Description, systematics and taxonomy.

It resembles its closest living relative the European stonechat ("S. rubicola"), but is typically darker above and paler below, with a white rump and whiter underparts with less orange on the breast. The male in breeding plumage has black upperparts and head (lacking the brownish tones of the European stonechat), a conspicuous white collar, scapular patch and rump, and a restricted area of orange on the throat.  The female has pale brown upperparts and head, white neck patches (not a full collar), and a pale, unstreaked pinkish-yellow rump. Males in winter plumage are intermediate between summer males and females, with a supercilium resembling the whinchat ("S. rubetra"); from this species and the female it can be distinguished by the full white collar.  If seen at close distance, it can be recognized that its primary remiges are distinctly longer than in "S. rubicola". In this, it closely resembles the whinchat, which like "S. maurus" is adapted to long-distance migrations.  The male has a clicking call, like two pebbles knocked together. The song is high and twittering like the dunnock ("Prunella modularis"), an unrelated passeridan songbird belonging to the Passeroidea.  There are five or six subspecies, with "S. m. maurus" (described above) and the distinct but similar "S. m. stejnegeri" found across northern and central Asia. The southern "S. m. variegatus" (west of the Caspian Sea), "S. m. armenicus" (eastern Turkey to Iran), "S. m. indicus" (Himalaya) and the Turkestan stonechat "S. m. przewalskii" (southwest China) are distinguished by larger white areas on the plumage.  In the past, "S. maurus" was usually included in "S. torquatus" as part of the "common stonechat", but that scientific name nowadays is restricted to the African stonechat. Analysis of mtDNA cytochrome "b" sequence and nDNA microsatellite fingerprinting data, though not unequivocal, together with the evidence from morphology, behaviour and biogeography seems to indicate that the present bird can be considered a distinct species. The European stonechat is its western sister species in the Eurasian lineage of stonechats; their ancestors separated during the Late Pliocene or Early Pleistocene, roughly 1.5-2.5 million years ago at the onset of the Quaternary glaciation.  Its scientific name means "dark rock-dweller". "Saxicola" derives from Latin "saxum" "rock" + "incola" "inhabitant"; "maurus" is Latinized from Greek "maúros" (μαύρος) "black" (cf. "moor"), in reference to the upperpart colour as compared to "S. rubicola".

Distribution and ecology.

The breeding range covers most of temperate Asia, from about latitude 71°N in Siberia south to the Himalaya and southwest China, and west to eastern Turkey and the Caspian Sea area. It also breeds in the far northeast of Europe, mainly in Russia but occasionally as far west as Finland.  The wintering range of the migratory bird is from southern Japan south to Thailand and India, and west to northeast Africa. On migration, small numbers reach as far west as western Europe, and exceptionally as far east as Alaska in North America.  The Siberian stonechat is insectivorous. It breeds in open rough scrubland or rough grassland with scattered shrubs, from sea level to about 4,000 m ASL or more. The birds seem to avoid even cool temperate conditions and stay up north only during the hot continental summer. In the montane regions of the Himalaya foothills of Bhutan, migrants can on occasion be seen foraging in fields and pastures more than 2,000 m ASL, but most move further down and south to winter in tropical regions.  Though it is not considered a distinct species by the IUCN, it is widespread and common and would not be considered a threatened species.

The Siberian stonechat or Asian stonechat ("Saxicola maurus") is a recently validated species of the Old World flycatcher family (Muscicapidae). Like the other thrush-like flycatchers, it was often placed in the Turdidae in the past. It breeds in the East Palearctic including in easternmost Europe and winters in the Old World tropics.


History.

Croconic acid and potassium croconate dihydrate were discovered by Leopold Gmelin in 1825, who named the compounds from Greek

Structure.

In the solid state, croconic acid has a peculiar structure consisting of pleated strips, each "page" of the strip being a planar ring of 4 molecules of held together by hydrogen bonds. In dioxane it has a large dipole moment of 9–10 D, while the free molecule is estimated to have a dipole of 7–7.5 D. The solid is ferroelectric with a Curie point above, indeed the organic crystal with the highest spontaneous polarization (about 20 μC/cm). This is due to proton transfer between adjacent molecules in each pleated sheet, rather than molecular rotation.  In the solid alkali metal salts, the croconate anions and the alkali cations form parallel columns. In the mixed salt, which formally contains both one croconate dianion and one hydrogencroconate monoanion (), the hydrogen is shared equally by two adjacent croconate units.  Salts of the croconate anion and its derivatives are of interest in supramolecular chemistry research because of their potential for π-stacking effects, where the delocalized electrons of two stacked croconate anions interact.  Infrared and Raman assignments indicate that the equalization of the carbon–carbon bond lengths, thus the electronic delocalization, follows with an increase in counter-ion size for salts. This result leads to a further interpretation that the degree of aromaticity is enhanced for salts as a function of the size of the counter-ion. The same study provided quantum mechanical DFT calculations for the optimized structures and vibrational spectra which were in agreement with experimental findings. The values for calculated theoretical indices of aromaticity also increased with counterion size.  The croconate anion forms hydrated crystalline coordination compounds with divalent cations of transition metals, with general formula ; where M stands for copper (yielding a brown solid), iron (dark purple), zinc (yellow), nickel (green), manganese (dark green), or cobalt (purple). These complexes all have the same orthorombic crystal structure, consisting of chains of alternating croconate and metal ions. Each croconate is bound to the preceding metal by one oxygen atom, and to the next metal through its two opposite oxygens, leaving two oxygens unbound. Each metal is bound to three croconate oxygens and to one water molecule. Calcium also forms a compound with the same formula (yellow) but the structure appears to be different.  The croconate anion also forms compounds with trivalent cations such as aluminium (yellow), chromium (brown), and iron (purple). These compounds also include hydroxyl groups as well as hydration water and have a more complicated crystal structure. No indication was found of sandwich-type bonds between the delocalized electrons and the metal (as are seen in ferrocene, for example), but the anion can form metal complexes with a large variety of bonding patterns, involving from only one to all five of its oxygen atoms.

Croconic acid or 4,5-dihydroxycyclopentenetrione is a chemical compound with formula or. It has a cyclopentene backbone with two hydroxyl groups adjacent to the double bond and three ketone groups on the remaining carbon atoms. It is sensitive to light, soluble in water and ethanol and forms yellow crystals that decompose at 212 °C.


Background.

The CBA began play in the 1995–96 season. The league should not be confused with the Chinese Basketball Association (organisation), which was founded in June 1956 and represents the country in matters involving the sport's governing body, FIBA. Basketball in China is currently regulated by the Chinese Basketball Management Center.  Other Chinese basketball leagues include the National Basketball League (NBL), the Chinese University Basketball Association (CUBA), and the Chinese High School Basketball League (CHBL). At one time there was a league called the Chinese New Basketball Alliance (CNBA), one of whose most prominent teams was the Beijing Sea Lions, but this venture lasted for just one winter (1996–97).  The first non-Chinese player to compete in the CBA was Mihail Savinkov of Uzbekistan, who joined the Zhejiang Squirrels in the league's inaugural 1995–96 campaign. During the 1996–97 season, James Hodges became one of the first Americans to play in the CBA, and his signing by the Liaoning Hunters helped pave the way for many more imports from the United States to follow in the ensuing years.  Some other notable foreign pioneers included John Spencer, who joined the Jiangsu Dragons later in the 1996–97 campaign, and David Vanterpool, who inked a deal with the Jilin Northeast Tigers the following winter, and helped the team move up to the CBA in time for the 1998–99 season. The CBA's first international coach was American Robert Hoggard, who led the Sichuan Pandas for the last eight games of the 1997–98 campaign.

Team names.

"For a full list of teams, see."  The full name of each team usually consists of three parts, in the following order:  The presence of corporate sponsor names can occasionally lead to confusion about what name to use in English because many variants may be seen. Team names are usually abbreviated (in Chinese or English), so that either the corporate sponsor name or the nickname is used interchangeably (rarely both). In addition, team nicknames can sometimes be translated into English in more than one way, and corporate sponsors tend to change frequently over time.  Nickname changes are rare, but occasionally happen, such as when the Shandong team switched from "Flaming Bulls" (1995) to "Lions" (2003) to "Gold Lions" (2004) to "Golden Stars" (2014). Other examples include the Liaoning team dumping "Hunters" (1995) for "Dinosaurs" (2008) and then "Flying Leopards" (2011) -- as well as the Foshan team's evolving attempts to "Anglicize" its nickname—by going from "Kylins" (2001) to "Dralions" to "Long-Lions"  In previous years, the title of the league itself was available for corporate naming sponsorship. In 1999–2000 and 2000–2001 it was known as the "Hilton League", in 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 it was the "Motorola League", and in 2003–2004 it was sponsored by China Unicom. These corporate league titles were not always used in the news media, however, and this sponsorship practice was discontinued at the start of the 2004–2005 season.

Current clubs.

While teams are listed by division here, the CBA does not use these designations for regular season purposes anymore, as each squad now plays each other once at home and once on the road (plus eight additional games within each of the four rotating "strength of schedule" sub-groupings). Divisions are used for the league's annual All-Star Game, however, and are shown here for the sake of convenience.

Timeline.

This is a chronological listing of current and former CBA teams according to the season that they entered the league.

Finals.

In 2005, the league unveiled the Mou Zuoyun Cup (), which was awarded for the first time to the winning team in the CBA Finals. Mou Zuoyun (1913–2007) was a member of the Chinese men's national basketball team which competed at the 1936 Summer Olympics, and he later served as a coach and a pioneer in building Chinese basketball.

Finals appearances.

This is a list of teams which have advanced to the CBA Finals and the overall win-loss records they have compiled in the Championship Series.

Awards.

The CBA Most Valuable Player award is presented to the league's best player in a given CBA season. Since the 2012–13 campaign, two awards have been handed out each year, Domestic MVP and International MVP. At the conclusion of each season, the CBA Finals MVP award is bestowed upon the most outstanding player in that year's championship series.  Each campaign's scoring leader is also recognized on an annual basis and the league maintains a list of single game, single season, and career record holders in various statistical categories. Furthermore, a CBA All-Star Game MVP award is given to the player deemed to have the most impactful performance in the league's annual mid-season exhibition contest.

Scoring leaders.

The CBA's highest single season scoring average, depending on how many games are required to be recognized as a statistical qualifier, is either 43.1 points per game by Jordan Crawford, who played in 26 of Tianjin's 38 games (68.4%) in 2015–16, or 42.0 points per game by Jonathan Gibson, who played in 36 of Qingdao's 38 games (94.7%) in 2015–16.

Records.

This is a list of individual records separated into two categories — career records and single game records.  Records last updated and confirmed on March 13, 2019, the final day of the 2018–19 CBA regular season.

Notable players.

Listed below are some of the most accomplished Chinese players who have competed in the CBA. Time spent with teams in lower leagues before they joined the CBA, or after they left the CBA, cannot be counted as CBA seasons. Notes will be made of such service below a player's CBA information.

Foreign imports.

Listed below are some of the most accomplished foreign imports who have competed in the CBA. Players must appear in at least one game for the team to receive credit for a season. Someone who signs a contract but never steps on the court does not count.

Politics.

On October 4, 2019, the Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey issued a tweet in support of the 2019 Hong Kong protests. Morey's tweet resulted in the Chinese Basketball Association’s suspension of its relationship with the Houston Rockets and China Central Television's removal of all NBA games from its broadcast schedule until further notice.

The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier professional men's basketball league in China. It is widely regarded as the preeminent professional men's basketball league in Asia.


History.

NBC announced in 2004 that Jay Leno would leave "The Tonight Show" in 2009, with Conan O'Brien as his replacement. Leno—who wanted to avoid an acrimonious transition like what he experienced when he inherited "Tonight" from Johnny Carson—said at the announcement, "You can do these things until they carry you out on a stretcher, or you can get out when you’re still doing good." He began to regret his decision to retire in 2007, and several networks and studios including ABC, Fox, Sony, and Tribune expressed interest in his services after leaving "Tonight". Jeff Zucker, then-President and CEO of NBCUniversal, sought to keep Leno from defecting to a competitor. Leno rejected several NBC offers for broadcast network daytime slots or subscription TV slots, a series of recurring specials, and a half-hour show at 8 pm five nights a week featuring Leno's "Tonight" monologue. The network had in 1981 considered moving "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" to 10 pm; Zucker, who in 2007 offered Oprah Winfrey an hour five nights a week at 8 pm, now offered Leno an hour five nights a week at 10 pm. "Leno" was announced on December 9, 2008.  At least one station, then-affiliate WHDH-TV in Boston, Massachusetts, stated that it would not carry the program, claiming that "Leno" would be detrimental to the station's 11 pm news and that it would instead launch a local news program in the time slot. NBC said that such plans would amount to a flagrant violation of the network contract—a claim which WHDH disputed—and said that it would immediately remove its programming from WHDH if the station followed through with the plan. WHDH backed down on April 13, 2009, and announced that it would air "Leno" instead of the proposed program.  Though Leno was the first to move the entire five-day-a-week late night talk show to prime time, he was not the first "Tonight" alumnus to move from late night to a prime time talk show. Steve Allen hosted "Tonight Starring Steve Allen" from 1954 to 1957; while still hosting that show, he began hosting the prime-time "The Steve Allen Show" in 1956 on NBC, and the latter show would run until 1960. Jack Paar, who hosted "Tonight" from 1957 to 1962, next hosted a weekly talk show known as "The Jack Paar Program" that ran until 1965, also on NBC.  In January 2010, several news outlets reported that "The Jay Leno Show" would be shortened to 30 minutes and begin airing weeknights at 11:35 pm ET, with Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Fallon's shows following it beginning at 12:05 am. The scheduling change would have been implemented on February 28 after the 2010 Winter Olympics (which preempted much of NBC's primetime and late-night lineup). Leno himself commented on the rumors during his January 7 monologue, joking that NBC stands for "Never Believe your Contract." According to "Broadcasting & Cable", "most [NBC affiliates] are hopeful Jay—and Conan—sticks with NBC, and most, if not all, desperately want to see a change in terms of the lead-in they're getting to their lucrative late news; the affiliates "remain fiercely loyal to Leno and were quick to say the rookie program's struggles don't reflect the funnyman's work ethic or comedic chops. 'This isn't about Jay's popularity,' says WJAR Providence VP/General Manager Lisa Churchville. 'This is about having that kind of show at 10 p.m.'"  NBC announced plans to move "Leno" to 11:35 pm and "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" to 12:05 am. O'Brien refused to participate in the move and, on January 21, 2010, reached an agreement with NBC allowing him to leave the network. "Leno"'s final episode aired on February 9, 2010 and Leno returned to "Tonight" as host on March 1, 2010.

Content.

"The Jay Leno Show" aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT (9:00 p.m. CT/MT) from Studio 11 of the NBC Studios in Burbank, California with the following format:  One planned segment, "Stories Not Good Enough for the NBC Nightly News" (which would have featured then-"NBC Nightly News" anchor Brian Williams), was dropped from the show before it made it to air.  In addition to reserving comedy segments for the end, the network aired no commercials after the show and "urged local affiliates to do the same" so local news could start immediately, retaining as many "Leno" viewers as possible.

First show.

Jerry Seinfeld was the celebrity guest on the debut episode. Jay-Z, Rihanna, and Kanye West performed "Run This Town", in which all three are featured. West sat down for a previously unplanned interview with Leno, discussing West's outburst at the MTV Video Music Awards the previous night. Dan Finnerty was the comic correspondent for the night, and the end of the show featured Headlines.  Reviews for the first show ranged from neutral to negative, with most critics stating that the show was, despite the changes, still very similar to "Tonight". Metacritic scores it at 48 out of 100 based on 23 TV critic reviews, and viewers scoring it at a 4.0 out of 10. "Media Life" described the show as "underwhelming" and felt that Leno "failed to rise to the occasion." "The Buffalo News" called the show "a mess." The Associated Press noted that "it's not a good sign when the Bud Light commercial is funnier than the comedy show it interrupts," and that "at least "Rosie Live" took some chances." Jonah Krakow of IGN gave it a 5.5/10 saying that "show felt like they just picked from where they left off three months ago, and I'm not sure that's a good thing".

Final show.

The final "Jay Leno Show" aired on February 9, 2010. The guests were Ashton Kutcher, Gabourey Sidibe and Bob Costas, with unannounced visits from Donald Trump and Kurt Warner. Following the monologue, there was a brief clip reel of highlights from the show's short tenure; otherwise, little mention was made about the fact that it was the final episode of the program. The last moments of the show featured the program's "10 at 10" segment, with its celebrity guest being Bob Costas. When Leno asked Costas how it felt to be the show's final guest, the sportscaster replied, "Kind of like being involved in the last game of a Clippers season, isn't it?" Directly following the interview with Costas, Leno thanked him, told the audience to stay tuned for their local news, and then abruptly went off-air.  Many media outlets criticized Leno's apparent lack of ceremony for the end of his program. "Variety" reported that the lack of fanfare was intentional, as NBC was attempting to rehab the reputation of Leno and "The Tonight Show" and did not desire to bring any further attention to Leno's transition back to "Tonight". "The Associated Press" noted that the last few weeks of the program, including the final episode, were pervaded by "bad vibes." The "Boston Globe" wrote that Leno said farewell to his short-lived show "with all the momentousness of a guy taking out the trash." The episode received negative reviews from "Entertainment Weekly", the "Los Angeles Times", and "The Wall Street Journal". By comparison, O'Brien's final "Tonight Show" was treated as a finale, with guests making reference to the show ending and guest Neil Young taking an ironic tone by performing "Long May You Run".

Impact.

Financial.

Leno had a contract for five years for the show. NBC reportedly had an option to cancel after two years, but had committed to at least one or two years regardless of ratings, although later chose to end the show after less than five months. He could have earned up to $30 million each year depending on ratings for "Leno", compared to a $20 million annual salary during his last years at "Tonight".  NBC expected to benefit by offering an inexpensive comedic alternative to the procedurals ("100% more comedy and 98% fewer murders!") and other one-hour dramas that typically air at 10 pm, and by offering new episodes 46 weeks each year versus 22. While "Leno" was not necessarily expected to be competitive with the higher-rated scripted shows on ABC and CBS in its time slot, its projected cost of production was far lower and thus it was expected to be profitable to the network, and product integration intended to make the show "as DVR-proof as you can be on television in this era". Each airing of "Leno" cost about $350,000 to $400,000 versus up to $3 million for an hour-long drama, saving NBC $13 million each week without the network needing the show to beat its competitors. Those costs include the services of 22 writers, whom Leno called the "top 5% of the highest-paid... in the Guild."  McDonald's became the first buying advertiser for the program, tying in their "Million Dollar Roll" nightly in October 2009 promoting that year's version of McDonald's Monopoly.

Ratings.

Leno did not expect his show to beat competing first-run episodes, but to do better than reruns, in part because topical jokes benefit from the "immediacy" of the time slot versus 11:30 pm. A television analyst predicted that "Leno" would finish in "a safe third place" every night. NBC research before the show's debut indicated that fans of Leno would watch "Leno" two to three times a week.  NBC saw a 1.5 rating for the show in the 18–49 demographic as "viable" and a 1.8 as a "home run". NBC told Leno that at a 1.5 rating, NBC makes $300 million a year. "Tonight" at 11:30 pm earned about a 1.3 to 1.5; the television audience at 10 pm is 40% larger than at 11:30 pm, and the network hoped "Leno"'s audience would also grow. Industry observers have cited a range of ratings, from 1.7 to 2, as being necessary for the show to succeed at 10 pm. By comparison, 2.5 is generally necessary for a 10 pm drama to succeed; those that earned a 1.7 or less during the 2008–2009 season were generally cancelled. NBC's prime-time dramas averaged about 2 during 2008–2009.  The first episode of "The Jay Leno Show" earned "fast national" estimates of 17.7 million viewers, an 11 Nielsen rating (5.1 among persons 18–49) and an 18 share, significantly above both his "Tonight" finale and the debut of "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" in all categories. By the second week and competing against season premieres, the audience fell to six million viewers, still on par with or exceeding NBC projections. As of November 1, 2009, "The Jay Leno Show" has averaged a 1.98 in the adults 18–49 ratings and 6.594 million viewers. During the week before Christmas, the ratings dropped to 1.4 during the week. Prior to the controversy regarding the move of the "Jay Leno Show" to 11:35 p.m., viewership bottomed out at 4.799 million viewers, although there was a slight bump as word of the controversy broke.  Though the show itself had been meeting the network's projections, it was severely detrimental to the ratings of the late local news on NBC affiliates. Several stations across the country saw what was known as the "Leno Effect", where the lower audience for Leno (as compared to NBC's scripted prime time offerings) translated directly into a domino effect of severe audience drops for late local news (on the order of 25–30%), effects that NBC had underestimated.

Dispute over timeslot.

In early January 2010, multiple media outlets reported that, following the 2010 Winter Olympics, "The Jay Leno Show" would be shortened to 30 minutes and begin airing weeknights at 11:35 pm ET, with Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Fallon's shows following it beginning at 12:05 am on March 1, 2010. On January 10, NBC Universal Television Entertainment Chairman Jeff Gaspin confirmed that "The Jay Leno Show" would indeed move to 11:35.  Leno immediately accepted the return to 11:35 p.m., calling the move "all business." He had made it known in the press in November 2009 that he wished to return to his old timeslot; behind the scenes, Leno had privately indicated that he did not believe the 10:00 experiment would work. On the other hand, O'Brien's contract stipulated that the network could move the show back to 12:05 a.m. without penalty, a loophole put in primarily to accommodate sports preemptions, the network's traditional nightly Wimbledon tournament highlights show, and specials such as "New Year's Eve with Carson Daly".  O'Brien did not seriously respond for several days after the announcement, then drafted a press release explaining why he felt it was unfair to him, his staff, Fallon, and the legacy of "The Tonight Show" to move the show past midnight. He concluded by saying that he "cannot participate in what I honestly believe is ["The Tonight Show"'s] destruction." O'Brien received an outpouring of celebrity and viewer support for rejecting the move, while Leno received heavy criticism. On January 21, O'Brien signed a $45 million deal allowing him to leave the network, and aired his final episode of "Tonight" on January 22; Leno returned as host of "Tonight" on March 1.

Settlement.

On January 19, 2010, multiple media outlets reported that O'Brien and NBC were close to signing a deal between $30 and $40 million for the host to walk away from the network. One apparent sticking point in the negotiations was the amount his staff and crew were to be paid for leaving the program. Reports also said that the contract could prohibit O'Brien from badmouthing NBC in any way, and that he may be able to return to television as early as September 2010.  On January 21, after two weeks of negotiations, it was announced that Conan O'Brien had signed a $45 million deal to leave NBC. "The Wall Street Journal" reports that O'Brien will receive about $32 million, with his staff receiving around $12 million. The contract contains a clause prohibiting O'Brien from making negative remarks about NBC for a certain amount of time; it does not, however, contain the previously rumored "mitigation clause," in which NBC would be able to keep some of the severance pay after O'Brien finds a new program. It also stipulates that he could have returned to television as early as September 1, 2010. The network confirmed that Leno would officially resume as host of "The Tonight Show" on March 1. TMZ reported that NBC would rerun episodes from O'Brien's time as host until the network began airing the Olympics on February 12.  O'Brien later reached a deal with cable network TBS to premiere a new late-night talk show, "Conan".

Industry impact.

NBC became the first large United States network to broadcast the same show every weekday during prime time since ABC's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" marathons in 1999 and only the second since DuMont aired "Captain Video and His Video Rangers" from 1949 to 1955. More recently, the upstart MyNetwork TV had attempted, upon its launch in 2006, to air the same telenovelas every night of the week, a programming strategy that proved to be very unsuccessful. NBC's executives called the decision "a transformational moment in the history of broadcasting" and "in effect, launching five shows." An industry observer said that "Leno", "in all my years, is the biggest risk a network has ever taken." According to former NBC president Fred Silverman, "If the "Leno Show" works, it will be the most significant thing to happen in broadcast television in the last decade."  Although NBC had not developed a new hit show at 10 pm in years, industry executives criticized the network for abandoning a history of airing quality dramas at that hour such as "Hill Street Blues", "St. Elsewhere", and "ER", which made NBC "the gold standard for sophisticated programming... the No. 1 network for affluent and well-educated young viewers" during the 1980s and 1990s. In addition, critics predicted that the decision would hurt NBC by undermining a reputation built on successful scripted shows. Other networks believed NBC's decision created an opportunity, and planned their 2009–2010 schedules accordingly. For example, the show competed with "The Mentalist", "", "", and "Numb3rs", four of television's most popular series, on CBS (the first of those four series was moved to 10:00 PM to directly compete with Leno's show, and significantly improved the ratings for that timeslot compared to its predecessor). "Leno" was also not easily sold overseas.  The January 29, 2010 issue of "Entertainment Weekly" listed the show at the top of a list of the 50 Biggest Bombs in television history. The comment made by the network executives about "launching five shows" was ultimately transformed into the joke that its removal was like "cancelling five shows." "TV Guide" similarly listed the show as the biggest blunder in television history in its November 1, 2010 edition.

Boycott by competing networks.

Rival networks ABC and CBS had discouraged "their stars" from appearing on "The Jay Leno Show" in its primetime slot. Julia Louis-Dreyfus ("The New Adventures of Old Christine") was the first CBS actor to appear on the show, on September 29, 2009; on that episode, she said "there was a little pressure, because as you know you are now on prime time", but that "Obviously, I committed to doing your show and we’re friends". This boycott did not affect "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" nor was it industry-wide. Other TV networks, like Fox, The CW, and HBO, were more encouraging. Hugh Laurie from the Fox TV show "House" was a guest on the September 25, 2009, telecast. "House" is produced by Universal Media Studios, a sister company to NBC through NBC Universal, and Fox does not offer any network programming in the 10 p.m. time slots, instead allowing most of its affiliates to go to local news.  In a "Broadcasting & Cable" interview published in early November 2009, Leno mentioned the boycott again, saying "I'm flattered; like ABC and CBS...none of their stars can appear on the show. What are you so afraid of if we're doing so terrible? It's all part of the game."

Labor union impact.

John Wells, the president of the Writers Guild of America, West, and executive producer of prominent NBC shows "ER" and "The West Wing", said, "I wish NBC and Jay Leno well; personally, he's a very nice guy, but I hope he falls flat on his face and we get five dramas back."

Website dispute.

In 2004, Guadalupe Zambrano, a Texas real estate agent, registered the domain name thejaylenoshow.com to redirect to his real estate business. After the "Leno" announcement, Leno accused Zambrano of cybersquatting. Zambrano contended that he had owned the domain for five years, well before the announcement, thus precluding recovery. The UDRP proceedings ruled in favor of Leno, however, stating that Zambrano profited from the value of the Jay Leno trademark in bad faith.

The Jay Leno Show is an American talk show created by and starring Jay Leno. Premiering on NBC on September 14, 2009, the program aired on weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT through February 9, 2010. The program was modeled upon the format of a late night talk show—specifically, Jay Leno's incarnation of "The Tonight Show", opening with a comedic monologue, followed by interviews with celebrity guests and other comedy segments. Sketches from "The Tonight Show" (including "Headlines" and "Jaywalking") were carried over to "The Jay Leno Show", along with new sketches.


Background.

The march went through several versions before arriving at the popular orchestral version known today.  In September 1888 Chabrier wrote to his publisher that he would be orchestrating six piano pieces: four pieces from his piano suite "Pièces pittoresques" (which would become his "Suite pastorale"), as well as "La marche française" and the "Andante in F". Delage proposes that the "Andante" was originally performed in 1875 at the Cercle de l'Union artistique in Paris, with Jules Danbé conducting his orchestra. However, the pieces are also related to Chabrier's "Prélude et marche française" for piano 4-hands, completed by May 1885, the "Andante" having by then become a "Prélude".  The concert at which the premiere of the "Prélude pastoral" and "Joyeuse marche" took place also included the first performance of Chabrier's "Suite pastorale" and "Habañera", "España" (all conducted by the composer), plus Rossini's "William Tell Overture", Mozart's Divertimento No. 2 for two horns and strings and the Adagietto from Bizet's "L'Arlésienne".  By the time of the Paris premiere in April 1889, the title had changed to "Marche joyeuse". The piece was again enthusiastically received.  The final version of the work's title was reached at a Lamoureux concert on 16 February 1890, when the march became the "Joyeuse marche". However, the "Prélude" then disappeared until it surfaced among autographs belonging to Robert Brussel in 1943. The "Joyeuse marche" became particularly popular, and was also played in a piano duet version.  The tempo marking for the march is 'Tempo di marcia molto risoluto e giocoso'.

Instrumentation.

Strings; 2 flutes, 1 piccolo, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in B flat, 4 bassoons; 4 horns in F, 2 cornets à piston, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba; timpani, percussion (bass drum, cymbals, side drum, triangle); harp.

Joyeuse marche is a popular orchestra piece by the French composer Emmanuel Chabrier. It is the second half of a pair of orchestral pieces (the other was "Prélude pastoral") first performed on 4 November 1888 in Angers, conducted by the composer. The "Joyeuse marche" is dedicated to Vincent d'Indy.


Appearances.

Before her introduction as a main character in "Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep", Aqua made small appearances in the secret endings from "Kingdom Hearts II" and its re-release, "Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix", both events depicting Aqua, Terra, and Ventus confronting Xehanort at the Keyblade Graveyard. "Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix" also contains an additional cutscene showing Aqua's Keyblade and armor to be stored in the "Chamber of Repose", a hidden room in Hollow Bastion that is frequented by Xemnas.  In "Birth by Sleep", Aqua and her friends are Keyblade apprentices in the Land of Departure, where she obtains the "Mark of Mastery" early in the game. Under Eraqus's orders, Aqua travels to various worlds to search for a missing Xehanort and defeat the Unversed, simultaneously monitoring Terra's vulnerability to darkness and trying to retrieve Ventus when he runs away to find Terra. However, both duties bring her into conflict with her friends when she confronts Terra over his questionable activities on their quest. Aqua later reunites with her friends at the Keyblade Graveyard, where Terra is possessed by Xehanort, while Ventus sacrifices his own heart to prevent the creation of the χ-blade. Aqua uses Eraqus's Keyblade to transform the Land of Departure into Castle Oblivion, leaving Ventus's catatonic body there, before confronting the possessed Terra at Radiant Garden. When Xehanort unlocks his own heart to subdue a resisting Terra and sinks into the realm of darkness, Aqua dives in and salvages Terra's body, remaining trapped in the dark realm. In the game's secret ending, she meets Ansem the Wise at the realm's edge, learning from him about the heroics of Sora, whom she had encountered as a young boy during her travels. Her time in the realm of darkness is depicted in the game's "Final Mix" release and "Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage"; in the latter, she encounters her friend Mickey Mouse by chance during the events of the first "Kingdom Hearts" game before remaining behind to fend off the Heartless attacking Riku.  Aqua makes cameo appearances in "", where she is revealed to be one of the many people connected with Sora's heart, and in "" as part of Sora's memories and in the ending where she is still at the shores in the dark realm. In "Kingdom Hearts III", Aqua becomes corrupted by darkness after being attacked by Xehanort's Heartless, but is purified after losing to Sora, who returns her to the realm of light. She subsequently restores the Land of Departure to wake Ventus, who revives when Sora returns his heart. The two join the other Keyblade wielders assembled as the seven guardians of light, who clash with Xehanort's reconstituted Organization XIII at the Keyblade Graveyard. There they battle the possessed Terra, whom Sora helps break free from Xehanort's control, reuniting the three friends. Aqua and the other Keyblade wielders later help keep the door to Kingdom Hearts closed, allowing Sora to defeat Xehanort. Afterwards, Aqua and her friends return home before joining their friends in a celebration on the Destiny Islands just before Sora disappears as a price for using the Power of Waking to revive Kairi after Xehanort killed her. In the "Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind" DLC, one year after Sora's disappearance, Aqua, alongside Terra and Ventus, head on a journey to the Realm of Darkness to look for clues to Sora's whereabouts.

Creation and development.

For Aqua's unnamed first appearance in the secret ending of "Kingdom Hearts II", director Tetsuya Nomura stated he did not design her appearance, but had instead focused on what her story would be. While unwilling say who the character was, Nomura pointed that new character's scenes occurred prior to the events from the first game. Following the release of "Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix", Nomura revealed more details about Aqua such as a connection with the character Xemnas. Nomura also revealed her name as said by the Lingering Sentiment in "Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix", and explained that her name follows the "water" theme brought by Kairi's name. However, a connection with Kairi was not intended, but rather with the series' main characters whose names bear various themes. In contrast to Terra and Ventus, Aqua did not have a reference point for the characters design, leading Nomura to create a completely new character from scratch. Her outfit was based on Terra's Japanese-inspired clothes which are meant to expand the student-and-teacher bond shown in the game. Aqua's outfit was altered three times during the game's development. Nomura felt the open back of Aqua's outfit presented at the Tokyo Game Show 2009 was too revealing and modified the design to be more conservative. As with Terra and Ventus, the making of Aqua's outfit created issues for Nomura like how she would be able to summon her armor. To remedy this, an "X" was added to her clothes as a means to activate her armor. When designing Aqua, Nomura was worried the character would be unpopular due to her weak connection with other "Kingdom Hearts" characters. This led to a push to make the character distinctly "strong", which Nomura also did with Xion for "Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days", but in a different way. While Xion was also a "brave girl", Nomura wanted to retain Aqua's feminine qualities along with her strength. After design was completed, Nomura was still unsure of how Aqua would be received. After the game's release, however, Nomura noted her popularity with fans, and referenced Megumi Toyoguchi's work as her voice actress as one of the reasons. Toyoguchi had already worked with Nomura in "Final Fantasy X-2" voicing Paine, one of the game's protagonists. While Toyoguchi used a low tone with Paine, she used a tone closer to her original voice when performing as Aqua, which Nomura praised.  From the beginning of "Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep"<nowiki>'</nowiki>s development, the staff decided its story would have three plot lines centered around three different characters, with Aqua's being the last one written. The original ending of Aqua's storyline showed her trapped in the realm of darkness, which was moved to the game's "Last Episode" in order to keep the game from being too negative in tone. In terms of gameplay, Aqua was designed to be a character that players would take some getting used to, and recommended them use her as the last one in order to understand the game's story better, pointing out the intention that Aqua would be the last character to leave the Land of Departure in her scenario. The staff developed her movements to reflect her personality as a serious and dignified young woman. In the making of "Kingdom Hearts 2.8", co-director Tai Yasue expressed the staff wanted to explore Aqua's torment in this title as she became trapped in the realm of darkness to the point they showed how the character wanted to escape from it as she became isolated. Nomura was surprised by people's reaction to Aqua falling into the darkness in the E3 2018 trailer for "Kingdom Hearts III", and expects her role in the upcoming game to surprise the audience more.

Reception.

Aqua's character has received mixed response from video game publications, with initial comments focused on her brief appearance in "Kingdom Hearts II". Writing for GamesRadar, Chris Antista commented that he did not understand the importance of Aqua and the other characters being briefly featured in "Kingdom Hearts II"; only later was their importance explored at the end of "Birth by Sleep". Prior to Aqua's appearance in "Birth by Sleep"'s trailers, 1UP.com's Jeremy Parish stated that fans speculated the character would be male. Having played a demo from "Birth by Sleep" as Aqua in the E3 2010, Ryan Clements from IGN enjoyed her character due to her gameplay mechanics.  While reviewing "Birth by Sleep", Adam Ghigiino from PALGN criticized her "idealistic" dialogues, finding them repetitive. PlayStation LifeStyle's Thomas Williams found the trio as welcome additions to the franchise, finding their stories enjoyable even though the three travel to the same worlds. Kevin VanOrd from GameSpot gave praise to Aqua's character, based on her personality and how it contrasts Ventus's, as well as Holland's voice acting. 1UP.com's Steve Watts found Aqua's gameplay as the weakest of all the three characters as she specializes in magic techniques, which are weak during the game's start. On the other hand, Bob Miur from Destructoid found her gameplay appealing due to how it contrasts previous fighting styles seen in the "Kingdom Hearts" series. He also found her story less entertaining than Ventus's, but also less predictable than Terra's. Following Square's advice of using Aqua as the last playable "Game Informer" writer Bryan Vore liked how her actions were played with Ventus's and Terra's. However, Bore still cited Aqua's playthrough as repetitive if played as the last one, adding that its plot was weakest from all of them. Alongside Ventus and Terra, X-Play found Aqua similar to the protagonists from "Kingdom Hearts", comparing her to Kairi. In contrast to Van Ord, RPGFan's Ashton Liu found Aqua's voice "bored for almost the whole game", citing how it is notable when comparing her with other voice actors such as Mark Hamill and Leonard Nimoy. In an ASCII Media Works poll, Aqua was voted as the twelfth most popular video game character from 2010. In a "Famitsu" poll from 2011, Aqua was voted as the fourth most popular "Kingdom Hearts" character.  Aqua's role in "Kingdom Hearts 0.2" was praised by Siliconera. The writer enjoyed how the game explores Aqua's vulnerability as well as her strength and sacrifice to protect her friends. Additionally, the writer commented that "We see that she's not some perfect heroine capable of accomplishing everything, but rather a strong woman who's willing to do what she has to for the greater good". Chris Carter from Destructoid expressed disappointment with the fact that none of the three protagonists of "Birth by Sleep" were saved by this game, but still wanted to play as any of them. Kimberly Wallace from "Game Informer" said Aqua was one of her favorite characters due to "her selflessness and determination to save the world, and getting some resolution to her story was satisfying". She also commented that she expected Aqua to play a bigger role in "Kingdom Hearts III".

Aqua is the only protagonist in "Birth by Sleep" whom Tetsuya Nomura did not have a point of reference to design from, and thus was designed from scratch. Later in the design process, Nomura became concerned that Aqua would not be popular, which drove his decision to make her more distinct in her personal bravery and combat abilities. Aqua is voiced by Megumi Toyoguchi in Japanese and Willa Holland in English. The character received mixed reviews from game critics upon her debut, citing boring plot lines and unenthusiastic voice acting combined with weak combat skills. However, her role in "Kingdom Hearts 0.2" has been more positively received, with critics favoring her stronger characterization over previous depictions.


Biography.

Zhang Guohua was born in Yongxin, Jiangxi in 1914. He joined the Communist Party of China in 1931.

Career.

Tibet campaign.

As commander of the Southwest Eighteenth Army Corps of the People's Liberation Army, he led the main attack force in the 1950 Qamdo campaign against Tibetan forces. Zhang was chosen for his special knowledge of Tibetan culture; Mao Zedong did not want to alienate the Tibetans and gave strict instructions "to do united front work" by respecting the local religion and customs. In contrast to the leader of the Northwest Army, Fan Ming, he supported the Dalai Lama and avoided marching into the city after the victory. Zhang seized the position of Secretary of the CPC Tibet Committee from 1950 to 1952, until Mao Zedong, on learning of his power struggle with Fan, replaced him with Zhang Jingwu as Secretary. Still, Zhang headed the Tibet Work Committee, which would negotiate the items in the Seventeen Point Agreement for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet. Zhang only made passing reference to the negotiations in his memoirs. Zhang would resume his position as secretary from 1965 to 1967.

Sino-Indian War.

On October 10, 1962 Zhang attended a meeting of military leaders outside Beijing. There, he endorsed the summary by Zhou Enlai that because India chose to occupy disputed territory with China, instead of peacefully resolving the border demarcation with it like Nepal, Burma, and Mongolia, that "Nehru has closed all roads. This leaves us only with war." As the Commander of the Tibet military region, Zhang was present for the formal decision to go to war with India in "self-defense" at the politboro meeting of October 18. Mao asked for problems with this plan, and suggested that they were underestimating the Indian Armed Forces, but Zhang reassured him. Zhang was the People's Liberation Army Ground Force field commander during the Sino-Indian War.

Cultural Revolution.

In February 1967, at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, three divisions of Red Guards tried to oust Zhang Guohua from the Governorship in Lhasa. Using armor, he succeeded in repressing them, and negotiated with the central government to be moved to Sichuan to form a revolutionary committee. He served as the Governor of Sichuan from 1968 to 1972.

Zhang Guohua (; October 1914-February 21, 1972) was a Chinese lieutenant general and a politician, serving during the Invasion of Tibet and the Sino-Indian War and later as a Communist Party secretary for the Tibet Autonomous Region.


Geography.

Champlain River is flowing almost at the boundary between the manors of Batiscan and Champlain. Champlain river flows from north to south to empty in the St. Lawrence river at Champlain village. Champlain River rises at an altitude of about 130 meters in wetlands located at the foot of the moraine of Saint-Narcisse. Its watershed through the municipalities of Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel, Trois-Rivières (Saint-Louis-de-France area), Saint-Maurice, Saint-Narcisse, Saint-Luc-de-Vincennes, Sainte-Geneviève-de-Batiscan, Batiscan and Champlain, all located, with the exception of Trois-Rivières, in the Les Chenaux Regional County Municipality.  Champlain river divides into four distinct branches that connect to the main branch. It is characterized by the presence of several meanders, a number of which are abandoned along the river near its mouth. The geographical coordinates of the mouth of the river are: -72.28194 West, 46.44695 North.  The watershed of the river Champlain is divided into five sub-basins, sub-basins upstream of the four branches of the main section, from west to east, the sub-basins of rivers Champlain (upstream) of burned with bacon and fork, and the sub-basin of the downstream portion of the Champlain River which flows in the four branches. The slope varies from 5.0 m/km in the sub-basin of the "rivière Brulée" (Burned River) to 0.7 m/km in the sub-basin of the river downstream of the Champlain portion.

Landslides.

The banks of the Champlain River are composed of marine clays, a variety that is very unstable compared to other types of clay, favoring landslides when water accumulates in the clay soil.  History of landslides in Saint-Luc-de-Vincennes]:  A major landslide occurred on the night of November 9 to 10, 2016, on a lot of land belonging to Luc Normandin, in the Saint-Joseph-Ouest range, within the limits of Saint-Luc-de-Vincennes. The field started to move around 9.30 pm on November 9. The slip site is approximately one kilometer from the 1986 slip site, which was twice as large as the one in 2016.  The slip stopped at about ten meters from the house of Luc Normandin and its barn sheltering about sixty cattle. This natural disaster generated a large crater of the size of a baseball field, about 160 meters wide and a depth of between 2 and 10 meters, between farm buildings and the edge of the Champlain River.  Thousands of tons of clay and earth slipped into the river bed completely blocking the flow of water over several tens of meters. The water has risen to make its way again.  Two houses were evacuated and a 200-meter security perimeter was established around the crater.

Toponymy.

Samuel de Champlain gave its name to this river. It is reported for the first time on the map in 1613 by Samuel de Champlain, shifted back to his card in 1632. This name, Champlain, was then given to the lordship (1664), the catholic parish (1665), the provincial county (1829), the municipality (1845) and the Federal county (1867).  The toponym "Champlain River" was officialized in the registry of places name at the Commission de toponymie du Québec as of December 5, 1968.

History.

In 1863, Stanislas Drapeau Champlain wrote that "Champlain river has enough water power in order to activate flour mills and saws, and the large tannery of Mr. Richardson, living in Quebec".  About 1800, Mathew Bell built a mill having 32 saws. Burned in 1850, it was replaced by a saw mill counting 20 saws and a tannery belonging to L. Osborne Richardson. The tannery was moved to the Eastern Townships in 1875.

The Champlain River is 66.7 km long flowing on the north shore of St. Lawrence river. This river flows between Saint-Maurice River and the Batiscan River watershed, in Les Chenaux Regional County Municipality, in administrative region of Mauricie, in the province of Quebec, Canada.


Background.

The Northern Limit Line is considered by South Korea to be the maritime boundary between itself and North Korea, while North Korea disagrees and states that the boundary is farther south. North Korean fishing vessels often wander into the area and are frequently chased away by South Korean patrol vessels. Occasionally a North Korean patrol tries to enforce its southern claim by traversing the limit line. In 2002 one such incursion turned into a naval battle along the limit line.

Engagement.

On 29 June 2002, amid the festive atmosphere of the 2002 FIFA World Cup being held in South Korea, a North Korean patrol boat crossed the northern limit line and was warned to turn back. Shortly afterward, a second North Korean patrol craft crossed the line and it was also warned to retreat across the line. The North Korean boats began threatening and harassing the South Korean vessels following them.  After traveling south past the limit line, the North Korean vessels attacked the two South Korean patrol boats that had been monitoring them. At 10:25, the vessel that first crossed the line opened fire with its 85 mm gun and scored a direct hit on the wheelhouse of one of the South Korean craft causing several casualties.  The two squadrons then began a general engagement. The South Koreans using their 40 and 20 mm guns against the North Korean RPGs, 85 mm, and 35 mm guns. About ten minutes later, two more patrol boats and two corvettes reinforced the South Korean vessels and severely damaged one of the North Korean craft. Now heavily outnumbered and taking casualties, the North Korean vessels retreated back across the Limit Line at 10:59.

Aftermath.

Both the North Korean and South Korean flotillas took casualties from the action. Thirteen North Koreans were killed and twenty five wounded. The South Koreans suffered six fatalities, four during the battle, one 83 days later from wounds suffered during the battle, and one found dead at sea after the battle. The dead were Lt. Cmdr. Yoon Yeong-ha, Jo Cheon-hyung, Seo Hu-won, and Hwang Do-hyeon (during the battle), Park Dong-hyeok (days later), and Han Sang-guk (found at sea); Eighteen others were injured.  The damaged South Korean craft later sank while under tow, while the damaged North Korean vessel was able to limp its way back to port. Both sides laid blame on each other and South Korea demanded an apology from North Korea.  According to a North Korean defector's statement in 2012, the North Korean patrol boat crewmembers involved in the battle suffered extensive splinter injuries from the South Korean "Devastator" shells. The injured North Koreans were reportedly quarantined in a hospital in Pyongyang to hide the extent of the casualties suffered in the battle.  "PKM 357" is now a museum ship at Pyeongtaek Naval Base where it is placed near the destroyed corvette ROKS Cheonan, another museum ship.

The Second Battle of Yeonpyeong (Korean: 제2 연평해전, "Je I(2) Yeonpyeong Haejeon") was a confrontation at sea between North Korean and South Korean patrol boats along a disputed maritime boundary near Yeonpyeong Island in the Yellow Sea in 2002. This followed a similar confrontation in 1999. Two North Korean patrol boats crossed the contested border and engaged two South Korean Chamsuri-class patrol boats. The North Koreans withdrew before South Korean reinforcements arrived.


Gameplay.

Players control Conan the Barbarian from a third-person perspective while attempting to advance through the series of levels that subdivide the game. The gameplay is the same for each level: Conan moves from area to area, fighting groups of enemies until he reaches the end. At the end of certain levels, the barbarian has to fight a more powerful opponent called a boss. Defeating a boss involves a two-stage process: Conan has to inflict heavy damage on the creature and thus trigger an interactive button-pressing sequence that players have to complete to kill the boss. Several cycles of this process are required to defeat most bosses. Besides combat, button-pressing sequences are also used to interact with the environment, such as knocking down obstacles to create passageways, or as parts of platforming sequences in which Conan climbs walls and jumps from ledge to ledge. Players can save their progress by using special stones that are placed throughout the game. Conan starts each level with his default one-handed sword, and can pick up shields and other weapons to switch between three styles of attack: fighting with a one-handed weapon, a two-handed weapon, or a weapon in each hand. Each style features several attacks with names like "Cimmerian Charge" and "Black River Rage". The barbarian can change or stop his attacks at any time, creating many options in combat. When Conan lands a sequence of successive hits on his enemies, he activates his Song of Death, which increases the damage of his attacks for a short time. For defense, Conan can roll under enemy attacks or block them. If the player presses the block button just when an enemy is about to hit the barbarian, an image of a controller button appears on the screen. Pressing the button shown will make Conan execute a gory counterattack, which instantly kills the enemy. Other methods to kill enemies include grabbing and throwing them against other objects, such as spikes and other enemies, or over cliffs.  In addition to physical assaults, Conan can use magic powers to damage enemies. Gaining these powers in later stages of the game, the barbarian can turn opponents into stone, call down fire from the heavens, and summon flocks of ravens to do his bidding. These magical attacks can quickly end fights, but their use is limited by the number of magic points Conan has. When an enemy is killed, colored runes—each one conferring its own special advantage—are released and gathered by the barbarian. Red runes act as experience points, which are exchanged for advanced attacks. Green and blue runes restore Conan's health and magic points, respectively. The barbarian can also obtain runes by breaking containers and freeing maidens from captivity.

Plot and setting.

In "Conan", the hero is on a quest to recover his lost armor and defeat an evil wizard. The game takes place in the world of Hyboria, a creation of Robert E. Howard for his stories about Conan the Barbarian. "Conan"s developer, Nihilistic Software, chose several Hyborian locations, such as Kush, Stygia, and the Barachan Isles, to establish a link to the literary world. Hyboria was designed to be a fantasy version of Earth around, and its civilizations were based on those from the Stone to Iron Ages. Nihilistic portrayed the plains of Kush, a fictional Africa, as savannahs with villages of straw huts. Stygia was illustrated as a land filled with structures resembling Egyptian tombs and the Barachan Isles as lushly jungled islands.

Characters.

Conan is the protagonist in many of Howard's stories: a franchise has been built around the character, and Frank Frazetta's paintings have further elevated the barbarian's profile in pop culture. Howard presented his barbarian hero as a strong, shrewd, barbaric, and ambitious man in a primitive world of magic. His stories are simple and portray Conan overcoming a series of obstacles to defeat the antagonists with his physical prowess. Nihilistic originally intended to stay faithful to the literature, but the writers strayed from the canon by showing the barbarian as willing to use magic. The literary Conan abhors magic, but Nihilistic reasoned that, in order to restore his armor to its original non-magical state, he is willing to use the magic it has been cursed with.  The developers did, however, stay true to the physical depictions of the barbarian. Reflecting how fights are described in the stories, players can kill foes in the goriest manner—dismembering and disemboweling them. Nihilistic wanted to show that the brutal killings are considered natural by Conan and not executed out of a thirst for blood. The inspiration for Conan's moves came from several sources, but mostly from Frazetta's artwork. The animators took several of Conan's poses straight from the paintings and modeled his movements after those of the characters in the feature animation "Tarzan" and the action films "Troy" and "Ong Bak". The names of several fighting techniques such as "Gwahlur's Leap", "Bel's Gambit", and "Camel Punch" were also based on names and events from the "Conan" stories and films. To garner extra publicity, the publisher THQ hired Golden Globe-winning actor Ron Perlman to provide the voice for Conan.  Typical "Conan" stories by Howard featured leading females who were occasionally damsels in distress. However, they were also strong and fearless women who would rescue the hero at crucial moments. Nihilistic cast the game's leading female character, A'kanna, in this mold; the warrior queen and Conan aid each other in several parts of the game. By contrast, there are topless, chained-up women scattered across the game's levels. However, these are in the game only because of the developer's belief that nudity was integral to a "Conan" story. Showing their breasts and acting in a burlesque manner, these damsels-in-distress reward players with red runes when rescued.

Story.

Howard's short story, "Queen of the Black Coast", served as the inspiration for the game's plot. In the short story, Conan has a brief romance with Bêlit, a pirate queen. Near the end of the story a demonic creature kills Bêlit and Conan seeks revenge. The creature, however, is stronger than Conan, overpowers him, and is about to kill him when Bêlit's spirit startles it and inspires Conan to kill the beast. The game's story follows a similar theme with A'kanna in the role of Bêlit. Told as a campfire story, cut scenes—in the form of static artwork or animation rendered by the game engine—open and close each level with narratives from an elderly A'kanna.  The story starts at Parad Isle where Conan is raiding a tomb. Instead of finding treasure, he unknowingly frees Graven, a wizard who had been confined in a magical prison for his transgressions. Showing no gratitude, the wizard curses Conan's armor, scatters it across the world, and teleports the barbarian away. Vowing to retrieve his armor, Conan meets A'kanna while he is fighting through a pirate base. Teaming up with the barbarian to find his armor, the warrior queen hopes to use its magic to end the curse—the Black Death—that is causing her people to kill each other. Their quest leads players through several locations and boss creatures such as dragons, undead elephants, and krakens. Flashbacks are shown when retrieving a piece of armor after killing certain bosses; these back-stories tell of Graven's imprisonment of the gods, his plan to sacrifice his daughter A'kanna, and his creation of the Black Death to transform the world to his liking.  In the last level, Conan has retrieved all his armor and returns to Parad Isle to rescue A'kanna from her father. After a long boss fight and several button-pressing sequences, Conan slays the wizard at the bottom of the ocean. Graven's defeat frees the gods he had imprisoned, and they bring him back to life for eternal punishment. The story ends with the separation of the barbarian and the warrior queen. Conan goes on to fulfill his destiny to be a king as written in Howard's stories. A'kanna, however, grows old in a village, telling stories to children and never forgetting Conan.

Development.

In 2005, THQ acquired the rights to produce a series of video games featuring Conan the Barbarian and the world of Hyboria. This news came to the attention of Nihilistic Software who had just completed the action game "". The video game developer was looking to develop an action game similar to "God of War" for its next project and saw the world of Conan as a good setting. The team quickly built a prototype to demonstrate its concept to THQ and received approval for the project. The video game publisher officially announced the game to the industry on February 26, 2007.  Nihilistic decided to use the features of other action games for "Conan". While "God of War" was its inspiration for the camera system, "Ninja Gaiden" was a great influence on the combat engine. The team wanted to emulate the complexity of "Ninja Gaiden"s combat system, with many attacking options and an equal emphasis on being alert to the actions of enemies. Nihilistic also wanted the game to appeal to button mashing players as well as those who want to control their character with finesse. In addition, it designed the game to increase the frequency and difficulty of encounters as players advance through the levels.  "Conan" was developed to be released on the. Although the architectures of the two consoles were very different, Nihilistic designed its product to perform equally on both of them, using force feedback and motion sensing to enhance the playing experience. "Conan" was originally scheduled for an early 2008 release, but was brought forward to the second half of 2007 because of THQ's poor performance in that fiscal year. After the game was released in Europe, Nihilistic made demos of the game available for downloading over Xbox Live and PlayStation Network.

Visual style.

The appearance of Howard's Conan and Hyboria in the popular imagination owes much to Frazetta's distinctive oil paintings. While Nihilistic's writers tried to tell a story in Howard's style, its artists attempted to emulate Frazetta's style on the electronic display screen. Instead of making each computer representation as realistic as possible, they created models based mainly on their perception of each object's intrinsic nature. The artists used video graphics technology such as normal mapping technique to emulate brush strokes on the models' textures. These digital brush strokes were visible on the cliffs in the game. The character models were outlined with light colors instead of dark ones, creating the subtle blend of object and background found in oil paintings, and fog effects allowed the team to recreate Frazetta's use of shadows in the middle area of the image. To complete the game's appearance, the artists used darker color palettes, motifs, and themes to present a more serious mood, in harmony with the gore and nudity in the game.

Music.

Mike Reagan, a music composer noted for his work in video games such as "Darkwatch" and "God of War", was hired by THQ to write the music for "Conan". To begin, he wanted to compose simple but powerful melodies, and looked to Basil Poledouris's score for the 1982 film "Conan the Barbarian" for inspiration. As Reagan played development copies of the game, he was influenced by two other works: Igor Stravinsky's barbaric and sensual ballet music "The Rite of Spring", and Bernard Hermann's score from the 1958 action film "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad". Each week, Nihilistic and Reagan updated each other with copies of their work-in-progress, synchronizing their efforts. Reagan also studied with noted percussion artists Denny Seiwell, Emil Richards, and Michael Duffy to gain further insight on the use of drums to accompany the game's bloody and violent plot. After mastering the soundtrack, he brought the music of "Conan" to an October 2007 Video Games Live show, performing it live in Los Angeles, United States.

Reception.

"Conan" received "average" reviews on both platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. Most critics agreed that the game's best selling point was its variety in combat. They had a lot of fun with its easy-to-learn controls, skill customization, and most of all, the varied brutal depictions of Conan's kills. TeamXbox said the combat system "blossoms into a complex string of commands that will reward the user (with gore) for pressing the right buttons at the right time". The pounding, militaristic orchestra tunes accompanying the action further enhanced the critics' experience with the game.  In Japan, "Famitsu" gave it a score of all four sevens for a total of 28 out of 40, while "Famitsu Xbox 360" gave its Xbox 360 version a score of one six, two fives, and one six for a total of 22 out of 40.

God of war clone game or inspiration game?

Many critics complained that "Conan" copied many ideas from "God of War". "Game Informer" referred to this imitation as "[Conan] groveling at Kratos' feet, begging for gameplay wisdom". A few reviewers, however, found this forgivable and said the game was made to be fun without any higher ambitions. "Conan"s camera system irritated several critics for failing to provide an adequate view of the situation at certain critical moments. Its puzzles were oversimple and lacked clear directions for proceeding to the next step. The artificial intelligence for the adversaries in the game was found to be predictable and flawed by a few critics. In addition, they found the final encounter with Graven to be overlong and frustrating. Calling the fight "as painful as a trip to the proctologist", IGN and "Game Informer" judged it to be one of the worst boss fights in video game history.

Game features.

The critics had mixed opinions about three prominent features of the game: voice acting, artwork, and faithfulness to Howard's writings. Perlman earned acclaim for his vocal performance and gravely voice that matched the game's dialogue, but he also received criticism for not sounding like a barbarian. A few applauded Nihilistic for capturing the oil painting feel of Frazetta's art, but several others said the graphics consisted of drab-looking environments that were jagged-edged and pixelated when zoomed in. Although the animations were rated to be smooth and vivid, the lack of variety among enemy character models was criticized. Several critics also praised Nihilistic for recreating the atmosphere of Howard's stories. The decision to have Conan use magic was, however, called a "blasphemy" by IGN. G4 Canada disagreed and forgave the game on the grounds that it was mostly faithful to the books. Ray Huling of "The Escapist" said the game's developers misunderstood Conan's appeal to the masses. In the journalist's opinion, Howard's depiction of Conan's brutal physical nature called attention to the dull nature of their lives and offered them a temporary escape. Furthermore, Huling said that Nihilistic used the characteristics of Conan for superficial purposes and that, in copying the mechanics of another game without any groundbreaking innovations of its own, Nihilistic missed the essence of Howard's stories and created a shell of what its game could have been.

Sales.

Despite the average reviews and success of Howard's franchise, "Conan" sold poorly and failed to recoup THQ's investment. The publisher publicly announced that the game's poor sales contributed to their US$20 million write-off in fiscal year 2008.

Mature content.

Although the game's violence was praised by the gaming industry, it was condemned by the National Institute on Media and the Family, which placed "Conan" on a list of games that parents were urged to avoid buying for their children. "Conan"s Mature rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board, largely due to its violent content, made the game a target for a law being pushed in California, United States. Proposed in 2005, the law was intended to regulate sales of Mature-rated games. It was blocked by a legal challenge from the gaming industry in 2007, but California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who played Conan in the 1982 film, appealed the judgment, seeking to ensure that "Conan" and other games with similar levels of violence would be sold only to those older than 17. On February 20, 2009, his appeal was rejected by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, who ruled that such a restriction violated the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Conan is a 2007 action-adventure game developed by Nihilistic Software and published by THQ for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Players take control of the titular hero, Conan the Barbarian, from Robert E. Howard's fantasy literature. Nihilistic Software was inspired by the "God of War" and "Ninja Gaiden" video games to create a game that features gore and nudity.


Formation.

A graduate of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations of Russin MFA (MGIMO), specializing in "International Economics" (1975). Fluency in English, Spanish and French.

Academic.

Doctor of economic sciences. Member (academician) of the International Academy of Management (Moscow). Member of the Board of Directors of the Association of International Law Maritime. Author of several scientific works in the field of transport networks.

Auditor of the Accounting Chamber of the Russian Federation (1995-2001).

The sphere of competence - the auditor on the control of public debt and the banking system. Affected by the State Duma on April 7, 1995, on the proposal of the faction of the Liberal Democratic party of Russia. Released from the post on February 14, 2001 in connection with her appointment as Assistant Director-General of UNESCO for the administration.

The activity on the post of the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (2003-2004).

In May 2003, President Vladimir Putin has appointed Ms. Mitropfanova by his Decree to the post of the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. For the first time in the history of Russian diplomacy, a Deputy Minister became a woman.  Her sphere of competence covered topics of human rights, of the rights of compatriots living abroad and international cultural relations.  After the abolition of the Russian Ministry of Affairs of Federation and Nationalities her mandate included also the activities of the Centre of Russia for the scientific cooperation and cultural department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (Roszaroubezhcentre).

Diplomatic rank.

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (February 9, 2010)

Personal life.

Married, mother of three children.  Brother - Alexei V. Mitrofanov Russian politician, former MP.

Eleonora Valentinovna Mitrofanova (; born 11 June 1953) is a Russian politician and diplomat. The Ambassador-at-large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (since 25 October 2016). Supervises the issues of the world heritage of UNESCO, the support of the Russian language in the world, gender equality.


Background.

The Cyprus Olympic Committee was first recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 1978, and the nation has participated in every Summer Olympics and Winter Olympic Games since their debut in 1980. At the time of the Vancouver Olympics, no Cypriot athlete had ever won a medal. They would win their first medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics two years after Vancouver. The nation sent two alpine skiers to Vancouver, the brother and sister pair of Christopher Papamichalopoulos and Sophia Papamichalopoulou. Papamichalopoulos was chosen as the flag bearer for the opening ceremony, while Papamichalopoulou was awarded the honor for the closing ceremony.

Alpine skiing.

Christopher Papamichalopoulos was 21 at the time of the Olympics. In the giant slalom, held on 23 February, he finished the first run with a time of 1 minute and 29 seconds, but failed to finish the second run, and was unranked for the event. He took part in the men's slalom on 27 February, but failed to finish the first run.  Sophia Papamichalopoulou was 19 years old at the time of the Vancouver Olympics. She competed in both the women's giant slalom and the women's slalom. The giant slalom was held on 24–25 February, as weather postponed the second run until the next day. In her first run, she posted a time of 1 minute and 28 seconds; the next morning she was faster, recording a time of 1 minute and 23 seconds. Her total time of 2 minute and 51 seconds was good for 55th place out of 60 competitors who finished both runs. The slalom event was held on 26 February, and Papamichalopoulou posted two runs of 1 minute and 2 seconds each. Her combined time was good enough for 53rd place, out of 55 competitors who finished both legs of the race.

Cyprus sent a delegation to compete at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, held between 12–28 February 2010. The national delegation consisted of two athletes, alpine skiers Christopher Papamichalopoulos and Sophia Papamichalopoulou. Papamichalopoulou finished 53rd in the women's slalom, the best finish for Cyprus at these Olympics.


Detection.

Acetylenediol was first observed in the gas-phase by mass spectrometry. The compound was later obtained by photolysis of squaric acid in a solid argon matrix at.

Derivatives.

Alkoxide derivatives.

Although the diol has only fleeting existence in concentrated form, salts of the acetylenediolate (ethynediolate) dianion O−C≡C−O are well known. These organometallic compounds (specifically, alkoxides) are formally derived from ethynediol by loss of two hydrogen ions, but they are not normally generated in that way.  The typical synthesis route for these salts is the reduction of carbon monoxide. Potassium acetylenediolate (KCO) was first obtained by Liebig in 1834, from the reaction of carbon monoxide with metallic potassium; but for a long time the product was assumed to be "potassium carbonyl" (KCO). Over the next 130 years were described the "carbonyls" of sodium (Johannis, 1893), barium (Gunz and Mentrel, 1903), strontium (Roederer, 1906), and lithium, rubidium, and caesium (Pearson, 1933). The reaction was eventually shown to yield a mixture of the potassium acetylenediolate and potassium benzenehexolate.  The true structure of these salts was clarified only in 1963 by Werner Büchner and E. Weiss.  Acetylenediolates can also be prepared by the rapid reaction of CO and a solution of the corresponding metal in liquid ammonia at low temperature. Potassium acetylenediolate is a pale yellow solid that reacts explosively with air, halogens, halogenated hydrocarbons, alcohols, water, and any substance which possesses an acidic hydrogen.

Coordination complexes.

Acetylenediol can form coordination compounds, such as [TaH(HOC≡COH)(dmpe)Cl]Cl where dmpe is bis(dimethylphosphino)ethane.  Acetylenediolate and related anions such as deltate and squarate have been obtained from carbon monoxide under mild conditions by reductive coupling of CO ligands in organouranium complexes.

Other derivatives.

Although again not derived from acetylenediol, a variety of structurally related compounds are known. Examples include the diethers diisopropoxyethyne ((CH)CH)-O-C≡C-O-(CH(CH)) and di-tert-butoxyethyne ((CH)C)-O-C≡C-O-(C(CH)).

Acetylenediol, or ethynediol, is a chemical substance with formula HO−C≡C−OH (an ynol). It is the diol of acetylene. Acetylenediol is unstable in the condensed phase, although its tautomer glyoxal (CHO) is well known.


Benefits.

The primary usefulness of SSA comes from how it simultaneously simplifies and improves the results of a variety of compiler optimizations, by simplifying the properties of variables. For example, consider this piece of code:  Humans can see that the first assignment is not necessary, and that the value of codice_1 being used in the third line comes from the second assignment of codice_1. A program would have to perform reaching definition analysis to determine this. But if the program is in SSA form, both of these are immediate:  Compiler optimization algorithms which are either enabled or strongly enhanced by the use of SSA include:

Converting to SSA.

Converting ordinary code into SSA form is primarily a simple matter of replacing the target of each assignment with a new variable, and replacing each use of a variable with the "version" of the variable reaching that point. For example, consider the following control flow graph:  Changing the name on the left hand side of "x formula_1 x - 3" and changing the following uses of x to that new name would leave the program unaltered. This can be exploited in SSA by creating two new variables: x and x, each of which is assigned only once. Likewise, giving distinguishing subscripts to all the other variables yields:  It is clear which definition each use is referring to, except for one case: both uses of y in the bottom block could be referring to either y or y, depending on which path the control flow took.  To resolve this, a special statement is inserted in the last block, called a "Φ (Phi) function". This statement will generate a new definition of "y" called y by "choosing" either y or y, depending on the control flow in the past.  Now, the last block can simply use y, and the correct value will be obtained either way. A Φ function for "x" is not needed: only one version of x, namely x is reaching this place, so there is no problem (in other words, Φ(x,x)=x).  Given an arbitrary control flow graph, it can be difficult to tell where to insert Φ functions, and for which variables. This general question has an efficient solution that can be computed using a concept called "dominance frontiers" (see below).  Φ functions are not implemented as machine operations on most machines. A compiler can implement a Φ function by inserting "move" operations at the end of every predecessor block. In the example above, the compiler might insert a move from y to y at the end of the middle-left block and a move from y to y at the end of the middle-right block. These move operations might not end up in the final code based on the compiler's register allocation procedure. However, this approach may not work when simultaneous operations are speculatively producing inputs to a Φ function, as can happen on wide-issue machines. Typically, a wide-issue machine has a selection instruction used in such situations by the compiler to implement the Φ function.  According to Kenny Zadeck, Φ functions were originally known as "phony" functions while SSA was being developed at IBM Research in the 1980s. The formal name of a Φ function was only adopted when the work was first published in an academic paper.

Computing minimal SSA using dominance frontiers.

First, we need the concept of a "dominator": we say that a node A "strictly dominates" a different node B in the control flow graph if it is impossible to reach B without passing through A first. This is useful, because if we ever reach B we know that any code in A has run. We say that A "dominates" B (B is "dominated by" A) if either A strictly dominates B or A = B.  Now we can define the "dominance frontier": a node B is in the dominance frontier of a node A if A does "not" strictly dominate B, but does dominate some immediate predecessor of B. (Possibly node A is an immediate predecessor of B. Then, because any node dominates itself and node A dominates itself, node B is in the dominance frontier of node A.) From A's point of view, these are the nodes at which other control paths, which don't go through A, make their earliest appearance. Dominance frontiers capture the precise places at which we need Φ functions: if the node A defines a certain variable, then that definition and that definition alone (or redefinitions) will reach every node A dominates. Only when we leave these nodes and enter the dominance frontier must we account for other flows bringing in other definitions of the same variable. Moreover, no other Φ functions are needed in the control flow graph to deal with A's definitions, and we can do with no less. There is an efficient algorithm for finding dominance frontiers of each node. This algorithm was originally described in Cytron "et al." 1991. Also useful is chapter 19 of the book "Modern compiler implementation in Java" by Andrew Appel (Cambridge University Press, 2002). See the paper for more details.  Keith D. Cooper, Timothy J. Harvey, and Ken Kennedy of Rice University describe an algorithm in their paper titled "A Simple, Fast Dominance Algorithm". The algorithm uses well-engineered data structures to improve performance. It is expressed simply as follows:  Note: in the code above, an immediate predecessor of node n is any node from which control is transferred to node n, and idom(b) is the node that immediately dominates node b (a singleton set).

Variations that reduce the number of Φ functions.

"Minimal" SSA inserts the minimal number of Φ functions required to ensure that each name is assigned a value exactly once and that each reference (use) of a name in the original program can still refer to a unique name. (The latter requirement is needed to ensure that the compiler can write down a name for each operand in each operation.)  However, some of these Φ functions could be "dead". For this reason, minimal SSA does not necessarily produce the fewest Φ functions that are needed by a specific procedure. For some types of analysis, these Φ functions are superfluous and can cause the analysis to run less efficiently.

Pruned SSA.

Pruned SSA form is based on a simple observation: Φ functions are only needed for variables that are "live" after the Φ function. (Here, "live" means that the value is used along some path that begins at the Φ function in question.) If a variable is not live, the result of the Φ function cannot be used and the assignment by the Φ function is dead.  Construction of pruned SSA form uses live variable information in the Φ function insertion phase to decide whether a given Φ function is needed. If the original variable name isn't live at the Φ function insertion point, the Φ function isn't inserted.  Another possibility is to treat pruning as a dead code elimination problem. Then, a Φ function is live only if any use in the input program will be rewritten to it, or if it will be used as an argument in another Φ function. When entering SSA form, each use is rewritten to the nearest definition that dominates it. A Φ function will then be considered live as long as it is the nearest definition that dominates at least one use, or at least one argument of a live Φ.

Semi-pruned SSA.

Semi-pruned SSA form is an attempt to reduce the number of Φ functions without incurring the relatively high cost of computing live variable information. It is based on the following observation: if a variable is never live upon entry into a basic block, it never needs a Φ function. During SSA construction, Φ functions for any "block-local" variables are omitted.  Computing the set of block-local variables is a simpler and faster procedure than full live variable analysis, making semi-pruned SSA form more efficient to compute than pruned SSA form. On the other hand, semi-pruned SSA form will contain more Φ functions.

Converting out of SSA form.

SSA form is not normally used for direct execution (although it is possible to interpret SSA), and it is frequently used "on top of" another IR with which it remains in direct correspondence. This can be accomplished by "constructing" SSA as a set of functions which map between parts of the existing IR (basic blocks, instructions, operands, "etc.") and its SSA counterpart. When the SSA form is no longer needed, these mapping functions may be discarded, leaving only the now-optimized IR.  Performing optimizations on SSA form usually leads to entangled SSA-Webs, meaning there are Φ instructions whose operands do not all have the same root operand. In such cases color-out algorithms are used to come out of SSA. Naive algorithms introduce a copy along each predecessor path which caused a source of different root symbol to be put in Φ than the destination of Φ. There are multiple algorithms for coming out of SSA with fewer copies, most use interference graphs or some approximation of it to do copy coalescing.

Extensions.

Extensions to SSA form can be divided into two categories.  "Renaming scheme" extensions alter the renaming criterion. Recall that SSA form renames each variable when it is assigned a value. Alternative schemes include static single use form (which renames each variable at each statement when it is used) and static single information form (which renames each variable when it is assigned a value, and at the post-dominance frontier).  "Feature-specific" extensions retain the single assignment property for variables, but incorporate new semantics to model additional features. Some feature-specific extensions model high-level programming language features like arrays, objects and aliased pointers. Other feature-specific extensions model low-level architectural features like speculation and predication.

Compilers using SSA form.

SSA form is a relatively recent development in the compiler community. As such, many older compilers only use SSA form for some part of the compilation or optimization process, but most do not rely on it. Examples of compilers that rely heavily on SSA form include:

In compiler design, static single assignment form (often abbreviated as SSA form or simply SSA) is a property of an intermediate representation (IR), which requires that each variable be assigned exactly once, and every variable be defined before it is used. Existing variables in the original IR are split into "versions", new variables typically indicated by the original name with a subscript in textbooks, so that every definition gets its own version. In SSA form, use-def chains are explicit and each contains a single element.


History.

The exact date of execution of the statue is unknown, but it is usually related to the project for the tomb of Julius II. It is thought to have been intended for one of the lower niches of one of the last projects for the tomb, perhaps that of 1532 for which the so-called "Captives" or "Provinces" now in the Galleria dell'Accademia of Florence may have also been made. On the other hand, the monument may have been coupled with a similar pair of fighters, a clay model in the Casa Buonarroti – the so-called.  With the famous statue unfinished, "Victory" forms an interesting footnote in history: left in the artist's studio after his final departure from Florence in 1534, it became the property of his nephew Leonardo Buonarroti, who first tried to sell it in 1544 without obtaining the necessary authorization from his uncle. Then, at the suggestion of Daniele da Volterra, he tried to place it on Michelangelo's tomb in Santa Croce (1564), but Giorgio Vasari, who was redesigning the church's interior, was against it being used there. At Vasari's suggestion, the statue was given to Duke Cosimo I de' Medici that year. Two early "Captives" originally intended for Julius's tomb ended up in France, while four larger figures, created much later, now in Florence's Accademia, were initially placed in Buontalenti's Grotto in the Boboli Gardens, after the artist's death. The "Victory" came to decorate the Salone dei Cinquecento of the Palazzo Vecchio. It was placed along the wall, among other victory groups inspired by Michelangelo's, such as the statues of the Labors of Hercules by Vincenzo de' Rossi and others.  In 1868, three years after the opening of the National Museum of the Bargello, the statue was included in the collection of Florentine sculpture gathered in the museum. It was returned to the Palazzo Vecchio on 6 November 1921, and placed in a niche in the center of the back wall of the room, where, since the time Florence had been the capital of Italy (1865), the 19th-century statue of Savonarola had stood (now in Piazza Savonarola). Only in recent years has the "Victory" been restored to its former position along the right wall.

Description and style.

The dating and attribution of the statue to the project of the tomb are based on stylistic elements that link the work to the Captives: the twisting of the body and the vigorous anatomy, as well as comparable proportions. In addition, the head has a crown of oak leaves that allude to the Della Rovere emblem. The sculpture does not represent a moment of fighting, but rather serves as an allegory of victoriousness. It depicts the winner who dominates the submissive loser with great agility, with one leg that blocks the body of the captive, who is folded and chained. The young man who is the victor is beautiful and elegant, while the dominated man is old and bearded, and dressed in the garb of an ancient Roman warrior. The surfaces are treated expressively to enhance the contrast between the two figures: the young polished to perfection, the old rough and incomplete, still retaining the compressed boulder-like solidity of the heavy stone from which it was made.  According to some scholars, the inspiration for the titular figure was Tommaso dei Cavalieri, a young Roman nobleman known to Michelangelo in Rome in 1532, to whom he dedicated love poems, and the older figure alludes to Michelangelo himself.

The Genius of Victory is a 1532–1534 marble sculpture by Michelangelo, produced as part of a design for the tomb of Pope Julius II. It is 2.61 m high and is now in the Salone dei Cinquecento of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence.


History.

Beginnings.

The Northwestern Elevated Railroad Company was incorporated on October 30, 1893, and on January 8, 1894, it was granted a 50-year franchise by the City of Chicago. The original franchise stipulated that service between a downtown location to the south of the Chicago River and Wilson Avenue was to begin by December 31, 1897. This franchise was altered in 1895 to allow the line to connect to the new Union Loop, and the deadline for completion was later extended to May 31, 1899.  Construction of the line started in February 1896, but the project experienced financial difficulties and work was paused later in the year and stopped completely in 1897. New financing was found, and construction began again in July 1899. In order to meet the franchise requirements, an inaugural train ran north from the Loop on December 31, 1899. However, on January 1, 1900, city officials declared that the railroad was unsafe and that the franchise had expired. Defiantly, the company ran another train the next day. Police stopped the train and arrested the crew, but company officials took the controls and managed to run the train into the Loop. In order to stop its return, police opened the Wells Street bridge and blocked the track with railroad ties, but the officials managed to evade the police by having the train switched on to the Lake Street Elevated Railroad. Eventually the company reached a new agreement with the city, and the first section of the railroad was officially opened on May 31, 1900.

Expansion.

On May 18, 1907, the Northwestern opened a branch to Ravenswood. The new branch left the main line just south of Clark Street and operated to Western Avenue. An at-grade extension to the branch's final terminal at occurred a few months later.  Service was extended north from the Wilson terminal to Central Street in suburban Evanston on May 16, 1908. This route was over the electrified trackage of the Milwaukee Road's Chicago and Evanston line. Initially the elevated tracks at Wilson were linked to the street level tracks of the Milwaukee Road by a wooden trestle incline. The Milwaukee Road depots at Argyle Park, Edgewater, North Edgewater, Rogers Park, Birchwood, Calvary,,,, and Central were demolished and the tracks spread to allow their replacement with new temporary island platform stations. New stations were also added at Hayes Street and Howard Avenue. The section of the line in southern Evanston between Howard Avenue and University Place was elevated onto an embankment by 1910, and the tracks between Lawrence and Howard were elevated between 1914 and 1922. A short extension from Central to Linden Avenue in Wilmette occurred on April 2, 1912.

Consolidation.

In 1913, Chicago's four elevated railroad companies came together to form the Chicago Elevated Railways Collateral Trust, establishing crosstown services for the first time, and in 1924, all four companies were formally united to form the Chicago Rapid Transit Company. The Chicago Transit Authority took over the assets of the CRT in 1947.

The Northwestern Elevated Railroad was the last of the privately constructed rapid transit lines to be built in Chicago. The line ran from the Loop in downtown Chicago north to Wilson Avenue in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood with a branch to Ravenswood and Albany Park that left the main line at Clark Street. The Ravenswood line is now operated as the Brown Line, while the Main Line is used by the Purple and Red Lines.