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CSA on the Application of State Aid Rules to Public Service Broadcasters
Amélie Blocman
Légipresse
The Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel (national audiovisual regulatory authority - CSA) has just published its reply to the consultation launched in November 2008 by the European Commission on its draft revised Communication on the application of State aid rules to public service broadcasters. The evolution of the audiovisual market and its legal environment has made it necessary to update the 2001 Communication. According to the Commission, the main elements of discussion are the greater leeway allowed to the public-sector broadcasting bodies to take up the challenges of the new media environment, the principles that underlie the Member States' definition of the public-service mission, and the supervision of public-service activities at the national level.
Firstly, the CSA acknowledges the value of updating the 2001 Communication, which it believes constitutes an efficient framework for appreciating the compatibility of the schemes for financing public-sector audiovisual services, but whose principles need to be consolidated and extended to the newly developed services and communication networks. Emphasising the importance of the Amsterdam Protocol, which ensures that the organisation and financing of the public-sector audiovisual services are the sole responsibility of the Member States, the CSA feels that some of the provisions of the draft Communication could not be adopted in their present state without challenging these principles. At issue, firstly, are the limitations on the content and the actual nature of the services that may be proposed by the public-sector bodies and, secondly, measures that set out in excessive detail the procedures to be implemented at the national level. Thus, advocating the principle of editorial freedom, the CSA reaffirms that no type of programme should be categorically prohibited. Rather, it is the way in which themes are treated, and their quality, that should be the characteristic feature of the public-sector service. Thus it considers that the public-sector bodies should be able to acquire and propose content that is particularly attractive to the public (of the "premium" type). Consequently, the CSA considers that banning or restricting in principle, as contained in the draft revision, the broadcasting of programmes that are of particular interest to the general public, such as the major sports events that everyone wants to watch, is not compatible with the objective of the public service.
The Council also calls the Commission's attention to the financial limitations envisaged by the draft, which it feels could run counter to an efficient and flexible management of the public-sector groups. Moreover, the evolution of market structures and the uncertainties over economic models may, at least temporarily, justify the paying for, or exclusive nature of, certain innovative services. The presence of the public-sector service offer on the new platforms is decisive for its future.
In conclusion, the CSA emphasises its deep attachment to respect for the principle of subsidiarity and the freedom of choice of the Member States with regard to the methods of financing the public audiovisual sector. As a result, this should retain the means of being attractive to the public as a whole, thanks to quality programmes being available on all the media. On the basis of the observations received in response to the consultation, the Commission could adopt an updated Communication on broadcasting by the summer.
Réponse du Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel à la consultation de la Commission européenne sur la révision de la Communication de la Commission concernant l'application aux services publics de radiodiffusion des règles relatives aux aides d'État (2001/C 320/04) FR
Reply by the national audiovisual regulatory body (Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel - CSA) to the consultation of the European Commission on revision of the Commission's Communication on the application of State aid rules to public service broadcasters (2001/C 320/04)


He is so excited to be a big brother and show his little sibling the world, but is not ready to share his toys with the new baby! Depicting a rare moment of love for his baby brother or baby sister, this personalized big brother ornament is an adorable keepsake. Sitting in a blue armchair, this big brother gingerly holds his swadled new sibling in his lap. The chair can be personalized with big brother and baby's names. This personalized big brother ornament is a wonderful keepsake to give a little boy commemorating his new status as the big brother. Don't forget to pick up a gift for big brother when you purchase a baby gift for a newborn!
This ornament was adorable for big brother Malachi. I was very pleased with the quality and size of the ornament. The personalization was just what I asked for, and it arrived on time.
Surprised my wife with this ornament and she loved it.
Love this ornament for our oldest son. One thing I didn't like was where the year was place, at the bottom of the chair. It really looks out of place.
Very nice. I purchased this for my nephew and his wife. They loved it. I love everything I have purchased.


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Q: Automatically copy data from Google sheets to Google docs template I need to automatically populate a Google docs template  each time someone submits a Google form. I've got the Google sheet with all of the information and I've got the template docs set up with the areas i want to populate but I can't find anywhere that shows how to do what I need to.
Can anyone share the knowledge please?

A: What you are looking for is 'Auto Fill Google Doc From Form'.    You will need to add a function to your sheet, with a trigger of onFormSubmit. In that function, you will

*

*reference your template

*create a new doc off that template

*generate a reference number

*update the new doc with the information

It will look something like this:
function autoFillGoogleDocFromForm(e) {
     // Get your values from form
     let timestamp = e.values[0];
     let value1 = e.values[1];
     let value2 = e.values[2];
     // ... continue for however many values you are returning

     // Get your template file
     let templateFile = DriveApp.getFileById('your_file_id_here');

     // Set the folder you want to create the new file in
     let responseFolder = DriveApp.getFolderById('your_folder_id_for_new_doc');

     // Create your reference number
     let refNumber = createReferenceNumber();  // You'll need to write this

     // Create your new file
     let newDocName = createNewDocFileName();  // You'll need to write this
     let copy = file.makeCopy(newDocName , responseFolder);

     // Open the newly created document so it can be updated
     let doc = DocumentApp.openById(copy.getId());

     // Update the doc with your new data
     let body = doc.getBody();

     // The template should have placeholders {{ }} to replace the value with
     body.replaceText('{{value1}}', value1);
     body.replaceText('{{value2}}', value2);
     body.replaceText('{{Reference Number}}', refNumber);

     doc.saveAndClose();
}

Of course, you'll need to write a script to create the reference number, and a script for the filename generation. (Or just add them in-line, they don't have to be separate scripts.)  Your question mentioned that you are having trouble generating a reference number.  I recommend creating a new question that has the code you've tried & any errors you are receiving.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Sotheby's May 7 2014 Sale: Monet and Matisse, Degas and Renoir
Sotheby's spring Evening Sale of Impressionist & Modern Art will be held in New York on 7 May 2014. It will include art by Monet and Matisse, Degas and Renoir.
CLAUDE MONET IN THE GARDEN, BY THE SEA AND IN THE CITY
The Evening Sale will offer three impressive canvases by Impressionist master Claude Monet, including
Le pont japonais
which he painted at Giverny from 1918–24 (est. $12/18 million). Monet's spectacular images of the Japanese bridge spanning the lily pond of his lush garden are among the most recognizable images of 20th century art. These pictures capture the mystique of the meticulously-landscaped environment that served as Monet's inspiration during his later career. The present picture, which is one of the most richly painted in the series, can be seen in a photograph of the artist's Giverny studio, where it hangs in completion among other notable examples of the artist's late production.
Monet's Sur la falaise à Pourville
– on offer from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, sold to benefit its acquisitions fund – was one of the first major Impressionist landscapes to arrive in the United States (est. $5/7 million). The picture was purchased shortly after its completion in 1882 by the artist's Parisian dealer Durand-Ruel, who was instrumental in establishing Monet's reputation throughout Europe and abroad. In 1886, the work was acquired by William H. Fuller, the director of the National Wallpaper Company and a devoted early collector of Monet's art, who organized the first American exhibition of the artist's paintings at the Union Club in New York in 1891. This show effectively introduced Monet to an American audience which would include some of his most important patrons.
Also in the sale:
CATHÉDRALE DE ROUEN
Estimate 2,000,000 — 3,000,000
Henri Matisse's La Séance du matin (est. $20/30 million)
depicts the artist's studio assistant Henriette Darricarrère, whose own interest in painting he encouraged by offering her lessons during their working time together. In another version of this same subject, now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Matisse depicts a nude model alongside the studious painter. The present composition instead features Henriette alone, completely absorbed in her own work. The canvas boasts all of the elements of the artist's most desirable Nice-period paintings, with its colorful patterning and gleaming white highlights, and has gone on to become one of Matisse's most beloved canvases from this period.
HENRI MATISSE LA FEMME EN JAUNE
Estimate 9,000,000 — 15,000,000
is another exceptional portrait from the artist's early Nice-period.
Degas and Renoir
EDGAR DEGAS LA CONVERSATION
EDGAR DEGAS DEUX DANSEUSES ASSISES
PIERRE-AUGUSTE RENOIR LA TOILETTE
PIERRE-AUGUSTE RENOIR TULIPES
Works by Picasso Spanning 7 Decades, Led by Tête de Marie-Thérèse (Estimate $15/20 Million)
Sotheby's spring Evening Sale of Impressionist & Modern Art will be held in New York on 7 May 2014. It will offer an impressive selection of 14 works by Pablo Picasso, with examples reaching across his remarkable career – from an early drawing dated to 1900, through a late oil painting from 1969.
The group features
Tête de Marie- Thérèse from 1932,
a radiant example of his paintings depicting his beloved mistress of the early 1930s (est. $15/20 million). The present example may be counted among the most painterly and expressive of these pictures, created when Marie- Thérèse was firmly at the center of Picasso's artistic universe. Tête de Marie-Thérèse was part of Jacqueline Picasso's private collection of paintings, drawings and sculptures that her late husband had bequeathed her. Jacqueline generously gifted this work to William Rubin, director of prestigious department of painting and sculpture at New York's Museum of Modern Art.
Le Sauvetage
represents the largest and most highly developed treatment of a theme which emerged from Pablo Picasso's memories of the summer spent at the beach with his young mistress, Marie-Thérèse Walter, at Dinard in 1928 (est. $14/18 million). The dramatic scene depicts a drowned woman being rescued, inspired perhaps by an event in which Marie Thérèse participated or reported to Picasso, while figures swim and play on the beach. The exuberant and dream-like quality of the composition is heightened by the saturated pigments, independent planes of color and the fantastical cavorting bathers that swirl around the center of the canvas. Le Sauvetage last appeared at auction at Sotheby's New York in 2004, when it was acquired by the present owners – prior to that sale, it had remained in another European private collection for 40 years.
Le Sauvetage (1932)
PABLO PICASSO PORTRAIT DE MARIE-THÉRÈSE
GUITARE, VERRE, BOUTEILLE DE VIEUX MARC
FEMME DANS UN ROCKING-CHAIR
FEMME ASSISE DANS UN FAUTEUIL, BUSTE
Sotheby's to Present Three Masterworks by Pieter Brueghel the Younger
This summer, Sotheby's London will present a remarkable group of Flemish Old Master paintings from the Coppée Collection. Assembled by the Belgian industrialist Evence Coppée III (1882-1945) in the 1920s, this outstanding collection comprised almost exclusively 16th and 17th century works, with an emphasis on the works of Pieter Brueghel the Younger (1564-1637/8) and the Brueghel family. Of the paintings by Pieter Brueghel the Younger that Baron Coppée collected, three of the best will feature in the sale, including an imposing landscape with the Crucifixion, an Outdoor Wedding Dance, recognised as one of the most popular works in the artist's oeuvre, and a splendidly evocative Winter Landscape. The selection also encompasses impressive paintings resulting from a collaboration between Jan Brueghel the Younger and artists such as Frans Francken the Younger and Hendrik van Balen the Elder, as well as works from the North Netherlandish School and the School of Northern France.
Passed on by direct descent from Baron Coppée, these works have not appeared on the market for almost a century. They will be auctioned as part of a group of 19 paintings from the Coppée Collection in Sotheby's London Old Master sales on 9 and 10 July 2014.
Talking about the forthcoming sale, George Gordon, Sotheby's Co-Chairman, Old Master Paintings, Worldwide commented:
"The Coppée collection was one of the first and finest collections of paintings by Pieter Brueghel the Younger and his family. Three paintings by the artist spearhead the group of Flemish paintings in our July sale, and each one is outstanding. The Bird Trap was one of Brueghel's most popular compositions in his own day and remains so now. It is a beautifully preserved crystalline evocation of a Flemish village on a freezing cold day, painted at a time when winter was just starting to be appreciated for its beauty and not merely feared. The Outdoor Wedding Dance, presents an entirely different facet of Brueghel's art: an intense composition of swirling inebriated peasant wedding guests dancing to the raucous Flemish bagpipes, the bride looking bemused in the centre of it all. The greatest of the three Brueghels however is the moving, monumental depiction of Calvary from 1615, a rare work that is in the spirit of his father's paintings of fifty years before, but reveals an unambiguously stark view of a cruel world, its vegetation parched, its massed rocky outcrops overbearingly threatening".
Pieter Brueghel the Younger who had been overlooked by previous generations of scholars and collectors until after the First World War occupied a special place in Baron Coppée's heart. This fascination was perhaps not only due to the collector's keen interest in Flemish Old Masters but also to the resonance of Pieter Brueghel the Younger's works with the traumatic memories of the Great War. The three compositions to be sold in July are illustrative of the artist's powerful depictions of the tragedy of the human condition, seen through his sympathetic eyes. They also count among the rarest and most popular works in the Flemish painter's oeuvre.
Pieter Brueghel the Younger, Calvary, 1615, oil on oak panel, 99.9 by 147.5 cm.; 39⅜ by 58 in. (est. £ 3-4 million)
In this huge and deeply moving painting Pieter Brueghel sets out the scene of Christ's crucifixion as narrated by the Gospels. Realised in 1615, this oil on oak panel ranks among the rarest of all Pieter Brueghel the Younger's compositions. It is one of only two signed works which deal with the subject of the Crucifixion. Only four certainly autograph versions of this precise composition are known, and Calvary is by common consent the finest (est. £3-4 million/ €3,650,000-4,860,000/ $5,020,000-6,690,000).
Pieter Brueghel the Younger, The Outdoor Wedding Dance,
Oil on oak panel, 41.6 by 62 cm.; 16⅜ by 24⅜ in. (est. £1-1.5 million)
The Outdoor Wedding Dance belongs to a series of pictures painted by the Brueghels which depict different episodes during a wedding day - a tradition founded by Pieter Bruegel the Elder whose Wedding Banquet of 1568 (Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum) (below) is undoubtedly the most famous example. The present work has long been recognised as one of the most popular works in Pieter Brueghel the Younger's oeuvre and Georges Marlier, the great scholar of Flemish art, went so far as to describe this painting as "one of the most popular of all subjects in Flemish painting at the beginning of the seventeenth century"1. With over sixty known versions on the subject, the Coppée version - most likely executed in the 1610s - is one of the finest to have survived, and remains in a remarkable state of preservation (est. £1-1.5 million/ €1,220,000-1,830,000/ $1,680,000-2,510,000).
Winter landscape with a bird trap
This painting is not only one of the best loved of all the inventions of the Brueghel dynasty, but in its beautiful depiction of a winter's day, also one of the most enduring images in Western art. It owes its fame to its extraordinary evocation of the atmosphere of a cold winter's day. It is one of only eight panels which have the distinction of being both signed and dated. Painted in 1626, it is the latest in date of those so far known (est. £1-1.5 million/ € 1,220,000-1,830,000/ $1,680,000-2,510,000).
Pieter Bruegel the Elder The Wedding Dance in the open air
Pieter Bruegel the Elder Wedding Banquet of 1568 (Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum)
Max Weber: Bringing Paris to New York
The Baltimore Museum of Art organized a focus exhibition on one of the most influential American artists of the 20th century. Max Weber: Bringing Paris to New York presented nearly 40 paintings, prints, and drawings by Weber, Matisse, and other artists who influenced Weber to transform his painting style from traditional to avant-garde.
On view March 3 – June 23, 2013, the exhibition included many works loaned by the estate of Max Weber and other public and private collections as well as major works by Weber and Matisse from the BMA's collection.
The exhibition was guest curated by Weber scholar Percy North, Professor of Art and Coordinator of Art History at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland, and Adjunct Professor of Liberal Studies at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
Weber began his three-year sojourn in Paris in 1905, and his studies with Matisse and friendships with Pablo Picasso and Henri Rousseau inspired him to develop a personal style that evoked the energy, dynamism, and technological advancements of the early 20th century. Outstanding paintings from this pivotal phase of Weber's career include
My Studio in Paris (1907),
a glimpse of his private world in Europe and the beginning of Matisse's influence;
The Apollo in Matisse's Studio (1908),
demonstrating why he was one of the best students in Matisse's class;
and Burlesque #2 (Vaudeville) (1909),
a combination of fauvist and cubist influences.
The exhibition also brought together for the first time
Matisse's Blue Nude (1907)
and Weber's Figure Study (1911),
a direct response to Matisse and Picasso;
and both the painting and watercolor study for Interior of the Fourth Dimension (1913), a cubo-futurist depiction of New York.
Through the artworks he brought back from Paris, Weber also became one of the first to introduce examples of Modernism in the United States. Some of the works in the exhibition by other artists from Weber's own collection wereStill Life (1908), the first painting by Picasso to enter the U.S.;
Study for View of Malakoff, Outskirts of Paris (1908) an important painting given by Rousseau that Weber loaned to the seminal 1913 modern art exhibition at the New York Armory; and Reclining Nude (1907), a ceramic tile painted by Matisse that includes a figure reminiscent of the Blue Nude.
Additional highlights included an abstract sculpture and woodcut by Weber, and a selection of never-before exhibited drawings.
ARTIST BACKGROUND
Weber in Paris
Russian-born Max Weber had begun a career as an art teacher when his artistic aspirations led him to Paris in 1905. For three years, Weber immersed himself in the European avant-garde art world, attending exhibitions and visiting Gertrude and Leo Stein's legendary Saturday soirées where he encountered paintings and drawings by Paul Cézanne, Matisse, and Picasso. Although he enrolled in classes at the Académie Julian, Weber sought more innovative training and became one of the founding members of Matisse's class in 1908.
Weber in New York, Baltimore, and Beyond
Max Weber, New York at Night, 1915
When Weber returned to the United States in 1909, he was dismayed that the exciting new art he had seen in Paris was virtually unknown in America. He introduced his cubist-inspired paintings in Younger American Painters, a ground-breaking exhibition at Alfred Stieglitz's gallery 291, and was vilified in the press. Weber began to gain acceptance a few years later when he received a solo exhibition at the Newark Museum in 1913. After a successful show at New York's Print Gallery in 1915, Weber was invited to present the same exhibition at the Jones Galleries in Baltimore, which became his first solo exhibition outside of the New York area. A news clipping called it "the most exciting art event of the season" and said that crowds were "flocking to see it." Feature articles appeared in the Baltimore Sun and Baltimore Evening News, and reviews were more sympathetic than those in New York. Weber's reputation grew with subsequent exhibitions in the U.S. and Europe, and in 1930 he became the first American artist to receive a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In the 1940s, his work was introduced to households across the country through features in Life, Time, and The Saturday Evening Post.
Weber at the BMA
Weber was invited by The Baltimore Museum of Art in 1942 to be a juror for an exhibition and also received a small solo show at the museum, Paintings by Max Weber. He returned to the BMA as a juror in 1948, the same year he was selected as one of the best artists in the country by a poll of art professionals in Look magazine. On a trip to Washington D.C. in 1958, Weber visited the Cone Collection at the BMA and raved to his wife about Cézanne's painting Mont Sainte-Victoire Seen from the Bibémus Quarry (c. 1897). His work was eventually eclipsed by the growing popularity of Abstract Expressionism, especially after the 1960 Venice Biennale organized by BMA Director Adelyn Breeskin. Weber died the following year.
From an outstanding review : (images added)
But it is really Weber's own work that is the star of this show. The pieces in this first room primarily help prepare us for what will come. We see his transition from a diligent draftsman in an early nude drawing to a modernist in the school of Matisse. "Apollo in Matisse's Studio" presents a statue of Apollo seen from the rear, the white marble of the god's body alight with fauvist pinks and greens and a portrait of Matisse himself, drawn in quick, simple lines that demolish the shaded labor of the earlier drawing.
The exhibit's second room, containing the works completed after Weber returned to New York, is the truly essential part of this exhibition, and one we are lucky to have.
Weber's "The Bathers" from 1909 shares qualities with outdoor female nudes by Matisse, Cézanne, and Picasso, but in my opinion Weber's women by the sea are superior to all but Cézanne's. The flesh of the woman in the foreground is succulent—both lean and plump—and exquisitely rendered as she looks out onto the swiftly shifting sails in the sea.
"Avoirdupois," the sole example of analytical cubism in Weber's oeuvre, is not as great as Picasso's and Braque's definitive cubist works, but it is nevertheless a fascinating piece that could withstand hours of contemplation. Rendered in the beige, browns, and grays that define Picasso's work of this period, Weber's piece functions almost as a Monty Python-esque art machine. It's discordant and dissolving planes overlap in space and time to create a sense of a cranking, weighing motion. The exhibit's curator and perhaps the world's only expert on Weber, Percy North also points out that the piece is a joke. The French word printed on the canvas, avoirdupis, refers to a scale, and in the left-hand side of the canvas, we find a bowl of what appear to be peas, pois, being weighed.
This piece alone would be worth traveling some distance to see, but "Interior of the Fourth Dimension" is the one truly monumental piece in the show. In this work—represented here both as an oil painting and a watercolor study, never before seen together—Weber combines cubist and futurist techniques to try to create a "fourth dimension" (the subject of the essay that influenced Apollinaire as well). In the center, we see a bulbous curve rendered with the Braque-like gray and beige desecration of the Impressionist daub, while on either end cool blue-gray towers of colliding spatial planes rise vertiginously toward the center.
Do yourself a favor and don't just look at this painting head-on. Position yourself to the right of the painting so you can get it at an angle, and the space suddenly opens up and overwhelms you, revealing the painting's subject—the dynamism of New York City.
From another excellent review (images added) :
The exhibition brings together for the first time Matisse's notorious "Blue Nude," 1907, which Leo Stein loaned to the Armory Show and is now in the BMA's Cone Collection, and Weber's "Figure Study," 1911, a direct response to Matisse — and Picasso. A provocatively posed form similar to "Blue Nude" figures prominently in Weber's "The Bathers," whose brazen nudes and rugged sensuality call to mind both Matisse's and Cezanne's paintings on the same subject. It is a "European-inspired mélange combining the primitivizing impulse of Rousseau and Picasso with the Fauvist coloring and joie-de-vivre sensuality of Matisse," observes North....
Weber's still lifes demonstrate the constant invention and reinvention that was his hallmark. An early "Still Life" on view, with bananas, apples and ceramics from a titled perspective, is very much like the Picasso still life he brought back from Paris, "but Weber's painting is richer in color and heavier in texture, creating a more tactile visual experience," writes North in the exhibition brochure.
By 1911–1912, Weber began to incorporate Cubist devices into a number of works, although others were essentially primitive or Expressionist. Alfred Stieglitz mounted a Weber show in 1911, and Weber's solo exhibition at the Newark Museum in 1913 was the first accorded to a Modern artist in an American museum.
For the next few years the Cubist manner predominated, but Weber also assimilated aspects of Futurism into a colorful and dynamic style best remembered today for
and "Rush Hour, New York,"
both 1915, abstract paintings that captured the kinetic energy and fast-moving life of Gotham. (The latter may have been created in response to Marcel Duchamp's "Nude Descending a Staircase," the sensation of the 1913 Armory Show.) As art historian Matthew Baigell has observed, "In contrast with the static nudes and amiable landscapes of his Cezannesque-Cubist work, these paintings exulted in the dynamism of modern life" in New York City.
Another notable Cubist-Futurist work, "Interior of the Fourth Dimension," an expressively fragmented urban abstraction, suggests both the towering skyline of Manhattan and the hustle, bustle and commotion of life in the big city. Weber described the fourth dimension as "The consciousness of a great and overwhelming sense of space-magnitude in all directions at one time… It arouses imagination and stirs emotion. It is the immensity of all things."
Essay by Percy North
Paperback, 36 p., 20 color illus.
WORKS FROM THE NATIONAL GALLERIES OF SCOTLAND
In November, The Frick Collection will be first venue to present a touring group of masterpieces from the National Galleries of Scotland. The ten paintings to be featured in New York―among them a Botticelli never before on public view in the United States and John Singer Sargent's iconic portrait of Lady Agnew―will travel on in 2015 with forty-five additional works to the de Young, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. The tour brings to all three cities ten of the greatest paintings from the Scottish National Gallery, works that were chosen specifically to complement the permanent collections of the three American venues. The exhibitions in San Francisco and Fort Worth also draw upon the collections of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery and Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, the three institutions that comprise the Edinburgh sites of the National Galleries of Scotland.
The paintings on view at the Frick―from November 5, 2014, through February 1, 2015―will be
Sandro Botticelli's The Virgin Adoring the Sleeping Christ Child (c. 1485); (below)
El Greco's Allegory (Fábula) (1585‒95);
Diego Velázquez's An Old Woman Cooking Eggs (1618); (below)
Jean-Antoine Watteau's Fêtes Vénitiennes (1718‒19); (below)
Thomas Gainsborough's Landscape with a View of a Distant Village (late 1740s or early 1750s);
Allan Ramsay's The Artist's Wife: Margaret Lindsay of Evelick (1758‒60); (below)
Sir Joshua Reynolds' The Ladies Waldegrave (1780);
Sir Henry Raeburn's Colonel Alastair Ranaldson Macdonell of Glengarry (1812);
John Constable's The Vale of Dedham (1826);
and John Singer Sargent's Lady Agnew of Lochnaw (1892). (below)
The Frick exhibition, titled Masterpieces from the Scottish National Gallery is coordinated by Senior Curator Susan Grace Galassi and will be accompanied by a series of public programs and events. A fully illustrated catalogue will include entries on each of the paintings written by the curators of the Scottish National Gallery, as well as an introductory essay by Director Michael Clarke that provides an overview of the exhibition and the institution. Support for the presentation in New York is generously provided by The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, The Christian Humann Foundation, and †Walter and Vera Eberstadt.
ABOUT THE SCOTTISH NATIONAL GALLERY
Founded in 1850, the Scottish National Gallery is widely regarded as one of the finest museums in the world, distinguished both for the quality and for the significance of its holdings. Its collection ranges from the fourteenth to early twentieth century and includes paintings, prints, drawings, and sculpture. The institution's holdings encompass works by the greatest names in Western art, including Botticelli, Titian, El Greco, Velázquez, Rembrandt, Rubens, Watteau, Tiepolo and many of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists. The Gallery also contains the most comprehensive collection of Scottish art from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century, with masterpieces by such well-known figures as Ramsay, Raeburn, and Wilkie.
REMARKABLE RANGE OF OLD MASTER WORKS
The Frick Collection is pleased to present, for the first time in its galleries, a painting by Florentine master Sandro Botticelli—the serenely beautiful
Virgin Adoring the Sleeping Christ Child .
Botticelli, best known for his famed
(both in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence),
most likely completed this intimate, contemplative image of the Virgin and Child for display in a domestic setting, perhaps a private chapel or study. Though the composition is based on a type developed by Botticelli's teacher, Filippo Lippi, it is unusual in that it depicts the Christ child sleeping, his closed eyes and supine body possibly intended to foreshadow his eventual death. The picture is rare among Botticelli's works in that it is painted on canvas, a support which had only recently come into use in Italy. The painting has been in Scotland for more than a hundred and fifty years, taken there by Lord Elcho in the nineteenth century and remaining in his ancestral home until 1999, when it was sold by his descendants to the Scottish National Gallery. The exhibition of Botticelli's masterpiece at the Frick, de Young, and Kimbell, marks the first time that this work has ever been on public view in the United States.
A striking early painting by Diego Velázquez,
An Old Woman Cooking Eggs (1618),
is one of a small group of bodegones (kitchen scenes) painted by the artist in his native Seville before he moved to the court of Philip IV in Madrid in 1623. Velázquez's confident handling of the subject is remarkable when one considers he was only eighteen or nineteen years old at the time the canvas was executed. The virtuosity with which he represents a range of textures―glistening silverware, semi-translucent egg whites, rustic earthenware―is matched by his sensitivity to expression, as displayed in the quizzical face of the boy and the stern, wizened features of the old woman. Visitors will have the opportunity to compare this early genre scene with one of Velázquez's later, official court portraits—the Frick's own
King Philip IV of Spain (1644),
on display in the West Gallery. In this royal portrait, the artist maintains the mastery of light and shadow evident in his earlier work while achieving the spontaneous, open brushwork associated with his maturity.
All three American institutions on this tour are celebrated for the richness of their French eighteenth-century holdings. The Frick is well known, for example, for its Fragonard and Boucher rooms as well as Jean-Antoine Watteau's early military scene
The Portal of Valenciennes (1709‒10).
The exhibition brings to New York a later example from Watteau's oeuvre of fête galante paintings,
Fêtes Vénitiennes of 1718‒19,
last seen in the United States a decade ago.
In his mature paintings, Watteau often returns to the theme of the Garden of Love, and Fêtes Vénitiennes is typical of these scenes; fancifully dressed figures flirt, chat, and dance in a frothy landscape, all beneath the watchful eye of a seemingly animated garden sculpture. The painting's composition suggests the shallow stage of a theatre, and, indeed, the scene may be inspired by the early eighteenth-century ballet-opera Les Festes Vénitiennes. The work is unusual among Watteau's images of pleasure-seekers in that several of the figures may actually be intended as portraits. The male dancer in exotic garb at left represents the Flemish painter Nicolas Vleughels (with whom Watteau lodged at this time), and the somewhat somber musician at right is said to depict Watteau himself.
The renowned Scottish master Allan Ramsay is included in the exhibition with a tender portrait of his second wife,
Margaret Lindsay of Evelick.
This sensitive study may have been painted to mark the birth of the couple's second daughter, Charlotte, in 1758. The painting hung in the artist's London home, and Ramsay's treatment of the subject evokes the quotidian pleasures of domestic life―through Margaret Ramsay's informal pose, the delicately rendered still life of roses, and the warm-hued light that falls on his wife's face and lace mantle. Six years before the portrait was painted, the couple had eloped in Edinburgh without the consent of the bride's parents, who disapproved of Ramsay's lower social station. Nothing about Ramsay's portrait suggests discord, however; rather, the work appears suffused with an affectionate bond between sitter and artist.
The exhibition concludes with John Singer Sargent's
providing a fitting note with which to celebrate this Scottish-American collaboration. Andrew Noel Agnew, a barrister who had inherited the baronetcy and estates of Lochnaw in Galloway, commissioned this painting of his young wife, Gertrude Vernon (1865‒1932), in 1892. It was exhibited at London's Royal Academy in 1898 and made Sargent's name as one of the most fashionable portrait painters of Edwardian society, while also establishing Lady Agnew's reputation as a society beauty. With the bravura brushwork characteristic of his art, Sargent captures Lady Agnew's penetrating gaze and the delicate play of light and shadow across her shimmering ensemble of white and lilac. Though Henry Clay Frick acquired numerous works by another American expatriate and society portraitist—James McNeill Whistler—he never added a portrait by Sargent to his collection.
Two works by Whistler on display in the permanent galleries―
Symphony in Flesh Colour and Pink: Portrait of Mrs. Frances Leyland (1871‒74)
and Harmony in Pink and Grey: Portrait of Lady Meux (1881‒82)
―will provide fascinating counterpoints to Sargent's masterpiece, which was last exhibited in the United States more than fifteen years ago.
U.S. TOUR VENUE INFORMATION:
The Frick Collection, New York (10 paintings)
DATES: November 5, 2014, through February 1, 2015
TITLE: Masterpieces from the Scottish National Gallery
de Young, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (55 paintings)
DATES: March 7, 2015, through May 31, 2015
TITLE: Botticelli to Braque: Masterpieces from the National Galleries of Scotland
Kimbell Art Museum, Ft. Worth (55 paintings)
DATES: June 28, 2015, through September 20, 2015
Dutch Portraits The Age of Rembrandt and Frans Hals
In the autumn of 2007 the Mauritshuis presented a large survey exhibition of one of the most fascinating phenomena in the history of Western art: Dutch seventeenth-century portraiture. Nowhere else were so many portraits painted of burghers from all walks of life. Amazingly, the last exhibition devoted to this subject took place more than 50 years ago. With approximately 60 masterpieces, the exhibition afforded a magisterial overview of seventeenth-century portraiture. The two grand masters of the genre are Rembrandt and Frans Hals, both of whom are represented by at least eight masterpieces each. In addition, one or more works by some 25 other masters were also on view. The number of talented painters in the Northern Netherlands in the seventeenth century was unparalleled.
The exhibitionwas jointly organised with the National Gallery in London, where it was on view in the summer of 2007. The loans come from more than 30 different museums and private collections in Europe and the United States. Particularly important lenders are the Royal Collection in London, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, the Musée du Louvre in Paris and the Gemäldegalerie in Kassel.
Portraits have been painted since time immemorial. A growing interest in painted portraits on the part of the Dutch began to emerge around 1400. At the beginning of the seventeenth century citizens gained ever more power and influence, whereby their interest in luxury products also grew. Our ancestors were justly proud of their accomplishments and gladly and repeatedly had their likeness painted. Therefore, it is not surprising that portraiture became the most widely practiced artistic genre in the Northern Netherlands in the seventeenth century. One or more portraits were found in many households. Painters such as Frans Hals, Rembrandt, Thomas de Keyser, Johannes Verspronck and Nicolaes Maes were granted the commissions and fared well.
Portraits were always painted on commission. Often the sitters' names are still known to us today, and we have information about them. Moreover, much can be discerned in the paintings themselves. The clothing, jewellery, and hair styles all indicate how fashionable or wealthy the person portrayed was. A confident gaze, a bold pose, a roguish smile or a striking goatee all express something about an individual's personality or character, while an attribute or a coat of arms discloses more about the sitter's background or profession. And this is what continues to engage us now. Who exactly are we face to face with? Obviously, people wanted to show their best side in a portrait. Rembrandt's phenomenal Portrait of an old man from 1667, however, constitutes an exception to this rule. We see a slumped over, informally dressed man who seems unaware of the painter observing him. Despite having been made centuries ago some paintings make a very contemporary impression. They could almost be the faces of people you might encounter at any street corner on any given day.
The reasons for commissioning a portrait in the seventeenth century actually differ very little from those today. Still now, and perhaps even more so, we have portraits made of ourselves, the people we love and our children either to hang at home or to give as presents. A painted or photographed portrait is a precious keepsake of a person, a special moment or a specific phase in one's life, but chiefly a sign of love and appreciation. In the seventeenth century an important appointment often called for the making of an individual or a group portrait. However, portraits were not just about enhancing one's standing or status. Women and children were also recorded on canvas in intimate 'family snapshots'. Naturally, a marriage was a festive occasion for ordering a (double) portrait. Group portraits were less private in character and generally made to mark the entrance of a new board of regents of a charitable institution, guild or other governing body.
Alone, the two of us, or everybody
A fine example of an individual portrait is
Hals' 1645 Portrait of Willem Coymans
in the National Gallery of Art in Washington. His likeness is, as it were, a snapshot of a moment in time in the life of a young merchant, who - with his long, loose and curly hair - reflects the elegant nonchalance of the fashion of the new generation.
Portraits of married couples or of a family were often produced as pendants, two paintings next to one another. A lovely example of this is the
early portrait pair from 1602 of a couple from Hoorn and their children by Jan Claesz:
Portrait of Albert Sonck and his Son Frans
Portrait of Lysbeth Walichsdr and her Daughter Elisabeth
A double portrait represented an additional challenge to the portraitist. One of the most successful compositions in this genre is the
1633 Double portrait of Jan Rijcksen and his wife Griet Jans by Rembrandt
in the Royal Collection in London. Wonderfully depicted here is the moment when the shipbuilder looks up at his wife while she hands him a letter.
Family portraits (for instance, by Jan Molenaer) are particularly valuable and interesting because they afford a glimpse into how wealthy individuals decorated their homes in the seventeenth century. Portraits of children, like those by Jacob Cuyp, Jan Steen and Salomon de Bray are not only touching but also reveal something about the position of children at the time as well as the relationship between parents and children.
A clear development can be traced in group portraiture. In early such portraits, the sitters are positioned next to and above one another in a rather static fashion. In this respect, Rembrandt's earliest group portrait,
The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp from 1632
is quite innovative. This masterpiece instantly catapulted him to the top of his profession making him the most desirable portraitist in the Dutch Republic.
Regent pieces are group portraits of governors of charitable institutions (hospitals, orphanages, or almshouses) that were hung in public places in the seventeenth century. These perfectly illustrate the organised nature of society in The Netherlands, evidencing concern and care for one's fellow man and the formal structures of the various institutions.
The regents and regentesses of the
Amsterdam Crossbowmen's Civic Guard (Bartholomeus van der Helst)
and of the
Haarlem St Elizabeth Hospital (Frans Hals),
among others, were on view at the exhibition.
Dutch Portraits: The Age of Rembrandt and Frans Hals is written by Rudi Ekkart and Quentin Buvelot, with contributions by Marieke de Winkel, Axel Rüger, Peter van der Ploeg, Ariane van Suchtelen and Lea van der Vinde. In this accessible publication all of the paintings on view are illustrated in colour and provided with an explanation. This is preceded by three richly illustrated essays treating the development of the painted portrait in the Northern Netherlands and aspects of the clothing and fashions depicted in the paintings.
Dürer, Michelangelo, Rubens: The 100 Masterworks of the Albertina
Albertina, Vienna, 14 March — 29 June 2014
The exhibit Dürer, Michelangelo, Rubens: The 100 Masterworks of the Albertina for the first time shows around 100 top-class masterpieces from the collection of the Albertina in the context of the chequered and exciting life story of its founders, Prince Albert of Saxony, Duke of Teschen and Archduchess Marie Christine. The large-scale presentation unites the highlights of the collection, from Michelangelo through Rembrandt and Rubens to Caspar David Friedrich. The centrepiece of the Albertina, Dürer's famous Young Hare, is now once again accessible to an interested public in the context of this exhibit after a decade-long period of grace.
The time span documented by the large-scale exhibit extends from 1738 to 1822: from the age of the courtly Baroque under Maria Theresia and the Enlightenment under Joseph II, through the premodern period and the years of the revolutions in America and Europe to the Biedermeier period of the Vormärz (the years leading up to the revolutions of 1848 in Germany) following the Vienna Congress. The stations in life of the founders of the collection, Prince Albert of Saxony, Duke of Teschen and Archduchess Marie Christine, including Dresden, Rome, Paris, Brussels and Vienna, present the leading centres of art and politics, and in the process provide insight into the multi-layered networks of collectors and art dealers, the feudal life of the European aristocracy, as well as the political and intellectual reorientation under the auspices of the Enlightenment.
Loans from throughout the world supplement the holdings of the Albertina in this presentation and convey a poignant picture of the circumstances and the passion for collecting of the namesake of the Albertina. A splendid service, as well as paintings and busts of the Duke and his wife, but also other important documents of the time, such as the hat of Napoleon, worn by him at the Battle of Eylau, originate from, among other sources, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Louvre, the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, the Vatican and various private collections.
Hare, 1502
Watercolour, bodycolours, heightened with opaque white
© Albertina, Vienna
Friedrich Heinrich Füger
Albert and Maria Christina Presenting Pictures of Their Relatives in Italy to Their Family, 1776
Distemper on parchment
Belvedere, Vienna
Alexandre Roslin
Archduchess Maria Christina, 1778
Albertina, Vienna (Dauerleihgabe der Oesterreichischen Nationalbank)
Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen with the Map of the Battle of Maxen, 1777
Albertina, Vienna (Dauerleihgabe des Kunsthistorischen Museums Wien, Gemäldegalerie)
Male Nude Seen From the Back With a Flag Staff, ca. 1504
Black chalk, heightened in white
Study of a Seated Young Man and Two Studies of the Right Arm, (Recto), around 1511
Red chalk, heightened with white
Big fish eat little fish, 1556
Pen and brush in grey and black, transfer lines
Nicholas Rubens with Coral Necklace, ca. 1619
Black and red chalks, heightened in white
The Painter and the Patron, around 1565
Pen with brown ink
Praying Hands, 1508
Brush, gray and white ink, gray wash, on blue prepared paper
Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn
An Elephant, 1637
Black chalk
Half-Length Figure of an Apostle, 1493-1495
Silverpoint, pen and brown ink on blue prepared paper
Ruben's daughter Clara Serena, 1623
Black and red chalk, heightened with white chalk
Jakob von Alt
Duke Albert's Palace on the Augustine Bastion, 1816
Pen, watercolor
Sotheby's May 7 2014 Sale: Monet and Matisse, De...
Works by Picasso Spanning 7 Decades, Led by Tête d...
Sotheby's to Present Three Masterworks by Pieter B...
Dutch Portraits The Age of Rembrandt and Frans Hal...
Dürer, Michelangelo, Rubens: The 100 Masterworks o...
Pride of Place: Dutch Cityscapes of the Golden Ag...
Paul Klee Fulfillment in the Late Work
Cubism Beyond Borders
Habsburg Splendor: Masterpieces from Vienna's Impe...
The Golden Age of Dutch Seascapes
Dreaming of Italy
Kirchner. The Expressionist Experiment
Ten Masterpieces of French Painting at the Nationa...
Hogarth, Reynolds, Turner. British Painting and th...
A Woman at The Last Supper In 16th Century Art
Sylvette, Sylvette, Sylvette. Picasso and the Mode...
Connecticut Art
Ruin Lust at Tate Britain
Passion and Virtuosity: Hendrick Goltzius and the ...
PONTORMO , DRAWINGS
Mauritshuis Presents The Young Vermeer
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Intimate Impressionism from the National Gallery o...
Modernism from the National Gallery of Art
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


VannDigital » Channels » Videos » @JumpOffTV Presents: Is Katt Williams Finished?
@JumpOffTV Presents: Is Katt Williams Finished?
Whats up with Katt Williams? Slapping Target employees, child endangerment, & club fights with Suge Knight?


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Liverpool Focus – Tough month starts with disappointing Hull defeat
December 3, 2013 May 15, 2015 Adl Admin
Liverpool slipped down to fourth place in the Premier League table following a surprise 3-1 defeat at the hands of newly-promoted Hull City on Sunday afternoon. Brendan Rodgers' side – who were missing in-form striker Daniel Sturridge through injury – have now conceded six goals in their last two games and while the second half of December was expected to provide a tough test for the high-flying Merseyside outfit, they have, in fact, started the month with a disappointing loss.
The Reds' mediocre away form is threatening to derail their season. The Anfield outfit have collected just nine points from a total possible 21 on their travels so far this term and they last tasted an away victory in September. Alarmingly, over 80% of the goals Liverpool have conceded in the top-flight this campaign have come away from home. Indeed, only struggling Norwich City, Stoke and Sunderland have shipped more than the 13 goals Rodgers' men have leaked on their travels.
That Sturridge is expected to be out of action for up to two months will concern supporters, but a brief look at the fixture list and Liverpool's upcoming away games will cause even more worry. Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Chelsea will host the Reds within the space of just two weeks and the Merseysiders will have to improve their form away from Anfield considerably if they are to provide a genuine challenge for the Premier League title.
Liverpool's team-sheet for the game against Hull suggested that Rodgers was managing his squad ahead of the task of playing three league games within the space of a week. Raheem Sterling and Victor Moses replaced Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho, while the former Swansea boss also handed a start to Kolo Toure – who partnered Martin Skrtel in the heart of the defence. Vice-captain Daniel Agger is likely to return to the side in midweek when the Reds host Norwich and both Sterling and Moses will be fortunate to retain their places.
Of course, it is not defeat but how a team reacts to it which is of great significance in football and Liverpool do have the chance to get over the disastrous Hull result by collecting victories against Norwich and West Ham United in the next few days. The Reds' home form is impressive – they have picked up 15 points from a possible 18 on their own turf – and fans will be hopeful that their side can continue to collect good results at Anfield.
Despite the defeat at the weekend, all is not lost for Liverpool and there is still a chance for Rodgers' side to climb up the table and put some pressure on league leaders Arsenal. The Reds are eight points better off than they were at the same stage last season and two positive results over coming days would boost confidence on Merseyside once again.
See what the expert tipsters at OLBG are tipping on Liverpool v Norwich
Featured Column, Liverpool, Premier League
Aston Villa Focus – Prince William watches missed opportunity in Sunderland draw
Chelsea line-up Ranocchia as Luiz replacement


In May 1987, Colorado Senator Gary Hart – a dashing, reform-minded Democrat – seemed a lock for the party's presidential nomination and led George H. W. Bush by double digits in the polls. Then, in one tumultuous week, rumors of marital infidelity and a newspaper's stakeout of Hart's home resulted in a media frenzy the likes of which had never been seen before.
Through the magnificently reported story of the Senator's fall from grace, Matt Bai, Yahoo News columnist and former chief political correspondent for The New York Times Magazine, shows the Hart affair to be far more than one man's tragedy: rather, it marked a crucial turning point in the ethos of political media, and the new norms of life in the public eye.
The Front Runner (originally published as All the Truth is Out) is a tour de force portrait of the American way of politics at the highest level, one that changes our understanding of how we elect our presidents and how the bedrock of American values has shifted under our feet.
To get to the tiny village of Kittredge, Colorado, which for five days in 1987 became the unlikely center of the political solar system, you have to take the interstate about ten miles west of Denver and then follow Bear Creek Avenue as it winds its way up the mountain. Your average navigation device will get you pretty close, but Gary Hart, despite having once been an evangelist for the digital age, doesn't really believe in such wizardry, so he insisted I follow him from downtown. This was a clear July day in 2009, with the heat visibly baking the city sidewalk. He poked his head into my driver's side window like a nervous father, genuine concern in his gray-blue eyes as he ran through the list of turns we would soon be taking and which I couldn't possibly have remembered. Then he jumped into his red Ford Escape—a hybrid, of course—and started toward the entrance to I-70.
Love The Front Runner? Subscribe to Read More to find out about similar books.


We have seven amazing teens who work very hard every day to improve their social, vocational, communication and academic skills and prepare themselves for success after high school. The staff in 1122 are dedicated to providing a well rounded and personalized autism education that uses research based strategies. Our students enjoy jobs on and off campus, trips to the pool, exploring the community, engaging in technology, making strides in the individual goals.


Located next to Wanapum Dam on Washington State's Columbia River, the Wanapum Heritage Center houses the Wanapum Living Culture Program and Museum. Designed by Victoria's Andre and Associates, the Center provides a place for the Wanapum people to celebrate and maintain their culture as they tell the story of their way of life.
A series of stunning dioramas transport visitors back to the traditional world of the Wanapum people, with several highly realistic sculptures of people and animals aiding in the storytelling. An amazingly detailed model re-creates the original Wanapum village. It was created by Victoria's master model builder, Carol Christianson, famous for her work at the Royal British Columbia Museum. Two bronze horse sculptures, an authentic tule hut and many other exhibits take the visitor on trip back to the traditional ways.
An authentic 1937 Chevy stake side truck is a duplicate of the first vehicle owned by the Wanapum tribe. We located this collectors item and had it shipped to 3DS, where modifications were made to render it exhibit-ready. This included removing the engine, steam-cleaning oily surfaces, removing all fluids and smoothing the wooden deck and sides to prevent slivers. We inspected every square inch to ensure there were no jagged edges or places for finger entrapment. The whole vehicle was disassembled so it could get through a six-foot wide doorway, and was then reassembled inside.


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Q: Android ImageButton doesnt change on focus I have 4 buttons, they are all image buttons with "@null" as background.
In the xml file I have:
 <ImageButton android:src="@drawable/buttonimgplay" android:id="@+id/imageButton1" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="wrap_content"  android:onClick="startGame"  android:background="@null"></ImageButton>

buttonimgplay is another xml file containing this:
 <selector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
 <item android:state_pressed="true"
       android:drawable="@drawable/playpressed" /> <!-- pressed -->
 <item android:state_focused="true"
       android:drawable="@drawable/playabitpressed" /> <!-- focused -->
 <item android:drawable="@drawable/playnotpressed" /> <!-- default -->

However, when the user presses the button on the screen it doesnt change, as it switches view to something else. on buttons i havent initialised (ie attached a method) yet this image switching works fine.
Any ideas how I can get the image on the button to change before the view is changed?
Thanks,
Ben

A: Have you tried adding state_selected to your statelist as well?  I don't remember if I had the exact same scenario, but I know that I had to start adding this to some of my state list drawables to get them to work, and I believe it was exactly what you're experiencing.
 <selector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
 <item android:state_pressed="true"
       android:drawable="@drawable/playpressed" /> <!-- pressed -->
 <item android:state_focused="true"
       android:drawable="@drawable/playabitpressed" /> <!-- focused -->
 <item android:state_selected="true"
       android:drawable="@drawable/playabitpressed" /> <!-- selected -->
 <item android:drawable="@drawable/playnotpressed" /> <!-- default -->


The much-awaited season of the most popular television franchise Game Of Thrones is finally here. Fans all over the globe could hardly contain their excitement as the first episode of the season premiered. The final season aired after a wait of one and a half year on Monday morning as per the Indian standard time. It garnered maximum viewership as per the statistics.
The first episode of GOT 8 garnered 17.4 million viewers on Sunday night as per across all platforms. In comparison to the Season 7 premiere, that was aired in July 2017, the latest episode of the American fantasy drama television series drawn a greater viewership with a margin of 1.3 million.
But the first episode titled Winterfell of season 8 broke the record of the final episode of the last season that had attracted a record 16.9 million viewers, the highest for the series till date.
We saw a lot of reunions in the first episode of the final season, such as the reunion of Arya Stark and Jon Snow, Jon and Bran, Bran and Jaime, Arya's with Sandor Clegane aka The Hound and Gendry, Samwell Tarly and Jon among others.
Here we bring the preview of the second episode that will showcase the Kingslayer Jaime Lannister reaching Winterfell and coming face to face with Daenerys Targaryen, whose father, the Mad King, he had killed during Robert's rebellion.
The story of 'Game Of Thrones' is based on George R.R. Martin's novel series 'A Song Of Ice And Fire', and is created by David Benioff and DB Weiss. The pilot episode of the show titled 'Winter is Coming' had premiered eight years ago, on April 17, 2011.


Webkinz Insider Forum - Clubhouse Vehicle Option! Photo included! Ride in the Clubhouse in STYLE! Show of your wheels!
Clubhouse Vehicle Option! Photo included! Ride in the Clubhouse in STYLE! Show of your wheels!
I love to go in the clubhouse and see everyone's cute outfits-but that is just about all you can show off in the clubhouse. Maybe you have a REALLY cool tubby tummy bear from whatever year they came out-but you can't show it off!
I've come up with a way to show off your vehicles. Why not drive them around the clubhouse?? I can't see how this would be TOO complicated-if they just added another box in the dressing options-it could totally work!
I would imagine this would allow for us to jump from room to room wearing our vehicles as well... YEEHAW!
Re: Ride in the Clubhouse in STYLE! Clubhouse Vehicle Option! Photo included!
Wow, dragonbird, this idea is amazing! :) It would be interesting to see all the different cars WW members have!
I've got all these cool cars and they just sit there...It would be so much fun to drive around the clubhouse or park! ;) Goodness, they could even make a bumper car room in the clubhouse! haha!
Re: Clubhouse Vehicle Option! Photo included! Ride in the Clubhouse in STYLE! Show of your wheels!
That is a awesome idea Dragonbird!
Aww, thanks! My neighbor sent that to me for Christmas! He's a gem!
That's awesome! =D I would love to drive my vehicles through the Clubhouse.
Yes, wouldn't it be grand?
Gosh, we could even add a kinzville academy class, "driving indoors 101: How to avoid friends and stationary objects"
haha! My DS saw my image and thought it was a new thing Ganz started-man was he bummed to find it wasn't a reality! haha!
This would make a wonderful addition to Webkinz!
That would be an awesome idea! Even if they just created a race track and a bumper car area it would be great!
Thanks guys! Come on Ganz! We wanna show off our vehicles!
Hehe, the Webkinz 500... Maybe it could be a competition at the Webkinz Stadium.
I really like this idea!! I agree, my cars just sit, or one pet just rides around alone. Riding around with a bunch of others would be great!
I would love that! I have a Magic Carpet from my seahorse and she can never use it because we all just use the map to get around the house, right? so it usually just sits there... i would LOVE the bumpercar room AND adding the vehicles to the list! Great idea!
Wow, that is an awesome idea!! I hope Ganz does that!
You guys are full of them.
I can finally show off all my cars.
And it gives the males a little more then a "sports room"
Woe! you got me stuneed! what a marvelous idea!!
haha! The water IS quite toxic round here! ;) I'd just love to be able to show off my cars instead of having them collect dust-and I didn't even think of the boy option-you're right-boys don't have a lot of cool stuff for boys...I had hoped they'd make a maggot webbie and a whole new "gross out" theme....but that's another thread! haha!
that is cool! I think that would be a lot of fun!!!


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Home > Climate Monitoring > State of the Climate > Global Climate Report
Global Climate Report - December 2015
Report: ----- National ----- National Climate Report Drought Wildfires Hurricanes and Tropical Storms National Snow and Ice Tornadoes Synoptic Discussion ----- Global ----- Global Climate Report Regional Analysis Upper Air Global Snow and Ice Global Hazards El Niño/Southern Oscillation ----- Entire Report ----- Year: 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 Month: January February Winter (DJF) March April May Spring (MAM) June July August Summer (JJA) September October November Autumn (SON) December Annual
Global Climate Report
Annual 2015 »
Maps and Time Series
Temperature and Precipitation Maps
Temperature Anomalies Time Series
Contents of this Section:
December 2015 Selected Climate
Anomalies and Events Map
Temperature anomalies and percentiles are shown on the gridded maps below. The anomaly map on the left is a product of a merged land surface temperature (Global Historical Climatology Network, GHCN) and sea surface temperature (ERSST.v4) anomaly analysis as described in Huang et al. (2015). Temperature anomalies for land and ocean are analyzed separately and then merged to form the global analysis. For more information, please visit NCDC's Global Surface Temperature Anomalies page. The percentile map on the right provides additional information by placing the temperature anomaly observed for a specific place and time period into historical perspective, showing how the most current month, season or year compares with the past.
The most current data for November be accessed via the Global Surface Temperature Anomalies page.
Supplemental November 2015 Information
Resumen Global en Español
Top 25 Monthly Temperature Departures
2015 Year-to-date Temperature versus Previous Years
Monthly temperature anomalies versus El Niño
In the atmosphere, 500-millibar height pressure anomalies correlate well with temperatures at the Earth's surface. The average position of the upper-level ridges of high pressure and troughs of low pressure—depicted by positive and negative 500-millibar height anomalies on the December 2015 map—is generally reflected by areas of positive and negative temperature anomalies at the surface, respectively.
December 2015 Blended Land and Sea Surface
Temperature Anomalies in degrees Celsius
Temperature Percentiles
The December 2015 globally-averaged temperature across land and ocean surfaces was 1.11°C (2.00°F) above the 20th century average of 12.2°C (54.0°F), the highest for any month since records began in 1880, surpassing the previous all-time record set two months ago in October by 0.12°C (0.21°F). This is the first time the global monthly departure from average has surpassed 1°C and is the largest margin by which an all-time monthly temperature record has been broken. Incredibly, the December 2015 temperature also surpasses the December record temperature set last year by 0.29°C (0.52°F), the largest margin by which a monthly temperature record has been broken for its respective month. And comparing to December 1997, the last December when a comparatively strong El Niño was in place, the December 2015 global temperature was 0.49°C (0.88°F) higher. Finally, this December also marks the eighth consecutive month (since April 2015) with a global monthly temperature breaking the record for its respective month.
Separately, the global land surface temperature was 1.89°C (3.40°F) above average, the highest on record for December, surpassing the previous record set in 2006 by 0.48°C (0.86°F). The Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere each had their record highest December land temperatures in the 136-year period of record. Across the globe, record warm temperatures were observed over every continent, including a large swath of eastern North America, southern Mexico through northern South America, western and central Europe, most of southern Africa, parts of central and southeastern Asia, and a large section of southeastern Australia. The highest temperature anomalies (more than 5°C / 9°F above the 1981–2010 average) were observed across much of northern Eurasia and eastern North America, driving much the global record warmth. It was cooler than average in eastern Russia, regions of central and northern Africa, and part of central South America, according to the December Land & Ocean Temperatures Departure from Average and Percentiles maps above. No land areas were record cold in December.
Select national information is highlighted below:
Australia ended 2015 on a warm note, with its sixth highest December temperature in the country's 106-year period of record, at 1.04°C (1.87°F) higher than the 1961–1990 national average. With the contribution of a major heat wave during the third week of December in southeastern Australia, the states of Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania were each record warm for the month. Overall, the warmth was due in large part to the average high minimum temperature, which was 1.25°C (2.25°F) above normal, the second highest on record, behind only 1972.
The average temperature for Norway during December 2015 was 4.4°C (7.9°F) higher than the 1961–1990 average, marking the seventh warmest December since national records began in 1900. In eastern Norway, the monthly temperature was as much as 6.7°C (12.1°F) above average.
Tropical air masses brought the United Kingdom its warmest December since records began in 1910, at 4.1°C (7.4°F) above the 1981–2010 national average and surpassing the previous record by a full 1.0°C (1.8°F). It was also the warmest December in the Central England temperature series, which dates back to 1659. In southern England, daily temperatures were 5–6°C (9–11°F) above average.
France also observed its warmest December since its national records began in 1900, with a temperature almost 4°C (7°F) above the 1981–2010 average, easily surpassing the previous records of 1934 and 2000.
With records dating to 1767, Austria reported its fourth warmest December, at 2.8°C (5.0°F) above the 1981–2010 average. It was the warmest December for the high Alpine regions of the country, with the average station temperature 6.6°C (11.9°F) above normal. For this region, it also marked the highest departure from average for any calendar month in the record.
With a temperature 2.0°C (3.6°F) higher than the 1981–2010 average, Spain reported its second warmest December, behind only 1989, since national records began in 1961. The monthly maximum temperature was 2.8°C (5.0°F) above average, while the monthly minimum temperature was 1.1°C (2.0°F) above average for December. The anomalous warmth was observed across the country.
With every province record warm, Germany as a whole observed its warmest December since national records began in 1881, with a temperature 5.2°C (9.4°F) higher than the 1981–2010 average. This surpassed the previous December records set in 1934 and 1974 by 0.8°C (1.4°F).
The Netherlands also reported its warmest December in its 115-year period of record. The average monthly temperature of 9.9°C (49.1°F) was almost as high as the average temperatures in October and November 2015 (both 9.9°C / 49.8°F). The new December record easily surpassed the previous record from 1974 by 2.2°C (4.0°F).
Russia was extremely warm in December. During the first 10 days of the month, temperatures were 12°–16°C (22°–29°F) above average. Overall, the Volga region had its warmest December on record and Central Russia had its second warmest.
With 29 eastern states reporting record high temperatures for December, the continental U.S. as a whole was also record warm for the month, with a December temperature 3.3°C (6.0°F) above the 20th century average.
To the north, Ontario, Canada, was also record warm across the entire province for December, with temperatures 5°–10°C (9°–18°F) above the 1981–2010 average. These were the largest monthly departures from average among all months on record.
For the oceans, the globally-averaged temperature anomaly of +0.83°C (+1.49°F) was the highest on record for December, surpassing the previous record set in 2009 by 0.19°C (0.34°F). Near-record strong El Niño conditions prevailed in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean during the month. According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, as of early January 2016, the strong El Niño is expected to gradually weaken through spring 2016 and to transition to ENSO-neutral during late spring or early summer.
During December 2015, in addition to much of the eastern and central equatorial Pacific, the western North Atlantic, the North Indian Ocean, the ocean waters south of Australia, and parts of the Arctic Seas north of Europe were notably record warm. Parts of the northwestern Pacific, the North Atlantic south of Greenland, and regions in the southern oceans near Antarctica were were cooler or much cooler than average, with no areas of the global oceans record cold.
(out of 136 years)
Land +1.89 ± 0.11 +3.40 ± 0.20 Warmest 1st 2015 +1.89 +3.40
Coolest 136th 1929 -1.26 -2.27
Ocean +0.83 ± 0.03 +1.49 ± 0.05 Warmest 1st 2015 +0.83 +1.49
Land and Ocean +1.11 ± 0.07 +2.00 ± 0.13 Warmest 1st 2015 +1.11 +2.00
Coolest 136th 1892, 1910 -0.46 -0.83
December Global Land and Ocean plot
December Global Hemisphere plot
Year-to-date (January–December)
January–December 2015 Blended Land and Sea Surface
The January–December map of temperature anomalies shows that warmer-than-average temperatures occurred across the vast majority of the globe during 2015, combining to bring overall record warmth for 2015, at 0.90°C (1.62°F) above the 20th century average. This easily surpasses the previous record set just last year by 0.16°C (0.29°F). The global temperatures were strongly influenced by the strong El Niño conditions that developed during the year. The 2015 temperature also marks the largest margin by which an annual temperature record has been broken. Prior to this year, the largest margin occurred in 1998, when the annual temperature surpassed the record set in 1997 by 0.12°C (0.22°F). Incidentally, 1997 and 1998 were the last years in which a similarly strong El Niño was occurring. The annual temperature anomalies for 1997 and 1998 were 0.51°C (0.92°F) and 0.63°C (1.13°F), respectively, above the 20th century average, both much lower than the 2015 temperature.
Please refer to the NCEI State of the Climate Annual Global Analysis report for more detailed information.
January–December
January–December Global Land and Ocean plot
January–December Global Hemisphere plot
The most current data may be accessed via the Global Surface Temperature Anomalies page.
Images of sea surface temperature conditions are available for all weeks during 2015 from the weekly SST page.
The maps below represent precipitation percent of normal (left) and precipitation percentiles (right) based on the GHCN dataset of land surface stations using a base period of 1961–1990. As is typical, precipitation anomalies during December 2015 varied significantly around the world. Precipitation was especially high across the eastern United States, Paraguay, and northwestern Europe. It was notably dry across northern Morocco and Algeria, South Africa, southern and eastern Europe, regions across northern South America, and eastern Brazil.
December 2015 Land-Only Precipitation
Percent of Normal
December 2015 Land-Only Precipitation Percentiles
Norway was not only warm, but wet during December, receiving 150 percent of average precipitation overall. Parts of southern and western Norway received 300–400 percent of average precipitation for the month.
The same held true for the United Kingdom, but on an even more notable scale. The UK's warmest December was accompanied not only its wettest December on record, but its wettest of any month in the record dating to 1910, with 191 percent of average rainfall. Hointers Pass in Cumbria received 341.4 mm (13.4 inches) of rain from 1800 GMT on the 4th to 1800 GMT on the 5th, marking the most precipitation ever recorded in the UK for any 24-hour period. In the west and north, a wet November and extremely heavy rain in December led to severe flooding in the region.
In Austria, the warm December translated into a lack of snow. In Seefield, Tirol, no snow was recorded during December 2015. Seefield receives an average of 80 cm (31 inches) of snow during the month, with 26 days of snow cover, according to ZAMG.
Dry conditions prevailed across Spain during December. On average, the country received just 20 percent (17 mm) of its normal monthly precipitation. Large regions across the eastern third of Spain and the Balearic Islands had no rain. For many areas, it was the driest December on record.
Similar to the United Kingdom, the continental U.S. was both record warm and record wet for December, receiving 167 percent of average precipitation for the month. December 2015 marks the only month in the historical record with a month that was both record warm and record wet.
Peterson, T.C. and R.S. Vose, 1997: An Overview of the Global Historical Climatology Network Database. Bull. Amer. Meteorol. Soc., 78, 2837-2849.
Huang, B., V.F. Banzon, E. Freeman, J. Lawrimore, W. Liu, T.C. Peterson, T.M. Smith, P.W. Thorne, S.D. Woodruff, and H-M. Zhang, 2015: Extended Reconstructed Sea Surface Temperature Version 4 (ERSST.v4). Part I: Upgrades and Intercomparisons. J. Climate, 28, 911-930.
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, State of the Climate: Global Climate Report for December 2015, published online January 2016, retrieved on July 18, 2019 from https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/201512.


Dr. Nelia Drenth is a social worker with a focus on loss and grief therapy in her private practice. Her qualifications - BA (SW); MA (Medical Social Work) and PhD (Social Work) - as well as her experience as a social worker in various hospitals and in the palliative care environment prepared her for working with the person diagnosed with a serious illness, the bereaved person and others who suffered a loss.
Dr. Nelia Drenth focusses on the strengths that lies in each of us despite the pain that loss and death brings. Her service includes individual and group therapy and she shares her knowledge and skills through workshops aimed at the bereaved person, members of the community, and professionals interested in grief therapy.


Pick your liquor! Clear liquors such as tequila, vodka and gin are best as they are made with less additives than their brown counter parts. The less alcohol additives, the less the body has to process, the more you can enjoy your day at the beach! A shot or 1.5 ounces of any liquor contains anywhere from 80 to 120 calories, so plan on about 100 calories per cocktail coming from alcohol alone.
Pick your mixer! This is always the hardest part because sodas, pre-made mixes, sweetened juices are all OFF limits because they pack way too many calories directly onto your bikini bod. Some great options include: club soda, seltzer water, fresh fruit juice, unsweetened tea, coconut water, black coffee or even plain water – yes, normal tap or bottled water will work.
Give it some personality! Yes, low calorie mixers can seem bland and flavorless but now comes the fun part! Mash up some fresh fruit to provide sweetness, needed antioxidants, fiber and beautiful color. Try muddling blueberries, raspberries, pineapple, limes, oranges, cucumber, mango, ginger or even watermelon. If you are making a large batch, throw some fruit combos in your blender for a gentle and efficient smash. Don't stop at fruit – add an herb! Fresh mint, basil or parsley, again, not only adds flavor and color but antioxidants and aroma as well. If you're really looking to step your nutrition game, try adding a vegetable or freshly made and pureed veggies. Think: vodka, carrot and mango or beet, gin and fresh ginger!
Your cocktail can be as basic or complicated as you want – so long as it looks good, tastes good and doesn't make you feel overloaded with calories and sugar. My favorite go to will always be vodka, tap water and as much freshly squeezed lime juice as my hands can handle all on ice. Its light, crisp, refreshing and is roughly 100 calories total!! Happy sipping!


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Q: Can single-sideband (SSB) be used with PSK, QAM or APSK? I got this question while considering the Nyquist no-ISI criterion, the consequence of which is that if we send one baseband symbol every T (time) then unless the bandwidth B of the channel is at least 1/2T it is inevitable that there will be inter-symbol interference. That is to say, the highest possible ISI-free symbol-rate in a baseband channel of bandwidth B is 2B.
Then, if we multiply this baseband signal with a carrier frequency f, then the spectrum of the resulting signal is shifted right by f, but since the 'negative frequency' portion of the baseband signal also shifts right, it results in a signal that spans from f-B to f+B, and thus has a bandwidth of 2B. Which seems to indicate that in case of a bandpass channel of bandwidth B the highest possible ISI-free symbol rate is B.
My question is, what compels us to transmit the frequency-shifted version of the negative frequency part? In amplitude modulation we can have SSB (single sideband) transmission, where either the upper or the lower sideband is not transmitted: why isn't this done for digital modulation methods like PSK, QAM or APSK?
If it could be done, the maximum possible symbol rate in a bandpass channel of bandwidth B would have been 2B which is a good thing, so I assume there are sound mathematical reasons as to why suppressing either one of the sidebands would stop us from successfully demodulating the signal. Any pointers as to what they may be?

A: My question is, what compels us to transmit the frequency-shifted version of the negative frequency part?
Indeed, nothing compels us to do so. Transmitting the same (baseband) signal twice is inefficient, it unnecessarily doubles the use of frequency space.
why isn't this done for digital modulation methods like PSK, QAM or APSK?
What makes you think it is not done ? The modulation does not matter so you can add OFDM to the list.
Actually SSB is a bit "old hat". What is done with modern modulation techniques like OFDM, OFDMA is that a baseband signal is created using digital signal processing. This digital signal is then converted into an analog signal by an AD converter (ADC). OK, I lied, two of those actually.
That gives us two analog signals. These are called quadrature signals. The essence of this signal (consisting of an I and a Q component) is that it has negative and positive frequencies !
Negative frequencies ? Huh, you must be joking !
No I'm not, a negative frequency simply relates to the phase of a signal. If you have only one signal, you cannot determine the phase because a phase is always relative. Now I hope you see why we need two signals because then I can "play" with the phase and make negative frequencies !
This quadrature signal can then be mixed (in a quadrature mixer !) with an RF carrier and transmitted.
If we would start with a baseband signal of 10 MHz wide it would exist between -5 MHz and + 5 MHz and after mixing it with a carrier of 1000 MHz it would occupy 995 MHz to 1005 MHz.
That's what is used in GSM, UMTS, CDMA, Wifi, nearly all modern digital communication standards use this.