Martin Cid's Blog: Martin Cid Magazine, page 1110

Sam Heughan, Aidan Turner, Clive Standen or Robert Taylor? Who are you waiting to meet in 2016?

Sam Heughan in Outlander season 2, Aidan Turner in the upcoming season of Poldark, Clive Standen in Vikings season 4 or Robert Tailor in Longmire season 5? 2016 rocks! Our small screen is full of possibilities and great TV shows. Who are your favorite actors? Who do you expect to meet in 2016? Here, my favorite choices.

Sam Heughan as Jamie Fraser in Outlander season 2

This spring we’ll meet Sam Heughan playing the role as Jamie Fraser in Outlander season 2 (Starz). Season 1 finished in the most dramatic and thrilling way. Jamie Fraser was tortured by Black Jack (Tobias Menzies) and he has to escape from Scotland with his dear wife Claire (Caitriona Balfe) to Paris. The future of his people depends on him! What do you expect from the upcoming season?

How about Aidan Turner as Captain Ross Poldark in Poldark season 2 (BBC One)? On 8 April 2015, the BBC announced that a second series had been commissioned, and fans and followers are waiting for Turner and his charming smile!

Robert Taylor as Sheriff Walt Longmire

Do you like Vikings? Actor Clive Standen plays the role as Rollo in this iconic History Channel TV series. Vikings is inspired by the sagas of Viking Ragnar Lothbrok, one of the best-known legendary Norse heroes and notorious as the scourge of England and France. Rollo is Ragnar’s brother and the great-great-great-grandfather of William the Conqueror. On March 26, 2015, History renewed Vikings for an extended fourth season of 20 episodes, which is set to premiere on February 18, 2016. We cannot wait for it!

Longmire season 5 is coming on Netflix in the second half of this year. What we can expect from the upcoming episodes? Do you like Robert Taylor as Sheriff Walt Longmire? Are you waiting to meet him again?

Enjoy your day, Yareah friends. Art is everywhere and up to you!

Sam Heughan in Outlander season 2. Take a look!

On Sale. Antiquities and Tribal Art at Chiswick Auctions in London

On sale. On the 2nd February Chiswick Auctions will come alive with a wide variety of artifacts from distant and ancient cultures, from ancient Egypt to exotic Oceania and beyond.

On sale. Lot 154 Three Amlash Zoomorphic Figurines

Six different private collections make up the core of the sale; each one representing the personal taste and interests of the man who created them.

The collection of Alexandre Nicolai (1865-1952), Bordeaux, France, reflects the ‘classical’ taste of the time, comprising a fine selection of Egyptian shabtis (lot 2), classical vessels and a rare Etruscan bronzed iron meet hook, or ‘graffione’ (lot 9).

Of similar taste is the collection of Nikos Paschalis (1918-1948), grandson of Geroge Paschalis, founder of the Paschalion Archaeophylakeyon Museum in Samos in 1912. Highlight of the collection is an Egyptian polychrome wood mummy mask with glass inlays for the eyes and eyebrows (lot 46).

On sale. Lot 131 – 152 ALLAN COURSE

On Sale. Antiquities and Tribal Art at Chiswick Auctions in London.

Allan Course, experimental archaeologist known by many for his passion and knowledge in the field of British prehistoric tools, is also offering his private collection of artefacts ranging from the Neolithic Period to the late Bronze Age, selected by him for their quality and condition.

Of a more eclectic nature is the collection of Eberhardt Voigt (1920-1983) which includes Egyptian and Classical antiquities as well as Near Eastern and Tribal artefacts, such as a well preserved Roman terracotta figure of Aphrodite (lot 81) and a Mesopotamian terracotta figure of Astarte (lot 86).

Similarly, the Marcus Brooke (1923-2015) collection was formed by another adventurous traveller and includes a selection of ancient small terracottas such as two Amlash zoomorphic figurines of a bull and a bird (lot 154).

On sale. L – Lot 2 AN EGYPTIAN GREEN GLAZED COMPOSITION SHABTI
R- Lot 9 AN ETRUSCAN BRONZED IRON MEAT HOOK OR ‘GRAFFIONE’

Celebrated artist and traveller par excellence, Feliks Topolski (1907-1989) collected fine and curious artefacts all around the globe. His collection, offered at Chiswick Auctions, includes a well preserved Elema ‘Eharo’ mask from Papua New Guinea (lot 178), and a large Egyptian wood sarcophagus mask (lot 171).

A Luba caryatid stool from the Gordon Reece Gallery (lot 201), a Nepalese shamanic mask (lot 215), and a finely carved ‘Culacula’ paddle club from the Fiji Islands (lot223) are amongst the highlights of the Tribal art section.

Chiswick Auctions is located within easy access from central London. The address is 1 Colville Road, London W3 8BL.

Another Senior Appointment as TDB Fusion Continue Expansion

Nigel Phillips, Federos Prog. Dir.

Nigel Phillips joins as Federos™ Programme Director bringing over 20 years’ senior business management experience gained at Nomura, Lehman Brothers, Morgan Stanley, UBS Bank, Barclays Corporate, BP, & the NYSE

Following 20 years of top level management with responsibility for managing, expanding, and designing some of the largest data centres in the world, Nigel Phillips joins TDB Fusion as Programme Director. Nigel will be primarily responsible for managing the customer delivery of major contracts.

Commenting on Nigel’s appointment Colin Aurelius, TDB Fusion CEO, said, “Attracting the level of experience that Nigel brings to TDB Fusion is testament to the success that we are experiencing. Timely and effective project delivery for our customer’s is our primary goal and project success is how we are measured. As we continue to expand rapidly it’s crucial that we build a strong team with the commitment and experience to ensure we deliver consistently. Nigel’s role heading up the Project Delivery function is fundamental to our long term strategy, and I am delighted to welcome him to the team”.

Nigel Phillips joins as Programme Director where he will have overall responsibility for customer project delivery. Nigel joins after holding the position of General Manager with Align where he was responsible for EMEA operations. Nigel’s experience includes managing programmes with budgets in excess of $500M at many Fortune 500 companies including:

• Nomura – Programme Manager, responsible for the build of 2 new data centres and the integration of Lehman Brothers operations

• Lehman Brothers – Programme Manager, running the design, build and migration of 3 data centres in a 1 million Sq Ft office building, with 5000 staff

• NYSE – Senior VP, responsible for the design and build of data centres in UK & US

• UBS Bank – programme manager for the NGNI (Next Generation Network Infrastructure) roll-out of new networking infrastructure to 22 global Data Centres.

• Barclays Corporate – Programme Director, managing the expansion of the corporate data centre in Gloucester

• BP – Programme Director, build of Canary Wharf HQ

• Morgan Stanley – Principle Consultant, controlling the project to implement and migrate 2 data centres

In his spare time Nigel is a keen classic car enthusiast enjoying the UKs good weather in his TVR.

Top TV Shows Today, Jan 12: Pretty Little Liars, iZombie, Teen Wolf

They are back! Yes, they are Pretty Little Liars and they are our Top#1 TV Shows Today, January Pretty Little Liars. Today’s episode: Of Late I Think of Rosewood. Season 6. Episode 11. 8:00. ABCFAM12. From Wikipedia: Pretty Little Liars is an American teen drama mystery–thriller television series loosely based on the popular book series of the same title, written by Sara Shepard. The show premiered on June 8, 2010 on ABC Family.

Pretty Little Liars. 8:00PM. ABCFAM

Our second choice is for iZombie. Today: Method Head. Season 2. Episode 10. 9:00 pm. CW.

And our last recommendation is for Teen Wolf. Today’s episode is titled Damnatio Memoriae. Season 5. Episode 12. 9:00 pm. MTV.

We hpè you enjoy the shows. Have a very nice day, dear friends.

Top TV Shows Today, January 12 Video: Pretty Little Liars- 6×11 “Of Late I Think of Rosewood” Sneak Peek #2

Famous Birthdays Today, Jan 12: Zayn Malik, Naya Rivera, Ella Henderson, Pixie Lott

Well, he’s famous, he’s great and he’s former member of the band One Direction. Need I say more? He’s Zayn Malik, he was born in Bradford, England in 1993 and he’s our Top#1 Famous Birthdays Today, January 12. From Yareah, we wish him and his family all the best in this special day. Congratulations and happy birthday, Zayn Malik!

Famous Birthdays Today, January 12: Zayn @ Aria Awards 2014 – Australia. Source: flickr. Author: Eva Rinaldi

Some girls like to say one thing and mean another. And me being who I am, I’m very straightforward. Everything is very black and white for me. I don’t really like playing mind games.

Zayn Malik

When we were in Sweden, there was a fan that hid in a bin. I think one of the security guards saw and tried to take her out, and she went a bit crazy and started tackling them.

Zayn Malik

More famous birthdays today, January 12: Naya Rivera, actress who played the role as Santana Lopez on the TV show Glee, born in Valencia, California in 1987; Ella Henderson, pop singer; and Pixie Lott, also pop singer, born in Bromley, England in 1991.

Happy birthday to all of them. Have a very nice day, dear friends.

Famous Birthdays Today, January 12 Video: One Direction – Perfect (Official Video)

Lady Gaga, Amy Winehouse and Dennis Hopper by Terry Richardson. New exhibition at Galerie Perrotin

Lady Gaga, Amy Winehouse and Dennis Hopper by Terry Richardson. New exhibition at Galerie Perrotin in Hong Kong. From January 14 to February 20, 2016. Opening Reception: Thursday January 14 – 6-8pm.

Lady Gaga. “Gaga in the Garbage” 2010. C-print mounted on aluminum, frame. 67 x 105 cm / 26 3/8 x 41 5/16 inches. Courtesy Galerie Perrotin. © 2015 Terry Richardson, All Rights Reserved.

Lady Gaga, Amy Winehouse and Dennis Hopper by Terry Richardson: Galerie Perrotin, Hong Kong is pleased to announce Terry Richardson’s exhibition “Portraits”, a survey of the renowned fashion photographer’s work, on view from January 14th through February 20th, 2016. This is Richardson’s forth solo exhibition with the gallery following his early shows in 1996 and 1999 and the 2015 exhibition “The Sacred and The Profane”, at Galerie Perrotin in Paris.

This new exhibition presents two dozen photographs that span 20 years of Richardson’s career, from 1995 to 2015. The images range from his iconic fashion editorial work to personal series that may reveal an unapologetic look at the American cultural landscape. Also included are more spontaneous studio shots of his celebrity muses, captured in the sexy and raw esthetic that is specific to his famous Diary, a visual journal of the artist’s world.

“Amy Winehouse” 2007. C-print mounted on aluminium, frame. 120 x 180 cm / 47 1/4 x 70 7/8 inches. Courtesy Galerie Perrotin. © 2015 Terry Richardson, All Rights Reserved.

Lady Gaga, Amy Winehouse and Dennis Hopper by Terry Richardson. New exhibition at Galerie Perrotin.

Richardson is a master of sprezzatura, a deliberately crafted carelessness, which he has employed in his work since first documenting the underground scene in the 90s, inspired by Larry Clark or Nan Goldin. Traditional photographic framing is replaced by Richardson’s signature dynamic spontaneity. The photographs bleed into the background of his studio, where one imagines a pageant of models, musicians, actors, and politicians. Amidst the sea of familiar strangers are portraits of Richardson’s father Bob, a famous fashion photographer himself, and his mother Annie, whose illness was documented by her son before her sad passing in 2012.

The compromising aesthetic of Richardson’s camera is one of the most recognizable trends in fashion photography, and his willingness to expose himself to the same objectification he elicits from his models sets a tone of complicity that has allowed Richardson unprecedented access to the world’s most elite figures and the fantasies that surround them. A young Kate Moss kisses the televised face of Elvis Presley. Actor Dennis Hopper and rapper Lil Wayne blow smoke into the camera’s face. A leather-clad Liza Minnelli reprises her role in the 1972 film Cabaret. The late Amy Winehouse plays chanteuse with a chicken. At the fringes of the spectacle is a whiteface clown holding a fistful of balloons. He stares timidly at the camera, a gold wedding band around his finger and a crucifix painted on the balloon above his head. Unlike those posing in the photographs of Cindy Sherman, Richardson’s clown is not a self-portrait. Rather, he is a representative of a bygone generation, one whose role now seems relatively tame in face of the new American Vaudeville.

“Dennis Hopper” 1999. C-print mounted on aluminium, frame. 120 x 180 cm / 47 1/4 x 70 7/8 inches. Courtesy Galerie Perrotin. © 2015 Terry Richardson, All Rights Reserved.

Terry Richardson was born in New York in 1965. He established himself as one of the most prominent photographers of New York’s underground scene in the 1990s, he forged a provocative style based on comical nudes and explicit close-ups. Few artists have done more to document the complex spectrum of contemporary American culture. His photography has been featured in advertorial campaigns for fashion designers Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford and Yves Saint Laurent and has appeared in periodicals including Vogue, i-D, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, GQ and Vice, among countless others. Richardson has been the subject of solo exhibitions in galleries including at OH WOW, Los Angeles (2012), Half Gallery, New York (2011), Deitch Projects, New York (2004) and Galerie Perrotin, Paris (1996, 1999 and 2015). His work has also been exhibited in several museums and institutions including MOCA, Los Angeles (2012), Foam Fotografiemuseum, Amsterdam (2006), The Contemporary, Baltimore (2005), Moderna Museet, Stockholm (2005 and 2004), Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati (2004), KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin (2003).

A monograph has just been launched by Rizzoli New York, with contributions by Tom Ford, Chloë Sevigny, James Franco, Johnny Knoxville and others. Two volumes with slipcase / Vol. 1: 288 pages / Vol. 2: 360 pages. Rizzoli New York VOL. 1: PORTRAITS / VOL. 2: FASHION.

Henry Cavill is more heroic than ever in ‘Batman v Superman.’ Nine things you should know

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is coming! This new superhero film features the DC Comics characters Batman (Ben Affleck) and Superman (Henry Cavill) and is scheduled to be released on March 25, 2016. The film is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

The film is directed by Zack Snyder with a screenplay written by Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer.

Snyder stated that the film would take inspiration from the Batman limited series The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, but that it would follow an original premise.

The movie’s also includes Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Amy Adams as Superman’s girlfriend Lois Lane, Diane Lane as Superman’s Earth mom Martha Kent, Laurence Fishburne as Daily Planet editor Perry White and Holly Hunter as a crusading anti-Superman U.S. senator.

The film is intended to be the follow-up to Man of Steel (2013) and the second installment in the DC Extended Universe.

In fact, the film was announced at 2013 San Diego Comic-Con International, after the release of Man of Steel.

Pre-production started at East Los Angeles College in 2013, with principal photography beginning in May 2014 in Detroit, Michigan, and additional filming in Chicago, Illinois.

Filming concluded in December 2014.

Today, enjoy this new video. Ben Affleck as Batman and Henry Cavill as Superman face off in a new TV ad for Warner Bros.’ Thrilling! Batman v Superman rocks!

Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Take a look!

Do you like superhero films? What do you expect from ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice? Tell us your opinion just now.

Enjoy your day, Yareah friends. Art is everywhere and up to you! Superhero films are trend!

HBO News: VICE Special Report: Fighting ISIS debuts Jan. 31

VICE SPECIAL REPORT: FIGHTING ISIS DEBUTS JAN. 31, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

The invasion of Iraq was supposed to turn the country into a democracy that posed no threat to the United States, or to the rest of the world. Thirteen years later, Iraq has collapsed into warring states. A third of the country is controlled by ISIS, which has also taken huge amounts of territory in Syria.

Debuting SUNDAY, JAN. 31 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), the exclusive HBO special VICE SPECIAL REPORT: FIGHTING ISIS follows journalist Ben Anderson as he embeds with Iraqi fighters battling the Islamic State. He gains access to the three front lines in Iraq, where Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish forces are fighting for their lives. Anderson also visits Russian military forces in Syria and meets captured ISIS fighters in Kurdistan.

The special features interviews with political insiders such as Ryan Crocker, the Bush-appointed former U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ali Khedery, the longest continually serving U.S. official in Iraq, and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Viewers will gain a deep first-hand understanding of the rise of this murderous group and what strategies exist to end its reign of terror.

VICE SPECIAL REPORT: FIGHTING ISIS debuts five days before the Emmy®-winning HBO series “VICE” kicks off its 18-episode fourth season, on Friday, Feb. 5 (11:00–11:30 p.m. ET/PT).

The special will also be available on HBO NOW and HBO GO.

What Oracle V Google Teaches Business Owners About IP Law

Shireen Smith

The digital revolution is redefining businesses. Companies that were once confined to marketing to a local audience now have the potential to operate international business from little more than a mobile set up.

However, the simplicity involved in starting up online can be a trap for the unwary says Shireen Smith, Intellectual Property (IP) law expert of London based Law firm, Azrights.

One area that Shireen believes needs more legal attention is business concepts that require setting up a social media platform.

Social media platforms are experiencing exponential growth, with 72% of UK internet users now having a social media profile in 2015 according to Ofcom research. And success can turn a penniless business into one valued at almost £300 million in a year, like that of US-based app YikYak.

“Firms may want to interface with other sites in order to access media. This involves knowing about your legal position when using an Application Programming Interface, or API for short. Put simply, an API is a language a programmer can use to talk to a system.”

“The law in this area is constantly evolving and with the web design and development industry being unregulated, it is crucial to seek legal advice.”

Oracle and Google have had an ongoing legal dispute concerning APIs since 2012, which Shireen discusses in her new book Intellectual Property Revolution published by Rethink Press.

“Google made use of Oracle’s API and the question concerned whether the API was protected by copyright. If so, then Google was not free to make use of it without Oracle’s permission.”

“The courts ruled that APIs are in fact protected by copyright in the US. According to the US-based digital rights group, Electronic Frontier Foundation, this gives tech firms ‘unprecedented and dangerous power’ over developers by making it substantially more difficult for upstarts to create new software.”

Shireen Smith continues “Although it would be interesting to have a ruling from the EU on the same facts, given that most APIs that you might want to use are US-based, the US ruling is one that you would need to heed if you wanted to use an API.”

“The upshot is that you may need permission from the owner of a platform if you want to create another system which is compatible with it, for example Facebook. The legal protection of computer software is a complex and fast-paced area of law.”

With regards to other social media platforms, ‘tropicalisation’ is an occurrence that has been significant in China and Brazil. The term refers to the practice of investing in start-ups which take an established business model and adapt it to an emerging market – a feat that is easily achievable in today’s digital economy.

“Examples include Peixe Urbano, a Brazilian clone of ‘daily-deal’ site Groupon, Weibo the Chinese Twitter-like microblogging platform, RenRen the Chinese version of Facebook, Baidu the Chinese take on Google and Alibaba a Chinese copy of eBay.”

“From an IP perspective there are few legal barriers to this tactic. The law does not protect bare business models. Elements of a business model might be protected. A patent can sometimes protect the technology, copyright can protect the expression of a concept, designs can protect the aesthetic aspects and trademarks protect business and product names.”

Shireen sums up by saying “Securing a range of intellectual property rights in different elements can combine to provide the most powerful protection as each IP right protects you in subtly different ways and situations.

A video which was especially commissioned for Azrights and can be found here and explains further how the digital economy is changing IP.

‘Intellectual Property Revolution’ by Shireen Smith is available from Amazon and is priced at £12.99. The book contains expert advice for businesses on how to successfully manage IP assets, protect brands and add value to businesses in the digital economy. It is written in plain English and is intended for use by business owners and ‘brand guardians’.

Half of top ten highest paid CEOs in Europe are based in the UK

Professor Xavier Baeten

UK CEOs are the top earners in Europe, according to a comprehensive new study from Vlerick Business School’s Executive Remuneration Centre – with five out of the top ten highest paid CEOs across the major European economies based in the UK.

For the largest firms, those with a balance sheet total of more than €10bn, total compensation (median) adds up to €5.65m the UK, compared with €4.27m in Germany, €3.15m France, and €2.91m the Netherlands.

The study looked at FTSE100 companies in the UK, and all listed companies in Germany, France, Belgium and The Netherlands, with 669 listed firms’ remuneration reports examined.

Total UK CEO remuneration increased 25% over the previous year. Only the Netherlands showed similar growth (28%) with German CEO pay stagnating, and French CEO pay slipping 9%.

Over the last two years, 63% of the UK companies have increased total CEO remuneration.

In terms of fixed compensation (salary) the UK only comes in at third place, after Germany (€1.32m) and the Netherlands (€1.15m), and followed by Belgium (€1m) and France (€940.000).

The variable part of CEO remuneration, comprising both long and short-term incentives, is much higher as a proportion of pay in the UK (74% of total compensation) compared with countries in continental Europe: Germany (61%), Netherlands (50%), Belgium (36%) and France (34%).

Long term incentives such as shares are more prevalent in the UK than elsewhere, and make up a larger proportion of total remuneration than in the other countries surveyed.

Another key finding of the study is that share-based remuneration overall is becoming less popular as an incentive. While 45% of firms in continental Europe were granting share-based remuneration in 2007, this has decreased to 23% in 2014.

In the UK, share-based remuneration has decreased from 86% of firms offering it in 2013 to 75% in 2014.

Professor Xavier Baeten says: “It’s clear from this research that the debate over how CEOs are remunerated is still extremely relevant. The UK has regained the top spot from Germany confirming the fact that the Anglo-Saxon corporate governance model, which is characterised by more dispersed share ownership, provides CEOs with more power in relation to the board, and leads to higher compensation levels.

What is most interesting about these results, however, is what drives CEO pay. While 98% of companies use financial KPIs based on such things such (operating) profit and share performance, under half incentivise bosses using non-financial indicators such as how well they treat their employees, customer satisfaction, environmental performance and the like. It seems to point to a pay culture that is still heavily weighted towards improving short-term performance, without much consideration for long term stability. Last but not least, in fact, CEO pay is driven by one factor: firm size.”