title: Angers

text: Another Angers's Business School is ESSCA (). Formerly part of the UCO, the school's Master's program is of a duration of five years. ESSCA recruits students after the Baccalaureat.


title: Angers

text: In addition to French schools and universities, an American university, St. Edward's University, has a new expanding campus in Angers. St. Edward's University is a diverse, Catholic liberal arts institution from Austin, Texas. The university has a partnership with UCO, and offers a variety of courses of undergraduate level and professional training.


title: Angers

text: Angers is situated on the crossroads of three highways, the A11, to Paris and Nantes, the A87 to La Roche-sur-Yon and the A85 to Tours and Lyon. National roads connect the city with Rennes, Caen and Laval.


title: Angers

text: Before the construction of bypasses during the 2000s, the A11 crossed the city center, following the river Maine, and passed just below the castle. Causing air pollution and noise and disfiguring the Maine quays, the portions of the former highway which are still in place should be redeveloped in the coming years.


title: Angers

text: Angers inaugurated the new Irigo tram system on 25 June 2011. The tramway consists of one line with 25 stops. The line runs from Avrillé-Ardenne in the north to Angers-Roseraie in the south, passing by the center and the train station. Service is provided by Keolis using 17 Alstom Citadis trams. The system uses partial ground-level power supply, which avoids aerial wires and preserves the historical character of the city center. A second line is scheduled for 2018–2022. Besides the tram, Irigo also organizes the bus network in Angers consisting of 13 urban lines and 12 suburban lines.


title: Angers

text: The bus station, situated outside the Angers Saint-Laud train station, is a hub for the departmental bus network ("Anjoubus") and is also served by international bus companies.


title: Angers

text: Angers is on both the Nantes-Paris and Nantes-Lyon railways. The city has several train stations, all originally built in the 19th century. Some are still in use; others are closed or reserved for freight. The main station, Angers Saint-Laud, is on a TGV line and has direct TGV services to Paris (1 hour 30 minutes), Lyon (3 hours 45 minutes), Strasbourg (4 hours 35 minutes), and Lille (3 hours 25 minutes), as well as Avignon, Marseilles and Montpellier. Regional trains go to Cholet, Saumur, Tours, Blois, Nevers and Bourges.


title: Angers

text: The nearest airport is Angers - Loire Airport, which replaced in 1998 an older airport near the Saint-Aubin island. The airport is located in the commune of Marcé, from Angers and close to the A11 and the A85. It can receive 50,000 passengers per year.


title: Angers

text: The Château d'Angers, built on a schist promontory, dominates the river Maine and the old town. Its site has been occupied since antiquity; the castle itself was built between 1230 and 1240 by Louis IX of France. The massive walls are about one kilometer long and punctuated by 17 towers; they were built with horizontal slices of tuff and schist, giving it strength and an original striped look. During the 15th century, a chapel and the Châtelet were added in the courtyard.


title: Angers

text: The "" ("Adam's House"), located behind the cathedral, is an excellent example of the half-timbered houses which were built during the Middle Ages. Many similar houses, although smaller, are also visible along the streets around the castle. The city also displays several Renaissance and classical hôtels particuliers, the most renowned being the "Logis Pincé" from the 16th century. The "Maison bleue" ("Blue House"), built in 1927, is an Art Deco masterpiece. The former seat of the French Aviation Company () was built in 1938 and abandoned during the Second World War. Totally refurbished in 2004, it is now a testimony to 1930s architecture.


title: Angers

text: The Saint-Maurice cathedral is a major landmark in the cityscape, with its two spires culminating at . The construction of the current building started during the 12th century on the remains of an older sanctuary. The original structure, romanesque, received gothic columns and vaults in the middle of the 12th century, giving birth to the Angevin gothic, a style that quickly spread in Western France and the Angevin possessions in Italy. Sculptures and architectural details were added to the façade during the 16th century. The twin spires were built in 1518 and 1523. The neighbouring "Palais du Tau", the former episcopal palace, dates from the 12th century.


title: Angers

text: The skyline is also marked by the "Tour Saint-Aubin". Completed in 1170, it was the bell-tower of an abbey closed during the French Revolution and destroyed in 1810. Elaborately sculptured 11th and 12th century arcades also survive in the courtyard of the Prefecture. Another abbey, the "Abbaye Toussaint", founded during the 13th century, was also partially pulled down and only the church and parts of the cloister are still visible. On the southern limits of the commune, close to the Maine, stands the "Couvent de la Baumette", founded during the 15th century by René of Anjou.


title: Angers

text: La Doutre, an old quarter located on the western bank of the Maine and facing the castle, contains two major medieval sites, the former "Abbaye du Ronceray", built during the 11th and 12th century, and the "Hôpital Saint-Jean", founded by Henry II of England and used as the city hospital until 1870.


title: Angers

text: The Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Angers, located in the Renaissance "Logis Barrault", displays a collection of paintings and sculptures dating from the 14th century to today. It is particularly renowned for its 18th-century paintings, including works by Jean-Baptiste Greuze, Van Loo, Antoine Watteau, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, and Jean Siméon Chardin. The museum also contains a graphic design studio, a gallery devoted to the history of Angers and a temporary exhibition gallery. The institution has an annexe at the château in Villevêque, a village located several kilometers north of the city.


title: Angers

text: Inside the castle, a special gallery displays the Apocalypse Tapestry, ordered by Louis I of Naples at the end of the 14th century. It is more than long, the largest medieval tapestry in the world. Inspired by manuscript miniatures, the successive scenes, designed by Jean Bondol, illustrate the Apocalypse of St John.


title: Angers

text: Located inside the old "Hôpital Saint-Jean", the "Musée Jean-Lurçat et de la tapisserie contemporaine" displays tapestries dating from the 19th and 20th centuries. The museum is dedicated to Jean Lurçat, an artist noted for his role in the revival of contemporary tapestry, and notably exhibits his ""Chant du Monde"", a modern echo to the "Apocalypse Tapestry" made after the bombing of Hiroshima.


title: Angers

text: The Muséum d'histoire naturelle d'Angers has been located in the 1521 Hôtel Demarie-Valentin since 1885. It exhibits a large collection of mounted animals and fossils, divided in three departments, one for zoology, one for botany and the last one for paleontology and geology.


title: Angers

text: The "Logis Pincé", constructed during the Renaissance, is the home of the museum of the same name. It displays Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities as well as Chinese and Japanese artifacts.


title: Angers

text: Located in the "Abbaye Toussaint", the "Galerie David d'Angers" gathers sculptures, reliefs, and medallions by David d'Angers, a 19th-century sculptor born in the city. The gallery also owns the preparatory works for the Panthéon of Paris pediment.


title: Angers

text: Angers also enjoys a "Maison de l'Architecture", which organizes various exhibitions and workshops, as well as several temporary exhibition galleries distributed in the city center. Outside the commune limits are also an aviation museum and a museum of communications.


title: Angers

text: The "Grand Théâtre", dominating the Place du Ralliement, was first built in 1791, but destroyed by a fire in 1853. The existing building was completed in 1871 and its auditorium contains six stalls and four balconies, totaling 730 seats. The "Théâtre du Quai", inaugurated in 2007, has two auditoriums; one contains 980 seats and several balconies, and the other, more flexible, can welcome 400 seated or 960 standing spectators. The Grand Théâtre and the Théâtre du Quai are the venues of three institutions, "Angers-Nantes Opéra", an opera company also based in Nantes, the Contemporary Dance National Center (CNDC), inaugurated by Alwin Nikolais in 1978, and the "Nouveau théâtre d'Angers" (NTA).


title: Angers

text: The Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, shared with Nantes, usually performs at the Congress Center, built in 1983, with a capacity of 1,240 seats. Other concert halls include the "Chabada", the "Amphitéa" and the former Ursuline chapel. Local theater companies perform at "Théâtre Chanzy", "Théâtre du Champ de Bataille", "Théâtre de la Comédie" or at the "Centre Jean Vilar". Each September, the city organizes a street performance festival, called the "Accroche-Cœurs".


title: Angers

text: The "Chabada", a popular concert hall, is the cradle of the Angevin contemporary scene and several groups and performers were discovered there, Les Thugs, a punk band formed in 1983, being the first ones. The local scene also includes the alternative rock group La Ruda, the power pop band Pony Pony Run Run, the world music band Lo'Jo and Titi Robin, a performer influenced by Gypsy and Arabic music.


title: Angers

text: The Premiers Plans festival, dedicated to European first films and meant to help new directors meet their audience, is conducted every year and lasts one week. The films are screened in three small cinemas, while two big generalist multiplexes also exist in Angers.


title: Angers

text: Angers had a local TV channel "Angers 7" which went bankrupt in 2010 and was replaced 3 years later by "Angers Télé". The national French channel France 3, however, still presents local news in its programs. Several national radio stations, such as Virgin Radio, NRJ and Chérie FM maintain local antennas in Angers. The city is also the home of two local stations, "Radio Campus" and "Radio G!". Ouest-France and Le Courrier de l'Ouest are the two local newspapers, the last one having its headquarters in Angers. The city and Angers Loire Métropole also edit their news bulletins.


title: Angers

text: Angers has many sport teams playing at top levels. Angers SCO is Angers's football team. The club was created in 1919 and returned to Ligue 1 (French top league) in 2015 after 21 years. Les Ducs d'Angers is Angers's ice hockey team. The club plays in the Magnus League (first division). Anjou BC is Angers's basketball team, playing in second division. Vaillante Angers is Angers's table tennis team playing in top division Pro A since the 2000–2001 season. Angers also acts as home to the Angers Aviron Nautique, a rowing club which actively competes in regattas across France.


title: Angers

text: Raymond Kopa Stadium is the main sports venue which can hold 18,000 people. The city also has a variety of sports halls, tennis courts, swimming pools, shooting and archery stands, a velodrome, a rowing center, an ice rink and a fencing hall. The Lac de Maine Stadium hosted the athletics championships in France in July 2009.


title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (novel)

text: The book was an immense success. It was also released in an Armed Services Edition, the size of a mass-market paperback, to fit in a uniform pocket. One Marine wrote to Smith, "I can't explain the emotional reaction that took place in this dead heart of mine... A surge of confidence has swept through me, and I feel that maybe a fellow has a fighting chance in this world after all."


title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (novel)

text: The main metaphor of the book is the hardy Tree of Heaven, whose persistent ability to grow and flourish even in the inner city mirrors the protagonist's desire to better herself.


title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (novel)

text: Book One opens in 1912 and introduces 11-year-old Francie Nolan, who lives in the Williamsburg tenement neighborhood of Brooklyn with her 10-year-old brother Cornelius ("Neeley" for short) and their parents, Johnny and Katie. Francie relies on her imagination and her love of reading to provide a temporary escape from the poverty that defines her daily existence. The family subsists on Katie's wages from cleaning apartment buildings, pennies from the children's junk-selling and odd jobs, and Johnny's irregular earnings as a singing waiter. His alcoholism has made it difficult for him to hold a steady job, and he sees himself as a disappointment to his family as a result. Francie admires him because he is handsome, talented, imaginative, and sentimental, as she is. Katie has very little time for sentiment, since she is the breadwinner of the family who has forsaken fantasies and dreams for survival.


title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (novel)

text: Book Two jumps back to 1900 and chronicles the meeting of Johnny and Katie, the American-born teenage children of immigrants from Ireland and Austria, respectively. Although Johnny panics and begins drinking heavily when Katie becomes pregnant with first Francie and then Neeley, Katie resolves to give her children a better life than she has known, remembering her mother's insistence that they receive a good education. Kate resents Francie because the baby is constantly ill, while Neeley is more robust. Katie makes a promise to herself that her daughter must never learn of her preference for Neeley. During the first seven years of their marriage, the Nolans are forced to move twice within Williamsburg, due to public disgraces caused first by Johnny's drunkenness and later by the children's Aunt Sissy's misguided efforts at babysitting them. The Nolans then arrive at the apartment introduced in Book One.


title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (novel)

text: In Book Three, the Nolans settle into their new home, and seven-year-old Francie and six-year-old Neeley begin to attend the squalid, overcrowded public school next door. Francie enjoys learning, even in these dismal surroundings, and gets herself transferred to a better school in a different neighborhood with Johnny's support. Johnny fails in his efforts to improve the children's minds, but Katie helps Francie grow as a person and saves her life by shooting a child-rapist/murderer who tries to attack Francie shortly before her 14th birthday. When Johnny learns that Katie is pregnant once again, he falls into a depression that leads to his death from alcoholism-induced pneumonia on Christmas Day 1915. Katie cashes in the family's life insurance policies on Johnny and the children and uses that money, along with their earnings from after-school jobs, to bury Johnny and keep the family afloat in 1916. The new baby, Annie Laurie, is born that May, and Francie graduates from grade school in June. Graduation allows Francie to finally come to terms with the reality of her father’s death.


title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (novel)

text: At the start of Book Four, Francie and Neeley take jobs because there is no money to send them to high school. Francie works in an artificial flower factory, then gets a better-paying job in a press clipping office after lying about her age. Although she wants to use her salary to start high school in the fall, Katie decides to send Neeley instead, reasoning that he will only continue learning if he is forced into it, while Francie will find a way to do it on her own. Once the United States enters World War I in 1917, the clipping office rapidly declines and closes, leaving Francie out of a job. After she finds work as a teletype operator, she makes a new plan for her education, choosing to skip high school and take summer college-level courses. She passes with the help of Ben Blake, a friendly and determined high school student, but she fails the college's entrance exams. A brief encounter with Lee Rhynor, a soldier preparing to ship out to France, leads to heartbreak after he pretends to be in love with Francie, when he is in fact about to get married. In 1918, Katie accepts a marriage proposal from Michael McShane, a retired police officer who has long admired her and has become a wealthy businessman and politician since leaving the force.


title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (novel)

text: As Book Five begins in the fall of this same year, Francie, now almost 17, quits her teletype job. She is about to start classes at the University of Michigan, having passed the entrance exams with Ben's help, and is considering the possibility of a future relationship with him. The Nolans prepare for Katie's wedding and the move from their Brooklyn apartment to McShane's home. Francie pays one last visit to some of her favorite childhood places and reflects on all the people who have come and gone in her life. She is struck by how much of Johnny's character lives on in Neeley, who has become a talented jazz/ragtime pianist. Before she leaves the apartment, Francie notices the Tree of Heaven that has grown and re-sprouted in the building's yard despite all efforts to destroy it, seeing in it a metaphor for her family's ability to overcome adversity and thrive. In the habits of a neighborhood girl, Florry, Francie sees a version of her young self, sitting on the fire escape with a book and watching the young ladies of the neighborhood prepare for their dates. Francie says, "Hello, Francie", to Florry, and then, "Goodbye, Francie" as she closes the window.


title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (novel)

text: Mary Frances "Francie" Nolan is the protagonist. The novel begins when Francie is 11 years old. The rest of the novel tells of Francie's life until she goes to college at 17. Francie grows up in Brooklyn in the early twentieth century; her family is in constant poverty throughout most of the novel. Francie shares a great admiration for her father, Johnny Nolan, and wishes for an improved relationship with her mother, hardworking Katie Nolan, recognizing similar traits in her mother and herself that she believes are a barrier to true understanding. The story of Francie traces her individual desires, affections, and hostilities while growing up in an aggressive, individualistic, romantic, and ethnic family and neighborhood; more universally it represents the hopes of immigrants in the early twentieth century to rise above poverty through their children, whom they hope will receive "education" and take their place among true Americans. Francie is symbolized by the "Tree of Heaven" that flourishes under the most unlikely urban circumstances.


title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (novel)

text: Katie Rommely Nolan is Francie's mother and the youngest of her parents' four daughters. She is a first-generation immigrant with a despicable father and an angelic mother who emigrated from Austria. She married Johnny Nolan when she was only 17 years old. Katie is a hardworking, practical woman whose youthful romanticism has been replaced by a frigid realism that often prevents her from sympathizing with those who love her most. She runs her home in such a way that her children are able to enjoy their childhood despite their extreme poverty. Because Johnny is an alcoholic and can rarely hold down a job, Katie becomes the family breadwinner by cleaning apartment buildings. Johnny, however, is more attuned to Francie's hopes of graduating from high school and becoming a writer. As Francie matures and develops an inclination toward academia, Katie realizes she is more devoted to Neeley than to Francie. Katie becomes pregnant just before Johnny dies and survives on her own until she agrees to marry Sergeant Michael McShane, a pipe-smoking local policeman-turned-politician.


title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (novel)

text: Sissy Rommely is Katie's oldest sister and one of Francie's three aunts. Because of her parents' immigration and lack of knowledge in their new environment, Sissy never goes to school and is therefore illiterate. Sissy is kind, compassionate and beautiful, and many men fall in love with her. She is first married at 14, but after being unable to have any live children with her husband, Sissy leaves him. She marries two more times without ever getting a divorce. In between marriages, Sissy has a number of lovers. She calls each of her husbands and lovers by the name "John" until her final husband, who insists that she properly divorce her second husband and demands to be called by his own name, Steve. Sissy has ten stillborn children, but adopts an immigrant girl's baby daughter born out of wedlock and eventually gives birth to a healthy son of her own.


title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (novel)

text: Johnny Nolan is Francie's father. He is a first-generation American; his parents immigrated from Ireland. He has a protective mother and had three brothers, all of whom died young. Johnny marries Katie Rommely at nineteen. He is charismatic, a loving husband and father, loved dearly by his family but especially by Francie. He is, however, an alcoholic. When he does hold a job, Johnny works as a singing waiter. He has a beautiful voice, a talent that is greatly admired but that is largely wasted because of his reputation as an alcoholic. After Katie tells him that she is pregnant with their third child, he stops drinking and immediately falls into a deep depression that ends with his death from alcoholism-induced pneumonia. He is a dreamer, in sharp contrast to Katie, whose view of the world is realistic.


title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (novel)

text: Cornelius "Neeley" Nolan is Francie's little brother. He is a year younger than Francie and is favored by his mother, Katie. Neeley is an outgoing child who is more widely accepted by the neighborhood children than Francie. He shows more emotion when his father dies than Francie, who reacts to the loss by becoming even more determined to get an education and rise above her mother's limited vision. Neeley refuses to follow the tradition of Nolan men and determines to never become an alcoholic. Like Francie, he feels that their childhood was pleasant despite their poverty.


title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (novel)

text: Eva "Evy" Rommely Flittman is Katie's youngest sister and Francie's other aunt, playing a role more minor than Sissy's. While considered throughout most of the novel to be in less dire circumstances than Katie, Evy struggles with her lazy husband Willie, a milk-wagon driver. When Willie suffers an injury, Evy drives the route instead and proves surprisingly good at it, treating the horses much more kindly than Willie does. At the end of the novel, he leaves her to travel as a one-man band and she carries on without a husband. When McShane gives Katie $1,000 as a wedding present, she passes $200 on to Evy—the value of Willie's life insurance policy. Unlike Sissy, Evy has had only one marriage and is not assumed to be promiscuous. She has three children, a girl (Blossom), and two boys (Paul Jones and Willie, Jr.).


title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (novel)

text: Eliza Rommely is Francie's third aunt who is only mentioned once. She became a nun because of her mother's love of the Catholic church. Francie only met her once. At first Francie toyed with the idea of being a nun, but when she saw her aunt's mustache-like facial hair, she thought that happened to all nuns, and changed her mind.


title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (novel)

text: Thomas and Mary Rommely are the parents of Sissy, Eliza, Evy, and Katie; they emigrate to America from Austria just before Sissy is born. While Thomas hates America, enjoys tormenting Mary, and forbids the speaking of English at home, Mary patiently endures her hardships and serves as a moral/practical guide for her daughters. Mary cannot read or write English, but she encourages Katie to ensure that her children learn the language, and also to begin saving money so she can buy land someday. The Rommelys' second oldest daughter, Eliza, is mentioned only briefly; she becomes a nun and joins a convent.


title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (novel)

text: Flossie Gaddis is one of the Nolans' neighbors, a single woman who scares men away as she constantly looks for new relationships. She keeps her right arm covered at all times to hide scars from a childhood accident with a tub of scalding water. She has a brother, Henny, who is dying of tuberculosis.


title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (novel)

text: Lee Rhynor is Francie's first love, a soldier on leave who tries to manipulate Francie into sleeping with him after he wins over her heart. When Francie refuses, he goes back to his fiancee.


title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (novel)

text: Ben Blake is a boy Francie befriends during her first summer of college classes. Ben is driven and determined. While he is the object of Francie's affection at first, she feels differently after falling in love with Lee. However, at the end of the novel, Francie goes to college with a promise ring from Ben and hope of a future with him.


title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (novel)

text: Although the book addresses many different issues—poverty, alcoholism, lying, etc.—its main theme is the need for tenacity: the determination to rise above difficult circumstances. Although there are naturalistic elements in the book, it is not fundamentally naturalistic. The Nolans are financially restricted by poverty yet find ways to enjoy life and satisfy their needs and wants. For example, Francie can become intoxicated just by looking at flowers. Like the Tree of Heaven, Brooklyn's inhabitants fight for the sun and air necessary to their survival.


title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (novel)

text: Idealism and pragmatism are weighed and both found necessary to survival in Brooklyn. Johnny lies about his family's address in order to enable Francie to attend a better school, presenting Francie with opportunities that might not have been available to her otherwise. Sissy helps Johnny recover from alcoholic withdrawals by appealing to his libido, helping Katie and Johnny to stay together despite Johnny's disease. Katie explains love and sexuality to Francie from two somewhat clashing points of view: as a mother and as a woman. The book revises traditional notions of right and wrong and suggests pointedly that extreme poverty changes the criteria on which such notions, and those who embrace them, should be judged.


title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (novel)

text: On October 7, 1947 "Studio One" on CBS aired "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" starring Rosemary Rice as Francie.


title: Lloyd (singer)

text: Lloyd Polite Jr. (born January 3, 1986), is an American R&B singer. Born in New Orleans and raised in Decatur, he initially began his musical career as a member of the preteen-boy band N-Toon. The band disbanded in 2001 and Polite embarked on a solo career in 2003. He subsequently signed a record deal with American music executive Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records, under the aegis of Def Jam Recordings. In 2004, Polite released his solo debut single "Southside" (featuring Ashanti), the title-track from his debut album, "Southside" (2004). The single quickly charted on the US "Billboard" Hot 100, and became a top 40 hit. His second album "Street Love", was released in 2007 and featured the top 20 hits "You" (featuring Lil Wayne) and "Get It Shawty".


title: Lloyd (singer)

text: Polite's third album "Lessons in Love" (2008), gave the singer his second top 10 album on the "Billboard" 200 chart. Polite's career received an enormous boost in 2009–10, after being featured on hip hop record label Young Money's hit single "BedRock", gaining publicity from his presence on the song’s hook. Polite would go on to release "Like Me: The Young Goldie EP" in 2009. In March 2010, Polite signed to Interscope and Zone 4. His fourth album "King of Hearts", was released by the aforementioned labels in 2011. The lead single, "Lay It Down", became a top 10 hit on "Billboard"s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.


title: Lloyd (singer)

text: In 2016, Polite released "Tru", his first single in five years, and an EP of the same name, later that year. In August 2018, he released his fifth studio album "Tru LP", which included the single "Caramel". The remix of the song, released in February 2019 via an official music video, features female rap group City Girls. In March 2019, Polite joined an all-star lineup of early-2000s artists for The Millennium Tour, which quickly became one of the year's most popular shows.


title: Lloyd (singer)

text: Polite had a television acting role in 2005 on the UPN show "One on One", playing the role of A-Train, boyfriend to main cast member Spirit (played by Sicily). In 2019, he debuted his film acting skills as Gregory Williams, founding member of Switch, in TV One's original biopic, "The Bobby Debarge Story".


title: Lloyd (singer)

text: Lloyd Polite Jr. was born on January 3, 1986, in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Lloyd Polite Sr. and Robin Lewis Polite. He grew up in the Calliope Projects in Central City, New Orleans and then moved to Decatur, Georgia. In Decatur, Polite found his desire to sing and later relocated to New York City where he met Irv Gotti.


title: Lloyd (singer)

text: In 2003, Polite was discovered and signed to Irv Gotti's The Inc. as a solo artist and released his debut album, "Southside", on July 20, 2004. It debuted at number 11 on the US "Billboard" 200 and number three on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. The album's lead single, "Southside", featuring R&B singer Ashanti, managed to peak at number 24 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and number 13 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. The second and final single, "Hey Young Girl" was released in August 2004 and peaked at number 61 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Later that year he featured on 8Ball & MJG's "Forever" and Tango Redd's "Let's Cheat". In 2004, Polite was featured on label-mate Ja Rule's "Caught Up"; the song saw minor success in the United States, reaching number 65 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. However, on the UK Singles Chart the song peaked at number 20.


title: Lloyd (singer)

text: The singer reentered the recording studios to begin work with producers Bryan-Michael Cox, James Lackey, Jazze Pha, Big Reese and Jasper Cameron and The Inc.'s 7 Aurelius. Released on March 13, 2007, "Street Love" debuted at number two on the US "Billboard" 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums charts, with sales of 145,000 copies emerging as Lloyd's highest debut and biggest first week. It eventually received a gold certification, and has sold over half a million copies domestically. The album's lead single, Jasper Cameron-penned "You", featured rapper Lil Wayne, was a big commercial success, becoming his first top ten single on the Hot 100. In addition, it reached the top position on the "Billboard" Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The single reached number 45 in the United Kingdom and number 25 in New Zealand. The second single "Get It Shawty" reached number 16 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and number four on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. It also reached number 37 in the United Kingdom. The third and final single, "Player's Prayer", was released and peaked at number 74 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song was not promoted and didn't receive a music video. Later in 2007, he was featured on Huey's "When I Hustle" and Dem Franchize Boyz's "Turn Heads", both songs saw minor success in the United States, reaching number 80 and 75 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.


title: Lloyd (singer)

text: "Lessons in Love" was released on August 4, 2008. "The title concept derives from a schoolboy fantasy of mine, where I become a professor of a classroom full of gorgeous girls, and I feel the best thing I can give them that's really worth having is lessons in love!" he said about the issues worked into the tracks. The album debuted at number seven on the "Billboard" 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, with moderately successful first-week sales 51,000 — about half as many as his previous effort, number two album "Street Love". "How We Do It (Around My Way)", featured rapper Ludacris, was released as the first single, peaking at number 77 on the US "Billboard" Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number 75 on the UK charts. Due to the low success of the song, it only appeared on select versions of the album as a bonus track. The second single, "Girls Around the World", featured Lil Wayne and was a moderate hit. It peaked at number 64 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and number 13 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. The third and final single was "Year of the Lover". The single version featured rapper Plies. It only peaked at number one on the "Billboard" Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles.


title: Lloyd (singer)

text: In June 2009, it was announced that Politr would depart from The Inc. Records. Lloyd stated that he was "focusing on just growing in general". A song titled "Pusha", produced by The Runners written by Polite, Raymond "Ray-Ray" Gordon, Sean "Slim" McMillion, and The Monarch and featuring Juelz Santana was leaked online. Juelz Santana was later replaced on the song by Lil Wayne but later both verses were put together and was released as the lead single from his EP, "Like Me: The Young Goldie EP". Polite also collaborated with Lil Wayne on the song "BedRock" which is the second single from Lil Wayne's record label Young Money compilation album. On March 13 it was confirmed that Lloyd signed to Interscope Records.


title: Lloyd (singer)

text: In May 2010, Polite teamed up with fellow New Orleans native Mystikal and recorded "Set Me Free". The video was shot primarily in the Calliope Projects of New Orleans. The song featured heavy brass sounds and a sample of "Unchain My Heart" by Ray Charles. On July 25, 2010, Lloyd announced via Twitter that his new album will be entitled "King of Hearts". It was released on July 5, 2011, and on August 16, 2010, Polite released the first single entitled "Lay It Down". The second single was "Cupid" and the third single released was "Dedication to My Ex (Miss That)"; to date the single is Lloyd's biggest international hit peaking at number three on the Australian and UK charts. The song features André 3000 of OutKast and is narrated by Lil Wayne.


title: Lloyd (singer)

text: On October 29, 2012, Polite released his first mixtape "The Playboy Diaries Vol. 1". It features Lil Wayne, August Alsina, Trae Tha Truth among others. In January 2013 Polite released a song called "Twerk Off" featuring rapper Juicy J and was produced by Drumma Boy.


title: Lloyd (singer)

text: On May 6, 2016, he released his first single in five years titled "Tru", with the audio for the song released on YouTube 12 days later. On June 23, 2016, during an interview, Polite revealed that he had signed a new distribution deal with Empire. Lloyd announced the release of his fifth studio album titled "Out My Window" on October 25, 2016. On November 7 Polite announced via his Instagram that he would be releasing a new EP before his album on December 9, 2016, titled "Tru".


title: Lloyd (singer)

text: On July 9, 2018, Polite released "Caramel" as the first single from his album "Tru". The album was released on August 31.


title: Lloyd (singer)

text: On September 3, 2010, Polite cut off his signature long hair and donated it to charity. On July 6, 2011, Lloyd revealed a new tattoo of "Guns & Roses" that was tattooed on the back of his head. On March 14, 2016, it was announced and revealed that Lloyd had earned his GED certificate. In an August 2016 interview with Sway Calloway, Polite explains his hiatus through the lyrics of his song "Tru", expressing how he lost an unborn child to an abortion and that it "left a big hole", while also detailing other family issues. In September 2017, Polite's girlfriend gave birth to their son River. The two welcomed their daughter in late 2018.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Tempering is a process of heat treating, which is used to increase the toughness of iron-based alloys. Tempering is usually performed after hardening, to reduce some of the excess hardness, and is done by heating the metal to some temperature below the critical point for a certain period of time, then allowing it to cool in still air. The exact temperature determines the amount of hardness removed, and depends on both the specific composition of the alloy and on the desired properties in the finished product. For instance, very hard tools are often tempered at low temperatures, while springs are tempered at much higher temperatures.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Tempering is a heat treatment technique applied to ferrous alloys, such as steel or cast iron, to achieve greater toughness by decreasing the hardness of the alloy. The reduction in hardness is usually accompanied by an increase in ductility, thereby decreasing the brittleness of the metal. Tempering is usually performed after quenching, which is rapid cooling of the metal to put it in its hardest state. Tempering is accomplished by controlled heating of the quenched work-piece to a temperature below its "lower critical temperature". This is also called the lower transformation temperature or lower arrest (A) temperature; the temperature at which the crystalline phases of the alloy, called ferrite and cementite, begin combining to form a single-phase solid solution referred to as austenite. Heating above this temperature is avoided, so as not to destroy the very-hard, quenched microstructure, called martensite.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Precise control of time and temperature during the tempering process is crucial to achieve the desired balance of physical properties. Low tempering temperatures may only relieve the internal stresses, decreasing brittleness while maintaining a majority of the hardness. Higher tempering temperatures tend to produce a greater reduction in the hardness, sacrificing some yield strength and tensile strength for an increase in elasticity and plasticity. However, in some low alloy steels, containing other elements like chromium and molybdenum, tempering at low temperatures may produce an increase in hardness, while at higher temperatures the hardness will decrease. Many steels with high concentrations of these alloying elements behave like precipitation hardening alloys, which produces the opposite effects under the conditions found in quenching and tempering, and are referred to as maraging steels.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: In carbon steels, tempering alters the size and distribution of carbides in the martensite, forming a microstructure called "tempered martensite". Tempering is also performed on normalized steels and cast irons, to increase ductility, machinability, and impact strength. Steel is usually tempered evenly, called "through tempering," producing a nearly uniform hardness, but it is sometimes heated unevenly, referred to as "differential tempering," producing a variation in hardness.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Tempering is an ancient heat-treating technique. The oldest known example of tempered martensite is a pick axe which was found in Galilee, dating from around 1200 to 1100 BC. The process was used throughout the ancient world, from Asia to Europe and Africa. Many different methods and cooling baths for quenching have been attempted during ancient times, from quenching in urine, blood, or metals like mercury or lead, but the process of tempering has remained relatively unchanged over the ages. Tempering was often confused with quenching and, often, the term was used to describe both techniques. In 1889, Sir William Chandler Roberts-Austen wrote, "There is still so much confusion between the words "temper," "tempering," and "hardening," in the writings of even eminent authorities, that it is well to keep these old definitions carefully in mind. I shall employ the word tempering in the same sense as softening."


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: In metallurgy, one may encounter many terms that have very specific meanings within the field, but may seem rather vague when viewed from outside. Terms such as "hardness," "impact resistance," "toughness," and "strength" can carry many different connotations, making it sometimes difficult to discern the specific meaning. Some of the terms encountered, and their specific definitions are:


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Very few metals react to heat treatment in the same manner, or to the same extent, that carbon steel does, and carbon-steel heat-treating behavior can vary radically depending on alloying elements. Steel can be softened to a very malleable state through annealing, or it can be hardened to a state as hard and brittle as glass by quenching. However, in its hardened state, steel is usually far too brittle, lacking the fracture toughness to be useful for most applications. Tempering is a method used to decrease the hardness, thereby increasing the ductility of the quenched steel, to impart some springiness and malleability to the metal. This allows the metal to bend before breaking. Depending on how much temper is imparted to the steel, it may bend elastically (the steel returns to its original shape once the load is removed), or it may bend plastically (the steel does not return to its original shape, resulting in permanent deformation), before fracturing. Tempering is used to precisely balance the mechanical properties of the metal, such as shear strength, yield strength, hardness, ductility and tensile strength, to achieve any number of a combination of properties, making the steel useful for a wide variety of applications. Tools such as hammers and wrenches require good resistance to abrasion, impact resistance, and resistance to deformation. Springs do not require as much wear resistance, but must deform elastically without breaking. Automotive parts tend to be a little less strong, but need to deform plastically before breaking.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Except in rare cases where maximum hardness or wear resistance is needed, such as the untempered steel used for files, quenched steel is almost always tempered to some degree. However, steel is sometimes annealed through a process called normalizing, leaving the steel only partially softened. Tempering is sometimes used on normalized steels to further soften it, increasing the malleability and machinability for easier metalworking. Tempering may also be used on welded steel, to relieve some of the stresses and excess hardness created in the heat affected zone around the weld.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Tempering is most often performed on steel that has been heated above its upper critical (A) temperature and then quickly cooled, in a process called quenching, using methods such as immersing the hot steel in water, oil, or forced-air. The quenched steel, being placed in or very near its hardest possible state, is then tempered to incrementally decrease the hardness to a point more suitable for the desired application. The hardness of the quenched steel depends on both cooling speed and on the composition of the alloy. Steel with a high carbon content will reach a much harder state than steel with a low carbon content. Likewise, tempering high-carbon steel to a certain temperature will produce steel that is considerably harder than low-carbon steel that is tempered at the same temperature. The amount of time held at the tempering temperature also has an effect. Tempering at a slightly elevated temperature for a shorter time may produce the same effect as tempering at a lower temperature for a longer time. Tempering times vary, depending on the carbon content, size, and desired application of the steel, but typically range from a few minutes to a few hours.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Tempering quenched steel at very low temperatures, between , will usually not have much effect other than a slight relief of some of the internal stresses and a decrease in brittleness. Tempering at higher temperatures, from , will produce a slight reduction in hardness, but will primarily relieve much of the internal stresses. In some steels with low alloy content, tempering in the range of causes a decrease in ductility and an increase in brittleness, and is referred to as the "tempered martensite embrittlement" (TME) range. Except in the case of blacksmithing, this range is usually avoided. Steel requiring more strength than toughness, such as tools, are usually not tempered above . Instead, a variation in hardness is usually produced by varying only the tempering time. When increased toughness is desired at the expense of strength, higher tempering temperatures, from , are used. Tempering at even higher temperatures, between , will produce excellent toughness, but at a serious reduction in the strength and hardness. At , the steel may experience another stage of embrittlement, called "temper embrittlement" (TE), which occurs if the steel is held within the temperature range of temper embrittlement for too long. When heating above this temperature, the steel will usually not be held for any amount of time, and quickly cooled to avoid temper embrittlement.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Steel that has been heated above its upper critical temperature and then cooled in standing air is called normalized steel. Normalized steel consists of pearlite, martensite and sometimes bainite grains, mixed together within the microstructure. This produces steel that is much stronger than full-annealed steel, and much tougher than tempered quenched-steel. However, added toughness is sometimes needed at a reduction in strength. Tempering provides a way to carefully decrease the hardness of the steel, thereby increasing the toughness to a more desirable point. Cast-steel is often normalized rather than annealed, to decrease the amount of distortion that can occur. Tempering can further decrease the hardness, increasing the ductility to a point more like annealed steel. Tempering is often used on carbon steels, producing much the same results. The process, called "normalize and temper", is used frequently on steels such as 1045 carbon steel, or most other steels containing 0.35 to 0.55% carbon. These steels are usually tempered after normalizing, to increase the toughness and relieve internal stresses. This can make the metal more suitable for its intended use and easier to machine.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Steel that has been arc welded, gas welded, or welded in any other manner besides forge welded, is affected in a localized area by the heat from the welding process. This localized area, called the heat-affected zone (HAZ), consists of steel that varies considerably in hardness, from normalized steel to steel nearly as hard as quenched steel near the edge of this heat-affected zone. Thermal contraction from the uneven heating, solidification and cooling creates internal stresses in the metal, both within and surrounding the weld. Tempering is sometimes used in place of stress relieving (even heating and cooling of the entire object to just below the A temperature) to both reduce the internal stresses and to decrease the brittleness around the weld. Localized tempering is often used on welds when the construction is too large, intricate, or otherwise too inconvenient to heat the entire object evenly. Tempering temperatures for this purpose are generally around and .


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Modern reinforcing bar of 500 MPa strength can be made from expensive microalloyed steel or by a quench and self-temper (QST) process. After the bar exits the final rolling pass, where the final shape of the bar is applied, the bar is then sprayed with water which quenches the outer surface of the bar. The bar speed and the amount of water are carefully controlled in order to leave the core of the bar unquenched. The hot core then tempers the already quenched outer part, leaving a bar with high strength but with a certain degree of ductility too.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Tempering was originally a process used and developed by blacksmiths (forgers of iron). The process was most likely developed by the Hittites of Anatolia (modern-day Turkey), in the twelfth or eleventh century BC. Without knowledge of metallurgy, tempering was originally devised through a trial-and-error method.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Because few methods of precisely measuring temperature existed until modern times, temperature was usually judged by watching the tempering colors of the metal. Tempering often consisted of heating above a charcoal or coal forge, or by fire, so holding the work at exactly the right temperature for the correct amount of time was usually not possible. Tempering was usually performed by slowly, evenly overheating the metal, as judged by the color, and then immediately cooling, either in open air or by immersing in water. This produced much the same effect as heating at the proper temperature for the right amount of time, and avoided embrittlement by tempering within a short time period. However, although tempering-color guides exist, this method of tempering usually requires a good amount of practice to perfect, because the final outcome depends on many factors, including the composition of the steel, the speed at which it was heated, the type of heat source (oxidizing or carburizing), the cooling rate, oil films or impurities on the surface, and many other circumstances which vary from smith to smith or even from job to job. The thickness of the steel also plays a role. With thicker items, it becomes easier to heat only the surface to the right temperature, before the heat can penetrate through. However, very thick items may not be able to harden all the way through during quenching.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: If steel has been freshly ground, sanded, or polished, it will form an oxide layer on its surface when heated. As the temperature of the steel is increased, the thickness of the iron oxide will also increase. Although iron oxide is not normally transparent, such thin layers do allow light to pass through, reflecting off both the upper and lower surfaces of the layer. This causes a phenomenon called thin-film interference, which produces colors on the surface. As the thickness of this layer increases with temperature, it causes the colors to change from a very light yellow, to brown, then purple, then blue. These colors appear at very precise temperatures, and provide the blacksmith with a very accurate gauge for measuring the temperature. The various colors, their corresponding temperatures, and some of their uses are:


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Beyond the grey-blue color, the iron oxide loses its transparency, and the temperature can no longer be judged in this way. The layer will also increase in thickness as time passes, which is another reason overheating and immediate cooling is used. Steel in a tempering oven, held at for a long time, will begin to turn brown, purple or blue, even though the temperature did not exceed that needed to produce a light-straw color. Oxidizing or carburizing heat sources may also affect the final result. The iron oxide layer, unlike rust, also protects the steel from corrosion through passivation.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Differential tempering is a method of providing different amounts of temper to different parts of the steel. The method is often used in bladesmithing, for making knives and swords, to provide a very hard edge while softening the spine or center of the blade. This increased the toughness while maintaining a very hard, sharp, impact-resistant edge, helping to prevent breakage. This technique was more often found in Europe, as opposed to the differential hardening techniques more common in Asia, such as in Japanese swordsmithing.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Differential tempering consists of applying heat to only a portion of the blade, usually the spine, or the center of double-edged blades. For single-edged blades, the heat, often in the form of a flame or a red-hot bar, is applied to the spine of the blade only. The blade is then carefully watched as the tempering colors form and slowly creep toward the edge. The heat is then removed before the light-straw color reaches the edge. The colors will continue to move toward the edge for a short time after the heat is removed, so the smith typically removes the heat a little early, so that the pale-yellow just reaches the edge, and travels no farther. A similar method is used for double-edged blades, but the heat source is applied to the center of the blade, allowing the colors to creep out toward each edge.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Interrupted quenching methods are often referred to as tempering, although the processes are very different from traditional tempering. These methods consist of quenching to a specific temperature that is above the martensite start (M) temperature, and then holding at that temperature for extended amounts of time. Depending on the temperature and the amount of time, this allows either pure bainite to form, or holds-off forming the martensite until much of the internal stresses relax. These methods are known as austempering and martempering.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Austempering is a technique used to form pure bainite, a transitional microstructure found between pearlite and martensite. In normalizing, both upper and lower bainite are usually found mixed with pearlite. To avoid the formation of pearlite or martensite, the steel is quenched in a bath of molten metals or salts. This quickly cools the steel past the point where pearlite can form, and into the bainite-forming range. The steel is then held at the bainite-forming temperature, beyond the point where the temperature reaches an equilibrium, until the bainite fully forms. The steel is then removed from the bath and allowed to air-cool, without the formation of either pearlite or martensite.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Depending on the holding-temperature, austempering can produce either upper or lower bainite. Upper bainite is a laminate structure formed at temperatures typically above and is a much tougher microstructure. Lower bainite is a needle-like structure, produced at temperatures below 350 °C, and is stronger but much more brittle. In either case, austempering produces greater strength and toughness for a given hardness, which is determined mostly by composition rather than cooling speed, and reduced internal stresses which could lead to breakage. This produces steel with superior impact resistance. Modern punches and chisels are often austempered. Because austempering does not produce martensite, the steel does not require further tempering.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Martempering is similar to austempering, in that the steel is quenched in a bath of molten metal or salts to quickly cool it past the pearlite-forming range. However, in martempering, the goal is to create martensite rather than bainite. The steel is quenched to a much lower temperature than is used for austempering; to just above the martensite start temperature. The metal is then held at this temperature until the temperature of the steel reaches an equilibrium. The steel is then removed from the bath before any bainite can form, and then is allowed to air-cool, turning it into martensite. The interruption in cooling allows much of the internal stresses to relax before the martensite forms, decreasing the brittleness of the steel. However, the martempered steel will usually need to undergo further tempering to adjust the hardness and toughness, except in rare cases where maximum hardness is needed but the accompanying brittleness is not. Modern files are often martempered.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Tempering involves a three-step process in which unstable martensite decomposes into ferrite and unstable carbides, and finally into stable cementite, forming various stages of a microstructure called tempered martensite. The martensite typically consists of laths (strips) or plates, sometimes appearing acicular (needle-like) or lenticular (lens-shaped). Depending on the carbon content, it also contains a certain amount of "retained austenite." Retained austenite are crystals which are unable to transform into martensite, even after quenching below the martensite finish (M) temperature. An increase in alloying agents or carbon content causes an increase in retained austenite. Austenite has much higher stacking-fault energy than martensite or pearlite, lowering the wear resistance and increasing the chances of galling, although some or most of the retained austenite can be transformed into martensite by cold and cryogenic treatments prior to tempering.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: The martensite forms during a diffusionless transformation, in which the transformation occurs due to shear-stresses created in the crystal lattices rather than by chemical changes that occur during precipitation. The shear-stresses create many defects, or "dislocations," between the crystals, providing less-stressful areas for the carbon atoms to relocate. Upon heating, the carbon atoms first migrate to these defects, and then begin forming unstable carbides. This reduces the amount of total martensite by changing some of it to ferrite. Further heating reduces the martensite even more, transforming the unstable carbides into stable cementite.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: The first stage of tempering occurs between room-temperature and . In the first stage, carbon precipitates into ε-carbon (FeC). In the second stage, occurring between and , the retained austenite transforms into a form of lower-bainite containing ε-carbon rather than cementite (archaically referred to as "troostite"). The third stage occurs at and higher. In the third stage, ε-carbon precipitates into cementite, and the carbon content in the martensite decreases. If tempered at higher temperatures, between and , or for longer amounts of time, the martensite may become fully ferritic and the cementite may become coarser or spheroidize. In spheroidized steel, the cementite network breaks apart and recedes into rods or spherical shaped globules, and the steel becomes softer than annealed steel; nearly as soft as pure iron, making it very easy to form or machine.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Embrittlement occurs during tempering when, through a specific temperature range, the steel experiences an increase in hardness and a reduction in ductility, as opposed to the normal decrease in hardness that occurs to either side of this range. The first type is called tempered martensite embrittlement (TME) or one-step embrittlement. The second is referred to as temper embrittlement (TE) or two-step embrittlement.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: One-step embrittlement usually occurs in carbon steel at temperatures between and , and was historically referred to as "500 degree [Fahrenheit] embrittlement." This embrittlement occurs due to the precipitation of Widmanstatten needles or plates, made of cementite, in the interlath boundaries of the martensite. Impurities such as phosphorus, or alloying agents like manganese, may increase the embrittlement, or alter the temperature at which it occurs. This type of embrittlement is permanent, and can only be relieved by heating above the upper critical temperature and then quenching again. However, these microstructures usually require an hour or more to form, so are usually not a problem in the blacksmith-method of tempering.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Two-step embrittlement typically occurs by aging the metal within a critical temperature range, or by slowly cooling it through that range, For carbon steel, this is typically between and , although impurities like phosphorus and sulfur increase the effect dramatically. This generally occurs because the impurities are able to migrate to the grain boundaries, creating weak spots in the structure. The embrittlement can often be avoided by quickly cooling the metal after tempering. Two-step embrittlement, however, is reversible. The embrittlement can be eliminated by heating the steel above and then quickly cooling.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Many elements are often alloyed with steel. The main purpose for alloying most elements with steel is to increase its hardenability and to decrease softening under temperature. Tool steels, for example, may have elements like chromium or vanadium added to increase both toughness and strength, which is necessary for things like wrenches and screwdrivers. On the other hand, drill bits and rotary files need to retain their hardness at high temperatures. Adding cobalt or molybdenum can cause the steel to retain its hardness, even at red-hot temperatures, forming high-speed steels. Often, small amounts of many different elements are added to the steel to give the desired properties, rather than just adding one or two.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Most alloying elements (solutes) have the benefit of not only increasing hardness, but also lowering both the martensite start temperature and the temperature at which austenite transforms into ferrite and cementite. During quenching, this allows a slower cooling rate, which allows items with thicker cross-sections to be hardened to greater depths than is possible in plain carbon-steel, producing more uniformity in strength.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Tempering methods for alloy steels may vary considerably, depending on the type and amount of elements added. In general, elements like manganese, nickel, silicon, and aluminum will remain dissolved in the ferrite during tempering while the carbon precipitates. When quenched, these solutes will usually produce an increase in hardness over plain carbon-steel of the same carbon content. When hardened alloy-steels, containing moderate amounts of these elements, are tempered, the alloy will usually soften somewhat proportionately to carbon steel.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: However, during tempering, elements like chromium, vanadium, and molybdenum precipitate with the carbon. If the steel contains fairly low concentrations of these elements, the softening of the steel can be retarded until much higher temperatures are reached, when compared to those needed for tempering carbon steel. This allows the steel to maintain its hardness in high temperature or high friction applications. However, this also requires very high temperatures during tempering, to achieve a reduction in hardness. If the steel contains large amounts of these elements, tempering may produce an increase in hardness until a specific temperature is reached, at which point the hardness will begin to decrease. For instance, molybdenum steels will typically reach their highest hardness around whereas vanadium steels will harden fully when tempered to around . When very large amounts of solutes are added, alloy steels may behave like precipitation hardening alloys, which do not soften at all during tempering.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Cast iron comes in many types, depending on the carbon-content. However, they are usually divided into grey and white cast iron, depending on the form that the carbides take. In grey cast iron, the carbon is mainly in the form of graphite, but in white cast iron, the carbon is usually in the form of cementite. Grey cast iron consists mainly of the microstructure called pearlite, mixed with graphite and sometimes ferrite. Grey cast iron is usually used as-cast, with its properties being determined by its composition.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: White cast iron is composed mostly of a microstructure called ledeburite mixed with pearlite. Ledeburite is very hard, making the cast iron very brittle. If the white cast iron has a hypoeutectic composition, it is usually tempered to produce malleable or ductile cast iron. Two methods of tempering are used, called "white tempering" and "black tempering." The purposes of both tempering methods is to cause the cementite within the ledeburite to decompose, increasing the ductility.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Malleable (porous) cast iron is manufactured by white tempering. White tempering is used to burn off excess carbon, by heating it for extended amounts of time in an oxidizing environment. The cast iron will usually be held at temperatures as high as for as long as 60 hours. The heating is followed by a slow cooling rate of around 10 °C (18 °F) per hour. The entire process may last 160 hours or more. This causes the cementite to decompose from the ledeburite, and then the carbon burns out through the surface of the metal, increasing the malleability of the cast iron.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Ductile (non-porous) cast iron (often called "black iron") is produced by black tempering. Unlike white tempering, black tempering is done in an inert gas environment, so that the decomposing carbon does not burn off. Instead, the decomposing carbon turns into a type of graphite called "temper graphite" or "flaky graphite," increasing the malleability of the metal. Tempering is usually performed at temperatures as high as for up to 20 hours. The tempering is followed by slow-cooling through the lower critical temperature, over a period that may last from 50 to over 100 hours.


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Precipitation hardening alloys first came into use during the early 1900s. Most heat-treatable alloys fall into the category of precipitation hardening alloys, including alloys of aluminum, magnesium, titanium and nickel. Several high-alloy steels are also precipitation hardening alloys. These alloys become softer than normal when quenched, and then harden over time. For this reason, precipitation hardening is often referred to as "aging."


title: Tempering (metallurgy)

text: Although most precipitation hardening alloys will harden at room temperature, some will only harden at elevated temperatures and, in others, the process can be sped up by aging at elevated temperatures. Aging at temperatures higher than room-temperature is called "artificial aging". Although the method is similar to tempering, the term "tempering" is usually not used to describe artificial aging, because the physical processes, (i.e.: precipitation of intermetallic phases from a supersaturated alloy) the desired results, (i.e.: strengthening rather than softening), and the amount of time held at a certain temperature are very different from tempering as used in carbon-steel.


title: Overwatch

text: Overwatch is a multimedia franchise centered on a series of online multiplayer first-person shooter (FPS) video games developed by Blizzard Entertainment: "Overwatch" released in 2016, and "Overwatch 2" released in 2022. Both games feature hero-based combat between two teams of players vying over various objectives, along with other traditional gameplay modes. With the launch of "Overwatch 2", the roster of selectable heroes has grown to 35.


title: Overwatch

text: Released in 2016, the first video game in the series lacked a traditional story mode. Instead, Blizzard employed a transmedia storytelling strategy to disseminate lore regarding the game's characters, releasing comics and other literary media, as well as animated media that includes short films. The game enjoyed both critical and commercial success, and garnered a devoted following. In addition to more traditional fan art, the game also spawned fan-produced pornographic content which attracted considerable media attention.


title: Overwatch

text: Blizzard helped launch and promote an esports scene surrounding the game, including an annual Overwatch World Cup, as well as a league and its developmental minor league, which borrowed elements found in traditional American sports leagues. In 2022, a sequel was released.


title: Overwatch

text: "Overwatch" is set sixty years into the future of a fictionalized Earth, as well as thirty years after the "Omnic Crisis" is resolved and six years after the Petras Act is signed.


title: Overwatch

text: Omnics are artificial intelligence (AI) robots that were created to assist humans in manufacturing and global economic equality efforts. During this period, humanity prospered as omnics helped stabilize society.


title: Overwatch

text: The Omnic Crisis involved "omniums" (large facilities that churned out omnics) beginning to produce hostile omnics, many of which were bastion units. These hostile omnics began attacking humans, beginning their assault in Russia. Individual nations initially responded to the crisis with their own programs. The United States launched the secret Soldier Enhancement Program, modifying soldiers into mercenaries. and Gabriel Reyes were among the most notable test subjects of the program. Meanwhile, Germany responded to the crisis through the Crusaders, an elite force of soldiers heavily suited in armor inspired by knights and wielding weapons such as hammers. The Crusaders were led by Balderich von Adler, until he handed the reigns to a young Reinhardt Willhelm following a battle in Eichenwalde.


title: Overwatch

text: Removed from the crisis, scientists on the moon-based Horizon Lunar Colony create genetically modified animals to test long-term habitation in space. Among these animals is an ape named Winston. Other apes on the colony start a revolt, killing all scientists in the process. However, Winston creates a rocket and escapes to Earth.


title: Overwatch

text: While Russia opted to handle the waves of omnics on their own, nations failed to quell the crisis individually. As a result, the United Nations (UN) assembled Overwatch, a strike team led by Reyes and Morrison. Reyes served as Overwatch's Strike Commander, leading the task force that included Morrison, Wilhelm, Egyptian sniper Ana Amari, Swedish weapons engineer Torbjörn Lindholm, and Singaporean AI scientist Dr. Mina Liao. Within a few years, the Omnic Crisis was declared over and Overwatch transitioned toward being a peacekeeping organization.


title: Overwatch

text: After the end of the crisis, an ensuing golden age of heroism and global peace was dubbed the "Overwatch Generation". Despite this, separate human–omnic conflicts sprung up in Korea and Australia. Meanwhile, the Indian-based Vishkar Corporation developed a technology that allowed its users, or "architechs", to create physical objects with light. Vishkar took this technology to Rio de Janeiro and while initially well-intentioned, the corporation began to abuse Rio's population. A group of omnics called the Shambali also emerged. Led by Tekhartha Mondatta, they believe that omnics possess a soul and aim to revitalize human–omnic relations.


title: Overwatch

text: A growing rift between Morrison and Reyes arose after the former was promoted to Strike Commander. After Reyes lost command of Overwatch, he took control of Blackwatch, a covert operations unit. American bounty hunter Cole Cassidy, Irish geneticist Moira O'Deorain, and Japanese cyborg ninja Genji Shimada joined as members of Blackwatch. The latter was part of the eponymous Shimada Clan crime family alongside his brother, Hanzo. After a falling out, the family ordered Hanzo to kill Genji. On the brink of death, Genji was rehabilitated into a cyborg by Overwatch medical director Angela Ziegler.


title: Overwatch

text: A terrorist organization, Null Sector, meanwhile emerges in London. Lacking rights in England, omnics are forced to live in the Underworld, a city beneath the streets of London. Composed of these omnics facing persecution following the Omnic Crisis' conclusion, Null Sector launches a surprise attack on King's Row. Dismissing orders from the British Prime Minister, Morrison deploys Overwatch agents Wilhelm, Lindholm, Ziegler, and the newly-recruited Lena Oxton on an ultimately successful mission to stop Null Sector's forces.


title: Overwatch

text: Blackwatch is enlisted to fight against Talon, a terrorist threat seeking to set off another crisis. While in Italy on a covert operation to kidnap Talon's leader, Reyes ultimately kills him, exposing Blackwatch to the public. Public distrust in the organization begins to swell and the UN launches an investigation into Blackwatch following their fiasco in Italy. Already in a strained relationship, Morrison and Reyes find themselves at further odds with each other as a result. An argument between the two at Overwatch's headquarters in Switzerland ends in an explosion, after which both are presumed dead.


title: Overwatch

text: After these events, the UN signed the Petras Act, outlawing any further activity by Overwatch. As any other action would be deemed illegal, Overwatch disbanded.


title: Overwatch

text: Both Morrison and Reyes end up surviving, however. Morrison begins a vigilante crusade under the name against Overwatch's former enemies. Reyes is able to render himself temporarily incorporeal as a result of a life-saving procedure conducted by O'Deorain. Now operating under the name Reaper, Reyes joins Talon.


title: Overwatch

text: Six years after the Petras Act is signed, a second Omnic Crisis emerges in Russia. Staying at Watchpoint, a former Overwatch facility based in Gibraltar, Winston follows the developing situation. Reaper then breaks into Watchpoint and attacks Winston. While Winston is able to thwart Reaper, the latter's attack is the catalyst for the former's issuing of a recall of former Overwatch agents. Oxton, known by the call sign Tracer, is the first to answer; she is later followed by Genji, Wilhelm, Lindholm, Cassidy, and Ziegler, known by the call sign Mercy.


title: Overwatch

text: After the recall, Reaper and Talon sniper Amélie Lacroix (known as Widowmaker) attempt to steal a gauntlet for their leader Akande Ogundimu. They are stopped by Winston and Oxton, known by the call sign Tracer. Widowmaker later assassinates Mondatta as he gives a speech in London.


title: Overwatch

text: Prior to the original game's announcement, Blizzard had been interested in making a team-based multiplayer shooter for a while. "Overwatch" has its development origins rooted in "Titan", a Blizzard project that was cancelled in 2013. Elements of "Titan" were reworked into "Overwatch", which was announced at BlizzCon in November 2014. "Overwatch" became Blizzard's first new series since they launched "Diablo" in 1996, as well as their first attempt at making an FPS game. After the game's announcement, "Polygon" wrote that it "appears to feature Blizzard's signature chunky, slightly cartoonish style." A beta for the game was launched in 2015.


title: Overwatch

text: Jeff Kaplan, Michael Chu, and Scott Mercer served as the game's lead director, lead writer, and principal game designer, respectively. Blizzard hired writer Alyssa Wong to "Overwatch"s writing team in 2018. Kaplan departed from Blizzard in April 2021, after which Aaron Keller took over Kaplan's duties as lead director.


title: Overwatch

text: After the release of "Overwatch", Blizzard's developers continued to add to the game through free updates, introducing new characters, maps, game modes, and cosmetic items, often as part of seasonal events. The different gameplays of individual heroes were also tuned and patched in response to player feedback and statistics regarding the meta found within the game. As Kaplan followed a philosophy that emphasized players' perception of game balance, he affirmed that meta shifts to "Overwatch" were beholden to its players and not its developers; "Heroes Never Die" wrote on Kaplan's belief that if the community thought "Overwatch"s meta was broken, then it actually was and vice versa.


title: Overwatch

text: The original "Overwatch" game was released by Blizzard on May 24, 2016, for PC platforms, as well as eighth generation console platforms PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. A version of the game developed by Iron Galaxy for the Nintendo Switch was later released on October 15, 2019. Blizzard shut down servers for the game on October 3, 2022.


title: Overwatch

text: Blizzard released "Overwatch 2" via early access on October 4, 2022. The game was made free-to-play on PC and for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X platforms, and employed full cross-platform play.


title: Overwatch

text: Until the warm reception of "Overwatch"s beta, Blizzard was unsure of representing "Overwatch" characters in "Heroes of the Storm", their crossover multiplayer battle online arena (MOBA) video game. Around a month prior to the release of "Overwatch", Blizzard added Tracer to the MOBA; "PC Gamer" called Tracer's addition to the game "a marketing move [for "Overwatch"], for sure." Afterwards, other characters and map elements from "Overwatch" were incorporated into "Heroes". By the time the game transitioned to a permanent maintenance mode in July 2022, a total of nine characters became playable in "Heroes of the Storm", while battlegrounds based on the "Overwatch" maps Hanamura and Volskaya Industries were also included. A number of "Overwatch"-themed skins have been introduced for "Heroes of the Storm"s ""Overwatch" cosplay" event in May 2021.


title: Overwatch

text: While not originally developed with esport support in mind, "Overwatch" would see a considerable esport scene prop up around the franchise shortly after its first game's release. According to Kaplan, although Blizzard had success with committing to esports while developing "Starcraft II", they found "it's dangerous to be overly committed to esport too early in the lifespan of the game." To avoid sacrificing approachability as they did with "Starcraft II", Blizzard opted to gauge how the "Overwatch" community would develop around esports over time as they did with "Hearthstone". This included the introduction of the game's competitive mode some months after the game's launch after seeing how players took towards "Overwatch"; Blizzard saw the ladder-approach they used as a means for skilled players to reach high ranks as to be noticed by esport team organizers. ESPN and "Gamasutra" wrote that the game had a favorable foundation to succeed as an esports title, citing the game's sufficient difference from established esports games, its variety in maps and characters, and strong support from its developer, as well as its speed and short match times.


title: Overwatch

text: The first organized, prize-winning competitions for "Overwatch" started in mid-2016, a few months after launch. The esports organizer ESL held the first international "Overwatch" competition in August 2016, dubbed the "Overwatch" Atlantic Showdown. The competition used four open qualifiers beginning in June, followed by regional qualifiers and then a final online qualifier. Eight teams then competed for a six-figure prize in the finals to be held at Gamescom 2016 from August 20 to 21. Turner Broadcasting's ELeague announced the first "Overwatch Open" tournament, starting in July 2016, with a total prize pool of $300,000, with plans to broadcast the finals on Turner's cable channel TBS in September 2016.


title: Overwatch

text: Blizzard announced its own official Overwatch World Cup (OWWC) tournament in August 2016. The first annual OWWC would be played later that November at BlizzCon 2016, where Blizzard also announced the formation of their Overwatch League (OWL).


title: Overwatch

text: The OWL borrowed various elements from traditional sports leagues like the National Football League (NFL), including a developmental league called Overwatch Contenders (OWC). The OWL also implemented permanent teams organized in league placements rather than the use of promotion and relegation. The OWL secured billionaire sports team owners to become OWL team owners and established 12 franchises around the world by September 2017, with plans to expand further in later seasons. Contracted players on these franchises are guaranteed a minimum salary, benefits, and revenue sharing. Preseason games for the inaugural OWL season took place in December 2017. The first OWL regular season game was played between the Los Angeles Valiant and San Francisco Shock to a sold out crowd at Blizzard Arena in January 2018. To support viewership of its professional competitions, Blizzard released a companion "Overwatch" application in November 2018, which allowed viewers to watch matches through a spectator mode.


title: Overwatch

text: "Overwatch" achieved a high level of popularity as an esport in South Korea, with the first game surpassing "League of Legends" and topping gaming cafés in the country in terms of player count. The game also influenced the creation of an esports tournament in the region, under the brand name "APEX", which operated until January 2018.


title: Overwatch

text: "Overwatch" was developed to lack a traditional story or campaign mode and instead Blizzard conveyed narrative elements through a transmedia storytelling method. While voice lines and map elements in "Overwatch" reveal some of its universe's lore, the bulk of the story surrounding its characters is told through animated short films and literary media. Character biographies and fake news reports containing story pieces have also been published on Blizzard's website. Chu remarked that Blizzard's method of storytelling with "Overwatch" demonstrated a "gameplay first" philosophy.


title: Overwatch

text: As part of the original game's announcement, Blizzard released an animated "cinematic trailer" for "Overwatch" on November 7, 2014. They would repeat this to announce "Overwatch 2", releasing the "Zero Hour" cinematic trailer in 2019.


title: Overwatch

text: Blizzard also released animated short films to help flesh out "the real meat" of "Overwatch"s lore. These shorts employed 3D computer-generated animation, and received praise from video game journalists, with some likening their quality to those of works from Disney and Pixar. that "Recall", the first of these shorts, was released on March 21, 2016. It was centered around Reaper's attack on Winston at Gibraltar and Winston's following recall of former Overwatch agents. Blizzard released nine more shorts through 2018; "Reunion" was the last of these shorts until "The Wastelander" was released in 2022.


title: Overwatch

text: Aside from short films, Blizzard also released "origin story" videos for Soldier: 76 and each character added to "Overwatch"s playable roster post-launch. An origin story for King's Row Uprising, a tie-in for an in-game event was also released. These origin story videos are designed to provide players with the background of new characters. Origin stories are animated in the style of motion comics and are shorter than Blizzard's 3D-animated short films.


title: Overwatch

text: From 2016 to 2018, Blizzard published "Overwatch", a 16-issue comic series, beginning with "Trainhopper". Some issues, such as "Uprising", served as tie-ins to in-game events. Motion comic versions of the series were also released, produced by Madefire Studios. These motion comics included sound effects and official music featured in-game. Originally a digital comic series, Blizzard partnered with Dark Horse Comics to publish a hardcover anthology in 2017, which collected the series' 12 issues released to that point. An expanded edition of the anthology was released in December 2021.


title: Overwatch

text: From 2020 to 2021, Blizzard and Dark Horse published "Tracer - London Calling" a five-issue limited series. Written by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by Babs Tarr, print versions of each issue were also released. Rachael Cohen and Deron Bennett served as the series' colorist and letterer, respectively. A graphic novel collecting the five issues and featuring cover art by artist Bengal was physically released on September 28, 2021.


title: Overwatch

text: Another five-issue limited series, "New Blood" was released from November 2021 to March 2022. Similar in style to "London Calling", the series followed Cassidy post-"Zero Hour" on his journey to recruit members to the newly revived Overwatch. Both "London Calling" and "New Blood" also served as tie-ins for in-game seasonal events.


title: Overwatch

text: A graphic novel titled "Overwatch: First Strike" was teased by Blizzard in 2016, but it was ultimately scrapped. Posting on "Overwatch"s official forums, Chu stated that Blizzard decided to cancel "First Strike" due to considerable changes made to the narrative and characters of "Overwatch" since "First Strike" was first conceived. The novel was to be penned by writer Micky Neilson and artist Ludo Lullabi.


title: Overwatch

text: Shortly before the publishing of the first volume of their "Overwatch" comic series anthology, Dark Horse released "The Art of Overwatch" on October 24, 2017. The 100-page book showcased concept art and illustrations from "Overwatch"s development team, accompanied by their commentary.


title: Overwatch

text: In 2019, Blizzard released "Bastet", "What You Left Behind", and "Valkyrie", three short stories which centered on Soldier: 76, Baptiste, and Mercy, respectively. Further short stories featuring Symmetra and Reaper have also been released. Also in 2019, Blizzard released an official "Overwatch" cookbook.


title: Overwatch

text: On June 2, 2020, "The Hero of Numbani", a young-adult novel by Nicky Drayden was published. The story, functioning as a loose novelization of Orisa's origin story, follows Efi Ofadele, an 11-year old inventor. Ofadele creates Orisa in order to help protect the fictional country of Numbani. A second "Overwatch" young-adult novel, this time authored by Lyndsay Ely, was released on June 1, 2021. The novel, titled "Deadlock Rebels", centered on Cassidy and Ashe during their teenage years.


title: Overwatch

text: The popularity of "Overwatch" led various companies to launch merchandise lines featuring its characters. Funko produced several figurines as part of their "Pop!" line. Tracer is featured prominently in Good Smile Company's merchandise, with the company distributing both Nendoroid and Figma figurines of the character. Good Smile has also featured other "Overwatch" characters in their lines. LEGO has also produced an "Overwatch" set of figurines. As part of their Rivals line, Nerf has designed "Overwatch"-stylized toy guns. Nerf's parent company, Hasbro, later launched a set of action figures featuring "Overwatch" characters.


title: Overwatch

text: The original "Overwatch" achieved widespread acclaim from both critics and players both prior to and upon release. Pre-release, media outlets "rushed to cover the [game's] beta", which attracted over 9.7 million players.


title: Overwatch

text: The game's PC, PS4, and Xbox One versions all received "universal acclaim", according to review aggregator Metacritic; these versions all hold a "metascore" of 90/100 or higher on the aggregator. "Overwatch"s Nintendo Switch version, however, received "mixed or average reviews" with a 73/100 metascore on the aggregator. Since its release, "Overwatch" has been listed by various outlets as one of the best video games of all-time, particularly within its hero shooter genre and among 21st-century contemporaries. Voted on by readers, "Overwatch" also ranked 29th on a 2018 "Game Informer" poll regarding the best video games-all. Critics praised "Overwatch" for its friendly and inclusive multiplayer atmosphere, able to appeal to new and casual players, as well as more competitive and expert players. The game's colorful and vibrant world and characters, in addition to the playful and team-based nature of its gameplay were cited as driving forces behind the inclusivity and positivity of its player base. While this broad accessibility was a common account by reviewers upon release, outlets later noted that players grew more toxic, particularly on the game's competitive mode. Kaplan concurred with this assessment and led the developers' efforts to curb this toxicity.


title: Overwatch

text: The game also experienced considerable commercial success, becoming the 7th-best selling video game of all-time. Although never officially disclosing an exact number of sold copies, Blizzard counted a lifetime total of over 60 million players in 2021. In 2022, Bloomberg published a report stating that the game eventually sold over 50 million copies. Fans of the franchise produced a large amount of content including art, cosplay, fan fiction, anime-influenced music videos, Internet memes, and pornography featuring "Overwatch" characters and elements.


title: Overwatch

text: Prior to "Overwatch 2"s release, fans raised concerns over the sequel's transition toward a 5v5 dynamic. Also predating its release, the sequel attracted both critic and player concerns about whether it would feel like a true sequel with considerable differences from its predecessor. Visuals from the sequel's technical beta were criticized for being too similar to the original game's. A perceived lack of attention toward support players was also noted during the game's beta. In response, Blizzard made efforts to make the support role more enticing to play. Shortly following the sequel's beta period and just weeks prior the game launching into its early access, Kiriko was introduced to the game's playable roster as the first support hero announced in over three years.


title: Overwatch

text: "Overwatch 2" was met with positive reception from critics, albeit less so than its predecessor; the game's PC version holds an 79/100 metascore on review aggregator Metacritic. All versions indicate "generally favorable reviews. Some reviewers reaffirmed the game's questionable status as a true sequel, likening the game to more of a remix or update. Players had a more lukewarm reception to the sequel upon its launch, with criticism aimed at its battle pass feature and its formerly-required "SMS Protect" system. Changes made to online character bios following the launch of "Overwatch 2" received criticism from fans.


title: Overwatch

text: While the original game was positively received, elements of its related media garnered some criticism. Writing for "Polygon" in 2022, Cass Marshall wrote that ""Overwatch"s lore has been in stasis for so long, and its fandom has been so willing to make a meal out of the crumbs sprinkled out over the years, that I feel like the fans' version of the cast is more concrete than the actual canon." Natalie Clayton, writing for "PC Gamer" similarly opined that ""Overwatch" has only felt more stagnant as the years go on," as a result of the series' narrative being "almost uniformly backstories, developments happening safely in the past." Clayton added that "relationships never developed or changed. Characters never grew, and the state of the world-at-large was left a static unknown." Marshall cited this lack of significant progression in "Overwatch" lore, as well as Blizzard's inconsistent updates to it, particularly from 2018 to 2022, as a factor behind the game's declined in popularity. "Valorant", "Rainbow Six Siege", and "Apex Legends" were all cited as gaining favor among existing "Overwatch" players. Developments in "Overwatch" media also affected in-game player patterns; after was canonically revealed to be gay in a comic, his pick rate among players dropped dramatically.


title: Blaise Compaoré

text: Blaise Compaoré (born 3 February 1951) is a Burkinabé-Ivorian former politician who served as the second president of Burkina Faso from 1987 to 2014. He was a close associate of the first president, Thomas Sankara, during the 1980s, and in October 1987, he led a coup d'état during which Sankara was killed. Subsequently, he introduced a policy of 'rectification', overturning the leftist and Third Worldist policies pursued by Sankara. He won elections in 1991, 1998, 2005 and 2010, in what were considered unfair circumstances. His attempt to amend the constitution to extend his 27-year term caused the 2014 Burkinabé uprising. On 31 October 2014, Compaoré resigned, whereupon he fled to the Ivory Coast.


title: Blaise Compaoré

text: Compaoré was born in Ziniaré, Upper Volta on 3 February 1951. His father was a military veteran. He studied at a Catholic school in Fada N'gourma, followed by a Lycée in Ouagadougou. His mother died suddenly when he was 15, an event which was followed by the death of his father several years later. Compaoré subsequently became very close to the family of Thomas Sankara, whose father Joseph treated him as his son. After being expelled from the Lycée, Compaoré underwent basic military training. During his service he decided to pursue a military career, continuing his studies at the Yaoundé Military Academy in Cameroon. There he became acquainted with Henri Zongo and labor union leader Soumane Touré. Following the end of the 1974 Agacher Strip border clashes between Upper Volta and Mali, Compaoré was posted north of Ouahigouya. There he met Thomas Sankara with whom he developed a close friendship.


title: Blaise Compaoré

text: Compaoré played a major role in the coups d'état against Saye Zerbo and Jean-Baptiste Ouedraogo. He has been married to Chantal Compaoré (née Chantal Terrasson de Fougères) since 1985.


title: Blaise Compaoré

text: Under Sankara's leadership, which lasted from 1983 to 1987, Compaoré was his deputy and was a member of the National Revolutionary Council. He served as Minister of State at the Presidency and subsequently as Minister of State for Justice.


title: Blaise Compaoré

text: Compaoré was involved in the 1983 and 1987 coups, taking power after the second in which his predecessor Sankara was killed. He was elected as the president of Burkina Faso in 1991, in an election that was boycotted by the opposition, and re-elected in 1998, 2005 and 2010.


title: Blaise Compaoré

text: At the age of 33, Compaoré organized a coup d'état, which deposed Major Jean-Baptiste Ouedraogo on 4 August 1983. The coup d'état was supported by Libya, which was, at the time, on the verge of war with France in Chad. Other key participants were Captain Henri Zongo, Major Jean-Baptiste Boukary Lingani and the charismatic Captain Thomas Sankara—who was pronounced President.


title: Blaise Compaoré

text: During the Agacher Strip War with Mali in December 1985, Compaoré commanded Burkinabé soldiers who split into small groups and employed guerrilla tactics against Malian tanks.


title: Blaise Compaoré

text: Compaoré took power on 15 October 1987 in a coup during which Sankara was killed. Deteriorating relations with France and neighboring Ivory Coast was the reason given for the coup. Compaoré described the killing of Sankara as an 'accident', but the circumstances have never been properly investigated. Upon taking the presidency, he reverted many of the policies of Sankara, claiming that his policy was a 'rectification' of the Burkinabé revolution.


title: Blaise Compaoré

text: He initially ruled in a triumvirate with Henri Zongo and Jean-Baptiste Boukary Lingani: in September 1989 these two were arrested, charged with plotting to overthrow the government, summarily tried and executed.


title: Blaise Compaoré

text: Compaoré was elected as the president of Burkina Faso in 1991, in an election boycotted by the main opposition parties in protest at the questionable means Compaoré had used to take office in the first place. Only 25 percent of the electorate voted. In 1998, he was re-elected for the first time. In 2003, numerous alleged plotters were arrested, following accusations of a coup plot against Compaoré. In August 2005, he announced his intention to contest the next presidential election. Opposition politicians regarded this as unconstitutional due to a constitutional amendment in 2000 limiting a president to two terms and reducing term lengths from seven to five years. Compaoré's supporters disputed this, saying that the amendment could not be applied retroactively, and in October 2005, the constitutional council ruled that because Compaoré was a sitting president in 2000, the amendment would not apply until the end of his second term in office, thereby allowing him to present his candidacy for the 2005 election.


title: Blaise Compaoré

text: On 13 November 2005, Compaoré was re-elected as president, defeating 12 opponents and winning 80.35 percent of the vote. Although sixteen opposition parties announced a coalition to unseat Compaoré early on in the race, ultimately nobody wanted to give up their spot in the race to another leader in the coalition, and the pact fell through.


title: Blaise Compaoré

text: On 14 April 2011, Compaoré was reported to have fled from the capital Ouagadougou to his hometown of Ziniare after mutineering military bodyguards began a revolt in their barracks reportedly over unpaid allowances. Their actions eventually spread to the presidential compound and other army bases. In the night, gunfire was reported at the presidential compound and an ambulance was seen leaving the compound. Soldiers also looted shops in the city through the night.


title: Blaise Compaoré

text: In June 2014 Compaoré's ruling party, the Congress for Democracy and Progress (CDP), called on him to organise a referendum that would allow him to alter the constitution in order to seek re-election in 2015. Otherwise, he would be forced to step down due to term limits.


title: Blaise Compaoré

text: On 30 October 2014, the National Assembly was scheduled to debate an amendment to the constitution that would have enabled Compaoré to stand for re-election as president in 2015. Opponents protested against this by storming the parliament building in Ouagadougou, starting fires inside it and looting offices. Billowing smoke was reported by the BBC to be coming from the building. Opposition spokesman Pargui Emile Paré of the People's Movement for Socialism / Federal Party described the protests as 'Burkina Faso's black spring (sic), like the Arab spring (sic)'.


title: Blaise Compaoré

text: Compaoré reacted to the events by shelving the proposed constitutional changes, dissolving the government, declaring a state of emergency and offering to work with the opposition to resolve the crisis. Later in the day, the military, under General Honore Traore, announced that it would install a transitional government 'in consultation with all parties' and that the National Assembly was dissolved; he foresaw 'a return to the constitutional order' within a year. He did not make clear what role, if any, he envisioned for Compaoré during the transitional period. Compaoré said that he was prepared to leave office at the end of the transition.


title: Blaise Compaoré

text: On 31 October, Compaoré announced he had left the presidency and that there was a 'power vacuum'. He also called for a 'free and transparent' election within 90 days. Presidential guard officer Yacouba Isaac Zida then took over as head of state in an interim capacity. It was reported that a heavily armed convoy believed to be carrying Compaoré was traveling towards the southern town of Pô. However, it diverted before reaching the town and he then fled to Ivory Coast with the support of President Alassane Ouattara.