Early life.

Leonard Roscoe Tanner III hailed from Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, graduated from Baylor School in Chattanooga, and with teammate Sandy Mayer helped to lead Stanford University's rise to national prominence in collegiate tennis. Tanner played number one singles, with Mayer playing number two. In 1972, Tanner and Mayer won the NCAA doubles championship, and the Stanford team finished second in the NCAA tournament, behind Trinity (TX). The team also featured Chico Hagey, Rick Fisher, Jim Delaney, Gery Groslimond, Chip Fisher, Paul Sidone, and Tim Noonan.

Playing history.

Tanner defeated Haroon Rahim 10–8 in the fifth set to win the 1970 United States Amateur Championships.  Tanner defeated Guillermo Vilas in three straight sets in the 1977 Australian Open (January) final, to win his first and only grand slam title. Tanner lost a five set match to Björn Borg in the 1979 Wimbledon final, which was the first Wimbledon final to be broadcast live in the United States as part of NBC's "Breakfast at Wimbledon". Tanner avenged this loss to Borg by beating him in four sets in the US Open quarterfinals two months later, a match where Tanner's 140 mph serve brought the net down during the fourth set. Tanner lost to Vitas Gerulaitis in the semifinals. Tanner described his 1979 US Open win over Borg and loss to Gerulaitis in his autobiography as "the highest of my highs and the lowest of my lows on a tennis court within two days of each other".  Tanner's strong left-handed serve was thrown very low and struck with a lunge involving the whole body, earning him the nickname "The Rocket". His booming 153 mph serve was the fastest ever recorded in tournament competition from February 1978 until Andy Roddick posted a 155 mph serve in a Davis Cup semifinal in September 2004 against Vladimir Voltchkov.  He won the Davis Cup in 1981 playing with John McEnroe, Eliot Teltscher and Peter Fleming on a team captained by Arthur Ashe that defeated Argentina in the final, played at Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati.

Grand Slam singles performance timeline.

The Australian Open was played twice in 1977, in January and December.

Personal life.

Tanner has been married three times, first to Nancy, then Charlotte and last to Margaret. He has five children, all daughters.  Tanner has coached Dennis Early, Frank Norman, Jesse Stirge, Adrienne Radakovic and a session with Kenzo Wong.

Criminal record.

Tanner has an extensive record of conflicts with the law. He was first arrested in 1997 for failure to pay child support. He was arrested again in June 2003 on a fugitive warrant on charges related to passing a bad check and to further nonpayment of child support. He pleaded guilty and received an initial sentence of probation. Tanner violated his probation and served one year in prison in Florida, but was then jailed for Contempt of Court in California.  In 2008, Tanner was again arrested for writing a bad check in Knoxville, Tennessee, but it was settled out of court. After being evicted from his home, Tanner was arrested in January 2012 for writing another bad check. In March 2013, Tanner was arrested in Florida for writing a bad check and Grand Theft, and in 2014 he served 10 days for driving with a suspended license. In 2015, Tanner was arrested for Failure to Appear in court on a previous warrant.

Tennis camps.

Currently, Tanner has a successful venture in teaching tennis. He has taught at doubles tennis camps with other professionals, and is the camp director at his own training camp.

Roscoe Tanner (born October 15, 1951) is a retired American tennis player, who turned professional in 1972 and reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 4 on July 30, 1979.

Roscoe Tanner, né le à Chattanooga (Tennessee), est un ancien joueur de tennis américain professionnel. Spécialiste des surfaces rapides, il est connu pour être le premier serveur-cogneur de l'histoire, 15 ans avant Goran Ivanišević. Son énorme service de gaucher a été chronométré à plus de à Palm Springs en 1978, lors de sa finale contre Raúl Ramírez. Durant sa carrière, il remporta 16 titres en simple dont un en Grand Chelem : l'Open d'Australie en janvier 1977. Il fut également 24 fois finaliste, notamment à Wimbledon en 1979 ; il est alors battu par Björn Borg en 5 sets. C'est durant cette année 1979 qu'il atteint son plus haut classement ATP :. Il remporta 13 titres en double.


Types.

Machining.

A countersink may be used in many tools, such as drills, drill presses, milling machines, and lathes.

Cross-hole countersink cutter.

A Dan Martin Style "zero flute" countersink is a cone-shaped tool with a cutting edge provided by a hole that goes through the side of the cone. The intersection of the hole and cone form the cutting edge on the tool. The cone is not truly symmetrical as it is essential that the cone retreats away from the cutting edge as the tool rotates providing clearance. If this does not occur the cutting edge will lack clearance and rub rather than "bite" into the material. This clearance is referred to as cutting relief.  These tools are best used as deburring tools, where the burr from a previous machining operation needs to be removed for cosmetic and safety reasons, however they may be used in softer materials (such as wood or plastic) to create a countersunk hole for a screw.

Fluted countersink cutter.

The fluted countersink cutter is used to provide a heavy chamfer in the entrance to a drilled hole. This may be required to allow the correct seating for a countersunk-head screw or to provide the lead in for a second machining operation such as tapping. Countersink cutters are manufactured with six common angles, which are 60°, 82°, 90°, 100°, 110°, or 120°, with the two most common of those being 82° and 90°. Countersunk-head screws that follow the Unified Thread Standard very often have an 82° angle, and screws that follow the ISO standard very often have a 90° angle. Throughout the aerospace industry, countersunk fasteners typically have an angle of 100°.

Back countersink.

A "back countersink", also known as an "inserted countersink", is a two piece countersink used on tough to reach areas. One component is a rod that is inserted into the existing hole in the workpieces; the other component is the cutter, which is attached to the rod, or extends out of it, after it is in position. This is comparable to other types of "back-" machining, such as back-spotfacing, back-boring, back-counterboring, back-milling, and back-deburring. The common theme is accomplishing machining operations on the far side of the workpiece from the spindle face, which obviates a "second operation" setup. This reduces setup time and frustration in several ways. Not only does it obviate the flipping over, cleaning, reclamping, etc., but it also can allow effortless high concentricity, parallelism, and squareness with the first setup's datum without the hassle of reestablishing it on another setup (via painstaking indicating).

Speeds, feeds, and avoiding chatter.

It can often be difficult to avoid chatter (also known as machining vibrations) when cutting with countersink cutters. As usual in machining, the shorter and more rigid the setup, the better. Better-quality fluted countersink cutters sometimes have the flutes (or at least one flute) at an irregular pitching. This variation in pitching reduces the chance of the cutting edges setting up a harmonic action and leaving an undulated surface. This surface ripple is also dependent on the surface speed of the cutting edges, material type, and applied pressure (or feed rate); once started it is hard to remove. Too light a feed tends to increase chatter risk. As in many other machining operations, an appropriate response to the chatter may be to decrease speed and increase feed. On a drill press, the slowest available spindle speed is usually best. With a variable-speed handheld power drill, the trigger is best squeezed lightly to yield a low spindle speed.  Good chatter-free results can usually be had by countersinking by hand (as opposed to running the tool in a powered spindle). The slow speed and sensitive feed tend to prevent chatter. With a quarter-inch-hex shank, the countersink cutter can be held with a screwdriver handle of the indexable - bit type.

Form countersinking.

Form countersinking, also known as "dimpling", is a countersink that is formed into sheet metal to increase the strength of a structure as the countersinks of multiple pieces nest together. There are two processes for producing formed countersinks: "coin dimpling" and "modified radius dimpling". Such dimples in fairly thick sheet can even be tapped to yield a threaded hardpoint on the sheet without the bother and expense of welding a nut to the sheet. This style of construction is often seen in modern household appliance design, because it allows the product to be lower-priced, and the quality can still be good as long as the sheet is thick enough.

References.

Bibliography.

CIRCLE

A countersink (symbol: <unk>) is a conical hole cut into a manufactured object, or the cutter used to cut such a hole. A common use is to allow the head of a countersunk bolt, screw or rivet, when placed in the hole, to sit flush with or below the surface of the surrounding material (by comparison, a counterbore makes a flat-bottomed hole that might be used with a socket-head capscrew). A countersink may also be used to remove the burr left from a drilling or tapping operation thereby improving the finish of the product and removing any hazardous sharp edges.

Une fraisure est un chanfrein réalisé sur l'arête débouchante d'un perçage et dont le but est d'abriter la tête d'une vis à tête fraisée (tête conique). Cette opération, le fraisurage, est réalisé à l'aide d'une fraise : On peut aussi utiliser un foret étagé, qui permet de réaliser en une seule opération le trous de passage de la vis (trou lisse) et la fraisure.


Club career.

Club Deportivo Guadalajara.

Omar Bravo has scored 132 goals with Guadalajara. Omar Bravo was brought to the Guadalajara youth system by Jose Luis Real. He made his debut with the senior team on 17 February 2001 against Tigres UANL in a 0–0 draw. Bravo became a regular starter for the team during the 2002 Apertura, playing 15 games and scoring 6 goals.  In 2006, Bravo participated in a successful season for Club Deportivo Guadalajara, helping the team win the Apertura championship title, as well as achieving first place for the top goal scorer in the Mexico First Division and registering 11 goals for the tournament. Bravo scored the leading goal in the first leg match of the 2006 Apertura final, which ended in a 1-1 draw against Toluca.  In 2007, Bravo displayed skills at the Clausura division, winning the golden boot for most goals in the league with 11 goals in 17 matches. Club Deportivo Guadalajara becoming champion in the Apertura 2006 made them eligible to participate in the Champions Cup. Bravo scored in his first appearance in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup against W Connection F.C. as well as in the first match of the semifinals against D.C. United. In the final, on 8 April 2007, he helped Club Deportivo Guadalajara to a 2–2 draw against CF Pachuca at the CONCACAF Champions' Cup Final, scoring 2 Goals in the first match.  Omar Bravo scored his 100th goal on 26 April 2008 in a 4–0 victory over Puebla F.C.. Bravo became the 2nd player in Club Deportivo Guadalajara history to reach 100 goals, only behind Salvador Reyes, who has 122 goals. He played his last match of his first stint in C.D. Guadalajara by scoring his 101st goal against C.F. Monterrey in the quarter-finals, which they tied 4–4, losing 8–5 on aggregate.

Deportivo de La Coruña.

On 22 May 2008, Deportivo de La Coruña announced an agreement between the club and Omar Bravo for the next three years. Omar Bravo left Guadalajara as a free agent. Bravo became the second Mexican on Deportivo's squad at that time, after Andrés Guardado. Omar Bravo made his debut on 31 August 2008 in a 2–1 victory over Real Madrid. On 8 December 2008 he scored his first league goal against Málaga in a 2–0 victory. With only nine league appearances (only two of them as a starter), it was evident that his stint at the Spanish club was not as successful as expected.

Loan to Tigres UANL.

On 5 March 2009, he was loaned out to Mexico side Tigres UANL for the remainder of the Clausura 2009 season. However, he had a bad season, as he did not have much playing time due to the inactivity in Spain. He made 6 appearances and scored no goals.

Return to Club Deportivo Guadalajara.

After his stint with Deportivo and the loan at Tigres UANL, Omar returned to the Chivas where he signed a 1-year contract with the club and appeared in 32 games, as well as scoring 5 goals. Later on, he would be again loaned by the Chivas to Sporting Kansas City, to play some League games where he scored two goals, and the Copa Santander Libertadores where Chivas became Runner Up in the tournament.

Sporting Kansas City.

On 8 August 2010, Sporting Kansas City announced that Bravo was signed as the squad's first designated player since Claudio López. Bravo would join SKC beginning with the 2011 season. Upon arrival in Kansas City, Bravo mentioned that he was very happy to join the team, and that he believed the level of play in MLS was among the best in the world. In his debut for the club against Chivas USA, he showed off his skilled form and managed to score two goals for his new club. He scored nine goals for Sporting and was named Latin Player of the Year.

Cruz Azul.

On 12 December 2011, Sporting Kansas City announced that Bravo would not be returning in 2012 and would instead be signing with Cruz Azul in his native Mexico. He scored a brace against San Luis F.C. in a 3-1 home win. After underperforming with Cruz Azul, the club later transferred Bravo to Club Atlas on a loan. Later, he revealed that he felt he failed with Cruz Azul.

Loan to Atlas.

Bravo joined Club Atlas of Guadalajara on loan before the Clausura 2013. He proved effective by scoring seven times during his stint there.

Return to Guadalajara.

Bravo returned to C.D. Guadalajara after Cruz Azul agreed to sell him after his loan deal expired. He scored on his return debut against Santos Laguna. During the Apertura 2015 season, Bravo scored 10 goals in 16 appearances, which was tied for 6th on the individual scoring table. Despite Bravo's return to form, Guadalajara missed the playoffs, placing 12th on the table. On 12 August 2015, Bravo scored a brace at home against Morelia that converted him into C.D. Guadalajara's all-time top scorer in league matches, surpassing club legend Salvador Reyes with 123 goals. On 29 September 2015, Bravo scored a goal against Monterrey, making him the club's all-time top scorer in all official and nonofficial matches.  He led the team to win the Copa MX on 4 November 2015, their first major title in nine years. On 10 April 2016, Bravo scored his final goal in the Clausura 2016 season against Puebla in 3–0 away win. His team Chivas, had the chance to get into la Liguilla, and they did, but once in it they were not able to beat their most hated rivals, Club America. They had an intense Quarter-Final against Club America, they tied in the first leg 0–0 and lost 2–1 in the second leg. Omar Bravo, 36, was not able to score. Bravo finished the 2015–2016 season scoring 11 goals in 34 games. On 10 July 2016, Bravo scored his last goal for Chivas playing against recent Copa MX champion Veracruz in the last minute of the game ending in 2–0 win giving them their first Supercopa MX title their second in nine months and, clinched Guadalajara a spot for the Copa Libertadores 2017.

Carolina RailHawks.

On 13 July 2016, it was announced that Bravo had signed with NASL club Carolina RailHawks during halftime of a match against West Ham United, becoming the first Mexican player to join the club.

Phoenix Rising FC.

On 9 February 2017, it was announced that Bravo had signed with recently re-branded USL club Phoenix Rising FC (formerly Arizona United). In September 2017, Bravo would no longer be an active player for the club.

Leones Negros UdeG.

On July 4, 2019 Leones Negros announced that Omar Bravo would be a guest player for the 45th anniversary game against Rayados de Monterrey on July 13th, 2019 and a friendly against Forward Madison on July 16, 2019. On July 24 it was announced that Omar Bravo would come out of retirement to play for the following season.

International career.

Bravo played for various levels of the Mexico youth national system and in several amateur tournaments including the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. He accumulated 71 caps and scored 15 goals for the senior Mexico national team.  On 11 June 2006, playing at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, Bravo scored two goals in Mexico's 3–1 victory over Iran and was named the Man of the Match. Two matches later, he missed a penalty against Portugal in a 2–1 loss for Mexico, and did not play in the game against Argentina.  In 2007, Bravo was selected by former coach Hugo Sánchez to represent his country in a series of friendly international matches and to take part in the 2007 Gold Cup and 2007 Copa América, where he scored three goals.  Bravo also played in World Cup Qualifiers and in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He was recalled to the national team in March 2013.

Omar Bravo Tordecillas (born 4 March 1980) is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a striker for Ascenso MX club UdeG. He is Guadalajara's all-time leading scorer in all matches.

Omar Bravo Tordecillas, né le à Los Mochis (Mexique), est un footballeur international mexicain. Il joue au poste d’avant-centre à l'Universidad de Guadalajara.


Name.

"Ardashir" is the Middle Persian form of the Old Persian "Ṛtaxšira" (also spelled "Artaxšaçā", meaning "whose reign is through truth"). The Latin variant of the name is "". Three kings of the Achaemenid Empire were known to have the same name.

Background.

Ardashir was the son of shah Hormizd II (), who was killed by the Iranian nobility whilst hunting. He was succeeded by Adur Narseh, who, after a brief reign which only lasted a few months, was too killed by the nobles, who then proceeded to blind the second, and imprison the third (Hormizd, who later managed to escape to the Roman Empire). Ardashir's infant half-brother Shapur II, who was only slightly older than him, was crowned as king by the nobles so that they could gain greater control of the empire, which they were able to do until Shapur II reached his majority at the age of 16.  Ardashir, before becoming king of the Sasanian Empire, was governor-king of Nodardashiragan from 344 to 376. It is believed that during his tenure he took part in the defense of the Sasanian Empire with Shapur when it was invaded by the Roman Emperor Julian (). In 379, Shapur II designated Ardashir as his successor, and made him vow to abdicate when Shapur's son, Shapur III reached adulthood. This led to some Armenian writers to wrongly state that Ardashir was Shapur's son.

Reign.

During his reign as shah of the Sasanian Empire, events in Armenia seemed to occupy Ardashir's attention. The son of Arshak II, Pap, had been murdered during Shapur's reign and the Romans had replaced him with a certain Varazdat who was a member of the Arsacid family. However, real power was in the hands of Mushegh I Mamikonian, a noble in the Armenian court. Mushegh was suspected of having conspired with the Emperor of Rome and was murdered by Varazdat. This act roused the indignation of Mushegh's brother Manuel who rebelled against Varazdat and with the support of Iran deposed him and placed upon the Armenian throne Zarmandukht, the widow of Papas who was the mother of Arshak III and Papas' son, who made Manuel the "sparapet" (commander-in-chief). In return for their services, Manuel allowed the Iranians to maintain a garrison in Armenia.  But this arrangement did not work for long. A nobleman named Merujan wrongly informed Manuel that the commandant of the Iranian garrison desired to capture him. Enraged, Manuel fell upon the ten thousand Iranian soldiers stationed in Armenia and murdered them. But Manuel died soon afterwards and confusion followed. Desirous of maintaining peace in the borderlands, the Roman Emperor Theodosius I and Ardashir decided upon a treaty. But Ardashir was killed in 383 by the Iranian nobility before the treaty could be signed. The reason behind his murder was due to his continuation of Shapur's policy of restricting the authority of power-hungry nobles. Nevertheless, the treaty was the eventually signed and ratified by his nephew and successor Shapur III in 384. Ardashir was survived by his daughter Zruanduxt, who married the King Khosrov IV of Armenia.

Coins.

The coins minted under Ardashir imitates him wearing the same dome-shaped crown worn by the first Sasanian shah, Ardashir I (). The reverse shows the traditional fire altar flanked by two attendants, but in some cases also shows the shah's head appearing from the fire, which may symbolize the royal xwarra ("glory"). The inscription of his coins are usually "Ardashir, king of kings of the Iranians" whilst rare instances of "and of non-Iranians" also being part of the inscription.

Rock relief.

Ardashir, like his forefathers, also had himself memorialized on reliefs. However, instead of using the sites of Pars (present-day Fars Province) as a place for his relief, he instead had a relief carved in Taq-e Bostan in the province of Media (near present-day Kermanshah). The relief shows three standing figures wearing regalia; Ardashir being in the middle, flanked by two male figures. The figure to the right, who is giving the diadem to Ardashir originally used to recognized as the Zoroastrian supreme god Ahura Mazda, but is now agreed to be Shapur II due to the style of his crown, and which also fits well due to Shapur being the one designating Ardashir as shah to begin with.  The two shahs are standing on the body of a fallen enemy, unmistakably a Roman, whose crown indicates that he is an emperor. The fallen figure is most likely supposed to represent the Roman emperor Julian, who invaded Iran in 363 and was killed west of the Sasanian capital of Ctesiphon. The figure standing to the far left, perceived by some to be the Zoroastrian prophet Zoroaster, is most likely the angelic divinity Mithra. He is wearing a crown embellished with twelve rays of the sun, whilst holding a raised barsom, thus sanctifying the investiture.

Ardashir II (Middle Persian <unk>, New Persian: اردشیر نیکوکار, "Ardashir"), was the eleventh king (shah) of the Sasanian Empire, ruling from 379 to 383. He was the brother of his predecessor, Shapur II (), under whom he had served as governor-king of Nodardashiragan, where he fought alongside his brother against the Romans. Ardashir II was appointed as his brother's successor to rule interimly till the latter's son Shapur III reached adulthood. Ardashir II's short reign was largely uneventful, with the Sasanians trying to defuse instability in Armenia.

Ardachir, Ardašir ou Ardashir II, surnommé « le Bienveillant » (en persan "Nikukār"), est un empereur sassanide d'Iran ayant régné de 379 à 383.


History.

1960s.

AMM was initially composed of Keith Rowe on guitar, Lou Gare on saxophone and Eddie Prévost on drums. Rowe and Gare were members of Mike Westbrook's jazz band; Prévost and Gare were also in a hard bop jazz quintet. The three men shared a common interest in exploring music beyond the boundaries of conventional jazz, as part of a larger movement that helped spawn European free jazz and free improvisation.  The seeds of AMM were planted in 1965. They initially had no name, and were not really a group in the conventional sense, simply a weekend experimental workshop session at the Royal College of Art in London, centred on Gare, Rowe, and Prévost. Members of the group have come and gone over the years, but Rowe and Prévost have been present for most recordings and performances; the latter has been the only constant in the nearly four decades of AMM music.  Musicians were free to join in, but such collaborations were often short-lived if the contributions were lacking the proper spirit: notable jazz saxophonist Steve Lacy sat in with the group but was quickly asked to stop playing. Observers were welcome, provided they were silent and didn't disturb the proceedings. American saxophonist Ornette Coleman was asked to leave after he continually talked during one performance; Beatles member Paul McCartney once sat quietly through an early AMM session. When asked how he liked the music he said they went on too long.  Eventually, the group settled on a line-up of Prévost, Rowe, Gare, bassist Lawrence Sheaff and pianist/cellist Cornelius Cardew, and, in early 1966, were calling themselves AMM. However, some early performances were billed as the "Cornelius Cardew Quintet", a mistake which both irked and amused the musicians. After a few paying performances, Cardew bought two amplifiers so the other instruments could compete with the volume of Rowe's guitar. In addition to amplifying their instruments, Cardew and Gare would apply contact microphones to various common objects to amplify the sounds made by, for example, rubbing a glass jar or striking a coffee tin.  No AMM performance is ever planned; each is unique and spontaneous. The musicians tend to avoid any conventional melody, harmony or rhythm, and seek out an ensemble sound that often obscures any individual's role. It is often difficult to discern which musical instrument is making which specific sound on an AMM recording, due in part to liberal use of various extended techniques on their instruments.  AMM released their first recording, "AMMusic 1966", on Elektra Records UK in 1966. It had some initial similarities to free jazz, due in part to Gare's saxophone. One critic has written, however, that the resemblance was rather slight: "the overall sound of the group, even in 1966, was so different, so idiosyncratic, that it's not at all surprising that both new jazz and contemporary classical audiences were baffled, if not horrified." Percussionist Christopher Hobbs (born in 1950 and a student of Cardew) also played with AMM in the late 1960s.  The next AMM material to see release were the important "The Crypt" sessions from 12 June 1968. Though the debut is regarded as a landmark recording, "The Crypt" was arguably even more important in establishing the droning, long-form music that would come to characterise AMM. Further "out" and even less conventional than earlier material, one critic has written of it that "an eerie sensation inevitably accompanies each listen to the raw streams of electric noise channeled on AMM's second album and early masterpiece, "The Crypt". To ears informed by the twenty-first century, it's the uncanny feeling of listening to three-and-a-half decades of experimental music history as delivered in a chillingly prescient sort of reverse premonition... It's a little unnerving that the only records that seem to accurately describe the brave new soundworld harnessed on "The Crypt" came into being well after its creation."  "The Crypt" sessions have been issued many times, twice in the 1980s as a double LP, and it is still available (with extra material, billed as "The Complete Sessions") on a double CD from Matchless Recordings. "The Crypt" continues to inspire adventurous listeners; in the liner notes to the 1992 double CD, Prévost writes, "Despite being (arguably) the most 'difficult' material on Matchless, "The Crypt" has been a mainstay for the label. It obviously pays not to underestimate the audience. Its continued success has enabled us to release other works. So we felt committed, obliged almost, to keep it available... this music has proved itself not to be ephemeral."  Composer Cornelius Cardew joined AMM in 1966, performing on piano and cello. He worked with AMM intermittently until he abandoned his earlier experimental music in the late 1970s (Cardew died in an unsolved auto accident in 1981). Composer Christian Wolff performed with AMM in 1968. Cardew and Rowe became committed to socialism and to Maoism, and thought that AMM's music should reflect their sociopolitical outlook. Prévost accuses the pair of "cultural bullying", and there was tension in the group, resulting in some AMM performances being made by alternating duos: Rowe and Cardew, Prévost and Gare.

1970s.

This personal and political tension culminated with a long period (about 1972 to 1976) when AMM was rarely active, and then usually as a Prévost-Gare duo. This was arguably AMM's most jazz-like era, with Gare's sputtering, squawking saxophone (unique but showing the influence of John Gilmore and Albert Ayler) brought to the fore, although Prévost has stated the music was "decidedly non-jazz." Rowe rejoined in the mid-1970s, and shortly thereafter, Gare departed, leaving a Rowe-Prévost duo for a period.

1980s and 1990s.

Pianist John Tilbury – previously an occasional AMM collaborator – joined in about 1980. His shimmering Feldmanesque playing brought a measure of conventionality to AMM (relatively speaking); unlike Rowe or Prévost, Tilbury's instrument was nearly always recognisable in conventional terms. This version of AMM generally explored quieter, more meditative sounds, perhaps having more in common with minimalism—though they could generate a cacophonous racket when so inclined. Perhaps the most notable shift was in Rowe's approach: his playing grew increasingly subtle, and was often described in painterly terms, as though he were offering a canvas for the other musicians to color.  Later collaborators have included saxophonist Evan Parker, cellist Rohan de Saram, and clarinetist Ian Mitchell. Christian Wolff also returned as a collaborator for a concert at the Conway Hall in London in 2001. Prévost has reported that of all their collaborators, Parker and Wolff best grasped the AMM aesthetic.

2000s.

The Prévost/Rowe/Tilbury line-up remained stable for two decades, only occasionally augmented by guests. In the early 1990s, the trio made their first extensive tours, with a number of well-received appearances in Europe and North America.  But since about 2000, Rowe's increasing involvement with what has become known as "electroacoustic improvisation" ("eai" for short), especially under the aegis of Jon Abbey's Erstwhile Records, meant that more of his musical activities began to take place outside AMM. Rowe has reported that he felt somewhat limited having been almost exclusively a Matchless Records artist, and that he wanted to explore music outside of AMM. Tension between Rowe and Prévost was exacerbated by the appearance of Prévost's second book of essays, "Minute Particulars", which contained some disparaging comments about Rowe, who then left the group. In his review of Prévost's book, Walter Horn notes that while Prévost offers often scathing opinions of many people, Rowe is singled out for multiple barbs, and "one can hardly fail to wonder whether there's something of a personal nature lurking behind the barrage of what are superficially theoretical complaints."  The trio's last performance with Rowe is documented on the 2005 double-CD "Apogee". The set is shared with another of the electronic improvisational ensembles that emerged during the 1960s: Musica Elettronica Viva (MEV). The first CD is a studio recording in a joint session in England on 30 April 2004 featuring MEV's Alvin Curran, Richard Teitelbaum and Frederic Rzewski with Prévost-Rowe-Tilbury. This is the first occasion that the two ensembles have performed together, but not the first time they have shared a split release: each outfit filled a side of the LP "Live Electronic Music Improvised", released on a US label in 1968 (AMM's side features excerpts from "The Crypt" sessions; MEV's side is an excerpt from their magnum opus "Spacecraft."). The second CD consists of the performances that each group gave at a festival held in London on 1 May 2004.  Prévost and Tilbury continue to record and perform as AMM. They performed in London during December 2004, with Sachiko M joining as a guest, at the 2005 LMC Festival of Experimental Music, with David Jackman as a guest, and at a festival of experimental music in Belgium in February 2006. They also released a duo CD as AMM, "Norwich", during 2005, and in 2009, the CD "Trinity" with guest John Butcher. In 2010 the core duo of Eddie Prévost and John Tilbury along with John Butcher, Christian Wolff and Ute Kangiesser released a CD called "Sounding Music" (the first simply tagged as AMM after 2005's Norwich) containing the concert performed at "Freedom of the City" festival, Conway Hall, London on 3 May 2009.  More recent recordings on Matchless featuring the duo form of AMM include: 'Uncovered Correspondence' recorded in Jasło, Poland (2010) and 'Two London Concerts' (2011).  AMM appeared on SWR2 NOWJazz Session, Donaueschingen 2012.  AMM (Tilbury, Prévost & Rowe) are due to appear on 29 November 2015 as the final performance in the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.

Critical appraisal.

Michael Nyman wrote, "AMM seem to have worked without the benefit or hindrance of any kind of prepared external discipline."

AMM is a British free improvisation group that was founded in London, England, in 1965. The group was initially composed of Keith Rowe on guitar, Lou Gare on saxophone, and Eddie Prévost on drums. The three men shared an interest in exploring music beyond the boundaries of conventional jazz, as in free jazz and free improvisation. AMM has never been popular but has been influential in improvised music. Most of their albums have been released by Matchless Recordings, which was run by Eddie Prévost. In a 2001 interview, Keith Rowe was asked if "AMM" was an abbreviation. He replied, "The letters AMM stand for something, but as you probably know it's a secret!"

AMM est un groupe britannique de musique improvisée fondé à Londres en 1965 par Keith Rowe, Lou Gare et Eddie Prévost. Rapidement le trio devient un ensemble où joueront notamment Cornelius Cardew, Lawrence Sheaff, Christopher Hobbs, Christian Wolff, Rohan de Saram, Ian Mitchell et John Tilbury. Les membres actuelles sont Eddie Prévost et John Tilbury accompagnés parfois d'invités.


Origins of the term.

The English dramatist Philip Massinger used the phrase "black list" in his 1639 tragedy "The Unnatural Combat".  After the Restoration of the English monarchy brought Charles II of England to the throne in 1660, a list of regicides named those to be punished for the execution of his father. The state papers of Charles II say "If any innocent soul be found in this black list, let him not be offended at me, but consider whether some mistaken principle or interest may not have misled him to vote". In a 1676 history of the events leading up to the Restoration, James Heath (a supporter of Charles II) alleged that Parliament had passed an Act requiring the sale of estates, "And into this black list the Earl of Derby was now put, and other unfortunate Royalists".  Edward Gibbon wrote in "The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" (1776) of Andronicus that "His memory was stored with a black list of the enemies and rivals, who had traduced his merit, opposed his greatness, or insulted his misfortunes".

Employment context.

The first published reference to blacklisting of an employee dates from 1774. This became a significant employment issue in American mining towns and company towns, where blacklisting could mean a complete loss of livelihood for workers who went on strike. The 1901 Report of the Industrial Commission stated "There was no doubt in the minds of workingmen of the existence of the blacklisting system, though it was practically impossible to obtain evidence of it." It cited a news report that in 1895 a former conductor on the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad committed suicide, having been out of work ever since a strike: "Wherever he went, the blacklist was ahead of him".  Though the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 outlawed punitive blacklists against employees who supported trade unions or criticised their employers, the practice continued in common use. The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 made amendments which sustained blacklisting by affirming the right of employers to be anti-union, and by requiring trade union leaders to make loyalty oaths which had the same effect as the Hollywood blacklist. Since then, lawsuits for unfair dismissal have led to blacklisting being covert or informal, but it remains common.

Spanish Civil War and communists blacklisted.

At least one volunteer (George Drever) in the International Brigades who went to Spain to fight Franco's fascists and who was also well known in the British Communist Party in the 1930s was informed by the police Special Branch that his failure to progress in military or career was due to his volunteering in this cause and his beliefs.

World Wars I and II.

During World War I, the British government adopted a "blacklist" based on an Order in Council of 23 December 1915, prohibiting British subjects from trade with specified firms and individuals in neutral countries; the lists were published in the "London Gazette".  In the summer of 1940, the SS printed a secret list called "Sonderfahndungsliste G.B." ("Special Search List Great Britain") as part of Nazi Germany's preparations for invasion codenamed Operation Sea Lion – when this booklet was found after the war, it was commonly called the Black Book and described as a blacklist.

Hollywood anti-communist blacklist.

The Hollywood blacklist was instituted by the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947 to block screenwriters and other Hollywood professionals who were purported to have Communist sympathies from obtaining employment. It started by listing 151 entertainment industry professionals and lasted until 1960 when it was effectively broken by the acknowledgement that blacklisted professionals had been working under assumed names for many years.

Medical context.

Blacklisting by multiple providers is a systematic act by doctors to deny care to a certain patient or patients. It is done in various ways for various reasons; blacklisting is not new. In 1907 the Transvaal Medical Union in South Africa blacklisted patients if they could not pay cash in advance. In this case, there was a physical list kept by the community of physicians. A physical list is not necessary to blacklist patients but the effect is the same.  The United States Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) found that reviewed hospitals did not generate incident reports for 93% of adverse events. The 7% of the time when they did generate reports, the information was inaccurate 63% of the time. Problems causing harm to patients were reported accurately only 2% of the time. If blacklisting is multiple providers systematically denying care to a certain patient or patients, in this case patients with iatrogenic injuries, it is reasonable to define it as blacklisting when 98% of the time the first group, treatment providers, singles out members of the second group, injured patients, to prevent them from having an accurate record made of what injured them. Those patients are further injured by not having the accurate record necessary for getting care for the injuries.

Fraud control.

Credit card merchant accounts.

Companies which have a payment card merchant account terminated, and their directors, are often added to a list referred to when companies apply for an account; they are then unlikely to be granted a new account by any provider. In the US the list is called TMF/MATCH.

Computing.

In computing, a blacklist is an access control system that denies entry to a specific list (or a defined range) of users, programs, or network addresses.

Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority, compiling a blacklist (or black list) of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as not being acceptable to those making the list. If someone is on a blacklist, they are seen by a government or other organization as being one of a number of people who cannot be trusted or who have done something wrong. As a verb, blacklist can mean to put an individual or entity on such a list.

Une liste noire (en anglais "blacklist") est un document rassemblant les noms d'individus ou d'entités (concrètes ou virtuelles) jugés indésirables, hostiles ou ennemis par une personne, un groupe ou une organisation donnée. Une telle liste est souvent confidentielle, dans le domaine du renseignement par exemple, ou parfois publiquement affichée afin de démontrer une volonté généralement d'ordre politique : ainsi, après les attentats du 11 septembre, une liste noire a été dressée par les États-Unis, qui regroupait les individus terroristes jugés les plus dangereux.


Loi sur les langues officielles (Canada)

Summary of main features.

The "Act" provides, among other things,  The Federal government has set in place regulations establishing linguistic categories (anglophone, francophone, bilingual) for some job functions within the public service. Departments and agencies of the federal government are required to fill these positions with individuals who are capable of serving the public in English, in French, or in both languages. Unilingual public servants are given incentives to learn the other official language, and the government provides language training and offers a "bilingualism bonus".  Part VI of the "Act" mandates that English-speaking Canadians and French-speaking Canadians not be discriminated against based on ethnic origin or first language learned when it comes to employment opportunities and advancement.  The law also created the Commissioner of Official Languages, an officer of Parliament charged with receiving complaints from the public, undertaking inquiries, and making recommendations regarding the status of the two official languages.  Section 32 of the "Official Languages Act" authorizes the Governor in Council ("i.e.", the federal cabinet) to issue regulations defining the geographic regions in which services will be offered by the federal government in the relevant minority language (English in Quebec and French elsewhere). This provides a legal definition for the otherwise vague requirement that services be provided in the minority official languages wherever there is "significant demand." The definition used in the regulations is complex, but basically an area of the country is served in both languages if at least 5,000 persons in that area, or 5% of the local population (whichever is smaller), belongs to that province's English or French linguistic minority population. The regulations were first promulgated in 1991.

Political context.

The "Official Languages Act" was one of the cornerstones of the government of Pierre Trudeau. The law was an attempt to implement some of the policy objectives outlined by the federally commissioned Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism, which had been established in 1963 and since that time had been issuing periodic reports on the inequitable manner in which Canada's English-speaking and French-speaking populations were treated by the federal administration. At that time, only 9% of jobs within the federal public service were occupied by Francophones, even though French-speakers formed a quarter of the Canadian population. The proportion of jobs designated bilingual grew to 14% in 1978, and to 25% in 2004.  One of the most important features of the 1969 act was to ensure that federal government services would be provided in both official languages, wherever population size warranted it.  Its principles were later incorporated into the "Constitution of Canada", in Section 16 of the "Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms".  A new "Official Languages Act" was enacted in 1988 in order to achieve two objectives.  First, it was necessary to update the 1969 law to take into account the new language-related obligations that the federal government had undertaken under Sections 16-23 of the "Charter of Rights and Freedoms", which had been enacted in 1982. For example, Section 20 of the "Charter of Rights and Freedoms" guarantees the right of the Canadian public to communicate in English and French with any central government office or with regional offices where there is "a significant demand for communication with and services from that office." Significant demand is not defined in the "Charter of Rights and Freedoms". One of the purposes of the "Official Languages Act" of 1988 was to remedy this omission.  Second, the new law included provisions for the promotion by the government of Canada of Quebec's English-speaking minority and of the French-speaking minorities in the rest of the country. The programs that fall under the "promotion" umbrella are often designed to encourage each provincial government to offer services to its official-language minority community, and contain a mechanism for transferring funds to the provincial governments in order to finance a part of these programs. Under Canada's federal constitution, many important services, such as education and health, fall under provincial jurisdiction and are therefore off-limits to any direct federal spending. The transfer of federal funds, conditional upon the fulfilment by each provincial government of detailed conditions laid out in a funding agreement, is a constitutionally permitted method of dodging this jurisdictional constraint.  This would suggest that the "Official Languages Act" and Quebec's "Charter of the French Language" (also known as "Bill 101") are fundamentally at cross-purposes with each other. However, that perspective is not universally accepted. For example, former Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff has stated that "Bill 101 and the "Official Languages Act" are not in opposition, they are complementary."

Reactions.

Provincial legislatures.

In 1969, the law was adopted with all-party support in the House of Commons. Despite this, there was not universal support for the law. The premiers of the three Prairie provinces requested, early in 1969, that the Official Languages Bill be referred to the Supreme Court of Canada to determine its constitutionality. They maintained, along with JT Thorson, the former president of the Exchequer Court of Canada, that the bill was outside the powers of the Parliament of Canada. The reference to the court was never made, but the legal question was resolved in 1974, when the Supreme Court ruled, in Jones v. Attorney General of New Brunswick, that the subject matter of the bill was within federal jurisdiction.  In subsequent decades the response from provincial governments to the example set by the federal government has been mixed:

Public reactions.

Public support for bilingual services had dramatically increased between the mid-1960s and the end of the 1970s. There was no direct polling on the popularity of the "Official Languages Act" itself at the time, but poll data on related questions gives an indication of a significant shift in the attitudes of English-speaking Canadians. A 1965 poll showed that 17% of Canadians living outside Quebec favoured the use of public funds to finance French-language schools. This proportion had risen to 77% by 1977 (albeit in response to a slightly different question about support for provincial governments offering services in French "where possible").  Within Quebec, changes to the treatment of French-speakers within the federal public service were met with approval mixed with a scepticism that this actually helped the unilingual French-speaking majority of Quebecers, who continued to be excluded from all federal jobs designated "bilingual", since by definition a "bilingual" job requires the use of English.  However, the changes found some opposition in English Canada. "Toronto Telegram" columnist Braithwaither sums up the position of the opponents of the bill like this: "We are not afraid of any aspect of the language bill, we simply regard it as unnecessary, politically-motivated, costly to implement, divisive, and, as it affects the non-English, non-French third of the population, wholly discriminatory."  As per the bill, some positions in the public sector were designated as bilingual. At the implementation of the bill, if a bilingual position was held by an unilingual anglophone, this person was allowed to keep their position on the condition that they attempted to learn French, and all subsequent holders of this position must be bilingual. Under these circumstances, there were fears that, because of the higher rate of bilingualism among Francophones, people whose first official language is French would become overrepresented in the public sector. However, this has not become the case. The ratio of French first official language speakers to English first official language speakers in the public sector is almost the same as in the general population.  At any rate, the adoption of official bilingualism at the federal level did almost nothing to slow the rise of the sovereignist movement. The nationalist Parti Québécois made its first significant electoral breakthrough less than a year after the "Official Languages Act" was adopted, winning 23% of the vote in Quebec's 1970 provincial election and replacing the Union Nationale as the main electoral vehicle for Quebec nationalism. Six years later, the Parti Québécois came to power in the 1976 provincial election.

Failure to implement all provisions of the "Official Languages Act".

From time to time, the Official Languages Commissioner draws attention to the fact that federal agencies subject to the law are failing to live up to their legal obligations regarding official languages. In a report published in 2004 on the 35th anniversary of the "Official Languages Act", Commissioner Dyane Adam noted that only 86% of posts designated "bilingual" in the federal public service were occupied by persons who had effectively mastered the two official languages. This nevertheless was an increase over the comparable figure of 1978, when only 70% of the incumbents in posts that had been designated "bilingual" were capable of speaking both languages at accepted levels.  In January 2017, the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages had received 14 complaints related to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's use of English and French during public town hall meetings. Eleven of the reports came following a session in Sherbrooke, Quebec, where Trudeau, whose father had enacted the "Official Languages Act" fifty years prior, answered in French when he was asked in English to address a lack of government-provided mental health services for English-speaking persons. The remaining three were attributed to Trudeau answering in English to a question asked in French while in Peterborough, Ontario.

Opinion polls.

According to a poll conducted in 2002, 98% of Quebecers consider official bilingualism to be "very important" or "somewhat important". This proportion drops to 76% in the Atlantic provinces, 72% in Ontario, 67% in the Prairie provinces, and 63% in British Columbia. Another poll, conducted in 2000, shows that more than half of Canadians outside Quebec believe that too much effort has gone into promoting bilingualism. By contrast, only 26% of Quebecers shared this view. A poll conducted in 2012 found that 63% of Canadians were in favour of bilingualism for all of Canada, a 9% increase since that same poll was last conducted in 2003.  In 2016, another poll was conducted, showing increasing support for official bilingualism in every province. Among telephone respondents, 88% of Canadians said they "strongly support" or "somewhat support" the aims of the "Official Languages Act": 91% in the Atlantic, 94% in Quebec, 87% in Ontario, 83% in the Prairies, 90% in Alberta and 84% in British Columbia. 84% of telephone respondents also said they personally "strongly support" or "somewhat support" official bilingualism. The results were more mixed in the online portion of the poll, where 78% of respondents said they "strongly support" or "somewhat support" the aims of the "Official Languages Act", and 73% said they personally "strongly support" or "somewhat support" official bilingualism. In another poll conducted on this topic in the same year, 67% of respondents across Canada answered "yes" to the question "Are you personally in favour of bilingualism for all of Canada?" while 31% said "no".

The Official Languages Act (French: "Loi sur les langues officielles") (the "Act") is a Canadian law that came into force on September 9, 1969, which gives French and English equal status in the government of Canada. This makes them "official" languages, having preferred status in law over all other languages. Although the Official Languages Act is not the only piece of federal language law, it is the legislative keystone of Canada's official bilingualism. It was substantially amended in 1988. Both languages are equal in Canada's government and in all the services it controls, such as the courts.

La Loi sur les langues officielles () est une loi adoptée par le Parlement du Canada en 1969. La loi proclame l'anglais et le français en tant que langues officielles de l'État fédéral canadien.


History.

Prehistory and antiquity.

Archaeological excavations near Chavdar suggest that the region has been settled by humans as early as 7,000 years ago. The earliest evidence of a mass settlement dates back to Thracian times, including "tumuli" (burial mounds) which remain poorly studied. According to Thucydides, the areas north of Vitosha were inhabited by the Tilataei and the Treri. The Triballi were also known to have inhabited the region around Serdica. The Serdi, a Celtic tribe that appeared in place of the vanished Treri and Tilataei, were first mentioned in 29 BC. Roman General Marcus Licinius Crassus began his campaign against the Triballi in that year, and in 27 BC his troops captured Serdica.  Felix Philipp Kanitz, the first person to study the Iskar Gorge area thoroughly, identified eight Roman "castella", which he considered proof of the great strategic importance the Romans placed on the gorge. The road passing through it connected Roman lands from Thessaloniki all the way to Dacia. However, up until modern times, the gorge was poorly accessible because of its rugged terrain. As a result, the inhabitants were partially isolated from the rest of the world, self-reliant, but also safe from wars and invasions. Some of the population of Moesia thus found the Iskar river area an appealing safe haven later in the 5th century, when the province was threatened by Hunnic and Gothic raids.

Middle Ages.

Gothic assaults were followed by large-scale settlement of South Slavs in territories south of the Danube in the early 580s AD. The Eastern Roman Empire, or Byzantium, was incapable of defending these territories at the time. With most Byzantine troops protecting the rich Asian provinces from Arab and Persian raids, even small and disorganised Slavic attacks caused much disruption throughout Moesia. The numerous Slavs gradually mixed with and assimilated the native population. The area remained under Byzantine control until 809 AD, when Krum captured Serdica and massacred some 6,000 soldiers and civilians. Sometime in the 10th century, construction of the Boyana Church began as well.  Churches and monasteries in the area flourished during the Second Bulgarian Empire. Tsar Ivan Alexander established a ring of 14 monasteries around Sredets (formerly Serdica), with rules and organisation similar to the monastery cluster on Mount Athos, known as "Sveta Gora" in Bulgarian. The "Sveta Gora of Sofia" includes temples and monasteries throughout today's Sofia Province, spanning from Plana and Vitosha Mountains in the south to Dragoman and the slopes of Stara Planina in the north. Some of these were established during the First Bulgarian Empire or generally before Ivan Alexander's rule. Apart from these monasteries, a number of other, smaller temples can be traced back to the Second Empire. This includes the Saint Nicholas church in Bukovets, built by Crusaders in the 12th century. Crusader presence was also attested around Bov, which is believed to have been established by an eponymous Fourth Crusade knight who became a vassal of Tsar Kaloyan.

Ottoman rule.

The modern territory of Sofia Province has been part of three of the four revolutionary districts during the April Uprising.

Under the Third Bulgarian State.

A few years after Bulgaria's liberation in 1878, Bulgarian nationalists organised a coup in the Ottoman province of Eastern Rumelia and declared its unification with the Principality of Bulgaria. The Kingdom of Serbia opposed the strengthening of its rival. Serbian king Milan I declared war on Bulgaria on 14 November 1885, but the Serbian forces were decisively defeated at the Battle of Slivnitsa between 17 and 19 November. Another decisive Bulgarian victory occurred at Gurgulyat, where Bulgarian soldiers and civilian volunteers fought the Serb Moravian division and prevented it from reinforcing the main Serbian force at Slivnitsa.  During World War II, a number of resistance fighters were based in the area. The mainly Soviet-oriented resistance - the People's Liberation Rebel Army, PLRA - organised locally under the 1st Sofia Rebellion Operations Zone, particularly in the areas around Botevgrad and Ihtiman. Anti-partisan operations by the Bulgarian government military, then part of the Axis powers, had become fierce by 1944. In January 1944, Special Operations Executive Major William Frank Thompson and another British officer, Sergeant Kenneth Scott, were parachuted with radio equipment in southern Yugoslavia; their mission was to provide liaison between the British Army and the PLRA. The two joined a group of 100 ill-equipped Bulgarian partisans and entered Bulgaria in May 1944.  After some initial success, the group was ambushed, and Thompson was captured near Eleshnitsa along with a dozen Bulgarian partisans. After being shown the severed heads of other partisans on pikes, they were tortured by government troops and their paramilitary aides, the "Gendarmerie". Because of his Communist sympathies and fluent Bulgarian and Russian, Thompson and the other resistance fighters were executed by a firing squad. Several villages in the area were merged after the war into what is now a single village, Thompson, named after the British officer.

Geography.

With a territory of 7 020 km2, Sofia Province is the second-largest in Bulgaria. It also has the highest number of municipalities, 22, and borders nine other provinces as well as Serbia to the northwest. The lowest areas stand at 350 metres above sea level, whereas the highest rise above 2,900 metres, resulting in diverse terrain, soil and climatic factors.  A temperate climate with cold winters, cool springs and mild summers hampers the agricultural use of the otherwise fertile mountain valleys. Stara Planina, Sredna Gora and Rila are the principal mountain ranges that the province straddles, while Plana and Vitosha lie entirely within its territory. The highest peak on the Balkan Peninsula, Musala, rises 2,925 metres above sea level in Rila at the southern end of the province.  The precise height of Musala was only measured in 1932 by an expedition of the State Geographic Institute of the Ministry of War. Previously, Vihren in southwest Bulgaria was imprecisely measured and proclaimed to be the country's highest peak. This made Mytikas on Mount Olympus in Greece, which rose only three metres higher than Vihren, the highest on the Balkan Peninsula. Locals in Bulgaria supposedly began piling up rocks on Vihren over time to restore its status, but the 1932 military expedition measured both Vihren and Musala with a margin of error of only 15 centimetres and thus put an end to the rivalry.  Rila is also the source of the Iskar, the longest river that runs entirely within Bulgarian territory. It is a tributary to the Danube and forms part of the Black Sea river basin. The long Cherni (black) Iskar is considered the main stem of the river, taking its source from the Chamovsko Lake (2,500 m) to the north-east of Damga Peak (2,669 m) and from there the river flows in north-eastern direction through the Govedartsi Valley, filled by the waters of the Chanakgyolski, Malyovishki and Urdini Lakes. The river enters the Balkan Mountains at the town of Novi Iskar and forms a long and spectacular gorge, whose slopes reach a height of 200 m up to 500 m at some points. The Iskar Gorge reaches a length of between its beginning at Kurilo, a neighbourhood of Novi Iskar, and the village of Lyutibrod where it ends. Other rivers flowing through the province s territory are Topolnitsa, Nishava and Maritsa, and larger bodies of water include 60 barrages and dams.

Demographics.

Sofia Province has 247,489 inhabitants according to the 2011 Bulgarian Census.  The Sofia province (Област, "oblast") contains 22 municipalities (singular: община, "obshtina" - plural: Общини, "obshtini"). The following table shows the names of each municipality in English and Cyrillic, the main town (in bold) or village, and the population of each as of 2009.

Population.

The following table represents the change of the population in the province after World War II: The province had a population of 273 252 (also given as 273,240) according to a 2001 census, of which were male and were female.

Ethnic groups.

Total population (2011 census): 247 489  Ethnic groups (2011 census): Identified themselves: 230 781 persons:  Ethnic groups in the province according to 2001 census: 253 536 Bulgarians (),<br> 16 748 Romani () and 2956 others and unspecified ().

Religion.

Religious adherence in the province according to 2001 census:

Economy.

Sofia Province's Gross regional product (GRP) was 3.11 billion leva ($1.84 billion) in 2016, with a per capita value of 13,203 leva ($7810), the third-highest nationally. That year, some 9,000 companies produced 8.12 billion leva ($4.8 billion) worth of goods and services. Nearly two-thirds of businesses are in the processing sector and operate at a profit.  Mining has been developed on a large scale since the 1950s. The Chelopech copper mine opened in 1954 and has since produced 19.7 million tonnes of ore, peaking at 512,000 tonnes annually in 1988. In 1958, a copper smelter and refinery near Pirdop began operations and blended concentrates from Chelopech and two other mines in the area, Elatsite and Assarel. Since its privatisation in 1997, the smelter has become Bulgaria's second-largest company as a subsidiary of Aurubis. Canadian company Dundee Precious Metals Inc. has acquired the Chelopech mine, where gold concentrate is currently extracted alongside copper.  Mondelez Bulgaria (formerly Kraft Foods Bulgaria) is the largest confectionery producer nationally, largely owing to the production capacity of its chocolate factory in Svoge. The factory was established in 1901, privatised in 1993, and upgraded in 2008 to produce up to 365,000,000 chocolate bars annually. Beverages are manufactured near Kostinbrod, where the largest instant coffee factory in Southeast Europe, as well as the main Coca-Cola bottling facility in Bulgaria, are located.  Botevgrad is a major microelectronics R&D and manufacturing centre. Microchips, integrated circuits, sensors and automotive electronics are all produced by private companies on the grounds of the former "Mikroelektronika" state-owned factories. Computer manufacturing was also thriving in Pravets during the Socialist era and by 1988 Bulgaria seemed set to become a major exporter of computers to the West. "Pravetz" models manufactured in the town accounted for 40% of all computers used in the Eastern Bloc in the 1980s. The Pravets manufacturing plant became defunct after the collapse of Communism, but a high-voltage electronics factory owned by Siemens has taken its place.  Bulgaria's oldest ski resort, Borovets, is located near Samokov. Its high annual influx of tourists has given a boost to the local property market and has drawn foreign investment in hospitality and recreation.

Sofia Province (, "Sofiyska oblast") is a province ("oblast") of Bulgaria. The province does not include Sofia in its territories, but Sofia remains its administrative center. The province borders on the provinces of Pernik, Kyustendil, Blagoevgrad, Pazardzhik, Plovdiv, Lovech, Vratsa, Montana and "Sofia City Province" (which is in a separate "oblast", see Sofia Administration), to the northwest there is border with Serbia.

L'oblast de Sofia (en bulgare : Софийска област (Sofiyska oblast)) est l'un des 28 oblasti (« province », « région », « district ») de Bulgarie. C'est la région périphérique de la capitale Sofia (la ville elle-même se situe dans un "oblast" distinct). Le chef-lieu est la ville de Sofia et tous les services administratifs y sont installés.


Nickname.

The piece is known as the "Trout" because the fourth movement is a set of variations on Schubert's earlier Lied ""Die Forelle"" ("The Trout"). The quintet was written for Sylvester Paumgartner, of Steyr in Upper Austria, a wealthy music patron and amateur cellist, who also suggested that Schubert include a set of variations on the Lied. Sets of variations on melodies from his Lieder are found in four other works by Schubert: the "Death and the Maiden Quartet", the "Trockne Blumen" Variations for Flute and Piano (D. 802), the "Wanderer Fantasy", and the Fantasia for Violin and Piano in C major (D. 934, on "Sei mir gegrüßt").

Music.

The quintet consists of five movements: The rising sextuplet figure from the song's accompaniment is used as a unifying motif throughout the quintet, and related figures appear in four out of the five movements – all but the Scherzo. As in the song, the figure is usually introduced by the piano, ascending.

I. Allegro vivace.

\relative c' { </score>  The first movement is in sonata form. As is commonplace in works of the Classical genre, the exposition shifts from tonic to dominant; however, Schubert's harmonic language is innovative, incorporating many mediants and submediants. This is evident from almost the beginning of the piece: after stating the tonic for ten bars, the harmony shifts abruptly into F major (the flatted submediant) in the eleventh bar.  The development section starts with a similar abrupt shift, from E major (at the end of the exposition) to C major. Harmonic movement is slow at first, but becomes quicker; towards the return of the first theme, the harmony modulates in ascending half tones.  The recapitulation begins in the subdominant, making any modulatory changes in the transition to the second theme unnecessary, a frequent phenomenon in early sonata form movements written by Schubert. It differs from the exposition only in omitting the opening bars and another short section, before the closing theme.

II. Andante.

This movement is composed of two symmetrical sections, the second being a transposed version of the first, except for some differences of modulation which allow the movement to end in the same key in which it began. Tonal layout (with some intermediate keys of lower structural significance omitted) as follows:

III. Scherzo: Presto.

This movement also contains mediant tonalities, such as the ending of the first section of the Scherzo proper, which is in C major, the flattened mediant, or the relative major of the parallel minor (A minor).

IV. Andantino – Allegretto.

The fourth movement is a theme and variations on Schubert's Lied ""Die Forelle"". As typical of some other variation movements by Schubert (in contrast to Beethoven's style), the variations do not transform the original theme into new thematic material; rather, they concentrate on melodic decoration and changes of mood. In each of the first few variations, the main theme is played by a different instrument or group. In the fifth variation, Schubert begins in the flat submediant (B major), and creates a series of modulations eventually leading back to the movement's main key, at the beginning of the final sixth variation.  A similar process is heard in three of Schubert's later compositions: the Octet in F major, D. 803 (fourth movement); the Piano Sonata in A minor, D. 845 (second movement); and the Impromptu in B major, D. 935 No. 3. The concluding variation is similar to the original Lied, sharing the same characteristic accompaniment in the piano.

V. Allegro giusto.

The Finale is in two symmetrical sections, like the second movement. However, the movement differs from the second movement in the absence of unusual chromaticism, and in the second section being an exact transposition of the first (except for some changes of octave register). A repeat sign is written for the first section: if one adheres meticulously to the score, the movement consists of three lengthy, almost identical repeats of the same musical material. Performers sometimes choose to omit the repeat of the first section when playing.  Although this movement lacks the chromaticism of the second movement, its own harmonic design is also innovative: the first section ends in D major, the subdominant. This is contradictory to the aesthetics of the Classical musical style, in which the first major harmonic event in a musical piece or movement, is the shift from tonic to dominant (or, more rarely, to mediant or submediant – but never to the subdominant).

Musical significance.

Compared to other major chamber works by Schubert, such as the last three string quartets and the string quintet, the "Trout Quintet" is a leisurely work, characterized by lower structural coherence, especially in its outer movements and the Andante. These movements contain unusually long repetitions of previously stated material, sometimes transposed, with little or no structural reworking, aimed at generating an overall unified dramatic design ("mechanical" in Martin Chusid's words).  The importance of the piece stems mainly from its use of an original and innovative harmonic language, rich in mediants and chromaticism, and from its timbral characteristics. The "Trout Quintet" has a unique sonority among chamber works for piano and strings, due mainly to the piano part, which for substantial sections of the piece concentrates on the highest register of the instrument, with both hands playing the same melodic line an octave apart (having been freed to do so by the inclusion of both cello and bass in the ensemble). Such writing also occurs in other chamber works by Schubert, such as the piano trios, but to a much lesser extent, and is characteristic of Schubert's works for piano four-hands, one of his most personal musical genres. Such timbral writing may have influenced the works of Romantic composers such as Frédéric Chopin, who admired Schubert's music for piano four-hands.  The quintet forms the basis of Christopher Nupen's 1969 film "The Trout", in which Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, Jacqueline du Pré, Daniel Barenboim and Zubin Mehta perform it at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London.

Other Uses.

The song, in MIDI format, is used on modern Samsung washers and dryers to indicate that the wash or dry cycle is complete.

The Trout Quintet ("Forellenquintett") is the popular name for the Piano Quintet in A major, D. 667, by Franz Schubert. The piano quintet was composed in 1819, when he was 22 years old; it was not published, however, until 1829, a year after his death.

Le Quintette en la majeur, D. 667 « La Truite » est le seul quintette avec piano composé par Franz Schubert.


Background.

Communications service providers and enterprise customers are interested in deployment of voice and leased line services over efficient Ethernet, IP and MPLS infrastructures. While Voice over IP (VoIP) is maturing, its deployment requires an investment in new network infrastructure and customer premises equipment (CPE). TDMoIP presents a migration path, whereby modern packet switched networks can be used for transport, while the end-user equipment need not be immediately replaced.  TDMoIP was first developed in 1998 by RAD Data Communications (see U.S. patent number 6,731,649) and first deployed in Sweden in 1999 by Utfors (later acquired by Telenor). Utfors employed the first generation TDMoIP product (known as IPmux-4) to provide bundled services including TDM private lines, TDM leased lines and a variety of IP and Ethernet services. In 2001, the IETF set up the PWE3 working group, which was chartered to develop an architecture for edge-to-edge pseudowires, and to produce specifications for various services, including TDM. Other standardization forums, including the ITU and the MPLS - Frame Relay Alliance, are also active in producing standards and implementation agreements for pseudowires.

Handling TDM structure.

Although TDM can be used to carry arbitrary bit streams at the rates defined in G.702, there are standardized methods of carrying bit streams in larger units each containing the same number of bits, called frames. TDM framing locks the frame rate to the sampling frequency of voice traffic, so that there are always 8000 frames per second; a T1 frame consists of 193 bits and an E1 frame of 256 bits.  Unlike unframed TDM for which all bits are available for payload, framed TDM requires dedicating of some number of bits per frame for synchronization and perhaps various other functions (e.g. 1 bit per T1 frame, 8 bits per E1 frame). Framed TDM is often used to multiplex multiple voice channels each consisting of 8000 8-bit samples per second in a sequence of timeslots recurring in each frame. When this is done we have "channelized TDM" and additional structure must be introduced.  In order to efficiently transport slowly varying channel associated signalling bits, second order structures known as multiframes or superframes are defined. For example, for E1 trunks the CAS signaling bits are updated once per multiframe of 16 frames (every 2 milliseconds) while for T1 ESF trunks the superframe is 24 frames (3 milliseconds). Other types of second order structures are also in common use. In GSM cellular networks, the Abis channel that connects the Base Transceiver Station (BTS) and Base Station Controller (BSC) is an E1 link with several framing alternatives, all of which have a basic superframe duration of 20 milliseconds.  The term "structured TDM" is used to refer to TDM with any level of structure, including 'framed TDM' and 'channelized TDM'.  TDMoIP transport is denoted "structured-agnostic" when the TDM is unframed, or when it is framed or even channelized, but the framing and channelization structure are completely disregarded by the transport mechanisms. In such cases all structural overhead must be transparently transported along with the payload data, and the encapsulation method employed provides no mechanisms for its location or utilization. Structure-aware TDM transport may explicitly safeguard TDM structure, in three conceptually distinct ways, which we shall call structure-locking, structure-indication, and structure-reassembly.  Structure-locking ensures that packets consist of entire TDM structures or multiples/fractions thereof. Structure-indication allows packets to contain arbitrary fragments of basic structures, but employs pointers to indicate where the following structure commences. In structure-reassembly components of the TDM structures may be extracted and reorganized at ingress, and the original structure reassembled from the received constituents at egress.

TDMoIP format.

TDMoIP operates by segmenting, adapting and encapsulating the TDM traffic at PSN ingress and performing the inverse operations at PSN egress. Adaptation denotes mechanisms that modify the payload to enable its proper restoration at the PSN egress. By using proper adaptation, the TDM signaling and timing can be recovered, and a certain amount of packet loss can be accommodated. Encapsulation signifies placing the adapted payload into packets of the format required by the underlying PSN technology. For the MPLS case, ITU-T Recommendation Y.1413 contains a complete description of the packet format.  In all cases a TDMoIP packet commences with PSN headers. These are the standard headers used by the PSN technology, e.g. the 20-byte header of UDP/IP, or the label-stack of MPLS. After these headers come the "PW label", a four-byte MPLS-like label that serves as to demultiplex different TDM PWs. After the PSN header comes the four-byte TDMoIP "control word". The control word contains a 16-bit packet sequence number (needed to detect packet re-ordering and packet loss), payload length, and flags indicating defect conditions.  After the control word comes the TDMoIP payload. For structure-agnostic transport (SAToP) this is simply a predetermined number of TDM octets, while for the structure-locked format the payload is an integer number of TDM frames. For structure-indication and structure-reassembly TDMoIP draws on proven adaptation mechanisms originally developed for ATM. A side benefit of this choice of payload types is simplified interworking with circuit emulation services carried over ATM networks. For statically allocated, constant bit-rate (CBR) TDM links, TDMoIP employs ATM adaptation layer 1 (AAL1). This mechanism, defined in ITU-T standard I.363.1 and ATM Forum specification atm-vtoa-0078, was developed for carrying CBR services over ATM. AAL1 operates by segmenting the continuous stream of TDM data into small 48-byte cells and inserting sequencing, timing, error recovery, and synchronization information into them. TDMoIP allows concatenation of any number of AAL1 cells into a packet (note that these are AAL1 cells and not ATM cells, i.e. they do not include the five-byte "cell tax"). By allowing multiple cells per packet, TDMoIP facilitates flexible tradeoffs of buffering delay (which decreases with fewer cells per packet) for bandwidth efficiency (which increases with more cells per packet, due to the per packet overhead). For dynamically allocated TDM links, whether the information rate varies due to activation of time slots or due to voice activity detection, TDMoIP employs ATM adaptation layer 2 (AAL2). This mechanism, defined in ITU-T standard I.363.2, was developed for carrying variable bit rate (VBR) services over ATM. AAL2 operates by buffering each TDM time slot into short minicells, inserting the time slot identifier and length indication, sequencing, and then sending this minicell only if it carries valid information. TDMoIP concatenates the minicells from all active time slots into a single packet. For time slots carrying high-level data link control (HDLC) data, such as data for common channel signaling (CCS), TDMoIP has a special adaptation that encapsulates stretches of non-idle data.

Delay.

The telephony network severely constrains end-to-end delays. ITU-T G.114/G.131 states that one-way transmission times of up to 150 ms are universally acceptable, assuming adequate echo control is provided. These constraints are not problematic for TDM networks, where the major component of the end-to-end delay is electrical propagation time ("light speed delay"). By contrast, IP-based systems typically add various forms of delay, one of which is based on the time it takes to form packets (packetization delay), which is proportional to the packet size divided by the data rate. Packet sizes cannot be made too small or the packet header overhead will become overwhelming. The other form of delay introduced by IP systems is the playout delay, which needs to be added at the recipient to buffer packet delay variation and ensure a smooth playout. VoIP systems that try to be very bandwidth efficient may also add tens of milliseconds of algorithmic delay in the voice codec. Historically, bad implementations have added additional, operating-system induced delays, which together with the other delays in practice sometimes approach 100 ms even before taking propagation delays into account.  In contrast, TDMoIP maps TDM octets directly into the payload with no voice compression algorithms and no resultant algorithmic delay. The packetization latency added by TDMoIP depends on the number of cells per packet but is typically in the single millisecond range due to the higher data rate of a complete multiplex as compared to a single VoIP flow. Playout delay considerations do not differ materially between TDMoIP and VoIP, however, so both work best on paths with controlled packet delay variation (strong overprovisioning or "QoS").

Timing recovery.

Native TDM networks rely on hierarchical distribution of timing. Somewhere in the network there is at least one extremely accurate primary reference clock with a long-term accuracy of 1 x 10^-11. This node, which offers Stratum 1 accuracy, provides the reference clock to secondary nodes with Stratum 2 accuracy. The secondary nodes then provide a time reference to Stratum 3 nodes. This hierarchy of time synchronization is essential for the proper functioning of the network as a whole.  Packets in the PSN reach their destination with delay that has a random component, known as packet delay variation (PDV). When emulating TDM transport on such a network, this randomness may be overcome by placing the TDM packets into a jitter buffer from which data can be read out at a constant rate for delivery to TDM end-user equipment. The problem is that the TDM source time reference is no longer available, and the precise rate at which the data are to be "clocked out" of the jitter buffer is unknown.  In certain cases timing may be derived from the TDM equipment at both ends of the PW. Since each of these clocks is highly accurate, they necessarily agree to high order. The problem arises when at most one side of the TDMoIP tunnel has a highly accurate time standard. For ATM networks, which define a physical layer that carries timing, the synchronous residual time stamp (SRTS) method may be used; IP/MPLS networks, however, do not define the physical layer and thus cannot specify the accuracy of its clock.  Hence, in many cases the only alternative is to attempt to recover the clock based exclusively on the TDMoIP traffic, a technology known as "adaptive clock recovery". This is possible since the source TDM device is producing bits at a constant rate determined by its clock, although this rate is hidden by the PDV. The task of clock recovery is thus an "averaging" process that negates the effect of the random PDV and captures the average rate of transmission of the original bit stream.

Packet loss.

While proper application of traffic engineering and quality-of-service (QoS) is expected to minimize packet loss, packets will at times arrive at the egress out of order. They may also have been dropped altogether within the PSN. The TDMoIP control word described above includes a 16-bit sequence number for detecting and handling lost and mis-ordered packets. In the case of lost packets, TDMoIP requires insertion of interpolation packets to maintain TDM timing. Misordered packets may be either reordered or dropped and interpolated.  While the insertion of arbitrary packets may be sufficient to maintain the TDM timing, in voice applications packet loss can cause gaps or errors that result in choppy, annoying, or even unintelligible speech. The precise effect of packet loss on voice quality and the development of packet loss concealment algorithms have been the subject of detailed study in the VoIP community, but their results are not directly applicable to the TDMoIP case. This is because VoIP packets typically contain between 80 samples (10 ms) and 240 samples (30 ms) of the speech signal, while TDMoIP packets may contain only a small number of samples. Since TDMoIP packets are so small, it is acceptable to simply insert a constant value in place of any lost speech samples. Assuming that the input signal is zero-mean (i.e. contains no DC component), minimal distortion is attained when this constant is set to zero. Alternatively, more sophisticated approaches call for optimally predicting the values of missing samples.

In computer networking and telecommunications, TDM over IP (TDMoIP) is the emulation of time-division multiplexing (TDM) over a packet switched network (PSN). TDM refers to a T1, E1, T3 or E3 signal, while the PSN is based either on IP or MPLS or on raw Ethernet. A related technology is circuit emulation, which enables transport of TDM traffic over cell-based (ATM) networks.

TDMoIP (TDM over IP) est une méthode de transport de multiples signaux TDM ("Time Division Multiplexed") véhiculant de la voix ou des données sur des réseaux IP.


Slovaquie au Concours Eurovision de la chanson

History.

1994–1998.

Slovakia had planned on entering the contest at the 1993 contest, but with the introduction of many new countries, a preliminary round was held to trim down the number of new entries. "Kvalifikacija za Millstreet" featured seven countries competing for only three places in the final. Slovakia came fourth in the contest, represented by Elán with "Amnestia na neveru", and therefore had to wait another year before entering again.  Slovakia's Eurovision entries in the 1990s weren't very successful, finishing 19th (1994), 18th (1996) and 21st (1998). After the 1998 contest, STV decided not to enter again for a number of years.

2009.

From 1994 to 1998, STV used an internal selection to select the Slovak entry for the contest. In 2009, Slovakia organised a televised national final for the first time. A number of heats preceded a grand final, held on March 8, 2009 and Kamil Mikulčík and Nela Pocisková were chosen with their song "Leť tmou". They finished on 18th place out of 19 in semi-final.

2010.

Slovakia tried again in 2010 contest with "Horehronie" by Kristina with similar result (16th out of 17 places in the Semi Final), despite being a fan and bookmakers favourite.

2011.

Though STV originally stated that Slovakia would not take part in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2011, it eventually did appear in Düsseldorf represented by the new national public broadcaster RTVS, which had been created on 1 January 2011. On 18 February 2011, RTVS revealed their choice for Slovakia's Eurovision 2011 entry. The song was "I'm Still Alive" and was performed by twin sisters Daniela and Veronika Nízlová better known as the pop duo TWiiNS. They already had some experience at Eurovision before as backing singers and dancers for Tereza Kerndlová, the Czech entry in the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest. The 2011 entry was the first Slovak entry performed in English. TWiiNS eventually finished 12th in their Semi Final, which meant they did not qualify for the Grand Final, due to the televote that counterbalanced the good jury rehearsal. They provided the best result for their country in many years.

2012.

RTVS sent an artist once again to the Contest in 2012, with a song that was selected internally by RTVS. At a press conference on 7 March 2012, the Slovak entry for the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest was announced: Max Jason Mai with a song called "Don't Close Your Eyes".  He performed in the second semi final, that was held on Thursday, May 24, 2012. The song did not qualify in the finals. It was later revealed that the song finished in last place with 22 points.

2013 onwards.

On 4 December 2012, RTVS announced its withdrawal from Eurovision Song Contest 2013, and on 9 September 2013 it announced that it wouldn't return at Eurovision Song Contest 2014. It had also been announced that Slovakia would not return at Eurovision Song Contest 2015, citing financial constraints and an incompatibility between the contest and the programming goals of RTVS. However RTVS returned to the Eurovision Young Dancers in 2015, with RTVS explaining that the return of Slovakia to EYD supported domestic production and promoted national culture at a European level. RTVS announced on 28 September 2015 that Slovakia would not participate in the 2016 contest.  RTVS' PR manager, Juraj Kadáš, explained on 12 April 2016 that Slovakia's absence from the contest since 2012 was not due to poor results, but rather the cost associated with participation. Before the cancellation of the 2020 contest, RTVS had confirmed that they would not participate in 2020 due to a lack of interest from the Slovak public.

Commentators and spokespersons.

Radio FM, the fourth channel of the Slovak Radio (now RTVS), has provided talk radio coverage of the contest since 2010 with Daniel Baláž, Pavol Hubinák and invited guests. It will also broadcast the 2019 final.

Slovakia has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest seven times, debuting in 1994. It had attempted to debut in 1993, but did not pass through the qualifying round. In the first three finals that Slovakia participated in, it placed no better than 18th, which it achieved in 1996. Because of its poor results, it was forced to miss a year after each contest and then the country opted not to return for a number of years. It did eventually return to the Contest eleven years later, in 2009, although they withdrew again within 4 years, having failed to qualify to the final every year since their return.

La Slovaquie participe au Concours Eurovision de la chanson, depuis sa trente-neuvième édition, en 1994, jusqu'à sa cinquante-septième édition en 2012 et ne l’a encore jamais remporté.


History.

Originally part of Windsor, Windsor Locks broke off into its own settlement in 1854 after the thriving Enfield Locks going around Enfield Falls which opened in 1829. The Bradley International Airport opened as a military base in 1940, and opened to civilian use in 1947. In 1967 the town boundary was somewhat altered due to the opening of the Bradley Connector. The town boundary between Windsor Locks and Windsor changed several times and was altered with Windsor Locks being on the westbound side and the Windsor side on the eastbound side with the border on the median.  The 1965 Little League World Series winning team is from Windsor Locks.

Geography.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, of which is land and, or 3.65%, is water.

Climate.

Windsor Locks has a humid continental climate with hot and humid summer days to cold sometimes frigid winter nights. Average January temperature high is 36 °F (2.2 °C) and a low of 18 °F ( -7.8 °C) temps can reach zero degrees or below 4 nights a year. Summer in Windsor Locks can be hot with the average July temperature of 87 °F (30.6 °C) at daytime and 63 °F (17.2 °C) at nighttime. Temperatures at or above 90 can occur 15 to 25 days per year. The hottest temperature at Windsor Locks was 103 °F (39.4 °C) on July 22, 2011, and the coldest recorded temperature was -26 °F (-32 °C) on January 22, 1961. Average rainfall in Windsor Locks is 46.27 inches.

Demographics.

As of the census of 2000, there were 12,043 people, 4,935 households, and 3,306 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,333.8 inhabitants per square mile (514.9/km2). There were 5,101 housing units at an average density of 218.1 persons/km2 (565.0 persons/sq mi). The racial makeup of the town was 92.47% White, 2.67% African American, 0.12% Native American, 2.57% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.75% from other races, and 1.42% from two or more races. 2.22% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.  There were 4,935 households out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 33.0% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.97.  In the town, the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.  The median income for a household in the town was $48,837, and the median income for a family was $59,054. Males had a median income of $41,179 versus $33,641 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,079. 4.4% of the population and 3.3% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 4.5% were under the age of 18 and 4.7% were 65 or older.

Economy.

Until 2000, Windsor Locks was home to the oldest corporation listed on the New York Stock Exchange, the Dexter Corporation. Established in 1767 as C.H. Dexter and Sons, the company grew from a family-owned saw and grist mill and evolved into a multi-national producer of long fiber papers and chemical laminates. In its 233 years of operation, the company grew from manufacturing tissues, toilet paper, and tea bags to marketing more specialized products like medical garments and industrial finishes. Faced with a proposed buyout by International Specialty Products Incorporated in 2000, the Dexter Corporation separated its three divisions and sold them off to avoid a hostile takeover.  The Life Sciences division merged with Invitrogen Corporation. The Specialty Polymers division was sold in part to AkzoNobel, and the remaining businesses merged with Loctite Corporation. The third division, Dexter Nonwoven Materials, located on the company's original site in Windsor Locks, was sold to the Finnish Ahlstrom Paper Group. The physical plant continues to operate, with offices located nearby at 2 Elm Street. In 2011, the Home and Personal Nonwovens division of Ahlstrom Windsor Locks was sold to Suominen Corporation, also headquartered in Finland.  In 1952 Hamilton Standard opened its aircraft propeller plant in Windsor Locks. In 1999, Hamilton Standard merged with Sundstrand Corporation to become Hamilton Sundstrand, which is headquartered in Windsor Locks. Hamilton Sundstrand changed names to UTC Aerospace Systems before acquiring Rockwell Collins and forming Collins Aerospace in 2018.  On 19 September 2008, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston ceased operations at Windsor Locks and moved them to the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.

Education.

Primary and secondary education falls under the oversight of Windsor Locks Public Schools. Windsor Locks contains four public schools for students in grades Kindergarten to 12th grade: North Street Elementary School, South Street School, Windsor Locks Middle School, and Windsor Locks High School. Windsor Locks is also home to one correctional institution for delinquent students: Pine Meadow Academy.

Historical places.

The following places are in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP):

New Britain is a city in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is located approximately southwest of Hartford. According to 2010 Census, the population of the city is 73,206.

New Britain est une ville située dans le comté de Hartford, dans l'État du Connecticut aux États-Unis. Selon le recensement de 2010, New Britain avait une population totale de.


Gameplay.

"Capcom vs. SNK" utilizes a "ratio" system, in that the "ratio" is a rating of a character's overall strength, ranging from 1 to 4. Teams of up to four can be assembled, but their combined ratios must equal and go no higher than 4. The gameplay uses the SNK-style four-button format. The player also has their choice of "groove", or attack meter. The SNK-Groove is based on Extra mode from "The King of Fighters '94" to "'98", whereas the Capcom-Groove is based on the gameplay system from "Street Fighter Alpha".

Plot.

In 2000, a special martial arts event is planned through a collaboration of the two most powerful world organizations: the Garcia Financial Clique and the Masters Foundation. The gala event – it is hoped by everyone – will ease the political conflicts between the two powers. The competition was named "Millennium Fight 2000".  Many renowned martial artists have registered for the tournament. People around the world focus intensely on the upcoming exhibitions, making the long-awaited opening ceremony a huge success.

Versions.

An updated version of the original "Capcom vs. SNK" titled Capcom vs. SNK Pro was released on the Arcade Sega NAOMI GD-ROM hardware (2000), Dreamcast (2001) and PlayStation (2002), the latter suffering from slight load times between rounds and downgraded graphics and sound due to hardware limitations. New additions included Joe Higashi (from "Fatal Fury") and Dan Hibiki (from "Street Fighter Alpha"), new moves for existing characters, and new modes of play.

Reception.

Chet Barber reviewed the Dreamcast version of the game for "Next Generation", rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "Although there are many unique ideas here, "Capcom vs. SNK" simply lacks ambition. Capcom and its newly acquired developers from SNK need to sit down and once again revolutionize this genre."  The Dreamcast version received "favorable" reviews, while the PlayStation version's "Pro" edition received "average" reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. In Japan, "Famitsu" gave the former console version and its "Pro" edition each a score of 30 out of 40.

, also known as simply Capcom vs. SNK in international releases, is a 2000 head-to-head fighting game produced by Capcom originally released as a coin-operated arcade game for Segas NAOMI hardware and later ported to the Dreamcast. It is the second game in the "SNK vs. Capcom" series and the first game in the series to be released for the arcades.

Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 est un jeu de combat en 2D développé par Capcom Production Studio 1 et édité par Capcom sur système d’arcade Naomi en 2000. Il parait sur la console Dreamcast la même année.