Background.

Anyone within the geographical network range of an open, unencrypted wireless network can "sniff", or capture and record, the traffic, gain unauthorized access to internal network resources as well as to the internet, and then use the information and resources to perform disruptive or illegal acts. Such security breaches have become important concerns for both enterprise and home networks.  If router security is not activated or if the owner deactivates it for convenience, it creates a free hotspot. Since most 21st-century laptop PCs have wireless networking built in (see Intel "Centrino" technology), they don't

The threat situation.

Wireless security is just an aspect of computer security; however, organizations may be particularly vulnerable to security breaches caused by rogue access points.  If an employee (trusted entity) brings in a wireless router and plugs it into an unsecured switchport, the entire network can be exposed to anyone within range of the signals. Similarly, if an employee adds a wireless interface to a networked computer using an open USB port, they may create a breach in network security that would allow access to confidential materials. However, there are effective countermeasures (like disabling open switchports during switch configuration and VLAN configuration to limit network access) that are available to protect both the network and the information it contains, but such countermeasures must be applied uniformly to all network devices.

Threats and Vulnerabilites in an industrial (M2M) context.

Due to its availability and low cost, the use of wireless communication technologies increases in domains beyond the originally intended usage areas, e.g. M2M communication in industrial applications. Such industrial applications often

The mobility advantage.

Wireless networks are very common, both for organizations and individuals. Many laptop computers have wireless cards pre-installed. The ability to enter a network while mobile has great benefits. However, wireless networking is prone to some security issues. Hackers have found wireless networks relatively easy to break into, and even use wireless technology to hack into wired networks. As a result, it is very important that enterprises define effective wireless security policies that guard against unauthorized access to important resources. Wireless Intrusion Prevention Systems (WIPS) or Wireless Intrusion Detection Systems (WIDS) are commonly used to enforce wireless security policies.

The air interface and link corruption risk.

There were relatively few dangers when wireless technology was first introduced, as the effort to maintain the communication was high and the effort to intrude is always higher. The variety of risks to users of wireless technology

Modes of unauthorized access.

The modes of unauthorised access to links, to functions and to data is as variable as the respective entities make use of program code. There does not exist a full scope model of such threat. To some extent the prevention relies on known modes and methods of attack and relevant methods for suppression of the applied methods. However, each new mode of operation will create new options of threatening. Hence prevention requires a steady drive for improvement. The described modes of attack are just a snapshot of typical methods and scenarios where to apply.

Accidental association.

Violation of the security perimeter of a corporate network can come from a number of different methods and intents. One of these methods is referred to as “accidental association”. When a user turns on a computer and it latches on to a wireless access point from a neighboring company's overlapping network, the user may not even know

Malicious association.

“Malicious associations” are when wireless devices can be actively made by attackers to connect to a company network through their laptop instead of a company access point (AP). These types of laptops are known as “soft APs” and are created when a cyber criminal runs some software that makes his/her wireless network card look like a legitimate access point. Once the

Ad hoc networks.

Ad hoc networks can pose a security threat. Ad hoc networks are defined as [peer to peer] networks between wireless computers that do not have an access point in between them. While these types of networks usually have little protection, encryption methods can be used to provide security.  The security hole provided by Ad hoc networking is not the Ad hoc network itself but the bridge it provides into other networks, usually in the corporate environment, and the unfortunate default settings in most versions of Microsoft Windows to have this feature turned on unless explicitly disabled. Thus the user may not even know

Non-traditional networks.

Non-traditional networks such as personal network Bluetooth devices are not safe from hacking and should be regarded as a security risk.

Identity theft (MAC spoofing).

Identity theft (or MAC spoofing) occurs when a hacker is able to listen in on network traffic and identify the MAC address of a computer with network privileges. Most wireless systems allow some kind of MAC filtering to allow only authorized computers with specific MAC IDs to gain access and utilize the network. However, programs exist that have network “sniffing” capabilities. Combine these programs with other software that allow a computer to pretend it has any MAC address that the hacker desires, and the hacker can

Man-in-the-middle attacks.

A man-in-the-middle attacker entices computers to log into a computer which is set up as a soft AP (Access Point). Once this is done, the hacker connects to a real access point through another wireless card offering a steady flow of traffic through the transparent hacking computer to the real network. The hacker can then sniff the traffic. One type of man-in-the-middle attack relies on security

Denial of service.

A Denial-of-Service attack (DoS) occurs when an attacker continually bombards a targeted AP (Access Point) or network with bogus requests, premature successful connection messages, failure messages, and/or other commands. These cause legitimate users to not be able to get on the network and may even cause the network to crash. These attacks rely on the abuse of protocols such as the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP).  The DoS attack in itself does little to expose organizational data to a malicious attacker, since

Network injection.

In a network injection attack, a hacker can make use of access points that are exposed to non-filtered network traffic, specifically broadcasting network traffic such as “Spanning

Caffe Latte attack.

The Caffe Latte attack is another way to defeat WEP. It is not necessary for the attacker to be in the area of the network using this exploit. By using a process that targets the Windows

Wireless intrusion prevention concepts.

There are three principal ways to secure a wireless network.  There is no ready designed system to prevent from fraudulent usage of wireless communication or to protect data and functions with wirelessly communicating computers and other entities. However, there is a system of qualifying the taken measures as a whole according to a common understanding what shall be seen as state of the art. The system of qualifying is an international consensus as specified in ISO/IEC 15408.

A wireless intrusion prevention system.

A Wireless Intrusion Prevention System (WIPS) is a concept for the most robust way to counteract wireless security risks. However such WIPS does not exist as a ready designed solution to implement as a software package. A WIPS is typically implemented

Security measures.

There are a range of wireless security measures, of varying effectiveness and practicality.

SSID hiding.

A simple but ineffective method to attempt to secure a wireless network is

MAC ID filtering.

One of the simplest techniques is to only allow access from known, pre-approved MAC addresses. Most wireless

Static IP addressing.

Typical wireless access points provide IP addresses to clients via DHCP. Requiring clients to set their

802.11 security.

IEEE 802.1X is the IEEE Standard authentication mechanisms to devices wishing to attach to a Wireless LAN.

Regular WEP.

The Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption standard was the original encryption standard for wireless, but since 2004 with the ratification WPA2 the IEEE has declared it "deprecated", and while often supported, it is seldom or never the default on modern

WPAv1.

The Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA and WPA2) security protocols were later created to address the problems with WEP. If a weak password, such as a dictionary word or short character string is used, WPA and WPA2 can be cracked. Using a long enough random password (e.g. 14 random letters) or passphrase (e.g. 5 randomly chosen words) makes pre-shared key WPA virtually uncrackable. The second generation of the WPA security protocol (WPA2) is based on the final IEEE 802.11i amendment to the 802.11 standard and is eligible for FIPS 140-2 compliance. With all those encryption schemes, any client in the network that knows the keys can read all the traffic.  Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is a software/firmware improvement over WEP. All regular WLAN-equipment that worked with WEP are able to be simply upgraded and no new equipment needs to be bought. WPA is a trimmed-down version of the 802.11i security standard that was developed by the IEEE 802.11 to replace WEP. The TKIP encryption algorithm

Additions to WPAv1.

In addition to WPAv1, TKIP, WIDS and EAP may be added alongside. Also, VPN-networks (non-continuous secure network connections) may be set up under the 802.11-standard. VPN implementations include PPTP, L2TP, IPsec and SSH. However, this extra layer of security may also be cracked with tools such as Anger, Deceit and Ettercap for PPTP; and ike-scan, IKEProbe, ipsectrace, and IKEcrack for IPsec-connections.

Restricted access networks.

Solutions include a newer system for authentication, IEEE 802.1X, that promises to enhance security on

End-to-end encryption.

One can argue that both layer 2 and layer 3 encryption methods are not good enough for protecting valuable data like passwords and personal emails. Those technologies add encryption only to parts of the communication path, still allowing people to spy on the traffic if they have gained access to the wired network somehow. The solution may be encryption and authorization in the application layer, using technologies like SSL, SSH, GnuPG, PGP and similar.  The disadvantage with the end-to-end method is, it

802.11i security.

The newest and most rigorous security to implement into WLAN's today is the 802.11i RSN-standard. This full-fledged 802.11i standard (which uses WPAv2) however does require the newest hardware (unlike WPAv1), thus potentially requiring the purchase of new equipment. This new hardware required may be either AES-WRAP (an early version of 802.11i) or the newer and better AES-CCMP-equipment. One should make sure one needs WRAP or CCMP-equipment, as the 2 hardware standards are not compatible.

WPAv2.

WPA2 is a WiFi Alliance branded version of the final 802.11i standard. The primary enhancement over WPA is the inclusion of the AES-CCMP algorithm as a mandatory feature. Both WPA and WPA2 support EAP authentication methods using RADIUS servers and preshared key (PSK).  The number of WPA and WPA2 networks are increasing, while the number of WEP

Additions to WPAv2.

Unlike 802.1X, 802.11i already has most other additional security-services such as TKIP. Just as with WPAv1, WPAv2 may work in cooperation with EAP and a WIDS.

WAPI.

This stands for WLAN Authentication and Privacy Infrastructure.

Smart cards, USB tokens, and software tokens.

This is a very strong form of security. When combined with some server software, the hardware or software card or token will use its internal identity code combined with a user entered PIN to create a powerful algorithm that will very frequently generate a new encryption code. The server will be time synced to the card or token. This is a very secure way to conduct wireless transmissions. Companies in this area make USB tokens, software tokens, and smart cards. They even make hardware versions that double as an employee picture badge. Currently the safest security measures are the smart cards / USB tokens. However, these are expensive. The next safest methods are WPA2 or WPA with a RADIUS server. Any one of the three will provide a good base foundation for security. The third item on the

RF shielding.

It's practical in some cases to apply specialized wall paint and window film to a room or building to significantly attenuate wireless signals, which

Denial of service defense.

Most DoS attacks are easy to detect. However, a lot of them are difficult to stop even after detection. Here are three of the most common ways to stop a DoS attack.

Black holing.

Black holing is one possible way of stopping a DoS attack. This is a situation where we drop all IP packets from an attacker. This is not a very good long-term

Validating the handshake.

Validating the handshake involves creating false opens, and not setting aside resources until the sender acknowledges. Some firewalls address SYN floods by pre-validating the TCP handshake. This is done by creating false opens. Whenever a SYN segment arrives, the firewall sends back a SYN/ACK segment, without passing

Rate limiting.

Rate limiting can be used to reduce a certain type of traffic down to an amount the can be reasonably dealt with. Broadcasting to the internal network could still be used, but only at a limited rate for example. This is for more subtle DoS attacks. This is good if an attack is aimed at a single server because it keeps transmission lines at least partially open for other communication.  Rate limiting frustrates both the attacker, and the legitimate users. This helps but does not fully solve the problem. Once DoS traffic clogs the access line going to the internet, there is nothing a border firewall can do to help the situation. Most DoS attacks are problems of the community which can only be stopped with the help of ISP's and organizations whose computers are taken over as bots and used to attack other firms.

Mobile devices.

With increasing number of mobile devices with 802.1X interfaces, security of such mobile devices becomes a concern. While open standards such as Kismet are targeted towards securing laptops, access points solutions should extend towards covering mobile devices also. Host based solutions for mobile handsets and PDA's with 802.1X interface.  Security within mobile devices fall under

Implementing network encryption.

In order to implement 802.11i, one must first make sure both that the router/access point(s), as well as all client devices are indeed equipped to support the network encryption. If this is done, a server such as RADIUS, ADS, NDS, or LDAP needs to be integrated. This server can be a computer on the local network, an access point / router with integrated authentication server, or a remote server. AP's/routers with integrated authentication servers are often very expensive and specifically an option for commercial usage like hot spots. Hosted 802.1X servers via the Internet require a monthly fee; running a private server is free yet has the disadvantage that one must set it up and that the server needs to be on continuously.  To set up a server, server and client software must be installed. Server software required is an enterprise authentication server such as RADIUS, ADS, NDS, or LDAP. The required software can be picked from various suppliers as Microsoft, Cisco, Funk Software, Meetinghouse Data, and from some open-source projects. Software includes:  Client software comes built-in with Windows XP and may be integrated into other OS's using any of following software:

RADIUS.

"Remote Authentication Dial In User Service" (RADIUS) is an AAA (authentication, authorization and accounting) protocol used for remote network access. RADIUS was originally proprietary but was later published under ISOC documents RFC 2138 and RFC 2139.

Open access points.

Today, there is almost full wireless network coverage in many urban areas – the infrastructure for the wireless community network (which some consider to be the future of the internet ) is already in place. One could roam around and always be connected to Internet if the nodes were open to the public, but due to security concerns, most nodes are encrypted and the users don't know how to disable encryption. Many people consider it proper etiquette to leave access points open to the public, allowing free access to Internet. Others think the default encryption provides substantial protection at small inconvenience, against dangers of open access that they fear may be substantial even on a home DSL router.  The density of access points can even be a problem – there are a limited number of channels available, and they partly overlap. Each channel can handle multiple networks, but places with many private wireless networks (for example, apartment complexes), the limited number of Wi-Fi radio channels might cause slowness and other problems.  According to the advocates of Open Access Points, it shouldn't involve any significant risks to open up wireless networks for the public:  On the other hand, in some countries including Germany, persons providing an open access point may be made (partially) liable for any illegal activity conducted via this access point. Also, many contracts with ISPs specify that the connection may not be shared with other persons.

Wireless security is the prevention of unauthorized access or damage to computers or data using wireless networks, which include Wi-Fi networks. The most common type is Wi-Fi security, which includes Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) and Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA). WEP is a notoriously weak security standard: the password it uses can often be cracked in a few minutes with a basic laptop computer and widely available software tools. WEP is an old IEEE 802.11 standard from 1997, which was superseded in 2003 by WPA, or Wi-Fi Protected Access. WPA was a quick alternative to improve security over WEP. The current standard is WPA2; some hardware cannot support WPA2 without firmware upgrade or replacement. WPA2 uses an encryption device that encrypts the network with a 256-bit key; the longer key length improves security over WEP. Enterprises often enforce security using a certificate-based system to authenticate the connecting device, following the standard 802.1X.


Background.

Arthur Lee, who was originally from Memphis, Tennessee, but had lived in Los Angeles since he was five, had been recording since 1963 with his bands, the LAG's and Lee's American Four. He had written and also produced the single "My Diary" for Rosa Lee Brooks in 1964 which featured Jimi Hendrix on guitar. A garage outfit, The Sons Of Adam, which included future Love drummer Michael Stuart, also recorded a Lee composition, "Feathered Fish". However, after viewing a performance by the Byrds, Lee became determined to form a group that joined the newly minted folk-rock sound of the Byrds to his primarily rhythm and blues style. Singer, songwriter / guitarist Bryan MacLean, whom Lee had met when he was working as a roadie for The Byrds, joined the band just before they changed their name from the Grass Roots to Love, spurred by the release of a single by another group called The Grass Roots. MacLean had also been playing guitar in bands since about 1963 but picked up music early. Neighbor Frederick Loewe, of the composers Lerner & Loewe, recognized him as a "melodic genius" at the age of three as he doodled on the piano. Also joining the band was another Memphis native, lead guitarist Johnny Echols. From L.A. was drummer Don Conka. A short time later, Conka was replaced by Alban "Snoopy" Pfisterer. Love's first bassist, Johnny Fleckenstein, went on to join the Standells in 1967. Fleckenstein was replaced by Ken Forssi (formerly of a post-"Wipe Out" lineup of The Surfaris).

Recording.

Ten of the album's fourteen tracks were recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders in Hollywood on January 24–27, 1966. The remaining four tracks ("A Message to Pretty", "My Flash on You", "Emotions", and "Mushroom Clouds") come from another, undocumented session during that period.  "Love" is a folk rock, garage rock, proto-punk and psychedelic rock album. One of the first rock albums issued on then-folk giant Elektra Records, the album begins with the group's radical reworking of the Burt Bacharach-Hal David song "My Little Red Book" and also features "Signed D.C." (allegedly a reference to one-time Love drummer Don Conka), along with the poignant "A Message to Pretty".

Reception.

In a retrospective review of the album, Richie Unterberger for AllMusic called it "their hardest-rocking early album and their most Byrds-influenced." He also stated, "Arthur Lee's songwriting muse hadn't fully developed at this stage, and in comparison with their second and third efforts, this is the least striking of the LPs featuring their classic lineup, with some similar-sounding folk-rock compositions and stock riffs."

Sales.

The album sold about 150,000 copies.

Legacy.

The stark instrumental "Emotions" is used uncredited in Haskell Wexler's 1969 film "Medium Cool" as a recurring theme.  "My Little Red Book" was featured over the final credits of the movie "High Fidelity" in 2000, and the "Beverly Hills, 90210" episode "Alone at the Top" in 1995.

Track listing.

2001 CD reissue.

The 2001 CD reissue presents both monaural and stereophonic mixes of the album, as well as an alternate take of "Signed D.C." and "No. Fourteen", the B-side to the "7 and 7 Is" single.

Personnel.

According to the box set "Love Story", the tracks "A Message to Pretty" and "My Flash on You" may feature John Fleckenstein on bass and Don Conka on drums in place of Forssi and Pfisterer, respectively.

Love is the eponymous debut album by the Los Angeles-based rock band Love, and was released in March 1966 on Elektra Records.


History.

Elmore County was established on February 15, 1866, from portions of Autauga, Coosa, Tallapoosa, and Montgomery counties.  The French established Fort Toulouse at the confluence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa in 1717.  Gen. Andrew Jackson then erected Fort Jackson in 1814 at the site of Fort Toulouse following the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.  On July 2, 1901, a local mob lynched Robert (or perhaps Robin) White. In a strange turn of events, a local farmer, George White confessed in court to the killing and named five other local men as killers. Three men were convicted in the killing and sentenced to ten years in prison. On 9 June 1902, they were pardoned by Governor Jelks. In 1915 another Black man was taken from the local jail and murdered.  In 1950, a City Planning Board was formed in the county seat of Wetumpka.  In 1957, the National Guard Armory was constructed in the county seat of Wetumpka.

Geography.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (5.9%) is water.  The county is located on the fall line of the eastern United States, and consequently boasts a diverse geography. Most of the county contains rolling hills, being located in the Piedmont region. Some parts of the county do have open fields and farmland as well. The cities of Wetumpka and Tallassee are important river cities located on the fall line.

Demographics.

At the 2000 census there were 65,874 people, 22,737 households, and 17,552 families living in the county. The population density was 106 people per square mile (41/km). There were 25,733 housing units at an average density of 41 per square mile (16/km). The racial makeup of the county was 77.02% White, 20.64% Black or African American, 0.43% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. 1.22% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 22,737 households 37.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.40% were married couples living together, 12.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.80% were non-families. 20.00% of households were one person and 7.70% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.07.  The age distribution was 25.70% under the age of 18, 8.80% from 18 to 24, 32.10% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 10.70% 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.30 males.  The median household income was $41,243 and the median family income was $47,155. Males had a median income of $32,643 versus $24,062 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,650. About 7.40% of families and 10.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.20% of those under age 18 and 11.30% of those age 65 or over. In the late 1990s, voters voted to pass a mandatory fire fee for volunteer fire services. All citizens pay this same fee regardless of valuation of the property or income levels.

2010 census.

At the 2010 census there were 79,303 people, 28,301 households, and 21,003 families living in the county. The population density was 128 people per square mile (49/km). There were 32,657 housing units at an average density of 49.7 per square mile (19.2/km). The racial makeup of the county was 76.2% White, 20.0% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.2% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. 2.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 28,301 households 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.8% were non-families. 22.0% of households were one person and 7.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.04.  The age distribution was 23.6% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 27.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% 65 or older. The median age was 37.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.7 males.  The median household income was $53,128 and the median family income was $62,870. Males had a median income of $46,952 versus $31,542 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,640. About 9.1% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.8% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure.

The Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women of the Alabama Department of Corrections is in Wetumpka in Elmore County. The prison houses Alabama's female death row. Wetumpka was previously the site of the Wetumpka State Penitentiary.

Economy.

Over the past two decades, Elmore County has transferred from an economy based on agriculture to one of Alabama's fastest-growing counties. According to a recent report, 1110 jobs were created over the last 4 years.  Elmore County's largest employer is the manufacturing sector. The top ten manufacturers in Elmore County include: GKN Aerospace, Neptune Technologies, Frontier Yarns, Russell Corporation, Madix, Inc, Arrowhead Composites, Hanil USA, YESAC Alabama Corporation, Quality Networks, Inc., and AES Industries.

Education.

The Elmore County Public School System serves the county.

Elmore County is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2010 census, the population was 79,303. Its county seat is Wetumpka. Its name is in honor of General John A. Elmore.


Atomic and molecular physics.

Atomic physics is the subfield of AMO that studies atoms as an isolated system of electrons and an atomic nucleus, while molecular physics is the study of the physical properties of molecules. The term "atomic physics" is often associated with nuclear power and nuclear bombs, due to the synonymous use of "atomic" and "nuclear" in standard English. However, physicists distinguish between atomic physics — which deals with the atom as a system consisting of a nucleus and electrons — and nuclear physics, which considers atomic nuclei alone. The important experimental techniques are the various types of spectroscopy. Molecular physics, while closely related to atomic physics, also overlaps greatly with theoretical chemistry, physical chemistry and chemical physics.  Both subfields are primarily concerned with electronic structure and the dynamical processes by which these arrangements change. Generally this work involves using quantum mechanics. For molecular physics, this approach is known as quantum chemistry. One important aspect of molecular physics is that the essential atomic orbital theory in the field of atomic physics expands to the molecular orbital theory. Molecular physics is concerned with atomic processes in molecules, but it is additionally concerned with effects due to the molecular structure. Additionally to the electronic excitation states which are known from atoms, molecules are able to rotate and to vibrate. These rotations and vibrations are quantized; there are discrete energy levels. The smallest energy differences exist between different rotational states, therefore pure rotational spectra are in the far infrared region (about 30 - 150 μm wavelength) of the electromagnetic spectrum. Vibrational spectra are in the near infrared (about 1 - 5 μm) and spectra resulting from electronic transitions are mostly in the visible and ultraviolet regions. From measuring rotational and vibrational spectra properties of molecules like the distance between the nuclei can be calculated.  As with many scientific fields, strict delineation can be highly contrived and atomic physics is often considered in the wider context of "atomic, molecular, and optical physics". Physics research groups are usually so classified.

Optical physics.

Optical physics is the study of the generation of electromagnetic radiation, the properties of that radiation, and the interaction of that radiation with matter, especially its manipulation and control. It differs from general optics and optical engineering in that it is focused on the discovery and application of new phenomena. There is no strong distinction, however, between optical physics, applied optics, and optical engineering, since the devices of optical engineering and the applications of applied optics are necessary for basic research in optical physics, and that research leads to the development of new devices and applications. Often the same people are involved in both the basic research and the applied technology development, for example the experimental demonstration of electromagnetically induced transparency by S. E. Harris and of slow light by Harris and Lene Vestergaard Hau.  Researchers in optical physics use and develop light sources that span the electromagnetic spectrum from microwaves to X-rays. The field includes the generation and detection of light, linear and nonlinear optical processes, and spectroscopy. Lasers and laser spectroscopy have transformed optical science. Major study in optical physics is also devoted to quantum optics and coherence, and to femtosecond optics. In optical physics, support is also provided in areas such as the nonlinear response of isolated atoms to intense, ultra-short electromagnetic fields, the atom-cavity interaction at high fields, and quantum properties of the electromagnetic field.  Other important areas of research include the development of novel optical techniques for nano-optical measurements, diffractive optics, low-coherence interferometry, optical coherence tomography, and near-field microscopy. Research in optical physics places an emphasis on ultrafast optical science and technology. The applications of optical physics create advancements in communications, medicine, manufacturing, and even entertainment.

History.

One of the earliest steps towards "atomic physics" was the recognition that matter was composed of "atoms", in modern terms the basic unit of a chemical element. This theory was developed by John Dalton in the 18th century. At this stage, it wasn't clear what atoms were - although they could be described and classified by their observable properties in bulk; summarized by the developing periodic table, by John Newlands and Dmitri Mendeleyev around the mid to late 19th century.  Later, the connection between atomic physics "and" optical physics became apparent, by the discovery of spectral lines and attempts to describe the phenomenon - notably by Joseph von Fraunhofer, Fresnel, and others in the 19th century.  From that time to the 1920s, physicists were seeking to explain atomic spectra and blackbody radiation. One attempt to explain hydrogen spectral lines was the Bohr atom model.  Experiments including electromagnetic radiation and matter - such as the photoelectric effect, Compton effect, and spectra of sunlight the due to the unknown element of Helium, the limitation of the Bohr model to Hydrogen, and numerous other reasons, lead to an entirely new mathematical model of matter and light: quantum mechanics.

Classical oscillator model of matter.

Early models to explain the origin of the index of refraction treated an electron in an atomic system classically according to the model of Paul Drude and Hendrik Lorentz. The theory was developed to attempt to provide an origin for the wavelength-dependent refractive index "n" of a material. In this model, incident electromagnetic waves forced an electron bound to an atom to oscillate. The amplitude of the oscillation would then have a relationship to the frequency of the incident electromagnetic wave and the resonant frequencies of the oscillator. The superposition of these emitted waves from many oscillators would then lead to a wave which moved more slowly.

Early quantum model of matter and light.

Max Planck derived a formula to describe the electromagnetic field inside a box when in thermal equilibrium in 1900. His model consisted of a superposition of standing waves. In one dimension, the box has length "L", and only sinusoidal waves of wavenumber can occur in the box, where "n" is a positive integer (mathematically denoted by formula_2). The equation describing these standing waves is given by:  where "E" is the magnitude of the electric field amplitude, and "E" is the magnitude of the electric field at position "x". From this basic, Planck's law was derived. In 1911, Ernest Rutherford concluded, based on alpha particle scattering, that an atom has a central pointlike proton. He also thought that an electron would be still attracted to the proton by Coulomb's law, which he had verified still held at small scales. As a result, he believed that electrons revolved around the proton. Niels Bohr, in 1913, combined the Rutherford model of the atom with the quantisation ideas of Planck. Only specific and well-defined orbits of the electron could exist, which also do not radiate light. In jumping orbit the electron would emit or absorb light corresponding to the difference in energy of the orbits. His prediction of the energy levels was then consistent with observation.  These results, based on a "discrete" set of specific standing waves, were inconsistent with the "continuous" classical oscillator model.  Work by Albert Einstein in 1905 on the photoelectric effect led to the association of a light wave of frequency formula_4 with a photon of energy formula_5. In 1917 Einstein created an extension to Bohrs model by the introduction of the three processes of stimulated emission, spontaneous emission and absorption (electromagnetic radiation).

Modern treatments.

The largest steps towards the modern treatment was the formulation of quantum mechanics with the matrix mechanics approach by Werner Heisenberg and the discovery of the Schrödinger equation by Erwin Schrödinger.  There are a variety of semi-classical treatments within AMO. Which aspects of the problem are treated quantum mechanically and which are treated classically is dependent on the specific problem at hand. The semi-classical approach is ubiquitous in computational work within AMO, largely due to the large decrease in computational cost and complexity associated with it.  For matter under the action of a laser, a fully quantum mechanical treatment of the atomic or molecular system is combined with the system being under the action of a classical electromagnetic field. Since the field is treated classically it can not deal with spontaneous emission. This semi-classical treatment is valid for most systems, particular those under the action of high intensity laser fields. The distinction between optical physics and quantum optics is the use of semi-classical and fully quantum treatments respectively.  Within collision dynamics and using the semi-classical treatment, the internal degrees of freedom may be treated quantum mechanically, whilst the relative motion of the quantum systems under consideration are treated classically. When considering medium to high speed collisions, the nuclei can be treated classically while the electron is treated quantum mechanically. In low speed collisions the approximation fails.  Classical Monte-Carlo methods for the dynamics of electrons can be described as semi-classical in that the initial conditions are calculated using a fully quantum treatment, but all further treatment is classical.

Isolated atoms and molecules.

Atomic, Molecular and Optical physics frequently considers atoms and molecules in isolation. Atomic models will consist of a single nucleus that may be surrounded by one or more bound electrons, whilst molecular models are typically concerned with molecular hydrogen and its molecular hydrogen ion. It is concerned with processes such as ionization, above threshold ionization and excitation by photons or collisions with atomic particles.  While modelling atoms in isolation may not seem realistic, if one considers molecules in a gas or plasma then the time-scales for molecule-molecule interactions are huge in comparison to the atomic and molecular processes that we are concerned with. This means that the individual molecules can be treated as if each were in isolation for the vast majority of the time. By this consideration atomic and molecular physics provides the underlying theory in plasma physics and atmospheric physics even though both deal with huge numbers of molecules.

Electronic configuration.

Electrons form notional shells around the nucleus. These are naturally in a ground state but can be excited by the absorption of energy from light (photons), magnetic fields, or interaction with a colliding particle (typically other electrons).  Electrons that populate a shell are said to be in a bound state. The energy necessary to remove an electron from its shell (taking it to infinity) is called the binding energy. Any quantity of energy absorbed by the electron in excess of this amount is converted to kinetic energy according to the conservation of energy. The atom is said to have undergone the process of ionization.  In the event that the electron absorbs a quantity of energy less than the binding energy, it may transition to an excited state or to a virtual state. After a statistically sufficient quantity of time, an electron in an excited state will undergo a transition to a lower state via spontaneous emission. The change in energy between the two energy levels must be accounted for (conservation of energy). In a neutral atom, the system will emit a photon of the difference in energy. However, if the lower state is in an inner shell, a phenomenon known as the Auger effect may take place where the energy is transferred to another bound electrons causing it to go into the continuum. This allows one to multiply ionize an atom with a single photon.  There are strict selection rules as to the electronic configurations that can be reached by excitation by light—however there are no such rules for excitation by collision processes.

Atomic, molecular, and optical physics (AMO) is the study of matter-matter and light-matter interactions; at the scale of one or a few atoms and energy scales around several electron volts. The three areas are closely interrelated. AMO theory includes classical, semi-classical and quantum treatments. Typically, the theory and applications of emission, absorption, scattering of electromagnetic radiation (light) from excited atoms and molecules, analysis of spectroscopy, generation of lasers and masers, and the optical properties of matter in general, fall into these categories.


History.

The band were directed by manager Sue Whitehouse, who had managed them since Justin Hawkins' time as a creator of music jingles and their original band days as Empire. The band were renowned for their live shows from very early on, and such was the popularity of the band, they had a Carling Homecoming gig booked for the London Astoria before they had even signed a record deal. The band already had music industry interest from their days as Empire through connections with Sue Whitehouse, who was based at Savage & Best in Camden. Joe Taylor, Aled Jones and Paul Scaife at The Tip Sheet first heard about the band through a post on The Tip Sheet message board, and featured "Love is Only a Feeling" in January 2002. They started "Record of the Day", and featured the song again around the time of SXSW in March 2003. They wanted to feature Friday Night, but they were told the band was saving it for an album.  According to A&R Nick Raphael in an interview with HitQuarters, there was no initial clamour to sign the band, "There couldn’t have been less of a buzz, and only two record labels showed any interest in them." He believes the reason for lack of interest was that "The business as a whole thought they were uncool. In fact, people were saying that they were a joke and that they weren’t real." As part of Sony Music UK, Raphael had attempted to sign them but the band instead opted to go with Atlantic Records.  "Permission to Land", went straight up to number two on the UK Albums Chart upon its release on 7 July 2003, before going to number one and staying there for four weeks, eventually going on to sell 1.5 million copies in the UK alone.

Recording.

The band took inspiration for some of their work from the local north Suffolk area surrounding their home town, Lowestoft, including "Black Shuck", based on the legend of a dog which supposedly haunts the church of the nearby village of Blythburgh. "Stuck in a Rut" also mentions a set of roads known as the "Barnby Bends", and the "Acle Straight", both of which are prominent routes between Lowestoft and Beccles and Norwich and Great Yarmouth respectively. The band recorded an interview for MTV Japan, which discusses the inspiration behind these songs, as well as featuring self-filmed footage of their home town. This features on a bonus DVD included with the Japanese deluxe edition of the album.

Critical reception.

The album received widespread acclaim by critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album earned an average score of 79, based on 19 reviews.  ""Permission to Land" will never be the album that The Darkness think it is," decided "Classic Rock", "but, taken in the spirit that it is offered, it's certainly more fun than "Use Your Illusion"." In July 2019, Decibel Magazine inducted "Permission to Land" into their Hall of Fame, stating that the album "that came to define hard rock in the early aughts sounds nothing like anything else that was released in 2003 - or the previous decade, for that matter".

Awards and accolades.

The success of this album led to heavy touring for the band, including European portions of Metallica's Summer Sanitarium Tour 2003. They then went on to headline the Carling Festival in 2004. The band won three BRIT Awards in 2004 in response to the album, "Best Group", "Best Rock Group" and "Best Album". They also won two Kerrang! awards in 2004 for "Best Live Act" and "Best British Band". The third single from the album, "I Believe in a Thing Called Love", was a substantial hit in the UK as was their tilt at the Christmas 2003 number 1, "Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)", which only just fell short, both singles reaching No.2 in 2003.  In addition to its chart success, "Permission to Land" also provided the Darkness with two high-profile music awards; Best Rock Album at the 2003 "Kerrang!" Awards and Best British Album at the 2004 BRIT Awards (at which they also won the awards for Best British Group and Best British Rock Act). "Permission to Land" was voted 49th in the 50 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century in "Kerrang!". "Permission to Land" was later referenced in the song "Whichever Way You Wanna Give It" by lead singer Justin Hawkins' other band Hot Leg. In 2005, the album was ranked number 356 in "Rock Hard" magazine's book of "The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time". The album was also included in the book "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". In 2016, Metal Hammer ranked Permission to Land sixty-third in their list of the 100 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century, calling it 'one of the greatest debut albums of all time'.

Permission to Land is the debut studio album released by British glam rock band the Darkness. The album was released in the United Kingdom on 7 July 2003 and in the United States on 16 September 2003. The album topped the UK Albums Chart and reached number thirty-six on the American "Billboard" 200 chart. Five singles were released from "Permission to Land": "Get Your Hands off My Woman", "Growing on Me", "I Believe in a Thing Called Love", "Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)" (which only appears on the German Christmas edition), and "Love Is Only a Feeling". "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" was the most successful, reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart.


Personal life.

Her father is Australian-born and her mother is a New Zealander. She has two older brothers and one older sister.  In 2014, Hughes retired from professional tennis citing a succession of injuries including three stress fractures in her ribs. Upon retiring from professional tennis she completed her private pilots license.  In 2016, Hughes co-founded a website called RealYou, with her friend Stephanie Hughes, which seeks to encourage young women to grow their inner confidence, and offers personal support for the challenges that teenagers experience. Praised for openly discussing topics such as depression and body image, Hughes talks openly about her own experiences with such subjects.  She resides in Auckland, New Zealand with her husband, Adrian Hughes.

Professional tennis career.

2003.

Hughes became the youngest person, female or male, to win the New Zealand 18&under National Championships at 13 years, 1 month. She defeated Lucy Cole in the final 60 61.

2005.

Sacha began 2005 ranked outside the top 500 juniors in the world and finished inside the top 75 thanks to winning three tournaments in a row, including the Oceania Junior Championships held in Lautoka, Fiji.

2006.

In 2006 Hughes competed in all four junior grand slams, she lost in the second round of the junior Australian Open to Dominika Cibulkova, second round of junior Wimbledon to Caroline Wozniacki and the quarterfinals of the US Open to Tamira Paszek. At 16 years old she finished 2006 ranked 11 in the world junior 18&Under ITF rankings.

2008.

As a 17 year old Hughes lost in Round One of the 2008 ASB Classic to second seed, Vera Zvonareva. Later in the year Hughes teamed up with Justin Gimelstob and Serena Williams to play for the Washington Kastles World Team Tennis team.

2009.

Sacha began 2009 ranked 306 in the world. In June she won her first professional tournament in Texas, U.S.A. In September she embarked on a 24 match winning streak. At a tournament in Darwin, Hughes won her second title of the year, recording a win over former top 10 player Alicia Molik who was working on a comeback. Two weeks later she won another title in Mount Gambier, defeating Molik in the final. The next week Hughes run continued in Port Pirie, where she again defeated Molik in the final. Hughes then traveled to South Carolina, USA where she won another tournament without dropping a set. The following week Hughes again raced to another final in Phoenix, but had her run snapped by Varvara Lepchenko. After this run of good form, she was ranked at a career high of 167 in the world.

2010.

Hughes was set to compete in the ASB Classic but had to withdraw due to an abdominal injury.  She played at the 2010 PTT Pattaya Open but lost in the First Round to Alberta Brianti. She was able to compete only sporadically on tour for the remainder of the year due to stress fractures in her ribs.

2011.

Hughes featured in the ASB Classic as a wildcard draw in which she was defeated in two tight sets by third seed Svetlana Kuznetsova in the first round. She was the hitting partner for Maria Sharapova during this tournament.  She competed in the US Open qualifying draw, losing in the second round in three sets.

2012.

Hughes started off at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand as a wildcard where she lost her first-round match to Elena Baltacha in three tight sets.  She qualified for the Moorilla International in Hobart, Australia. She won her first round at the WTA event- beating Kristina Barrois in straight sets. She lost to Shahar Pe'er in round two in an extremely tight two-setter.  At the 2012 Australian Open, Sacha partnered compatriot Bojana Bobusic to enter the Women's Doubles Event where the pair beat Līga Dekmeijere and Maria Kondratieva in the First Round. This was her first ever win at a main draw Grand Slam.  She recorded mixed results for most of 2012 including a three set win over Eugenie Bouchard to secure her spot in the French Open.  At the 2012 Gastein Ladies, Hughes won her second WTA main draw match, defeating Yuliya Beygelzimer in round one. She lost to Alizé Cornet in round two.  During the year, Sacha secured three $25,000 victories on the ITF Women's Circuit, including one title in Kristenhamm, Sweden and two in Australia.

2013.

Hughes made her grand slam singles debut at the 2013 Australian Open; she was beaten in the first round by Kristýna Plíšková. In 2013, she suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome and stress fractures in her shin, and played a limited schedule.

2014.

Hughes lost at the ASB Classic to Sachie Ishizu 6–7 in the third set after holding several match points. Partnering with her best childhood friend in the doubles event at the ASB Classic they beat the top seeds, former world number one, Cara Black and New Zealand's Marina Erakovic in the opening round. She announced that the 2014 ASB Classic was her last tournament, and retired from professional tennis. Later in 2014 she won the New Zealand Women's Open in singles and doubles.

2018: Comeback.

Hughes started her comeback at the ASB Classic, where she lost in the first round of qualifying to Katie Boulter.

Sacha Hughes (née Jones; born 8 November 1990) is the current New Zealand Fed Cup captain appointed May 2019. She is a former professional New Zealand and Australian tennis player who competed as Sacha Jones. Her highest WTA singles ranking was 150, which she reached on 8 October 2012. Her highest ITF Junior ranking was 11 in the world. She attained the Number 1 ranking in New Zealand in 2009 and competed in the ASB Classic, New Zealand's only WTA event on seven occasions.


Background.

"NME" magazine confirmed that after the release of the song "Heavy in Your Arms" for, lead singer Florence Welch entered the studio for a two-week session to record with producer Paul Epworth, with whom she worked on the band's debut album, "Lungs". She said that the two recordings that came out of that session were inspired by science because "a lot of her family are doctors or trying to become doctors, so much of her conversations are fixated on medical stuff." In an interview with the Gibson website on 17 February 2011, guitarist Rob Ackroyd stated, "Work on the second album has begun with Paul Epworth and there is talk of booking out Abbey Road for a month in April/May to record." In June 2011, Epworth told BBC 6 Music that the album would probably be finished "by the end of July" and described the sound as "a lot less indie and lot more soulful". He also indicated that there were 16 songs up for inclusion on the album, but that this would be reduced upon the time of release. "Pitchfork" confirmed on 23 August 2011 that the album was produced solely by Epworth. On 12 September 2011, Canadian radio broadcaster Alan Cross revealed that Florence and the Machine's second album would be titled "Ceremonials". He also commented on the album by saying, "I've heard a little more than half the record and it is big, soulful and powerful. Think Adele or Tori Amos but with some serious Kate Bush DNA, especially with the rhythm section."  Regarding the album's title, Welch told MTV News, "It was an art installation done in the '70s, this video piece all done on Super 8, this big procession of kind of coquette-style hippies and all these different colored robes and masks, and it was all to do with color, really saturated, brightly colored pastas and balloons. I saw it a couple years ago, and it was called 'Ceremonials' and then, like, Roman numerals after it. And the word sort of stuck with me, and I think the whole idea of performance, and kind of putting on this outfit and going out almost to find some sort of exorcism or absolution, to kind of get outside yourself, there's a sense of ceremony to it." Welch also revealed that she wanted to call the album "Violence", stating, "I wanted to make an album that sounded like the soundtrack to Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo + Juliet", the violence mixed with the classical Shakespearean drama mixed with the pop and the pulp, extreme neon stuff." In an interview with "The Guardian", she described the album as "much bigger" and categorised its genre as "chamber soul", a mixture of chamber pop and soul. The liner notes of "Ceremonials" contain an essay by English writer Emma Forrest, dated 21 September 2011.

Promotion.

The song "Strangeness and Charm"—which was ultimately included on the deluxe edition of "Ceremonials"—was debuted on 2 May 2010 at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin, Ireland, during the band's Cosmic Love Tour. The song was later recorded live at the Hammersmith Apollo on another stop of The Cosmic Love Tour and was included on the re-release of "Lungs", titled "Between Two Lungs", along with other live tracks and previously unreleased B-sides. Welch describes the song as "about seven minutes long and pretty relentless" and also "dancey, but it's also dark as well", featuring "relentless drums and heavy, droning bass." During their North American tour, Florence and the Machine debuted "What the Water Gave Me" at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, California, on 12 June 2011. On 23 August 2011, the song was released as a promotional single from the album, along with an accompanying music video.  Florence and the Machine embarked on several live performances to promote "Ceremonials". The band premiered four tracks from the album—"Only If for a Night", "Never Let Me Go", "Heartlines" and "Spectrum"—at The Creators Project, a partnership between "Vice" and Intel, in Brooklyn's Dumbo neighbourhood on 15 October 2011. They launched the album with an exclusive gig at the Hackney Empire in London on 25 October, which was live-streamed on "The Guardian" website. On 1 November, they performed "What the Water Gave Me" and "No Light, No Light" on the British music television show "Later... with Jools Holland". On 6 November, the band made their first appearance on "The X Factor", where they performed "Shake It Out" on the double elimination results show. "Shake It Out" was also performed on the Irish late-night talk show "The Late Late Show" (28 October), "The X Factor Australia" (15 November) and "Good Morning America" (21 November).  They performed "Shake It Out" and "What the Water Gave Me" on the Canal+ show "La Musicale" in France on 18 November. The following day, Florence and the Machine appeared on the American sketch comedy show "Saturday Night Live" for the second time, performing "Shake It Out" and "No Light, No Light". The group stopped by BBC Radio 1 on 25 November for a special Live Lounge set, which included performances of "Shake It Out", "What the Water Gave Me", "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)", "Dog Days Are Over" and "No Light, No Light", as well as a cover of "Take Care" by Drake featuring Rihanna. They performed "Spectrum" on "The X Factor USA" semi-final results show on 15 December. The band performed at the Los Angeles portion of "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest", which was broadcast live on 31 December on ABC. The band performed "No Light, No Light" at the 2012 Brit Awards at The O2 Arena in on 21 February 2012. On 2 July 2012, a music video for "Breaking Down" was officially released.  The song "Heartlines" was featured in the 10th episode of the fifth season of The CW's teen drama series "Gossip Girl", originally aired 5 December 2011. "Seven Devils" appeared in the trailer to promote the second season of the HBO series "Game of Thrones", as well as in the season one finale of the ABC series "Revenge", which was broadcast 23 May 2012. It was also used in the trailer for the 2013 romantic fantasy film "Beautiful Creatures". "Never Let Me Go" was used in the 19th episode of the third season of "The Vampire Diaries" on 19 April 2012, in the pilot of "Beauty & the Beast" on 11 October 2012 and in the second episode of the third season of "Nikita" on 26 October 2012 "Leave My Body", "No Light, No Light" and "Never Let Me Go" were all featured during the ninth and final season of "One Tree Hill". "Bedroom Hymns" was featured in a trailer for the 2013 romantic drama film "The Great Gatsby".

Singles.

"What the Water Gave Me" was released on 23 August 2011 as the first taster of "Ceremonials". The promotional single debuted at number 24 on the UK Singles Chart. It saw moderate chart success elsewhere, reaching number 13 in Ireland, number 15 in New Zealand and number 35 in Australia.  "Shake It Out" was released as the album's official lead single on 30 September 2011. It premiered exclusively on XFM London on 14 September 2011. The song peaked at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Florence and the Machine's fourth top-20 single. Internationally, it reached number two on the Irish Singles Chart, while charting inside the top 20 in Austria, New Zealand and Norway, the top 30 in Germany and Switzerland, the top 40 in Australia, and the top 50 in Sweden.  "No Light, No Light" was released on 13 January 2012 as the second single from the album. The single reached number 63 on the UK Singles Chart. The accompanying video, released on 18 November 2011, caused controversy after it was accused of racism due to its perceived use of blackface by an actor in the video, and was also criticised for its depiction of voodoo.  "Never Let Me Go" was released on 30 March 2012 as the third single from the album. The music video was released on 7 March 2012. The track charted at number 82 in the UK, while reaching number three in Australia, the band's highest-peaking single in that country to date.  A remix of "Spectrum" by Scottish DJ and producer Calvin Harris, titled "Spectrum (Say My Name)", was released on 5 July 2012 as the album's fourth single. It became the band's first number-one single in both the UK and Ireland.  "Lover to Lover" was released as the fifth and final single from the album on 30 November 2012. Directed by Vincent Haycock, the music video debuted on 19 November and features a new single version of the song.

Tour.

To promote the album, Florence and the Machine embarked on their second worldwide tour titled the Ceremonials Tour on 13 October 2011. The set list includes songs from the band's two studio albums. The tour included numerous performances at music festivals as that is Welch's favourite way to perform live. During an interview with MTV News, Welch discussed the nature of the tour, saying, "In a way, it's not going to be too big a production; we've done a lot of quite extravagant stuff, and that's been amazing, but for this tour, it's definitely going to be about showcasing the music [...] The songs are going to be the most important thing. It will be heavily based on the music [...] no bells and whistles just yet, we're going to try and keep it quite pure." The tour ended in December 2012, after two years of worldwide touring.

Critical reception.

"Ceremonials" received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 75, based on 36 reviews. Laura Foster of "Clash" called the album a "confident, cohesive effort" and found that "[t]he steady hand of Paul Epworth on production has helped Florence to take the winning formula of her distinctive vocals and melodies, the twinkling harps and thundering drums, and augment it with string arrangements, subtle electro touches, and gospel choirs." "Entertainment Weekly"s Kyle Anderson praised it as a "confident, unflinching tour de force" and commented, "If her acclaimed 2009 debut, "Lungs", was a scrappy shrine to survival and empowerment, its follow-up is a baroque cathedral, bedecked with ornate tapestries made of ghostly choirs, pagan-rhythmic splendor, and a whole lot of harp." AllMusic critic James Christopher Monger wrote, "Bigger and bolder than 2009's excellent "Lungs", "Ceremonials" rolls in like fog over the Thames, doling out a heavy-handed mix of Brit-pop-infused neo-soul anthems and lush, movie trailer-ready ballads that fuse the bluesy, electro-despair of Adele with the ornate, gothic melodrama of Kate Bush and "Floodland"-era Sisters of Mercy." Margaret Wappler of the "Los Angeles Times" found that Welch had "found a way to honor her Bjorkian appetites for lavish orchestral spectacle while finding the depth and subtlety of her voice".  Barry Nicolson of "NME" noted that "by taking what worked about "Lungs" and amplifying those qualities to a natural, satisfying conclusion, Florence has made a near-great pop record that should afford her the creative freedom to do whatever the hell she wants next time around." "Rolling Stone" writer Jody Rosen commented that the album contains "turbulent ballads, powered by booming drums and vocal chorales rising like distant thunder, full of Welch's banshee wails. The music touches on Celtic melodies, bluesy rock stomps, nods to goth and gospel." "The Daily Telegraph"s Neil McCormick viewed "Ceremonials" as "a giant, fluid, emotionally resonant album" and stated, "Contrary to the name she has given her band, the Machine feel organic and human, providing an epic, full-blooded soundtrack to Welch's voodoo, in which rhythm, melody and chanting are employed to drive out neuroses and insecurities, characterised as ghosts and devils." Rob Harvilla of "Spin" described Welch as "a bloodied, bloodying songbird in a gilded cage of immaculately crafted, slow-burn, chest-beating empowerment anthems, gripping steel bars that her elegantly volcanic voice could shred at any moment", adding, "She's so much better than her material that her material is rendered immaterial."  Michael Hann of "The Guardian" concluded that the album "always sounds wonderful—producer Paul Epworth has created a warm, soft, four-poster featherbed of sound for Welch to emote over—but it never really satisfies. One yearns for Welch's wonderful voice to be delivering lines of more import than the nonsense she's often delivering here." In a mixed review, "Slant Magazine"s Matthew Cole wrote that "[t]he first four tracks of "Ceremonials" are essentially flawless", but felt that the album "can't help but get weaker as it continues, a fact which owes less to the quality of the songwriting than to the album's length [...] and a far less dynamic second act." Andy Gill of "The Independent" expressed, "[I]n cementing one style, some of the possibilities offered by "Lungs" have been choked off. The only time [Welch] and The Machine stray from the formula is the Krautrock-disco motorik of 'Spectrum'; elsewhere, declamatory piano chords and burring organ underpin the banked, soaring vocals that are her trademark". "Pitchfork"s Ryan Dombal argued, "Instead of "Lungs"' largely charming yet discombobulating diversity, "Ceremonials" suffers from a repetitiveness that's akin to looking at a skyline filled with 100-story behemoths lined-up one after the other, blocking out everything but their own size."

Accolades.

"Ceremonials" was named the best album of 2011 by "Q" magazine. "Time" magazine ranked it as the second best album of 2011, stating, "Despite her penchant for emotive gloom, Welch's tales of heartache can be oddly uplifting; when she sings about darkness and demons, we know she will ultimately conquer them." "Entertainment Weekly", on its list of the 10 Best Albums of 2011, listed the album at number five and wrote, "A big believer in Red Sea-parting melodrama, she's got the orchestral grandeur to pull it off. Of course, it helps that she attacks the harp as if she were wielding an ax." "Billboard" placed it at number eight on its list of the 10 Best Albums of 2011, noting that "Shake It Out" and "What the Water Gave Me" "possess an anthemic quality, but they're far from the only epic moments on the rock-tinged record, which finds Welch channeling avant-pop luminaries like Annie Lennox and Kate Bush." "Slant Magazine" included "Ceremonials" at number 22 on its list of The 25 Best Albums of 2011, commenting that the album is "steeped in melodrama, with pump organs, choirs, and strings expertly deployed as pure pomp on already rousing singles like 'Shake It Out' and 'No Light, No Light.' But Welch is perfectly capable of doing delicate too, as evidenced by the gorgeously textured lead single 'What the Water Gave Me' and 'Never Let Me Go,' while tracks like "Lover to Lover" are reminiscent of the Eurythmics at their most soulful." "PopMatters" ranked the album at number 25 on its list of The 75 Best Albums of 2011, calling it "an expansive album, haunted by tragedy but boldly offering a comforting embrace in reply."  "The A.V. Club" named it the 26th best album of 2011 and claimed, "A perfect blend of majestic and morose, "Ceremonials" establishes Welch as one of the most boundary-pushing divas in the business." "Rolling Stone" ranked the album at number 27 on its list of the 50 Best Albums of 2011, adding, "From 'Shake It Out' to the arena-scale Motown of 'Lover to Lover,' Big Red brings it again and again, choirs and string players backing a voice that soars so high, it makes them seem like ants on the ground below." "Clash", on its list of The Top 40 Albums of 2011, included "Ceremonials" at number 28 and opined that the album "heralded the triumphant return of one of Britain's most exciting pop stars. Bettering the sound she first developed on "Lungs", the only problem she faces now is deciding which of its massive songs to release as singles." The "NME" placed the album at number 31 on its list of the 50 Best Albums of 2011, writing that the album "amounted to pop in its purest sense, as something grand and strange and with ambitions higher than mere humanity, as the triple-headed priestess-muse Florence depicted on its sleeve suggested."  The album earned the band nominations for British Female Solo Artist and MasterCard British Album of the Year at the 2012 Brit Awards. The following year at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, "Ceremonials" received a nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album, and "Shake It Out" was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

Artwork.

The cover artwork for "Ceremonials" was photographed by Florence and the Machine's longtime collaborator Tom Beard. In November 2019, it was announced that Beard's portrait of Welch for the album cover would be on permanent display at the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) of London in their New Acquisitions exhibition. According to the NPG, the portrait "signalled a new, sleeker aesthetic for Welch, inspired by art deco and early-twentieth-century fashion illustration."

Commercial performance.

"Ceremonials" debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, selling approximately 38,000 copies in its first two days of release and 94,050 copies altogether in its first week. It fell to number three the following week, selling 58,278 copies. On 18 January 2013, "Ceremonials" was certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), and by June 2015, it had sold 715,275 copies in the United Kingdom.  The album also debuted at number one in Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) in its first week of sales. It was ultimately certified triple platinum by the ARIA in early 2013, signalling shipments of 210,000 copies. Selling 105,000 units in its opening week in the United States, "Ceremonials" entered the "Billboard" 200 at number six, while debuting atop the Alternative Albums, Rock Albums and Digital Albums charts. The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on 8 January 2015, and had sold 1,002,000 copies in the US by March 2015. As of May 2012, "Ceremonials" had sold 2.5 million copies worldwide.

Track listing.

Notes

Personnel.

Credits adapted from the liner notes of the deluxe edition of "Ceremonials".  Florence and the Machine  Additional musicians  Technical  Artwork

Deluxe edition bonus disc.

Ceremonials is the second studio album by English indie rock band Florence and the Machine. It was released on 28 October 2011 by Island Records. The band started working on the album in 2010 and finished it in 2011. The standard edition of the album was entirely produced by Paul Epworth, who also worked prominently on the band's debut album "Lungs" (2009).


Regional auditions.

Auditions were held in Bratislava, Košice, Prague, Brno in the spring of 2009.

Divadlo.

In Divadlo where 124 contestants. The contestants first emerged on stage in groups of 9 or 10 but performed solo unaccompanied, and those who did not impress the judges were cut after the group finished their individual performances. 50 made it to the next round Dlouhá cesta. 24 contestants made it to the Semi-final.

Semi-final.

24 semifinalists were revealed in September when the show premiered on screen. Six boys and six girls from both countries competed for a spot in the top 12. In three Semifinals the guys performed on Saturday and the girls on Sunday night. The following Monday the lowest vote getter from each gender and country got eliminated (the viewers could vote for contestants from both countries). It means that three Czech and Slovak boys and three Czech and Slovak girls would make the finals.

Finals.

Twelve contestants reached the finals. TOP 12 consisted of 3 Slovak boys, 3 Czech boys, 3 Slovak girls and 3 Czech girls. The first single recorded by TOP 12 is called "Příběh Nekončí / Príbeh Nekončí" (The Story Doesn't End) and it was composed by judge Pavol Habera (music) and Slovak poet Daniel Hevier. Every final night had a different theme. The audience could vote for contestants from the very beginning of the show, voting ended during the result show the following day. There were double eliminations in first two final rounds, with only one contestant being eliminated once the candidates became the TOP 8. All gender and nationality quotas are abolished in the finals.

Top 6 – Karel Gott and Duets.

Mentor: Karel Gott

Top 4 – Movie Songs and Michal David.

Mentor: Michal David

Top 3 – Richard Müller and Unplugged.

Mentor: Richard Müller

Česko Slovenská SuperStar (English: Czech&Slovak SuperStar) is the joint Czech-Slovak version of Idol series' "Pop Idol" merged from "Česko hledá SuperStar" and "Slovensko hľadá SuperStar" which previous to that had three individual seasons each. The first season premiered in September 2009 with castings held in Prague, Brno, Bratislava and Košice. It is broadcast on two channels: «TV Nova» (Czech Republic) and «Markíza» (Slovakia) which have also been the broadcast stations for the individual seasons. Also both hosts have been their hosts countries before as have been three out of the four judges. To legitimate a fair chance for each country's contestants to reach the final, twelve of the contestants will compete split into genders and nationalities in the semifinals, guaranteeing a 50% share for each country in the top 12.


History.

In January 1850 Bauer, a cavalryman during the German-Danish War, designed "Brandtaucher" as a way to end the Danish naval blockade of Germany. Bauer's early sketch attracted the attention of the Minister of Marine, who allowed him to construct a model. The model was demonstrated in Kiel harbour in front of naval dignitaries. Its satisfactory performance led to the construction of a full-scale model, which was funded by contributions from army personnel and local civilians. Due to the inadequate funding, the scale of the boat had to be downgraded and the design altered and simplified; resulting in a reduced diving depth from 30 m to 9.5 m. This redesign included eliminating the use of enclosed ballast tanks to contain the water being taken into and expelled from the submarine. Instead, the water was allowed to pool inside the bottom of the hull, below the main floor, and was able to move relatively unobstructed within this area when the ship changed orientation. The resulting instability was probably a significant contributing factor to the loss of the vessel.  As built, "Brandtaucher" was 8.07 m long and 2.02 m at maximum beam, with a draught of 2.63 m. It was propelled by a crew of three turning large tread wheels connected to a propeller. The boat could reach a speed of three knots, but this could not be maintained for long periods of time.  On 1 February 1851, "Brandtaucher" sank after a diving accident during acceptance trials in Kiel Harbour. The submarine experienced equipment failure, and sank to the bottom of a 60-foot hole at the bottom of Kiel Harbour. Bauer escaped by letting in water, thus increasing the air pressure, which allowed Bauer and his two companions to open the hatch and swim to the surface. This was the first submarine escape to be witnessed and reported.  In 1887 the wreck was discovered, and it was raised on 5 July 1887. "Brandtaucher" was first placed on display at the Naval Academy in Kiel and then in 1906 it was moved to the "Museum für Meereskunde" in Berlin. From 1963 to 1965 it was restored in the DDR at Rostock, and placed on display at the Nationale Volksarmee Museum in Potsdam. The boat can now be viewed at the "Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr" (German Armed Forces Museum of Military History), in Dresden.

Brandtaucher (German for Fire-diver) was a submersible designed by the Bavarian inventor and engineer Wilhelm Bauer and built by Schweffel & Howaldt in Kiel for Schleswig-Holstein's Flotilla (part of the "Reichsflotte") in 1850. The "Brandtaucher" is the oldest known surviving submarine in the world.


Sims University life.

Sims University is a sub-neighborhood probably based on New England Campuses that functions similarly to the vacation worlds in "". Its mascot is a llama. In order to attend university, a Sim must be a young adult, adult or elder. When a non-player mascot is near the Sims' lots, they can take an aptitude test. The results will depend on their skills, traits, work experience and school grades. The results also show the total aptitude score, along with the sub-scores for the majors and cerid award. The amount of financial assistance (scholarship) provided to the Sim is also determined by the test. Teen can also take the aptitude test, to see what skills they need to work on but they can not go to University before they grow up to be a young adult.  Enrolling in college can be done on phone, computer, or going to the public school and enrolling there. The player can select the Sim's major, out of either Business, Communications, Fine Arts, Physical Education, Science and Medicine, or Technology, as well as the number of credits they wish to study for, and whether they want to study for one or two terms. Taking more credits will allow a Sim to obtain their degree faster, but they will have more of their time taken up by studying.  To receive a degree, a Sim must obtain 48 credits for it, and pass their final exams. Having a degree will allow a Sim to start at a higher level in careers relevant to the degree, and they will also be paid more. These benefits will increase the higher the Sim's grade.  "University Life" also introduces social groups: Jocks, Nerds and Rebels. The player can join these social groups, and move up in their rankings by befriending members of the group and/or doing activities and interactions related to the group. As they progress through the ranks they can unlock new interactions and objects, and later pick an additional trait. A Sim who reaches rank 10 with a group will be given a job offer in a special career unique to that group.

Development.

It was first leaked on the Russian version of Origin, but later taken down. It was then hinted in a teaser in a Maxis live broadcast, and the Spanish version of the logo was displayed at an EA game launch event that showcased new releases including "The Sims 3: 70s, 80s & 90s Stuff". Nine screenshots were leaked on the EA-owned website Digital River, but fansites were asked to remove them, though they still exist in posts on "The Sims 3" official community forums. On December 29, 2012, "The Sims 3: University Life" was rated T for Teen by the ESRB, confirming that it was official, and had completed development. The game was officially announced on January 8, 2013. The expansion pack was released in North America on March 5, 2013 and Europe on March 8, 2013 with the North American release date coinciding with "SimCity".

The Sims 3: University Life is the ninth expansion pack for "The Sims 3". It is not to be confused with "The Sims 2"s "University Life Collection", which was released in 2009 and featured "", as well as two stuff packs ("IKEA Home Stuff" and "Teen Style Stuff").