K. Narayana Sivaraja Pillai (1879–1941) was an Indian historian, dravidologist and university teacher from the erstwhile Madras Presidency.

Academic career
When the Tamil Department of the Oriental Research Institute of the University of Madras was established in 1927, Pillai was appointed reader with E. V. Anantharama Aiyar and K. Varadarajulu Naidu as the fellows. In 1930, when the department was reorganized Sivaraja Pillai was made senior lecturer. Pillai retired in 1936.

Methodology
Pillai stressed analysis of historicity of tradition in the study of ancient Tamil history. In his 1932 book, Chronology of the Ancient Tamils, he wrote, "...venerable as the Sangam tradition in the Tamil land first put into shape by the commentator on [Iraiyanar Akapporul] and sedulously propagated by later commentators, we have to examine it closely and satisy ourselves first about its authenticity and secondly for its evidentiary value for the purposes of history."

Sivaraja Pillai was regarded as a pioneer in the study of ancient verbal terminations.

Works

References

1879 births
1941 deaths
Dravidologists
19th-century Indian historians
Academic staff of the University of Madras
20th-century Indian historians
Historians from British India


Nossegem is a town located near Brussels, the capital of Belgium. It is part of Zaventem municipality, in the Flemish Brabant province.

In 2005, the Nossegem Curve was opened, which connects Brussels Airport with the railway in the direction of Leuven.

References

External links
Official website of the municipality Zaventem

Populated places in Flemish Brabant
Zaventem


Angove Lake is a permanent fresh water lake in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, within the Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve.

Description
The lake is part of the Moates Lake System, along with Moates Lake and Lake Gardner. All of these lakes were linked to form a large estuarine system during the last interglacial period approximately 120,000 years ago.

The main waterbody covers a maximum area of  but the associated wetlands cover an area closer to . The area south of the lake was drained with a  channel being constructed to connect it with Gardner Creek. The water in the lake is fresh and low in tannin, water from the river system that supplies the lake is also used pumped to Albany as part of the town's water supply.

Environment
The lake lies within the Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve. Very little of the catchment is cleared so the stream system and the lake are in almost pristine condition. The lake itself is essentially a large sedge swamp with large stands of Baumea articulata with a fringing forest of paperbark and Agonis.  The lake forms part of the Two Peoples Bay and Mount Manypeaks Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because of its significance in the conservation of several rare and threatened bird species.

The critically endangered Spotted galaxias (Galaxias truttaceus hesperius) is only found in the Angove River, the lake and the Goodga River.

See also

 List of lakes of Western Australia

References

Angove
Important Bird Areas of Western Australia


Minna Maaria Sirnö (born 14 May 1966 in Tampere) is a Finnish politician and member of Finnish Parliament, representing the Left Alliance. She was elected to Finnish Parliament in 2003. She lost her seat in 2011 elections.

External links
Parliament of Finland: Minna Sirnö
Home page

1966 births
Living people
Politicians from Tampere
Finnish trade unionists
Left Alliance (Finland) politicians
Members of the Parliament of Finland (2003–2007)
Members of the Parliament of Finland (2007–2011)


Steve Murray (born 9 October 1944) is a Scottish former footballer who played as a midfielder. He spent the majority of his career in the north-east of Scotland, with Dundee and Aberdeen. Murray also enjoyed success with Glasgow club Celtic and represented Scotland once. He later managed Forfar Athletic and Montrose.

Playing career
Murray began his career in the early 1960s with Dundee, spending six years at Dens Park and picking up runners-up medals in both domestic cup competitions, making around 200 appearances in total.

In 1970, he became Aberdeen's record signing in a £50,000 deal, missing the 1970 Scottish Cup final due to being cup-tied but winning a solitary Scotland cap in 1971, coincidentally in a fixture played at Pittodrie. Following Martin Buchan's departure to Manchester United, Murray became captain.

He moved to Celtic in a £55,000 deal in May 1973 after a contractual disagreement. Murray won all three domestic competitions during his two years at Celtic Park, retiring due to a toe injury in early 1976.

Murray joined Dundee United in 1979 as a scout but after having acupuncture treatment was able to resume his playing career and made three league appearances, also appearing as a substitute in the first game of the Scottish League Cup final that season.

Management

In 1980, Murray began his managerial career with Forfar Athletic, but resigned one training session and three days later. He returned to management two years later with Montrose; however he left to pursue a career in banking.

Murray then returned to former club Dundee United as assistant manager in July 1989. However he had a fall-out with then manager Jim McLean (a teammate in the 1967 Scottish League Cup final). Murray left before the end of the year, later winning a "substantial sum" in a court action.

Family

Murray, whose son Chris was a youth player at Dundee United, Celtic and had coaching spells with Dundee and Brechin City, has now retired from banking and now concentrates on his painting.

Career statistics

Club

International

Managerial record

Honours

Dundee
 Scottish Cup Runner-up: 1
 1963–64
 Scottish League Cup Runner-up: 1
 1967–68

Celtic
 Scottish League Division One: 1
 1973–74
 Scottish Cup: 2
 1973–74, 1974–75
 Scottish League Cup: 1
 1974–75

Dundee United
 Scottish League Cup: 1
 1979–80

References

External links

1944 births
Footballers from Dumbarton
Living people
Scottish men's footballers
Scotland men's international footballers
Scottish Football League players
Scottish football managers
Dundee F.C. players
Aberdeen F.C. players
Celtic F.C. players
Dundee United F.C. players
Forfar Athletic F.C. managers
Montrose F.C. managers
Dundee United F.C. non-playing staff
Men's association football midfielders
Scotland men's under-23 international footballers
Scottish Football League managers


Fiona Brice is an English composer, orchestral arranger and violinist.

Brice writes orchestral arrangements for various artists and has toured and recorded with several major pop and rock acts, including Placebo, Kanye West, Sugababes, Boy George, Westlife, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Patrick Wolf and Simply Red. In addition, she performs solo and released her solo debut Postcards From in June 2016 through Bella Union.

Biography
After graduating from King's College London and the Royal Academy of Music, London, Brice started playing violin onstage with Dream City Film Club and featured on their album In the Cold Light of Morning (Beggars Banquet, 1999). Around this time she also began performing with other London-based acts including Tram, Suzanne Rhatigan, Simon Breed, Menlo Park and Jack. Michael J. Sheehy's solo album "Sweet Blue Gene" was the first album to feature Brice's string arrangements.

Music
Brice then spent several years as a session violinist in London, appearing regularly on TV with numerous Top 40 Chart Acts including Placebo, Kanye West, Will Young, Gorillaz, Ed Sheeran Westlife, Il Divo, Sugababes, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Boy George, Ian Brown and Ronan Keating (Live from Abbey Road, Popworld, Top of the Pops, Strictly Come Dancing, This Morning, Parkinson) whilst still writing and performing with lesser known artists. More recently, she has focused on arranging and performing with more alternative-minded artists and singer/songwriters. Brice has a long-term connection with Bella Union Records and has written, toured and recorded with John Grant, Midlake, Roy Harper, Stephanie Dosen and several of their other artists.

As an orchestral arranger when has worked with the BBC Philharmonic, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Sinfonia Cymru, Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg, Metropol Orchestra and Zurich Chamber Orchestra.

Placebo
Fiona Brice had worked with various other bands until approached by members of the band Placebo to write music with them. Brice collaborated with the band on numerous albums, her latest being their 2013 album Loud Like Love. Brice played shows with the band until she ultimately began touring with the band and performing violin onstage with the other members of the band. Whilst being involved with Placebo, she continued to work with other artists, notably Michael J. Sheehy and Patrick Wolf, and write original orchestral music. After countless shows, it was announced on 19 June 2017 on Placebo's Instagram page that Brice would be stepping down from her role on tour with the band.

Discography
Orchestral arrangements include the following albums:
Scott Michael Cavagan – Standing In The Rain (2017) (backing vocals)
Placebo – "MTV Unplugged" (2015) (string arrangements, violin, piano, backing vocals, whirly tube, glockenspiel)
John Grant with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra – Live in Concert (2014) (orchestral arrangements, additional vocals & piano)
Anna Calvi – "One Breath" (2013) (string arrangements, conducting)
Placebo – "Loud Like Love" (2013) (string arrangements)
John Grant – "Pale Green Ghosts" (2013) (string & brass arrangements)
The Separate – Orchestral Variations V.01 (2012) (string arrangements)
Sarah Jaffe – "The Body Wins" (2012) (orchestral arrangements)
Patrick Wolf – "Lupercalia" (2011) (orchestral arrangements)
John Grant – Queen of Denmark (2010) (arrangements, violin)
Placebo – Battle for the Sun (2009)
Patrick Wolf – The Bachelor (2009)
Michael J. Sheehy and the Hired Mourners – The Rise and Fall of Francis Delaney (2009) (arrangements, violin)
Gemma Ray – Lights Out Zoltar! (2009) (arrangements, violin)
Lucas Renney – Strange Glory (2009)
Howard Jones – Ordinary Heroes (2009)
Andy Hunter – Colour (2008)
Amy Studt – My Paper Made Men (2008) (Track "Walking Out")
Anthony Reynolds – British Ballads (2008) (arrangements, violin)
Kate Nash – Made of Bricks (2007)
Kill the Young – Proud Sponsors of Boredom (2007) (Track "Television Show")
Kelly Jones – Only the Names have been Changed (2007)
Stephanie Dosen – A Lily for the Spectre (2007) (arrangements, violin)
Michael J. Sheehy – Ghost on the Motorway (2007) (arrangements, violin)
The Servant – How to Destroy a Relationship (2006)
The Feeling – Twelve Stops and Home (2006) (Track "I Miss You") (arrangements, violin)
Placebo – Meds (2006)
Ed Harcourt – The Beautiful Lie (2005) (Tracks "You Only Call Me When You're Drunk" and "The Drug")
Clearlake – Amber (2005) (arrangements, violin)
Vashti Bunyan – Lookaftering (2005) (Track "The Same but Different") (additional arrangement, violin)
The Jeevas – Cowboys and Indians (2004) (Tracks "Back Home" and "How Much do You Suck?") (violin)
Mr Wright – Goodnight Baby (2004) (arrangements, violin)
Tram – A Kind of Closure (2002) (string and brass arrangements, violin)
Michael J. Sheehy – Ill Gotten Gains (2001) (arrangements, violin)
Tram – Frequently Asked Questions (2000) (arrangements, violin)
Michael J. Sheehy – Sweet Blue Gene (2000) (arrangements, violin)
Dream City Film Club – In the Cold Light of Morning (1998) (arrangements, violin)

Filmography
Brice appeared in the following films:
The Making of Battle for the Sun: The Album (Placebo documentary)
Vashti Bunyan: From Here to Before (documentary directed by Kieran Evans)
Donavon Frankenreiter, The Abbey Road Sessions
Kanye West – Late Orchestration (Kanye West live at Abbey Road)
David Axelrod Live at the Royal Festival Hall

References

External links

Placebo (band) members
Living people
English violinists
Contemporary classical music performers
Theremin players
Year of birth missing (living people)
Musicians from Northampton
Alumni of King's College London
Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music
English women in electronic music
21st-century violinists


Jermu Gustafsson (born 22 June 1986) is a Finnish former footballer and current coach of the A Youth of FC Inter Turku.

Career
He played during his career for FC Inter Turku, VG-62 and FF Jaro.

International career
Gustafsson is member of the Finland national under-21 football team. He was captain of Finland team in the 2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship, which were held in Finland.

References

1986 births
Living people
Finnish men's footballers
FF Jaro players
FC Inter Turku players
Footballers from Turku
Men's association football defenders
Bollklubben-46 players


Sayaboury Airport  is an airport in Sainyabuli, the capital of Sainyabuli Province of Laos.

It is the closest airport to Wattay International Airport in the Laotian capital of Vientiane.

Airlines and destinations

References

External links

Airports in Laos
Buildings and structures in Sainyabuli province


Maharaja Kamakhya Narain Singh Bahadur (10 August 1916 – 7 May 1970) of Ramgarh, Jharkhand was the Maharaja Bahadur of Ramgarh Raj and later a politician. He belonged to the Rathore clan of Rajput.

Early life and family
He was educated at Rajkumar College, Raipur and at Mayo College, Ajmer. He became the Raja of Ramgarh in 1919 upon death of his father, Raja Lakshmi Narain Singh. He was married to Maharani Lalita Rajya Lakshmi Devi, daughter of Supradipta Manyabara Lt. Gen. Maharajkumar Singha Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana of Nepal in 1936. They had a son, Indra Jitendra Narain Singh.

Career
He formed his own political party called the Chota Nagpur Santhal Parganas Janata Party and was a prominent leader in Bihar at that time. His family was the first family in India to use helicopters in election campaign. He served as the vice-president of the Bihar Landholder's Association. He served as president of Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasabha in 1942 and 1953. He was also Member of the Managing Committee and General Council of Rajkumar College; Member of the Executive Body of the Bihar War Committee.

Immediately after assuming charge of Ramgarh Raj in August 1937, he diverted his full attention to the interest of estate and his manifold benevolent activities became extremely popular among his subjects. He tried to keep himself in direct touch with all his subjects especially poorer section and was accessible to all. He mostly visited interior parts of his estate and everytime inaugurated some new scheme to foster the growth of a healthy and progressive peasantry.During his tenure, Ramgarh Raj has made good progress in all directions and brought a remarkable change in the life of Ramgarh people. In 1944, he waived the taxes of farmers.

With the wish of freedom fighter Babu Ram Narayan Singh Ji popularly known as "Chhotanagpur Kesari" and efforts of Dr. Rajendra Prasad Ji the historic 53rd Session of INC was held at Ramgarh in he contribution whole heartedly to the success of this session.Even the important Congress leader were full of praise at cordial relations existing between the Maharaja and his subjects. In same year,Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose left Congress and held Samantar Adhiveshan which was supported by Maharaja Saheb and local zamindar Gorinath Singh. In 1946, he left Congress due to differences with Pt Jawaharlal Nehru and formed his own political party Chota Nagpur Santhal Parganas Janata Party  . He entered in active politics in 1946 following the formal accession of the Ramgarh state into the Indian Republic.  In 1952 Bihar Assembly elections, he contested from Barhi and won and became the first Leader of Opposition of Bihar. Later in the Bihar Assembly Elections of 1967, serious opposition was offered by the Raja Bahadur's Janata Party to the ruling Congress government. The Raja Bahadur and his younger brother, Dr. Basant Narain Singh, became Cabinet Ministers in the government headed by Chief Minister of Bihar, Mahamaya Prasad Sinha. He resigned from the party because he was not made the Deputy Chief Minister. In late 1960s, Kamakhya Narayan Singh was popularly an aspirant for Rajput supremacy in Bihar against Rajput stalwart, Sri Satyendra Narayan Sinha (then known as "Coming Chief Minister of Bihar") but was outmanoeuvred. His party later merged with the Swatantra Party. Many of his family members became important political functionaries and legislators.

Last days and death
Singh died of cardiac arrest at 12:25 a.m. (IST) on 7 May 1970 at his residence in Calcutta. In the days preceding his death, he had complained of an abdomen problem. He was cremated on the banks of a river two miles from his Padma, his place of birth near Hazaribagh in Bihar (today in Jharkhand).

References

External links
Chaturvedi, Ritu & Bakshi, S. eds. (2007), "Bihar Through the Ages", Sarup & Sons Pg. 279

1916 births
1970 deaths
People from Ramgarh district
Jharkhand politicians
Swatantra Party politicians
Bihar MLAs 1967–1969
Leaders of the Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Assembly
Politicians from Kolkata


Cuckoo in the Clock is a song with lyrics written by Johnny Mercer, and music composed by Walter Donaldson.

A popular version of Cuckoo in the Clock was recorded in 1939 by Kay Kyser & His Orchestra (vocals by Sully Mason) for Brunswick Records (catalog No. 8312).

Other versions
 Mildred Bailey with Red Norvo & His Orchestra, recorded February 8, 1939 for Conqueror Records.
 Benny Goodman - vocal by Johnny Mercer, recorded February 1, 1939 for Victor Records.
 Lena Horne – Lena Like Latin (1963).
 Glenn Miller & His Orchestra – vocal by Marion Hutton, recorded February 6, 1939 for Bluebird Records.
 Toots Thielemans – Time Out for Toots (1958).
 Mel Torme – released on EP in 1956.

References

Songs about birds
1939 songs
Songs with music by Walter Donaldson
Songs with lyrics by Johnny Mercer
Benny Goodman songs
Mildred Bailey songs
Lena Horne songs


Veijo Olavi Puhjo (26 June 1948 – 9 December 2019) was a Finnish politician who was a member of Finnish Parliament, representing the Left Alliance. He was elected to the parliament in 1995 and left after the 2011 election. Puhjo was a physician by profession. He graduated from the Greifswald Medical School of the University of Greifswald in Germany.

External links
Parliament of Finland: Veijo Puhjo

1948 births
2019 deaths
People from Loimaa
Left Alliance (Finland) politicians
Members of the Parliament of Finland (1995–1999)
Members of the Parliament of Finland (1999–2003)
Members of the Parliament of Finland (2003–2007)
Members of the Parliament of Finland (2007–2011)
20th-century Finnish physicians
University of Greifswald alumni


The United States is serviced by a wide array of public transportation, including various forms of bus, rail, ferry, and sometimes, airline services. Most established public transit systems are located in central, urban areas where there is enough density and public demand to require public transportation. In more auto-centric suburban localities, public transit is normally, but not always, less frequent and less common. Most public transit services in the United States are either national, regional/commuter, or local, depending on the type of service. Sometimes "public transportation" in the United States is an umbrella term used synonymously with "alternative transportation", meaning any form of mobility that excludes driving alone by automobile. This can sometimes include carpooling, vanpooling, on-demand mobility (i.e. Uber, Lyft, Bird, Lime), infrastructure that is oriented toward bicycles (i.e. bike lanes, sharrows, cycle tracks, and bike trails), and paratransit service.

Most rail service in the United States is publicly funded at all tiers of government. Amtrak, the national rail system, provides service across the entire contiguous United States. The frequency of Amtrak service varies depending on the size of the city, and its location along major rail routes. For example, cities such as New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. which are located along the busy Northeast Corridor, may see up to 50 Amtrak trains per day enter and leave their stations. This same corridor is the location of the only operating high speed rail network in the Americas: the Acela Express. Other cities located on less frequent Amtrak lines, such as Dodge City, Kansas for instance, which is located on the Southwest Chief line may only have two trains daily. Regional rail services are primarily fixed on a major city or a state. For example, the Long Island Rail Road services the Long Island suburbs of New York City, while the UTA FrontRunner serves as a regional rail service for the Wasatch Front of Utah. These trains normally run throughout the entire day with service ranging from every 20 minutes during peak hours to every 30–45 minutes during off-peak hours. Other rail services that are regional in nature may only operate during rush hour. For example, the Virginia Railway Express (VRE), which services the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., only operates during the morning hours into Washington and the evening hours out of Washington. VRE does not operate at night nor on the weekends, and only has one train during the middle of the day. Several cities have light rail systems which operate generally in the core of the city and their surrounding suburbs. For instance, cities such as Kansas City, Norfolk, Boston, New Orleans, and Seattle have light rail or streetcar services that run every 10–15 minutes throughout their respective urban cores.

Presently, there is only one for-profit, private rail service in the United States, which is Brightline. This service provides regular rail service from Fort Lauderdale to Miami, with a long term goal to connect Miami to Orlando, and become a statewide rail service for the state of Florida.

There are three common types of bus service in the United States: conventional bus systems, bus rapid transit (BRT), and intercity buses. Nearly every major city in the United States offers some form of bus service, with some being 24 hours a day. These buses run on flexible routes and make frequent stops, with a focus of provided accessible service to all tracts of a community. Bus rapid transit attempts to mimic the speed of a light rail system. Most BRT systems in the United States are in moderate sized cities or satellite cities, and serve as auxiliary routes for rail service. The primary difference between BRT in the United States and regular bus service is BRT often runs more frequent as has fewer stops, in order to make service quicker. BRT service generally has their own dedicated right of way and signal prioritization, which allows BRT vehicles to move faster than regular automobile traffic. Both BRT and conventional buses are usually publicly financed. Well-known examples of cities with popular BRT services in the United States include Cleveland, Miami, and Richmond. Most inter-city bus service is private for-profit ventures, although they normally used publicly subsidized motorways and highways. Examples of intercity bus service in the United States is Megabus and Greyhound, which are the two largest inter-city bus services in the United States.

Several coastal cities offer ferry service linking localities that are across large bodies of water where constructing road and railway bridges is not financially viable. Ferry service sometimes is pedestrian only but sometimes may offer platforms for automobiles and public transit vehicles depending on the vessel used.

Long-distance public transit which may be too far to feasibly travel by rail or bus, i.e. cross-country travel or travelling to U.S. territories is more regularly undertaken through airplanes. Most airports in major regions are situated on the peripheries of major cities and publicly owned, while airline service itself is typically owned by for-profit corporations. In some cases, larger airports may operate their own rail, bus, and monorail systems that link various terminals together. Examples of this include Atlanta, Boston, Orlando, and Washington, D.C.'s airport.

History
After the rise of automobiles in the first half of the twentieth century, transit companies went out
of business and ridership declined.

Prior to 1950, the United States had a higher rate of public transport trips per capita than
Germany. In 2010, Germany's per capita rate was about 7 times higher than the US. Even after
accounting for demographics, socio-economics, and other factors, the rate was still 5 times
higher. The low level of public transport usage in the United States compared to other developed Western nations has been relatively consistent according to a study covering 1980 through 2010. A 2012 comparison among 14 western countries found the US in last place in annual public transport trips per capita with 24 trips. The next to last country was the Netherlands with 51 trips and Switzerland was ranked first with 237. Reasons for the United States having a lower demand for public transport than Europe include lower density cities, tax policy, and the relative freedom of car use in American cities.

Rail

As of March 2020, Amtrak provides public railway transportation on 35 lines, with services concentrated in the Pacific Northwest, Northeast, California, and the Midwest. Amtrak also operates its own long distance bus system to support its train network. The Auto Train is available from Washington, DC to Orlando, Florida that is capable of carrying along passengers’ vehicles.

In 2021, Amtrak plans to deploy a fleet of 28 new Acela trainsets to serve the Northeast Corridor. The first of these trains are currently undergoing a nine month high-speed testing phase and will include personal comforts such as outlets, USB ports, improved Wi-Fi access, and an overall improvement in interior space design allowing 25 percent more passengers. The trains will travel between Boston and Washington D.C. multiple times a day, a route 3.5 million customers took in 2019.

High-speed rail

Inter-city rail

Regional and commuter rail

Light rail and streetcars

Bus

Inter-city bus

In the mid-1950s more than 2,000 buses operated by Greyhound Lines, Trailways, and other companies connected 15,000 cities and towns. Passenger volume decreased as a result of expanding road and air travel, and urban decay that caused many neighborhoods with bus depots to become more dangerous. In 1960, American intercity buses carried 140 million riders. The rate decreased to 40 million by 1990, and continued to decrease until 2006.

By 1997, intercity bus transportation accounted for only 3.6% of travel in the United States. In the late 1990s, Chinatown bus lines that connected New York with Boston and Philadelphia's  Chinatowns began operating. They became popular with non-Chinese college students and others who wanted inexpensive transportation, and between 1997 and 2007 Greyhound lost 60% of its market share in the northeast United States to the Chinatown buses. During the following decade, new bus lines such as Megabus and BoltBus emulated the Chinatown buses' practices of low prices and curbside stops on a much larger scale, both in the original Northeast Corridor and elsewhere, while introducing yield management techniques to the industry.

By 2010 curbside buses' annual passenger volume had risen by 33% and they accounted for more than 20% of all bus trips. One analyst estimated that curbside buses that year carried at least 2.4 billion passenger miles in the Northeast Corridor, compared to 1.7 billion passenger miles for Amtrak trains. Traditional depot-based bus lines also grew, benefiting from what the American Bus Association called "the Megabus effect", and both Greyhound and its subsidiary Yo! Bus, which competed directly with the Chinatown buses, benefited after the federal government shut several Chinatown lines down in June 2012.

Between 2006 and 2014, American intercity buses focused on medium-haul trips between 200 and 300 miles; airplanes performed the bulk of longer trips and automobiles shorter ones. For most medium-haul trips curbside bus fares were less than the cost of automobile gasoline, and one tenth that of Amtrak. Buses are also four times more fuel-efficient than automobiles. Their Wi-Fi service is also popular; one study estimated that 92% of Megabus and BoltBus passengers planned to use an electronic device. New lower fares introduced by Greyhound on traditional medium-distance routes and rising gasoline prices have increased ridership across the network and made bus travel cheaper than all alternatives.

Effective June 25, 2014, Greyhound reintroduced many much longer bus routes, including New York-Los Angeles, Los Angeles-Vancouver, and others, while increasing frequencies on existing long-distance and ultra-long-distance buses routes. This turned back the tide of shortening bus routes and puts Greyhound back in the position of competing with long-distance road trips, airlines, and trains. Long distance buses were to have Wi-Fi, power outlets, and extra legroom, sometimes extra recline, and were to be cleaned, refueled, and driver-changed at major stations along the way, coinciding with Greyhound's eradication of overbooking. It also represented Greyhound's traditional bus expansion over the expansion of curbside bus lines.

Bus rapid transit

Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to improve capacity and reliability relative to a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes roadways that are dedicated to buses, and gives priority to buses at intersections where buses may interact with other traffic; alongside design features to improve accessibility and reduce delays caused by passengers boarding or leaving buses, or purchasing fares. BRT aims to provide "fast, comfortable, and cost-effective services at metro-level capacities".

In the United States several moderately sized cities have BRT as an alternative to light rail due to perceived costs and political will. Notable examples of moderately sized cities with BRT as their fulcrum of public transportation include the Silver Line in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the GRTC Pulse in Richmond, Virginia, and the BusPlus in Albany, New York. Several satellite and suburban cities to larger cities also have bus rapid transit systems as secondary public transit services to light rail and commuter rail. For example, the Salt Lake City suburb of Murray has the planned Murray Taylorsville MAX BRT route. The Denver suburb of Fort Collins, and the Washington, D.C. suburbs of Arlington and Alexandria, Virginia contain the Metroway system.

Some major cities have their own BRT routes within city limits that function as their own rapid transit line, or as auxiliary routes to the rail lines in their respective city. In Cleveland, the HealthLine, which is considered a standard for BRT in the United States, serves most of the city. Minneapolis has the Red Line, and Los Angeles has the F Line, which does have plans to upgrade to light rail.

Commuter buses
Commuter bus systems are generally categorized as public transit, especially for large metropolitan transit networks. Usually these routes cover a long distance compared to most transit bus routes, but still short—usually 40 miles in one direction.  An urban-suburban bus line generally connects a suburban area to the downtown core.

The vehicle can be something as simple as a merely refitted school bus (which sometimes already contains overhead storage racks) or a minibus.  Often a suburban coach may be used, which is a standard transit bus modified to have some of the functionality of an interstate coach.  The vehicles provide accommodation for the disabled (through a lift or ramp at the front), and thus has a few high-back seats, usually in the front, that can be folded up for wheelchairs. The rest of the seats are reclining upholstered seats and have individual lights and overhead storage bins. Because it is a commuter bus, it has some (but not much) standing room, stop-request devices, and a farebox.  This model also has a bike rack at the front to accommodate two bicycles.

Suburban models in the United States are often used in Park-and-Ride services, and are very common in the New York City area, where New Jersey Transit Bus Operations is a major operator serving widespread bedroom communities.

Conventional buses

Paratransit

Ferry

Usage

The number of miles traveled by vehicles in the United States fell by 3.6% in 2008, while the number of trips taken on mass transit increased by 4.0%. At least part of the drop in urban driving can be explained by the 4% increase in the use of public transportation

About one in every three users of mass transit in the United States and two-thirds of the nation's rail riders live in New York City and its suburbs.

Cities

Most medium-sized cities have some form of local public transportation, usually a network of fixed bus routes. Larger cities often have metro rail systems (also known as heavy rail in the U.S.) and/or light rail systems for high-capacity passenger service within the urban area, and commuter rail to serve the surrounding metropolitan area. These include:

Funding

American mass transit is funded by a combination of local, state, and federal agencies. At the federal level, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) provides financial assistance and technical assistance to state governments and local transit providers. From FY 2005 to FY 2009, the funding scheme for the FTA was regulated by the SAFETEA-LU bill, which appropriated $286.4 billion in guaranteed funding. The FTA awards grants through several programs, such as the New Starts program and Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) program.

Historically, public transportation in the United States has been reliant on private investments.
Congress first authorized money for public transport
under the Urban Mass Transportation Act (UMTA) of 1964, with $150 million per year. Under the
UMTA of 1970, this amount rose to $3.1 billion per year. Since then, ridership has risen from 6.6
billion in the mid-1970s to 10.2 billion today.
None of the major transit systems in the US generate enough revenue to cover their operating
expenses, but the those with the highest percentages include the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District with 71.6 percent and the Washington, DC metropolitan rail system with
62.1 percent.

The most widely used source for public transport funds in the United States is general sales tax.
Whereas most countries usually don’t put motoring taxes to a specific use, there are instances
in the United States where this revenue is earmarked to fund public transport. For example,
bridge tolls on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco are used to subsidize local bus and ferry
Services. In contrast to other Western countries, public transport use is low and mostly by the
poor, which makes it harder to raise additional funds. In response to reductions in Federal
support for public transport, individual states and cities sometimes levy local taxes to maintain
their transit systems.

Legislation
On June 26, 2008, the House passed the Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act (H.R. 6052), which gives grants to mass transit authorities to lower fares for commuters pinched at the pump and expand transit services. The bill also:
Requires that all Federal agencies offer their employees transit pass transportation fringe benefits.  Federal agencies within the National Capital Region have successful transit pass benefits programs.
Increases the Federal cost-share of grants for construction of additional parking facilities at the end of subway lines from 80 to 100 percent to cover an increase in the number of people taking mass transit.
Creates a pilot program for vanpool demonstration projects in urban and rural areas.
Increases federal help for local governments to purchase alternative fuel buses, locomotives and ferries from 90 to 100 percent.

Advanced public transportation systems
Advanced public transportation systems (or APTS) is an Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems, or IVHS, technology that is designed to improve transit services through advanced vehicle operations, communications, customer service, energy efficiency, air pollution reduction and market development.

Opposition to public transport
Growth in public transport amenities is sometimes opposed in the United States, on the grounds that public transport is allegedly a potential conduit for crime, from one area into another.

See also
Paratransit
Rail transport in the United States
Light rail in the United States
High-speed rail in the United States
Transportation in the United States
Great American streetcar scandal
List of bus transit systems in the United States

References

Further reading
 Cheape, Charles W., Moving the masses: urban public transit in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia, 1880–1912, Harvard University Press, 1980.
 Bloom, Nicholas D., The Great American Transit Disaster: A Century of Austerity, Auto-Centric Planning, and White Flight, University of Chicago Press, 2023.

Public services of the United States
Transportation in the United States
Climate change in the United States


The Main-Neckar Railway (, MNE) is a main line railway west of the Odenwald in the Upper Rhine Plain of Germany that connects Frankfurt am Main to Heidelberg via Darmstadt, Bensheim and Weinheim. It was opened in 1846 and is one of the oldest railways in Germany.

The railway line is part of the networks served by the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund and Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar.

History

The Main-Neckar  Railway was built and operated as a joint state railway company, known as a condominium railway (Kondominalbahn), by the Free City of Frankfurt, The Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt and the Grand Duchy of Baden.

Negotiations between the states
The plans for the railway dated back to 1835. However, years went by until the three states involved agreed on routes and how it would be organised. Not until 1838 was a treaty for the construction of a Railway from Frankfurt to Mannheim via Darmstadt agreed. The Hessian Railway Company could not raise the required capital and it was then dissolved. There was a second treaty signed of 21 and 23 March 1843, which agreed to build the Main-Neckar line at government expense and—as a compromise between the interests of Mannheim and Heidelberg—located the line centrally in Friedrichsfeld where it joined the Mannheim–Heidelberg line of the Grand Duchy of Baden State Railway. Baden requested that the line be built to 1600 mm broad gauge but could not gain agreement for this. Responsibility for funding the project was in proportion to the length of the line in the three countries: Frankfurt: , Hesse-Darmstadt:  and Baden: . All three governments were represented in the management of the Main-Neckar Railway in Darmstadt.

Construction
The construction of the line began in June 1843 on the Frankfurt section. The management of construction was carried out by municipal chief engineer Remigius Eyssen. On 16 April 1846, the first trial service ran from Darmstadt to Langen. The fare for this trip was 1 guilder and 6 kreuzers for first class, 48 kreuzers for second class, 33 kreuzers for third class and 21 kreuzers for fourth class.

The line was opened for the scheduled traffic in sections:
 22 June 1846: Langen to Darmstadt and Bensheim
 16 July 1846: Langen to Mainspitze (Frankfurt) and Sachsenhausen (renamed Lokalbahnhof in 1876)
 First continuous trial run from Frankfurt to Heidelberg on 27 July 1846
 1 August 1846: Bensheim to the junction with the Heidelberg–Mannheim line, thus completing the line. At first carriages were pushed manually over the temporary bridge at Ladenburg; from 9 October 1846 locomotive-hauled traffic ran over the bridge.
 On 20 November 1851, the rail link to the Main-Weser Railway was opened in Frankfurt, and a year later passenger services opened on the link, making the Main-Neckar line part of a major north-south axis. The rail connection to the Taunus station was built in 1871.

Bridges

Until the Main-Neckar Bridge in Frankfurt (at the site of today's Friedensbrücke) was completed on opened to traffic on 15 November 1848, rail services ran into the Mainspitze depot and reversed to the old Sachsenhausen station. After the completion of the bridge over the Main the line ended in Main-Neckar station. The original temporary wooden bridge at Ladenburg was replaced by a stone arch bridge in 1848.

Gauges
Since the Baden Mainline  between Mannheim and Heidelberg was built with a broad gauge of 1600 mm and the Main-Neckar line with standard gauge of 1435 mm, additional track had to be built: from Friedrichsfeld to Heidelberg a second line ran next to the line of the Baden State Railway line. From Friedrichsfeld to Mannheim, the Baden State Railway built an additional standard gauge track at its own expense, although it was operated by the Main-Neckar Railway.

Stations

The route began in Frankfurt at the Main-Neckar station, one of the three Frankfurt western stations. It was in the (present) Willy-Brandt-Platz on the corner of Münchner Straße and Gallusanlage, south of the Taunus station. It was demolished in 1888. Similarly the old Main-Neckar Darmstadt station was replaced by the current Darmstadt Hauptbahnhof between 1910 and 1912 and the old Heidelberg station, which was opened in May 1848, was replaced by the current Heidelberg Hauptbahnhof in 1955 and demolished in 1960. Each of these stations proved too small for the rapidly growing traffic and were replaced by bigger stations built further from the centre of the towns they serve. The architectural quality of the reception buildings on the line was high. In Bensheim and Heppenheim they were designed by Georg Moller.

Operations

Initially the railway had 18 locomotives and 252 cars. Twelve locomotives were bought by Hesse-Darmstadt from the Sharp locomotive works of Manchester. The six locomotives purchased of Baden and Frankfurt came from Kesslers Maschinenfabrik in Karlsruhe. All locomotives had a 1A1 wheel arrangement.

On 9 August 1847 freight operations started, with freight carried by mixed trains, until 1848 when separate freight trains proved successful. In the first 15 years of operations, freight volume increased thirty times while the number of passengers carried increased by 50%. The Main-Neckar line was completed and fully open to traffic with the commissioning of the Main-Neckar bridge in Frankfurt on 15 November 1848.

From 18 May 1849 the line was closed to traffic south of Heppenheim as a result of the Baden Revolution and on 6 and 7 June 1849 the line was used exclusively for military transport.  Civil operations only resumed on the entire route on 27 June 1849. Operations were also temporarily disrupted in the War of 1866.

Economic impact
The Main-Neckar Railway brought jobs and income for the people of the Bergstrasse and the western Odenwald. It connected Darmstadt, Mannheim and Frankfurt. Getting a job in the railways, however, was not so simple, many people competed for the jobs available. Only men with impeccable reputation, able to satisfy a thorough examination that they were in perfect health, would be allowed to make the substantial deposit for the coveted dress uniform of railway workers. Somebody who had ruined his health, for example, in the construction of the railway, had no chance.

Development of the Main-Neckar  Railway
In the following years, the line was constantly developed, modernised and adapted to increasing traffic and the changing needs of passengers.
 In 1852, the first pointer telegraph (Zeigertelegraf) was introduced.
 In 1853, fourth class (standing room only) was abolished.
 In 1855, the Baden State Railway was converted to standard gauge and through coaches were introduced from Frankfurt to Kehl, with connection to Basel.
 In 1860, glass windows were installed in third class carriages.
 In 1861, duplication of the line commenced with the line fully duplicated in 1862.
 In 1866, the Prussian government took over Frankfurt's share in the railway, following the annexation of the Free City of Frankfurt by Prussia as a result of the Austro-Prussian War.
 In 1868, electric alarm bells were installed.
 In 1875, steam heating was introduced in carriages.
 In 1877, the first sleeping cars ran from Frankfurt to Basel.
 In 1878, the first Morse telegraph was established.

 On 1 June 1880, a direct link from Mannheim-Friedrichsfeld to Schwetzingen on the Rhine Railway opened.
 In 1882, a four-track steel truss Main-Neckar bridge in Frankfurt was completed about 1000 m west of the first Main-Neckar Bridge. The new bridge was needed so that the Main-Neckar railway could connect with the new Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof. A new line was built from Louisa station on an S-curve on an embankment to the new bridge. In the same year, the connection through the Gotthard opened, making the Main-Neckar line part of an important north-south axis.
 In 1888, after the completion of the new Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, the line no longer used the old Main-Neckar bridge, which was converted into a road bridge. Mainspitze station was abandoned.
 In 1888, trains began to run on the right-hand line.
 In 1889, Westinghouse air brakes were introduced.
 In 1896, the shares in the company owned by Prussia and Hesse-Darmstadt were transferred to the newly established Prussian-Hessian Railway Company.
 In 1902, the joint management of the railway administration was resolved in a treaty signed by Prussia, Hesse-Darmstadt and Baden. The section of the line in Baden became part of the Baden State Railways; the line in Hesse was transferred to the Railway headquarters of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Grand Duchy of Hesse in Mainz (Königlich Preußischen und Großherzoglich Hessischen Eisenbahndirektion Mainz). Thus the history of the Main-Neckar Railway as an independent company came to an end.

Subsequent history
 In 1912, the Darmstadt Hauptbahnhof replaced the old and congested stations of the Main-Neckar Railway and the Hessian Ludwig Railway opened. Its architect was Friedrich Pützer.
 In 1927, the Main-Neckar bridge in Frankfurt was replaced by a new, stronger steel truss bridge. This was done during operations with only minor restrictions on the rail and ship transport.
 In 1945, in the last days of World War II the Main-Neckar bridge was blown up by the German Army.
 From 23 November 1946, steam trains began to run on the repaired bridge.
 In 1956, the first section of the railway from Heidelberg to Mannheim-Friedrichsfeld was electrified and went into operation on 3 June. On 1 October 1957, electric operations commenced on the section from Mannheim-Friedrich via Weinheim to Darmstadt. On 19 November 1957, this was followed by operations on the section to Frankfurt.
 In 1997, the southern sections of lines S3 and S4 of the Rhine-Main S-Bahn was completed on the Main-Neckar line. It has since been rebuilt as four tracks between Frankfurt and Langen and between Egelsbach and Erzhausen, expanded to three tracks between Langen and Egelsbach and between Erzhausen and Darmstadt. The stations along this route have been renovated substantially, and platforms have been removed from the mainline tracks except at Langen and Neu-Isenburg. The station buildings, with the exception of Arheilgen and Egelsbach station all still exist and still show traces of the "old" Main-Neckar Railway style.

Current Situation

Long-distance traffic
Today, the Main-Neckar line shares the load of north-south traffic with the Mannheim–Frankfurt railway, which runs further to the west in the Rhine valley, from Frankfurt, bypassing Darmstadt, via Groß-Gerau to Mannheim and Worms. On the section between Darmstadt and Mannheim/Heidelberg, the Main-Neckar Railway has reached the limit of its capacity: 250 trains run on the line in each direction every day. Between Frankfurt and Darmstadt, where the line has three or four tracks, the line is used by the Rhine-Main S-Bahn. This will be relieved by the proposed Frankfurt–Mannheim high-speed railway between Frankfurt Airport and Mannheim, which will take a portion of the high-speed and long-distance trains. Construction is expected to start in 2011 and be completed in 2017.

The Main-Neckar railway bridge line is an important route for north-south traffic, especially freight traffic between the North Sea ports and southern Germany and Switzerland. The bridge is used by 600 trains each day, including trains operating over the Frankfurt–Bebra and Frankfurt-Hanau lines.

Regional services
Regional-Express trains stop only in Frankfurt, Langen, Darmstadt, Bickenbach, Bensheim, Heppenheim, Hemsbach, Weinheim and Ladenburg. Regionalbahn trains stop between Frankfurt and Darmstadt only in Langen, then stop at all stations. Lützelsachsen and Großsachsen-Heddesheim stations are served every two hours only. Stations between Frankfurt and Darmstadt via Frankfurt South are served by S-Bahn lines S3 and S4. Between 5 AM and midnight trains run every hour and during peak hours every 30 minutes.
  Bad Soden – Frankfurt Hbf – Citytunnel – South station – Langen – Darmstadt
  Kronberg – Frankfurt Hbf – Citytunnel – South station – Langen (– Darmstadt)
  Frankfurt – Darmstadt – Bensheim – Weinheim – Mannheim (Regional-Express)
  Bensheim – Weinheim – Mannheim (Regionalbahn)
  Frankfurt – Darmstadt – Bensheim – Weinheim – Heidelberg (Regionalbahn)

Sources

Notes

References

Railway lines in Baden-Württemberg
Railway lines in Hesse
Rhine-Main S-Bahn
Railway lines opened in 1846
Transport in Frankfurt
Buildings and structures in Darmstadt
Buildings and structures in Darmstadt-Dieburg
Buildings and structures in Bergstraße (district)
Buildings and structures in Rhein-Neckar-Kreis
Transport in Heidelberg
Transport in Mannheim
Rhine-Neckar S-Bahn
Railways with Zig Zags


Ready is the third studio album by American R&B recording artist Trey Songz. It was released on August 31, 2009, by Troy Taylor record label Songbook, distributed by Atlantic Records. The album serves as the sequel to Trey Day (2007). Production for the album took place from 2008 to 2009, which was contributed by Songz's longtime collaborator and his mentor Troy Taylor, along with Bryan-Michael Cox, StarGate and Los da Mystro, among others.

The album received generally positive reviews from critics, which positively compared Ready to the work of R. Kelly, but also was criticized for this album's inconsistency. The album debuted at number 3 on the US Billboard 200, selling 131,000 copies in its first week. The album was a certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), becoming Songz's first certified album. 4 years later, Ready was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

The album was supported by five singles, including the top ten Billboard Hot 100 hit "Say Aah", and the top five Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs hits "Neighbors Know My Name" and "I Invented Sex", the latter of which topped the chart. Songz promoted Ready in a number of live appearances, including co-heading the 106 & Live tour, sponsored by 106 & Park, and serving as a support act on Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3 Tour. Ready earned Songz a Grammy Award nomination for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 52nd Grammy Awards; but lost to Beyoncé Knowles' I Am... Sasha Fierce.

Background and production
When Songz began recording for Ready; the purpose of the album was to crossover and increase his exposure on radio. The album's lead single, "I Need a Girl" was released to connect to mainstream radio. Songz said that "[it] was a very radio-geared record which would do great and play on radio heavily during whatever time. It wasn't a record I expected to last forever, or one I was even excited about singing, but it was a record I knew would do well." Speaking of the following singles, Songz thought that "I Invented Sex" would be a "career-defining record, and I knew 'Say Aah' would be a monster club record."

Speaking on his collaborations with the producers, Songz said that on Ready, "we're breaking down every song, every hook, every chorus, every bridge, and we're making sure every song is the best song it could be. This album isn't just going to be a compilation of songs, but a classic body of work." The album only contained three guest features with Drake, Gucci Mane and Soulja Boy Tell 'Em. Songz wanted to keep the number of features very limited, and stated that "anybody else I add is going to be very special". American rapper Fabolous was added as a guest feature on the track, titled "Say Aah".

Songz said that compared to his previous albums, "this album is very adult, very easygoing and very sexy [...] My first album was very adult-like, but in a different, more soulful, sample-driven kind of way, and my second one was more contemporary and trendy." To reflect his transition into adulthood and the changes in his music, Songz changed his appearance by cutting off his trademark braids. Songz also began dressing in more sophisticated attire, trading in sneakers and T-shirts for vests, tailored pants, and "tasteful" shoes. On the appearance change, Songz's mentor, producer, and the head of Songbook Entertainment, Troy Taylor said, "Trey's from the streets, he's a hood kid. He wasn't glamorous and (didn't have) the finer things in life growing up, [...] He didn't want to lose his street-ism, [...] As he grew into it I think he began to realize, 'Wait a minute, this ain't that bad after all,' and then he got the ladies' opinions."

After Ready's success, Songz explained that the album was a result of his growth and new-found maturity. Commenting about the success of his singles, Songz stated that "they're very strong records and they're not just radio records. They're records that embody the person I am as well as the artist I am. I think they're more definitive of who I am than any other album I've had. I've grown as an artist. I've been doing this  now. As I've matured, I've learned how to exude that of which I want to be felt. I've learned what my fans want from me and things of that nature."

Composition

Ready is an R&B album that contains influences of hip-hop and pop, with a bit of soul, as much of the work has been compared to vintage R. Kelly. Concerning the album's lyrical content, Ken Capobianco of the Boston Globe said, "While many male modern R&B vocalists are moving to a more mature vibe, Trey Songz keeps the horndog-with-a-heart tradition alive with his third album." Sean Fennessey of The Village Voice said, that Ready, featured Songz's "re-imagining the notion of flow—if not melody—just as his hero Kelly did 15 years ago." Andrew Rennie of Now Magazine said the production had a 1980s soundtrack vibe. According to Mark Edward Nero of About.com, "I Need A Girl" contains familiar qualities of Songz's breakout hit "Can't Help but Wait", also produced by Stargate. The song is lyrically about finding and pleasing the right woman. The song has also been described to be a mix of Usher and Justin Timberlake

Melanie Bertoli of Billboard said that "Neighbors Know My Name" "employs a knocking bassline and drip-drop effect to provide the ideal erotic backdrop for Songz's dirty talk." "Black Roses" is "set to quasi-electronica production, buoyed by a soulful vocal arrangement." Tyler Lewis of PopMatters said "Be Where You Are" was reminiscent of Jordan Knight's "Give It to You", and called it Songz's purest pop song to date. "Yo Side of the Bed", containing soul influences, has been called R&B-pop rock similar to some of Beyoncé's work on I Am... Sasha Fierce and Brandy on Human. "LOL :-)" is lyrically about sexting, while featuring a "ringtone-ready" chorus, and heavy percussion.

Promotion
Promoting the album, a major online campaign was launched, his blog site, SeeFurtherThanIAm.com, on which Songz streams live chats and behind-the-scenes videos. He also released a track on his Twitter every Monday, some of which was from his mixtape Anticipation, which preceded the album's release. Songz embarked on a promo tour on July 25, 2009, with stops in Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, Dallas and the Carolinas, where he attended radio events and listening sessions. He also toured the House of Blues in September, as well as a college tour that fall. In addition to co-headlining the 106 & Live! tour with Mario, also featuring Day26 and Sean Garrett, which toured from September 29, 2009 to October 31, 2009, Songz served as a supporting act in 2010 for Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3 Tour, along with Young Jeezy.

In addition to the online and touring promotion, Songz made an appearance with his mother and younger-half brother, Forrest, to perform at AMBER Ready Back-to-School Safety Weekend at ABC Studios in Times Square on August 16, 2009. He appeared on BET's 106 & Park on August 31, 2009, September 1, 2009 and September 2, 2009, performing a medley of "Successful", "I Need a Girl" and "LOL :-)" on the latter date. He performed "I Need a Girl" on September 9, 2009, on The Wendy Williams Show.

Singles
The album's lead single, "I Need a Girl" was released via digital download on April 13, 2009, with "Brand New" as its B-side. "I Need a Girl" received positive to mixed reviews, with some critics comparing it to "Can't Help But Wait" and others noting it as generic. The song peaked at 59 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 6 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

Songz appeared as a featured artist on Drake's single, "Successful"; the song peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was a success on other charts, while reaching at numbers 3 and 2 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop and Top Rap Songs charts, respectively. Although it was not released as a dual single for Songz and Drake, Songz included this track for Ready, and then sans with the other featured guest by Lil Wayne, and the addition of another by himself.

"LOL :-)" featuring Gucci Mane and Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, was released to airplay as the album's second single on August 24, 2009. The song received generally positive reviews, while peaking at number 51 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

"I Invented Sex" featuring Drake, was released to airplay as the album's third single on October 13, 2009. The song reached at number 42 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and it became Songz's first number one hit on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The remix to "I Invented Sex" featuring fellow R&B singers Keri Hilson and Usher, was released.

The album's fourth single, "Say Aah" featuring Fabolous, was released on January 12, 2010. The song became the most successful song of Songz's career, by reaching at number 9 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Additionally it was his first song to impact pop radio, appearing on the Pop Songs chart, and his first to chart internationally, charting on the Canadian Hot 100.

"Neighbors Know My Name"; the album's fifth and final single was released on February 16, 2010, and it received generally positive reviews, while reaching at number 43 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and number 4 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, giving Songz his third consecutive top five single and fifth top ten single from Ready.

Other songs
Although it was not released as a single, the music video for "Yo Side of the Bed", in which Keri Hilson portrayed Songz's love interest, was filmed and released.

Critical reception

Ready received mostly positive reviews from professional critics, which received an aggregate score of 67 out of 100. The score, indicating "generally favorable reviews" was based on six reviews from website Metacritic. It received many comparisons to the work of R&B artist R. Kelly, while several critics noted it as inconsistent. David Jeffries of Allmusic said that "Even at a whopping 17 like-minded tracks, all-night lovers wouldn't be caught dead complaining about how overly long it all is", commenting that Ready "is as entertaining and frivolous as a one-night stand should be." Ken Capobianco of The Boston Globe said that Songz had developed as a vocalist stating his voice was more "elastic" and he used his falsetto "judiciously." Capobianco commended tracks like "Be Where You Are," and "Love Lost", commenting that "tracks like that show that he is indeed ready for the next step." Andrew Rennie of Now said, "slight deviations from R&B's classic formula allow Trey Songz wiggle room to play with his multi-octave voice. This offering sets him apart from other acts and may secure his spot in the canon of bedroom crooners." Glenn Gamboa of Newsday said that after making his name for singing hooks on rap songs, that he "shows his smooth R&B vocals can hold the spotlight all on their own." Rolling Stone gave the album 3½ out of 5 stars and wrote that Songz "takes cues from R. Kelly, slyly mocking the self-parodying excesses of boudoir R&B while supplying the utilitarian goods: the sumptuous vocal harmonies and sultry beats upon which long nights beneath ceiling mirrors depend". A writer for USA Today said the album reflects his broad appeal, and that Songz's proves "he's comfortable as a rogue or romantic. Even though the review pointed out that "he occasionally falls back on booty-call clichés," it did point out that "his song craft shines on the edgy "Black Roses" and regretful "Love Lost." Jon Caramanica of The New York Times said, " 'Ready' is one of the year's most promising R&B albums, and a curious one at that", commenting, "the results are bawdy but never lecherous; sometimes all his enthusiastic bedroom talk has an air of childlike goofiness to it, as if he were thrilled to get away with boasting so freely." Sean Fennesssy of The Village Voice called the album "one of the year's best..."

Despite viewing it imperfect and noting Songz had not mastered the balancing act "between being a horny boy and ladies' man", Mark Edward Nero of About.com said it was the best album of Songz's career, commenting, "Trey takes a big step toward establishing himself as an A-list singer." Nero also commended consistent vocals as a plus, and complimented the eclecticity of the songs, saying no tracks are unlistenable. Tyler Lewis of PopMatters said that Songz continued his tradition of inconsistent albums, commenting that the album is best is when it departs from the R. Kelly template. Lewis recommended that the album needed to be trimmed down and included with some from his mixtape Anticipation for what could have been, "the black pop record of the year." In his consumer guide for MSN Music, critic Robert Christgau gave to the album a dud () rating, indicating "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought. At the upper level it may merely be overrated, disappointing, or dull. Down below it may be contemptible". Ajitpaul Mangat of Tiny Mix Tapes called the album often "generic" and "monotonous" noting how Songz's work on freestyles and work ethic proves how the album could be better. Mangat did overall compliment the album, "While Ready is far from a perfect album, it seems Trey is learning how to inspirit his original works with the charm and inventiveness found in his freestyles and covers." The album earned Songz a Grammy Award nomination for Best Contemporary R&B Album in 2010.

Commercial performance
Ready debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 131,000 copies in the United States. Ready was the second-highest debut of the week, only behind Whitney Houston's comeback album, I Look To You (2009). The album charted at number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. On February 16, 2010, the album was certified gold in sales, by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), following shipments in excess of 500,000 copies in the United States. It is Songz's first RIAA-certified album. On June 11, 2014, the album was certified platinum.

Track listing

 (*) designates a co-producer.

Personnel
Credits for Ready adapted from Allmusic.

 Rebeca Alexis – stylist
 Johnta Austin – executive producer
 Greg Gigendad Burke – art direction, design
 Mike Caren – A&R
 Mark B. Christensen – mastering
 Don Corell –  producer
 Dwayne Cotton – guitar
 Bryan-Michael Cox – producer, instrumentation
 Mikkel S. Eriksen – engineer, instrumentation
 Jaycen Joshua Fowler – mixing
 Wayne Washington – A&R
 Sean Garrett – producer
 Rob Gold – photo production
 Paul Gregory – liner notes
 Dionnee Harper – marketing
 Patrick Hayes – producer
 Christopher "Deep" Henderson – keyboards, background vocals, producer, drum programming
 T.E. Hermansen – engineer
 Chris Hines –  producer
 Jean-Marie Horvat – mixing
 Josh Houghkirk – mixing assistant
 Eric Hudson –  producer
 Patrick Collier - engineer
 Espen Lind – guitar
 Giancarlo Lino – mixing assistant
 Craig Love – guitar
 Bei Maejor – producer
 Jack Manning – background vocals
 John McGee –  producer
 Carlos "Los Da Mystro" McKinney– arranger, conductor, producer
 Delant "Butta" Murphy – executive producer, management
 Scott Naughton – engineer
 Tremaine Neverson – lead vocals, producer, executive producer
 Dave Pensado – mixing
 Tony "Chef Tone" Scales –  producer
 Paul Gregory Senior – liner notes
 Noah "40 Shebib –  producer, engineer, mixing
 Phil Tan – mixing
 Troy Taylor –  producer, engineer, executive producer
 Sam Thomas – engineer
 Carolyn Tracey – package production
 Miles Walker – engineer
 Ben Watts – photography
 DeAndre Way –  featured vocals
 Isaac West – bass
 Amir Windom - A&R

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

 Ready at Discogs
 Ready at Metacritic

2009 albums
Albums produced by Bryan-Michael Cox
Albums produced by Eric Hudson
Albums produced by Noah "40" Shebib
Albums produced by Sean Garrett
Albums produced by Stargate
Albums produced by Maejor
Albums produced by Troy Taylor (record producer)
Atlantic Records albums
Trey Songz albums


Anton Nikolayevich Rogochiy (; born 23 January 1982) is a Russian professional football coach and a former player. He is an assistant coach with the Under-20 squad of FC Rostov.

Playing career
He made his debut in the Russian Premier League in 1999 for FC Rostselmash Rostov-on-Don. He played 4 games in UEFA Intertoto Cup 1999 and UEFA Intertoto Cup 2000 for FC Rostselmash Rostov-on-Don.

Honours
 Russian Cup finalist: 2003.

References

External links

1982 births
Footballers from Rostov-on-Don
Living people
Russian men's footballers
Russia men's under-21 international footballers
Men's association football defenders
Russian Premier League players
FC Baltika Kaliningrad players
FC Rostov players
FC Kuban Krasnodar players
FC Khimki players
PFC Spartak Nalchik players
FC Vityaz Podolsk players
FC Sibir Novosibirsk players
FC Chayka Peschanokopskoye players


The Golden Filter is an American/Australian electronic music duo from New York City, formed in 2008, now based in London. The band consists of Penelope Trappes and Stephen Hindman.

History
Lead singer Penelope Trappes grew up in Lismore, near Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia, while analogue synth programmer and producer Stephen Hindman is originally from Ohio, United States.

They produced their debut single, "Solid Gold", in July 2008, after being influenced by italo mix CDs given to them by Josh Cheon (Dark Entries records). "Solid Gold" was eventually released on February 15, 2009 on Dummy Records. Its video was filmed in Australia, near Melbourne. They have also remixed tracks for artists such as UNKLE, Cut Copy, Empire of the Sun, Peter Bjorn and John, and Yeasayer.

The Golden Filter performed at the SXSW Music Festival at least seven times in March 2009, and toured North America with The Presets between March 30 and April 20, 2009, performing on sixteen dates altogether. They have also done two short UK tours and a European festival tour in 2010.

They appeared at the Iceland Airwaves Festival on October 16, 2009. On November 16, their second single, "Thunderbird", was released by Dummy.

Their debut album, Voluspa, released on the UK label Brille Records on April 26, 2010, is named after the ancient Nordic poem Völuspá which relates the story of the creation of the world and its coming end. Promotion of Voluspa started on January 16, 2010 with a fifty-second viral video called "Open Your Eyes".

In 2011, The Golden Filter collaborated with Norwegian director Kristoffer Borgli to create a ten-minute short film titled Syndromes. The film stars Emma Aars and is set in a small town in Norway where "a young girl with a secret talent finds herself unwillingly entwined in an elite underworld of healing that only the ailing wealthy are aware of." The narrative is based on the song "Mother", whose lyrics "revolve around a beautifully tragic personal story about the fear of inevitable loss." The film was released on 10 October 2011 as a CD/DVD package on the duo's own Perfectly Isolated label, along with an accompanying soundtrack featuring six original songs, which was also released digitally as well as in a special limited vinyl and art edition of 300 copies, including an exclusive poster hand-signed by the duo. The vinyl edition is housed in a gatefold sleeve, and also includes a DVD of the film. "Mother" was released digitally on September 11, 2011.

In 2014, The Golden Filter debuted their side project SO SO IN LUV with the single "1+0nly". The project was inspired by their "befriending a few inspiring and talented people at PC Music" following their move to London in 2014. SO SO IN LUV released several singles, compilation tracks, and mixes over the next few years, and while the project was initially anonymous, they revealed their identity when the alias was retired in early 2018. They had continued to release music as The Golden Filter during and after this time, as well as releasing solo music (Penelope Trappes under her own name and Hindman under the name "Quays").

Discography

Studio albums
Voluspa (2010 Brille Records)
Unselected Works Vol I (2014 - The Vinyl Factory)
Unselected Works Vol II (2014 - The Vinyl Factory)
Unselected Works Vol III (2014 - The Vinyl Factory)
Still // Alone (2017 - Optimo Music)

Mini albums / EPs
Syndromes (2011 - The Vinyl Factory)
PS1103 (2015 - Optimo Music)
End Of Times (2017 - Optimo Music)
Dub Of Times (2018 - Optimo Music)
Dislocation (2018 - 4GN3S)

Singles
"Solid Gold" (Dummy, 2009)
"Thunderbird" (Brille, 2009)
"Hide Me" (Brille, 2010)
"White Nights" (Brille, 2010)
"Mother" (Perfectly Isolated/Vinyl Factory, 2011)
"Kill Me" (Perfectly Isolated/Vinyl Factory, 2012)
"Quiet Town" (Visage Musique, 2012)
"Start Over" (Optimo Music, 2015)
"Dust" (Optimo Music, 2017)
"End Of Times" (Optimo Music, 2017)
"Aya" (Cin Cin, 2018)
"Talk Talk Talk" (4GN3S, 2018)

Compilation appearances

Remixes

References

External links

Musical duos from New York (state)
Electronic music duos
Electronic music groups from New York (state)
Musical groups established in 2008
Musical groups from New York City
Nu-disco musicians
Remixers
American synth-pop groups


Poland–Uruguay relations are foreign relations between Poland and Uruguay. Neither country has a resident ambassador. Both nations are members of the United Nations.

History
In 1847, Polish diplomat Alexandre Colonna-Walewski paid a visit to Uruguay during a visit to South America. The first Polish migrants to Uruguay arrived in the mid-19th century. In the years before World War I, Uruguay received working-class migrants from Poland.

Diplomatic relations between Poland and Uruguay were established on 22 July 1920. Soon afterwards, Polish envoy Count Ksawery Franciszek Orłowski presented his credentials to the Uruguayan President Baltasar Brum. Between 1922 and 1936 the Polish diplomatic legation in Buenos Aires was accredited for relations with Uruguay.

During World War II, César Montero Bustamante was put in-charge of on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay for relations with the Polish government-in-exile in London. Soon after the war, relations between both nations steadily improved. In 1995, former Polish President Lech Wałęsa paid a visit to Uruguay. In 2002, Uruguayan Foreign Minister Didier Opertti paid an official visit to Poland and met with Polish President Aleksander Kwaśniewski. In 2006, Uruguayan Foreign Minister Belela Herrera paid a visit to Poland. In 2007, Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski paid a visit to Uruguay.

In 2010, Poland and Uruguay celebrated 90 years of diplomatic relations. In 2021, Uruguay closed its embassy in Warsaw due to budget restraints.

Agreements
Both nations have signed several bilateral agreements, such as a Trade Treaty (1938);  Agreement on Cultural, Scientific and Educational Cooperation (1989);  Agreement on the Reciprocal Promotion of Investments (1991); Agreement on the Elimination of Visa Requirements (1991); Agreement on the avoidance of Double-Taxation (1991) and an Agreement on Joint Cooperation between both nations' Ministries of Foreign Affairs (2010).

Diplomatic Missions
 Poland is accredited to Uruguay from its embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina and maintains an honorary consulate in Montevideo.
 Uruguay is accredited to Poland from its embassy in Berlin, Germany.

See also
 Foreign relations of Poland
 Foreign relations of Uruguay
 Polish Uruguayans

Bibliography
Albanell Mac Coll, Eduardo. Polonia en el Uruguay. Montevideo: La Voz de Polonia, 1945.

References

Uruguay
Bilateral relations of Uruguay


Vasili Yuryevich Chernitsyn (; born 15 May 1977) is a retired Russian professional footballer. He made his debut in the Russian Premier League in 1999 for FC Shinnik Yaroslavl.

References

1977 births
Living people
Russian men's footballers
FC Shinnik Yaroslavl players
Russian Premier League players
FC Nizhny Novgorod (2007) players
FC Vityaz Podolsk players
Men's association football goalkeepers
FC Dynamo Vologda players
FC Lukhovitsy players
FC Cherepovets players


Phulpura, or Phoolpura is a small village in Bhiwani district, in the Indian state of Haryana. The village is 12 km east of Bhiwani on the road to Rohtak. The villagers' main source of income is farming and labouring in the factories (called bhatta in the country). The village has one panchayat which includes one sarpanch and 7 panches.

Villages in Bhiwani district


Dr. Cornelis (Kees) Bas (1928 – February 10, 2013) was a Dutch mycologist.

Dr. Bas was born in Rotterdam and graduated in Biology at Leiden University in 1954. In 1953, he began working at the National Herbarium of the Netherlands, as curator for the fungi, in particular, the Agaricales. Early in his career he played an important role in modernizing the collections of Dutch and European higher fungi. He died on February 10, 2013.

References

1928 births
2013 deaths
Dutch mycologists
Leiden University alumni
Scientists from Rotterdam


The  was one of the wartime armaments expansion plans of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN).

Background
In September 1942, after being defeated in the Battle of Midway, the IJN drew up a new armaments expansion plan. This plan was combined by the 5th Naval Armaments Supplement Programme and the 6th Naval Armaments Supplement Programme to build the aircraft carriers rapidly. The main article was to build 20 aircraft carriers, and removed all battleships and heavy cruisers. They had approved 412 vessels, 1,150,000 tons. However, most of plans were not achieved. Until the end of the war only 60 vessels from this plan were completed.

Table of vessels

See also
1st Naval Armaments Supplement Programme (Maru 1 Keikaku, 1931)
2nd Naval Armaments Supplement Programme (Maru 2 Keikaku, 1934)
3rd Naval Armaments Supplement Programme (Maru 3 Keikaku, 1937)
4th Naval Armaments Supplement Programme (Maru 4 Keikaku, 1939)
Temporal Naval Armaments Supplement Programme (Maru Rin Keikaku, 1940)
Rapidly Naval Armaments Supplement Programme (Maru Kyū Keikaku, 1941)
Additional Naval Armaments Supplement Programme (Maru Tui Keikaku, 1941)
5th Naval Armaments Supplement Programme (Maru 5 Keikaku, 1941)
6th Naval Armaments Supplement Programme (Maru 6 Keikaku, 1942)
Wartime Naval Armaments Supplement Programme (Maru Sen Keikaku, 1944)

References
改マル5計画 (ja)

Naval Armaments Supplement Programme
Naval Armaments Supplement Programme


MV Tygra (formerly MV Maersk Alabama) is a container ship currently operated by the Waterman Steamship Corporation and owned by Element Shipmanagement SA of Piraeus, Greece. She was previously owned by the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group and operated by Maersk Line and Maersk Line Limited.

She had a light-blue hull and a beige superstructure like all Maersk vessels, regardless of their flag of registry. She was hijacked by pirates near Somalia in 2009 and her crew held hostage. Four additional unsuccessful hijacking attempts were made in 2009, 2010, and 2011.

History

Alva Maersk was built by China Shipbuilding Corporation, Keelung, Taiwan at yard number 676 and launched in 1998. As Alva Maersk, she was flagged to Denmark. In 2004, Alva Maersk  was renamed Maersk Alabama and reflagged to the United States, with her operator, Maersk Line, Limited, based in Norfolk, Virginia. She has been involved in seven incidents and was employed on Maersk Line's East Africa 4 service. Her regular route was from Mombasa, Kenya to Salalah, Oman, to Djibouti, and then returning to Mombasa.

2004 detention
In 2004, the ship was detained in Kuwait after becoming the victim of an apparent fraud scheme. According to papers filed by the A. P. Moller-Maersk Group with the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in 2005, Kuwait-based expatriates scammed the Group out of millions of dollars. Low-value goods were allegedly shipped under the guise of fraudulent, high-value bills of lading. Maersk was subsequently sued for losing goods that had never existed. Those allegedly behind the scheme were able to detain Alva Maersk in Kuwait as collateral. The ship was released in April 2004 after the A. P. Moller-Maersk Group was forced to put up $1.86 million as collateral.

April 2009 attempted pirate seizure

On April 7, 2009, the U.S. Maritime Administration, following NATO advisories, released a Somalia Gulf of Aden advisory to mariners recommending ships to stay at least  off the coast of Somalia. On April 8, 2009, four Somali pirates boarded Maersk Alabama when it was located  southeast of the Somalia port city of Eyl. With a crew of 20, the ship was en route to Mombasa, Kenya. The ship was carrying 17,000 metric tons of cargo, of which 5,000 metric tons were relief supplies bound for Somalia, Uganda, and Kenya.

According to Chief Engineer Mike Perry, the engineers sank the pirate speedboat shortly after the boarding by continuously swinging the rudder of Maersk Alabama thus scuttling the smaller boat. As the pirates were boarding the ship, the crew members locked themselves in the engine room while the captain and two other crew members remained on the bridge. The engineers then took control of the ship from down below, rendering the bridge controls useless. The pirates were thus unable to control the ship. The crew later used "brute force" to overpower one of the pirates, Abduwali Muse, and free one of the hostages, Abu Thair Mohd Zahid Reza. Frustrated, the pirates decided to leave the ship, taking Phillips to a lifeboat as their bargaining chip. The crew attempted to exchange this captured pirate, whom they had kept tied up for twelve hours, for Captain Phillips. The captured pirate was released, but the pirates refused to release Phillips in exchange. Since the battery had died on the open-air boat, they left in the ship's covered lifeboat, taking Phillips with them. The lifeboat carried ten days of food rations, water, and basic survival supplies.
On April 8, the destroyer  and the frigate  were dispatched to the Gulf of Aden in response to a hostage situation, and reached Maersk Alabama early on April 9. Maersk Alabama then departed from the area with an armed escort, towards her original destination in Mombasa, Kenya, with the vessel's Chief Mate Shane Murphy in charge. On Saturday, April 11, Maersk Alabama arrived in the port of  Mombasa, Kenya, still under U.S. military escort, where C/M Murphy was relieved by Captain Larry Aasheim, who had previously been captain of  Maersk Alabama until Richard Phillips relieved him eight days before the pirate attack. An 18-man marine security team was on board. The FBI secured the ship as a crime scene.

Meanwhile, a standoff had begun on April 9 between Bainbridge and the pirates in Maersk Alabama's lifeboat, where they continued to hold Captain Phillips hostage. Three days later, on Sunday, April 12, Navy marksmen opened fire and killed the three pirates on the lifeboat, and Phillips was rescued in good condition. Bainbridge captain Commander Frank Castellano, with prior authorization from U.S. President Barack Obama, ordered the action after determining that Phillips' life was in immediate danger, based on reports that a pirate was pointing an AK-47 assault rifle at his back. U.S. Navy SEAL snipers on Bainbridge'''s fantail opened fire, killing the three pirates with bullets to the head. One of the three slain was later identified as Ali Aden Elmi. A fourth pirate, Abduwali Muse, aboard the Bainbridge and negotiating for Phillips' release while being treated for an injury sustained in the takeover of Maersk Alabama, surrendered and was taken into custody. Muse's parents asked that he be pardoned because he was either 15 or 16 years old at the time of the incident, but in court, it was ruled that he was not a juvenile and would be tried as an adult. He pleaded guilty to piracy charges and was sentenced to over 33 years in prison.

The actual lifeboat in which Captain Phillips was held hostage is now on display at the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Ft. Pierce, FL. An example of the Scan Eagle UAV used to monitor the crisis is also on display.

November 2009 pirate attack
At 6:30a.m. on November 18, 2009, Maersk Alabama was reportedly sailing some  east of Somalia when she was fired upon by four pirates wielding automatic weapons and traveling in a skiff. The assault failed after guards on the ship responded with small arms fire and acoustical weapons. Afterward, a Djibouti-based patrol plane flew to the scene, and an EU ship searched the area.

September 2010 suspicious approach of pirate skiff
On 29September 2010, the vessel was targeted by Somali pirates wielding AK-47s. The security forces on board Maersk Alabama repelled a skiff with five pirates approximately  east of Somalia. The incident went unreported by the media until November 2010.

 March 2011 attempted hijacking

On 8March 2011, Somali pirates again targeted the vessel.  A security force on board the Maersk Alabama fired warning shots and turned the suspects away.

 May 2011 attempted hijacking

At midnight on 14May 2011, while transiting westbound in the internationally recognized corridor, Maersk Alabama was approached by a skiff of five pirates on the starboard stern. After turning to follow the ship's wake, the skiff quickly closed in to , preparing to board via a hook ladder, at which point the embarked security team fired two shots into the skiff. The skiff quickly broke off, losing radar contact after 10 minutes.

 February 2014 deaths of two security contractors

On 19 February 2014, it was reported that two former Navy SEALs working as security contractors aboard the Maersk Alabama for the private security firm Trident Group were found dead aboard the container ship a day after it docked at Port Victoria, Seychelles. Seychelles police officials reported that the autopsy found the cause of death to be "respiratory failure, with suspicion of myocardial infarction (heart attack)." The presence of a syringe and traces of heroin in the cabin led to a suspicion of drug use. In April, following receipt of a toxicology report which found alcohol in the men's blood, police confirmed that death had been caused by consumption of alcohol and heroin. As of 2018, the criminal investigation results in Seychelles had not yet been disclosed to the public. Seychelles law enforcement released the vessel on February 24. Both Maersk and Trident officially prohibit drug use on board their ships.

 See also
Combined Task Force 150 and Combined Task Force 151, coalition counter-piracy operations in the region.Dai Hong Dan, a similar incident involving the hijacking of a North Korean ship.
Joint Special Operations Command.
MV Samho Jewelry, another hijacking involved in a similar rescue operation by South Korean forces.
Operation Atalanta, a campaign of the European Union to stop piracy off the Somali coast.A Hijacking, a 2012 Danish film about the Maersk Alabama hijacking
Captain Phillips, a 2013 film starring Tom Hanks about the Maersk Alabama hijacking
Piracy in Somalia

 Notes

External links

Hijackers on Cargo Ship: 'They Ran' – Associated Press on YouTubeU.S. Crew Re-Captures Ship From Pirates at ABC News''

Maritime incidents in 2009
Merchant ships of the United States
Piracy in Somalia
Ships of the Maersk Line
1998 ships
Humanitarian aid


The Central Landing Establishment was the Second World War British development centre for airborne warfare at RAF Ringway airfield near Manchester.

Establishment

Following Prime Minister Winston Churchill's decision to create a parachute corps within the British Army after German successes using airborne force during the early stages of the war, a parachute training school known as the Central Landing School was set up at RAF Ringway near Manchester in June 1940. On 31 August 1940, it was expanded within the school becoming the Central Landing Establishment. There was a separate Technical unit and the addition of the Glider Training Squadron which would be used by pilots training for the Glider Pilot Regiment.

The centre was operated by Royal Air Force and British Army officers working in collaboration.

In 1941, the Airborne Forces Establishment was created from the experimental and technical units, renamed in 1942 as the Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment. The Parachute Training Squadron became a unit in its own right as the Parachute Training School on 15 February 1942.

Glider pilot training took 24 weeks; a 12-week light pilot training course and a 12-week glider course.

Equipment

The CLE developed equipment to be used by Britain's airborne forces, such as standardized equipment containers for parachuting supplies.

The Mark III CLE Canister was   long and  in diameter, with a  parachute attached to one end and an impact absorbing "pan" at the other; the capacity was . It split longitudinally for unloading. These containers would fit in the bomb bays of aircraft making resupply easier. The largest CLE canister was 3.3 m long.

An earlier Mark I canister was D-shaped in cross-section (about 15 inches in diameter). A motorcycle, the "Welbike" was developed that could be stowed in one. A cylindrical fuel can was also developed to fit the CLE Canister, with a canister able to accommodate three of the cans.

Other means of landing supplies were developed. Wicker baskets for some materiel, crates for motorcycles such as the Royal Enfield WD/RE, and the means of parachuting jeeps and light artillery pieces.

Staff
Wing Commander Nigel Norman: Commandant 1940–1942

Notes

References
 Harclerode, Peter. (1992) Para! Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment. Orion: London. .
 Sturtivant, Ray. (1997). Royal Air Force Training and Support Units. Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. .
 Thompson, Leroy. (1989). British Paratroops in Action. Combat Troops # 9. Squadron/Signal Publications: Carrollton, United States. .

External links

Military parachuting in the United Kingdom
Military research establishments of the United Kingdom
Military units and formations of the Royal Air Force
Military units and formations established in 1940


Truro and St Austell was a county constituency in Cornwall represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament from its 1997 creation to its 2010 abolition by Matthew Taylor of the Liberal Democrats, who was appointed a life peer in the House of Lords following his service as a Member of Parliament (MP). The constituency elected one MP by the first past the post system of election.

History
The constituency has existed in a number of different forms. The Truro constituency, up until 1885 elected two MPs; this was reduced to one. In 1918 the constituency was abolished but it was recreated again in 1950.

In 1997, in spite of the fact that no boundary changes were made to Truro on that occasion, the Boundary Commission nonetheless saw fit to change its name to Truro and St Austell, reflecting the fact that St Austell has a larger population than Truro. The Truro seat became a safe Liberal seat due to the popularity of its former MP, David Penhaligon, who died in a car crash in 1986, aged 42. He was succeeded in a by-election the following year by Matthew Taylor, who held the seat comfortably until his retirement, at the constituency's abolition, in 2010.

Boundaries
The District of Carrick wards of Boscawen, Chacewater, Feock, Kea, Kenwyn, Moresk, Newlyn, Perranzabuloe, Probus, Roseland, St Agnes, St Clement, Tregolls, Trehaverne; and the Borough of Restormel wards of Crinnis, Mevagissey, Poltair, Rock, St Ewe, St Mewan, St Stephen-in-Brannel, Trevarna, Treverbyn.

The constituency was centred on the former district of Carrick (which contains the city of Truro) and the former borough of Restormel (which contains the town of St Austell).

Boundary review
Following a review of parliamentary representation in Cornwall, the Boundary Commission for England created an extra seat for the county which meant consequential changes for the existing seats. The constituency of Truro and St Austell, which was abolished, was partly succeeded by St Austell and Newquay.

The city of Truro forms part of the newly created Truro and Falmouth constituency.

Members of Parliament

Elections

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

For elections before 1997, see Truro

See also
List of parliamentary constituencies in Cornwall

Notes and references

Sources
Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807)

Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1997
Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom disestablished in 2010
Parliamentary constituencies in Cornwall (historic)
Politics of Truro
St Austell


Dmitri Stepanovich Andreyev (; born 26 September 1980) is a Russian professional football official and a former player who played as centre-back. He is the sporting director for FC Orenburg.

Club career
He made his debut in the Russian Premier League in 2000 for FC Uralan Elista.

Honours
 Russian Second Division, Zone Ural-Povolzhye best defender: 2010.

References

1980 births
People from Elista
Living people
Russian men's footballers
Men's association football defenders
FC Elista players
FC Zhemchuzhina-Sochi players
FC Lada-Tolyatti players
Russian Premier League players
FC Tyumen players
FC Volga Nizhny Novgorod players
FC Arsenal Tula players
FC Orenburg players
Sportspeople from Kalmykia


Zinfandel station is a side platformed Sacramento RT Light Rail station in Rancho Cordova, California, United States. The station was opened on June 11, 2004, and is operated by the Sacramento Regional Transit District. It is served by the Gold Line. Across the street from the stop is the Rancho Cordova Town Center mall.

The station was originally intended for construction along Folsom, east of Zinfandel Drive. However, RT officials moved the station west of Zinfandel after requests by the Rancho Cordova Area Chamber of Commerce due to the better location adjacent to retail centers. Zinfandel, along with Cordova Town Center and Sunrise, opened on June 11, 2004, as part of an $89 million,  extension of the Gold Line east of the Mather Field/Mills station. Rancho Cordova city officials have stated the establishment of the stations will help in the development of transit-oriented development/redevelopment of the Folsom corridor through the city.

Platforms and tracks

References

Sacramento Regional Transit light rail stations
Rancho Cordova, California
Railway stations in the United States opened in 2004
2004 establishments in California


Cordova Town Center station is a side platformed Sacramento RT Light Rail station in Rancho Cordova, California, United States. The station was opened on June 11, 2004, and is operated by the Sacramento Regional Transit District. It is served by the Gold Line. It is located near the intersection of Olson Drive/Cordova Lane and Folsom Boulevard and serves the nearby Rancho Cordova Town Center and a variety of shopping destinations.

Cordova Town Center, along with Zinfandel and Sunrise, opened on June 11, 2004, as part of an $89 million,  extension of the Gold Line east of the Mather Field/Mills station. Rancho Cordova city officials have stated the establishment of the stations will help in the development of transit-oriented development/redevelopment of the Folsom corridor through the city.

Platforms and tracks

References

Sacramento Regional Transit light rail stations
Rancho Cordova, California
Railway stations in the United States opened in 2004


Maksim Yuryevich Aristarkhov (; born 9 March 1980) is a former Russian professional footballer.

Club career
He made his debut in the Russian Premier League in 2000 for FC Torpedo Moscow.

Honours
 Russian Premier League bronze: 2000.

References

External links

1980 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Kaluga
Russian men's footballers
Russian expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in Ukraine
Russian expatriate sportspeople in Ukraine
FC Torpedo Moscow players
FC Torpedo-2 players
FC Tom Tomsk players
FC Arsenal Kyiv players
FC Amkar Perm players
FC Anzhi Makhachkala players
FC Metalurh Zaporizhzhia players
FC Akhmat Grozny players
FC Zorya Luhansk players
FC Metallurg Lipetsk players
FC Volga Nizhny Novgorod players
Russian Premier League players
Ukrainian Premier League players
Men's association football forwards
FC Nosta Novotroitsk players


Iron Point station is a side platformed Sacramento RT Light Rail station nearGold River, California, United States. The station was opened on October 15, 2005, and is operated by the Sacramento Regional Transit District. It is served by the Gold Line. The station is located on Folsom Boulevard at Rocket Circle, two blocks east of Hazel Avenue. The station is located adjacent to the Aerojet Rocketdyne plant.

Platforms and tracks

References

Sacramento Regional Transit light rail stations
Railway stations in the United States opened in 2005