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Great Barr

Great Barr is a large and loosely defined area to the north-west of Birmingham, England. The area was historically in Staffordshire, and the parts now in Birmingham were once known as Perry Barr, which is still the name of an adjacent Birmingham district. Other areas known as Great Barr are in the Metropolitan Boroughs of Walsall and Sandwell.

"Barr" means "hill", and the name refers to nearby Barr Beacon. The name Barr Magna is used on some old maps. Others show it as "Gt. Barr".

History
Samuel Taylor, an itinerant Methodist preacher, visited Great Barr in 1792 and remarked "preached at Barr, a village famous for nothing as having given birth to Francis Asbury of America and being the present residence of his parents, at whose house we preached".

Great Barr was largely rural until the early 20th century, though it was influenced by the early stages of the industrial revolution which affected the nearby towns of Birmingham and the Black Country. The Staffordshire parish of Barr straddled the route from Birmingham to Walsall. Birmingham's historian William Hutton was surprised to see so many nail-making workshops in the area. He noted that "in some of these workshops I observed one, or more, females, stripped of their upper garments, and not overcharged with the lower, wielding the hammer with all the grace of their sex".

At that time the area was on the main drovers' routes which saw trains of horses taking coal from Walsall and Wednesbury to the factories and furnaces of Birmingham. At the Scott Arms there was a weekly cattle market which attracted large crowds. The Scott Arms and the Malt Shovel public house in Newton, did a roaring trade with drunkenness, cockfighting, and gambling common. Francis Asbury referred to it as "a dark place called Great Barre"

The rural economy was dominated by four great landowning families, the Wryley Birches, Dartmouths, Scotts and Goughs. The parish was series of tiny hamlets: Howell's Row, Sneal's Green, Newton, Margaret's Lane, Queslett, the Common, Bourn Pool, Bourn Vale, the Tamworth Road, the Gough Arms Inn (later called the Beacon Inn) and around Barr Hall. In 1817 there were 120 houses occupied by 127 families, 78 of whom were engaged in agriculture and 30 in trade. These trades included a tailor, boarding house owner, a wheelwright, a butcher, a grocer, who doubled as a constable, a shoemaker, two brick makers, a maltster, gun lock maker, three blacksmiths, and four spectacle frame makers.

The 1901 census recorded a population of 1,344, by 1921 this had increased to 2,232. By 1930 the population had grown to 3,294, by 1951, despite the war, it had reached 12,648. In 2015 the two local government wards in the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, which now cover much of Great Barr, had a combined electorate of 18,840 adults. The urban district of Perry Barr was ceded to Birmingham, then in Warwickshire, in 1928.

By the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 it was a busy residential area with good road connections to West Bromwich, Walsall and Birmingham.

Expansion continued after the war, and during the 1960s the area received a motorway link when Junction 7 of the newly built M6 motorway was opened on the A34. It is also located close to the starting point of the M5, which can be accessed just one mile (1.6 km) northwards on the M6.

On 11 August 1975, eight-year-old local schoolgirl Helen Bailey was found dead from a single knife wound, in woods near Booths Farm. Her killer was never found.

Kidnapper Michael Sams abducted estate agent Stephanie Slater from a house in Turnberry Road, Great Barr before holding her for eight days in January 1992. Following receipt of £175,000 ransom, Sams released her. Police arrested him three weeks later and he was sentenced to life imprisonment for abducting Slater and murdering Leeds prostitute Julie Dart.

Geography
The traditional centre of Great Barr is focussed on the busy junction of the A34 and A4041 roads, at the Scott Arms public house and shopping centre. This is named after the Scott family of Great Barr Hall, which was once home of Samuel Galton and a meeting place of the Lunar Society.

However, the name is also loosely applied to a swathe of the West Midlands bounded by junction 8 of the M6 motorway in the west, the Birmingham – Walsall railway line (part of the former Grand Junction Railway, opened in 1837, and including Hamstead railway station, formerly called Great Barr station) and Perry Barr to the south, Kingstanding to the east, and the open countryside of Barr Beacon to the north.

Great Barr includes much of the B42, B43 and B44 postcode areas.

Namesakes
Barr Limestone is a type of rock first identified in Great Barr. The specific name of the fossil trilobite species Bumastus barriensis, roughly meaning "of Barr", comes from its common name among collectors, the "Barr trilobite", referring to its plentiful occurrence in these formations, at Great Barr.

Places of interest
Bishop Asbury Cottage (incorrectly named as "Bishop Ashbury's Cottage" on Ordnance Survey maps), was where Francis Asbury, the first American Methodist Bishop, was raised. It is owned by Sandwell Council and is Grade II listed. It is open by appointment for group visits, and opens occasionally to the general public.

Great Barr Hall is a Grade II* listed building, and due its current state of disrepair is not open to the public. St. Margaret's Church stands nearby.

Red House Park is open to the public and provides important amenities for the local community. It is owned by the Sandwell Council. In the grounds are both the Red House itself and an obelisk erected in memory of Princess Charlotte who died in childbirth in November 1817. The Red House, a country house also used a convalescent home, and then a community centre, is Grade II listed building, but is no longer open to the public, having been sold in 2015 and converted to residential apartments.

Birmingham Canal Navigations' Tame Valley Canal runs through Great Barr, from Piercy Aqueduct at Hamstead, along a cutting in 200-million year old sandstone, under Freeth bridge at Tower Hill, under the A34 and into Perry Barr Locks at Perry Barr.

Great Barr's notable current and former residents

 * Simon Mohammed – IT Director
 * Steve Adey – Musician was born in Great Barr and attended Great Barr School
 * Francis Asbury (1745–1816) – one of the first two bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the U.S.A.
 * Helen Bailey, an eight-year-old schoolgirl who was killed in 1975
 * John Bainbridge, – Writer, attended Hamstead Primary School, Grove Vale School and Dartmouth Comprehensive
 * William Booth, – Forger. Booths Farm Road and Booths Lane are named after him.
 * Arthur Browing moto cross/speedway rider
 * Mike Burney, – Musician from Wizzard, attended at Hamstead Junior School and Churchfields Comprehensive
 * James Michael Curtin, - professional wrestler better known as Rockstar Spud
 * Cat Deeley, – TV presenter, actress and former model, attended Grove Vale Primary School and Dartmouth High School
 * Mark "Barney" Greenway, – Singer of Napalm Death, born in Great Barr.
 * Tim Iroegbunam, - footballer for Aston Villa and Everton
 * Keith Law, – Songwriter for Velvett Fogg attended Hamstead Junior School and Churchfields High School Comprehensive
 * Vaughan Lowe, – Lawyer and Oxford professor, attended Hamstead Primary School
 * Keith Linnecor, - Labour Councillor for Oscott Ward for 25 years
 * Geoff Morris, – professional football player for Walsall, Shrewsbury Town and Port Vale, was born in Great Barr
 * Dhani Prem, – Padma Shri winner and the first Asian Councillor to represent Great Barr in 1946.
 * Aaron and Jacob Ramsey, footballers at Aston Villa
 * Martin Shaw, – Actor, attended Great Barr School
 * Dean Smith, Former Walsall football player and manager, former head coach of Aston Villa and Norwich City, born in Great Barr and attended Dartmouth High School.
 * Jeff Smith, – motocross world champion 1964 & 1965, born in Colne, Lancashire
 * Andrew 'Beans' Medlicott, - First back to back winner of Birmingham's tallest man, 2016-2017.
 * Dave Swarbrick, – Musician, attended Great Barr School
 * Steve Winwood, – Musician, attended Great Barr School, born in Handsworth
 * Chris Woakes, – Cricketer for Warwickshire and England attended Barr Beacon School
 * Gillian Wearing – Artist, Turner Prize Winner

Education
Great Barr is well served with a number of primary and secondary schools. Great Barr School is the largest single-site school in the country with over 2,400 pupils on roll.

Primary schools

 * Barr View Primary School
 * Beeches Infant School
 * Beeches Junior School
 * Calshot Primary School
 * Dorrington Road Primary school
 * Ferndale Primary School
 * Glenmead Primary School
 * Greenholm Primary School
 * Grove Vale Primary School
 * Hamstead Infant School
 * Hamstead Junior School
 * Holy Name RC Primary School
 * St Margarets CE Primary School
 * St Mark's RC Primary School
 * Whitecrest Primary School
 * Meadow View Primary School
 * Pheasey Park Farm Primary School

Secondary schools

 * Fortis Academy is a mixed school catering for children aged 11 to 19.
 * Arena Academy is a mixed academy catering for children aged 11 to 16.
 * Q3 Academy Great Barr (formerly Dartmouth High School) is a mixed academy catering for children aged 11 to 19.
 * Barr Beacon School is a mixed school catering for children aged 11 to 19.

Perry Beeches does not have a 'Primary' School it has two separate schools Beeches Infant School and Beeches Junior School.

The Perry Beeches Campus is the largest school campus in Birmingham and houses 5 schools: Perry Beeches Nursery School, Beeches Infant School, Beeches Junior School, Arena Academy and Priestley Smith School for the Visually Impaired.

College

The James Watt campus of Birmingham Metropolitan College is at the junction of Beeches Road and Aldridge Road, at the Old Oscott side of Great Barr. The buildings were originally Brooklyn Technical College.

title: Great Barr


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Gordon Mumma

Gordon Mumma (born March 30, 1935, in Framingham, Massachusetts) is an American composer. He is known most for his work with electronics, many devices of which he builds himself, and for his performances on horn.

Biography
Mumma entered the University of Michigan in 1952 at age 17, after dropping out of high school. He dropped out of Michigan after a year, but the connections he made in Ann Arbor were the foundation of much of his musical career. His early work was in piano, and his musical development drew on traditional composers such as Bach and Haydn, as well as modern composers such as Bartók, Schoenberg, Webern, and Ives.

Mumma's performances on piano were often in the context of piano ensembles, partnered with John Cage, David Tudor, and other performers. He toured internationally in the 1960s in a two-piano performance collaboration with Robert Ashley. He cofounded Ann Arbor's Cooperative Studio for Electronic Music with Ashley in 1958–66, was a cofounder of the ONCE Festival in 1961–66 in Ann Arbor, was a resident composer with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company alongside Cage and Tudor from 1966–74, and was a member of the Sonic Arts Union with Ashley, Alvin Lucier, and David Behrman.

Mumma was professor of music at the University of California-Santa Cruz from 1975 to 1994, where his composition students included Chris Brown, Joe Hannan, Dan Keller, Daniel James Wolf, Jonathan Segel, and Mamoru Fujieda. Mumma also has a close association with Mills College in Oakland, California, where he was the Darius Milhaud Professor in 1981, Distinguished Visiting Composer in 1989, and Jean Macduff Vaux Composer-in-Residence in 1999. He was awarded a Foundation for Contemporary Arts John Cage Award (2000).

Mumma currently lives in Victoria, British Columbia, where he continues to compose.

Films

 * 1976 - Music With Roots in the Aether: Opera for Television. Tape 4: Gordon Mumma. Produced and directed by Robert Ashley. New York, New York: Lovely Music.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Gordon Mumma


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Gorbonianus

Gorbonianus (Welsh: Gorviniaw map Morydd) was a legendary king of the Britons as recounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. He came to power in 349BC. He was the eldest son of King Morvidus, and the brother of Archgallo, Elidurus, Ingenius, and Peredurus.

According to Geoffrey, Gorbonianus was unlike many kings in that he loved equity and ruled frugally. He often would pay his respects to the gods and ruled his people with common justice and laws. Many temples were built or restored in his reign and the kingdom grew increasingly more wealthy. Protection was given to the country farmers from their masters. He gave wealth to his soldiers as to stop unnecessary violence against the peasantry or neighbours.

He reigned for some time then died and was buried in Trinovantum. He was succeeded by his brother, Archgallo, who was deposed for his wickedness, and the kingship passed back and forth among the sons of Morvidus for several years. After the death of the final brother, Elidurus, the kingship passed to an unnamed son of Gorbonianus, who Layamon calls Lador.

title: Gorbonianus


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Georgy Chicherin

Georgy Vasilyevich Chicherin (or Tchitcherin; Георгий Васильевич Чичерин; 24 November 1872 – 7 July 1936) was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and a Soviet politician who served as the first People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs in the Soviet government from March 1918 to July 1930.

Childhood and early career
A distant relative of Aleksandr Pushkin, Georgy Chicherin was born into an old noble family. He was born on the estate of his uncle, Boris Chicherin, in Karaul, Tambov. His father, Vasily N. Chicherin, was a diplomat employed by the Foreign Office of the Russian Empire. His uncle was an influential legal philosopher and historian. As a young man, Chicherin became fascinated with history; classical music, especially Richard Wagner; and Friedrich Nietzsche, passions that he would pursue throughout his life. He wrote a book about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and spoke all major European languages and a number of Asian ones. After graduating from St. Petersburg University with a degree in history and languages, Chicherin worked in the archival section of the Russian Ministry for Foreign Affairs from 1897 to 1903.

In 1904, Chicherin inherited the estate of his famous uncle in Tambov Governorate and became very wealthy. He immediately used his new fortune to support revolutionary activities in the runup to the Russian Revolution of 1905 and was forced to flee abroad to avoid arrest late in that year. He spent the next 13 years in London, Paris and Berlin, where he joined the Menshevik faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party and was active in emigre politics. In Imperial Germany, Chicherin allegedly sought medical treatment in a nursing home to cure his homosexuality.

Antiwar activity in Britain
With the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, Chicherin adopted an antiwar position, which brought him closer to Vladimir Lenin's Bolsheviks. In 1915 he moved to Britain, where he soon developed a friendship with Mary Bridges-Adams, an activist with the Plebs League and founding member of the Central Labour College. Both founded the Russian Political Prisoners and Exiles Relief Committee, an organisation continued a long tradition in British society to support the victims of tsarist repression, but it realigned its focus to build support from organised labour, rather than searching for wealthy patrons. The aim of the committee was to collect money to send to revolutionaries incarcerated in tsarist prisons, but under Chicherin's skilful watch, the aim was extended to cover the broader political aim of systematic agitation against tsarism itself.

In 1917, he was arrested by the British government for his antiwar writings, and he spent a few months in Brixton Prison.

Bolshevik government
The Bolsheviks had come to power in Russia after the October Revolution of 1917. The first head of the Commissariat of Foreign Affairs, which had replaced the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Leon Trotsky, secured Chicherin's release and safe passage to Russia in exchange for British subjects who were being held in Russia, including George Buchanan, the British ambassador. Chicherin had now started to be in poor health and overweight.

Upon his return to Russia in early 1918, Chicherin formally joined the Bolsheviks, and was appointed as Trotsky's deputy during the negotiations that led to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. After the treaty was signed in late February 1918, Trotsky, who had advocated a different policy, resigned his position in early March. Chicherin became the acting head of the Commissariat and was appointed Commissar for Foreign Affairs on 30 May. On 2 March 1919, he was one of five men chairing the First Congress of the Comintern. Chicherin followed a pro-German foreign policy in line with his anti-British attitudes, which he had developed during his time in the Foreign Ministry, when Britain was blocking Russian expansion in Asia. In 1920, he even suggested to Lenin, who agreed, that English workers should be formed into volunteer units. Soviet armies were nearing Warsaw, but nothing came of the idea.

In July 1918, his close friend, Ulrich von Brockdorff-Rantzau, became the new German ambassador after his predecessor, Count Wilhelm Mirbach, was shot in the Left SR uprising.

In 1922, Chicherin participated in the Genoa Conference and signed the Treaty of Rapallo with Germany. He begged Lenin to avoid wrecking the Genoa Conference since he believed that would make it easier to get foreign loans. Chicherin pursued a policy of collaboration with Germany and developed a closer working relationship with Brockdorff-Rantzau.

Chicherin also held diplomatic negotiations with the papal nuncio Eugenio Pacelli, the future Pope Pius XII, on the status of the Roman Catholic Church in the newly formed Soviet Union.

On 10 April 1923, Chicherin wrote a letter to fellow Politburo member Joseph Stalin, in which he described the international political fallout from the recent show trial and execution in the Lubyanka Prison on Easter Sunday of Monsignor Konstanty Budkiewicz. In America, France, and the United Kingdom, efforts to gain diplomatic recognition for the USSR had suffered a major setback. In Westminster, Labour MPs had been flooded by petitions "demanding the defense of Cieplak and Budkiewicz", by "worker's organizations", "dying socialists", and "professionalists". In the United States, Progressive Republican Senator William Borah had been about to discuss possible recognition of the USSR with U.S. Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes. Due to the American people's outrage over Budkiewicz's execution, the meeting had been cancelled and the senator had been forced to indefinitely postpone the founding of a committee to press for diplomatic negotiations. Chicherin further explained to Stalin that the outside world saw the continuing Soviet anti-religious campaign, "as nothing other than naked religious persecution." Chicherin also expressed fear that, if Russian Orthodox Patriarch Tikhon were also sentenced to death, the news would, "worsen much further our international position in all our relations." He concluded by proposing "the rejection in advance of the death sentence on Tikhon".

Chicherin is thought to have had more phone conversations with Lenin than anyone else. When Joseph Stalin replaced Lenin in 1924, Chicherin remained foreign minister, and Stalin valued his opinions. In 1928, Chicherin stated that he wanted an improved relationship with capitalist countries to encourage foreign investment. That policy had Stalin's enthusiastic support and was approved by the Politburo in late 1927 and early 1928. Stalin said that "it can hardly be doubted that Comrade Chicherin is better informed about the mood in foreign investment circles than any of us".

Although known for his workaholic habits, Chicherin was sidelined from November 1926 to June 1927 and from September 1928 until January 1930, while receiving medical treatment in Germany or in the French Riviera. Chicherin showed considerable courage in writing letters criticising politicians and policies that were being pursued. In February 1927, Chicherin criticized Nikolai Bukharin for his speeches that had a negative attitude to Soviet–German relations: "This was particularly dangerous because of the deterioration of the relationship between the USSR and Britain." Chicherin said, "At a time when the British are working against us, we must take care of our relationship with other states. We have to nurture such relationships."

On 3 June 1927, Chicherin, in a sanatorium in Germany, wrote about incidents that were detrimental to German–Soviet relations. He was exasperated "by some comrades who can do no better than ruin all our work by attacking Germany, spoiling everything once and for all." When Kliment Voroshilov made a speech at the 1929 May Day Parade attacking the Weimar Republic, Chicherin wrote to the Politburo that the speech would do irreparable damage to German–Soviet relations.

Chicherin played a major role in establishing formal relations with China and in designing the Kremlin's policy on China. He focused on the Chinese Eastern Railway, Manchuria, and the Mongolian issue.

Personality
Chicherin was an eccentric, with obsessive work habits. Alexander Barmine, who worked in the People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs, noted that "Chicherin was a man whose peculiar habits had to be respected. His workroom was completely buried in books, newspaper and documents ... He used to patter into our room in his shirt sleeves, wearing a large silk handkerchief round his neck and slippers adorned with metal buckles ... which, for comfort's sake, he never troubled to fasten, making a clicking noise on the floor." Arthur Ransome noted, in 1919:

"Chicherin speaks as if he were a dead man or a ventriloquist's lay figure. He has never learnt the art of releasing himself from drudgery by handing over to his subordinates. He is permanently tired out. You feel it is almost cruel to say 'Good morning' to him when you meet him, because of the appeal to be left alone that comes unconsciously into his eyes. Partly in order to avoid people, partly because he is himself accustomed to work at night, his section of the foreign office keeps extraordinary hours, is not to be found till about five in the afternoon and works till four in the morning."

Later life
In 1930 Chicherin was formally replaced by his deputy, Maxim Litvinov. A continuing terminal illness burdened his last years, which forced him away from his circle of friends and active work and led to an early death. When Chicherin died in 1936, the official state newspaper Izvestiya summarised his character by describing him as highly educated, an exceptional diplomat and a sophisticated art lover.

After his death and until the Khrushchev Thaw, he was rarely mentioned in Soviet literature although he was mentioned in the Soviet Diplomatic Dictionary in an article occupying 52 pages in the 1950 edition, compared with Litvinov's 92 pages and Vyacheslav Molotov's 292 pages.

title: Georgy Chicherin


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User talk:Moffedille

Välkommen, gamla örn!
Hepp. I'll duly include you in the list of Norwegians (two more norrbaggar now => we 'beat' söta bror!). Thanks for showing up; why not take a look at Aegis and related articles, and see if there's any need for additions, corrections, rewrites, etc.? --Wernher 17:13, 21 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Wernher for Admin!
Yea; I say unto you: please use your right to vote, like a good Wikipedian, at Requests for adminship/Wernher. :-) --Wernher 06:37, 2 Dec 2004 (UTC)

title: User talk:Moffedille


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NieA 7

NieA_7 (ニアアンダーセブン), also known as NieA under 7, is a doujinshi manga series created by graphic designer Yoshitoshi Abe and later published by Kadokawa Shoten on their monthly Shōnen magazine Monthly Ace Next from October 1999 to January 2001. The manga revolves around a poor, introverted student named Mayuko Chigasaki, who lives above a Japanese bathhouse, and a freeloading, freewheeling outcast alien named NieA, who lives in Mayuko's closet.

The manga is adapted into a 13-episode anime series by Triangle Staff and aired on WOWOW from April 16 to July 19, 2000. Much of the anime's staff also worked on Serial Experiments Lain, as producer Yasuyuki Ueda suggested the team work on a lighter anime as relief from the dark, heavily psychological Serial Experiments Lain. The character Chiaki, a ufology fanatic, shares a name with Chiaki J. Konaka, the script writer for  Serial Experiments Lain.

Plot
Set in a retro-future setting, the series revolves around Mayuko Chigasaki, a high school graduate who goes to cram school in preparation for college. However, due to having no place to settle in, she decided to live in a bathhouse in the countryside, which is in a financial crisis due to having no customers. Even worse, she has to live with an alien girl named NieA, who has no antenna and is considered an "under-seven", a class despised by other aliens due to being the lowest of their kind.

The series touches lightly upon issues of discrimination, stereotypes, social alienation, cultural assimilation and city life versus countryside living. Mayuko, who attends a cram school, is a young girl living away from her family and expresses a lot of melancholy. NieA, who is apparently placed in an inferior class by her fellow aliens due to being a physical minority among them, immediately accuses anyone who calls her a "stupid no-antenna" or the like, of discrimination. Other aliens adopt various stereotypical cultural styles, such as Chada who dresses in Indian attire and opens a convenience store, or Karna who chooses to associate herself with the Chinese Revolution. This theme of the outsider alien is carried through in the brief comic live-action sequence which ends each episode, "Dalgit's Tidbit of Indian Information."

Characters

 * Mayuko Chigasaki (茅ヶ崎まゆ子)
 * Mayuko "Mayu" Chigasaki is a student at the Ipponmatsu Cram School who lives in a rented room at the Enohana Bathhouse. She is hardworking, polite, honest, and very self-conscious. Mayuko spends all of her time and energy just making ends meet. She shares an apartment with NieA, who she often refers to as a "freeloader".
 * Mayuko "Mayu" Chigasaki is a student at the Ipponmatsu Cram School who lives in a rented room at the Enohana Bathhouse. She is hardworking, polite, honest, and very self-conscious. Mayuko spends all of her time and energy just making ends meet. She shares an apartment with NieA, who she often refers to as a "freeloader".

 * NieA (ニア)
 * NieA is a lower-class or "under-seven" alien, who has no antenna. She lives with Mayuko and builds spaceships out of junk. She shares an apartment with Mayuko, who often argues with her about money and food.
 * NieA is a lower-class or "under-seven" alien, who has no antenna. She lives with Mayuko and builds spaceships out of junk. She shares an apartment with Mayuko, who often argues with her about money and food.

 * Genzo Someya (染谷 源蔵)
 * Genzo is Mayuko's childhood friend who has dreadlocks and is stoic in nature. He is usually seen carrying sacks of rice or a bottle crate of bottled drinks as a present to Mayuko and NieA.
 * Genzo is Mayuko's childhood friend who has dreadlocks and is stoic in nature. He is usually seen carrying sacks of rice or a bottle crate of bottled drinks as a present to Mayuko and NieA.

 * Chada (チャダ)
 * Chada is an unintentionally perverted alien disguised as an Indian man. He is the store manager of the AM 11 PM 7 convenience store, where his alien meetings are usually held at noon. He is also the owner of the short-lived Space King Bathhouse as a rival to the Enohana Bathhouse.
 * Chada is an unintentionally perverted alien disguised as an Indian man. He is the store manager of the AM 11 PM 7 convenience store, where his alien meetings are usually held at noon. He is also the owner of the short-lived Space King Bathhouse as a rival to the Enohana Bathhouse.

 * Momo Enoshima (荏ノ嶋 モモ)
 * Momo is an old lady with few words who works at the Enohana Bathhouse.
 * Momo is an old lady with few words who works at the Enohana Bathhouse.

 * Chiaki Komatsu (小松ちあき)
 * Chiaki is Mayuko's easygoing classmate at the Ipponmatsu Cram School who is also a ufology fanatic. She is usually seen with a laptop full of alien stickers.
 * Chiaki is Mayuko's easygoing classmate at the Ipponmatsu Cram School who is also a ufology fanatic. She is usually seen with a laptop full of alien stickers.

 * Shuhei Karita (狩田手兵)
 * Shuhei is the owner of the Karuchie European Restaurant. He is shown to be clumsy and absentminded.
 * Shuhei is the owner of the Karuchie European Restaurant. He is shown to be clumsy and absentminded.

 * Chie Karita (狩田智絵)
 * Chie is Shuhei's daughter. She is shown to be independent and mature for her age.
 * Chie is Shuhei's daughter. She is shown to be independent and mature for her age.

 * Kotomi Hiyama (樋山言実)
 * Kotomi is the current owner and manager of the Enohana Bathhouse, which is in financial crisis due to the scarcity of customers.
 * Kotomi is the current owner and manager of the Enohana Bathhouse, which is in financial crisis due to the scarcity of customers.

 * Geronimo Hongo (本郷ジェロニモ)
 * Geronimo is an alien who wears sunglasses and a beanie. He attends Chada's alien meetings. He is revealed to be a deadbeat celebrity for a children's show with an antenna shaped like a flower.
 * Geronimo is an alien who wears sunglasses and a beanie. He attends Chada's alien meetings. He is revealed to be a deadbeat celebrity for a children's show with an antenna shaped like a flower.

 * Nenji Yoshioka (吉岡 稔持)
 * Nenji is the boilerman of the Enohana Bathhouse who has a crush on Kotomi. Ironically, he goes berserk whenever he sees fire.
 * Nenji is the boilerman of the Enohana Bathhouse who has a crush on Kotomi. Ironically, he goes berserk whenever he sees fire.

 * Karna (カルナ)
 * Karna is a higher-class or "high-seven" alien who attends Chada's alien meetings. She has an antenna shaped like a lollipop that can receive Beijing radio broadcasts from across the ocean, but it malfunctions at unexpected moments.
 * Karna is a higher-class or "high-seven" alien who attends Chada's alien meetings. She has an antenna shaped like a lollipop that can receive Beijing radio broadcasts from across the ocean, but it malfunctions at unexpected moments.

Manga
NieA_7 was created by Yoshitoshi Abe as an independent doujinshi manga following the end of Serial Experiments Lain. The manga was picked up by Kadokawa Shoten, initially serialized on their monthly magazine Monthly Ace Next from October 1999 to January 2001 with a total of 14 chapters over 2 tankōbon volumes. An artbook titled NieA_7 Scrap was published in June 2001. The manga was republished in a single kanzenban volume on 26 October 2012, under the title NieA_7 Recycle.

Anime
The anime adaptation titled  was animated by Triangle Staff, chief directed by Tomokazu Tokoro and written and directed by Takuya Satō. It aired on the Japanese BS Satellite channel WOWOW from April 16 to July 19, 2000. The opening theme is titled "Koko Made Oide" (ここまでおいで) by SION while the ending theme is titled "Venus to Chiisana Kamisama" (ヴィーナスと小さな神様) by Maria Yamamoto. For episode 13, the ending theme is "KA MOA'E" by Yoshio Owa.

Geneon Entertainment licensed the anime outside Japan before it went out of print. Discotek Media have rescued the license and released it on DVD and Blu-ray on February 27, 2018.

title: NieA 7


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List of members of the European Parliament for Austria, 2004–2009

This is the list of the 18 members of the European Parliament for Austria in the 2004 to 2009 session.


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Frédérik Deburghgraeve

Frédérik Edouard Robert "Fred" Deburghgraeve (born 1 June 1973 in Roeselare) is a former Belgian swimmer who won the gold medal in the 100 m breaststroke and set a world record during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. He is now retired from swimming and makes a living as a salesman. He lives in Roeselare. Deburghgraeve was trained by a Dutchman, named Ronald Gaastra.

In 2008 Deburghgraeve was inducted in the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

title: Frédérik Deburghgraeve


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Linda Green

Linda Green is a British comedy-drama television series that aired on BBC One from 30 October 2001 to 17 December 2002. It was produced for the BBC by the independent Red Production Company. The series was created by Paul Abbott, and other writers to pen episodes included Sorted writer Danny Brocklehurst, Catherine Johnson and Russell T Davies. The producer was Phil Collinson.

Plot
The series focused on the life of the eponymous title character, a 30-something woman who works as a car saleswoman by day and sings in a club at night. It follows her various trials and tribulations in love and her relationships with her friends, in particular Jimmy McKenzie (Sean Gallagher), a mechanic at the car showroom where Linda works, and with whom she enjoys sexual relations when she feels like it, Michelle Fenton (Claire Rushbrook), a chiropodist, and Darren Alexander (Daniel Ryan), a kitchen-fitter. The latter two characters are a cohabiting couple with children, Jamie (Lee Shepherd) and Leanne (Jodie Hamblet), and, in series 2, a new baby, Eric. Despite the demands of parenthood, Michelle and Darren enjoy frequent nights out, usually at the club, with Linda and Jimmy. Linda's mother, Iris, who works as a clerk in the magistrates' court, is played by Rachel Davies, and her father, Frank, a deputy headteacher, by Dave Hill. Linda also has two siblings, both considerably younger than her: the very bright Katie (Jessica Harris), in whom Linda frequently confides, and the easy-going Philip, a.k.a. Fizz (Bruno Langley), who is hoping to join the Army, rather against his father's wishes. As well as being the eldest child, Linda is also her father's favourite, although he is always careful never to treat the other two less favourably. Both Frank and Iris are always ready to provide a shoulder to cry on when Linda is unhappy, usually as a result of a failed relationship. One of Linda's former boyfriends, the much younger Ricky Pinder (John Donnelly), becomes a semi-regular in the show when he becomes Katie's boyfriend. The other club singer, Coral (Jacinta Sloan) and the club comic (Danny De Bouy) also appear on a semi-regular basis.

Cast
Linda was played by Liza Tarbuck, who by then was best known as a television presenter, although she had originally trained as an actress and had had a starring role in ITV sitcom Watching for seven years from 1987. Individual episodes attracted well-known guest stars, such as Christopher Eccleston, David Morrissey, Simon Pegg, Pam Ferris, Anne Reid, Amelia Bullmore, George Costigan, Jamie Theakston, Martin Freeman, Peter Kay, Nicholas Gleaves, Maxine Peake, Meera Syal and Mark Benton. It also featured a guest appearance by Tarbuck's father Jimmy Tarbuck, who played her ex-Army paternal uncle, Vic Green. Up and coming stand-ups Sarah Darlington and Jolanta Migdalska also feature. In addition, Andy Devine appeared in one episode as Linda and Jimmy's abrasive and lecherous boss Syd Jenkins, a.k.a. 'Syd With the Wife'.

Renewal
Although quite popular in its first season, the series proved less so in its second, and it was not renewed again after the second run had come to an end. The second series has never been released on DVD.

title: Linda Green


text:
The Microphones

The Microphones were an American indie folk, indie rock, and experimental project from Olympia, Washington. The project was founded in 1996 and ended in 2003, with a short reunion following in 2007 and revivals in 2019 and 2020. Across every iteration of the Microphones, it has been fronted by Phil Elverum. Elverum is the principal songwriter and producer behind the band's albums, but he has also collaborated with other local musicians on his other recordings and tours. Many of Elverum's recordings from the project's initial period were released by the label K Records.

Since 2003, Elverum has recorded and performed primarily under the name Mount Eerie. He played a one-off concert in Anacortes, WA under the name the Microphones in June 2019 and announced the release of the fifth and final Microphones album, Microphones in 2020, in August 2020.

Early years
Phil Elverum became involved in the Washington music scene while working at the Business, a record store in his home town of Anacortes, in the mid-1990s. Elverum began experimenting with recording equipment in the back of the store, which led to the store's owner Bret Lunsford releasing two cassettes (Microphone and Wires and Cords) on his label, KNW-YR-OWN. Elverum also played drums in Lunsford's band, D+, before moving to Olympia in 1997 to attend Evergreen State College.

While in Olympia, Elverum caught the attention of K Records owner and musician Calvin Johnson. After recording for some time at the Dub Narcotic studios, Elverum was able to complete his first full-length album, a CD entitled Tests, which was released in 1998 on Elsinor Records. Tests combined songs from his earlier cassette releases and the recently recorded Dub Narcotic recordings. At the same time, Elverum released his first 7" single, "Bass Drum Dream" on Up Records.

K Records years
Elverum slowly gained recognition as a talented producer and recording engineer in the studio. While helping, often anonymously, with many of the area's artists, he began work on his second full-length, Don't Wake Me Up, released on K Records in 1999. Elverum toured for a few months following the release with fellow K Records artist Mirah, and, showcasing his talents on the road, was able to build a small but loyal fanbase and gain appreciation in the indie music scene. While performing in another K Records band, Old Time Relijun, Elverum began recording It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water. Released on K Records in 2000, the album was Elverum's most ambitious yet, featuring layers of harmonic guitars, noise, and Beach Boys-esque harmonies.

Elverum's next release, The Glow Pt. 2, was released by K Records in 2001. It was noted by critics for its production and songwriting. Probably his best-known album, it explored intensely personal themes, recalling lost loves and childhood memories. Sometimes sad, simple, and gentle ("I Felt Your Shape"), other times intense and layered with noise, guitars, and drums ("The Moon"). Pitchfork Media named The Glow Pt. 2 as the top album of 2001, and #73 on their 200 Top Albums of the 2000s. Tiny Mix Tapes named it the 5th best album of the 2000s.

After a lengthy tour of Europe and North America (known as the "Paper Opera Tour") , Elverum returned to Dub Narcotic to begin work on his follow-up to The Glow Pt.2. Released by K Records in 2003, Mount Eerie was named after the mountain on Fidalgo Island where Elverum spent much of his childhood. Containing five long songs, the album features a narrative arc, in which Elverum dies, is eaten by vultures, and discovers the face of the Universe. It represents a turning point and a realization period in Elverum's life. Like its predecessor, Mount Eerie was also praised by critics for its ambitious and imaginative production.

Dissolution
Elverum toured North America and Europe again in 2002, playing mostly solo shows (billed as the "I Will Move Away Forever and Never Come Back Ever" tour) before settling in Finnkonevika, Kjerringøy, Norway, where he spent the winter living in a log cabin. In February 2003, he toured Japan with Calvin Johnson, Kyle Field, and the Tokyo band Moools, which resulted in the album Live in Japan. Live In Japan was released by K Records in early 2004, by which time Elverum had already begun to perform shows under the name Mount Eerie.

Subsequent Microphones releases and performances
In January 2007, a one-off 7" single was released under the Microphones moniker, titled Two Songs by the Microphones. In 2008, The Glow Pt. 2 was reissued by K Records with an additional disc of outtakes and rarities. In March 2011, Elv(e)rum re-recorded the Microphones' song "I Lost My Wind" for the compilation Collaborate With a 1940s Wire Recorder. In 2013, the Microphones' four studio albums (in addition to the singles compilation Song Islands) were remastered and reissued on Elverum's own label, P.W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd. In 2016, a compilation of the Microphones' early cassette releases was released as Early Tapes: 1996–1998.

Elverum played a one-off concert in Anacortes, WA under the name the Microphones in June 2019, performing alongside D+, Black Belt Eagle Scout, and Little Wings.

On August 7, 2020, Elverum released a new Microphones album: Microphones in 2020. The album is a 44:44 single song about Elverum's own life and search of meaning.

On January 13, 2022, Elverum announced a comprehensive retrospective box set, Completely Everything, 1996–2021 which contains the entire Microphones discography; Elverum also stated that it would be the final release from the Microphones.

Style
According to Kyle Cochrun of PopMatters "The band shirked traditional song structures, buried melodies under dissonance, added or abandoned the rhythm section at unexpected moments, caked guitar distortion on soft-spoken campfire jingles, relished in a decidedly scattershot soundscape, and dismantled any forward momentum they worked to build".

Studio albums

 * Don't Wake Me Up (1999)
 * It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water (2000)
 * The Glow Pt. 2 (2001)
 * Mount Eerie (2003)
 * Microphones in 2020 (2020)

Extended Plays

 * Window (2000)
 * The Singing from Mt. Eerie (2003)
 * The Drums from Mt. Eerie (2003)

title: The Microphones


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Great Seal of the Realm

The Great Seal of the Realm is a seal that is used to symbolise the sovereign's approval of state documents. It is also known as the Great Seal of the United Kingdom (known prior to the Treaty of Union of 1707 as the Great Seal of England; and from then until the Union of 1801 as the Great Seal of Great Britain). To make it, sealing wax is melted in a metal mould or matrix and impressed into a wax figure that is attached by cord or ribbon to documents that the monarch wishes to seal officially. The formal keeper of the seal is the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain.

Scotland has had its own great seal since the 14th century. The Acts of Union 1707, joining the kingdoms of Scotland and England, provided for the use of a single Great Seal for the new Kingdom of Great Britain. However, it also provided for the continued use of a separate Scottish seal to be used there, and this seal continues to be called the Great Seal of Scotland, although it is not technically one. Similarly, a separate Great Seal of Ireland, which had been used in Ireland since the 13th century, continued in use after the union of 1801, until the secession of the Irish Free State, after which a new Great Seal of Northern Ireland was created for use in Northern Ireland. A new Welsh Seal was introduced in 2011.

History
At some time before the year 1066 Edward the Confessor began to use a "Great Seal", which created a casting in wax of his own face, to signify that a document carried the force of his will. With some exceptions, each subsequent monarch up to 1603, when the king of Scotland succeeded to the throne of England, chose his or her own design for the Great Seal.

Levina Teerlinc is believed to have designed the seal of Queen Mary I, and also the earliest seal used by her successor Elizabeth I, in the 1540s.

When opening Parliament on 3 September 1654, the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell was escorted by the three "Commissioners of the Great Seal of the Commonwealth of England", who were Whitelock, Lisle, and Widdrington. This Seal was inscribed with "The Great Seal of England, 1648", displaying a map of England, Ireland, Jersey, and Guernsey on one side, with the Arms of England and Ireland. On the other side was shown the interior of the House of Commons, the Speaker in his chair, with the inscription, "In the first year of Freedom, by God's blessing restored, 1648." In 1655, Cromwell appointed three Commissioners of the Great Seal of Ireland, Richard Pepys, Chief Justice of the Upper Bench, Sir Gerard Lowther, Chief Justice of the Common Bench; and Miles Corbet, Chief Baron of the Exchequer. But they held the seal only until 1656, when Cromwell nominated William Steele, Chief Baron of the Court of Exchequer in England, Lord Chancellor of Ireland.

In 1688, while attempting to flee to France during the Glorious Revolution, James II allegedly attempted to destroy his Great Seal by throwing it into the River Thames, in the hope that the machinery of government would cease to function. James's successors, William III and Mary II, used the same seal matrix in their new Great Seal. This may have been a deliberate choice, in order to imply the continuity of government. A new obverse was created, but the reverse was crudely adapted by inserting a female figure beside the male figure. When Mary died, the obverse returned to the design used by James II, while the female figure was deleted from the reverse. Thus, William III used a seal that was identical to James II's, except for changes to the legend and coat of arms.

Edward VIII, who abdicated only a few months after succeeding to the throne, never selected a design for his own seal and continued to use that of his predecessor, George V. Only one matrix of the Great Seal exists at a time, and since the wax used for the Great Seal has a high melting point, the silver plates that cast the seal eventually wear out. The longer-lived British monarchs have had several Great Seals during their reigns, and Queen Victoria had to select four different Great Seal designs during her sixty-three years on the throne.

The last seal matrix of Elizabeth II was authorised by the Privy Council in July 2001. It was designed by James Butler and replaced that of 1953, designed by Gilbert Ledward. The obverse shows the middle-aged Elizabeth II enthroned and robed, holding in her right hand a sceptre and in her left the orb. The circumscription is an abbreviated form of the royal titles in. On the reverse are the full royal arms, including crest, mantling and supporters. This is the first time that the royal arms have provided the main design for one side of the English or British Great Seal. The obverse of the 1953 version depicted the Queen on horseback, dressed in uniform and riding sidesaddle, as she used to attend the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony for many years until the late 1980s. The seal's diameter is 6 in, and the combined weight of both sides of the seal matrix exceeds 275 ozt. Charles III, as of, uses the seal of his mother and predecessor, having directed by Order in Council on 10 September 2022, "that the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain is authorised to make use of the Great Seal for sealing all things whatsoever that pass the Great Seal until another Great Seal be prepared and authorised by His Majesty".

Usage
The Great Seal is attached to the official documents of state that require the authorisation of the monarch to implement the advice of His Majesty's Government.

Under today's usage of the Great Seal, seals of dark green wax are affixed to letters patent elevating individuals to the peerage, blue seals authorise actions relating to the royal family, and scarlet seals appoint bishops and implement various other affairs of state. In some cases the seal is replaced by a wafer version, a smaller representation of the obverse of the Great Seal embossed on coloured paper attached to the document being sealed. This simpler version is used for royal proclamations, letters patent granting royal assent to legislation, writs of summons to Parliament, licences for the election of bishops, commissions of the peace, and many other documents. It formerly constituted treason to forge the Great Seal.

The Great Seal of the Realm is in the custody of and is administered by the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal. This office has been held jointly with that of Lord Chancellor since 1761. The current Lord Chancellor is Shabana Mahmood. The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 reiterates that the Lord Chancellor continues to be the custodian of the Great Seal. Though, in the past, the Great Seal has been delivered to and remained in the custody of the Sovereign when it has been used to seal instruments that related to or granted gifts or emoluments to the Lord Chancellor.

The Clerk of the Crown in Chancery, who is also Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, heads His Majesty's Crown Office, and is responsible for the affixing of the Great Seal. They are assisted by the Deputy Clerk of the Crown. Day-to-day custody is entrusted to the Clerk of the Chamber, and subordinate staff include a Sealer and two Scribes to His Majesty's Crown Office.

Section 2 of the  (47 & 48 Vict. c. 30) governs the use of the Great Seal of the Realm:

Inscriptions on the Great Seal
The Great Seal for each successive monarch is inscribed with the monarch's style (in Latin) on both sides of the seal. Some of those used in the past are shown below. Where the inscriptions on both sides of the seal are identical, only one is given. Where they are the same except for the use of abbreviations, the one with the fuller forms is given. Where they are different, they are shown separated by a slash.

Kingdom of England

 * Edward the Confessor. SIGILLVM EADVVARDI ANGLORVM BASILEI
 * Seal of Edward, Sovereign of the English.
 * William I. HOC NORMANNORVM WILLELMVM NOSCE PATRONVM SI / HOC ANGLIS REGEM SIGNO FATEARIS EVNDEM
 * Know you this, William Patron of the Normans / By this sign recognise him King of the English
 * William II. WILLELMVS DEI GRATIA REX ANGLORVM
 * William, by the grace of God, King of the English.
 * Henry I. HENRICVS DEI GRATIA REX ANGLORVM / HENRICVS DEI GRATIA DVX NORMANNORVM
 * Henry, by the grace of God, King of the English / Henry, by the grace of God, Duke of the Normans.
 * Stephen. STEPHANVS DEI GRATIA REX ANGLORVM
 * Stephen, by the grace of God, King of the English.
 * Henry II. HENRICVS DEI GRATIA REX ANGLORVM / HENR[ICVS] DEI GRA[TIA] DVX NORMANNORVM ET AQUIT[ANORVM] ET COM[ES] ANDEG[AVORVM]
 * Henry, by the grace of God, King of the English / Henry, by the grace of God, Duke of the Normans and of the Aquitanians and Count of the Angevins.
 * Richard I. RICARDVS DEI GRATIA REX ANGLORVM / RICARDVS DEI GRATIA DVX NORMANNORVM ET AQUITANORVM ET COMES ANDEGAVORVM
 * Richard, by the grace of God, King of the English / Richard, by the grace of God, Duke of the Normans and of the Aquitanians and Count of the Angevins.
 * John. IOHANNES DEI GRACIA REX ANGLIE ET DOMINVS HIBERNIE / IOH[ANNE]S DVX NORMANNIE ET AQUITANIE COMES ANDEGAVIE
 * John, by the grace of God, King of England and Lord of Ireland / John, Duke of Normandy and of Aquitaine, Count of Anjou.
 * Henry III. HENRICVS DEI GRACIA REX ANGLIE DOMINVS HIBERNIE DVX AQUITANIE
 * Henry, by the grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland, Duke of Aquitaine.
 * Edward I. EDWARDVS DEI GRACIA REX ANGLIE DOMINVS HYBERNIE DVX AQUITANIE
 * Edward, by the grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland, Duke of Aquitaine.
 * Edward II. EDWARDVS DEI GRACIA REX ANGLIE DOMINVS HYBERNIE DVX AQUITANIE
 * Edward, by the grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland, Duke of Aquitaine.
 * Edward III. EDWARDVS DEI GRACIA REX ANGLIE D[OMI]N[V]S HIBERNIE ET AQUITANIE
 * Edward, by the grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland and of Aquitaine.
 * Richard II. RICARDVS DEI GRACIA REX FRANCIE ET ANGLIE ET D[OMI]N[V]S HIBERNIE
 * Richard, by the grace of God, King of France and England and Lord of Ireland.
 * Henry IV. HENRICVS DEI GRACIA REX FRANCIE ET ANGLIE ET D[OMI]N[V]S HIBERNIE
 * Henry, by the grace of God, King of France and England and Lord of Ireland.
 * Henry V. HENRICVS DEI GRACIA REX FRANCIE ET ANGLIE ET D[OMI]N[V]S HIBERNIE / HENRICVS DEI GRACIA REX ANGLIE ET FRANCIE ET DOMINUS HIBERNIE
 * Henry, by the grace of God, King of France and England and Lord of Ireland / Henry, by the grace of God, King of England and France and Lord of Ireland.
 * Henry VI. HENRICVS DEI GRACIA FRANCORVM ET ANGLIE REX
 * Henry, by the grace of God, of the French and of England, King.
 * Edward IV. EDWARDVS DEI GRACIA REX ANGLIE & FRANCIE ET DOMINVS HIBERNIE
 * Edward, by the grace of God, King of England and France and Lord of Ireland.
 * Richard III. RICARDVS DEI GRACIA REX ANGLIE ET FRANCIE ET DOMINVS HIBERNIE
 * Richard, by the grace of God, King of England and France and Lord of Ireland.
 * Henry VII. HENRICVS DEI GRACIA REX ANGLIE ET FRANCIE ET DOMINVS HIBERNIE
 * Henry, by the grace of God, King of England and France and Lord of Ireland.
 * Henry VIII. HENRICVS OCTAV[V]S DEI GRATIA ANGLIE ET FRANCIE ET HIBERNIE REX FIDEI DEFE[N]SOR ET [IN] TER[R]A ECCLESIA[E] A[N]GLICANE ET HIBERNICE SVPREM[VM] CA[PVT]
 * Henry the Eighth, by the grace of God, of England and France and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, and on Earth, of the English and Irish Church, Supreme Head.
 * Edward VI. ... EDWARDI SEXTI DEI GRATIA ANGLIE FRANCIE / ET HIBERNIE REX FIDEI DEFE[N]SOR ET IN TERRA ECCLESIE ANGLICANE ET HIBERNICE SVPREMVM CAPVT
 * ... of Edward the Sixth, by the grace of God of England, France / and of Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, and on Earth, of the English and Irish Church, Supreme Head.
 * Mary I. MARIA D[EI] G[RATIA] ANGLIE FRANCIE ET HIBERNIE REGINA EIVS NOMINIS PRIMA FIDEI DEFENSOR
 * Mary, by the grace of God, of England, France and Ireland, Queen, first of that name, Defender of the Faith.
 * Philip and Mary I. PHILIP ET MARIA D G REX ET REGINA ANGL HISPANIAR FRANC VTRIVSQ SICILE IERVSALEM ET HIB FIDEI DEFENSOR
 * Philip and Mary by the grace of God King and Queen of England, the Spains, France, both Sicilies, Jerusalem and Ireland, Defender of the Faith
 * Elizabeth I. ELIZABETHA DEI GRACIA ANGLIE FRANCIE ET HIBERNIE REGINA FIDEI DEFENSOR
 * Elizabeth, by the grace of God, of England, France and Ireland, Queen, Defender of the Faith.

title: Great Seal of the Realm


text:
Greatest Hits (1992 Kylie Minogue album)

Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits album by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. The album was released on 24 August 1992 as Minogue's final release under Pete Waterman Limited (PWL). The record contains nineteen singles from the singer's first four studio albums, as well as three new songs recorded specifically for inclusion on this album. The album was largely written and produced by the Stock Aitken Waterman team, and its release marked the end of Minogue's professional relationship with them. It contained all her single releases to date including the Japan-only single, "Turn It into Love", featured on Kylie's first studio album in 1988.

Greatest Hits entered the UK Albums Chart at number one, becoming Minogue's third number-one album in the United Kingdom. It charted there for eleven weeks and was later certified platinum for shipments of 300,000 copies. The album was also successful in Australia, debuting and peaking at number three and charting for fifteen weeks. It was later certified platinum for shipments exceeding 70,000 copies, by Australian Recording Industry Association. The album is Minogue's third number one album in the United Kingdom, after Kylie (1988) and Enjoy Yourself (1989). This compilation was superseded by 2004's Ultimate Kylie collection, with only seven tracks not being included on that 2-CD set and, later, by 2019's Step Back in Time: The Definitive Collection, with only three tracks not being included on the expanded, 3-CD version of the latter. Following her release from PWL, she stated that she felt stifled by Stock, Aitken and Waterman, saying, "I was very much a puppet in the beginning. I was blinkered by my record company. I was unable to look left or right."

Release
The album was promoted with two singles, "What Kind of Fool (Heard All That Before)" and "Celebration", originally a hit for Kool & The Gang in 1980. In Australia, the album was released with completely different artwork and was available as a limited edition digi-pack. A limited edition was also available in Australia with the Kylie's Non-Stop History 50+1 remix album as a bonus disc and the original album was later re-issued again with the original UK artwork in 1998. An accompanying video compilation called Greatest Video Hits was released alongside the album. The video featured all Minogue's music videos to date except the in-house promo video for "Made in Heaven". The Australian version keeps the original title, Greatest Hits, and was released with the same cover as the Australian edition of its audio counterpart. The Japanese Laserdisc edition also includes the video for "Celebration". In the 2009 iTunes re-release, the single versions of the tracks have been put in place of the album versions, including a rare single version of "It's No Secret" put in place of the original album version. The album was re-issued again in 2011 with an altered track list for the South African leg of Kylie's Aphrodite World Tour.

Singles
The first single was "What Kind of Fool (Heard All That Before)". It was released in the United Kingdom in August 1992 and peaked at number fourteen in the UK Singles Chart. The release was backed with the fan-favourite "Things Can Only Get Better". The second and final single was "Celebration", a cover of Kool & the Gang's hit. It was released in November 1992 and peaked at number twenty on the UK Singles Chart. It was also Minogue's last single for PWL.

Track listing
All songs written and produced by Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman except where noted.


text:
Cruz Azul

Cruz Azul, officially Club de Futbol Cruz Azul, is a professional football club based in Mexico City, Mexico. It competes in the Liga MX, the top division of Mexican football.

Founded in Jasso, Hidalgo, the club officially moved to Mexico City in 1971, where it had already registered a great presence and activity since its beginnings. Estadio Azteca, the nation's largest sports venue, served as their home venue until 1996, when they moved to the Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes, which was renamed Estadio Azul. After 22 years, the team returned to the Azteca following the conclusion of the 2017–18 Liga MX season. Its headquarters are in La Noria, a suburb within Xochimilco in the southern part of Mexico City.

Cruz Azul has been the Primera División champion nine times, trailing Toluca's 10, C.D. Guadalajara's 12, and Club América's 15. Cruz Azul's six titles makes it the second-most successful club in the history of the CONCACAF Champions League, the most prestigious international club competition in North American football, trailing intracity rival Club América. Cruz Azul was also the first CONCACAF team to reach the final of the Copa Libertadores, the most prestigious club competition in South American football (which invited top Liga MX clubs from 1998 to 2017), losing on penalties to Argentine football giants Boca Juniors in 2001. In the 1968–69 season, Cruz Azul was the first CONCACAF club (and third worldwide) to complete a rare Continental Treble, winning the Mexican Primera División championship, the Copa México national tournament, and the CONCACAF Champions League.

In its 2014 Club World Ranking, the International Federation of Football History & Statistics placed Cruz Azul as the 99th-best club in the world and the third-best club in CONCACAF. According to several polls published, Cruz Azul is the third-most popular team in Mexico, behind only C.D. Guadalajara and Club América. It is also the second most supported team in its hometown, Mexico City, behind América and ahead of Pumas UNAM.

Background and foundation
Carlos Garces López was a footballer and athlete, included in the Mexico national team for the 1924 and 1928 athletics and football. As a Midfielder, he was part of Club América's founding squad and was a key player to their dominance of the Primera Fuerza in the mid-1920s. Garces López was included in the debut Mexico national football team in 1923, playing in Mexico's debut series of official international matches against Guatemala. At the time, football in Mexico was not a lucrative occupation. Garces López was a licensed dentist providing dental care at the cement company Cemento Cruz Azul located in the small town of Jasso, Hidalgo. He would travel regularly to Mexico City from Jasso to train and play for América.

In 1925, Cemento Cruz Azul had voted to establish a company baseball team as the sport was popular in the town of Jasso. Garces López personally lobbied for many months to change the official company sport to football. American employees initially receiving resistance but the company directors relented to a referendum for determination of the company team's main sport. The March 22, 1927 election favored football. Cemento Cruz Azul replaced the company baseball diamond with a football pitch. The football team was officially established two months later on May 22 where Garces López was appointed head coach.

Amateur era (1927–1960)
Initially, Cemento Cruz Azul played in local tournaments organized by the company against teams representing towns neighboring Jasso. The team was composed solely of company workers for the next three decades. The club was widely successful in amateur tournaments during the 30s and 40s, winning 15 consecutive state level league titles.

Establishment as a co-operative (1931–1934)
By 1931, Cemento Cruz Azul had experienced a series of economic troubles during the Great Depression. Due to the loss of demand and production of cement and other construction materials, Cemento Cruz Azul faced bankruptcy and was bought by cement company La Tolteca on March 1, 1931, for 1 million pesos. The liquidation of Cemento Cruz Azul was anticipated by 192 workers of Cemento Cruz Azul who unionized and sued the executives of the company to prevent the transfer of the property which was set for October 15, 1931. The government of Hidalgo ruled in favor of the workers after it was shown La Tolteca had premeditated intentions of liquidation. The workers assumed control of the industrial facilities on November 2. On May 21, 1932, the governor of Hidalgo, Bartolomé Vargas Lugo, decreed the 192 workers of Cemento Cruz Azul as collective owners of the plant, exercising eminent domain. Part of the agreement, all 192 workers who assumed responsibility of the plant agreed to pay the state of Hidalgo 1.3 million pesos over the course of 10 years. The company changed its name to Cooperativa Manufacturera de Cemento Portland La Cruz Azul, S.C.L, reestablishing itself as a cooperative on January 29, 1934. The debt was settled on November 2, 1941, 10 years after workers took ownership of the plant. In celebration, Cruz Azul organized a match against R.C. España, that ended in a 0–0 draw.

This scenario of the club's formation encourages its working-class facade.

Success in amateur competitions (1932–1952)
From 1932 to 1943, Cemento Cruz Azul won 15 consecutive league titles in an amateur league in the state of Hidalgo. On 8 different occasions, the club represented the state of Hidalgo in national amateur tournaments. From the mid-1930s to the late 1940s, the club regularly traveled to Mexico City to face the reserve teams of Atlante, Necaxa, Marte, and R.C. España, playing at Parque Necaxa to great success. By 1937, Cruz Azul had garnered a considerable following both in Hidalgo and Mexico City. Around this period in time Guillermo Álvarez Macías began playing on the team as a midfielder.

Foundations for professional status (1953–1960)
On December 10, 1953, Guillermo Álvarez Macías was appointed general manager of Cemento Cruz Azul. He had been employed at the cooperative since 1931 at the age of 12 when his father died. Initially employed as an automotive mechanic, Álvarez Macías spent over two decades at the company, rising through the ranks. A self-proclaimed socialist, Álvarez Macías laid plans to transform the cooperative into a functioning town, building schools, restaurants, paving roads, in hopes to modernize and "share social and economic progress, to raise the standard of living of the worker and his family." In his goal to promote social well-being among members of the co-op, Álvarez Macías invested into cultural and recreational activities. This included investing much more into the football club whose proceeds were used to provide the worker-players with better living conditions.

In 1958, team captain and machinist, Luis Velázquez Hernández, served as the club's ambassador to the Mexican Football Federation to lobby for official membership on the club's behalf. Velázquez Hernández met Paulino Sánchez in Mexico City, who had ties to prominent football executives. They met with Joaquín Soria Terrazas and Ignacio Trelles to discuss membership in the federation for the club. Sánchez vouched in favor of Cruz Azul, citing their continual success in the amateur and reserve tournaments. Much to the displeasure of Álvarez Macías who asserted the club was not ready for professional football.

In preparation for federation membership, Paulino Sánchez assumed the position as head manager of the club. Due to regulations, teams were required to have a reserve team. Lafayette, a club experiencing financial troubles located in Colonia Moctezuma, had many talented players that could potentially be Cruz Azul's reserves. Under the recommendation of Sánchez, Cruz Azul purchased the Lafayette team. The acquisition was completed sometime in 1960. Plans to construct a club stadium that complied to the standards set by the Mexican Football Federation were conceived in 1960. In 1961, ground broke to construct Estadio 10 de Diciembre and finished in 1963.

Despite not possessing federation membership and due to Sánchez's personal contacts, Cruz Azul was invited to compete in the 1960-61 edition of Copa de la Segunda División de México, a competition sanctioned by the Mexican Football Federation. The club's debut game was played on April 2, 1961, in Jasso against Zamora, ending in 2–1 in favor of Cruz Azul. The second leg was played on April 9, 1961, ending in a 3–3 draw. They faced Querétaro in the next round winning 1–0 on aggregate. Cruz Azul was eliminated by UNAM. Following their impressive performance in the cup, the Mexican Football Federation granted Cruz Azul an opportunity to register as a professional team.

Professional level and rapid rise to prominence (1961–1968)
The club was officially registered to compete in the nation's second tier professional league for the 1961-62 season.

Due to the regulations by the Mexican Football Federation that prohibited the official usage of company names by clubs, the club changed its name to Cooperativa Cruz Azul from Cemento Cruz Azul

Promotion to Primera División (1964)
Jorge Marik, a Hungarian coach who previously managed Atlas and Atlante, signed on to manage the club in 1961. Cruz Azul won a direct promotion to Primera División after Marik led the club to the 1st position on the general table with 45 points (19 wins, 7 draws, and 4 losses) in the 1963–64 Mexican Segunda División season.

Following the club's promotion, Estadio 10 de Diciembre underwent renovations on March 6, 1964, rebuilding the wooden stands and dressing rooms which were compliant to regulations.

Cruz Azul finished their first season in the top flight, the 1964–65 Mexican Primera División season, in 8th place with 10 wins, 9 draws, 11 losses.

After poor results, Marik left the club after the 1965–66 Mexican Primera División season where Cruz Azul finished in 13th place out of 16 teams on the league table. Walter Ormeño became the team's interim coach, managing 3 games, before the club signed Raúl Cárdenas October 20, 1966.

1968–69 season: first championship, treble
During the 1968–69 season under the direction of Cárdenas, Cruz Azul won their first Copa México, their first Primera División title, and their first CONCACAF Champions' Cup. After only 4 years in the nation's top flight, Cruz Azul managed to complete a treble, being the first club to do so in not only Mexico but in the CONCACAF region as well.

1970–1980
Cruz Azul finished in second place on the general table for the 1969–70 Mexican Primera División season. The club was awarded the 1970 CONCACAF Champions' Cup on December 15, 1970, after Saprissa and Transvaal withdrew from the second phase of the competition in September citing economic issues.

Between 1970 and 1980, Cruz Azul led the Primera División with six league tournament championships; four under Cárdenas and the last two under Ignacio Trelles. This powerful version of the team earned the nickname La Máquina Celeste (The Blue Machine), which continues as one of the official nicknames of the team.

On December 18, 1976, Guillermo Álvarez Macías died of a heart attack at the age of 56 while awaiting President Portillo for a meeting.

First drought (1981–1997)
Throughout the 1980s, Cruz Azul remained one of the most competitive teams in the league. Despite their consistent form and financial wealth, the club was unable to obtain a title. This drought would last for another 17 years.

Billy Álvarez presidency
In 1988, Guillermo Héctor Álvarez Cuevas, the son of the late Guillermo Álvarez Macías, assumed the position of general manager at the cooperative Cemento Cruz Azul and presidency of Cruz Azul.

1990–1995

For the 1991–92 season, Cruz Azul signed Carlos Hermosillo. An América icon who was fundamental to America's 1988–89 league championship victory against Cruz Azul, Hermosillo's signing was met with ambivalence by the club's supporters. Hermosillo, however, quickly established himself as an integral part of the team where he was the league's top goal scorer for 3 consecutive years (1993-94, 1994-95, 1995-96 - 27, 35, 26 goals respectively).

In the 1994-95 season, the club finished 3rd in the league's overall table and reached a league final for the first time in 6 years where they were defeated 3–1 on aggregate by Necaxa.

1996–1997: end of drought and second treble
July 20 of 1996 marked the end of a 16 year long championship drought for Cruz Azul. The team managed by Víctor Manuel Vucetich won the CONCACAF Champions' Cup single round-robin tournament held in Guatemala City. Cruz Azul finished 1st on the table after defeating Seattle Sounders 11–0 at Estadio Flores. Vucetich also lead Cruz Azul to a Copa México title, winning the 1996–97 Copa México at the Estadio 10 de Diciembre after defeating Toros Neza 2–0.

Under the management of Luis Fernando Tena, Cruz Azul won the CONCACAF Champions' Cup on August 24, 1997, for the second consecutive year after defeating LA Galaxy 5–3 in the final. On December 7, 1997, Cruz Azul, who finished 2nd in the general standings of the league table, won the Invierno 1997 league tournament the against table leaders León via golden goal. This marked an end to the club's 17 year long league drought as well as achieving Cruz Azul's second continental treble.

The second leg of the series is largely remembered in part of a self-admittedly inexplicable act of aggression committed by León's goalkeeper Ángel Comizzo towards Carlos Hermosillo that handed the championship title to Cruz Azul. During the 15th minute of the first half of extra time, Comizzo shoved and kicked Cruz Azul striker Hermosillo in the face while inside the penalty box. Referee Arturo Brizio only witnessed the shove but did not see the kick as he turned his head away when Comizzo kicked Hermosillo. The penalty was called in favor of Cruz Azul while Comizzo did not get sent off. Hermosillo, whose face was bleeding profusely, took the penalty kick and scored. As the golden goal rule applied, Cruz Azul won the match and their eighth league title.

Copa Libertadores 2001
In 2001, Cruz Azul was invited to a tournament between select Mexican and Venezuelan teams that would then compete in the Copa Libertadores, a tournament of the best South American teams. The two best teams of this qualifying tournament earned immediate placement on the roster.

Cruz Azul was one of the seeded teams and reached the 2001 Copa Libertadores final match. Cruz Azul started the tournament in Group 7 along with Sao Caetano, Defensor Sporting, and Olmedo. Cruz Azul finished as leader of the group with 13 points. In the round of 16 Cruz Azul faced Cerro Porteño. The first leg was played in Asunción, where Cruz Azul lost 2–1. The second leg was played in Mexico City, where Cruz Azul won the game 3–1. The aggregate score was 4–3 in favor of Cruz Azul and they moved on to the quarterfinals.

In the quarterfinals, Cruz Azul faced River Plate of Argentina. The first leg of the match was played in Buenos Aires and ended in a 0–0 draw. The second leg was played in Mexico City and Cruz Azul won 3–0. Cruz Azul was having a great run and faced Rosario Central at the semifinals. The first leg was played in Mexico City and Cruz Azul won the game 2–0. The second leg was played in Rosario, a very exciting match that ended in a 3–3 draw in favor of Cruz Azul due to the 2–0 victory in the first leg.

In the final match, Cruz Azul played against the Argentine giants Boca Juniors. Cruz Azul lost at home the first leg 1–0, but came back to win the second leg with the same score at Boca's La Bombonera stadium with Paco Palencia scoring the goal. Until then, no team had ever won a Copa Libertadores final match there. After overtime, the championship was decided by penalty kicks where Boca Juniors prevailed. Still, Cruz Azul surprised everybody with the unprecedented feat of reaching the final and defeating established Argentinian teams such as Rosario Central and River Plate.

2005 abduction of Rubén Omar Romano
After leaving a pre-season practice session on July 16, 2005, manager Rubén Omar Romano was cornered by two stolen vehicles and abducted by 5 men. A ransom note was later found demanding of Romano's family $500,000. Assistant coach Isaac Mizrahi managed the team during Romano's absence. After 65 days, Romano was found and rescued unharmed. Federal agents raided a house in a poor neighborhood where Romano and his kidnappers were situated. The agents arrested 7 conspirators who were under the orders of convicted abductor Jose Luis Canchola.

During the hostage incident, the club had decided to not renew Romano's contract upon the end of Apertura 2005 and instead offered the position to Mizrahi following stellar results. Mizrahi accepted the offer while Romano was in captivity. Romano stated he felt betrayed and his friendship with Mizrahi was severed.

Series of runner-ups and last-minute losses (2008–2013)
The club was regularly regarded to be contenders for championship titles due to their formidable and financial stature in the league. Throughout this period in time however, Cruz Azul competed in many league and tournament finals only to finish runners-up. In these championship matches, as well as regular season games, Cruz Azul initially would be favorites to win, often having the advantage over the opponent, but would ultimately draw or lose near the end of full stoppage time. As a result, the club garnered a negative reputation of being cursed and the club would often be subject to ridicule. The term cruzazulear, defined as "the act of losing a game after victory is practically assured", is used to describe Cruz Azul losing a match in the aforementioned manner beginning sometime in 2013. The usage of the term was so prevalent that it is officially recognized by the Royal Spanish Academy in 2020.

Clausura 2008
During the Clausura 2008 season, the team played a great tournament, finishing in second place. The team won 9 games, had 4 draws and lost only 4 times. In the quarterfinals they played against the Jaguares losing 1–0 in the first leg and winning 2–1 in the second leg with goals of Pablo Zeballos and Miguel Sabah. They moved to the semifinals against the San Luis, the first leg was played in San Luis and Cruz Azul won 0–1 with a goal of Miguel Sabah. In the second leg, Cruz Azul and the San Luis played a formidable match that ended 1–1 with goals of Eduardo Coudet and Pablo Zeballos. In the final, Cruz Azul played against Santos Laguna, second place in the tournament. In the first leg, Cruz Azul lost 1–2 at home, and a 1–1 draw in the second leg meant that Santos were champions with a 3–2 aggregate score.

Apertura 2008
For the Apertura 2008 season, Cruz Azul finished in 5th place on the overall table. The team had 7 wins, 5 draws, and 5 losses.

In the quarterfinals, Cruz Azul defeated Pumas UNAM with an aggregate score of 3–1, moving on to the semifinals against Atlante; the first leg was played in Mexico City, and Cruz Azul won 3–1. In the second leg, Cruz Azul tied Atlante 1–1 in Cancún, which meant that Cruz Azul reached the Final for the second consecutive time. In the final, Cruz Azul played against Toluca, both teams tied on winning Mexican titles (at that time with 8 each). The first leg played in Mexico City ended with a dramatic 0–2 with a victory for Toluca, and in the second leg, which was played at Estadio Nemesio Díez, Cruz Azul won 0–2, which put the aggregate score at 2–2, which meant extra time had to be played. No goals were scored in extra time and the match went into a penalty shootout, where Toluca won 7–6 over Cruz Azul and won the title, after Alejandro Vela missed his penalty, even though he was the one that scored the opening goal of the game for Cruz Azul. In the 72nd minute, César Villaluz was fouled in the penalty box and suffered a serious injury, but Cruz Azul were unable to substitute him as they had no remaining substitutes, so the team was forced to defend the scoreline with 10 men for almost fifty minutes, which possibly could´ve had a big outcome on the result, as well as the decision to not award a penalty.

2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League
The team qualified for the 2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League by finishing league runner-ups. In the first stage, they finished second in Group A, qualifying for the knockout stage. In the quarter-finals, they defeated Pumas UNAM 2–0 on aggregate; in the semi-finals, they defeated the Puerto Rico Islanders on penalties with 10 men, after coming back from a 2–0 loss in the first leg. In the final against Atlante, they lost the first game 0–2 and tied the second 0–0, losing on aggregate.

Clausura 2009

In the Clausura 2009, the team had the worst tournament in club history en route to a last-place finish. They accumulated just 13 points in 17 games, winning only two games, with seven draws and eight losses. The Club sacked their manager Benjamín Galindo with one game left in the Clausura. He was replaced for the remainder of the season by Robert Siboldi who was then coaching Cruz Azul's affiliate in Hidalgo.

Apertura 2009

In the Apertura 2009, the team had signed Enrique Meza to manage the team and signed several players, including the best goalkeeper of the previous Mexican tournament Jose de Jesus Corona, Argentine striker Emanuel "Tito" Villa, Ramon Nuñez, and Emilio Hernandez. The team finished the regular season in second place with 33 points, winning 11 games of 17 played, and qualifying for the playoffs; Villa was the top scorer of the tournament with 17 goals. In the quarter-finals, they beat Puebla 7–6 on aggregate, and in the semi-finals, they beat Monarcas Morelia 2–1 on aggregate. In the final, they lost to Monterrey 6–4 on aggregate, meaning this was now their third consecutive time failing to win a league finals.

In April 2012, Cruz Azul changed their official name from Club Deportivo, Social y Cultural Cruz Azul, A.C. to simply Cruz Azul Fútbol Club, A.C.

2009–10 CONCACAF Champions League
In the 2009–10 CONCACAF Champions League, the team had a good tournament, finishing first in Group C and qualifying for the final stage of playoffs. In the quarter-finals, they defeated Panamanian team Árabe Unido 4–0 on aggregate, and then in the semifinal round, they played against the Mexico City rivals Pumas UNAM, losing the first leg 1–0 but winning the return leg 5–1 at Estadio Azul. In the final, against another Mexican club, Pachuca, they had the chance to win their 6th CONCACAF championship, winning the first game at home 2–1, but lost at Pachuca's home 1–0 with a last minute goal, meaning Pachuca won the championship by the away goals rule, and Cruz Azul missed the opportunity to participate in the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup.

Liga MX Clausura/Copa MX Clausura 2013
During the 2013 season, Cruz Azul started slow but regained confidence after beating Club América in the Copa MX semi-finals and winning the Copa MX final over the Atlante. After Cruz Azul won the Copa MX, their Liga MX performance improved and they were considered one of the contenders for the title due to a good streak. They would face bitter rivals the Club America in a historical final series of the "Clásico Joven." Cruz Azul was up 2–0 in aggregate when the Club America made a miraculous comeback with goals in the 89th from Aquilvado Mosquera and 93rd minute from Moises Munoz who was a goalkeeper of the second leg; Club America would go on to win 4–2 on penalties.

End of Second drought and CONCACAF Champions League win (2014–2019)
On April 23, 2014, after defeating Toluca, Cruz Azul won their 6th CONCACAF championship, a record at the time, and winning their first trophy in seventeen years. This gave Cruz Azul a berth at the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup, where they would earn a fourth-place finish.

From the Clausura 2014 to the Clausura 2017, Cruz Azul had been unable to qualify to the liguilla playoffs for six consecutive tournaments. Cruz Azul qualified for the liguilla for the first time in three years in the Apertura 2017 season. However, they were eliminated in the quarterfinals by the América, who advanced as the higher-ranked seed, with an aggregate score of 0–0. On 27 November 2017, Cruz Azul announced that Paco Jémez would not renew his contract for the following season.

In the Liga MX Clausura 2018 tournament, Cruz Azul ended up ranked 12th and failed to qualify for the liguilla. The club also finished last place in the group stage of the Clausura 2018 Copa MX. On 7 May 2018, the club announced director of football Eduardo de la Torre's contract had ended and would be replaced by Ricardo Peláez, former director of football for Club América.

On 31 October, they would face Monterrey in the Apertura 2018 Copa MX Final, winning 2–0 with goals from Elías Hernández and Martín Cauteruccio. It was their first trophy in the tournament since 2013.

Cruz Azul faced América in a rematch of the Clausura 2013 final for the Apertura 2018 final. The first leg was played on 13 December 2018 which ended in a scoreless draw. The second leg was played three days later and ended in a 2–0 victory for América. With this defeat, Cruz Azul extended its 21-year-old championship drought in the league for at least another season.

Indictment and ousting of board of directors
In May 2020, Guillermo Alvarez Cuevas, then president of the club, was indicted by Mexican authorities on multiple accounts of insurance fraud, racketeering, extortion, tax evasion, and money laundering. On July 26, an arrest warrant was issued for Alvarez along with board directors Victor Manuel Garcés, Miguel Eduardo Borrell, and Mario Sánchez Álvarez for alleged ties to organized crime. Alvarez subsequently resigned from his position at the club in August 2020 after 32 years as acting president. Interpol is currently searching for Alvarez in 195 countries and as of June 2, 2021, remains at large.

2020 season
On December 6, 2020, Cruz Azul faced UNAM on the second semi-final leg of the Guardianes 2020 Liga MX final phase. Although Cruz Azul had a 4–0 lead at the beginning of the second leg, they lost the match 0–4, thus tying in aggregate. Because UNAM won the clubs' week 17 match 1–0, they held the tiebreaker and advanced to the final.

End of league title curse (2021–present)
On May 30, 2021, Cruz Azul ended its 23-year Primera División championship drought by beating Santos Laguna 2–1 on aggregate at Estadio Azteca, earning its ninth league championship, after having lost seven finals in the last thirteen years.

Colors and badge

The club's crest has stayed relatively consistent since its foundation in the 1920s, with a blue cross in a white circle surrounded by a red square, with the club's name above and below. As years went by and titles were won, the crest was modified to proclaim the Cruz Azul's achievements, adding a larger blue circle/frame after the 1971–72 season showing three stars for each Liga MX championship win (showing eight stars since the end of the 1997 season).

Stadium
The team currently plays in the Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes in Mexico City. The Cruz Azul's training facilities are named "La Noria", which are located in Xochimilco.

The team returned to the Estadio Azteca in the Apertura 2018 season after spending 22 years at Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes, which has been slated to be demolished. The team has indicated that it intends to build a new stadium, but solid plans such as location have not materialized.

Management
Listed on the official website of Cruz Azul.

Reserve teams

 * Cruz Azul Lagunas
 * Reserve team that plays in the Liga TDP, the fourth level of the Mexican league system.

Domestic

 * Primera División / Liga MX: 9
 * 1968–69, Mexico '70, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1978–79, 1979–80, Invierno 1997, Guardianes 2021

 * Segunda División: 1
 * 1963–64

 * Copa México / Copa MX: 4
 * 1968–69, 1996–97, Clausura 2013, Apertura 2018

 * Campeón de Campeones: 3
 * 1969, 1974, 2021

 * Supercopa de la Liga MX: 1
 * 2022

 * Supercopa MX: 1
 * 2019

International

 * CONCACAF Champions' Cup: 6
 * 1969, 1970, 1971, 1996, 1997, 2013–14

 * Leagues Cup: 1
 * 2019

Nicknames

The Cruz Azul has a rich variety of nicknames over its history, listed chronologically:

 * Cementeros (cement workers): As a result of affiliation with the Cruz Azul Cement, the first name refers directly to the employees of the company, as the team originally was formed with them. Over the years, the concept is extended not only to those who worked in the cooperative, but the construction workers in general.
 * Liebres (hares): When the team was promoted to the Primera División in the mid-1960s, the club played a fast and physical game. These characteristics, coupled with their mostly white uniforms, led fans to compare the players of those years with the hares which abound in the town.  The nickname took hold, and an anthropomorphic hare is often used as a mascot and icon to represent the Cruz Azul. While some modern fans believe that the mascot is a rabbit, the club's board has officially declared that it is a hare.
 * La Máquina (the machine, the locomotive): This nickname is fed by several sources of inspiration. One is based on a railway that brought the cement from the Cruz Azul plant, in the former village of Jasso (south of Tula de Allende), to Mexico City. After moving to Mexico City, the Cruz Azul was the most dominant club in Mexico during the 1970s, reinforcing the nickname as a comparison to the image of a locomotive sweeping through their opponents. The name may have been borrowed from the similarly nicknamed River Plate club that motored through its opponents in the Argentine Primera División in the 1940s. It has been suggested that reporter Rugama Angel Fernandez was the first to publish an article with the name La Máquina for the Cruz Azul. The nickname has some variations, including The Sky-blue Machine (La Máquina Celeste), The Blue Machine (La Máquina Azul) and The Cement Machine (La Máquina Cementera).

The Cheerleaders (Las Celestes)
The club has its own official cheerleading club, who were included as part of the institution in 2004 and since then, act as cheerleaders pre-match and during the halftime break. "Las Celestes" have become part of the tradition of the club. Which is the only Mexican team that include official cheerleaders as part of their group.

Popularity
Since its inception the team was supported mainly by cement workers. After promotion to the Primera División in the 1960s, more people began to follow the team. In the 1970s when the team managed six of their nine titles even more people joined the group of supporters of the team, until now that in this 21st century according to various surveys is the third team with the most supporters in Mexico, behind the Club Guadalajara and the América respectively, above the club UNAM.

The club became infamous in Mexico for not having won a Mexican league title from 1997 to 2021. For an English-speaking audience, the so-called "Cruz Azul curse" is likened to Neverkusen for German team Bayer Leverkusen, the Curse of the Bambino for MLB baseball's Boston Red Sox, or the Curse of the Billy Goat for MLB's Chicago Cubs. The commonality derives from these teams' inability, no matter the quality of the team relative to their opponents in a tournament or a championship match, to win a championship. The "curse" was broken after their winning of the Guardianes 2021 final match versus Santos Laguna, after scoring 2–1 on May 30, 2021. Their title drought also included six losses in finals, among other painful playoff defeats, and spurred the creation of the verb "cruzazulear" which is now used in Mexico to describe choking, or to lose a game when victory was almost assured.

Rivalries
National Rivalries:
 * Main Rivalry: the "Clásico Joven" vs. the Club América.

Records

 * Cruz Azul has the distinction of being the only Mexican football club to win the North American treble – winning the Liga MX, Copa MX, and Champions League in 1997.
 * Cruz Azul is the Mexican club with the second-most titles at international level, behind only América (six titles in the CONCACAF Champions League, plus a runners-up finish twice in 2009 and 2010, one Leagues Cup title, as well as one runners-up finish in the Copa Libertadores in 2001).
 * Cruz Azul is both the Mexican and overall club with the second-most titles in the CONCACAF Champions League, with six (behind only América, with seven).
 * Cruz Azul holds the record for most consecutive wins in the history of the Primera División: 12 wins in the Guard1anes 2021.
 * Cruz Azul is the Mexican team with the highest number of playoff games played (43), including rounds of reclassification.
 * Cruz Azul is the first Mexican team to win a final crown via a "golden goal" (1997).
 * Cruz Azul has played (14) and lost (8) the most playoff finals, and has the second-most final wins, with six (tied with Toluca and UNAM).
 * Cruz Azul is one of three teams in the history of the Primera División have to win league titles in three consecutive seasons (succeeding in 1971–72, 1972–73 and 1973–74), the other two teams being América, who did so decade later, and Guadalajara.
 * Cruz Azul is the fastest team to become champions after being promoted, winning only five years after promotion in the 1968–69 season.
 * Cruz Azul became the fastest team to win seven league titles, accomplishing the feat with only fifteen years playing in Mexico's Primera División.

Professional era (since 1964)

 * Seasons in Primera División: 62
 * Seasons in 2nd Division o Primera "A": 4.
 * Playoff for the title: 44
 * Final for the title: 19 (68–69, 69–70, MÉX 70, 71–72, 72–73, 73–74, 78–79, 79–80, 80–81, 86–87, 88–89, 94–95, Inv. 97, Inv. 99, Clau. 08, Aper. 08, Aper. 09, Clau. 13, Aper. 18, Guardianes 2021)
 * 1st place: 14
 * Relegated to 2nd Division o Primera "A": 0
 * Promotion to the 1st Div: 1 (1963–64)
 * Final position more repeated: 1st (14 times)
 * Best place in Primera División:
 * In long tournaments: 1st (1968/1969, Mexico 1970, 1971/1972, 1972/1973, 1973/1974, 1978/1979, 1995/1996)
 * In short tournaments: 1st (Winter 1998, Winter 2000, Apertura 2006, Apertura 2010, Clausura 2014, Apertura 2018, Guardianes 2021)
 *  Worst place in Primera División:
 * In long tournaments: 18th of 20 teams: 1989–90
 * In short tournaments: 18th of 18 teams: Clausura 2009
 *  Highest score achieved :
 * The national tournament: 8–2 vs. Toros Neza (1993–94).
 * In international tournaments: 12–2 against the 🇧🇿 Leslie Verdes in 1988 CONCACAF Champions' Cup and 11–0 against the 🇺🇸 Seattle Sounders in the 1996 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
 *  Highest score against:
 * The national tournament: 0–7 against América (2022).
 * In international tournaments: 1–6 against the 🇺🇾 Fénix in the 2003 Copa Libertadores
 *  Most points in a season :
 * In long tournaments: 57 (1978–79)
 * In short tournaments: 41 (Guardianes 2021)
 *  Longest streak of games without losing :
 * 19 (round 18 from semifinal round of (1973–74).
 * Longest undefeated streak at home
 * 47 (1978–1980) (Mexican football record)
 * Most goals scored in a season :
 * In long tournaments: 91 (1994–95).
 * In short tournaments: 41 (Invierno 1998).
 * Most wins in a season: 22, Season (1971–72)
 * Most draws in a season: 17, (1989–90)
 * Most defeats in a season: 13, (1982–83) and (1989–90)
 * Consecutive wins in a season: 12, (Guardianes 2021) (Mexican football record)
 * More games without conceding: 5, season (1975–76), and (1983–84)
 * Most consecutive wins: 12, (Guardianes 2021) (Mexican football record)
 * Most consecutive draws: 5, (1973–74)
 * Most consecutive games without a win: 11, (1965–66)
 * Fewest wins in a season: 2, Clausura 2009
 * Fewest draws in a season: 0, Apertura 2009
 * Fewest defeats in one season: 1, PRODE 85, Invierno 1998
 * Player with the most goals in a season: 🇲🇽 Carlos Hermosillo with 35 in (1994–95)
 * Most titles won
 * Head Coach: 🇲🇽 Raúl Cárdenas
 * 11 titles: Primera División (1968–69, México 1970, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74), Copa México (1968–69), Campeon de Campeones (1968–69, 1973–74), CONCACAF Champions' Cup (1969, 1970, 1971)
 * Player: 🇲🇽 Fernando Bustos
 * 13 titles: Primera División (1968–69, México 1970, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1978–79), Segunda División (1963–64), Copa México (1968–69), Campeon de Campeones (1968–69, 1973–74), CONCACAF Champions' Cup (1969, 1970, 1971)

Top goalscorers
Symbols:

LIG: Ligue

CUP: Cup

SPC: Campeón de Campeones

CON: CONCACAF Champions League

LIB: Copa Libertadores

FWC: FIFA World Club Cup

INA: Copa Interamericana

RCF: CONCACAF Cup Winners Cup

Tournament top scorers

 * 🇲🇽 Horacio López Salgado 25 Goals in "1974–75"
 * 🇲🇽 Carlos Hermosillo 28 Goals in "1993–94"
 * 🇲🇽 Carlos Hermosillo 35 Goals in "1994–95"
 * 🇲🇽 Carlos Hermosillo 26 Goals in "1995–96"
 * 🇺🇾 Sebastián Abreu 19 Goals in "Verano 2002"
 * 🇦🇷 Emanuel Villa 17 Goals in "Apertura 2009"
 * 🇺🇾 Jonathan Rodríguez  9 Goals in "Clausura 2020”
 * 🇺🇾 Jonathan Rodríguez  12 Goals in "Guardianes 2020”

title: Cruz Azul


text:
List of members of the European Parliament for Belgium, 2004–2009

This is a list of the 24 members of the European Parliament for Belgium in the 2004 to 2009 session.