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Eco (currency)

The eco is the name for the proposed common currency of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Plans originally called for the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) states to introduce the currency first, which would eventually be merged with the Euro-pegged CFA franc which is used by the French-speaking West African region within the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA). This will also enable the UEMOA states to gain complete fiscal and monetary independence from France. The UEMOA states have alternatively proposed to reform the CFA franc into the eco first, which could then be extended to all ECOWAS states.

Ten criteria
For the Eco to be implemented, ten convergence criteria, set out by the West African Monetary Institute (WAMI), must be met. These criteria are divided into four primary and six secondary criteria. Up to the fiscal year 2011, only Ghana has been able to meet all the primary criteria in any single fiscal year.

The four primary criteria to be achieved by each member country are:
 * A single-digit inflation rate at the end of each year.
 * A fiscal deficit of no more than 4% of the GDP.
 * A central bank deficit-financing of no more than 10% of the previous year's tax revenues.
 * Gross external reserves that can give import cover for a minimum of three months.

The six secondary criteria to be achieved by each member country are:
 * Prohibition of new domestic default payments and liquidation of existing ones.
 * Tax revenue should be equal to or greater than 20 percent of the GDP.
 * Wage bill to tax revenue equal to or less than 35 percent.
 * Public investment to tax revenue equal to or greater than 20 percent.
 * A stable real exchange rate.
 * A positive real interest rate.

Before 2019
The goal of a common currency, first in West African Monetary Institute (WAMI)/West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) countries —The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Conakry (which is French speaking, but does not use the CFA franc), Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone—and later in the whole ECOWAS area, was officially stated in December 2000 in connection with the formal launch of WAMZ. The Eco was first planned to be introduced in 2003, but this was postponed several times, to 2005, 2010 and 2014. At a meeting of the Convergence Council of Ministers and Governors of West Africa on 25 May 2009, the start of the currency was rescheduled to 2015 due to the international economic crisis. The December 2009 meeting also established a plan to begin work to merge the Eco with the CFA franc immediately upon the launch of the Eco; this was planned to be achieved by 2020.

In 2001, the West African Monetary Institute (WAMI) was set up with headquarters in Accra, Ghana. It is to be an interim organisation in preparation for the future West African Central Bank. Its function and organisation are inspired by the European Monetary Institute. Thus, WAMI is to provide a framework for central banks in the WAMZ to start the integration and begin preliminary preparations for the printing and minting of the physical money, just as EMI did before in the Eurozone before the introduction of the euro. The current director general is Dr. Olorunsola E. Olowofeso.

Recent assessments of member countries' efforts to meet the criteria are very bleak. The performance scorecard presented at the 2012 Annual Statutory Meetings of the WAMZ shows that GDP growth was projected to decline to 6.9% in 2012 from 8.7% in 2011. The convergence scale of the whole WAMZ area was also projected to go down from a score of 79.2% in 2011 to 62.5% in 2012; as no member met all the convergence criteria. The average annual inflation rate also increased from 11.6% in 2011 to 12.6% in 2012. The Director of Multilateral Surveillance ECOWAS Commission, Lassane Kabore, described the performance as "dismal", but he also affirmed the commitment of his commission to the establishment of the Eco.

In February 2018, ECOWAS affirmed its intention to restart the process with an introduction in 2020, which is strictly impossible: it is therefore a declaration of intent. On 23 February 2018, according to the economist Jean-Joseph Boillot, no serious work on the technical aspects of this implementation has yet been undertaken, either at the university level or at the state level.

2019
On 29 June 2019, the leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) formally adopted the name "eco" for their project of the single currency. The currency was planned to be introduced in 2020.

ECOWAS leaders met in Abuja on 21 December 2019, six months after adopting the name "eco" for the future single currency project. This meeting came after the meeting of the committee of finance ministers and governors of central banks of the community space in the Nigerian capital.

Quoted by the Nigerian press agency NAN, the chair of the ministerial committee said that only Togo, among the ECOWAS countries, would meet the main requirements or criteria for the adoption of a single currency. These criteria include convergence, the flexible exchange rate regime, the fight against insecurity, and interstate collaboration.

On 21 December 2019, Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara announced that the West African CFA franc would be reformed, including renaming it the eco. France will no longer manage the currency, but the Banque de France will remain the guarantor of the convertibility between the Eco and the Euro with which it will keep a fixed parity. It was expected that its implementation would take place by the end of 2020.

On 22 December 2019, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) welcomed the major reform of the CFA franc decided by eight West African countries and France. For Kristalina Georgieva, these changes "constitute a key step in the modernization of long-standing arrangements between the West African Economic and Monetary Union and France".

In December 2019, the President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, visited Abidjan in Ivory Coast. During the press point after this meeting between the two heads of state, Alassane Ouattara and Teodoro Obiang Nguema, the two heads of state also discussed the reform of the West African CFA franc. The Equatorial Guinean president would like to see the same reform for the Central African CFA franc, which he deems "obsolete".

On 29 December 2019, the president of Ghana expressed his desire to adopt the new eco which is being established to replace the West African CFA franc.

2020
In January 2020, according to several articles citing local media, Nigeria would require five "non-negotiable terms" before joining the single currency. Some particularly mention the deposits in the French Treasury of part of the foreign exchange reserves of the future common currency. On this point, the end of this guarantee is already mentioned in the reform proposed on 21 December. Still, according to the Nigerian press, Abuja would also require the management of the eco by the ECOWAS itself, without forgetting its impression in Africa and not in France.

Sierra Leone announced on Thursday 9 January 2020 it would decide on the future ECOWAS single currency, Eco, very soon. The Bank of Sierra Leone (BSL) announced on Thursday 9 January 2020 that the country will continue with Leone as its legal tender until the meeting of the Board of Governors of ECOWAS scheduled for 16 January 2020.

On 14 January 2020, the central banks of the ECOWAS sub-region began an extraordinary general assembly to deliberate on questions relating to the introduction of the single currency, the ECO, scheduled for 2020. The committee of central bank governors is also expected to discuss the implications of the recent announcement by French-speaking ECOWAS countries on the proposal to introduce the single currency ECO to replace the CFA franc. The talks will also determine the way forward for the member states of the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) in accordance with the roadmap for the introduction of the single currency — the CEE. The ECOWAS technical team, however, is expected to present proposals made by the West African Monetary Institute regarding the CEE. The governors should also send their recommendations to the region's heads of state to find out if the region is ready for the introduction of the single currency.

On 16 January 2020, Nigeria and several West African countries, notably English-speaking ones, denounced in Abuja the decision to replace the CFA franc with the Eco, saying that it was "not in conformity" with the program recently adopted by the entire region to establish a single currency.

In all cases, the six countries of the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) "noted with concern the declaration aiming to unilaterally rename the CFA franc to Eco by 2020", according to a press release issued after this extraordinary meeting between the various finance ministers and the governors of the central banks. WAMZ is made up of Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, The Gambia and Guinea (Conakry), which is not part of the CFA zone. These countries consider that "this action is not in accordance with the decisions" of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) with a view to "adopting the Eco as the name of the single currency" of the whole region.

They "reiterate the importance for all ECOWAS members to adhere to the decisions of the authority of the Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS concerning the implementation of the revised roadmap for the single currency program". A summit bringing together the heads of state of the WAMZ is planned "soon" to decide on the conduct to come, specifies the final communiqué.

Their 16 January statement also brought to light the battle for leadership between Côte d'Ivoire and Nigeria. In publicly criticizing the decision of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (Uemoa) to rename the CFA franc “eco” by 2020, the finance ministers and central bank governors of The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone have not only revealed the divisions of ECOWAS.

On 31 January 2020, Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara clarified the alleged rejection of the Eco by the 7 countries of the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ). "There are only five countries that ended up in Abuja out of the fifteen of the Economic Community of West African States [ECOWAS]", he fumed, cutting the grass under his feet CFA anti-Francs, many of them shouting “white cap and white cap”.

"The majority of countries did not attend this meeting. It was not a meeting of heads of state, but of ministers and governors", said Ouattara. "What we decided at the level of heads of state, our will is to bring the eco in 2020", on the basis, he insists, of "conditions".

The first condition is to meet the 5 performance criteria: deficit of less than 3%, debt of less than 70%, low inflation, etc. (...). For the moment, there are only four or five countries, including Côte d'Ivoire, that meet these criteria", he added, stressing that the process should be "gradual". "Five, eight, ten countries [meeting the criteria] can come together", he said, adding that others could then join them like the eurozone started at eleven and which includes twenty countries today.

“We want to do it in stages. We do not want haste, but we also do not want countries that do not meet the convergence criteria to shake up the process", he concluded.

In February 2020, the Nigerian foreign minister revealed that the meeting attended by President Muhammadu Buhari and chaired by the President of ECOWAS, President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger, also discussed the new single currency of West Africa, the CEE.

On this specific point, Minister Onyeama announced that "Nothing has changed with regard to the position of Nigeria". He explained that, according to Nigeria, the convergence criteria are not met by the majority of countries and that it is therefore necessary to extend the deadline for the launch of the ECOWAS single currency.

In February 2020, an extraordinary summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) took place. Many points were raised. In particular, the establishment of the single currency (Eco).

On the single currency, the final communiqué which sanctioned this meeting mentions that the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the subregional organization is satisfied with the important developments initiated by the West African Economic and Monetary Union (Uemoa) in the creation of the single currency. "The Conference was informed by Alassane Ouattara, President of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, President of the Conference of Heads of State of Uemoa on the reform of the CFA franc. This reform is a step towards achieving the establishment of the Eco as provided for in the road map adopted by the Conference of Heads of State of ECOWAS. The Conference expressed satisfaction with these important developments and the insights provided by the president of the Conference of Heads of State of Uemoa on this issue", read the press release.

On 17 February 2020, the West African Economic and Monetary Union (Uemoa, eight countries) was published and its planned extension to the entire Economic Community of African States (Cedeao, 15 countries). Entitled Entry into the Era of Eco: Implications of Reform in West Africa, it aims to address the uncertainties arisen from the announcement of this substitution by Presidents Ouattara and Macron on 21 December 2019. The first conclusion is that the parity maintained with the euro and France's unlimited guarantee of convertibility will maintain confidence in the new currency. This guarantee helped to contain inflation from 2000 to 2019 at an average of 2% in the Uemoa region, compared with almost 10% in Cedeao and about 16% in sub-Saharan Africa. "No immediate effect" on the sovereign rating of the states, the end of the deposit of half of the exchange reserves of the Member States of the Union with the French Treasury does not worry S&P, because the fixed exchange rate is maintained. "That is why we believe that this reform should not have an immediate effect on our sovereign ratings", the authors conclude. In other words, investors don't have to worry at the moment. The second conclusion is that the project to extend the eco to the fifteen members of the Cedeao seems a long way off. "Material barriers remain, which leads us to consider this project unlikely in the medium term", the report says. Firstly, because of Nigeria's weight, and because Nigeria accounts for two-thirds of Cedeao's GDP and three times more than Uemoa's. But also because of its protectionist policies, says the report: "Accepting a common monetary policy between Nigeria and its Cedeao partners therefore seems difficult, especially since Nigeria has recently decided to close its borders with Benin and Niger to reduce smuggling and support local agricultural production. An extension beyond France's Uemoa guarantee would also require the approval of the Council of the European Union after consultation with the European Central Bank, which is not automatic. Finally, the adoption of a flexible exchange rate regime desired by Cedeao would increase the significant risks in terms of monetary shocks for Uemoa economies, particularly those that have increased their use of foreign currency borrowing in recent years." says S&P, recalling the conclusion of one of its 2017 reports on the dangers of devaluation: in the event of a currency crisis and without the French guarantee, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal and Togo, which borrowed heavily, especially in form Eurobonds, see their debt heavily set up and S-P would be forced to lower their ratings. The report concludes with the recommendation to sharply improve tax revenues and a warning: "Whatever exchange rate regime Uemoa members choose, whether it is the maintenance of the euro, the option of a basket of currency (...) or a floating rate of exchange rate, fiscal discipline and strong economic policy will be all the more important for the economic stability of the monetary union."

On 20 May 2020, the Council of Ministers of the French Republic adopted a bill according to which the Central Bank of West African States, the central bank managing the currency of the eight nations of the West African Economic and Monetary Union which use the West African CFA franc, will no longer be required to deposit half of its exchange reserves with the Public Treasury of France. Furthermore, the French government will withdraw from all governing bodies of the Central Bank of West African States; until now, both the Minister of Finance of France and the governor of the Bank of France participated in the biannual meetings of the Central Bank, one of which took place in Paris. Both houses of the French legislature, the National Assembly and the Senate, must approve the bill for its provisions to come into force. Subsequent to ratification, the eco is expected to come into use in July 2020. It remains for the nations who have proposed to adopt the single currency, whether to continue using the name ‘eco.’ France will guarantee a fixed exchange rate of 1 euro to 655.96 West African CFA francs, though this arrangement is likely to change after the introduction of the new currency.

The second step towards the disappearance of the CFA franc and its replacement by a single currency called Eco, the French Parliament should adopt before the end of the third quarter the bill initialed on 20 May 2020 in the Council of Ministers and intended to ratify the agreement of monetary cooperation concluded in Abidjan on 21 December 2019 with the governments of the member states of the West African Monetary Union (Umoa).

Given that a law on the reform of the Eco only passes to the French parliament until the end of September 2020, the agreement to adopt the Eco does not risk doing this before October 2020.

In September 2020, Alassane Ouattara, President of Côte d'Ivoire, announced the decision of the 57th ordinary session of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS to proceed with the implementation of the eco "within three to five years."

2021
In June 2021, The Heads of State of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) adopted a roadmap for the launch of the common currency "Eco" in 2027, announces the final press release of the 59th ordinary session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS.

2023
In September 2023, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) reiterated its commitment to launch the common Eco currency by 2027. The ECOWAS Commission says it would do everything possible to ensure that the processes and programs outlined in the roadmap for the launch of the common Eco currency remain on track and on schedule. The commission will accelerate the establishment of the West African Central Bank and other relevant bodies necessary for the success of monetary integration in the sub-region.

2024
In July 2024, During the summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), As part of the implementation of the ECO, by ECOWAS. Member States emphasize the importance for Member States to regularly transmit their Multiannual Convergence Programs.

title: Eco (currency)


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South Coast railway line

South Coast railway line may refer to:

 * Gold Coast railway line - railway line in Australia between Brisbane and the Gold Coast
 * South Coast Line - train service in Australia operated by NSW TrainLink between Sydney and Nowra
 * South Coast railway line, New South Wales - railway line in Australia between Sydney and Nowra
 * South Coast railway line, Queensland - closed railway line in Australia operated by Queensland Railways on the Gold Coast until 1964

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

title: South Coast railway line


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User talk:Shahrooz

Hi, first of all:

Welcome!

'''Hi,, Welcome  to Wikipedia! '''Welcome to Wikipedia, the collaborative encyclopaedia that anyone can edit! I hope you like the place and decide to stay. We'll certainly be looking forward for your contributions. Here are a few good links for newcomers:'''

 * How to edit a page
 * Editing, policy, conduct, and structure tutorial
 * How to write a great article
 * Manual of Style
 * What Wikipedia is not
 * Wikiquette

I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! By the way, you can sign your name on Talk and vote pages using three tildes, like this: ~~~. Four tildes (~~~~) produces your name and the current date. If you have any questions, see the help pages, add a question to the village pump or ask me on my Talk page. And, the most important thing: Have fun! Sarg (Talk)

Secondly, I have noticed you updated the Shahrooz article with the following: "This is a test on how a page like a biographical page in this wiki could grow and how people will discuss on it and if they give us enough time to take the process of completing a page which could contain useful info". While we appreciate your efforts, biographical pages in Wikipedia usually need a certain ammount of notability, or else they are considered vanity. You can discuss the deletion of this article here. While I don't think the article is valid for Wikipedia, I REALLY hope you stay around and make some nice contributions! Sarg 12:08, 4 Jun 2005 (UTC)

- he has a very beautiful girl firend ...

title: User talk:Shahrooz


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Portal:Trains/Anniversaries/January 2/More

19th century

 * 1854 – Opening of the Newport, Abergavenny & Hereford Railway.
 * 1882 – Building northward from San Diego, California Southern Railroad tracks reach Fallbrook, California.
 * 1893 – Introduction by Webb C. Ball of the General Railroad Timepiece Standards in North America. See Railroad chronometers

21st century

 * 2002 – The Iowa Interstate Railroad operates its first unit coal train over the former Milwaukee Road mainline through Amana, Iowa.
 * 2015 – The Northern Line of Sri Lanka Railways is reopened all the way past Jaffna to its terminus at the port of Kankesanthurai, following its destruction in the Sri Lankan Civil War.

Births

 * 1826 – Algernon S. Buford, president of the Richmond and Danville Railroad (d. 1911).
 * 1836 – Fred T. Perris, Chief Engineer of the California Southern Railroad (d. 1916).
 * 1830 – Henry Morrison Flagler, visionary and builder of the Florida East Coast Railway (d. 1913).


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Bill Barber

William Charles Barber (born July 11, 1952) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played twelve seasons for the Philadelphia Flyers in the National Hockey League (NHL). As part of the famed LCB (Leach, Clarke, Barber) line, Barber helped lead the Flyers to the franchise's two Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990. He is currently a scouting consultant with the Flyers.

Playing career
Barber was drafted by the Flyers, seventh overall, in the first round of the 1972 draft. He was called up after 11 games in the AHL with the Richmond Robins. In his first season with the Flyers, Barber scored 30 goals and 34 assists and was a contender for the Calder Memorial Trophy for rookie of the year.

Barber was converted to left wing by coach Fred Shero. He scored at least 20 goals every season. His best season was 50 goals and 62 assists in the 1975–76 season. In the Flyers' successful 1974 and 1975 Stanley Cup playoffs campaigns, Barber contributed three and six goals respectively. Barber also contributed another six goals in an unsuccessful 1976 playoff run. In addition to his respectable scoring abilities, Barber was also a well rounded player. On the power play he was equally valuable for setting up the play as he was for pulling the trigger, and if forced into a defensive role, he was capable.

In the 1976 Canada Cup, Barber scored one of his most famous goals while playing for Team Canada. Behind in the final against Czechoslovakia, Barber scored to send the game into overtime, and an eventual Team Canada victory.

He was a team leader for the next decade. In 1979–80, the Flyers had their record 35-game unbeaten streak, and Barber was in the centre of it all. He helped the Flyers reach the Stanley Cup finals in the spring of 1980 with a number of key playoffs goals against the NY Rangers and Minnesota North Stars.

Barber captained the Flyers in the 1981–82 season and part of 1982–83. As of the end of the 2012–13 season, he still holds the Flyers regular season career scoring record with 420 goals. He is tied for the lead for Flyers career playoffs goals with Rick MacLeish; both have 53 playoffs tallies.

Barber was forced to retire as a player after the 1984–85 season after being unable to return from reconstructive knee surgery in the spring of 1984. The Flyers retired his number 7, on October 7, 1990, just after he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

On January 14, 2017, Barber played before a sold out crowd of over 19,000 at the Wells Fargo Center in the Flyers' 50th anniversary alumni game against the alumni of the Pittsburgh Penguins, playing alongside his longtime linemates, Bobby Clarke and Reggie Leach. The game ended in a 3–3 tie. Before the game, Barber announced that it would be his last alumni game.

Coaching and executive career
After his playing career, Barber started coaching. He coached the Hershey Bears for 16 games in 1985. He was the Flyers assistant coach between 1985 and 1988. He coached the Flyers farm team, the Phantoms, for four years, winning his and the team's first Calder Cup in 1998. He was the Flyers' head coach from December 2000 until April 2002,  winning the Jack Adams Trophy after 2000–01.

Barber was the director of player personnel for the Tampa Bay Lightning, a position he held from August 2002 to June 2008. Barber's name was added to the Stanley Cup for a third time in 2004 with Tampa Bay. On October 13, 2008, he returned to the Flyers organization when he was named a scouting consultant.

Personal life
Barber and his late wife, Jenny, have two children. Jenny Barber died from lung cancer in 2001.

On September 25, 2010, the Bill Barber Sports Complex was opened in his honour in his hometown, Callander, Ontario.

title: Bill Barber


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Serb People's Party

Serb(ian) People's Party, Serb(ian) Popular Party, Serb(ian) National Party is a translation of Srpska narodna stranka and the name of a number of political parties:

 * Serbian People's Party (2014) led by Nenad Popović
 * Serb People's Party (Croatia) in the Republic of Croatia
 * Serb People's Party (Dalmatia) in the former Kingdom of Dalmatia
 * Serb People's Party (Kosovo) in Kosovo, the disputed province of Serbia
 * Serb People's Party (Montenegro) in Republic of Montenegro

title: Serb People's Party


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Ben Franklin Place

Ben Franklin Place is a building complex in the Centrepointe area of Ottawa which houses the Centrepointe Branch of the Ottawa Public Library, the Centrepointe Theatre, and a satellite office for the City of Ottawa. It also includes an outdoor skating rink. Ben Franklin Place also houses an Ottawa By-Law Enforcement Office and the West Bureau of Investigations and Prevention for the Ottawa Fire Service.

Built to house the former city of Nepean's city hall, the complex was named for the longest-serving mayor of Nepean, Ben Franklin.

The Royal Canadian Legion, Bells Corners Branch and the City of Nepean dedicated a granite War Memorial obelisk on Sunday, September 20, 1992 to those who made the supreme sacrifice, in many world conflicts.

The building also houses the offices for the city councillor for College Ward, currently Laine Johnson.

History
Ben Franklin Place was built in 1980 for a cost $24 million.

title: Ben Franklin Place


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Portal:Trains/Anniversaries/January 3/More

19th century

 * 1868 – The Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids Railroad is incorporated in Michigan.

20th century

 * 1901 – The St. Louis Southwestern Railway purchases the Stuttgart and Arkansas River Railroad in Arkansas.
 * 1906 – At the annual stockholder's meeting, the charter for the Cleveland Short Line Railway is amended to specify Collinwood, Ohio and Rockport, Ohio as the terminals of the railroad.
 * 1912 – Canadian Pacific Railway leases the Dominion Atlantic Railway in Nova Scotia.
 * 1986 – The Vancouver SkyTrain begins operations between Vancouver's waterfront and New Westminster.

21st century

 * 2003 – A passenger train travelling from Secunderabad to Manmad, crashes into the rear end of a heavy goods train near Ghatnandur in Maharashtra, India, killing 18 people. See: Ghatnandur train crash.
 * 2005 – Kansas City Southern names Arthur Shoener, formerly a vice president at Union Pacific Railroad, as the new CEO of the holding company's Kansas City Southern Railway and Texas Mexican Railway divisions.

Births

 * 1810 – Henry Keyes, president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway 1869–1870 (died 1870).
 * 1816 – Samuel C. Pomeroy, president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway 1863-1868 (died 1891).
 * 1860 – Henry Clay Hall, commissioner for Interstate Commerce Commission beginning in 1914, chairman of same 1917-1928 (died 1936).
 * 1900 – C.L. Dellums, cofounder of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (died 1989)


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Skating rink

Skating rink may refer to:

 * Ice rink, a surface of ice used for ice skating
 * Roller rink, a surface used for roller skating
 * Skating Rink, a 1922 symphonie chorégraphique by Honegger
 * The Skating Rink, a 1993 novel by Roberto Bolaño
 * The Skating Rink (opera), a 2018 opera, adapted from Bolaño's novel, by David Sawer

title: Skating rink


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De Randfichten

De Randfichten are a German Volksmusik (folk music) band from Johanngeorgenstadt, Saxony.

Founded in 1992 as Original Arzgebirgische Randfichten by Thomas "Rups" Unger and Michael "Michl" Rostig, they were renamed to De Randfichten in 1997. In that year Thomas "Lauti" Lauterbach became a band member, and they released their first album Do pfeift dr Fuchs.

Their song "Lebt denn der alte Holzmichl noch?" reached #3 of the German single charts in July 2004 and was in the German Top 100 for 56 weeks. The song is based on a traditional folk song "Der Hausmichl".

After the "Holzmichl" song they had six other singles in the German charts, "De lustigen Holzhackerleit", "Jetzt geht die Party richtig los", "Das kommt vom Rudern", "Nananana", "Rups am Grill" and "Du kleine Fliege"; the most recent of these was in 2012.

In 2005, the group represented Saxony in the Bundesvision Song Contest 2005, with the song "Jetzt geht die Party richtig los", placing 6th with 71 points.

title: De Randfichten


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Portal:Trains/Anniversaries/January 4/More

20th century

 * 1941 – Syracuse Transit Corporation ends streetcar service in Syracuse, New York, with the closure of the last four lines.
 * 1948 – Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Railroad debut a new lightweight passenger car consist for the Golden State passenger train between Chicago, Illinois, and Los Angeles.
 * 1961 – Lokomotivbau Elektrotechnische Werke delivers the first electric locomotives built in the German Democratic Republic to Deutsche Reichsbahn.
 * 1987 – Amtrak and Conrail trains collide in Maryland.
 * 2000 – The Åsta accident, a northbound BM92 multiple unit and a southbound passenger train headed by a Di 3 locomotive collides on Norway's Rørosbanen line near Åsta station, killing 19 people.

21st century

 * 2005 – Bombardier receives a contract from SNCF for €350 million to build 100 new regional trainsets.

Deaths

 * 1877 – Cornelius Vanderbilt, American financier who created the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad from the merger of several smaller New York railroads (b. 1794).


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Howard Ballard

Howard Louis Ballard (born November 3, 1963) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks. He was selected by the Bills in the 11th round of the 1987 NFL Draft. Nicknamed "House", for his sturdy build, he played in four Super Bowls and was selected to two Pro Bowls while a member of the Bills. He played college football at Alabama A&M University.

After breaking his leg in a game, which ended his career, Ballard worked as a sheriff's deputy in Clay County, Alabama. He eventually returned to school to finish his degree, and started coaching high school football in Pike County, Alabama.

title: Howard Ballard


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Operation Blackstone

Operation Blackstone was a part of Operation Torch, the Allied landings in North Africa during World War II. The operation called for American amphibious troops to land at and capture the French-held port of Safi in French Morocco. The landings were carried out by the 47th Infantry Regiment of the U.S. Army and took place on the morning of 8 November 1942 as part of a larger operation to capture Casablanca.

The landings from converted destroyers were mostly successful. They were initially conducted without covering fire, hoping that the French might not resist at all. When coastal batteries opened fire, the fleet returned fire. When commanding General Harmon arrived French snipers had pinned the assault troops (most of whom were in combat for the first time) on the beaches. Most of the landings occurred behind schedule; air support from the carriers destroyed a French convoy of trucks intended to reinforce the defenses.

Safi surrendered on the afternoon of 8 November, but sporadic resistance continued until 10 November when the remaining defenders were pinned down and the bulk of Harmon's forces raced to join the siege of Casablanca.

title: Operation Blackstone


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Portal:Trains/Anniversaries/January 5/More

20th century

 * 1977 – Gare de Bercy station, near Gare de Lyon in Paris, France, opens.
 * 1985 – At ceremonies held in Nenana and Seward, Alaska, ownership of the Alaska Railroad is officially transferred to the U.S. state of Alaska.

21st century

 * 2006 – A Virginia Railway Express train from Fredericksburg, Virginia, bound for Washington, D.C., derails due to a chipped railroad switch point near Quantico, injuring seven passengers and two crewmembers.
 * 2007 – The first public trains of Taiwan High Speed Rail operate between Taipei and Kaohsiung, a 216 mi journey, in 90 minutes. Although some relatively minor problems still remain, such as ticket machines not accepting credit cards or returning the incorrect change, the trains operated on schedule.

Deaths

 * 1867 – William Norris, American steam locomotive builder and founder of Norris Locomotive Works (b. 1802).
 * 1954 – Death Valley Scotty (born Walter Edward Scott), con man who chartered the Scott Special record-breaking run on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in 1905, dies (b. 1872).


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Alexander Bulygin

Alexander Bulygin (18 August 1851 – 5 September 1919 ) was the Minister of Interior of Russia from February 1905 until October 1905.

Biography
Graduate of the Imperial School of Law, he began work in the Tambov district court in 1871. He then held various administrative offices including that of Governor of Kaluga (1887), of Moscow (1893), and assistant to the Governor-General of Moscow, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich (1902).

Bulygin replaced Prince Pyotr Dmitrievich Svyatopolk-Mirsky on 20 January 1905 after strikes and protests in January. He was assisted by General Dmitri Feodorovich Trepov. Bulygin is most notable for the so-called 'Bulygin Constitution', developed in response to the 1905 Russian Revolution. Tentative proposals were made in February already. It was issued on 6 August 1905, and proposed a purely advisory Duma. According to his Memoirs Sergei Witte did not force the Tsar to sign this Manifesto; moreover he states nobody knew who wrote the Manifesto. Witte suggests a member of the Black Hundreds. The Tsar had no other choice than to accept the rescript, written by Bulygin. It did not satisfy those who wanted a fully legislative assembly, and Bulygin's opponents, discontented, advocated the strikes of September and October. After these events, Bulygin (and Trepov) were sacked on 17 October 1905 and replaced by the reactionary Pyotr Nikolayevich Durnovo. After resignation Bulygin returned to the State Council.

He was shot and killed by Bolsheviks on 5 September 1919. The Ryazan Cheka were responsible.

title: Alexander Bulygin


text:
Talk:Sodium cyanide

Bond

 * Is the Na-C bond ionic? I was under the impression that lines (like we have in our diagram) indicated covalent bonds... Evercat (talk) 22:12, 3 February 2009 (UTC)
 * I don't know which diagram you're referring to, but the compound exists as Na+CN–; it is an ionic compound consisting of the sodium and cyanide ions. haz (talk) 14:04, 12 June 2009 (UTC)
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_cyanide#/media/File:Sodium_cyanide-3D.png https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_nitrate#/media/File:Potassium_nitrate_ball-and-stick.png Sodium_cyanide in the first one appears to represent a covalent bond not ionic as in the second one - and as you said haz the Na+ and CN- bond is indeed ionic in Na+CN-

--68.231.26.111 (talk) 08:17, 16 August 2015 (UTC)

"Conjugate base"
I've changed the text in the lead section claiming that NaCN is the conjugate base of hydrogen cyanide. This is false – the cyanide ion is the conjugate base of HCN, as that is the product when HCN is deprotonated:
 * HCN + H2O CN– + H3O+

haz (talk) 14:04, 12 June 2009 (UTC)

NFPA 704
According to the CDC, the NFPA 704 rating should be 3-0-0. Any reason why it's listed as 4 here? If you have any questions, please contact me at my talk page. Ian Manka 07:31, 10 February 2014 (UTC)

Sodium Cyanide is Hygroscopic
Acccording to https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/sodium_cyanide Sodium Cyanide is Hygroscopic. Though whether this makes it Deliquescent is a different matter (Potassium cyanide is stated as being Deliquescent. Issues concerning the enthalpy of solvation/hydration would appear to be important here.

ASavantDude (talk) 19:08, 22 April 2018 (UTC)

There should be a page on sodium dicyanoaurate.
Hi, I am a student doing research on gold leaching when I came across the compound sodium dicyanoaurate. What baffles me is that while there is a page on sodium cyanide, one on gold leaching, and one on potassium dicyanoaurate, there are no pages on this website on specifically the compound sodium dicyanoaurate anywhere. Honestly, I think that this compound has been overlooked, so to make these topics more complete, is it possible to add a page on specifically sodium dicyanoaurate? It does not have to be long, just long enough to explain the basic uses of it. Thanks. 199.243.129.50 (talk) 12:44, 26 April 2023 (UTC)

title: Talk:Sodium cyanide


text:
Elizabeth of Bohemia (1292–1330)

Elizabeth of Bohemia (Eliška Přemyslovna) (20 January 1292 – 28 September 1330 ) was a princess of the Bohemian Přemyslid dynasty who became Queen of Bohemia as the first wife of King John the Blind. She was the mother of Emperor Charles IV, King of Bohemia, and a daughter of Judith of Habsburg, member of the House of Habsburg.

Childhood
Elizabeth was the daughter of Wenceslaus II of Bohemia and Judith of Habsburg. Her mother died when she was five years old, and of her ten children only four of them lived to adulthood: Wenceslaus, Anne, Elizabeth and Margaret. Elizabeth and her siblings also had a half-sister called Agnes. Six years after the death of her mother, her father remarried, to a Polish princess called Elizabeth Richeza, from the Piast dynasty. Elizabeth's father then gained the Crown of Poland.

Many notable events occurred during Elizabeth's youth, including a devastating fire at Prague Castle in 1303, the death of her father, and the assassination of her brother Wenceslaus. Elizabeth was orphaned by the age of thirteen and lived with her sister, Anne. Her other sister, Margaret was married at the age of seven to Bolesław III the Generous, after he had come to the court of Bohemia with his mother, Elisabeth of Greater Poland.

Elizabeth went to live with her aunt Kunigunde in a nunnery near Prague Castle. Without a mother, Elizabeth was strongly influenced by her aunt. Her sister-in-law, Viola of Teschen and her stepmother, Elizabeth Richeza, came to live with Anne and Elizabeth until the relationship between the sisters deteriorated.

The fight for the throne
In 1306, after the murder of Elizabeth's brother Wenceslaus, Elizabeth's brother-in-law Henry became King of Bohemia. Elizabeth was now the only unmarried princess in the family, and at fourteen she was considered a good age to marry, and as a result played an important role in the power struggle for the Kingdom of Bohemia.

The quarrels of the Bohemian throne between Henry of Bohemia and Rudolph of Habsburg resulted in Rudolph taking Bohemia and marrying Queen Elizabeth Richeza. Elizabeth went to live in Prague Castle with her brother's widow, Viola Elisabeth of Cieszyn. However, on Rudolph's death in 1307 the crown returned to her brother-in-law and sister, who wanted Elizabeth to marry the Lord of Bergova (Otto of Löbdaburg) for political reasons. Elizabeth refused to marry Otto and so Elizabeth and Anne fell out with each other.

An opposition group was formed against Henry and Anne, with Elizabeth as the figurehead.

Marriage to John of Luxembourg
Elizabeth married John of Luxembourg, the son of Holy Roman Emperor Henry VII, shortly after his 14th birthday. The wedding took place on 1 September 1310, after John was forced to invade Bohemia. Henry and Anne fled to Carinthia, where Anne died in 1313. The coronation of John and Elizabeth took place on 7 February 1311.

The marriage was initially a disaster, as Elizabeth needed to give birth to a son to prevent the inheritance of the descendants of her sisters, Margaret and Agnes, but did not have a son until six years into the marriage, when she gave birth to Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor.

The marriage improved for a while as the succession was safely secured, but after a while, Elizabeth grew jealous of John, who had listened to her but whose political opinions differed to hers. In 1319 an alleged plot was uncovered, to depose John and replace him with their eldest son Charles. John had the culprits punished.

John decided to prevent his wife from interfering in the education of their children, and took the three eldest children: Margaret, Bonne, and Charles, from Elizabeth's custody. Queen Elizabeth then lived at Mělník Castle and young Charles was imprisoned by his own father, before being sent to France in 1323, when he was 7 years old. He never saw his mother again.

Later years
In total isolation and abandoned by all, Elizabeth left Bohemia and went to live in exile in Bavaria. Her actions were considered an act of open hostility towards John and his nobles. In exile, Elizabeth gave birth to her last children, twin daughters Anne and Elizabeth. John did not support Elizabeth during her exile. Elizabeth returned to Bohemia in 1325, with her daughter Anne, Elizabeth having died a few months before. When she returned she was ill, but she lived for another five years. Her final years were affected by her lack of finances, which made her unable to maintain a court. She eventually died of tuberculosis in 1330, at the age of thirty-eight.

Children
Elizabeth and John were parents to seven children
 * Margaret (8 July 1313 – 11 July 1341, Prague), married in Straubing 12 August 1328 to Henry XIV, Duke of Bavaria
 * Bonne (21 May 1315 – 11 September 1349, Maubuisson Abbey, Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône), married in Melun 6 August 1332 to King John II of France
 * Charles IV (14 May 1316 – 29 November 1378), King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor
 * Přemysl Otakar ("Otto") (22 November 1318 – 20 April 1320), Prince of Bohemia
 * John Henry (12 February 1322, Mělník – 12 November 1375), Margrave of Moravia
 * Anna (1323 – 3 September 1338), twin of Elisabeth, married 16 February 1335 to Duke Otto of Austria
 * Elizabeth (1323–1324)

title: Elizabeth of Bohemia (1292–1330)


text:
Bacton, Suffolk

Bacton is a village and civil parish in Suffolk, England, about 8 km north of Stowmarket. The village appeared as 'Bachetuna' in the Domesday Book and the area appears to have been settled at least since Roman times, with many interesting finds on the locally organised annual metal-detecting days.

At the centre of the village is the Twelfth Century church of St Mary the Virgin, featuring a medieval wall painting. Nearby is a doctors' surgery, a primary school Bacton Primary, and an under-fives preschool, but Bacton Middle School closed in 2015 as the local authority abandoned the three-tier education system and the site is now cleared and awaiting future redevelopment. In the original centre of the village is a small village green including a pond which till 2022 was fished for goldfish, roach, koi and mirror carp. At the start of that year the fish were removed and the pond was drained and restored, but due to the dry summer it did not refill until December and now awaits the recovery of the fish stocks. Housing in the village is a mixture of many well-preserved centuries-old listed buildings including the 18th century Grade II* listed Bacton Manor, alongside newer individual and estate-type properties with a large proportion of bungalows. During the last thirty years there was little new development other than occasional infill construction, but five large housing developments have now been approved and construction has begun on up to 350 new houses, nearly doubling the size of the village and potentially with a devastating effect on village life.

Community facilities include a village hall with limited parking but a well-equipped kitchen, a bowls club playing in four local leagues, and Bacton United football club, with two adult sized floodlit pitches, a junior pitch and a clubhouse. The adult teams play in the Suffolk and Ipswich Football League while there are several junior teams of all age groups. The clubhouse is available for hire for social occasions, with a well-equipped bar. The church also has a community room for hire.

There are several community groups such as a branch of the Women's Institute, Guides, Brownies and Rainbows, a History Society, Gardening Club, Ladies' Circle and various other clubs and societies. Unfortunately the cub and scout groups in the village closed some years ago due to lack of volunteers to run them, but the Scout HQ building remains in occasional use. There's also a 16th-century thatched public house, the Bull at Bacton with a restaurant area and regular live music.

For a village of only around 1200 people (though now growing), Bacton is surprisingly well served by businesses. In the heart of the village is Shop Green with a Londis general store and post office, and a petrol and service station for car sales, servicing and repairs. On the Northern outskirts of the village is a new-car dealership (Jeffries), and within its showroom a shop selling country clothing and Steiff collectable teddybears; also on the site is the outlet shop of the Humber Doucy Brewing Company brewery, located elsewhere in the village. Further along the B1113 and still in Bacton is Finbow's Yard, a small trading estate which is home to a range of businesses including car sales, mobility shop, furniture store, white goods dealer and repairer, the Heart of Suffolk Distillery (home of Betty's Gin) and a large hardware store and builders merchants, with its builders yard across the road in Cotton, alongside Emzo's gift shop & coffee shop and a hairdressers. At the western end of the village is a flourishing business park with various units including one offering local pizza deliveries and a 'Men's Shed' community workshop.

Like most rural areas, better public transport provision is badly needed. The Great Eastern Main Line railway between London and Norwich runs through the east end of the village, but Finningham railway station and its goods yard, which was situated in Bacton, was closed in the Beeching cuts of the sixties and only the station building remains, now a private house. However, if you have a car, there is rail access to London via the nearby town of Stowmarket in 80 minutes, which has encouraged an influx of 'townie' commuters into what was previously a very rural community. Bus services are almost non-existent, with only once-a-week return shopping trips to two nearby towns. Perhaps it's hardly surprising Bacton has three different car sales businesses and a petrol station!

The parish of Bacton includes the village itself, the adjoining hamlet of Earl's Green and the outlying settlements of Bacton Green, Canham's Green, Cow Green and Ford's Green. Cow Green, and Tailor's Green and Shop Green within Bacton village, are registered village greens under the care of the Parish Council.

title: Bacton, Suffolk


text:
Talk:Terephthalic acid

Henkel diagram label
The final compound in the Henkel process diagram is mislabeled.

173.25.54.191 (talk) 21:47, 2 June 2014 (UTC)

Terephthalic acid versus PTA?
Hello. What is the difference between the 2 terms (tere. acid and PTA)? Both are used in the article but the difference(s) is not defined. Thank you. 205.211.133.128 (talk) 18:21, 20 November 2014 (UTC)
 * I think TPA is just an abbreviation for terephthalic acid, to simplify writing and to spread confusion among non-insiders. --Smokefoot (talk) 18:35, 20 November 2014 (UTC)
 * I think he's asking about PTA rather than TPA. PTA seems to be an abbreviation for "purified terephthalic acid".  But it isn't clear if it is meant as a synonym or as a distinct commercial product.  There seems to be quite a bit of problems (such as this one) with content that was added by User:Nikita Ghode in October 2013.  -- Ed (Edgar181) 18:38, 20 November 2014 (UTC)
 * TPA is abbreviation of terephthalic acid. In the past, it was not possible to produce TPA in high purity. That was why the first monomer used for polyester production was DMT. In time, scientists succeeded in purifying TPA to a level that allows it to be commercialized and as a commercial marketing idea, it was named as PTA which is the abbreviation for purified terephthalic acid. Actually both are exactly the same. (Cagdas Cetin) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.175.53.38 (talk) 14:52, 6 August 2015 (UTC)

Cooxidation section incomplete?
this is the section as it appears currently.

Cooxidation The cooxidation technique uses auxiliary substance which is simultaneously oxidized to H2O2 which increase the activity of the oxidation catalyst. Oxidisable compound: Acetaldehyde(Toray process, Japan), paraldehyde( Eastmann,USA) methyl ethyl ketone The p-xylene, paraldehyde and cobalt acetate soln enters at the head of bubble column. The oxidation occurs at 100-140oC, 30bar with acetic acid as coproduct and solvent. It uses milder condition than Amoco and no corrosion caused by bromine

it looks like this text was added in this edit on 28 oct 2013. i only noticed it because of the lack of special characters used, "(i.e. H2O2 instead of H2O2 and 100-140oC instead of 100-140 °C)"but the text itself also seems rough and unfinished. it also cuts off mid sentence. my life in chemistry didn't go beyond first year university, so i am rather unqualified to tackle this. i'm going to leave the text formatting (i.e. 2 → 2) to whomever eventually tidies this up on the chance that what is there is incorrect. ∈sensorsweep 21:22, 3 December 2014 (UTC)

title: Talk:Terephthalic acid


text:
Kovač

Kovač (Ковач), meaning "blacksmith" in South Slavic languages, is a common surname in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia and Serbia.

Kovač is a common surname in Croatia, with 9,614 carriers (2011 census), most of them living in northern and eastern parts of the country. The surname is one of the most common surnames in five counties of Croatia. It is common in Serbia, with 8,749 people bearing it. In Slovenia, some 4,800 have this surname. Outside Europe, the surname is fairly common in the United States (especially Texas and California), Canada, and South America.

The surname Kovács is the Hungarian loanword of this word, and is one of the most frequent surnames in Hungary. The Romanian form is Covaci, and it is also a relatively frequent surname in Romania. The derivative forms Kovačić or Slovenian Kovačič, as well as Kovačević and Bulgarian Kovachev, are also very common.

Cognates

 * Koval in Ukraine (also Kovalchuk, Kovalenko, Kovalev)
 * Kowal in Poland (also Kowalczyk, Kowalski)
 * Kovach, the Carpatho-Ruthenian form
 * Kovács, Kováts or Kovách in Hungary
 * Kováč in Slovakia
 * Kovář (also Kováč) in Czech Republic
 * Kovaçi in Albania
 * Covaci in Romania

Notable people

 * Aleksandra Kovač (born 1972), Serbian singer/songwriter
 * Boris Kovač (born 1955), Serbian composer and multi-instrumentalist
 * Edvard Kovač (born 1950), Slovenian theologian
 * Jože Kovač (born 1961), Slovenian hockey player
 * Kordula Kovac (born 1957), German politician
 * Kornelije Kovač (1942–2022), Serbian musician/producer
 * Kristina Kovač (born 1974), Serbian singer/songwriter
 * Marko Kovač (born 1981), Serbian architect, film director and actor
 * Mario Kovač (disambiguation), multiple people
 * Mirko Kovač (1938–2013), Montenegrin writer
 * Mirko Kovač (born 1983), Serbian basketball player
 * Mišo Kovač (born 1941), Croatian singer
 * Niko Kovač (born 1971), Croatian football player and coach
 * Nikola "NiKo" Kovač (born 1997), Bosnian professional Counter-Strike player
 * Robert Kovač (born 1974), Croatian football player
 * Roberto Kovac (born 1990), Swiss basketball player
 * Slobodan Kovač (born 1967), Serbian volleyball player
 * Sonja Kovač (born 1984), Croatian actress and model
 * Tinkara Kovač (born 1978), Slovenian singer/musician

Fictional characters

 * Luka Kovač, doctor portrayed by Goran Višnjić on ER
 * Steve Kovac, character cryogenically frozen in Howard Fast's The Cold, Cold Box

title: Kovač


text:
Western Digital FD1771

The FD1771, sometimes WD1771, is a floppy disk controller chip produced by Western Digital. It is the first in a line of floppy disk controllers that Western Digital produced. It uses single density FM encoding introduced in the IBM 3740. Later models in the series added support for MFM encoding and increasingly added onboard circuitry that formerly had to be implemented in external components. Originally packaged as 40-pin dual in-line package (DIP) format, later models moved to a 28-pin format that further lowered implementation costs.

Derivatives
The FD1771 was succeeded by many derivatives that were mostly software-compatible:
 * The FD1781 was designed for double density, but required external modulation and demodulation circuitry, so it could support MFM, M2FM, GCR or other double-density encodings.
 * The FD1791-FD1797 series added internal support for double density (MFM) modulation, compatible with the IBM System/34 disk format. They required an external data separator.
 * The WD1761-WD1767 series were versions of the FD179x series rated for a maximum clock frequency of 1 MHz, resulting in a data rate limit of 125 kbit/s for single density and 250 kbit/s for double density, thus preventing them from being used for 8-in (200 mm) floppy drives or the later "high-density" 5.25 in or 90 mm floppy drives. These were sold at a lower price point and widely used in home computer floppy drives.
 * The WD2791-WD2797 series added an internal data separator using an analog phase-locked loop, with some external passive components required for the VCO. They took a 1 MHz or 2 MHz clock and were intended for 8 in and 5.25 in drives.
 * The WD1770, WD1772, and WD1773 added an internal digital data separator and write precompensator, eliminating the need for external passive components but raising the clock rate requirement to 8 MHz. They supported double density, despite the apparent regression of the part number, and were packaged in 28-pin DIP packages.
 * The WD1772PH02-02 was a version of the chip that Atari fitted to the Atari STE which supported high density (500 kbit/s) operation. After production at WD could not be sustained, Atari decided to license the design and modify it to get high density and extra density (1 MBit/s) operation. The chip was codenamed "Ajax", had the number C302096 and was produced by Toshiba.

Compatible chips
Many compatible chips were available from other vendors:
 * FD179x series from SMC Microelectronics
 * MB8876A and MB8877A from Fujitsu
 * VL177x series from VLSI Technology.
 * Soviet KR1818WG93 (КР1818ВГ93) was a WD1793 analog

These were used in many microcomputers including the TRS-80, Acorn Electron, BBC Master, Atari ST, Acorn Archimedes, and the SAM Coupé, as well as the +D and DISCiPLE disk interfaces for the ZX Spectrum, the Commodore 157x/1581 for the Commodore 64 and the Atari XF551 for the Atari 8-bit computers.

title: Western Digital FD1771


text:
Portal:Trains/Anniversaries/January 6/More

Events

 * 1997 – Full freight and passenger service is restored through the Channel Tunnel, just short of two months after a devastating fire.
 * 2005 – A Norfolk Southern train carrying a few carloads of hazardous materials (including chlorine gas) collides with a parked train in Graniteville, South Carolina, causing the Graniteville train disaster.

Births

 * 1854 – William N. Page, American civil engineer who built the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway and the Virginian Railway, is born (d. 1932).

Deaths

 * 1872 – Jim Fisk, American financier who worked with Daniel Drew for control of the Erie Railroad (b. 1834).
 * 1901 – Philip Armour, founder of Armour and Company meatpackers and subsidiary Armour Refrigerator Line refrigerator car operators (b. 1832).


text:
Stowupland

Stowupland is a village 1 mi east of Stowmarket, Suffolk, England. Stowupland means "a place occupied on higher ground than Stowmarket", with the Saxons calling the village Ultuna due to the far higher presence of owls in the woods that previously stood on the site of Holy Trinity Church ('Ul' meaning owl). Stowupland High School is found in the village.

Stowupland is centred on several village greens and has numerous amenities including, a petrol station, a butchers, a Chinese takeaway, a chip shop and two public houses - The Crown and The Retreat. As well as the High School there is Freeman Community Primary School, which has an attached pre-school. There are active football, cricket and bowls clubs in the village. A lottery grant funded gym and indoor sports facility is available for public use at the high school.

The village implements a "Parish Plan" to help steer the development of the village. The plan was produced following the completion and analysis of a questionnaire that was sent to every dwelling and allows residents to have a degree of say in what happens in the village. One of the main aims is to try to maintain Stowupland's separation from the nearby market town of Stowmarket which has expanded considerably in recent years with just a single field now separating properties in Stowmarket from Stowupland. A monthly magazine, "The Telstar", is delivered free to every household and contains reports from parish and local council as well as various articles from residents, clubs and churches in the village. Stowupland previously hosted an event (Music on The Green) which took place in June each year. Due to lack of interest (occasional bad weather) the event was discontinued.

The A1120 tourist route runs through the village and the A14 trunk road is located just to its south.

Awards

 * Best Kept Village 1984
 * Best Kept Large Village 1986
 * Suffolk Village of the Year 2006

Notable residents

 * Walter Pettit Tricker (1823–1907), farmer, soldier and victim of injustice who emigrated to New Zealand
 * Neil Stacy (1941- ), actor

title: Stowupland


text:
Bobby Bauer

Robert Theodore Bauer (February 16, 1915 – September 16, 1964) was a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who played 10 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Boston Bruins. He was a member of the famed "Kraut Line" with teammates Milt Schmidt and Woody Dumart. The trio led the Bruins to two Stanley Cup championships and became the first line to finish first, second and third in NHL scoring, in 1939–40. Bauer was named to the All-Star team four times and was a three-time winner of the Lady Byng Trophy, awarded for gentlemanly conduct combined with a high calibre of play. He recorded only 36 penalties in minutes in 327 games.

Prior to his NHL career, Bauer won the Memorial Cup with the St. Michael's Majors in 1934 as junior champions of Canada. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1942 and won the Allan Cup with the Ottawa RCAF Flyers as senior champions that year. Bauer turned to coaching following his NHL career and guided the Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen to two Allan Cup championships. The Dutchmen were sent to represent Canada at the 1956 Winter Olympics where Bauer coached the team to a bronze medal. He also coached the Canadian entry at the 1960 Winter Olympics that won a silver medal. Bauer assisted his brother David in creating the Canadian national hockey team in the 1960s. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996.

Early life
Bauer was born on February 16, 1915, in Waterloo, Ontario. He was the second of 11 children to Edgar and Alice Bauer; His elder brother Frank was later Mayor of Waterloo and he had nine younger siblings: Eugene, Jerome, Alice, David, Raymond, Mary, Rita, Therese and Margaret. Edgar was a Knight of the Order of St. Sylvester, Waterloo city councillor and executive in the Bauer family's automotive parts business.

The Bauer children learned to play hockey in a backyard rink, and Bobby grew up playing youth hockey in Kitchener–Waterloo before moving to Toronto in 1930 where he attended St. Michael's College School and played junior first with the St. Michael's Buzzers in 1930–31 followed by three years with the St. Michael's Majors. In 1933–34, Bauer recorded 15 points in 13 Memorial Cup playoff games to help the Majors capture the Dominion junior championship. Bauer played his final year of junior in 1934–35 with the Kitchener Greenshirts where he first played with Milt Schmidt and Woody Dumart, who was then a defenceman.

Playing career
All three players were signed by the Boston Bruins, and Bauer was assigned to the Boston Cubs of the Canadian-American Hockey League (CAHL) for the 1935–36 season. He scored 15 goals for the Cubs in 48 games, then was promoted to the Providence Reds of the International-American Hockey League (IAHL) in 1936–37. It was with the Reds that Bauer as right wing, Schmidt at centre and Dumart, who moved up to left wing, were first placed together as a line. Owing to their shared German heritage, the trio were initially called the "Sauerkrauts" by Providence coach Albert Leduc, though the name was shortened and they were known as the "Kraut Line" for the majority of their careers. Following a season in which Bauer recorded 18 points in 44 games with the Reds, the Bruins recalled him to Boston for the team's final game of the regular season. He made his NHL debut on March 21, 1937, and scored his first goal in a 6–1 victory over the Chicago Black Hawks.

The Kraut Line earned full-time spots in Boston beginning in 1937–38; Bauer recorded a team-leading 20 goals in his rookie season as the trio led the Bruins to the team's first of four consecutive Prince of Wales Trophy wins as the NHL's best team in the regular season. Following a 31-point regular season in 1938–39, Bauer added five points in 12 playoff games and was named to the NHL's second All-Star team. The Bruins eliminated the New York Rangers, then defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs four games to one to capture Boston's first Stanley Cup championship in ten years. In 1939–40, Schmidt led the NHL in points with 52 while Dumart and Bauer finished second and third respectively with 43 each. It was the first time in league history that three linemates finished in the top three spots in NHL scoring. Bauer was again named a second team All-Star, and with only two penalties in minutes (PIM), won the Lady Byng Trophy for the first time.

A 39-point season in 1940–41 with only two PIM earned Bauer his third consecutive appearance on the All-Star team and a second Lady Byng Trophy. In the playoffs, the Bruins reached the 1941 Stanley Cup Finals where they defeated the Detroit Red Wings in four straight games. Bauer scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal midway through the second period of a 3–1 victory in the deciding game. Following the outbreak of the Second World War, all three members of the Kraut Line enlisted with the Canadian military by signing up for home defence. At the same time, anti-German sentiment led to efforts to change the trio's nickname. They were briefly called the "Buddy Line" and the "Kitchener Kids", though they were again referred to as the Kraut Line following the war.

The trio were called to active duty in January 1942, forcing them to leave the Bruins midway through the 1941–42 season. In their final game with the Bruins, the Kraut Line recorded eight points in a dominating victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Following the contest, players from both teams fêted the trio, hoisting them up on their shoulders and parading them around the ice. Bauer was overwhelmed by the moment: "The ovation, at the height of my youth, sort of grabbed me." Schmidt, Dumart and Bauer were the first NHL players to join the Royal Canadian Air Force, and while training in Ottawa, they joined the Ottawa RCAF Flyers of the Quebec Senior Hockey League (QSHL). The trio helped the Flyers win the Allan Cup as Canadian senior champions. Bauer was sent to Halifax to continue his training and played with the Dartmouth RCAF team in 1942–43. Bauer, who served as a radio technician, was dispatched to the United Kingdom where he, Schmidt and Dumart were members of a bomber squadron. However, he was returned to Canada in 1944 after being ruled invalid due to a bout of sciatica caused by an old hockey injury. He played with a team in Toronto until the war's conclusion.

Returning to the Bruins for the 1945–46 NHL season, Bauer was reunited with his Kraut Line teammates. Unlike many players who had left for the war, he remained in peak form. However, after scoring 22 points that season, Bauer contemplated retirement. He chose to return for one additional season and was named the Bruins captain for 1946–47. Bauer had his best year in the NHL: he recorded a team-leading 30 goals and finished seventh overall in league scoring with 54 points. He was named to a fourth All-Star team and won the Lady Byng Trophy for the third time. Following the season, he announced his retirement.

Coaching career
Returning to Kitchener, Bauer joined the Bauer Skate Company, his father-in-law's hockey equipment business. He also began his coaching career with the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA)'s Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters and, late in the 1947–48 season, joined the Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen in the OHA senior division. After recording 15 points in eight games, Bauer scored 38 and 24 points in the following two seasons and helped the Dutchmen reach the OHA finals in three consecutive years between 1948 and 1950. He again retired as a player in 1950, but came back in 1951–52 for a final season with Kitchener-Waterloo. Late in the season, he also played in one final game with the Bruins. The team was celebrating "Milt Schmidt-Woody Dumart appreciation night" and convinced Bauer to come out of retirement to reunite the Kraut Line for one game on March 18, 1952. The trio were presented gifts in honour of their service to the team and sport. In the contest itself, Bauer scored one goal in a 4–0 victory over Chicago and assisted (along with Dumart) on Schmidt's 200th career goal – at the time a rare feat; Schmidt was one of only five active players at that point to have reached the mark.

Ending his playing career, Bauer became coach, general manager and president of the Dutchmen in 1952. He coached the team to two OHA senior championships and Allan Cup victories: 1952–53 and 1954–55. As the top senior team in the nation, the Dutchmen were sent to Italy to represent Canada at the 1956 Winter Olympics. Bauer was pleased with the way his team adapted to European rules and the Dutchmen were expected to bring home the gold medal. However, the team was shocked by the American entry, a 4–1 loss. Though they still had a chance at gold due to the round robin format of the tournament, the Dutchmen were defeated by the Soviet Union – at the time a relatively unknown and emerging hockey power – by a 2–0 score despite outshooting the Soviets 23–9. Canada was relegated to the bronze medal, at the time the worst finish in the nation's Olympic hockey history.

Bauer retired as a coach following the Olympics. However, the Dutchmen, augmented by players loaned from other teams, were again sent to represent Canada at the 1960 Winter Olympics. The team's coach, Bill Durnan resigned following a six-game losing streak, and after several other candidates were unable to take the necessary time off to coach the squad at the tournament, the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) convinced Bauer to return. The Canadians lost only one game in the tournament, to the United States. The final game of the tournament had been scheduled between Canada and the Soviet Union as it was expected to be the gold medal match-up. However, the Americans won all of their games. Consequently, the match determined the silver medal, which Canada claimed with an 8–5 victory.

Personal life
Bauer partnered in a Guelph-based electronics company and resided in Kitchener with his wife Marguerite and sons Bobby Jr., and Bradley. He also partnered with Woody Dumart in a stick manufacturing company and was a director of the Kitchener Rangers hockey club. His brother, Father David Bauer, convinced CAHA officials in 1962 to abandon the practice of sending a club team to represent Canada internationally in favour of building a true Canadian National Team. Bobby assisted his brother's efforts in creating the team by sharing his coaching knowledge and helping to formulate how the team was to be formed. The first national team played at the 1964 Winter Olympics where it finished a controversial fourth. On September 16, 1964, Bauer suffered a heart attack while golfing and died at the age of 49. He was posthumously inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame by the veterans committee in 1996.

Tributes
Upon learning of Bauer's death, former Kraut Line member Woody Dumart told the Canadian Press, "There was no better person than Bobby. He gave everything he had. He was the brains of the line, always thinking, and a very clever playmaker." NHL president Clarence Campbell declared, "Bauer was truly an outstanding player. Bobby was a great credit to both professional and amateur hockey."

title: Bobby Bauer


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Herzog Ernst

Herzog Ernst is a German epic from the early high Middle Ages (c. 1180), first written down by an anonymous author from the Rhine region.

Story
The main theme of the story is an argument between a Bavarian duke (Herzog Ernst) and his stepfather Otto the Great. The story is split into two parts:
 * Ernst becomes a Herzog and, as a result of the malicious scheming of the Kaiser's uncle, Pfalzgraf Heinrich, is outlawed.
 * Herzog Ernst travels through the Orient in search of the Holy Grave. He encounters wonderful things, for example, creatures with human bodies and bird (specifically crane) heads. Eventually, he decides to return home and tricks the Kaiser into forgiving him.

Historical context
The epic blends together two historical events: an argument between Herzog Liudolf and his father Otto I in 953–954; and the rebellion of Herzog Ernst II from Swabia (born 1007) against his stepfather King Konrad II in 1026–1027

This story was very popular in the Middle Ages in Germany, as evidenced by the number of manuscripts that have been found in a wide range of places. It was popular due to its fantastical descriptions of the Orient and far away lands (a popular topic due to the Second Crusade), and also its introduction of the concept of chivalry.

Herzog Ernst is usually grouped under the heading 'Spielmannsdichtung' or 'Spielmannsepos'. This term is used to describe a handful of other manuscripts of the time, due to the assumption that they were written and told by Spielmänner (a kind of jester). However, this term has recently been disputed, as these works are considered too complex to have been written by Spielmänner, who are generally thought to have been uneducated.

Versions
The earliest extant version of Herzog Ernst, known as Herzog Ernst A, is a fragmented vernacular version written in the mid-twelfth century. The text of this version was transmitted in both Latin and German throughout the Middle Ages. Version B is a vernacular text written in rhyming couplets and was likely written and read in a courtly context. Version C focuses more strongly on the religious themes and morals; it was almost certainly written in a monastery. This version also expands the role of Adelheid, Ernst's mother, who was identified as Adelaide of Italy. The author of version E, which was written in hexameters, is identified as Odo von Magdeburg.

Other works
The following were also produced around this period:
 * König Rother (c 1160)
 * Rolandslied (c 1135)
 * Alexanderlied (c 1130)
 * Reindhardt Fuchs (c 1170)

title: Herzog Ernst


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Mendlesham

Mendlesham is a village in Suffolk with 1,407 inhabitants at the 2011 census. It lies 5 mi north east of Stowmarket and 73.135 mi from London.

The place-name 'Mendlesham' is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Melnesham and Mundlesham. The name means 'Myndel's village'.

Mendlesham is known for its large street fair which is held on every May Day bank holiday. Mendlesham has a popular community newsletter, and a good primary school. There is one public house in the village called 'The King's Head'. The village has a fish and chip shop and Mendlesham Bakery, a 'Premier Stores' convenience store with a Post Office counter..

Nearby at is the Mendlesham transmitting station which broadcasts Kiss 105-108 (previously Vibe FM) on 106.4 MHz and the Digital One digital radio multiplex, and which was formerly used for VHF 405 line transmissions of Anglia Television. The mast stands at the corner of the former WWII airfield, RAF Mendlesham. This was used by the RAF and US Eighth Air Force between 1943 and 1955, and once held a memorial to the US 34th Bomb Group. The memorial has now been moved to the churchyard of St. Mary's in Mendlesham. Although some of the land has reverted to agriculture or is an industrial estate, one airstrip is now used by the Suffolk Coastal Floaters Hang Gliding Club.

There are two churches in the village, a small URC chapel and the grand medieval church of St Mary the Virgin, built at a time when the village had a much larger population, as well as a Baptist chapel in Mendlesham Green. Unlike many Anglican churches today, there is a mass (Communion) service held every day at St Mary's.

In 1531, the Mendlesham Christian Brethren were a group of Protestant dissenters, and two decades later, Adam Foster became a Marian martyr, after he refused to attend a Roman Catholic mass. He was condemned to be burnt at the stake  by John Hopton, the Bishop of Norwich.

Mendlesham had the second station on the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway, which ran from 1904 to 1952.

Mendlesham Manor is an Elizabethan Manor House.

Close to Mendlesham is the hamlet of Mendlesham Green, which contains Mendlesham Green Baptist Church.

The village was struck by an F0/T1 tornado on 23 November 1981, as part of the record-breaking nationwide tornado outbreak on that day.

title: Mendlesham


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Portal:Trains/Anniversaries/January 7/More

19th century

 * 1830 – The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad opens its first section, 1½ miles (2.4 km), in Baltimore, Maryland.
 * 1872 – The Northern Central Michigan Railroad begins operations between Jonesville and Albion, Michigan.

20th century

 * 1924 – Great Western Railway rebuilds its sole 4-6-2 steam locomotive, number 111 The Great Bear, which was the first 4-6-2 locomotive to be operated in Great Britain, as a 4-6-0.
 * 1969 – Due to technical problems during operations, TurboTrain service between Montreal and Toronto is discontinued.
 * 1995
 * The New Brunswick Southern Railway begins operations.
 * Wisconsin Central Ltd. assumes control of the Algoma Central Railway.

21st century

 * 2002 – Using a new GPS-based train location control system Amtrak train number 351 becomes the first train to regularly exceed 90 mph in regular service between Porter, Indiana, and Kalamazoo, Michigan.
 * 2005 – A passenger train and freight train collide head-on in Crevalcore, in northern Italy (near Bologna), on the single-track mainline between Bologna and Verona.

Births

 * 1827 – Sandford Fleming, surveyor for Canadian Pacific Railway who established Canadian time zones (d. 1915).

Deaths

 * 1836 – John Molson, who established the Champlain and Saint Lawrence Railroad, the first railway into Canada (b. 1763).


text:
Portal:Trains/Anniversaries/January 8/More

19th century

 * 1855 – The first through train travels the entire distance from Chicago to the Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois.
 * 1863 – Ground is broken by the Central Pacific Railroad in Sacramento, California, on the western half of the First Transcontinental Railroad in North America.

20th century

 * 1962 – The Harmelen train disaster, the worst railway accident in the history of the Netherlands, occurs when one passenger train driver misses a warning signal and passes a red signal to collide nearly head-on with another passenger train.

21st century

 * 2005 – Line 2 of the Bilbao metro is extended with the opening of Sestao station and Etxebarri station.

Births

 * 1840 – William Dean, Chief Mechanical Engineer of Great Western Railway 1877-1902 (d. 1905).

Deaths

 * 1944 – William Kissam Vanderbilt II, heir to Cornelius Vanderbilt and president of the New York Central system (b. 1878).


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List of Victory ships

This is a list of Victory ships. Victory ships were a type of cargo ship which were mass-produced in the United States during World War II.

List
In the following list, Keel refers to the date of the keel laying, Launch to the launch date, and Delivery to the ship's completion date.

The MC Hull No. is a unique number assigned by the United States Maritime Commission (MC for Maritime Commission).

Gaps in the hull numbers correspond to ships whose contracts were cancelled.

title: List of Victory ships


text:
Portal:Trains/Anniversaries/January 9/More

19th century

 * 1830 – Ground is broken in Charleston, South Carolina, for the first railroad to use steam locomotives in South Carolina.
 * 1871 – The government of Victoria, Australia, reopens Essendon railway station, Melbourne, for service.
 * 1882 – The first train from Cincinnati, on the Cincinnati Northern Railway, departs for Dayton, Ohio.
 * 1899 – Hull Electric purchases the Aylmer–Hull, Quebec line which it had been operating under a lease agreement from Canadian Pacific Railway.

20th century

 * 1994 – Chicago Transit Authority closes the Chicago "L" Green Line for a linewide renovation and rehabilitation project.

21st century

 * 2003 – Following its purchase of the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad and its subsidiaries, operations begin on the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway in New England, Quebec and New Brunswick.

Deaths

 * 1843 – William Hedley, English engineer who designed and built Puffing Billy in cooperation with Timothy Hackworth (b. 1773).
 * 1917 – Frank W. Arnold, a Grand Master and Secretary-Treasurer of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen (b. 1851).


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The Big Picture (song)

"The Big Picture" is a song by American synth-pop band Y Kant Tori Read, commercially released by Atlantic Records in 1988 exclusively as a 7" vinyl single in a generic label sleeve. Two versions of a promotional 7" vinyl were also released, one with light blue labels and one with dark blue labels. A 12" promotional vinyl single was also issued with an accompanying picture sleeve. The song was a commercial failure and received absolutely no critical comment.

A music video for "The Big Picture" was shot by Marty Callner. The only band member to appear in it is Tori Amos. It is typical of the era, featuring a scantily clad Amos cavorting and wreaking havoc on a sound-stage made to resemble the back alleys of Los Angeles. It is notable for a narrative introductory bit during which Amos argues with a police officer about her illegally parked car. Amos' excuse is that someone broke into her car and stole her underwear: "That's gross!" The officer, undeterred, hands her the ticket and walks off with her garter belt hanging out of his back pocket.

Notably, graphic artist Rantz Hoseley, a friend of Amos' at the time, appears in the video as a street punk upon whose pants Amos spray-paints. Hoseley went on to edit the best selling Amos-themed comic anthology Comic Book Tattoo.

Track listing
7" Single (Atlantic 7-89086)
 * 1) "The Big Picture" – 4:19
 * 2) "You Go to My Head" – 3:55

12" Promo Single (Atlantic PR2298)
 * 1) "The Big Picture" – 4:19
 * 2) "The Big Picture" – 4:19

title: The Big Picture (song)


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Onufri

Onufri (Onufri; Ονούφριος; Onufri), Onouphrios of Neokastro or Onouphrios Argytes, was a 16th century Archpriest of Elbasan and the most important painter of Orthodox murals and icons in the early post-Byzantine era in Albania. He founded a school of painting in Berat and extended his influence as far afield as Kastoria (present-day Macedonia, Greece). Trained in Venice, he infused Albanian icon painting with the artistic climate of the Italian Renaissance. His works reveal a great degree of originality and ecclesiastically combined post-Byzantine and Gothic elements. Onufri's works played a decisive role in the following trends of Albanian art, up to the 19th century.

The Onufri Iconographic Museum, an Albanian national museum in Berat, is named after the painter.

Life
Little is known with certainty about Onufri's life and his existence only emerged in the early 20th century. Regarding his birthplace only an inscription in the Holy Apostles church near Kastoria has survived. Onufri is believed to have been born in the early 16th century either in the region of Berat (in today's Albania) or near Kastoria or Grevena (in today's northern Greece). The epithet Argitis, which appears in a fresco near Kastoria may point to Argos as his place of birth, although as he used it only once it is regarded probable that it refers to a location in the area of Kastoria.  His flawless Greek calligraphic inscriptions is an indicator that he received high-level education. He was educated in the Republic of Venice and was a member of the Greek Brotherhood of Venice.

In the climate of the time, the painting of Christian icons can be seen as an act to restore pre-Ottoman culture. He was active in Berat and possibly Venice until 1547. Then he worked in both Berat and Kastoria and in 1555, in Shelcan near Elbasan. He may have also been the painter of various murals in the church of St. Nicholas near Prilep (North Macedonia). After 1554, he lived and painted in the village of Valsh. In a number of churches his works were signed with the title "Protopapas" (Πρωτόπαππας), demonstrating a senior position in the church hierarchy. However, his signature has not been preserved on icons that have been also attributed to him such as a Dodekaorton icon at that is preserved at the National Museum of Medieval Art in Korce.

Work
Onufri introduced greater realism and individuality into facial expressions, breaking with the strict conventions of the time. He was the first to introduce the colour pink into icon painting. The secret of this colour was not passed on and died with him. His work is noted for the intense use of colours and the use of natural dyes. According to Lucia Nadin, Onufri's painting well attests red as a traditional Albanian color. According to Georgios Golobias the works of Onufri were significantly influenced by western art, as a result of his possible stay in Venice, being a member of the local Greek fraternity. On the other hand, Manolis Chatzidakis claims that western traces are few and they can be explained due to the contact with the paintings of the Cretan School.

Onufri founded a school of painting in Berat, which was passed on to his son Nikolla, and upon his death to Onouphrios Cypriotes (Onufri Cypriota) and Kostandin Shpataraku.

title: Onufri


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Clint Benedict

Clinton Stevenson "Praying Benny" Benedict (September 26, 1892 – November 12, 1976) was a Canadian professional lacrosse goalie, ice hockey goaltender who played for the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Maroons. He played on four Stanley Cup-winning squads. He was the first goaltender in the National Hockey League (NHL) to wear a face mask. He led league goaltenders in shutouts seven times over his professional career. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Benedict played for the Ottawa Stars Lacrosse Club, winning the City Championship in 1911. He later played professionally with the Ottawa Capitals Lacrosse Club earning distinction for his tenacity under fire. This helped him immeasurably in his transition into professional hockey.

Benedict was one of the first great goalies in professional hockey and a great innovator in the sport. He was the first goalie to drop to his knees to stop the puck along the ice; at the time, dropping to the ice was illegal. This earned him the nickname "Praying Benny." The first rule change the NHL made legalized his playing style.

Playing career
Benedict played senior-level hockey at 17, playing for the Ottawa Stewartons of the Ottawa City Hockey League in 1909–10, moving to the Ottawa New Edinburghs of the Interprovincial Amateur Hockey Union (IPAHU) the following season. Benedict joined the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey Association (NHA) in the 1912–13 season. Although the Senators had at the time future Hockey Hall of Famer Percy LeSueur as their starting goaltender, Benedict played 10 games for the club. During the 1912–13 season he was also manager Art Ross' goaltender of choice for the NHA All-Stars, a team which played in five exhibition games against the PCHA All-Stars, losing three games to two. Benedict played one more season as backup to LeSueur, in 1913–14, and took over as starting goaltender in the 1914–15 season. He led the league in goals against average (GAA) that season and the following two seasons to start his career. He played 12 seasons overall for the Senators, five in the NHA and seven in the NHL.

After winning three Stanley Cups with the Senators, his career changed in the 1923–24 season. Benedict developed a problem with drinking, which at first was kept secret by the Senators. Benedict occasionally played for the Senators while under the effects. In the playoffs, Benedict and the Senators played poorly and were quickly eliminated. Management withheld some of his salary for his behaviour. Benedict sued the team in return and the Senators countersued, revealing in court documents the extent of Benedict's behaviour. Once the Ottawa papers found out about the court case, the secret was out. The two sides quickly settled to minimize the publicity.

Benedict's career with the Senators was finished. On October 20, 1924, Benedict was traded along with Punch Broadbent to the expansion Montreal Maroons. It was a new lease on life for Benedict who played for six seasons with the Maroons. In 1926, he won another Stanley Cup with the Maroons after having recorded three shutouts in the Stanley Cup Finals against the Victoria Cougars.

In 1930, some 30 years before Jacques Plante popularized the goalie mask, Clint was the first goalie to wear facial protection in the NHL with the Montreal Maroons using it for five games during the 1929–30 season. On January 7, 1930, he was hit by a shot from Howie Morenz in the face, breaking the bridge of his nose. Benedict was out of action for six weeks. He returned on February 20, 1930 against the New York Americans wearing the mask. He played with a mask for five games in total and according to author Douglas Hunter, Benedict modified or tried different masks during the sequence of games. His last game wearing a mask was on March 4, 1930 when he got hit in the face during a goal-mouth scramble. He had to leave the game due to blood coming from his nose. When asked about his short-lived face mask Benedict remarked: It was leather with a big nosepiece. The nosepiece proved to be the problem, because it obscured my vision. The game against Ottawa was his last game in the NHL. In June 1930, Benedict was placed on waivers. The next season, he played for the Windsor Bulldogs senior hockey team, the Maroons farm team, leading them to the IHL championship. In 1932, Benedict became manager and coach of Saint John Beavers of the Maritime Senior Hockey League, a position he held for two seasons. Benedict was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1965, much later than would be expected of a player of his ability and career and possibly due to the events of 1924. Benedict lived to 84 years of age, dying in 1976 in Ottawa.

Awards and achievements

 * 1965 – Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame
 * 1966 – Named All-Star goaltender for the time period 1893–1926 by NHL historian Charles Coleman
 * 1966 – Inducted into Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame
 * 1998 – Ranked number 77 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.

title: Clint Benedict