Background and production.

In 1998, Minogue was dropped from her label Deconstruction following the poor commercial performance of her sixth studio album "Impossible Princess". She instead signed on to Parlophone and released her seventh studio album "Light Years". The disco and Europop-inspired album was a critical and commercial success, and was later certified four times-platinum in Minogue's native country Australia for shipment of 280,000 units, and platinum in the UK for shipment of 300,000 units. "Spinning Around" was released as the lead single off the album and was a commercial success, attaining a platinum certification in Australia for shipment of 70,000 units, and a silver certification in the United Kingdom for shipment of 200,000 units. She promoted the album by embarking on the On a Night Like This tour.  Soon after, Minogue began work on her eighth studio album "Fever". On the album, she collaborated with producers and writers such as British singer-songwriter Cathy Dennis, who co-wrote two songs out of the three she co-produced, Rob Davis, who co-produced and co-wrote three songs, and Richard Stannard and Julian Gallagher, who co-produced and co-wrote six songs ("Love at First Sight", "In Your Eyes", "Love Affair", "Boy", Rendezvous at Sunset,and "Music Will Always Love You"). In the vein of "Light Years", "Fever" is a disco and dance-pop album that contains elements of adult contemporary and club music. The album was recorded at studios such as the Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin, Hutch Studios in Chicago, Olympic Studios in London and Stella Studios.

Musical styles and lyrical content.

"Fever" is primarily a dance-pop album, with prominent elements of 1970s-influenced disco and Europop. Jacqueline Hodges from BBC Music wrote that the album is not "pure pop", and is rather characterized by a more adventurous dance-oriented sound. "NME" critic Alex Needham identified a "filter disco effect", described as "the one that sounds like you've gone under water and then ecstatically come up for air," working on various songs on the album. Needham saw "Fever" as an "update" from the "frothy disco" of "Light Years". Songs like the opening track "More More More" and closing track "Burning Up" are examples of the disco-influenced production of the album. The former is an uptempo song with a "funky" bassline, while the latter was described as a "slow burn" disco song. Teen pop elements appear on songs like "Love at First Sight", which begins with an electric piano intro, and the "aggressive" "Give It to Me". The lead single "Can't Get You Out of My Head" is a "robotic" midtempo dance and disco song. Many critics felt that various songs on the album, particularly "Come into My World", are similar to "Can't Get You Out of My Head". The title track and "Dancefloor" draw influences from synthpop and club music, respectively. "In Your Eyes" contains hints of disco and techno music. Minor influences of ambient music surface on the "atmospheric" "Fragile". Minogue's vocal delivery ranges from "sensuous" (in "More More More") to "sweet" (in "Your Love"). The latter track contains instrumentation from an acoustic guitar. Jason Thompson from PopMatters commented that Minogue "knows how to express herself through irresistible melodies and seductive emoting", such as on the title track, which makes use of "suggestive panting". Unlike Minogue's previous studio efforts, "Fever" does not contain any ballads.  The lyrical content of "Fever" chiefly focuses on themes of love and enjoyment. Thompson described the album to be "all about dancing, fucking, and having a good time". In the song "Love at First Sight", Minogue describes how she fell in love with her partner at "first sight" and how it led to good things happening for her. "Can't Get You Out of My Head" was termed a "mystery" as the singer never mentions who her object of desire in the song is. Lynskey Dorian from "The Guardian" suggested that Minogue refers to either "a partner, an evasive one-night stand or someone who doesn't know she exists" as her obsession. The production of "Give It to Me" contrasts with its lyrics: Minogue urges her partner to "slow down," but the beat "goes in the opposite direction and tells your body to push it a little more on the dance floor." The lyrics of "Fragile" are simple and aim directly at the "[listener's] heart". "Come into My World" is a "plea for love" as Minogue invites her partner into her life. On the other hand, "Dancefloor" focuses on issues like dealing with an end of a relationship, with Minogue celebrating a break-up by "lose[ing] it in the music".

Release and artwork.

"Fever" was released by Parlophone on 1 October 2001, in Australia, the United Kingdom, and other European countries. In the United States, the album was released by Capitol Records on 26 February 2002, and was Minogue's first album to be released in the country since her second studio album "Enjoy Yourself" (1989). Thus, Minogue was reintroduced to the US after nearly 13 years of inactivity in the region. A special edition of the album, containing a previously unreleased track entitled "Whenever You Feel Like It", was released on 19 November 2002.  Minogue's close friend and stylist William Baker, collaborated with graphic designer Tony Hung to create the artwork's concept of electro-minimalism. On the cover, which was photographed by Vincent Peters, Minogue is seen "bound by a microphone cord, literally tied to her craft" and dressed in white leotard designed by Fee Doran, under the label of Mrs Jones, and shoes made by Manolo Blahnik. In her 2012 fashion retrospective book "Kylie / Fashion", Minogue commented on the album's theme, saying: "The whole campaign was so strong, sure, ice cool. Willie's [William's] styling was incredible and [Peters'] photography made for a second amazing album cover with him." A new cover was issued for the US version of the album and features a close-up of Minogue biting on a bracelet. The US version cover also served as one of two CD single covers for second single of the album, "In Your Eyes".

Promotion.

Singles.

"Can't Get You Out of My Head" was released as the lead single from the album on 17 September 2001. The song was well received by music critics, many of whom complimented its vibe and danceability. Commercially, the single was a massive success and peaked at number one on the charts of every European country (except Finland) and Australia. The song was released in the United States in 18 February 2002 and managed to peak at number seven on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart, becoming Minogue's best selling single in the region since "The Locomotion". It was certified triple-platinum in Australia for shipment of 210,000 units, platinum in the United Kingdom for shipment of 600,000 units, and gold in the United States for shipment of 500,000 units. An accompanying music video for the single was directed by Dawn Shadforth and features Minogue and a number of backup dancers dancing in various futuristic backdrops. "In Your Eyes" was released as the second single of the album on 18 February 2002, except in the United States, where "Can't Get You Out of My Head" had just been released. It received generally positive reviews from music critics and was praised for its house influences. It became the second consecutive single from the album to peak atop the Australian Singles Chart. The song was also commercially successful internationally and peaked in the top ten of charts in countries like Italy, Finland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. It was certified gold in Australia for sales of 35,000 units, and silver in the United Kingdom for sales of 200,000 units. An accompanying music video for the song was again directed by Shadforth, and features Minogue performing a dance routine and striking various poses in a colourful neon-lighted room.  "Love at First Sight" was released as the third single from the album on 10 June 2002. It received positive reviews from music critics, with many favouring its production. The song was a commercial success and peaked in the top ten of charts in countries like Australia, Denmark, Italy, New Zealand and United Kingdom. The song was remixed by Ruff and Jam and this version was released in the United States, where it managed to chart at number 23 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart. It was certified gold in Australia for sales of 35,000 units and in New Zealand for sales of 7,500 units. An accompanying music video for the single was directed by Johan Renck and features Minogue dancing in a futuristic environment sporting cargo pants and teal eyeshadow. The song was later nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording in 2003, becoming Minogue's first Grammy nomination.  A re-recorded remixed version of "Come into My World" was released as the fourth and final single off the album on 11 November 2002. It generated a favourable response from music critics, who enjoyed its lyrical content. Commercially, the single performed fairly well and peaked in the top 10 in Australia, Belgium (French-speaking Wallonia region), and the United Kingdom. In the United States, the song peaked at number 91 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart. It received a gold certification in Australia for sales of 35,000 units. An accompanying music video for the song was directed by Michel Gondry and features Minogue strolling around a busy street in Paris, France; every time she completes a full circle, a duplicate of her appears through one of the stores, and by the end of the video there are four Minogues present together.

Tour.

Minogue launched the KylieFever2002 concert tour to promote the album. The tour was split in seven acts and "Can't Get You Out of My Head", "Come into My World", "Fever", "In Your Eyes", "Love at First Sight" and "Burning Up" were the songs from the album to be included on the setlist. For the performances, Minogue wore "skimpy" and skin-tight outfits, and was often seen wearing a glittering silver bikini and skirt coupled with silver boots. The outfits were designed by Italian luxury industry fashion house Dolce and Gabbana, and Minogue went through a total of eight costume changes during the tour. The performances that took place at the Manchester Evening News Arena, England, were filmed for inclusion in the live DVD for the concert tour entitled "", which was released on 18 November 2002. The DVD was certified platinum in Canada for sales of 10,000 units, gold in Germany for sales of 25,000 units, and double-platinum in the United Kingdom for shipments of 100,000 units.

Critical reception.

"Fever" received generally favourable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, "Fever" received an average score of 68 based on 15 reviews, indicating "generally favourable reviews". Jason Thompson from "PopMatters" gave the album an extremely positive review and praised the conception and production of the album, calling it a "perfect album of gorgeous dance music" and claiming that "there probably won't be a better album like it all year long". Chris True from AllMusic also gave it an acclaimed review and enjoyed the simple disco and dancepop music of the album, saying that there is "not one weak track, not one misplaced syrupy ballad to ruin the groove". Alex Needham from "NME" positively reviewed the album and noted that while the album lacks depth, it is "as effervescent as a foot spa" and that through the album, Minogue "shows the upstarts how it's done". Dominique Leone from "Pitchfork" gave it a favourable review and praised its simple and "comfortable" composition, terming it a "mature sound from a mature artist, and one that may very well re-establish Minogue for the VH1 generation".  Alexis Petridis from "The Guardian" praised the commercial nature of the album and called it "a mature pop album only in that it's aimed at the boozy girl's night out rather than the school disco". Jacqueline Hodges favoured the album's consistency and complimented its commercial prospect, predicting that the album is "going to sell bucket loads". Jim Farber from "Entertainment Weekly" labelled the album "the best guilty-pleasure retro-dance smash since Eiffel 65's "Blue"", but felt that Minogue "milks the formula (of "Can't Get You Out of My Head") dry on the album". Michael Hubbard from MusicOMH enjoyed the fun nature of the album and said that "if you want something to drive to, dance to, play at a house party or cheer your workmates up with, "Fever" is for you". Sal Cinquemani from "Slant Magazine" gave the album a negative review, criticizing Minogue's "painfully precise" vocals and the album's monotony.

Commercial performance.

In Minogue's native country Australia, "Fever" entered at number one on the Australian Albums Chart on the week of 21 October 2001, and spent a total of five weeks in the position. In this region, "Fever" was certified seven-times platinum for shipments of 490,000 units by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The success of the album in Australia was such that it was listed in the top-ten highest selling albums of the country in both 2001 and 2002, appearing at numbers five and four, respectively. It also became the best selling dance album in the country in both 2001 and 2002. In the United Kingdom, "Fever" entered at number one on the UK Albums Chart on the week of 13 October 2001, spending a total of two weeks in the position. The album spent a total of 70 weeks inside the top 40 of the chart. In this region, the album was certified five-times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry for shipments of 1,500,000 units.  The album achieved similar success in other regions. In Austria, the album entered at number one on the Austrian Albums Chart and spent a total of 29 weeks on the chart. In this territory, it was certified platinum for sales of 15,000 units by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. In Denmark, the album entered and peaked at number four on the Danish Albums Chart and spent one week at this position. In this region, it was certified gold by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. In France, the album entered the French Albums Chart at number 51 and peaked at number 21, spending a total of three weeks at this position. In this region, the album was certified platinum for sales of 100,000 units by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. In Germany, the album peaked at number one on the German Albums Chart for two weeks. In this region, it was certified platinum by the Federal Association of Music Industry for shipments of 200,000 units. In Ireland, the album entered the Irish Albums Chart at number two and peaked at number one, spending a total of one week on this position. In New Zealand, the album entered and peaked at number three on the New Zealand Albums Chart, spending a total of one week at this position. In this region, the album was certified double-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand for shipments of 30,000 units. In Switzerland, the album entered the Swiss Albums Chart at number 12 and peaked at number three, spending a total of one week in the position. In this territory, the album was certified double-platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry for sales of 40,000 units.  In the United States, the album sold 115,000 copies in its first-week and debuted at number three on the "Billboard" 200 chart, becoming Minogue's highest charting album in the region till date. In this region, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments of 1,000,000 units. In Canada, the album peaked at number 10 on the Canadian Albums Chart and spent a total of two weeks on the chart. In this region, the album was certified double-platinum for shipments of 200,000 units by Music Canada. "Fever" has sold over 6 million copies worldwide.

Impact and legacy.

Following its release, "Fever" reportedly sold over six million copies worldwide, becoming Minogue's highest selling album, as of today. The album's lead single "Can't Get You Out of My Head" peaked atop charts in 40 countries and sold more than six million copies worldwide, becoming Minogue's highest selling single to date and one of the best-selling singles of all time. The song is notable for being Minogue's biggest and strongest commercial breakthrough in the United States, a region in which Minogue previously had managed to achieve little success. It is also considered to be Minogue's signature song. Due to the single's commercial impact, the album enjoyed similar success in the United States and earned Minogue her only platinum album certification in the region. According to the IFPI, "Fever" was the thirtieth best-selling album globally in the year 2002.  "Fever" is considered to be a prominent example of Minogue's constant "reinventions". The image she adopted during this period was described by Baker as "slick, minimalist and postmodern", and it was seen as a step forward from the "camp-infused" tone of "Light Years". Larissa Dubecki from "The Age" used the term "nu-disco diva" to describe Minogue during this period. Andy Battaglia from "The A.V. Club" opined that Minogue's public image and her persona in her music videos "presented herself as a mechanical muse whose every gesture snapped and locked into place with the sound of a vacuum seal". He further remarked that the singer's "hygienic coo summoned a cool sort of cyborg soul, and her videos showed her gliding through sleek futurescapes, tonguing the sweet-and-sour tang of a techno kiss". Adrien Begrand from PopMatters felt that the simplicity of the album made it a "classy piece of work" and commented that Minogue's experience and choice of collaborators resulted in "the thirtysomething Minogue upstaging soulless, brainless music by younger American pop tarts like Britney [Spears] and Christina [Aguilera]". Robbie Daw from Idolator pointed out that Britney Spear's recording of her 2004 hit "Toxic", Madonna's comeback album "Confessions on a Dance Floor" (2005), Paris Hilton's musical debut "Paris" (2006), and radio stations' shift towards playing "more groove-oriented sounds" all followed the release of "Fever", although he admitted that "we have no way of knowing whether Kylie Minogue's eighth studio album was directly responsible for these pop happenings". Chris True from AllMusic, in his biography of Minogue, commented that the release of the album and lead single "Can't Get You Out of My Head" cemented her position as an international music icon, saying "Her place in pop music history would be consolidated in 2001, and she would be reintroduced to America after more than a decade as well". "Fever" also brought Minogue a number of accolades and award nominations. At the 2002 ARIA Music Awards ceremony, the album won the awards for Best Pop Release and Highest Selling Album, and garnered a nomination in the category of Album of the Year. At the same ceremony, "Can't Get You Out of My Head" won the awards for Single of the Year and Highest Selling Single, and Minogue won the Outstanding Achievement Award. At the 2002 Brit Awards ceremony, "Fever" won the award for Best International Album, while Minogue was nominated for Best International Female Solo Artist and Best Pop Act, winning the former. At the 2002 MTV Europe Music Awards ceremony, the album was nominated for Best Album; Minogue was nominated for Best Female Act, Best Dance Act, and Best Pop Act, winning the latter two. During this period, Minogue earned her first Grammy Award nomination when "Love at First Sight" was nominated in the category of Best Dance Recording at the 2003 award ceremony, although it lost to British electronic band Dirty Vegas's song "Days Go By". She eventually won a Grammy Award when "Come into My World" was nominated in the same category at the 2004 award ceremony. It marked the first time an Australian music artist had won an award in a major category at the American award show since Australian rock band Men at Work won the award for Best New Artist in 1982. The song is Minogue's only Grammy award-winning song to this date. In 2015, "Fever" was ranked 34th on "The 99 Greatest Dance Albums of All Time" by "Vice" magazine.

Personnel.

Credits adapted from the liner notes of "Fever".

Fever is the eighth studio album by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. It was released on 1 October 2001 internationally by Parlophone and later launched in the United States on 26 February 2002 by Capitol Records. Minogue worked with writers and producers such as Cathy Dennis, Rob Davis, Richard Stannard, Julian Gallagher, TommyD, Tom Nichols, Pascal Gabriel and others to create a disco and Europop-influenced dance-pop album. Other musical influences of the album range from synth-pop to club music.

Fever je osmé album australské zpěvačky Kylie Minogue vydané 1. října 2001 labely Parlophone a Capitol Records. Zpěvačka začala na albu pracovat v roce 2001 se skladateli a producenty, jako je Cathy Dennis, Rob Davis a Tom Nichols. Albu se dostalo od kritiků většinou kladného ohlasu. Po svém vydání dosáhlo první příčky v Austrálii, Rakousku, Německu, Irsku a Velké Británii.


Playing career.

Australia and Czech Republic.

Walker began playing hockey at age six and by thirteen he was in a league with players as old as twenty and able to outplay them. During the 2007 season he played in both the under-14 and under-16 leagues. During 14 U14 games he recorded 77 goals and 25 assists for 102 points, a record for the league; the second leading scorer had 70 points in 24 games. Walker had similar numbers in the U16 league; he scored 69 points in 16 games to again lead the league in scoring, with the second highest total being 53 points in 20 games.  As Walker was dominating the local competition, he began to look for other options. In 2007 his coach Ivan Manco, who came from Slovakia, arranged for Walker to tryout for HC Vítkovice in the Czech Republic, where Manco knew one of the coaches. Walker impressed the team enough to be given a place on their under-18 junior team. In 2009–10 he recorded 42 points in 28 games for the U18 team and earned a chance to play for the U20 team. He also returned to Australia during the Czech offseason and played for the Sydney Ice Dogs of the Australian Ice Hockey League.  On 9 October 2011, Walker made his debut for the senior HC Vítkovice club in the Czech Extraliga, making him the first Australian to play professionally in Europe; he was also the youngest player in the Extraliga. HC Vítkovice was invited to the 2011 Spengler Cup and in their first game against Canada Walker scored the only goal for Vítkovice. He became the youngest player to score in Spengler Cup history and was named player of the game for Vítkovice. With the conclusion of the 2011–12 Czech Extraliga season, HC Vítkovice loaned Walker to HC Olomouc of the 1. národní hokejová liga, the second-highest league in the Czech Republic, on 20 February 2012. Walker played 34 games in his first season in the Extraliga, scoring four goals and five assists for nine points. He played a further two games with HC Olomouc, recording an assist.  As a result of his play in the Extraliga, Walker began to be noticed by the National Hockey League (NHL). In the NHL Central Scouting Bureau's January 2012 list of draft prospects, Walker was listed as the 21st best European-based skater for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, the second highest Czech-based player on the list. Walker was listed as the 25th best European skater in the NHL's final list of prospects for the 2012 Entry Draft. He was not selected in the Entry Draft, but was invited to participate in the Washington Capitals development camp in July; however NHL rules required that Walker participate in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft before he was able to sign with any team.

North America.

During the 2012–13 season Walker appeared in twenty games with HC Vítkovice and recorded one assist; he was loaned to Hokej Šumperk 2003 for three games, where he also had one assist. After six years in the Czech Republic, Walker signed a contract on 8 January 2013 with the Youngstown Phantoms of the United States Hockey League, a junior ice hockey league in the United States. He made his debut for the team on 11 January against the Chicago Steel, recording a goal. After four games with the Phantoms, in which he recorded six points, Walker was named to the USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game on 23 January 2013; he replaced his teammate, who was ill. Walker played 29 games for the Phantoms during the regular season and recorded 27 points (7 goals, 20 assists). His 20 assists were good enough for fifth on the team, even though Walker only joined the team midway through the season. His season ended early due to an injury suffered in a game on 5 April where Walker broke a bone in his neck as a result of a hit from behind; as a result he missed all the Phantoms playoff games.  Upon the conclusion of the season Walker returned to the Czech Republic to train, before heading back to Australia. In July he was invited to once again attend the Capitals development camp, scheduled for September. He performed well enough to remain with the team and attend their full training camp as one of 40 players. However, due to an overlooked rule, the Capitals were unable to sign Walker; as he had started the 2012–13 season in Europe and then moved to North America, and was under 20 years old, he would have to enter the 2014 NHL Entry Draft before being allowed to sign an NHL contract. Instead, on 24 September Walker signed a contract with the Capitals' American Hockey League affiliate, the Hershey Bears. He made his debut for the Bears on 5 October 2013 against the Adirondack Phantoms, becoming the first Australian to play in the AHL. During Walker's third game with the Bears, on October 27 against the Norfolk Admirals, he scored his first goal and recorded his first professional fight.  The 2014 NHL Entry Draft was the third and final NHL draft that Walker was eligible for, and he was selected in the third round, 89th overall, by the Capitals. In doing so, Walker became the first Australian to be selected in an NHL draft. On 25 July 2014, Walker was signed to a three-year entry-level contract with the Capitals. Partway through the 2014–2015 season Walker was reassigned to the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL. After a two-game stint with the Stingrays, where he recorded two points, Walker was brought back to Hershey. Reassigned to South Carolina again in January, Walker was injured in a game on 28 January when he tore his ACL, ending his season. At the time of the injury Walker had appeared in 28 games for the Bears, where he scored 4 points, and a further 6 games for the Stingrays, also recording 4 points. His production improved in 2015–16, as he finished with 17 goals and 41 points for the Bears. Walker was awarded the Bears' team awards for the Most Improved Player, Unsung Hero, and was also named the team's Man of the Year for his community involvement. He played 58 games for Hershey in 2016–17, recording 23 points and was re-signed by the Capitals to a two-year contract after the season finished.  Walker made the Capitals' opening night roster for the 2017–18 season, and made his NHL debut on 7 October, the Capitals' home opener against the Montreal Canadiens. Walker scored his first NHL goal that night; it was initially thought that the goal was scored by Devante Smith-Pelly, but upon further review, Smith-Pelly's shot had been deflected by Walker. His parents and brother flew in from Australia to witness his debut. On 30 November, Walker was put on waivers by the Capitals. The next day he was claimed by the Edmonton Oilers. On 19 December, the Oilers placed Walker on waivers, and was then re-claimed off waivers by the Capitals the day after. Walker made his playoff debut during Game six of the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins, becoming the first Australian to play and record a point in the NHL playoffs. Walker would later go on to win the Stanley Cup with the Capitals, to become the first Welsh or Australian hockey player to win the Stanley Cup. However, Walker did not qualify to have his name on the trophy as he did not meet the games-played requirement.  After six seasons within the Capitals organization, Walker left as a free agent to sign on a one-year, two-way contract with the St. Louis Blues on 1 July 2019. Walker again spent most of the season in the AHL (this time with the San Antonio Rampage), but also played in five NHL games, scoring his first goal as a Blue on 30 November against the Pittsburgh Penguins and an assist against the Chicago Blackhawks three days later. He was returned to the AHL on 12 December.

International play.

Welsh born Walker first played for the Australian men's senior team at the 2011 IIHF World Championship Division II Group A tournament which was held in Melbourne, Australia. Australia won the tournament and was promoted to Division I Group B for the 2012 World Championships. Walker finished the tournament with four goals and two assists for six points, tied for third overall. He was also recognised by the tournament coaches as the best player on the Australian team.  Walker represented Australia again at the 2012 World Championships. Playing in Division IB, Australia finished last in the group and was relegated to Division IIA for 2013. Walker scored two goals during the tournament.

Personal life.

Walker was born in Cardiff, Wales to Wayne and Ceri; he also has an older brother, Ryan. When Walker was two, his family moved to Sydney, Australia where he started at Kirrawee High School. Wayne played rugby league, leading to Nathan playing for the Cronulla Sharks junior team until the age of 15. Ryan, his older brother, also played hockey representing Australia in the national under-18 squad. Ryan had to quit hockey after he was injured during a game in the United States. While in the Czech Republic Walker learned to speak Czech, Slovak, and some Russian.  Walker first played ice hockey in Australia at the age of six, after watching his older brother Ryan play. Due to a lack of ice hockey broadcasting in Australia, Walker was also inspired after watching "The Mighty Ducks" film series and "Mystery, Alaska", all of which are based around ice hockey. A trip to Toronto for a hockey tournament further helped develop his interest in the game, as both Walker and his brother visited the Hockey Hall of Fame and purchased DVDs of the sport.

Nathan Walker (born 7 February 1994) is a Welsh born Australian professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing under contract to the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). Walker, who was born in Wales, grew up in Australia and first played ice hockey there. He moved to the Czech Republic in 2007 in order to further his career, and joined the junior program of HC Vítkovice, a member of the Czech Extraliga. He first played for the senior team in 2011, becoming the first Australian ice hockey player to play for a professional senior team in Europe. Along with HC Vítkovice, Walker was loaned to several lower-level Czech teams.

Nathan Walker (* 7. února 1994) je australský lední hokejista, který v letech 2011-2012 nastupoval v české nejvyšší soutěži za tým HC Vítkovice Steel. Přes svůj mladý věk již úspěšně reprezentoval v seniorské reprezentaci Austrálie. Nyní hraje v American Hockey League v týmu Hershey Bears.


History.

1858–1892.

The order was founded by royal grand-ducal decree on 31 March 1858 by King-Grand Duke William III. The sovereignty of the order was to be shared between both branches of the House of Nassau, under an agreement between William III, King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Adolphe, Duke of Nassau and future Grand Duke of Luxembourg. The order originally included only one grade (i.e. "Knight"), but this was increased to four by William III in 1873: The further rank of Commander (in between 2 and 3) was introduced in 1882.

1892–present.

None of the changes made by William III were confirmed by Adolphe, with whom the order was supposed to be shared, and Adolphe refused to award any of the new grades. When William III died without a male heir, the grand duchy of Luxembourg passed to Adolphe, as dictated by the Nassau Family Pact. Two years later, he abolished the grades that William III had created unilaterally and, to this day, the order has maintained just one grade, that of Knight. In 1905, Adolphe agreed with Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands to once again share sovereignty of the order between both ruling branches of the House of Nassau.  At the present time, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg are joint Grand Masters of the Order of the Gold Lion of Nassau.  The order is conferred only on rare occasions in the Netherlands or Luxembourg. For example, the former Dutch Foreign Secretaries Max van der Stoel and Pieter Kooijmans were made knights of this order by the Queen of the Netherlands. In 1999, the two Grand Masters made the South African President Nelson Mandela a knight during his state visit to the Netherlands (see Nelson Mandela awards).

Insignia.

A knight wears the order's badge on a sash on the right shoulder, and the plaque (breast star) of the order on the left chest.

Award criteria.

"Honorary distinctions of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg":  "The Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau can be conferred on sovereigns and on princes of sovereign houses and, nowadays, also on heads of state, for meritorious service to the Grand Duke and country. The bestowal of the insignia is carried out by the Grand Duke or his specially appointed official representative. The brevet is awarded in agreement with the head of the Ottonian branch of the House of Nassau (The Netherlands)."

Princes and Princesses of the House of Nassau.

Princes who are sons or brothers of the heads of the two lines of the House of Nassau are born knights of the order. In 1984, Queen Beatrix and Grand Duke Jean made an agreement that princesses (daughters of the heads of the two lines of the House of Nassau) may be admitted when they reach the age of majority (18).  On 16 February 2009, Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg received the order on her 18th birthday. Now that King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands is the head of the Dutch branch, his daughters Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange, Princess Alexia of the Netherlands and Princess Ariane of the Netherlands are also entitled to receive the order on their 18th birthday.

The Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau (, ) is a chivalric order shared by the two branches of the House of Nassau (the Ottonian and Walramian lines).

Nassavský domácí řád zlatého lva (francouzsky "Ordre du Lion d'Or de la Maison de Nassau", nizozemsky "Huisorde van de Gouden Leeuw van Nassau") je rytířský řád udělovaný dvěma větvemi (Ottonská a Walramská) Nassavské dynastie, která vládne v Nizozemí a Lucembursku.


History.

The Caribs are believed to have migrated from the Orinoco River area in South America to settle in the Caribbean islands about 1200 AD, according to carbon dating. Over the two centuries leading up to Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Caribbean archipelago in 1492, the Caribs mostly displaced the Maipurean-speaking Taínos by warfare, extermination, and assimilation. The Taíno had settled the island chains earlier in history, migrating from the mainland.  Caribs traded with the Eastern Taíno of the Caribbean Islands.  The Caribs produced the silver products which Ponce de Leon found in Taíno communities. None of the insular Amerindians mined for gold but obtained it by trade from the mainland. The Caribs were skilled boat builders and sailors. They appeared to have owed their dominance in the Caribbean basin to their mastery of warfare.  According to Floyd, "The question arose in Columbus's time whether Indians could be enslaved and Queen Isabel had ruled against it. At about the same time, however, Ojeda, Bastidas, and other explorers voyaging along the Spanish Main had been attacked by Indians with poisoned arrows - all such Indians were considered Caribs - which took a considerable toll of Spanish lives. These attacks and the evidence some of the perpetrators, at least, were cannibals, provided the rationale for the decree authorizing enslavement of Caribs." On 3 June 1511, king Ferdinand declared war on the Caribs. Island Caribs nevertheless mostly succeeded in keeping their islands unoccupied by Spaniards.  In the 17th century, Island Caribs were displaced with a great loss of life by a new wave of European invaders: French and English. Most fatalities resulted from Eurasian infectious diseases such as smallpox, which they had no natural immunity to, as well as warfare.  In 1660, France and England signed with Island Caribs the Treaty of Saint Charles that stipulated that Caribs would evacuate all the Lesser Antilles except for Dominica and Saint Vincent, which were recognised as reserves. However, the English would later ignore the treaty and ended up annexing both islands in 1763. To this date, a small population of around 3,000 Caribs survives in the Carib Territory in northeast Dominica. Chief Kairouane and his men from Grenada jumped off of the “Leapers Hill" rather than face slavery under the French invaders and have served as an iconic representation of the Carib spirit of resistance.  The 'Black Caribs' (later known as "carifuna") of St. Vincent (St. Vincent has some "Yellow Caribs" as well) were descended from a group of enslaved Africans who were marooned from shipwrecks of slave ships, as well as slaves who escaped here. They intermarried with the Carib and formed the last native culture to resist the British. It was not until 1795 that British colonists deported the Black Caribs to Roatan Island, off Honduras. Their descendants continue to live there today and are known as the Garifuna ethnic group. Carib resistance delayed the settlement of Dominica by Europeans. The Black Carib communities that remained in St. Vincent and Dominica retained a degree of autonomy well into the 19th century.

People.

The Kalinago of Dominica maintained their independence for many years by taking advantage of the island's rugged terrain. The island's east coast includes a territory formerly known as the Carib Territory that was granted to the people by the British Crown in 1903. There are only 3,000 Caribs remaining in Dominica. They elect their own chief. In July 2003, the Kalinago observed 100 Years of Territory. In July 2014, Charles Williams was elected Kalinago Chief, who succeeded Chief Garnette Joseph.  Several hundred Carib descendants live in the U. S. Virgin Islands, St. Kitts & Nevis, Antigua & Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Grenada, Trinidad and St. Vincent. "Black Caribs," the descendants of the mixture of Africans live in St. Vincent whose total population is unknown. Some ethnic Carib communities remain on the American mainland, in countries such as Guyana and Suriname in South America, and Belize in Central America. The size of these communities varies widely.  During the beginning of 20th century, the Island Carib population in St. Vincent was greater than the one in Dominica. Both the Island Caribs (Yellow Caribs) and the Black Caribs (Garifuna) fought against the British during the Second Carib War. However, the British deported only the Garifuna (entire population of 4,338, of which around 55% died of Yellow fever), while the Island Caribs were allowed to stay (102 in total, of which only 80 survived the war). The 1812 eruption of La Soufrière destroyed the Carib territory killing a majority of the Yellow Caribs. After the eruption 130 Yellow Caribs and 59 Black Carbis survived on St. Vincent. Unable to recover from the damage caused by the eruption, 120 of the Yellow Caribs under Captain Baptiste emigrated to Trinidad. In 1830, the Carib population numbered less than 100. The population made a remarkable recovery after that, although almost the entire tribe died out during the 1902 eruption of La Soufrière.

Religion.

The Caribs are believed to have practiced polytheism. As the Spanish began to colonise the Caribbean area, they wanted to convert the natives to Catholicism. The Caribs destroyed a church of Franciscans in Aguada, Puerto Rico and killed five of its members, in 1579.  Currently, the remaining Kalinago in Dominica practice parts of Catholicism through baptism of children. However, not all practice Christianity. Some Caribs worship their ancestors and believe them to have magical power over their crops. One strong religious belief Caribs possess is that Creoles practice dangerous witchcraft. Creole people are Caribs mixed with those who settled the island. An example of said people are Haitian Creoles, who speak a mix of French and the native Carib language. Many Caribs dislike the impurities that are perceived to be present in the Creole population.

Music.

Garifuna music from the Garifuna people, the descendants of Caribs, Arawak and West African people, is quite different from the music in the rest of Central America. The most famous form is punta. Its associated musical style, which has the dancers move their hips in a circular motion. An evolved form of traditional music, still usually played using traditional instruments, punta has seen some modernization and electrification in the 1970s; this is called punta rock. Traditional punta dancing is consciously competitive. Artists like Pen Cayetano helped innovate modern punta rock by adding guitars to the traditional music, and paved the way for later artists like Andy Palacio, Children of the Most High and Black Coral. Punta was popular across the region, especially in Belize, by the mid-1980s, culminating in the release of "Punta Rockers" in 1987, a compilation featuring many of the genre's biggest stars.  Other forms of Garifuna music and dance include: hungu-hungu, combination, wanaragua, abaimahani, matamuerte, laremuna wadaguman, gunjai, sambai, charikanari, eremuna egi, paranda, berusu, punta rock, teremuna ligilisi, arumahani, and Mali-amalihani. Punta is the most popular dance in Garifuna culture. It is performed around holidays and at parties and other social events. Punta lyrics are usually composed by the women. Chumba and hunguhungu are a circular dance in a three-beat rhythm, which is often combined with punta. There are other songs typical to each gender, women having eremwu eu and abaimajani, rhythmic a cappella songs, and laremuna wadaguman, men's work songs, chumba and hunguhungu, a circular dance in a three-beat rhythm, which is often combined with punta.  Drums play a very important role in Garifuna music. There are primarily two types of drums used: the "primero" (tenor drum) and the "segunda" (bass drum). These drums are typically made of hollowed-out hardwood such as mahogany or mayflower, with the skins coming from the peccary (wild bush pig), deer, or sheep.  Also used in combination with the drums are the "sisera". These shakers are made from the dried fruit of the gourd tree, filled with seeds, then fitted with hardwood handles.  Paranda music developed soon after the Garifunas arrival in Central America. The music is instrumental and percussion-based. The music was barely recorded until the 1990s, when Ivan Duran of Stonetree Records began the Paranda Project.  In contemporary Belize there has been a resurgence of Garifuna music, popularized by musicians such as Andy Palacio, Mohobub Flores, & Adrian Martinez. These musicians have taken many aspects from traditional Garifuna music forms and fused them with more modern sounds. Described as a mixture of punta rock and paranda. One great example is Andy Palacio's album "Watina", and "Umalali: The Garifuna Women's Project", both released on the Belizean record label Stonetree Records.  In the Garifuna culture, there is another dance called Dugu. This dance is a ritual done for a death in the family to pay their respect to their loved ones. In 2001, Garifuna music was proclaimed one of the masterpieces of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity by UNESCO.

Ancestral honor.

The Island Carib word "karibna" meant "person". It became the origin of the English "cannibal". Although, among the Caribs, it was apparently associated with rituals related to the eating of war enemies. There is evidence as to the taking of human trophies and the ritual cannibalism of war captives among both Arawak and other Amerindian groups such as the Carib and Tupinamba.  The Caribs had a tradition of keeping bones of their ancestors in their houses. Missionaries, such as Père Jean Baptiste Labat and Cesar de Rochefort, described the practice as part of a belief that the ancestral spirits would always look after the bones and protect their descendants. The Caribs have been described as vicious and violent people in the history of the people who battled against other tribes. Rochefort stated they did not practice cannibalism.  Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano was killed and said to have been eaten by Carib natives on what is now Guadeloupe (French West Indies) in 1528 (before called "Karukera" by the Amerindian people which means “the island of beautiful waters”), during his third voyage to North America, after exploring Florida, the Bahamas and the Lesser Antilles. Historian William Riviere has described most of the cannibalism as related to war rituals.

Medicine.

The Kalinago is somewhat known for their extensive use of herbs for medicinal practices. Today, a combination of bush medicine and modern medicine is used by the Caribs of Dominica. For example, various fruits and leaves are used to heal common ailments. For a sprain, oils from coconuts, snakes, and bay leaves are used to heal the injury. In Carib history, a more extensive use of plant and animal products were used for medicine, but with modernization and discovery of more effective and safe techniques, more Caribs are seen using local hospitals today.

Kalinago canoe project.

In 1997 Dominica Carib artist Jacob Frederick and Tortola artist Aragorn Dick Read joined forces and set out to build a traditional canoe based on the fishing canoes still used in Dominica, Guadeloupe and Martinique. The project consisted of a return voyage by canoe to the Orinoco delta to meet up with the Kalinago tribes still living in those parts. On the way a cultural assessment was carried out and ties were reestablished with the remaining communities along the island chain. A documentary, "The Quest of the Carib Canoe," was made by the BBC. The expedition sent shock waves through the Lesser Antilles as it made the local governments aware of the presence and the struggles for cultural survival of the Kalinago.

The Island Caribs, also known as the Kalinago or simply Caribs, are an indigenous people of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. They may have been related to the Mainland Caribs (Kalina) of South America, but they spoke an unrelated language known as Island Carib. They also spoke a pidgin language associated with the Mainland Caribs.

Karibové je společný název pro skupinu indiánských etnik, hovořících příbuznými jazyky. Do obecného povědomí se dostali zejména díky kanibalismu, který byl rozšířen u některých karibských kmenů.


Tournament format.

The 24 teams in the tournament were, based on geographical location, divided into four divisions: the West Division, the North Division, the South Division, and the East Division. Each division consisted of 6 teams who played a round-robin in their division, and another three games against teams from the other three divisions (see the Division vs. Division games section), giving a total of 8 games per team. The top two teams of each division qualified for the playoffs, but as Red Bull Salzburg qualified for the playoffs as hosts (i.e. failed to reach one of the top two spots of the East Division), they replaced the worst second ranked team out of all four divisions, which was Eisbären Berlin.  Had at least two teams in the same division ended up tied in points, the following tie-breaker format was used:  As Red Bull Salzburg, who were automatically qualified for the playoffs, failed to reach one of the top two spots of the East Division, the same tie-breaker format was used to determine which second ranked team they would replace, which was Eisbären Berlin.

Regulation round.

West Division.

All times for the games played in Finland are UTC+3, while all times for the other games are UTC+2.

North Division.

South Division.

All times are local (UTC+2).

East Division.

Division vs. Division games.

West Division vs. North Division.

West Division vs. South Division.

Time for the game played in Finland is UTC+3, while all times for the other games are UTC+2.

West Division vs. East Division.

North Division vs. South Division.

All times are local (UTC+2).

North Division vs. East Division.

South Division vs. East Division.

Playoffs.

The playoffs are played as the "Red Bulls Salute" and take place in Salzburg and Vienna between 16–18 December 2011. The teams that lose the quarterfinals play in the classification games. The classification games decide which teams play in the respective games for 7th place and 5th place.

Quarterfinals.

All times are local (UTC+1).

Classification games.

All times are local (UTC+1).

Semifinals.

All times are local (UTC+1).

7th place game.

Time is local (UTC+1).

5th place game.

Time is local (UTC+1).

Bronze medal game.

Time is local (UTC+1).

Gold medal game.

Time is local (UTC+1).

Ranking and statistics.

Final standings.

The final standings of the tournament:

Scoring leaders.

List shows the top skaters sorted by points, then goals. If the list exceeds 10 skaters because of a tie in points, all of the tied skaters are shown. "GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties In Minutes; POS = Position positions: F = Forward; D = Defenceman" Sources: Europeantrophy.com and Eurohockey.com Updated as of the end of the tournament.

Leading goaltenders.

Only the top five goaltenders, based on save percentage, who have played 40% of their team's minutes, are included in this list. "TOI = Time On Ice (minutes:seconds); SA = Shots Against; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; Sv% = Save Percentage; SO = Shutouts" Sources: Europeantrophy.com and Eurohockey.com Updated as of the end of the tournament.

European Star Award leaders.

The "European Star Award" is a three stars award given to the three best players in each game. The first star gets three points, the second gets two points, and the third gets one point. List shows the top ten players based on the number of European Star Award points. "GP = Games played; Pts = Points; POS = Position positions: G = Goaltender; F = Forward; D = Defenceman" Source: Europeantrophy.com Updated as of the end of the tournament.

The 2011 European Trophy was the second European Trophy, a European ice hockey tournament held annually. It was also the sixth tournament since its predecessor, the "Nordic Trophy", was launched in 2006. The regulation round began on 11 August 2011 and ended on 6 September 2011. The playoffs, which took place in Austria, were played between 16–18 December 2011 in the Eisarena Salzburg in Salzburg, and the Albert Schultz Eishalle in Vienna, at the same time as the 2011 Channel One Cup. The playoff hosts, Red Bull Salzburg, won the playoffs and captured their first championship title in the European Trophy tournament, having lost in the quarterfinals last year.

European Trophy 2011 byl druhý ročník evropského hokejového klubového turnaje European Trophy, který byl hrán od 11. srpna do 18. prosince 2011. Základní část v divizích byla hrána od 11. srpna do 4. září 2011 a finálový turnaj postoupivších osmi týmů se konal od 16. do 18. prosince 2011. Finálový turnaj měl název Red Bulls Salute a byl hrán v Rakousku, ve Vídni a v Salcburku.


Algorithm.

A basic variant of the PSO algorithm works by having a population (called a swarm) of candidate solutions (called particles). These particles are moved around in the search-space according to a few simple formulae. The movements of the particles are guided by their own best known position in the search-space as well as the entire swarm's best known position. When improved positions are being discovered these will then come to guide the movements of the swarm. The process is repeated and by doing so it is hoped, but not guaranteed, that a satisfactory solution will eventually be discovered.  Formally, let "f": R → R be the cost function which must be minimized. The function takes a candidate solution as an argument in the form of a vector of real numbers and produces a real number as output which indicates the objective function value of the given candidate solution. The gradient of "f" is not known. The goal is to find a solution a for which "f"(a) ≤ "f"(b) for all b in the search-space, which would mean a is the global minimum.  Let "S" be the number of particles in the swarm, each having a position x ∈ R in the search-space and a velocity v ∈ R. Let p be the best known position of particle "i" and let g be the best known position of the entire swarm. A basic PSO algorithm is then: The values b and b represent the lower and upper boundaries of the search-space respectively. The termination criterion can be the number of iterations performed, or a solution where the adequate objective function value is found. The parameters ω, φ, and φ are selected by the practitioner and control the behaviour and efficacy of the PSO method (below).

Parameter selection.

The choice of PSO parameters can have a large impact on optimization performance. Selecting PSO parameters that yield good performance has therefore been the subject of much research.  The PSO parameters can also be tuned by using another overlaying optimizer, a concept known as meta-optimization, or even fine-tuned during the optimization, e.g., by means of fuzzy logic.  Parameters have also been tuned for various optimization scenarios.

Neighbourhoods and topologies.

The topology of the swarm defines the subset of particles with which each particle can exchange information. The basic version of the algorithm uses the global topology as the swarm communication structure. This topology allows all particles to communicate with all the other particles, thus the whole swarm share the same best position g from a single particle. However, this approach might lead the swarm to be trapped into a local minimum, thus different topologies have been used to control the flow of information among particles. For instance, in local topologies, particles only share information with a subset of particles. This subset can be a geometrical one – for example "the "m" nearest particles" – or, more often, a social one, i.e. a set of particles that is not depending on any distance. In such cases, the PSO variant is said to be local best (vs global best for the basic PSO).  A commonly used swarm topology is the ring, in which each particle has just two neighbours, but there are many others. The topology is not necessarily static. In fact, since the topology is related to the diversity of communication of the particles, some efforts have been done to create adaptive topologies (SPSO, APSO, stochastic star, TRIBES, Cyber Swarm, and C-PSO).

Inner workings.

There are several schools of thought as to why and how the PSO algorithm can perform optimization.  A common belief amongst researchers is that the swarm behaviour varies between exploratory behaviour, that is, searching a broader region of the search-space, and exploitative behaviour, that is, a locally oriented search so as to get closer to a (possibly local) optimum. This school of thought has been prevalent since the inception of PSO. This school of thought contends that the PSO algorithm and its parameters must be chosen so as to properly balance between exploration and exploitation to avoid premature convergence to a local optimum yet still ensure a good rate of convergence to the optimum. This belief is the precursor of many PSO variants, see below.  Another school of thought is that the behaviour of a PSO swarm is not well understood in terms of how it affects actual optimization performance, especially for higher-dimensional search-spaces and optimization problems that may be discontinuous, noisy, and time-varying. This school of thought merely tries to find PSO algorithms and parameters that cause good performance regardless of how the swarm behaviour can be interpreted in relation to e.g. exploration and exploitation. Such studies have led to the simplification of the PSO algorithm, see below.

Convergence.

In relation to PSO the word "convergence" typically refers to two different definitions:  Convergence of the sequence of solutions has been investigated for PSO. These analyses have resulted in guidelines for selecting PSO parameters that are believed to cause convergence to a point and prevent divergence of the swarm's particles (particles do not move unboundedly and will converge to somewhere). However, the analyses were criticized by Pedersen for being oversimplified as they assume the swarm has only one particle, that it does not use stochastic variables and that the points of attraction, that is, the particle's best known position p and the swarm's best known position g, remain constant throughout the optimization process. However, it was shown that these simplifications do not affect the boundaries found by these studies for parameter where the swarm is convergent. Considerable effort has been made in recent years to weaken the modelling assumption utilized during the stability analysis of PSO, with the most recent generalized result applying to numerous PSO variants and utilized what was shown to be the minimal necessary modeling assumptions.  Convergence to a local optimum has been analyzed for PSO in and. It has been proven that PSO need some modification to guarantee to find a local optimum.  This means that determining convergence capabilities of different PSO algorithms and parameters therefore still depends on empirical results. One attempt at addressing this issue is the development of an "orthogonal learning" strategy for an improved use of the information already existing in the relationship between p and g, so as to form a leading converging exemplar and to be effective with any PSO topology. The aims are to improve the performance of PSO overall, including faster global convergence, higher solution quality, and stronger robustness. However, such studies do not provide theoretical evidence to actually prove their claims.

Adaptive mechanisms.

Without the need for a trade-off between convergence ('exploitation') and divergence ('exploration'), an adaptive mechanism can be introduced. Adaptive particle swarm optimization (APSO) features better search efficiency than standard PSO. APSO can perform global search over the entire search space with a higher convergence speed. It enables automatic control of the inertia weight, acceleration coefficients, and other algorithmic parameters at the run time, thereby improving the search effectiveness and efficiency at the same time. Also, APSO can act on the globally best particle to jump out of the likely local optima. However, APSO will introduce new algorithm parameters, it does not introduce additional design or implementation complexity nonetheless.

Variants.

Numerous variants of even a basic PSO algorithm are possible. For example, there are different ways to initialize the particles and velocities (e.g. start with zero velocities instead), how to dampen the velocity, only update p and g after the entire swarm has been updated, etc. Some of these choices and their possible performance impact have been discussed in the literature.  A series of standard implementations have been created by leading researchers, "intended for use both as a baseline for performance testing of improvements to the technique, as well as to represent PSO to the wider optimization community. Having a well-known, strictly-defined standard algorithm provides a valuable point of comparison which can be used throughout the field of research to better test new advances." The latest is Standard PSO 2011 (SPSO-2011).

Hybridization.

New and more sophisticated PSO variants are also continually being introduced in an attempt to improve optimization performance. There are certain trends in that research; one is to make a hybrid optimization method using PSO combined with other optimizers, e.g., combined PSO with biogeography-based optimization, and the incorporation of an effective learning method.

Alleviate premature convergence.

Another research trend is to try and alleviate premature convergence (that is, optimization stagnation), e.g. by reversing or perturbing the movement of the PSO particles, another approach to deal with premature convergence is the use of multiple swarms (multi-swarm optimization). The multi-swarm approach can also be used to implement multi-objective optimization. Finally, there are developments in adapting the behavioural parameters of PSO during optimization.

Simplifications.

Another school of thought is that PSO should be simplified as much as possible without impairing its performance; a general concept often referred to as Occam's razor. Simplifying PSO was originally suggested by Kennedy and has been studied more extensively, where it appeared that optimization performance was improved, and the parameters were easier to tune and they performed more consistently across different optimization problems.  Another argument in favour of simplifying PSO is that metaheuristics can only have their efficacy demonstrated empirically by doing computational experiments on a finite number of optimization problems. This means a metaheuristic such as PSO cannot be proven correct and this increases the risk of making errors in its description and implementation. A good example of this presented a promising variant of a genetic algorithm (another popular metaheuristic) but it was later found to be defective as it was strongly biased in its optimization search towards similar values for different dimensions in the search space, which happened to be the optimum of the benchmark problems considered. This bias was because of a programming error, and has now been fixed.  Initialization of velocities may require extra inputs. The Bare Bones PSO variant has been proposed in 2003 by James Kennedy, and does not need to use velocity at all.  Another simpler variant is the accelerated particle swarm optimization (APSO), which also does not need to use velocity and can speed up the convergence in many applications. A simple demo code of APSO is available.

Multi-objective optimization.

PSO has also been applied to multi-objective problems, in which the objective function comparison takes pareto dominance into account when moving the PSO particles and non-dominated solutions are stored so as to approximate the pareto front.

Binary, discrete, and combinatorial.

As the PSO equations given above work on real numbers, a commonly used method to solve discrete problems is to map the discrete search space to a continuous domain, to apply a classical PSO, and then to demap the result. Such a mapping can be very simple (for example by just using rounded values) or more sophisticated.  However, it can be noted that the equations of movement make use of operators that perform four actions:  Usually a position and a velocity are represented by "n" real numbers, and these operators are simply -, *, +, and again +. But all these mathematical objects can be defined in a completely different way, in order to cope with binary problems (or more generally discrete ones), or even combinatorial ones. One approach is to redefine the operators based on sets.

In computational science, particle swarm optimization (PSO) is a computational method that optimizes a problem by iteratively trying to improve a candidate solution with regard to a given measure of quality. It solves a problem by having a population of candidate solutions, here dubbed particles, and moving these particles around in the search-space according to simple mathematical formulae over the particle's position and velocity. Each particle's movement is influenced by its local best known position, but is also guided toward the best known positions in the search-space, which are updated as better positions are found by other particles. This is expected to move the swarm toward the best solutions.

Optimalizace hejnem částic (z anglického "Particle Swarm Optimization", používá se zkratka PSO) je optimalizační meta-heuristická technika v oboru umělé inteligence inspirovaná chováním hejna ptáků při hledání potravy. Poprvé ji popsali Kennedy a Eberhart v roce 1995. Řadíme ji k dalším technikám používajících inteligenci hejna.


History.

The building was originally the home of a regency financier, and became a brothel in 1860 during the Second Empire.  It was one of the most luxurious brothels in Paris. Its clientele included kings, crown princes, members of the aristocracy, and numerous heads of state.  The brothel was known for its extremely lavish bedrooms, each one having its own theme; for example, one was in a Moorish style, another was ducal.  During the German occupation, La Fleur blanche, like several other luxury Parisian brothels, was requisitioned for the use of German officers, in order to prevent their contacts with the local population. The health services of the Wehrmacht were responsible for organizing the sanitary control of these establishments. Captain Haucke, commissioner of Geheime Feldpolizei, was responsible for managing prostitution in Paris.  In 1946, after the adoption of the ""Loi Marthe Richard"", the brothel was closed. The contents were auctioned off by Maurice Rheims.

Works of Toulouse-Lautrec.

"La Fleur blanche" was notably frequented by Toulouse-Lautrec (where he had a room, according to legend), He was called "The Coffee Pot" by the girls due to his small size.  The artist painted "Griserie the beautiful stranger" on a wall in the brothel. The brothel also gave inspiration for forty paintings and drawings, including "Mills Street Fair" (1894), "The Sofa" (1894) and "Ces dames au réfectoire" (1893).  He also painted the prostitutes in the "Rue des Moulins" at the time of a medical inspection of which they were obliged to have regularly. In "Medical Inspection rue des Moulins" (1894), two girls raise their shifts in preparation for the examination. A physician was sent to perform these weekly medical examination in deplorable conditions of hygiene, examining them with a disposable non-disinfected speculum.

La Païva bed.

La Fleur blanche contained a lavishly carved mahogany bed. It was reputed to have been commissioned by French courtesan La Païva, but she never took delivery. Instead it ended up in "La Fleur blanche". The bed was put up for auction in 2017 by Sotheby's with a guide price of £500,000 - £800,000. Sotheby's described to bed as: "An exceptional carved mahogany bed in the form of a shell-shaped vessel upon which a two-tailed figure of mermaid, carved in the round, is seated, her right arm upraised; the shell with ribbed mouldings and carved with scrolls and stylised shells, two swans guiding the boat on each side <br> 210cm. high, 302cm. wide, 210cm. deep;"

La Fleur blanche was a famous "maison close" (brothel) in the city of Paris, located at 6 rue des Moulins in the 1st Arrondissement. The property was also known as "rue des Moulins" and was famous for its torture room.

La Fleur blanche (česky "Bílý květ") byl nevěstinec v Paříži. Nacházel se v ulici "Rue des Moulins" č. 6 v 1. obvodu. Tento nevěstinec velmi često navštěvoval Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Malíř zde na zdi vymaloval obraz "Griserie de la belle inconnue" (Vzrušení neznámé krásky). Nevěstinec byl otevřen v roce 1890 a uzavřen v důsledku zákazu veřejných domů v roce 1946.


University of Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis

History.

Founded in 1969, the new experimental institution was named "Centre Universitaire Expérimental de Vincennes" (CUEV) in Vincennes. In 1971, it gained full university status, thus allowing it to award its own degrees, and renamed "Université Paris VIII". Since moving to Saint-Denis in 1980, the university has become a major teaching and research centre for humanities in the Île-de-France region.

Tumultuous years.

As soon as it opened, Vincennes became the venue for a continuation of 1968, being occupied almost immediately by student radicals, and being the scene of violent confrontations with the police. One incident, in early 1972, involved a janitors' (travailleurs du nettoyage) strike. The radicalized janitors invaded classrooms, accused the professors of being scabs, and demanded solidarity. Meanwhile, there was so much radical leafleting, some university hallways were clogged with ankle-deep crumpled leaflets.  It became particularly notorious for its radical philosophy department, assembled and then headed by Michel Foucault, who in this stage of his career was at his most militant, on one occasion participating in a student occupation and pelting the police outside the building with projectiles. The scandal of this department emerged not around this incident, however, but around one of the philosophy professors, Jacques Lacan's daughter Judith Miller, who was not only a committed communist, like most of the faculty, but indeed a Maoist as well. The department had its accreditation withdrawn after it was revealed that Miller had handed out course credit to strangers she met on a bus. (Miller was subsequently fired by the French education ministry after saying in a radio interview that the university was a capitalist institution and that she was trying to make it function as badly as possible.)

Recent reforms.

Since the turmoil in the late 1960s, the University has endorsed a far more mainstream academic life and has brought in new departments, new professors, and national rules to effect this change. In 1980, the University was relocated to the suburb of Saint-Denis. The University's capacity of 24,000 students per year makes "Paris VIII" an important university with internationally recognized departments in Philosophy, Political Sciences, Cinema Arts, Communication Studies, and Feminist Studies.

Academics.

The university offers over a hundred undergraduate, graduate and diploma courses. It is particularly well known for its political science programme as it is the only public university in France to offer this subject at undergraduate level.  The University of Paris VIII also offers some distance-learning opportunities for a select number of subjects such as Law and Psychology.

Affiliations.

Paris-VIII is exceptionally well-connected and enjoys over 250 partnerships with universities around the world. They include the UC Berkeley, the Beijing Film Academy, Boston University, the Free University of Berlin, the Humboldt University of Berlin, the University of Vienna as well as since 2016 the University of Rojava.  Students are encouraged to spend one or two semesters at a neighbouring institution in the US, Canada, Latin America, Asia or Europe in order to develop their language skills and cultural understanding. Alternatively, students also have the possibility to teach French in a high school abroad or to complete an internship.

Notable academics.

Philosophy  Psychoanalysis Politics and international relations  Economics  Communication sciences  Psychology  Hypermedia, new media and cyberculture  Anthropology  Sociology  Semiotics  Arts  Ethnomusicology  Linguistics University Presidents

The University of Paris VIII or University of Vincennes in Saint-Denis (French: "Université Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis" or "Université de Vincennes à Saint-Denis") is a public university in Paris. Once part of the federal University of Paris system, it is now an autonomous public institution and is part of the Université Paris Lumières with Paris Nanterre University and Centre national de la recherche scientifique. Most undergraduate degrees (except modern languages) are taught in French.

Univerzita Paříž VIII, francouzsky plným názvem "Université Paris VIII Vincennes-Saint Denis" je francouzská vysoká škola. Hlavní sídlo školy se nachází ve městě Saint-Denis. Škola se specializuje na humanitní a společenské vědy.


History.

Arkia was founded in 1949 as Israel Inland Airlines when it became clear that there was demand for a local airline to connect Tel Aviv with different regions of the then-new state of Israel, especially with Eilat, Israel's important seaport situated on the Gulf of Aqaba. Flights commenced in 1950 with De Havilland DH.89 aircraft, followed by Douglas DC-3s, to inter-connect major towns in Israel from Rosh Pina in the North to the port of Eilat in the South. El Al held a 50% stake in the airline at this time with the Histadrut, Israel's labour federation, being the other shareholder. The airline later adopted the name Eilata Airlines - Aviron, and Arkia Israel Airlines. In its first year of service, Israel Inland Airlines carried 13,485 passengers, using a Curtis Commando.  During the 1950s, the airline continued to grow, upgrading its fleet to the larger DC-3, and operating two flights a day on the Tel Aviv-Eilat route. This allowed Arkia to have annual passenger figures of over 70,000. As Eilat continued to grow during the 1960s, so did the airline, introducing the Handley Page Dart Herald 200 turboprop aircraft to its fleet between 1967–1968, enabling Arkia to expand with new routes to Jerusalem, and Sharm-el-Sheikh. A subsidiary, Kanaf Arkia Airline and Aviation Services, was founded when the airline acquired 50% of the stock of Kanaf Airlines and Aviation Services, and, by the end of the 1960s, scheduled flights were in operation across Israel, from Rosh Pinna in the north, to Ofira in the south. In March 1980, Kanaf Arkia acquired the remaining stock of Arkia and merged the two operators. The airline grew quickly during the 1980s, moving both into the international charter market and airline maintenance. The airline is now owned by Kanaf-Arkia Airlines (75%) and airline employees (25%). In 2006, the Nakash brothers of Jordache Enterprises bought Knafaim's 75% share.  In February 2007, the Israeli Tourism Ministry awarded Arkia a scheduled operator's licence for flights to Dublin, and Larnaca, a destination dropped by EL AL. In July 2007, it was announced that the airline planned to file for further scheduled carrier status on routes to New York City and Bangkok, currently served under charter status. Furthermore, in early 2008, after the Israeli Tourism Ministry opened up the airline market, the airline applied for scheduled carrier status for routes to Barcelona, Berlin, Moscow, and Paris. The licence for Paris was granted in February 2008, and the airline announced that both economy and business class would be offered on this route. At this time, the airline also announced that it would add two Boeing 737 aircraft to its fleet within two years, as well as four Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft it had on order which were to delivered in 2012. The order for the 787s was moved to a leasing subsidiary owned by MG Aviation and leased to Norwegian Air Shuttle. The order was replaced with an order for 4 A330neo aircraft.  In November 2018, Arkia became the launch customer of the Airbus A321LR when it received its first aircraft of the type.

Fleet.

Current aircraft.

The Arkia Israel Airlines fleet includes the following aircraft :

Former aircraft.

Arkia Israel Airlines has also operated the following aircraft:

Livery.

In May 2017 Arkia unveiled a new livery, ahead of the delivery of new aircraft, which consists of a lower-case 'a' on the vertical fin, which also features the striping effect, and multicoloured stripes on the aft section and the winglets of each aircraft. The colour of the stripes and logo will vary between each individual aircraft.

Arkia, legally incorporated as Arkia Israeli Airlines Ltd (, "I will soar", ), is an Israeli airline. Its head office is on the grounds of Sde Dov Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel. It is Israel's second-largest airline, operating scheduled domestic and international services, as well as charter flights to destinations in Western Europe and across the Mediterranean. Its main base is Ben Gurion Airport, with hubs at Eilat Airport and Ramon Airport.

Arkia (: ארקיע, "Arkija", plným jménem Arkia Israel Airlines) je letecká společnost v Izraeli. Byla založena roku 1950 jako společný podnik letecké společnosti El Al a organizace Chevrat ha-ovdim napojené na odborovou centrálu Histadrut s cílem poskytnout letecké spojení mezi centrem státu a městem Ejlat na jihu Izraele. Zpočátku se společnost nazývala Eilata Airlines, později Aviron, pak získala nynější název. V prvním roce přepravila 13 485 osob a zajišťovala linku do Ejlatu dvakrát do týdne. V 50. letech 20. století postupně frekvence spojů vzrostla na dva lety denně a koncem dekády už přepravovala přes 70 000 osob ročně. V 60. letech byla do flotily podniku zařazena proudová letadla a přibyly spoje do Jeruzaléma, Šarm aš-Šajchu a do Svaté Kateřiny na Sinaji a koncem desetiletí i do Roš Pina. V 70. letech postihla společnost krize letecké přepravy a turistiky spojená s Jomkipurskou válkou a s navrácením Sinaje po egyptskou správu.


History.

Phoebe Judson.

Lynden was begun in 1871 and established in 1874 by Holden and Phoebe Judson near the site of the Nooksack Indian village Squahalish (Nooksack: "Sqwehálich"). It was named by Phoebe Judson after the riverside town in "", a poem by Thomas Campbell, stating:  According to her book, "A Pioneer's Search for an Ideal Home", she changed the spelling of "Linden" to be more visually appealing. The city was officially incorporated on March 16, 1891.  The city lies in a broad valley along the winding path of the Nooksack River, which empties into nearby Bellingham Bay. The surrounding area is filled with dairy, raspberry, strawberry, and blueberry farms. Even though not founded by them, the region saw significant Dutch immigration in the early and mid 1900s, spurring the growth of dairies. Today, Lynden pays homage to some of its Dutch heritage through locations such as buildings on Front Street, where some businesses have been made-over with a Dutch theme, complete with a windmill. Along that street, you'll find the Lynden Dutch Bakery, Dutch Mother's Restaurant, and numerous local businesses. Some local supermarkets contain Dutch food sections, but Dutch is spoken by very few of the city's residents today. In the last two decades, the population has nearly doubled in size, with Dutch being more predominate than other ethnic ancestry.(see 2010 census figures).

Traditional Festivals.

The Raspberry Festival is held the third weekend in July every year. The festival includes the Curt Maberry 3-on-3 basketball tournament, the Razz & Shine Car Show, The Raspberry Fun Run, tours of raspberry fields and wineries and the ever-popular Raspberry & Ice Cream All Day social and a rock wall. Other notable events are the Farmer's Day Parade, the Sinterklaas/Lighted Christmas Parade, the Antique Tractor Show, and many other events that can be seen in more detail at Lynden's website calendar.

Architecture.

The city is noted for its manicured lawns, Dutch architecture, and abundance of churches. In August, the Northwest Washington Fair lures over 200,000 people and allows Whatcom County residents to display the agricultural products, art, crafts, and wares. This regional fair is highly regarded as one of the best family friendly fairs in the state.

Lynden Drug Tunnel.

In 2005, Lynden gained renown for its infamous Lynden Drug Tunnel, built by a band of Canadian drug-smugglers in the basement of a residence north of Lynden along the Canada–US border. This is the only known drug tunnel along the US-Canada border.

Most Churches World Record.

Lynden is one of the few cities in the world whose main entrance is between two cemeteries. At one time, Lynden held the world record for most churches per square mile and per capita, although that is unsubstantiated. That title currently goes to Wheaton, Ill. Due to the town's large population of those who attend or are members of Lynden's many churches, the town has had a long tradition of most businesses closing on Sunday. In recent years, businesses have started to open on Sundays, as in other communities, but the area remains mostly unchanged. Similarly, a law of 41 years prohibiting Sunday alcohol sales was repealed on October 20, 2008 due to a shift in public opinion.

Donald Trump Campaign Rally.

In May 2016, the then-presumptive Republican Party nominee and eventual victor in the 2016 United States presidential election, Donald Trump, held a campaign rally in Lynden at the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds. This marked the first time that the presumptive presidential nominee of a major political party in the United States visited the city during general election campaign season.

Geography.

The Nooksack River runs along a short portion of the city's southern border.  According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which, is land and is water.

Demographics.

2010 census.

As of the census of 2010, there were 11,951 people, 4,594 households, and 3,248 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 4,812 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 89.7% White, 0.7% African American, 0.9% Native American, 2.5% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 4.0% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.7% of the population.  There were 4,594 households of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.1% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.3% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.11.  The median age in the city was 38.6 years. 26.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.5% were from 25 to 44; 22.8% were from 45 to 64; and 19.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.8% male and 53.2% female.

2000 census.

As of the census of 2000, there were 9,020 people, 3,426 households, and 2,500 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,208.8 people per square mile (853.6/km2). There were 3,592 housing units at an average density of 879.6 per square mile (339.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 93.07% White, 0.27% African American, 0.45% Native American, 2.26% Asian, 2.51% from other races, and 1.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.73% of the population.  There were 3,426 households out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.8% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.11.  In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 28.2% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males.  The median income for a household in the city was $42,767, and the median income for a family was $50,449. Males had a median income of $39,597 versus $23,292 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,639. About 4.1% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.5% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education.

There are three public elementary schools in Lynden: Isom Elementary, Bernice Vossbeck, and Fisher Elementary. There is also the private Lynden Christian Elementary. There is one public middle school (Lynden Middle School), which moved to a new building in 2018, and also the private Lynden Christian Middle School. The two main high schools are Lynden High School and Lynden Christian High School. There are also several much smaller private schools in the area such as Cornerstone Christian School, Covenant Christian School, and Ebenezer Christian School.

Sister city.

Lynden has one sister city

Transportation.

Lynden is served by two state highways: State Route 539, which travels north to the Canadian border and south to Bellingham; and State Route 546, which travels east towards Sumas. The city is home to Lynden Municipal Airport (Jansen Field), located between Benson and Depot roads, with private residences connected to the taxiways. Lynden is also connected via a short branch of the BNSF Railway system, traveling east to a junction with the Sumas Subdivision.  The Whatcom Transportation Authority provides bus service from Lynden to neighboring cities.

Lynden is the second largest city in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. It is north of Bellingham and approximately south of the Canada–US border. The city was established in 1874 near the site of the Nooksack Indian village Squahalish (Nooksack: "Sqwehálich").

Lynden je druhé největší město okresu Whatcom v americkém státě Washington. Bylo založeno v roce 1874 na místě Nuksecké vesnice Squahalish jako pionýrská osada Holdena a Phoebe Judsonových a nyní je domovem jedné z největších skupin protestantských nizozemských Američanů v zemi.


History.

It is believed that on the site of present-day Memmingen in Roman times there was a small military town, probably called "Cassiliacum". In the 5th century an Alemanic settlement was established and in the 7th century there was a palace belonging to the king of the Franks.  Memmingen was linked to Bohemia, Austria and Munich by the "salt road" to Lindau. Another important route through Memmingen was the "Italian road" from Northern Germany to Switzerland and Italy. Both roads helped Memmingen gain importance as a trading centre. In the Middle Ages, the place was known as "Mammingin"; in 1158 the Welfian Duke Welf VI founded the town of Memmingen. In 1286 it became an Imperial City, responsible only to the "Kaiser".  Christoph Schappeler, the preacher at St. Martin's in Memmingen during the early 16th century, was an important figure during the Protestant Reformation and the German Peasants' War. His support for peasant rights helped to draw peasants to Memmingen. The city first followed the Tetrapolitan Confession, and then the Augsburg Confession.  "The Twelve Articles: The Just and Fundamental Articles of All the Peasantry and Tenants of Spiritual and Temporal Powers by Whom They Think Themselves Oppressed" was written (probably by Schappeler and Sebastian Lotzer) in early 1525. This was a religious petition borrowing from Luther's ideas to appeal for peasant rights. Within two months of its publication in Memmingen, 25,000 copies of the tract were in circulation around Europe. These are the first known set of human rights documents in the world (if one ignores Magna Carta in England in 1215).  In the 1630s Memmingen was at centre stage during the Thirty Years' War, and the Imperial generalissimo Wallenstein was quartered in the town when he was dramatically dismissed from service. From 1632 Memmingen was briefly garrisoned by the Swedish army, and became a base of operations for Swedish troops in Swabia. In September 1647 the Imperialists besieged the Swedish garrison, under Colonel Sigismund Przyemski. Two months later the town surrendered.  Following the reorganization of Germany in 1802, Memmingen became part of Bavaria. The 19th century saw the slow economic deterioration of the town, which was halted only with the building of a railway following the course of the River Iller.  Since World War II Memmingen has been a developing town, with a rate of economic growth above the average for Bavaria.

Culture and main attractions.

Historic festivals.

Every year Memmingen celebrates the "Fischertag" (Fisherman's day), recreating medieval traditions. The town brook is fished out to be completely drained and cleaned, and at the same time a "Fisherman's King" (the one that caught the heaviest trout) is appointed among almost 1,200 fishermen. Every year up to 40,000 people come to this festival as participants or spectators.  Every four years Memmingen re-enacts the events around the visit of Wallenstein in the year 1630 with Europe's biggest historic festival: the "".

Theatre.

The theatre has a long tradition in Memmingen. By the Middle Ages some chroniclers were already recording different theatre performances. In 1937 the "Landestheater Schwaben" (State Theatre of Swabia) or LTS was founded in the city. In 1945, after World War II, the LTS was one of the first theatres in West Germany to begin putting on performances again. The performances take place in the Rooms of the City Theatre, the theatre at the "Schweizerberg" (cabaret stage), in the "Kaminwerk" cultural centre or in rooms at the boroughs of Memmingen. The Schweizerberg Theatre will be closed at the end of 2010. It will move to new premises in the "Elsbethen" area, behind the City Theatre, where a new cabaret stage, rehearsing rooms, workshops, depots, management rooms, the foyer and some guest rooms will be built. Another theatre was founded by Helmut Wolfseher and members of the "Alternative Kleinkunst e.V." (Alternative Cabaret Society), "Parterretheater im Künerhaus (PIK)". This theatre is specifically for amateur actors and young talented musicians. The "Kaminwerk" also puts on major plays by amateur actors. The municipal hall is for "Volksschauspieler" or other artists.  The following works featuring Memmingen have been produced:  Stage plays and operas that have had world premières in Memmingen are:

Museums.

The biggest museum in Memmingen is the Town Museum at the "Hermannsbau". The town's history is described in its historical rooms. There is also a section covering the history of the Jewish community in Memmingen, whose members were killed or forced into exile in 1939. Part of the Torah from the destroyed synagogue is on display there. The "Freudenthal/Altvater Homeland Museum" for refugees who have settled in Memmingen is also part of the town museum. It is one of 43 homeland museums recognised by the Ministry of the Interior. A foundation, founded and administered by the town, takes responsibility for the museum. The "Strigel-" and "Antoniter-Museum" at the "Antonierkloster" present wood carvings and paintings by the "Strigel" family of artists as well as a permanent exhibition on the work of the Hospital Brothers of St. Anthony. The museum was established in 1996. With donations from the "Memminger Wohnungsbaugenossenschaft (MeWo)" the "MEWO-Kunsthalle" was opened in 2005 in the old post office next to the station. The museum holds the estates of the Memmingen artists Max Unold and Josef Madlener and presents a wide selection of contemporary art exhibitions. The size and scope of this art gallery is unique in region. The former "Kreuzherren" monastery is used for changing exhibitions.

Music.

The organ concerts in the churches of St. Martins and St. Josef are famous in the region. Chamber music would be performed in the former Kreuzherren monastery and also in some other buildings in Memmingen.  There are several Pubs, Restaurants, Wine taverns and Cafés and also some discothèques in an around the City. The cultural centre "Kaminwerk" (Chimney factory) is for concerts, theater, program cinema, readings and special parties.

Buildings.

Memmingen has considerable tourist interest, mainly because large areas of the medieval old town survived World War II. There are ten city gates and towers and about two kilometres of the city wall. The old town contains many interesting houses of patricians, some in the baroque style. They are picturesque Streets with the "Stadtbach" (town river) beside. The medieval market place, surrounded by the town hall, which is built in renaissance style, the "Großzunft"(Guildhouse) and the painted "Steuerhaus" (tax house). Also famous is St. Martin's church, built in gothic style with its more-than-500-year-old Choir and the 1996 restored Hospital Brothers of St. Anthony monastery ("Antonierkloster"), the oldest, best conserved and biggest of these kind. The probably oldest church in town "Unser Frauen" (Church of Our Lady) or also called "Frauenkirche" with significant frescos of the 15th and 16th centuries. Also the "Seven Roof House", the baroque "Kreuzherren" monastery, the renovated whorehouse of the city, the "Salzstadel" (salt barn), the "Kramerzunft" (shopkeepers guild, also called the Twelve-Article-House are sights in Memmingen). Not so well known is the Bismarck tower in the west of Memmingen. Beside the tower is the 2007 build new soccer stadium.

Parks.

Green areas were created all along the city wall. The old ditches where filled up and replaced with green areas or parks with partially over 150-year-old trees. The name of the parks are (starting clockwise at the "Ulmer Gate"): Hubergarten, Zollergarten, Ratzengraben/Zollergraben, Kohlschanze, Reichshain, Kaisergraben, Hohe Wacht, Westertorplatz, Grimmelschanze. Nearby every residential area has its own smaller parks. There is also the city park in the "New World", the old Landesgartenschau place. Also the old and the forest cemetery, which are both used as parks.

Cemeteries.

There were four cemeteries in Memmingen in the Middle Ages. They were around the St. Martin's Church and the Church of Our Lady, also at the Kreuzherren monastery and the Scottish monastery. They were abandoned in 1530. The replacement was the "Old cemetery" at the former Scottish monastery. This cemetery was abandoned in 1930. The closing of the Old Cemetery has involved a new Cemetery. It was founded in the east of Memmingen as a Forest Cemetery. More cemeteries are in the districts Amendingen, Steinheim, Buxach, Volkratshofen, Ferthofen and Dickenreishausen. In the east of the city is also a Jewish cemetery.

Geography.

Memmingen is located at the western border of Bavaria at the river Iller, 50 km south of Ulm, and 100 km west of Munich. The landscape or region beginning with Memmingen is called "Unterallgäu" and forms a part of the region Mittelschwaben who is next to Oberschwaben and Allgäu. Memmingen is also sometimes called the "Gate to the Allgäu".

Transport.

Memmingen is reached by the A7 and the A96 motorways and Memmingen station is on railways connecting Munich and Lindau and the Ulm–Oberstdorf railway.  It has the public and international Memmingen Airport nearby.

Politics.

Although the Lord Mayor has been from the Social Democratic Party of Germany since 1966, the biggest party in the city council is traditionally the Christian Social Union.  The city politics is mostly dominated by a coalition of bigger parties ("coalition of the reasoned") from CSU, SPD, Christlicher Rathausblock Memmingen (Christian Town Hall Party Memmingen) and the Free Voters. The smaller parties of Ecological Democratic Party, Alliance '90/The Greens and the Free Democratic Party make up the opposition.  There was a hefty dispute between the parties in 2005, concerning financial participation in the Memmingen Airport. The Ecological Democratic Party and the Greens initiated a referendum to inhibit financial support for the airport, but this vote met with no success.  At the top of the city government is the Lord Mayor, who is elected directly by the people. He is the representative of the town and the leader of municipality. As second representatives, the majors are elected from the members of the city council. Historically the CSU, as biggest party, appoints the second major. The third major is appointed by the third biggest party. The second biggest party, the SPD, traditionally declines to appoint the third major, because they already appoint the Lord Mayor.  Memmingen is building, alongside the double centre Ulm/Neu-Ulm, the second economical centre in Upper Swabia. It thus leads the central supply function for the adjoining cities and districts.

City Council.

The last local elections were on March 2, 2008, with following results: 1 Christlicher Rathausblock Memmingen ("Christian Townhall-Party")

City Finances.

With €512 per capita, Memmingen is one of the cities in Germany with the lowest level of debt (The German average is more than €1,300). The city had 2007 a management budget ("Verwaltungshaushalt") of €94,925,160 and an asset budget ("Vermögenshaushalt") of €19,490,860. The income from trade taxes amounted to about €40 million, the income tax assignment to about €20 million. The local rates were last changed in 2003. The city has many charitable foundations, with roots partly going back to the Middle Ages (such as the "Unterhospitalstiftung").

Coat of Arms and Flag.

Blazon: "Split from gold and silver, in front a half, reinforced in red, black eagle. Backward a red pawcross"  The city's colours, handed down since 1488, are Black, Red, White. The flag is a banner flag with cross bar.  Amendingen and Eisenburg have their own historical coats of arms.

International relations.

Memmingen is twinned with:  Memmingen has a partnership with:

Economy.

Most companies are SMEs, such as the following:

Memmingen is a town in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. It is the economic, educational and administrative centre of the Danube-Iller region. To the west the town is flanked by the Iller, the river that marks the Baden-Württemberg border. To the north, east and south the town is surrounded by the district of Unterallgäu (Lower Allgäu).

Memmingen je bavorské město, které se nachází ve vládním obvodu Švábsko. Území města sousedí na západě s Illerem, hraniční řekou Bádensko-Württemberska a na severu, jihu a východě s zemským okresem Unterallgäu. Jeho počátky spadají do římských dob.