Liege Maximo were revealed at BotCon 2010, with the new designs for Nexus Prime and newcomer Solus Prime revealed the following year at BotCon 2011. It was here that it was explained that each of the Thirteen represented one aspect of the Transformer race, their ranks also including a beast-mode Transformer and a Mini-Con. Solus would later factor into the Transformers: Exiles novel, which also introduced Amalgamous Prime and Alchemist Prime. Right around this time, the story of the Thirteen finally made the leap to the small screen, when, after years of being consigned to fan-targeted comics and convention panels, their origin tale was told in the Transformers: Prime episode, "One Shall Rise, Part 1".

Finally, in December 2013, Transformers: The Covenant of Primus was released, detailing in full the complete history of the Thirteen in the Aligned Continuity.

Members

Multiverse

Within the multiverse in which most Transformers fiction occurs, the Thirteen are multiversal singularities—across all the different universal streams, only one incarnation of each of the Thirteen exists, moving between worlds. The group's roster has not been fully revealed, and known members include:

Prima - The first Matrix-bearer and first Transformer born from Cybertron, the leader of the Thirteen.[4]

Vector Prime - The guardian of space and time, who spent most of his life outside of reality, observing it and occasionally stepping in to help.

The Fallen - Formerly the guardian of entropy, whose true name was stricken from history when he betrayed his brothers and became a Herald of Unicron.[5]

Nexus Prime - The first combiner, and the guardian of Rarified Energon.

Logos Prime— an enigmatic figure who, in the present day, sought to pass on his incredible powers over time and space to an heir.

The Liege Maximo was implied to be one of the group, but has not been confirmed in any canon source. Also, Maccadam was rumored (albeit half-jokingly) to be one of the Thirteen in The Ultimate Guide, but this has not been touched upon since.

Aligned

Within the Aligned continuity family, which exists separately from the rest of the Transformers multiverse, the full roster of the Thirteen is known. Each possesses a special artifact of great power that is tied to their identity and role in Primus' plan. Listed in the order of their creation by Primus, they are:

Prima - The leader of the Thirteen, a warrior of light who wielded the Star Saber.

Vector Prime - The master of time and space, which he could manipulate through his Blades of Time.

Alpha Trion - Holder of the Quill, which he uses to record the past, present, and future of Cybertron in the Covenant of Primus in his role as recordskeeper of the Primes.

Solus Prime - The master artificer and creator of many of the Primes' weapons through use of her incredible Forge. She was the first female Cybertronian.

Micronus Prime - The conscience of the Thirteen, and the first Mini-Con, able to link up with and enhance the power of his siblings through the use of his Chimera Stone.

Alchemist Prime - Student of the elemental structure of the natural world, aided in this by his Lenses, which allowed him to see further and deeper than anyone, in both material and spiritual senses. Co-founder of Cybertronian civilization with Alpha Trion.

Nexus Prime - The first and greatest combiner, granted the ability to divide himself into separate forms by his Enigma of Combination. Unpredictable, fascinated by change, and a lighthearted prankster.

Onyx Prime - The first beast-form Cybertronian, a primitive and spiritual being able to view other times, places, souls and even the afterlife through his three-faced Triptych Mask.

Amalgamous Prime - The joker of the Thirteen and the first Shifter, unpredictable and easygoing. He was first Cybertronian with the ability of transformation, granted him by his Transformation Cog, which became the basis for the cogs in all subsequent Trasnformer life.

Quintus Prime - A daydreamer and perfectionist whose drive to express his ideas led him to become a scientist. His artifact was the Emberstone, which gave him the ability to create life; the Quintessons were among his creations.

Liege Maximo - The manipulator. Though his artifact was notionally the toxin-loaded Legian Darts, his real skill was his ability to talk others into his way of thinking—a black art that ultimately caused the downfall of the Thirteen.

Megatronus - The warrior of darkness, Prima's opposite number, whose role as the necessary counterbalance set him apart from his fellow Primes. His artifact was the Requiem Blaster, created for him by Solus; this act began a doomed romance between the two that led to his turning on his brothers and becoming known as The Fallen.

Optimus Prime - The mediator of the Primes, who united the Thirteen by being the first among them to raise an arm in greeting. He would subsequently be reincarnated as Orion Pax.

Fiction

Dreamwave Generation One comics

The Fallen was thwarted in his attempt to sabotage Primus' physical form, and the Thirteen allegedly died after casting the Fallen and his master Unicron through a black hole into another dimension. In truth, the Fallen was imprisoned in another dimension, while Alpha Trion kept watch over the Transformers in the Well of All Sparks and Primus entered his eternal sleep to hide from Unicron. Transformers: The Ultimate Guide

After Optimus Prime and Megatron were lost in a space bridge explosion, the Fallen was free from his prison in underspace, and returned to Cybertron. He immediately set about trying to undo the Seal of Primus that locked the Well of All Sparks. However, upon his success, the Fallen was promptly destroyed by his reawoken creator. Transformers: War Within: The Dark Ages

It was revealed long after the demise of Dreamwave that an issue was planned which involved the return of both Jetfire and the Fallen, meaning his "death" would not have been final. The Fallen would have appeared in a one-shot story entitled "The Enemy Within", when in the present, Jetfire discovered Shockwave broke the Seal for his cloning experiments. The Fallen's essence escaped and corrupted Sunstorm, and following his death, passed into Jetfire. Dreamwave's bankruptcy meant the story was never published.

Fun Publications

Vector Prime aided the Autobots in finding the Cyber Planet Keys to close the Unicron Singularity. He regularly reported their progress to Alpha Trion, but during one visit Unicron's servants Ramjet and Nemesis Prime attacked. Balancing Act Skyfall came to Cybertron looking for clues to his past, only to be attacked by Dark Scorponok, Balancing Act, Part 2 but his forcefield protected him. Ramjet offered him clues to his past in exchange for his soul service. Balancing Act, Part 3 They went to Primus' spark core to destroy him with the Dead Matrix, but Vector and Sentinel Maximus fought back. Balancing Act, Part 4 Ramjet said he would stop trying to kill Primus if Vector aided them in restoring the balance by resurrecting Unicron, but he refused. Balancing Act, Pt 5 Skyfall tried to save Ramjet but his forcefield only ignited an explosion that killed Ramjet. Revelations Part 1 Vector had drones repair Skyfall and found Omega Prime—Trion's creation from a Viron universe—had helped Sentinel defeated Nemesis. Omega's presence saddened Vector, as it confirmed the multiverse was falling apart, and he left. Revelations Part 2

Skyfall was helping Sentinel repair Vector Sigma, when Over-Run informed him he had found a twenty-million-cycle-old carving of him and another bot. Revelations Part 4 Immediately during a battle between Mini-Con Autobots and Decepticons, Skyfall found Landquake. Revelations Part 5 The two seemingly vanished when Unicron attacked, Revelations Part 6 when they had been transported to Breakaway's universe, Crossing Over, Part 1 and the trio and went through a space bridge Crossing Over: Part 6 to find Topspin in Axiom Nexus. Cheetor and Silverbolt introduced the trio to Alpha Trion. However, Shockwave had Breakaway quietly subdued and taken to his laboratory. Transcendent: Part 1 Skyfall and Landquake realized Breakaway was gone, but Alpha Trion told them to come with him if they wanted to rescue their brother from the evil TransTechs. Transcendent: Part 2 He explained he was not from this dimension and was part of a resistance movement, introducing them to Topspin, whose job was to transfer their lowtech followers' sparks into their TransTech counterparts. Realizing Topspin was one of their kin, Skyfall and Landquake agreed to help. Transcendent: Part 3 Nightscream found Breakaway was being held near the portal to Alpha Trion's dimension, Transcendent: Part 4 and his acolytes attacked, rescuing Breakaway Transcendent: Part 5 and entering the transwarp device. Alpha Trion explained to Skyfall he was the key to the reunification, and killed him as they entered his universe. Transcendent: Part 6

Despite his claim his was a peaceful world, Alpha Trion shot Downshift, and Breakaway realized Skyfall had been killed by an energy blade rather than shot from behind as the old Autobot claimed. Alpha Trion's troops arrived, took the four components and he proclaimed he would kill them all—as reunification still worked with one of them dead—and that his reign would begin. Reunification: Part 1 Landquake manipulated the raw energon and used smokebombs to escape, with Topspin and Breakaway carrying Skyfall. Weeks later, after trying unsuccessfully to revive Skyfall, Reunification: Part 2 the Quintesson Aquarius appeared to take them to Megatron. Reunification: Part 3 Landquake explained their situation to the Decepticons, and Megatron asked Cyclonus to bring Heatwave, but then Cyclonus, revealing himself to be an agent of Alpha Trion, assassinated Megatron. Reunification: Part 4 Breakaway suggested they use their powers to revive Megatron, and found themselves in a white space with Skyfall and Primus. They made their choice: Nexus Prime was reborn. Reunification: Part 5 Nexus resurrected Megatron as Galvatron and defeated Omega Doom. Reunification: Part 6 Using Galvatron's gift of the stellar spanner, Nexus and Aquarius began dimension-hopping to find the shards of the artifact he had been entrusted with, so he could complete his memories. The Coming Storm: Part 1

Beast Wars Reborn

The original clan of Transformers, possessing extraordinary powers over space and time, were created by Primus before he became Cybertron. One of them, Logos Prime, lost sight of his objective and memory of him faded away. Planetfall He would return under the name of Soundblaster, abducting Optimus Primal and Megatron so he could apparently appoint Megatron as his successor. Vector Prime was sent by Primus to stop the plot and was taken aback when confronted with his fellow Ancient who he thought lost. Master of the Game

Live-action film series

The Primes were the guardians of the AllSpark, charged with replenishing it. They commanded Seekers and workers to find stars and replenish the AllSpark with their energy. The Fallen began seeing himself as the AllSpark's chosen one and began destroying solar systems with sentient life to replenish the Cube. His brothers warned him not to do it again, so The Fallen tried it again on Earth to lure them. Tales of the Fallen #3 The Fallen slaughtered all his brothers bar Prima himself, who gathered his brothers' lifeforce to trap The Fallen in his sarcophagus. Prima sacrificed himself to form a tomb with his brothers' bodies to hide the Matrix. Tales of the Fallen #4

A long time passed, and The Fallen was eventually dug up. From his prison, he pushed High Protector Megatron into forming the Decepticons. Defiance #2 Thousands of years later, Optimus Prime, the sole surviving descendant of the Primes to survive The Fallen's rampage, Revenge of the Fallen #3 had been killed. The Primes appeared to Sam Witwicky, giving him the Matrix to revive Optimus, and Optimus avenged The Fallen's brothers by killing him. Revenge of the Fallen

The Revenge of the Fallen adaptations have thirteen Primes. While designs were made for twelve non-Fallen Prime heads, the finished film shows only seven Primes, and this change was followed in Tales of the Fallen and the Titan magazine. Prima's appearance was retconned by Hasbro at BotCon 2010.

Aligned continuity

Legend says that Primus created the Thirteen to defeat Unicron. The Thirteen succeeded, and Unicron's defeated form was cast by them into space. One Shall Rise, Part 1

Statues of the Thirteen were created at some point after they defeated Unicron. One Shall Rise, Part 3

What is known about the Primes is that their war made "enemies of brothers, murderers of lovers, heroes of the insignificant, and cowards of the mighty". Allegiances formed and broke apart: Megatronus refused to bow before his brothers, and he believed he would be vindicated someday despite his destructive methods. The murder of one sent them across the stars, to battle among themselves for billions of cycles. Finally, there came a time when Prima had to relinquish the Matrix. Afterwards, the Covenant of Primus decreed Cybertron could only have one Prime at a time.

Alpha Trion remained on Cybertron, recording these events into the Covenant, and the Primes became myths doubted by some. Alpha Trion retreated into becoming the Archivist of the Hall of Records when Sentinel Prime, the High Council and the Guilds of Cybertron ignored his protests about the caste system. The Matrix did not bestow itself onto another until the unworthy Sentinel died, and Optimus Prime was imbued with it, while his nemesis had become known as Megatron, who like his namesake had come to destroy that he believed in. Exodus

Notes

Transformers: The Ultimate Guide asserts that all of the Thirteen were destroyed in the early battle between Primus and Unicron, but the statement was disproven by the book itself, since it recounted how The Fallen was not destroyed but exiled to a transdimensional prison from which he later escaped. Fun Publications comics would later depict Vector Prime as the sole surviving member of the Thirteen, and then go on to introduce Nexus Prime as a co-survivor alongside him.

In Hasbro Q&A on October, 2009 from The Allspark Forum, The Thirteen are referred to as "the Original Epic Warriors of Cybertron" by Hasbro.

The notion of the Primes being originally huge is similar to early Revenge of the Fallen concepts where the Fallen dwarfed Optimus and was almost the size of a pyramid, as evident from Defiance #4 and the novelization.

In "Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations", James Roberts came up with a completely different creation story for IDW Publishing's Transformers, just because he can. There is still an original group of Transformers and a war caused by treachery, but in that version the traitor is another god named Mortilus.

References

↑ A Hasbro Q&A response would later try to alter this. See Notes above.
↑ Simon Furman panel, BotCon 2012
↑ Furman talks about the Thirteen in an interview on DeviantArt
↑ Sentinel Prime was one of a dynasty of Primes, stretching back to the original 13 Transformers and their leader, Prima. — Transformers: The Ultimate Guide (2005) 1st ed p15, "Sentinel Prime"
↑ Transformers: The Ultimate Guide
↑ Hasbro Q&A, September 2010: TFWiki.net
↑ Hasbro Q&A, September 2010: AllSpark.com

Article source : http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Thirteen

Solus Prime

Vector Prime

Micronus Prime (Mini Con Prime with Chimera Stone)

Prima with Star Saber

Alpha Trion

Size Class Transformers Toys

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 08:53:00 +0000

Animated Optimus Prime toys of different size classes. From left to right: Legends Class, Activators, Deluxe Class, Voyager Class and Supreme Class.

Size Class Transformers Toys

Size class is how Hasbro determines the size and price of a toy. It also determines the amount of budget spent on the production of a Transformers toy, such as paint or electronics. The logic behind size classes is simple: retailers can order a case of toys, knowing exactly how much they will sell for and exactly how much shelf space they will occupy. All the Deluxes in a line have identically-sized packaging and cost the same price. When you run out of Deluxes, you order a new case and put them right back where they belong. This is incredibly convenient, especially compared to Generation 1, where the sizes and prices of figures varied widely.

Each size class corresponds to its own price point, the rough retail price of the individual toys. Price points do not correspond to exact retail price, but suggest the rough value one can expect to pay. A $10 price point toy may retail for $9.76 at Wal-Mart while being $10.99 at Toys-R-Us and $7.99 on sale at Target.

Up until Generation 2, toys with a uniform gimmick were sold as their own distinct assortment, which often resulted in an assortment consisting of no more than four or six different toys. Since Autobots and Decepticons often had their own distinct gimmicks, this resulted in separate Autobot and Decepticon assortments. Starting with Beast Wars, however, Hasbro and Kenner introduced uniform price points which continued as ongoing size class assortments throughout the line (although, in the case of longer lines, an assortment could occasionally be reset while still retaining the same size class name).

The intended class of a toy is relevant to all phases of its design process. To sell at a given price, there are tight formulas for how much plastic can be used, how many paint applications are allowed, whether electronics can be included, and how complex the transformation and articulation can be. Further, since a size class is literally a size class; toys are limited in their measurements, so that they will fit into the same size packaging as other toys in their class. As an example, the Animated Voyager Lugnut toy, in robot mode, is very short compared to other toys in his class. This may be because he transforms into a mostly-linear plane, with his weapon added on as a tail assembly, making him even longer. Regardless of whether there was room in the budget for more plastic, there may not have been room in a Voyager-sized box for him to be any bigger. Most Transformers are packaged in their alternate modes; there are, however, exceptions. Long Haul is simply too wide and thick to fit inside the box in his alt-mode, thus, he is packed in his robot mode.

Size classes have not been consistent from line to line, with names often changing to affect marketability.

Beast Wars

Beast Wars had five size classes. From smallest to largest:

Basic, the cheapest at US$5.

Deluxe, at US$10. This was one of the strongest performing price points, and nearly all future retail lines would feature product in the deluxe price range.

Mega, at US$15. Toys of this size were often shelfwarmers.

Ultra, at US$20. Only eight toys were sold at this price point.

Super, at US$30. This size class contained only one toy, Optimal Optimus.

Basic and Deluxe are sold on cards to this day; size classes larger than Deluxe were, and are, sold in boxes.

Beast Machines

Beast Machines continued Beast Wars' size classes, but increased the price of Basic to US$7.

Supreme was introduced as a US$40 size class. Cheetor was the only Supreme in this line; a Supreme Optimus Primal toy was planned to be in this line, but was moved to Robots in Disguise. Both of these supreme class designs featured electronic lights and sounds. Supreme Optimus Primal even featured speech by voice actor Garry Chalk.

Two additional size classes, Deployers (US$5) and Beast Riders (US$10) would turn out to be short-lived. The size of Ultra toys was increased while maintaining the price.

Robots in Disguise

Robots in Disguise used the Beast Machines size classes, though the Basic price point was once again lowered to US$5. However, most of the toys at this price point were either Spy Changer two-packs or redecoed Generation 1 combiner limbs, making them somewhat smaller and less intricate than previous lines' Basics (a notable exception is the recolor of Obsidian, which was sold for less than the original version).

Robots in Disguise also had three Mega-priced multipacks of smaller figures (the three smaller Predacons, a trio of recolored Beast Machines Basics as Autobots, and the recolored Laser Cycles).

Several of the line's toys ran afoul of the differences between US and Japanese packaging policies. The Team Bullet Train toys were individually packaged as Megas, despite being smaller than the usual members of that size class. The near-Basic-sized Wedge was sold as a Deluxe.

Armada

The Armada toyline renamed or repurposed all the existing price points:

Mini-Con, at US$6.50 replaced the Basic price point, with 3-packs of Mini-Cons.

Super-Con, at US$10 replaced the Deluxe.

Max-Con, at US$20 replaced the Ultra. All Max-Cons had electronic sound effects.

Giga-Con, at US$25. All Giga-Cons (except for Tidal Wave) featured electronic lights and sounds.

Super-Base, at US$40 replaced Super, but used the Supreme price point. The only figure of this class was Optimus Prime, who featured an infrared-activated automatic transformation gimmick, as well as lights and sounds.

"Unicron" was in his own class using the Supreme size, at US$50. He had lights, but no sounds.

The old US$15 price, previously used by the Mega size class, was effectively discontinued, taken up by role-play toys like the Star Saber and the Dark Saber.

Universe (2003)

The original Universe line used the Beast Wars size class designations, but only had Deluxe and Ultra (the latter at US$20).

After the Universe line as such had effectively ended, repackaged Energon (and even later, Cybertron) toys were sold on Universe cards as discount chain exclusives, divided into the price points Basic (US$5) and Deluxe (US$8).

Alternators

The Alternators line was unique insofar as it only consisted of one single price point (US$20). This was owed to the uniform scale of the line at 1:24, as well as the fact that all the toys from the line were based on licensed vehicles.

Some retailers actually listed the toys under the "Mega" price point, but this designation was never officially used by Hasbro. In fact, there was an official "Mega Alternators" assortment of sorts, which consisted of shrinkwrapped two-packs consisting of two individual toys (mostly limited to shelfwarmers such as Smokescreen, Side Swipe or Windcharger), available for the price of a single Alternators toy exclusively at Toys'R'Us.

Hasbro later replaced the original mass retail Alternators assortment with a second one, which remained at the original one's price point. In the case of Alternators Optimus Prime, Hasbro reportedly accepted a smaller profit margin (since the toy was more expensive to produce than other Alternators toys) so they could still sell it at the US$20 price point.

Energon

Energon took a somewhat random approach to size-class naming. The second pack-in catalog introduced the size class range as

Energon (Basic), with the price back to US$7

Combat (Deluxe) - US$10.

Mega Combat (the former "Max-Con") - US$20. All Mega Combat (and the subsequently renamed Mega Class) figures featured sound effects.

Commanders (the former "Giga-Con") - US$25. Commanders had lights and sounds depending on the figure.

Leaders (the former "Super Base") - US$40. Leaders featured both lights and sounds.

Unicron was given no size class - US$50.

The third catalog explicitly referred to the price points as

Energon Class

Combat Class

Mega Class (a renamed US$20 Max-Con/Mega Combat class, not to be confused with the old Beast Wars/Beast Machines/Robots in Disguise-era US$15 Mega class)

Command Class

Leaders Class

Omega Supreme was given no size class.

The fourth and final catalog continued using the terms originated by the third (although no price points were listed for the combiners), but finally listed Omega Supreme as Supreme Class.

Cybertron

Cybertron changed the naming of some size classes, but retained others:

Legends of Cybertron, at US$3, with tiny Market six-aimed figures.

Mini-Con Class, at US$5 was added for the Mini-Con two-packs.

Scout Class, at US$7, formerly Energon Class.

Deluxe Class, at US$10, formerly Combat Class.

Voyager Class, at US$20, Energon Mega Class (see Energon section above). Sound effects were dropped from all but four figures in this size class. Vector Prime, Leobreaker, Crumplezone and his smarter remold Dark Crumplezone retained their sound effects gimmick.

Ultra Class, at US$25, formerly Command Class. Ultra class toys had lights and sounds.

Leader Class, dropping the plural "s" from the previous "Leaders Class". Leader class figures featured lights and sounds, and (except for Metroplex) featured several Cyber Key gimmicks.

Supreme Class, remained the same. Supreme class figures had lights and sounds, with several different Cyber Planet Key gimmicks. Primus featured an Omega Lock accessory gimmick that was essential for his transformation.

Classics

Classics kept the Deluxe and Voyager classes, renamed as

Legends, at US$4 - Legends of Cybertron repaints, raised $1 in price.

Mini-Con, at US$7, in three-packs again, replacing the Scout Class price point.

Classic Deluxe, at US$10.

Classic Voyager, at US$20.

Movie

Transformers, the toyline based on the 2007 live-action movie, retained many size classes from before:

Legends Class, at US$4.

Scout Class, at US$7.

Deluxe Class, at US$10.

Voyager Class, at US$20. Continuing on from the standards set in Cybertron and Classics, Movie Voyagers featured no electronics unless they were redecos of toys from previous lines.

Ultra Class, at US$25. (Consisted of two Toys "R" Us exclusive Cybertron redecoes.)

Leader Class, at US$40. The Leaders featured electronic lights and sounds, usually attached to a spring-loaded Automorphing gimmick.

The Supreme class was dropped. The Scout Class, which consisted entirely of redecos of toys from the Energon and Cybertron toylines, was exclusively available at Target stores in the USA, but was sold at mass retail in Europe and Canada. Additionally, there was a gimmick-based sub-line named Fast Action Battlers, which also sold at US$10 (like the Deluxe Class toys); a simplistic, cutesy sub-line aimed at young children named Cyber Slammers, which also sold for US$8; and a new US$90 figure sold as Ultimate Bumblebee.

Animated

The Transformers Animated toyline has the following size classes:

Activators, at US $8. Features an automorph gimmick.

Deluxe Class, at US$10.

Voyager Class, at US$20.

Leader Class, at US$40. Features electronic lights and sounds, including speech samples voiced usually by the actors from the cartoon.

Supreme Class, at US$50. Only Roll-out Supreme Optimus Prime got released for this price point. It features electronic lights and sounds, including speech samples voiced by David Kaye.

In addition, the Bumper Battlers size class replaces the movie line's Cyber Slammers, going one better by featuring an extensive array of voice samples and sound effects. However, with this comes a price increase to US$10. Legends Class toys of the Animated cast are being released as part of the Universe toyline instead.

Universe (2008)

The 2008 Universe toyline has the following size classes:

Legends Class, at US$4.

Deluxe Class, at US$10.

Voyager Class, at US$20. Several of the redecos and retools of Cybertron toys respectively, have had their sound effects removed and the battery compartments riveted shut, owing to pricing changes in this price point between their original manufacture and release in Universe.

Ultra Class, at US$25. Ultra class have lights and sounds for all-new figures.

Supreme Class, at US$50. This size class consists solely of the Toys 'R' Us exclusive repackaged Armada Unicron.

Revenge of the Fallen

Revenge of the Fallen was fairly similar to the first movie's toyline, with the addition of the Human Alliance and Supreme Combiner classes, as well as the prices jumping up a few dollars. Due to competition between mass retailers, Deluxe and Voyager were often marked down to around $10 and $20 respectively to drive sales to those stores.

Legends Class, at US$5.

Scout Class, at US$8.

Deluxe Class, at US$13.

Voyager Class, at US$22.

Human Alliance, at US$30.

Leader Class, at US$45.

Supreme Combiner, at US$100. Consisted solely of the dog-sized Devastator toy.

Dark of the Moon

Dark of the Moon divides the toys into two major categories. The Cyberverse line contains Legion (previously Legends) and Commander (replacing Scout, but slightly smaller and less complex) size classes and transforming playsets which come with either a Legion or Commander class figure. The MechTech line includes Deluxes class figures and above, with the new addition of Basic figures to the Human Alliance subset. Due to the inclusion of the large MechTech weapons with Deluxe, Voyager and Leader figures, they are slightly smaller than those of the same size class in previous lines.

Legion Class, at US$5.

Commander Class, at US$8.

Human Alliance Basic, at US$10.

Deluxe Class, at US$13.

Cyberverse Action Set, at US$15.

Voyager Class, at US$20.

Cyberverse Playset, at US$24, consisting solely of the Cyberverse Ark playset.

Human Alliance, at US$35.

Leader Class, at US$45.

Ultimate, at US$75, consisting solely of the Ultimate Optimus Prime toy.

Prime

The Prime toyline started with the 'First Edition' line released in November 2011, and continued into the 'Robots In Disguise' 2012 line. Continuing to use the Legion, Commander, Deluxe and Voyager size classes at their previous price points, it also adds a 'Vehicle Class' consisting of a Cyberverse transforming playset and Legion-class figure, a 'Weaponiser' class for larger-than-Voyager figures with pop-out weaponry in both modes, and a 'Maximus' class for figures that transform into Cyberverse-scaled battle stations / powered armor suits.

Legion Class, at US$5.

Commander Class, at US$8.

Deluxe Class, at US$13.

Vehicle Class, at US$20.

Voyager Class, at US$22.

Weaponizer Class, at US$30.

Maximus Class, at US$35.

Size class chart

Class names, organized by toy line and approximate price point:

Price	BW	BM	RiD	Armada	Energon		Universe	Cybertron	Classics	Movie	Animated	Universe
$3								Legends of Cybertron
$4									Legends	Legends		Legends
$5	Basic		Basic				Basic	Mini-Cons
$7		Basic		Mini-Con	Basic	Energon		Scout	Mini-Con	Scout
$8											Activators
$10	Deluxe	Deluxe	Deluxe	Super-Con	Combat	Combat	Deluxe	Deluxe	Classic Deluxe	Deluxe	Deluxe	Deluxe
$15	Mega	Mega	Mega
$20	Ultra	Ultra	Ultra	Max-Con	Mega Combat	Mega	Ultra	Voyager	Classic Voyager	Voyager	Voyager	Voyager
$25				Giga-Con	Commanders	Command		Ultra		Ultra		Ultra
$30	Super	Super	Super
$40		Supreme	Supreme	Super-Base	Leaders	Leaders		Leader		Leader	Leader
$50					Unicron	Supreme		Supreme			Supreme	Supreme
$90										Ultimate

At this point, many prices went up a dollar or two. We break the chart here for clarity.

Price	RotF	DotM	Prime
$5	Legends	Legion	Legion
$8	Scout	Commander	Commander
$10		HA Basic
$13	Deluxe	Deluxe	Deluxe
$15		Action Set
$20		Voyager	Vehicle
$22	Voyager		Voyager
$30	Human Alliance	Human Alliance	Weaponizer
$35			Maximus
$45	Leader	Leader
$60			Ultimate
$90	Ultimate	Ultimate
$100	Supreme Combiner

source : http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Size_class

Who Is Eugène Viollet-le-Duc?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 00:46:00 +0000

Who Is Eugène Viollet-le-Duc?

Eugène Viollet-le-Duc

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc (27 January 1814 – 17 September 1879) was a French architect and theorist, famous for his interpretive "restorations" of medieval buildings. Born in Paris, he was a major Gothic Revival architect. His works were largely restorative and few of his independent building designs were ever realised. Strongly contrary to the prevailing Beaux-Arts architectural trend of his time, much of his design work was largely derided by his contemporaries. He was the architect hired to design the internal structure of the Statue of Liberty, but died before the project was completed.

Early years

Eugène Viollet-le-Duc's father was a civil servant living in Paris who collected books; his mother's Friday salons were attended by Stendhal and Sainte-Beuve. His mother's brother, Étienne-Jean Delécluze, "a painter in the mornings, a scholar in the evenings" (Summerson), was largely in charge of the young man's education. Viollet-le-Duc was trendy philosophically: republican, anti-clerical, rebellious, he built a barricade in the July Revolution of 1830 and refused to enter the École des Beaux-Arts. Instead he opted in favor of direct practical experience in the architectural offices of Jacques-Marie Huvé and Achille-François-René Leclère.

Architectural restorer

Restoration work

During the early 1830s, a popular sentiment for the restoration of medieval buildings developed in France. Viollet-le-Duc, returning during 1835 from study in Italy, was commissioned by Prosper Mérimée to restore the Romanesque abbey of Vézelay. This work was the first of a long series of restorations; Viollet-le-Duc's restorations at Notre Dame de Paris brought him national attention. His other main works include Mont Saint-Michel, Carcassonne, Roquetaillade castle and Pierrefonds.

Eugène Viollet-le-Duc's "restorations" frequently combined historical fact with creative modification. For example, under his supervision, Notre Dame was not only cleaned and restored but also "updated", gaining its distinctive third tower (a type of flèche) in addition to other smaller changes. Another of his most famous restorations, the medieval fortified town of Carcassonne, was similarly enhanced, gaining atop each of its many wall towers a set of pointed roofs that are actually more typical of northern France.

At the same time, in the cultural atmosphere of the Second Empire theory necessarily became diluted in practice: Viollet-le-Duc provided a Gothic reliquary for the relic of the Crown of Thorns at Notre-Dame in 1862, and yet Napoleon III also commissioned designs for a luxuriously appointed railway carriage from Viollet-le-Duc, in 14th-century Gothic style (Exhibition 1965).

Among his restorations were:

Churches

Basilica of St. Mary Magdalene in Vézelay

St. Martin in Clamecy

Notre-Dame in Paris

Sainte-Chapelle in Paris (under Félix Duban)

Basilica of St. Denis near Paris

St. Louis in Poissy

Notre-Dame in Semur-en-Auxois

Basilica of St. Nazarius and St. Celsus in Carcasonne

Basilica of St. Sernin in Toulouse

Notre-Dame in Lausanne (Switzerland)

Town halls

Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val

Narbonne

Castles :

Château de Roquetaillade, in Bordeaux

Château de Pierrefonds

Fortified city of Carcassonne

Château de Coucy

Antoing in Belgium

Château de Vincennes, Paris

Restoration of the Château de Pierrefonds, reinterpreted by Viollet-le-Duc for Napoleon III, was interrupted by the departure of the Emperor in 1870.

Influence on historic preservation

Basic intervention theories of historic preservation are framed in the dualism of the retention of the status quo versus a "restoration" that creates something that never actually existed in the past. John Ruskin was a strong proponent of the former sense, while his contemporary, Viollet-le-Duc, advocated for the latter instance. Viollet-le-Duc wrote that restoration is a "means to reestablish [a building] to a finished state, which may in fact never have actually existed at any given time."[1]

The type of restoration employed by Viollet-le-Duc, in its English form as Victorian restoration, was decried by John Ruskin as "a destruction out of which no remnants can be gathered: a destruction accompanied with false description of the thing destroyed."[2]

This argument is still a current one when restoration is being considered for a building or landscape. In removing layers of history from a building, information and age value are also removed which can never be recreated. However, adding features to a building, as Viollet-le-Duc also did, can be more appealing to modern viewers.

Publications

Throughout his career Viollet-le-Duc made notes and drawings, not only for the buildings he was working on, but also on Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance buildings that were to be soon demolished. His notes were helpful in his published works. His study of medieval and Renaissance periods was not limited to architecture, but extended to furniture, clothing, musical instruments, armament, geology and so forth.

All this work was published, first in serial, and then as full-scale books, as:

Dictionary of French Architecture from 11th to 16th Century (1854–1868) (Dictionnaire raisonné de l'architecture française du XIe au XVIe siècle) - Original (French) language edition, including numerous illustrations.

Dictionary of French Furnishings (1858–1870) (Dictionnaire raisonné du mobilier français de l'époque Carolingienne à la Renaissance.)

Entretiens sur l'architecture (in 2 volumes, 1863–72), in which Viollet-le-Duc systematized his approach to architecture and architectural education, in a system radically opposed to that of the École des Beaux-Arts, which he had avoided in his youth and despised. In Henry Van Brunt's translation, the "Discourses on Architecture" was published in 1875, making it available to an American audience little more than a decade after its initial publication in France.

Histoire de l'habitation humaine, depuis les temps préhistoriques jusqu'à nos jours (1875). Published in English in 1876 as Habitations of Man in All Ages. Viollet-Le-Duc traces the history of domestic architecture among the different "races" of mankind.

L'art russe: ses origines, ses éléments constructifs, son apogée, son avenir (1877), where Viollet-le-Duc applied his ideas of rational construction to Russian architecture.

Architectural theory and new building projects

Viollet-le-Duc is considered by many to be the first theorist of modern architecture. Sir John Summerson wrote that "there have been two supremely eminent theorists in the history of European architecture - Leon Battista Alberti and Eugène Viollet-le-Duc."[3]

His architectural theory was largely based on finding the ideal forms for specific materials, and using these forms to create buildings. His writings centered on the idea that materials should be used 'honestly'. He believed that the outward appearance of a building should reflect the rational construction of the building. In Entretiens sur l'architecture, Viollet-le-Duc praised the Greek temple for its rational representation of its construction.

For him, "Greek architecture served as a model for the correspondence of structure and appearance."[4] There is speculation that this philosophy was heavily influenced by the writings of John Ruskin, who championed honesty of materials as one of the seven main emphases of architecture.

In several unbuilt projects for new buildings, Viollet-le-Duc applied the lessons he had derived from Gothic architecture, applying its rational structural systems to modern building materials such as cast iron. He also examined organic structures, such as leaves and animal skeletons, for inspiration. He was especially interested in the wings of bats, an influence represented by his Assembly Hall project.

Viollet-le-Duc's drawings of iron trusswork were innovative for the time. Many of his designs emphasizing iron would later influence the Art Nouveau style, most noticeably in the work of Hector Guimard. His writings inspired some American architects, including Frank Furness, John Wellborn Root, Louis Sullivan, and Frank Lloyd Wright.[5]

Military career and influence

Viollet-le-Duc had a second career in the military, primarily in the defence of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1). He was so influenced by the conflict that during his later years he described the idealized defense of France by the analogy of the military history of Le Roche-Pont, an imaginary castle, in his work Histoire d'une Forteresse (Annals of a Fortress, twice translated into English). Accessible and well researched, it is partly fictional.

Annals of a Fortress strongly influenced French military defensive thinking. Viollet-le-Duc's critique of the effect of artillery (applying his practical knowledge from the 1870–1871 war) is so complete that it accurately describes the principles applied to the defence of France until World War II.

The physical results of his theories are present in the fortification of Verdun prior to World War I and the Maginot Line prior to World War II. His theories are also represented by the French military theory of "Deliberate Advance", such that artillery and a strong system of fortresses in the rear of an army are essential.

Legacy

Some of his restorations, such as that of the Château de Pierrefonds, have become very controversial because they were not intended so much to recreate a historical situation accurately as to create a "perfect building" of medieval style: "to restore an edifice", he observed in the Dictionnaire raisonné, "is not to maintain it, repair or rebuild it, but to re-establish it in a complete state that may never have existed at a particular moment".[6]

The idea and the very word restoration applied to architecture Viollet-le-Duc considered part of a modern innovation. Modern conservation practice considers Viollet-le-Duc's restorations too free, too personal, too interpretive, but some of the monuments he restored might have been lost otherwise.

The English architect Benjamin Bucknall (1833–95) was a devotee of Viollet-le-Duc and during 1874 to 1881 translated several of his publications into English to popularise his principles in Great Britain.

An exhibition, Eugène Viollet-le-Duc 1814–1879 was presented in Paris, 1965, and a larger, centennial exhibition, 1980.

Later life

In 1874 Eugène Viollet-le-Duc resigned as diocesan architect of Paris, and was succeeded by his contemporary, Paul Abadie.[7] In his old age, Viollet-le-Duc relocated to Lausanne, Switzerland, where he constructed a villa (since destroyed). He died there in 1879.

Notes

Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc. ([1854] 1990). The foundations of architecture. New York: George Braziller. P. 195. (Translated by Kenneth D. Whitehead from the original French.)
John Ruskin. ([1880] 1989). The seven lamps of architecture. New York: Dover Publications. P. 194
Summerson, Sir John (1948). Heavenly Mansions and Other essays on Architecture. London: Cresset Press.
Ochshorn, Jonathan. "Designing Building Failures". Cornell University.
Jump up ^ Viollet-Le-Duc, Eugene-Emmanuel (1990). The Architectural Theory of Viollet-Le-Duc: Readings and Commentary. MIT Press.
"Restaurer un édifice, ce n'est pas l'entretenir, le reparer ou le refaire, c'est le rétablir dans un état complet qui ne peut avoir jamais existé à un moment donné". (Dictionnaire raisonné, s.v. "Restauration")
^ jpd. "Paul Abadie, architecte". Histoire-vesinet.org. Retrieved 2014-01-27.

source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eug%C3%A8ne_Viollet-le-Duc

10 Must Have Features For Your Website

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 03:59:00 +0000

10 Must Have Features For Your Website

You can put any number of snazzy features on your website. If you ever meet with a web design firm, your sure to hear about all the cool scripts, animations and other interactive add-ons that can go on your pages.

Some pizzazz isn't a bad thing, especially if you're just starting out and need to set yourself apart from the competition. Interactive features and a well designed website give you an air of competence and experience, even if your online business is brand new.

But the website features that count toward your bottom line are the ones that attract and retain customers and entice them back to you regularly.

Along with the bells and whistles, your business home on the web needs to have some basic must-haves that shoppers expect.

Make sure that your site meets the minimum daily requirements: it needs to be easy to find, loaded with content, include content and background information about you, and include features that make shopping (if that's what you do) easy and secure.

This article describes ten specific features that help you achieve these objectives.

Secure East-to-Remember URLs.

Names are critical to the success of any business. A name becomes identified with a business, and people associate the name with its products and its level of customer service.

When a small company developed a software product called Lindows, giant Microsoft sued initially, but eventually paid $20 million to stop the infringement on its well-known trademarked product Windows.

Write down five or six names that are short and easy to remember and that would represent your business if included in an URL.

Do a domain name search and try to find the one you want. Try to keep your site's potential name as short and as free of elements like hyphens as possible.

A single four-to ten-character name between the www. and the .com or .co.uk sections of the URL is easy to remember.

Provide a Convenient Payment Method

Shoppers go online for many reasons, but those reasons don't include a desire for things to be complex and time consuming.

No matter how technically complex it may be to get one's computer on the internet, shoppers still want things to be quick and seamless.

At the top of the list of seamless processes is the ability to pay for merchandise purchased online.

You don't have to get a merchant account from a bank to process your own credit-card payments. You don't need to get point-of-sale hardware, either. The other day, Greg paid for a heater from a company that sent him to PayPal's website.

PayPal began as an independent company, but it became so popular among members of the auction site eBay that eBay eventually purchased it.

Chances are that many of your prospective customers already have accounts with PayPal if they use eBay. Greg did, so his purchase process was completed in less than a minute.

Set yourself up as a seller with PayPal and accept money orders & personal cheques. If you can take the additional step of getting a eCommerce website and a credit-card payment system, so much the better.

Promote Security, Privacy, and Trust

Even shoppers who have been making purchases online for years at a time still feel uncertainty when they type their credit-card number and click a button labelled Pay Now, Purchase or Submit to a commercial website.

We're speaking from personal experience. What promotes trust? Information and communication. Shoppers online love getting information that goes beyond what they can find in a printed catalogue.

Be sure to include one or more of the following details that can make shoppers feel good about pressing your Buy Now buttons:

* An endorsement from an organization that is supposed to promote good business practices, such as investors in people, business in the community, or by your own customers.

* A privacy statement that explains how you're going to handle customers' personal information.

* Detailed product descriptions that show you're knowledgeable about a product.

Another good thing that promotes trust is information about who you are and why you love what you do, as described in the 'Blow Your Own Trumpet' section, later in this chapter.

Choose Goods & Services That Buyers Want

Every merchant would love to be able to read the minds of his or her prospective customers. On the internet, you have as much chance of reading someone's mind as you have of meeting that person face to face. Nevertheless, the internet does give potential buyers several ways to tell you what they want:

* Come right out and ask them. On your website, invite requests for merchandise of one sort or another.

* After a purchase, ask customers for suggestions about other items they'd like to buy from you.

* Visit message boards, newsgroups, and websites related to the item you want to sell.

* Make a weekly (remember that Saturdays & Sundays are the best days for auctions to end) search of eBay's completed auctions to see what has sold, and which types of items have fetched the highest prices.

Have a Regular Influx of New Products

With a printed catalogue, changes to sales items can be major. The biggest problem is the need to physically reprint the catalogue with inventory changes.

One of the biggest advantages associated with having an online sales catalogue is the ability to alter your product line in a matter of minutes, without sending artwork to a printer.

You can easily post new sales items online each day, as soon as you get new sales figures.

One reason to keep changing your products on a regular basis is that your larger competitors are doing so. Lands' End, which has a well-designed and popular online sales catalogue, puts out new products on a regular basis and announces them in an email newsletter to which loyal customers can subscribe.

Be Current with Upkeep & Improvements

Do you have a favourite blog, comic strip, or newspaper columnist that you like to visit each day? We certainly do.

If these content providers don't come up with new material on a regular basis, you get discouraged. Your loyal customers will hopefully feel the same way about your website, eBay shop or other sales venue.

We know what you're thinking: You've got so many things to do that you can't possibly be revisiting your website every day and changing headings or putting new sales online.

You have to get the kids off to school, pack up merchandise, run to the post office, clean the house - the list goes on and on. You can't be in two places at once. But two people can. Hire a student or friend to run your site and suggest new content for you.

In a five-minute phone conversation, you can tell your assistant what to do that day, and you can go on to the rest of your many responsibilities.

Personally Interact with Your Customers

The fact that personal touch counts for so much in internet communication is a paradox. With rare exceptions, you never meet face to face with the people with whom you exchange messages.

Maybe it's the lack of body language and visual clues that make shoppers and other web surfers so hungry for attention.

But the fact is that impersonal, mass email marketing messages are reviled while quick responses with courteous thank-you's are eagerly welcomed.

You can't send too many personal email messages to your customers, even when they're only making and enquiry and not a purchase.

Not long ago, Greg asked some questions about a heater he was thinking of buying online. He filled out the form on the company's website and submitted his questions.

The representative of the company got right back to him.

'First of all, let me thank you for your interest in our product,' the letter began. She proceeded to answer his questions and then finished with another thank-you and 'if you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.' Greg didn't hesitate: 'He asked more questions, she answered and again said, 'Don't hesitate to ask' at the end. It's possible it was all 'form letter' material, added to the beginning and end of every enquiry, but it makes a difference. Greg eventually purchased the item.

Post Advertisements in the Right Places

When most people think about advertising on the internet, they automatically think about banner advertisements placed on someone else's web page.

A banner advertisement is only one kind of online ad, and possibly the least effective. Make use of all the advertising options going online brings you, including the following:

* Use word of mouth: Bloggers use this method all the time: one person mentions something in another blog, that blogger mentions it to someone else, and so on.

* Exchange links: 'You link to my website, and ill link to yours', in other words. This option is especially effective if you're linking to a business whose products and services complement your own.

* Multiply Websites: if you have two websites, you immediately have two sites linking to each one of yours. Your ability to exchange links with other websites triples, too.

* Get listed in search engines: Make sure that your site is listed in the databases maintained by Google and the other search engines.

Blow Your Own Trumpet

Sam Walton founded Wal-Mart, and the Walton family still runs it, but 99 percent of the shoppers who flock to megastores every day don't know or care about that fact. Wal-Mart is a well-established brand with a physical Presence.

Your fledgling online business has neither of those advantages. You need to use your website to provide essential background information about yourself, why you started your business, and what your goals are.

Your immediate aim is to answer the question that naturally arises when a consumer visits your online business: 'Who are these people?' or 'who is this guy?' The indirect goal is to answer a question that the shopper doesn't necessarily ask consciously, but that is present nonetheless: 'Why should I trust this place?' Be sure to list your experience, your background, your family, or your hobbies - anything to reassure online shoppers that you're a reputable person who is looking out for their interests.

Create a Well-Organized Website

A well-organised website isn't quite as essential as it used to be, because you can establish a regular income on eBay without having any website at all. But even if you become a well-established eBay seller, you're going to want a website at some point or another.

How do you make your site well organised? Make sure that your site incorporates these essential features:

* Navigation buttons: consumers who are in a hurry expect to see a row of navigation buttons along the top or one of the sides of your homepage. Don't make them hunt; put them there.

* A Site Map: A page that leads visitors to all areas of your site can prevent them from going elsewhere if they got lost.

* Links that actually work: Nothing is more frustrating than clicking a link that's supposed to lead to a photo and/or a bit of information that you really want, and to come up with a generic page not found error message

* Links that indicate where you are on the site: such links are helpful because, like a trail of breadcrumbs, they show how the customer got to a particular page. Heres an example:

Clothing > Men's > Sportswear > Shoes > Running

When your site grows to contain dozens of pages and several main categories, links that look like this can help people move up to a main category and find more subcategories.

So there I have given you information on the 10 must-have features for your website, follow these simple rules and you will have a website which customers will love, and a website which over-time will grow and achieve the goals you set out to achieve. good luck with your web site's and if you have any questions, feel free to contact me or leave me a comment.

Andy MacDonald owns and runs his own website design company called Swift Media UK which also incorporates logo design & reliable web hosting. Also checkout our SEO Blog which is updated regularly with posts to help you achieve a top search engine ranking.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andy_Macdonald

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/934566

Email Marketing Tips - How to Make Your Customers Come Back To You Again And Again

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 03:15:00 +0000

Email Marketing Tips - How to Make Your Customers Come Back To You Again And Again

Email marketing tips are not just for helping you to increase your consumer base. They are also intended to help you maximize your earnings by ensuring that you retain your current consumers.

The challenge for the business is how to use email marketing to get your present consumers to stay with you. Here are some tips that will help you achieve just that.

Value in content

There are some business truths that work as email marketing tips, one of which is a well treated consumer is a consumer for life. If you send regular consumers newsletter emails that provide useful information on current, old and new products they benefit and they will therefore be loyal to you.

A good example is a business that sells computers sending newsletters on new laptops and how one can maximize the life of their old ones. This value in content makes the consumer develop brand loyalty to the business and therefore a repeat customer.

Timely information

One important tip is to be timely in sending the email newsletters to your clients. There are certain periods where email marketing information will be more valuable to the consumer and likelier to generate conversions. A good example is sending email catalogues just around the holidays.

This eases the stresses of holiday shopping and increases conversions as most consumers are likely to have money around that period.

Consistency in sending marketing emails

While it is important that you target the right time, email marketing tips show that consistency is of great value to the consumers. The emails that you send become a form of communication and a connection between you and the clients.

That means that you must strive to make these regular. The best email marketing tips show that the right balance must be struck to ensure that emails aren't too sparse to lose value or too close to become spam.

Partner up

Email marketing tips for success show that you cannot achieve success by yourself. Most products or services are not used in a vacuum. Partner with companies that you trust that provide services and products that complement yours.

This allows you to recommend them to your consumers and vice versa. Make sure that you trust the business as the consumers will measure you by the kind of recommendations that you make.

Start to reap the benefits of email marketing by applying these useful tips immediately and see your bottom line grow.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Maggie_J_Lee

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7978486

The Reason I Bought a Woodburner

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 09:07:00 +0000

The Reason I Bought a Woodburner

I could start off by telling you why you should buy a wood burning stove and the many advantages that come with the ownership; the problem with that is, nobody is realistic, everyone focuses on nothing but money. There is more to life than just money and that is one thing having a family has taught me.

Personally, if I had the choice between memories and money, I would opt for memories each and every time and that's one thing my wood stove has supplied me with.

I've vacationed in several exotic countries and whilst I have fond memories of all of these places with beautiful sunsets, there's something homely and safe about curling up in front of the stove with loved ones which nothing else can replace.

It makes it feel like a proper home

One of the most common questions I find people can never manage to answer is "what makes a house a home?" While the same answer won't apply to everyone, having a blazing fire roaring in the living room certainly meant I'd never have to stop and think about that question again.

I've met people who claim personal possessions, pictures and adding your 'own touch' to a house makes it feel more like a home. Now, I agree with this as my house had all of these things before a stove, but I never really felt at home (as cliché as that sounds).

Yet within days of installing a wood burner, that changed. I felt a passion for our home that I'd never felt before; a strange sensation that had me thinking about it every single day. Why?

I couldn't tell you if I'm honest. It could be a primitive feeling that emerges from creating your own heat source, coupled with the dancing flames or it might just be the stunning looks (everyone's a sucker for a beautiful stove).

It sounds too perfect!

It does, but I'm going to be brutally honest in this seemingly pro-wood burner babbling and actually explain that the maintenance of a stove can be quite hard work. I say hard, but it's just a matter of doing your research and knowing what needs to be done, how often and the costs involved to ensure you don't get ripped off.

For example, you'll need your chimney lined when installing a stove and you'll need that same chimney cleaning at least once a year due to the deposits that inevitably build up over time.

On top of this, having somewhere to store wood is a necessity; preferably a nice dedicated outdoor space, unless of course you don't mind lumbering (excuse the pun) a spare bedroom with all the wood.

However, all of these small inconveniences and things you need to take into account are simply pushed to the back of your mind the first time you light your stove.

Gather the family around and watch as the small embers grow into a miniature bonfire in your living room (sadly, fireworks aren't included) and it soon becomes clear as to why these are one of the most popular additions to newly built homes.

I hope sharing my experience with my precious wood burner has ignited an interest in them and better yet, if writing this inspires just one person to go out and buy a wood burning stove, then the last 35 minutes I have spent in front of the computer frantically typing away won't be without cause.

So if you are searching for reliable woodburning stoves then you may wish to check the website Woodburnerworld for the up to date range of services on offer to assist you.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anthony_P_Langston

The Super Bowl

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 04:25:00 +0000

The Super Bowl

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL), the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather than the year in which it is held. For example, Super Bowl I was played on January 15, 1967, following the 1966 regular season, while Super Bowl XLVII, which will determine the champion of the current 2012 season, will be played on February 3, 2013.

The game was created as part of a merger agreement between the NFL and its then-rival league, the American Football League (AFL). It was agreed that the two leagues' champion teams would play in an AFL–NFL World Championship Game until the merger was to officially begin in 1970. After the merger, each league was redesignated as a "conference", and the game was then played between the conference champions. Currently, the National Football Conference (NFC) leads the series with 25 wins to 21 wins for the American Football Conference (AFC).

The day on which the Super Bowl is played, now considered by some a de facto American national holiday,[1][2] is called "Super Bowl Sunday". It is the second-largest day for U.S. food consumption, after Thanksgiving Day.[3] In addition, the Super Bowl has frequently been the most watched American television broadcastof the year. Super Bowl XLV, played in 2011, became the most-watched American television program in history, drawing an average audience of 111 million viewers and taking over the spot held by the previous year's Super Bowl, which itself had taken over the #1 spot held for twenty-eight years by the final episode ofM*A*S*H.[4] The Super Bowl is also among the most watched sporting events in the world, mostly due to North American audiences, and is second to association football (soccer)’s UEFA Champions League final as the most watched annual sporting event worldwide.[5]

Because of its high viewership, commercial airtime during the Super Bowl broadcast is the most expensive of the year. Due to the high cost of investing in advertising on the Super Bowl, companies regularly develop their most expensive advertisements for this broadcast. As a result, watching and discussing the broadcast's commercials has become a significant aspect of the event.[6] In addition, many popular singers and musicians have performed during the event's pre-game and halftime ceremonies because of the exposure.

Origin

For four decades after its 1920 inception, the NFL successfully fended off several rival leagues. However, in 1960, it encountered its most serious competitor when the American Football League (AFL) was formed. The AFL vied heavily with the NFL for both players and fans, but by the middle of the decade the strain of competition led to serious merger talks between the two leagues. Prior to the 1966 season, the NFL and AFL reached a merger agreement that was to take effect for the 1970 season. As part of the merger, the champions of the two leagues agreed to meet in a "world" championship game for professional American football until the merger was effected.

Lamar Hunt, owner of the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs, first used the term "Super Bowl"[7] to refer to this game in the merger meetings. Hunt would later say the name was likely in his head because his children had been playing with a Super Ball toy (a vintage example of the ball is on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio). In a July 25, 1966, letter to NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle, Hunt wrote, "I have kiddingly called it the 'Super Bowl,' which obviously can be improved upon." Although the leagues' owners decided on the name "AFL-NFL Championship Game," the media immediately picked up on Hunt's "Super Bowl" name, which would become official beginning with the third annual game.[8]

The "Super Bowl" name was derived from the bowl game, a post-season college football game. The original "bowl game" was the Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena, California, which was first played in 1902 as the "Tournament East-West football game" as part of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses and moved to the new Rose Bowl Stadium in 1923. The stadium got its name from the fact that the game played there was part of the Tournament of Roses and that it was shaped like a bowl, much like the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut; the Tournament of Roses football game itself eventually came to be known as the Rose Bowl Game. Exploiting the Rose Bowl Game's popularity, post-season college football contests were created for Miami (the Orange Bowl) and New Orleans (the Sugar Bowl) in 1935, and forDallas (the Cotton Bowl) in 1937. Thus, by the time the first Super Bowl was played, the term "bowl" for any big-time American football game was well established.

After the NFL's Green Bay Packers won the first two Super Bowls, some team owners feared for the future of the merger. At the time, many doubted the competitiveness of AFL teams compared with their NFL counterparts, though that perception changed when the AFL's New York Jets defeated the NFL's Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III in Miami. One year later, the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs defeated the NFL's Minnesota Vikings 23–7 in Super Bowl IV in New Orleans, which was the final AFL-NFL World Championship Game played before the merger. Beginning with the 1970 season, the NFL realigned into two conferences; the former AFL teams plus three NFL teams (the Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cleveland Browns) would constitute the American Football Conference (AFC), while the remaining NFL clubs would form the National Football Conference (NFC). The champions of the two conferences would play each other in the Super Bowl.

The game is played annually on a Sunday as the final game of the NFL Playoffs. Originally, the game took place in early to mid-January, following a fourteen-game regular season and two rounds of playoffs. Over the years, the date of the Super Bowl has progressed from the second Sunday in January, to the third, then the fourth Sunday in January; the game is currently played on the first Sunday in February, given the current seventeen-week (sixteen games and one bye week) regular season and three rounds of playoffs. Also, February is television's "sweeps" month, thus affording the television network carrying the game an immense opportunity to pad its viewership when negotiating for advertising revenue.

The progression of the dates of the Super Bowl was caused by several factors: the expansion of the NFL's regular season in 1978 from fourteen games to sixteen; the expansion of the pre-Super Bowl playoff field from six teams (two AFL and four NFL) prior to the merger, to eight in the 1970-71 season, then to ten in 1978-79, and finally twelve in 1990-91, necessitating the addition of additional rounds of playoffs; the addition of the regular season bye-week in the 1990s; and the decision to start the regular season the week following Labor Day.

The winning team receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named after the coach of the Green Bay Packers, who won the first two Super Bowl games and three of the five preceding NFL championships in 1961, 1962, and 1965. Following his death in September 1970, the trophy was named the Vince Lombardi Trophy, and was first awarded as such to the Baltimore Colts following their win in Super Bowl V in Miami.

Game history

The Pittsburgh Steelers have won six Super Bowls, the most of any team; the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers have five victories each; and both the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants have four Super Bowls championships. Thirteen other NFL franchises have won at least one Super Bowl. Ten teams have appeared in Super Bowl games without a win. The Minnesota Vikings were the first team to have lost a record four times without a win. The Buffalo Bills played in a record four Super Bowls in a row, and lost every one. Four teams (the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, andHouston Texans) have never appeared in a Super Bowl. The Browns and Lions both won NFL Championships prior to the Super Bowl's creation, while the Jaguars (1995) and Texans (2002) are both recent NFL expansion teams. The Minnesota Vikings won the last NFL Championship before the merger, but lost to the AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl IV.

1960s: Early history

The Green Bay Packers won the first two Super Bowls, defeating the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders following the 1966 and 1967 seasons, respectively. The Packers were led by quarterback Bart Starr, who was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) for both games. These two championships, coupled with the Packers' NFL championships in 1961, 1962, and 1965, amount to the most successful stretch in NFL History; five championships in seven years. As owners of arguably the only true NFL dynasty, Green Bay, Wisconsin has been named Titletown, USA." [9][10]

In Super Bowl III, the AFL's New York Jets defeated the eighteen-point favorite Baltimore Colts of the NFL, 16–7. The Jets were led by quarterback Joe Namath (who had famously guaranteed a Jets win prior to the game) and former Colts head coach Weeb Ewbank, and their victory proved that the AFL was the NFL's competitive equal. This was reinforced the following year, when the AFL's Kansas City Chiefsdefeated the NFL's Minnesota Vikings 23–7 in Super Bowl IV.

1970s: Dominant franchises

After the AFL-NFL merger was completed in 1970, three franchises – the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, and Pittsburgh Steelers – would go on to dominate the 1970s, winning a combined eight Super Bowls in the decade.

The Baltimore Colts, now a member of the AFC, would start the decade by defeating the Cowboys in Super Bowl V, a game which is notable as being the only Super Bowl to date in which a player from the losing team won the MVP award (Cowboys' linebacker Chuck Howley).

The Cowboys, coming back from a loss the previous season, won Super Bowl VI over the Dolphins. However, this would be the Dolphins' final loss in over a year, as the next year, the Dolphins would go 14–0 in the regular season, and cap it off with a victory in Super Bowl VII, becoming the first and only team to finish an entire regular season and post season perfect. The Dolphins would win Super Bowl VIII a year later.

In the late 1970s, the Steelers became the first NFL dynasty of the post-merger era by winning four super bowls (IX, X, XIII, and XIV) in six years. They were led by head coach Chuck Noll, the play of offensive stars Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, and Mike Webster, and their dominant "Steel Curtain" defense, led by "Mean" Joe Greene, L.C. Greenwood, Ernie Holmes, Mel Blount,Jack Ham, and Jack Lambert. The coaches and administrators also were part of the dynasty's greatness as evidenced by the team's "final pieces" being part of the famous 1974 draft.

The selections in that class have been considered the best by any pro franchise ever, as Pittsburgh selected four future Hall of Famers, the most for any team in any sport in a single draft. The Steelers were the first team to win three and then four Super Bowls and appeared in six AFC Championship Games during the decade, making the playoffs in eight straight seasons. Nine players and three coaches and administrators on the team have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Pittsburgh still remains the only team to win back-to-back Super Bowls twice and four Super Bowls in a six-year period.

The Steelers' dynasty was interrupted only by the Cowboys winning their second Super Bowl of the decade, and the Oakland Raiders' Super Bowl XI win.

1980s and 1990s: The NFC's winning streak

In the 1980s and 1990s, the tables turned for the AFC, as the NFC dominated the Super Bowls of the new decade and most of those of the 1990s. The NFC won 16 of the 20 Super Bowls during these two decades, including 13 straight from Super Bowl XIX to Super Bowl XXXI.

The most successful franchise of the 1980s was the San Francisco 49ers, which featured the West Coast offense of head coach Bill Walsh. This offense was led by three-time Super Bowl MVP quarterbackJoe Montana, Super Bowl MVP wide receiver Jerry Rice, and tight end Brent Jones. Under their leadership, the 49ers won four Super Bowls in the decade (XVI, XIX, XXIII, and XXIV) and made nine playoff appearances between 1981 and 1990, including eight division championships, becoming the second dynasty of the post-merger NFL.

The 1980s also produced the 1985 Chicago Bears, who posted an 18–1 record under head coach Mike Ditka, colorful quarterback Jim McMahon, and Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton and won Super Bowl XX in dominating fashion. The Washington Redskins and New York Giants were also top teams of this period; the Redskins won Super Bowls XVII, XXII and XXVI. The Giants claimed Super Bowls XXI and XXV. As in the 1970s, the Oakland Raiders were the only team to interrupt the Super Bowl dominance of other teams; they won Super Bowls XV and XVIII (the latter as the Los Angeles Raiders).

Following several seasons with poor records in 1980s, the Dallas Cowboys rose back to prominence in the 1990s. During this decade, the Cowboys made post season appearances every year except for the seasons of 1990 and 1997. From 1992 to 1996, the Cowboys won their division championship each year. In this same period, the Buffalo Bills had made their mark reaching the Super Bowl for 4 consecutive years, only to lose in all of them. After Super Bowl championships by division rivals New York (1990) and Washington (1992), the Cowboys won three of the next four Super Bowls (XXVII, XXVIII, and XXX) led by quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith, and wide receiver Michael Irvin. The Cowboy's streak was interrupted by the 49ers, who won their league-leading fifth title overall with Super Bowl XXIX; however, the Cowboys' victory in Super Bowl XXX the next year also gave them five titles overall. The NFC's winning streak was continued by the Green Bay Packers who, under quarterback Brett Favre, wonSuper Bowl XXXI, their first championship since Super Bowl II in the late 1960s.

1997-2008: AFC resurgence

During this period, the Denver Broncos ended the NFC's long Super Bowl streak and started a stretch of its own in which AFC teams won 9 out of 12 Super Bowls. The remainder were won between the Broncos, Steelers, and Colts. In the years between 2001 and 2011, three teams – the Patriots, Steelers, and Colts – accounted for ten of the AFC Super Bowl appearances, with those same teams often meeting each other earlier in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the NFC saw a different representative in the Super Bowl every season from 2001 through 2010.

Super Bowl XXXII saw quarterback John Elway and running back Terrell Davis lead the Denver Broncos to an upset victory over the defending champion Packers, snapping the NFC's winning streak and starting a streak in which AFC teams would win eight of the next ten Super Bowls. This marked Elway's first Super Bowl championship in four attempts. The Broncos defeated the Atlanta Falcons in the following Super Bowl, which would be Elway's final game. The surprising St. Louis Rams would close out the 1990s by logging an NFC win in Super Bowl XXXIV.

The New England Patriots became the dominant team throughout the early 2000s, winning the championship three out of four years early in the decade. They would become only the second team in the history of the NFL to do so (after the 1990s Dallas Cowboys). In Super Bowl XXXVI, first-year starting quarterback Tom Brady led his team to a 20–17 upset victory over the St. Louis Rams. Brady would go on to win the MVP award for this game The Patriots also won Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIX defeating the Carolina Panthers and the Philadelphia Eagles respectively. This four-year stretch of Patriot dominance was only interrupted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Super Bowl XXXVII title.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts continued the era of AFC dominance by winning Super Bowls XL and XLI. Two years later the Steelers won an NFL record sixth Super Bowl championship inSuper Bowl XLIII.

In the 2007 season, the Patriots came back by becoming the first team in NFL history to have a 16–0 record in the regular season. They easily marched through the AFC playoffs and were heavy favorites inSuper Bowl XLII. However, they lost that game to the New York Giants 17–14, in large part due to a play that would become known as the Helmet Catch, in which Giants receiver David Tyree caught an Eli Manning pass by securing it against the side of his helmet. This pass would set up the eventual game-winning touchdown.

2009-Present: NFC turnaround

NFC teams won four of five Super Bowls in the late 2000s and early 2010s. The Giants won two championships (XLII as described above and XLVI also over the Patriots) in this period. Between these titles, theNew Orleans Saints won their first title and the Green Bay Packers won their fourth Super Bowl and record 13th NFL championship overall.

The Super Bowls of the late 2000s and early 2010s are marked by the performances of the several of the winning quarterbacks. Peyton Manning, Eli Manning twice, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers all added championships and Super Bowl MVP awards to their lists of individual accomplishments.

Television coverage and ratings

For many years, the Super Bowl has possessed a large US and global television viewership, and it is often the most watched television program of the year. The game tends to have high Nielsen television ratings, which is usually around a 40 rating and 60 share. This means that on average, 80 to 90 million people from the United States are tuned into the Super Bowl at any given moment.

In press releases preceding each year's event, the NFL typically claims that that year's Super Bowl will have a potential worldwide audience of around one billion people in over 200 countries.[11] This figure refers to the number of people able to watch the game, not the number of people actually watching. However the statements have been frequently misinterpreted in various media as referring to the latter figure, leading to a common misperception about the game's actual global audience.[12][13] The New York-based media research firm Initiative measured the global audience for the 2005 Super Bowl at 93 million people, with 98 percent of that figure being viewers in North America, which meant roughly 2 million people outside North America watched the Super Bowl that year.[12]

2012's Super Bowl XLVI holds the record for total number of U.S. viewers, attracting an average U.S. audience of over 111 million and an estimated total audience of nearly 167 million, making the game the most-viewed television broadcast of any kind in American history.[14]

The highest-rated game according to Nielsen was Super Bowl XVI in 1982, which was watched in 49.1 percent of households (73 share), or 40,020,000 households at the time. Ratings for that game, a San Francisco victory over Cincinnati, may have been aided by a large blizzard that had affected much of the northeastern United States on game day, leaving residents to stay at home more than usual. Also, because network television was still the predominant means of viewership and pay television services (cable, and later satellite) were still relatively unavailable, there were not many choices of things to watch on television.[citation needed] Super Bowl XVI still ranks fourth on Nielsen's list of top-rated programs of all time, and three other Super Bowls, XII, XVII, and XX, made the top ten.[15]

Famous commercial campaigns include the Budweiser "Bud Bowl" campaign and the 1999 and 2000 dot-com ads. Prices have increased every year, with advertisers paying as much as $3.5 million for a thirty-second spot during Super Bowl XLVI in 2012.[16] A segment of the audience tunes in to the Super Bowl solely to view commercials.[6] The Super Bowl halftime show has spawned another set of alternative entertainment such as the Lingerie Bowl, the Beer Bottle Bowl, and other facets of American culture.

Entertainment

Early Super Bowls featured a halftime show consisting of marching bands from local colleges or high schools; but as the popularity of the game increased, a trend where popular singers and musicians performed during its pre-game ceremonies and the halftime show, or simply sang the national anthem of the United States, emerged.[20] Unlike regular season or playoff games, thirty minutes are allocated for the Super Bowl halftime.

The first halftime show to have featured only one star performer was Michael Jackson during Super Bowl XXVII in 1993. The NFL specifically went after him to increase viewership and to continue expanding the Super Bowl's reputation.[21] Another notable performance came during Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002, when U2 performed; during their second song, "Where the Streets Have No Name", the band played under a large projection screen which scrolled through names of the victims of the September 11 attacks.

The halftime show of Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004 generated controversy when Justin Timberlake removed a piece of Janet Jackson's top, exposing her right breast with a star-shaped pastie around the nipple. Timberlake and Jackson have maintained that the incident was accidental, calling it a "wardrobe malfunction". The game was airing live on CBS, and MTV had produced the halftime show. Immediately after the moment, the footage jump-cut to a wide-angle shot and went to a commercial break; however, video captures of the moment in detail circulated quickly on the internet. The NFL, embarrassed by the incident, permanently banned MTV from conducting future halftime shows.

This also led to the FCC tightening controls on indecency and fining CBS and CBS-owned stations a total of $550,000 for the incident. The fine was later reversed in July 2008. CBS and MTV eventually split into two separate companies in part because of the fiasco,[citation needed] with CBS going under the control of CBS Corporationand MTV falling under the banner of Viacom (although both corporations remain under the ownership of National Amusements).

For six years following the incident, all of the performers in Super Bowl halftime shows were artists associated with the classic rock genre of the 1970s and 1980s (including three acts from the British Invasion of the 1960s), with only one act playing the entire halftime show. Paul McCartney (formerly of The Beatles) played Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005, The Rolling Stones played Super Bowl XL in 2006, and The Who played Super Bowl XLIV in 2010. The halftime show returned to a modern act in 2011 with The Black Eyed Peas. But during the halftime show of Super Bowl XLVI in 2012, M.I.A. gave the middle finger during a performance of "Give Me All Your Luvin'" with Madonna, which was caught TV cameras. An attempt to censor the gesture by blurring the entire screen came late.[22]

Excluding Super Bowl XXXIX, the famous "I'm going to Disney World!" advertising campaign took place at every Super Bowl since Super Bowl XXI, when quarterback Phil Simms from the New York Giants became the first player to say the tagline. The Walt Disney Company ran the ad several times during the game[which?], showing several players from both teams practicing the catch-phrase.[citation needed]

Venue

26 of 46 Super Bowls have been played in three cities; New Orleans (nine times), the Greater Miami area (ten times), or the Greater Los Angeles area (seven times). Stadiums that do not host an NFL franchise are not, by rule, prohibited from hosting the Super Bowl, and non-NFL stadiums have hosted the game nine times, with the Rose Bowl accounting for five of these. To date, however, no market or region without an NFL franchise has ever hosted a Super Bowl; all five Rose Bowl Super Bowls were hosted before the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Raiders left for St. Louis and Oakland respectively in 1995.

No team has ever played the Super Bowl in its home stadium. The closest have been the San Francisco 49ers who played Super Bowl XIX in Stanford Stadium, rather than Candlestick Park, and the Los Angeles Rams who played Super Bowl XIV in the Rose Bowl, rather than the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. In both cases, the stadium in which the Super Bowl was held was perceived to be a better stadium for a large, high-profile event than the stadiums the Rams and 49ers were playing in at the time; this situation has not arisen since 1993, in part because the league has traditionally awarded the Super Bowl in modern times to the newest stadiums.

Besides those two, the only other Super Bowl venue that was not the home stadium to an NFL team at the time was Rice Stadium in Houston: theHouston Oilers had played there previously, but moved to the Astrodome several years prior to Super Bowl VIII. The Orange Bowl was the only AFL stadium to host a Super Bowl and the only stadium to host consecutive Super Bowls, hosting Super Bowls II and III.

Traditionally, the NFL does not award Super Bowls to stadiums that are located in climates with an expected average daily temperature less than 50°F (10°C) on game day unless the field can be completely covered by a fixed or retractable roof. Four Super Bowls have been played in northern cities: two in the Detroit area—Super Bowl XVI at Pontiac Silverdome inPontiac, Michigan and Super Bowl XL at Ford Field in Detroit—, one in Minneapolis—Super Bowl XXVI, and one in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium for Super Bowl XLVI. These four stadiums all have a roof. However, despite not having a retractable roof, MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey was chosen for Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014, in an apparent waiver of the warm-climate rule.

There have been a few instances where the league has yanked the Super Bowl from cities. Super Bowl XXVII in 1993 was originally awarded to Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, but after Arizona voted to not recognize Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in 1990, the NFL moved the game to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California in protest. After Arizona opted to create the holiday by ballot in 1992, Super Bowl XXX in 1996 was awarded to Tempe. Super Bowl XLIV, slated for February 7, 2010, was withdrawn from New York City's proposed West Side Stadium, because the city, state, and proposed tenants New York Jetscould not agree on funding. Super Bowl XLIV was then eventually awarded to Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. And Super Bowl XLIX in 2015 was originally given to Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, but after two sales taxes failed to pass at the ballot box, and opposition by local business leaders and politicians increased, Kansas City eventually withdrew its request to host the game.[23]Super Bowl XLIX was then eventually awarded to University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Selection process

The location of the Super Bowl is chosen by the NFL well in advance, usually three to five years before the game. Cities place bids to host a Super Bowl and are evaluated in terms of stadium renovation and their ability to host.[24] The NFL owners then meet to make a selection on the site. In 2007, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suggested that a Super Bowl might be played in London, England, perhaps atWembley Stadium.[25] The game has never been played in a region that lacks an NFL franchise; seven Super Bowls have been played in Los Angeles, but none since the Los Angeles Raiders and Los Angeles Rams relocated to Oakland and St. Louis respectively in 1995.

Home team designation

The designated "home team" alternates between the AFC team in even-numbered games and the NFC team in odd-numbered games.[26][27] This alternation was initiated with the first Super Bowl, when theGreen Bay Packers were the designated home team. Regardless of being the home or away team of record, each team has their team wordmark painted in one of the end zones along with their conference designation. Designated away teams have won 26 of 46 Super Bowls to date (.565).

Since Super Bowl XIII in January 1979, the home team is given the choice of wearing their colored or white jerseys. Formerly, the designated home team was specified to wear their colored jerseys, which resulted in Dallas donning their less familiar dark blue jerseys for Super Bowl V. While most of the home teams in the Super Bowl have chosen to wear their colored jerseys, there have been four exceptions; the Cowboys during Super Bowl XIII and XXVII, the Washington Redskins during Super Bowl XVII, and the Pittsburgh Steelers during Super Bowl XL. The Cowboys, since 1965, and Redskins, since the arrival of coach Joe Gibbs in 1981, have traditionally worn white jerseys at home. Meanwhile, the Steelers, who have always worn their black jerseys at home since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, opted for the white jerseys after winning three consecutive playoff games on the road, wearing white.

The Steelers' decision was compared with the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX; the Patriots had worn white jerseys at home during the 1985 season, but after winning road playoff games against the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins wearing red jerseys, New England opted to switch to red for the Super Bowl as the designated home team. White-shirted teams have won 28 of 46 Super Bowls to date (.609).

Super Bowl trademark

The NFL is vigilant on stopping what it says is unauthorized commercial use of its trademarked terms "NFL," "Super Bowl," and "Super Sunday." As a result, many events and promotions tied to the game, but not sanctioned by the NFL, are forced to refer to it with colloquialisms such as "The Big Game," or other generic descriptions.[32] (A radio spot for Planters nuts parodied this, by saying "it would besuper...to have a bowl...of Planters nuts while watching the big game!") The NFL claims that the use of the phrase "Super Bowl" implies an NFL affiliation, and on this basis the league asserts broad rights to restrict how the game may be shown publicly; for example, the league says Super Bowl showings are prohibited in churches or at other events that "promote a message," while venues that do not regularly show sporting events cannot show the Super Bowl on any television screen larger than 55 inches.[33]

Some critics say the NFL is exaggerating its ownership rights by stating that "any use is prohibited," as this contradicts the broad doctrine of fair use in the United States.[33] Legislation was proposed by Utah Senator Orrin Hatch in 2008 "to provide an exemption from exclusive rights in copyright for certain nonprofit organizations to display live football games," and "for other purposes."[34]

In 2006, the NFL made an attempt to trademark "The Big Game" as well; however, it withdrew the application in 2007 due to growing commercial and public-relations opposition to the move, mostly fromStanford University and the University of California, Berkeley and their fans, as the Stanford Cardinal football and California Golden Bears football teams compete in the Big Game, which has been played since 1892 (28 years before the formation of the NFL and 75 years before Super Bowl I).[35] Additionally, the Mega Millions lottery game was known as The Big Game from 1996–2002.

References
1. ^ Belkin, Douglas (January 29, 2004). "Super Bowl underscores cultural divide". The Boston Globe.
2. ^ "Let's make Super Bowl an official holiday".
3. ^ "USDA Offers Food Safety Advice for Your Super Bowl Party".U.S. Department of Agriculture. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
4. ^ Hibberd, James (February 8, 2010). "Super Bowl dethrones 'M*A*S*H,' sets all-time record". The Live Feed.
5. ^ Harris, Nick (January 31, 2010). "Elite clubs on Uefa gravy train as Super Bowl knocked off perch". The Independent (London).
6. ^ a b Commercials as big as game, Florida Today
7. ^ Tinley, Josh (31 January 2012). "‘Super Bowl’ – Why Do We Call It That? Why Roman Numerals?". Midwest Sports Fans. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
8. ^ MacCambridge, Michael. America's Game. New York: Random House, 2004, p. 237.
9. ^ Will, Tracy (1997). Wisconsin. Oakland, California: Compass American Guides. pp. 83. ISBN 1-878867-49-0.
10. ^ "There is no other TitleTown USA".
11. ^ Super Bowl XLI broadcast in 232 countries, NFL press release, February 3, 2007.
12. ^ a b Rushin, Steve (February 6, 2006). "A Billion People Can Be Wrong". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 15, 2007.
13. ^ Super Bowl XL to Attract Close to 1 Billion Viewers Worldwide, Voice of America, February 3, 2006
14. ^ "Super Bowl XLVI Breaks Total Viewership Record".
15. ^ "Television's Top-Rated Programs". Nielsen Media Research. April 30, 2000. Retrieved January 15, 2007.
16. ^ "Super Bowl ads cost average of $3.5M". Associated Press. 2/6/2012. Retrieved 2/11/2012.
17. ^ Super Bowl evolves into television extravaganza Pittsburgh Tribune Retrieved May 10, 2011
18. ^ Hibberd, James. "'Wipeout' special set for Super Sunday".The Hollywood Reporter.[dead link]
19. ^ Fryer, Jenna (January 30, 2009). "Bruce Springsteen's Super Bowl Promise: "12-Minute Party" At Halftime". Huffington Post. Retrieved February 7, 2009.
20. ^ Super Bowl – Entertainment
21. ^ Sandomir, Richard (June 29, 2009). "How Jackson Redefined the Super Bowl". New York Times. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
22. ^ "M.I.A. flips bird in Super Bowl halftime show". CBS News.
23. ^ Associated Press (May 25, 2006). "No rolling roof, no Super Bowl at Arrowhead". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 15, 2007.
24. ^ Pedulla, Tom (September 23, 2003). "N.Y./N.J. Super Bowl in 2008 may not come to pass". USAToday. Retrieved July 28, 2007.
25. ^ ESPN – Goodell says NFL to look into playing Super Bowl in London – NFL, Associated Press, ESPN, 2007-10-15, accessed January 26, 2009
26. ^ "Which jerseys will Bears wear in Super Bowl?". January 22, 2007. Retrieved April 12, 2008. "The Bears will be designated as the home team ... in Super Bowl XLI in Miami. The home team alternates every Super Bowl with the NFC representative serving as the home team in odd-numbered years and the away team in even-numbered years."
27. ^ "XLII facts about Super Bowl XLII". January 22, 2008. Retrieved April 12, 2008. "The AFC is the home team in this year's Super Bowl [Super Bowl XLII]."
28. ^ Associated Press (May 19, 2009). "New Orleans to host 10th Super Bowl in 2013". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
29. ^ Love, Tim (April 24, 2009). "NFL in talks on London Super Bowl". BBC Sports. Retrieved April 24, 2009.
30. ^ ESPN News (May 3, 2009). "Report: London eyes Super Bowl". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
31. ^ a b Marvez, Alex (May 4, 2009). "All signs point to Favre returning". Fox Sports. Retrieved May 4, 2009.
32. ^ Gardner, Eriq (January 29, 2007). "Super Bowl, Super Trademarks: Protecting the NFL's IP". The Hollywood Reporter, Esq.. Archived from the original on July 1, 2007. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
33. ^ a b Alter, Alexandra (February 2, 2008). "God vs. Gridiron".The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 2, 2008.
34. ^ "Church Super Bowl Victory: Senators Hatch & Specter Score Touchdown with NFL Policy". Copyright Queen Blog. February 22, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
35. ^ FitzGerald, Tom (May 23, 2007). "NFL sidelines its pursuit of Big Game trademark". The San Francisco Chronicle.

What Is Mayan Calendar?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 02:30:00 +0000

What Is Mayan Calendar?

Maya calendar From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Maya calendar is a system of calendars used in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and in many modern communities in highland Guatemala[1] and in Veracruz, Oaxaca and Chiapas, Mexico.[2]

The essentials of the Maya calendar are based upon a system which had been in common use throughout the region, dating back to at least the 5th century BCE. It shares many aspects with calendars employed by other earlier Mesoamerican civilizations, such as the Zapotec and Olmec, and contemporary or later ones such as the Mixtec and Aztec calendars.[3] Although the Mesoamerican calendar did not originate with the Maya, their subsequent extensions and refinements of it were the most sophisticated. Along with those of the Aztecs, the Maya calendars are the best-documented and most completely understood

By the Maya mythological tradition, as documented in Colonial Yucatec accounts and reconstructed from Late Classic and Postclassic inscriptions, the deity Itzamna is frequently credited with bringing the knowledge of the calendar system to the ancestral Maya, along with writing in general and other foundational aspects of Maya culture.[4]

Overview

The Maya calendar consists of several cycles or counts of different lengths. The 260-day count is known to scholars as the Tzolkin, or Tzolk'in.[5] The Tzolkin was combined with a 365-day vague solar year known as the Haab' to form a synchronized cycle lasting for 52 Haab', called the Calendar Round. Smaller cycles of 13 days, the trecena, and 20 days, the veintena, were important components both cycles. The Calendar Round is still in use by many groups in the Guatemalan highlands.[6]

A different calendar was used to track longer periods of time, and for the inscription of calendar dates (i.e., identifying when one event occurred in relation to others). This is the Long Count. It is a count of days since a mythological starting-point.[7] According to the correlation between the Long Count and Western calendars accepted by the great majority of Maya researchers (known as the Goodman-Martinez-Thompson, or GMT, correlation), this starting-point is equivalent to August 11, 3114 BCE in the proleptic Gregorian calendar or 6 September in the Julian calendar (−3113 astronomical). The GMT correlation was chosen by John Eric Sydney Thompson in 1935 on the basis of earlier correlations by Joseph Goodman in 1905 (August 11), Juan Martínez Hernández in 1926 (August 12), and Thompson himself in 1927 (August 13).[8][9] By its linear nature, the Long Count was capable of being extended to refer to any date far into the past or future.

This calendar involved the use of a positional notation system, in which each position signified an increasing multiple of the number of days. The Maya numeral system was essentially vigesimal (i.e., base-20), and each unit of a given position represented 20 times the unit of the position which preceded it. An important exception was made for the second-order place value, which instead represented 18 × 20, or 360 days, more closely approximating the solar year than would 20 × 20 = 400 days. It should be noted however that the cycles of the Long Count are independent of the solar year.

Many Maya Long Count inscriptions contain a supplementary series, which provides information on the lunar phase, number of the current lunation in a series of six and which of the nine Lords of the Night rules.

A 584-day Venus cycle was also maintained, which tracked the heliacal risings of Venus as the morning and evening stars. Many events in this cycle were seen as being astrologically inauspicious and baleful, and occasionally warfare was astrologically timed to coincide with stages in this cycle.

Less-prevalent or poorly understood cycles, combinations and calendar progressions were also tracked. An 819-day Count is attested in a few inscriptions. Repeating sets of 9-day (see below "Nine lords of the night")[10] associated with different groups of deities, animals, and other significant concepts are also known.

Maya concepts of time

With the development of the place-notational Long Count calendar (believed to have been inherited from other Mesoamerican cultures), the Maya had an elegant system with which events could be recorded in a linear relationship to one another, and also with respect to the calendar ("linear time") itself. In theory, this system could readily be extended to delineate any length of time desired, by simply adding to the number of higher-order place markers used (and thereby generating an ever-increasing sequence of day-multiples, each day in the sequence uniquely identified by its Long Count number).

In practice, most Maya Long Count inscriptions confine themselves to noting only the first five coefficients in this system (a b'ak'tun-count), since this was more than adequate to express any historical or current date (20 b'ak'tuns cover 7,885 solar years). Even so, example inscriptions exist which noted or implied lengthier sequences, indicating that the Maya well understood a linear (past-present-future) conception of time.

However, and in common with other Mesoamerican societies, the repetition of the various calendric cycles, the natural cycles of observable phenomena, and the recurrence and renewal of death-rebirth imagery in their mythological traditions were important influences upon Maya societies. This conceptual view, in which the "cyclical nature" of time is highlighted, was a pre-eminent one, and many rituals were concerned with the completion and re-occurrences of various cycles.

As the particular calendric configurations were once again repeated, so too were the "supernatural" influences with which they were associated. Thus it was held that particular calendar configurations had a specific "character" to them, which would influence events on days exhibiting that configuration. Divinations could then be made from the auguries associated with a certain configuration, since events taking place on some future date would be subject to the same influences as its corresponding previous cycle dates. Events and ceremonies would be timed to coincide with auspicious dates, and avoid inauspicious ones.[11]

The completion of significant calendar cycles ("period endings"), such as a k'atun-cycle, were often marked by the erection and dedication of specific monuments (mostly stela inscriptions, but sometimes twin-pyramid complexes such as those in Tikal and Yaxha), commemorating the completion, accompanied by dedicatory ceremonies.

A cyclical interpretation is also noted in Maya creation accounts, in which the present world and the humans in it were preceded by other worlds (one to five others, depending on the tradition) which were fashioned in various forms by the gods, but subsequently destroyed. The present world also had a tenuous existence, requiring the supplication and offerings of periodic sacrifice to maintain the balance of continuing existence. Similar themes are found in the creation accounts of other Mesoamerican societies.[12]

Tzolk'in

The tzolk'in (in modern Maya orthography; also commonly written tzolkin) is the name commonly employed by Mayanist researchers for the Maya Sacred Round or 260-day calendar. The word tzolk'in is a neologism coined in Yucatec Maya, to mean "count of days" (Coe 1992). The various names of this calendar as used by precolumbian Maya peoples are still debated by scholars. The Aztec calendar equivalent was called Tonalpohualli, in the Nahuatl language.

The tzolk'in calendar combines twenty day names with the thirteen numbers of the trecena cycle to produce 260 unique days. It is used to determine the time of religious and ceremonial events and for divination. Each successive day is numbered from 1 up to 13 and then starting again at 1. Separately from this, every day is given a name in sequence from a list of 20 day names:

Some systems started the count with 1 Imix', followed by 2 Ik', 3 Ak'b'al, etc. up to 13 B'en. The trecena day numbers then start again at 1 while the named-day sequence continues onwards, so the next days in the sequence are 1 Ix, 2 Men, 3 K'ib', 4 Kab'an, 5 Etz'nab', 6 Kawak, and 7 Ajaw. With all twenty named days used, these now began to repeat the cycle while the number sequence continues, so the next day after 7 Ajaw is 8 Imix'. The repetition of these interlocking 13- and 20-day cycles therefore takes 260 days to complete (that is, for every possible combination of number/named day to occur once).

Origin of the Tzolk'in

The exact origin of the Tzolk'in is not known, but there are several theories.

One theory is that the calendar came from mathematical operations based on the numbers thirteen and twenty, which were important numbers to the Maya. The numbers multiplied together equal 260

Another theory is that the 260-day period came from the length of human pregnancy. This is close to the average number of days between the first missed menstrual period and birth, unlike Naegele's rule which is 40 weeks (280 days) between the last menstrual period and birth. It is postulated that midwives originally developed the calendar to predict babies' expected birth dates. The deity Ix Chel is thus of particular interest due to her mythic relation to the calendar.

A third theory comes from understanding of astronomy, geography and archaeology. The mesoamerican calendar probably originated with the Olmecs, and a settlement existed at Izapa, in southeast Chiapas Mexico, before 1200 BC. There, at a latitude of about 15° N, the Sun passes through zenith twice a year, and there are 260 days between zenithal passages, and gnomons (used generally for observing the path of the Sun and in particular zenithal passages), were found at this and other sites.[14]

A fourth theory is that the calendar is based on the crops. From planting to harvest is approximately 260 days

Haab'

The Haab' was the Maya solar calendar made up of eighteen months of twenty days each plus a period of five days ("nameless days") at the end of the year known as Wayeb' (or Uayeb in 16th C. orthography). The five days of Wayeb', were thought to be a dangerous time. Foster (2002) writes, "During Wayeb, portals between the mortal realm and the Underworld dissolved. No boundaries prevented the ill-intending deities from causing disasters." To ward off these evil spirits, the Maya had customs and rituals they practiced during Wayeb'. For example, people avoided leaving their houses and washing or combing their hair. Bricker (1982) estimates that the Haab' was first used around 550 BC with a starting point of the winter solstice.[16]

The Haab' month names are known today by their corresponding names in colonial-era Yukatek Maya, as transcribed by 16th century sources (in particular, Diego de Landa and books such as the Chilam Balam of Chumayel). Phonemic analyses of Haab' glyph names in pre-Columbian Maya inscriptions have demonstrated that the names for these twenty-day periods varied considerably from region to region and from period to period, reflecting differences in the base language(s) and usage in the Classic and Postclassic eras predating their recording by Spanish sources.[17]

Each day in the Haab' calendar was identified by a day number in the month followed by the name of the month. Day numbers began with a glyph translated as the "seating of" a named month, which is usually regarded as day 0 of that month, although a minority treat it as day 20 of the month preceding the named month. In the latter case, the seating of Pop is day 5 of Wayeb'. For the majority, the first day of the year was 0 Pop (the seating of Pop). This was followed by 1 Pop, 2 Pop as far as 19 Pop then 0 Wo, 1 Wo and so on.

As a calendar for keeping track of the seasons, the Haab' was a bit inaccurate, since it treated the year as having exactly 365 days, and ignored the extra quarter day (approximately) in the actual tropical year. This meant that the seasons moved with respect to the calendar year by a quarter day each year, so that the calendar months named after particular seasons no longer corresponded to these seasons after a few centuries. The Haab' is equivalent to the wandering 365-day year of the ancient Egyptians.

Calendar Round

A Calendar Round date is a date that gives both the Tzolk'in and Haab'. This date will repeat after 52 Haab' years or 18,980 days, a Calendar Round. For example, the current creation started on 4 Ahau 8 Kumk'u. When this date recurs it is known as a Calendar Round completion.

Arithmetically, the duration of the Calendar Round can be explained in various ways. One way is to consider that the least common multiple of 260 and 365 is 18980 (73 X 260 Tzolk’in days equalling 52 X 365 Haab’ days).[18]

Not every possible combination of Tzolk'in and Haab' can occur. For Tzolk'in days Imix, Kimi, Chwen and Kib', the Haab' day can only be 4, 9, 14 or 19; for Ik', Manik', Eb' and Kab'an, the Haab' day can only be 0, 5, 10 or 15; for Akb'al', Lamat, B'en and Etz'nab', the Haab' day can only be 1, 6, 11 or 16; for K'an, Muluk, Ix and Kawak, the Haab' day can only be 2, 7, 12 or 17; and for Chikchan, Ok, Men and Ajaw, the Haab' day can only be 3, 8, 13 or 18.

Year Bearer

A "Year Bearer" is a Tzolk'in day name that occurs on the first day of the Haab'. If the first day of the Haab' is 0 Pop, then each 0 Pop will coincide with a Tzolk'in date, for example, 1 Ik' 0 Pop. Since there are twenty Tzolk'in day names and the Haab' year has 365 days (20*18 + 5), the Tzolk'in name for each succeeding Haab' zero day will be incremented by 5 in the cycle of day names like this:

1 Ik' 0 Pop

2 Manik' 0 Pop

3 Eb' 0 Pop

4 Kab'an 0 Pop

5 Ik' 0 Pop...

Only these four of the Tzolk'in day names can coincide with 0 Pop, and these four are called the "Year Bearers".

"Year Bearer" literally translates a Mayan concept.[19] Its importance resides in two facts. For one, the four years headed by the Year Bearers are named after them and share their characteristics; therefore, they also have their own prognostications and patron deities.[20] Moreover, since the Year Bearers are geographically identified with boundary markers or mountains, they help define the local community.[21]

The classic system of Year Bearers described above is found at Tikal and in the Dresden Codex. During the Late Classic period a different set of Year Bearers was in use in Campeche. In this system, the Year Bearers were the Tzolk'in that coincided with 1 Pop.

These were Ak'b'al, Lamat, B'en and Edz'nab. During the Post-Classic period in Yucatán a third system was in use. In this system the Year Bearers were the days that coincided with 2 Pop: K'an, Muluc, Ix and Kawak. This system is found in the Chronicle of Oxkutzcab. In addition, just before the Spanish conquest in Mayapan the Maya began to number the days of the Haab' from 1 to 20. In this system the Year Bearers are the same as in the 1 Pop - Campeche system. The Classic Year Bearer system is still in use in the Guatemalan highlands[22] and in Veracruz, Oaxaca and Chiapas, Mexico.[23]

Long Count

Since Calendar Round dates repeat every 18,980 days, approximately 52 solar years, the cycle repeats roughly once each lifetime, so a more refined method of dating was needed if history was to be recorded accurately. To specify dates over periods longer than 52 years, Mesoamericans used the Long Count calendar.

The Maya name for a day was k'in. Twenty of these k'ins are known as a winal or uinal. Eighteen winals make one tun. Twenty tuns are known as a k'atun. Twenty k'atuns make a b'ak'tun.

The Long Count calendar identifies a date by counting the number of days from the Mayan creation date 4 Ahaw, 8 Kumk'u (August 11, 3114 BC in the proleptic Gregorian calendar or September 6 in the Julian calendar). But instead of using a base-10 (decimal) scheme like Western numbering, the Long Count days were tallied in a modified base-20 scheme. Thus 0.0.0.1.5 is equal to 25, and 0.0.0.2.0 is equal to 40. As the winal unit resets after only counting to 18, the Long Count consistently uses base-20 only if the tun is considered the primary unit of measurement, not the k'in; with the k'in and winal units being the number of days in the tun. The Long Count 0.0.1.0.0 represents 360 days, rather than the 400 in a purely base-20 (vigesimal) count.

There are also four rarely used higher-order cycles: piktun, kalabtun, k'inchiltun, and alautun.

Since the Long Count dates are unambiguous, the Long Count was particularly well suited to use on monuments. The monumental inscriptions would not only include the 5 digits of the Long Count, but would also include the two tzolk'in characters followed by the two haab' characters.

Misinterpretation of the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar is the basis for a popular belief that a cataclysm will take place on December 21, 2012. December 21, 2012 is simply the day that the calendar will go to the next b'ak'tun, at Long Count 13.0.0.0.0. The date on which the calendar will go to the next piktun (a complete series of 20 b'ak'tuns), at Long Count 1.0.0.0.0.0, will be on October 13, 4772.

Sandra Noble, executive director of the Mesoamerican research organization Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc. (FAMSI), notes that "for the ancient Maya, it was a huge celebration to make it to the end of a whole cycle". She considers the portrayal of December 2012 as a doomsday or cosmic-shift event to be "a complete fabrication and a chance for a lot of people to cash in."[24]

Supplementary Series

Many Classic period inscriptions include a series of glyphs known as the Supplementary Series. The operation of this series was largely worked out by John E. Teeple (1874–1931). The Supplementary Series most commonly consists of the following elements:

Lords of the Night

Each night was ruled by one of the nine lords of the underworld. This nine day-cycle was usually written as two glyphs: a glyph that referred to the Nine Lords as a group, followed by a glyph for the lord that would rule the next night.

Lunar Series

A lunar Series generally is written as five glyphs that provide information about the current lunation, the number of the lunation in a series of six, the current ruling lunar deity and the length of the current lunation.

Moon age

The Maya counted the number of days in the current lunation. They used two systems for the zero date of the lunar cycle: either the first night they could see the thin crescent moon or the first morning when they could not see the waning moon.[25] The age of the moon was depicted by a set of glyphs that mayanists coined glyphs D and E:

A new moon glyph was used for day zero in the lunar cycle.

D glyphs were used for lunar ages for days 1 through 19, with the number of days that had passed from the new moon accompanied by a glyph that resembled a hand

For lunar ages 20 to 30, an E glyph was used, with the number of days from 20.

Lunation number and lunar deity

The Maya counted the lunation in a cycle of six, numbered zero through 5. Each one was ruled by one of the six Lunar Deities. This was written as two glyphs: a glyph for the completed lunation in the lunar count with a coefficient of 0 through 5 and a glyph for the lunar deity that ruled the current lunation. Teeple found that Quirigua Stela E (9.17.0.0.0) is lunar deity 2 and that most other inscriptions use this same moon number. It is an interesting date because it was a k'atun completion and a solar eclipse was visible in the Maya area two days later on the first unlucky day of Wayeb'.

Lunation length

The length of the lunar month is 29.53059 days so if you count the number of days in a lunation it will be either 29 or 30 days. The maya wrote whether the lunar month was 29 or 30 days as two glyphs: a glyph for lunation length followed by either a glyph made up of a moon glyph over a bundle with a suffix of 19 for a 29 day lunation or a moon glyph with a suffix of 10 for a 30 day lunation.

Short Count

In the kingdoms of Postclassic Yucatán, the linear Long Count notation fell into disuse and gave way to a cyclical Short Count of 13 k'atuns (or 260 tuns), in which each k'atun was named after its concluding day, Ahau ('Lord'). 1 Imix was selected as the recurrent 'first day' of the cycle, corresponding to 1 Cipactli in the Aztec day count. The cycle was counted from katun 11 Ahau to katun 13 Ahau, with the coefficients of the katuns' concluding days running in the order 11 – 9 – 7 – 5 – 3 – 1 – 12 – 10 – 8 – 6 – 4 – 2 – 13 Ahau (since a division of 20 × 360 days by 13 falls 2 days short). The concluding day 13 Ahau was followed by the re-entering first day 1 Imix. This is the system as found in the colonial Books of Chilam Balam. In characteristic Mesoamerican fashion, these books project the cycle onto the landscape, with 13 Ahauob 'Lordships' dividing the land of Yucatán into 13 'kingdoms'.

Venus cycle

Another important calendar for the Maya was the Venus cycle. The Maya kings had skilled astronomers who could calculate the Venus cycle with great accuracy. There are six pages in the Postclassic Dresden Codex devoted to the accurate calculation of the heliacal rising of Venus. The Maya were able to achieve such accuracy by careful observation over many years.

Venus was often referred to as both "The Morning Star" and "The Evening Star" because of its visibility during both times. This makes Venus unique. There are various theories as to why the Venus cycle was especially important for the Maya. Across Mesoamerica, Venus was often depicted as "defeating" the Sun and the Moon, perhaps because of its persistent visibility after transitions from day-into-night (and vice-versa). Most scholars agree that Venus was associated with war and that the Maya used it to divine good times (called electional astrology) for their coronations and wars. Maya rulers planned for wars to begin when Venus rose.

Notes

^ Tedlock, Barbara, Time and the Highland Maya Revised edition (1992 Page 1) "Scores of indigenous Guatemalan communities, principally those speaking the Mayan languages known as Ixil, Mam, Pokomchí, and Quiché, keep the 260-day cycle and (in many cases) the ancient solar cycle as well (chapter 4)."

^ Miles, Susanna W, "An Analysis of the Modern Middle American Calendars: A Study in Conservation." In Acculturation in the Americas. Edited by Sol Tax, pp. 273–84. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1952.

^ Rice (2007), p. 33

^ See entry on Itzamna, in Miller and Taube (1993), pp.99–100.

^ a b Academia de las Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala (1988). Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala: Documento de referencia para la pronunciación de los nuevos alfabetos oficiales. Guatemala City: Instituto Indigenista Nacional.. For details and notes on adoption among the Mayanist community, see Kettunen & Hemke (2005), p. 5

^ Tedlock (1992), p. 1

^ "Mythological" in the sense that when the Long Count was first devised sometime in the Mid- to Late Preclassic, long after this date; see for e.g. Miller and Taube (1993, p.50).

^ Finley (2002), Voss (2006, p.138)

^ Malmström (1997): "Chapter 6: The Long Count: The Astronomical Precision".

^ See separate brief Wikipedia article Lords of the Night

^ Coe (1992), Miller and Taube (1993).

^ Miller and Taube (1993, pp.68–71).

^ Classic-era reconstructions are as per Kettunen and Helmke (2005), pp.45–46..

^ Malmström (1997), and http://www.dartmouth.edu/~izapa/izapasite.html

^ Kettunen and Helmke (2005), pp.47–48

^ Zero Pop actually fell on the same day as the solstice on 12/27/−575, 12/27/−574, 12/27/−573, and 12/26/−572 (astronomical year numbering, Universal Time), if you don't account for the fact that the Maya region is in roughly time zone UT−6. See IMCCE seasons.

^ Boot (2002), pp.111–114.

^ For further details, see Thompson 1966: 123-124

^ Thompson 1966: 124

^ For a thorough treatment of the Year Bearers, see Tedlock 1992: 89-90; 99-104 and Thompson 1966

^ See Coe 1965

^ Tedlock 1992: 92

^ Miles, Susanna W, "An Analysis of the Modern Middle American Calendars: A Study in Conservation." In Acculturation in the Americas. Edited by Sol Tax, pp. 273-84. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1952.

^ As quoted in USA Today (MacDonald 2007). Despite this knowledge questions still remain, as Professor Robert Chalken states "The ancient Maya really saw a lot of value in the calendar and treated it as a sacred thing, for them it was an ongoing process they would finish a cycle, celebrate, and then return to working on it. The question still remains why they stop with no sign of starting up again. It would have made much more sense to stop at the next cycle if they had just gotten 'sick' of working on it."

^ Thompson, J. Eric S. Maya Hieroglyphic Writing, 1950 Page 236

source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayan_calender