Early life.

Williams was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, the daughter of poet and literature professor Miller Williams and an amateur pianist, Lucille Fern Day. Her parents divorced in the mid-1960s. Williams's father gained custody of her and her younger brother, Robert Miller, and sister, Karyn Elizabeth. Like her father, she has spina bifida. Her father worked as a visiting professor in Mexico and different parts of the United States, including Baton Rouge; New Orleans; Jackson, Mississippi; and Utah before settling at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Williams never graduated from high school but was accepted into the University of Arkansas. Williams started writing when she was 6 years old. She showed an affinity for music at an early age, and was playing guitar at 12. Williams's first live performance was in Mexico City at 17, as part of a duo with her friend, a banjo player named Clark Jones.

Career.

Early years.

By her early 20s, Williams was playing publicly in Austin and Houston, Texas, concentrating on a blend of folk, rock and country. She moved to Jackson, Mississippi, in 1978 to record her first album, for Smithsonian/Folkways Records. Titled "Ramblin' on My Mind", it was a collection of country and blues covers. The album title was shortened to "Ramblin'" when it was reissued. She followed it up in 1980 with "Happy Woman Blues", which consisted of her own material. Neither album received much attention.  In the 1980s, Williams moved to Los Angeles, California (before finally settling in Nashville, Tennessee), where, at times backed by a rock band and at others performing in acoustic settings, she developed a following and a critical reputation. While based in Los Angeles, she was briefly married to Long Ryders drummer Greg Sowders, whom she had met in a club. In 1988 Rough Trade Records released the self-titled "Lucinda Williams", which was produced by Gurf Morlix. The single "Changed the Locks", about a broken relationship, received radio play around the country and gained fans among music insiders, including Tom Petty, who would later cover the song.  Its follow-up, "Sweet Old World" (Chameleon, 1992), also produced by Morlix, is a melancholy album dealing with themes of suicide and death. Williams' biggest success during the early 1990s was as a songwriter. Mary Chapin Carpenter recorded a cover of "Passionate Kisses" (from "Lucinda Williams") in 1992, and the song became a smash country hit for which Williams received the Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 1994. Carpenter also received a Grammy for her performance of the song. She duetted with Steve Earle on the song "You're Still Standin' There" from his album "I Feel Alright". In 1991, the song "Lucinda Williams" appeared on Vic Chesnutt's album "West of Rome".  Williams had garnered considerable critical acclaim, but her commercial success was moderate. Emmylou Harris said of Williams, "She is an example of the best of what country at least says it is, but, for some reason, she's completely out of the loop and I feel strongly that that's country music's loss." Harris recorded the title track from Williams's "Sweet Old World" for her career-redefining 1995 album, "Wrecking Ball".  Williams also gained a reputation as a perfectionist and slow worker when it came to recording; six years would pass before her next album release, though she appeared as a guest on other artists' albums and contributed to several tribute compilations during this period.

"Car Wheels on a Gravel Road".

The long-awaited release, 1998's "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road", was Williams' breakthrough into the mainstream and received a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. Containing the single "Still I Long for Your Kiss" from the Robert Redford film "The Horse Whisperer", the album received wide critical notice and soon went gold. The single "Can't Let Go" also enjoyed considerable crossover radio play. Williams toured with Bob Dylan, the Allman Brothers and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and on her own in support of the album. An expanded edition of the album, including three additional studio recordings and a second CD documenting a 1998 concert, was released in 2006.  In 1999, she appeared on "", duetting with David Crosby on the title track of the tribute album.  Williams followed up the success of "Car Wheels" with "Essence" (2001). This release features a less produced, more down-tuned approach both musically and lyrically, and moved Williams further from the country music establishment while winning fans in the alternative music world. She won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for the single "Get Right with God," an atypically uptempo gospel-rock tune from the otherwise rather low-key release. The title track includes a contribution on a Hammond organ by alternative country musician Ryan Adams.  Her seventh album, "World Without Tears", was released in 2003. A musically adventurous though lyrically downbeat album, this release found Williams experimenting with talking blues stylings and electric blues.

Recent work.

Williams was a guest vocalist on the song "Factory Girls" from Irish punk-folk band Flogging Molly's 2004 album, "Within a Mile of Home," and appeared on Elvis Costello's "The Delivery Man". She sings with folk legend Ramblin' Jack Elliott on the track "Careless Darling" from his 2006 release "I Stand Alone."  In 2006, Williams recorded a version of the John Hartford classic "Gentle on My Mind," which played over the closing credits of the Will Ferrell film "".  In 2007, Williams released "West", for which she wrote more than 27 songs. The album was released on February 13, 2007. It addresses her mother's death and a tumultuous relationship break-up. "Vanity Fair" praised it, saying "Lucinda Williams has made the record of a lifetime—part Hank Williams, part Bob Dylan, part Keith Richards circa "Exile on Main St."..."  In the fall of 2007, Williams announced a series of shows in Los Angeles and New York. Playing five nights in each city, she performed her entire catalog on consecutive nights. These albums include the self-titled "Lucinda Williams", "Sweet Old World", "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road", "Essence", and "World Without Tears". Each night also featured a second set with special guest stars. Some of the many special guests included Steve Earle, Allison Moorer, Mike Campbell, Greg Dulli, E, Ann Wilson, Emmylou Harris, David Byrne, David Johansen, Yo la Tengo, John Doe, Chuck Prophet, Jim Lauderdale and Shelby Lynne. In addition, each night's album set was recorded and made available to the attendees that night. These live recordings are currently available on her website and at her shows.  The next album from Williams wrapped recording in March 2008. Titled "Little Honey", it was released on October 14 of that year. It includes 13 songs—among them, "Real Love" and "Little Rock Star," the latter inspired by music celebrities in the press, like Pete Doherty and Amy Winehouse. "Little Honey" also includes a cover of AC/DC's "Long Way to the Top" and "Rarity," inspired by singer-songwriter Mia Doi Todd.  In July 2008, though "Little Honey" had yet to be released, "Paste" magazine.com listened to an advance copy and rated the duet between Williams and Elvis Costello on the song "Jailhouse Tears" as the No. 5 all-time greatest country/rock duets.  Her 2008 concert appearance at the Catalyst, Santa Cruz, contained an announcement by the city's mayor that September 6, 2008 would henceforth be Lucinda Williams Day.  Williams released a cover of Shel Silverstein's "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan" in June 2010 as part of the "Twistable, Turnable Man" tribute album.  On March 1, 2011, Williams released the album "Blessed".  In September 2012, she was featured in a campaign called "30 Songs / 30 Days" to support "", a multi-platform media project inspired by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's book.  In 2012 and 2013 Williams went on U.S. tour accompanied only by guitarist Doug Pettibone.  On September 30, 2014, Williams released her eleventh studio album, "Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone", the first album on her Highway 20 Records label.  In 2015, Williams provided backup vocals for the Don Henley song "Train in the Distance" on his album "Cass County."  On February 5, 2016, Williams released the album "The Ghosts of Highway 20" and performed on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on February 17, 2016.  In May 2017, Lucinda was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music during the 2017 Commencement Concert. In June, "Rolling Stone" named Williams one of the 100 Greatest Country Artists of All Time. Later that year, she re-recorded and expanded her 1992 "Sweet Old World" album, this time titled "This Sweet Old World".  On June 29, 2018, Blue Note Records released "Vanished Gardens" by Charles Lloyd & the Marvels which features Lucinda on five tracks. Marvels members Bill Frisell and Greg Leisz have previously worked with Williams, including on "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road".  In 2019, Lucinda co-produced New York singer/songwriter Jesse Malin's LP "Sunset Kids" and co-wrote three tracks on the album. She also performs on three tracks of "Sunset Kids".  On February 4, 2020, Williams announced her new album "Good Souls Better Angels" will be released on April 23. In the same "Rolling Stone" article, Williams released the first single from the album, "Man Without a Soul", which strongly alludes to President Donald Trump. On March 19, Williams released a song she wrote for the Netflix movie "Lost Girls", titled "Lost Girl".

Personal life.

During the 1980s, Williams was briefly married to Long Ryders drummer Greg Sowders. In September 2009 she married Tom Overby, an executive from Best Buy's music department, who is also her manager. The marriage ceremony was performed on stage at First Avenue by her father.

Awards and nominations.

Americana Music Honors & Awards.

The Americana Awards are presented annually by the Americana Music Association and celebrate outstanding achievement in americana music. Williams is one of the most nominated artists in the history of the awards show with 12, including 2 wins.

Grammy Awards.

The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the record industry. Williams has received three awards in three separate categories (country, folk and rock) from 15 nominations that span five genres (pop, rock, country, folk and Americana).

In popular culture.

The American folk/rock band Augustana references the musician in the song "Meet You There," on their studio album "Can't Love, Can't Hurt". The lyrics state, "Just put on Lucinda, Baby, and dance with me."  She is also referenced by the character Kathleen "Kat" Hall played by Mireille Enos in the film "If I Stay".  "Lucinda Williams" is the title of a song on the album "West of Rome" by Vic Chesnutt.

Lucinda Gayle Williams (born January 26, 1953) is an American rock, folk and country music singer, songwriter and musician. She recorded her first albums in 1978 and 1980 in a traditional country and blues style and received very little attention from radio, the media, or the public. In 1988, she released her self-titled album, "Lucinda Williams". This release featured "Passionate Kisses," a song later recorded by Mary Chapin Carpenter, which garnered Williams her first Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 1994.

Lucinda Williams (* 26. ledna 1953 Lake Charles) je americká zpěvačka a kytaristka. Jejím otcem byl básník Miller Williams a matkou amatérská klavíristka Lucille Fern Day. Své debutové album s názvem "Ramblin'", které je kolekcí coververzí, vydala v roce 1978. Své první autorské album "Happy Woman Blues" vydala roku 1980. Následovala řada dalších alb. Rovněž přispěla na velké množství tributních alb, věnovaných například Michaelu Chapmanovi, Johnnymu Cashovi či Lorettě Lynn. Je držitelkou řady ocenění, včetně Ceny Grammy. Časopis "Rolling Stone" ji v roce 2017 zařadil na 91. příčku sta nejlepších countryových umělců všech dob.


Population.

Statistics on Điện Biên Phủ's population vary depending on definitions—figures are generally between 70,000 and 125,000. The city is growing quickly, and is projected to have a population of 150,000 by 2020. The majority of the population is not ethnically Vietnamese—rather, Thai ethnic groups form the largest segment. Ethnic Vietnamese make up around a third of the population, with the remainder being Hmong, Si La, or others.

Location within Vietnam.

Điện Biên Phủ lies in Mường Thanh Valley, a ) long and wide basin sometimes described as "heart-shaped." It is on the western edge of Điện Biên Province, of which it is the capital, and is only about from the border with Laos. Until the creation of the province in 2004, it was part of Lai Châu Province. The Vietnamese government elevated Điện Biên Phủ to town status in 1992, and to city status in 2003.

Transport.

National Route 12 connects Điện Biên to Lai Châu. Điện Biên Phủ Airport serves the city with air route to Hanoi.

History.

The 8th century Thai locality of Muang Then is believed to have been centered here.

Nineteenth and early twentieth century.

Điện Biên Phủ was rather politically removed from central Vietnamese control until 1841. In this year, under the Nguyễn dynasty, Điện Biên Phủ was directly incorporated into the Vietnamese political system when they established the town as an administrative district. This was partly done for more direct control of the region and to stop bandits who were exploiting the opium trade.  In 1887, Điện Biên Phủ became a French protectorate. To ensure that the French would control the local opium trade, they appointed a sole administrator to supervise the trade and control the town. Other than a Hmong rebellion in 1918, the town was under French control until the Japanese occupied it during World War II. By early May 1945, the Japanese occupied Điện Biên Phủ and planned to convert it into a large military base. However, with an airstrip barely being enlarged, Chinese nationalist troops took the town in August of the same year. Subsequently, the nationalist forces then gave way to returning French troops.

Operation Castor (1953).

In the 1950s, the town was known for its famous opium traffic, generating 500,000,000 French francs annually. It was also an extensive source of rice for the Việt Minh.  The region was fortified in November 1953 by the French Union force in the biggest airborne operation of the 1946–1954 First Indochina War, Operation Castor, to block Việt Minh transport routes and to set the stage to draw out Việt Minh forces.

Siege of Điện Biên Phủ (1954).

The following year, the important Battle of Điện Biên Phủ was fought between the Việt Minh (led by General Võ Nguyên Giáp), and the French Union (led by General Henri Navarre, successor to General Raoul Salan). The siege of the French garrison lasted fifty-seven days, from 17:30, 13 March to 17:30, 7 May 1954. The southern outpost or fire base of "Camp Isabelle" did not follow the cease-fire order and fought until 01:00 the following day. The long-scheduled Geneva Meeting's Indochina conference involving the United States, the UK, the French Union and the USSR had already begun on 26 April 1954.  The battle was significant beyond the valleys of Điện Biên Phủ. Giáp's victory ended major French involvement in Indochina and led to the Geneva accords which partitioned Vietnam into North and South.

Điện Biên Phủ, sometimes called Dienbien Phu ( / means "Dienbien Prefecture"), is a city in the northwestern region of Vietnam. It is the capital of Điện Biên Province. The city is best known for the events which occurred there during the First Indochina War, the Battle of Điện Biên Phủ, during which the region was a breadbasket for the Việt Minh. The city was formerly called Thaeng.

Dien Bien Phu (vietnamsky Điện Biên Phủ) je hlavní město vietnamské provincie Điện Biên. Leží v severozápadním cípu vietnamského území, pouze 10 km od hraničního přechodu do Laosu. V současnosti má vlastní město zhruba 73 tisíc obyvatel, z toho mírnou většinu dosud tvoří příslušníci vietnamských národnostních menšin, zejména Thajové (viet. Thái), Hmongové nebo Si La. Původně byla lokalita zvána Mường Thanh, kterýžto název vycházel z místního thajského pojmenování přepisovaného jako Mường Then - tradičně totiž toto území obývali především Thajové.<br> Dien Bien Phu se zapsalo do dějin zejména jako místo rozhodující bitvy Indočínské války na jaře 1954. Vietnamci v ní uštědřili porážku svým dosavadním kolonisátorům, Francouzům.


Early life and education.

Around 1975, he joined the League of Communists. In 1987, he received his doctorate from the Faculty of Economics in Sarajevo. He passed through all levels of professorship before becoming a full professor. In 1988, he became a mayor of Mostar and in 1989 he became the Vice-President of the state Executive Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina. During and immediately after the 1990 elections he held the position of Acting President of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Government. In early March 1992, he travelled to the United States to study the U.S. approach to market economics. Upon his return to Mostar the city was under siege and Prlić joined the Croatian Defence Council and took active participation in war.

Indictment.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia indictment states that as a leading politician of the Croatian Defence Council or HVO in the early 1990s Prlić had almost total power and control of the Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia government. Therefore, as the leader of the HVO government he had the power to remove, military civilian commanders who had taken part of ordered crimes against humanity. He had the power to close HVO concentrations camps.  He was charged with:  On 29 May 2013, in a first instance verdict, the ICTY sentenced Prlić to 25 years in prison. The tribunal also convicted five other war time leaders of the joint trial: defence minister of Herzeg-Bosnia Bruno Stojić (20 years), military officers Slobodan Praljak (20 years) and Milivoj Petković (20 years), military police commander Valentin Ćorić (16 years), and head of prisoner exchanges and detention facilities Berislav Pušić (10 years). The Chamber ruled, by majority, with the presiding judge Jean-Claude Antonetti dissenting, that they took part in a joint criminal enterprise (JCE) against the non-Croat population of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It concluded that "in the majority of cases, the crimes committed were not the random acts of a few unruly soldiers. On the contrary, these crimes were the result of a plan drawn up by members of the JCE whose goal was to permanently remove the Muslim population from Herceg-Bosna." The Chamber also ruled, by majority, that the JCE included the President of Croatia Franjo Tuđman, defence minister Gojko Šušak, and general Janko Bobetko. However, on 19 July 2016 the Appeals Chamber in the case announced that the "Trial Chamber made no explicit findings concerning [Tudjman's, Šušak's and Bobetko's] participation in the JCE and did not find [them] guilty of any crimes."  The ICTY Appeals Chamber affirmed almost all of the convictions against Prlic and his co-defendants, as well as their length of sentence, on 29 November 2017.

Jadranko Prlić (; born 10 June 1959) is a Bosnian Croat politician who held the position of Prime Minister of the Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia, an unrecognized entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina, from 1993 to 1996. From 1994 to 1996, he was the Minister of Defence of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and from 1997 to 2001, the 1st Minister of Foreign Affairs after the Dayton Peace Accords.

Jadranko Prlić (; * 10. června 1959, Đakovo, Jugoslávie, dnes Chorvatsko) je někdejší vůdce bosenských Chorvatů, odsouzený v květnu roku 2013 Mezinárodním trestním tribunálem pro bývalou Jugoslávii (ICTY), sídlícím v nizozemském Haagu, k 25 letům odnětí svobody za válečné zločiny.


Early life and background.

Sabalenka was born on 5 May 1998 in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. Her father Sergey (d. 2019) was a hockey player. Aryna started playing tennis by chance. She said, "One day, my dad was just driving me somewhere in the car, and on the way he saw tennis courts. So he took me to the courts. I really liked it and enjoyed it and that's how it was. That's how it started." She began training at the National Tennis Academy in Minsk when it opened in 2014.  In 2015, the Belarusian Tennis Federation persuaded Sabalenka and her team to focus on playing low-level professional events instead of junior tournaments, even though she was still eligible to compete at the junior level at the time.

Junior career.

Sabalenka had a late start on the ITF Junior Circuit, instead competing on the U14 and U16 Tennis Europe tours at a younger age. She did not compete in the main draw of any ITF events until 2013 at the low-level Grade 4 Tallink Cup in Estonia at the age of 15. She ultimately never played in the junior Grand Slam tournaments, or any other high-level Grade A and Grade 1 events. Without the higher point levels from these bigger tournaments, she had a career-high ranking of just 225.  Sabalenka won her first ITF title in doubles at the lowest-level Grade 5 Alatan Tour Cup in Belarus in late 2013 with compatriot Vera Lapko as her partner. In 2014, she excelled at Grade 4 events. She reached her first singles final at the Estonian Junior Open in June and won her first singles title at the MTV Total Junior Cup in Finland in October. At the end of the season, Sabalenka defended her Alatan Tour Cup doubles title, this time with compatriot Nika Shytkouskaya, and also won the singles title. She only played in one tournament in 2015, the European Junior Championships. As a Grade B1 event, this was the highest level junior tournament she played in. She lost in the second round to top seed Markéta Vondroušová.

Professional career.

2012–16: Top 200, Fed Cup debut.

Sabalenka began playing on the ITF Women's Circuit in 2012, even before she competed on the ITF Junior Circuit. Her first five tournaments were in her hometown of Minsk and spread out over two years, but she did not win a main draw match in any of them. She won her first professional match at the very end of 2014 in Istanbul. The following season in October, she won her first two titles in back-to-back weeks in Antalya, both at the $10K level. Sabalenka also won a $25K title the last week of the year. This title put her into the top 300 of the WTA rankings for the first time at the start of 2016. That year, she made her Fed Cup debut in April, losing her only match. She also won her two biggest titles to date at the $50K level. The first in Tianjin put her into the top 200 in May and the second in Toyota in November helped her finish the year ranked at No. 137 in the world.

2017: Fed Cup heroics, WTA 125K title, top 100.

Despite some early season success in Fed Cup, Sabalenka had a quiet start to the year otherwise. She played in her first WTA main draw in February as a qualifier at the Dubai Open; however, she did not win her first WTA match until Wimbledon in July. In her Grand Slam debut, she again reached the main draw through qualifying and defeated Irina Khromacheva in the opening round. Sabalenka followed up this achievement with another WTA win over No. 34 Lauren Davis at the Washington Open, the 2016 runner-up and the highest-ranked player she had defeated at the time.  After losing in qualifying at the US Open, Sabalenka reached her first ever WTA semifinal at the Tashkent Open, defeating 3rd seed and world No. 53 Tatjana Maria along the way. A few weeks later, she entered the Tianjin Open as the 119th-ranked player in the world, but managed to reach her first WTA final. There, she faced her childhood idol Maria Sharapova, but ultimately lost in two close sets. With this performance, she rose to No. 76 in the rankings, entering the top 100 for the first time. After losing a tight Fed Cup final to the United States, Sabalenka finished the season by winning the biggest title of her career at the time at the Mumbai Open, a WTA 125K event. The title cemented her at No. 73 at the end of the year.

2018: Newcomer of the Year, Premier 5 title.

After playing relatively few WTA events in 2017, Sabalenka utilized her higher ranking to play exclusively on the WTA Tour in 2018. She reached two quarterfinals to begin the year, but lost her opening round match at the Australian Open to top-ranked Australian and world No. 18 Ashleigh Barty. She then won her first matches at a Premier tournament with a third round appearance at the Indian Wells Open before the early-year hard court season came to a close, including a victory over No. 19 Svetlana Kuznetsova.  Sabalenka began the clay court season by reaching a second career final at the Ladies Open Lugano, where she finished runner-up to No. 20 Elise Mertens. This success also put her in the top 50 for the first time. However, she did not win another match for the rest of the clay court season, including a first round defeat to No. 22 Kiki Bertens at the French Open. Sabalenka had stronger results on grass, playing in tune-ups during each of the three weeks before Wimbledon. She made it to the quarterfinals at the Rosmalen Grass Court Championships and the final at the Premier-level Eastbourne International. At the latter event, she won five consecutive three set matches, including three over top 20 opponents and her first top ten victory against defending champion and world No. 7 Karolína Plíšková. Sabalenka lost the final to world No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki. For the third consecutive Grand Slam event, she went out in the first round at Wimbledon.  During the North American hard court summer season, Sabalenka continued to rise through the rankings. At the two Premier 5 tournaments, she reached the third round at the Canadian Open and the semifinals at the Cincinnati Open. In the former, she avenged her previous loss to world No. 2 Wozniacki for the biggest win of her career, hitting 64 winners during the match. In the latter, she recorded two more top ten wins over No. 8 Plíšková and No. 5 Caroline Garcia before losing to world No. 1 Simona Halep. Just a week later, Sabalenka won her first WTA title at the Premier-level Connecticut Open with wins over world No. 9 Julia Görges in the semifinal and Carla Suárez Navarro in the final. Playing a fourth consecutive week, she closed out this part of the season with her best result at a Grand Slam tournament to date, making it to the fourth round at the US Open. In particular, she upset world No. 5 Petra Kvitová in the third round before losing to the eventual champion Naomi Osaka. She was the only player to win a set against Osaka in the tournament.  After the US Open, Sabalenka earned her first No. 1 seed at the Tournoi de Québec, but lost her opening match. Nonetheless, she followed this up by winning the Premier 5 level Wuhan Open, the biggest title of her career. During the event, she upset No. 6 Elina Svitolina in the second round and did not drop a set in any of her last four matches. The following week, Sabalenka reached the quarterfinals of the China Open, a run that included a win over defending champion and No. 4 Caroline Garcia for her eighth top ten victory of the season. This success in China helped her climb to No. 11 in the world. At the end of the season, Sabalenka qualified for the WTA Elite Trophy, where she was grouped with Garcia and Ashleigh Barty. She defeated Barty to open the group, but lost to Garcia in the group's final match. Barty, having defeated Garcia with fewer games lost, advanced out of the group through the tiebreak criteria to end Sabalenka's season. Nonetheless, she was named the WTA Newcomer of the Year for her excellent performance in her first full year on the WTA Tour.

2019: Top 10 debut in singles, world No. 2 in doubles.

Singles: WTA Elite Trophy, three titles in China in total.

Although Sabalenka once again struggled at the Grand Slam tournaments, she ultimately finished the year with the same year-end ranking as in 2018 on the strength of three titles, all in China. She began the season by winning her third career WTA title at the Shenzhen Open, defeating Alison Riske in the final in a tight three-set match. Due to rain delays in the earlier rounds, she needed to play both the semifinal and the final on the last day of the tournament. However, she could not build on this success in the rest of the first half of the year. Sabalenka lost to 17-year-old Amanda Anisimova in straight sets at both the Australian Open and the French Open in the third and second rounds respectively. She had been considered the third-leading favourite for the title at the Australian Open. Nonetheless, she made her top 10 debut following the event. Sabalenka fared worse at Wimbledon, losing her opening match to No. 139 Magdaléna Rybáriková. In-between the Grand Slam tournaments, Sabalenka's best result was a semifinal loss to No. 8 Kiki Bertens at the Premier-level St. Petersburg Ladies' Trophy in February. She also made the fourth round at the Indian Wells Open. Her best result on clay was a semifinal at the Internationaux de Strasbourg in May.  Sabalenka had a better second half of the season. In her first tournament following Wimbledon, she finished runner-up to Zheng Saisai at the Silicon Valley Classic, a Premier-level event. She did not perform well at either Premier 5 tournament in August or the US Open, losing in the second round at the last Grand Slam tournament of the year. Sabalenka returned to China following the US Open, and produced three strong results in four events. After a quarterfinal at the Zhengzhou Open, she defended her title at the Premier 5 Wuhan Open. During the event, she defeated No. 8 Kiki Bertens in the third round and No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in the semifinals, her first victory over a current world No. 1 player. She won the final over Alison Riske. At the end of the season, Sabalenka qualified for the WTA Elite Trophy for the second consecutive year. She swept her round robin group of Maria Sakkari and her doubles partner Elise Mertens. In the knockout rounds, Sabalenka defeated Karolína Muchová and Bertens for her fifth career title, and her third title of the year in China.

Doubles: US Open champion, Sunshine Double.

Sabalenka started the year ranked No. 73 in doubles. She began partnering with Elise Mertens in January, when the pair lost to top seeds Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková in the third round of the Australian Open. They had their breakthrough in March at the two Premier Mandatory tournaments. In only their second tournament together, Sabalenka and Mertens won the Indian Wells Open. They defeated three of the top five seeds in the event, including second seeds Tímea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic in the first round and top seeds Krejčíková and Siniaková in the final. The pair matched this success at their next event by winning the Miami Open to complete the Sunshine Double. They defeated three of the top six seeds, including third seeds Hsieh Su-Wei and Barbora Strýcová in the second round. They won the final against sixth seeds Samantha Stosur and Zhang Shuai. With these two titles, Sabalenka rose to No. 21 in the world. Sabalenka and Mertens became the fifth doubles partnership in history, and first since Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza in 2015, to complete the Sunshine Double in doubles.  Sabalenka and Mertens continued to partner together throughout the year, entering eleven events before the year-end championships. Whereas Sabalenka did not have much success in the Grand Slam singles events, she produced much better results in doubles. Sabalenka and Mertens reached the semifinals at the French Open, losing to second seeds Babos and Mladenovic. They then reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, losing to third seeds Hsieh and Strýcová. These were Sabalenka's first two appearances in at least the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam event. Sabalenka and Mertens had their best result of the year at the US Open. As the fourth seeds at the event, they made it to the final without having to play another top ten seeded team. In the final, they faced eighth seeds Victoria Azarenka and Ashleigh Barty, the latter of whom had won the title a year earlier with CoCo Vandeweghe. Sabalenka and Mertens defeated Azarenka and Barty in straight sets for their first career Grand Slam title in any discipline. With this title, Sabalenka made her top 10 debut in doubles at No. 6 in the world.  Sabalenka and Mertens made one more final during the year, finishing runner-up at the Wuhan Open where Sabalenka won the singles title. Their three big titles helped them win the Race to Shenzhen and qualify for the WTA Finals as the top seeds. Before the event, Sabalenka and Mertens moved up to No. 2 and No. 3 in the rankings respectively behind only world No. 1 Barbora Strýcová. At the WTA Finals, the pair were placed in a round robin group with third seeds Babos and Mladenovic, fifth seeds Chan Hao-ching and Latisha Chan, as well as eighth seeds Anna-Lena Grönefeld and Demi Schuurs. In their opening match, they were upset by Grönefeld and Schuurs in a match tiebreak. After defeating the Chan sisters, Sabalenka and Mertens lost to Babos and Mladenovic in another match tiebreak and did not advance out of their group.

National representation.

Fed Cup.

Early appearances.

Sabalenka represented Belarus at the Junior Fed Cup in 2014, with the team finishing in 6th place. She then made her senior Fed Cup debut for Belarus in April 2016, losing a dead rubber doubles match against Russia. Nonetheless, the Belarusian team led by Victoria Azarenka and Aliaksandra Sasnovich won the tie to qualify for the top-tier World Group the following season for the first time in their history.

2017: Surprise runner-up in World Group debut.

The Belarus Fed Cup team made their debut in the World Group and ultimately reached the final, despite being the underdogs in all three ties. Little was expected from the team because they were without their veteran leader Azarenka, who missed the first two ties on maternity leave and the last because of a custody battle. Without her, Belarus was led by Sabalenka and Sasnovich, neither of whom had ever been ranked above No. 76 by the time of the final. However, they did have the advantage of playing all of their ties at home in Minsk.  The ties in the quarterfinals against the Netherlands in February and the semifinals against Switzerland in April both played out in the same way. While Sabalenka lost her opening matches to their opponents' respective top-ranked players of Kiki Bertens and Timea Bacsinszky, Sasnovich was able to give Belarus a 2–1 lead in each instance. Sabalenka then clinched both ties, with wins over Michaëlla Krajicek and No. 54 Viktorija Golubic respectively. She was only ranked No. 125 at the time of the semifinal, with no career WTA match wins outside of Fed Cup.  On the opening day of the final against the United States, Sabalenka upset the reigning US Open champion and world No. 13 Sloane Stephens to level the tie after Sasnovich lost her first rubber to No. 10 CoCo Vandeweghe. The next day began with Sabalenka losing to Vandeweghe, before Sasnovich again leveled the tie by defeating Stephens. Sabalenka and Sasnovich were then selected for the decisive doubles rubber for the Fed Cup crown, but the duo were defeated by Vandeweghe and Shelby Rogers.  Despite finishing as runner-up, Belarus's Fed Cup success helped popularize women's tennis in Belarus, and vaulted Sabalenka and Sasnovich into international prominence. Sasnovich said, "When we played the quarterfinals and semifinals in Minsk, a lot of people were coming to see our matches. They finally saw tennis in life, and it’s like a popularization... I want my country to improve even more in tennis, because I think we can have even more from Belarus."

2018–19: Avoiding demotion, another semifinal.

Belarus was unable to repeat their 2017 Fed Cup success in 2018. Their quarterfinal tie was held in Minsk against Germany. Although Sabalenka won both of her singles rubbers, Sasnovich and Vera Lapko lost each of theirs to set up a decisive doubles rubber. Sabalenka and doubles specialist Lidziya Marozava were selected for the match, with Sabalenka playing on short rest directly after her last singles match. After taking the first set against Anna-Lena Grönefeld and Tatjana Maria, they ultimately lost the rubber and the tie.  Their next tie was again contested in Minsk as part of the World Group Play-offs, with Slovakia competing to take Belarus's place in the World Group the following season. Sabalenka and Sasnovich each split their two singles rubbers, with Sabalenka being upset by Viktória Kužmová. Doubles specialists Lapko and Marozava were chosen for the final rubber and the pair won the match to keep Belarus in the World Group for 2019.  In the 2019 Fed Cup, Belarus were drawn against Germany in the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year. After Sasnovich won the opening rubber against Maria, Sabalenka won both of her singles rubbers against Andrea Petkovic and Laura Siegemund to clinch the tie. They advanced to face Australia in the semifinals. Only two players from each team participated: Sabalenka and Azarenka for Belarus, and Ashleigh Barty and Samantha Stosur for Australia. Both Sabalenka and Azarenka defeated Stosur, but lost to Barty. In the decisive doubles rubber, Barty and Stosur won in three sets to eliminate Belarus.

Playing style.

Sabalenka is an aggressive baseliner. She has a powerful serve and her game is built around going for groundstroke winners. She has said "I hope all my shots can be strong, but my serve, I feel is the best." Her groundstrokes are often hit very flat. Tennis broadcaster and former professional player Mary Carillo praised the power in her style of play along with her fierce attitude, describing her game as "big babe tennis personified". Although Sabalenka has the ability to hit a lot of winners, they are often accompanied by a lot of unforced errors. In her first career top ten victory against Karolína Plíšková, she hit 40 winners and 39 unforced errors. Her second career top ten victory against Caroline Wozniacki was similar, featuring 64 winners and 54 unforced errors. Her coach Dmitry Tursunov credits her improvement in the summer of 2018 on developing better shot selection. He said, "The major thing is she stopped trying [to] hit a winner with every shot."  Sabalenka prefers playing on grass and hard courts. She commented, "This year [in 2017] I played for the first time on grass courts [during Wimbledon]. And I really liked it. I enjoyed my game on the grass courts, the feeling of grass, that's nice. I think my game is suited for grass and for hard courts." On clay, she made both the singles and doubles finals at the 2018 Ladies Open Lugano.  Sabalenka frequently accompanies her shots with loud grunting. She has said, "Honestly, I don’t even hear myself when I am playing." However, she has expressed her hopes that her grunting has no disturbance on her opponents. At the Australian Open, the home crowd mocked her habit in a match against Australian Ashleigh Barty.

Coaches.

Sabalenka had worked with Khalil Ibrahimov for two years up until early 2018. At this point, she began working with former Swedish professional tennis players Magnus Norman and Magnus Tideman. Dmitry Tursunov became her primary coach in time for the grass court season in 2018.

Personal life.

Sabalenka has a tiger tattoo on her left arm. This tattoo has earned her the nickname "The Tiger", which she has used to refer to herself. Sabalenka has studied at the Belarusian State University in a sports-related program. Her tennis idols growing up were Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova.

Aryna Siarhiejeŭna Sabalenka (;, "Arina Sergeyevna Sobolenko", born 5 May 1998) is a Belarusian professional tennis player. She has been a top ten player in both singles and doubles, having been ranked as high as No. 9 in singles and No. 2 in doubles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). Sabalenka won her first Grand Slam title in doubles at the 2019 US Open alongside Elise Mertens. She has won nine WTA titles in total, six in singles and three in doubles.

Aryna Sabalenková, bělorusky: Арына Сяргееўна Сабаленка, "Aryna Sjarhejevna Sabalenka", (* 5. května 1998 Minsk) je běloruská profesionální tenistka a vítězka ženské čtyřhry US Open 2019, do níž nastoupila s Elise Mertensovou. Ve své dosavadní kariéře na okruhu WTA Tour vyhrála šest turnajů ve dvouhře včetně triumfů na Wuhan Open 2018 a 2019. K nim přidala tři trofeje ze čtyřhry včetně Sunshine double 2019. Po jedné singlové i deblové trofeji vybojovala na turnajích série WTA 125K. V rámci okruhu ITF získala pět titulů ve dvouhře a jeden ve čtyřhře.


History.

Colonial Virginia.

The area that now constitutes Arlington County was originally part of Fairfax County in the Colony of Virginia. Land grants from the British monarch were awarded to prominent Englishmen in exchange for political favors and efforts at development. One of the grantees was Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, who lends his name to both Fairfax

Alexandria County, District of Columbia (D.C.).

The area that now contains almost all of Arlington County was ceded to the new United States federal government by Virginia, along with most of what is now the city of Alexandria. With the passage of the Residence Act in 1790, Congress approved a new permanent capital to be located on the Potomac River, the exact area to be selected by U.S. President George Washington. The Residence Act originally only allowed the President to select a location within Maryland as far east as what is now the Anacostia River. However, President Washington shifted the federal territory's borders to the southeast in order to include the pre-existing city of Alexandria at the District's southern tip.  In 1791, Congress, at Washington's request, amended the Residence Act to approve the new site, including the territory ceded by Virginia.

Retrocession.

Residents of Alexandria County had expected the federal capital's location to result in higher land prices and the growth of commerce. Instead the county found itself struggling to compete with the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal at the port of Georgetown, which was farther inland and on the northern side of the Potomac River next to the city of Washington. Members of Congress from other areas of Virginia also used their power to prohibit funding for projects, such as the Alexandria Canal, which would have increased competition with their home districts. In addition, Congress had prohibited the federal government from establishing any offices in Alexandria, which made the county less important to the functioning of the national government.  Alexandria had also been an important center of the slave trade (see Franklin and Armfield Office). Rumors circulated that abolitionists in Congress were attempting to end slavery in the District; such an action would have further depressed Alexandria's slavery-based economy. At the same time, an active abolitionist movement arose in Virginia that created a division on the question of slavery in the Virginia General Assembly. Pro-slavery Virginians recognized that if Alexandria were returned to Virginia, it could provide two new

Civil War.

During the American Civil War, Virginia seceded from the Union as a result of a statewide referendum held on May 23, 1861; the voters from Alexandria County approved secession by a vote of 958–48. This vote indicates the degree to which its only town, Alexandria, was pro-secession and pro-Confederate. The rural county residents outside the city were Union loyalists and voted against secession. Although Virginia was part of the Confederacy, it did not control all of northern Virginia. In 1862, the United States Congress passed a law that provided that owners

Separation from Alexandria.

In 1870, the City of Alexandria became legally separated from Alexandria County by an amendment to the Virginia Constitution that made all Virginia incorporated cities (but not incorporated towns) independent of the counties of which they had previously been a part. Because of the confusion between the city and the county having the same name, a movement started to

20th century.

In 1920, the Virginia legislature renamed the area Arlington County to avoid confusion with the City of Alexandria which had become an independent city in 1870 under the new Virginia Constitution adopted after the Civil War.  In the 1930s, Hoover Field was established on the present site of the Pentagon; in that decade, Buckingham, Colonial Village, and other apartment communities also opened. World War II brought a boom to the county, but one that could not be met by new construction due to rationing imposed by the war effort.  In October 1942, not a single rental unit was available in the county. On October 1, 1949 the University of Virginia in Charlottesville created an extension center in the county named Northern Virginia University Center of the University of Virginia, then University College, next Northern Virginia Branch of the University of Virginia, then George Mason College of the University of Virginia, and today George Mason University. The Henry G. Shirley Highway (now Interstate 395) was constructed during World War II, along with

21st century.

On September 11, 2001, five al-Qaeda hijackers deliberately crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon, killing 115 Pentagon employees and 10 contractors in the building, as well as all 53 passengers, six crew members, and five hijackers on board the aircraft.  Arlington, regarded as a model of smart growth, has experienced explosive growth in

Geography.

Arlington County is located in northeast Virginia and is surrounded by Fairfax County and the Falls Church to the southwest, the City of Alexandria to the southeast, and Washington, D.C. to the northeast directly across the Potomac River, which forms the county's northern border. Other landforms also form county borders, particularly Minor's Hill and Upton's Hill on the west.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (0.4%) is water. It is the smallest county by area in Virginia and is the smallest self-governing county in the United States. About of the county is federal property. The county is roughly in the shape of a rectangle by, with the small end slanting in a northwest-southeast direction. It has no incorporated areas. Its county seat is the census-designated place (CDP) of Arlington, which is coterminous with the boundaries of the county; however, the county courthouse and most government offices are located in the Courthouse neighborhood.  For over 30 years, the government has pursued a development strategy of concentrating much of its new development near transit facilities, such as Metrorail stations and the high-volume bus lines of Columbia Pike. Within the transit areas, the government has a policy of encouraging mixed-use and pedestrian- and transit-oriented development. Some of these "urban village" communities include:  In 2002, Arlington received the EPA's National Award for Smart Growth Achievement for "Overall Excellence in Smart Growth." In 2005, the County implemented an affordable housing ordinance that requires most developers to contribute significant affordable housing resources, either in units or through a cash contribution, in order to obtain the highest allowable amounts of increased building density in new development projects, most of which are planned near Metrorail station areas.  A number of the county's residential neighborhoods and larger garden-style apartment complexes are listed in the National Register of Historic Places and/or designated under the County government's zoning ordinance as local historic preservation districts. These include Arlington Village, Arlington Forest, Ashton Heights, Buckingham, Cherrydale, Claremont, Colonial Village, Fairlington, Lyon Park, Lyon Village, Maywood, Nauck, Penrose, Waverly Hills and Westover. Many of Arlington County's neighborhoods participate in the Arlington County government's Neighborhood Conservation Program (NCP). Each of these neighborhoods has a Neighborhood Conservation Plan that describes the neighborhood's characteristics, history and recommendations for capital improvement projects that the County government funds through the NCP.  Arlington ranks fourth in the nation, immediately after Washington, D.C. itself, for park access and quality in the 2018 ParkScore ranking of the top 100 park systems across the United States, according to the ranking methodologies of the nonpartisan Trust for Public Land.

Demographics.

As of the 2010 census, there were 207,627 people, 98,050 households, and 41,607 families residing in Arlington. The population density was 8,309 people per square mile (2,828/km2), the highest of any county in Virginia.  According to the US Census, the racial makeup of the county in 2012 was 63.8% Non-Hispanic white, 8.9% Non-Hispanic Black or African American, 0.8% Non-Hispanic Native American, 9.9% Non-Hispanic Asian (2.0% Indian, 1.7% Chinese, 1.1% Filipino, 0.9% Korean, 0.7% Vietnamese, 2.7% Other Asian), 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.29% Non-Hispanic other races, 3.0% Non-Hispanics reporting two or more races. 15.4% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race (3.4% Salvadoran, 2.0% Bolivian, 1.7% Mexican, 1.5% Guatemalan, 0.8% Puerto Rican, 0.7% Peruvian, 0.6% Colombian). 28% of Arlington residents were foreign-born as of 2000.  There were 86,352 households out of which 19.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.30% were married couples living together, 7.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 54.50% were non-families. 40.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.96.  Families headed by single parents was the lowest in the DC area, under 6%, as estimated by the Census Bureau for the years 2006–2008. For the same years, the percentage of people estimated to be living alone was the third highest in the DC area, at 45%. In 2009, Arlington was highest

Government and politics.

The county is governed by a five-person County Board; members are elected at-large on staggered four-year terms. They appoint a county manager, who is the chief executive of the County Government. Like all Virginia counties, Arlington has five elected constitutional officers: a clerk of court, a commissioner of revenue, a commonwealth's attorney, a sheriff, and a treasurer. The budget for the fiscal year 2009 was $1.177 billion.  For the last two decades, Arlington has been a Democratic stronghold at nearly all levels of government. However, during a special election in April 2014, a Republican running as an independent, John Vihstadt, captured a County Board seat, defeating Democrat Alan Howze 57% to 41%; he became the first non-Democratic board member in fifteen years. This was in large part a voter response to plans to raise property taxes to fund several large projects, including a streetcar and an aquatics center. County Board Member Libby Garvey, in April 2014, resigned from the Arlington Democratic Committee after supporting Vihstadt's campaign over Ferranti's. Eight months later, in November's general election, Vihstadt won a full term; winning by 56% to 44%. This is

Economy.

Arlington has consistently had the lowest unemployment rate of any jurisdiction in Virginia. The unemployment rate in Arlington was 4.2% in August 2009. 60% of office space in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor is leased to government agencies and government contractors. There were an estimated 205,300 jobs in the county in 2008. About 28.7% of these were with the federal, state or local government; 19.1% technical and professional; 28.9% accommodation, food and other services.  In October 2008, "BusinessWeek" ranked Arlington as the safest city in which to weather a recession, with a 49.4% share of jobs in "strong industries". In October 2009, during the economic downturn, the unemployment in the county reached 4.2%. This was the lowest in the state, which averaged 6.6% for the same time period, and among the lowest in the nation, which averaged 9.5% for the same time.  In 2018, there were an estimated 114,700 housing units in the county. In 2010, there were an estimated 90,842 residences in the county. In 2019, the median home was worth $610,000. 4,721 houses, about 10% of all stand-alone homes, were worth $1 million or more. By comparison, in 2000, the median single family home price was $262,400. About 123 homes were worth $1 million or more.  In 2010, there were 0.9 percent of the homes in foreclosure. This was the lowest rate in the DC area.  14% of the 146,412 people working in Arlington live in the county, while 86% commute in, with 27% commuting from Fairfax County. An additional 92,784 people commute out for work, with 42% commuting to DC, and 29% commuting to Fairfax County.

Federal government.

A number of federal agencies are headquartered in Arlington, including the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, American Battle Monuments Commission, DARPA, Diplomatic Security Service, Drug Enforcement Administration,

Companies and organizations.

Companies headquartered in Arlington include AES, Alcalde and Fay, Arlington Asset Investment, AvalonBay Communities, CACI, Corporate Executive Board, ENVIRON International Corporation, ESI International, FBR Capital Markets, Interstate Hotels & Resorts, Pacific Architects and Engineers, Rosetta Stone, and Nestlé.  Organizations located here include the American

Largest employers.

According to the County's 2017 Comprehensive

Entrepreneurship.

Arlington has been recognized as a strong incubator for start-up

Landmarks.

Arlington National Cemetery.

Arlington National Cemetery is an American military cemetery established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Confederate General Robert E. Lee's home, Arlington House (also known as the Custis-Lee Mansion). It is directly across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., north of the Pentagon. With nearly 300,000 graves, Arlington National Cemetery is the second-largest national cemetery in the United States.  Arlington House was named after the Custis family's homestead on Virginia's Eastern Shore. It is associated with the families of Washington, Custis, and Lee.

The Pentagon.

The Pentagon in Arlington is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense. It was dedicated on January 15, 1943 and it is the world's largest office building. Although it is located in Arlington, the United States Postal Service requires that "Washington, D.C." be used as the place name in mail addressed to the six ZIP codes assigned to The Pentagon.  The building is pentagon-shaped and houses about 23,000 military and civilian employees and about 3,000 non-defense support personnel. It has five floors and each floor has five ring corridors. The Pentagon's principal law enforcement arm is the United States Pentagon Police, the agency that protects the Pentagon and various other DoD jurisdictions throughout the National Capital Region.  Built during the early years of

Transportation.

Streets and roads.

Arlington forms part of the region's core transportation network. The county is traversed by two interstate highways, Interstate 66 in the northern part of the county and Interstate 395 in the eastern part, both with high-occupancy vehicle lanes or restrictions. In addition, the county is served by the George Washington Memorial Parkway. In total, Arlington County maintains of roads.  The street names in Arlington generally follow a unified countywide convention. The north-south streets are generally alphabetical, starting with one-syllable names, then two-, three- and four-syllable names. The "lowest" alphabetical

Public transport.

Forty percent of Virginia's transit trips begin or end in Arlington, with the vast majority originating from Washington Metro rail stations.  Arlington is served by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA or "Metro"), the regional transit agency covering parts of Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. Arlington has stations on the Orange, Blue, Yellow, and Silver lines of the Washington Metro rail system. The Metro stations in Arlington are the only stations outside of Washington, D.C. where the system's original Brutalist architecture can be found.

Other.

Capital Bikeshare, a bicycle sharing system, began operations in September 2010 with 14 rental locations primarily around Washington Metro stations throughout the county. Arlington County is home to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which provides domestic air services to the Washington, D.C. area. In 2009, Condé Nast Traveler readers voted it the country's best airport. Nearby international airports are Washington Dulles International Airport, located in Fairfax and Loudoun counties in Virginia, and Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, located in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. In 2007, the county authorized EnviroCAB, a new taxi company, to operate exclusively with a hybrid-electric fleet of 50

Education.

Arlington Public Schools operates the county's public K-12 education system of 22 elementary schools; 6 middle schools (Dorothy Hamm Middle School, Gunston Middle School, Kenmore Middle School, Swanson Middle School, Thomas Jefferson Middle School, and Williamsburg Middle School); and 3 public high schools (Wakefield High School, Washington-Liberty High School (formerly Washington-Lee), and Yorktown High School). H-B Woodlawn and Arlington Tech are alternative public schools. Arlington County spends about half of its local revenues on education. For the FY2013 budget, 83 percent of funding was from local revenues, and 12 percent from the state. Per pupil expenditures are expected to average $18,700, well above its neighbors, Fairfax County ($13,600) and Montgomery County ($14,900).  Arlington has an elected five-person school board whose members are elected to four-year terms. Virginia law does not permit political parties to place school board candidates on the ballot.  Through an agreement with Fairfax County Public Schools approved by the school board in 1999, up to 26 students residing in Arlington per grade level may be enrolled at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax at a cost to Arlington of approximately $8,000 per student. For the first time in 2006, more students (36) were offered admission

Notable people.

Notable individuals who were born in and/or have lived in Arlington include: The Doors frontman Jim Morrison; Former vice president Al Gore; Confederate general Robert E.

Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia, often referred to simply as Arlington or Arlington, Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is coterminous with the U.S. Census Bureau's census-designated place of Arlington. Arlington is considered to be the second-largest "principal city" of the Washington metropolitan area.

Arlington County (často pouze Arlington) je okres na severu státu Virginie ve Spojených státech amerických. Leží na pravém břehu řeky Potomac, v těsné blízkosti hlavního města USA Washingtonu, D.C. Nachází se zde mnoho institucí, které se již do hlavního města, ležícího na levém břehu, nevešly, jako například Pentagon nebo Arlingtonský národní hřbitov. V Arligtonu žije mnoho politiků a zaměstnanců ministerstev, kteří dojíždějí do hlavního města, se kterým je Arligton spojen metrem. Žije zde asi 225 tisíc obyvatel.


Profile.

Azra Bašić (née Alešević) was born on 22 June 1959 in Rijeka, Croatia, Yugoslavia. During the war, Bašić fought with the Bosnian Croat (HVO) army. From April 1992 to August 1992, Bašić worked as a guard in three detention camps near the majority Serb settlements of Čardak near Derventa. Bosnian state prosecutors charged Bašić with torturing and murdering Serb civilian prisoners at the camps from April to June 1992.  According to court documents, she married Nedzad Bašic on 1 March 1994, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She went by her maiden and married names, as well as the names Azra Kovačević and Issabell Bašić. She came to the United States as a refugee in 1994, eventually settling in Kentucky and becoming a naturalized citizen. She took jobs bathing elderly nursing home patients and worked at a Nestlé food plant in the small rural town of Stockton, where locals knew her as "Issabella".  Bašić was charged in 1993 but was not located by Interpol until 2004. The Bosnian government issued a formal extradition request to the United States in 2007. The U.S. government requested more evidence, which the prosecutors provided in February and April 2010, before arresting her in 2011. She was prosecuted for immigration fraud before being extradited to Bosnia to stand trial in 2016.

Crimes.

According to testimonies, on April 26, 1992, Croat groups, with the assistance of Croatian military units, entered the village of Čardak and took dozens of local Serbs hostage. Although the settlement was majority Serb, Croat and Muslims had previously formed joint units and threatened to kill and expel the Serb population. Many were taken to a former Yugoslavian National Army (YNA) Centre.  Prisoners at the facility were subjected to torture and beatings. A witness testified that Bašić brought a Croatian flag with a checkerboard coat of arms and ordered prisoners to kiss it and made them eat Yugoslav dinar paper money. She engraved a cross and the letter ‘S’ on prisoners' backs and foreheads with knives, put salt on their wounds and forced them to lick it. She also punched detainees in their genitals and threatened to circumcise them. One witness said Bašić forced him to drink gasoline and then set his face and hands on fire. Others described how they were made to crawl half naked across broken glass with a knotted rope in their mouths and a Croatian soldier on their backs. In one instance, a prisoner was severely beaten into unconsciousness. It was found that Bašić then killed that same prisoner by stabbing him in the neck and made others drink his blood. Bašić earned the nicknames "Azra Two Knives" as she always had twin knives strapped to her belt and a boot and "Bloody Azra" for the cruelty of the crimes. She was known as the "mistress of life and death".  On 27 December 2017, a Bosnian court sentenced her to 14 years in prison for taking part in "killing and inhumane treatment, infliction of great pain and violation of bodily integrity and health" of detained civilians. It included those who were held at the Yugoslav People's Army Hall in Derventa as well as the nearby village of Polje from April to May 1992. It is the longest sentence handed down to a woman convicted of war crimes during the Bosnian War.

Azra Bašić (born 22 June 1959) is a Bosnian Croat former camp guard during the Bosnian War. While working in a detention camp near the majority Serb settlements of Čardak near Derventa, Bašić beat, tortured and subjected Serb civilian prisoners to particular cruelty and killed one prisoner by stabbing him in the neck. Bašić came to the U.S. in 1994 but was eventually extradited to Bosnia in 2011. In 2017, she was found guilty of crimes against the detainees and sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Azra Bašičová (, ; * 22. června 1959, Rijeka, Jugoslávie, dnes Chorvatsko) je bývalá chorvatská vojačka, odsouzená v roce 2017 ke 14 letům odnětí svobody sarajevským soudem za válečné zločiny, které spáchala za války v Bosně a Hercegovině (1992–1995) v bosenském městě Derventa.


Political career.

In the early 1990s, García Linera was the leader of the Túpac Katari Guerrilla Army. In 1992, he was accused of armed uprising and arrested along with several other insurgents. He was released in 1997. García was elected vice president as the running partner to Evo Morales in the 2005 presidential elections. He is an advocate of nationalization of Bolivia's hydrocarbon industry. In 2005 interview, he said that hydrocarbons "would be the second unifying factor of this society in October, 2003" and that "the debates over hydrocarbons are playing with the destiny of Bolivia." García wrote a monograph about the different political and social organizations that were a part of the political rise of the MAS and other indigenous factions, "Sociología de los Movimientos Sociales en Bolivia (Sociology of Social Movements in Bolivia)", which was published in 2005. In December 2010, Linera posted the cables mentioning Bolivia from the website WikiLeaks, which leaks information from classified sources and whistleblowers, on his official page. Linera said linking this negative information was intended to allow people to see “barbarities and insults” in Washington and to expose their "interventionist infiltration." García Linera has defended the Law of the Rights of Mother Earth, saying that it is not intended as a means to hamper industrial development or mineral extraction. Private miners have disagreed with this stance, suggesting that the law allows the government to expropriate their operations without providing compensation and that is signals Bolivia is hostile to foreign investment. García Linera had indicated his intention of leaving politics for teaching and writing in 2014, at the end of his term. He did not comment on his re-election the same year to the present day. On November 10, 2019 he resigned with President Evo Morales following the 2019 Bolivian protests. He left Bolivia and travelled to Mexico together with Morales.

Personal life.

On March 8, 2012, García Linera publicly confirmed his engagement to Claudia Fernández Valdivia, a news anchor with Bolivian television station Red Uno. They were married in September 2012, holding an indigenous ceremony on Saturday the 8th and a Catholic one on Sunday the 9th.

References.

12. <nowiki>http://www.bolivia.com/noticias/autonoticias/detallenoticia30228.asp</nowiki>)

Álvaro Marcelo García Linera (; born 19 October 1962), is a Bolivian politician, who served as Vice President of Bolivia from 2006 until his removal in 2019.

Álvaro García Linera (* 19. října 1962, Cochabamba) je bolivijský politik španělského původu a také viceprezident země za vlády bolivijského prezidenta Eva Moralese. Funkci zastává od roku 2006. Studoval matematiku na Mexické národní autonomní univerzitě, avšak diplom nezískal. Později působil v guerrillové armádě. V roce 1991 byl se svým bratrem Paulem odsouzen za krádež 441 tisíc dolarů. Ve vězení studoval sociologii a po propuštění vyučoval na univerzitě. V září 2012 se jeho manželkou stala Claudia Fernández Valdivia.


Culture.

Wassoulou is the birthplace of Wassoulou music, a style which blends traditional and modern influences with strong female vocalists and a pentatonic hunter's harp. Wassoulou music is one of the two forms of West African music ethnomusicologists believe to be the origin of the American blues, which developed out of music forms dating back to the American slave trade from West Africa. Some of the most famous residents of Wassoulou include the singers Oumou Sangare, Ramata Diakite and Coumba Sidibe.  Wassoulou's cultural importance is reflected in the development of internet resources, and the creation of "Radio Wassoulou" broadcasting from Yanfolila.

Language.

Wassoulou is also a dialect of the Eastern Maninkakan language, and is closely related to Kankan Mandinka. Speakers of Wassoulou number some 73,500 in Guinea, with 41,200 speakers estimated in Mali, where the closely related Bamanankan is also spoken. In the far northwest of Côte d'Ivoire there are some 21,000 Wassoulou speakers, where it is related to Wojenaka Maninka.  Inhabitants are known as Wassulu, Wassulunka or Wassulunke.

History.

The Wassoulou area is a center for the mingling of several ethnic groups. The nomadic Fula people, who were believed to have emigrated from the Fouta Djallon highlands to the west, integrated into the indigenous Mandé peoples and adopting their language and customs sometime prior to the 18th century, at roughly the same time Islam spread into the area. There are also large populations of Mandinka peoples native to Wassoulou.  Wassoulou is also the name of an Islamic state, the Wassoulou Empire (1870–1898), ruled by Samori Ture and centered on his capital, Bissandugu. In 1870, Samori overthrew an older Wassoulou state within the Kingdom of Kénédougou, whose "faama" (ruler) was Dyanabufarina Modi, and expanded his empire from there, taking the Wassoulou name. While the history of the Mandinka Wassoulou states remain unclear, the small kingdoms of Kenedugu and Wassulu existed from at least the 1650s, benefiting from gold mining and trade in the area.

Wassoulou is a cultural area and historical region in the Wassoulou River Valley of West Africa. It is home to about 160,000 people, and is also the native land of the Wassoulou genre of music.

Wassoulou nebo "Vasulu" je historický a kulturní region v západní Africe. Leží v povodí řek Niger a Sankarani, zasahuje na území států Guinea, Mali a Pobřeží slonoviny. Největším městem je Yanfolila. Žije zde asi 160 000 obyvatel, převážně Mandinkové, Fulbové a Mandéové, hovořící wassoulským dialektem. Vyznávají z devadesáti procent islám, jehož podoba je ovšem značně ovlivněna původním animismem.


Plot.

In 2005, Katie delivers a box of old videotapes to her pregnant sister Kristi and her husband Daniel, which holds footage of young Katie and Kristi with their mother, Julie, and her boyfriend Dennis. A year later, Kristi and Daniel's house is ransacked and the tapes are missing.  In 1988, a young Katie and Kristi are living with their mother Julie and her boyfriend Dennis. Dennis notices that since Kristi's imaginary friend "Tobi" appeared, strange things have been happening around the house. Dennis and Julie attempt to make a sex tape, but are interrupted by an earthquake. The camera shows dust fall from the ceiling and land on an invisible figure in the room. While reviewing the footage, Dennis notices the strange incident. His friend Randy suggests that Dennis place cameras throughout the house. That night, Kristi wakes up and talks to someone off-camera. When Dennis questions her, Kristi tells him it was Tobi.  Dennis and Julie hire a babysitter named Lisa to watch the kids, but she becomes desperate to leave due to several terrifying incidents (all captured on camera). The following night, Kristi tells Tobi they're not friends anymore. Dennis discovers a strange symbol in the girls' closet and finds the same symbol in a book about demonology. When Kristi becomes ill, Julie and Dennis take her to the hospital. Katie is left home with Randy, and they play Bloody Mary in the bathroom. Randy is attacked and discovers a large scratch on his torso. They try to leave the bathroom, but a black figure moves and furniture is violently flung across the room. After Julie and Dennis return, Randy warns that whatever they're dealing with is dangerous. Dennis tells Julie that the symbol he found belonged to a witches' coven that brainwashed girls of child-bearing age into having sons, then forced them to give up their sons; they would not remember anything afterward. Julie dismisses his claim.  The demon harms Katie until Kristi agrees to do what it asks. She asks her mother to take them to her grandmother Lois's house in Moorpark, California. After Julie encounters frightening activity herself, she agrees to go to Lois's home. At 1 am, they are awoken by loud disturbances and Julie goes to investigate. When she fails to return, Dennis goes to look for her. He finds occult imagery on the walls, including the symbol from the girls' room, and discovers several women, including Lois, dressed in black. He flees back to the house, with the women in pursuit, and finds Julie's limp body levitating above the ground. Her body is thrown at Dennis, knocking him down the stairs. He hides with Kristi in a closet until the demon leaves.  Dennis and Kristi then walk into the kitchen. In the window, Dennis sees the women outside, circling around a bonfire. They find Katie crying near Julie's body. Dennis approaches Katie, but when he touches her, she unleashes a demonic scream that throws him to the other side of the room, injuring his leg. Lois stands before him, and Dennis's body is violently contorted, killing him. Lois then beckons to Kristi and Katie and tells them to get ready. Before they head upstairs, Kristi calls for Tobi and growling sounds are heard upstairs.

Production.

Principal photography began in June 6, 2011 and ended on August 5. At the time during production, the film was under the name "Sports Camp". The film was directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman (who both directed the documentary "Catfish"). Jason Blum, Oren Peli and Steven Schneider produced, along with Akiva Goldsman serving as executive producer. With a script written by Christopher B. Landon, the prequel was released on October 21, 2011. In some of the trailers, many of the scenes weren't shown in the final cut, which angered many of the fans.  Once again using unique social media strategy after the success of the first two films, "Paranormal Activity 3" created the "Tweet Your Scream" campaign on Twitter in preparation for the release.

Reception.

Box office.

The film performed even better than its predecessors, grossing $8 million from midnight showings, setting yet another record for a horror film. Its total Friday gross was an estimated $26.2 million, which was the best opening day gross for a 2011 film since "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2" in July. Bringing its total to $52.6 million, it set a new record for the franchise, a horror film ("Paranormal Activity 2", $40.6 million). At the time of its release, it set a new opening weekend record for a film released in the month of October as well as the fall season (later surpassed by "Gravity" in 2013 with a weekend gross of $55.8 million).  "Paranormal Activity 3" grossed $104,028,807 in the United States and Canada, along with $101,675,011 in other countries, for a worldwide total of $205,703,818, making it the highest-grossing film in the 'Paranormal Activity' series.

Critical response.

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 67% of 124 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 5.95/10. The website's consensus is, "While the jolts and thrills are undeniably subject to the diminishing returns that plague most horror sequels, "Paranormal Activity 3" is a surprisingly spine-tingling treat." Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, gives the film a score of 59 based on 25 reviews. CinemaScore polls reported that the average grade moviegoers gave the film was a "C+" on an A+ to F scale. Conversely, Roger Ebert gave the film a single star out of four, stating that "the appeal has worn threadbare", but predicting that the film will fare well in the box office nevertheless.

Home media.

"Paranormal Activity 3" was released on DVD/Blu-ray and video on demand/pay-per-view on January 24, 2012, and includes an unrated director's cut, "lost tapes" (deleted scenes), theatrical version, and digital copy. A one-disc theatrical version of the movie was released on DVD on February 14, 2012.

Sequel.

In January 2012, Paramount announced there would be a fourth film in the franchise. It was to be directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, the directors of the third film. Filming started in late June. The film was released on October 19, 2012. On August 1, 2012, the first trailer was released, teasing this film with the tagline, "all the activity has led to this".

Paranormal Activity 3 is a 2011 American found footage supernatural horror film, directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. It is the third (chronologically, the first) installment of the "Paranormal Activity" series and serves as a prequel, mostly set 18 years prior to the events of the first two films. It was released in theaters on October 21, 2011. "Paranormal Activity 3" was also Joost and Schulman's first horror film.

Paranormal Activity 3 je americký hororový film z roku 2011. Režírovala ho dvojice Henry Joost a Ariel Schulman. Jde o prequel filmů "Paranormal Activity" z roku 2007 a "Paranormal Activity 2" z roku 2010.


Biography.

Steinhardt was born October 6, 1892 in New York City. He served as a Sergeant in the Quartermaster Corps in the US Army in World War I.  He was a member of the Federation of American Zionists and the American Zion Commonwealth. He practiced law at Guggenheimer, Untermyer and Marshall, where his uncle Samuel Untermyer was partner, from 1920 through 1933. In 1932, he worked on the presidential campaign of Franklin Roosevelt.  Steinhardt was appointed U.S. Minister to Sweden in 1933 by Roosevelt. He was appointed ambassador to Peru in 1937, the Soviet Union in 1939.  On 23 February 1940, writing a letter from Moscow to Loy Henderson at the US Dept of State, Steinhardt reported that after having visited Riga, Tallinn and Leningrad with John Cooper Wiley that he "could find no evidence in Riga or Tallinn -- and John agrees with me -- that there is any move presently on foot by the Soviets to "take over." Of course, the take over occurred several months later in June 1940.  In 1941, he evacuated Moscow embassy to Kuybyshev.  On January 12, 1942, he was appointed ambassador to Turkey. While ambassador to Turkey, Steinhardt, particularly because he was Jewish, was involved in the rescue of Hungarian Jews from Bergen Belsen. He also played a significant role in helping many eminent intellectuals fleeing Europe to find refuge in Turkey.  In 1945, President Truman appointed Steinhardt ambassador to Czechoslovakia, and to Canada in 1948. While serving as the Ambassador to Canada, he was killed in a plane crash on March 28, 1950 near Ramsayville, Ontario, while en route to Washington, D. C.  He is buried in section 30, Arlington National Cemetery.

Family.

He married the former Dulcie Yates Hofmann (1917 - 1974); they had one daughter, Dulcie Ann.

Laurence Adolph Steinhardt (October 6, 1892 – March 28, 1950) was a United States diplomat. He served as the U.S. Minister to Sweden and U.S. Ambassador to Peru, the USSR, Turkey, Czechoslovakia, and Canada. He was the first United States Ambassador to be killed in office.

Laurence Adolph Steinhardt (6. října 1892 – 28. března 1950) byl diplomat Spojených států. Pracoval jako americký velvyslanec postupně ve Švédsku, Peru, Sovětském svazu, Turecku, Československu a Kanadě. Byl prvním americkým velvyslancem, který zemřel v úřadu.


Production.

Curtis initially proposed documenting the tour with no clear objective for the film and decided to focus on the collaboration between Byrne and his tour mates as well as the unique challenge of combining popular music with modern dance. Byrne wanted the film to display what it takes to put on a concert.

Release.

The film was released to the 2010 film festival circuit, with the debut at South by Southwest on March 15, 2010, where it was screened in all three media categories—film, interactive, and music. Following this, it was displayed by the Seattle International Film Festival and Silverdocs. The film is the feature-length directorial debut by Hillman Curtis—who also worked on the short film that accompanies the deluxe edition of the Byrne–Eno album "Everything That Happens Will Happen Today". Byrne attended some British screenings for question and answer sessions.

Reception.

The film has received positive and mixed reviews—review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 71% score with seven professional reviews. Most positive reviews were restrained: for instance, The Quietus called the film "handsome albeit conventional"; writing for "The Guardian", Andrew Pulver noted that it was a "pretty straightforward concert movie" and gave the film three out of five stars, but criticized Curtis' direction for using bland shots. A negative review from "The Stranger"s Christopher Frizzelle advised potential viewers to "run in the other direction" due to the poor choreography and dull interviews. "The Independent"s Anthony Quinn found the choreography unacceptable as well as Byrne's arrangement and song selection. Other reviews—such as "Empire"s Phil de Semlyen—preferred the emphasis on dance and found the choreography enjoyable. A complaint of several reviewers was the lack of uninterrupted musical performances, with interview clips cutting short the live footage.  Comparisons with the 1984 Talking Heads documentary "Stop Making Sense" were inevitable—"The Seattle Times" even dubbed this a "sequel"—and reviews universally found the former film to be stronger. For instance, View London considers "Ride, Rise, Roar" entertaining, but "not on the level of classica rockumentaries", whereas "Stop Making Sense" is "generally reckoned to be one of the best concert movies ever made." "Time Out Chicago"s assessment of Hillman Curtis acknowledges the "challenging position" that he was in by being compared to Jonathan Demme's direction, but sums up the review by calling the film "a very satisfying experience."

Songs.

The movie includes performances of the following songs:

Ride, Rise, Roar is a documentary film chronicling the Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno Tour conducted by David Byrne in 2008–2009. The film includes concert footage, footage of the planning and rehearsals for the tour, and exclusive interviews with Byrne, Eno, and the supporting musicians and dancers.

Rozjeď to, stoupej a křič (v anglickém originále "Ride, Rise, Roar") je americký dokumentární film, jehož režisérem byl Hillman Curtis. Zabývá se koncertním turné Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno Tour, které v letech 2008 až 2009 odehrál hudebník David Byrne. Turné navázalo na vydání desky "Everything That Happens Will Happen Today", kterou Byrne nahrál ve spolupráci s Brianem Enem. Film zahrnuje jak záznamy z koncertů, tak i z příprav a zkoušek na turné, stejně jako rozhovory s hudebníky (například Byrneovým manažerem, choreografkami či Enem, který se turné neúčastnil). Premiéra filmu proběhla 15. března 2010 na festivalu SXSW. V Česku byl uveden na Mezinárodním filmovém festivalu Karlovy Vary.