Wednesday Trivia #40: Oct 31, 2012

indophile wrote:3. Treasury Dept.

indophile wrote:4. British Petroleum (BP)

Jeremiah Mburuburu wrote:1. the son: alexandre dumas, the author of "the three musketeers," etc. his father, the general, also had the same name, perhaps with some modification.

Jeremiah Mburuburu wrote:3. the State Department.

Jeremiah Mburuburu wrote:2. guesses: amadeo modigliani; vincent van gogh. don't know who owns it now.

Jeremiah Mburuburu wrote:2. the painting is probably called the card players, and it's probably at the recently-built, modern museum in los angeles; i forget its name. estimated value: $35 million. all guesses.

panini press wrote:

Jeremiah Mburuburu wrote:2. the painting is probably called the card players, and it's probably at the recently-built, modern museum in los angeles; i forget its name. estimated value: $35 million. all guesses.

Yes, The Card Players is the name of the painting. It was painted by one of van Gogh's contemporaries who was 14 years his senior. The painting was sold in 2011 to a Middle Eastern royal family for an undisclosed sum estimated around $250 million. Who is the painter?

Jeremiah Mburuburu wrote:

panini press wrote:

Jeremiah Mburuburu wrote:2. the painting is probably called the card players, and it's probably at the recently-built, modern museum in los angeles; i forget its name. estimated value: $35 million. all guesses.

Yes, The Card Players is the name of the painting. It was painted by one of van Gogh's contemporaries who was 14 years his senior. The painting was sold in 2011 to a Middle Eastern royal family for an undisclosed sum estimated around $250 million. Who is the painter?

my last, desperate guess: claude monet. wow! @$250 mill. the museum i had in mind, a wrong guess, is the paul getty museum in los angeles.

panini press wrote:

Rashmun wrote:Aurangzeb is communal because he imposed jaziya.

Not true. Jaziya was not communal at all.

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https://such.forumotion.com/t8491p100-aurangzeb-s-generous-side-and-love-for-books#64500

This tax was not collected from women, nor from young males or from disabled or elderly non-Muslim male citizens. Muslims who paid zakat were not exempt from war duty and a similar form of war tax was also collected from able-bodied Muslim adult males who refused to join war efforts to defend the country. There was, therefore, no discrimination between able-bodied Muslim males and able-bodied non-Muslim males when it came to the payment of war-tax, as long as the person in question would not volunteer in war- efforts for defense of the Muslim- administered state.


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https://such.forumotion.com/t8491p50-aurangzeb-s-generous-side-and-love-for-books#64410

Now let us deal with Aurangzeb’s imposition of Jizya tax which had drawn severe criticism from many Hindu historians. It is true that Jizya was lifted during the reign of Akbar and Jahangir and that Aurangzeb later reinstated it.

Before I delve into the subject of Aurangzeb’s Jizya tax, or taxing the non-Muslims, it is worthwhile to note that Jizya is nothing more than a war exemption tax which was collected only from able-bodied non-Muslim young male citizens who did not want to volunteer for the defence of the country. There was no Jizya if they volunteered to fight for the country. No such tax was collected from non-Muslims who joined to defend the country.

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https://such.forumotion.com/t8491p50-aurangzeb-s-generous-side-and-love-for-books#64399

Rajputs living in western India used to collect a similar form of Jizya or war tax which they called "Fix" tax. (Ref: Early History of India by Vincent Smith). War tax was not a sole monopoly among the Indian or Muslim rulers.

Historian Dr. Tripathy mentions a number of countries in Europe where war-tax was practiced. (Ref: Some Aspects of Muslim Administration by Sri Tripathy) Let us now return to Aurangzeb. In his book "Mughal Administration,” Sir Jadunath Sarkar [3] foremost historian on the Mughal dynasty, mentions that during Aurangzeb’s reign, nearly 65 types of taxes were abolished, which resulted in a yearly revenue loss of 50 million rupees to the state treasury. It is also worth mentioning here that Aurangzeb did not impose Jizya in the beginning of his reign but introduced it after 16 years during which 80 types of taxes were abolished. Other historians stated that when Aurangzeb abolished eighty taxes no one thanked him for his generosity. But when he imposed only one, and not a heavy one at that, people began to show their displeasure. (Ref: Vindication of Aurangzeb).


It should be noted that Sir Jadunath Sarkar was quoted by Rashmun earlier today. The same reputed scholar who is the foremost historian on all matters Mughal mentions that what Aurangzeb did in fact was simplify the tax code, reduce rates, close deficits and eliminate the fiscal deficit. This is exactly the sort of plan Mitt Romney has for America. It seems to me that the people of Aurangzeb the Great's empire -- many of them from Uttar Pradesh -- were not smart enough to realize how good Aurangzeb's tax plan was for them.

Rashmun wrote:in another thread Charvaka has written something which needs to be thought through. ( https://such.forumotion.com/t8507p50-was-rana-pratap-an-ass#64514 )

panini press wrote:

Rashmun wrote:in another thread Charvaka has written something which needs to be thought through. ( https://such.forumotion.com/t8507p50-was-rana-pratap-an-ass#64514 )

So, have you thought through it? Not sure how to respond? Or are you too scared to respond?

panini press wrote:Here are the answers.

1. Born in Haiti, he was the son of a French nobleman and an enslaved woman of Afro-Caribbean ancestry. He was the first black general in French history, and served as general-in-chief -- the highest-rank a man of color ever attained in a continental European army -- in the French Revolutionary Wars. Until Colin Powell became a four-star general in 1989, he was the most prominent black general in modern history. He led successful campaigns in Italy and served with Napoleon in France. On the way back, he was taken prisoner when his boat ran aground in Italy and he languished in a dungeon for two years. He is all but forgotten today, but his son is famous the world over for his literary works. Some of the characters in his son's books were inspired by the father's real-life adventures. Name the son. Bonus: name the father.

Answer: The father is General Thomas-Alexandre (Alex) Dumas and the son is Alexandre Dumas, who wrote The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers. The characters D'Artagnan, Porthos and Edmond Dantes in those books are inspired by the life of dad Dumas. BTW, the question had an error in it: it was on the way back from Egypt, not France, that General Dumas was captured and taken prisoner.

Rashmun wrote:

panini press wrote:Here are the answers.

1. Born in Haiti, he was the son of a French nobleman and an enslaved woman of Afro-Caribbean ancestry. He was the first black general in French history, and served as general-in-chief -- the highest-rank a man of color ever attained in a continental European army -- in the French Revolutionary Wars. Until Colin Powell became a four-star general in 1989, he was the most prominent black general in modern history. He led successful campaigns in Italy and served with Napoleon in France. On the way back, he was taken prisoner when his boat ran aground in Italy and he languished in a dungeon for two years. He is all but forgotten today, but his son is famous the world over for his literary works. Some of the characters in his son's books were inspired by the father's real-life adventures. Name the son. Bonus: name the father.

Answer: The father is General Thomas-Alexandre (Alex) Dumas and the son is Alexandre Dumas, who wrote The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers. The characters D'Artagnan, Porthos and Edmond Dantes in those books are inspired by the life of dad Dumas. BTW, the question had an error in it: it was on the way back from Egypt, not France, that General Dumas was captured and taken prisoner.

i do not believe the characters and the story of "Three Musketeers" were inspired by the life of his father. They were inspired by Dumas reading some historical books and documents as Dumas himself explains in his introduction to "Three Musketeers".

panini press wrote:

Rashmun wrote:

panini press wrote:Here are the answers.

1. Born in Haiti, he was the son of a French nobleman and an enslaved woman of Afro-Caribbean ancestry. He was the first black general in French history, and served as general-in-chief -- the highest-rank a man of color ever attained in a continental European army -- in the French Revolutionary Wars. Until Colin Powell became a four-star general in 1989, he was the most prominent black general in modern history. He led successful campaigns in Italy and served with Napoleon in France. On the way back, he was taken prisoner when his boat ran aground in Italy and he languished in a dungeon for two years. He is all but forgotten today, but his son is famous the world over for his literary works. Some of the characters in his son's books were inspired by the father's real-life adventures. Name the son. Bonus: name the father.

Answer: The father is General Thomas-Alexandre (Alex) Dumas and the son is Alexandre Dumas, who wrote The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers. The characters D'Artagnan, Porthos and Edmond Dantes in those books are inspired by the life of dad Dumas. BTW, the question had an error in it: it was on the way back from Egypt, not France, that General Dumas was captured and taken prisoner.

i do not believe the characters and the story of "Three Musketeers" were inspired by the life of his father. They were inspired by Dumas reading some historical books and documents as Dumas himself explains in his introduction to "Three Musketeers".

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/16/books/review/the-black-count-by-tom-reiss.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

In the 1790s, the son of an aristocratic white father and a black slave woman became a charismatic French general who for a time rivaled Napoleon himself, and afterward languished in an Italian dungeon. His story inspired the novel “The Count of Monte Cristo,” written by his son, Alexandre Dumas, who also drew upon his father’s adventures in “The Three Musketeers.”

panini press wrote:

Rashmun wrote:

panini press wrote:Here are the answers.

1. Born in Haiti, he was the son of a French nobleman and an enslaved woman of Afro-Caribbean ancestry. He was the first black general in French history, and served as general-in-chief -- the highest-rank a man of color ever attained in a continental European army -- in the French Revolutionary Wars. Until Colin Powell became a four-star general in 1989, he was the most prominent black general in modern history. He led successful campaigns in Italy and served with Napoleon in France. On the way back, he was taken prisoner when his boat ran aground in Italy and he languished in a dungeon for two years. He is all but forgotten today, but his son is famous the world over for his literary works. Some of the characters in his son's books were inspired by the father's real-life adventures. Name the son. Bonus: name the father.

Answer: The father is General Thomas-Alexandre (Alex) Dumas and the son is Alexandre Dumas, who wrote The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers. The characters D'Artagnan, Porthos and Edmond Dantes in those books are inspired by the life of dad Dumas. BTW, the question had an error in it: it was on the way back from Egypt, not France, that General Dumas was captured and taken prisoner.

i do not believe the characters and the story of "Three Musketeers" were inspired by the life of his father. They were inspired by Dumas reading some historical books and documents as Dumas himself explains in his introduction to "Three Musketeers".

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/16/books/review/the-black-count-by-tom-reiss.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

In the 1790s, the son of an aristocratic white father and a black slave woman became a charismatic French general who for a time rivaled Napoleon himself, and afterward languished in an Italian dungeon. His story inspired the novel “The Count of Monte Cristo,” written by his son, Alexandre Dumas, who also drew upon his father’s adventures in “The Three Musketeers.”

panini press wrote:The novelist Dumas's most famous characters, both D'Artagnan and Porthos in The Three Musketeers and Edmond Dantès in The Count of Monte Cristo, were inspired by the life of General Dumas.

References: Tom Reiss argues for D'Artagnan and Edmond Dantès The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo (New York: Crown Publishers, 2012), 12-14. See also Gilles Henry, Les Dumas: Le secret de Monte Cristo (Paris: France-Empire, 1999), who also argues for Edmond Dantès. Among others, A. Craig Bell argues for Porthos in Alexandre Dumas: A Biography and Study (London: Cassell and Co., 1950), 7.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas-Alexandre_Dumas

blabberwock wrote:

panini press wrote:The novelist Dumas's most famous characters, both D'Artagnan and Porthos in The Three Musketeers and Edmond Dantès in The Count of Monte Cristo, were inspired by the life of General Dumas.

References: Tom Reiss argues for D'Artagnan and Edmond Dantès The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo (New York: Crown Publishers, 2012), 12-14. See also Gilles Henry, Les Dumas: Le secret de Monte Cristo (Paris: France-Empire, 1999), who also argues for Edmond Dantès. Among others, A. Craig Bell argues for Porthos in Alexandre Dumas: A Biography and Study (London: Cassell and Co., 1950), 7.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas-Alexandre_Dumas

Sorry, rejected again.

panini press wrote:

blabberwock wrote:

panini press wrote:The novelist Dumas's most famous characters, both D'Artagnan and Porthos in The Three Musketeers and Edmond Dantès in The Count of Monte Cristo, were inspired by the life of General Dumas.

References: Tom Reiss argues for D'Artagnan and Edmond Dantès The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo (New York: Crown Publishers, 2012), 12-14. See also Gilles Henry, Les Dumas: Le secret de Monte Cristo (Paris: France-Empire, 1999), who also argues for Edmond Dantès. Among others, A. Craig Bell argues for Porthos in Alexandre Dumas: A Biography and Study (London: Cassell and Co., 1950), 7.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas-Alexandre_Dumas

Sorry, rejected again.

panini press wrote:The novelist Dumas's most famous characters, both D'Artagnan and Porthos in The Three Musketeers and Edmond Dantès in The Count of Monte Cristo, were inspired by the life of General Dumas.

References: Tom Reiss argues for D'Artagnan and Edmond Dantès The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo (New York: Crown Publishers, 2012), 12-14. See also Gilles Henry, Les Dumas: Le secret de Monte Cristo (Paris: France-Empire, 1999), who also argues for Edmond Dantès. Among others, A. Craig Bell argues for Porthos in Alexandre Dumas: A Biography and Study (London: Cassell and Co., 1950), 7.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas-Alexandre_Dumas