History.

The founder of the Malaspina Family was Oberto I, who became the count of Luni in 945. Oberto I was appointed as the marquise of the March of Genoa under the Italian king Berengario II in 951 and he became a count palatine in 953.  Oberto I had two children; Oberto II, who inherited the title of count of Luni from his father, and Adalberto I, whose offspring founded the Pallavicino and the Cavalcabò families. Oberto II had four children; Bertha of Milan, the spouse of the King of Italy Arduino; Ugo, count of Milan; Albert Azzo I, count of Luni whose offspring founded the Este family branches of Hannover and Brunswick; and Oberto Obizzo I, progenitor of the lineage of the Malaspinas.  In 1004, Oberto Obizzo I fought beside his brother-in-law King Arduino against the Count Bishops of Luni: this was the first of many conflicts between the family and the governors of the Roman-founded city. Oberto Obizzo I had a son, Albert I. Albert I also had a son, Oberto Obizzo II (?–1090), the father of (?–1140), who was the first member of the family to be called Malaspina; for this reason he is sometimes considered the true founder of the family.  The surname Malaspina means "bad thorn" or "ill-willed thorn" in Italian; some historians believe the surname originated in the time of Ancus Marcius as some paintings in the halls of castle of Fosdinovo may suggest. Other historians believe the name may have originated from a legend regarding the death of an enemy, King Merovingio Teodeberto I. The legend, which is narrated on five sandstone tiles at the entry gate of the Malaspina castle of Godiasco, tells how the king was killed with a thorn. Others believe the name originated from the remarkably bad attitude of Albert Malaspina or some of his relatives held with others.  Albert Malaspina extended the family's possessions towards the Apennine Mountains near Lunigiana, starting a conflict with Genoa and the Bishops of Luni. The 1124 peace treaty of Lucca references the division of goods between the descendants of Oberto Obizzo I, who in time gave birth to several European noble families; Brunswick, Estens, Pallavicino and the marquises of Massa, Sardinia and Corsica, as well as the Malaspinas.  Albert's son, the Marquise Obizzo I Malaspina (?–1185), initially fought against Frederick Barbarossa the Holy Roman Emperor, supporting rioting commoners. After the emperor took control of the conflict, Obizzo changed sides, supporting him in his fight against Milan in 1157. The emperor rewarded Obizzo, granting him the right to rule over the territories of Liguria, Lunigiana, Lombardy and Emilia. In 1176, after escorting Barbarossa to Pavia, Obizzo surprised him by deciding to ally with the Lombard league and attacking the Emperor's armies. Because of Obizzo's betrayal, Frederick Barbarossa was defeated in the battle of Legnano. In the peace treaty of Costanza, the emperor forgave Obizzo and re-confirmed Obizzo's right to rule over the land he was given. Both the Battle of Legnano and the Peace of Costanza are represented in paintings conserved in the hall of Fosdinovo castle and were realized by Gaetano Bianchi at the end of the 19th century.  Obizzo I had two sons Obizzo II Malaspina—also known as Obizzone—and Moroello I Malaspina. The descendants of Obizzo II founded the "Spino secco" ("dried thorn") branch of the family while the descendants of Moroello I founded the "Spino Fiorito" ("bloomed thorn") branch of the family (1221). Obizzo II had a son called Conrad I Malaspina, who was defined by Dante Alighieri as "the Old or The Ancient" due to his fame and long-living legacy; Conrad I is considered to be the first exponent of the "Spino Secco" branch. He obtained all of the territories over the right bank of the Magra river and the territories of Villafranca on the left bank of the Magra river. Conrad I Malaspina had four children; Manfredi Malaspina, Moroello Of Mulazzo, Frederick of Villafranca, and Albert Malaspina.  Manfredi Malaspina had a son named Moroello "Vapor of Valdimagra", who was a good friend of Dante Alighieri; because of his close friendship with Manfredi and the kindness he was shown during his exile, Alighieri paid homage to the Malaspina family in the "Purgatory" section of his epic poem "Divine Comedy". Moroello had a son named Franceschino Malaspina, who took part in the wars between Guelfs and Ghibellines, and is known to have hosted Dante Alighieri several times during his exile in Lunigiana, nominating him as his personal attorney in the difficult peace negotiations with the Bishop of Luni, Antonio Da Camilla. These negotiations resulted in the peace of Castelnuovo in 1306. Frederick of Villafranca (Brother of Conrad Malaspina The Old) had two sons; Obizzino Malaspina and Conrad Malaspina the Young, to whom Dante expressed his gratitude for the Malaspina family in the 8th canto of "Purgatory".  Moroello I Malaspina had a son named Guglielmo Malaspina, whose son Obizzino Malaspina is considered to be the true progenitor of the "Spino Fiorito" branch of the family. He received all of the territories on the left bank of the Magra river. Obizzino married Caterina Cattaneo and had three heirs; Bernabò Malaspina, Isnardo Malaspina, and Albert Malaspina. Isnardo married Cubina D'este, who gave birth to Gabriele I Malaspina and Azzolino Malaspina; the latter had three children; Spinetta Malaspina—also known as The Great, who in 1340 purchased the feud of Fosdinovo without having any legitimate offspring; Isnardo; and Azzolino whose offspring would assume the title of Marquess of Fosdinovo (1355).  The division of lands between the ever-increasing heirs brought about a shattering of the Dominion of the family into smaller feuds. The Malaspinas sometimes supported the Ghibelline faction and sometimes the Guelf faction. While supporting the Guelfs, Obizzino took part in the conflicts of the Lombards against the Hohenstaufen. Obizzino, alongside Morroello of the Malaspinas of Giovagallo, commanded the Guelf army that defended Florence against Henry VII of Luxembourg. The Ghibelline faction defending emperor Henry VII was also lead by a household member; Spinetta Malaspina, also known as the Great.  The Malaspina family also controlled land in the north of Genoa around the four provinces area in the valleys of the Trebbia and Staffora rivers. The lordships in the Lunigiana and in the north of Genoa (also called Lombarda) were soon fragmented due to the adoption of the Longobard Right, which required an equal division of assets, including feuds, between male sons. Some members of the Malaspina family held a part of the Giudicato of Lugodoro (Giudicato di Torres) in the 13th and 14th centuries but most relevantly from the 15th century to the 18th century, the branch of the Cybo-Malaspina governed the independent marquisette of Massa and the participants of Carrara, then known as the Duchy of Massa and Carrara). The family's Sardinian possessions were: the castle of Serravalle (Bosa) with the curation of Planargia and Costa De Addess; and the castle of Osilo with the curation of Montes, Figulinas and Coros. Members of the family also had the right to the title of princes of San Colombano.

Dante's homage.

In the eighth canto of "Purgatory", Dante Alighieri celebrates the Malaspina's courtly values, especially those of liberality and hospitality that were well known throughout Europe.  <poem>""Oh!" said I then to him, "I've never been
in your domains, but where throughout all Europe
dwelleth a man who knows them not? The fame
which honoreth your house, proclaims its lords,
proclaims its district, so that even he
knows of them, who hath never been there yet.
I swear to you, so may I go on high,
that of the glorious use of purse and sword
your honored race doth not despoil itself."
)</poem>

Origins.

The Malaspinas were a marquise branch descending from the Obertenghi family, whose originator was Oberto I (Otbert or Odebertus), who around the middle of the 10th century became count palatine (the count of the sacred palace of Pavia and absolute judiciary authority of the kingdom), and from 951 he also became marquise of Milan and Count of Luni as well as of the marquisate of Obertenga as he called it), in the western part of Liguria, which was made up of the committees of Milan, Genoa, Tortona, Bobbio, Luni and other bordering territories.  This vast territory was fragmented both because the hereditary divisions such as the majorat were not yet valid and because of conflicting relationships with other families, including the Fieschi, Spinola, Doria and others, and because of pressure coming from the birthing communes of Milan, Genoa, Piacenza, Tortona, Pavia and Bobbio. Oberto I founded the house through his descendants Oberto II, Oberto Obizzo I, Albert I, Oberto Obizzo II; Albert I Malaspina (?–1140).  In 1164, Albert's son Obizzo I (the great) (?–1185) had his feudal rights confirmed by Emperor Frederick I and was also nominated Imperial Vassal. His feuds included parts of the modern-day Liguria (Tigullio, Cinque Terre and Levanto sul mare—which he acquired from Genoa and the Fieschi; the territories of the Lunigiana, Garfagnana and the valleys of the Trebbia River up to Torriglia); the Val d'Aveto (until Santo Stefano d'Aveto) and Staffora located in the Oltrepò); as well as Lombardy (Val Bormida and Oltregiogo).  In 1220, of Obizzo I's many heirs, only Conrad Malaspina the Old and Obizzino Malaspina were alive; their feudal rights were re-confirmed by the emperor although the territories were slightly reduced due to Piacenza's prevalent influence. In 1221, Conrad and Obizzino divided their lordships equally. Conrad ruled over the Lunigiana territories located on the west bank of the Magra River and Val Trebbia in Lombardy, giving birth to the "Spino Secco" branch, while Obizzino ruled over the Lunigiana territories located on the east bank of the Magra River and Valle Staffora in Lombardy, giving birth to the "Spino Fiorito" branch of the family.

"Spino Secco" branch.

In 1266, four sub-branches were formed from the descendants of Conrad Malaspina (The Old) remembered by Dante Alighieri in the "Divine Comedy".

Malaspina of Mulazzo.

The origin of this sub-branch is attributed to Moroello Malaspina (?–1284), who possessed the Castle of Mulazzo in Lunigiana—the main castle of the "Spino Secco" branch—and feuds in Val Trebbia surrounding Ottone, He also had some influence over the family's dominions in Sardinia. This sub-branch was the first to be generated from the "Spino Secco"; it retained possession of the marquisate of Mulazzo until the abolition of feudalism. The branch was extinguished in 1810 with the death of marquise Alessandro Malaspina, a renowned politician, explorer and navigator.  The marquisate, ruling from 1266 to 1797, was recognized as an imperial feud as soon as 1164; it expanded with several acquisitions of land in Pozzo, Montereggio, Montarese, Castagnetoli (from 1746), Calice, Veppo and Madrignano; the latter three territories were administered by the cadets of the Mulazzo sub-branch from 1710 to 1772, and due to debts were sold to the Grand Duke of Tuscany. In the 16th century, the branches of Madrignano (1523–1634) and Montereggio (1523–1646) momentarily detached from the main Mulazzo branch. The feud of Mulazzo, starting from 1473, was alternately governed by the "Malaspina del Castello" and the "Malaspina del Palazzo" until 1776. The direct male bloodline was extinguished by the famous explorer Alessandro Malaspina.  The rulers of the Malaspinas of Mulazzo feuds were:  The main sub-branches deriving from the Malaspinas of Mulazzo were:

Malaspina of Castevoli.

An autonomous branch of the family starting from the 15th century with Azzone of Antonio of Mulazzo as its forefather. This branch possessed the feuds of Stadomelli, Cavanella and had some ruling authority over Villafranca. Its main representatives were Thomas II (–1603) and his son Francesco (–1649). The main branch went extinct in 1759 and with imperial approval, the feuds were unified with Villafranca (1796). In 1794, some revolts against the authoritarian regime of Thomas III started. In 1757, part of the feud was acquired by the Mulazzo branch.  The rulers of the branch were:

Malaspina of Giovagallo.

The forefather of this branch was "Manfredo", son of Conrad Malaspina "The Old", around 1260. They possessed the castle of Giovagallo (Tresana) and some surrounding land. The branch went extinct in 1365 and their feuds were inherited by the Villafranca branch. Most of the marquisate was absorbed by the marquisate of Tresana.

Malaspina of Villafranca.

Their forefather was Frederick, son of Conrad Malaspina "The Old"; they ruled over the castle of Malnido as well as Villafranca in Lunigiana and the surrounding lands. The branch was greatly weakened and impoverished due to many hereditary divisions, wars and the loss of numerous territories in the valleys close to the river Vara, Auella and Taverone. In the 16th century they were taken under the protection of Modena and thanks to their loyalty, with the May 3, 1726, decree, the duke Rinaldo d'Este of Modena gave them the name "Malaspina Estensi". Their newly formed dominion included Garbugliaga, Beverino, Villa, Rocchetta di Vara, and the castles of Virgoletta and Malnido in Villafranca, where they ruled together with the consignori of the Castevoli branch. The marquises ruling the branch were:  The branch expanded efficiently, surviving after the end of feudalism and many co-branches still exist. Some of them had their own rulers as well as a separate identity. These include:  The marquises ruling the branch were:  The marquises ruling the branch were:  The marquises ruling the branch were:

Malaspina of Pregòla.

This branch's forefather was "Alberto" (–1298), son of Conrad Malaspina (The Old). They inherited the feud of Pregòla—a fraction of Brallo di Pregola—and vast territory on the left side of the Val Trebbia; the river divided their feuds from the ones owned by the branch of Mulazzo. They also owned some territories near Bobbio. In 1304 Corradino Malaspina, the lord of the castle of Carana (Corte Brugnatella), in agreement with "Visconte Pallavicino" and the abbot of Bobbio, "Guido" took control over Bobbio, transformed it into a lordship and built its current castle. In 1341 the Visconti Milan took control of Bobbio and of the Brugnatella court, stripping the Malaspina of the castle of Carana and destroying the famous Castello Nero, a black castle famous for the unusual stones used to build it. After 1347, when Corradino died, the feud was distributed between his heirs but in 1361 they had to give it to the Visconti family. in 1436 it was given to the Dal Verme family, who had become counts of Bobbio and Voghera. The Malaspinas also lost control over the ancient church of "San Cristoforo" in the Valle del Carlone. The only territory they still owned was "Dezza", which was later given to the Malaspina of Pregòla. The branch endured a division in 1347, from which the feuds of "Prato" (a fraction of Cantalupo Ligure, in Val Borbera, near Val Trebbia) and of Corte Brugnatella, which both had a short history. In another division in 1453 the four "quartieri" were separated from the feud of Pergola; each of the estates was given to a distinct branch of the family. These branches were:

"Spino Fiorito" branch.

in 1275, the son and three grandchildren of the forefather of the branch, Obizzo Malaspina also known as "Obizzino", created four other sub-branches of the family.

Malaspina of Varzi.

Their forefather was "Azzolino", "Obizzino"'s grandson and son of Isnardo, who had already died before the division in 1275. With his brother Gabriele, Azzolino inherited a third of the estates of his grandfather Obizzino, some of which were in Lunigiana and some in Lombardy. After some time, in agreement with his brother, Azzolino took full control of the Lombardy feuds, mostly located in the Staffora valley surrounding Varzi. The Marquisate of Varzi was divided between Azzolino's three sons; the sub-branch of "Isnardo", which ruled over Menconico, went extinct in the 15th century but the other two branches survived:

Malaspina of Fivizzano.

This branch's forefather was Gabriele, Obizzino's grandson and Isnardo's son, who died before the division of the feuds in 1275. Gabriele ruled over a third of the family's estates alongside his brother Azzolino; some feuds were in Lunigiana and some in Lombardy; thanks to a political agreement between him and Azzollino, Gabriele took control of the feuds in Lunigiana, which consisted of the castle of "Verrucola" in Fivizzano and the bordering territories in eastern Lunigiana. Gabriele had three children; Isnardo's family went extinct in the 15th century, leaving Fivizzano to the Republic of Florence, with which the family were allied. This event determined the future, creating the strong influence Florence had over Lunigiana and the bordering territories. The famous "Lunigiana Granducale", which fought for supremacy with the Malaspinian dominium as well as the one of Modena. Spinetta Malaspina pledged his loyalty to Verona; by doing so he was awarded the feud of Fosdinovo. Spinetta had no natural heirs so his bloodline went extinct with his sons; Azzolino's descendants were rewarded with the feud of Fosdinovo and generated the line of Malaspina of Fosdinovo, who were imperial vicars in Italy from whom Antonio Alberico I Malaspina descended. Because Antonio was the marquise of Fosdinovo, he obtained the feud of Massa in 1441. His son, Giacomo I Malaspina (?–1481), succeeded his father and added to the lordship of Massa the feud of Carrara and its surrounding territories. Giacomo's son, Alberico banished his brother Francesco and Francesco's offspring, depriving them of all succession rights and leaving his daughter Ricciarda as his sole heir. Ricciarda married Lorenzo Cibo, from which descended the Cybo-Malaspina, the new Duchess of Massa and Carrara.  This branch of the family generated several other sub-branches, including:

Malaspina of Fosdinovo.

This branch's forefather was the son of Azzolino, Galeotto, who died in 1367. In 1340, Spinetta Malaspina consolidated the family's power over its estates, granting them the lordship for the following centuries. The marquisate of Fosdinovo became sovereignly autonomous in 1367, engulfing the territories of Viano, Castel dell'Aquila, Gragnola (1646), Cortila, Pulica, Giucano, Ponzanello, Tendola, Marciaso and Posterla, Caniparola. Gabriele, son of Antonio Alberico I of Fosdinovo, took control of the feud of Fosdinovo, leaving the other estates to his siblings.  In 1529 the hereditary status of imperial Vicary was recognised to him and his feuds. In 1666 the emperor granted the branch the right to produce its own currency. The last sovereign marquise was Carlo Emanuele, who was in favour of abolishing the imperial feuds in Italy; he agreed with the Napoleonic edict of 2 July 1797 and renounced his feuds. The Torrigiani-Malaspina family still owns the Castle Fosdinovese.I The ruling marquises were:

Malaspina of Olivola.

Their forefather was "Francesco", son of "Bernabò" and grandson of "Obizzino" who, after the division of 1275, inherited land in Lunigiana (the castle of Olivola, in a fraction of Aulla) and Lombardy, including the castle of Pizzocorno, a fraction of Ponte Nizza. The heirs of the main branch were assassinated in 1413 in the castle of Olivola; their feuds were divided between the Fosdinovo and Godiasco branches of the family. Olivola was given to the line of Gragnola; after the extinction of the line, it was given to Alberico I of Fosdinovo and his son Gabriele IV (–1485), who left it to his son Giovan Battista. The feud was later inherited by Lazzaro, who in 1525 created an independent line, which survived until the abolition of the imperial feuds in 1797. The ruling marquises were:

Malaspina of Godiasco.

The forefather of this branch was Alberto, son of Obizzino, who in the division of 1275 with his grandchildren had feuds in both Lunigiana and Lombardy, mainly close to the castle of Filattiera. They were initially called Malaspina of Filattiera; this title was kept by the first generation only. They also had a castle in Oramala—a fraction of Val di Nizza, and later acquired control over the Borgo of Godiasco and set it as their centre of power. In 1743 the province of Bobbio was established under the marquisate of Bobbio from 1516; the Savoia and the mandate of Varzi delimitated their territories. The five main sub-branches of the family were created by Nicolò (also known as Marchesotto) the son of Alberto, and his five children; they all had feuds in Lunigiana and in the marquisate of Godiasco:

The Malaspina was a noble Italian family of Longobard origin that descended from Boniface I, through the Obertenghi line, that ruled Lunigiana from the 13th to the 14th century, and the marquisate of Massa and lordship of Carrara ( which later became the Duchy of Massa and Carrara and at a later time the Principality of Massa and the Marquisate of Carrara) since the 14th century.

Malaspinové (italsky "Malaspina") je italský šlechtický rod. Jejich praotcem je Adalberto Malaspina († 1140), který pocházel z mocného severoitalského rodu Obertenghiů. Malaspinové se během staletí rozdělili do řady větví, z nichž některé existují dodnes, a vlastnili statky na různých místech zejména v severní Itálii. Dvě hlavní větve rodu jsou "Malaspina dello Spino Secco" (Malaspinové od suché trnky) a "Malaspina dello Spino Fiorito" (Malaspinové od kvetoucí trnky), a ty se obě poté dělily dále. Svatbou Ricciardy Malaspinové s vévodou z Ferentilla Lorenzem (1500–1549), synem papežského levobočka Franceschetta Cyby, dále vznikl rod "Cybo-Malaspina" (Cybové-Malaspinové), který od 15. do 19. století ovládal knížectví a později vévodství Massa-Carrara a jehož příslušníci zastávali důležitá místa v církevní hierarchii.


Overview.

Premier League rebranding.

On 9 February 2016, the Premier League announced a rebrand; beginning with the 2016–17 season, the competition was known simply as the Premier League, without any sponsor's name attached. As part of the rebranding, a new logo was introduced.

Ticket prices.

From the beginning of the 2016–17 season, ticket prices for away fans were capped at £30 per ticket.

Summary.

Antonio Conte enjoyed a successful start as Chelsea manager, winning the title in his first season at the club and earning a record number of league victories for a season, with only poor early form preventing them from also setting a new points total. Tottenham Hotspur shrugged off a disappointing Champions League campaign to push Chelsea close for the title, though they ultimately missed out. However, they finished the season with statistically both the best attack and defence, with striker Harry Kane once again claiming the Golden Boot. Furthermore, the season marked the end of Tottenham's 118-year stay at the White Hart Lane stadium, temporarily using Wembley for the subsequent season, before a new stadium move. Manchester City finished one spot better than the previous season in Pep Guardiola's first season in charge, though ended the season trophy-less, despite recording the third-best attack and reaching the semi-finals of the FA Cup. Liverpool made the Champions League for the first time in three years in Jürgen Klopp's first full season, though they were prevented from finishing any higher than fourth by an inconsistent start to 2017, a consequence of both losing their £35 million signing Sadio Mané to international duty in January and February as well as suffering from several dropped points against bottom-half teams.  Despite winning seven of their final eight games, Arsenal finished fifth and failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 1997, as fan pressure on both manager Arsène Wenger and majority-shareholder Stan Kroenke grew. While they did win the FA Cup for the third time in four seasons, making Wenger the most successful manager in the competition's history, they endured yet another disappointing Champions League run, eliminated at the round of 16 for a seventh successive year. Manchester United finished sixth, one lower than the previous season, in José Mourinho's first season in charge, with their failure to turn any one of their 15 draws – with 12 earned amidst the season-record 25 matches unbeaten run – into victories proving problematic. They did at least win the EFL Cup and won the Europa League final. The latter was the first Europa League title in their history, not only securing a place in the Champions League but also made them only the fifth club to have won all three major European trophies.  In only their second-ever top-flight season, AFC Bournemouth built on the success of the previous season as they secured a ninth-place finish and scored 55 goals, defying the critics who had tipped them to struggle from second-season syndrome. Much as Chelsea had the previous season, Leicester City made a poor defence of their title, despite having what turned out to be the best Champions League run of any English club this season. They were beaten by Hull City in the first match, the first time this has happened to a reigning Premier League champion. With the club struggling, manager Claudio Ranieri was sacked in February and replaced by coach Craig Shakespeare, who steered the club to 12th. It broke the record of the lowest finish for Premier League title holders, previously set by Chelsea, but comfortably clear of relegation.  Swansea City had looked dead and buried after early struggles under Francesco Guidolin and then a disastrous spell with Bob Bradley as manager, but were saved by a late improvement under Paul Clement's management. Burnley fared the best of the promoted clubs, with only atrocious away form preventing them finishing higher as they made their home-ground of Turf Moor one of the hardest places to get a point from – and secured a second successive top-flight season for the first time in 40 years. Watford, in their first successive top-flight campaign for 30 years, successfully ensured a third consecutive Premier League season – however, as a result of poor away form, a disastrous end to the season and several spells of indifferent form throughout the campaign, the Hornets were unable to really build on the previous season despite recording their first league victories over Manchester United and at Arsenal since the 1980s.  After several successive escapes from relegation, Sunderland's resilience finally broke and they dropped into the Championship after a decade, having spent virtually the entire season rooted to the bottom of the table. Middlesbrough also struggled through their first top-flight season in eight years, with a poor end to the season, the weakest goal-scoring record in the division and an inability to turn one of their 13 draws into victories dooming them. Hull City were the final relegated side, never quite recovering from a disastrous pre-season which saw manager Steve Bruce quit and next to no new players signed. Despite encouraging early season form under Mike Phelan, a dismal run in the winter saw him sacked and replaced by Marco Silva, who steered the club to a much better second half of the season, but it ultimately proved to be a case of too little, too late.

Teams.

Twenty teams competed in the league – the top seventeen teams from the previous season and the three teams promoted from the Championship. The promoted teams were Burnley, Middlesbrough and Hull City. Burnley and Hull City returned to the top flight after a season's absence while Middlesbrough returned after a seven-year absence. They replaced Newcastle United, Norwich City and Aston Villa, ending their top flight spells of six, one and twenty-eight years respectively.

League table.

<onlyinclude></onlyinclude>  Player scored 4 goals
(H) – Home team
(A) – Away team

The 2016–17 Premier League was the 25th season of the Premier League, the top English professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1992. The season began on 13 August 2016 and concluded on 21 May 2017. Fixtures for the 2016–17 season were announced on 15 June 2016.

Soutěžní ročník Premier League 2016/17 byl 119. ročníkem nejvyšší anglické fotbalové ligy a 25. ročníkem od založení Premier League. Soutěž byla započata 13. srpna 2016 a poslední kolo se odehrálo 21. května 2017. Svůj historicky šestý titul vybojovala Chelsea.


History.

After Peter the Great wrested the Gulf of Finland from Sweden, it was necessary to provide a secure means of river transport for Saint Petersburg on the Baltic with the Russian hinterland. The earliest Vyshny Volochyok canal system, completed by 1709, provided a connection of St. Petersburg on the Baltic to Lake Ladoga. However, the weather on Lake Ladoga frequently wrecked the barges leading to the ambitious project of the Ladoga Canals that followed the southern coast of Lake Ladoga.  Under Alexander I of Russia, the traditional waterway through Vychny Volochyok was complemented by the Tikhvin canal system (1811) and the Mariinsk canal system (1810), the latter becoming by far the most popular of the three.  The Mariinsk canal system was an outstanding monument of early 19th-century hydrotechnics, which proved to be of vital importance to the national economy. The system started in Rybinsk and passed through the Sheksna River, Lake Beloye (and Belozersky bypass canal), Kovzha River, the artificial Novomariinsky Canal, the Vytegra River to Lake Onega. Thereupon vessels sailed through the Onega Canal, the Svir River, the Ladoga Canal, and the Neva River to the Gulf of Finland.  In 1829, the Northern Dvina Canal was opened; it connects the Sheksna River (one of the Volga's tributaries) through the Kubenskoye Lake with the Northern Dvina, flowing into the White Sea. In the following decades, the system was further expanded: three more canals, Belozersky, Onezhsky, and Novoladozhsky, enabling smaller craft to bypass dangerous waters of the three big lakes (Beloye, Onega, and Ladoga), were inaugurated towards the end of the century.  Another connection was added in the 1930s, when the infamous White Sea – Baltic Canal was constructed by gulag prisoners at enormous human cost between Lake Onega and the White Sea.  In recent years, the Volga–Baltic Waterway has gained additional importance as a tourist route for boats sailing along the Golden Ring of Russia.  In 2016, the core of Belarusian nuclear power plant, VVER-1200, which was 330 tonnes, 13 meters high, and 4.5 meters in diameter, was transferred to its destination by exploiting Tsimlyansk Reservoir, the Volga-Don Canal, the Volga–Baltic Waterway, the Volkhov River and aspecial rail car.

Volga–Baltic Canal improvement.

In Soviet times, the Mariinsk canal system was constantly improved. Two locks were built on the Svir River (in 1936 and 1952); 3 locks were built on the Sheksna River. Major improvement of the Volga–Baltic Waterway took place in 1960–1964, and the new Volga–Baltic Waterway was opened on 5 June 1964. 39 old wooden locks were replaced with 7 new locks, and one parallel lock was built later in 1995. The locks' limiting dimensions are 210 m long, 17.6 m wide and 4.2 m deep, allowing passage of river-sea ships of up to 5000 tons displacement. Such ships were able to sail directly across the big lakes instead of using the bypass canals. Typical travel time for Cherepovets – Saint Petersburg route decreased to 2.5–3 days from 10–15 days.  The new canal route sometimes follows the route of the old Mariinsk system and sometimes diverges from it. Six of the canal's eight locks are located along 35 km of the northern slope, with a total lift of 80 metres. The only 2 locks (parallel) on the southern slope, with a lift of 13 metres are located near Sheksna on the Sheksna River, 50 km upstream from Cherepovets. The canal route on the northern slope follows the Vytegra River flooded riverbed. The summit pond of the canal between Pakhomovo locks on Vytegra River and Sheksna Reservoir dam is 278 km long. It includes an artificial divide canal (40 km long), Kovzha River, Lake Beloye, and Sheksna River. The route of the southern slope follows the Sheksna River, where it is in the backwater area of Rybinsk Reservoir.

Current developments.

The canal is actively used for oil and lumber export and as a river tourism route. According to the Maritime Board ("Morskaya Kollegiya") of the Russian government, 17.6 million tons of cargo were carried over the Volga–Baltic Waterway in 2004, which is very close to the waterway's maximum capacity. The Lower Svir Lock was one of the two busiest locks on Russia's inland waterways (the other one was the Kochetov Lock on the lower Don River).

The Volga–Baltic Waterway, formerly known as the Mariinsk Canal System (Russian: Мариинская водная система), is a series of canals and rivers in Russia which link the Volga River with the Baltic Sea via the Neva River. Like the Volga–Don Canal, the Volga–Baltic Waterway connects the biggest lake on Earth, the Caspian Sea, to the World Ocean. Its overall length between Cherepovets and Lake Onega is.

Volžsko-baltská vodní cesta či Volžsko-baltský průplav (rusky "Волго-Балтийский водный путь") je soustava přirozených vodních toků, přirozených i umělých jezer a lidskou činností vytvořených kanálů, umožňující plavbu lodí o výtlaku do 5 000 t mezi povodím Volhy a povodím Něvy. Část tohoto systému tvoří i Bělomořsko-baltskou vodní cestu. Pomocí dopravy na Volžsko-donském průplavu umožňuje i vodní spojení mezi Baltským a Černým mořem. Je součástí Jednotného systému hlubokovodní říční dopravy Ruské federace.


Development.

The name "Welrod" comes from the custom of naming all clandestine equipment devised at Station IX in Welwyn Garden City starting with "Wel", e.g., "Welbike", "Welman". A document produced towards the end of World War II ensured that the right people were properly credited for their inventions at Station IX. This document reveals that the inventor of the Welrod was Major Hugh Reeves. He was also responsible for other important designs, including the sleeve gun, which was similar to the Welrod, though single shot and made to conceal up a sleeve.  The Welrod was used primarily by the British SOE but was also used by the American OSS and Resistance forces.  The Welrod was a "sanitised" weapon, meaning that it had no markings indicating its manufacturer or country of origin; it was marked only with a serial number and some inscrutable symbols and letters. The Birmingham Small Arms Company Limited (BSA) confirmed that they manufactured some Welrod pistols, but that they put no markings at all on them, so it is likely that any markings were added by the British military after delivery.  The original model was the Welrod Mk II, chambered for.32 ACP. This was the primary model. Due to poor field results, the Welrod Mk I was subsequently developed using 9×19mm Parabellum rounds.

Design.

The Welrod takes the form of a cylinder, about long. The rear section of the cylinder contains the bolt, the middle section, the vented (16-20 ports) barrel and expansion chamber for the barrel, and the front section, the baffles (rubber) and wipes of the suppressor. There is a knurled knob at the rear that serves as the bolt handle, which unlocks when rotated 90 degrees. The magazine is also the grip and can be removed for easier conceal-ability. The exclusion of a pistol grip was apparently done to help conceal the weapon's purpose and in some groups it was called a "bicycle pump" due to its innocuous look with the magazine/grip removed.  The Welrod is provided with sights marked with fluorescent paint for use in low light conditions. Regarding operating range, the Mk I manual states: "It is accurate up to in daylight or on a fairly light night, but is most effective when fired in contact with the target." The muzzle end of the gun is ground slightly concave to minimise noise during a contact shot; this may have also improved grip against the target, decreasing the chance of missing.  The ported barrel of the Welrod serves two purposes: it releases the powder gases gradually into the rear of the suppressor, reducing the sound of firing, and it reduces the velocity of the bullet to subsonic speeds (especially important in the 9 mm version since the standard 9 mm loading is supersonic). The metal baffles and rubber wipes that follow the barrel serve to further slow the gases of firing, releasing them over a longer period of time and avoiding the sharp explosion that occurs when high pressure powder gases are suddenly released to the atmosphere.  The Welrod uses a bolt-action design because it is simple, reliable and quiet. The bolt-action has only the noise of the firing pin hitting the primer, and the bolt can be cycled quietly.  The Welrod is extremely quiet for a gun, producing a sound of around 73 dB when fired.  Magazines of six and eight rounds were produced.

Operation.

The pistol is manually operated using a rotary bolt, locking with two lugs. Loading is performed with a pull/push action using the round knurled knob to the rear of the weapon. The trigger is single stage with a simple safety at the back of the magazine housing. The detachable single stack magazine contains six or eight rounds (depending on calibre) and serves as a pistol grip with the bottom part enclosed into the plastic cover.  In 2002, Small Arms Review tested the Welrod (in.32 ACP) and found a 34-decibel noise reduction compared to a control pistol with a same length (3.25 inch) barrel for a final 122.8 decibel value. Earlier sound measurements did not meet the standards in place in 2002. According to Small Arms Review, the lower earlier measurements were ‘Undoubtedly [...] a function of the available measuring equipment (including excessive meter rise time)’. A fully refurbished Welrod sounds quieter than a CO2 pellet pistol, with Philip H. Dater calling it ‘Hollywood quiet’. The Welrod's sound is almost imperceptible at 15 feet in a quiet environment, and it would be inaudible to the operator in a noisy environment were the muzzle in contact with the target.

Use.

There was a plan in 1943 to drop them into German-occupied territories for the mass assassination of SS and Gestapo officers and soldiers within a month period by resistance units. This plan was possibly delayed or called off in the aftermath of Operation Anthropoid, the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich by Czech resistance forces. In the wake of his assassination, an estimated 13,000 civilians were arrested and interrogated, 5,000 civilians murdered in German reprisal killings and the villages of Lidice and Ležáky destroyed.  The Welrod was used in Denmark during World War II as well as being dropped in several other countries and is reported to have been used during the 1982 Falklands War, throughout The Troubles in Northern Ireland and during operation Desert Storm by British Special Forces. Welrod guns were also found in weapons caches from Operation Gladio.

The Welrod is a British bolt action, magazine fed, suppressed pistol devised during World War II by Major Hugh Reeves at the Inter-Services Research Bureau (later Station IX). Station IX, being based near Welwyn Garden City, gave the Welrod its unusual name, being derived from "Wel" from "Welwyn Garden City" (a prefix used by covert equipment designed by Station IX) and "rod" as a way to obscure its purpose.

Welrod je britská pistole s integrovaným tlumičem. Zbraň byla vyvinuta a používána během 2. světové války, ale používala se ještě dlouho po ní. Hlučnost zbraně je pouhých 73 dB, což ji činí pravděpodobně nejtišší pistolí na světě. Při měření hlučnosti zbraně se ukázalo, že tlumič utlumí 34 dB oproti zbrani stejné ráže a délky hlavně.


Taxonomy.

"Strix ketupu" was the scientific name proposed by Thomas Horsfield in 1821 for a buffy fish owl collected in Java. "Ketupa" was proposed as generic name by René-Primevère Lesson in 1831 for fish owl species from Java and India. In the 19th and 20th centuries, several zoological specimens of buffy fish owls were described:  All four are recognised today as "Ketupa ketupu" subspecies:  It has been suggested to merge the genus "Ketupa" into the genus "Bubo" based on their close relation in mitochondrial DNA and similarities in general appearance. Results of a phylogenetic analysis of nine horned owl species indicate that "Ketupa" species form a monophyletic group.

Description.

The buffy fish owl is buff brown with darker tawny brown feathers on the back. Its face is paler and it has light brown eyebrows. With an adult size of and a weight of, it is the smallest fish owl species.  Like all fish owls, the buffy fish owl has prominent ear tufts on the sides of the head. Its wing feathers and tail are broadly barred yellowish and dark brown. The wings are distinctly rounded in shape. The underparts are a yellowish brown, rich buff or fulvous with broad blackish shaft stripes. Its long legs are not feathered.  The fish owls have large, powerful, and curved talons and a longitudinal sharp keel underneath the middle claw with all having sharp cutting edges that are very much like those of eagle owls. Unlike fish-eating diurnal raptors, they do not submerge any part of their body while hunting, preferring only to put their feet into the water, although fish owls wade into the shallows. The feathers of fish owls are not soft to the touch and lack the comb and hair-like fringes to the primaries, which allow other owls to fly silently in order to ambush their prey. Due to the lack of these feather-specializations, fish owl wing beats make sounds. The lack of a deep facial disc in fish owls is another indication of the unimportance of sound relative to vision in these owls, as facial disc depth (as well as inner ear size) are directly related to how important sound is to an owl's hunting behavior. Also different from most any other kind of owl, the bill is placed on the face between the eyes rather than below it, which is said to impart this fish owl with a "remarkably morose and sinister expression". Similar adaptations, such as unwillingness to submerge beyond their legs and lack of sound-muffling feathers are also seen in the African fishing owls, which do not seem to be directly related. Due to their neat replacement of each other in range, at one time the tawny and buffy fish owls were considered the same species but there are a number of physical, anatomical, habitat, and behavioral distinctions between them.

Distribution and habitat.

The buffy fish owl is distributed from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore to Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and the Sunda Islands. On Cocos (Keeling) Island, it is non-breeding. It inhabits tropical forests and freshwater wetlands near rivers, lakes and aquaculture sites up to an elevation of. It also lives in plantations, and rural and urban gardens.

Behaviour and ecology.

A range of vocalizations has been attributed to the buffy fish owl. Among those recorded are included hissing sounds and a rattling "kutook", repeated rapidly about seven times. Also recorded has been a ringing, loud "pof-pof-pof" and a high, hawk-like "hie-e-e-e-e-keek" series of notes. The buffy fish owl is rather noisy before breeding, and pairs may engage in bouts of duetting for several minutes at a time. During the daytime, it shelters often singly in densely foliaged trees.

Diet.

The buffy fish owl feeds foremost on fish, crabs, frogs, small reptiles and birds. It also forages on carrion. Stomach content found in Javan buffy fish owls included insects, winged ants and winged termites, goldfish ("Carassius auratus"), gold-ringed cat snake ("Boiga dendrophila"), immature false gharials ("Tomistoma schlegelii"), red junglefowl ("Gallus gallus"), black rat ("Rattus rattus"), and fruit bats.  It has been recorded consuming remains of a crocodile and a Sunda stink badger ("Mydaus javanensis"). The buffy fish owl does not produce firm pellets as do most owls. Instead, bones, and frog and insect remains are ejected in pieces and fall to the ground below the roost. Prey remains have only been found within the nest, never around or below the nest as is commonly recorded in other owls. The buffy fish owl hunts mainly from the bank, swooping down much in the manner of a fish eagle but never getting its feathers wet. It also walks into shallow streams and brooks, additionally snatching food in such locations.

Reproduction.

Eggs of buffy fish owls have mainly been found in February through April in western Java, less commonly into May, and in the Malay Peninsula also in September through January. The buffy fish owl frequently nests on top of a large fern ("Asplenium nidus"), but nests have also been recorded in the fork of a tall bough covered in ferns and moss, on orchid beds and in tree holes. More rarely, rocky sites have been used as nesting sites, even behind waterfalls. The nest is usually merely a scrape into the surface of a fern with no structure or lining, as owls do not build nests. Abandoned bird nests built by other species have been used, including those of brahminy kite ("Haliastur indus"). Only one egg per breeding season has ever been recorded in a buffy fish owl nest, giving them the smallest clutch size of any owl alongside the spot-bellied eagle owl ("B. nipalensis") and the barred eagle owl ("B. sumatranus"), which also have only ever been recorded with a single-egg clutch. The egg is round, oval and dull white. The average dimensions of eggs in western Java was. Incubation of the eggs lasts 28 to 29 days and fledging occurs after six weeks. This species is generally faring well for a large raptorial bird and has been inadvertently aided by commercial fisheries and ornamental ponds, which they visit by night to hunt. Sometimes, they incur persecution from owners of such ponds for taking stock.

Threats.

During a seizure in 2008 in a storage facility in Johor, 14 frozen buffy fish owls were discovered that were supposed to be illegally exported to China. In Jakarta, buffy fish owls were offered for sale in three bird markets in 2010 and 2012. In 2015, 323 buffy fish owls were offered for sale through online raptor trading groups. Buffy fish owls were also traded at wildlife markets in Bandung, Garut, Surabaya, and Denpasar.

Conservation.

In Malaysia, owl species are protected by the Protection of Wild Life Act 1972 and listed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species on Appendix II. Violation of this act is a punishable offense and is penalized with a fine of 3,000 Malaysian ringgit or two years in jail or both.

The buffy fish owl ("Ketupa ketupu"), also known as the Malay fish owl, is a fish owl in the family Strigidae. It is native to Southeast Asia and lives foremost in tropical forests and wetlands. Due to its wide distribution and assumed stable population, it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2004.

Ketupa malajská ("Ketupa ketupu") je druh tropické sovy, který se vyskytuje v Asii. Ketupa malajská dosahuje délky těla 22 až 26 cm, ocas má dalších 16 až 18 cm (celkem 40 až 48 cm). Rozpětí křídel je až 120 cm. Váží něco málo přes jeden kilogram. Samice jsou větší než samci.


Early life and background.

Iga Świątek was born to 1988 Olympic rower Tomasz Świątek who competed in the men's quadruple sculls event at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. She resides in Raszyn, a small town near Warsaw.

Career.

2016 to 2017: Junior career and early years.

In summer 2016, Świątek defeated Olga Danilović in the final of the Canadian Open Junior Championships, and followed that with her first win in a senior ITF tournament in Stockholm at age 15. She then beat Marta Kostyuk in the title match at the AGL Loy Yang Traralgon Junior International in January 2017, and then claimed her first clay-court singles title on the ITF pro circuit a month later with a victory over Martina Di Giuseppe in Bergamo. Świątek came through the qualifying rounds to reach the final.

2018: Wimbledon Championships junior singles title.

Świątek missed seven months after right ankle surgery in 2017, but made a return in both ITF and junior Grand Slam tournaments.  At age 17, Świątek and her partner Caty McNally beat Yuki Naito and Naho Sato in the French Open junior doubles final. She also reached the junior singles semifinals, losing to McNally in three sets.  On 14 July 2018, Świątek reached her first Grand Slam junior singles final, in which she defeated Switzerland's Leonie Küng in straight sets. Świątek became the fourth Polish junior champion at Wimbledon after Aleksandra Olsza and Agnieszka and Urszula Radwańska.  Świątek won back-to-back $60,000 titles in Budapest and Montreux to enter the top 200.  In October, Świątek competed at the third Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. She qualified based on her ITF world junior rankings, and played singles, doubles and mixed doubles. She won the gold medal in doubles with Kaja Juvan, defeating Yuki Naito and Naho Sato of Japan in the final.  Świątek had a strong 2018 season, raising her ranking from No. 727 to a career high of No. 174 and winning four ITF titles. Her year-end ranking was 186.

2019: First WTA final, and top 50.

Świątek started the season with her first WTA event at the Auckland Open, where she lost in the final round of qualifying. She made it through the qualifying rounds of the Australian Open, and in the first round, Świątek defeated Ana Bogdan in three sets. Following the Australian Open, Świątek achieved a new career-high singles ranking of No. 140 and participated in the 2019 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone, which was played in Zielona Gora, Poland.  In February, Świątek made it to the second round at the Hungarian Ladies Open. At the Ladies Open Lugano in Switzerland, Świątek upset No. 3 seed Viktória Kužmová in three sets to reach her first WTA quarterfinal. The win over the world No. 46 was the first top-50 victory in Świątek's career.. She then defeated the No. 8 seed Vera Lapko and Kristýna Plíšková to reach her first WTA final. An incredible cross-court forehand drop shot against Plíšková in the semi-final became the 2019 WTA Shot of the Year. She lost the final to Polona Hercog in three sets. Reaching the Lugano final boosted her into the Top 100 for the very first time.  Iga Świątek bounced back from a first-set bagel to defeat Monica Puig and reach the second week in her first French Open. Making her French Open main draw debut, Świątek became the second player born in the 2000s to reach week two of a major - following Amanda Anisimova's efforts at the Australian Open. Świątek lost to defending champion Simona Halep in the fourth round.  At the Citi Open, Świątek recovered from a set and a double break deficit for a win over Ons Jabeur and then lost in the second round to the eventual champion Jessica Pegula. Świątek continued at the Rogers Cup, where she defeated Shelby Rogers and Heather Watson in the qualifying rounds to make the main draw. She defeated Caroline Wozniacki in the second round before falling to Naomi Osaka in the third round. After a great campaign in Toronto, Świątek played the Cincinnati Masters where she defeated Caroline Garcia in an hour and 31 minutes.

2020.

At the Australian Open Świątek was playing her first tournament since she underwent foot surgery following the 2019 US Open. She defeated Tímea Babos, Carla Suárez Navarro and Donna Vekić, all in straight sets, to advance to the fourth round at a Grand Slam championship for the second time in her career, where she lost to Anett Kontaveit in three sets.  She followed that with three wins from three matches at the Fed Cup Group I tournament in Luxembourg before travelling to Qatar, where she beat Vekić in the first round and lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the second. That was her last match before international play was suspended due to the Covid-19 coronavirus.

Performance timelines.

"Only main-draw results in WTA Tour, Grand Slam tournaments, Fed Cup and Olympic Games are included in Win–Loss records."

Singles.

"Current through the suspension of the 2020 WTA Tour."

Record against other players.

Record against top 10 players.

Świątek's record against players who have been ranked in the top 10 (as of August 13, 2019):

Iga Świątek (; born 31 May 2001) is a tennis player from Poland. She has won seven ITF singles titles and achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 49 on August 19th 2019.

Iga Świąteková (* 31. května 2001 Varšava) je polská profesionální tenistka. Ve své dosavadní kariéře na okruhu WTA Tour nevyhrála žádný turnaj. V rámci okruhu ITF získala do března 2020 sedm titulů ve dvouhře.


Geography.

Ulbersdorf has the form of a Reihendorf "(row village)" and is located in the eastern part of the municipality on a plateau and its neighbouring side valley of the Sebnitz. The village is situated about 10 km southeast of the town centre of Hohnstein and about 5 km of the centre of the neighbouring town Sebnitz.  Surrounding villages are Krumhermsdorf (N), Schönbach (NE), Hainersdorf (E), Lichtenhain (SE), Mittelndorf (S), Altendorf (SW), Goßdorf and Lohsdorf (W).  Ulbersdorf railway station lies on the Bautzen–Bad Schandau railway.

History.

Ulbersdorf has been founded as a Waldhufendorf during the second phase of the German eastward expansion. It was first mentioned in 1432, in 1433 the church from the 12th/13th century was first mentioned, too. A 1433 mentioned vorwerk became a manor in the 16th century and even a second manor was built. For the most of the time both manors belonged to the same families.  Wolf Adolf August von Lüttichau (1786–1863) was born in Ulbersdorf. He became later intendant of the Saxon State Theatre in Dresden. He and his wife Ida von Lüttichau (1798–1856) used Ulbersdorf manor as a second residence.  In 1877 the Bautzen–Bad Schandau railway line was built between the Upper Lusatian town Bautzen and Schandau at the river Elbe. Ulbersdorf railway station was located outside the village.  A World War I memorial was built in 1923. Additions were made to it after World War II.  In 1947 a land reform happened in Ulbersdorf like in most municipalities within the Soviet occupation zone.  On 1 January 1994 the municipalities Ehrenberg, Goßdorf, Lohsdorf, Rathewalde and Ulbersdorf were incorporated into the town of Hohnstein.

Ulbersdorf is a village in Saxon Switzerland in the district of Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge in southeastern Saxony, Germany. It was mentioned first in 1432 as "Olbersdorff" and is part of the town of Hohnstein since 1994.

Ulbersdorf je vesnice, místní část města Hohnstein v německé spolkové zemi Sasko. Nachází se v zemském okrese Saské Švýcarsko-Východní Krušné hory a má obyvatel.


Early life.

Speck was born on July 15, 1824 in Saratoga County in upstate New York. Though information about their actual heritage is unclear, and has been assumed to be African-American and mixed-race, Speck and his sister Catherine Wicks "both identified as members of the St. Regis Mohawk tribe."

Early career.

Speck developed his culinary skills at Cary Moon's Lake House on Saratoga Lake, noted as an expensive restaurant at a time when wealthy families from Manhattan and other areas were building summer "camps" in the area. Speck and his sister, Wicks, also cooked at the Sans Souci in Ballston Spa, alongside another St. Regis Mohawk Indian known for his skills as a guide and cook, Pete Francis. One of the regular customers at Moon's was Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, who, although he savored the food, could never seem to remember Speck's name. On one occasion, he called a waiter over to ask "Crum," "How long before we shall eat?" Rather than take offense, Speck decided to embrace the nickname, figuring that, "A crumb is bigger than a speck."  By 1860, Speck had opened his own restaurant, called "Crum's", on Storey Hill in nearby Malta, New York. His cuisine was in high demand among Saratoga Springs' tourists and elites: "His prices were...those of the fashionable New York restaurants, but his food and service were worth it...Everything possible was raised on his own small farm, and that, too, got his personal attention whenever he could arrange it." According to popular accounts, he was said to include a basket of chips on every table. One contemporaneous source recalls that in his restaurant, Speck was unquestionably the man in charge: "His rules of procedure were his own. They were very strict, and being an Indian, he never departed from them. In the slang of the racecourse, he "played no favorites." Guests were obliged to wait their turn, the millionaire as well as the wage-earner. Mr. Vanderbilt once was obliged to wait an hour and a half for a meal...With none but rich pleasure-seekers as his guests, Speck kept his tables laden with the best of everything, and for it all charged Delmonico prices."

Potato chip.

Recipes for frying potato slices were published in several cookbooks in the 19th century. In 1832, a recipe for fried potato "shavings" was included in a United States cookbook derived from an earlier English collection. William Kitchener's "The Cook's Oracle" (1822), also included techniques for such a dish. Similarly, N.K.M. Lee's cookbook, "The Cook's Own Book" (1832), has a recipe that is very similar to Kitchiner's.  The "New York Tribune" ran a feature article on "Crum's: The Famous Eating House on Saratoga Lake" in December 1891, but mentioned nothing about potato chips. Neither did Crum's commissioned biography, published in 1893, nor did one 1914 obituary in a local paper. Another obituary states "Crum is said to have been the actual inventor of "Saratoga chips."" When Wicks died in 1924, however, her obituary authoritatively identified her as follows: "A sister of George Crum, Mrs. Catherine Wicks, died at the age of 102, and was the cook at Moon’s Lake House. She first invented and fried the famous Saratoga Chips."  Wicks recalled the invention of Saratoga Chips as an accident: she had "chipped off a piece of the potato which, by the merest accident, fell into the pan of fat. She fished it out with a fork and set it down upon a plate beside her on the table." Her brother tasted it, declared it good, and said, "We’ll have plenty of these." In a 1932 interview with "the Saratogian" newspaper, her grandson, John Gilbert Freeman, asserted Wicks's role as the true inventor of the potato chip.  Hugh Bradley's 1940 history of Saratoga contains some information about Speck, based on local folklore as much as on any specific historical primary sources. In their 1983 article in "Western Folklore", Fox and Banner say that Bradley had cited an 1885 article in the "Hotel Gazette" about Speck and the potato chips. Bradley repeated some material from that article, including that "Crum was born in 1828, the son of Abe Speck, a mulatto jockey who had come from Kentucky to Saratoga Springs and married a Stockbridge Indian woman," and that, "Crum also claimed to have considerable German and Spanish blood."  In any event, Speck helped popularize the potato chip, first as a cook at Moon's and then in his own place. Cary Moon, owner of Moon’s Lake House, later rushed to claim credit for the invention, and began mass-producing the chips, first served in paper cones, then packaged in boxes. They became wildly popular: "It was at Moon’s that Clio first tasted the famous Saratoga chips, said to have originated there, and it was she who first scandalized spa society by strolling along Broadway and about the paddock at the race track crunching the crisp circlets out of a paper sack as though they were candy or peanuts. She made it the fashion, and soon you saw all Saratoga dipping into cornucopias filled with golden-brown paper-thin potatoes; a gathered crowd was likely to create a sound like a scuffling through dried autumn leaves." Visitors to Saratoga Springs were advised to take the 10-mile journey around the lake to Moon's if only for the chips: "the hobby of the Lake House is Fried Potatoes, and these they serve in good style. They are sold in papers like confectionary."  A 1973 advertising campaign by the St. Regis Paper Company, which manufactured packaging for chips, featured an ad for Speck and his story, published in the national magazines, "Fortune" and "Time." During the late 1970s, the variant of the story featuring Vanderbilt became popular because of the interest in his wealth and name, and evidence suggests the source was an advertising agency for the Potato Chip/Snack Food Association.  A 1983 article in "Western Folklore" identifies potato chips as having originated in Saratoga Springs, New York, while critiquing the variants of popular stories. In all versions, the chips became popular and subsequently known as "Saratoga chips" or "potato crunches".  The 21st-century Snopes website writes that Crum's customer, if he existed, was more likely an obscure one. Vanderbilt was indeed a regular customer at both Crum's Malta restaurant and Moon's Lake House, but there is no evidence that he played a role by requesting or promoting potato chips.

George Speck (also known as George Crum; (July 15, 1824 – July 22, 1914) was an American chef. He worked as a hunter, guide, and cook in the Adirondack mountains, and became noted for his culinary skills after being hired at Moon’s Lake House on Saratoga Lake, near Saratoga Springs, New York.

George Speck (nazývaný také George Crum; 15. července 1824 – 22. července 1914) byl americký indiánský šéfkuchař označovaný za vynálezce lupínkových brambůrků zvaných též chipsy.


Geography.

Lampang city is in the valley of the Wang River, bordered by the Khun Tan Range on the west and the Phi Pan Nam Range on the east. The river, a major tributary of the Chao Phraya, flows through the city. The city lies mainly on the south side of Wang River, although the old parts of the city had been originally developed in the north side of it. Nowadays, downtown Lampang has grown in the southeast of the river along Bunyawat and Pahon Yothin Roads.

Climate.

Lampang has a relatively dry climate relative to nearby provinces. "Winter" starts after the last rains, typically November, and lasts until March. Cold air masses from Siberia sometimes lead to nighttime temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius, although that is quite rare. Winter is characterized by dry, sunny, and quite pleasant days, and cool and occasionally foggy nights. In recent times, the blue winter sky is often marred by the practice of burning the fields after the harvest, as well as the smog generated by Mae Mo coal-fired power plants.  Summer typically runs from March until June. The temperature could soar to 40 degrees Celsius in April. Late afternoon thunderstorms and hailstorms are frequent.  Rainy season runs from June until November, and significant rain may occur in May as well. Being in a relative rain shadow, Lampang receives less precipitation than neighboring provinces and rarely suffers from the flooding which has plagued Chiang Mai in recent years.

History.

Lampang was a major city in the Lanna kingdom. However, its historical prominence is largely overshadowed by Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai which were the traditional seats of government, and whose histories were well recorded in chronicles. Following decades of warfare with both the Ava Burmese and Ayudhya during the 17th-18th century, the region was in decline, severely depopulated, and subject to Burmese control. In the late-18th century, the famed marksman and Lampang native Nan Thip Chang assassinated the local Burmese leader in Wat Phra That Lampang Luang, and led an uprising which led to a rollback of Burmese rule over Lanna. Allied with Bangkok, the descendants of Nan Thip Chang, known as Chao Ched Ton (the seven princes), became the vassal rulers of the various Lanna cities until the annexation of Lanna into Siam (Thailand) proper under King Chulalongkorn (Rama V).

Economy.

Besides the traditional rice paddy farming, pineapple, and sugarcane constitute major food crops in Lampang Province. The province has a large deposit of lignite in Mae Moh district, fuelling several coal-fired electricity generating plants, whose pollution has severely affected the local populations. Lampang also has a large deposit of kaolin which is widely utilized in the ceramics industry. Historically, logging was an important industry, since Lampang, together with nearby Phrae had a large stand of teak. Many elephants were employed to transport the logs to the river for transport to Bangkok, hence the founding of an "elephant school", the predecessor of the Thai Elephant Conservation Center. Much of the old growth teak stands in Lampang had been thoroughly harvested.

Culture.

Lampang, also called "mueang rot ma" in Thai, meaning "horse carriage city", is considered by some Thais as the last paradise in Thailand. It is about 100 km to the southeast of Chiang Mai. Although well-connected by rail, and four lane highways to both Bangkok and Chiang Mai, it is here that tourists can still find horse-drawn carriages in regular use for transportation. One account attributes the horse-drawn carriage to the Portuguese, via Macau, although a more likely origin is colonial Burma. Lampang was an important center of the timber industry in the early-20th century and saw an influx of migrants from British-controlled Burma. The horse-drawn carriage is one of the most memorable symbols of Lampang, as reflected in many traditional products.  Lampang has a few institutions of higher learning, such as Yonok College, and a branch of Thammasat University.

Transportation.

The city is an important highway hub, with a four lane highway link to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, as well as a major highway to Phrae and the eastern Lanna provinces. Lampang is roughly a 1.5 hour bus ride to Chiang Mai. Lampang is a stop for the Chiang Mai-bound train, approximately 10 hours from Bangkok.  Lampang Airport is served by Bangkok Airways (three flights daily to Suvarnabhumi Airport) and Nok air (four flights daily to Don Mueang) (Oct 2015).

Landmarks and tourist attractions.

Tourists typically stop by for lunch and visit the more famous attractions such as Wat Phra That Lampang Luang and the Thai Elephant Conservation Center and then proceed to points further north such as Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai. Less well-known tourist attractions in Lampang are thus mostly visited by locals. Among these are the Wang Kaeo Waterfall and the Chae Son National Park, a compact park which combines a natural hot spring with large waterfalls.  Many temples in downtown Lampang were built in the Burmese -tyle, originally endowed by the logging tycoons of the late-19th century. Wat Si Bun Rueang, Wat Si Chum and Wat Pa Fang are among the extant examples. Nine of the 31 remaining Burmese-style temples in Thailand are in Lampang. Traditional Lanna architecture can be found at Wat Phra That Lampang Luang, on the site of ancient Lampang city. It is famous for its murals from the 19th century. The city seal features a white rooster in the temple's gate. Wat Phra Kaeo Don Tao, on the west bank of the Wang River, is said to have housed the Emerald Buddha between 1436 and 1468. Wat Phra That Chedi Sao (The Temple of Twenty Chedis) is famous for its array of twenty pagodas. Other temples of some renown include Wat Phra That Chom Ping and Wat Lai Hin both in the Ko Kha District.  Mae Mo mine is a vast open pit lignite mine in the Mae Mo basin. The mine and the adjoining power generation facilities are operated by EGAT. The power plant is a major source of electric power for Thailand.

Education.

Lampang has a number of educational institutions, including kindergartens, primary, secondary and vocational schools. Schools teach in the English, Thai, and Chinese languages. Lampang also has a number of universities: Lampang Rajabhat University, Rajmangala University of Technology, Nation University (formerly Yonok) and a satellite campus of Thammasat University. Lampang College of Commerce and Technology (LCCT) and Lampang International Technical College (LIT) are well known schools which teach technology.

Lampang, also called Nakhon Lampang (, ) to differentiate from Lampang Province, is the third largest city in northern Thailand and capital of Lampang Province and the Lampang district. Traditional names for Lampang include Wiang Lakon and Khelang Nakhon. The city is a trading and transportation center. Lampang lies 601 km north of Bangkok and 101 km southeast of Chiang Mai.

Lampang nebo Nakhon Lampang ( นครลําปาง) je město v Thajsku, které je správním centrem stejnojmenné provincie. Nachází se v hornaté severní části země 600 km od Bangkoku a protéká jím řeka Wang. Žije v něm okolo 55 000 obyvatel.


Plot.

Michael MacCauley, an Irish-American NYPD member turned insurance agent, has a wife and teenaged son. He goes through the same routine train commute to work and back every day, taking the Hudson Line from Tarrytown to Grand Central Terminal, often interacting with the same other commuters. His daily routine is interrupted when he is abruptly laid off from his job due to budget cuts after a decade at the same company, leading him to wonder how he will pay his mortgage or afford his son's college tuition. Choosing not to immediately reveal his dismissal to his family, he instead confides in Murphy, his ex-partner on the force, while he and Murphy's unit are at a bar.  On the train home, Michael meets a mysterious woman named Joanna, who makes small talk with him. Joanna describes herself as an academic who studies human behavior and tells him there are sixteen distinct types of personalities. She proposes a hypothetical situation to Michael, asking him to do one little thing for which he is uniquely skilled and results of which would have consequences that he would know nothing about, but would affect one of the passengers on the train. Joanna's one little thing that she wants Michael to do is locate "Prynne," the alias of an unknown passenger, who she says doesn't belong and has something stolen. Joanna proceeds to tell him that he will find $25,000 in the bathroom and will be paid another $75,000 when the job is done. Michael starts to question whether this is real or hypothetical, and Joanna, before she gets off the train, alludes to him being a former cop. Out of curiosity, Michael searches the bathroom and finds an envelope with $25,000.  Michael attempts to leave the train but is stopped by another mysterious young woman who hands him an envelope containing Michael's wife's wedding ring, and tells him it's a warning. Michael attempts to call his wife but with no response. He then discreetly approaches a familiar fellow commuter, Walt, and writes a note on his newspaper asking him to contact the police. Michael leaves a voicemail describing the situation to Murphy, and then receives a call from Joanna, threatening him and his family. She tells him that the train is rigged with hidden cameras, and to look outside, where he sees Walt being deliberately pushed in front of a moving bus and killed. Joanna then points him to a GPS tracker in his jacket and orders him to plant it on Prynne.  Michael gives a fake report of suspicious behavior to a conductor, who announces he plans to search a woman's bag. A man immediately leaves the car and Michael follows him, at which point he attacks Michael. They fight and Michael plants the GPS tracker on him. Murphy calls back and informs him that Prynne is a key witness in a supposed suicide case of a man at the city planner's office, Enrique Mendez, leading Michael to realize that Prynne will be killed and that Michael is being set up.  In a deserted carriage, Michael discovers the body of the man he planted the GPS tracker on and a badge revealing he was an FBI agent. Joanna then contacts him, chastising him for marking the wrong person and warns him that another passenger has reported his suspicious activities on the train to police, who stop the train to investigate. Michael manages to evade detection by hiding with the corpse under the carriage, but in the process accidentally tears his bag and loses the $25,000 cash. Sabotaging the air conditioning in the train except for the last car, Michael forces all the remaining passengers into the last carriage. He realizes another passenger, a Jazz musician named Oliver, killed the FBI agent. Oliver reveals that he also received the same deal for $100,000, but with orders to assassinate Prynne, after Michael has identified him/her. After a brutal fight, Michael throws the hitman out of the train window, killing him. The real "Prynne" is revealed to be a young girl named Sofia, who is holding incriminating information on powerful people and was to go into witness protection at the final stop of the train. Michael asks Sofia why she did not go to the police. She reveals that it was the police who killed Enrique, who was Sofia's cousin.  Joanna calls Michael and tries to force him to kill Sofia for the sake of his family, but Michael refuses. Joanna activates the fail-safe plan by detonating rigged explosives on the brakes, to derail the train in order to kill everyone aboard. Michael manages to save all of the passengers by unhooking the final carriage from the rest of the train right before a curve, but a conductor, Sam, dies assisting him. Michael instructs the passengers to block visibility into the car by plastering wet newspapers on all the windows, before a massive police force arrives at the scene.  Operating under the assumption that Michael is holding the train hostage, authorities send Murphy to negotiate with him. However Murphy unknowingly reveals himself as the rogue cop who killed Enrique when he uses a phrase about "being noble" - the same type of language Sofia heard from one of the cops that killed Enrique. Michael and Murphy engage in a fight, during which Michael removes Murphy's electronic ID tag, which identifies him as a "friendly" to the snipers outside using thermal vision. After a violent fight, the snipers, mistaking Murphy for Michael, shoot and kill Murphy.  Outside the train, the FBI meets Sofia, who proceeds to tell them what she knows. Michael is hailed as a hero and exonerated by the other passengers while the FBI rescues his family. His former captain admits that Murphy and a few others had been under investigation for some time and offers Michael his job back. Michael rummages in his coat pocket and reveals that he kept the hard drive Sofia gave him containing the incriminating evidence.  Some time later, Joanna is on a train back from Chicago. Michael approaches her (presumably having found her through the information on the hard disk) and confronts Joanna about her actions before he shows his police detective badge, implying he is ready to arrest her.

Production.

Development.

In January 2010, Olatunde Osunsanmi boarded the action-thriller film as director for the production company Gold Circle Films, with a screenplay written by Byron Willinger and Philip de Blasi. More than a year later, in August 2011, Julian Jarrold was reported to be directing the film instead. In January 2016, Jaume Collet-Serra closed a deal to direct the film, marking his fourth collaboration with Neeson, and also executive produced through Ombra Films, with partner Juan Sola. The film was produced by StudioCanal and The Picture Company.

Casting.

In September 2015, it was announced that Liam Neeson would star in the film. In June 2016, Vera Farmiga joined, in a role described as "a mysterious woman who boards a commuter train and proposes an enticing opportunity to Neeson's character, one that has dire circumstances if he accepts." The project marks the second working collaboration between Farmiga and Collet-Serra, after 2009's psychological thriller "Orphan". On July 13, Sam Neill, Elizabeth McGovern, and Jonathan Banks were added to the principal cast, and in August 2016, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith joined in an undisclosed role. The same month, Patrick Wilson joined the cast as a trusted friend of Neeson's character.

Filming.

Principal photography began on July 25, 2016, at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England, and continued in New York City. Neeson and McGovern were spotted on the set of the film at Worplesdon railway station in Surrey on September 18, 2016.

Music.

In May 2017, it was reported that Roque Baños would compose the film's score. Varèse Sarabande released the soundtrack album digitally in January 2018, with a physical release following on February 9, 2018.  All music composed by Roque Baños.

Release.

In November 2015, Lionsgate pre-bought the domestic distribution rights to the film, in a deal with StudioCanal. "The Commuter" was originally scheduled for release in the United States on October 13, 2017, and was pushed back to January 12, 2018. The film was set for release in the United Kingdom on October 20, 2017 by StudioCanal, and was also pushed back to January 19, 2018, in accordance with the U.S. rescheduling. The film had a limited IMAX release.

Reception.

Box office.

"The Commuter" grossed $36.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $83.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $119.9 million.  In the United States and Canada, "The Commuter" was released alongside the openings of "Proud Mary" and "Paddington 2" (which StudioCanal also produced), and the wide expansion of "The Post", and was projected to gross $12–14 million from 2,892 theaters in its opening weekend. It made $4.5 million on its first day and $13.7 million over the weekend, on par with previous Neeson-Collet-Serra collaborations, finishing third at the box office behind holdover "" and "The Post". It made $6.6 million in its second weekend, dropping 51.8% and finishing 7th.  Internationally, the film debuted at number two in Germany with $2.6 million. It went on to gross a total of $6.7 million in the country, the biggest market outside the US, as well as $5.6 million in the UK, $5.0 million in France and $2.6 million in Australia.

Critical response.

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 56% based on 202 reviews, with a weighted average of 5.43/10. The site's critical consensus reads, ""The Commuter"s cast is better than its workmanlike script – which helps make this reasonably diverting Liam Neeson action thriller worth the price of a matinee ticket or rental, if not a full-price ticket." Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 56 out of 100, based on 44 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.

The Commuter is a 2018 action thriller film directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and written by Byron Willinger, Philip de Blasi and Ryan Engle. The film stars Liam Neeson, Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Jonathan Banks, and Sam Neill. It follows a man who is unwittingly recruited into a murder conspiracy after meeting a mysterious woman while on his daily train commute.

Cizinec ve vlaku je akční filmový thriller z roku 2018. Film režíroval Jaume Collet-Serra a napsali ho Byron Willinger, Philip de Blasi a Ryan Engle. Ve filmu hrají Liam Neeson, Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Jonathan Banks a Sam Neill. Příběh vypráví o muži, který je nevědomky naverbován do vražedné konspirace po tom, co potká tajemnou ženu, když jako každý den, dojíždí vlakem.


History.

The first documents about Dolia date to 1089, when the bishop Virgilio signed the act of foundation of the monasteries of Saints Giorgio and Genesio, created by the will of Arzone, judge of Cagliari.  In 1503 the diocese of Dolia was united with the diocese of Cagliari.  At the end of the era of Giudicati, San Pantaleo and Sicci followed different roads: the first one became a fief of Suelli's bishop. Then, the archbishops of Cagliari, become barons, made San Pantaleo the most important centre of the zone, which exercised its power on the villages of Donori, Serdiana, Sicci, Soleminis, and Ussana.  The small village of Sicci San Biagio, during the Aragonese domination, was transformed into a baronage and assigned to Raimondo De Amburra. Sicci thenceforth became a fief of the dukes of Mandas y Tellez Giròn de Alcantara, who maintained it until the end of feudalism. In 1846 San Pantaleo had 1360 inhabitants, Sicci 727.  The two ancient villages of San Pantaleo and Sicci San Biagio, once separated by the great gardens of the villa of Marchioness Boyl of Putifigari (which is now the museum of oil “Sa Mola de su Notariu”), are the two quarters of the modern Dolianova.

Ecclesiastical history.

Under the name Dolia, Dolianova was the seat of a diocese. It was set up around the year 1100; the date 1112 is given, but Benedetto of Dolia was bishop from around 1095, and 1112 is the year of his death. The earlier date 1089, for bishop Virgilio, is attested.  The diocese was suppressed in 1503, its territory going to the diocese of Cagliari.  It was revived as a Catholic titular see in 1969. The current titular bishop is Friedrich Ostermann.

Culture.

The most important events in Dolianova are dedicated to the two saints, which name is related to the ancient villages of San Pantaleo and Sicci San Biagio: the first one is characterized by a procession through the streets with the statue of the saint and a big candle ("Su Xeru") transported to Saint Mary's church in Siurgus Donigala as a memory of a vow against the plague.

Dolianova () is an Italian town and "comune" in the province of South Sardinia, Sardinia. The town was born on 25 June 1905 from the fusion of two centers: Sicci San Biagio and San Pantaleo. Its economy is based on agriculture (wine and olive oil). The name "Dolianova" has obscure origins. It is thought to be related to the Latin "Pars Olea" (Place of Oil).

Dolianova (sardinsky: "Patiòlla") je italská obec ("comune") v provincii Sud Sardegna v regionu Sardinie. Nachází se ve výšce 212 metrů nad mořem a má obyvatel. Rozloha obce je 84,31 km2.


Geography.

The Malagarasi is the second-longest river in Tanzania, at.  The source of the river is near the Tanzania-Burundi border. The first of the river form the international boundary between Tanzania and Burundi. Several tributaries from the Burundi highlands join its right bank. After the confluence with the Lumpungu River, the Malagarasi enters Tanzania, makes a circle and empties into the eastern side of Lake Tanganyika about south of Kigoma, near Ilagala. It is one of the lake's primary inflows. Moyowosi River is the principal tributary, along with its affluent the Nikongo River; other tributaries include Ugalla River, Gombe River, Ruchugi River, Lumpungu River, and Nguya River. It is characterized as a low stream river, and its drainage includes four biotopes: swampy areas, river channels, a flowing river with a few moderate rapids, and a large double-branched delta.  The flow of the river ranges dramatically between the annual cycle of wet and dry seasons, and at times may be susceptible to flooding or reduced to a small stream; flow is also affected by local agriculture and deforestation which increase the level of sediments within the river. At Mberagule, the flow of the river has been gauged to be 6.9 cubic kilometers per year. About from the mouth, the river flows through the Moyowosi swamplands, an area of "extensive swamps and floodplains" and a "marshy labyrinth". It passes through the Dodoma Belt, a geological area of Archaean and Proterozoic age Precambrian crystalline rocks.

Watershed.

With a basin area of 130,000 square kilometres (50,000 sq mi), the Malagarasi has the largest watershed of all of the rivers flowing into Lake Tanganyika. The Malagarasi watershed constitutes 30% of the Lake Tanganyika's total watershed area.  The Malagarasi watershed is bounded on the north by the watershed of Lake Victoria, on the east by the closed basin of the Southern Eastern Rift, to the south by the closed basin of Lake Rukwa, and to the east by Lake Tanganyika.  Most of the basin is miombo woodland, with "Brachystegia spiciformis" and "Julbernardia globiflora" as the dominant trees. There are extensive areas of flooded grassland in the central Malagarasi-Moyowosi basin, and along the middle Ugalla River to the southwest.

History.

According to Rosemary Lowe-McConnell, "the Malagarasi and the Rungwa River are assumed to be relict headwaters of the extended pre-rift Zaire system". The Malagarasi pre-dates Lake Tanganyika and was in pre-rift times a tributary of the Congo River to its west. Lake Tanganyika has since said to have "undergone both transgression and regression, depositing new sediments, altering the delta, and changing the course of the river". Over its history, the lake level has altered dramatically between 100 and 200 metres; historical accounts from the late nineteenth century indicate that it was about higher than it is today.

Culture.

Local tribes have nicknamed the Malagarasi as "the river of bad spirits". In the late 19th century, the Wavinza people, who ran the river's ferry service from the left bank, avoided assimilation with the Wanyamwezi people because of the natural barrier formed by the Malagarasi. Also on the other bank were the Wangoni (Watutu Zulus). Henry Morton Stanley, who considered missionaries important to Africa's "civilizing process", stated that missionaries could follow the Malagarasi and participate in "conversion-tours to Uvinza, Uha, and Ugala".

Flora and fauna.

The tree species in the Malagarasi basin include "Albizia gummifera", "Bridelia micrantha", "Cyperus papyrus", "Diospyros mespiliformis", "Ficus sycomorus", "Ficus verruculosa", "Isoberlinia" spp., "Khaya senegalensis", "Parkia filicoidea", "Phoenix reclinata", "Syzygium cordatum", and "Syzygium owariense". The prominent grasses in the valley grasslands are species of "Hyparrhenia", "Themeda", and "Echinochloa".  The Malagarasi sardine ("Mesobola spinifer") is endemic to the river. The Malagarasi contains several fish species which occur in the Congo River Basin but not in Lake Tanganyika. Giant freshwater Mbu pufferfish, however, occur in both the Central and Upper Zaire Basin and the Malagarasi River.

Malagarasi-Muyovozi Wetlands.

The Malagarasi-Muyovozi Wetlands lie in the middle of the basin, at 1200 meters elevation at the confluence of the Malagarasi with the Gombe, Muyovozi, Ugalla, and other tributary rivers. The wetland includes 250,000 ha of dry-season lakes and open water including Sagara and Nyamagoma lakes, and 200,000 ha of permanent papyrus swamp. Seasonally-flooded grasslands on the surrounding floodplain vary seasonally and with annual rainfall, and can cover up to 1.5 million ha.  The papyrus swamps are dominated by the sedge "Cyperus papyrus" and the grass "Oryza barthii". The seasonally-flooded grasslands include "Hyparrhenia rufa" and "Echinochloa pyramidalis", with "Hyparrhenia" dominant in the least-flooded areas, "Echinochloa" in more frequently-flooded areas, and "Vossia" nearest the permanent wetlands.  The middle and upper reaches of the Ugalla River include a seasonally-inudated floodplain 120 km long and up to 50 km wide. The floodplain supports extensive grasslands, dominated by the grasses "Echinochloa haploclada, Themeda triandra, Setaria spp., Andropogon spp., Eragrostis spp., Digitaria spp"., and "Sporobolus" spp. The floodplains include scattered trees including "Combretum fragrans, C. obovatum" and "C. purpureiflorum", groves of the palm "Borassus aethiopum", and small patches of closed-canopy forest on large termite mounds.  Vulnerable and endangered animals in the wetland include Shoebill ("Balaeniceps rex"), Wattled crane ("Bugeranus carunculatus"), African bush elephant "(Loxodonta africana)", Sitatunga ("Tragalephus spekii") and Central African slender-snouted crocodile ("Mecistops leptorhynchus"). The wetlands are home to 50 species of fish, including the Dark stonebasher ("Pollimyrus nigricans") and various endangered, endemic, and food species. Waterbuck ("Kobus ellipsiprymnus") and hippopotamus ("Hippopotamus amphibius") are common in the wetlands. Concerns have been raised over hippo poaching in the river basin by the Wanyahosa people, who prefer the meat over fish.

Protected areas.

The Malagarasi-Muyovozi Wetlands became a designated a Ramsar site on April 13, 2000. It is the country's first Ramsar Site. At it is the world's third-largest Ramsar Site.

The Malagarasi River is a river in western Tanzania, flowing through Kigoma Region, although one of its tributaries comes from southeastern Burundi. It is the second-longest river in Tanzania behind the Rufiji—Great Ruaha, and has the largest watershed of any river flowing into Lake Tanganyika. The Malagarasi-Muyovozi Wetlands are a designated a Ramsar site. Local tribes have nicknamed the Malagarasi as "the river of bad spirits".

Malagarasi je řeka ve východní Africe, která je nejvýznamnějším přítokem jezera Tanganika. Je dlouhá 475 km a je po Rufiji druhou nejdelší řekou Tanzanie, její povodí má rozlohu okolo 130 000 km2.


History.

The 2017 snap election resulted in a hung parliament, with the Conservative Party holding the most seats in the House of Commons, but without an overall majority. The DUP had suggested it would be able to provide a coalition or confidence and supply arrangement depending on negotiations. Theresa May, incumbent Conservative prime minister, announced her intention on 9 June 2017 to form a new minority government with support from the DUP. Both parties have signalled that this support will be in the form of a confidence and supply agreement, rather than a formal coalition. There has been a formal legal challenge, claiming the agreement between the Tories and the DUP contravenes the Good Friday Agreement and the Bribery Act.  On 10 June, a survey of 1,500 ConservativeHome readers found that almost two-thirds of Conservative Party members wanted Theresa May to resign. A YouGov poll of 1,720 adults for the "Sunday Times" had 48% saying Theresa May should resign, with 38% against. A Survation poll of 1,036 adults online for the "Mail on Sunday" had 49% of people wanting her resignation, with 38% against.  On 10 June 2017, 10 Downing Street issued a statement that a Conservative–DUP agreement was reached in principle. A few hours later, the statement was retracted when it was said that it had been "issued in error" and that talks between the Conservative Party and DUP were still ongoing. Former Prime Minister, John Major is concerned that a deal between the Conservatives and DUP could endanger the Northern Irish peace process.  On 11 June 2017, former Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne described May as a "dead woman walking". David Lidington disagrees. Senior Labour politicians stated that they plan to challenge the Conservative minority government early and to put forward alternative policies in the reply to the Queen's Speech. Jeremy Corbyn said he believed there is a majority in parliament for many issues on which Labour "is sympathetic", giving as examples the repeal of the Under-occupancy penalty ('bedroom tax'), and maintaining the triple lock on pensions and the winter fuel allowance. In an interview conducted on 11 June, Corbyn stated that he expected another election to be held within a year.  Michael Gove said the minority government will probably reduce austerity and increase spending on public services. Stephen Bush of the "New Statesman" also expects less austerity. Bush notes if voters feel there is continued austerity in England, Scotland and Wales while the government spends generously in Northern Ireland to maintain the pact with the DUP then the Conservatives may become more unpopular. The 1% pay cap on public sector workers is under review according to 10 Downing Street. and increasing numbers of high ranking Conservatives want to end it.  On the afternoon of 11 June, Theresa May finalised the composition of her cabinet. The senior positions of Chancellor, Foreign Secretary and Home Secretary, as well as the Secretary of State for Exiting the EU, had already been confirmed on 9 June with all four incumbents staying in office. The reshuffle saw prominent Brexiteer MPs, such as Boris Johnson and David Davis, retain their roles, but also resulted in the promotion of Damian Green and David Gauke, politicians who had supported the remain side during the EU referendum. Junior ministerial roles were allocated the following day, with a full list of new ministerial and government appointments confirmed on 12 June.  On 3 July 2017, polls suggested May's popularity had dropped drastically since the election on 8 June. 60% of voters viewed May less favourable than they did during the election, and 20% more disapproved than approved of May: 31% approved her leadership, while 51% disapproved. By 7 July, YouGov gave Labour an eight-point lead over the Conservatives (46% to 38%). A "New Statesman" article maintained a factor in this lead is ONS figures showing household disposable incomes falling faster than at any time since 2011.  May reshuffled her cabinet on 8–9 January 2018.  Amidst the thrice rejection by parliament of the agreement she negotiated to leave the European Union, May announced on 24 May 2019 that she would resign as leader of the Conservative Party on 7 June, though she continued to serve as a caretaker until Boris Johnson was elected leader and asked to form a new government on 24 July 2019.

The Second May ministry was formed on 11 June 2017 after Queen Elizabeth II invited Theresa May to form a government following the June 2017 snap general election. The election resulted in a hung parliament with the Conservative Party losing its majority in the House of Commons. On 9 June 2017, May announced her intention to form a Conservative minority government, reliant on the confidence and supply of the Democratic Unionist Party; a finalised agreement between the two parties was signed and published on 26 June 2017.

Druhá vláda Theresy Mayové byla utvořena 11. června 2017 poté, co britská královna Alžběta II. pověřila vůdkyni Konzervativní strany Theresu Mayovou sestavením vlády po parlamentních volbách v červnu 2017. Konzervativní strana v nich nezískala potřebný počet křesel k sestavení jednobarevného kabinetu, ve výsledku tak vznikla menšinová vláda.


Design and Construction.

The bawu is a free-reed aerophone with a cylindrical bore, made of a tube of bamboo closed off at one end by a natural node. Near the closed end, a small square hole is cut and a thin reed of bronze or copper is fastened, with a low plastic or bone mouthpiece around it. This reed is essentially a very thin sheet of metal with a long and narrow isosceles triangle cut into it, which is bent slightly outwards at rest. When the instrument is blown, this thin triangle moves back and forth rapidly through the space left in the metal sheet from which it was cut, like a swinging door. This vibration sets the air column in the instrument in rapid periodic motion, creating sound. The mouth does not contact the reed. Seven or eight finger-holes are positioned 90 degrees out of line with the reed, though this is adjustable in the common two-piece instruments provided with a metal tenon. The bawu typically has a range of an eleventh: on an instrument in "G" (according to Chinese custom the note with three upper finger holes down) this range is from B to E. The range is often misreported as a ninth, omitting two underblown notes. Instruments with mechanical keys are available (usually not in natural bamboo whose irregular shape would complicate construction), which expands the range upwards, or upwards and downwards a few notes. For a diatonic scale, the lower two notes are in the fundamental mode of the reed, and the rest of the range is overblown, exciting the vibratory mode of the resonating pipe. The lowest scale degree, and the lowest overblown note are a minor third apart and fingered the same way; this unusually narrow overblowing behavior suggests the instrument has some irregular overtones outside of the standard harmonic series.  The lowest part of the bawu range is very rich in upper harmonics, the lowest of which have amplitudes almost equivalent to that of the fundamental frequency. This results in a rather buzzing timbre that is vaguely harmonica-like and in terms of sound spectrum very typical of free-reed instruments. As successively higher notes are fingered, the upper harmonics are gradually extinguished; the even harmonics are disproportionately affected, resulting in an odd-harmonic-dominated sound in the upper range similar to the clarinet both in terms of spectrum characteristics and subjective tone color. The underblown notes are close to the fundamental frequency of the reed, but the overblown notes are slightly sharp of the fundamental frequency of the air column, suggesting relatively complex acoustics.  The player can initiate sound by either inhaling or exhaling, similar to the "sheng." However, the upper notes will not speak and some of the lower notes are out of tune when inhaling.  This design is very similar to the Thai Pi so, common in "piphat" ensembles.

The bawu (; also ba wu) is a Chinese wind instrument. Although shaped like a flute, it is actually a free reed instrument, with a single metal reed. It is played in a transverse (horizontal) manner. It has a pure, clarinet-like timbre and its playing technique incorporates the use of much ornamentation, particularly bending tones.

Pa-wu () je čínský dechový nástroj. Pa-wu patří mezi tradiční lidové hudební nástroje jihočínských menšin jako jsou Tajové, Chaniové, Waové, Blangové, Miaové a Iové. Nejčastěji tento nástroj můžeme nalézt v povodí Rudé řeky, v Jü-si, S’-mao, Lin-cchangu, Te-chungu a v oblastech jižní provincie Jün-nan. Vzhledem pa-wu připomíná flétnu, ale na rozdíl od flétny se jedná o plátkový nástroj.