Background.

Justin Furstenfeld unveiled the title and tentative track listing on Blue October's website on January 31, 2008. Pre-production of the album began at the beginning of 2008 with demos being recorded at 5am Studio in Austin, Texas The recording sessions for the album began on August 18, 2008, and were completed on October 24, 2008, with the band recording the album at Willie Nelson's Pedernales Studios near Austin with Grammy Award-winning producer Steve Lillywhite. They also recorded part of the album in Sony Recordings in Tokyo, Japan. Post-production was completed on January 8, 2009.  The track listing consists of several new songs, as well as songs that Blue October and 5591 have performed live. A live version of the song "Weight of the World" appeared on Blue October's 2004 album, "Argue With a Tree". The song "Say It" was first performed at KDGE's Edgefest 17 on April 27, 2008 The festival was Steve Lillywhite's first time seeing Blue October perform, and the band's set, especially the song "Say It" cemented his desire to produce Blue October's next album.  During an interview with the music webzine, Justin described the song "Blue Skies" as being one of the few happy songs he has written, saying, "There's nothing negative about it. It's all about beauty. It's really, really pretty and really, really happy, but it's going to be rocked out so crazy that people will kind of forget that it's a lovey lovey, dovey song."  During concerts on July 4 and 5, 2008, Justin Furstenfeld confirmed that "Say It" and "Weight of the World" would be on the new album. On July 23, 2008, during a web chat with fans, Jeremy Furstenfeld confirmed the song "Dirt Room" would be on the album, and that of the new songs the band was recording, it was his favorite. Justin Furstenfeld first performed the songs "Blue Skies" and "My Never" at Stephenie Meyer's Breaking Dawn concerts in August 2008. Furstenfeld also confirmed March 2009 as the anticipated release date for the album.  The first single from the album, "Dirt Room" was performed live by the band during concerts in December 2008. Immediately following the concerts, radio stations in Austin, Dallas and Houston put the song into rotation. The single reached radio nationally on January 13, 2009, and was available to digital outlets on December 23, 2008. The song "Say It" is the second single and was released on April 24, 2009. The song "Should Be Loved" is the third single.  Blue October released the song "Graceful Dancing" via an email gift to the public on January 7, 2009. The song "Kangaroo Cry" was released on the NCIS official soundtrack on February 10, 2009 and featured in the coda of the Christmas episode, "Faith".  The album was released for pre-order on March 3, 2009. "Approaching Normal" entered the Billboard 200 chart at number 13 with sales of 33,778 and fell out of the top 50 in its second week. It also peaked at number 5 on the Top Rock Albums chart. The album has sold 185,978 to date.

Controversy.

The song "The End" is about a man whose wife leaves him for a new lover. The man sneaks into his house and sees his wife and her new lover having sex and murders them both before turning the gun on himself. The song's controversial lyrics were used against Justin Furstenfeld during his divorce and parental custody hearing, with his ex-wife's lawyer claiming that the song was written about her and was released in order to threaten her. Justin claimed that the song was written about an incident that occurred in a neighborhood where he lived before he met his ex-wife.

Songs selection.

On October 21, 2008, Justin Furstenfeld confirmed the twelve songs to be released on the album. and that two versions of the album would be released; one version with explicit lyrics, and one version with censored lyrics. A different bonus track would be included on each version. Approaching Normal is also the first Blue October album to be released on vinyl, with the vinyl version including all the bonus tracks.

Critical reception.

"Approaching Normal" garnered mixed reviews from music critics. "Billboard" contributor Christa L. Titus praised Steve Lillywhite's production for delivering on the band's "penchant for emotive playing and tight rock chops", and Justin Furstenfeld's writing for crafting scenarios involving "lullabies to children ("Blue Does") and plucky life affirmations ("Jump Rope")". Clark Collis of "Entertainment Weekly" called the album "an often gloomy yet commercial-sounding collection" that gravitates towards "Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer and its fans for having "heartfelt muscularity" in the lyricism. Conversely, AllMusic's Andrew Leahey saw it as a smorgasbord of "post-grunge missteps and ill-advised detours into genres [far] beyond the band's grasp", criticizing Furstenfeld for being overly theatrical when singing unintentionally funny lyrics and added that his "vocal resemblance of Jack Black" and a reworking into the "tongue-in-cheek outlandishness" that Tenacious D have created before would make the record more listenable, concluding that "Blue October remain totally unaware of their own absurdity, however, which makes "Approaching Normal" the sort of cringe-worthy drama fest that inspires a ton of laughs but few repeated listens." "Rolling Stone" writer Mark Kemp also lamented Furstenfeld for disrupting his tragicomic melodrama with "self-indulgent pathos" to add to his band's growingly intolerable "post-grunge whinefest".

Approaching Normal is the fifth studio album by alternative rock band Blue October. The album was released on March 24, 2009 and debuted at number thirteen on the Billboard charts.


Governor of South Australia.

Robe was appointed as Governor of South Australia, being sworn in on 25 October 1845. He was not popular as the governor, as he attempted to carry out his understanding of the British government's requirement to charge royalties on the mineral wealth of the province. This was rejected by the elected members of the South Australian Legislative Council as a breach of faith. There was also trouble over the question of State aid to religion, which Robe favoured, but which was strongly opposed. After requesting to be relieved of the post of governor, he was posted again to Mauritius as deputy quartermaster. He was honourable and confident in his convictions, but too conservative for the fledgling colony of South Australia. He returned to England in 1848.

Aboriginal Witnesses Act.

Between 1846 and 1848, Robe was responsible for the enactment of a series ordinances and amendments first enacted by his predecessor lieutenant Governor George Grey, in 1844. Entitled the Aboriginal Witnesses Act. The act was established "To facilitate the admission of the unsworn testimony of Aboriginal inhabitants of South Australia and parts adjacent". While its stated aim was to make provisions for unsworn testimony by "uncivilised people" to be admissible in court, the act made it so that the court could not base the conviction of a White man on the testimony of an Aboriginal witness alone. The act also made Aboriginal testimony inadmissible in trials that carried the penalty of death. Effectively, the act created a situation where settler solidarity and the law of evidence ensured that the murder and massacre of Aboriginal Australians by European colonisers could not be tried solely on the evidence of Aboriginal witnesses.

Later life and death.

Robe was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1848, brevetted lieutenant colonel in 1847, promoted lieutenant colonel in 1853, brevetted colonel in 1854, and promoted major general in 1862. He was appointed Colonel of the 95th (Derbyshire) Regiment from 1869 until his death.  He died unmarried in Kensington, London on 4 April 1871. The town of Robe, South Australia is named after him.

Major-General Frederick Holt Robe CB (1801 – 4 April 1871) was the fourth Governor of South Australia, from 25 October 1845 to 2 August 1848.


Plot summary.

The novel is about an Englishman named Christopher Banks. His early childhood was lived in the Shanghai International Settlement in China in the early 1900s, until his father, an opium businessman, and his mother disappear within a few weeks of each other, when the boy is about ten years old. Christopher is sent to live with his aunt in England. He becomes a successful detective; now he will turn his skills to solve the case of his parents' disappearance. Though he knows a young woman named Sarah (also orphaned at age ten), Christopher never marries; he adopts an orphaned girl in England named Jennifer. His fame as a private investigator soon spreads, and in 1937 he returns to China to solve the most important case of his life. The impression is given that if he solves this case, a world catastrophe will be averted, but it is not apparent how. As Christopher pursues his investigation, the boundaries between life and imagination begin to evaporate.  At this time in China, Christopher is caught up in the Second Sino-Japanese War battles, which reach into the foreigners enclave of Shanghai. Through an old detective, he locates the house at which his parents may have been held. Though the disappearances happened a quarter-century earlier, Christopher believes that his parents will be there, a notion supported by the present occupants of his old home who assume Christopher's family will be reunited in their home. On his way, he enters a war-torn police station belonging to the Chinese. After convincing them of his neutrality, he persuades the commander to direct him to the house of his kidnapped parents. After a while the commander refuses to take Christopher further, so he goes alone. Throughout all this, he appears to disregard the commander's words that what he is doing is dangerous, and even appears to be rude to him. He meets an injured Japanese soldier who he believes is his childhood friend Akira. They enter the house only to find out that his parents are not there. Japanese soldiers enter and take them away.  He learns from Philip (a former lodger at their residence in Shanghai whom Christopher called uncle as a boy) that his father ran away to Hong Kong with his new lover, and that his mother a few weeks later insulted Chinese warlord Wang Ku, who then seized her to be his concubine. Philip is a Communist double agent. He was complicit in the kidnapping, and made sure Christopher was not present when this kidnapping took place. He offers Christopher a gun to kill him, but Christopher refuses. He learns that his father later died of typhoid but that his mother may still be alive. Philip reveals the source of Christopher's living expenses and tuition fees during his schooling in England. His mother extracted financial support for her son when Wang Ku seized her.  In 1958 in Hong Kong, Christopher is reunited with his mother, who does not recognise him. He uses his childhood nickname, "Puffin", and his mother seems to recognise it. He asks her to forgive him, but she is confused as to what he should need forgiveness for. Christopher takes this as confirmation that she has always loved him.

Reception.

Philip Hensher wrote that "The single problem with the book is the prose, which, for the first time, is so lacking in local colour as to be entirely inappropriate to the task in hand." He concludes that "The resolution is moving and graceful, but the problem of the voice is a universal one, present and incredible in every sentence".  Michiko Kakutani said that "Mr. Ishiguro simply ran the notion of a detective story through the word processing program of his earlier novels, then patched together the output into the ragged, if occasionally brilliant, story we hold in our hands."

When We Were Orphans is the fifth novel by Nobel Prize-winning British author Kazuo Ishiguro, published in 2000. It is loosely categorised as a detective novel. "When We Were Orphans" was shortlisted for the 2000 Man Booker Prize, though it is considered one of Ishiguro's weakest works, with Ishiguro himself saying "It's not my best book".


Background.

Stevens was born in Weston, Vermont on March 20, 1832. He grew up in Weston where he obtained only a "limited education." The 1850 census shows he was working there as a farmer. In 1851, Stevens enlisted in the army and became part of Company I, United States 1st Dragoons. He saw action during his military tour against the Apache in New Mexico Territory. After three years of service he received an honorable discharge while at Fort Thorn.  Following his discharge, Stevens proceeded to Tucson with only a brief stop along the San Pedro River. There he operated a ranch near Sentinel Peak before opening a store in Sacaton in 1858. That year, on August 28, he was baptized at a Catholic church in Tucson under the name "Steven Augustus Hiram."  Following the outbreak of the American Civil War, Stevens left Tucson for a time. He returned to the town in 1864 and was appointed one of Tucson's "councillors" by Governor Goodwin on May 11. The next year he formed a partnership with Samuel C. Hughes to jointly supply the "Mariposa Store." The two men engaged in a variety of business partnerships over the years, occasionally including Hughes' younger brother, Thomas, in their endeavors. In addition to their business partnership the two men became brothers-in-law. Stevens married Petra Santa Cruz while Hughes married her older sister, Atanacia. The Stevens had two adopted children: Elisa and Thomas.  From 1866 till 1872 Stevens was a post trader for Fort Buchanan and Fort Crittenden. He was forced to close his operation when it was discovered he had been selling alcohol to the soldiers illegally. In 1876, Stevens and Hughes formed Hughes, Stevens & Company. The firm was active in cattle, mercantile, and mining interests. At peak of his career, Stevens also owned a sheep ranch in Colorado and was worth an estimated US$150,000. This made him one of the richest men in the territory.

Political career.

His success in business prompted Stevens to take an interest in politics. Toward this end he served as Tucson city treasurer, Pima County tax assessor, and was a member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors on multiple occasions. In 1868, Stevens was elected to represent the 5th Arizona Territorial Legislature where he represented Pima County in the House of Representatives (lower house). The session even met in a building owned by Stevens. Stevens was returned to the legislature twice more, serving in the Council (upper house) of both the 6th and 7th Arizona Territorial Legislature.  In 1874, Richard Cunningham McCormick decided not to run for reelection as Arizona Territory's delegate in the United States House of Representatives. The territory's Democrats met in Phoenix in May to select nominees for the upcoming election. The two candidates for the Territorial Delegate were Stevens and John A. Rush. With delegates from Yavapai and Yuma counties not yet arrived, the convention selected Rush by an 8 to 7 vote. Rush refused to accept the nomination and withdrew as a candidate on July 24, 1874. The election then became a five-way race with all candidates running as Independents. Stevens and Charles T. Hayden favored Democratic policies while Curtis Coe Bean and John Smith advocated those of the Republican party. The fifth candidate, stagecoach driver David G. Beardsley, ran as the "workingman's candidate". Stories of the day indicate Stevens enlisted the territory's gamblers to aid his campaign. To do this he is said to have loaned them money to bet on his victory in the election, allowing the gamblers to keep any winnings and asking only for the sum of the wagers to be returned. The election also saw 650 questionable votes for Bean thrown out by the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors. Final results were 1,442 for Stevens, 1,076 for Bean, 638 for Smith, 13 for Hayden and 7 for Beardsley.  Rumors of a possible special session of the U.S. Congress being called prompted Stevens to leave for Washington D. C. on March 3, 1875. The special session never materialized and Stevens kept himself busy in Washington looking after his business concerns. After the 44th United States Congress convened in December, the new territorial delegate introduced a series of legislative proposals. Among these were requests for funds to construction of a territorial capital and penitentiary, creating of a port of entry in Tucson, and navigation improvements along the Colorado River. One of Stevens' bills that was passed by the Congress allowed the territorial legislature to overrule the Governor's veto with a two-thirds vote. A bill to allow for election of the territorial governor was defeated.  Stevens announced he would seek a second term on June 21, 1876. His opponents were Granville H. Oury and William H. Hardy. Curtis Coe Bean announced his intention to run but withdrew to look after his business interests. During the race, the territorial newspapers expected the incumbent to win reelection. When the election results were being totaled, the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors, in a 2–1 decision, attempted to disqualify 168 votes for Stevens on the grounds that they came from two towns where residents had not paid their poll tax. This was done despite the tax not being due till December 31 and the board's decision to accept the votes from several other towns with similar circumstances but that had voted for a different candidate. A provision in territorial law required the Territorial Secretary to accept the vote canvas provided by the County Recorder thwarted the board's efforts and resulted in Stevens winning a plurality of the vote. Final results were 1,194 for Stevens, 1,049 for Hardy, and 1,007 for Oury.  The 45th United States Congress saw Stevens introduce several new proposals. In addition to a series of appropriation requests, the delegate asked for a modification to the amount of land allocated for army use at Fort Lowell. More important was a change in the size of the Arizona Territorial Legislature. With Arizona's population having grown to around 40,000, Stevens convinced the U.S. Congress to increase the size of the legislature from its previous nine member Council and eighteen member House of Representatives to twelve and twenty-four members respectively.  June 7, 1878 saw Stevens announce his plans to run for a third term. His reelection bid was unsuccessful as he placed third in a five-way race during the 1878 election.

After office.

Business activities occupied Stevens' time after he left office. The early 1880s saw him purchase a ranch near Sahuarita and become part owner in the largest general store in Tucson. He additionally became a moneylender, charging the prevailing rate of 2%/month. When Tucson was considering conversion from gas to electric lighting in 1884, Stevens was a major opponent of the proposal. Following his death it was discovered he owned 100,000 shares of Tucson Gas Company stock. In other activities, Stevens was the second President of Arizona Pioneers' Historical Society. Tucson's first Protestant church was built on land he donated and he is credited with planting the area's first pepper trees.  Stevens died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on March 22, 1893. His business interests had taken a downturn with creditors filing for attachment four days before Stevens' death. Stevens shot his wife, inflicting only a minor wound, and then turned a second gun on himself. Later investigate decided his financial troubles were insufficient to explain the suicide and could only determine the action was taken during a period of severe mental distress. Stevens was buried at Tucson's Catholic cemetery in one of the largest funerals the city had ever seen. His remains were later moved to Tucson's Evergreen Cemetery.

Legacy.

According to David Leighton, historian for the Arizona Daily Star newspaper, Stevens Avenue, just north of downtown Tucson, was named in 1899, in his honor.

Hiram Sanford Stevens (March 20, 1832 – March 22, 1893) was an American businessman and politician. He served two terms as Arizona Territory's delegate in the United States House of Representatives and three times in the Arizona Territorial Legislature.


History.

In 1947, eight theatre companies showed up at the Edinburgh International Festival, hoping to gain recognition from the mass gathering at the festival. In 1948, Robert Kemp, a Scottish journalist and playwright, described the situation, "Round the fringe of official Festival drama, there seems to be more private enterprise than before... I am afraid some of us are not going to be at home during the evenings!". Edinburgh Festival Fringe was founded under the name "Festival Adjuncts", in 1947.  The fringe movement in Britain has been said to start in the 1960s, similar to the United States' Off-Off-Broadway theatres and Europe's "free theatre" groups. The term came into use in the late 1950s, and the show "Beyond the Fringe" premiered in Edinburgh in 1960, before transferring to Broadway and is the West End. One of the early innovators in fringe theatre was an American bookseller, James Haynes, who in 1963 created the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh. Also noted in this period is the La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, Jerzy Grotowski's Theatre of 13 Rows, and Józef Szajna's Studio Theatre in Warsaw.  The Adelaide Fringe in Adelaide, South Australia, now second-largest annual arts festival in the world (after Edinburgh Fringe), started in 1960 as an adjunct to the main Adelaide Festival of Arts.  Haynes, while at the helm of the Traverse, was receiving state support and even got a new theatre in 1969. In 1969, Haynes created the Arts Lab in London, but it only lasted for two years. Peter Brook along with another American Charles Marowitz opened the Open Space Theatre on Tottenham Court Road in London in 1968. Young British writers, after the May 1968 events in France, wrote agitprop plays, including David Hare, Howard Brenton, David Edgar.  Meanwhile, in the United States, experimental theatre was growing due to the political protest of the Vietnam War. The Living Theatre, founded by Julian Beck, is considered the leader of the "flower power" and "hippie" movement.  By the early 1970s, many fringe theatres began to receive small subsidies. After the 1973–74 stock market crash, many fringe companies were forced to close. New playwrights were established at the Bush Theatre and King's Head Theatre, both of whom survived the crash. and Red Ladder Theatre Company were some of the surviving touring fringe groups.  Fringe theatres were attractive to people in the 1960s due to their adventurousness but became less wild in the 1970s while the standards of production rose.  In 1982, the first fringe festival in North America was started in Edmonton, Alberta. It was then a theatre component of the larger Summerfest but evolved to become a stand-alone event, the Edmonton International Fringe Festival, one of the largest annual arts events in Canada and still the largest fringe in North America by attendance. The oldest fringe festival in the United States is Orlando, FL, founded in 1992. There are more fringe festivals in North America than any other continent.

Fringe theatre festival organization.

One distinction between fringe festivals and conventional arts festivals is the method used to choose participants. Typically, conventional festivals use a jury selection process, whereas many fringe festivals do not use a jury process in their selection criteria. There are exceptions to this; some fringe festivals (e.g., New York International Fringe Festival) do employ a jury-based selection process.  All performers are welcome to apply, regardless of their professional or amateur status. No restrictions are made as to the nature, style or theme of the performance, though some festivals have children's areas with appropriate content limitations. Festivals may have too many applicants for the number of available spaces; in this case, applicants are chosen based on an unrelated criterion, such as order of application or a random draw.  The number of performances varies among different fringe festivals. Larger festivals may have thousands of performances (e.g., Edinburgh's 2013 festival had 45,464 performances).  Fringe festivals typically have a common organising group that handles ticketing, scheduling, and some overall promotion (such as a program including all performers). Each production pays a set fee to this group, which usually includes their stage time as well as the organizational elements. The organising group and/or the venues often rely on a large pool of volunteers.  Ticket pricing varies between festivals. At UK fringe festivals, groups can decide their own ticket prices, and some sell tickets at fixed rates in one or two tiers, or in groups of 5 or 10.  Although it is unusual for the organising group to choose any winners of the festival, other organisations often make their own judgements of festival entries. Productions can be reviewed by newspapers or publications specific to the festival, and awards may be given by certain organisations. Awards or favourable reviews can increase the tickets sales of productions or lead to extra dates being added.

Elements of a typical fringe theatre production.

The limitations and opportunities that the fringe festival format presents lead to some common features.  Shows are not judged or juried. Depending on the popularity, some fringe festivals may use a lottery system to determine which shows are selected.  Shows are typically technically sparse. They are commonly presented in shared venues, often with shared technicians and limited technical time, so sets and other technical theatre elements are kept simple. Venues may be adapted from other uses.  Casts tend to be smaller than mainstream theatre; since many of the performing groups are traveling, and venues (and thus potential income) tend to be fairly small, expenses must usually be kept to a minimum. One-person shows are therefore quite common at fringe festivals.  Fringe festival productions often showcase new scripts, especially ones on more obscure, edgy, or unusual material. The lack of artistic vetting combined with relatively easy entry make risk-taking more feasible.  While most mainstream theatre shows are two or three acts long, taking two to three hours with intermissions, fringe shows tend to be closer to one-hour, single-act productions. The typically lowered ticket prices of a fringe theatre show permit audiences to attend multiple shows in a single evening.  Performers sometimes billet in the homes of local residents, further reducing their costs.

Fringe theatre is theatre that is produced outside of the main theatre institutions, and that is often small-scale and non-traditional in style or subject matter. The term comes from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In London, the fringe are small-scale theatres, many of them located above pubs, and the equivalent to New York's Off-Off-Broadway theatres and Europe's "free theatre" groups.


History.

Archaeological evidence indicates that an ancient submerged forest was located on what is now the foreshore of Mumbles Bay The bones of bears, wolves, hyenas, deer, rhinoceros and mammoth have been discovered there. A bone cave at the western tip of Caswell Bay was excavated in 1832 but has since been destroyed by the sea. Another cave, at the Inner Sound, Mumbles Head, was blown up by quarrymen in 1838 but not before elephant bones had been found. Also scattered around the bays of Mumbles and Gower are the bones of sixteen Ice Age mammals, including a mammoth tooth measuring ten centimetres across, which is on display in Swansea Museum.  The first human crop growers arrived in the area over 5,000 years ago. However, evidence of human habitation is much older and possibly dates as far back as 30,000 years ago—established by the dating of the famous Paviland skeleton located in a cave some 10–15 miles along the coast from Mumbles Head. The skeleton is kept in the Oxford Museum of Natural History, having been excavated by Rev William Buckland, who was Professor of Geology at Oxford University at the time. However, Swansea Museum has two well-finished flint axe-heads, one from Newton and one from an allotment on Mumbles Hill. Much of what we know about the first metalworkers, in the Bronze Age, has been learned from their tombs: pieces of pottery, a cairn and remains of a hut were found. The cliffs above the Redcliffe flats at Caswell Bay contain the ridged remnants of a Redley Cliff Iron Age hill-fort.  There is evidence that the Romans were based in Mumbles in a villa on the site of the present All Saints Church in Oystermouth. When the site was being extended in 1860, workmen removing a bank of earth on the south side of the original building accidentally broke up a Roman tessellated pavement, or mosaic floor. This was previously a pagan site, as were many sites of worship in the UK which subsequently became places of worship at the onset of Christianity. In this area it has been reported that Romano British gentlemen of Roman Wales may have eaten oysters from the oysterbeds off the shore below the site at Oystermouth, or Ystumllwynarth. The Norman Castle at Oystermouth was built during the first half of the 12th century - one of many castles built in Gower as a defense against the native Welsh Princes who sought to re-claim the lands stolen by the Norman invaders. [the Royal Commission on Ancient & Historical Monuments in Wales, Glamorgan, The Early Castles, London, HMSO, 1991]. The architectural merits of the church, castle and other buildings in Oystermouth are discussed in J.Newman, The Buildings of Wales: Glamorgan, London, Penguin/University of Wales Press, 1995. Three of the bells in All Saints Church once belonged to the Jesuit church of La Compañía ("The Company") in Santiago, Chile. They seem to have been brought to Mumbles by Aubrey Vivian after the fire of 1863 burnt down the Jesuit church, killing 2,000 people. The family of industrialist Henry Vivian had business connections with the copper mines of Chile.  In 1793, the Mumbles Lighthouse was erected on the outer of the two tidal islands of Mumbles Head. In 1806, the Oystermouth Railway was built between Oystermouth and Swansea with the intention of carrying coal to Swansea. The potential for carrying passengers was soon seen and a horse-drawn railway passenger service was started on 25 March 1807, making it the first such service in the world. It became enormously popular and was commonly called 'the Mumbles train'. Following the development of the rail service, Mumbles became a popular tourist destination. To capitalise on this, the Mumbles railway was extended and a pier was constructed and opened in 1898 to serve as the new terminus. An RNLI lifeboat slipway was added to the pier in the summer of 1916 and a boathouse was finally built on it in 1922; these remain in use. [Needs updating as there is a new boathouse].  On 23 April 1947, the Mumbles lifeboat lost a crew of eight men while attempting to rescue the crew of the "Samtampa" that had run aground on Sker Point. The Mumbles railway was closed in January 1960 and dismantled - a controversial decision that still resonates in the locality (calls to "bring back the Mumbles train" are still frequently heard and printed in local newspapers).  Soon after it was built in 1898, the end of the Mumbles Pier became home to Bandstand Concerts and on the landward side was a Winter Garden both of which attracted large crowds. It was advertised by the Swansea and Mumbles Railway as 'The Prettiest Pier in the Bristol Channel' and the 'Mumbles Press' on 13 April 1911, featured the Skating Rinks as well as Hanney's Select Military Band. In the 1950s, a large entertainment center on the end of the Pier included 'Dodgems' Coconut Shies and other fairground attractions. Near the bridge to the lifeboat, two Amusement Kiosks survived from Edwardian days. The landward side of the Pier had a Cafe, with a 'Penny Slot Arcade' alongside and a popular Dance Hall was part of the 'Pier Hotel.' The amusement complex was redeveloped at the land end of the Mumbles Pier in 1966 and this proved to be a profitable attraction to visitors, resulting in the addition of a new building containing an amusement arcade, restaurant and bowling alley.  The 'Mumbles Mile' is a stretch of road in Mumbles once notable for its concentration of pubs. It has long been a popular destination for pub crawls and binge drinking. Famous poet Dylan Thomas was said to have enjoyed many hours at The Mermaid. The 'Mumbles Mile' began to decline in popularity during the 1990s because of pressure from the local council and increased competition from Swansea's night attractions. Now, there are only five pubs on the'mile', whereas there were once upwards of 20.  The Encyclopedia of Wales says that Mumbles has always been considered a place apart... as the verse puts it:  The origin of the name "Mumbles" is obscure. Wyn Owen and Morgan (2008) cite several possibilities: Middle English "momele" ("to mumble"), describing the "mumbling" of the sea next to the rocks; Latin "mamillae" meaning "breasts", in reference to the breast shaped silhouette of the islands and headland, and Old Norse "múli" (snout, promontory).  The 2004 mini-series Mine All Mine, starring Griff Rhys Jones, was filmed in Mumbles.

Local government.

Mumbles was part of Oystermouth Urban District established in 1894, which was merged with the County Borough of Swansea in 1918. The Mumbles is in the Oystermouth electoral ward, while the current Mumbles community also includes the surrounding electoral wards of Mayals, Newton and West Cross.

Settlements.

The villages in the community council region are:

Twinning.

The Mumbles community is twinned with :

Mumbles is a district of Swansea, Wales located on the south east corner of the unitary authority area. It is also a local government community of the same name. At the 2001 census the population was 16,774, reducing slightly to 16,600 at the 2011 Census. The district is named after the headland of Mumbles which is located on the southeast corner of the district.


Early life and education.

Weisman was born in Newark, New Jersey, on February 20, 1943. He attended the Kansas City College of Osteopathy (later known as the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, graduating in 1970 with a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO). He practiced medicine in his hometown of Carteret, New Jersey, for several years and ended his brief marriage by disclosing that he was gay.

Discovery and treatment of AIDS.

He moved to Los Angeles and was hired by a doctor's office in North Hollywood, where he started to see a number of patients in 1978 who had a series of unusual conditions, including younger men with shingles, a case of Kaposi's sarcoma, and several patients who had symptoms of what appeared to be, but was not, lymphoma. In 1980, a series of patients came to a medical office he had opened in Sherman Oaks, all gay men who had a pattern of what appeared to be immune system disorders exhibited by significant loss of weight and swollen lymph nodes, accompanied by fever and rashes, in addition to two patients with chronic diarrhea, depressed white blood cell counts and fungal infections.  Weisman referred two of these cases in 1981 to Michael S. Gottlieb, an immunologist at the UCLA Medical Center, who had a patient of his own with a similar pattern of symptoms. Weisman recollected that he knew going into this meeting that these cases "represented was the tip of the iceberg" and that there were "a lot of people that were potentially right behind them". Gottlieb diagnosed these and a number of his other patients as having pneumocystis pneumonia. A report they jointly wrote published by the Centers for Disease Control in the June 5, 1981, issue of its "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report", describing how their patients, "5 young men, all active homosexuals, were treated for biopsy-confirmed Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia at 3 different hospitals in Los Angeles, California" of which "[t]wo of the patients died" by the time of the original report. This notice has been recognized as the first published report marking "the official start" of the AIDS pandemic and as "the first report on AIDS in the medical literature". A more detailed report regarding the pneumocystis pneumonia found in a series of four patients was published in a December 1981 issue of the "New England Journal of Medicine".  Weisman immediately started warning his patients that the disease was sexually transmitted and that behavioral changes were needed to help prevent its spread, a warning that was often disregarded and resulted in the deaths of many friends. He became involved in efforts to provide treatment options for AIDS patients, establishing AIDS Project Los Angeles in 1983 and developing Southern California's first AIDS unit at the Sherman Oaks Hospital. When amfAR was founded in 1985 by Gottlieb and Mathilde Krim, Weisman was a board member and became chairman from 1988 to 1992. His medical practice grew into the Pacific Oaks Medical Group, one of the largest treating patients with HIV / AIDS.  In Weisman's obituary in the "Los Angeles Times", Gottlieb described him as "a very astute physician" who recognized "that something out of the ordinary was happening" by being "alert to unusual symptoms in his patients". Krim described how Weisman immediately knew that "he was observing something that was never seen before."

Personal.

Weisman died at age 66 due to heart disease on July 18, 2009, at his home in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. He was survived by his domestic partner of 17 years, Bill Hutton, as well as by a daughter and granddaughter, a brother and two nieces. Timothy Bogue, his partner for 10 years, died of AIDS in 1991.

Joel D. Weisman D.O. (February 20, 1943 – July 18, 2009) was one of the first to identify a pattern of illnesses that was ultimately diagnosed as AIDS during his work as a general practitioner in the United States. He later became an advocate for the development of treatments and prevention of the disease.


Early years.

He was born Lionel I. Cohen on July 22, 1914, in Brooklyn, and later changed his last name to "Casson". As a teenager he owned a sailboat that he would use on Long Island Sound. He attended New York University for all of his collegiate studies, earning a bachelor's degree there in 1934, a master's in 1936 and his Ph.D. in 1939 and was employed at NYU as an instructor. He served as an officer in the United States Navy during World War II, responsible for the interrogation of prisoners of war.  After completing his military service, Casson returned to NYU, where he served as a professor of classics from 1961 to 1979. The author of 23 books on maritime history and classic literature, Casson used ancient material ranging from Demosthenes's speeches and works by Thucydides to cargo manifests and archeological studies of ancient shipwrecks and the contents of the amphorae they carried to develop a framework for the development of shipbuilding, maritime trade routes and naval warfare in the ancient world.

Classics.

In a 2005 speech to the Archaeological Institute of America accepting its Gold Medal, Casson recalled a trip to Southern France in 1953 when he had the opportunity to visit Jacques-Yves Cousteau, who was performing an investigation of an ancient shipwreck. Once he visited the warehouse with the hundreds of amphorae that had been brought to the surface, Casson said that he immediately knew that he "was in on the beginning of a totally new source of information about ancient maritime matters and I determined then and there to exploit it" and integrate this new trove of data with the information he had been able to assemble from ancient writings.  His 1959 book "The Ancient Mariners: Seafarers and Sea Fighters of the Mediterranean in Ancient Times" told how civilizations along the Mediterranean Sea began by having their ships travel along the coast and then advanced to trips across the sea, far from the sight of shore. Commerce and military ventures led to journeys to such far-flung locales as India with more specialized crafts designed that expanded the original flat-bottomed boats into vessels such as the trireme propelled by hundreds of oarsmen to speeds of seven knots by its 170 oars. "Illustrated History of Ships and Boats", published by Doubleday in 1964, provided a history of boats from ancient craft carved from wood or made from animal skins up to the day's most modern nuclear submarines.  Yale University Press published Casson's 2001 book "Libraries in the Ancient World" that uses references in ancient works and archeological evidence in the Middle East and the Greco-Roman world to follow the development of writing, the creation of the first books and the process of copying them by hand and assembling them into libraries. In the book, Casson puts Homer at the top of a most-popular author list, "with the "Iliad" favored over the "Odyssey"" on his best-seller list. He documents the transitions from clay tablets, to papyrus and parchment scrolls, and the development of the codex as the precursor of the modern book. Casson rejects the accepted wisdom that the Library of Alexandria was destroyed in 48 BCE and argues that evidence shows that it continued in existence until 270 CE during the reign of Roman Emperor Aurelian.  He was a member of the all-male literary banqueting club the Trap Door Spiders.  Casson died of pneumonia in Manhattan at age 94 on July 18, 2009. He was survived by his wife, the former Julia Michelman, as well as two daughters and two grandchildren.

Lionel Casson (July 22, 1914 – July 18, 2009) was a classicist, professor emeritus at New York University, and a specialist in maritime history. He earned his B.A. in 1934 at New York University, and in 1936 became an assistant professor. He went on to earn his Ph.D. there in 1939. In 2005 he was awarded the Archaeological Institute of America Gold Medal.


Club career.

Early years.

Mrdja scored a golden goal for Perth Glory in the final of the 2003–04 National Soccer League against Parramatta Power in the last match of the NSL.

Central Coast Mariners.

In December 2004, Mrdja signed with Central Coast Mariners to play in the newly formed A-League. In the Mariners first competitive fixture, an F3 Derby against the Newcastle Jets in qualification for the 2005 OFC Club Championship, Mrdja broke opposing defender Andrew Durante's leg with a tackle late in extra time. The incident subsequently gained prominence as a sparking point for the clubs' rivalry. On the field, Mrdja's early form for the Mariners was strong. In the club's next game against Adelaide United, Mrdja scored a hat-trick, sealing progress to the qualification final. He scored another hat-trick in a 2005 A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup win over Queensland Roar.  However, soon after Mrdja suffered a knee injury causing him to miss the entire 2005–06 A-League season, eventually returning early in the 2006–07 season. His first goal in the A-League came from a direct free kick in a win over New Zealand Knights on 19 November 2006. Mrdja's knee injury continued to be an issue, and saw him miss much of the 2006–07 and 2007–08 seasons.

Melbourne Victory.

In February 2010, with the Mariners out of contention for the 2009–10 A-League finals, Mrdja was released by the Mariners and signed a short-term deal with Melbourne Victory to play in the final rounds of the A-League and in the 2010 AFC Champions League, as an injury replacement for Billy Celeski. At the same time, he signed a deal to play for the Mariners again in the 2010–11 season. The unusual nature of the move, despite being valid within the rules, created significant controversy, given its lateness in the season and the ban on direct loans between A-League clubs. The issue, and subsequent public controversy, prompted a review of the A-League's transfer rules by Football Federation Australia.  Mrdja made his debut for the Victory on 5 February 2010, coming on as a halftime substitute in a win over North Queensland Fury, in the second-last round of the 2009–10 A-League regular season. He scored his first goal for the club two weeks later, in a win in the first leg of the major semifinal against Sydney FC, before being sent off later in the match for elbowing Shannon Cole. Mrdja received a two-game suspension for the incident, which eventually saw him miss the 2010 A-League Grand Final.  Mrdja retired from professional football at the end of the 2010–11 season.

International career.

Mrdja was called up to the Australian national team for the first time in September 2007 for a friendly against Argentina, after an injury ruled out Scott McDonald and following Mrdja's good form in the A-League. In the game, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Mrdja made his debut as a substitute in the 82nd minute, coming on for Joshua Kennedy in a 1–0 defeat.

Nikola "Nik" Mrdja (born 30 November 1978) is an Australian former football player, who played as a striker. Born in Perth, Mrdja had a career spanning several National Soccer League (NSL) and A-League clubs from 1998 to 2011, as well as a brief spell in Sweden with AIK in 2004.


Components.

CDEmu consists of:  The software is portable to other operating systems supported by GLib, with the exceptions of the kernel module and the clients which rely on d-bus communication.

History.

CDemu was originally designed by Robert Penz and Justus Schwartz as a patch for MPlayer that allowed mounting.CUE/.BIN files. After the patch was completed, they realized the simplicity, and wrote a module for Linux kernel.  Originally, CDemu was named Virtual CD, but this name had been previously trademarked, and the owners of the trademark requested that they not use the name.  As of June, 2007, development on CDemu 0.8 ceased and a rewrite was developed instead. Most of this work was done by Rok Mandeljc. This new version of CDemu took another approach to the emulation by doing as much as possible in userspace. As of June 2008 it is considered to be mostly stable.

Status.

As of version 2.0.0 CDemu supports the following image formats:  The emulator endeavors to follow the MMC-3 standard for SCSI optical drives as closely as possible, ensuring realistic and accurate emulation.  Optical media emulated by CDemu can be mounted within Linux.  CDemu has the support for CD subchannels, CD-Text, ISRC,MCN and ECC/EDC, DPM/RMPS. There is also some support for a limited number of encrypted and compressed image formats.  The developers are working on supporting as many major formats as they can, and they encourage users to submit patches to this end.

See also.

Alternative Linux programs that are available in the repositories of Debian, Ubuntu and Fedora Linux:

CDemu is a free and open-source virtual drive software, designed to emulate an optical drive and optical disc (including CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs) on the Linux operating system.


History.

The Little House was built some time around 1600 by, a canon of the diocese of Constance and descendant of Jakob Fugger the Rich. In 1604, he became the Prince-Bishop of Constance, though he continued to reside at the Little House until his death in 1626. So did succeeding Prince-Bishops, giving the residence its name ("Fürstenhäusle"), until the Prince-Bishopric was secularized in 1803 and absorbed into the Electorate of Baden. After secularization, the Little House stood empty.  Over two centuries after Prince-Bishop Fugger's death, in 1797, the poet Annette von Droste-Hülshoff was born. She began to find literary success at a young age, but was weighed down with familial obligations, and frequently ill. To find solace, the poet frequently spent time in Meersburg with her sister and her husband, Joseph von Laßberg, at Meersburg Castle. From 1841 especially, Droste-Hülshoff spent most of her time in Meersburg, where, in November 1843, the Little House went to auction. Droste-Hülshoff, desiring a private residence for herself in later years, participated with little competition. Thus, the purchase came out to 400 Reichsthaler, a sum supplied by her own revenue and Laßberg's annuity. The poet was very fond of her purchase and wrote glowingly of it in letters to friends and family. However, she had never resided there by the time she died in 1848, aged 51.  Droste-Hülshoff's descendants transformed the Little House into a museum dedicated to their forebear and her works in 1923. also added a new wing and moved the entrance.  In 1947, Heinrich von Bothmer-Schwegerhoff, another descendant of Droste-Hülshoff, and his American wife,, moved into the Little House. Bothmer operated the museum until her death in 1996 and even endowed a literary prize for women poets, the Droste Literary Award for Poetry, in 1957.

Grounds and architecture.

When Annette von Droste-Hülshoff was residing at the Little House, it consisted of a state room and a kitchen on the ground floor, which housed a staircase into a common room and bedrooms for herself and a maid. Droste-Hülshoff described the state room as a "glass case" having an oriel with a canapé, heated with a tile stove. Memorabilia from the poet's time, such as photographs and coins, are also found here. In the alcove nearby is located Droste-Hülshoff's collection of jewels. The upstairs room the poet described as a "swallow's nest", decorated now with copies of Droste-Hülshoff's manuscripts, miniature portraits, and family photographs. Also on display here are valuable textiles and books, such as first-edition copies of works by herself, Goethe, and Levin Schücking. During her ownership of the Little House, Droste-Hülshoff had it repainted.  The portion of the Little House that existed when Annette von Droste-Hülshoff purchased the house is arranged as she described it. Within that portion is a museum dedicated to Droste-Hülshoff's life work. It contains artifacts such as silhouettes Droste-Hülshoff made, locks of her hair, and letters and writing instruments of hers.  The wing added by Carl von Droste-Hülshoff is now the visitor's center.

The Little House, also called the Prince's House ("Fürstenhäusle"), is a historic house and museum located in Meersburg, Germany, overlooking Lake Constance. It was the residence of the poet Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, to whom the museum is dedicated.


Initial and enduring popularity.

"Whispering" was most famously recorded by Paul Whiteman and his Ambassador Orchestra on August 23, 1920, for the Victor Talking Machine Company. Whiteman — Denver-born, ex-navy, and self-acclaimed "King of Jazz" — flourished in popularity from a series of hits beginning in 1920 with his release of "Whispering", an eleven-week U.S. No. 1 hit, which stayed 20 weeks in the charts and sold in excess of two million copies.Whiteman never referred to himself as "King of Jazz" but was billed as such by managers and record producers much as Benny Goodman later would be called the "King of Swing". Both Whiteman and Goodman openly acknowledged their debt to the earlier African-American musicians and each employed Black Americans as composers, arrangers and in Goodman's case being one of the first to have a mixed stage band. In 2020, Whiteman's rendition was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".  The song charted twice in the nineteen-sixties. In 1963, Irish singers the Bachelors had a hit with their version which went to the Top 20 in the UK. In 1964, after recording their hit "Deep Purple", American brother and sister singers Nino Tempo and April Stevens had a new hit with "Whispering". This version went to number eleven on the Hot 100 and number four on the Easy Listening chart.  According to Allmusic, there have been over 700 versions of the song. As of 2010, on the online music site, there were 161 listed albums or singles containing the song "Whispering". As of 2014, "TJD Online", the online version of "The Jazz Discography", listed 225 recording sessions, beginning with Ray Miller and his Black and White Melody Boys, who recorded it on about July 16, 1920, Okeh 4167-A. Also, as of 2014, "TJD Online" listed 281 recording sessions of Dizzy Gillespie's composition, "Groovin' High", a contrafact variation of "Whispering".

Compositional structure.

"Whispering", originally scored in E major, is in time. It has a 12-bar intro, the last 4 of which is an optional vamp — then a 16-bar A-theme is followed by a 32-bar repeated chorus. The 32 bars is essentially a 16-bar B-theme played twice — or 4 times with the repeat.  Dizzy's 1945 composition, "Groovin' High", is a contrafact of "Whispering". Following a standard practice in jazz, Diz front-ran the static V chords with ii chords (a "static chord" is a chord that doesn't change), setting up a series of ii–V progressions, which creates more structure for improvising. The ii chord has similar properties to a iv chord (as in the iv–V progression of church harmony). Because "Groovin' High" was a contrafact, performers, publishers, and record companies did not have to pay royalties to the original composers. Moreover, the contrafacted rendition followed a unified bebop convention — a series of ii–V chord changes with a ii–V–I turnaround — for jazz artists.

"Whispering" is a popular song. "Whispering" was first published in 1920 by Sherman, Clay & Co., of San Francisco. The initial 1920 copyright and first publishing attributes the lyrics to Malvin Schonberger and the music to John Schonberger.


Drivetrain.

The XP90 Vitz and Belta share underpinnings with each other including the drivetrain and platform. However, while the Vitz was designed at Toyota's French design studios, the Belta was designed at Toyota's Japanese design studios—design projects for similar cars marketed toward different demographics. While the outgoing Vitz and Platz models look and feel very much alike, the newer Vitz hatchback and Belta sedans are more subtly related. No sheetmetal is shared between the two, and although both have a similar centralized dashboard design (Toyota's efforts to standardize the design for all markets, left or right hand drive) there are some cosmetic differences. The Belta is the only subcompact sedan which is designed, built and sold in Japan, and has no direct competitors in the Japanese domestic market, as the Vitz's competitors do not offer sedan versions at the time.

Markets.

Asia.

For most Asian markets (except Japan, Hong Kong and Macau), the Belta was sold as the second generation Vios which was built and assembled in Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. It was launched in April 2007. For the Japanese, American and Middle Eastern markets (except Israel, Morocco, Korea, Russia and Europe), the Belta is built in Japan.  The model code for cars with 1.5 L "1NZ-FE" engines is "NCP93" and is only available where the Yaris/Vios is marketed. As was the first generation Vios, the second generation Vios is assembled at Thailand's Toyota Gateway Plant and also at the Philippines Santa Rosa, Laguna Plant.  The second generation Vios is the best-selling car in Southeast Asia in 2009.

Japan.

The Japanese market Belta had three engine variants available, namely the 1.0 L "1KR-FE" straight-three engine and two variants of the 1.3 L "2NZ-FE"/"2SZ-FE" engine rated at. The "2SZ-FE" engine comes with Super CVT-i transmission while the "2NZ-FE" engine has a Super ECT transmission. An optional S Package is also available across the three variants.

China.

The second generation Vios was introduced to China in 2008. The major difference of the Vios in China is that the larger capacity models are powered by the 1.6 L "4ZR-FE" engine with Dual VVT-i. The engine system adjusts timing on both intake and exhaust camshafts.  Unlike other markets, Mainland China uses version naming as follows:

Philippines.

In the Philippines, the second generation Vios was launched in 2007 in 3 trim levels: 1.3 J, 1.3 E and 1.5 G. All trim levels were available with a 5-speed manual transmission, the G trim also with a 4-speed automatic transmission.  The 1.5 G Limited XX Edition was released in July 2008. This is the same as the G trim, but came with HID headlights, 17-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels and a small rubber spoiler. The 1.5 S also got this spoiler and different 17-inch Rota Bolognia Mags with 205/45 tires. The G XX Limited and S trims were released in different colour schemes.  A facelifted model was launched on 6 April 2010, with a redesigned front grille, redesigned headlamp and tail lamp assemblies, and redesigned 15-inch alloy wheels (for the G trim). It was available in three trim levels: the base 1.3 J mated to a 5-speed manual transmission, the 1.3 E, with the choice of a 5-speed manual or the now available 4-speed automatic transmission, and the 1.5 G, with the choice of a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission.  For 2012, a 1.3 L engine for the G trim was released, and it was mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission, then later a 5-speed manual transmission equipped with fog lights, steering wheel audio controls and power adjusting side mirrors. Also available from 2012 was a trim lower than the J trim called the 1.3 Base which came only in a 5-speed manual transmission. In 2013, the 1.5 TRD Sportivo trim was released.  During its entire period on the market, the second generation Vios was the best selling car in the Philippines helping Toyota to maintain its status as the best selling brand in the country.

Indonesia.

The second generation Vios was officially launched to the Indonesian market on 11 April 2007. The Indonesian Vios can be distinguished from other countries' models with its V-shaped grille ornament, which is optional for the Yaris Hatchback. Like the outgoing NCP42, the NCP93 Vios is offered in E (with manual transmission only) and G (with either manual or automatic transmission) trim levels.  All trim levels come equipped with ABS and analog instrument panel. The E trim has rear drum brakes and the G trim comes with all discs. The higher-grade G trim has standard front and rear fog lamps, audio control on the steering wheel, auto-leveling HID headlamps, multi-information display and back sonar. Start/Stop push button is only available on the G trim with automatic transmission.  For the facelifted model, the Indonesian Vios no longer featured V-shaped grille ornament. It now has the same appearance as other countries' models. In addition to the regular trim levels, there is also TRD "Sportivo" model based on the G trim which adds an all-round body kit to the exterior and comes fitted with AV DVD player with Navi Ready.

Malaysia.

The second generation Vios was unveiled in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 5 October 2007, two weeks ahead of its official launch on 19 October 2007. The Vios is powered exclusively by the "1NZ-FE" 1.5 L four-cylinder engine with VVT-i, which included a redesigned air intake and exhaust system to improve low to mid-range torque. It was also fitted with the Super ECT four-speed automatic with the same gear ratios as its predecessor, but with improved programming for the transmission control unit. Electric power steering was offered in place of the hydraulic system in its predecessor. The second generation Vios was made available in four trim levels for the Malaysian market: J, E, G and S.  The "J" is the base version. It was initially unavailable at the Malaysian Vios launch in October 2007, but was introduced on 1 July 2008, offering a choice of either 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmissions.  The "E" and "G" differ mostly in terms of equipment levels and are mechanically identical, both sharing the 4-speed Super ECT transmission. On 29 June 2011, the "G Limited" was introduced offering a body kit, 15-inch alloy wheels and leather seats.  The "S" is an addition featuring cosmetic enhancements, including a front bumper spoiler, side skirts, rear skirt and a bootlid spoiler. The interior received a dark grey/black trim treatment and an "Optitron" meter with a multi-information display, as opposed to the "E" and "G" trims' conventional backlit display. The "S" trim was the most expensive Vios variant. On 17 June 2009, UMW Toyota launched the Vios 1.5 TRD Sportivo which effectively replaced the "S" trim. It featured a body kit, Enkei wheels, various interior trim improvements and an optional sports suspension kit. The Vios TRD Sportivo was updated on 29 June 2011, featuring a redesigned grille, unique alloy wheels and leather seats.  On 15 April 2010, the Vios received a facelift in Malaysia, offering mostly cosmetic improvements. The Vios was updated on 21 June 2012 in response to Honda Malaysia's facelift of the City, with appearance changes without significant mechanical improvements.  All model grades included ABS with EBD and BA at the October 2007 launch, but the "E" trim was only offered with a single driver's airbag, whereas the "G" and "S" trims had an additional passenger airbag. The "J" trim had no airbags at all upon its July 2008 launch, but was nonetheless offered with ABS + EBD and BA. The "J" trim later received a driver's airbag in its 2010 facelift and a front passenger airbag in its 2012 update.  The Malaysian Vios is assembled locally by ASSB, a subsidiary of UMW Toyota, in Shah Alam, Selangor. The Vios has since become the best selling non-national badged vehicle in Malaysia, achieving record sales in 2012.

Singapore.

In Singapore, the Vios was sold in the base model J, the mid-level E and the top-of-the-line G trim levels, and later the TRD Sportivo model.  The J trim is the lowest version and comes standard with a CD/MP3/WMA player with 4 speakers, keyless entry, ABS/EBD/BA (on front disc brakes only), driver-only SRS airbag and interior fabric with dark grey colour seats.  The E trim is the only manual variant after the local dealer discontinued the manual J variant in Singapore. The E Classic includes an additional SRS airbag for the front passenger and side moulding. There is another variant of the E trim known as the Elegance that includes leather seats and fog lights.  The G trim is the top-of-the-line version available in Singapore and comes with an automatic transmission. The G trim adds a 6-speaker CD/MP3 player, optitron meters, four-wheel disc brakes, and 60:40 split foldable rear seats.  Optional "Sport" and “Racing” bodykit were offered and aftermarket alloy wheels that were added by the Toyota dealership in Singapore (Borneo Motors). In 2012, three colours were added – Grey Metallic (1G3), Attitude Black Mica (211) and Blackish Red Mica (3R0) – to make 7 colours in total. In 2013, Borneo Motors (Singapore) re-introduced optional TRD ""Sportivo"" sports kit to the E grade which was the only variant available for the Vios.

Thailand.

Thailand, which currently manufactures the Vios, is offered in three trim levels (J, E and G), as well as two limited edition trim levels (G Limited and S Limited). Thailand is currently the only country that offers all existing grades of the Vios, while export markets are only given a fraction of the Thai range in varying combinations. In addition, certainly the range of equipment in Thai Vios' differs from those in export versions.  The J is the basic trim level of the second generation Vios, offering a CD/MP3/WMA player with four speakers, an optional keyless entry with TVSS, ABS/EBD/BA, 15-inch steel wheels with hubcaps, rear fog lamps and interior fabric with dark grey colour seat.  The E is a mid-level trim featuring a keyless entry with TDS, an option between dark grey or ivory-coloured seat fabrics, optional driver and front passenger SRS airbags, front and rear fog lamps, 15-inch sports alloy wheels and side moulding.  The G trim features an unchangeable 6 speaker CD/MP3/WMA player, leather seating in either dark grey or ivory, driver and front passenger SRS airbags, a multi-functional steering wheel, 15-inch sports alloy wheels front and rear fog lamps, side moulding, a blue "Optitron" panel with a multi-information display and 60:40 fold-down rear seats.  The G Limited trim includes a keyless and smart entry with TDS, a Start/Stop push button, an immobilizer key and a body kit to the exterior.  The limited edition S Limited trim features a "Wrap-Around Aeropart" body kit, an orange "Optitron" panel with a multi-information display, high intensity discharge headlamps with automatic height adjustment and all-wheel disc brakes.  Audio systems in all second generation Vios trim levels are equipped with ASL (Auto-Speed Sound Levelizer), which detects and compensates for changes in external noise levels, adjusting volume and tone controls automatically based on the car's speed.  Toyota Thailand has also exported the Vios to the Middle East, Australia and South Africa, where it is sold as the Yaris.  The second generation Vios has been campaigned in One Make Races in Bangkok, Thailand.

North America.

The US version of the Yaris sedan went on sale in April 2006 for the 2007 model year. Conventional trim levels are replaced by the more modular convenience, power, and all-weather guard packages. However, the Yaris sedan is also available as the Yaris S, which has standard convenience and appearance packages fitted as standard. The power package on the Yaris sedan offers alloy wheels as an option. Side airbags were optional. The Yaris sedan was sold alongside the Yaris 3-door hatchback, and from 2009 onwards only the Yaris 5-door was available as a hatchback.  The Canadian version of the Yaris sedan, is based on the US-market Yaris S with power and all-weather guard packages, but with standard wheels. The regular CE, LE and RS trims used in the Canadian Yaris hatchback are replaced in the Yaris sedan by option packages of "B", "C", "D" or "Aero" types. The "B" adds all-season tires, chrome trim on the decklid, front and rear splash guards, colour-keyed door handles, blacked-out side window frames, keyless entry and power door locks; the "C" adds ABS, air conditioning, power windows, colour-keyed mirrors and power mirrors; the "D" adds both side and side-curtain airbags; the Aero adds alloy wheels, wheel locks, a rear spoiler and a body kit. The Aero, however, has neither air conditioning nor side airbags. The Canadian model lacks the two-tone interior, pseudo-metallic trim on the door panels and the new audio system controls (instead it uses an old design) found on the Japanese and American models.  The 2007 Yaris sedan received EPA fuel economy ratings of on the highway and in the city, with a fuel capacity of. However, because the EPA changed the way they calculate fuel economy, ratings were revised for the 2008 model year and the Yaris is now rated at city/ mpg highway for the manual transmission, and mpg city/ mpg highway for the automatic version.  For the 2009 model year, all Yaris sedans received updated styling with a new grille, alloy designs, interior fabric, standard side curtain airbags and anti-lock brakes. There are also options such as a leather-wrapped steering wheel/shift knob and satellite radio.

Australia.

In Australia, it is known as the Yaris sedan and is sold alongside the Vitz-based Yaris hatchback. The Yaris sedan is available only in a 1.5 L "1NZ-FE" petrol engine. There were two variants of the model, namely the YRS and YRX, with the former being the model with the basic necessities. The YRX model features an all-round bodykit and only comes with an automatic transmission.  The Australian version of the Yaris sedan uses orange blinker bulbs with clear lenses instead of orange blinker lenses.  At the end of mid-year 2015, the Australian version Yaris sedan was discontinued due to poor sales with over 27 percent drop. It was then phased out with no direct replacement for the Australian market.

Safety.

United States.

Standard safety features include airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, and head restraints for all seating positions. Side-impact airbags, side curtain airbags and ABS are optional on 2007–2008 models. Beginning in 2009, front and rear row side curtain airbags along with front seat-mounted torso side airbags and anti-lock brakes became standard. Stability control was unavailable on all models until the 2010 model year when it became standard.  According to the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) the Yaris sedan received a "Good" overall score in the frontal crash test and a "Good" overall score in the side impact test on models equipped with side airbags but a "Poor" overall score on models without side airbags. In their roof strength evaluation the Yaris is rated "Acceptable" with a strength-to-weight ratio of 3.78.  U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Yaris sedan crash test ratings:

Southeast Asia.

ASEAN NCAP test results for a RHD, 4-door sedan on a 2012 registration:

Discontinuation.

The Japanese Belta was discontinued in June 2012, replaced by the E160 series Corolla in the Japanese market; however, the Yaris sedan was still in production for Mexico and Australia until it was discontinued in both countries in 2016. For the U.S. market, the Yaris sedan was briefly replaced by the Scion iA which was called the Yaris iA for 2017 model year. Two years later, the Yaris iA was renamed again to Yaris sedan.  For the Asian market, the XP150 series Vios was launched in 2013 as the sedan counterpart to the XP150 series Yaris hatchback.

The, referred to in North American and Australian markets as the Yaris and in Asian markets as the Vios, is a subcompact sedan manufactured by Toyota.


Description.

It is an evergreen shrub or small tree approaching 15 meters (50 feet) in height, with dense, hard leaves (sclerophyllous foliage). The leaves are 1.6–12 cm (0.64-4.8 inches) long with a 4–25 mm (0.16-1.00 inch) petiole and spiny margins, somewhat resembling those of the holly. The leaves are dark green when mature and generally shiny on top, and have a smell resembling almonds when crushed; these are poisonous to eat, but not to handle. The flowers are small (1–5 mm), white, produced on racemes in the spring. The fruit is a cherry 12–25 mm diameter, edible and sweet, but contains little flesh surrounding the smooth seed.

Subspecies.

There are two subspecies:

Distribution, habitat, and ecology.

"Prunus ilicifolia" is native to California chaparral and foothill woodlands along the Coast Ranges below 1,600 m. Its distribution extends from northern Baja California along the California coast to the northernmost extent of the Coast Ranges, as well as into the desert chaparral areas of the Mojave desert. In chaparral communities, it tends to inhabit north-facing slopes, erosion channels, or other moist, cool sites.  It is a persistent member of chaparral communities, being slow-growing but long-lived; common chaparral flora associates are toyon, western poison-oak and coffeeberry. In the absence of fire, "P. ilicifolia" will outlive or outshade surrounding vegetation, making room for seedlings. Eventually, it will form extensive stands codominated by scrub oak.

Regeneration and seedlings.

Although it will resprout from the stump after fires, the seeds are not fire-adapted like those of many other chaparral plants. Instead, it relies on the natural death of surrounding vegetation during long periods of fire-free conditions to make room for its seedlings.  The seeds are also reported to require sunlight to germinate. However, near 100% germination rates have been achieved with wild-collected seed buried completely in pots with a peatlite mix.

Butterflies.

The caterpillars of the pale swallowtail ("Papilio eurymedon") feed on this and other members of the riparian woodland plant community. It is also a larval host to the California hairstreak, Lorquin's admiral, Nevada buckmoth, and tiger swallowtail.

Cultivation.

"Prunus ilicifolia" is used in California native plants and wildlife gardens, and drought-tolerant sustainable landscaping.

Uses.

Native Americans fermented the fruit into an intoxicating drink. Some also cracked the dried cherries and made meal from the seeds after grinding and leaching them. It has also been made into jam.

Prunus ilicifolia (Common names: hollyleaf cherry, evergreen cherry; islay - Salinan Native American) It is native to the chaparral areas of coastal California (from Mendocino County to San Diego County), Baja California, and Baja California Sur. as well as the desert chaparral areas of the Mojave desert.


Biography.

"“If you are having a slow day, his samples will wake you right up.”"  Ned McGowan is a composer, teacher, flutist, improviser and curator. Known for rhythmical vitality and technical virtuosity, his music has won awards and been performed at Carnegie Hall, the Concertgebouw and other halls and festivals around the world by many orchestras, ensembles and soloists.  Ned's compositions are often informed by his experiences as a flutist in European contemporary, improvisational and non-western musical circles and his main artistic goal is to create self-contained musical worlds through a process of cross-genre translation. By utilizing the possibilities of notation and a variety of performance practice approaches, he seeks to create practical methods to universal, cultural and personal expressions.

Performances.

Orchestras who have performed his works include American Composers Orchestra, Valdosta Symphony Orchestra and the Dutch orchestras Radio Kamer Filharmonie, Radio Filharmonisch Orkest, Gelders Orkest, Rotterdam Sinfonia and Ricciotti. Ensembles include Aleph, Array Music, Atlantic Chamber Ensemble, Duo Blow, Calefax, David Kweksilber Big Band, Flexible Music, Great Noise, Hexnut, Insomnio, Klang, MMM..., musikFabrik, Nederlands Blazers Ensemble, Nederlands Fluit Orkest, BlowUp Flute Octet, Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, Post & Mulder Piano Duo, Sax & Stix, Spinifex, Ensemble Scala, Trio Scordatura, Ensemble Verge, Wervelwind, Zapp4 String Quartet, Zephyr String Quartet and soloists including Susanna Borsch, Helen Bledsoe, Keiko Shichijo, Guy Livingston, Tatiana Koleva/Rutger Oterloo, Francesca Thompson, Greg Oakes, Reiko Manabe, Mysore Manjunath, Derek Bermel, Sarah Jeffrey, Egbert Jan Louwerse and Eric Vloeimans.

Awards.

Ned's piece Tools, winner of the Henriette Bosmans Prize (NL), was described as “brutal and humorous” (Geneco), while at the same time “packed with discreet acoustic rooms, some more resonant than others, but all proving that... subtlety pays off” (Guy Livingston, Paris Transatlantic). His work “Wood Burn grew to be the highpoint of the evening” (Mark van de Voort, the Brabants Dagblad). Hans van Lissum (www.cut-up.com) wrote, “the compositions of band leader Ned McGowan, very complex in many ways, are especially well put together. Live performance also allows them to breathe enough, by optimally taking advantage of theatrical aspects....” In 2014, he was awarded the Alumni Achievement Award from the Cleveland Institute of Music.

Extended techniques and instruments.

Many of his works utilize unusual instrumentations, extended techniques or theatrical setups. For Tempest in a Teapot, commissioned by the Dutch Music Days for the Radio Kamer Philharmonic, the orchestra is spatialized around the public. As winner of the Harvey Gaul competition from the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, he composed Sound becomes visible in the form of radiance, which is built around the bowing of a piano: “a radical work that reorients the listener's relationship to time.” (Mark Kanny, Pittsburgh Tribune) His recent set of six pièces mécaniques for Calefax and Eric Vloeimans consists mostly of text directions and staging diagrams. Also McGowan composed the world's first Concerto for iPad (tablet computer) and orchestra, which saw its premiere with soloist Keiko Shichijo and the Rotterdam Sinfonia, conducted by Conrad van Alphen. Upcoming performances are scheduled for the Netherlands and Belgium.

Flute.

When playing the flute, Ned focuses mainly on creative projects and he has collaborated with Aka Moon, Derek Bermel, Gabriel Bolkosky, George Brooks, Oguz Buyukberber, Larry Coryell, Oene van Geel, Stephen Gosling, Dr. Marshall Griffith, Wiek Hijmans, Rozalie Hirs, Guus Janssen, David Kweksilber, Dr. Gregory Oakes, Erkan Ogur, Keiko Shichijo, Fahrettin Yarkın, mime-ist Virag Dezso and Zapp 4 in addition to many renowned Indian artists. He has also performed with the musikFabrik, Beethoven Academie, the Erie Philharmonic, Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, Non Sequitur, Axyz Ensemble, Spinifex Orchestra and his own quintet Hexnut. His specialty is also the contrabass flute, where he often performs solo and in 2008 he composed the first concerto for contrabass flute and orchestra. Premiered at Carnegie Hall with the American Composers Orchestra, he “proved there’s still plenty of life in old-fashioned virtuosity with Bantammer Swing, a playful, athletic concerto for his unwieldy contrabass flute," according to Steve Smith of the New York Times. He has composed often for flute and also for recorder in solo and chamber ensembles, and will compose both the competition piece for the National Flute Convention High School Soloist Competition in 2016 and a work for piccolo specialist Ilonka Kolthof.

India.

One strong facet of Ned's influence is the Carnatic music from South India. Over the past decade he has collaborated and performed regularly in India and Europe with Indian musicians Pravin Godkhindi, Jahnavi Jayaprakash, Ronu Majumdar, Dr. Mysore Manjunath, B.C. Manjunath, Mysore Nagaraj, M.K. Pranesh, Dr. Suma Sudhindra, Anoor Anathakrishna Sharma and Ghiridar Udupa. “What fascinates me is the Carnatic use of rhythmical complexities developed through a tradition of performance.” Works exploring Indian forms from a European perspective include Chamundi Hill, for flute and harp, Alap for voice and ensemble, Stone Soup for jazz ensemble, Tusk for ensemble and Three Amsterdam Scenes for voice, viola and keyboards.

New works.

The festivals Acht Brücken, Grachten, Klankkleur Festivals, MATA, Nederlandse Muziek Dagen, Voorwaarts Maart have commissioned new works from McGowan and his music has been performed at Aspen, Gaudeamus, Dag in de Branding, North Sea Jazz, November Music, SinusTon, Huddersfield, Klap op de Vuurpijl festivals. Other current commissions include a third work for Calefax and works for the Slagwerk Den Haag, viola soloist Kimberly Sparr and music for a radio play for the NTR.

Compositions.

ORCHESTRA Hydraulic Principles (2012) - orchestra | pianola Tempest in a Teapot (2006) - orchestra  ORCHESTRA WITH SOLO Concerto for iPad and Orchestra "Rotterdam Concerto 2" (2012) - solo iPad and orchestra Bantammer Swing (2008) - solo contrabass flute and orchestra  CHAMBER ENSEMBLE Ricochet (2014) - contrabass flute and percussion Building Music (2013) - large ensemble six pièces mécaniques (2012) - six players Stop Horn Please OK (2012) - jazz ensemble The Deccan Queen (2012) - jazz ensemble Chamundi Hill (2012) - flute and harp | flute and piano SMAK! (2011) - woodwind sextet, mezzo-soprano and actor Destroy Recycle Construct (2011) - mixed quintet Three Amsterdam Scenes (2011) - voice, viola and keyboards Solar Neon (2010) - mixed septet Sound Becomes Visible in the Form of Radiance (2010) - mixed sextet LITH / A Mausoleum of Redshifted Endeavors (2009) - two pianos Chaaya (2009) - music for dance Heads or Tails (2008) - jazz ensemble Hymn (2008) - improvising string quartet | string quartet | saxophone quartet | flute octet Plantae Magnoliophyta Liliopsida Poales Poaceae Spinifex (2007) - jazz ensemble Second City (2007) - mixed quintet Spectra (2007) - solo contrabass flute, flute and flute orchestra Not Pseudopetiolate Triodia 2 (2006) - jazz ensemble Devil's Dust (2006) - string quartet Alap (2005) - soprano and chamber ensemble Wood Burn (2005) - reed quintet | chamber ensemble | chamber ensemble 2 Annabel (2004) - narrator and chamber ensemble | narrator and chamber ensemble 2 | narrator and woodwind sextet Capsule (2003) - chamber orchestra Song (2003) - mixed quartet Tools (2003) - mixed quartet | mixed sextet; winner Henriette Bosmans Prize, 2003, Netherlands In the Land of Cheese (2001/2002) - flute octet | flute orchestra Stone Soup (2001) - jazz ensemble Tusk (2001) - mixed quintet Urban Turban (2001) - two marimbas | alto saxophone and marimba | flute and marimba | flute and piano | fl, b.cl, pno | fl, vln, pno | a.sax, gtr, pno | mixed quartet Ios Duo (1999) - flute and clarinet Melting Igloos (1998) - mixed quartet; Finalist Gaudeamus Foundation Prize, 2000  SOLO INSTRUMENT Hallucination (2014) - solo fortepiano The Beating Heart of the City (2014) - installation Rhythmic Etudes - Book One (2014) - piano solo Torrent (2011) - solo flute For Crying Out Loud (2004) - harpsicord | piano Workshop (2004) - alto record and tape | flute and tape Moonrise (1998) - flute; finalist Gaudeamus Foundation Prize, 1999 Why (1994) - flute solo

Discography.

NOT Trio - Injured (2013) American Composers Orchestra - Playing it UNsafe (2009) Steve Horowitz - Stations of the Breath (2009) Gregory Oakes - New Dialects (2009) Axyz Ensemble - Medcezir (2008) Spinifex Orchestra (2008) Hexnut (2007) Tools (2006) Nandi Dasaru (2005) Non Sequitur (2005) Paximadi (2005) Rickshaw Chase (2001)

Ned McGowan (born 1970) is an American composer and flutist based in Amsterdam. Ned holds degrees in composition from the Royal Conservatory Den Haag and in flute from the Cleveland Institute of Music and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. "“McGowan’s music strives for an idiom in which various musics – American popular, European classical and avant-garde, Carnatic, a fascination with proportionally intricate rhythms, the use of microtones in the search for new subtleties of melody – and many others, rub against each other and generate new meanings.”" - musicologist Bob Gilmore.


History.

Sankt Andreasberg was founded in the 1480s. It was first mentioned in a letter from the Count Heinrich zu Stolberg to Dietrich von Witzlebenon on 3 November 1487. The establishment of the village took place around the market. The first silver mines are assumed to be the St. Andrews Cross Mine () at the foot of the "Beerberg" and the St. Andrews Mine ("Grube St. Andreas") by the market. In 1521, St. Andreasberg received the right to mine from Counts Heinrich and Ernst von Hohenstein. It was proclaimed in Mansfelder Land and in the mining areas of Saxony and miners were invited to dig for silver and other metals.

Natural monuments.

The area around Sankt Andreasberg is especially rich in habitats worthy of protection in within the Harz National Park, but also around the town in the form of Upper Harz mountain meadows. In the national park north-northwest of Sankt Andreasberg are the "Dreibrodesteine" (at ca. ; ; ND GS 43), three outsize blocks of granite that have been formed by spheroidal weathering. According to legend they originated as the three loaves of bread of a heartless woman who would not help a starving miner. With the words ("I'd rather my three loaves became stones") she spurned the miner, whereupon the loaves grew into giant stones and squashed the woman into the mossy earth. The granite blocks were considered a warning against heartlessness. At the "Dreibrodesteine" is checkpoint no. 154 ("Dreibrodestein") in the Harzer Wandernadel hiking system and a memorial to the foresters and officials of the Andreasberg Forestry Office who fell in the two world wars.  Other natural monuments are a group of chestnuts on the market square (ND GS 42) and the diabase deposit in the village of Silberhütte (ND GS 45). Johann Wolfgang von Goethe researched in 1783 the Hohe Klippen rocks (ND GS 146) on the Rehberg mountain above the present-day Goethe Place on the Rehberger Graben ditche, because he believed he would find evidence there for his assumptions about the earth's history. The boundary between the geological platform made of greywacke hornfels and the underlying fine-grained Brocken granite runs by the Hohe Klippen.

Religion.

The population of Sankt Andreasberg is mostly Protestant.

Sport.

As a result of their elevation, Sankt Andreasberg (520–720 m) and Sonnenberg (800–850 m) still have fairly guaranteed snow. Sankt Andreasberg is an "Alpine Ski Centre of the Harz", with three T-bar lifts on the Sonnenberg as well as two double chair lifts and three T-bars at the Matthias Schmidt Mountain Centre. In the Teichtal there is the first snowtubing track in the Harz. The cross-country skiing trail network around Sankt Andreasberg has 40 km of tracks and is linked from the Sonnenberg to Oderbrück/Torfhaus and to the Ackerloipe/Altenau networks. On Matthias Schmidt Mountain a Sommerrodelbahn is open during the summer. Nordic Walking, hiking, mountain biking and trekking are popular summer activities in the peaceful surroundings of the Sankt Andreasberg mountain town. In the spa park there is a ropes course and climbing park. The southern part of the Oderteich reservoir in the Harz National Park is open to swimmers in the summer.  Coming from Torfhaus and Oderteich, the Brocken bypass section of the nearly 100 km long Harzer Hexenstieg hiking trail passes through the town and heads for Braunlage and Thale.  Mountain rescue services are provided by the local Harz Mountain Rescue Club.  Several Sankt Andreasberg sports clubs enjoy a long tradition. These include the Sankt Andreasberg Shooting Club (1522) and the Sankt Andreasberg Gymnastics and Sports Club (1861). Following the success of the 1st Winterfest in 1896 the Upper Harz Ski Club was founded on the Brocken; it is now called the St. Andreasberg Ski Club 1896.

Sankt Andreasberg is a former town in the district of Goslar, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Since 1 November 2011, it is part of the town Braunlage. It is situated in the Harz, approximately 7 km west of Braunlage proper, and 20 km east of Osterode am Harz.