SPECTRE

SPECTRE (SPecial Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion) is a fictional global criminal syndicate and terrorist organisation featured in the James Bond novels by Ian Fleming, the films based on those novels, and James Bond video games. Led by evil genius and supervillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the international organisation first formally appeared in the novel Thunderball (1961) and in the film Dr. No (1962). As a NGO, SPECTRE is not aligned to any nation or political ideology, enabling the later Bond books and Bond films to be regarded as somewhat apolitical though the former Gestapo members are a clear sign of Fleming's warning of the Nazi fascists surviving after the Second World War first detailed in the novel Moonraker (1954). SPECTRE began in the novels as a small group of criminals but became a vast international organisation with its own SPECTRE Island training base in the films, to replace the Soviet SMERSH.

Philosophy and goals

Raoul

Raoul is a French variant of the male given name Ralph, and is also a surname.

Given names

In media

Raoul (EP)

Raoul EP is an 8-track EP by Welsh band The Automatic featuring the original versions of singles "Recover" and "Raoul", plus B-sides from the "Monster", "Raoul" and "Recover" singles. It was originally released for the European market, but has since been made available in the UK, making it more convenient for fans to get hold of the rarer tracks all on CD. Raoul is the owner of a sandwich shop in Cardiff, who would make the band's sandwiches

History

On 11 May 2006 a video for song "Song 6" was uploaded to the band's Myspace, after the song was featured on the "Recover" single earlier that year.

Many of the tracks are featured on the first three singles by the band; "Jack Daniels" is featured on the Recover CD, "Song6" Recover 7" vinyl, "On The Campaign Trail" is featured on both Raoul and the album Not Accepted Anywhere "Trophy Wives" is also a b-side to Raoul, "Night Drive" and "High Tide On Caroline Street" are both featured on the UK release of Monster, the only b-sides from Not Accepted Anywhere which are not included on the EP are "Time=Money", which was released with Recover, and "Easy Target" which was released with Raoul.

Raoul (founder of Vaucelles Abbey)

Raoul, founder of Vaucelles Abbey or Saint Raoul (a/k/a San Raul, St. Radolph or Dom Rodulphe) (+1152) is a saint of the Catholic Church who founded the famous monastery of Vaucelles in France. Raoul was an English Benedictine monk who became a follower of St. Bernard of Clairvaux (who founded the Cistercian order).

St. Bernard sent Raoul, a "fervent monk", in 1132 to found a monastery at Vaucelles, located in the northwest of France, near Cambrai. By 1145, Raoul had succeeded in building the Abbaye de Vaucelles, which over the years grew to hold several hundred monks and became the most largest Cistercian abbey of Europe. The restored cloister remains today. Raoul served as abbot for twenty years until his death in 1152. With his monks he dedicated himself to prayer, reading of the sacred books and to teaching agriculture.

As part of his devotions, Saint Raoul said the following prayers daily: (1) Miserere: Have mercy on me, Lord, I am a sinner, (2) the Alleluia and (3) the Te Deum or Thanks be to God. Blessed be God.

Silva

Silva (or da Silva or D'Silva) is the most common surname in the Portuguese-speaking countries, such as Portugal and Brazil. Its meaning is derived from the latin word 'silva' meaning "forest or woodland".

It is also widespread in regions of the former Portuguese Empire in America, Africa and Asia, including India and Sri Lanka. Movement of people has led to the name being used in many places; da Silva is the fifth most common surname in the French department of Val-de-Marne, outside Paris and it was the 19th most-common family name given to newborns between 1966 and 1990 in France.

Arts

Actors

Săuca

Săuca (Hungarian: Sződemeter, Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈsøːdɛmɛtɛr]) is a commune of 1,470 inhabitants situated in Satu Mare County, Romania. It is composed of five villages:

Demographics

Ethnic groups (2002 census):

According to mother tongue, 51.63% of the population speak Romanian, while 36.64% speak Hungarian as their first language.

Ferenc Kölcsey, the author of the Hungarian national anthem, was born here in 1790.

Coordinates: 47°29′N 22°28′E / 47.483°N 22.467°E / 47.483; 22.467

References

Silva (film)

Silva is a 1944 Soviet musical film directed by Aleksandr Ivanovsky and starring Zoya Smirnova-Nemirovich and Sergei Martinson. It was part of a cycle of operetta films made in European cinema during the era.

Production

The film is an adaptation of the 1915 operetta Die Csárdásfürstin (also known as Silva after its title character) composed by Emmerich Kalman with a libretto by Leo Stein and Béla Jenbach. It was made at the Sverdlovsk Film Studios in Yekaterinburg.

Popularity

The film proved a major success with Soviet audiences, who during the later stages of the Second World War sought escapist entertainment and largely rejected films with war themes. The money it earned per copy of the film issued exceeded even that of the most popular films of the year Guilty Without Fault.

References

Bibliography