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September 9, 2022
View: 702

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Henry VIII, king of England from 1509 to 1547, is famous for many things. But not everyone knows he was a great collector. For one thing, he collected wives. He married six different women in an age where divorce was basically forbidden and wives didn’t cooperate by dropping dead on their own very often. The king also collected houses. He laid claim to numerous great homes and palaces, including Westminster, Berkhamsted, Fotheringhay, Warwick, Kenilworth, and some of his favorites: Greenwich, Whitehall, and Hampton Court. He even had Royal Residences in the Tower of London. One of King Henry’s biggest collections was tapestries. He eventually collected more than 2,000 of these woven pictures to spruce up Hampton Court Palace and his other royal residences.

But why would the King spend a lot of money and energy to collect woven pictures to decorate his walls? What was behind these expensive wall hangings?

Tapestry making was huge industry in northern France and southern Netherlands during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Tapestry is a form of textile art created by skilled craftsmen. The pieces were woven by hand on a weaving-loom. Weaving a tapestry required that each thread be carefully placed on the loom by hand. This painstaking process allowed workers to create complex designs that included intricate features for people, animals, and plants. Usually the chain threads were made out of linen or Picardy wool. The striking threads were made of Italian silk or gold and silver threads imported from Cyprus. Textile workers and guilds flourished in Belgium and France, ad tapestries created there were exported all over Europe.

Tapestries were sometimes woven in sets. A set of tapestries often told a biblical or mythical story through a series of pictures. This art in woven tapestry was intended to produce illusions of what reality should be-a more intellectual, more scientific, more grand world. This world could follow the owner wherever he went, as tapestries were portable and could be transported from one residence to another.

Wealthy and powerful men collected tapestries because they could really impress visitors. Before he had to give Hampton Court to King Henry, Cardinal Wolsey sent London merchant Richard Gresham to Brussels with 1,000 marks to purchase the finest tapestries he could find. The Venetian ambassador told this story of his visit to Wolsey: “One has to traverse eight rooms before one reaches his audience chamber, and they are all hung with tapestry, which is changed once a week” (1).

In September 1528, King Henry became displeased with Wolsey’s work and took over Hampton Court Palace. King Henry embarked on an enormous rebuilding project, creating new kitchens, a Council Chamber, and a series of private rooms for himself. In addition, Henry rebuilt the Great Hall, which featured great walls for displaying tapestries. To decorate Hampton Court and other royal residences, Henry collected tapestries to communicate his wealth and power. The tapestries adorned such important public rooms as the Great Hall and the Great Watching Chamber.

One of the most famous series in Henry’s collection is the History of Abraham series, which he commissioned specifically for Hampton Court. This series was woven in Brussels about 1540 by Wilhelm Pannemaker to the designs of Bernard van Orley. The History of Abraham tapestries include ten separate pieces, each of which is approximately sixteen feet high and twenty-six feet wide. These tapestries are of amazing quality, featuring highly skilled weaving and a high metal thread count, with many gold and silver threads. In fact, the amount of gold makes them one of the most opulent products of the Brussels industry.

Because of the amount of gold and silver and the high quality of the workmanship, each tapestry is estimated to have cost Henry as much money as a fully fitted and staffed battleship. This means the entire set cost as much as a fleet of battleships. The Abraham tapestries are a good example of King Henry’s primary purpose in collecting tapestries: demonstrating his vast wealth to visitors from around the world. King Henry believed these tapestries would create a positive impression and convince all who came to Hampton Court and other palaces of his kingship.

King Henry was right about the Abraham tapestries being a symbol of wealth and power. Their influence lasted much longer than Henry did. About 100 years after Henry’s death, during the English Revolution, revolutionaries seized control of the country and executed King Charles I, and Oliver Cromwell ruled as Lord Protector. Much of the royal property was sold to the highest bidder. But the Abraham tapestries were worth so much money, he was unable to sell them. They remained in the possession of Oliver Cromwell at Hampton Court. Like the rest of his possessions, they returned to ownership of the crown when the monarchy was restored. These tapestries were selected to adorn the walls of Westminster Abbey at the coronation of King James II in 1685.

The choice of the Abraham tapestries, commissioned by Henry VIII in 1540, to celebrate the restoration of the monarchy more than 100 years later demonstrates their significance as a symbol of royalty and power. Although Henry VIII could not have understood their full historic significance, he did understand the impact of tapestries on his perception as king. Hampton Court Palace was a favorite residence of King Henry. He made it a great symbol of his royalty and the strength of the Tudor dynasty. The magnificent tapestries that adorned the palace walls during his reign were a fitting symbol of the wealth, wisdom, and royalty of King Henry VIII. For him, tapestries were much more than decorations or insulation. They were literally the embodiment of his royal image.

1. Hedley, O. (1971) Hampton Court Palace. London: Pitkin Pictorials.

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Source by Carol Ann Lloyd-Stanger

August 22, 2022
View: 314

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“The superior man understands what is right; the inferior man understands what will sell.” Confucius, The Confucian Analects. (551-479 B.C.)

“God looks at the clean hands, not the full ones.” Publilius Syrus, Moral Sayings, 1st Century, B.C.

“He has honor if he holds himself to an ideal of conduct though it is inconvenient, unprofitable, or dangerous to do so.” Walter Lippman, A Preface to Morals, 1929

Internet marketing is now an integral component of our society. The world wide web has totally revolutionized the way business is done. As with anything, it has a positive and negative aspect to it. But remember, as valuable a resource as the world wide web is, it is still a web and as webs are made by spiders, there are some internet marketers who, like spiders, are working predaciously, diligently and daily to construct their webs to entrap their prey and suck their lifeblood, i.e., their money, right out of them. Now, to be sure, not all internet marketers are predators. Many have excellent services and products to offer. However, there are those who are not so noble and who simply want your money and will do just about anything to get it. This article gives you several tips to keep you from being burned by such individuals.

What is an internet marketer? Basically, an internet marketer is a salesman who sells his goods or services on the world wide web. As we all know, there are good salesmen and bad salesmen. The good ones understand that the basis of all successful business is relationship and they focus on building positive and enduring relationships with their customers. Then there are the other kind, the ones who only want your money and once they’ve got it could care less about helping you or giving you post-sale service.

Another way of looking at an internet marketer is like that of an auto mechanic. The really good ones are rare. They are honest, trustworthy, do excellent work, take responsibility for their work, charge a fair price and serve the customer with respect. They know that all good business is based on creating positive and enduring relationships. Because they have this understanding and are ethical and honest by nature, their businesses endure and thrive.

However, not all auto mechanics are good… or honest, as most people know. Finding a good and honest auto mechanic is a difficult task, akin to finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. It is a sad reality of life but true nonetheless. The analogy of the auto mechanic applies to internet marketers. There are good ones and bad ones, the good ones being very rare and hard to find. In order to protect yourself from the bad ones, here are some things of which to be aware.

1. Beware of Smiles, Wiles and Feel-Good Stories.

We’ve all heard the phrase, “Beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing.” This applies directly to dishonest people. Such dishonest people, such “wolves,” who are really good at their craft and have highly developed hunting skills, don’t advertise or announce their villainous intentions. Just the opposite. The best have mastered the art of disguise, of being like a harmless sheep. They’ve mastered the art of the smile, the pleasant personality, the warm [but insincere] handshake or pat on the back. They’re often also expert communicators with skills in word usage, phraseology, and neurolinguistic programming which is, in general terms, the science of how words affect emotions. In other words using specific words and phrases to evoke certain reactions, one of which is to get the customer to buy the salesman’s product. Thus, the efficient wolf disguises himself to appear wonderful, trustworthy, friendly when in actuality he’s really just the opposite. Let’s be clear: not all wonderful, trustworthy and friendly salesmen are wolves, but the best-of-the-best predatory wolves do don such disguises. This is why one must beware and be wary of smiles, wiles and feel-good stories. Such behavior may well have an untoward design, i.e., the intent of separating you from your funds without remorse by a wolf in hunting mode.

2. Beware of Offerings with No Recourse.

This is huge. Online seminars, webinars and teleconferences that offer special offers or have guests offering special offers but where neither the event is recorded and downloadable or there is no downloadable contract from the guest for his product or service are highly suspect. Some webinar hosts make a point of saying the webinar will not be recorded. The purpose of this is to motivate people to get on the call. That’s fine. It’s simply a marketing technique. The problem arises if an offer and/or a guarantee are made during the online event that are not downloadable. If there is no download of the program in which an offer or a guarantee is made, there is no official record of the event and therefore the buyer has no recourse if a problem arises! Any complaint or request for satisfaction simply boils down to personal opinion of what was said by the host or the buyer and seller. The buyer may say to the seller, “But you said during the webinar you would guarantee such and such.” The unscrupulous seller may well respond, “No. You’re mistaking. I said no such thing.” Thus, there is a problem, a problem which could have been avoided if a downloadable file of the event were offered or existed.

Too, if there is no downloadable guarantee of a product or service offering during the online event, then there is, likewise, no recourse to the buyer! Sales people can say anything they want, promise anything they want, talk about 100% moneyback guarantees all they want but if there is no proof of it, no downloadable document or recording, it’s all worthless, and the burden of proof is on the buyer to prove that what the seller said and promised was exactly that. The end result is that the buyer may well lose. The seller gets his money and walks away, wiping his salivating chin with his dirty paws while smiling with a sneer, having gained another prey for his wall… or bank account. The solution for the buyer is to demand a downloadable mp3 or similar file of the event or a downloadable guarantee that spells out the terms of the offer exactly. If no downloads are made available, the buyer purchases any products or services at his own risk.

As a matter of note, it is plausible that if the internet marketing industry does not take measures to fix this issue by making downloadable documents or recordings available to verify purchases and insure guarantees, the government may well step in to require such actions and instruments. And who wants more government control? Honesty, ethics, and good business practices are naturally accompanied by documents or instruments reflecting the integrity of the seller while insuring the buyer’s safety. Any smart and ethical business person will take measures to not only ensure his customer’s satisfaction and good will but his own personal integrity as well. Wolves, masquerading as sheep, have no such intentions, let alone actions. Therefore, the solution is to “get it in writing” whatever “it” is that is being purchased.

3. Beware of Deadlines to Purchase.

One common tactic of internet marketers is to create some “call of action to purchase” by placing a time limit on the offering. This technique has been used forever. Some people do need a push to buy. However, if a product or service is good, why create such an impulse-buying, pressure-filled demand in the first place? Any person who has your highest and best interest in his heart, will not pressure you into making a snap decision. However, he will do so if he only has his pocketbook and personal profits in his heart. If the product or service stands on its own merit, no pressure should be required to sell it. Therefore, a pressure deadline to purchase carries a red flag. It may be that a pressure deadline is justified. However, it may also be simply a nefarious sales ploy, and a buyer would be well advised when confronted with such pressure tactics to back off, regroup, reassess, think, ponder and consider the situation before he pulls out his wallet.

4. Beware of Inflated Promises.

Over-promising and under-delivering. How common is this reality? There are even internet marketers who tell you they’re under-promising and over-delivering, and they may be right. Yet, there are those who more commonly promise what they never can or intend to deliver. If there’s a promise, get it in writing via some downloadable instrument. See item #2. Remember, too, that a product or service is only worth what a person is willing to pay for it. A person can tell you his product is worth ten times what he’s offering it for. Well, if the product is really worth ten times what he’s offering it for, and if people really are buying it, why offer it for less? Too, is the seller offering names, addresses, phone numbers, contact data or records of buyers who actually purchased his product for ten times what it’s worth? This is really not suitable for privacy reasons so how can one be sure the salesman’s words are true?

5. Beware of Word Usage.

Internet marketers are often seasoned salesman who have crafted their sales artistry. No problem. However, a problem does arise when the art of using words has benefit only to the marketer. All sales transactions must be a win/win exchange. Everyone must benefit from a sale. That’s what good business is all about, right? Of course.

Here’s an example of word usage. One marketer guaranteed her product if the buyer did “exactly” as she said to do once her product was purchased. See the problem? It’s like Nancy Pelosi telling people to pass the health care bill first and then find out what’s in it! It’s absurd. When a marketer requires the buyer to give her money based on doing “exactly” what she says, before she delivers her product, be wary. How can a person know what she means, infers, or expects when she uses the word “exactly” but doesn’t explain what “exactly” means before a purchase is made? What if “exactly” means doing something the buyer is incapable of doing? It might also be untoward, impossible or even illegal. If the buyer fails to perform “exactly” as the marketer demands, the marketer is off the hook for any guarantee made, and if the product costs thousands of dollars, guess who wins and who loses? Therefore, the warning is, pay attention to words.

6. Beware of Inflated Prices.

A product is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. It’s a common practice for some internet marketers to say they are worth enormous amounts of money per hour and their products are worth thousands of dollars, some tens of thousands of dollars. That may be the case… or it may not. A good conversion rate for an online product is considered to be 3%. This means that of 100 people visiting a website, if 3 out of a hundred people purchase the product, this is considered good. This also means that 97% of the website’s visitors rejected the product for various reasons, price perhaps being one of them. The old adage, “Talk is cheap” is a good one to remember here.

7. Beware of the “Free” Offering.

Nothing is free. For example, many “free” online webinars, teleconference calls, etc. require you to give them your name, email address and any other personal data they can get in order for you to get their “free” webinar, product or service. “Free” means without cost. For someone to advertise something as “free” should mean exactly that, free. However, many internet marketers require a person to give them their contact data, email address, etc. before they get the “free” offering. Giving personal data places a cost on the webinar, product, service, teleconference, etc. which invalidates its “free” status. The key is that the internet marketer wants your email data so he can build his most valuable asset, his email list, which he can personally use or sell to other people. If “free” were truly free, the recipient of the product, service, webinar, etc. would never be asked for anything, and this includes email data. Therefore, a red flag arises. If a person says something is “free” when it’s really not free, the buyer would be wise to stop and contemplate the situation as well as the ethics of the marketer before making any hard decisions.

8. Beware of Webinars That Don’t Match Their Billing

Webinars are excellent tools. Most of them carry an outline of what one can expect during the webinar. However, there are webinars that don’t match their billing. For example, if a webinar’s preview statement is, “Join this webinar and you’ll learn six things to be successful in making green cheese,” and the webinar didn’t answer these questions but rather gave an extended half-hour sales pitch on the host’s revolutionary green cheese maker, then be careful. If the host did give six things to do in making green cheese, fine. The problem is that many webinars offer preview questions that never get answered because the host is too busy promoting his product instead. The webinar, therefore, was a waste of the listener’s time and effort. If webinars don’t match their billing, beware. If the webinar’s billing doesn’t meet up to expectations, any product the host is selling, and the host himself, most likely will also not be reliable.

9. Beware of Terms and Conditions [T & Cs].

Read them! How many people actually take the time to read the Terms and Conditions of an offer? Yet, often buried in the T & Cs are statements that the promoter can use whatever information you give him however he wants to use it! Clicking on the Accept button without reading the T & Cs can be costly in more ways than one. In one marketer’s T & Cs the very last sentence of an extremely long document stated that the buyer would have to pay all attorney’s fees if the seller defaulted in his service and litigation were initiated! Small print and last lines – beware and be wary of them? Read the T & Cs!

In summary, salesmen want your money in exchange for a product or service. That’s why they’re in business. It’s the free enterprise system and it’s a good one. The good salesman understands that if he wants your money and good will in the form of continued business and referrals to others, he will treat you right, give you an excellent product for a fair price and excellent follow-up service. The bad salesman will get your money and run. He doesn’t care about the next sale. And when the sale is on the web, it can be extremely challenging to get restitution for a violation of promises made prior to a sale. It’s not like a person can drive down to the local store and talk to the sales person about a defective product or service. When a sale is transacted on the web, the store may be on the other side of the country or even the world.

Remember the words of Confucius: “The superior man understands what is right; the inferior man understands what will sell.” It would be wonderful if all salesmen were superior men in the light of Confucius’ statement, but they’re not. Perhaps in a perfect world this would be the case, but believing this world is perfect is living in Pollyanna Land. So… beware when being motivated or conditioned to buy a product or service, especially on the web. Use common sense to mitigate getting burned. After all, it’s your money. Protect it.

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Source by Richard Andrew King

August 4, 2022
View: 351

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Beijing is the capital of the People’s Republic of China. It has a long history with an abundance of historical and cultural heritage that represents treasures from the city’s civilizations. Beijing has served as a capital of the country for more than 800 years. The city has many places of historic interest and scenic beauty.

The successful hosting of 2008 Olympics Games represents the ultimate statement of China’s emergence as a global superpower, and it is determined to make the ‘People’s Olympics’ the most successful and dazzling ever staged. After the great event, Beijing travel becomes more attractive to international tourists. Now, I would like to show you, my dear international friends around Beijing to experience its culture, history and daily life.

A) Landmark tours:

A good place to start exploring the city is Tiananmen Square, where Mao Tse Tung declared the foundation of the People’s Republic. It is the heart of urban Beijing and large enough to accommodate an assembly of one million people.

Go ahead to the Forbidden City, the largest and best-preserved ancient architectural complex in the world. It was the Chinese imperial palace from the mid-Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. For almost five centuries, it served as the home of the Emperor and his household, as well as the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government. Now it houses the Palace Museum.

Another must-see is the Temple of Heaven, where Ming and Qing emperors performed solemn rituals for bountiful harvests. It was constructed from 1406 to 1420 during the reign of the Yongle Emperor, who was also responsible for the construction of the Forbidden City in Beijing. Earth was represented by a square and Heaven by a circle; several features of the temple complex symbolize the connection of Heaven and Earth, of circle and square. The whole temple complex is surrounded by two cordons of walls; the outer wall has a taller, semi-circular northern end, representing Heaven, and a shorter, rectangular southern end, representing the Earth. Both the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and the Circular Mound Altar are round, each standing on a square yard, again representing Heaven and Earth.

Pay a visit to the Summer Palace, the emperors’ magnificent garden retreat; the Ming tombs, the stately and majestic mausoleums of 13 Ming Dynasty emperors; and the world-renowned and genuinely inspiring Badaling section of the Great Wall. Large-scale construction has brought great changes to Beijing since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 that adds more and more new attractions to the mysterious old city.

Ming tombs was an imperial tomb site where 13 Ming emperors were buried. The Dingling Tomb is the second-largest tomb, and it is the first of the 13 tombs to be excavated and opened to the public. It is an example of a typical imperial tomb.

B) Daily life experience

In the morning, get up early to visit one of Beijing’s public parks. This is when people enjoy their favorite physical activity, be it tai’chi, jogging, singing or even ballroom dancing. In the afternoon, you can have a chance to experience the real life of local Beijing residents on a tour to the Hutongs by rickshaw. Beijing Hutongs are regarded as the last embodiment of old Beijing’s spirit. Walking along the back street of Hutongs and meeting people there will leave you a different understanding of China

C) Chinese Art

Beijing Opera is the most popular of all the opera styles in China. It developed from classical singing and dance styles dating from the Ming Dynasty and gradually merged by the late 18th and early 19th centuries into the Beijing Opera we see today. Beijing opera features four main types of performers. Performing troupes often have several of each variety, as well as numerous secondary and tertiary performers. With their elaborate and colorful costumes, performers are the only focal points on Beijing opera’s characteristically sparse stage. They utilize the skills of speech, song, dance, and combat in movements that are symbolic and suggestive, rather than realistic. Above all else, the skill of performers is evaluated according to the beauty of their movements. Performers also adhere to a variety of stylistic conventions that help audiences navigate the plot of the production.

Beijing acrobatics is another wonderful performance. Though the origins of the performance art are unknown, many believe that acrobatics developed from martial arts exhibitions and date back as early as the Neolithic period. In China they say that every minute an acrobat spends on stage requires ten years of training. Indeed, Beijing acrobatics shows, featuring astonishingly limber performers practicing feats of strength, balance, and skill, are a tremendous sight to behold.

After an exciting, informative, and refreshing introduction of my beloved city, Beijing, I would like to share the following Beijing tours with you.

Day 1 Beijing arrival

Upon your arrival in Beijing, our professional tour guide will pick you up at the airport and transfer to the centrally located four-star Beijing Holiday Inn Downtown Hotel with air-conditioned private vehicle.

Day 2 Beijing (Breakfast, Lunch)

Morning visit the Tiananmen Square, the heart of urban Beijing and large enough to accommodate an assembly of one million people. It stands in front of the Forbidden City, covering over 100 acres. Then visit the Forbidden City, it is the world’s largest palace complex and covers 74 hectares. Built between 1406 and 1420, the Forbidden City was the home of the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties, a period extending over 500 years.

Today’s lunch will be arranged at local restaurant for you to enjoy the Sichuan Cuisine. After lunch, you will visit the Summer Palace, the best preserved and the second largest royal garden in China, with a history of over 800 years. In 1998, it was listed as one of the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. In the evening, enjoy the Beijing Opera.

Day 3 Beijing (B, L)

Today’s tour will take you to visit The Eighth Wonder of the World—Great Wall at Badaling Section. Take the cable car to the Great Wall and enjoy your walking there.

To avoid the crowds in tourist restaurant near the Great Wall, we will prepare a lunch box from your hotel instead which can also assure a better food quality.

On your way back, you will visit the Ming Tomb, where you can see the underground palace of the Chinese emperors with their valuable authentic burial objects. Tonight you will watch the amazing Beijing acrobatic performance.

Day 4 Beijing (B, L)

Today you will visit the Temple of Heaven, where Chinese emperors used to pray the good harvest. After enjoy a typical Beijing cuisine lunch at a local restaurant, you will start your afternoon sightseeing to Yonghe Lamasery. The temple was built in 1694 and the architecture and ornamentation of the buildings show the influence of Han, Manchu, Mongolian and Tibetan styles. Then continue transfer to the Silk Alley Market and enjoy your shopping and bargain there.

Day 5 Beijing (B, L)

Today you will experience the daily life of local people by watching the tai’chi, jogging and the strolling around the Hutongs. The rest of day is for you to explore the city in depth on your own

Day 6 Beijing departure

Transfer to the airport and fly to your next destination, service ends.

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Source by Eric Xu

July 17, 2022
View: 541

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The People’s Republic of China is viewed through different lenses even today. Exotic. Mysterious. Aggressive. Fascinating. These are just some of the monikers that are pasted onto this 9.597 million square kilometres that make up the Land of the Dragon.

What is China today? How did “Made in China” become the most sighted marking on manufactured goods? Why has speaking and writing Chinese gained such significance? If the Chinese don’t master English, isn’t the obvious solution for English users to master Chinese and translate, translate, translate??!

What is China today?

China is a land surrounded by the Gobi desert in the North, thick, impenetrable forests in the South, the Himalayas on the West and the Pacific Ocean in the East. This is why early civilisation had limited interactions with this country. The politics of this country also added to its economic and cultural isolation. It was only in the 1970s that the winds of radical economic reforms swept through China’s vast landscape and ushered in a global trade economy. The Communist government in China has opened up not just the market but the free flow of trade and technology across its borders.

Today:

China is the second largest economy in the world next to the USA

a global hub of manufacturing

the largest exporter and the second largest importer of goods and

the largest trading nation.

Add to these facts that China happens to weigh in with a population of 1,382,323,332 and growing every millisecond (yes, count it live by clicking on the link and you will see how fast the number changes!), and you will know the mind-boggling economy and market that is being considered.

Tongue tied in English

The emphasis on English education in China took off only in 1979 when the dragon established strong diplomatic ties with the American eagle. With estimates of English “speakers” as low as 10 million and English “learners” at 300 million, China has still a long way to go in free and easy communication considering that a sizeable chunk of the West uses English. So, is this mammoth, well connected market to remain incommunicado? Hardly!

“If the mountaine will not come to Mahomet, Mahomet will goe to the mountaine”

So said Sir Francis Bacon in his Essays, 1625.

Translation: If the Chinese don’t learn English, then English users will have to learn Chinese.

The official language of China and Taiwan is Mandarin or Standard Chinese. It is also one of the four official languages of Singapore.

Cantonese (a variety of Yue Chinese) is the official language of Hong Kong and Macau, the two mostly self governing special administrative regions of China.

The script uses characters called hanzi: there are more than 100,000 individual characters. Roughly speaking, each character represents a syllable and can be used individually or in combinations to form words. A recent development has divided this script to simplified Chinese which uses reduced and simpler characters; this is used mostly in Mainland China. The traditional version still continues in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau.

Pinyin, the official transliteration system using the Latin alphabet, has also been developed to ease pronunciation.

In addition, it should be noted that Mandarin Chinese is spoken by the well heeled Chinese communities of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines and Mongolia where the Dragon makes its presence pretty prominent and breathes a scorching breath.

Language translates to business

With China encouraging the free flow of business and becoming the golden land of opportunity, communicating in Chinese takes on varied shapes and colours if this high potential market has to be tapped deeper and deeper.

Professional Chinese translation has to be specific to the targeted area and the purpose which demands this service. For example, if the target market is Mainland China and /or Singapore, the type of written Chinese would be Simplified Chinese. Yet, Traditional Chinese would be the lingua franca for businesses operating within the Hi-tech industry and simplified Chinese preferred for companies in manufacturing sectors.

Translators from English to Chinese need to know much more than just the languages: a good translation company will offer translators who are cognizant with the kind of profession that the translation is required for.

Minding businesses

There are many needs for professional translation that arise in the course of business.

Language and tone of translation has to suit each need. There is no such thing as a broad brush that you can paint Chinese with! Documents dealing with, patents, resumes, medical cases, educational certificates, brochures, insurance, visas… the list is endless when a country opens its doors to the rest of the world.

Add to this the nuances of the Chinese script where a stroke or a syllable can change the entire context or meaning. Work in the dominance of English as the language of business and trade. Take in the fact of the Chinese ethos being a little known and tentatively understood denominator and the care to be taken to keep niceties of language uppermost. The formula for success dictates that English be skilfully translated into Chinese minding text, script, language, tone and suitability.

This is why expert translation is needed. No automated or translation software can actually fit the bill in a language like Chinese. It’s good enough to order a plate of schezwan noodles and kung pao chicken, but not when your needs are professional and your aim is the sky.

China still burns exotic in many minds. But as the People’s Republic increasingly demolishes the “Great Wall” that had once surrounded its isolationist mindset, the layers of mystery are being peeled away. China is a prosperous and booming economy today. Make your presence felt in the Big Bang.

Translate your business strategies to success. Literally.

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Source by Shreya Gupta

June 29, 2022
View: 355

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Intense competition in the retail industry drives increased levels of performance across the board, and a key impetus to success in this industry is the visual appeal and functionality of retail outlets. Detailed and attractive 3D rendered images, or computer-generated images (CGI), especially those created with the help of Building Information Modelling (BIM) can have a noticeable impact on clients, sales and marketing. Retail design drawings that achieve impressive photo-realistic views and effective 3D rendering services can help drive profits while saving costs.

To better understand how important rendering is to the retail industry, let’s look at what rendering is. In 3D graphic design, rendering is the process of adding shading, colour and lamination either to a 2D or 3D wireframe to produce lifelike digital images. Rendering enables the creation of images or animation that show the design traits of a proposed space. Both designers and clients benefit from rendered views. Though various techniques and software (Autodesk’s 3ds Max, VRay, SketchUp, Maya and Mental Ray being popular) can be used to create computer-generated renderings, the objective remains the same – improve presentations, support marketing and create design views for analysis. Clients can understand renders better than architectural drawings, and therefore, renders are generally more effective in communicating design intent. Accurate renders can effectively represent spatial constraints and possibilities and reach a wider audience as a result.

The use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in rendering creates greater accuracy in the rendered image. BIM models can specify the count of cabinet fixtures, lighting fixtures, countertops, legs, handles, grommets, drawer pulls, equipment mounts and other details. A large amount of detail is incorporated into a BIM model, which can be used to generate accurate and detailed rendered images, which show how various elements fit in a space in relation to each other. BIM models are especially useful for space analysis in large retail spaces, such as department stores or malls. Square footage and department-wise lists of fixtures and furniture in display areas, with corresponding dimensions, can be represented. This means that with the use of retail BIM modelling, a 3D view can be created that shows how potential objects interact. Retail space shown in 3D can also include paint, laminate and wall coverings, so that the 3D visualisation is a close representation of what the actual space may appear as.

Rendered images are important for retail companies in several ways. The benefits of 3D renderings include:

  • Realistic depiction of spaces
  • Allows executives to view and approve new sites
  • Ease and speed of creation
  • Useful for marketing and project approvals
  • Language barriers are minimised
  • Renders look uncluttered and attractive compared to 2D elevations

High-quality photorealistic renders are as good as photos Renders also provide flexibility, as elements can be altered quickly and easily. Some of the precise features of retail spaces that renders portray can predict the store experience. For example, a well-designed store entrance must create expectation and offer options. High quality renders help achieve this. Renders can show lighting, signage and displays. The retailer’s image can be communicated through the kind of flooring and shelving used. For example, glass shelves and fixtures can suggest elegance. Smart lighting can improve how merchandise is displayed, thus contributing to increased sales. Walls can be used to store and display messages, and windows can be used to display the type of merchandise and market the image of the store.

A useful application of rendered images is by showcasing store layouts. Clients can be shown the basic layout of a retail space through 3D visualisation so that they can opt for a layout that enables a specific path for their customers. Essential design pointers for an effective layout include the width of walkways – wide enough for shopping carts (if necessary) and also for people to walk through without colliding. There are three basic types of retail layouts, and they can all be communicated through renders: grid layout, racetrack layout and free form layout.

  • The grid layout involves parallel aisles with display items on shelves on both sides, often used for bakeries, display of fruits, vegetables, clothing, electrical and electronics goods.
  • The racetrack, or loop, layout involves one major aisle that circles around the retail space to guide customers on a prescribed route.
  • A free form layout arranges shelves, fixtures and aisles asymmetrically, used primarily in smaller stores, specialty stores or sections within larger department stores.

Approvals from the client for design can be significantly influenced by detailed and effective rendering. Rendering of retail space can show shelving to the benefit of each customer. Shelving and displays should be clutter-free and such that customers can easily locate items. The details of furniture in retail areas, such as cash counters, shelves, storage spaces, display counters and their placement are key factors that influence sales, and showing these details through rendering can be useful for client approvals.

Another key feature of retail space that influences sales is lighting. Light placement and rendering for lighting at different times of the day and night can influence display locations for merchandise, and 3D rendering can show the differences in effect that various types of lights and their reflections can have in the same space on the same merchandise.

Renders can also be used as planograms. Planograms are images/maps created by retailers to decide where to place merchandise for maximum benefit and take into account lighting and shelving. The space needs to be visually appealing to increase customer purchases. These planograms can be easily created, tested and altered in the virtual environment provided by rendering.

Approvals & Decision-making

The use of 3D rendering services can also be useful to obtain executive approvals for new sites and for decision-making purposes. Here’s why:

Competitive Edge

When the competition is fierce, a 3D visualisation of a project is almost as effective as a business card in that it represents and translates the uniqueness of the project. Presentation of work, past, ongoing and future, is a powerful tool. Rendering of high quality showcases design and enhances reputation.

High Quality Promotional Material

Promoting design intent is crucial for retail clients. Well-worked computer-generated images can represent interiors in greater clarity, influencing the decisions taken regarding placement and dimensions of furniture, flooring and wall finishes and coverings. Renders that promote branding can be included in brochures, pamphlets and other promotional material.

Multiple Views

Multiple views of the same space through renders can help show the complete picture and support decision-making.

Cost Effective

It costs much less to create a render than physical models, and since the renders are virtual they can be sent to a greater customer base.

Easy Changes

Customers frequently change their minds and rendered images can be quickly edited to suit customer requirements. The 3D renderings can be sent to the client for quick approvals and changes.

Focus on Key USPs

Renderings show accurate and realistic representations and can simultaneously highlight the key unique selling points of the merchandise.

With an array of advantages, photorealistic 3D rendered images can be a valuable asset for retail success. The use of BIM to create detailed rendered views of retail space featuring walls, lighting, furniture, shelving and layout options provides an extra edge in gaining approvals and in the fields of sales and marketing. Changes are easy to execute, and multiple views can be generated to enable more informed decision-making. Rendering, therefore, is of prime importance in the retail industry.

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Source by Kuldeep Bwail

June 11, 2022
View: 378

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Let’s take a look at some common flow plans for food preparation that you’ll discover inside the kitchen. The most basic, and most desirable, flow plan is the straight line, also known as the assembly-line flow. Materials move steadily from 1 procedure to another in a straight line. This type of style minimizes backtracking; it saves preparation time and confusion about what’s going out of the kitchen area and what’s coming back in.

The straight-line arrangement functions nicely for little installations because it can be placed against a wall and adapted to the cooks’ duties. Wherever there isn’t enough room to arrange food preparation in a straight line, a well-liked and efficient option is the parallel flow. There are four variations of the parallel style:

1. Back to back. Gear is arranged inside a long, central counter or island in two straight lines that run parallel to every other. Sometimes a four- or five-foot room divider or low wall is positioned between the two lines. It’s primarily a safety precaution, which keeps noise and clutter to a minimum and prevents liquids spilled on 1 side from spreading onto the other. Nevertheless, placement of a wall here also makes cleaning and sanitation a lot more hard. The back-to-back arrangement centralizes plumbing and utilities;

you may not need to install as many drains, sinks, or outlets, as both sides from the counter can share the same ones. A back-to-back arrangement in which the pass window is parallel to (and behind one of) the production places is sometimes recognized as a California-style kitchen. When the pass window is located perpendicular towards the production line, it might be referred to as a European-style kitchen area style. The benefit from the European style is that each cook on the line can see the progression of multiple dishes that make up 1 table’s order.

2. Face to face. In this kitchen area configuration, a central aisle separates two straight lines of gear on either side from the room. Sometimes the aisle is wide sufficient to add a straight line of worktables among the two rows of gear. This setup works well for high volume feeding facilities like schools and hospitals, but it doesn’t take benefit of single source utilities. Even though it’s a great layout for supervision of workers, it forces individuals to perform with their backs to one another, in effect, separating the cooking from the food from the rest from the distribution procedure. Therefore, it’s most likely not the best style for a restaurant.

3. L-shape. Wherever room isn’t sufficient for a straight-line or parallel arrangement, the L-shape kitchen design is nicely suited to access several groups of gear, and is adaptable for table service restaurants. It gives you the ability to place more equipment inside a smaller room. You’ll often find an L-shape design in dish washing areas, using the dish machine positioned at the center corner from the L.

4. U-shape. This arrangement is seldom used, but it’s ideal for a little room with one or two employees, such as a salad preparation or pantry area. An island bar, for example the ones in T.G.I. Friday’s restaurants, is an additional example of the U-shape at perform. There are also circular and square kitchen area designs, but their limited flow patterns make them impractical. Avoid wasted room if you can, by making your kitchen area rectangular, with its entrance on one of the longest walls to save steps.

The a lot more foodservice establishments you visit, the more you’ll realize that the back from the house is really a separate and distinct entity from the rest of the business, with its own peculiar difficulties and unique solutions.

Correct flow planning occasionally means breaking each kitchen area function down into a department, of sorts, after which deciding how those departments ought to interact with every other. They must also interact using the other, external departments from the facility: your dining room, bar, cashier, and so on. A great way to begin the design process-both for the overall company and for the kitchen-is to create a bubble diagram. Each region (or workstation) is represented being a circle, or “bubble,” drawn in pencil within the location you’ve decided may be the most logical for that function. If two different workstations will be sharing some equipment, you might let the sides of their circles intersect slightly, to indicate where the shared equipment might greatest be located.

The finished diagram will seem abstract, but the exercise permits you to visualize every perform center and think about its needs in relation to the other centers. You are able to also lay a kitchen out utilizing a diamond configuration, situating the cooking area at one point of the diamond form, and other crucial areas in relation to it at other points. Notice that this layout minimizes confusion (and accidents) with a separate kitchen entrance and exit. This allows the people who bus the tables to deliver soiled dishes towards the dishwashing area without having to walk via the entire kitchen to do so.

An alternative to drawing diagrams is to list every perform center and then list any other work middle that should be placed adjacent to it. Conversely, list any perform center that ought to not be next to it. For instance, it is most likely not a great idea to have the ice maker and ice storage bin adjacent to the frying and broiling center.

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Source by Franco Zinzi

May 24, 2022
View: 433

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Belize offers a good choice of yacht charter and this includes bareboat, luxury crewed, skippered yacht charter, monohull and catamaran charter and both sail and motor yacht charter. Belize is the only official English-speaking country in Central America.

Belize was a British colony for more than a century and was known as British Honduras until 1973. It became an independent nation in 1981. The Maya civilization spread over Belize between 1500 BC and AD 300 and flourished until about AD 900. European settlement began with British Jews, privateers and shipwrecked English seamen as early as 1638. The early settlement of Belize in the Bay of Honduras grew from Belize Town and St George’s Caye into a colony of the United Kingdom during the late eighteenth century. In the early nineteenth century the settlement was called British Honduras, and in 1871 it became a Crown Colony. British Honduras became a self-governing colony in January 1964 and was renamed Belize on June 1, 1973. Full independence came on 21st September 1981 after delays caused by territorial disputes with neighbouring Guatemala, which did not formally recognize the country.

A yacht charter in Belize enables you discover some of the most unspoiled islands of the Caribbean. The luminous turquoise waters of the Belize archipelago are made up of over 200 deserted tropical islands and coral atolls and boast some of the most pristine beaches in the Caribbean. Belize has become a popular spot for yacht charters and diving vacations. Most yacht charter companies have catamaran fleets because the shallow draft will assure easy navigation.

The coast of Belize encompasses has an unlimited abundance of wildlife and sea life waiting to be discovered. Schools of tropical fish, Manatees, and coral gardens abound here making snorkelling and diving expeditions an exciting adventure. There are many archaeological and national parks along with marine reserves in Belize. Check with your yacht charter company for help in making plans for land expeditions to the Mayan ruins or the rainforest.

Belize International is the main airport and is only little more than two hours from 3 gateways in the United States. San Pedro, Ambergris Caye or Placencia are reachable by a 15 minute commuter plane with several connections a day. English is the official language and is widely spoken, as is Spanish. Other languages include Creole, German, Mayan and Garifuna. US Dollars are used and major credit cards may be accepted in hotels, restaurants and some shops.

The yacht charter season in Belize is restricted by the hurricane season to the months of November through to May. From mid-December to May the trade winds blow. Temperatures are always around 25Āŗ – 30Āŗ C.

Most people are very comfortable sailing the waters of Belize but it does come with some challenges. Navigation is relatively easy and by line of site. The most difficult part is learning how to read the shallow waters and recognize coral. It is imperative to keep a proper watch at all times. Bare boating outside the reef is prohibited. The outer reefs are not well charted or marked making for the danger of running aground. Once inside the atolls the shoal waters are full of coral rock formations that lie in so many areas and in such numbers that the charts simply do not give clear insight to their locations. Communication on VHF is also non-existent, with mobile phones the most reliable means of communication, search and rescue is not very reliable and all this combined makes bare boating outside the reef untenable. However with so much to see within the barrier reef venturing beyond is not necessary.

Ambergris Caye is the largest island in Belize and the most commercially developed. Ambergris Caye has been the hub of maritime trade in Belize for hundreds of years. In the last twenty to thirty years the incredible surroundings of Ambergris Caye has led to a large growth in both the Belize dive and scuba trade, yacht charters and ecotourism.

The main town of San Pedro still maintains itself as a quaint fishing village although here one will find a lively nightlife. San Pedro only has a few streets with interesting shops, a few homes, and several restaurants and bars. The airstrip is also located here, so getting to your charter yacht is literally a stone’s throw away. The island is home to tropical savannahs, sparkling white beaches and mangrove forests. It has become the most popular tourist destination in Belize.

The amazing coral reef system lies half a mile east of the shoreline and runs the entire length of the island. It is the second largest barrier reef in the world and has made the town of San Pedro the dive and water sports capital of Belize and Central America. It is easy for snorkellers to discover hundreds of species of fish right off the beach. Surrounded by lush tropical gardens, the transparent waters of Ambergris Caye are a paradise for divers, snorkellers, bird watchers and fisherman alike.

Begin your yacht charter in Placencia and you can explore the southern half of Belize. Placencia is known for its lovely white sandy beaches and beautiful mangroves. The main street is a three-mile stretch of sidewalk in which there are a few local services, including a laundry service and small grocery. However if you are planning to leave on your yacht charter from Placencia, it is a wise idea to have provisions planned in advance with your yacht charter company. The grocery store is not equipped to handle the needs of a charter boat. In most cases the provisions that you order are flown in from Belize City. This is not an active spot for nightlife and restaurant dinners. This is paradise on earth, very tranquil and serene. Many sailing connoisseurs have compared their experience of Placencia to memories reminiscent of the BVI 30 years ago before it was developed. Placencia is also the gateway for a land-based tour of the many cascading waterfalls and the archaeological ruins of the Mayan culture.

If sailing south from San Pedro or north from Placencia there are numerous beaches that provide great yacht anchorages. There are hundreds of cayes to explore with clear waters and white sandy beaches. Some are deserted while others have amenities for tourists. Those places that are undeveloped will offer complete solitude to those looking to get away from civilization on their yacht charter. Whilst there are too many to mention them all individually here are a few highlights to give you an idea of what awaits you on your yacht charter in Belize.

Caye Caulker is a four mile long island is divided in two and lies just about a mile east of Belize’s Barrier Reef. This is a quiet town with friendly people and some nice restaurants. The most popular dive destination is Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley. A boat must be hired to visit and it is approximately 30 minutes north of Caye Caulker. With so much to see at various depths, all levels of snorkellers and divers can be accommodated here.

Caye Chapel is the island that is home to the rich and famous and boasts a new state of the art marina and championship golf course. It was developed for those searching seclusion. This is the most exclusive island in Belize where every amenity is available. The marina welcomes yachts up to 45 metres in length. Once here there are many picturesque beaches and exotic wildlife to discover as well as the natural beauty the island views has to offer.

St George’s Caye is located south of Caye Caulker, this island is one half mile from the barrier reef. St. George’s Caye is quiet and serene and a world away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Very few services are offered here with just a restaurant, hotel and a bar. The diving is incredible with visitors sighting many dolphins just before descending down the caye’s wall.

Goff’s Caye is a tiny island on the reef just north of the main channel, English Channel. It has good snorkelling and a beautiful beach.

English Caye has a lighthouse that marks the south side of English Channel. This island offers superb snorkelling 1000 feet south on a huge coral patch.

Rendezvous Caye is a jewel of an island also located right on the reef. Another beautiful beach with excellent snorkelling all around, this is also a good location for scuba diving on the 60 foot outside wall. It is not however a safe overnight yacht anchorage with its coral all around but a ‘must see’ day stop.

Bluefield Range provides a safe yacht anchorage and the two fish camps usually offer a choice of fresh seafood for dinner.

Colson Cayes is another safe anchorage with several fish camps. The Cayes offer a shallow lagoon to explore by dinghy with plenty of coral nearby for snorkelling.

Tobacco Caye is a fine overnight anchorage, unless in a northerly wind. There are several choices for basic meals and a few bars on the island. There’s a dive shop for those who enjoy scuba diving and plenty of good snorkelling.

Laughing Bird Caye is just 11 miles from the coast of Placencia; the caye is located within a “faro”, an atoll on a continental shelf. It is steep sided and encloses a central lagoon. The attraction is the diverse variety of coral reefs. Because of the large amount of visitors steps have been taken to ensure the reefs and lagoon will be protected. There are mooring buoys and channel markers in place to protect the fragile ecosystem.

South Water Caye is about 25 miles from Placencia. South Water Caye is a reserve protected by the World Heritage Organization. Like the other marine reserves in Belize it has an amazing array of underwater life and palm trees that line the waters edge. The clear blue waters of South Water Caye give way to white sandy beaches.

Sapodilla Cayes is another marine reserve that sits in the most southern portion of Belize’s barrier reef. It is comprised of 14 mangrove and coral islands with unspoiled white sandy beaches. The waters are very shallow with some areas being less then 5 metres. On Huntington Caye you will discover the lighthouse and a Belize Guard Station. The beaches here are the nesting grounds for turtles. Lime Caye is often the most crowded with tourist boats arriving from Punta Gorda. The best place to anchor the yacht and spend the night is either Nicholas or Frank’s Caye. The incredible reef system with an abundance of colourful fish species will provide for a great snorkelling experience, even for beginners. Because Sapodilla is off the beaten path it is not over run by tourists and remains a magnificent and pristine group of islands that have very little in the way of amenities.

Just 25 short miles south of the Sapodilla Cayes lies the port of Livingston on the Rio Dulce of Guatemala where you are required to check in and out of Guatemala. A local restaurant provides a great stop along the way where they’ll pull your choice of fresh fish out of the live trap at the dock.

Outside the Barrier Reef there are some well-known dive sites that are popular. Since bareboat yacht charters are not permitted to venture outside the reef, it is in your best interest to hire a local dive company if you wish to go there. If your yacht charter is crewed, then have the skipper contact the local dive company to make arrangements for a meeting place in order to explore with an experienced dive master.

Glover’s Reef Marine is located 36 miles off the shore of Belize. It is a group of islands encircled within a turquoise lagoon and surrounded by a coral reef that has one of the richest tropical marine environments called Glover’s Reef Atoll. All six sand cayes within the atoll are privately owned. The diving is legendary and cannot compare with any other place in the world. There are over 80 square miles for snorkellers and divers to explore with an incredible variety of fish. The southern part of the atoll is a conservation area that is used for research and recreational activities. Visitors are forbidden from taking anything from the area. Dive boats require a license to be there and divers must register with the reserve manager. There is a resort located here as well but amenities for boaters are limited.

Lighthouse Reef Atoll is the farthest atoll from the coast of Belize. There is one charming colonial style beachfront resort located on the island and the primary focus of activities is diving and relaxing on the beach. The famous “Blue Hole” is actually located in the centre of the Lighthouse reef lagoon. The 400 foot deep hole is perhaps one of the most amazing underwater experiences in the western hemisphere. Some of the best wall diving exists here and many consider it the greatest dive site in Belize. Coral surrounds the entire 75 square miles of Blue Hole. Visibility is an amazing 100 feet in clear turquoise waters that are calm with no currents running. If considering a dive here hire a local dive master to meet your boat and take you there. He will have the expertise necessary for a safe diving experience.

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Source by Ken Jones

May 6, 2022
View: 397

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“No openly gay man has ever won the Oscar; I wonder if that is prejudice or chance,” So said Sir Ian McKellen earlier in 2016, querying the political inclusiveness of the Academy Awards. “My speech has been in two jackets… ‘I’m proud to be the first openly gay man to win the Oscar.’ I’ve had to put it back in my pocket twice.” Both of these performances, the first in ‘Gods and Monsters’ (1998) and ‘The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring’ (2002) were certainly Oscar worthy, and both proved to be finer performances than either of the winners of the respective years. Though McKellen may have been bereft of an Oscar, his filmography would be enough to please any actor.

Though he has amassed an impressive amount of credits, he had made few film appearances prior to his turn as John Profumo in 1989, which he made aged fifty. Previously, his attention was held in the theatre, for services of which he was knighted for in 1991. Selected credits included Salieri in ‘Amadeus’, the titular doctor in ‘ Dr.Faustus’ and his extraordinary Max in ‘Bent’. Years spent working for the Royal Shakespeare Company during the seventies would serve him well as an actor, working well in his stead later in his life as a film actor.

With a beautiful baritone voice and verbosity few Oxford professors possess, McKellen has proven to be to a worthy character actor, the apple of directors Peter Jackson and Bryan Singer’s eyes. It was, however, his work with Bill Condon that would prove his worthiest collaborator film, the two films they made two of the strongest performances McKellen has given in any medium, his first McKellen’s breakthrough role in Hollywood, the second one of the finest performances any performer has given in their late seventies. Other film parts McKellen has played are magical savants, clerical bigots, tormented convicts and persecuted addicts.

10: Six Degrees Of Separation (1993,Fred Schepisi): “I’m going to buy a copy of ‘Catcher In The Rhye’, at the airport, and read it” echoes Geoffrey Miller in his light South African accent. Talking to Will Smith’s Paul, McKellen throws the line away, both flippant and assured, hints of racial insecurity and pride there in his voice. Pirouetting the room as Smith delivers a monologue echoing the voice of Holden Caulfield, Miller acts vaguely suspiciously of the guest both Ouisa Kittredge (Stockard Channing) and Flan Kittredge (Donald Sutherland) welcome with open arms.

As befitting a White stereotype from South Africa in the mid-nineties (Nelson Mandela’s release had only been three years prior), Miller paints himself as a liberal, though is privy to mild racist remarks. Asked why he stays in South Africa, Miller responds” One has to stay there. To educate the black workers. And we’ll know we’ve been successful when they kill us. ” McKellen leaves it up to the audience to decide whether this remark is meant seriously or with tongue firmly placed in cheek. Perennially smirking as Paul Poitier (the self-proclaimed son of Sidney Poitier) attempts to con his hosts. Whether knowing or not, McKellen plays Miller as a parvenu, uncomfortable around the sound of blood, more concerned with wine than a person’s ailments.

McKellen cleverly allows Sutherland and Channing take most of the thunder, adding small gestures to the side of their performances, allowing audiences to interpret as they choose the thoughts and motivations of his character. A strong supporting role.

9: X-Men (2000, Bryan Singer): There was a time when comic book movies werenĀ“t the hot property they are now. Nowadays golden treasures Martin Sheen, Jeremy Irons, Helen Hunt, Amy Adams and Glenn Close pop in and out of the comic book world and nobody blinks an eye-lid. And Ian McKellen is largely to thank for that. Even more so than Patrick Stewart (Stewart already had a foot in the mainstream, thanks to Star Trek), a Shakespearian actor of his calibre brought credence to the world of comic book movies, a mere three years after George Clooney visibly embarrassed himself with his Bat credit-card.

“I’ve always felt that ‘X-Men’ was about something serious. It wasn’t just fantasy.” he told reporters. Director Bryan Singer, promoting his third film Ā“X-Men: Days of Future PastĀ“ told The Los Angeles Times Mckellen responded well to “the allegory of the mutants as outsiders, disenfranchised and alone and coming to all of that at puberty when their difference manifests. Ian is an activist and he really responded to the potential of that allegory.” Both director and star were openly gay men and related to the persecution of said mutants in their personal lives, as well as the obvious recognition that Magneto (nee Erik Lehnsherr) survived an ordeal at a concentration camp. True, Michael Fassbender and Matthew Vaughn went further with this psychological probing a decade later, but the ground steps were laid by McKellen and Singer, without whom the comic book world would not be the property it is today.

Capable to manipulate and control metallic objects, Magneto proved a strong character to play. “Why do none of you understand what I’m trying to do? Those people down there- they control our fate and the fate of every other mutant! Well, soon our fate will be theirs. “He screams at Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). ItĀ“s diabolical, but his point is justified. Unlike other Marvel villains, greed isnĀ“t what motivates Magneto, injustice and retribution are. McKellenĀ“s first entry into the public consciousness of pop culture, he would play Magneto in four successive films, his successor Michael Fassbender modelling his accent on a tutorial McKellen gave on Ā“Macbeth ‘in 1979.

8: Jack and Sarah (Tim Sullivan, 1995): Playing a recovering alcoholic is a must for any actor worth their salt. Nicholas Cage and James Coburn took home statuettes for their alcoholic turns, Peter O ‘Toole was rarely better than his inebriated turn in ‘My Favourite Year’, Daniel Craig has spent more time battling vodka than villains as James Bond! McKellen’s William is an altruistic helper, crippled by a former life of excessive drinking, but once sober, proves more capable of paternal instinct than Richard E.Grant’s Jack.

McKellen plays for broad laughs as he carries the newly born child high in the air, much to the shock of the baby’s grandmothers (played by Judi Dench and Eileen Atkins). But his sincerity is there, and once brought to attention, he gains the family’s trust.

McKellen brings s touch of tragedy to the proceedings, woken on the staircase, whiskey perennially laced into his drinks. Unnaturally thin, McKellen’s boney appearance makes him an undesirable babysitter. But his courtship with the equally flawed Jack allows audiences to placate their differences and warm to a generous hearted man, fuller with love than booze.

Under seen and underrated (Grant was perhaps too atypical looking to take off as a romantic heart throb in the manner of Hugh Grant), it has a warm heart attached to the film. McKellen recounted in 2000″ Jack and Sarah hasn’t enjoyed the same success as other English middle-class comedies shot in Notting Hill, but it was fun to be living at home in London and on a local location with so many talented old friends.”

7: Cold Comfort Farm (1995, John Schlesinger): There are few men as ferocious as Ian Paisley, but McKellen’s Amos Starkadder could bring the fury of God down on any man worthy of sin. ‘There’s no butter in hell’ he screams at a congregation of rural workers, evoking an afterlife so terrible, a life so miserable. “Amos Starkadder, the hell-fire preacher to his congregation of “Quiverers”, is a parody of the non-conformist preachers I remember from my childhood.”McKellen later reflected. “One of his attention-grabbing tricks was suddenly to stop the flow of his sermon and, gesturing to the back wall of the church, gasp: “I can see the children of Israel!” The congregation’s heads would turn round to follow his pointing finger. Amos would have admired that. “

Eccentric to the extreme, Starkadder bellows with provincial syllables, the fear of God by his side. One of McKellen’s more obviously comic performances, Starkadder is complete with putrid yellow teeth. Hair shaken, voice over his parishioners, McKellen’s parody is pitch perfect. “The quivering worshippers were played by local extras and Schlesinger wanted to shoot on their upturned faces early in the day, before boredom might set in.” McKellen remembered. ” Before I had finished, the extras were released and the sermon was preached to the few loyal professionals who stayed behind to give me the eyelines. Fortunately my voice took on a new strength and the resulting scene even makes me laugh.”

He’s not the only one. Arguably the funniest scene in the film (and the starry cast includes raconteurs Joanna Lumley, Miriam Margoyles and Stephen Fry), McKellen’s sermon wickedly comic. Laughter has rarely been this sinful!

6: Apt Pupil (1998, Bryan Singer): Bryan Singer, talking to The Hollywood Reporter spoke of his interest in McKellen “With Ian McKellen, we were actually introduced by a mutual friend early on. I had a list of a number of the sort of obvious older, European actors… I wanted, like with Kevin Spacey in The Usual Suspects, to have this character played by someone who wasn’t as familiar to mainstream audiences, which Kevin wasn’t at the time.” McKellen’s nationality was another contributing factor: “I also thought that Ian brought a degree of British charm and flamboyance to this otherwise stoic German character. ” The two collaborated well and made three X-Men films together following their Stephen King adaptation.

Situated as a Nazi War criminal, McKellen’s Kurt Dussander is both vindictive and repentive. One senses that he feels the crimes he has committed, but know he has a darker side to him waiting to burn out from the edges. McKellen plays well off Brad Renfro’s Todd Rowden, a child with a harrowing obsession with Dussander’s past. McKellen wrote a tribute to Renfro on his website following Renfro’s untimely death in 2008.

Dussander is tenacious and retaliatory; a Nazi uniform is merely a uniform, Dussander is a menace in his own right. Threatening the child with exclamation “To the whole world, I am a monster. And you have known about me all this time. If I’m caught, when those reporters stick their microphones in my face it will be your name that I will repeat over and over again. Todd Bowden, Todd Bowden… “one senses Dussander is only a foot away from enacting a vengeance far nastier than any bullet could paint.

McKellen succeeds as the ageing terror, both frightful and plaintive. Merely fifty seven at the time of filming, McKellen is markedly convincing as a man encompassed by his seventies.

5: Scandal (1989): By McKellen’s own admission, he was never the first choice for a romantic lead. Too effete to be a sex symbol, too verbose to evoke mystery, simply too plain looking to radiate a sex appeal fellow thesp Anthony Hopkins radiated. Therefore, it is a great surprise to watch him play the part of lover as John Profumo, the balding middle-aged subject of Christine Keeler’s (Joanne Whaley) affection. The film proved a scapegoat for McKellen: admitting to The Hollywood Reporter, the part of a heterosexual lover seemed appealing: “The assumption is when you’ve come out that you’ll never be able to play anything but gay characters again. So, I thought that was a nice message to the world that a gay actor could play a straight man.”

True, much of the film is open to speculation (the real life Profumo Affair is shrouded by hushes and whispers, as befitting a member of the Conservative Party), though the consequences may have been the trigger behind his resignation in 1963. McKellen is perfectly cast as Profumo, much as the Secretary of the State of War would be the last person to suspect eliciting an affair with a nineteen year old model, so McKellen plays the ordinarity and mundanity devoid of suspicion.

“I have nothing to hide” he insists to Stephen Ward (John Hurt), an affectation that makes it hard to disagree with his feity. McKellen’s eyebrows leers over Keeler’s like a child longing for a sweet, an insatiable, carnal desire of inner indulgence. McKellen’s regal aristocratic nature works for the film’s benefit, the sixties in his grasp, his party on his back. The Pet Shop Boys (real life nineteen eighties friends of McKellen’s) wrote the film’s title track ‘Nothing Has Been Proved’, perhaps a returning gesture after McKellen guest appeared in their 1987 video ‘Heart’.

4: The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring (2001, Peter Jackson): Arguably McKellenĀ“s most fondly remembered character, McKellenĀ“s performance won him the applause of every critic in town, both as Gandalf The Grey and Gandalf The White. While Tolkien is universally adored these days, it, frankly, wasnĀ“t always thus. Unless you were Robert Plant, admiring Tolkien simply wasnĀ“t cool before 2001 and few fantasy films of recent decades had shown any worth, both Ā“The Never-ending Story ‘and Ā“HighlanderĀ“ suffering from appalling sequels and overindulgent exercises. Hence, McKellen, with his lack of Hollywood pizazz, was not New Line CinemaĀ“s first choice for the role and pushed Peter Jackson away from McKellen to Sean Connery. Connery declined, as did Christopher Plummer, and Jackson reinstated his original choice in the film. And the result could not be any better.

As sweet as it would have been to hear ConneryĀ“s Scottish soliloquies, McKellen masters the role, the pose, the stance, the joviality, the intrigue, the esoteric nature of the series. As wretched as The Hobbit prequels were, nobody complained while McKellen was onscreen.

Although he played Gandalf six times, his debut remains his most memorable, a fiery speech opening the audienceĀ“s ears to the perils of Mordor, a fiery fall by the hands of the Balrog. He plays it serene and stoic, but battle heavy and world weary also. ItĀ“s his best performance as Gandalf. DonĀ“t believe me? Then believe the Academy; they nominated him for supporting actor.

Best known for one perennially iconic line, McKellen re-used it a decade later visiting students at Oxford University in 2014. “‘If you don’t work hard, if you don’t do your revision, you know what will happen,” he asked, before holding himself with an imaginary staff. “You shall not passĀ“. Reading Fantasy provides long supporting advice.

3: Mr. Holmes (2015, Bill Condon): Sherlock’s indubitably very much in vogue at present. Robert Downey Jr took time away from his Iron Man paraphernalia to chase vagabonds throughout an opera house, Benedict Cumberbatch (literally) brought the old detective into the twenty first century, Johnny Lee Miller brought a heroin lock into Sherlock, Hugh Laurie’s House tipped his hat at the detective, David Mitchell wore an overtly large hat as the sleuth: all in their own way sharing a debt to Basil Rathbone.. Even with McKellen’s worthy credentials, originality would prove difficult Perfect then that Bill Condon allows McKellen to portray an ageing, reflective Holmes, harrowed by time, incarcerated by his memories. McKellen allows his younger contemporaries away with their showier portrayals, yet by doing so, he comes up with the most original and interesting Holmes since Rathbone pipe smoked his way through mysteries.

“I’ve decided to write the story down; as it was, not as John made it. Get it right, before I die.” he dictates to his younger companion Roger, irate his endeavours were altered by John Watson from fact to fiction. Fully aware that the life of a sleuth is not the subject of Hollywood films, he jokes “When you’re a detective, and a man comes to see you, it’s usually about his wife.”

McKellen, although nearly two decades younger than his character, brings a world weary sadness only age provides. One senses this is a man who has seen it all, lived it all, gave it all and felt it all. It’s there in McKellen’s desolate eyes, it’s there in the shake of his voice. McKellen and Condon prove a fine pair, the second of three collaborations the two would embark on (their third will be Disney’s live version of ‘Beauty and The Beast’ starring Emma Watson’). An excellent second collaboration, it had a similar quality to it as their first film, one which will be discussed dutifully

2: Richard III (1995, Richard Loncraine): Ian McKellen cut his teeth with the Royal Shakespeare Company, finessing his Macbeth’s, salivating his Juliet. His Richard III is magnificent, a superb re-imaging of Shakespeare’s great play, replacing the regal castles with Reichian symbols and nineteen thirties Nazi gear. Lauded when staged for the Royal National Theatre, McKellen and director Richard Loncraine re-adapted it for the big screen (both received writing credits for their work alongside the bard).

McKellen’s presence is steelier than the bullets that fire throughout the film’s finale, steamier than the fires that burn throughout. Eschewing the traditional image of Richard as physically immobilised, McKellen’s Richard stands above all his men, each an ant he can stamp on at any point, each a little person in his grand plan. Utilising the trick Kevin Spacey would later adopt for Frank Underwood, McKellen speaks to the camera, each aware of his nefarious plans. “Now is the winter of my discontent” he tells to a jovial audience as the film opens, a side glance to the camera with “That dogs bark at me as I halt by them” suggests all is not well in the state of his mind. Prone to nervous laughter, prone to violent tirades, no one is ever sure what Richard will do next.

McKellen is excellent, his involvement behind the scenes as both co-writer and uncredited producer works to make this the finest Shakespearian film adaptation of the last twenty five years. Talking to the BFI Southbank London in 2016, McKellen reflected ” “Neither of us [[Loncraine and McKellen]] made a penny from it, we gave all our salaries to make it and I’m very proud of it.” Dispute not with that: that would be lunacy!

1: Gods and Monsters (1998, Bill Condon): Talking in a correspondence, McKellen claimed that “Gods and Monsters was one of the most enjoyable films I have been involved with — partly because of the crew and cast whom Bill Condon (director and Oscar-winning screenplay writer) gathered together but also because of the subject matter. I knew nothing about James Whale until I started reading about him for the film and meeting some of his old friends. I admire his talent and his achievements as a film director and his honesty in being openly gay in the Hollywood of the 1950s when honesty of that sort was not thought to be the best policy.”

Bringing the role forth from a very personal place in his heart, McKellen gives every ounce of his soul into the performance as James Whale. Whether he’s himself or Whale or a combination of both is irrelevant, it is his honesty that matters most and what translates best onto the screen. Few actors have given such an honest performance in their lives; McKellen does.

An ageing man, ever infatuated with his youthful gardener (Brendan Fraser), McKellen brings a certain impassive dignity into the proceedings. Witty to the outside world (he recounts that his gardener has “never met a princess before, only queens” to Princess Margaret), but tortured within his confiding’s (“Hatred was the only thing that kept my soul alive. And amongst the men I hated… was my dear old dumb father, who put me in that hell in the first place.”), Whale is a chameleon, much as McKellen is. Perhaps McKellen’s most personal film role, McKellen brings Whale alive in a way that even the infamous director never brought Frankenstein’s Monster alive. Yes, that’s as Meta as it gets!

McKellen was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal, losing to Roberto Benigni, a greater disservice than McKellen’s loss to Jim Broadbent in 2002. But where statuettes come and go, celluloid remains implanted. James Whale will be forever eulogised and commemorated for McKellen’s work, as Whale’s life inspired McKellen to play him effectively. For once, art and life met centre of the proceedings; surely that’s better than any Oscar could ever be?

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Source by Eoghan M Lyng

April 18, 2022
View: 404

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The Hope/Clark Fork area stretches along the shores of Lake Pend Oreille from the Pack River to the mouth of the Clark Fork River, the major waterways that feed mighty Pend Oreille. Lake Pend Oreille is one of the West’s largest freshwater bodies of water with several islands near the Clark Fork estuary, including the islands off Hope and the Hope Peninsula, Warren, Cottage, Pearl, Eagle, and Memaloose Islands, as well as the Islands at the end of the Clark Fork River, called the Clark Fork Flats, which includes Derr Island. There are three major peninsulas that thrust into the lake: Sunnyside, the Hope Peninsula, and Sagle. Sagle is actually more like an area the lake wraps around, but nonetheless is a major abutting feature of Lake Pend Oreille.

It is important to note that the histories of the two communities are closely tied to one and other. They have a shared past of railroads, mining, and logging, and sportsman activities. More recently, both Lake Pend Oreille and the Clark Fork River have been a draw for tourists seeking the mountain/lake lifestyle. In recent years the area has attracted national public attention, being featured on several broadcasts, in articles, and by developers. The most famous golf course in this part of North Idaho, Hidden Lakes, was purchased by Jack Nicklaus, and is slated to open in 2009 as the Idaho Club. However, with the federal and state owning over 70% of the land, growth has been measured.

Glacial Floods and Lake Pend Oreille

The most prominent feature of Hope and Clark Fork, Idaho is Lake Pend Oreille. With 111 mile of coastline and 148 square miles, it is one of North America’s prominent lakes, and the nation’s fifth deepest. Formed by cataclysmic floods when the mile high Ice Age ice dam broke time after time, the features of the land and lakes of Bonner County and Western Montana all the way to the coast in Oregon were formed by these monumental floods. Just one of these deluges was ten times the combined volume of all the rivers on earth, with walls of water moving at super highway speeds. To learn more about the Ice Age Floods visit Ice Age Floods Institute.org

Centuries before white man discovered the region, the Kalispell and other Indian tribes, such as the Flatheads, inhabited North Idaho. Visit North Idaho History The first white men to trade in North Idaho were the intrepid adventurers “Big Finan” McDonald and explorer and “land geographer” David Thompson, who established the first permanent wooden structure in 1809 on the Hope Peninsula, taking advantage of Lake Pend Oreille and the Clark Fork River. This trading post, Kullyspell House, is still standing as a stone building on the shores of the lake. Kullyspell House still stands on the Peninsula, Idaho’s most historic home. It sits at the end of Kullyspell Road. As you turn right on David Thompson Road, you will pass several white houses on the left. This grouping of summer homes is the family retreat of the Kienholz family. Ed Kienholz is easily one of our nation’s most famous artists.

The first true transportation the region enjoyed were the steamboats of the Oregon Steam Navigation Company, which brought its first engine and hardware from Portland, building the 108-foot Mary Moody in 1866.

As the railroads came into the area, Northern Pacific Railroad built the 150-foot Henry Villard in 1883 to supply the men laying the rails. Steamboats continued to be an integral part of transportation around Lake Pend Oreille until the 1930s. Later in the era, steamboats became popular excursions, much as Pend Oreille Cruises is today, and dignitaries staying at Hotel Hope and other resorts would spend days on the water.

In 1864 Congress granted the Northern Pacific Railroad a charter to build a line from Lake Superior to Puget Sound on a route north of the 45 parallel. In 1872, the Clark Fork Pend Oreille route was chosen. With the railroad came the people who established the towns of Clark Fork and Hope.

Railroads came to prominence in the 1880s, as local construction began on the northern transcontinental line in 1881. Trestle Creek, at more than a mile long, became the line’s longest structure. It was at this time that Hope became the center of railroad activities and the largest city in the county. Along with Chinese Coolies, over 4,000 rough and ready railroad workers lived in a tent city along the Clark Fork River. Railroads brought people, and the lumber industry, which began to service the rails and trains, became the stalwart of the North Idaho economy for the next 100 years.

History of Hope, Idaho

At first Hope was just a stopping point along the railroad, but in 1890, the Northern Pacific moved its division point west from Montana to the shores of Lake Pend Oreille. Hope was incorporated on July 17, 1891. East Hope was incorporated on June 28th 1902. Hope was a busy port in its early days. Steamboats crossed the lake carrying supplies and mail to mining sites around the shore before roads were built. The boats were used to carry supplies up the Clark Fork River to Cabinet Gorge while the railroad was being constructed. The lake had long supported a fishing fleet, bringing in tons of fish every day. The populations were decimated by the introduction of tiny krill. The Federal government added these small shrimp in an attempt to increase fish populations; the experiment had the opposite effect. Recent years have seen a small recovery in fish populations, and now Hope is the center of some fine sports fishing.

Hope began to grow in 1882 when the Northern Pacific came through and in 1900 set its Rock Mountain division point in the hillside village. Incorporated in 1903, the village was named in honor of the veterinarian who tended the construction horses. A wise and kindly man, Dr. Hope was widely respected. Hope was the largest town in the area during the 1880s, achieving prominence as the Rocky Mountain division point on the Northern Pacific line. Engines turned around in the large roundhouse, and the railroad built shops, offices, and a “beanery” there.

The Hotel Jeannot, now known as Hotel Hope, was able to capitalize on this business with its location right above the depot, and with its tunnels providing easy access for passengers to the hotel. Many say that the tunnels were used to entertain the Chinese “coolees,” working on the railroads, who were normally not allowed in the establishments that served the locals and travelers.

In contrast to Hope’s early boom, Sandpoint grew slowly following completion of the railroad. An 1883 visitor found only 300 people in town, and nine years later another traveler reported that “Sandpoint is made up of between three and four dozen rude shacks and perhaps a dozen tents.” The town experienced tremendous growth, however, following the turn of the century.

When the division point moved to Sandpoint, Hope began to decline. Hotel Hope continued to draw people until the 1960s, partly because the picturesque setting of the town beside Lake Pend Oreille attracted many tourists. Some of them prominent: J.P. Morgan, Teddy Roosevelt, Gary Cooper, and Bing Crosby.

The original Hotel Jeannot (Hotel Hope) was a wooden structure which burned down in about 1886. It was then that Joseph M. Jeannot started on his fireproof commercial building, which he shared with his brother Louis. He constructed one section at a time, and added on over the years, finally completing the three-bay, two story hotel in 1898. The rectangular building has two full stories above two separate basement sections. The facade is divided into three approximately equal bays which vary in design and building materials indicating that the hotel was built in sections over a period of years. This theory collaborated by the analysis of the structure during restoration as well as through oral accounts. The first section to be built was the first story of the east bay with its walls of rock-faced random-coursed granite ashlar with beaded joints. Next came the first story of the center bay with its lower facade walls of poured concrete. Following this, or possibly built at the same time, was the red brick second story over the center and east bays. The west bay was the last to be built, either all at once or in two stages. The first floor is of poured concrete with the second floor of red brick.

Various businesses have occupied the building over the years including a saloon, a restaurant, a general store, a meat market, and even a post office. The vaulted meat cooler adjoining the west basement was probably built when Louis ran his general store and meat market in the period from 1895 to 1897. Hotel Hope still stands as a testament to the times.

J. M. Jeannot’s hotel and saloon were not his only business interests. He was also involved in mining and had several claims across Lake Pend Oreille in the area of Green Monarch Mountain. Hope had a large Chinese population which had arrived with the railroad, and Jeannot supposedly took advantage of this source of cheap labor for his mines. According to one of Jeannot’s friends, he allowed these men to use the meat cooler under the hotel as a clubhouse. They gained access to this room through the small tunnel which connected it to the railroad depot, thus bypassing the more obvious entrances. This vault in the hotel is one of the few sites left in Hope which may be connected with the large number of Chinese who used to live in the town.

Jeannot’s mining operations as well as his losses at gambling led to his unstable financial condition which may have been one reason the hotel took ten to twelve years to complete. According to one source, the construction was held up for more than a year when Jeannot lost all of his money in a bet on William Jennings Bryan in 1896. Uncertain finances continued to plague Jeannot and he mortgaged and remortgaged the hotel over the years between 1907 and 1918, eventually losing the building in 1918. A friend paid off the debt in 1920, and ran the hotel until her death in 1968.

Today the era of lumber and trains has been supplanted by tourism and manufacturing in Bonner County, and Hope and Clark Fork have become known as an artist colony. This is in great part due to Ed Kienholz.

Born in 1927 at Fairfield, Washington. He studied at schools and colleges in the Inland Northwest. He first earned his living as a nurse in a psychiatric hospital, as the manager of a dance band, as a dealer in secondary cars, a caterer, decorator and vacuum cleaner salesman. In 1953 he moved to Los Angeles.

In 1954 he made his first reliefs in wood. In 1956 he founded the NOW Gallery, and in 1957 the Ferus Gallery with Walter Hopps. In 1961 he completed his first environment Roxy’s, which caused a stir at the documenta “4” exhibition in 1968. His retrospective at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1966 provoked the County Board of Supervision to attempt to close the exhibition. The theme of his environments is the vulnerability of the private life of the individual to intervention by the environment and social convention.

In 1972 he met Nancy Reddin in Los Angeles. In 1973 he was guest artist of the German Academmic Exchange Service in Berlin. He moved to Hope with his wife Nancy, and around this time also established himself in Berlin . His most important works during this period were the Volksempfänger (radio receiving apparatus from the National Socialist period in Germany). In 1975 he received a Guggenheim Award.

He died in 1994, but his wife, Nancy Reddin Kienholz continues as a world-renown artist, frequently visiting Hope.

Because of their notoriety, and the astonishing beauty of the area, we now have over 600 artists in our enclave.

The Kienholz couple befriended many wealthy patrons in Berlin, and over the years, two families have also created their own family retreats on the Hope Peninsula. As you turn from David Thompson Road on to Kullyspell Road, the Max Factor group of homes is on your right. These go down to the beginning of the property line for Kullyspell House. The other family is the Groenke family. Klaus Groenke is the managing director and part owner of Trigon Holding GmbH, a Berlin based international real estate company. He is also reported to be a leading share holder in Coca Cola Company, and a regional board member of the Deutsche Bank Berlin/Brandenberg. They built the Groenke Estate, a 150 acre compound at the end of David Thompson Road that becomes Kienholz Road. It is here that a full section of the Berlin Wall stands, encased in lexiglas, graffiti and all intact as it was before its fall. Recently the family sold half the estate, where many multi-million dollar homes have been built or are planned.

Today Hope, Idaho is a tourist and summer lake destination, with numerous artists and eclectic folk. It is a bedroom community to Sandpoint, and is considered by many, with its spectacular lake and mountain views, to be among the most picturesque areas of North Idaho. In fact, many travel magazincalled the journey along the cliffsides from Sandpoint to Hope one of the most beautiful drives in the world.

History of Clark Fork, Idaho

While totally distinct towns, many in North Idaho think of Clark Fork and Hope as one community. In fact, the two share the same Chamber of Commerce website: [http://www.poby.org/]

The City of Clark Fork also became a viable town in the early 1880’s as the construction by the Northern Pacific Railroad continued through the nearby Bitterroot and Cabinet Mountains. This small community has been geared towards mining, logging, sawmills, farming, Forest Service activity, fish hatcheries, dam construction, fur trapping activity, collegiate studies and homes for teens. Also, for most of its history the railroad maintained a station and section crew in Clark Fork. Clark Fork was incorporated 1912. Today the University of Idaho Clark Fork Field Campus is located there.

In the 19th century the Clark Fork Valley, like the shores of Lake Pend Oreille around Hope, was inhabited by the Flathead tribe of Native Americans. It was explored by Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark Expedition during the 1806 return trip from the Pacific. The river is named for William Clark. A middle segment of the river in Montana was formerly known as the Missoula River.

Much of Clark Fork’s story over the following years had to do with crossing the river. The bridge fording the Clark Fork River provided one of the only passes to the north, and with the steamboats bringing miners making the arduous journey to the Kootenai gold rush, this was one of the only ways to travel. Before a bridge was built, Clark Fork had a ferry to make the crossing. Early ferries were nothing more than logs lashed together. Later, some records indicate a ferry was operating in 1893, but this was a decade after the Northern Pacific line was put in place, so it is safe to assume there was a brisk business with ferry crossings during construction.

It is important to be reminded that the Cabinet Gorge Dam was not in place then, and reporters at the time wrote in 1916 that “The Clarksfork river handles a volume of water much larger than the Snake river. At times during high water, the flow amounts to as much as 94,000 cubic feet per second. The average width of the river is about 1300 feet. The velocity of the river at certain times is very large, about eight miles an hour. Due to this it is necessarily very hazardous to operate a ferry at Clarksfork at any time and very dangerous and at some times impossible to operate a ferry at all.”

Certainly this ferry crossing created a need and a place for travelers, not only to cross, but at times to rest, restock supplies, and take advantage of the occasional saloon.

Until WWI there was a lot of sawmill activity, then to a lesser degree through the 1950s. Early sawmills include McGillis and Gibbs, Lane and Potter. From the start until the late 1950s, mining operations played an important role in the community’s economy. The Whitedelph mine and mill located near the Spring Creek fish hatchery began operation in 1926 until it closed in 1958. It yielded galena ore assaying principally in silver, lead and zinc. The Lawrence mine was located on Antelope Mountain near Mosquito Creek and near the University of Idaho Clark Fork Field Campus. Area hills and mountains had numerous small mining holes tended by small operations and prospectors.

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Source by Gary Lirette

March 31, 2022
View: 445

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Couples all over the world walk down the aisle each year looking ahead not only to their future but a couple weeks spent on a romantic honeymoon. There a couple can begin their life together with a peaceful and romantic vacation together and one of the most popular honeymoon destinations in the world is Italy. Seems like any direction you turn you find yourself in some scenic locale, an ancient city, or turquoise beach. You spend years here and still feel like you really haven’t seen everything that Italy has to offer. Rolling vineyards with their world renowned wines, cities so old that they are still discovering the ruins and food so good it will change your life all await you in Italy. So if you and your special someone is looking to celebrate your new life in one of the most romantic countries in Europe then check out some of these fantastic spots.

Florence

In the heart of the Tuscan wine country is the renowned city of Florence, known in Italy as Firenze, is an ancient city with a very long history of art, innovation, poetry, and so much more. In the enlightened days of the Renaissance Florence was the center of the world. What stemmed from that amazing time were masterpieces in art, sculpting, and poetry most of which can still be found there in the city. The Uffizi Gallery is one of the best art galleries in the world where you can stroll along hand in hand and you view some of the greatest works of art of all time. See Michelangelo’s David statue in the nearby Accademia Gallery or gaze at the jaw-dropping Duomo that dominates the city skyline. Climb to the hills surrounding the city for a one of a kind, panoramic view of the city. Tuscan food and wine is certainly unrivaled and you will find no shortage of candlelight cafes and hotels to suit any budget. There are many wine tasting tours you can join that take you out into the countryside or sample cuisine right in the city at restaurants like Enoteca Pinchiorri, one of the best in Florence.

Cinque Terre

A few hours train ride from Florence, on the northeastern coast is one of the most beautiful stretches of shores in Italy. Once off the radar, people have re-discovered the five villages that make up the cliff hugging towns of Cinque Terre. Here you and your loved one will sip you wine as you watch the sun go down over the ocean. The colorful and ancient villages cling to the terraced, stone cliffs that plunge down into the clear waters below. There are many sandy beaches and chances for water sports, scuba diving, or boat excursions. Here you will find quiet and intimate hotels and restaurants that provide superb service with a mouth-watering menu as well. Walk along the coastal paths in the summer or take a train from one village to the next. It is by far one of the most unique and romantic spots in Italy.

Verona

There could not be a more perfect place for a honeymoon than the city that inspired one of the most haunting love stories of all time, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The city itself is much older though than the story of the star-crossed lovers and offers a fantastic glimpse into the ancient Roman Empire. Here you can see the places and streets that inspired the setting of the story including Juliet’s balcony and house where there is a long tradition of people scrawling love notes on the wall. See the nearly two thousand year old Roman amphitheatre, where in the summer months there is live opera performances held, or the 14th century Castelvecchio castle which now has the city’s museum. Explore the Verona Cathedral or the Renaissance gardens of Giardino Guisti. Get a panoramic view of the city atop the Lamberti tower or out to the Saint Maria di Lourdes Sanctuary.

Rome

Last on our list, but by no means least, is the greatest city in Italy. Once the very center of the civilized world, Rome is unlike any other city and incredibly romantic. Though it is a major city, the old center, with its narrow winding roads still give the feeling that you have stepped by in time. From the Coloseum and Vatican City to Pantheon and countless other incredibly historic sites, Rome has it all. Down the Spanish Steps to incredible, high-end shops or toss a coin in Trevi fountain to ensure you return to the Eternal City. Perhaps walk along the Bridge of Angles to the great Castel Sant’Angelo or snuggle with your new spouse as you tour the spooky catacombs beneath the city.

Here in the biggest city in Italy you will be able to find a huge range of hotels from expensive luxury accommodations to budget hotels. The Il Pellicano Hotel offers superb views of the coastline outside the city while the St. Regis Grand Rome luxury hotel is near the heart of the historic area are just couple of the fine choices for a honeymoon in the Eternal City.

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Source by Christopher Walters

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