Barack Obama’s sweeping victory as president of the United States sends him to the White House to face what may be the worst national financial crisis since the time of Franklin Roosevelt’s election in 1932.
Obama won on his own terms, strategically and symbolically. He rolled up a series of contested states, from Colorado to Virginia, long out of Democratic reach. And his victory reflected the accuracy of his vision of a reshaped country. Racism, much discussed, turned out to be a footnote, and African-American turnout was not unusually high. Instead, Obama drew his strength from an array of racially mixed, growing areas around cities like Orlando, Washington, Indianapolis, and Columbus on his way to at least 334 electoral votes.
“Even as we celebrate tonight we know that the challenges tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime: two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century,” Obama told a crowd of more than 100,000 in Chicago’s Grant Park.
The assembled crowd had been strangely silent through the evening, even as Obama shut the door for McCain by winning New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, and even after his victory in Ohio pointed toward a landslide, seemingly unwilling to accept or believe the impending victory.
Only at 11:00 p.m., when CNN declared that Obama had surpassed 270 electoral votes, did the crowd roar in approval.
"This victory alone is not the change we seek — it is only the chance to make that change," Obama said, standing between two bulletproof glass walls.
McCain, speaking in a somber concession speech outside the Phoenix hotel where he married his wife, declared that he had done what he could.
"I don't know what more we could have done to try to win this election," he said.
Calling Obama "my president," McCain vowed to work with him to help repair a nation facing profound challenges at home and abroad.
"These are difficult times for our country, and I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face," McCain said.
After booing Obama's name and offering a few jeers, the crowd came to recognize the history in the evening when McCain paid tribute to the nation's first black president by recalling his own favorite commander-in-chief.
"A century ago, President Theodore Roosevelt's invitation of Booker T. Washington to dine at the White House was taken as an outrage in many quarters," McCain recalled. "America today is a world away from the cruel and prideful bigotry of that time. There is no better evidence of this than the election of an African-American to the presidency of the United States."
For the first time, claps and even a few cheers were heard from the dejected crowd.
Obama’s win came with Democratic gains in the Senate and House, though his broad victory — he swept swing states ranging from Indiana to Ohio to Virginia — was perhaps even more dramatic than his party’s success in congressional races. Obama and other Democratic leaders quickly signaled their awareness of the risk of overreaching, with Obama avoiding any claim of partisan victory, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid going further.
"This is a mandate to get along, to get something done in a bipartisan way. This is not a mandate for a political party or an ideology,” Reid told Politico.
As grand as the symbolism of Obama’s victory was, it was also a victory for his steady, corporate campaign management. The campaign’s early decision to play on a more ambitious map than other Democratic nominees was the source of his mandate. And the result closely mirrored the PowerPoint presentation his campaign manager, David Plouffe, pitched to sometimes-skeptical audiences of reporters and donors.
McCain’s campaign blamed larger forces for their candidate’s defeat.
“We were crushed by circumstance,” communications director Jill Hazelbaker said after McCain’s speech. “The economic crisis was a pivotal point in this race.”
External factors aside, McCain and his campaign also lagged far behind Obama in every key metric — money, organization, discipline — and failed to embrace Obama's organizational model or the technology it borrowed from the private sector.
Earlier campaigns had celebrated their technological prowess, but in Obama’s cutting-edge campaign, new political technology was implemented and came of age, evidenced by its vaunted fundraising machine and its “Houdini” computer system, which enabled the campaign as late as Tuesday afternoon to identify and bring to the polls a last wave of supporters who hadn’t yet voted.
The coalition Obama assembled proved as modern as the technology his campaign employed.
In his clear-cut victory, Obama became the first Democrat to win a majority of American votes since Jimmy Carter’s 1976 election. He won states just months ago thought to be impregnable to his party, places that just four years ago went for President Bush by double-digits: Virginia, Indiana, and North Carolina among them.
Indeed, Obama won in all regions of the country but the Deep South, piling up big wins in the perennial Democratic bulwarks on both coasts and making deep inroads into New South states, the industrial and agricultural heartland and the fast-growing Rocky Mountain West.
But perhaps most spectacularly, he found victory with a multiracial coalition that has the makings of a formidable political base of power.
If his was the first 21st century campaign, his victory was powered by a new face of America: comprised of all ethnicities, hailing mostly from cities and suburbs, largely under 40 years old, and among all income classes.
As they emphatically proved by obliterating the presidential color line, many of these voters are not guided by traditional cultural attachment to race, religion or region.
What makes his victory so resounding, and so daunting for Republicans, was that he combined support from African-Americans, Jews, and young whites with other key groups. He also reversed President Bush’s advances with Hispanic voters.
Further, and even more worrisome for the GOP, Obama was dominant among self-described “moderate” voters, a 60 percent swath of Americans larger than either self-described liberals or conservatives.
This 21st century coalition allowed Obama to blow out McCain in cities and suburbs where Bush had narrowly won or lost by smaller margins four years ago, and to pull off narrow wins in Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Indiana and Ohio.
He ran up huge margins in heavily-black cities and counties in each, but was able to edge out McCain thanks to big wins in populous, racially-mixed localities like Northern Virginia's Fairfax County (59 percent), Charlotte’s Mecklenburg County (62 percent), Orlando’s Orange County (59 percent), Indianapolis’s Marion County (64 percent) and Columbus’s Franklin County (59 percent).
The coalition underscored the theme that made Obama famous in 2004, and one that he returned to in his victory speech, citing his support from “young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled — Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America."
Where can you find us?
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Check the new webpage
Hello people
I wish that you are alright
this is the address of the new blog, check that for the topics please.
See You on Saturday.
THe New Blog: www.convclub.blogspot.com
I wish that you are alright
this is the address of the new blog, check that for the topics please.
See You on Saturday.
THe New Blog: www.convclub.blogspot.com
Monday, October 27, 2008
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, released on 16 July 2005, is the sixth of seven novels in J. K. Rowling's popular Harry Potter series. Set during Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts, the novel explores Lord Voldemort's past, and Harry's preparations for the final battle amidst emerging romantic relationships and the emotional confusions and conflict resolutions characteristic of mid-adolescence.
The book sold nine million copies in the first 24 hours after its release, a record at the time which was eventually broken by its successor, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.[1]
Contents[hide]
1 Plot
2 Pre-release history
2.1 Right to read controversy
2.2 Spoilers
3 Dedication
4 Movie
5 Text changes
6 Translations
7 Editions
8 References
9 External links
//
[edit] Plot
As Voldemort and his Death Eaters openly wreak havoc throughout Britain, Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge has been forced to resign following public outcry over his mishandling the situation. Before he leaves office, he pays a visit to the Muggle Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to warn him that events occurring in the magical world are now having an effect on the Muggle world and that things are going pretty badly for the Ministry of Magic at present. The Prime Minister is then introduced to Fudge's successor, Rufus Scrimgeour. At his home in Spinner's End, Severus Snape is sworn to an Unbreakable Vow by Draco Malfoy's mother Narcissa. Although her sister, Bellatrix Lestrange, distrusts Snape, he agrees to protect Draco during his task assigned by the Dark Lord, and complete the mission should Draco fail.
During the summer, Albus Dumbledore enlists Harry Potter's unwitting help to persuade retired professor Horace Slughorn to return to his old Hogwarts post. When Albus Dumbledore comes to collect Harry, an unsuspecting Harry is told that he has inherited all of Sirius Black's (his deceased godfather) possessions, including the house, Buckbeak, and his mumbling, loyal – to his beloved wailing mistress – house-elf, Kreacher. Harry then spends the remaining holiday at the Burrow with the Weasleys and Hermione. To his family's dismay (especially Mrs. Weasley and Ginny), Bill Weasley has become engaged to Fleur Delacour, the Beauxbatons champion in the Triwizard Tournament. Harry, Ron, and Hermione receive their O.W.L. results. To become Aurors, Harry and Ron must take N.E.W.T.-Level Potions as a prerequisite, but their grades in the subject are too low for Snape's advanced class, thus ending their career ambitions. However, Harry is very pleased (and secretly smug) to discover that he was the only one out of the three of them to get an 'Outstanding' in Defence Against the Dark Arts. While in Diagon Alley, Harry, Ron and Hermione spot Draco Malfoy and follow him. At Borgin & Burkes, a dark magic shop in Knockturn Alley, Malfoy threatens Mr Borgin about repairing one item and keeping another safe. Hermione goes in after to try to find out what he was reserving. Suspecting Draco may be a Death Eater, Harry resolves to keep a close watch on him.
As school begins, Snape is unexpectedly announced as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts instructor while Slughorn replaces him as the Potions teacher. Slughorn only requires a minimum "E" grade (Exceeds Expectations) at O.W.L. to take his N.E.W.T.-level Potion classes, making Harry and Ron eligible for the class. Slughorn lends them old Potions textbooks until they buy their own. Harry's copy is marked on the bottom of the back cover, "This book is the Property of the Half-Blood Prince". The talented former owner's notes help Harry excel in the class (as well as learn a few new spells, some even including the dark arts), but the identity of the "Half-Blood Prince" remains a mystery. As a reward for Harry's performance in Potions, Slughorn gives him a small vial of Felix Felicis, a good luck potion.
Death Eater attacks continue throughout the year and may be linked to events at Hogwarts. On the first Hogsmeade visit, Katie Bell, a Gryffindor student, is seriously injured while carrying a cursed necklace through Hogsmeade, apparently while under the Imperius Curse. In another incident, Ron accidentally drinks poisoned mead intended for Dumbledore. Harry reacts by administering the Bezoar he had submitted previously as an assignment to Slughorn. Hermione is so distraught over this that she and Ron, who were feuding mostly over Ron dating Lavender Brown and Hermione's relationship with Viktor Krum, reconcile; Ron soon breaks it off with Lavender. Meanwhile, Harry realises his true feelings for Ginny, although she is now dating Dean Thomas.
Dumbledore privately tutors Harry using his Pensieve to view collected memories about Voldemort's past. Dumbledore speculates that Voldemort splintered his soul into six fragments called Horcruxes to attain immortality, while leaving a seventh piece in his body. Two Horcruxes have been destroyed (Tom Riddle's diary by Harry[HP2] and Marvolo Gaunt's ring by Dumbledore).
When Harry finds Malfoy sobbing in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, they hurl curses at each other. Harry casts "Sectumsempra" inflicting huge gashes across Malfoy's body. Snape arrives and saves Malfoy. He attempts to re-possess the Half-Blood Prince's Potions book, but Harry hands him "Roonil Wazlib's" (a.k.a. Ron's) copy. Harry receives detention, causing him to miss the Quidditch finals. Nonetheless, Gryffindor wins the Cup, and during the victory celebration, Harry's suppressed feelings for Ginny are revealed when he spontaneously kisses her; Ginny has just broken up with Dean Thomas, and she and Harry begin dating.
Harry reports Malfoy's suspicious behaviour to a seemingly unconcerned Dumbledore. He reassures Harry that he trusts Severus in keeping a lookout. Soon after, Harry learns from Professor Trelawney that it was Snape who passed a prophecy to Voldemort that ultimately led to James and Lily Potter's deaths. Enraged, Harry confronts Dumbledore, but he affirms Snape's loyalty. Dumbledore, meanwhile, has located another Horcrux and asks Harry to accompany him in retrieving it. Distrusting Malfoy and Snape, Harry asks Ron, Hermione, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom and Ginny to patrol the halls while he and Dumbledore are gone and gives them the remaining Felix Felicis potion for luck. Harry and Dumbledore apparate to a secret cave. They aim to retrieve the Horcrux (Salazar Slytherin's locket), by advancing past Voldemort's defences. Dumbledore, however, has been greatly weakened due to the mysterious liquid he had to drink in order to acquire the locket.
Returning to Hogsmeade, Harry and Dumbledore see Lord Voldemort's Dark Mark hovering over Hogwarts. They fly to the Astronomy Tower on borrowed broomsticks and are ambushed by Draco Malfoy. Dumbledore paralyses Harry, who is under his Invisibility Cloak, just before Draco disarms Dumbledore. Draco admits he was behind the school attacks and has helped Death Eaters secretly enter Hogwarts via the pair of Vanishing Cabinets, although Dumbledore discerns that Voldemort has cursed the obviously frightened boy.
As members of the Order and the few from Dumbledore's Army battle Voldemort's followers in the castle below, Death Eaters appear in the tower and urge Draco to fulfil his mission—killing Dumbledore—but Draco hesitates. Snape arrives and a weakened Dumbledore entreats him with an ambiguous plea; Snape casts Avada Kedavra which hits Dumbledore squarely in the chest. The impact hurls his body over the tower wall. Upon Dumbledore's death, Harry is released from the paralysing spell. Harry pursues Snape and Malfoy, as their only way of escape would be to disapparate outside the boundaries of Hogwarts. Malfoy escapes as Snape duels Harry. During the duel, Snape reveals that he is the Half-Blood Prince. Though instructive, the duel was ended by Buckbeak's intervention. Snape disapparates and escapes. Harry recovers the locket from Dumbledore's body, only to discover it is a fake. Inside is a note from someone with the initials R. A. B. who has stolen the real Horcrux.
The school year ends abruptly with Dumbledore's funeral. Professor McGonagall is appointed Hogwarts's interim headmistress and Professor Slughorn replaces Snape as the head of Slytherin House. Hogwarts is rumoured to close down due to the murder of Dumbledore. Harry decides to leave school in search for the remaining Horcruxes. Ron and Hermione vow to accompany him, while Harry ends his relationship with Ginny to protect her from Voldemort. The book concludes as Harry looks forward to Bill and Fleur's wedding and being comforted that "...there was still one last golden day of peace left to enjoy with Ron and Hermione."
[edit] Pre-release history
The record-breaking publication of Half-Blood Prince was accompanied by controversy. In May 2005 bookmakers in the UK suspended bets on which main character would die in the book amid fears of insider knowledge. A number of high value bets were made on the death of Albus Dumbledore, many coming from the town of Bungay where, it was believed, the books were being printed at the time. Betting was later reopened.[2] Other controversies included the "right to read" Potter books inadvertently sold before the release date, environmental concerns over the source of the paper used in the printing of millions of books, and fan reactions to the plot developments and revelations of the novel.
[edit] Right to read controversy
In early July 2005, a Real Canadian Superstore in Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada, accidentally sold fourteen copies of The Half-Blood Prince before the authorised release date. The Canadian publisher, Raincoast Books, obtained an injunction from the Supreme Court of British Columbia prohibiting the purchasers from reading the books before the official release date or from discussing the contents. Purchasers were offered a Harry Potter T-shirt and an autographed copy of the book if they returned their copies before 16 July.
On 15 July, less than twelve hours before the book went on sale in the Eastern time zone, Raincoast warned The Globe and Mail newspaper that publishing a review from a Canada-based writer at midnight, as the paper had promised, would be seen as a violation of the trade secret injunction. The injunction sparked a number of news articles alleging that the injunction had restricted fundamental rights. Canadian law professor Michael Geist posted commentary on his blog;[3] Richard Stallman called for a boycott, requesting that the publisher issue an apology.[4] The Globe and Mail published a review from two UK-based writers in its 16 July edition and posted the Canadian writer's review on its website at 9 a.m. that morning.[5] Commentary was also provided on the Raincoast website.[6]
[edit] Spoilers
The plot detail "Snape kills Dumbledore," along with a list of chapter titles, were leaked on the Usenet group alt.fan.harrypotter as early as 14 July 2005 — two days before the official release date. Weeks earlier, betting patterns on the website "Blue Square" recorded an unusual surge in bets originating in a town where the book was being printed (as pointed out in the Guardian newspaper 24 May 2005).[7]
[edit] Dedication
Wikinews has related news:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince released
Rowling became pregnant with her third child during the writing of this book, and often joked about them racing each other into the world. For this reason, the book has this dedication:
To Mackenzie,
my beautiful daughter,
I dedicate
her ink and paper twin
[edit] Movie
Main article: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
Box Office Mojo reports that the movie based on the sixth book is scheduled to be released on 17 July 2009.[8] The screenplay was written by Steve Kloves, and David Yates directed the film.[8]
[edit] Text changes
As with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the United States version of the novel has slightly changed text from the British version. One particular section has been remarked upon, where the alteration makes the nature of Dumbledore's offer to Draco Malfoy before Snape kills Dumbledore in the Half-Blood Prince explicit. The reason for the editing of the following text has not been explained on the author's webpage, but the British edition is more ambiguous. The text can be found in chapter 27, "The Lightning-Struck Tower". The U.S. text was changed to match the UK version with the publication of the paperback edition.[9] The parts added in the United States version have been highlighted in bold, below:
"[…] He told me to do it or he'll kill me. I've got no choice." "He cannot kill you if you are already dead. Come over to the right side Draco, and we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine. What is more, I can send members of the Order to your mother tonight to hide her likewise. Nobody would be surprised that you had died in your attempt to kill me — forgive me, but Lord Voldemort probably expects it. Nor would the Death Eaters be surprised that we had captured and killed your mother — it is what they would do themselves, after all. Your father is safe at the moment in Azkaban […]"(U.S. Edition p. 591)(CND Edition p. 552) [HP6]
The book sold nine million copies in the first 24 hours after its release, a record at the time which was eventually broken by its successor, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.[1]
Contents[hide]
1 Plot
2 Pre-release history
2.1 Right to read controversy
2.2 Spoilers
3 Dedication
4 Movie
5 Text changes
6 Translations
7 Editions
8 References
9 External links
//
[edit] Plot
As Voldemort and his Death Eaters openly wreak havoc throughout Britain, Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge has been forced to resign following public outcry over his mishandling the situation. Before he leaves office, he pays a visit to the Muggle Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to warn him that events occurring in the magical world are now having an effect on the Muggle world and that things are going pretty badly for the Ministry of Magic at present. The Prime Minister is then introduced to Fudge's successor, Rufus Scrimgeour. At his home in Spinner's End, Severus Snape is sworn to an Unbreakable Vow by Draco Malfoy's mother Narcissa. Although her sister, Bellatrix Lestrange, distrusts Snape, he agrees to protect Draco during his task assigned by the Dark Lord, and complete the mission should Draco fail.
During the summer, Albus Dumbledore enlists Harry Potter's unwitting help to persuade retired professor Horace Slughorn to return to his old Hogwarts post. When Albus Dumbledore comes to collect Harry, an unsuspecting Harry is told that he has inherited all of Sirius Black's (his deceased godfather) possessions, including the house, Buckbeak, and his mumbling, loyal – to his beloved wailing mistress – house-elf, Kreacher. Harry then spends the remaining holiday at the Burrow with the Weasleys and Hermione. To his family's dismay (especially Mrs. Weasley and Ginny), Bill Weasley has become engaged to Fleur Delacour, the Beauxbatons champion in the Triwizard Tournament. Harry, Ron, and Hermione receive their O.W.L. results. To become Aurors, Harry and Ron must take N.E.W.T.-Level Potions as a prerequisite, but their grades in the subject are too low for Snape's advanced class, thus ending their career ambitions. However, Harry is very pleased (and secretly smug) to discover that he was the only one out of the three of them to get an 'Outstanding' in Defence Against the Dark Arts. While in Diagon Alley, Harry, Ron and Hermione spot Draco Malfoy and follow him. At Borgin & Burkes, a dark magic shop in Knockturn Alley, Malfoy threatens Mr Borgin about repairing one item and keeping another safe. Hermione goes in after to try to find out what he was reserving. Suspecting Draco may be a Death Eater, Harry resolves to keep a close watch on him.
As school begins, Snape is unexpectedly announced as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts instructor while Slughorn replaces him as the Potions teacher. Slughorn only requires a minimum "E" grade (Exceeds Expectations) at O.W.L. to take his N.E.W.T.-level Potion classes, making Harry and Ron eligible for the class. Slughorn lends them old Potions textbooks until they buy their own. Harry's copy is marked on the bottom of the back cover, "This book is the Property of the Half-Blood Prince". The talented former owner's notes help Harry excel in the class (as well as learn a few new spells, some even including the dark arts), but the identity of the "Half-Blood Prince" remains a mystery. As a reward for Harry's performance in Potions, Slughorn gives him a small vial of Felix Felicis, a good luck potion.
Death Eater attacks continue throughout the year and may be linked to events at Hogwarts. On the first Hogsmeade visit, Katie Bell, a Gryffindor student, is seriously injured while carrying a cursed necklace through Hogsmeade, apparently while under the Imperius Curse. In another incident, Ron accidentally drinks poisoned mead intended for Dumbledore. Harry reacts by administering the Bezoar he had submitted previously as an assignment to Slughorn. Hermione is so distraught over this that she and Ron, who were feuding mostly over Ron dating Lavender Brown and Hermione's relationship with Viktor Krum, reconcile; Ron soon breaks it off with Lavender. Meanwhile, Harry realises his true feelings for Ginny, although she is now dating Dean Thomas.
Dumbledore privately tutors Harry using his Pensieve to view collected memories about Voldemort's past. Dumbledore speculates that Voldemort splintered his soul into six fragments called Horcruxes to attain immortality, while leaving a seventh piece in his body. Two Horcruxes have been destroyed (Tom Riddle's diary by Harry[HP2] and Marvolo Gaunt's ring by Dumbledore).
When Harry finds Malfoy sobbing in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, they hurl curses at each other. Harry casts "Sectumsempra" inflicting huge gashes across Malfoy's body. Snape arrives and saves Malfoy. He attempts to re-possess the Half-Blood Prince's Potions book, but Harry hands him "Roonil Wazlib's" (a.k.a. Ron's) copy. Harry receives detention, causing him to miss the Quidditch finals. Nonetheless, Gryffindor wins the Cup, and during the victory celebration, Harry's suppressed feelings for Ginny are revealed when he spontaneously kisses her; Ginny has just broken up with Dean Thomas, and she and Harry begin dating.
Harry reports Malfoy's suspicious behaviour to a seemingly unconcerned Dumbledore. He reassures Harry that he trusts Severus in keeping a lookout. Soon after, Harry learns from Professor Trelawney that it was Snape who passed a prophecy to Voldemort that ultimately led to James and Lily Potter's deaths. Enraged, Harry confronts Dumbledore, but he affirms Snape's loyalty. Dumbledore, meanwhile, has located another Horcrux and asks Harry to accompany him in retrieving it. Distrusting Malfoy and Snape, Harry asks Ron, Hermione, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom and Ginny to patrol the halls while he and Dumbledore are gone and gives them the remaining Felix Felicis potion for luck. Harry and Dumbledore apparate to a secret cave. They aim to retrieve the Horcrux (Salazar Slytherin's locket), by advancing past Voldemort's defences. Dumbledore, however, has been greatly weakened due to the mysterious liquid he had to drink in order to acquire the locket.
Returning to Hogsmeade, Harry and Dumbledore see Lord Voldemort's Dark Mark hovering over Hogwarts. They fly to the Astronomy Tower on borrowed broomsticks and are ambushed by Draco Malfoy. Dumbledore paralyses Harry, who is under his Invisibility Cloak, just before Draco disarms Dumbledore. Draco admits he was behind the school attacks and has helped Death Eaters secretly enter Hogwarts via the pair of Vanishing Cabinets, although Dumbledore discerns that Voldemort has cursed the obviously frightened boy.
As members of the Order and the few from Dumbledore's Army battle Voldemort's followers in the castle below, Death Eaters appear in the tower and urge Draco to fulfil his mission—killing Dumbledore—but Draco hesitates. Snape arrives and a weakened Dumbledore entreats him with an ambiguous plea; Snape casts Avada Kedavra which hits Dumbledore squarely in the chest. The impact hurls his body over the tower wall. Upon Dumbledore's death, Harry is released from the paralysing spell. Harry pursues Snape and Malfoy, as their only way of escape would be to disapparate outside the boundaries of Hogwarts. Malfoy escapes as Snape duels Harry. During the duel, Snape reveals that he is the Half-Blood Prince. Though instructive, the duel was ended by Buckbeak's intervention. Snape disapparates and escapes. Harry recovers the locket from Dumbledore's body, only to discover it is a fake. Inside is a note from someone with the initials R. A. B. who has stolen the real Horcrux.
The school year ends abruptly with Dumbledore's funeral. Professor McGonagall is appointed Hogwarts's interim headmistress and Professor Slughorn replaces Snape as the head of Slytherin House. Hogwarts is rumoured to close down due to the murder of Dumbledore. Harry decides to leave school in search for the remaining Horcruxes. Ron and Hermione vow to accompany him, while Harry ends his relationship with Ginny to protect her from Voldemort. The book concludes as Harry looks forward to Bill and Fleur's wedding and being comforted that "...there was still one last golden day of peace left to enjoy with Ron and Hermione."
[edit] Pre-release history
The record-breaking publication of Half-Blood Prince was accompanied by controversy. In May 2005 bookmakers in the UK suspended bets on which main character would die in the book amid fears of insider knowledge. A number of high value bets were made on the death of Albus Dumbledore, many coming from the town of Bungay where, it was believed, the books were being printed at the time. Betting was later reopened.[2] Other controversies included the "right to read" Potter books inadvertently sold before the release date, environmental concerns over the source of the paper used in the printing of millions of books, and fan reactions to the plot developments and revelations of the novel.
[edit] Right to read controversy
In early July 2005, a Real Canadian Superstore in Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada, accidentally sold fourteen copies of The Half-Blood Prince before the authorised release date. The Canadian publisher, Raincoast Books, obtained an injunction from the Supreme Court of British Columbia prohibiting the purchasers from reading the books before the official release date or from discussing the contents. Purchasers were offered a Harry Potter T-shirt and an autographed copy of the book if they returned their copies before 16 July.
On 15 July, less than twelve hours before the book went on sale in the Eastern time zone, Raincoast warned The Globe and Mail newspaper that publishing a review from a Canada-based writer at midnight, as the paper had promised, would be seen as a violation of the trade secret injunction. The injunction sparked a number of news articles alleging that the injunction had restricted fundamental rights. Canadian law professor Michael Geist posted commentary on his blog;[3] Richard Stallman called for a boycott, requesting that the publisher issue an apology.[4] The Globe and Mail published a review from two UK-based writers in its 16 July edition and posted the Canadian writer's review on its website at 9 a.m. that morning.[5] Commentary was also provided on the Raincoast website.[6]
[edit] Spoilers
The plot detail "Snape kills Dumbledore," along with a list of chapter titles, were leaked on the Usenet group alt.fan.harrypotter as early as 14 July 2005 — two days before the official release date. Weeks earlier, betting patterns on the website "Blue Square" recorded an unusual surge in bets originating in a town where the book was being printed (as pointed out in the Guardian newspaper 24 May 2005).[7]
[edit] Dedication
Wikinews has related news:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince released
Rowling became pregnant with her third child during the writing of this book, and often joked about them racing each other into the world. For this reason, the book has this dedication:
To Mackenzie,
my beautiful daughter,
I dedicate
her ink and paper twin
[edit] Movie
Main article: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
Box Office Mojo reports that the movie based on the sixth book is scheduled to be released on 17 July 2009.[8] The screenplay was written by Steve Kloves, and David Yates directed the film.[8]
[edit] Text changes
As with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the United States version of the novel has slightly changed text from the British version. One particular section has been remarked upon, where the alteration makes the nature of Dumbledore's offer to Draco Malfoy before Snape kills Dumbledore in the Half-Blood Prince explicit. The reason for the editing of the following text has not been explained on the author's webpage, but the British edition is more ambiguous. The text can be found in chapter 27, "The Lightning-Struck Tower". The U.S. text was changed to match the UK version with the publication of the paperback edition.[9] The parts added in the United States version have been highlighted in bold, below:
"[…] He told me to do it or he'll kill me. I've got no choice." "He cannot kill you if you are already dead. Come over to the right side Draco, and we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine. What is more, I can send members of the Order to your mother tonight to hide her likewise. Nobody would be surprised that you had died in your attempt to kill me — forgive me, but Lord Voldemort probably expects it. Nor would the Death Eaters be surprised that we had captured and killed your mother — it is what they would do themselves, after all. Your father is safe at the moment in Azkaban […]"(U.S. Edition p. 591)(CND Edition p. 552) [HP6]
Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson Motor Company (NYSE: HOG, formerly HDI[3]) is an American manufacturer of motorcycles based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The company sells heavyweight (over 750 cc) motorcycles designed for cruising on the highway. Harley-Davidson motorcycles (popularly known as "Harleys") have a distinctive design and exhaust note. They are especially noted for the tradition of heavy customization that gave rise to the chopper-style of motorcycle.[4][5]
Harley-Davidson attracts a loyal brand community,[6] with licensing of the Harley-Davidson logo accounting for almost 5% of the company's net revenue ($41 million in 2004).[7] In 2003, the Buell Motorcycle Company became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Harley-Davidson,[8] the same year that Harley-Davidson celebrated its 100th birthday. In August 2008, Harley-Davidson purchased the Italian motorcycle manufacturer MV Agusta.[9] Harley-Davidson supplies many American police forces with their motorcycle fleets.[10]
[edit] Current model designations
2001 883 Sportster Hugger
Sportster With the exception of the street-going XR1000 of the 1980s and the XR1200, all Sportsters made for street use have the prefix XL in their model designation. For the Sportster Evolution engines used since the mid 1980s, there have been two engine sizes. Motorcycles with the smaller engine are designated XL883, while those with the larger engine were initially designated XL1100. When the size of the larger engine was increased from 1,100 cc to 1,200 cc, the designation was changed accordingly from XL1100 to XL1200. Subsequent letters in the designation refer to model variations within the sportster range, e.g. the XL883C refers to an 883 cc Sportster with cruiser or custom styling, while the XL1200S designates the now-discontinued 1200 Sportster Sport.
Dyna models utilize the big-twin engine (F), small-diameter telescopic forks similar to those used on the Sportster (X), and the Dyna chassis (D). Therefore, all Dyna models have designations that begin with FXD, e.g., FXDWG (Wide Glide) and FXDL (Low Rider).
Softail models utilize the big-twin engine (F) and the Softail chassis (ST).
Softail models that use small-diameter telescopic forks similar to those used on the Sportster (X) have designations that begin with FXST, e.g., FXSTB (Night Train), FXSTD (Deuce), and FXSTS (Standard).
Softail models that use large-diameter telescopic forks similar to those used on the touring bikes (L) have designations beginning with FLST, e.g., FLSTF (Fat Boy), FLSTC (Heritage Softail Classic), and FLSTN (Softail Deluxe - "N" is for Nostalgic).
Softail models that use Springer forks with a 21-inch (530 mm) wheel have designations that begin with FXSTS, e.g., FXSTS (Springer Softail) and FXSTSB (Bad Boy).
Softail models that use Springer forks with a 16-inch (410 mm) wheel have designations that begin with FLSTS, e.g., FLSTSC (Springer Classic)
Touring models use Big-Twin engines and large-diameter telescopic forks. All Touring designations begin with the letters FL, e.g., FLHR (Road King) and FLTR (Road Glide)
Revolution models utilize the Revolution engine (VR), and the street versions are designated Street Custom (SC). After the VRSC prefix common to all street Revolution bikes, the next letter denotes the model, either A (base V-Rod), B (discontinued), D (Night Rod), R (Street Rod), SE (CVO Special Edition), or X. Further differentiation within models are made with an additional letter, e.g., VRSCDX denotes the Night Rod Special.
The factory drag bike, the VRXSE Destroyer, uses X instead of SC to denote a non-street bike and SE to denote a CVO Special Edition
[edit] Model families
Modern Harley-branded motorcycles fall into one of five model families: Touring, Softail, Dyna, Sportster and VRSC. Model families are distinguished by the frame, engine, suspension, and other characteristics.
[edit] Touring
Hamburg Police Electra Glide.
See also: Harley-Davidson FL
The touring family, also known as "dressers", includes three Road King models, and five Glide models offered in various trim. The Road Kings have a "retro cruiser" appearance and most models are equipped with a large clear windshield. Road Kings are reminiscent of big-twin models from the 1940s and '50s. Glides can be identified by their full front fairings. Most Glides sport a unique fairing referred to as the "Batwing" due to its unmistakable shape. The Road Glide has a different front end, referred to as the "Sharknose". The Sharknose includes a unique, dual front headlight. Touring models are distinguishable by their large luggage, rear coil-over air suspension and are the only models to offer full fairings with Radios/CBs. All touring models use the same frame, first introduced with a Shovelhead motor in 1980, and carried forward with only modest upgrades to this day. The frame is distinguished by the location of the steering head in front of the forks and was the first H-D frame to rubber mount the drivetrain to isolate the rider from the vibration of the big V-twin. Although all touring models weigh in excess of 800 lb (360 kg)., they are remarkably easy to handle at low speeds and high, and give the most comfortable and relaxing ride of any Harley. The frame was modified for the 1994 model year when the oil tank went under the transmission and the battery was moved inboard from under the right saddlebag to under the seat. In 1997, the frame was again modified to allow for a larger battery under the seat and to lower seat height. In 2007, Harley introduced a the 96 cubic inch motor, as well the 6 speed transmission to give the rider better speeds on the highway.
In 2006, Harley introduced the FLHX, a bike designed by Willie G. Davidson to be his personal ride, to its touring line.[62]
In 2008, Harley added anti-lock braking systems and cruise control as a factory installed option on all touring models.[63]
For the 2009 model year, Harley-Davidson has redesigned the entire touring range with several changes, including a new frame, new swingarm, a completely revised engine-mounting system, 17-inch front wheels for all but one model, a six-gallon gas tank, and a 2-1-2 exhaust. The changes result in greater load carrying capacity, better handling, a smoother engine, longer range and less exhaust transmitted to the rider and passenger.[64][65] Also released for the 2009 model year is the FLHTUCTG Tri Glide Ultra Classic, the first three-wheeled Harley since the Servi-Car was discontinued in 1973. The model features a unique frame and a 103 cid engine exclusive to the trike.[66]
[edit] Softail
2002 Softail Heritage Classic.
Main article: Softail
These big-twin motorcycles capitalize on Harley's strong value on tradition. With the rear-wheel suspension invisible on the bottom of the frame, they are visibly similar to the "hardtail" choppers popular in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as from their own earlier history. In keeping with that tradition, Harley offers Softail models with "springer" front ends and "heritage" styling that incorporate design cues from throughout their history.
[edit] Dyna
Main article: Harley-Davidson Super Glide
2005 Dyna Super Glide Custom.
Dyna motorcycles feature big-twin engines and traditional styling. They can be distinguished from the Softail by the traditional coil-over suspension that connects the swingarm to the frame, and from the Sportster by their larger engines. On these models, the transmission also houses the engine's oil reservoir.
In 2006, Harley-Davidson released a line-up of five Dyna models: Super Glide, Super Glide Custom, Street Bob, Low Rider, and Wide Glide.
In 2008, the "Fat Bob" was re-introduced to the Dyna line-up featuring aggressive styling, including a new 2-1-2 exhaust, twin headlamps, a 180 mm rear tire and a 130 mm front tire.
[edit] Sportster
Main article: Harley-Davidson Sportster
2002 Sportster 883 Custom
Introduced in 1957, the Sportster is the longest-running model family in the Harley-Davidson lineup. They were conceived as racing motorcycles, and were popular on dirt and flat-track race courses through the 1960s and '70s. Smaller and lighter than the other Harley models, contemporary Sportsters make use of 883 or 1,200 cc Evolution engines and, though often modified, remain similar in appearance to their racing ancestors.
Up until the 2003 model year, the engine on the Sportster was rigidly mounted to the frame. The 2004 Sportster had a new frame accommodating a rubber-mounted engine. Although this made the bike heavier and reduced the available lean angle, it reduced the amount of vibration transmitted to the frame and the rider.[67] The rubber mounted engine provides a significantly smoother ride for rider and passenger. For a bike which isn't really thought of for long rides or trips, the smoother ride allows for this opportunity.
In the 2007 model year, Harley-Davidson celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Sportster and produced a collectors' edition called the XL50 1200 Custom, of which only 2000 were made for sale worldwide. Each motorcycle was individually numbered and came in one of two colors, Mirage Pearl Orange or Vivid Black. Also in 2007, electronic fuel injection was introduced to the Sportster family, and the Nightster model was introduced.
[edit] VRSC
Main article: Harley-Davidson VRSC
V-Rod in a gravel driveway.
Introduced in 2001, the VRSC family bears little resemblance to Harley's more traditional lineup. Competing against Japanese and American muscle bikes and seeking to expand its market appeal, the "V-Rod" makes use of an engine developed jointly with Porsche that, for the first time in Harley history, incorporates fuel injection, overhead cams, and liquid cooling. The V-Rod is visually distinctive, easily identified by the 60-degree V-Twin engine, the radiator and the hydroformed frame members that support the round-topped air cleaner cover. Based on the VR-1000 racing motorcycle, it continues to be a platform around which Harley-Davidson builds drag-racing competition machines. The V-Rod has gathered an enthusiastic following in the U.S., Europe and Australia, and an annual Rally at the Kansas City production facility has been organized by Max Millender and the members of a 21,000+ member strong internet discussion forum www.1130cc.com. Bill Davidson has presented Mr Millender with a signed airbox cover to recognize the contribution the forum has made to the VRSC platform which continues to evolve with models like the Night Rod Special (VRSCDX).
In 2008, Harley added anti-lock braking systems as a factory installed option on all VRSC models.[63] Harley also increased the displacement of the stock engine from 1130cc (69ci) to 1250cc (73.6ci), which had only been previously available from Screamin' Eagle, and added a slipper clutch as standard equipment.
VRSC Models Include:
VRSCA: V-Rod (2002-2006), VRSCAW: V-Rod (2007-2008), VRSCB: V-Rod (2004-2005), VRSCD:Night Rod (2006-2008), VRSCDX: Night Rod Special (2007-2008), VRSCSE: Screamin' Eagle CVO V-Rod (2005), VRSCSE2: Screamin' Eagle CVO V-Rod (2006), VRSCR: Street Rod (2006-2007), VRSCX: Screamin' Eagle Tribute V-Rod (2007).
[edit] VRXSE
The VRXSE V-Rod Destroyer is Harley-Davidson's production drag racing motorcycle, constructed to run the quarter mile in under ten seconds. It is based on the same revolution engine that powers the VRSC line, but the VRXSE uses the Sceamin' Eagle 1300cc "stroked" incarnation, featuring a 75mm crankshaft, 105mm Pistons, and 58mm throttle bodies.
The V-Rod Destroyer is not a street legal motorcycle.
[edit] Environmental record
The Environmental Protection Agency conducted emissions-certification and representative emissions test in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 2005. Subsequently, Harley-Davidson produced an "environmental warranty." The warranty warrants the first and following owners after, that each vehicle is designed and built free of defects in materials and workmanship that cause the vehicle to not meet EPA standards.[68] In 2005, the EPA and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection confirmed Harley-Davidson to be the first corporation to voluntarily enroll in the One Clean-Up Program. This program is designed for the clean-up of the affected soil and groundwater at the former York Naval Ordnance Plant. The program is backed by the state and local government along with participating organizations and corporations.[69]
Harley-Davidson attracts a loyal brand community,[6] with licensing of the Harley-Davidson logo accounting for almost 5% of the company's net revenue ($41 million in 2004).[7] In 2003, the Buell Motorcycle Company became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Harley-Davidson,[8] the same year that Harley-Davidson celebrated its 100th birthday. In August 2008, Harley-Davidson purchased the Italian motorcycle manufacturer MV Agusta.[9] Harley-Davidson supplies many American police forces with their motorcycle fleets.[10]
[edit] Current model designations
2001 883 Sportster Hugger
Sportster With the exception of the street-going XR1000 of the 1980s and the XR1200, all Sportsters made for street use have the prefix XL in their model designation. For the Sportster Evolution engines used since the mid 1980s, there have been two engine sizes. Motorcycles with the smaller engine are designated XL883, while those with the larger engine were initially designated XL1100. When the size of the larger engine was increased from 1,100 cc to 1,200 cc, the designation was changed accordingly from XL1100 to XL1200. Subsequent letters in the designation refer to model variations within the sportster range, e.g. the XL883C refers to an 883 cc Sportster with cruiser or custom styling, while the XL1200S designates the now-discontinued 1200 Sportster Sport.
Dyna models utilize the big-twin engine (F), small-diameter telescopic forks similar to those used on the Sportster (X), and the Dyna chassis (D). Therefore, all Dyna models have designations that begin with FXD, e.g., FXDWG (Wide Glide) and FXDL (Low Rider).
Softail models utilize the big-twin engine (F) and the Softail chassis (ST).
Softail models that use small-diameter telescopic forks similar to those used on the Sportster (X) have designations that begin with FXST, e.g., FXSTB (Night Train), FXSTD (Deuce), and FXSTS (Standard).
Softail models that use large-diameter telescopic forks similar to those used on the touring bikes (L) have designations beginning with FLST, e.g., FLSTF (Fat Boy), FLSTC (Heritage Softail Classic), and FLSTN (Softail Deluxe - "N" is for Nostalgic).
Softail models that use Springer forks with a 21-inch (530 mm) wheel have designations that begin with FXSTS, e.g., FXSTS (Springer Softail) and FXSTSB (Bad Boy).
Softail models that use Springer forks with a 16-inch (410 mm) wheel have designations that begin with FLSTS, e.g., FLSTSC (Springer Classic)
Touring models use Big-Twin engines and large-diameter telescopic forks. All Touring designations begin with the letters FL, e.g., FLHR (Road King) and FLTR (Road Glide)
Revolution models utilize the Revolution engine (VR), and the street versions are designated Street Custom (SC). After the VRSC prefix common to all street Revolution bikes, the next letter denotes the model, either A (base V-Rod), B (discontinued), D (Night Rod), R (Street Rod), SE (CVO Special Edition), or X. Further differentiation within models are made with an additional letter, e.g., VRSCDX denotes the Night Rod Special.
The factory drag bike, the VRXSE Destroyer, uses X instead of SC to denote a non-street bike and SE to denote a CVO Special Edition
[edit] Model families
Modern Harley-branded motorcycles fall into one of five model families: Touring, Softail, Dyna, Sportster and VRSC. Model families are distinguished by the frame, engine, suspension, and other characteristics.
[edit] Touring
Hamburg Police Electra Glide.
See also: Harley-Davidson FL
The touring family, also known as "dressers", includes three Road King models, and five Glide models offered in various trim. The Road Kings have a "retro cruiser" appearance and most models are equipped with a large clear windshield. Road Kings are reminiscent of big-twin models from the 1940s and '50s. Glides can be identified by their full front fairings. Most Glides sport a unique fairing referred to as the "Batwing" due to its unmistakable shape. The Road Glide has a different front end, referred to as the "Sharknose". The Sharknose includes a unique, dual front headlight. Touring models are distinguishable by their large luggage, rear coil-over air suspension and are the only models to offer full fairings with Radios/CBs. All touring models use the same frame, first introduced with a Shovelhead motor in 1980, and carried forward with only modest upgrades to this day. The frame is distinguished by the location of the steering head in front of the forks and was the first H-D frame to rubber mount the drivetrain to isolate the rider from the vibration of the big V-twin. Although all touring models weigh in excess of 800 lb (360 kg)., they are remarkably easy to handle at low speeds and high, and give the most comfortable and relaxing ride of any Harley. The frame was modified for the 1994 model year when the oil tank went under the transmission and the battery was moved inboard from under the right saddlebag to under the seat. In 1997, the frame was again modified to allow for a larger battery under the seat and to lower seat height. In 2007, Harley introduced a the 96 cubic inch motor, as well the 6 speed transmission to give the rider better speeds on the highway.
In 2006, Harley introduced the FLHX, a bike designed by Willie G. Davidson to be his personal ride, to its touring line.[62]
In 2008, Harley added anti-lock braking systems and cruise control as a factory installed option on all touring models.[63]
For the 2009 model year, Harley-Davidson has redesigned the entire touring range with several changes, including a new frame, new swingarm, a completely revised engine-mounting system, 17-inch front wheels for all but one model, a six-gallon gas tank, and a 2-1-2 exhaust. The changes result in greater load carrying capacity, better handling, a smoother engine, longer range and less exhaust transmitted to the rider and passenger.[64][65] Also released for the 2009 model year is the FLHTUCTG Tri Glide Ultra Classic, the first three-wheeled Harley since the Servi-Car was discontinued in 1973. The model features a unique frame and a 103 cid engine exclusive to the trike.[66]
[edit] Softail
2002 Softail Heritage Classic.
Main article: Softail
These big-twin motorcycles capitalize on Harley's strong value on tradition. With the rear-wheel suspension invisible on the bottom of the frame, they are visibly similar to the "hardtail" choppers popular in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as from their own earlier history. In keeping with that tradition, Harley offers Softail models with "springer" front ends and "heritage" styling that incorporate design cues from throughout their history.
[edit] Dyna
Main article: Harley-Davidson Super Glide
2005 Dyna Super Glide Custom.
Dyna motorcycles feature big-twin engines and traditional styling. They can be distinguished from the Softail by the traditional coil-over suspension that connects the swingarm to the frame, and from the Sportster by their larger engines. On these models, the transmission also houses the engine's oil reservoir.
In 2006, Harley-Davidson released a line-up of five Dyna models: Super Glide, Super Glide Custom, Street Bob, Low Rider, and Wide Glide.
In 2008, the "Fat Bob" was re-introduced to the Dyna line-up featuring aggressive styling, including a new 2-1-2 exhaust, twin headlamps, a 180 mm rear tire and a 130 mm front tire.
[edit] Sportster
Main article: Harley-Davidson Sportster
2002 Sportster 883 Custom
Introduced in 1957, the Sportster is the longest-running model family in the Harley-Davidson lineup. They were conceived as racing motorcycles, and were popular on dirt and flat-track race courses through the 1960s and '70s. Smaller and lighter than the other Harley models, contemporary Sportsters make use of 883 or 1,200 cc Evolution engines and, though often modified, remain similar in appearance to their racing ancestors.
Up until the 2003 model year, the engine on the Sportster was rigidly mounted to the frame. The 2004 Sportster had a new frame accommodating a rubber-mounted engine. Although this made the bike heavier and reduced the available lean angle, it reduced the amount of vibration transmitted to the frame and the rider.[67] The rubber mounted engine provides a significantly smoother ride for rider and passenger. For a bike which isn't really thought of for long rides or trips, the smoother ride allows for this opportunity.
In the 2007 model year, Harley-Davidson celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Sportster and produced a collectors' edition called the XL50 1200 Custom, of which only 2000 were made for sale worldwide. Each motorcycle was individually numbered and came in one of two colors, Mirage Pearl Orange or Vivid Black. Also in 2007, electronic fuel injection was introduced to the Sportster family, and the Nightster model was introduced.
[edit] VRSC
Main article: Harley-Davidson VRSC
V-Rod in a gravel driveway.
Introduced in 2001, the VRSC family bears little resemblance to Harley's more traditional lineup. Competing against Japanese and American muscle bikes and seeking to expand its market appeal, the "V-Rod" makes use of an engine developed jointly with Porsche that, for the first time in Harley history, incorporates fuel injection, overhead cams, and liquid cooling. The V-Rod is visually distinctive, easily identified by the 60-degree V-Twin engine, the radiator and the hydroformed frame members that support the round-topped air cleaner cover. Based on the VR-1000 racing motorcycle, it continues to be a platform around which Harley-Davidson builds drag-racing competition machines. The V-Rod has gathered an enthusiastic following in the U.S., Europe and Australia, and an annual Rally at the Kansas City production facility has been organized by Max Millender and the members of a 21,000+ member strong internet discussion forum www.1130cc.com. Bill Davidson has presented Mr Millender with a signed airbox cover to recognize the contribution the forum has made to the VRSC platform which continues to evolve with models like the Night Rod Special (VRSCDX).
In 2008, Harley added anti-lock braking systems as a factory installed option on all VRSC models.[63] Harley also increased the displacement of the stock engine from 1130cc (69ci) to 1250cc (73.6ci), which had only been previously available from Screamin' Eagle, and added a slipper clutch as standard equipment.
VRSC Models Include:
VRSCA: V-Rod (2002-2006), VRSCAW: V-Rod (2007-2008), VRSCB: V-Rod (2004-2005), VRSCD:Night Rod (2006-2008), VRSCDX: Night Rod Special (2007-2008), VRSCSE: Screamin' Eagle CVO V-Rod (2005), VRSCSE2: Screamin' Eagle CVO V-Rod (2006), VRSCR: Street Rod (2006-2007), VRSCX: Screamin' Eagle Tribute V-Rod (2007).
[edit] VRXSE
The VRXSE V-Rod Destroyer is Harley-Davidson's production drag racing motorcycle, constructed to run the quarter mile in under ten seconds. It is based on the same revolution engine that powers the VRSC line, but the VRXSE uses the Sceamin' Eagle 1300cc "stroked" incarnation, featuring a 75mm crankshaft, 105mm Pistons, and 58mm throttle bodies.
The V-Rod Destroyer is not a street legal motorcycle.
[edit] Environmental record
The Environmental Protection Agency conducted emissions-certification and representative emissions test in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 2005. Subsequently, Harley-Davidson produced an "environmental warranty." The warranty warrants the first and following owners after, that each vehicle is designed and built free of defects in materials and workmanship that cause the vehicle to not meet EPA standards.[68] In 2005, the EPA and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection confirmed Harley-Davidson to be the first corporation to voluntarily enroll in the One Clean-Up Program. This program is designed for the clean-up of the affected soil and groundwater at the former York Naval Ordnance Plant. The program is backed by the state and local government along with participating organizations and corporations.[69]
Tibia (computer game)
Tibia
Developer(s)
CipSoft GmbH
Publisher(s)
CipSoft GmbH
Platform(s)
Windows, Linux
Release date(s)
January 1997, 2-3 updates per year (currently at version 8.31)
Genre(s)
MMORPG
Mode(s)
Multiplayer
Media
Download only (16 MB) for Linux (approx. 16.7 MB)
System requirements
Windows 95/98/ME/XP/2000/Vista or Linux with libc version 5+, 25 MB hard disk space, DirectX 5 or X Window System installed & Hardware accelerated graphics driver (for Linux), Internet access.
Tibia dungeon with some players and creatures.
Tibia is one of the oldest and most successful massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), first released in 1997. It is a free game which is open to the public, though players have the option to pay a fee in order to upgrade to a premium account, granting special in-game benefits, including additional areas to explore, access to vocation promotions, and extra spells.
There are about 700,000 players, mostly from from The Netherlands, Mexico, Brazil, The United States, Poland and Sweden, distributed amongst some 74 servers located in Germany and The United States.
Game play involves advancing levels while training to improve skill levels, hunting monsters using weapons and magical spells, gathering treasure, doing quests and exploring the Tibia world. Players interact with each other in character for conversation, trade and group battles and partake in guilds for more role-playing opportunities. On most of the game's servers, players are also allowed to attack and kill each other, although there is a system in place to keep hostile actions under control called the skull system. Some servers do not allow such player versus player combat at all, while others encourage it by rewarding experience for kills.
Contents[hide]
1 Vocations
1.1 Paladins
1.2 Sorcerers
1.3 Druids
1.4 Knights
2 Development
2.1 Monsters
2.2 Areas
2.3 Vocation Balancing
2.4 Bug Fixes
3 Magic
4 Support and rules
4.1 Cheating
4.2 Tutors
5 References to popular culture
6 See also
7 External links
8 References
//
[edit] Vocations
Vocations are the name Tibia gives to character classes in the game. Like most games, Tibia allows players to specialize, but only once they have reached at least level 8. When they reach level 8, they go to the Island Of Destiny, where they can obtain information about each vocation.
In the game, there are 4 vocations, each with advantages and disadvantages. Premium players can purchase a promotion for their characters vocation once they have reached level 20 or above and they must pay a one-time fee of 20,000 gold pieces in-game. Once a promotion is bought, it will last as long as the player has a premium account. When the premium account is renewed, the player also regains his promotion. The Promotion gives the character various in-game advantages, as well as allowing players to post on the tibia forums.
[edit] Paladins
The Paladin is the most well-rounded vocation in the game, neither gaining much nor sacrificing much in any area. They are noted for their mastery in the art of distance fighting as evidenced by their ability to gain the distance skill faster than any other vocation. Their distance skill increases twice as fast as melee for knights, but gain shielding at the same rate. The paladin is also noted for having a well rounded selection of spells including the devastating "Divine Caldera"(exevo mas san).
The promoted Paladins attain the title of "Royal Paladin" their mana and health regenerate at a much faster rate.
[edit] Sorcerers
Sorcerers are masters in the arcane arts of chaos and destruction. While they lack in every way when it comes to physical combat, they have many damaging instant spells that other classes lack, eventually giving them the strongest attacking power in the game at the expense of longevity. Sorcerers are particularly noted for their arsenal of destructive spells thereby wielding the most powerful attack and Rune magic in the game eg. "Rage of the Skies"(exevo gran mas vis), "Hell's Core"(exevo gran mas flam), "The Sudden Death"(adori gran mort).
The promoted Sorcerers attain the title of "Master Sorcerer" their mana regenerates at a much faster rate.
[edit] Druids
Druids are popular for their unique healing skills. They are the only vocation able to heal other players with an instant spell eg. "Heal Friend" (exura sio "name"), "Mass Healing"(exura gran mas res). Recent updates have increased their ability with attack spells and runes which make them more useful as part of a group. Druids are noted for their control of the ice and earth magics. Druids are also the only vocation which can or make use the Paralyze Rune,and druids are considerate the most fuckers in meele they even can use a knife lol
A promoted Druid is known as an "Elder Druid" their mana regenerates at a much faster rate.
[edit] Knights
The Knight is most proficient when it comes to melee skills. Their selection of spells is limited and their magic level progresses slower than paladins. They are aren't very effective when dealing with magic and runes. Knights gain more health per level than other vocations and are effective at close-quarters combat with their unparalleled melee damage and shielding.
Typically, knights are designated as the blocker in group hunts for the above reasons. Their unique ability to use the "Challenge"(exeta res) spell to draw aggression toward themselves from nearby monsters further makes this even more evident yet they still possess some attack spells eg. "Fierce Beserk"(exori gran), "Groundshaker"(exori mas), "Whirlwind Throw"(exori hur).
When promoted, they become "Elite Knights" their health regenerates at a much faster rate.
All character classes have support spells and only Druids and Sorcerers can summon. There is no level cap in the game.
[edit] Development
Major updates are released every 6 months by CipSoft. Before game updates, test servers are run to find and repair bugs and glitches within the update. These servers are first available for testing to players that hold official positions such as Tutors, Senior Tutors and Gamemasters. The test server is then usually opened to the general Tibian public. Because no permanent change to a player's character occurs on the test server, it is also an opportunity for players to explore, attack and fight in wars, without their main character on a normal server being affected.
[edit] Monsters
Monsters range from the pitiful rat to the mighty demons who ravage the underworld beneath Tibia. Monsters also drop many different types of "loot" such as: Gold peices, potions, armors/weapons, and ECT...
[edit] Areas
New villages and even continents are added constantly allowing players new places to explore. Such places often include monsters unique to that area and new quests to be completed.
[edit] Vocation Balancing
Each of the four vocations are intended to be equally appealing. To try and accomplish this, the vocations are balanced fairly often, adding features and taking away others in order to remove any bias toward one vocation.
[edit] Bug Fixes
Bugs are also repaired in many of the updates in order to not only fix problems in the client, but to also make it more difficult for cheating programs to be used. Also, Cipsoft even makes fun of the hackers and bugs by having event monsters named after the hacks or bugs for players to kill and that drop unique loot.
[edit] Magic
There are two types of magic:
Instant magic - Are magical syntaxes that once casted will consume some mana in order to produce the desired effect.
Rune magic - Magic that is casted while having a rune in your hand.
Spells can be bought from the guild leader of each vocation (Knight, Paladin, Druid, and Sorcerer) which are located in most of the towns.
The power of spells relate directly to the characters level and magic level, more so the latter. The damage of some spells, such as a knight's Berzerk spell, also take into account the skill level of the character.
Magic wands (for Sorcerers) and rods (for Druids) are especially made for mages. With these weapons, they can use their magic points (Mana points) to attack creatures. These wands and rods need a certain level of experience for mages to handle them, as example, at level 8 you get your first free wand/rod, then at levels 13, 19, 22, 26 and 33 you gain the ability to use sequentially stronger ones.
[edit] Support and rules
The Tibian support system is based on a hierarchy of ranks, from lowest to highest: Tutor, Senior Tutor, Gamemaster, and finally Customer Support. Retired gamemasters and long-term tutors may also - with prior invitation by CIPsoft - choose to adopt the title of Senator.
[edit] Cheating
Sharing accounts, selling accounts and using any and all non-official programs such as "Bots" for playing Tibia is considered cheating and may result in harsh bans and instant account deletions for a second offense within 6 months. If your account has been banished or scheduled for deletion, CipSoft propagates that the only recourse is to either create a new character, or if you feel the punishment was not correctly warranted, contact Customer Support directly.
The most frequent form of cheating today is in the form of using "Cave-Bots", which hunt for players without any input, and sharing accounts with one or more other people, allowing for much faster and constant experience and skill gain. Cipsoft has performed various polls on the official website, suggesting future implementations to lessen cheating, but so far, few public announcements and updates have been made on the issue. Screenshots and/or videos, called "TibiaCams", once were used as incentive to investigate cases of severe or otherwise game-altering cheating, though this practice has been unofficially stopped. The reason for this is that the screenshots or videos can be manipulated to show false information.
[edit] Tutors
The role of tutor encompasses a number of duties, including: Answering Questions from the in-game Help Channel and on the Help forum; checking the tutor forum and in-game channels regularly; reporting bugs and bad names.
Following 3 months of active tutorship without a bad/false name/bug report, a tutor is automatically promoted to the position of senior tutor. In addition to the tasks of a tutor, this title brings with it a number of further duties: moderation of the public forums and ability to report inappropriate statements from the public in-game channels.
Eligibility for the tutor position is determined by the outcome of an online multiple-choice test on the official website. All subject matter for this test is game-related and can be found in the guide section of the official website. However this test is only available to players whose accounts fulfill certain conditions. "Tutor Guide". Retrieved on 2008-07-03.
Developer(s)
CipSoft GmbH
Publisher(s)
CipSoft GmbH
Platform(s)
Windows, Linux
Release date(s)
January 1997, 2-3 updates per year (currently at version 8.31)
Genre(s)
MMORPG
Mode(s)
Multiplayer
Media
Download only (16 MB) for Linux (approx. 16.7 MB)
System requirements
Windows 95/98/ME/XP/2000/Vista or Linux with libc version 5+, 25 MB hard disk space, DirectX 5 or X Window System installed & Hardware accelerated graphics driver (for Linux), Internet access.
Tibia dungeon with some players and creatures.
Tibia is one of the oldest and most successful massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), first released in 1997. It is a free game which is open to the public, though players have the option to pay a fee in order to upgrade to a premium account, granting special in-game benefits, including additional areas to explore, access to vocation promotions, and extra spells.
There are about 700,000 players, mostly from from The Netherlands, Mexico, Brazil, The United States, Poland and Sweden, distributed amongst some 74 servers located in Germany and The United States.
Game play involves advancing levels while training to improve skill levels, hunting monsters using weapons and magical spells, gathering treasure, doing quests and exploring the Tibia world. Players interact with each other in character for conversation, trade and group battles and partake in guilds for more role-playing opportunities. On most of the game's servers, players are also allowed to attack and kill each other, although there is a system in place to keep hostile actions under control called the skull system. Some servers do not allow such player versus player combat at all, while others encourage it by rewarding experience for kills.
Contents[hide]
1 Vocations
1.1 Paladins
1.2 Sorcerers
1.3 Druids
1.4 Knights
2 Development
2.1 Monsters
2.2 Areas
2.3 Vocation Balancing
2.4 Bug Fixes
3 Magic
4 Support and rules
4.1 Cheating
4.2 Tutors
5 References to popular culture
6 See also
7 External links
8 References
//
[edit] Vocations
Vocations are the name Tibia gives to character classes in the game. Like most games, Tibia allows players to specialize, but only once they have reached at least level 8. When they reach level 8, they go to the Island Of Destiny, where they can obtain information about each vocation.
In the game, there are 4 vocations, each with advantages and disadvantages. Premium players can purchase a promotion for their characters vocation once they have reached level 20 or above and they must pay a one-time fee of 20,000 gold pieces in-game. Once a promotion is bought, it will last as long as the player has a premium account. When the premium account is renewed, the player also regains his promotion. The Promotion gives the character various in-game advantages, as well as allowing players to post on the tibia forums.
[edit] Paladins
The Paladin is the most well-rounded vocation in the game, neither gaining much nor sacrificing much in any area. They are noted for their mastery in the art of distance fighting as evidenced by their ability to gain the distance skill faster than any other vocation. Their distance skill increases twice as fast as melee for knights, but gain shielding at the same rate. The paladin is also noted for having a well rounded selection of spells including the devastating "Divine Caldera"(exevo mas san).
The promoted Paladins attain the title of "Royal Paladin" their mana and health regenerate at a much faster rate.
[edit] Sorcerers
Sorcerers are masters in the arcane arts of chaos and destruction. While they lack in every way when it comes to physical combat, they have many damaging instant spells that other classes lack, eventually giving them the strongest attacking power in the game at the expense of longevity. Sorcerers are particularly noted for their arsenal of destructive spells thereby wielding the most powerful attack and Rune magic in the game eg. "Rage of the Skies"(exevo gran mas vis), "Hell's Core"(exevo gran mas flam), "The Sudden Death"(adori gran mort).
The promoted Sorcerers attain the title of "Master Sorcerer" their mana regenerates at a much faster rate.
[edit] Druids
Druids are popular for their unique healing skills. They are the only vocation able to heal other players with an instant spell eg. "Heal Friend" (exura sio "name"), "Mass Healing"(exura gran mas res). Recent updates have increased their ability with attack spells and runes which make them more useful as part of a group. Druids are noted for their control of the ice and earth magics. Druids are also the only vocation which can or make use the Paralyze Rune,and druids are considerate the most fuckers in meele they even can use a knife lol
A promoted Druid is known as an "Elder Druid" their mana regenerates at a much faster rate.
[edit] Knights
The Knight is most proficient when it comes to melee skills. Their selection of spells is limited and their magic level progresses slower than paladins. They are aren't very effective when dealing with magic and runes. Knights gain more health per level than other vocations and are effective at close-quarters combat with their unparalleled melee damage and shielding.
Typically, knights are designated as the blocker in group hunts for the above reasons. Their unique ability to use the "Challenge"(exeta res) spell to draw aggression toward themselves from nearby monsters further makes this even more evident yet they still possess some attack spells eg. "Fierce Beserk"(exori gran), "Groundshaker"(exori mas), "Whirlwind Throw"(exori hur).
When promoted, they become "Elite Knights" their health regenerates at a much faster rate.
All character classes have support spells and only Druids and Sorcerers can summon. There is no level cap in the game.
[edit] Development
Major updates are released every 6 months by CipSoft. Before game updates, test servers are run to find and repair bugs and glitches within the update. These servers are first available for testing to players that hold official positions such as Tutors, Senior Tutors and Gamemasters. The test server is then usually opened to the general Tibian public. Because no permanent change to a player's character occurs on the test server, it is also an opportunity for players to explore, attack and fight in wars, without their main character on a normal server being affected.
[edit] Monsters
Monsters range from the pitiful rat to the mighty demons who ravage the underworld beneath Tibia. Monsters also drop many different types of "loot" such as: Gold peices, potions, armors/weapons, and ECT...
[edit] Areas
New villages and even continents are added constantly allowing players new places to explore. Such places often include monsters unique to that area and new quests to be completed.
[edit] Vocation Balancing
Each of the four vocations are intended to be equally appealing. To try and accomplish this, the vocations are balanced fairly often, adding features and taking away others in order to remove any bias toward one vocation.
[edit] Bug Fixes
Bugs are also repaired in many of the updates in order to not only fix problems in the client, but to also make it more difficult for cheating programs to be used. Also, Cipsoft even makes fun of the hackers and bugs by having event monsters named after the hacks or bugs for players to kill and that drop unique loot.
[edit] Magic
There are two types of magic:
Instant magic - Are magical syntaxes that once casted will consume some mana in order to produce the desired effect.
Rune magic - Magic that is casted while having a rune in your hand.
Spells can be bought from the guild leader of each vocation (Knight, Paladin, Druid, and Sorcerer) which are located in most of the towns.
The power of spells relate directly to the characters level and magic level, more so the latter. The damage of some spells, such as a knight's Berzerk spell, also take into account the skill level of the character.
Magic wands (for Sorcerers) and rods (for Druids) are especially made for mages. With these weapons, they can use their magic points (Mana points) to attack creatures. These wands and rods need a certain level of experience for mages to handle them, as example, at level 8 you get your first free wand/rod, then at levels 13, 19, 22, 26 and 33 you gain the ability to use sequentially stronger ones.
[edit] Support and rules
The Tibian support system is based on a hierarchy of ranks, from lowest to highest: Tutor, Senior Tutor, Gamemaster, and finally Customer Support. Retired gamemasters and long-term tutors may also - with prior invitation by CIPsoft - choose to adopt the title of Senator.
[edit] Cheating
Sharing accounts, selling accounts and using any and all non-official programs such as "Bots" for playing Tibia is considered cheating and may result in harsh bans and instant account deletions for a second offense within 6 months. If your account has been banished or scheduled for deletion, CipSoft propagates that the only recourse is to either create a new character, or if you feel the punishment was not correctly warranted, contact Customer Support directly.
The most frequent form of cheating today is in the form of using "Cave-Bots", which hunt for players without any input, and sharing accounts with one or more other people, allowing for much faster and constant experience and skill gain. Cipsoft has performed various polls on the official website, suggesting future implementations to lessen cheating, but so far, few public announcements and updates have been made on the issue. Screenshots and/or videos, called "TibiaCams", once were used as incentive to investigate cases of severe or otherwise game-altering cheating, though this practice has been unofficially stopped. The reason for this is that the screenshots or videos can be manipulated to show false information.
[edit] Tutors
The role of tutor encompasses a number of duties, including: Answering Questions from the in-game Help Channel and on the Help forum; checking the tutor forum and in-game channels regularly; reporting bugs and bad names.
Following 3 months of active tutorship without a bad/false name/bug report, a tutor is automatically promoted to the position of senior tutor. In addition to the tasks of a tutor, this title brings with it a number of further duties: moderation of the public forums and ability to report inappropriate statements from the public in-game channels.
Eligibility for the tutor position is determined by the outcome of an online multiple-choice test on the official website. All subject matter for this test is game-related and can be found in the guide section of the official website. However this test is only available to players whose accounts fulfill certain conditions. "Tutor Guide". Retrieved on 2008-07-03.
House of Fabergé
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Faberge)
Jump to: navigation, search
"Fabergé" redirects here. For other uses, see Fabergé (disambiguation).
The House of Fabergé is a jewellery firm founded in 1842 in Imperial Russia famed for designing elaborate jewel-encrusted Fabergé Eggs for the Russian Tsars[1]. Since January 2007 the Fabergé brand has been under the ownership of Fabergé Ltd[2].
In 1842 Fabergé opened for business in a basement shop in the capital’s fashionable Bolshaia Morskaia. Later in that year Gustav married Charlotte Jungstedt, the daughter of Carl Jungstedt, an artist of Danish origin. In 1846 the couple had a son, Peter Carl Fabergé, popularly known as Carl Fabergé.
Contents[hide]
1 Early years
1.1 Launch of Fabergé
1.2 Carl Fabergé
2 Rise to Prominence
2.1 The Imperial Easter Eggs
2.2 Other Fabergé Creations
2.3 Continued Expansion
3 After the Revolution
4 Post-World War II
5 Fabergé in the 21st Century
6 Fabergé Jewellery Today
7 External links
8 References
//
[edit] Early years
The Fabergé family can be traced back to 17th century France, then under the name Favri. The Favris lived at the village of La Bouteille in the Picardy region of northern France. However, they fled the country during or shortly after 1685 because of religious persecution. An estimated fellow 250,000 Huguenots, as the movement of French Protestants was known, also became fugitives[citation needed].
Papers in the Fabergé Family Archives reveal that during the family's progress eastwards through Europe the family’s name changed progressively from Favri through Favry, Fabri, Fabrier and then to Faberge without an accent. At Schwedt-on-Oder northeast of Berlin in the second half of the 18th century a Jean Favri (subsequently Favry) is known to have been employed as a tobacco planter. By 1800 an artisan called Pierre Favry (later Peter Fabrier), had settled in Pärnu in the Baltic province of Livonia (now Estonia). A Gustav Fabrier was born there in 1814. By 1825 the family’s name had evolved to Faberge.
In the 1830s, Gustav Faberge moved to St. Petersburg, the capital of Russia, to train as a goldsmith under Andreas Ferdinand Spiegel, who specialised in making gold boxes. Later he continued his training with the celebrated firm of Keibel, goldsmiths and jewellers to the Tsars. In 1841, his apprenticeship over, Gustav Faberge earned the title of Master Goldsmith.
[edit] Launch of Fabergé
In 1842 Gustav Faberge opened his own retail jewelry. The addition of the accent may have been an attempt to give the name a more explicitly French character, appealing to the Russian nobility's francophilia. French was the language of the Russian Court and the urban nobility, and closely associated with luxury goods.
In 1842 Fabergé opened for business in a basement shop in the capital’s fashionable Bolshaia Morskaia. Later in that year Gustav married Charlotte Jungstedt, the daughter of Carl Jungstedt, an artist of Danish origin. In 1846 the couple had a son, Peter Carl Fabergé, popularly known as Carl Fabergé.
[edit] Carl Fabergé
Carl Fabergé was educated at the Gymnasium of St Anne’s. This was a fashionable establishment for the sons of the affluent middle classes and the lower echelons of the nobility, providing an indication of the success of his father's business. Gustav Fabergé retired to Dresden in 1860 leaving the firm in the hands of managers oustide of the Fabergé family while his son continued his education. The young Carl undertook a business course at the Dresden Handelsschule. At the age of 18 he embarked on a Grand Tour. He received tuition from respected goldsmiths in Germany, France and England, attended a course at Schloss’s Commercial College in Paris and viewed the objects in the galleries of Europe’s leading museums.
Carl returned to St Petersburg in 1872 aged 26 years. For the following 10 years, his father’s Workmaster Hiskias Pendin acted as his mentor and tutor. In 1881, the company moved to larger street-level premises at 16/18 Bolshaia Morskaia. Following Pendin’s death in 1882, Carl took over the running of the firm. Three other significant events happened that year. He was awarded the title of Master Goldsmith. Agathon Fabergé, his younger brother by 16 years, joined the business. While Agathon’s education was restricted to Dresden, he was noted as a talented designer that provided the business with fresh impetus, until his death 13 years later.
[edit] Rise to Prominence
Following Carl’s involvement with repairing and restoring objects in the Hermitage Museum, the firm was invited to exhibit at the Pan-Russian Exhibition in Moscow. One of the Fabergé pieces displayed at the Pan-Russian Exhibition was a replica of a 4th century BC gold bangle from the Scythian Treasure in the Hermitage Museum. Tsar Alexander III declared that he could not distinguish Fabergé’s work from the original. He ordered that specimens of work by the House of Fabergé should be displayed in the Hermitage Museum as examples of superb contemporary Russian craftsmanship. In 1885 the House of Fabergé was bestowed with the coveted title "Goldsmith by special appointment to the Imperial Crown" beginning an association with the Russian Tsars.
[edit] The Imperial Easter Eggs
Main article: Fabergé egg
The Moscow Kremlin egg, 1906
In 1885 Tsar Alexander III commissioned the House of Fabergé to make an Easter Egg as a gift for his wife, the Empress Maria Fedorovna. Its ‘shell’ is enamelled on gold to represent a normal hen’s egg. This pulls apart to reveal a gold yolk, which in turn opens to produce a gold chicken that also opens to reveal a replica of the Imperial Crown from which a miniature ruby egg was suspended. Although the Crown and the miniature egg have been lost, the rest of the Hen Egg as it is known is now in the collection of Victor Vekselberg.
The tradition of the Tsar giving his Empress a surprise Easter Egg by Carl Fabergé continued. From 1887 it appears that Carl Fabergé was given complete freedom as to the design of the Imperial Easter Eggs as they became more elaborate. According to the Fabergé Family tradition, not even the Tsar knew what egg form they would take: the only stipulation was that each one should contain a surprise. The House of Fabergé completed 54 Imperial Eggs for Alexander III to present to his Empress and for Nicholas II to present to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Fedorovna and his wife the Empress Alexandra Fedorovna[3]. Of these, 42 have survived. The Eggs for 1917 were never completed, but have been discovered in recent years.
[edit] Other Fabergé Creations
The House of Fabergé also stocked a full range of jewellery and other ornamental objects. There were enamelled gold and silver gilt, as well as wooden photograph frames; carved hardstone figures of people, birds and animals; vases of flowers crafted in hardstones and precious metals, some perhaps enhanced by precious stones; gold and silver boxes; desk sets and timepieces[2][citation needed]. Quality was assured by every article made being approved by Carl Fabergé, or in his absence by his eldest son Eugène, before it was placed into stock. The minutest of faults would result in rejection.
[edit] Continued Expansion
The House of Fabergé won international awards and became Russia’s largest jewellery firm employing some 500 craftsmen and designers. In the early 20th century the HQ of the House of Fabergé moved to a purpose-built four storey building in Bolshaia Morskaia. Branches were also opened in Moscow, Odessa, Kiev and London. From England, the company made annual visits to the Far East.
[edit] After the Revolution
The House of Fabergé was nationalised by the Bolsheviks in 1918. In early October, Carl Fabergé left St Petersburg on the last diplomatic train for Riga. The revolution in Latvia started in the middle of the following month and Carl was again fleeing for his life to Germany, first to Bad Homburg and then to Wiesbaden. The Bolsheviks imprisoned his sons Agathon and Alexander. Initially Agathon was released to value the valuables seized from the Imperial family, the aristocrats, wealthy merchants and Fabergé amongst other jewellers. He was re-imprisoned when the Bolsheviks found it difficult to sell this treasure at Agathon’s valuations. With Europe awash with Russian jewells, prices had fallen. Madame Fabergé and her eldest son Eugène avoided capture by escaping under the cover of darkness through the snow-covered woods by sleigh and on foot. Towards the end of December 1918 they had crossed the border into the safety of Finland.
Meanwhile Carl Fabergé was in Germany and became seriously ill. Eugène reached Wiesbaden in June 1920 and accompanied his father to Switzerland where other members of the family had taken refuge. Carl Fabergé died in Lausanne on September 24th 1920. His wife died in January 1925. Although Alexander managed to escape from prison when a friend bribed guards, Agathon did not succeed in making his escape from the USSR until 1927.
[edit] Post-World War II
The Fabergé Family remained scattered following the Revolution[1]. Both Eugène and Alexander settled in Paris and established Fabergé & Cie, which traded in and restored objects made by the House of Fabergé as well as general jewellery. After World War II, they learnt that during 1937 in the United States, Sam Rubin had established Fabergé Inc and was manufacturing perfume under the Fabergé name. It was later discovered that he had also registered the Fabergé trademark for jewellery. Unable to afford protracted and expensive litigation, the Fabergé Family settled out of court for US $25,000 in 1951[1], with the stipulation that the Fabergé name was to be used solely in connection with perfume. Sam Rubin sold Fabergé Inc. in 1964 for US $26 million. The company passed through various hands until Unilever purchased it in 1989 for US $1.55 billion [1]. Unilever soon discovered that it could use Fabergé trademarks in connection with jewellery. The company registered the Fabergé name as a trademark across a wide range of merchandise internationally and granted licenses to third parties to make and sell a range of products under the Fabergé name.
In 1989, Fabergé Inc. appointed the Pforzheim jeweler Victor Mayer as the exclusive worldwide Fabergé workmaster. The company produces heirloom-quality Fabergé jewellery and Fabergé eggs. Fabergé expert Geza von Habsburg writes in his 2005 publication[1] "Today Fabergé (Workmaster Victor Mayer) has recaptured its place among the most successful international jewellers, continuing a famous tradition of German craftsmanship reaching back through the centuries."
In 2004 German based jeweller Mohr Time in conjunction with Fabergě Workmaster Victor Mayer secured the licence to produce a high end line of Fabergé wrist watches.
[edit] Fabergé in the 21st Century
On January 3rd 2007 Unilever sold its entire global portfolio of trademarks, licences and associated rights relating to the Fabergé brand. The new owner is Cayman Islands-based Fabergé Limited, which is majority-owned by a consortium of investors advised by Pallinghurst Resources LLP, an investment advisory firm based in London and chaired by Brian Gilbertson, the former CEO of BHP-Billiton plc, the world's largest mining company[2].
The new owners have two aims for Fabergé. The first is to restore Fabergé as an exclusive luxury goods brand dedicated to Fabergé’s heritage by focussing on the highest standards of design and craftsmanship. The second is to create a supplier of individually branded Fabergé gemstones which guarantees exact provenance and ethical sourcing of the stones.
Fabergé Limited has recruited a specialist team from the luxury goods sector in order to achieve these objectives. Mark Dunhill, the former President of Alfred Dunhill Limited, became Fabergé Limited's CEO on November 1st 2007[1]. Sarah and Tatiana Faberge, the last direct descendants of Carl Fabergé, have been employed by Fabergé Limited to advise on Fabergé style and history[1][2].
The first step in securing a supply of gemstones will involve the use of emeralds from the Kagem mine in Zambia. The Kagem mine is now owned by Gemfields Resources plc, another investment that is majority owned by investors advised by Pallinghurst Resources LLP, since the reverse takeover of Gemfields took place in June 2008.
Pallinghurst Resources LLP have also alluded to the possible creation of a diamond brand in conjunction with Russia's Alrosa in the future. The idea involves deploying the Fabergé brand name on the best quality diamonds produced by Alrosa. Alrosa accounts for 97 percent of Russia’s diamond production and 25 percent of global diamond output. In 2005, the group sold $2.86 billion worth of core products, including $142.6 million worth of diamonds.
[edit] Fabergé Jewellery Today
On November 27th, 2007 The Rothschild Fabergé Egg was auctioned at Christie's (London) in £ 9,000,000. The Rothschild Fabergé Egg became the highest price ever paid for a Russian jewelry item, as well as the most expensive jewelry clock in the world to date[4].
(Redirected from Faberge)
Jump to: navigation, search
"Fabergé" redirects here. For other uses, see Fabergé (disambiguation).
The House of Fabergé is a jewellery firm founded in 1842 in Imperial Russia famed for designing elaborate jewel-encrusted Fabergé Eggs for the Russian Tsars[1]. Since January 2007 the Fabergé brand has been under the ownership of Fabergé Ltd[2].
In 1842 Fabergé opened for business in a basement shop in the capital’s fashionable Bolshaia Morskaia. Later in that year Gustav married Charlotte Jungstedt, the daughter of Carl Jungstedt, an artist of Danish origin. In 1846 the couple had a son, Peter Carl Fabergé, popularly known as Carl Fabergé.
Contents[hide]
1 Early years
1.1 Launch of Fabergé
1.2 Carl Fabergé
2 Rise to Prominence
2.1 The Imperial Easter Eggs
2.2 Other Fabergé Creations
2.3 Continued Expansion
3 After the Revolution
4 Post-World War II
5 Fabergé in the 21st Century
6 Fabergé Jewellery Today
7 External links
8 References
//
[edit] Early years
The Fabergé family can be traced back to 17th century France, then under the name Favri. The Favris lived at the village of La Bouteille in the Picardy region of northern France. However, they fled the country during or shortly after 1685 because of religious persecution. An estimated fellow 250,000 Huguenots, as the movement of French Protestants was known, also became fugitives[citation needed].
Papers in the Fabergé Family Archives reveal that during the family's progress eastwards through Europe the family’s name changed progressively from Favri through Favry, Fabri, Fabrier and then to Faberge without an accent. At Schwedt-on-Oder northeast of Berlin in the second half of the 18th century a Jean Favri (subsequently Favry) is known to have been employed as a tobacco planter. By 1800 an artisan called Pierre Favry (later Peter Fabrier), had settled in Pärnu in the Baltic province of Livonia (now Estonia). A Gustav Fabrier was born there in 1814. By 1825 the family’s name had evolved to Faberge.
In the 1830s, Gustav Faberge moved to St. Petersburg, the capital of Russia, to train as a goldsmith under Andreas Ferdinand Spiegel, who specialised in making gold boxes. Later he continued his training with the celebrated firm of Keibel, goldsmiths and jewellers to the Tsars. In 1841, his apprenticeship over, Gustav Faberge earned the title of Master Goldsmith.
[edit] Launch of Fabergé
In 1842 Gustav Faberge opened his own retail jewelry. The addition of the accent may have been an attempt to give the name a more explicitly French character, appealing to the Russian nobility's francophilia. French was the language of the Russian Court and the urban nobility, and closely associated with luxury goods.
In 1842 Fabergé opened for business in a basement shop in the capital’s fashionable Bolshaia Morskaia. Later in that year Gustav married Charlotte Jungstedt, the daughter of Carl Jungstedt, an artist of Danish origin. In 1846 the couple had a son, Peter Carl Fabergé, popularly known as Carl Fabergé.
[edit] Carl Fabergé
Carl Fabergé was educated at the Gymnasium of St Anne’s. This was a fashionable establishment for the sons of the affluent middle classes and the lower echelons of the nobility, providing an indication of the success of his father's business. Gustav Fabergé retired to Dresden in 1860 leaving the firm in the hands of managers oustide of the Fabergé family while his son continued his education. The young Carl undertook a business course at the Dresden Handelsschule. At the age of 18 he embarked on a Grand Tour. He received tuition from respected goldsmiths in Germany, France and England, attended a course at Schloss’s Commercial College in Paris and viewed the objects in the galleries of Europe’s leading museums.
Carl returned to St Petersburg in 1872 aged 26 years. For the following 10 years, his father’s Workmaster Hiskias Pendin acted as his mentor and tutor. In 1881, the company moved to larger street-level premises at 16/18 Bolshaia Morskaia. Following Pendin’s death in 1882, Carl took over the running of the firm. Three other significant events happened that year. He was awarded the title of Master Goldsmith. Agathon Fabergé, his younger brother by 16 years, joined the business. While Agathon’s education was restricted to Dresden, he was noted as a talented designer that provided the business with fresh impetus, until his death 13 years later.
[edit] Rise to Prominence
Following Carl’s involvement with repairing and restoring objects in the Hermitage Museum, the firm was invited to exhibit at the Pan-Russian Exhibition in Moscow. One of the Fabergé pieces displayed at the Pan-Russian Exhibition was a replica of a 4th century BC gold bangle from the Scythian Treasure in the Hermitage Museum. Tsar Alexander III declared that he could not distinguish Fabergé’s work from the original. He ordered that specimens of work by the House of Fabergé should be displayed in the Hermitage Museum as examples of superb contemporary Russian craftsmanship. In 1885 the House of Fabergé was bestowed with the coveted title "Goldsmith by special appointment to the Imperial Crown" beginning an association with the Russian Tsars.
[edit] The Imperial Easter Eggs
Main article: Fabergé egg
The Moscow Kremlin egg, 1906
In 1885 Tsar Alexander III commissioned the House of Fabergé to make an Easter Egg as a gift for his wife, the Empress Maria Fedorovna. Its ‘shell’ is enamelled on gold to represent a normal hen’s egg. This pulls apart to reveal a gold yolk, which in turn opens to produce a gold chicken that also opens to reveal a replica of the Imperial Crown from which a miniature ruby egg was suspended. Although the Crown and the miniature egg have been lost, the rest of the Hen Egg as it is known is now in the collection of Victor Vekselberg.
The tradition of the Tsar giving his Empress a surprise Easter Egg by Carl Fabergé continued. From 1887 it appears that Carl Fabergé was given complete freedom as to the design of the Imperial Easter Eggs as they became more elaborate. According to the Fabergé Family tradition, not even the Tsar knew what egg form they would take: the only stipulation was that each one should contain a surprise. The House of Fabergé completed 54 Imperial Eggs for Alexander III to present to his Empress and for Nicholas II to present to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Fedorovna and his wife the Empress Alexandra Fedorovna[3]. Of these, 42 have survived. The Eggs for 1917 were never completed, but have been discovered in recent years.
[edit] Other Fabergé Creations
The House of Fabergé also stocked a full range of jewellery and other ornamental objects. There were enamelled gold and silver gilt, as well as wooden photograph frames; carved hardstone figures of people, birds and animals; vases of flowers crafted in hardstones and precious metals, some perhaps enhanced by precious stones; gold and silver boxes; desk sets and timepieces[2][citation needed]. Quality was assured by every article made being approved by Carl Fabergé, or in his absence by his eldest son Eugène, before it was placed into stock. The minutest of faults would result in rejection.
[edit] Continued Expansion
The House of Fabergé won international awards and became Russia’s largest jewellery firm employing some 500 craftsmen and designers. In the early 20th century the HQ of the House of Fabergé moved to a purpose-built four storey building in Bolshaia Morskaia. Branches were also opened in Moscow, Odessa, Kiev and London. From England, the company made annual visits to the Far East.
[edit] After the Revolution
The House of Fabergé was nationalised by the Bolsheviks in 1918. In early October, Carl Fabergé left St Petersburg on the last diplomatic train for Riga. The revolution in Latvia started in the middle of the following month and Carl was again fleeing for his life to Germany, first to Bad Homburg and then to Wiesbaden. The Bolsheviks imprisoned his sons Agathon and Alexander. Initially Agathon was released to value the valuables seized from the Imperial family, the aristocrats, wealthy merchants and Fabergé amongst other jewellers. He was re-imprisoned when the Bolsheviks found it difficult to sell this treasure at Agathon’s valuations. With Europe awash with Russian jewells, prices had fallen. Madame Fabergé and her eldest son Eugène avoided capture by escaping under the cover of darkness through the snow-covered woods by sleigh and on foot. Towards the end of December 1918 they had crossed the border into the safety of Finland.
Meanwhile Carl Fabergé was in Germany and became seriously ill. Eugène reached Wiesbaden in June 1920 and accompanied his father to Switzerland where other members of the family had taken refuge. Carl Fabergé died in Lausanne on September 24th 1920. His wife died in January 1925. Although Alexander managed to escape from prison when a friend bribed guards, Agathon did not succeed in making his escape from the USSR until 1927.
[edit] Post-World War II
The Fabergé Family remained scattered following the Revolution[1]. Both Eugène and Alexander settled in Paris and established Fabergé & Cie, which traded in and restored objects made by the House of Fabergé as well as general jewellery. After World War II, they learnt that during 1937 in the United States, Sam Rubin had established Fabergé Inc and was manufacturing perfume under the Fabergé name. It was later discovered that he had also registered the Fabergé trademark for jewellery. Unable to afford protracted and expensive litigation, the Fabergé Family settled out of court for US $25,000 in 1951[1], with the stipulation that the Fabergé name was to be used solely in connection with perfume. Sam Rubin sold Fabergé Inc. in 1964 for US $26 million. The company passed through various hands until Unilever purchased it in 1989 for US $1.55 billion [1]. Unilever soon discovered that it could use Fabergé trademarks in connection with jewellery. The company registered the Fabergé name as a trademark across a wide range of merchandise internationally and granted licenses to third parties to make and sell a range of products under the Fabergé name.
In 1989, Fabergé Inc. appointed the Pforzheim jeweler Victor Mayer as the exclusive worldwide Fabergé workmaster. The company produces heirloom-quality Fabergé jewellery and Fabergé eggs. Fabergé expert Geza von Habsburg writes in his 2005 publication[1] "Today Fabergé (Workmaster Victor Mayer) has recaptured its place among the most successful international jewellers, continuing a famous tradition of German craftsmanship reaching back through the centuries."
In 2004 German based jeweller Mohr Time in conjunction with Fabergě Workmaster Victor Mayer secured the licence to produce a high end line of Fabergé wrist watches.
[edit] Fabergé in the 21st Century
On January 3rd 2007 Unilever sold its entire global portfolio of trademarks, licences and associated rights relating to the Fabergé brand. The new owner is Cayman Islands-based Fabergé Limited, which is majority-owned by a consortium of investors advised by Pallinghurst Resources LLP, an investment advisory firm based in London and chaired by Brian Gilbertson, the former CEO of BHP-Billiton plc, the world's largest mining company[2].
The new owners have two aims for Fabergé. The first is to restore Fabergé as an exclusive luxury goods brand dedicated to Fabergé’s heritage by focussing on the highest standards of design and craftsmanship. The second is to create a supplier of individually branded Fabergé gemstones which guarantees exact provenance and ethical sourcing of the stones.
Fabergé Limited has recruited a specialist team from the luxury goods sector in order to achieve these objectives. Mark Dunhill, the former President of Alfred Dunhill Limited, became Fabergé Limited's CEO on November 1st 2007[1]. Sarah and Tatiana Faberge, the last direct descendants of Carl Fabergé, have been employed by Fabergé Limited to advise on Fabergé style and history[1][2].
The first step in securing a supply of gemstones will involve the use of emeralds from the Kagem mine in Zambia. The Kagem mine is now owned by Gemfields Resources plc, another investment that is majority owned by investors advised by Pallinghurst Resources LLP, since the reverse takeover of Gemfields took place in June 2008.
Pallinghurst Resources LLP have also alluded to the possible creation of a diamond brand in conjunction with Russia's Alrosa in the future. The idea involves deploying the Fabergé brand name on the best quality diamonds produced by Alrosa. Alrosa accounts for 97 percent of Russia’s diamond production and 25 percent of global diamond output. In 2005, the group sold $2.86 billion worth of core products, including $142.6 million worth of diamonds.
[edit] Fabergé Jewellery Today
On November 27th, 2007 The Rothschild Fabergé Egg was auctioned at Christie's (London) in £ 9,000,000. The Rothschild Fabergé Egg became the highest price ever paid for a Russian jewelry item, as well as the most expensive jewelry clock in the world to date[4].
Monday, October 20, 2008
Hack (technology)
Hack has several meanings in the technology and computer science fields. It may refer to a clever or quick fix to a computer program problem, or to a clumsy or inelegant solution to a problem. The term is also used to refer to a modification of a program or device to give the user access to features that were otherwise unavailable, such as DIY circuit bending. The general media also uses this term to describe the act of illegally breaking into a computer, better described as cracking.
Origin of term
All of the modern meanings seem to be rooted in its widespread use as slang throughout the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), starting in the 1960s. There, the original meaning of "hack" was a quick, elaborate and/or bodged solution students devised for a technical obstacle; it was used with hacker, meaning one who discovers and implements a hack. The word itself comes from the German word meaning "someone who makes furniture with an axe",[1] implying a lack of finesse in a "hack"; it is believed by many in the hacking community that the reason for this is because programs too large to run on the limited computer resources of the time had portions "chopped" or "hacked" out in order to be reduced to a more reasonable size.
See: MIT hacks
Over time, the meaning of the word there was expanded, perhaps through contact with the amateur radio community. It came to mean either a kludge, or the opposite of a kludge, as in a clever or elegant solution to a difficult problem. In the term "hack value" it also acquired a meaning of anything that was simultaneously fun and clever.
The initial hacker community at MIT, particularly those associated with the Tech Model Railroad Club, applied this pre-existing local slang to computer programming, producing the variant which first came into common use outside MIT.
[edit] History
The term "hack" was first used by US university computing center staff in the mid-1960s. The context determined whether the complimentary or derogatory meanings were implied. Phrases such as "ugly hack" or "quick hack" generally referred to the latter meaning; phrases such as "cool hack" or "neat hack", to the former. In modern computer programming, a "hack" can refer to a solution or method which functions correctly but which is "ugly" in its concept, which works outside the accepted structures and norms of the environment, or which is not easily extendable or maintainable (see kludge). The jargon used by hackers is called Hackish (see the Jargon file). This should not be confused with "1337" or "leetspeak."
In a similar vein, a "hack" may refer to works outside of computer programming. For example, a math hack means a clever solution to a mathematical problem. The GNU General Public License has been described as a copyright hack because it cleverly uses the copyright laws for a purpose the lawmakers did not foresee. All of these uses now also seem to be spreading beyond MIT as well.
On many internet websites and in everyday language the word "hack" can be slang for "copy", "imitation" or "rip-off."
The term has since acquired an additional and now more common meaning, since approximately the 1980s; this more modern definition was initially associated with crackers. This growing use of the term "hack" is to refer to a program that (sometimes illegally) modifies another program, often a computer game, giving the user access to features otherwise inaccessible to them. As an example of this use, for Palm OS users (until the 4th iteration of this operating system), a "hack" refers to an extension of the operating system which provides additional functionality. The general media also uses this term to describe the act of illegally breaking into a computer, but this meaning is disputed.
The term is additionally used by electronics hobbyists to refer to simple modifications to electronic hardware such as a graphing calculators, video game consoles, electronic musical keyboards or other device (see CueCat for a notorious example) to expose or add functionality to a device that was unintended for use by end users by the company who created it. A number of techno musicians have modified 1980s-era Casio SK-1 sampling keyboards to create unusual sounds by doing circuit bending: connecting wires to different leads of the integrated circuit chips. The results of these DIY experiments range from opening up previously inaccessible features that were part of the chip design to producing the strange, disharmonic digital tones that became part of the techno music style.
Companies take different attitudes towards such practices, ranging from open acceptance (such as Texas Instruments for its graphing calculators and Lego for its Lego Mindstorms robotics gear) to outright hostility (such as Microsoft's attempts to lock out Xbox hackers or the DRM routines on Blu-ray Disc players designed to sabotage compromised players).
[edit] Computer security hackers
Main article: Hacker (computer security)
In computer security, a hacker is someone who focuses on security mechanisms of computer and network systems. While including those who endeavor to strengthen such mechanisms, it is more often used by the mass media and popular culture to refer to those who seek access despite these security measures. That is, the media portrays the 'hacker' as a villain. Nevertheless, parts of the subculture see their aim in correcting security problems and use the word in a positive sense. They operate under a code, which acknowledges that breaking into other people's computers is bad, but that discovering and exploiting security mechanisms and breaking into computers is still an interesting activity that can be done ethically and legally. Accordingly, the term bears strong connotations that are favorable or pejorative, depending on the context.
The subculture around such hackers is termed network hacker subculture, hacker scene or computer underground. It initially developed in the context of phreaking during the 1960s and the microcomputer BBS scene of the 1980s. It is implicated with 2600: The Hacker Quarterly and the alt.2600 newsgroup.
By 1983, hacking in the sense of breaking computer security had already been in use as computer jargon,[15] but there was no public awareness about such activities.[16] However, the release of the movie WarGames that year raised the public belief that computer security hackers (especially teenagers) could be a threat to national security. This concern became real when a gang of teenage hackers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin known as The 414s broke into computer systems throughout the United States and Canada, including those of Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Security Pacific Bank. The case quickly grew media attention,[17][10] and 17-year-old Neal Patrick emerged as the spokesman for the gang, including a cover story in Newsweek entitled "Beware: Hackers at play", with Patrick's photograph on the cover.[11] The Newsweek article appears to be the first use of the word hacker by the mainstream media in the pejorative sense.
As a result of news coverage, congressman Dan Glickman called for an investigation and new laws about computer hacking.[18] Neal Patrick testified before the U.S. House of Representatives on September 26, 1983 about the dangers of computer hacking, and six bills concerning computer crime were introduced in the House that year.[19] As a result of these laws against computer criminality, white hat, grey hat and black hat hackers try to distinguish themselves from each other, depending on the legality of their activities.
Origin of term
All of the modern meanings seem to be rooted in its widespread use as slang throughout the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), starting in the 1960s. There, the original meaning of "hack" was a quick, elaborate and/or bodged solution students devised for a technical obstacle; it was used with hacker, meaning one who discovers and implements a hack. The word itself comes from the German word meaning "someone who makes furniture with an axe",[1] implying a lack of finesse in a "hack"; it is believed by many in the hacking community that the reason for this is because programs too large to run on the limited computer resources of the time had portions "chopped" or "hacked" out in order to be reduced to a more reasonable size.
See: MIT hacks
Over time, the meaning of the word there was expanded, perhaps through contact with the amateur radio community. It came to mean either a kludge, or the opposite of a kludge, as in a clever or elegant solution to a difficult problem. In the term "hack value" it also acquired a meaning of anything that was simultaneously fun and clever.
The initial hacker community at MIT, particularly those associated with the Tech Model Railroad Club, applied this pre-existing local slang to computer programming, producing the variant which first came into common use outside MIT.
[edit] History
The term "hack" was first used by US university computing center staff in the mid-1960s. The context determined whether the complimentary or derogatory meanings were implied. Phrases such as "ugly hack" or "quick hack" generally referred to the latter meaning; phrases such as "cool hack" or "neat hack", to the former. In modern computer programming, a "hack" can refer to a solution or method which functions correctly but which is "ugly" in its concept, which works outside the accepted structures and norms of the environment, or which is not easily extendable or maintainable (see kludge). The jargon used by hackers is called Hackish (see the Jargon file). This should not be confused with "1337" or "leetspeak."
In a similar vein, a "hack" may refer to works outside of computer programming. For example, a math hack means a clever solution to a mathematical problem. The GNU General Public License has been described as a copyright hack because it cleverly uses the copyright laws for a purpose the lawmakers did not foresee. All of these uses now also seem to be spreading beyond MIT as well.
On many internet websites and in everyday language the word "hack" can be slang for "copy", "imitation" or "rip-off."
The term has since acquired an additional and now more common meaning, since approximately the 1980s; this more modern definition was initially associated with crackers. This growing use of the term "hack" is to refer to a program that (sometimes illegally) modifies another program, often a computer game, giving the user access to features otherwise inaccessible to them. As an example of this use, for Palm OS users (until the 4th iteration of this operating system), a "hack" refers to an extension of the operating system which provides additional functionality. The general media also uses this term to describe the act of illegally breaking into a computer, but this meaning is disputed.
The term is additionally used by electronics hobbyists to refer to simple modifications to electronic hardware such as a graphing calculators, video game consoles, electronic musical keyboards or other device (see CueCat for a notorious example) to expose or add functionality to a device that was unintended for use by end users by the company who created it. A number of techno musicians have modified 1980s-era Casio SK-1 sampling keyboards to create unusual sounds by doing circuit bending: connecting wires to different leads of the integrated circuit chips. The results of these DIY experiments range from opening up previously inaccessible features that were part of the chip design to producing the strange, disharmonic digital tones that became part of the techno music style.
Companies take different attitudes towards such practices, ranging from open acceptance (such as Texas Instruments for its graphing calculators and Lego for its Lego Mindstorms robotics gear) to outright hostility (such as Microsoft's attempts to lock out Xbox hackers or the DRM routines on Blu-ray Disc players designed to sabotage compromised players).
[edit] Computer security hackers
Main article: Hacker (computer security)
In computer security, a hacker is someone who focuses on security mechanisms of computer and network systems. While including those who endeavor to strengthen such mechanisms, it is more often used by the mass media and popular culture to refer to those who seek access despite these security measures. That is, the media portrays the 'hacker' as a villain. Nevertheless, parts of the subculture see their aim in correcting security problems and use the word in a positive sense. They operate under a code, which acknowledges that breaking into other people's computers is bad, but that discovering and exploiting security mechanisms and breaking into computers is still an interesting activity that can be done ethically and legally. Accordingly, the term bears strong connotations that are favorable or pejorative, depending on the context.
The subculture around such hackers is termed network hacker subculture, hacker scene or computer underground. It initially developed in the context of phreaking during the 1960s and the microcomputer BBS scene of the 1980s. It is implicated with 2600: The Hacker Quarterly and the alt.2600 newsgroup.
By 1983, hacking in the sense of breaking computer security had already been in use as computer jargon,[15] but there was no public awareness about such activities.[16] However, the release of the movie WarGames that year raised the public belief that computer security hackers (especially teenagers) could be a threat to national security. This concern became real when a gang of teenage hackers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin known as The 414s broke into computer systems throughout the United States and Canada, including those of Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Security Pacific Bank. The case quickly grew media attention,[17][10] and 17-year-old Neal Patrick emerged as the spokesman for the gang, including a cover story in Newsweek entitled "Beware: Hackers at play", with Patrick's photograph on the cover.[11] The Newsweek article appears to be the first use of the word hacker by the mainstream media in the pejorative sense.
As a result of news coverage, congressman Dan Glickman called for an investigation and new laws about computer hacking.[18] Neal Patrick testified before the U.S. House of Representatives on September 26, 1983 about the dangers of computer hacking, and six bills concerning computer crime were introduced in the House that year.[19] As a result of these laws against computer criminality, white hat, grey hat and black hat hackers try to distinguish themselves from each other, depending on the legality of their activities.
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