A Blackwater napjaink legrejtélyesebb és legellentmondásosabb vállalata. A korábban a SEAL-nél, az amerikai haditengerészet elit alakulatánál szolgáló Eric Prince által 1997-ben alapított vállalkozás olyan, kül?nleges katonai alakulatoktól leszerelt veteránok és civilek toborzásával és kiképzésével foglalkozott, akik elég képzettek és bátrak voltak ahhoz, hogy elvállalják a világ legveszélyesebb ?rz?-véd? feladatait. A cég hírnevével együtt n?tt a szolgáltatásai iránti kereslet, olyannyira, hogy a Blackwater emberei ?sszesen k?zel százezer küldetést hajtottak végre Irakban és Afganisztánban. A cég a Bush- és az Obama-kormányzat számára is nélkül?zhetetlennek bizonyult. Ezek alapján klasszikus üzleti sikert?rténetnek is t?nhetne a Blackwater sorsának alakulása, csakhogy volt valami, ami beárnyékolta a sikert: a cég ellen zajló világméret? lejárató hadjárat. Az egy kaptafára íródott híradásokban és a valóságot durván elferdít? regényekben és filmekben a Blackwater alkalmazottait hol zsoldosoknak, hol gátlástalan profitvadászoknak, hol pedig primitív, er?szakos vadállatoknak állították be. Mivel a Pentagonnal, a Külügyminisztériummal és a CIA-val k?t?tt szerz?dései titoktartásra k?telezték, Prince kénytelen volt csendben t?rni, ahogy ellenfelei zavartalanul terjesztik a téves információkat róla és a vállalkozásáról. Most azonban végre elmondhatja a cég felemelkedésének és bukásának teljes és gyakran megd?bbent? t?rténetét. Az Amerika szolgálatában Prince kíméletlen ?szinteséggel meséli el a Blackwater-sztori minden részletét. Prince nem próbálja hibátlannak beállítani magát, és nem hallgatja el magánélete néha fájdalmas részleteit sem, ugyanakkor nagy szolgálatot tesz a k?zvéleménynek azzal, hogy tiszta vizet ?nt a pohárba. Az Amerika szolgálatában t?rténete izgalmas, akár egy thrilleré, de valószer?tlenebb, mint amit a képzelet alkothat.

A Midsummer Night's Dream is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, suggested by "The Knight's Tale" from Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, written around 1594 to 1596. It portrays the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of amateur actors, their interactions with the Duke and Duchess of Athens, Theseus and Hippolyta, and with the fairies who inhabit a moonlit forest. The play is one of Shakespeare's most popular works for the stage and is widely performed across the world.

This Illustrated version of the "A Short History of the world" contains about 300 Illustrated picture, and many historic objects.. THE story of our world is a story that is still very imperfectly known. A couple of hundred years ago men possessed the history of little more than the last three thousand years. What happened before that time was a matter of legend and speculation. Over a large part of the civilized world it was believed and taught that the world had been created suddenly in 4004 B.C., though authorities differed as to whether this had occurred in the spring or autumn of that year. This fantastically precise misconception was based upon a too literal interpretation of the Hebrew Bible, and upon rather arbitrary theological assumptions connected therewith. Such ideas have long since been abandoned by religious teachers, and it is universally recognized that the universe in which we live has to all appearances existed for an enormous period of time and possibly for endless time. Of course there may be deception in these appearances, as a room may be made to seem endless by putting mirrors facing each other at either end. But that the universe in which we live has existed only for six or seven thousand years may be regarded as an altogether exploded idea. "A Short History of the world" by E-Kitap projesi, Illustrated version by Murat Ukray.. Also added "IN the last fifty years there has been much very fine and interesting speculation on the part of scientific men upon the age and origin of our earth. Here we cannot pretend to give even a summary of such speculations because they involve the most subtle mathematical and physical considerations. The truth is that the physical and astronomical sciences are still too undeveloped as yet to make anything of the sort more than an illustrative guesswork. The general tendency has been to make the estimated age of our globe longer and longer. It now seems probable that the earth has had an independent existence as a spinning planet flying round and round the sun for a longer period than 2,000,000,000 years. It may have been much longer than that. This is a length of time that absolutely overpowers the imagination. "

Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi, better known as Sandro Botticelli ( 1445 – 1510), was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. He belonged to the Florentine school under the patronage of Lorenzo de' Medici, a movement that Giorgio Vasari would characterize less than a hundred years later as a "golden age", a thought, suitably enough, he expressed at the head of his Vita of Botticelli. Botticelli's posthumous reputation suffered until the late 19th century; since then his work has been seen to represent the linear grace of Early Renaissance painting. Among his best known works are The Birth of Venus and Primavera. In 1481, Pope Sixtus IV summoned Botticelli and other prominent Florentine and Umbrian artists to fresco the walls of the Sistine Chapel. The iconological program was the supremacy of the Papacy. Sandro's contribution included the Temptations of Christ, the Punishment of the Rebels and Trial of Moses. He returned to Florence, and "being of a sophistical turn of mind, he there wrote a commentary on a portion of Dante and illustrated the Inferno which he printed, spending much time over it, and this abstention from work led to serious disorders in his living." Thus Vasari characterized the first printed Dante (1481) with Botticelli's decorations; he could not imagine that the new art of printing might occupy an artist. The masterpieces Primavera (c. 1482) and The Birth of Venus (c. 1485) were both seen by Vasari at the villa of Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici at Castello in the mid-16th century, and until recently, it was assumed that both works were painted specifically for the villa. Recent scholarship suggests otherwise: the Primavera was painted for Lorenzo's townhouse in Florence, and The Birth of Venus was commissioned by someone else for a different site. By 1499, both had been installed at Castello. In these works, the influence of Gothic realism is tempered by Botticelli's study of the antique. But if the painterly means may be understood, the subjects themselves remain fascinating for their ambiguity. The complex meanings of these paintings continue to receive widespread scholarly attention, mainly focusing on the poetry and philosophy of humanists who were the artist's contemporaries. The works do not illustrate particular texts; rather, each relies upon several texts for its significance. Of their beauty, characterized by Vasari as exemplifying "grace" and by John Ruskin as possessing linear rhythm, there can be no doubt. In the mid-1480s, Botticelli worked on a major fresco cycle with Perugino, Domenico Ghirlandaio and Filippino Lippi, for Lorenzo the Magnificent's villa near Volterra; in addition he painted many frescoes in Florentine churches. In 1491 he served on a committee to decide upon a fa?ade for the Cathedral of Florence.

In issuing this second treatise on Crayon Portraiture, Liquid Water Colors and French Crystals, for the use of photographers and amateur artists, I do so with the hope and assurance that all the requirements in the way of instruction for making crayon portraits on photographic enlargements and for finishing photographs in color will be fully met. To these I have added complete instructions for free-hand crayons. This book embodies the results of a studio experience of twenty-four years spent in practical work, in teaching, and in overcoming the everyday difficulties encountered, not alone in my own work, but in that of my pupils as well. Hence the book has been prepared with special reference to the needs of the student. It presents a brief course of precepts, and requires on the part of the pupil only perseverance in order that he may achieve excellence. The mechanical principles are few, and have been laid down in a few words; and, as nearly all students have felt, in the earlier period of their art work, the necessity of some general rules to guide them in the composition and arrangement of color, I have given, without entering into any profound discussion of the subject, a few of its practical precepts, which, it is hoped, will prove helpful. While this book does not treat of art in a very broad way, yet I am convinced that those who follow its teachings will, through the work they accomplish, be soon led to a higher appreciation of art. Although this kind of work does not create, yet who will say that it will not have accomplished much if it shall prove to be the first step that shall lead some student to devote his or her life to the sacred calling of art? It has been said that artists rarely, if ever, write on art, because they have the impression that the public is too ill-informed to understand them—that is, to understand their ordinarily somewhat technical method of expression. If, therefore, in the following pages I may sometimes seem to take more space and time for an explanation than appears necessary, I hope the student will overlook it, as I seek to be thoroughly understood. My hope with reference to this work is that it may prove of actual value to the earnest student in helping him reach the excellence which is the common aim of all true artists. ? ?J. A. Barhydt. About Author: To many who know nothing about the art of crayon portraiture, the mastery of it not only seems very difficult, but almost unattainable. In fact, any work of art of whatever description, which in its execution is beyond the knowledge or comprehension of the spectator, is to him a thing of almost supernatural character. Of course, this is more decided when the subject portrayed carries our thoughts beyond the realms of visible things. But the making of crayon portraits is not within the reach alone of the trained artist who follows it as a profession. I claim that any one who can learn to write can learn to draw, and that any one who can learn to draw can learn to make crayon portraits. Making them over a photograph, that is, an enlargement, is a comparatively simple matter, as it does not require as much knowledge of drawing as do free-hand crayons. But you must not suppose that, because the photographic enlargement gives you the drawing in line and an indistinct impression of the form in light and shade, you are not required to draw at all in making a crayon portrait over such an enlargement. Some knowledge of drawing is necessary, though not a perfect knowledge. Many people err in supposing that only the exceptionally skilled can produce the human features in life-like form upon the crayon paper. While recognizing great differences in natural aptitude for drawing in different persons, just as those who use the pen differ widely in their skill, some being able to write with almost mechanical perfection of form, I still hold that any one who is able to draw at all can succeed in producing creditable crayons.. J. A. Barhydt.

Un periplu documentat prin lumea artelor plastice contemporane, un model de analiz? a fenomenului plastic actual, extrem de viu ?i incitant, ba chiar provoc?tor, ?n ciuda multiplelor probleme ridicate de tranzi?ia autohton?.

Hamlet is commonly regarded as one of the greatest plays ever written. Drawing on Danish chronicles and the Elizabethan vogue for revenge tragedy, Shakespeare created a play that is at once a philosophic treatise, a family drama, and a supernatural thriller. In the wake of his father’s death, Prince Hamlet finds that his Uncle Claudius has swiftly taken the throne and married his mother, Queen Gertrude. The ghost of the dead king then appears and charges Claudius with ‘murder most foul.’ Hamlet is called to revenge his father’s death: but will he be able to act before it is too late?

Avangardismul rom?nesc r?m?ne a fi unul dintre curentele literare cele mai controversate ?i, ?n ultima instanta – ne demonstreaza aceasta monografie – cele mai putin cunoscute. Monografia abunda ?n informa?ii, aspecte, ?nt?mpl?ri, evenimente, mai pu?in sau deloc cunoscute. Cartea se adreseaz? elevilor, studen?ilor, precum ?i publicului larg de cititori.

Demagóg, ?rült, gazember? Népvezér, próféta, mártír? E két véglet k?z?tt ingadozott Szálasi Ferenc megítélése kortársai szemében. Az utókor azonban k?zel sem ilyen megosztott személyét illet?en, Szálasi a 20. századi magyar t?rténelem talán legelutasítottabb alakja. K?tetünkben arra keressük a választ, miként vált azzá. Miért lépett egyáltalán a politika színpadára otthagyva ezzel a biztos karriert kínáló katonaságot? Milyen célok vezették? Mit gondolt és mit tett politikusként? Szálasi életútjának állomásairól számos egykori dokumentum vall, ami lehet?séget ad, hogy t?bb, olykor lényegesen eltér? néz?pontokból vizsgálhassuk ugyanazt az eseményt. K?nyvünkben megkíséreljük a sok esetben részrehajló – vagy éppen elfogult – kortársak írásai alapján áttekinteni Szálasi életútját: a katonáét, az ideológusét, a politikusét – gyermekkorától egészen haláláig. Végül pedig azt is bemutatjuk, miként viszonyul hozzá az utókor. A k?tetet életrajzi kronológia, válogatott bibliográfia, valamint térképek teszik teljessé. PAKSA RUDOLF 1981-ben született Ajkán, az ELTE-n doktorált t?rténelemb?l és 2009 októberét?l az MTA BTK T?rténettudományi Intézetének a munkatársa. ?rdekl?dési területe a modern kori magyar t?rténelem; kutatásai súlypontja a 19–20. századi historiográfia, a régi E?tv?s Collegium, valamint a Horthy-kori széls?jobboldali irányzatok.

During Japan’s Warring States period, centuries of strife had left the country divided and leaderless. Those who filled the power vacuum were the daimyo, warlords who ruled over the clans and provinces of Japan. Serving their daimyo, the samurai were the ultimate warriors at a time when military prowess won out over hereditary power and position. The nature of warfare itself changed—romantic ideas of mounted duels and battlefield decorum became as rare as aristocratic samurai leaders. Marching in to replace them were the common foot soldiers, the ashigaru , armed with pikes and matchlock rifles. The Samurai Warrior examines the fighting men of this key period in Japanese history. Divided into six chapters, the book describes the unification under the Tokugawa bakufu , the major battles of the era, the weapons and armour used, the social structure of Japanese society, myths about the samurai, and finally the decline of the samurai amidst the modernization of the Meiji period. Including more than 200 photographs, illustrations, paintings, and maps, The Samurai Warrior is a colourful, accessible study of Japan’s famous but often misunderstood warrior elite.

Campaigns of World War II: Fall of the Reich is a military history of the Western European campaign from D-Day in June 1944 to the fall of Berlin in May 1945. Beginning with the Allied preparations for what would become Operation Overlord, from the initial discussions of Roosevelt and Churchill, to the deliberations and plans of Marshall and Brooke, and the subsequent appointment of commanders like Eisenhower, Montgomery and Ramsay, the book covers in detail the landings on the Normandy coast. Combining tactical coverage of events such as the severe fighting at Omaha and Pegasus Bridge, the Canadian success on Juno beach, and the 21st Panzer Division's aborted counterattack, with reporting of the reactions of Hitler and Rommel to the landings, the book provides an explanation of why the Allied advance ran out of steam, and a description of their struggle to escape the bocage hedgerows of Normandy. The US-led breakout in late July 1944 released Bradley and Patton's forces into the heart of France, and the liberation of Paris followed swiftly. A crumbling German defence led to Allied overconfidence and the resultant 'bridge too far' at Arnhem, but as the Allies approached the Rhine and the German border, resistance quickly stiffened. Hitler's last gamble, the attack through the Ardennes known as the Battle of the Bulge, brought temporary panic to the Allied ranks, but heroic stands at Bastogne and elsewhere, coupled with a German acute lack of petrol and the weather clearing to allow Allied aircraft to operate again, led to the defeat of the last Wehrmacht attack in the west. The final year of the war saw the Allies advancing as occupying forces into the heart of Germany, adopting Eisenhower's broad front strategy. Finally the book examines why the decision was made to allow the Red Army to occupy Berlin and remain on the western bank of the Elbe river. Part of a five-volume series on the Second World War written by prominent military historians, Fall of the Reich is a masterful account of the 1944–45 campaign in Western Europe that describes both the action on the front line and the decisions made behind the scenes that decided the fate of Nazi Germany.

The World's Greatest Tanks features 52 of the best armoured fighting vehicles from World War I to the present day. Beginning with the prototype Mark V Male in 1917, the book ranges from World War I, World War II, through the Cold War and up to the highly sophisticated tanks that have seen recent service in wars in the Balkans, Caususus, and Middle East. From the Soviet T-34 and German Panther tanks of World War II to the M1A2 Abrams, Challenger 2 and T-90 of the present day, The World's Greatest Tanks is an expert examination of the most successful tanks of the past hundred years. Each entry is examined over two spreads and includes a brief description of the tank's development and history, a colour profile artwork, photographs, key features and specifications tables. Packed with more than 200 artworks and photographs, The World's Greatest Tanks is a colourful guide for the military historian and military technology enthusiast.

“When everyone had had plenty to eat and drink they called for the gladiators. The moment anyone’s throat was cut, they clapped their hands in pleasure. And it sometimes even turned out that someone had specified in their will that the most beautiful women he had purchased were to fight each other….” – Athenaeus, The Learned Banqueters With their origins as blood rites staged at the funerals of rich aristocrats, gladiatorial combat is one of the defining images of ancient Rome. For more than 600 years, people flocked to arenas to watch these highly trained warriors participate in a blood-soaked spectacle that was part sport, part theatre and part cold-blooded murder. Gladiatorial contests were a spectacular dramatization of the Roman emperor’s formidable power. Gladiator looks at life and service in the Roman arenas from the origins of the games in the third century BCE through to the demise of the games in the fifth century CE. It explores the lives of the prisoners of war, criminals, slaves and volunteers who became gladiators, their training, and the more than 20 types of gladiator they could become, fighting with different types of weapons. From Spartacus’s slave revolt to the real Emperor Commodius who liked to play at being a gladiator, from female gladiators to the great combats involving hundreds of exotic animals, Gladiator is a colourful, accessible study of the ancient world’s famous warrior entertainers.

Little more than ten years ago drones were barely used, but now more than 50 countries have them in service and they are not only changing how wars are fought but how crops are sprayed, how underwater pipelines are monitored and even how sports events are filmed. If it’s too risky to send a manned aircraft to survey the intensity of a hurricane or a combat zone, or too costly for conservation wardens to chart the movement of wildlife, drones can be used. Used for reconnaissance work and mapping as well as launching missiles, drones can fly autonomously or be controlled by remote control. Peering into a volcano about to erupt, checking how fast a forest fire is spreading, exploring the wreck of a sunken ship, charting your enemy’s position and taking out a military target—these are just some of the uses of drones today. From drones the size of a fingertip to drones that can carry soldiers, from single rotorcraft to multi-rotorcraft to propeller craft drones, Drones expertly examines these complex vehicles, which are not only very different from manned aircraft, but also very different from each other. Illustrated with more than 220 colour photographs and artworks, Drones is an exciting, accessibly written work about the latest in military and civilian aviation technology.

The best collection of suffrage plays on offer. Introduced and set in historical context by Dr Susan Croft, formerly Curator at the Theatre Museum in London, with a chronology of suffrage drama from 1907-1914.? The astonishing women involved in the Actresses Franchise League set up their own theatre companies and engaged with the battle for the vote by writing and performing campaigning plays all over the country. They launched themselves onto the political stage with their satirical plays, sketches and monologues whilst at the same time challenging the staid conventions of the Edwardian Theatre of the day. The legacy of their inspiring work to change both theatre and society has survived in the political theatre, agit-prop and verbatim theatre we know today.? Full playtexts from the following: ’How the Vote was Won’ by Cicely Hamilton and Chris St. John ’The Apple’ by Inez Bensusan ’Jim s Leg’ by L.S. Phibbs ’Votes for Women’ by Elizabeth Robins ’At the Gates’ by Alice Chapin ’In the Workhouse’ by Margaret Wynne Nevinson ’A Change of Tenant’ by Helen Margaret Nightingale.

Macho men or metrosexual guys? Mummy’s boys or blokes under their missus’ thumbs? Self-made entrepreneurs, pukka professionals and successful executives with their Mercedes Benz lives and designer-clad wives; husbands, sons, uncles, brothers and fathers – these successful, soulful and spirited Asian men have come a long way from their origins but they’ve all got roots! The Trouble with Asian Men is a vital, tender and hilarious insight into lives that surround us every day. From the award-winning theatre company that brought us East is East, a revealing verbatim comedy that has played to sell-out houses internationally.

London 1970: Experimental psychiatrist R.D. Laing is facing eviction from his pioneering asylum in the East End’s Kingsley Hall. Local residents are up in arms – and to make matters worse, Ronnie’s revolutionary colleague David Cooper is flipping out on the roof… With his personal life going down the pan and his mental state heading the same way, Ronnie takes an acid trip to the future. His mission is to save his therapeutic collective The Philadelphia Association and secure his professional legacy. Will it be a one-way ticket to madness – or can breakdown sometimes mean breakthrough?

In any military operation throughout history, few 24-hour periods have been as crucial as that of 6th June 1944. With the aid of specially commissioned maps, D-Day: The First 24 Hours series gives the dramatic history of the first 24 hours of the Normandy landings, and explains in detail the events that occurred in each landing zone. In this third volume of the series, the book describes the American landings on Omaha and Utah beaches. The fighting on Omaha was some of the most desperate fighting took place, but the beach was eventually secured. The book also includes the famous operation by the US Rangers to capture the gun position at Pointe du Hoc, successfully scaling a sheer cliff face in the teeth of the defenders' fire. With colour and black & white photographs, the book is a guide to key events in the first 24 hours of the D-Day landings that saw the Allies successfully achieve a foothold in Northern Europe.

From beautiful adaptations of classics to exciting new writing, Duffield is a master of storytelling. Commissioned by theatres and community groups in the UK, these plays offer strong roles for both men and women, as well as the opportunity for song and dance. They will appeal to schools and youth theatres as well as both amateur and professional performers. Using a mixture of storytelling, theatre and song, BROTHERS IN ARMS draws on the true story of two brothers from a Yorkshire pit village – one of whom steadfastly refused to fight in World War I, while the other volunteered and served on the front line in France. Cast 8 minimum. Adapted from Hugo’s novel, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME is ‘remarkably faithful to the author’s original intention… a faultless production.’ – THE MORNING STAR Cast 8 minimum. WITH ALL MY LOVE is a tale of conspiracy and betrayal, of family feuds and deep-held secrets, of a woman’s struggle to keep faith with a husband transported to the other side of the world. Suitable for large cast productions, aimed at a general audience.

When Mina’s father dies, she returns to Korea to visit a family she barely knows, desperately looking for some answers. But her mother is reluctant to discuss the past, especially the war, or the reasons that Mina was sent so far away as a child, to America. Her younger sister seems unable to grow up and it doesn’t help that their nosy neighbour is always on their doorstep. Secrets and lies divide them all irrevocably. When the truth is finally revealed, it is both shocking and redemptive, allowing Mina and those around her to see themselves anew and break free from years of pain and guilt.

Ever since man first took to the air, combat aircraft have been at the cutting edge of aviation technology, resulting in some of the greatest and most complex designs ever built. The World’s Greatest Military Aircraft features 52 of the most important military aircraft of the last hundred years. The book includes all the main types, from biplane fighters and carrier aircraft to tactical bombers, transport aircraft, multirole fighters, strategic strike aircraft and stealth bombers. Featured aircraft include: the Fokker Dr.1 triplane, the legendary fighter flown by German flying ace Manfred von Richthofen, ‘the Red Baron’, during World War I; the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, Japan’s highly-manoeuvrable fighter that dominated air-to-air combat in the early part of the Pacific War; the tank-busting Il-2 Shturmovik, the most produced aircraft in World War II; the Harrier jump jet, a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) fighter that has been service for more than 40 years; the B-2 Spirit bomber, an American precision strike aircraft used in recent conflicts in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan; and the F-22 Raptor, an air superiority fighter with state-of-the-art stealth technology that makes it almost invisible to radars. Each entry includes a brief description of the model’s development and history, a profile view, key features and specifications. Packed with more than 200 artworks and photographs, The World’s Greatest Military Aircraft is a colourful guide for the military aviation enthusiast.