History.

Early Years.

The championship was initially run with a mix of classes, divided according to engine capacity, racing simultaneously. This often meant that a driver who chose the right class could win the overall championship without any chance of overall race wins, thereby devaluing the title for the spectators – for example, in the 1980s Chris Hodgetts won two overall titles in a small Toyota Corolla prepared by Hughes Of Beaconsfield, at that time a Mercedes-Benz/Toyota main dealer when most of the race wins were going to much larger cars; and while the Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500s were dominating at the front of the field, Frank Sytner took a title in a Class B BMW M3 and John Cleland's first title was won in a small Class C Vauxhall Astra.

Modern Era.

Super Touring Cars.

In 1990, the BTCC introduced a class for cars with an engine displacement up to 2.0 litres which would later be adopted by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile and become the Super Touring regulations that were used in various championships in Europe and around the world. In their first year, these cars were run alongside a second class which continued to allow larger engines and was once again dominated by the Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500, however from 1991 they became the only cars eligible to compete. The new one-class system was popular with manufacturers from the beginning with six manufacturer supported teams from BMW, Ford, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Toyota and Vauxhall entered in the championship. During the first seasons, the cars were not fitted with aerodynamic aids such as a front splitter or a rear wing which were allowed from 1995 after Alfa Romeo caused controversy a year earlier, when they entered the 155 fitted with a rear wing - an item that was delivered with the road-going version of the 155, however unfitted in its boot. Audi joined the BTCC in 1996 with its four-wheel drive A4 Quattro, and went on to take that year's title. The continuously high number of manufacturer-backed teams meant rapid development on the cars and quickly growing costs to compete which caused several manufacturers to withdraw from the championship until the 2000 season, when only Ford, Honda and Vauxhall remained in the championship. To this day, the'super touring era' during the 1990s is still looked at as the most successful period of the BTCC. The high number of manufacturer-backed teams provided very close competition, close and hard-fought racing on track and many spectators at the circuits.

BTC Touring and Super 2000 cars.

In order to reduce the costs to compete in the championship, the organisers introduced new regulations for the 2001 season. The BTC Touring regulations cut costs dramatically but both manufacturer and spectator interest was low. The Super 2000 rules were adopted for the 2007 season. The 2000s saw cheaper cars than the later Supertouring era, with fewer factory teams and fewer international drivers.

Next Generation Touring Car.

In 2009, the BTCC released details of its Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC) specification, to be introduced from 2011. The introduction of these new technical regulations were designed to dramatically reduce the design, build and running costs of the cars and engines as well as reducing the potential for significant performance disparities between cars. The NGTC specification also aimed to cut costs by reducing reliance on WTCC/S2000 equipment, due to increasing costs/complexity and concerns as to its future sustainability and direction.

Current NGTC cars.

Currently, the cars used are a mix of 2.0 L saloons (sedans) such as the BMW 3-Series and Infiniti Q50, and hatchback cars such as the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Ford Focus, based on models from a variety of manufacturers, using NGTC regulations. S2000 cars continued running in the Jack Sears Trophy until the 2014 season.

Teams.

BTCC teams are a mixture of manufacturer entries (currently Honda, BMW, Vauxhall, and Toyota) and independent teams such as BTC Racing, and Motorbase Performance.  In 2010, following Vauxhall's decision to pull out of the series, there were two new works teams, : Chevrolet, run by RML; and Honda, run by Team Dynamics.  In 2005, Team Dynamics became the first independent outfit to win the BTCC drivers and team championships; Matt Neal won the overall and independent drivers contests in his Team Dynamics Honda Integra. This included finishing all 30 championship races that year, something no other driver had achieved before and only equalled by Adam Morgan some 10 years later in 2015. This ended Vauxhall's run of 4 victories in the drivers and teams championships between 2001 and 2004. Neal and Dynamics were also victorious in 2006, before Vauxhall won the 2007 title with Italian Fabrizio Giovanardi. Team Dynamics also achieved the first overall independents race win in the 'Supertouring' era when Neal won a round of the 1999 BTCC at Donington Park, earning the team prize-money of £250,000.  As a result of Matt Neal's championship victories, and the fact that Team Dynamics were designing and building their own S2000 Honda Civic Type R (with unofficial support from Honda), they were no longer entered into the Independents category, and were classed as neither an "independent" or "works" team until the 2009 season, when the Manufacturers championship was renamed Manufacturers/Constructors Championship to allow both Team Aon and Team Dynamics to compete with at the time the sole works entry of Vauxhall.

Car regulations.

Current regulations.

As of the 2014 British Touring Car Championship, all cars are built to the same regulations:

Cost control measures.

There are strict limits to the modifications which can be made to the cars, which are intended to reduce the cost of running a competitive team, which had become prohibitive in the final years of the Super Touring rules. These cost reductions saw a rise in independent entries – teams or individuals entering cars purchased from the manufacturer teams when they update their chassis.  With the introduction of the NGTC rules, all cars share a number of common components provided through a contract with RML Group. This has allowed many independent teams to enter without the need for manufacturer support, and negating the need to source ex-works cars. Teams can install an engine from their marque's broad 'family' of cars, or opt to lease an engine from TOCA, built by Swindon Engines which also helps to make the cost of entry more affordable.  To further keep costs in check, the BTCC uses a single tyre supplier, with Dunlop the current supplier of rubber to all the teams. For dry races, the Dunlop SportMaxx Prime tyre is used, along with the use of the Option tyre (Soft/Hard) mandated at one race each meeting. For wet races, the Dunlop SportMaxx BluResponse tyre is used.

Fuels.

The rules previously allowed for a variety of different fuels in a bid to encourage more efficient cars. In 2004 Mardi Gras Motorsport independently entered a Liquified petroleum gas powered Super 2000 Honda Civic Type-R (which was subsequently replaced by a more competitive BTC-Touring Peugeot 406 Coupé, still LPG powered), and in 2005 Tech-Speed Motorsport converted an ex-works Vauxhall Astra Coupé to run on bio-ethanol fuel. In the middle of 2006, Kartworld's owner-driver Jason Hughes converted his 4-cylinder MG ZS to run on Bio-Ethanol, soon followed by the West Surrey Racing cars of championship contender Colin Turkington and Rob Collard, and for the final event at Silverstone, Richard Marsh converted his Peugeot 307 to run on bio-ethanol fuel. Only Hughes continued on this fuel in 2007 and 2008. The regulations also permitted cars to run on diesel; attempted first in the 2007 season by Rick Kerry in a BMW 120d E87 run by Team AFM Racing. In 2008 SEAT Sport UK entered two Turbo Diesel Power SEAT Leons – the first diesel powered manufacturer entered cars. At the start of the 2010 season, it was announced that Team AON racing had converted both of their Ford Focus ST cars to run on LPG.  Under current NGTC regulations, all entrants use Carless HiperFlo 300 which is a 101/102 RON and 89/90 MON unleaded gasoline with approximately 2% oxygen content that meets the FIA ‘Appendix J’ gasoline specification.

Previous regulations.

The following regulations have been applied to the championship:

Circuits.

Being a national championship, the British Touring Car Championship has visited circuits throughout the United Kingdom over its long history. Currently the series visits eight different tracks in England and Scotland over the course of ten meetings. These tracks are: Brands Hatch (Indy Layout), Donington Park, Thruxton Circuit (the fastest track ever visited by the BTCC, with an average speed of 111.31 mph, set by Andrew Jordan during qualifying in 2014), Oulton Park, Croft Circuit, Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit, Knockhill Racing Circuit, and Silverstone Circuit (National and International layouts), with a return to Brands Hatch (GP Layout) at the end of the season.  In the past, the BTCC has visited Mondello Park in Ireland and Pembrey Circuit in Wales. A street race around the city of Birmingham known as the Birmingham Superprix, was held in 1989 and 1990. Rockingham Motor Speedway, Aintree Motor Racing Circuit, Crystal Palace circuit and Goodwood Circuit have all hosted rounds in the past.

Race format.

On the Saturday of a race weekend there are two practice sessions followed by a 30-minute qualifying session which determines the starting order for the first race on the Sunday, the fastest driver lining up in pole position.  Each race typically consists of between 16 and 25 laps, depending on the length of the circuit. A race may be extended by three laps if three or more laps have been run behind a safety car.  The grid for race two is based on the finishing order of race one. For race three, a draw takes place to decide at which place the grid is'reversed'. This means drivers finishing race two in positions 6th through 12th could take pole position for race 3 depending on the outcome of the draw. For example, if ball number 7 is drawn, the driver finishing in 7th position in race two starts on pole, 6th place starts in second place, 5th place starts in third etc. Drivers finishing in 8th place and beyond would start race three in their finishing order for race two. The draw is normally conducted by a celebrity or VIP, live on TV. For 2014, this was changed so that the driver who finished Race 2 in 10th position made the draw. Fabrizio Giovanardi has twice managed to put himself on pole position by drawing out number 10.  Before 2006, the driver finishing in 10th place in race two took pole position for race three. This initiated deliberate race 'fixing', whereby some drivers attempted to finished in 10th place during race two to gain pole position in race three. This "reverse grid" rule polarised opinion: some fans enjoy the spectacle afforded by having unlikely drivers on pole position while faster ones have to battle through the field; others feel it detracts from the purity of the racing. For example, some drivers might decide to slow down and let others pass them, thereby improving their own starting position for the "reverse grid" race, which is contrary to the spirit of motor racing – which is to try to come first in every race. It also led to some safety concerns as drivers would slow dramatically on the approach to the finish line, with cars behind forced to take evasive action to avoid collecting slower cars ahead. These factors contributed the rule change for the 2006 season.

Points system.

Current points system.

Points are awarded to the top fifteen drivers in each race as follows:

Previous points system.

Points are awarded to the top ten drivers in each race as follows:

Television coverage.

The BBC screened highlights of every race from 1988 to 2001. The F1 commentator at the time, Murray Walker, commentated. From 1997, some races were screened live with Charlie Cox joining Murray Walker. After 1997 the commentary team was Charlie Cox and John Watson with Murray Walker dedicating his time to Formula 1.  In the UK, ITV covered the series from 2002, with commentary from Ben Edwards and former champion Tim Harvey, with Toby Moody replacing Edwards after he replaced Martin Brundle on the BBC's F1 coverage in 2012 and David Addison replaced Toby Moody for the 2013 season. In 2006 the ITV coverage included highlights from the first and second race of the day and live coverage of the third and final race. This returned in the second half of 2007, after the first five meetings had been on ITV3 (a digital channel with fewer viewers), with a half-hour late-night highlights show. ITV also has a Sunday night show called Motorsport UK, featuring many of the supporting races. From 2008, the races were screened live on ITV4, along with the support races. ITV has a one-hour highlights programme on the Monday night following the race.  The series is screened in other countries. In Australia, Fox Sports Australia have been covering the BTCC championship since 2000. From 2009 the ITV coverage has screened on ONE HD. Speed TV screened several seasons in the USA over the winter, but this ended when the network became Fox Sports 1 in 2013. BTCC returned to the air in the US with the 2015 season, being aired on CBS Sports Network in condensed, one-hour packages like those aired on Speed. Unlike Speed's offering as the series being winter programming filling the void after the American racing season, CBSSN airs events a week or so after their actual running.  Motors TV used to show all the races live, including some support races, both in the UK and across Europe. In 2007 Setanta Sports showed all the races live, including the support races; this ceased when the entire day's coverage moved to ITV4.

Live timing.

Live timing for the BTCC and its support races, as well as testing, is provided by Timing Solutions Ltd from their website. This service allows you to follow free practice and qualifying as well as race day action via a timing screen from your computer or mobile phone.

Previous champions.

Currently, five championships are awarded per season. The overall driver's championship is the driver gaining the most points overall throughout the season. Since 1992, the Independents driver championship has also been awarded to the leading non-manufacturer-backed driver. There are also awards for the best overall team, leading manufacturer and, since 2005, the top independent team. Previous championship titles were awarded to the leading "Production" (or "Class B") driver and team between 2000 and 2003. The Jack Sears Trophy was introduced for the 2013 season and was awarded to the highest scoring driver competing in S2000 machinery. For 2014, with S2000 cars no longer eligible to compete, it was awarded to the drive that had made up the most places from their grid position throughout the season. From the 2015 season the Jack Sears Trophy has been awarded to the highest placed rookie driver at the end of the season. For the 60th anniversary year in 2018, any driver who had yet to take an overall podium was eligible to contest the Jack Sears Trophy.

Series sponsors.

The BTCC has had several championship sponsors over the years.

Manufacturer/Constructor Entries.

The BTCC features entries with the backing, funding and technical support of a motor manufacturer. This may be a motor racing team running cars on behalf of the manufacturer or cars being run directly by the factory. Below is a timeline of manufacturer/constructor entries from the beginning of the 2-litre era.

Support races.

Each BTCC race meeting, the crowds are kept further entertained by the appearance of high-profile supporting championships, known as the TOCA Support Package, from the manufacturers Ford, Ginetta, Porsche and Renault.

TOCA support package.

The TOCA Support Package consists of five main support championships, which support the championship at almost every round, along with several smaller championships supporting one or two events. All the support championships are either Single Make Championships or Formula racing.  After previously supported the BTCC in the late 1990s and then in 2013 and 2014, the British Formula Ford Championship announced that it was folding to become the MSA Formula, the FIA's Formula 4 championship in the UK for the 2015 season. Known as F4 British Championship from 2016, the championship uses Mygale carbon-fibre monocoque chassis and a Ford 1.6L EcoBoost engine as used in the more modern Formula Ford cars.  The Ginetta GT Supercup is a GT style, multi class championship. The main class is the G55 class, utilising Ginetta's G55 car. The second class, known as the G50 class, utilises the older and less powerful Ginetta G50. Most weekends in 2013 see three Supercup races with a few rounds hosting only two races. Ginetta also run a championship on the support package that caters for up and coming young talent in the form of the Ginetta Junior Championship. These 14- to 17-year-olds race in identical Ginetta G40J cars with strict regulations which help keep costs down. In 2013, the championship with run two races at all BTCC weekends.  Out of all the current support series, the Porsche Carrera Cup GB is the longest serving support championship. Drivers compete in identical Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 997) cars which produce 450 bhp. The three tier championship splits drivers according to their racing experience. Professional drivers compete in the Pro class, with semi-professional and amateur drivers racing in either Pro-Am1 or Pro-Am2. From 2013, the Carrera Cup has held two races at each BTCC meeting.  Finally, the Renault Clio Cup UK allows aspiring touring car drivers to showcase their talent in this single make series, utilising Clio Renaultsport 200 cars. The championship awards three different titles for drivers. Along with the overall drivers’ championship, younger rookie drivers can chase points for the Graduate Cup and older gentlemen drivers can seek points for the Masters Cup. During 2013, the Clio Cup will hold two races at all BTCC weekends except the rounds at Croft and Knockhill.  For 2020, the Renault Clio Cup UK has been replaced by the Mini Challenge, which joins from the British GT package. The Clio Cup has joined the British GT Package instead.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered by TOCA. It was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and was renamed as the British Touring Car Championship for the 1987 season. The championship, currently running Next Generation Touring Car regulations, has been run to various national and international regulations over the years including FIA Group 2, FIA Group 5, FIA Group 1, FIA Group A, FIA Super Touring and FIA Super 2000. A lower-key Group N class for production cars ran from 2000 until 2003.

Le Championnat britannique des voitures de tourisme (British Touring Car Championship, ou BTCC) a été organisé pour la première fois en 1958 à l'occasion du British Saloon Car Championship.


Description.

The Fort de Guentrange is located about to the northwest of Thionville on a hilltop overlooking the town and the northern railway line. It was defended by a garrison of 2000 men. Like the Fort de Plappeville on the heights of Metz, Fort Ober-Gentringen features two dispersed armored batteries, each armed with four short 100mm guns in single turrets. It possesses a separate four-level barracks and about of underground galleries. The austere simplicity of the fort's façade is characteristic of the forts of the era.  The dispersed, un-walled nature of the later "Moselstellung" was a significant innovation. Compared to the French Séré de Rivières system forts of the same era, later German fortifications such as Guentrange were scattered over a large area and enclosed chiefly by barbed wire. While certain individual elements presented imposing walls to an attacker, these walls were not continuous. The dispersed nature is evidenced by the official French name: the "Groupe Fortifié de Guentrange" (Fortified Group of Guentrange). These arrangements were studied and improved upon by the French in the construction of the Maginot Line.  The fort includes three separate fortified barracks along a north–south line, the central barracks being the largest. Each barracks was built into a hillside so that the rear are shielded by earth, while the top and front are protected by three of four meters of concrete, and are surmounted by a parapet. The two batteries are similarly constructed and linked to the barracks by tunnels. The four 100mm guns in each battery were protected by Schumann turrets and controlled by an armored observation cupola on top of each battery. The whole was surrounded by deep networks of barbed wire, which were swept by fire from small perimeter blockhouses, also linked via the tunnel system. Further counterscarp casemates were built after 1912 when the defensive perimeter was expanded. The interior of the position was equipped with trenches for infantry. The barracks and batteries were further armored with reinforced concrete and armored windows. A variety of blockhouses and infantry shelters were also built in the intervals between forts. The fort featured central heating in the barracks and the armored batteries, as well as a central generating plant for electricity with eight diesel generators.

Operational concept.

From 1899, the Germans viewed Metz as a secure position that could provide an anchor for a pivoting movement into France from the Low Countries. This strategy, which would become known as the Schlieffen Plan, required that the "Moselstellung" deter an advance by French forces into Lorraine while the German forces mobilized.

History.

During World War I, Thionville was located well to the rear of German lines and never came under attack. With the Compiègne armistice of 1918, Lorraine was returned to France and the fort became French property. The three Thionville forts became known as the Fortified Group of Thionville.  The Fort de Guetrange was integrated into the Fortified Sector of Thionville of the Maginot Line in the 1930s, backing up the newer Maginot "ouvrages" that were built about halfway between Thionville and the border with Luxembourg. The short 105mm guns were replaced by 105mm long guns removed from the German fortifications of Metz. The artillery range was thus increased from to. During the Battle of France the Thionville area was bypassed and encircled by German forces, with the Maginot and earlier fortifications seeing little action. After the 25 June 1940 armistice the German occupiers used the fort as a supply depot until Thionville was liberated by the Americans. The Fort de Guentrange was captured without resistance by elements of the U.S. 90th Infantry Division on 12 September 1944, after the German forces withdrew to Metz. After the war, the French Army used the fort as a munitions depot until 1971.

Manning.

Under the Germans, the Feste Obergentringen was occupied in 1909-10 by the 8th "Fussartillerie" (Foot Artillery) Regiment. From 1913, the garrison was provided by the 16th "Fussartillerie". The French garrison of the Fort de Guentrange in 1939-40 was provided by detachments of the 168th Fortress Infantry Regiment and the 151st Position Artillery Regiment.

Present status.

The fort is the property of the city of Thionville and is maintained by the "Amicale du Groupe Fortifié de Guentrange", which conducts guided visits.

The Fort de Guentrange dominates Thionville in the Moselle department of France. It was built by Germany next to the town of the same name in the late 19th century after the annexation of the Moselle following the Franco-Prussian War. The Fort de Guentrange was part of the "Moselstellung", a group of eleven fortresses surrounding Thionville and Metz to guard against the possibility of a French attack aimed at regaining Alsace and Lorraine, with construction taking place between 1899 and 1906. The fortification system incorporated new principles of defensive construction to deal with advances in artillery. Later forts, such as Guentrange, embodied innovative design concepts such as dispersal and concealment. The later forts were designed to support offensive operations, as an anchor for a pivoting move by German forces into France.

Le fort de Guentrange (" en allemand) est un groupe fortifié construit par l’armée allemande pendant la première annexion. Il domine la ville de Thionville dans le département français de la Moselle.


Life.

Born in Yorkshire, England, Kirby immigrated with his parents to the United States in 1832, and then to Canada in 1839. After visiting Toronto, Montreal, and Quebec City, he settled in Niagara, Ontario, where his house still stands.  Kirby practised as a tanner until his marriage with Eliza Madeline Whitmore, with whom he had three children (one of whom died in infancy.) For more than twenty years, Kirby was the editor of the "Niagara Mail" (1850–1871) which he purchased from the founder in 1850. From 1871–1895, he was a collector of customs at Niagara, and in 1883, he became a charter member of the Royal Society of Canada. He died at Niagara on 23 June 1906.  Kirby's first full-length work was a long narrative, "The U.E.: a tale of Upper Canada". Written in 1846 the poem spoke to his political views of the time. He was unsuccessful in his attempts to have it published until 1859, when he published it himself in the "Niagara Mail".

"The Golden Dog".

Kirby's importance as a Canadian writer rests largely on his novel "The Golden Dog". Taking fifteen years to write, the historical romance was set in New France in 1748. Kirby finished writing the novel in 1873.  Although the first edition of the book was filled with errors, it was still very well received by the public and, to Kirby's delight, it was rumoured to have been read by Queen Victoria. The book was described as having both good characterisation and description used to describe rural and urban locations. It was heavily influenced by the collection "Maple Leaves", by James LeMoine (7 vol. 1863–1906). This provided Kirby with the history, legends, and oral traditions needed to write his book.  "The Golden Dog" was initially published in English and distributed within the United States without his permission in 1877. Kirby's publisher Lovell, Adam Wesson and Company neglected to register the novel properly, so Kirby lost all royalties for his book. The copyright laws of the time stated all Canadian residents must register, publish, and distribute in Canada first, before distributing the book elsewhere, to secure copyright protection. The book was then picked up by New York publisher Richard Worthington, and re-issued in 1878, Kirby, once again, was neglected royalties.  In 1885, Kirby secured some rights when the French translation ("Le Chien d'Or") was published. Copied versions of the story were, at this time, widely available, but unfortunately for Kirby, the translated version did not sell nearly as well.  Sometime later, Kirby was approached by L.C. Page and Company, a publishing company from Boston, with an offer of publishing a revised version of "The Golden Dog". Kirby accepted this offer and revised the book, making corrections to the book in accordance with new developments in Quebec's history.

William Kirby, (13 October 1817 – 23 June 1906) was a Canadian author, best known for his classic historical novel, "The Golden Dog".

William Kirby, né le et mort le, est un écrivain, un journaliste et un homme politique canadien. Son œuvre majeure est "Le Chien d'or", roman historique.


Career.

As a student, Lye became convinced that motion could be part of the language of art, leading him to early (and now lost) experiments with kinetic sculpture, as well as a desire to make film. Lye was also one of the first white / Pākehā artists to appreciate the art of Māori, Australian Aboriginal, Pacific Island and African cultures, and this had great influence on his work. In the early 1920s Lye travelled widely in the South Pacific. He spent extended periods in Australia and Samoa, where he was expelled by the New Zealand colonial administration for living within an indigenous community.  Working his way as a coal trimmer aboard a steam ship, Lye moved to London in 1926. He quickly entered modernist circles, exhibiting with the Seven and Five Society from 1927 until 1934 and becoming affiliated with the Footprints Studio. Most notably, Lye exhibited in the 1936 International Surrealist Exhibition and began to make experimental films. Following his first animated film "Tusalava", Lye began to make films in association with the British General Post Office, for the GPO Film Unit. He reinvented the technique of drawing directly on film, producing his animation for the 1935 film "A Colour Box", an advertisement for "cheaper parcel post", without using a camera for anything except the title cards at the beginning of the film. It was the first direct film screened to a general audience. It was made by painting vibrant abstract patterns on the film itself, synchronizing them to a popular dance tune by Don Baretto and His Cuban Orchestra. A panel of animation experts convened in 2005 by the Annecy film festival put this film among the top ten most significant works in the history of animation (his later film "Free Radicals" was also in the top 50).  Lye also worked for the GPO Film Unit's successor, the Crown Film Unit producing wartime information films, such as "Musical Poster Number One". On the basis of this work, Lye was later offered work for "The March of Time" newsreel in New York. Leaving his wife and children in England, Lye moved to New York in 1944.  In "Free Radicals" he used black film stock and scratched designs into the emulsion. The result was a dancing pattern of flashing lines and marks, as dramatic as lightning in the night sky. In 2008, this film was added to the United States National Film Registry.  Lye continued to experiment with the possibilities of direct film-making to the end of his life. In various films he used a range of dyes, stencils, air-brushes, felt tip pens, stamps, combs and surgical instruments, to create images and textures on celluloid. In "Color Cry", he employed the "photogram" method combined with various stencils and fabrics to create abstract patterns. It is a 16mm direct film featuring a searing soundtrack by the blues singer Sonny Terry.  As a writer, Len Lye produced a body of work exploring his theory of "IHN" (Individual Happiness Now). He also wrote a large number of letters and poems. He was a friend of Dylan Thomas, and of Laura Riding and Robert Graves (their Seizin Press published "No Trouble", a book drawn from Lye's letters to them, his mother, and others, in 1930). The NZEPC (New Zealand Electronic Poetry Centre) website contains a selection of Lye's writings, which are just as surprising and experimental as his work in other media. One of his theories was that artists attempt to reproduce themselves in their works, which he exposited in an essay complete with visual examples.  Lye was also an important kinetic sculptor and what he referred to as "Tangibles". He saw film and kinetic sculpture as aspects of the same "art of motion", which he theorised in a highly original way in his essays (collected in the book "Figures of Motion").  Many of his kinetic works can be found at the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery in New Plymouth, Taranaki including a 45-metre high "Wind Wand" near the sea. The "Water Whirler", designed by Lye but never realised in his lifetime, was installed on Wellington's waterfront in 2006. His "Tangibles" were shown at MOMA in New York in 1961 and are now found worldwide. In 1977, Len Lye returned to his homeland to oversee the first New Zealand exhibition of his work at the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery. Shortly before his death in 1980, Lye and his supporters established the Len Lye Foundation, to which he gave his work. The gallery is the repository for much of this collection, employing a full-time curator to ensure its preservation and appropriate exhibition.  Lye was a maverick, never fitting any of the usual art historical labels. Although he did not become a household name, his work was familiar to many film-makers and kinetic sculptors – he was something of an "artist's artist", and his innovations have had an international influence. He is also remembered for his colourful personality, amazing clothes, and highly unorthodox lecturing style (he taught at New York University for three years).  The 21st century has seen renewed international interest in Lye's career with retrospectives held at the Pompidou Centre, Paris in 2000, an Australian touring exhibition organised in 2001 by the Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney, at ACMI, Melbourne in 2009, and at Ikon Gallery, Birmingham UK in 2010. Similarly, in New Zealand, surveys have been shown at the Gus Fisher Gallery, Auckland in 2009, and City Gallery Wellington in 2013. The University of Auckland staged an opera about his life in 2012.

Personal life.

Lye was married twice. His first wife was Jane (Florence Winifred) Thompson with whom he had two children:  In Reno, Nevada, in May 1948, Lye married his second wife, Annette "Ann" Zeiss (born 1910, Minnesota) on the same day he obtained a divorce from Jane. Ann was formerly married to Tommy Hindle, a British journalist.  He died in Warwick, New York, in 1980.

Len Lye Collection.

The Len Lye Collection and Archive consists of all non-film works in Lye’s possession at the time of his death in 1980, as well as several items that have been given to or otherwise acquired by the Foundation since. This body of work is extended by Len Lye works in the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery. The New Zealand Film Archive is the repository of Lye’s film prints that are owned by the Len Lye Foundation, and viewing prints are also in the Collection at the Govett-Brewster. The Len Lye Centre a dedicated gallery for the Len Lye collection connected to the Govett-Brewster was opened on 25 July 2015. This is the first gallery in New Zealand to be dedicated to a single artist.

Documentaries.

There are two documentaries about Lye: "Flip and Two Twisters", directed by Shirley Horrocks and "Doodlin"', and a DVD of Lye's talks illustrated with slides: "Len Lye Talks about Art".

Leonard Charles Huia Lye (; 5 July 1901 – 15 May 1980) was a New Zealand artist known primarily for his experimental films and kinetic sculpture. His films are held in archives including the New Zealand Film Archive, British Film Institute, Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and the Pacific Film Archive at University of California, Berkeley. Lye's sculptures are found in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the Berkeley Art Museum. Although he became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1950, much of his work went to New Zealand after his death, where it is housed at the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery in New Plymouth.

Leonard Charles Huia Lye dit Len Lye est un écrivain, sculpteur et réalisateur de films d'animation avant-gardistes et expérimentaux néo-zélandais, né le à Christchurch, en Nouvelle-Zélande, et mort le à Warwick, New York, aux États-Unis.


Antiquity.

Thrones were found throughout the canon of ancient furniture. The depiction of monarchs and deities as seated on chairs is a common topos in the iconography of the Ancient Near East.  The word "throne" itself is from Greek θρόνος ("thronos"), "seat, chair", in origin a derivation from the PIE root "" "to support" (also in "dharma" "post, sacrificial pole"). Early Greek Διὸς θρόνους ("Dios thronous") was a term for the "support of the heavens", i.e. the axis mundi, which term when Zeus became an anthropomorphic god was imagined as the "seat of Zeus". In Ancient Greek, a "thronos" was a specific but ordinary type of chair with a footstool, a high status object but not necessarily with any connotations of power. The Achaeans (according to Homer) were known to place additional, empty thrones in the royal palaces and temples so that the gods could be seated when they wished to be. The most famous of these thrones was the throne of Apollo in Amyclae.  The Romans also had two types of thrones- one for the Emperor and one for the goddess Roma whose statues were seated upon thrones, which became centers of worship.

Hebrew Bible.

The word "throne" in English translations of the Bible renders Hebrew "". The Pharaoh of the Exodus is described as sitting on a throne (Exodus 11:5, 12:29), but mostly the term refers to the throne of the kingdom of Israel, often called the "throne of David" or "throne of Solomon". The literal throne of Solomon is described in : "Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold.. The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind: and there were stays on either side on the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the stays. And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps: there was not the like made in any kingdom." In the Book of Esther (5:3), the same word refers to the throne of the king of Persia.  The God of Israel himself is frequently described as sitting on a throne, referred to outside of the Bible as the Throne of God, in the Psalms, and in a vision Isaiah (6:1), and notably in Isaiah 66:1, YHWH says of himself "The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool" (this verse is alluded to by Matthew 5:34-35).

Christianity.

Christian Bible.

In the New Testament, the angel Gabriel also refers to this throne in the Gospel of Luke (): "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."  Jesus promised his Apostles that they would sit upon "twelve thrones", judging the twelve tribes of Israel (). John's Revelation states: "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away" ().  The Apostle Paul speaks of "thrones" in. Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, in his work, "De Coelesti Hierarchia" (VI.7) interprets this as referring to one of the ranks of angels (corresponding to the Hebrew "Arelim" or "Ophanim"). This concept was expanded upon by Thomas Aquinas in his "Summa Theologica" (I.108), wherein the thrones are concerned with carrying out divine justice.  In Medieval times the "Throne of Solomon" was associated with the Virgin Mary, who was depicted as the throne upon which Jesus sat. The ivory in the biblical description of the Throne of Solomon was interpreted as representing purity, the gold representing divinity, and the six steps of the throne stood for the six virtues. was also interpreted as referring to the Virgin Mary, the entire Psalm describing a royal throne room.

Ecclesiastical thrones.

From ancient times, bishops of the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican and other churches where episcopal offices exist, have been formally seated on a throne, called a "cathedra" (). Traditionally located in the sanctuary, the cathedra symbolizes the bishop's authority to teach the faith (hence the expression "ex cathedra") and to govern his flock.  "Ex cathedra" refers to the explicative authority, notably the extremely rarely used procedure required for a papal declaration to be 'infallible' under Roman Catholic Canon law. In several languages the word deriving from "cathedra" is commonly used for an academic teaching mandate, the professorial chair.  From the presence of this cathedra (throne), which can be as elaborate and precious as fits a secular prince (even if the prelate is not a prince of the church in the secular sense), a bishop's primary church is called a cathedral. In the Roman Catholic Church, a basilica -from the Greek "basilikos" 'royal'-, now refers to the presence there of a papal canopy ("ombrellino"), part of his regalia, and applies mainly to many cathedrals and Catholic churches of similar importance and/or splendor. In Roman Antiquity a basilica was secular public hall. Thus, the term basilica may also refer to a church designed after the manner of the ancient Roman basilica. Many of the churches built by the emperor Constantine the Great and Justinian are of the basilica style.  Some other prelates besides bishops are permitted the use of thrones, such as abbots and abbesses. These are often simpler than the thrones used by bishops and there may be restrictions on the style and ornamentation used on them, according to the regulations and traditions of the particular denomination.  As a mark of distinction, Roman Catholic bishops and higher prelates have a right to a canopy above their thrones at certain ecclesiastical functions. It is sometimes granted by special privilege to prelates inferior to bishops, but always with limitations as to the days on which it may be used and the character of its ornamentation. The liturgical color of the canopy should correspond with that of the other vestments. When ruling monarchs attend services, they are also allowed to be seated on a throne that is covered by a canopy, but their seats must be outside the sanctuary.  In the Greek Orthodox Church, the bishop's throne will often combine features of the monastic choir stall ("kathisma") with appurtenances inherited from the Byzantine court, such as a pair of lions seated at the foot of the throne.  The term "throne" is often used in reference to Patriarchs to designate their ecclesiastical authority; for instance, "the Ecumenical Throne" refers to the authority of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.  Western bishops may also use a faldstool to fulfill the liturgical purpose of the cathedra when not in their own cathedral.

Papal Thrones.

In the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope is an elected monarch, both under canon law as supreme head of the church, and under international law as the head of state -styled "sovereign pontiff"- of the Vatican City State (the sovereign state within the city of Rome established by the 1929 Lateran Treaty). Until 1870, the Pope was the elected monarch of the Papal States, which for centuries constituted one of the largest political powers on the divided Italian peninsula. To this day, the Holy See maintains officially recognised diplomatic status, and papal nuncios and legates are deputed on diplomatic missions throughout the world.  The Pope's throne ("Cathedra Romana"), is located in the apse of the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, his cathedral as Bishop of Rome.  In apse of Saint Peter's Basilica, above the "Altar of the Chair" lies the "Cathedra Petri", a throne believed to have been used by St Peter himself and other earlier Popes; this relic is enclosed in a gilt bronze casting and forms part of a huge monument designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.  Unlike at his cathedral (Archbasilica of St. John Lateran), there is no permanent "cathedra" for the Pope in St Peter's Basilica, so a removable throne is placed in the Basilica for the Pope's use whenever he presides over a liturgical ceremony. Prior to the liturgical reforms that occurred in the wake of the Second Vatican Council, a huge removable canopied throne was placed above an equally removable dais in the choir side of the "Altar of the Confession" (the high altar above the tomb of St Peter and beneath the monumental bronze baldachin); this throne stood between the apse and the Altar of the Confession.  This practice has fallen out of use with the 1960s and 1970s reform of Papal liturgy and, whenever the Pope celebrates Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, a simpler portable throne is now placed on platform in front of the Altar of the Confession. However, whenever Pope Benedict XVI celebrated the Liturgy of the Hours at St Peter's, a more elaborate removable throne was placed on a dais to the side of the Altar of the Chair. When the Pope celebrates Mass on the Basilica steps facing St. Peter's Square, portable thrones are also used. In the past, the pope was also carried on occasions in a portable throne, called the "sedia gestatoria". Originally, the "sedia" was used as part of the elaborate procession surrounding papal ceremonies that was believed to be the most direct heir of pharaonic splendor, and included a pair of flabella (fans made from ostrich feathers) to either side. Pope John Paul I at first abandoned the use of these implements, but later in his brief reign began to use the "sedia" so that he could be seen more easily by the crowds. However, he did not restore the use of the flabella. The use of the "sedia" was abandoned by Pope John Paul II in favor of the so-called "popemobile" when outside. Near the end of his pontificate, Pope John Paul II had a specially constructed throne on wheels that could be used inside.  Prior to 1978, at the Papal conclave, each cardinal was seated on a throne in the Sistine Chapel during the balloting. Each throne had a canopy over it. After a successful election, once the new pope accepted election and decided by what name he would be known, the cardinals would all lower their canopies, leaving only the canopy over the newly elected pope. This was the new pope's first throne. This tradition was dramatically portrayed in the 1968 film, "The Shoes of the Fisherman".

Medieval and Early Modern periods.

In European feudal countries, monarchs often were seated on thrones, based in all likelihood on the Roman magisterial chair. These thrones were originally quite simple, especially when compared to their Asian counterparts. One of the grandest and most important was the Throne of Ivan "the Terrible". Dating from the mid-16th century, it is shaped as a high-backed chair with arm rests, and adorned with ivory and walrus bone plaques intricately carved with mythological, heraldic and life scenes. The plaques carved with scenes from the biblical account of King David’s life are of particular relevance, as David was seen as the ideal for Christian monarchs. In practice, any chair the monarch occupied in a formal setting served as a "throne", though there were often special chairs used only for this kept in places the monarch often went to. Thrones began to be made in pairs, for the king and queen, which remained common in later periods. Sometimes they are identical, or the queen's throne may be slightly less grand.  The throne of the Byzantine Empire (Magnaura) included elaborate automatons of singing birds. In the'regency' (nominally an Ottoman province, de facto an independent realm) of the Bey of Tunis, the throne was called "kursi".  Though medieval examples tended to be retained in the Early Modern period, having acquired the aura of tradition, when new thrones were made they either continued medieval styles or were just very grand and elaborate versions of contemporary chairs or armchairs.

South Asia.

In the Indian subcontinent, the traditional Sanskrit name for the throne was "siṃhāsana" (lit., seat of a lion). In the Mughal times the throne was called "Shāhī takht" (). The term "gaddi" (, also called "rājgaddī") referred to a seat with a cushion used as a throne by Indian princes. The term "gaddi" was usually used for the throne of a Hindu princely state's ruler, while among Muslim princes or Nawabs, save exceptions such as the Travancore State royal family, the term "musnad" (), also spelt as "musnud", was more common, even though both seats were similar.  The Throne of Jahangir was built by Mughal emperor Jahangir in 1602 and is located at the "Diwan-i-Khas" (hall of private audience) at the Agra Fort.  The Peacock Throne was the seat of the Mughal emperors of India. It was commissioned in the early 17th century by emperor Shah Jahan and was located in the Red Fort of Delhi. The original throne was subsequently captured and taken as a war trophy in 1739 by the Persian king Nadir Shah, and has been lost ever since. A replacement throne based on the original was commissioned afterwards and existed until the Indian Rebellion of 1857.  Maharaja Ranjit Singh's throne was made by the goldsmith Hafez Muhammad Multani about 1820 to 1830. Made of Wood and resin core, covered with sheets of repoussé, chased and engraved gold.  The Golden Throne or Chinnada Simhasana or Ratna Simahasana in Kannada is the royal seat of the rulers of the Kingdom of Mysore. The Golden throne is kept at Mysore Palace.

Southeast Asia.

In Burma, the traditional name for a throne is "palin," from the Pali term "pallaṅka", which means "couch" or "sofa." The Burmese "palin" in pre-colonial times was used to seat the sovereign and his main consort, and is today used to seat religious leaders such as sayadaws, and images of the Buddha. Royal thrones are called "yazapalin" (ရာဇပလ္လင်), while thrones seating images or statues of the Buddha are called "gaw pallin" (ဂေါ့ပလ္လင်) or "samakhan" (စမ္မခဏ်), from the Pali term "sammakhaṇḍa".

East Asia.

The Dragon Throne is the term used to identify the throne of the Emperor of China. As the dragon was the emblem of divine imperial power, the throne of the emperor, who was considered a living god, was known as the Dragon Throne. The term can refer to very specific seating, as in the special seating in various structures in the Forbidden City of Beijing or in the palaces of the Old Summer Palace. In an abstract sense, the "Dragon Throne" also refers rhetorically to the head of state and to the monarchy itself. The Daoguang Emperor is said to have referred to his throne as "the divine utensil."  Dragon Throne Vietnam of the Emperors of Vietnam  The Phoenix Throne (어좌 "eojwa") is the term used to identify the throne of the King of Korea. In an abstract sense, the Phoenix Throne also refers rhetorically to the head of state of the Joseon dynasty (1392–1897) and the Empire of Korea (1897–1910). The throne is located at Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul.  The is the term used to identify the throne of the Emperor of Japan. The term also can refer to very specific seating, such as the "takamikura" (高御座) throne in the Shishin-den at Kyoto Imperial Palace.  The throne of the Ryukyu Kingdom is located in Shuri Castle, Naha.

Modern period.

During the Russian Empire, the throne in St. George's Hall (the "Greater Throne Room") in the Winter Palace was regarded as "the" throne of Russia. It sits atop a seven-stepped dais with a proscenium arch above and the symbol of the Imperial Family behind (the two-headed eagle). Peter I's Room (the "Smaller Throne Room") is modest in comparison to the former. The throne was made for Empress Anna Ivanovna in London. There is also a throne in the Grand Throne Room of the Peterhof Palace.  In some countries with a monarchy, thrones are still used and have important symbolic and ceremonial meaning. Among the most famous thrones still in usage are St Edward's Chair, on which the British monarch is crowned, and the thrones used by monarchs during the state opening of parliaments in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, and Japan (see above) among others.  Some republics use distinctive throne-like chairs in some state ceremonial. The President of Ireland sits on a former viceregal throne during his or her inauguration ceremony while Lords Mayor of many British and Irish cities often preside over local councils from throne-like chairs.  Due to its symbolic nature, a toilet is often jokingly referred to as "a throne".

A throne is the seat of state of a potentate or dignitary, especially the seat occupied by a sovereign on state occasions; or the seat occupied by a pope or bishop on ceremonial occasions. "Throne" in an abstract sense can also refer to the monarchy or the Crown itself, an instance of metonymy, and is also used in many expressions such as "the power behind the throne". The expression "ascend (mount) the throne" takes its meaning from the steps leading up to the dais or platform, on which the throne is placed, being formerly comprised in the word's significance.

Un trône est un siège, une chaise ou un fauteuil sur lequel un souverain est assis dans les circonstances solennelles. Le trône, au sens figuré du terme, désigne aussi la monarchie ou la Couronne elle-même; un exemple de métonymie.


Description.

"Genusaurus" possesses several distinguishing traits. The dorsal vertebrae are elongated. The elements of the pelvis are strongly fused. The thighbone shows a low bone plateau below the major trochanter; to the front an accessory trochanter is present. The epicondyle of the inner femoral condyle is well-developed. The cnemial crest strongly extends to the front and is curved upwards. The fibula has a distinctive boss serving as an attachment for the "Musculus iliofibularis". The upper inner side of the fibula is strongly hollowed out.

Size.

"Genusaurus" was originally estimated to have been long. From the thighbone, a weight of was extrapolated. Later estimates, while confirming the length of, have reduced the weight to, or even. In 2016, its length was estimated at, making it the smallest abelisaurid.

Discovery and naming.

The type species, "Genusaurus sisteronis", is the only named species. It is based on a partial skeleton found in 1984-1986 in the Albian Bevons Beds, holotype MNHN Bev.1. The holotype contains seven partial dorsal vertebrae, a piece of a sacral, a piece of an ilium, the top of a pubic bone, a thighbone, the top of a shinbone, the top of a fibula and a metatarsal. It was named and described by Hugues Accarie, Bernard Beaudoin, Jean Dejax, Gérard Friès, Jean-Guy Michard and Philippe Taquet in 1995. The genus name is derived from the Latin word "genu" (knee) and refers to the cnemial crest in front of the proximal end of the tibia. The specific name refers to Sisteron, the town near which the specimen was found.

Classification.

Accarie "et al." assigned "Genusaurus" to the ceratosaur group of theropods, more precisely to the Coelophysoidea. A 2008 cladistic analysis by Carrano and Sampson placed "Genusaurus" in the Noasauridae along with "Laevisuchus", "Masiakasaurus", "Noasaurus", and "Velocisaurus"; in turn, noasaurids are part of the Abelisauroidea group, which is part of the ceratosaur group. Subsequent phylogenetic analyses found "Genusaurus" to be a member of the Abelisauridae, specifically the Majungasaurinae.

Genusaurus ( ; meaning "knee lizard") is a genus of dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous. Its fossils were found in France. "Genusaurus" is believed to have lived during the Albian faunal stage, around 112-100 million years ago.

Genusaurus est un genre éteint de dinosaures théropodes ayant vécu à la fin du Crétacé inférieur (Albien), il y a environ (millions d'années). Il appartient à la famille des Noasauridae et ses restes fossiles ont été trouvés dans le sud de la France, non loin de Sisteron.


Mission.

Hinode was planned as a three-year mission to explore the magnetic fields of the Sun. It consists of a coordinated set of optical, extreme ultraviolet (EUV), and x-ray instruments to investigate the interaction between the Sun's magnetic field and its corona. The result will be an improved understanding of the mechanisms that power the solar atmosphere and drive solar eruptions. The EUV imaging spectrometer ( EIS ) was built by a consortium led by the Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL) in the UK. NASA, the space agency of the United States, was involved with three science instrument components: the Focal Plane Package (FPP), the X-Ray Telescope (XRT), and the Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) and shares operations support for science planning and instrument command generation. The mission was extended to the end of 2020 with a likely extension lasting until 2022.

Instruments.

Hinode carries three main instruments to study the Sun.

SOT (Solar Optical Telescope).

A 0.5 meter Gregorian optical telescope with an angular resolution of about 0.2 arcsecond over the field of view of about 400 x 400 arcsec. At the SOT focal plane, the Focal Plane Package (FPP) built by the Lockheed Martin Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory in Palo Alto, California consists of three optical instruments: the Broadband Filter Imager (BFI) which produces images of the solar photosphere and chromosphere in six wide-band interference filters; the Narrowband Filter Imager (NFI) which is a tunable Lyot-type birefringent filter capable of producing magnetogram and dopplergram images of the solar surface; and the Spectropolarimeter (SP) which produces the most sensitive vector magnetograph maps of the photosphere to date.  The FPP also includes a Correlation Tracker (CT) which locks onto solar granulation to stabilize the SOT images to a fraction of an arcsecond. The spatial resolution of the SOT is a factor of 5 improvement over previous space-based solar telescopes (e.g., the MDI instrument on the SOHO).

XRT (X-ray Telescope).

A modified Wolter I telescope design that uses grazing incidence optics to image the solar corona's hottest components (0.5 to 10 Million K) with an angular resolution consistent with 1 arcsec pixels at the CCD. The telescope has an imaging field of view of 34 arcminutes. It is capable of capturing an image of the full sun when pointed at the center of the solar disk. The telescope was designed and built by Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO), which, with the Harvard College Observatory (HCO) form the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA). The camera was developed by NAOJ and JAXA.

EIS (Extreme-Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer).

A normal incidence extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectrometer that obtains spatially resolved spectra in two wavelength bands: 17.0-21.2 and 24.6-29.2 nm. Spatial resolution is around 2 arcsec, and the field of view is up to 560 x 512 arcsec. The emission lines in the EIS wavelength bands are emitted at temperatures ranging from 50,000 K to 20 million K. EIS is used to identify the physical processes involved in heating the solar corona.

Hinode (;,, Sunrise), formerly Solar-B, is a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Solar mission with United States and United Kingdom collaboration. It is the follow-up to the Yohkoh (Solar-A) mission and it was launched on the final flight of the M-V rocket from Uchinoura Space Center, Japan on 22 September 2006 at 21:36 UTC (23 September, 06:36 JST). Initial orbit was perigee height 280 km, apogee height 686 km, inclination 98.3 degrees. Then the satellite maneuvered to the quasi-circular sun-synchronous orbit over the day/night terminator, which allows near-continuous observation of the Sun. On 28 October 2006, the probe's instruments captured their first images.

Hinode (en japonais : "Sunrise", anciennement Solar-B) est un satellite consacré à l'observation du Soleil et la deuxième mission de la NASA dans le cadre de son programme d'étude des relations Soleil-Terre ("Solar Terrestrial Probes") issu d'une collaboration entre les agences spatiales suivantes : l'Agence d'exploration aérospatiale japonaise (JAXA), américaine (NASA), européenne (ESA) et du Royaume-Uni (UK Space Agency). C'est le successeur du satellite Yohkoh (ou Solar-A).


Overview.

The album was actually recorded twice, with the second Los Angeles-based session being released as the complete album by label Combat Records (later Relativity). It was first recorded in Florida, although only the rhythm guitar and drum tracks were recorded. The track listing consisted of "Torn to Pieces", "Legion of Doom", "Scream Bloody Gore", "Sacrificial Cunt" (later shortened to "Sacrificial" because the label asked the band to do so, possibly because "they didn't want to get P.M.R.C. on their case"), "Mutilation", "Land of No Return", and "Baptized in Blood". The label were unsatisfied after hearing the initial mix, so Schuldiner and Reifert re-recorded the album in California with Randy Burns as producer. Once returning to Florida, the first session was released as a promotional tape, and was eventually bootlegged. "Legion of Doom" was a longtime staple of Death's rehearsals and live shows, and was indeed the first song written, reaching back to when they were known as Mantas.  Despite the many songs written during Death's demo days, only half of them were re-recorded for the album, the rest being new compositions. "Infernal Death" and "Baptized in Blood" originally appeared on the "Infernal Death" demo. "Mutilation" originally appeared on the "Back from the Dead" demo. "Zombie Ritual" and "Land of No Return" originally appeared on the "Mutilation" demo, and "Evil Dead" and "Beyond the Unholy Grave" were originally on "Death By Metal". "Beyond the Unholy Grave" and "Land of No Return" were also cut from the vinyl and cassette versions of the album, though were included as CD-only bonus tracks and on subsequent re-releases in other formats, along with two live audio tracks taken from the "Ultimate Revenge II" video.  Certain songs on the album were inspired by horror movies. "Regurgitated Guts" was inspired by the 1980 film "City of the Living Dead" (a.k.a. "The Gates of Hell"), "Beyond the Unholy Grave" was influenced by the 1981 film "The Beyond", and "Zombie Ritual" was inspired by the 1979 film "Zombie", all of which were directed by Italian director Lucio Fulci.

Reception and legacy.

"Scream Bloody Gore" is often considered the first death metal album. Although some critics consider Possessed's "Seven Churches" to be the first death metal record, AllMusic's Eduardo Rivadavia suggests that "Seven Churches" was a transition between thrash metal and death metal, while "Scream Bloody Gore" defined the core elements of death metal. According to music journalist Joel McIver, Death's debut album was a "turning-point in extreme metal", and qualified it as "the first true death metal album". Writer Ian Christe stated in "" that ""Scream Bloody Gore" emulated hardcore punk. It also evoked the dark moods of horror sound tracks from the drive-in zombie and cannibal horror films of George Romero". "Metal Forces" described the album as "death metal at its utmost extreme, brutal, raw and offensive – the kind that separates the true death metallers from countless trend-following wimps".  In 2016, a re-release of the album was one of the top 200 selling albums in the United States in its first week of release, marking Death's first appearance in the US Billboard 200 chart at.

Track listing.

All songs written by Chuck Schuldiner.

Scream Bloody Gore is the debut studio album by American death metal band Death, released on May 25, 1987, through Combat Records. It is considered by some to be "the first true death metal record". Chuck Schuldiner plays bass and guitar, wrote all the songs on the album and provided all the vocals. John Hand is noted on the cover as playing rhythm guitar, though this was incorrect and Hand was only in the band for a short period and was not on the recording. This is also the only Death album to feature drummer Chris Reifert, who had joined for the "Mutilation" demo, and the only one of the band's albums to not be recorded at Morrisound Recording.

Scream Bloody Gore est le premier album réalisé par Death, en 1987. Après un bon nombre de demos, Chuck Schuldiner arrive enfin à sortir son premier album grâce au label Combat.


Early life.

Galecki was born in Bree, Belgium, to American parents of Polish, Irish, and Italian descent. His mother, Mary Louise (Mary Lou) Noon, was a mortgage consultant, and his father, Richard Galecki, was a member of the U.S. Air Force stationed in Belgium, and also worked as a rehabilitation teacher. Galecki is the eldest of three children with a brother, Nick, whom he describes as a "mechanical genius" in the automotive industry, and a sister, Allison. Galecki grew up in Oak Park, Illinois.  During an interview with New Zealand radio station ZM, Galecki recalled his childhood relationship with his mother. As a child, he was well known for making up long stories and tales. In such situations, his mother used to make him play the "quiet game", where he had to see how long he could go without talking. He also recalled that despite being a loving mother, she was also very tough. One phrase she would lovingly use was, "I love you, now get out."

Career.

Galecki made his acting debut in the 1987 CBS miniseries "Murder Ordained" with JoBeth Williams and future "Roseanne" co-star John Goodman. In 1989, Galecki portrayed Rusty Griswold in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation". In 1990, he was cast as Danny Nash, the son of Robert Urich's lead character, on the NBC comedy "American Dreamer"; the following season, he was a regular cast member on the ABC sitcom "Billy", a spin-off from "Head of the Class". He appeared in one episode of "Blossom" in 1991, opposite his future "The Big Bang Theory" co-star Mayim Bialik.  During his run on "Billy", Galecki began making guest appearances on the hit ABC sitcom "Roseanne" as the younger brother of Mark Healy (Glenn Quinn), who began a relationship with Darlene Conner (Sara Gilbert). Introduced in his first appearance as Kevin Healy, his name was soon changed to David. After a few more guest shots, Galecki was named a permanent "Roseanne" cast member from the fall of 1992 onward, after the cancellation of "Billy". He would remain in the role of David Healy until the end of "Roseanne"'s run in 1997, with the character eventually marrying Darlene and fathering two children with her. Galecki's character on "The Big Bang Theory" would also have a short-lived relationship with Gilbert's character on the same show.  Galecki also appeared in the 1995 music video for the Dave Matthews Band song "Satellite". Galecki was cast in the 1997 summer slasher "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and the 1998 dark comedy "The Opposite of Sex". In the year 2000, Galecki reunited with "Opposite of Sex" director Don Roos, who cast him in "Bounce".  Galecki continued his film streak with roles in "Suicide Kings" (1997) and brief bit parts in high-profile films such as "Bean" (1997), and a minor supporting part in "Vanilla Sky" (2001). Galecki played a young delinquent in "A Family Torn Apart", a 1993 TV movie based on a true story about a serial killer. He was also in the 2003 film "Bookies", a comedy thriller film written by Michael Bacall and directed by Mark Illsley. The story revolves around the lives of four college students. Galecki appeared as a golfer in a 2005 episode of "My Name Is Earl" entitled "Stole Beer from a Golfer".  In 2005, Galecki played Mark Corrigan in a pilot for a US adaptation of the British sitcom "Peep Show". He played a character named Trouty on TBS's sitcom "My Boys", and the half-brother of the main characters, sisters Hope Shanowski and Faith Fairfield, in the sitcom "Hope & Faith". In late 2006 and early 2007, Galecki appeared in the Broadway play "The Little Dog Laughed" as a prostitute called Alex. "At its core, the play is about what we all sacrifice to be successful, whatever our careers or goals," he explains. Galecki originated the role earlier in 2006 at Second Stage Theatre. The widely popular comedy by Douglas Carter Beane had a successful run at Second Stage and moved to the Cort Theatre. The play closed on February 18, 2007, with Galecki taking home a 2007 Theater World Award for his performance.  Galecki played Leonard Hofstadter in the CBS sitcom "The Big Bang Theory", which debuted September 24, 2007. He was originally asked to play the role of Sheldon Cooper, but he said he was better suited for the role of Leonard Hofstadter, and Sheldon's role was eventually given to Jim Parsons. During his role as David Healy on Roseanne, Sara Gilbert played his longtime girlfriend and later wife, Darlene Conner. She has appeared as Leslie Winkle, a colleague in the Big Bang Theory. Leonard and Leslie would have a short-lived romantic relationship. Laurie Metcalf, who portrayed Roseanne's sister Jackie Harris, has appeared as Mary Cooper, mother of Leonard's roommate, Sheldon. Galecki is a cellist, a talent which has been used on the show. As of August 2013, Galecki and his "Big Bang" co-stars Kaley Cuoco and Jim Parsons each earned US$325,000 per episode. As of August 2014, the three co-stars earned US$1 million per episode. The series ended on May 16, 2019.  Galecki appeared briefly in the 2008 superhero comedy "Hancock", alongside Will Smith and Jason Bateman. In July 2011, he played a parody version of himself in three episodes of "Entourage". He also appeared in the film "In Time" (2011) with Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried.  On April 28, 2017, it was reported that a revival of "Roseanne" was in the works with most of the original cast, including Galecki, returning for the eight part mini-series. On May 16, 2017, it was confirmed that the eight episodes would air mid-season in 2018 on ABC. On December 1, 2017, it was announced that he would reprise his role of David Healy for one episode.  In May 2018, ABC cancelled "Roseanne" following racist remarks made by Roseanne Barr on social media. That June, the other cast members (except Galecki due to his work on "Big Bang") came to a deal for a spin-off program featuring their characters without any involvement from Barr. The program titled "The Conners" premiered in October 2018; Galecki has appeared as David in at least one episode.

Personal life.

While working on "The Big Bang Theory", Galecki dated co-star Kaley Cuoco for about two years until December 2009 while the two also played a couple on the show. Cuoco told "CBS Watch" that they have remained on good terms since ending their relationship.  Galecki owns of land in Santa Margarita, California. His property included vineyards and a log cabin. In late June 2017, Galecki's ranch was destroyed in a major wildfire known as the Hill Fire. Galecki, in a media statement, said wildfire was "the threat... we live with constantly, which may seem crazy to some but we do so because living in our beautiful, rural area makes it worthwhile."  As of September 2018, Galecki is dating Alaina Meyer. On May 3, 2019, Galecki and Meyer announced that they were expecting their first child together. Their son Avery was born in December 2019.

John Mark Galecki (born April 30, 1975) is an American actor. He played Leonard Hofstadter in the CBS sitcom "The Big Bang Theory" (2007–2019) and David Healy in the ABC sitcom "Roseanne" (1992–1997; 2018). Galecki also appeared in the films "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" (1989), "Prancer" (1989), "Suicide Kings" (1997), "I Know What You Did Last Summer" (1997), "Bookies" (2003), "In Time" (2011), and "Rings" (2017).

John Mark Galecki, dit Johnny Galecki, est un acteur et producteur américain, né le en Belgique. Il est surtout connu pour ses rôles de David Healy dans la sitcom "Roseanne", Rusty Griswold dans "Le sapin a les boules" ("National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation") et Leonard Hofstadter dans la sitcom "The Big Bang Theory".


Background.

Victorious in the Battle of Ourique, in 1139, Afonso Henriques benefited from the developed action by the archbishop of Braga, D. João Peculiar, in favor of the constitution of the new Kingdom of Portugal. To reconcile Afonso Henriques and his cousin Alfonso VII of León, the archbishop made arrangements for them to meet in Zamora in 4 and 5 of October 1143 in the presence of the cardinal Guido de Vico.

Result.

By the terms of the treaty, Alfonso VII agreed that the County of Portugal would become a kingdom, and that D. Afonso Henriques would be its king. The Portuguese sovereignty, recognized by Alfonso VII in Zamora, was only confirmed by Pope Alexander III in 1179, but the title of "rex", which D. Afonso Henriques used since 1140, was confirmed at Zamora, when the Portuguese monarch committed, before the cardinal, to consider himself a vassal of the Holy See, being then obliged, himself and his descendants, to pay an annual tithe to the Pope.  From 1143, D. Afonso Henriques would send repentance letters to the Pope declaring himself his lord vassal and committing himself to sending a determined amount of gold every year. The negotiations would last several years, from 1143 to 1179. In 1179, Pope Alexander III would send D. Afonso Henriques the papal bull "Manifestis probatum", in which the Pope accepted that D. Afonso Henriques would pay him direct vassalage, acknowledging definitely the independence of the Kingdom of Portugal without vassalage to Alfonso VII (because a vassal couldn't have two direct lords) and D. Afonso Henriques as first king of Portugal, Afonso I of Portugal.

The Treaty of Zamora (5 October 1143) recognized Portuguese independence from the Kingdom of León. Based on the terms of the accord, King Alfonso VII of León recognized the Kingdom of Portugal in the presence of his cousin King Afonso I of Portugal, witnessed by the papal representative, Cardinal Guido de Vico, at the Cathedral of Zamora. Both kings promised durable peace between their kingdoms. By this treaty Afonso I of Portugal also recognized the suzerainty of the Pope.

Le Traité de Zamora, connu pour être l'acte d'indépendance du Portugal et le commencement de la dynastie des Bourgogne, est une paix signée entre Alphonse de Portugal et le roi Alphonse VII de Castille le à Zamora (actuelle Espagne).


History.

BARLA was created in 1973 in Huddersfield at the George Hotel by a group of enthusiasts concerned about the dramatic disappearance of many amateur leagues and clubs. Fewer than 150 amateur teams remained with a mere thirty youth rugby league teams. The 'breakaway' from the RFL was acrimonious and was strongly contested with a vote 29–1 against recognising BARLA. Thanks to Tom Mitchell, this changed to a unanimous vote of approval for BARLA within twelve months.  One of BARLA's first acts was to merge the vast majority of the district leagues into five regional leagues: the Yorkshire League (initially still called the Leeds & District League), the short-lived Cumbria League, the West Yorkshire Sunday League, the Pennine League and the North Western Counties League. For geographical reasons the Hull & District League (renamed Humberside League) and the Southern League were left unmerged. This allowed clubs to play at more appropriate standards as there were more divisions, and this factor along with the improved governance of BARLA saw the standard and numbers of clubs rise quickly.  The Yorkshire County Cup and Lancashire County Cup knock-out competitions were started in 1973 as well as the BARLA National Cup.  In 1977 BARLA toured Australia and New Zealand for the first time. In that year the BARLA Young Lions made their first inaugural tour setting a lasting trend by giving future stars of the game such as David Hobbs their first taste of international rugby league.  A Cumbria County Cup was started in 1982.  The best amateur clubs were still divided between six leagues and thus the desire for an amateur National League arose. The BARLA National League first took place in the 1986/1987 season with 10 teams.  The association has always been a champion of the amateur ethos and in 1987 BARLA played a major role in the establishment of the 'free gangway' between the two codes at amateur level. The agreement allowed players to inter-change between rugby league and rugby union without fear of discrimination.  The BARLA National League soon proved popular and the 1989/90 season also saw the addition of a second division.  On 30 November 1990, BARLA's new headquarters at West Yorkshire House, Huddersfield was opened by Queen Elizabeth II.  In 1993, BARLA provided the first Great Britain team to tour South Africa. The BARLA National League was rebranded the National Conference League and expanded to three divisions (now named premier, first and second) in 1993.  By 1999, there were more than 1,400 teams and 900 youth and junior teams. On an average weekend in the season, almost 23,000 players will be in action.  BARLA's work in the international expansion of the game was recognised by their inclusion as affiliate members of the International Federation (equivalent to the International Board at the time) in 1999 and by BARLA's inclusion in the Emerging Nations World Championship in 2000.  BARLA won the Emerging Nations World Championship beating Italy 20–14 in the final.

Competitions.

BARLA runs many leagues, mainly based in the 'heartland' areas of the sport (Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria). The top division under their control is the National Conference League, with regional leagues including the North West Counties, Yorkshire, Cumberland, Pennine Hull & District and Barrow & District leagues.  Its top knock-out competition is the BARLA National Cup and there are county cups for Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria.  There is an InterTown Series played over the summer between sides representing different districts.  It also runs youth leagues such as the Yorkshire Combination Youth League and Hull Youth and Junior. There are county cups at age group level, known as the Yorkshire Youth Cup, Lancashire Youth Cup and the Cumbria Youth Cup.

Representative rugby league.

BARLA selects an international team consisting of community players, the BARLA Lions. This team tours many parts of the rugby league world, and have competed in the Rugby League Emerging Nations Tournament. The association has made 31 tours to and from the Southern Hemisphere. These include pioneer visits with matches against Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands and South Africa. In the Northern Hemisphere games have been played against Moldova, Russia, Morocco Pakistan and the USA.

Cumbria.

North West Allerdale, Barrow & South Lakes, Copeland and Eden

North West.

Halton, Lancashire, Rochdale, Oldham, Salford, St Helens, Warrington & Cheshire, Wigan & Leigh, fylde

Yorkshire.

Bradford, Calderdale, Hull, Kirklees, Leeds, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Wakefield

Non-heartlands.

London & South East, North East, Scotland, Wales

The British Amateur Rugby League Association (BARLA) is an association for social and recreational rugby league. It works jointly with the Rugby Football League through the RFL Community Board.

La British Amateur Rugby League Association (BARLA) est l'instance gérant le rugby à XIII amateur britannique, en collaboration avec la Rugby Football League.


History.

The company is named after Eduard Vossloh. In 1883, the blacksmith received the first contract from the Royal Prussian Railway for the manufacture of spring washers for rail fasteners. On July 11, 1888 the Eduard Vossloh Company was registered. Spring washers and other hardware items were manufactured at the family's blacksmiths shop. Even today, Werdohl is still the headquarters of Vossloh AG and Vossloh Fastening Systems GmbH (Core Components division).  Through the early 1900s the company continued to grow, producing general hardware including decorative items and lampholders for electric lights.  In 1945 the facilities in Werdohl were destroyed by a bomb. Subsidiaries marketing lampholders which are located in Kaliningrad, Wroclaw and East Germany ceased to be part of the company due to the changes in political borders at that time.  In 1946 production of holders for fluorescent tubes was allowed to take place at a plant in Lüdenscheid, by 1962 an additional plant for lighting products had opened in Selm and the Vossloh works employed 1,300 people, with 500 more employed in subsidiaries. 1967 was a decisive turning Point: Vossloh obtained a license to produce a new tension clamp rail fastening developed by Prof. Hermann Meier director of the Deutsche Bundesbahn.  Recession in Germany in the 1980s resulted in the closure of two plants and employee lay-offs reducing the staff by almost half. Management was brought in from outside the Vossloh family, and Schwabe GmbH acquired; its lighting ballast products complementing Vossloh's lighting fittings product range, and on 1 December 1989 Vossloh-Werke GmbH became a public stock company or "Aktiengesellschaft" (AG). At this time there were three company divisions : Vossloh-Werke GmbH (Werdohl) (railway components e.g. tension clamps), Vossloh-Schwabe GmbH (Urbach) (electrical lighting products and components), and Hansa Metallwarengesellschaft mbH Thiessen & Hager (decorative products, sunscreen products).  The current listed company was founded in 1990. On June 13, 1990, the shares of Vossloh AG were listed on the Düsseldorf Stock Exchange for the first time. In the 1990s, the reunification of Germany resulted, and new markets in eastern Europe resulted in additional demand for its rail fastening products on the former Deutsche Reichsbahn and elsewhere. "Hoesch Maschinenfabrik Deutschland GmbH" and "W. Hegenscheidt GmbH" manufacturers of railway wheelset machining equipment were acquired in the mid 1990s. In 1997 the company was first listed on the MDAX. In 1998 railway switch manufacturing company VAE group was acquired by Voestalpine AG and Vossloh.  However recession in the 1990s resulted in the sale of the non-'recession-resilient' decorative products division to Arquati S.p.a of Italy in 1997. Under company CEO Burkhard Schuchmann Vossloh was re-orientated as a rail industry based company during and after the 1990s; In 2002 the lighting division was sold to Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd. of Osaka, Japan, and the company expanded into the rail industry market with a number of acquisitions:  At the end of 2005 Burkard Schuchmann is succeeded by Dr. Gerhard Eschenröder as CEO until 2007 when Werner Andree replaces him. The subsidiary, Vossloh Information Technologies GmbH was sold (February 2007) to Funkwerk AG. The company continued to expand; its first acquisition in North America was Pohl Corp (switch manufacturer), followed by Cleveland Track Material Inc., both acquired in 2007. A 100% stake in French rail infrastructure company (ETF) was also obtained in 2007. The same year the company opened a rail fastening subsidiary in China.  In 2008 Vossloh infrastructure services is sold to the VINCI group of companies - this included the infrastructure parts of Cogifer SA acquired in 2002 as well as Européenne de Travaux Ferroviaires SA.  Further railroad switch manufacturers were acquired :TLK Rail (Australia) in 2007, Sportek (Denmark) and Kloos Oving B.V. (Netherlands) in 2008, and the switch and rail manufacturing parts of the Nouva Sima Sud company (Italy) in 2009.  In 2010 the company enters the rail services market in Germany, forming Vossloh Rail Services GmbH from the rail maintenance parts of Stahlberg-Roensch Group in addition to LOG Logistikgesellschaft Gleisbau mbH and ISB Instandhaltungssysteme Bahn GmbH. A rail milling and grinding joint venture "Vossloh MFL Rail Milling GmbH", was formed in association with Maschinenfabrik Liezen und Giesserei in 2012.  In mid 2013 Knorr-Bremse owner Heinz Hermann Thiele became chairman of the Vossloh board, after having raised his shareholding in the company from below 5% to over 10% in Mar. 2011, and to over 25% in 2013. Thiele's election to chair was opposed by the Vossloh family who own over 30% of the shares. In November 2013 the Vossloh family unexpectedly sold 22% of its shareholding, reducing their holding to under 10% and leaving Heinz Hermann Thiele as the main shareholder in the company.  In 2014 the company began a restructuring. New executive board members were introduced and high level management numbers were reduced by a third, and talks started on general workforce redundancies. The transfer of locomotive production in Kiel to a more modern site was also under investigation, with three sites identified. In June 2014 Kieler Nachrichten reported that an offer had been made for Voith's locomotive plant, however in July the company announced it was to build a new plant at a cost of €30 million in the Suchsdorf area of Kiel. A groundbreaking ceremony for the new plant took place 17 July 2015.  In December 2014 the company announced it intended to divest its transportation division. The rail-vehicles division was announced as sold to Stadler in late 2015. The Electrical Systems division (formerly Vossloh Kiepe) was sold to Knorr-Bremse in 2016.  End of 2016, Vossloh acquired Rocla Concrete Tie, Inc., headquartered in Lakewood, Colorado from Altus Capital Partners II. Since 1986 the North American company mainly supplies customers in the USA focus market with concrete thresholds. At the same time, Vossloh has purchased the remaining 50% of the shares in the previous Alpha Rail Team joint venture.

Company structure.

Vossloh has three divisions contribute to the core business, rail infrastructure: Core Components, Customized Modules and Lifecycle Solutions.  Vossloh currently operates with four divisions. The fourth division, Transportation, covers the developing and manufacturing of diesel locomotives, and also provides all necessary locomotive maintenance and repair services. With the adoption of the strategy at the end of 2014, the Transportation division stopped being part of the core business.  The individual companies are centrally coordinated by the holding company, Vossloh AG, and operate in common under the Vossloh brand.

Core Components.

The Core Components division manufactures standardized products on an industrial scale, which are required in large quantities for rail infrastructure.  Vossloh’s business unit Fastening Systems produces rail fastening systems and components, which are used in more than 65 countries. The screw-fastened and maintenance-free elastic systems are suitable for all applications: ballasted and slab tracks, mainline and conventional lines, high-speed lines, heavy-haul and local transport. Approx. 50 million tension clamps leave Vossloh’s production sites in Europe, Asia and North America every year.  The division includes Vossloh Fastening Systems GmbH (Werdohl Germany), Delkor Rail Pty. Ltd. (Australia), Patil Vossloh Rail Systems Pvt. Ltd. (joint venture with Patil Group of India), Vossloh Sistemi s.r.l. (Italy), TOO "Vossloh-Kaz" (Russia), Vossloh Utenzilija d.d. (Croatia), Vossloh Skamo Sp. z o.o. (Poland), Vossloh Tehnika Feroviara S.R.L. (Romania), Vossloh Drážní Technika s.r.o. (Czech Republic), Vossloh Rail Technology Limitet Sirketi (Turkey), Feder-7 GmbH (Hungary) and Vossloh Fastening Systems America Corporation (Chicago, USA).  Vossloh’s business unit Tie Technologies is manufacturing concrete railway ties in North America. In addition, six own production sites in the USA and another one in Mexico also produce switch ties, concrete low-vibration track blocks and crossing panels.

Customized Modules.

The Customized Modules division develops and manufactures systems for rail infrastructure, which must be individually adapted to the customer and the project. Installation and maintenance are related Vossloh services.  Vossloh Cogifer produces railway switch systems at over 30 production sites in over 20 countries: Vossloh Nordic Switch systems AB (Sweden), KIHN (Luxembourg), Vossloh Track Material Inc. (Wilmington USA) and Cleveland Track Material Inc. (Cleveland USA) and Vossloh Cogifer Australia Pty., as well as two joint ventures Corus Cogifer Switches and Crossings, (Scunthorpe, UK) and Amurrio Ferrocarril y Equipos SA (Spain).  From 2012 Corus Cogifer Switches and Crossings was rebranded as VTS Track Technology Ltd. due to the acquisition of Corus by Tata Steel and of Cogifer by Vossloh.  Vossloh is a majority shareholder in a joint venture with the Argentine state owned infrastructure company ADIFSE called "Vossloh Cogifer Argentina SA" created in 2013, with a production plant located near the city of La Plata.  Amongst turnouts and crossings, Vossloh manufactures manganese frogs, switch blade, switch actuators and locking devices, signalling products and rail monitoring systems. The Vossloh offer covers all fields of application: standard, high-speed, special and heavy-haul switches, as well as solutions for urban networks.

Lifecycle Solutions.

The Lifecycle Solutions division of Vossloh provides track related services. This includes welding and transportation of long rails, maintenance and preventative care of tracks and switches and reconditioning and recycling of old rails. These services also cover the lifecycle management of entire track sections.  Vossloh Rail Services provides railway track infrastructure maintenance such as rail grinding, welding, replacement and testing. The division was formed in 2010 with the acquisition of parts of the Stahlberg-Roensch Group and "Logistikgesellschaft Gleisbau mbH" and "Instandhaltungssysteme Bahn GmbH" from the Contrack Group.

Transportation.

The Transportation division produces locomotives and provides related services.  Vossloh Locomotives GmbH, the former MaK locomotive plant in Kiel produces diesel-electric and diesel-hydraulic centre-cab locomotives, for freight and shunting purposes, which are fitted with eco-friendly technology and are approved in many European countries.  This is complemented by services related to the maintenance and repair of locomotives, including variable financing models and options for maintenance agreements. ECM-compliant service centers are located in Germany, France and Italy. The pan-European service network also includes partner workshops and collaborations, in Sweden.  The factory's main production up to 2009 was diesel hydraulic locomotives of type Vossloh G1000 BB, Vossloh G1206, Vossloh G1700 BB and Vossloh G2000 BB. The company's major orders included G1206/1700 variants for the French (SNCF Class BB 61000) and Swiss railways (SBB Am 843).  A three axle shunting locomotive, type Vossloh G6 was introduced in 2008, in 2009 the company announced to the intention to offer diesel electric or diesel hydraulic variant of four axle centre cab locomotives in two power ranges: G 12 or DE 12 and G 18 or DE 18 (approximately corresponding to the power ranges of the G1206 and G1700 versions.)  In 2016, Vossloh Locomotives won a major contract in France. Akiem S.A.S. ordered 44 locomotives of DE 18.

Spin-offs, divestments, and subsidiaries.

In 2000 Vossloh and Angel Trains formed a locomotive leasing business - Locomotion Partners consisting of two companies:  The companies would not exclusively hire and service only Vossloh locomotives, and would act independently, depending on the circumstances. In 2004 the 10% stake in Locomotion capital Ltd. was sold and the stake in Locomotion Service GmbH increased to 100%.

Vossloh Rail Vehicles.

Vossloh Rail Vehicles (formerly Vossloh España S.A.) was acquired from Alstom c.2005. The former Meinfesa plant produced diesel electric locomotives as well as passenger multiple units, trams and bogies.  The company's locomotive output has included the SNCF BB 460000 (in cooperation with Alstom) and Vossloh Euro locomotives.  In 2010 the company launched a new locomotive type: the diesel electric Eurolight locomotive, designed for railways requiring axleloads less than 20t, and with either 2.3 or 2.8MW installed engine power. In September 2012, Vossloh unveiled a mockup of the "Desert Hawk" locomotive, a single ended development of its Euro locomotive design intended for use in push-pull passenger trains in hot and sandy conditions. The rail-vehicles division was announced as sold to Stadler in late 2015.

Vossloh Kiepe.

Vossloh Kiepe GmbH produces electrical systems for light rail, trolleybuses and hybrid buses including electric propulsion and control, air conditioning and heating as well as passenger rail vehicle refurbishment and modernisation. The business (as Vossloh Electrical Systems) was sold in late 2016 to Knorr-Bremse.

Vossloh AG is a rail technology company based in Werdohl in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The SDAX-listed group has achieved sales of around €930 million in 2016 with more than 4,000 employees (as of 2017).

Basé à Werdohl, en Allemagne, Vossloh AG est un acteur majeur du secteur des infrastructures ferroviaires dans le monde. Cette entreprise propose des systèmes de fixation de rails, des traverses en béton, des systèmes d'aiguillages et toute une gamme de services liés aux rails et aux aiguillages. Elle fait partie de l'indice boursier allemand SDAX.