1.
LVMH
–
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, better known as LVMH, is a French multinational luxury goods conglomerate, native of France and headquartered in Paris. It controls around 60 subsidiaries that each manage a number of prestigious brands. The subsidiaries are often managed independently, the oldest of the LVMH brands is wine producer Château dYquem, which dates its origins back to 1593. Christian Dior, the luxury group, is the main holding company of LVMH, owning 40. 9% of its shares. Bernard Arnault, majority shareholder of Dior, is Chairman of both companies and CEO of LVMH, arnaults successful integration of various famous aspirational brands into the group has inspired other luxury companies into doing the same. Thus, the French conglomerate Kering and the Swiss-based Richemont have also created extended portfolios of luxury brands, the company is a component of the Euro Stoxx 50 stock market index. During the first half of 2015, LVMH recorded strong results in Europe, the revenue of the groupe increased of 19 per cent. LVMH is based in 20 avenue Foch in the 8th arrondissement, Paris, the company is listed on the Euronext Paris exchange, and is a constituent of the CAC40 index. As of 2010, the group had revenues of €20.3 billion with a net income of just over €3 billion, by the 29 February 2016 the company had a share value of 78,126 million euros, distributed in 506,980,299 shares. In 2013, with revenue of $21,7 billion, LVMH is ranked first luxury goods company in Deloittes Global Powers of Luxury Goods” report, the group currently employs more than 83,000 people. Thirty percent of LVMHs staff work in France, LVMH operates over 2,400 stores worldwide. Its current business plan aims to control the brands it manages in order to maintain. For example, Louis Vuitton products are only through Louis Vuitton boutiques found in upmarket locations in wealthy cities or in concessions in other luxury goods shops. At the end of 2010, the only declared major shareholder in LVMH was Groupe Arnault, the groups control amounted to 47. 64% of LVMHs stock and 63. 66% of its voting rights. A further 2. 43% of shares were declared as treasury stock, LVMH holds 66% of the drinks division, Moët Hennessy, with the remaining 34% held by Diageo. A partial list including some of LVMHs best-known brands and subsidiaries, on 7 March 2011, LVMH announced the acquisition of the 50. 4% family-owned shares of the Italian jeweller Bulgari and the intention to make a tender offer for the rest, which was publicly owned. The transaction was about $5.2 billion, in 2011, LVMH invested $640 million in establishing LCapitalAsia. In 2011, LVMH invested $640 million in establishing LCapitalAsia, LVMH sales decreased by about 10 percent from in 2011 in China, and LVMH stopped opening stores in second and third-tier cities in mainland China
2.
Winery
–
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries, besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of tanks known as tank farms. The oldest winery in the world found to date is a 6, 000-year-old winery in the Areni region of Armenia, wineries typically employ winemakers to produce various wines from grapes by following the winemaking process. This process involves the fermentation of fruit, as well as blending and aging of the juice, the grapes may be from vineyards owned by the winery or may be brought in from other locations. Many wineries also give tours and have doors or tasting rooms where customers can taste wines before they make a purchase. Winery architecture is varied and rich and it is used by wineries as a way to promote their wines. The east coast of the United States also has winemaking regions like New Yorks Finger Lakes region, Aquidneck Island, RI and Long Island, NY and Cape May, wineries do not have to be located adjacent to vineyards, grapes can be shipped anywhere. In addition, people make out of other fruits and plants. For example, a winery in Hawaii produces pineapple wine, a class of winery license known as the farm winery allows farms to produce and sell wines on site. Farm wineries differ from commercial wineries in that the fruit which is the source of the wine is produced on the farm. States such as New York have given a permit to open a satellite store in a tourist area. New Yorks passing of the Farm Winery Act of 1976 set an example for other states to pass similar laws, Farm wineries usually operate at a smaller scale than commercial wineries. Farm wineries are a form of value added marketing, known as agritourism, a micro-winery is a small wine producer that does not have its own vineyard, and instead sources its grape product from outside suppliers. The concept is similar to a microbrewery, in small batches of product are made primarily for local consumption. The concept of the micro-winery is not as accepted as that of the microbrewery, however. A winery uses similar wine-making equipment as a commercial winery. Glass carboys and sanitary plastic pails are often seen in the facilities of a micro-winery, New York State provides a specific micro-winery license that requires the microwinery to purchase local ingredients. Wilridge Winery was the first urban winery in Seattle, wine aficionados traditionally had to travel to remote areas to learn about winemaking firsthand and to taste the offerings of a wine producer in the setting in which they were made
3.
French wine
–
French wine is produced all throughout France, in quantities between 50 and 60 million hectolitres per year, or 7–8 billion bottles. France is one of the largest wine producers in the world, French wine traces its history to the 6th century BC, with many of Frances regions dating their wine-making history to Roman times. The wines produced range from expensive high-end wines sold internationally to more modest wines usually only seen within France such as the Margnat wines were during the post war period. France is the source of grape varieties that are now planted throughout the world. French wine originated in the 6th century BC, with the colonization of Southern Gaul by Greek settlers, viticulture soon flourished with the founding of the Greek colony of Marseille. Not only did the Gauls know how to cultivate the vine, pruning creates an important distinction in the difference between wild vines and wine producing grapes. Before long, the wines produced in Gaul were exceptionally famous all around the world, the Roman Empire licensed regions in the south to produce wines. St. Martin of Tours was actively engaged in both spreading Christianity and planting vineyards, during the Middle Ages, monks maintained vineyards and, more importantly, conserved wine-making knowledge and skills during that often turbulent period. Monasteries had the resources, security, and motivation to produce a supply of wine both for celebrating mass and generating income. During this time, the best vineyards were owned by the monasteries, over time the nobility developed extensive vineyards. However, the French Revolution led to the confiscation of many of the owned by the Church. The advance of the French wine industry stopped abruptly as first Mildew and then Phylloxera spread throughout the country, indeed all of Europe. Then came an economic downturn in Europe followed by two wars, and the French wine industry didnt fully recover for decades. Meanwhile, competition had arrived and threatened the treasured French brands such as Champagne and this resulted in the establishment in 1935 of the Appellation dorigine contrôlée to protect French interests. Large investments, the economic upturn following World War II and a new generation of Vignerons yielded results in the 1970s, in 1935, numerous laws were passed to control the quality of French wine. They established the Appellation dorigine contrôlée system, which is governed by an oversight board. Consequently, France has one of the oldest systems for protected designation of origin for wine in the world, many other European systems are modelled after it. The word appellation has been put to use by countries, sometimes in a much looser meaning
4.
Champagne (wine region)
–
The Champagne wine region is a wine region within the historical province of Champagne in the northeast of France. The area is best known for the production of the white wine that bears the regions name. EU law and the laws of most countries reserve the term Champagne exclusively for wines that come from this region located about 100 miles east of Paris, the towns of Reims and Épernay are the commercial centers of the area. Located at the edges of France, the history of the Champagne wine region has had a significant role in the development of this unique terroir. The areas proximity to Paris promoted the economic success in its wine trade but also put the villages. The principal grapes grown in the region include Chardonnay, Pinot noir, Pinot noir is the most widely planted grape in the Aube region and grows very well in Montagne de Reims. Pinot Meunier is the dominant grape in the Vallée de la Marne region, the Côte des Blancs is dedicated almost exclusively to Chardonnay. The Champagne province is located near the limits of the wine world along the 49th parallel. The high altitude and mean temperature of 10 °C creates a difficult environment for wine grapes to fully ripen. Ripening is aided by the presence of forests which helps to stabilize temperatures, the cool temperatures serve to produce high levels of acidity in the resulting grape which is ideal for sparkling wine. During the growing season, the mean July temperature is 18 °C, the average annual rainfall is 630 mm, with 45 mm falling during the harvest month of September. Throughout the year, growers must be mindful of the hazards of fungal disease, ancient oceans left behind chalk subsoil deposits when they receded 70 million years ago. Earthquakes that rocked the region over 10 million years ago pushed the marine sediments of belemnite fossils up to the surface to create the belemnite chalk terrain. The belemnite in the soil allows it to heat from the sun. This soil contributes to the lightness and finesse that is characteristic of Champagne wine, the Aube area is an exception with predominately clay based soil. The chalk is used in the construction of underground cellars that can keep the wines cool through the bottle maturation process. The tradition of crowning kings at Reims contributed to the reputation of the wines that came from this area, the Counts of Champagne ruled the area as an independent county from 950 to 1316. In 1314, the last Count of Champagne assumed the throne as King Louis X of France, the location of Champagne played a large role in its historical prominence as it served as a crossroads for both military and trade routes
5.
Varietal
–
A varietal wine is a wine made primarily from a single named grape variety, and which typically displays the name of that variety on the wine label. Examples of grape varieties used in varietal wines are Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay. Wines that display the name of two or more varieties on their label, such as a Chardonnay-Viognier, are blends and not varietal wines. The term is misused in place of vine variety, the term variety refers to the vine or grape while varietal refers to the wine produced by a variety. As vintners and consumers have become aware of the characteristics of individual varieties of grapes, wines have also come to be identified by varietal names. The alternatives to the differentiation of wines by grape variety are branded wine, such as Hearty Burgundy, or geographical appellations. This is much less the case in places where appellations have a long and strong tradition, in the past, the grape variety was very uncommonly mentioned on the labels of French wine bottles, and was forbidden for almost all AOC wines. Also, in its own way, Chardonnay is now a powerful brand, australia has virtually completed a three decade long transition from labelling by style, e. g. claret, burgundy, hock, chablis to a varietal system. Within the European Union, a wine using a varietal label must contain at least 85% of that variety, 85% is a common minimum standard, national regulations may set the limit higher in certain cases, but not lower. Champagne, for instance, is typically a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot noir and Pinot Meunier, in Alsace, winemakers adopt the German custom of varietal labeling. In recent years, varietal labels have more common for French wines. Most of these wines are Vin de pays rather than AOC wines, there is no restriction on the identity of the balance. Many states in the United States require specific compositions to qualify for sale under a particular varietal labels, international variety List of grape varieties Wine varietals, frenchscout. com
6.
Pinot noir
–
Pinot noir is a red wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French words for pine and black, Pinot noir grapes are grown around the world, mostly in the cooler regions, but the grape is chiefly associated with the Burgundy region of France. Pinot noir is also a variety used in sparkling wine production in Champagne. It is widely considered to some of the finest wines in the world. The grapes tendency to produce tightly packed clusters makes it susceptible to several viticultural hazards involving rot that require diligent canopy management, when young, wines made from Pinot noir tend to have red fruit aromas of cherries, raspberries and strawberries. As the wines age, Pinots have the potential to develop vegetal, Pinot noirs home is Frances Burgundy region, particularly in Côte-dOr. Lesser known appellations can be found in Mendocino Countys Anderson Valley as well as the Central Coasts Santa Lucia Highlands appellation, rita Hills American Viticulture Area in Santa Barbara County. In New Zealand, it is grown in Martinborough, Marlborough, Waipara. The leaves of Pinot noir are generally smaller than those of Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah, the grape cluster is small and conico-cylindrical, vaguely shaped like a pine cone. Some viticultural historians believe this shape-similarity may have given rise to the name, in the vineyard Pinot noir is sensitive to wind and frost, cropping levels, soil types and pruning techniques. In the winery it is sensitive to fermentation methods, yeast strains and is reflective of its terroir with different regions producing sometimes very different wines. Its thin skin makes it susceptible to rot and similar fungal diseases of the bunch. The vines themselves are susceptible to mildew, and in Burgundy infection by leaf roll. It is much less tolerant of hard, windy, hot and dry, harsh conditions than the likes of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot. However, Pinot noir wines are among the most popular in the world, master Sommelier Madeline Triffon calls Pinot sex in a glass. The tremendously broad range of bouquets, flavors, textures and impressions that Pinot noir can produce sometimes confuses tasters, the wines color when young is often compared to that of garnet, frequently being much lighter than that of other red wines. This is entirely natural and not a fault as Pinot noir has a lower skin anthocyanin content than most other classical red / black varieties
7.
Chardonnay
–
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, for new and developing wine regions, growing Chardonnay is seen as a rite of passage and an easy entry into the international wine market. The Chardonnay grape itself is neutral, with many of the flavors commonly associated with the grape being derived from such influences as terroir. It is vinified in many different styles, from the lean, crisply mineral wines of Chablis, France, to New World wines with oak, and tropical fruit flavors. In cool climates, Chardonnay tends to be medium to light body with noticeable acidity and flavors of plum, apple. In warmer locations, the flavors become more citrus, peach, wines that have gone through malolactic fermentation tend to have softer acidity and fruit flavors with buttery mouthfeel and hazelnut notes. Chardonnay is an important component of many sparkling wines around the world, a peak in popularity in the late 1980s gave way to a backlash among those wine connoisseur who saw the grape as a leading negative component of the globalization of wine. For much of its history, a connection was assumed between Chardonnay and Pinot noir or Pinot blanc, in addition to being found in the same region of France for centuries, ampelographers noted that the leaves of each plant have near-identical shape and structure. Pierre Galet disagreed with this assessment, believing that Chardonnay was not related to any other major grape variety, viticulturalists Maynard Amerine and Harold Olmo proposed a descendency from a wild Vitis vinifera vine that was a step removed from white Muscat. Another theory stated that it originated from an ancient indigenous vine found in Cyprus, modern DNA fingerprinting research at University of California, Davis, now suggests that Chardonnay is the result of a cross between the Pinot noir and Gouais blanc grape varieties. The Romans are thought to have brought Gouais blanc from Croatia, the Pinot of the French aristocracy grew in close proximity to the Gouais blanc, giving both grapes ample opportunity to interbreed. Since the two parents were distant, many of the crosses showed hybrid vigour and were selected for further propagation. As of 2006,34 clonal varieties of Chardonnay could be found in vineyards throughout France, examples include the lower-yielding clones Dijon-76,95 and 96 that produce more flavor-concentrated clusters. Dijon-77 and 809 produce more aromatic wines with a perfume, while Dijon-75,78,121,124,125 and 277 are more vigorous. New World varieties include the Mendoza clone, which produced some of the early California Chardonnays, the Mendoza clone is prone to develop millerandage, also known as hens and chicks, where the berries develop unevenly. In places such as Oregon, the use of newer Dijon clones has had success in those regions of the Willamette Valley with climates similar to that of Burgundy. Chardonnay has served as parent to several French-American hybrid grapes, as well as crossings with other V. vinifera varieties, examples include the hybrid Chardonel, which was a Chardonnay and Seyval blanc cross produced in 1953 at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station. Mutations of the Chardonnay grape include the rare pink-berried Chardonnay Rose, also Chardonnay Blanc Musqué, Chardonnay Blanc Musqué is mostly found around the Mâconnais village of Clessé and sometimes confused with the Dijon-166 clone planted in South Africa, which yields Muscat-like aromas
8.
Pinot Meunier
–
Pinot Meunier, pronounced, also known as Meunier or Schwarzriesling, is a variety of black wine grape most noted for being one of the three main varieties used in the production of Champagne. Pinot Meunier is approximately one-third of all the grapes planted in Champagne, Pinot Meunier was first mentioned in the 16th century, and gets its name and synonyms from flour-like dusty white down on the underside of its leaves. Pinot Meunier can be identified by ampelographers by its leaves that appear downy white, like flour has been dusted liberally on the underside. This characteristic derives from large numbers of white hairs on the leaves. However, some clones of Pinot Meunier have been found to be completely hairless—a chimeric mutation, in fact—which has led ampelographers to more closely draw a link between Meunier and Pinot noir. This leads to different, white-haired, leaf and shoot growth, the mutation exist only in the outermost cell layer of the cultivar, the L1 or epidermal layer, meaning Pinot Meunier is a chimera. The mutants could not produce full-grown tendrils, it seems that gibberellic acid converts grapevine flower buds into tendrils, Pinot Meunier is one of the most widely planted grapes in France but it is rather obscure to most wine drinkers and will rarely be seen on a wine label. The grape has been favored by vine growers in northern France due to its ability to bud, the vines tendency to bud later in the growing season and ripen earlier makes it less susceptible to developing coulure which can greatly reduce a prospective crop. For the last couple of centuries, Pinot Meunier has been the most widely planted Champagne grape and it is most prevalent in the cooler, north facing vineyards of the Vallee de la Marne and in the Aisne department. It is also grown in the Aube region in vineyards where Pinot noir. Compared to Pinot noir, Pinot Meunier produces lighter colored wines with higher acid levels but can maintain similar sugar. As part of a standard Champagne blend, Pinot Meunier contributes aromatics, Champagnes with a substantial proportion of Pinot Meunier tend not to have as much significant aging potential as Champagnes that are composed primarily of Chardonnay or Pinot noir. It is therefore most commonly used for Champagnes that are intended to be consumed young, a notable exception is the Champagne house of Krug which makes liberal use of Pinot Meunier in its long-lived prestige cuvees. During the 19th century, Pinot Meunier was widely planted throughout northern France and it was found across the northern half of country from the Loire Valley to Lorraine. Today, Pinot Meunier is found outside of Champagne in dwindling quantities in the Loire Valley regions of Touraine and Orleans as well as the Cotes de Toul, in these regions Pinot Meunier is used to make light bodied reds and rosés. These wines most often fall into the vin gris style are characterized by their pink color. In Germany, Pinot Meunier is used most often to make red wines under its synonyms Schwarzriesling. The style of wines ranges from simple, light, off-dry to rich
9.
Luxury goods
–
Luxury goods are often synonymous with superior goods and Veblen goods. Luxury goods are said to have high income elasticity of demand, as people become wealthier and this also means, however, that should there be a decline in income its demand will drop. Income elasticity of demand is not constant with respect to income, although the technical term luxury good is independent of the goods quality, they are generally considered to be goods at the highest end of the market in terms of quality and price. Classic luxury goods include haute couture clothing, accessories, and luggage, many markets have a luxury segment including, for example, automobile, yacht, wine, bottled water, coffee, tea, foods, watches, clothes, jewelry, and high fidelity. The hiring of full-time or live-in domestic servants is a luxury reflecting disparities of income, some financial services, especially in some brokerage houses, can be considered luxury services by default because persons in lower-income brackets generally do not use them. The three dominant trends in the luxury goods market are globalization, consolidation, and diversification. Globalization is a result of the availability of these goods, additional luxury brands. Consolidation involves the growth of big companies and ownership of brands across many segments of luxury products, examples include LVMH, Richemont, and Kering, which dominate the market in areas ranging from luxury drinks to fashion and cosmetics. Leading global consumer companies, such as Procter & Gamble, are attracted to the industry. The luxury goods market has been on a climb for many years. Apart from the setback caused by the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, the industry has performed well, particularly in 2000. In that year, the luxury goods market – which includes drinks, fashion, cosmetics, fragrances, watches, jewelry, luggage, handbags – was worth close to $170 billion. The United States has been the largest regional market for goods and is estimated to continue to be the leading personal luxury goods market in 2013. The largest sector in this category was luxury drinks, including premium whisky, Champagne and this sector was the only one that suffered a decline in value. In 2012, China surpassed Japan as the worlds largest luxury market, chinas luxury consumption accounts for over 25% of the global market. The Economist Intelligence Unit published a report on the outlook for luxury goods in Asia which explores the trends and forecasts for the luxury goods market across key markets in Asia. In 2014, the sector is expected to grow over the next 10 years because of 440 million consumers spending a total of 880 billion euros. Secular luxury manuscripts were commissioned by the wealthy and differed in the same ways from cheaper books
10.
Vineyard
–
A vineyard /ˈvɪnjərd/ is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of production is known as viticulture. The earliest evidence of production dates from between 6000 and 5000 BC. Wine making technology improved considerably with the ancient Greeks but it wasnt until the end of the Roman Empire that cultivation techniques as we know them were common throughout Europe. In medieval Europe the Church was a supporter of wine. They owned and tended the best vineyards in Europe and vinum theologium was considered superior to all others, European vineyards were planted with a wide variety of the Vitis vinifera grape. However, in the late 19th century, the species was nearly destroyed by the plant louse phylloxera accidentally introduced to Europe from North America. Native American grapevines include varieties such as Vitis labrusca, which is resistant to the bug, the quest for vineyard efficiency has produced a bewildering range of systems and techniques in recent years. Due to the much more fertile New World growing conditions. Innovation in palissage and pruning and thinning methods have replaced more general, traditional concepts like yield per unit area in favor of maximizing yield of desired quality. Many of these new techniques have since adopted in place of traditional practice in the more progressive of the so-called Old World vineyards. Other recent practices include spraying water on vines to protect them from sub-zero temperatures, new grafting techniques, soil slotting, such techniques have made possible the development of wine industries in New World countries such as Canada. Today there is increasing interest in developing organic, ecologically sensitive, biodynamics has become increasingly popular in viticulture. The use of irrigation in recent years has expanded vineyards into areas which were previously unplantable. The research includes developing improved grape varieties and investigating pest control, the International Grape Genome Program is a multi-national effort to discover a genetic means to improving quality, increasing yield and providing a natural resistance to pests. The implementation of mechanical harvesting is often stimulated by changes in laws, labor shortages. It can be expensive to hire labor for periods of time. Numbers of New World vineyard plantings have been increasing almost as fast as European vineyards are being uprooted, the size of individual vineyards in the New World is significant
11.
Paris
–
Paris is the capital and most populous city of France. It has an area of 105 square kilometres and a population of 2,229,621 in 2013 within its administrative limits, the agglomeration has grown well beyond the citys administrative limits. By the 17th century, Paris was one of Europes major centres of finance, commerce, fashion, science, and the arts, and it retains that position still today. The aire urbaine de Paris, a measure of area, spans most of the Île-de-France region and has a population of 12,405,426. It is therefore the second largest metropolitan area in the European Union after London, the Metropole of Grand Paris was created in 2016, combining the commune and its nearest suburbs into a single area for economic and environmental co-operation. Grand Paris covers 814 square kilometres and has a population of 7 million persons, the Paris Region had a GDP of €624 billion in 2012, accounting for 30.0 percent of the GDP of France and ranking it as one of the wealthiest regions in Europe. The city is also a rail, highway, and air-transport hub served by two international airports, Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly. Opened in 1900, the subway system, the Paris Métro. It is the second busiest metro system in Europe after Moscow Metro, notably, Paris Gare du Nord is the busiest railway station in the world outside of Japan, with 262 millions passengers in 2015. In 2015, Paris received 22.2 million visitors, making it one of the top tourist destinations. The association football club Paris Saint-Germain and the rugby union club Stade Français are based in Paris, the 80, 000-seat Stade de France, built for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, is located just north of Paris in the neighbouring commune of Saint-Denis. Paris hosts the annual French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament on the red clay of Roland Garros, Paris hosted the 1900 and 1924 Summer Olympics and is bidding to host the 2024 Summer Olympics. The name Paris is derived from its inhabitants, the Celtic Parisii tribe. Thus, though written the same, the name is not related to the Paris of Greek mythology. In the 1860s, the boulevards and streets of Paris were illuminated by 56,000 gas lamps, since the late 19th century, Paris has also been known as Panam in French slang. Inhabitants are known in English as Parisians and in French as Parisiens and they are also pejoratively called Parigots. The Parisii, a sub-tribe of the Celtic Senones, inhabited the Paris area from around the middle of the 3rd century BC. One of the areas major north-south trade routes crossed the Seine on the île de la Cité, this place of land and water trade routes gradually became a town
12.
Louis XV of France
–
Louis XV, known as Louis the Beloved, was a monarch of the House of Bourbon who ruled as King of France and Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five, Cardinal Fleury was his chief minister from 1726 until the Cardinals death in 1743, at which time the young king took sole control of the kingdom. During his reign, Louis returned the Austrian Netherlands, territory won at the Battle of Fontenoy of 1745, Louis also ceded New France in North America to Spain and Great Britain at the conclusion of the Seven Years War in 1763. He incorporated the territories of Lorraine and Corsica into the kingdom of France and he was succeeded by his grandson Louis XVI in 1774. French culture and influence were at their height in the first half of the eighteenth century, however, many scholars believe that Louis XVs decisions damaged the power of France, weakened the treasury, discredited the absolute monarchy, and made it more vulnerable to distrust and destruction. Evidence for this view is provided by the French Revolution, which broke out 15 years after his death, norman Davies characterized Louis XVs reign as one of debilitating stagnation, characterized by lost wars, endless clashes between the Court and Parliament, and religious feuds. A few scholars defend Louis, arguing that his negative reputation was based on propaganda meant to justify the French Revolution. Jerome Blum described him as a perpetual adolescent called to do a mans job, Louis XV was born in the Palace of Versailles on 15 February 1710 during the reign of Louis XIV. His grandfather, Louis Le Grand Dauphin, had three sons with his wife Marie Anne Victoire of Bavaria, Louis, Duke of Burgundy, Philippe, Duke of Anjou, and Charles, Duke of Berry. Louis XV was the son of the Duke of Burgundy and his wife Marie Adélaïde of Savoy, the eldest daughter of Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy. At birth, Louis XV received a title for younger sons of the French royal family. In April 1711, Louis Le Grand Dauphin suddenly died, making Louis XVs father, the Duke of Burgundy, at that time, Burgundy had two living sons, Louis, Duke of Brittany and his youngest son, the future Louis XV. A year later, Marie Adélaïde, Duchess of Burgundy, contracted smallpox and her husband, said to be heartbroken by her death, died the same week, also having contracted smallpox. Within a week of his death, it was clear that the two children had also been infected. The elder son was treated by bloodletting in an unsuccessful effort to save him. Fearing that the Dauphin would die, the Court had both the Dauphin and the Duke of Anjou baptised, the Dauphin died the same day,8 March 1712. His younger brother, the Duke of Anjou, was treated by his governess, Madame de Ventadour. The two year old Dauphin survived the smallpox, on 1 September 1715, Louis XIV died of gangrene, having reigned for 72 years
13.
Sparkling wine
–
Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it, making it fizzy. The best known example of a wine is champagne, which is exclusively produced in the Champagne region of France. The sweetness of sparkling wine can range from very dry brut styles to sweeter doux varieties, in most countries the word champagne is reserved only for the specific type of sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France. The French terms Mousseux or Crémant are used to refer to sparkling wine not made in the Champagne region, Sparkling wines are also produced in other regions of France as well as other countries around the world. Sparkling wine have also produced in Central and Eastern Europe since the early 19th-century. Champagne was further popularised in the region, late in the century, Törley has since become one of the largest European producers of sparkling wine. The United States is also a significant producer of sparkling wine today, recently production of sparkling wine have started in the United Kingdom again, after a long hiatus since some of the earliest examples of sparkling wine was produced there. Effervescence has been observed in wine throughout history and has been noted by Ancient Greek and Roman writers, over time it has been attributed to phases of the moon as well as both good and evil spirits. Dom Pérignon was originally charged by his superiors at the Abbey of Hautvillers to get rid of the bubbles since the pressure in the bottles caused many of them to burst in the cellar. The disturbance caused by one bottles disintegration could cause a chain reaction, the mysterious circumstance surrounding the then unknown process of fermentation and carbonic gas caused some critics to call the sparkling creations The Devils Wine. The British were the first to see the tendency of wines from Champagne to sparkle as a desirable trait, Wine was often transported to England in wooden wine barrels where merchant houses would then bottle the wine for sale. During the 17th century, English glass production used coal-fueled ovens and produced stronger, the English also rediscovered the use of cork stoppers, once used by the Romans but forgotten for centuries after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. During the cold winters of the Champagne region, temperatures would drop so low that the process was prematurely halted—leaving some residual sugar. When the wine was shipped to and bottled in England, the process would restart when the weather warmed. When the wine was opened, it would be bubbly, fully sparkling wines, such as Champagne, are generally sold with 5 to 6 atmospheres of pressure in the bottle. This is nearly twice the pressure found in an automobile tire, European Union regulations define a sparkling wine as any wine with an excess of 3 atmospheres in pressure. These include German Sekt, Spanish Espumoso, Italian Spumante and French Crémant or Mousseux wines, semi-sparkling wines are defined as those with between 1 and 2.5 atmospheres of pressures and include German spritzig, Italian frizzante and French pétillant wines. While the majority of sparkling wines are white or rosé, Australia, Italy, of these Italy have the longest tradition of red sparkling wine, such as Brachetto and semi sparkling Lambrusco
14.
Vintage
–
Vintage, in winemaking, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product. A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown, in certain wines, it can denote quality, as in Port wine, where Port houses make and declare vintage Port in their best years. From this tradition, a common, though incorrect, usage applies the term to any wine that is perceived to be old or of a particularly high quality. Most countries allow a wine to include a portion of wine that is not from the year denoted on the label. In Chile and South Africa, the requirement is 75% same-year content for vintage-dated wine, in Australia, New Zealand, and the member states of the European Union, the requirement is 85%. In the United States, the requirement is 85%, unless the wine is designated with an AVA, technically, the 85% rule in the United States applies equally to imports, but there are obvious difficulties in enforcing the regulation. The opposite of a wine is a nonvintage wine, which is usually a blend from the produce of two or more years. This is a practice for winemakers seeking a consistent style of wine. The word vintage was first used in the early 15th century and it was taken from the Old French vendage, meaning wine harvest. This word was taken from the Latin vinum and demere, the importance of vintage, however, is both varied and disputed. In wine produced on the limits of wine production, vintage is often very important, because some seasons will be much warmer and produce riper grapes. On the other hand, a growing season can lead to grapes low in sugar. In many wine regions, especially in the New World, growing seasons are more uniform. In dry regions, the systematic and controlled use of irrigation also contributes to uniform vintages, however, such wines are regularly labeled by vintage because of consumer demand. Wines of superior vintages from prestigious producers and regions will often command higher prices than those from average vintages. This is especially the case if wines are likely to further with some age in the bottle. Some wines are labeled with a vintage in better-than-average years, to maintain their quality and reputation, while the vast majority of wines are produced to be drunk young. In such cases, a vintage is usually considered less important, the importance of vintage may sometimes be exaggerated
15.
Label
–
A label is a piece of paper, polymer, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed directly on a container or article can also be considered labeling, methods of production and attachment to packaging are many and various and may also be subject to internationally recognised standards. In many countries, hazardous products such as poisons or flammable liquids must have a warning label, labels may be used for any combination of identification, information, warning, instructions for use, environmental advice or advertising. They may be stickers, permanent or temporary labels or printed packaging, Permanent product identification by a label is commonplace, labels need to remain secure throughout the life of the product. For example, a VIN plate on an automobile must be resistant to heat, oils and tampering, similarly, removable product labels need to bond until they are removed. For example, a label on a new refrigerator has installation, usage and environmental information, packaging may have labeling attached to or integral with the package. These may carry pricing, barcodes, UPC identification, usage guidance, addresses, advertising, recipes and they also may be used to help resist or indicate tampering or pilferage. In industrial or military environments, asset labeling is used to identify assets for maintenance. Such labels are made of engraved Traffolyte or a similar material. They are usually tamper-evident, permanent or frangible and usually contain a barcode for electronic identification using readers, for example, the US Military uses a UID system for its assets. Garments normally carry separate care/treatment labels which, in regions, are subject to legislation. These labels typically indicate how the item should be washed, whether bleach can be used, textile labels may be woven into the garment or attached, and may be heat resistant, colorfast, washable, leather or PVC/Plastic. Printed labels are an alternative to woven labels, some upholstered furniture and mattresses have labels that are required by law, describing the contents of the stuffing. Textiles containing pesticides as an ingredient may also require government approval, a label including a company name or identification number and a material content list may also be required. Mailing labels identify the addressee, the sender and any information which may be useful in transit. Many software packages such as word processor and contact manager programs produce standardized mailing labels from a set that comply with postal standards. These labels may also include routing barcodes and special handling requirements to expedite delivery, piggyback labels are made from combining two layers of adhesive substrate. The bottom layer forms the backing for the top, the label can be applied to any object as normal, the top layer can be a removable label that can be applied elsewhere, which may change the message or marking on the remaining label underneath
16.
Hennessy
–
Jas Hennessy & Co. or more simply Hennessy, is a cognac house with headquarters in Cognac, France. Jas Hennessy & Co. sells about 50 million bottles a year worldwide, or more than 40 percent of the world’s cognac and it is owned by Moët Hennessy, which is in turn owned by LVMH and Diageo. The Hennessy cognac distillery was founded by Irishman Richard Hennessy in 1765, during the 1970s, Kilian Hennessy, a fifth generation direct descendent of Hennessy, became the CEO of Hennessy, succeeding his first cousin Maurice-Richard. Kilian Hennessy spearheaded the companys 1971 merger with Moët et Chandon, Moët Hennessy merged with Louis Vuitton in 1987, creating one of the worlds largest luxury brand conglomerates, Louis Vuitton • Moët-Hennessy or LVMH. In 1988, a management crisis led to the takeover by Bernard Arnault, owner of the haute couture house Christian Dior. Kilian Hennessy remained on the advisory board until his death in 2010 at the age of 103. In the United States, African American customers make up half of Hennessys sales. In 2014, Hennessy VS sponsored The Rap Monument produced primarily by Hudson Mohawke, Hennessy was the favorite drink of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il. Hennessy once reported that Kim spent over $700,000 a year on Paradis cognac, Hennessy is featured in Steven Speilbergs 1993 World War II epic drama film Schindlers List. The protagonist Oskar Schindler refers to it as the best
17.
Louis Vuitton
–
Louis Vuitton Malletier, commonly referred to as Louis Vuitton, or shortened to LV, is a house founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton. The labels LV monogram appears on most of its products, ranging from luxury trunks and leather goods to ready-to-wear, shoes, watches, jewelry, accessories, sunglasses, for six consecutive years, Louis Vuitton was named the worlds most valuable luxury brand. Its 2012 valuation was US$25.9 billion, the 2013 valuation of the brand was US$28.4 billion with revenue of US$9.4 billion. The company operates in 50 countries with more than 460 stores worldwide, the Louis Vuitton label was founded by Vuitton in 1854 on Rue Neuve des Capucines in Paris, France. Louis Vuitton had observed that the HJ Cave Osilite trunk could be stacked and in 1858, Vuitton introduced his flat-bottom trunks with trianon canvas. Before the introduction of Vuittons trunks, rounded-top trunks were used, generally to promote water run off and it was Vuittons gray Trianon canvas flat trunk that allowed the ability to stack with ease for voyages. Many other luggagemakers imitated LVs style and design, the company participated in the 1867 Universal Exhibition in Paris. To protect against the duplication of his look, Vuitton changed the Trianon design to a beige, by 1885, the company opened its first store in London on Oxford Street. In 1892, Louis Vuitton died, and the management passed to his son. After the death of his father, Georges Vuitton began a campaign to build the company into a worldwide corporation, in 1896, the company launched the signature Monogram Canvas and made the worldwide patents on it. Its graphic symbols, including quatrefoils and flowers, were based on the trend of using Japanese Mon designs in the late Victorian era, the patents later proved to be successful in stopping counterfeiting. In this same year, Georges traveled to the United States, where he toured cities such as New York, Philadelphia, in 1901, the Louis Vuitton Company introduced the Steamer Bag, a smaller piece of luggage designed to be kept inside Vuitton luggage trunks. By 1913, the Louis Vuitton Building opened on the Champs-Elysees and it was the largest travel-goods store in the world at the time. Stores also opened in New York, Bombay, Washington, London, Alexandria, afterwards, in 1930, the Keepall bag was introduced. During 1932, LV introduced the Noé bag and this bag was originally made for champagne vintners to transport bottles. Soon thereafter, the Louis Vuitton Speedy bag was introduced, in 1936 Georges Vuitton died, and his son, Gaston-Louis Vuitton, assumed control of the company. During World War II, Louis Vuitton collaborated with the Nazis during the German occupation of France, the family set up a factory dedicated to producing artifacts glorifying Pétain, including more than 2,500 busts. Caroline Babulle, a spokeswoman for the publisher, Fayard, said, They have not contested anything in the book, responding to the books release in 2004, a spokesman for LVMH said, This is ancient history
18.
Euro
–
Outside of Europe, a number of overseas territories of EU members also use the euro as their currency. Additionally,210 million people worldwide as of 2013 use currencies pegged to the euro, the euro is the second largest reserve currency as well as the second most traded currency in the world after the United States dollar. The name euro was adopted on 16 December 1995 in Madrid. The euro was introduced to world markets as an accounting currency on 1 January 1999. While the euro dropped subsequently to US$0.8252 within two years, it has traded above the U. S. dollar since the end of 2002, peaking at US$1.6038 on 18 July 2008. In July 2012, the euro fell below US$1.21 for the first time in two years, following concerns raised over Greek debt and Spains troubled banking sector, as of 26 March 2017, the euro–dollar exchange rate stands at ~ US$1.07. The euro is managed and administered by the Frankfurt-based European Central Bank, as an independent central bank, the ECB has sole authority to set monetary policy. The Eurosystem participates in the printing, minting and distribution of notes and coins in all states. The 1992 Maastricht Treaty obliges most EU member states to adopt the euro upon meeting certain monetary and budgetary convergence criteria, all nations that have joined the EU since 1993 have pledged to adopt the euro in due course. Since 5 January 2002, the central banks and the ECB have issued euro banknotes on a joint basis. Euro banknotes do not show which central bank issued them, Eurosystem NCBs are required to accept euro banknotes put into circulation by other Eurosystem members and these banknotes are not repatriated. The ECB issues 8% of the value of banknotes issued by the Eurosystem. In practice, the ECBs banknotes are put into circulation by the NCBs and these liabilities carry interest at the main refinancing rate of the ECB. The euro is divided into 100 cents, in Community legislative acts the plural forms of euro and cent are spelled without the s, notwithstanding normal English usage. Otherwise, normal English plurals are used, with many local variations such as centime in France. All circulating coins have a side showing the denomination or value. Due to the plurality in the European Union, the Latin alphabet version of euro is used. For the denominations except the 1-, 2- and 5-cent coins, beginning in 2007 or 2008 the old map is being replaced by a map of Europe also showing countries outside the Union like Norway
19.
Royal Warrant of Appointment (United Kingdom)
–
Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to those who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the royal family, in the United Kingdom, grants are currently made by the three most senior members of the British Royal Family to companies or tradesmen who supply goods and services to individuals in the family. Suppliers continue to charge for their goods and services – a warrant does not imply that they provide goods, the warrant is typically advertised on company hoardings, letter-heads and products by displaying the coat of arms or the heraldic badge of the royal personage as appropriate. Underneath the coat of arms usually appear the phrase By Appointment to. Followed by the title and name of the customer. No other details of what is supplied may be given, the earliest recorded British royal charter was granted to the Weavers’ Company in 1155 by Henry II of England. Food and drinks suppliers have always been some of the most important warrant holders to the palace, one of the first monarchs to grant a warrant was King George IV, who turned Buckingham Palace into his residence. Warrants are currently granted for the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, Warrants issued by the Queen Mother automatically expired in 2007, five years after her death. Royal Warrants are only awarded to tradesmen, such as carpenters, engravers, cabinet makers, dry-cleaners, some are well-known companies, many are not. The professions, employment agencies, party planners, the media, government departments, some 850 individuals and companies, including a few non-UK companies, hold more than 1,100 warrants to the British Royal Family. The Royal Warrant signifies there is a satisfactory trade relation in place between the grantor and the company, within the company, there is a nominated person called the grantee. That person is in all respects responsible for all aspects of the Royal Warrant and it takes at least five years of supplying goods or services to the member of the Royal Family before a company is eligible to have its application considered for recommendation. That application is presented to the Royal Household and goes to the buyer who makes its recommendation for inclusion. It then goes in front of the Royal Household Warrants Committee, which is chaired by the Lord Chamberlain and it then goes to the grantor, who personally signs it. The grantor is empowered to reverse the Committees decision, and therefore the decision to accept or withhold a grant is a very personal one. Some Royal Warrants have been held for more than a hundred years, goods need not be for the use of the grantor. For example, cigarettes were only bought for the use of guests of the Royal Family, most Warrant holders are members of the Royal Warrant Holders Association, which liaises closely with the palace. Its secretary, Richard Peck, is a submarine commander
20.
Elizabeth II
–
Elizabeth II has been Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand since 6 February 1952. Elizabeth was born in London as the eldest child of the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth and her father acceded to the throne on the abdication of his brother Edward VIII in 1936, from which time she was the heir presumptive. She began to undertake duties during the Second World War. Elizabeths many historic visits and meetings include a visit to the Republic of Ireland. She has seen major changes, such as devolution in the United Kingdom, Canadian patriation. She has reigned through various wars and conflicts involving many of her realms and she is the worlds oldest reigning monarch as well as Britains longest-lived. In October 2016, she became the longest currently reigning monarch, in 2017 she became the first British monarch to commemorate a Sapphire Jubilee. Elizabeth has occasionally faced republican sentiments and press criticism of the family, however, support for the monarchy remains high. Elizabeth was born at 02,40 on 21 April 1926, during the reign of her paternal grandfather and her father, Prince Albert, Duke of York, was the second son of the King. Her mother, Elizabeth, Duchess of York, was the youngest daughter of Scottish aristocrat Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and she was delivered by Caesarean section at her maternal grandfathers London house,17 Bruton Street, Mayfair. Elizabeths only sibling, Princess Margaret, was born in 1930, the two princesses were educated at home under the supervision of their mother and their governess, Marion Crawford, who was casually known as Crawfie. Lessons concentrated on history, language, literature and music, Crawford published a biography of Elizabeth and Margarets childhood years entitled The Little Princesses in 1950, much to the dismay of the royal family. The book describes Elizabeths love of horses and dogs, her orderliness, others echoed such observations, Winston Churchill described Elizabeth when she was two as a character. She has an air of authority and reflectiveness astonishing in an infant and her cousin Margaret Rhodes described her as a jolly little girl, but fundamentally sensible and well-behaved. During her grandfathers reign, Elizabeth was third in the line of succession to the throne, behind her uncle Edward, Prince of Wales, and her father, the Duke of York. Although her birth generated public interest, she was not expected to become queen, many people believed that he would marry and have children of his own. When her grandfather died in 1936 and her uncle succeeded as Edward VIII, she became second-in-line to the throne, later that year, Edward abdicated, after his proposed marriage to divorced socialite Wallis Simpson provoked a constitutional crisis. Consequently, Elizabeths father became king, and she became heir presumptive, if her parents had had a later son, she would have lost her position as first-in-line, as her brother would have been heir apparent and above her in the line of succession
21.
Swarovski
–
Swarovski is an Austrian producer of crystal headquartered in Wattens, Austria.6 billion euros. Daniel Swarovski was born in northern Bohemia and his father was a glass cutter who owned a small glass factory. It was there that the young Swarovski served an apprenticeship, becoming skilled in the art of glass-cutting, in 1892 he patented an electric cutting machine that facilitated the production of crystal glass. In 1895, Swarovski financier Armand Kosman and Franz Weis founded the Swarovski company, originally known as A. Kosman, the company established a crystal cutting factory in Wattens, Tyrol, to take advantage of local hydroelectricity for the energy-intensive grinding processes Daniel Swarovski patented. Nadja Swarovski, the founders granddaughter, is a member of the Swarovski executive board. The Swarovski Crystal range includes crystal glass sculptures and miniature, jewelry and couture, home decor and it is best known for its small animal figurines, which have loyal and longstanding collectors and fans. All sculptures are marked with a logo, the original Swarovski logo was an edelweiss flower, which was replaced by an S. A. L. Logo, which was replaced with the current swan logo in 1988. To create crystal glass that lets light refract in a rainbow spectrum, for example, Aurora Borealis, or AB, gives the surface a rainbow appearance. Other coatings are named by the company, including Crystal Transmission, Volcano, Aurum, coatings may be applied to only part of an object, others are coated twice, and thus are designated AB 2X, Dorado 2X, etc. In 2004 Swarovski released Xilion, a copyrighted cut designed to optimise the brilliance of Roses, the Swarovski Group includes Tyrolit, Swareflex, Signity, and Swarovski Optik. In 2014, Tristan da Cunha issued a five crown Christmas coin where the reverse has a small Swarovski crystal set in the guiding star behind a picture of one of the magi. Swarovski have created a line of liquid and solid perfumes, the company runs a crystal-themed museum, Swarovski Kristallwelten at its original Wattens site. The Crystal Worlds Centre is fronted by a head, the mouth of which is a fountain. The grass-covered Crystal Worlds Centre houses exhibitions related to, or inspired by, Swarovski work was exhibited at Asias Fashion Jewellery & Accessories Fair based on the concept of a single continuous beam of fragmented light travelling through a crystal. Swarovski Crystal-based animal and other figurines, ornaments and fashion accessories, atelier Swarovski Fashion and jewellery designers. Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren designed a 2014 fall collection, Swarovski Crystal Palace Avant-garde lighting and design Swarovski Professional Crystal elements produced by Swarovski Swarovski Kristallwelten Museum, Art and Entertainment. Swarovski Lighting Finished lighting products and solutions with crystal for architecture, Tyrolit A manufacturer of bonded grinding and cut-off wheels
22.
Order of Saint Benedict
–
Each community within the order maintains its own autonomy, while the order itself represents their mutual interests. Internationally, the order is governed by the Benedictine Confederation, a body, established in 1883 by Pope Leo XIIIs Brief Summum semper, individuals whose communities are members of the order generally add the initials OSB after their names. The monastery at Subiaco in Italy, established by Saint Benedict of Nursia circa 529, was the first of the monasteries he founded. He later founded the Abbey of Monte Cassino, there is no evidence, however, that he intended to found an order and the Rule of Saint Benedict presupposes the autonomy of each community. It was from the monastery of St. Andrew in Rome that Augustine, the prior, at various stopping places during the journey, the monks left behind them traditions concerning their rule and form of life, and probably also some copies of the Rule. Lérins Abbey, for instance, founded by Honoratus in 375, probably received its first knowledge of the Benedictine Rule from the visit of St. Augustine, in Gaul and Switzerland, it supplemented the much stricter Irish or Celtic Rule introduced by Columbanus and others. In many monasteries it eventually displaced the earlier codes. Largely through the work of Benedict of Aniane, it became the rule of choice for monasteries throughout the Carolingian empire, Monastic scriptoria flourished from the ninth through the twelfth centuries. Sacred Scripture was always at the heart of every monastic scriptorium, as a general rule those of the monks who possessed skill as writers made this their chief, if not their sole active work. In the Middle Ages monasteries were founded by the nobility. Cluny Abbey was founded by William I, Duke of Aquitaine in 910, the abbey was noted for its strict adherence to the Rule of St. Benedict. The abbot of Cluny was the superior of all the daughter houses, one of the earliest reforms of Benedictine practice was that initiated in 980 by Romuald, who founded the Camaldolese community. The English Benedictine Congregation is the oldest of the nineteen Benedictine congregations, Augustine of Canterbury and his monks established the first English Benedictine monastery at Canterbury soon after their arrival in 597. Many of the sees of England were founded and governed by the Benedictines. Monasteries served as hospitals and places of refuge for the weak, the monks studied the healing properties of plants and minerals to alleviate the sufferings of the sick. Germany was evangelized by English Benedictines, willibrord and Boniface preached there in the seventh and eighth centuries and founded several abbeys. In the English Reformation, all monasteries were dissolved and their lands confiscated by the Crown, during the 19th century they were able to return to England, including to Selby Abbey in Yorkshire, one of the few great monastic churches to survive the Dissolution. St. Mildreds Priory, on the Isle of Thanet, Kent, was built in 1027 on the site of an abbey founded in 670 by the daughter of the first Christian King of Kent, currently the priory is home to a community of Benedictine nuns
23.
Monk
–
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of other monks. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many religions, in the Greek language the term can apply to women, but in modern English it is mainly in use for men. The word nun is typically used for female monastics, although the term monachos is of Christian origin, in the English language monk tends to be used loosely also for both male and female ascetics from other religious or philosophical backgrounds. However, being generic, it is not interchangeable terms that denote particular kinds of monk, such as cenobite, hermit, anchorite, hesychast. In Eastern Orthodoxy monasticism holds a special and important place. Orthodox monastics separate themselves from the world in order to pray unceasingly for the world and they do not, in general, have as their primary purpose the running of social services, but instead are concerned with attaining theosis, or union with God. However, care for the poor and needy has always been an obligation of monasticism, the level of contact though will vary from community to community. Hermits, on the hand, have little or no contact with the outside world. Orthodox monasticism does not have religious orders as are found in the West, basil the Great and the Philokalia, which was compiled by St. Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain and St. Makarios of Corinth. Hesychasm is of importance in the ascetical theology of the Orthodox Church. Meals are usually taken in common in a dining hall known as a trapeza. Food is usually simple and is eaten in silence while one of the brethren reads aloud from the writings of the Holy Fathers. The monastic lifestyle takes a deal of serious commitment. Within the cenobitic community, all monks conform to a way of living based on the traditions of that particular monastery. In struggling to attain this conformity, the comes to realize his own shortcomings and is guided by his spiritual father in how to deal honestly with them. For this same reason, bishops are almost always chosen from the ranks of monks, Eastern monasticism is found in three distinct forms, anchoritic, cenobitic, and the middle way between the two, known as the skete. One normally enters a community first, and only after testing and spiritual growth would one go on to the skete or, for the most advanced. However, one is not necessarily expected to join a skete or become a solitary, in general, Orthodox monastics have little or no contact with the outside world, including their own families
24.
Sparkling wine production
–
Sparkling wine is a wine that becomes carbonated, either through fermentation or by addition of carbon dioxide. The oldest known production of sparkling wine took place in 1531 with the ancestral method, Champagne is the most well-known variant, but there are other variations such as Spanish Cava, Italian Spumante, Crémant from France and Sekt from Germany. Overall, more or less dry wines are most common among the sparkling wines. In popular parlance and also in the title of this article the term sparkling is used for all wines that produce bubbles at the surface after opening, under EU law the term sparkling has a special meaning that does not include all wines that produce bubbles. For this reason the terms fizzy and effervescent are sometimes used to include all bubbly wines, the following terms are increasingly used to designate different bottle pressures, Beady is a wine with less than 1 additional bar of pressure. Semi-sparkling is a wine with 1 to 2.5 additional bars of pressure, semi-sparkling wines include wines labelled as Frizzante, Spritzig, Pétillant and Pearl. Sparkling is a wine with above 3 additional bars of pressure and this is the only wine that can be labelled as sparkling under EU law. Sparkling wines include wines labelled as Champagne, Cava, Mousseux, Crémant, Espumoso, Sekt, fermentation of sugar into alcohol during winemaking always means that carbon dioxide is released. Carbon dioxide has the property of being soluble in water. Production always starts from a base wine, Champagne production the base wine is usually a blend of wines from different grape varieties and different wineries, where the distribution gives the final wine its special character, called cuvée. In some commonly used methods the base wine undergoes a secondary fermentation, in this way the carbon dioxide content is created which, after opening the bottle, produces the bubbles. The dead yeast cells form a precipitate called lees, that helps with appealing aromas to the sparkling wine. The lees is therefore normally removed before the wine is distributed, the main methods used to make sparkling wines are often given as seven, with some variations. The following table shows the features of each method. The methods are described in the text. It should be noted that each method there may be variations from one producer to another. The so-called classic way to sparkling wine is popularly known as the Champagne method or méthode classique which is the official EU designation. Formerly, the designation was méthode champenoise but this designation is no longer permitted, as the former designation suggests, the method is used for the production of most Champagne, and it is slightly more expensive than the Charmat method
25.
Domaine Chandon California
–
Yountville Domaine Chandon is a winery located in Napa Valley in the town of Yountville, California. Established in 1973 by Moët et Chandon, by businessman John Wright and was the first French-owned sparkling wine producer in Napa Valley, the Restaurant at Domaine Chandon opened at the same time as the winery and has been credited with establishing high-quality dining in the area. Udo Nechutnys was the restaurants first chef and was succeeded by Philippe Jeanty, the restaurant was renamed Etoile in 2006 and closed in December 2014 in order to make room to expand the winerys tasting room. The winery has vineyards located in several Napa Valley appellations including Los Carneros AVA, Mt. Veeder AVA, Domaine Chandon makes both sparkling and still wines made from Chardonnay, Pinot noir, and Pinot Meunier, the traditional grapes used in the production of Champagne. The company also has sister wineries located in Mendoza in Argentina, in the Yarra valley in Victoria, Australia, Brazil and the Ningxia region of China
26.
Napa Valley AVA
–
Napa Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Napa County, California, United States. Napa Valley is considered one of the wine regions in the world. Records of commercial production in the region date back to the nineteenth century. The combination of Mediterranean climate, geography and geology of the region are conducive to growing quality wine grapes, John Patchett established the Napa Valleys first commercial vineyard in 1858. In 1861 Charles Krug established another of Napa Valleys first commercial wineries in St. Helena, Napa Valley is now a major enotourism destination. The valley floor is flanked by the Mayacamas Mountain Range on the western and northern sides the Vaca Mountains on the eastern side, several smaller valleys exist within these two ranges. The floor of the valley gradually rises from sea level at the southern end to 362 feet above sea level at the northern end in Calistoga at the foot of Mount Saint Helena. The Oakville and Rutherford American Viticultural Areas lie within an area known as the Rutherford Bench in the center of the valley floor. Several of the hills that emerge from the middle of the valley floor near Yountville are indicators of the regions volcanic past. Several mesoclimates exist within the due to various weather and geographical influences. The open southern end of the floor is cooler during the growing season due to the proximity of San Pablo Bay while the sheltered, closed northern end is often much warmer. The eastern side of the valley tends to be more arid because winter storms tend to much more precipitation on the western mountains. Early pioneer and settler George C, Yount is generally credited to have been the first to grow grapes in the Napa Valley. In 1864, on the marriage of one of his granddaughters to Thomas Rutherford, Yount gave the couple around 1,000 acres of land, commercial production started in 1858, with John Patchett selling wine for $2 per gallon. His wine cellar, built in 1859, narrowly predates that established in 1861 in St. Helena by Charles Krug, captain Gustave Niebaum established Inglenook Winery in 1879 near the village of Rutherford. This was the first Bordeaux style winery in the USA, Inglenook wines won gold medals at the 1889 Worlds Fair in Paris. In 1868 H. W. Crabb bought land near Oakville close to the Napa River, Crabb established a vineyard and winery named To Kalon, and by 1877 had planted 130 acres and was producing 50,000 US gallons of wine per year. Crabb experimented with over 400 grape varieties to find the types best suited for the area, by the end of the nineteenth century there were more than one hundred and forty wineries in the area
27.
Coldstream, Victoria
–
Coldstream is a locality and township within Greater Melbourne beyond the Melbourne metropolitan area Urban Growth Boundary,36 km north-east from Melbournes central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Yarra Ranges, at the 2011 Census, Coldstream had a population of 2,338. The township developed around the station after the railway arrived in 1888. Prior to that the locality was known as The Lodge, in 1909, Dame Nellie Melba bought Coombe Cottage at Coldstream. The house is located at the junction of Maroondah Highway and Melba Highway and it became the home of Melbas granddaughter, Lady Pamela Vestey, until her death in 2011. It is now the property of Lady Vesteys sons, Sam and Mark, Coldstream has a local primary school, community centre, landfill and several farms. The Coldstream Timber and Hardware company have premises on Maroondah Highway, Coldstream is also home to the Coldstream Brewery, which opened in June 2007 and has its brewery and restaurant open 7 days a week. It had a station that closed to passengers in 1983. Coldstream Airport is owned by the Doake Family and has been in operation since the early 1960s and it is home to, — a flying school currently operated by Yarra Valley Flight Training, An aero club, the Coldstream Flyers Club, ACMA, and Many private aircraft. Coldstream has an active CFA volunteer fire brigade established after the fires of 1962. This was essentially a change from the Lilydale Rural Fire Brigade originally established in 1939 as the Lilydale Bushfire Brigade. On clear winter mornings Coldstream is one of the coldest places around Melbourne, overall, the daily minimum temperatures are even lower than nearby Mount Dandenong despite being much closer to sea level. The Bureau of Meteorology operates a weather station at Coldstream Airfield. A private automatic weather station is maintained in the Coldstream Estate. The Domaine Chandon Australia winery, sister to Domaine Chandon California, the town has an Australian Rules football team, The Coldstream Cougars, competing in the Eastern Football League
28.
Formula One
–
Formula One is the highest class of single-seat auto racing that is sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de lAutomobile. The FIA Formula One World Championship has been the form of racing since the inaugural season in 1950. The formula, designated in the name, refers to a set of rules, the F1 season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix, held worldwide on purpose-built F1 circuits and public roads. The results of each race are evaluated using a system to determine two annual World Championships, one for drivers, one for constructors. The racing drivers are required to be holders of valid Super Licences, the races are required to be held on tracks graded 1, the highest grade a track can receive by the FIA. Most events are held in locations on purpose-built tracks, but there are several events in city centres throughout the world. Formula One cars are the fastest road racing cars in the world. Formula One cars race at speeds of up to approximately 375 km/h with engines currently limited in performance to a maximum of 15,000 RPM, the cars are capable of lateral acceleration in excess of five g in corners. The performance of the cars is very dependent on electronics – although traction control and other driving aids have been banned since 2008 – and on aerodynamics, suspension, the formula has radically evolved and changed through the history of the sport. F1 had a global television audience of 425 million people during the course of the 2014 season. Grand Prix racing began in 1906 and became the most popular internationally in the second half of the twentieth century. The Formula One Group is the holder of the commercial rights. Its high profile and popularity have created a major merchandising environment, since 2000 the sports spiraling expenditures and the distribution of prize money favoring established top teams have forced complaints from smaller teams and led several teams to bankruptcy. On 23 January 2017 it was confirmed that Liberty Media had completed its $8 billion acquisition of Delta Topco, the Formula One series originated with the European Grand Prix Motor Racing of the 1920s and 1930s. The formula is a set of rules that all cars must meet. Formula One was a new formula agreed upon after World War II during 1946, the first world championship race was held at Silverstone, United Kingdom in 1950. A championship for constructors followed in 1958, national championships existed in South Africa and the UK in the 1960s and 1970s. Non-championship Formula One events were held for years, but due to the increasing cost of competition
29.
2016 FIA Formula One World Championship
–
The 2016 Formula One season was the 70th season of the Fédération Internationale de lAutomobile s Formula One motor racing. The 2016 season saw the grid expand to twenty-two cars with the addition of the Haas F1 Team entry, Renault returned to the sport as a constructor after a four-year absence following their takeover of Lotus prior to the start of the season. The calendar has similarly expanded, with the return of the German Grand Prix, the European Grand Prix was also revived, with the event visiting a new circuit in Azerbaijans capital city, Baku. Nico Rosberg won his only World Drivers Championship title in the race of the season. With nine wins and seven podiums, Rosberg beat teammate. In doing so, Rosberg followed the success of his father in 1982 and became the son of a champion to become champion himself. This would later prove to be Rosbergs last season, as he announced his retirement from the sport shortly after winning the title, in the World Constructors Championship, Mercedes successfully defended their title for the second consecutive year, beating Red Bull Racing by two hundred and ninety-seven points. Ferrari finished third overall, a further seventy points behind, the following teams and drivers took part in the 2016 Formula One World Championship, Several team changes took place before the season began. The team uses power supplied by Ferrari and a chassis developed by Dallara. Dallara had last participated in Formula One as the manufacturer for HRT in 2010. Lotuss participation in the 2016 season was in question pending the resolution of a High Court case brought against the team by HM Revenue, both Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso underwent changes regarding their power unit supply. The team continued using Renault engines, however they were rebadged as TAG Heuer, Team principal Christian Horner named Renaults partnership with Mario Illien and his company Ilmor as a reason for staying with the manufacturer. Meanwhile, Scuderia Toro Rosso returned to using Ferrari power units, as they had prior to the start of 2014. Marussia applied for their name to be changed to Manor Racing. The team underwent a management reshuffle following the resignation of team principal John Booth, Sauber underwent a change in ownership in the week prior to the Hungarian Grand Prix, with the team being purchased by Longbow Finance. Despite the acquisition and the retirement of team founder Peter Sauber, the driver line-ups saw a couple of changes prior to the 2016 season and three more while the season was underway. Romain Grosjean left Lotus at the end of the 2015 season and he joined the newly formed Haas F1 Team for 2016, where he was joined by former Sauber driver Esteban Gutiérrez. Gutiérrez returned to competition after spending a season as Ferraris test, after having taken over the Lotus team, Renault introduced a new driver-line up
30.
Roger Federer
–
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who is currently ranked world No.4 by the Association of Tennis Professionals. Many players and analysts have called him the greatest tennis player of all time, Federer turned professional in 1998 and was continuously ranked in the top 10 from October 2002 to November 2016. Federer has won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, the most in history for a tennis player. In majors, Federer has won seven Wimbledon titles, five Australian Open titles, five US Open titles and he is among the eight men to capture a career Grand Slam. He has reached a record 28 mens singles Grand Slam finals, Federers ATP tournament records include winning a record six ATP World Tour Finals and playing in the finals at all nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments. He also won the Olympic gold medal in doubles with his compatriot Stan Wawrinka at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, representing Switzerland, he was a part of the 2014 winning Davis Cup team. He was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for a four consecutive years from 2005 to 2008. Federer was born at the Basel Cantonal Hospital in Basel, Switzerland, Federer has one sibling, his older sister Diana, who is the mother of a set of twins. He holds both Swiss and South African citizenship, Federer was raised as a Roman Catholic and met Pope Benedict XVI while playing the 2006 Internazionali BNL dItalia tournament in Rome. Like all male Swiss citizens, Federer was subject to military service in the Swiss Armed Forces. However, in 2003 he was ruled unsuitable and was not required to fulfil his military obligation. Instead, he served in the protection force and was required to pay 3% of his taxable income as an alternative. He grew up supporting F. C. Basel and the Swiss National Football Team, Federer also credits the range of sports he played as a child—he also played badminton and basketball—for his hand-eye coordination. Federer is married to former Womens Tennis Association player Mirka Vavrinec and he met her while both were competing for Switzerland in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Vavrinec retired from the tour in 2002 because of a foot injury and they were married at Wenkenhof Villa in Riehen near Basel on 11 April 2009, surrounded by a small group of close friends and family. In July 2009, Mirka gave birth to twin girls, Myla Rose. The Federers had another set of twins in 2014, this time boys whom they named Leo and Lennart, in 2003, he established the Roger Federer Foundation to help disadvantaged children and to promote their access to education and sports. In 2005, he auctioned his racquet from his US Open championship to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina, at the 2005 Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, Federer arranged an exhibition involving several top players from the ATP and WTA tour called Rally for Relief
31.
McLaren
–
McLaren Racing Limited, competing as McLaren Honda, is a British Formula One team based at the McLaren Technology Centre, Woking, Surrey, England. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor but has competed in and won the Indianapolis 500. The team is the second oldest active team after Ferrari and they are one of the most successful teams in Formula One history, having won 182 races,12 drivers championships and eight constructors championships. The team is an owned subsidiary of McLaren Technology Group. Further American triumph followed, with Indianapolis 500 wins in McLaren cars for Mark Donohue in 1972, the combination of Prost and Senna was particularly dominant—together they won all but one race in 1988—but later their rivalry soured and Prost left for Ferrari. Fellow English team Williams offered the most consistent challenge during this period, however, by the mid-1990s, Honda had withdrawn from Formula One, Senna had moved to Williams, and the team went three seasons without a win. Ron Dennis retired as McLaren team principal in 2009, handing the role to longtime McLaren employee Martin Whitmarsh. At the end of 2013, after the teams worst season since 2004, McLaren announced in 2013 that they would be using Honda engines from 2015 onwards, replacing Mercedes-Benz. The team raced as McLaren-Honda for the first time since 1992 at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix, Bruce McLaren Motor Racing was founded in 1963 by New Zealander Bruce McLaren. Bruce was a driver for the British Formula One team Cooper with whom he had won three Grands Prix and come second in the 1960 world championship. In 1964 and 1965, McLaren were based in New Malden, then Feltham, during this period, Bruce drove for his team in sports car races in the United Kingdom and North America and also entered the 1965 Tasman Series with Phil Hill, but did not win it. He continued to drive in Grands Prix for Cooper, but judging that teams form to be waning, Bruce made the teams Grand Prix debut at the 1966 Monaco race. His race ended after nine laps due to an oil leak. Neither car brought great success, the best result being a fourth at Monaco, for 1968, after driving McLarens sole entry for the previous two years, Bruce was joined by 1967 champion and fellow New Zealander Denny Hulme, who was already racing for McLaren in Can-Am. That years new M7A car, Herds final design for the team, was powered by Cosworths new and soon to be ubiquitous DFV engine, Hulme also won the Italian and Canadian Grands Prix later in the year, helping the team to second in the constructors championship. The year 1970 started with a place each for Hulme. After his death, Teddy Mayer took over control of the team, Hulme continued with Dan Gurney. Gurney won the first two Can-Am events at Mosport and St. Jovite and placed ninth in the third, but left the team mid-season, and Gethin took over from there
32.
Champagne in popular culture
–
In time this created an association of Champagne with luxury and exclusivity. Although sparkling wine was invented in the Limoux area of Languedoc in 1535, when the méthode champenoise was introduced into the region, its ready association with luxury and power brought the unique sparkling wine from Champagne to the fore. The leading practitioners devoted considerable energy to creating a history and identity for their wine, associating it, careful advertising and marketing associated Champagne with prestige, luxury, festivities and rites of passage, coinciding with an emerging middle class looking for symbols of upward mobility. Successful marketing during the Industrial Revolution helped to firmly establish Champagnes reputation among the middle class, the wine came to symbolize the good life to which all people could aspire. It also brought charges of decadence and indulgence, as the American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald once commented, Too much of anything is bad, but too much Champagne is just right. This came about in part by the usual, informal pursuit of traditional practices, the story of Champagne wine was gradually re-told, effectively suppressing outdated and unfashionable ideas and images and promoting more desirable ones. It became, in effect, a symbol of France. During World War II, the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, once motivated the British forces with the claim Remember, gentlemen, its not just France we are fighting for, the British had been particularly hard hit by interruptions in trade during both World Wars. By this time, Champagne had come to be not only as a luxury. In 1866 the famous entertainer and star of his day, George Leybourne, the Champagne maker Moët commissioned him to write and perform songs extolling the virtues of Champagne, especially as a reflection of taste, affluence and the good life. He also agreed to nothing but Champagne in public. Leybourne was seen as sophisticated and his image and efforts did much to establish Champagne as an important social status symbol. It was a triumph, the results of which endure to this day. French producers commissioned a range of artists to produce advertising material, most notably posters. The works are recognised and highly prized for their artistic merit. The Best Years of Our Lifes, Coming Home, The Deer Hunter and it symbolically represents the joy of those who have their family members returning home whilst challenging the premise that war should be celebrated so highly through the use of champagne. In music from the era, especially in music hall and beer hall venues, tunes such as Champagne Charlie, the term champagne music was a term used by bandleader Lawrence Welk to describe a style of music akin to easy listening that Welk performed with his band. Trademarks of the music style include a light and upbeat tempo, muted brass instruments, accordions, woodwinds, pizzicato strings
33.
Champagne Riots
–
The Champagne Riots of 1910 and 1911 resulted from a series of problems faced by grape growers in the Champagne area of France. These included four years of crop losses, the infestation of the phylloxera louse, low income. In the Champagne region, the production of Champagne is largely in the hands of producers who purchase grapes from independent growers. While some growers today produce wines under their own labels, in the early 20th century the amount of capital needed to produce Champagne was beyond the reach of most growers. This dynamic created a system favored the Champagne houses as the only source of revenue for the vineyard owners. If the Champagne houses did not buy their grapes, a grower had little recourse or opportunity for another stream of income, the discontent that eventually led to the riots began during the 19th century. The early vintages of the 20th century were difficult, due to frost, the phylloxera epidemic that ravaged vineyards across France began to affect Champagne. The harvests between 1902 and 1909 were further troubled by mold and mildew, the 1910 vintages was afflicted by hailstorms and flooding. Nearly 96% of the crop was lost, Champagnes growing popularity, as well as the lack of grape supply in Champagne, encouraged the Champagne houses to look outside the Champagne region for a cheaper supply of grapes. Some producers began using grapes from Germany and Spain, newspapers published rumors of some houses buying rhubarb from England to make wine from. With few laws in place to protect the vine grower or the consumer, the Champenois vine growers were incensed at these practices, believing that using foreign grapes to make sparkling wine was not producing true Champagne. They petitioned the government for assistance and a law was based requiring that at least 51% of the used to make Champagne needed to come from the Champagne region itself. With vineyard owners vastly outnumbering the producers, the Champagne houses used this dynamic of excess supply vs limited demand to their advantage and they hired operatives, known as commissionaires, to negotiate prices with vine growers. These commissionaires were paid according to how low of a price they could negotiate and many employed adverse tactics to achieve this, including using violence and intimidation. Some commissionaires openly sought bribes, often in the form of extra grapes, the prices they were able to negotiate rarely covered the cost of farming and harvesting which left many Champenois vine growers in poverty. Champenois vineyard owners were being paid less for fewer grapes, in January 1911, frustrations reached boiling point as riots erupted along the towns of Damery and Hautvilliers. Champenois vine growers intercepted trucks with grapes from the Loire Valley and they then descended upon the warehouses of producers known to produce these faux Champagne, tossing more wine and barrels into the Marne. The owner of Achille Perrier found his house surrounded by a mob chanting A bas les fraudeurs
34.
International Standard Book Number
–
The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an e-book, a paperback and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, the method of assigning an ISBN is nation-based and varies from country to country, often depending on how large the publishing industry is within a country. The initial ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering created in 1966, the 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108. Occasionally, a book may appear without a printed ISBN if it is printed privately or the author does not follow the usual ISBN procedure, however, this can be rectified later. Another identifier, the International Standard Serial Number, identifies periodical publications such as magazines, the ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 in the United Kingdom by David Whitaker and in 1968 in the US by Emery Koltay. The 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108, the United Kingdom continued to use the 9-digit SBN code until 1974. The ISO on-line facility only refers back to 1978, an SBN may be converted to an ISBN by prefixing the digit 0. For example, the edition of Mr. J. G. Reeder Returns, published by Hodder in 1965, has SBN340013818 -340 indicating the publisher,01381 their serial number. This can be converted to ISBN 0-340-01381-8, the check digit does not need to be re-calculated, since 1 January 2007, ISBNs have contained 13 digits, a format that is compatible with Bookland European Article Number EAN-13s. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an ebook, a paperback, and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, a 13-digit ISBN can be separated into its parts, and when this is done it is customary to separate the parts with hyphens or spaces. Separating the parts of a 10-digit ISBN is also done with either hyphens or spaces, figuring out how to correctly separate a given ISBN number is complicated, because most of the parts do not use a fixed number of digits. ISBN issuance is country-specific, in that ISBNs are issued by the ISBN registration agency that is responsible for country or territory regardless of the publication language. Some ISBN registration agencies are based in national libraries or within ministries of culture, in other cases, the ISBN registration service is provided by organisations such as bibliographic data providers that are not government funded. In Canada, ISBNs are issued at no cost with the purpose of encouraging Canadian culture. In the United Kingdom, United States, and some countries, where the service is provided by non-government-funded organisations. Australia, ISBNs are issued by the library services agency Thorpe-Bowker
35.
Country Life (magazine)
–
Country Life is a British weekly perfect-bound, glossy magazine, based in London at 110 Southwark Street, and owned by Time Inc UK. Country Life was launched in 1897, incorporating Racing Illustrated, at this time it was owned by Edward Hudson, the owner of Lindisfarne Castle and various Lutyens-designed houses including The Deanery in Sonning. At that time golf and racing served as its content, as well as the property coverage, initially of manorial estates. Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the late Queen Mother, used to frequently on its front cover. Now the magazine covers a range of subjects in depth, from gardens and gardening to country house architecture, fine art and books, the frontispiece of each issue usually features a portrait photograph of a young woman of society, or, on occasion, a man of society. In 2016, in its 119th year, Country Life was the subject of a documentary series made by Spun Gold. In 1999, the magazine launched a new website, in 2007, the magazine celebrated its 110th anniversary with a special souvenir issue on 4 January. The magazine covers the pleasures and joys of rural life, much of its success has historically been built on its coverage of country house architecture and gardening at a time when the architectural press largely ignored this building type. An extensive photographic archive has resulted, now of great importance to architectural historians, there are reviews of books, food and wine, art and architecture and antiques and crafts. Illustrative material includes the Tottering-by-Gently cartoon by Annie Tempest, the property section claims to have more prime agents than anywhere else. Monthly luxury and interiors sections offer readers some informed ideas about the latest in jewellery, style and travel, in March 2016, Country Life was featured in a three-part documentary series produced by Spun Gold which aired on BBC2 called Land of Hope and Glory, British Country Life. The films sought to show elements of modern rural life which although feature often in Country Life magazine, are rarely seen in the mass media. Fifty Years of Country Life, by Bernard Darwin, Country Life,1947, an Everyday Story of Country Life, BBC2,1997, being a TV documentary filmed over a one-year period in 1996 at the magazine, to celebrate its centenary. Country Life Country Life Fair Country Life Picture Library IPC Media - Country Life brand profile
36.
Board of directors
–
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a corporation or organization, which can include a non-profit organization or a government agency. A board of directors activities are determined by the powers, duties and responsibilities conferred on it by an authority outside itself and these matters are typically detailed in regulations or in the organizations constitution and bylaws. These authorities may specify the number of members of the board, how they are to be chosen, and how often they are to meet. In an organization with voting members, the board is accountable to, and might be subordinate to, the full membership. In a stock corporation, non-executive directors are voted for by the shareholders, the board of directors appoints the chief executive officer of the corporation and sets out the overall strategic direction. In corporations with dispersed ownership, the identification and nomination of directors are often done by the board itself, in a non-stock corporation with no general voting membership, the board is the supreme governing body of the institution, its members are sometimes chosen by the board itself. Other names include Board of directors and advisors, board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees and it may also be called the executive board and is often simply referred to as the board. For companies with publicly trading stock, these responsibilities are typically much more rigorous, typically, the board chooses one of its members to be the chairman, who holds whatever title is specified in the bylaws or articles of association. However, in organizations, the members elect the president of the organization. The directors of an organization are the persons who are members of its board, several specific terms categorize directors by the presence or absence of their other relationships to the organization. An inside director is a director who is also an employee, officer, chief executive, major shareholder, inside directors represent the interests of the entitys stakeholders, and often have special knowledge of its inner workings, its financial or market position, and so on. Executive directors often have an area of responsibility in the organization, such as finance, marketing, human resources. An outside director is a member of the board who is not otherwise employed by or engaged with the organization, a typical example is a director who is president of a firm in a different industry. Outside directors are not employees of the company or affiliated with it in any other way, outside directors bring outside experience and perspectives to the board. One of the arguments for having outside directors is that they can keep a eye on the inside directors. Outside directors are unlikely to tolerate insider dealing between insider directors, as outside directors do not benefit from the company or organization, outside directors are often useful in handling disputes between inside directors, or between shareholders and the board. They are thought to be advantageous because they can be objective, director - a person appointed to serve on the board of an organization, such as an institution or business. This practice results in an interlocking directorate, where a small number of individuals have significant influence over a large number of important entities
37.
Bernadette Chirac
–
Bernadette Thérèse Marie Chirac is a French politician and the wife of the former President Jacques Chirac. She and Chirac met while both were students at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, and were married in France on 16 March 1956 and they have two children, Laurence and Claude Chirac, and a Vietnamese foster-daughter, Anh Đào Traxel. Since 2001, Bernadette has been a member of the Pièces Jaunes. On 3 September 2007, she became the president of the Fondation Claude-Pompidou, following the death of its founder and she also helped her husbands being elected in 1995 and is herself an elected official in Corrèze, the couples home département. She was the oldest of three children, her sister Catherine was born in 1946 and her brother Jérôme in 1948 and her family was devout Catholic and she received a strict education from her mother. Her father was called into the French Army in 1939 and imprisoned in Germany during the Second World War until 1945, in June 1940, she fled into exile with her mother to Lot-et-Garonne, where she attended the Sainte-Marthe school in Agen. From 1941 to 1943, after the occupation of the zone libre, there she attended Sainte-Marie-des-Fleurs-et-des-Fruits school until the return of her father in 1945. The family settled in the arrondissement of Paris. She ultimately started at the Paris Institute of Political Studies in 1950 where she met her future husband,1971, Elected to the municipal council of Sarran. 1977, Aide to the mayor of Sarran,1979, Elected to the Departmental council of Corrèze and subsequently re-elected on March 1985, March 1992, March 1998, March 2004, March 2011 and again September 2011. 1990, Founder and president of the Association le Pont Neuf designed to promote exchanges between young French people and young people from Asia,1991, President of an International Dance Festival. 1994, President of the Fondation Hôpitaux de Paris-Hôpitaux de France, a charitable foundation aiming to improve the lives of the children. She also took over the direction of Opération Pièces Jaunes, a fundraising campaign to improve hospital conditions. Father, Jean Chodron de Courcel, sales director, studied at Eton followed by Cambridge University. Mother, Marguerite–Marie de Brondeau dUrtières Paternal grandfather, Robert Chodron de Courcel, diplomat, Paternal great grandfather, George Chodron de Courcel, naval officer. Bernadette Chirac was born into an old family of public servants. Her family includes military officers, goldsmiths, lawyers, diplomats and industrialists and they would become owners through marriages of factories in Gien and Briare, in the Loiret, which were famed for their porcelain and enamel mosaics. Like many old French families, Bernadette Chirac has several European royal families among her ancestors, in 1852, a decree by Napoleon III authorized the addition of Courcel, one of the familys properties, to their name
38.
Bernard Arnault
–
Bernard Jean Étienne Arnault is a French business magnate, an investor, and an art collector. Arnault is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of LVMH, the worlds largest luxury goods company and he is the richest man and the second-richest person in France, and the 13th richest person in the world. In November 2016, his wealth was estimated to be US$37.3 billion, after graduating from the Maxence Van Der Meersch High School in Roubaix, Arnault was admitted to École Polytechnique, from which he graduated with an Engineering degree in 1971. His father, Jean Leon Arnault, a graduate of École Centrale Paris, was a manufacturer, after graduation, Arnault joined his fathers company in 1971. In 1976, he convinced his father to liquidate the construction division of the company for 40 million French francs, using the name Férinel, the new company developed a specialty in holiday accommodation. Named Director of Company Development in 1974, he became the CEO in 1977, in 1979, he succeeded his father as President of the company. In 1984, with the help of Antoine Bernheim, a Senior Partner of Lazard Frères et Cie. Arnault acquired the Financière Agache and he became the CEO of Financière Agache, and subsequently took control of Boussac, a textile company in turmoil. Boussac owned Christian Dior, the department store Le Bon Marché, the retail shop Conforama and he sold nearly all the companys assets, keeping only the prestigious Christian Dior brand, and Le Bon Marché department store. The new group held property rights to Dior perfumes, which Arnault believed should be incorporated into Dior Couture, in July 1988, Arnault provided $1.5 billion to form a holding company with Guinness that held 24% of LVMHs shares. In response to rumors that the Louis Vuitton group was buying LVMHs stock to form a minority, Arnault spent $600 million to buy 13. 5% more of LVMH. On 13 January 1989, he was elected chairman of the executive management board. In eleven years, the value of LVMH has multiplied by at least fifteen, while, simultaneously. He promoted decisions towards decentralizing the groups brands, as a result of these measures, the brands are now viewed as independent firms with their own history. Arnault professional decisions support the idea that LVMH has shared advantages, the portfolio of major luxury brands has a history of stability, and thus its solidity allows for new acquisitions and group development. It is because of this strategy that Christian Lacroix could open his own fashion house, in July 1988, Arnault acquired Céline. In 1993, LVMH acquired Berluti and Kenzo, in the same year, Arnault bought out the French economic newspaper La Tribune. In 1994, LVMH acquired the perfume firm Guerlain, in 1996, Arnault bought out Loewe, followed by Marc Jacobs and Sephora in 1997. These brands were also integrated into the group, Thomas Pink in 1999, Emilio Pucci in 2000 and Fendi, DKNY, in the 1990s, Arnault decided to develop a centre in New York to manage LVMHs presence in the United States
39.
Charles Powell, Baron Powell of Bayswater
–
Charles David Powell, Baron Powell of Bayswater KCMG OBE is a diplomat, politician and businessman. He served as a key policy adviser to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher during the 1980s. His brother, Jonathan Powell, was chief of staff to Tony Blair throughout his period as Prime Minister from 1997 to 2007, and his father was Air Vice-Marshal John Frederick Powell. Powell was educated at The Cathedral Choir School, Canterbury, The Kings School, Canterbury and New College, Oxford, charles Powell joined the Her Majestys Diplomatic Service in 1963. His first posting was as Third Secretary to Helsinki in 1965, in 1968, he returned to London, spending three years at the FCO. He was posted as First Secretary to Washington, D. C. in 1971, subsequent postings were to Bonn in 1974 and, as Counsellor, to UKREP Brussels in 1980. He was seconded to 10 Downing Street and served as Private Secretary to Margaret Thatcher, during his time working for Mrs Thatcher, he became one of her most trusted foreign policy aides, and helped broker the controversial al-Yamamah arms deal with Saudi Arabia. Since 1992 he has been an international businessman, using the experience gained during his years in government, he has picked up several directorships and consultancies. He is chairman of Sagitta Asset Management Limited and the luxury goods company Louis Vuitton U. K. Ltd, prior to these positions, he was chairman of Phillips Fine Art Auctioneers and senior director of Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd. He has also held directorships of Caterpillar Inc, LVMH Moet-Hennessy Louis Vuitton, Mandarin Oriental International Ltd, Schindler Holding Ltd, Tiphook plc, Textron Corporation and Yell Group plc. He is also a signatory of the Henry Jackson Society, in the arms industry, he has held advisory roles with, Rolls-Royce, Thales, BAE Systems and Textron. In 2005, it was revealed that Powell had been acting as Tony Blairs special envoy to Brunei and this was controversial because Powell was on the payroll of BAE Systems, and the company was at the time in dispute with Brunei over the purchase of three warships. Lord Powell denied a conflict of interest over both his links to BAE and the fact his brother Jonathan Powell was serving as Tony Blairs chief of staff and he currently sits as a life peer in the House of Lords. Although associated with the Conservative Party, Lord Powell sits as a crossbench peer, Powell currently sits on the Global Board of Advisors of the Council on Foreign Relations. He married Carla Bonardi in 1964 and they have two sons, born in 1967 and 1968. He has three brothers, Chris, Roderick, and Jonathan, the Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Tony Blair and he pronounces his surname pole, although his brother Jonathan pronounces his to rhyme with towel. He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael, in 2001 he was awarded the Public Service Star by the government of Singapore. He was created a peer in the 2000 New Year Honours as Baron Powell of Bayswater, of Canterbury in the County of Kent
40.
Diego Della Valle
–
Diego Della Valle is the President and CEO of the Italian leather goods company, Tods. Diego Della Valle is the son of Dorino Della Valle. Filippo started his business in the 1920s, which Diego expanded into the now famous Tods brand. In his younger days, Diego studied Law in the University of Bologna, even during his younger days, he was business savvy. He got Agnelli, the then FIAT boss, to wear Tods shoes when attending Juventus football matches and this product placement prompted a spike in sales. Della Valle now manages Tods with his brother Andrea, diegos son, Emanuele, is also involved with the family business as the creative director. The factory in Casette dEte was designed by his wife, Barbara, Della Valle has publicly attacked Silvio Berlusconi for the over-taxing of big business and his failure to support smaller Italian business. In return Berlusconi has talked of suing Della Valle for defamation, Della Valle sits on the board of a number of companies, such as Ferrari, Maserati, Banca Nazionale del Lavoro and LVMH. He bought the Tuscan football club, ACF Fiorentina, in 2002 and he owns the fashion brand Maison Schiaparelli which he is reviving. In 2013 Della Valle announced, that Tods will take the costs for the colosseo in Rome - more that 30 mio Euros
.jpg)
.svg)
