text:
Microscopic scale

The microscopic scale is the scale of objects and events smaller than those that can easily be seen by the naked eye, requiring a lens or microscope to see them clearly. In physics, the microscopic scale is sometimes regarded as the scale between the macroscopic scale and the quantum scale. Microscopic units and measurements are used to classify and describe very small objects. One common microscopic length scale unit is the micrometre (also called a micron) (symbol: μm), which is one millionth of a metre.

History
Whilst compound microscopes were first developed in the 1590s, the significance of the microscopic scale was only truly established in the 1600s when Marcello Malphigi and Antonie van Leeuwenhoek microscopically observed frog lungs and microorganisms. As microbiology was established, the significance of making scientific observations at a microscopic level increased.

Published in 1665, Robert Hooke's book Micrographia details his microscopic observations including fossils insects, sponges, and plants, which was possible through his development of the compound microscope. During his studies of cork, he discovered plant cells and coined the term 'cell'.

Prior to the use of the micro- prefix, other terms were originally incorporated into the International metric system in 1795, such as centi- which represented a factor of 10^-2, and milli-, which represented a factor of 10^-3.

Over time the importance of measurements made at the microscopic scale grew, and an instrument named the Millionometre was developed by watch-making company owner Antoine LeCoultre in 1844. This instrument had the ability to precisely measure objects to the nearest micrometre.

The British Association for the Advancement of Science committee incorporated the micro- prefix into the newly established CGS system in 1873.

The micro- prefix was finally added to the official SI system in 1960, acknowledging measurements that were made at an even smaller level, denoting a factor of 10^-6.

Biology
By convention, the microscopic scale also includes classes of objects that are most commonly too small to see but of which some members are large enough to be observed with the eye. Such groups include the Cladocera, planktonic green algae of which Volvox is readily observable, and the protozoa of which stentor can be easily seen without aid. The submicroscopic scale similarly includes objects that are too small to see with an optical microscope.

Thermodynamics
In thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, the microscopic scale is the scale at which we do not measure or directly observe the precise state of a thermodynamic system – such detailed states of a system are called microstates. We instead measure thermodynamic variables at a macroscopic scale, i.e. the macrostate.

Levels of Microscopic Scale
As the microscopic scale covers any object that cannot be seen by the naked eye, yet is visible under a microscope, the range of objects that fall under this scale can be as small as an atom, visible underneath a transmission electron microscope. Microscope types are often distinguished by their mechanism and application, and can be divided into two general categories.

Light microscopes
Amongst light microscopes, the utilised objective lens dictates how small of an object can be seen. These varying objective lenses can change the resolving power of the microscope, which determines the shortest distance that somebody is able to distinguish two separate objects through that microscope lens. It is important to note that the resolution between two objects varies from individual to individual, but the strength of the objective lenses can be quantified.

In the 1660s, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek devised a simple microscope utilising a single spherical lens mounted between two thin brass plates. Depending on the quality of the lens, magnifications of between 70x and 250x were possible. The specimen to be examined was mounted on a point on a finely threaded rod.

Compound light microscopes have a short focal length objective lens which produces a real image which is examined using a longer focal length eyepiece. The ratio of the focal length of the objective and the eyepiece, when mounted in a standard tube length, gives an approximate magnification of the system. Due to their design, compound microscopes have improved resolving power and contrast in comparison to simple microscopes, and can be used to view the structure, shape and motility of a cell and its organisms, which can be as small as 0.1 micrometres.

Electron microscopes
While electron microscopes are still a form of compound microscope, their use of electron beams to illuminate objects varies in mechanism significantly from compound light microscopes, allowing them to have a much higher resolving power, and magnification approximately 10,000 times more than light microscopes. These can be used to view objects such as atoms, which are as small as 0.001 micrometres.

Forensics
During forensic investigations, trace evidence from crime scenes such as blood, fingerprints and fibres can be closely examined under microscopes, even to the extent of determining the age of a trace. Along with other specimens, biological traces can be used to accurately identify individuals present at a location, down to cells found in their blood.

Gemology
When the monetary value of gems is determined, various professions in gemology require systematic observation of the microscopic physical and optical properties of gemstones. This can involve the use of stereo microscopes to evaluate these qualities, to eventually determine the value of each individual jewel or gemstone. This can be done similarly in evaluations of gold and other metals.

Infrastructure
When assessing road materials, the microscopic composition of the infrastructure is vital in determining the longevity and safety of the road, and the different requirements of varying locations. As chemical properties such as water permeability, structural stability and heat resistance affect the performance of different materials used in pavement mixes, they are taken into consideration when building for roads according to the traffic, weather, supply and budget in that area.

Medicine

In medicine, diagnoses can be made with the assistance of microscopic observation of patient biopsies, such as cancer cells. Pathology and cytology reports include a microscopic description, which consists of analyses performed using microscopes, histochemical stains or flow cytometry. These methods can determine the structure of the diseased tissue and the severity of the disease, and early detection is possible through identification of microscopic indications of illness.

Microscopic scale in the laboratory
Whilst use of the microscopic scale has many roles and purposes in the scientific field, there are many biochemical patterns observed microscopically that have contributed significantly to the understanding of how human life relies on microscopic structures to function and live.

Founding experiments
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek was not only a contributor to the invention of the microscope, he is also referred to as the "father of Microbiology". This is due to his significant contributions in the initial observation and documentation of unicellular organisms such as bacteria and spermatozoa, and microscopic human tissue such as muscle fibres and capillaries.

Human cells
Genetic manipulation of energy-regulating mitochondria under microscopic principles has also been found to extend organism lifespan, tackling age-associated issues in humans such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and multiple sclerosis. By increasing the amount of energy products made by mitochondria, the lifespan of its cell, and thus organism, increases.

DNA
Microscopic analysis of the spatial distribution of points within DNA heterochromatin centromeres emphasise the role of the centromeric regions of chromosomes in nuclei undergoing the interphase part of cell mitosis. Such microscopic observations suggest nonrandom distribution and precise structure of centromeres during mitosis is a vital contributor to successful cell function and growth, even in cancer cells.

Chemistry and physics
The entropy and disorder of the universe can be observed at a microscopic scale, with reference to the second and third law of thermodynamics. In some cases, this can involve calculating the entropy change within a container of expanding gas molecules and relating it to the entropy change of its environment and the universe.

Ecology
Ecologists monitor the state of an ecosystem over time by identifying microscopic features within the environment. This includes the temperature and tolerance of microorganisms such as ciliates, and their interactions with othrt Protozoa. Additionally, microscopic factors such as movement and motility can be observed in water samples of that ecosystem.

Geology
Branches of geology involve the study of the Earth's structure at a microscopic level. Physical characteristics of rocks are recorded, and in petrography there is a specific focus on the examination of microscopic details of rocks. Similar to scanning electron microscopes, electron microprobes can be used in petrology to observe the condition that allows rocks to form, which can inform the origin of these samples. In structural geology, petrographic microscopes allow the study of rock microstructures, to determine how geologic features such as tectonic plates affect the likelihood of earthquakes and groundwater movement.

Current research
There have been both advances in microscopic technology, and discoveries in other areas of knowledge as a result of microscopic technology.

Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease
In conjunction with fluorescent tagging, molecular details in singular amyloid proteins can be studied through new light microscopy techniques, and their relation to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

Atomic force microscopy
Other improvements in light microscopy include the ability to view sub-wavelength, nanosized objects. Nanoscale imaging via atomic force microscopy has also been improved to allow a more precise observation of small amounts of complex objects, such as cell membranes.

Renewable energy
Coherent microscopic patterns discovered in chemical systems support ideas of the resilience of certain substances against entropic environments. This research is being utilised to inform the productions of solar fuels, and the improvement of renewable energy.

Microscopic musical instrument - Micronium
A microscopic musical instrument called the Micronium has also been developed through micromechanics, consisting of springs the thickness of human hair being plucked by microscopic comb drives. This is a very minimal movement that produces an audible noise to the human ear, which was not previously done by past attempts with microscopic instruments.

title: Microscopic scale


text:
Ratchaburi province

Ratchaburi province (จังหวัดราชบุรี, ) or Rat Buri is one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (changwat) lies in Western Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are (from north clockwise) Kanchanaburi, Nakhon Pathom, Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram and Phetchaburi. In the west it borders the Tanintharyi Region of Myanmar.

Ratchaburi is 80 km west of Bangkok and borders Myanmar to the west with the Tenasserim Hills as a natural border. The Mae Klong flows through the centre of Ratchaburi town.

Geography
Ratchaburi province is a medium-sized province with an area of about 5196 km2. The eastern part of the province contains the flat river plains of the Mae Klong, crisscrossed by many khlongs. The most famous tourist spot in this area is the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. The west of the province is more mountainous, and includes the Tenasserim Hills. As the mountains are made mostly of limestone, there are several caves containing stalactites. Some caves are inhabited by large colonies of bats, and it is an impressive sight when they swarm out in the evening to feed. Other caves like the Khao Bin are accessible for visitors.

The main river of the western part is the Phachi River. On the left bank of the Phachi is the Chaloem Phrakiat Thai Prachan National Park, 329 km2, along with eight other national parks, make up region 3 (Ban Pong) of Thailand's protected areas. There is one wildlife sanctuary, along with two other wildlife sanctuaries, make up region 3 (Ban Pong) of Thailand's protected areas. Mae Nam Phachi Wildlife Sanctuary, 489 km2.

The area of Ratchaburi province is divided into three parts. First, the border in the west which is shared with Myanmar and is about 60 km long. The second contains the Tenasserim mountains and forests with an elevation of about 200–300 meters. The central area of the province is rich in wetlands due to river flow. Ratchaburi has important natural resources in its forest of which it covers an area of 1,711 km² or 33 percent of provincial area. Moreover, it has minerals such as tin, tantalum, feldspar, quartz, limestone, and marlstone.

History
The history of the city of Ratchaburi dates back to the Dvaravati period, when it was an important city of the Mon Kingdom. Of the city of Khu Bua nearby only ruins remains. According to legend it dates back to the mythical Suvannabhumi Kingdom predating Dvaravati.

"Ratchaburi" means 'the land of the king'. Ratchaburi dates back to ancient times and was important during the Dvaravati period. The city of Ratchburi is on the banks of the Mae Klong River and was a town of the Suvarnabhumi Kingdom.

From the evidence of archaeological sites and many antiquities, believed that people have settled in this area since the Middle Stone Age, as well as discovering an ancient city in the Dvaravati period at Mueang Ratchaburi district. King Rama I used to take a position of Royal Yokkrabat of Ratchaburi in the late Ayutthaya period.

In the late Ayutthaya period and early Rattanakosin period, there is historical evidence that Ratchaburi is an important frontier city, It is a battlefield for many ages. Especially during the reign of King Rama I has brought troops to set up the Burmese battle in Ratchaburi area many times, the most important one was the Burmese–Siamese War (1785–1786).

Later in 1817, In the reign of King Rama II has ordered to build a new city wall on the left bank of the Mae Klong River until the present. In the reign of King Rama V in 1894, has changed the government and included the city that are close together to set up as counties and included the city of Ratchaburi, Kanchanaburi, Samut Songkhram, Phetchaburi, Pran Buri and Prachuap Khiri Khan to set up as Ratchaburi county.

Demographics
Hill tribes, mostly Karen living near the Myanmar border, make up about one percent of the population. Some Mon, Lawa, Lao, Chinese and Khmer minorities live in the province.

Ratchaburi is 98.3 percent Buddhist.

Symbols
The provincial seal shows the royal sword above the royal sandals on a phan, as the name Ratchaburi means 'city of the king'. The name derives from the fact that King Rama I was born here. The provincial slogan is "Beautiful women of Photharam. Exquisite women of Ban Pong. City of dragon jars. Nang Yai of Wat Khanon. Sensational caves. Damnoen (Saduak) floating market. Amazing millions of bats. Delicious fish from the Yi Sok area." The provincial flower is the Pink Shower Tree (Cassia bakeriana), and the provincial tree is Wrightia pubescens. Jullien's golden carp (Probarbus jullieni) is a provincial fish, same as neighbouring province Kanchanaburi, that has good taste and flourished in the Mae Klong River in the past, but is now critically endangered.

Rail
The main railway station in Ratchaburi is Ratchaburi railway station.

Public
Ratchaburi Hospital is the main and largest hospital of the province, classified as a regional hospital by the Ministry of Public Health. In the lower tier, three general hospitals are located in Ratchaburi: Ban Pong Hospital, Photharam Hospital and Damnoen Saduak Hospital. The remaining six districts are served by community hospitals.

Provincial government
The province is divided into 10 districts (amphoes). The districts are further subdivided into 104 sub-districts (tambons) and 935 villages (mubans).

Local government
As of 26 November 2019 there are: one Ratchaburi Provincial Administration Organisation (ongkan borihan suan changwat) and 34 municipal (thesaban) areas in the province. Ratchaburi, Ban Pong, Tha Pha and Photharam have town (thesaban mueang) status. Further 30 subdistrict municipalities (thesaban tambon). The non-municipal areas are administered by 77 Subdistrict Administrative Organisations - SAO (ongkan borihan suan tambon).

Human achievement index 2022
Since 2003, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Thailand has tracked progress on human development at sub-national level using the Human achievement index (HAI), a composite index covering all the eight key areas of human development. National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) has taken over this task since 2017.

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

title: Ratchaburi province


text:
Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra

The Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra (German: Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR) was a German radio orchestra based in Stuttgart in Germany.

History
The ensemble was founded in 1945 by American occupation authorities as the orchestra for Radio Stuttgart, under the name Sinfonieorchester von Radio Stuttgart (Symphony Orchestra of Radio Stuttgart). The radio network later became the Süddeutscher Rundfunk (SDR, South German Radio), and the orchestra changed its name in 1949 to the Sinfonieorchester des Süddeutschen Rundfunks (South German Radio Symphony Orchestra). In 1959, the orchestra took on the name Südfunk-Sinfonieorchester. The orchestra acquired its final name in 1975.

Like many broadcast orchestras in Germany, the orchestra had a reputation for performing contemporary music. Past principal conductors included Sir Neville Marriner (1983–1989), who later held the title of principal guest conductor. Georges Prêtre, who became the orchestra's artistic director in 1996, later held the title of Ehrendirigent (honorary conductor) with the orchestra. From 1998 to 2011, Roger Norrington was principal conductor, and incorporated his ideas of historically informed performance, including minimal use of vibrato, into the orchestra's style of playing. Following his tenure with the orchestra, Norrington shared the title of Ehrendirigent with Georges Prêtre. In March 2010, the orchestra announced the appointment of Stéphane Denève as its next principal conductor, starting with the 2011-2012 season. His initial contract was for 3 years. In June 2013, the orchestra announced the extension of Denève's contract through the 2015-2016 season. Denève concluded his tenure as chief conductor at the close of the 2015-2016 season, and was the final conductor to hold the title of chief conductor of the orchestra.

In June 2012, the SWR Broadcasting Council voted to approve a measure proposed by SWR Intendant Peter Boudgoust to merge the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra with the Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra, for ostensible reasons of budgetary limitations for two separate orchestras affiliated with the SWR. The SWR Broadcasting Council formally passed the measure in September 2012, with the merger of the two orchestras scheduled to occur in 2016. International protests at the proposal emerged. The orchestra gave its final concert on 28 July 2016 under the direction of Norrington, at the Royal Albert Hall as part of The Proms. The replacement orchestra is the SWR Symphonieorchester.

The orchestra recorded for several labels, including Hänssler  and ECM New Series.

Principal conductors

 * Hans Müller-Kray (1948–1969)
 * Sergiu Celibidache (1971–1977)
 * Neville Marriner (1983–1989)
 * Gianluigi Gelmetti (1989–1998)
 * Roger Norrington (1998–2011)
 * Stéphane Denève (2011–2016)

title: Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra


text:
Longshot (Marvel Comics)

Longshot is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the X-Men. Created by writer Ann Nocenti and artist Art Adams, he first appeared in Longshot #1 (September 1985), the first issue of a six-issue miniseries that represents the first major work of both Nocenti and Adams. The Longshot series established Longshot as an amnesiac fugitive from another dimension who discovers that he has a "good luck" power that protects him from harm when his motives are pure. He also discovers that he was a slave who led a rebellion on his dystopian world against his former master and enemy, Mojo.

The character subsequently becomes a recurring fixture in the various X-Men related books, which see him as a member of the X-Men from 1986 to 1989, a member of Tony Bedard and Chris Claremont's Exiles teams, and a member of the third incarnation of X-Factor from 2008–2013, as well as in his own solo adventures. Later stories establish he is a paradoxical genetically engineered clone of his future son, Shatterstar. Versions of the character have also appeared in the Ultimate Marvel line of books, and television and video games.

Publication history
Ann Nocenti wrote the story for the Longshot limited series. After most of Marvel's artists had declined to take on the project, it was offered to aspiring artist Arthur Adams, whose samples had been given to editor Carl Potts and Nocenti, his assistant editor, by editor Al Milgrom.

Explaining the concept of the character, which Nocenti borrowed from existentialist writers, she states, "Longshot is the idea of stripping someone of everything that they are. I never read comics, so the idea of a hero to me was different. I couldn't think of it in terms of a 'super hero' hero. I thought of it more as a conceptual hero. Not having a comic book background, I tend to come up with the metaphysics before I come up with the characters. I knew that I wanted to deal with the metaphysics of luck. It was a concept that interested me...what luck is, what probability is, how you could shift probabilities towards yourself. What are the repercussions of that? So, I did a character centered around that idea." Nocenti describes Longshot's state at the beginning of the miniseries by referring to him as "a clean slate. He has no memories, no past, no name, no nothing...In a sense, what I was trying to do was strip someone down to where he had none of the crutches that we normally have. Memory, in a way, is a crutch, or your name, or what you believe you are. So, Longshot's odyssey begins with some very basic questions: Who is he? Why is he here? Ultimately, he goes on a quest for his past and finds it in search of him."

A design for the character of Longshot was put forward by Carl Potts, who outfitted the character in a jumpsuit that Adams thought to be reminiscent of the Starfleet uniforms from Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Nocenti suggested that Longshot look distinct from other superheroes. She prescribed that he be an alien, have only four fingers on each hand, and has an unusual spine, though this last trait was not mentioned in the comics. Adams created his own design, and wanting to distinguish the character visually, based his mullet haircut on that of musician Limahl, as no other major Marvel character had such a haircut. Adams, who disliked the practice of having characters produce weapons and other devices from their boots or secret pockets that had never before been established, decided to include some pouches on the character's belt, a practice that influenced the artwork of the founders of Image Comics. Nocenti came up with the idea of having Longshot's left eye glow when he uses his power for noble causes: "I was living in a loft on 26th and Sixth and we had a one-eyed cat. I'd go out at night and I'd see this one eye [glowing in the dark]."

Longshot debuted in a six-issue, eponymous 1985–1986 mini-series. The series established the "Mojoverse", an alien dimension whose residents are addicted to televised gladiator-like entertainment and ruled by the tyrannical network head Mojo. Longshot possesses probability-altering or "luck" powers, and is an action star who escapes enslavement by Mojo. With no memory of who he is, he embarks on a series of adventures with the people he encounters, among them Ricochet Rita, who Adams modeled after Nocenti. A Longshot ongoing series with Nocenti and Adams as the creative team was announced in 1988. According to Nocenti, "every issue is going to throw him into a completely different universe. So one issue, he's going to enter the world of the dead, and one issue he's going to go into a future world where he meets ageing heroes..." However, the series never materialized. Mephisto was to be the central villain; shortly after the series was cancelled, Nocenti began using Mephisto as a major villain in Daredevil.

After the miniseries, Longshot joined the X-Men in Uncanny X-Men Annual #10 in 1986, and remained with them until Uncanny X-Men #248 (September 1989), appearing in various Marvel books occasionally, such as Exiles, the 1997 one-shot Fools and X-Factor, a book whose cast he joined in issue #35 (November 2008). He remained a part of that cast until that book's cancellation in 2013.

In November 2013 Marvel premiered Longshot Saves the Marvel Universe, a four-issue miniseries written by Christopher Hastings and illustrated by Jacopo Camagni.

Origins
Longshot is an artificially created humanoid life-form, with the ability to defy probability. He is from an alternate dimension known as "Mojoworld" or the "Mojoverse". He is one of many slaves created by genetic engineers in the employ of Mojoworld's masters, the grossly obese, virtually immobile Spineless Ones, who are ruled by the media-obsessed delusional maniac named Mojo. The head geneticist, Arize, gave Longshot and his other creations (such as the ram-headed Quark) free will and a conscience, hoping that one day they would rise up against their masters.

Longshot and many of his fellow slaves rebel against the slave-masters. They undergo a mystical ritual that gives them the power to create good luck for themselves. Despite this power, their masters win the war due to their superior weaponry and the limits of the slaves' luck. Longshot is rendered amnesiac by the Spineless Ones, but he manages to flee from Mojoworld to Earth. A number of Mojo's servants, led by the hound-like Gog and Magog, pursue him, but get stuck between Longshot's world and Earth. Unable to remember his real name, Longshot becomes an adventurer and takes the name "Longshot" after several humans call him that due to his incredible good luck. While recovering, Longshot befriends the human stunt-woman named Ricochet Rita and works as a movie stuntman himself. He also adopts the docile Magog, who he renames "Pup". Finally, Mojo and his assistant, the six-armed sword-wielding assassin named Spiral, follow Longshot to Earth. Longshot battles Spiral, and defeats Mojo with the aid of Ricochet Rita, Quark, and Doctor Strange, who then send Mojo and his minions back to the Mojoverse. Longshot, Quark and Rita return to the Mojoverse to free the other slaves.

Member of the X-Men
After an unsuccessful rebellion, a once-again amnesiac Longshot is sent back to Earth by Mojo, where he joins the X-Men. With the X-Men, he battles the Juggernaut and the Marauders. Longshot dies with the rest of the X-Men while defeating the Adversary, but is then restored to life by Roma. Longshot and the X-Men fight the Reavers in Australia for the first time. He battles the Brood. With the X-Men, he rescues his captured teammates from the island nation of Genosha, which uses mutants as a slave caste. He soon becomes Dazzler's lover. However, he suffers a severe identity crisis, and eventually leaves the X-Men.

Before long, Longshot is reunited with Dazzler, and is teleported with her to Mojoworld. For a short time, they live in Mojoworld, until they are captured by Mojo. They, with the X-Men and Mojo's temporary successor, "Mojo II: The Sequel", lead a revolt against Mojo. Longshot and Dazzler also learn that Dazzler is pregnant with their child, who was hinted to be Shatterstar, the member of X-Force. The pair also care for the X-Babies, a group of Mojo-manufactured child clones of the X-Men. One of the many X-Babies created is a young version of Longshot himself. Dazzler's pregnancy was initially suggested to have resulted in a miscarriage. The outcome of Dazzler's pregnancy was resolved many years later, in the storyline "The End of X-Factor". Dazzler returned to Earth separately from Longshot suffering from memory loss, believing that Longshot, the X-Babies and everyone in the rebellion had been killed by Mojo and his followers.

Longshot: Fools
After being "killed" by the Thingy and denied entrance into Heaven, Longshot realizes he has lost his innocence, the main source of his luck power. Ejected from Heaven and Mojoverse, Longshot finds himself stranded between Baum and Barrie, Kansas, pursued by the vengeful Thingy. When a child who has befriended the broken hero is damaged by the monster, Longshot, helped by a group of mental patients, rediscovers his faith in himself and his own purity despite the suffering of his wife to restore her to health. In the end, the unlikely group sets out for the big city, searching for adventure, secure in their luck and their innocence.

Exiles
Again suffering from memory loss, Longshot is recruited for the Exiles by Heather Hudson to help against Proteus. Mojo claims that he and all the other inhabitants of Mojoworld are "unique" in that there is no parallel counterpart to his realm. This would extend to Longshot, though what impact this will have on his membership in the Exiles is unknown. Morph reveals that Longshot's abilities cancel Proteus' reality warping powers, making him a perfect candidate for the team. He is brought aboard to replace the dead Mimic. Longshot saves Blink from Proteus in 2099, and saves Blink, Morph, Sabretooth, Star Brand, Lenore Fenzl, and Nightmask from Proteus in the New Universe Approximation. When the Exiles visit the future, Longshot tries to stop Maestro's rampage and stop Proteus from taking over Maestro's body. The Exiles finally corner Proteus at the Heroes Reborn world, and trap Proteus in Morph's body. With the hunt for Proteus at an end, Longshot remains an Exile to continue fixing damaged realities. During their last mission, Longshot is seemingly brainwashed into attacking Blink by Madame Hydra and the Hand. Afterwards, Longshot leaves the Exiles during a mission on Earth-616 where he is re-introduced to Dazzler, whom he has no memory of their time together in Mojoworld.

X-Factor
After failing to rekindle his relationship with Dazzler due to the loss of his memories, Longshot shows up in Detroit after reading an article about his supposed appearance there during the events of Secret Invasion, thanks to a Skrull impostor. After a small fight with Guido, he helps X-Factor find out what happened to Darwin and his father, leading them to the Karma Project. During that time, he is seen commenting that women are too friendly towards him, and reveals that his memory losses are so severe that he doesn't even understand his powers anymore.

In X-Factor #47 it is once more hinted that Longshot and Shatterstar are related. It is not until a one-shot issue during the final X-Factor story arc, "The End of X-Factor", that their connection is explained. After Rictor and Shatterstar are transported into Mojoworld's past, they and the audience learn that Shatterstar is the only Mojoworld rebel who was not created by Arize the Creator, as he in fact mysteriously appeared from the sky one day. Arize then used Shatterstar's genetic material to create Longshot, making Shatterstar the father of Longshot genetically. Mojo later attacks Arize's sanctuary, so Shatterstar time-teleports himself and Rictor to a time in Mojoworld's history when Dazzler and Longshot are married and fighting a war against Mojo. Dazzler, pregnant with Longshot's child, goes into labor, and gives birth to a young Shatterstar, who Shatterstar explains to Rictor he will deliver to the future of Mojoworld to be raised by the people that raised him, but not before he erases Dazzler and Longshot's memories of their having a child.

Powers, abilities and equipment
Longshot was created through genetic engineering by Arize. Longshot has hollow bones, and three fingers and an opposable thumb on each hand. He also has leather-like skin, and two hearts. He is superhumanly acrobatic (speed, agility, dexterity, flexibility, reflexes/reactions, coordination, and balance), being able to evade blows by Spider-Man. He also has advanced healing abilities. In Longshot #3, these abilities automatically healed him following several hits with high-powered laser beams and falling out of the sky and impacting a barn when his jetpack malfunctioned.

Ann Nocenti, who co-created Longshot, says of his primary superhuman trait, "Longshot has access to probabilities and luck. He's lucky, he's miraculous in a way...he was born with this talent to have access to being lucky, and the problem is that he finds out that there's a flip side to luck. There are repercussions. If you pull probabilities towards yourself, you're probably taking them away from other people, so it's actually something that he shouldn't even be doing." He was genetically engineered and augmented by magical means to have certain superhuman abilities. The mystical augmentation gave him the ability to affect probability fields through psionic means to give himself "good luck" in his activities. This allows incredibly unlikely events to happen in Longshot's favor. This power operates even when Longshot does not consciously will it, and is tied into the positive aspects of his personality: should he attempt to use his powers for a selfish or evil act, or should lose hope, his powers will fail to function or even backfire, giving him bad luck. Echoing Nocenti's words on the adverse side effects of his powers, Longshot's luck is fickle, and can backfire if he overuses it, creating an equal and opposite "bad luck" effect elsewhere, that can affect others or even Longshot himself. Longshot's left eye glows brightly when he uses his superhuman powers.

Longshot can read "psychic imprints" that people leave on objects that they have handled, and thereby learn the thoughts that an individual had while handling the object, a phenomenon known as psychometry. He can also read a person's future in this manner. He can also telepathically "read" the recent memories of a person by making physical contact with him or her. Nocenti elaborates on the psychometry thus: "If you picked up a hammer and used it to bang nails every day and Longshot went to read it, he may not read much of it, but if it was used to kill somebody, that would leave a bigger psychic imprint, even if somebody held an object and cried over it, he would feel that too. If someone's emotional or intense enough around an object, they'll imprint it stronger, so he can read that."

A recurring aspect of stories he appeared in was the strong, spontaneous attraction that women exhibited to him, a trait with which he was genetically engineered.

Longshot carries several small, cleaver-like blades stored in a bandolier, which he hurls with inhuman accuracy or in some cases, completely dependent upon his luck powers. He is also shown as proficient in other types of bladed weaponry. During his X-Men years, Longshot also carried a folding grappling hook and rope either carried looped around one shoulder or stored in his shoulder bag, and a set of throwing spikes which produced net-like wires between them to restrain a target.

Longshot is proficient in the use of jetpacks for flight, the use of handheld directed-energy weapons, and hang gliders.

Longshot is an extraordinary acrobat, and has superhuman agility due to having hollow bones but musculature like a human's.

Reception

 * In 2014, Entertainment Weekly ranked Longshot 31st in their "Let's rank every X-Man ever" list.

"Shattershot"
In the alternate reality future seen at the end of the 1992 "Shattershot" storyline (which ran through the 1992 annuals of the X-Men-related titles), a mysterious hooded figure appears in the background when the former slaves and the Spineless Ones finally make peace, and observes the events of the story. At the end of the story, this individual removes his hood, revealing himself to be an aged Longshot. He makes a philosophical pronouncement, then says "Gotcha!" as he did while he was with the X-Men.

Ultimate Marvel
Ultimate Longshot first appeared in Ultimate X-Men #54, written by Brian K. Vaughan. In the Ultimate Universe, Longshot is not an alien but an ordinary mutant named Arthur Centino. His name is a tribute to creators Art Adams and Ann Nocenti.

Centino is accused of murdering Lord Joseph Scheele, a Genoshan politician; as punishment, he is sentenced to forced participation in a reality show on Krakoa Island where he will be hunted for sport. The show is run by Mojo Adams, and Longshot's latest opponent is Arcade.

The X-Men journey to the island Longshot is on, assuming he is innocent and was framed and thus offer to help him. During the course of their time together, Longshot spends time charming Colossus. It is later discovered that he is guilty; he had stumbled upon his girlfriend Spiral with the politician and killed him in a fit of rage. Later, Longshot is in the Savage Land foraging for food when he runs into the Ultimates' Scarlet Witch, who captures him and has him imprisoned in their Triskelion base. Longshot later successfully escapes from the Triskelion. During the escape, he seemingly kills Lady Deathstrike, saving the lives of two of the X-Men who had freed him before. One of the others who escaped is Magneto, who admits that he had tipped the authorities onto Longshot's location in the first place, as part of Magneto's own escape plan; Magneto wanted Longshot and his luck power present as an "edge" to guarantee success.

When Longshot is last seen, the death of Charles Xavier is announced, the news reaches "Somewhere Else," apparently Magneto's latest stronghold. Longshot is seen, still bearded from his time on the run, seated on his own low stool at Magneto's right hand side, suggesting that the sociopathic young mutant holds special favor with the Master of Magnetism. This story by Robert Kirkman is entitled Aftermath: Part 1.

It is later revealed that Longshot was somehow tortured and killed in the Savage Land under orders from Magneto.

Television
Longshot appears in X-Men: The Animated Series, voiced by Rod Wilson.

Video games

 * Longshot appears as a playable character in X-Men II: The Fall of the Mutants.
 * Longshot appears as a playable character in Marvel: Contest of Champions.

title: Longshot (Marvel Comics)


text:
Talk:Mahabharata

Mahabharata is a 5th Veda
Mahabharata is a 5th Veda according to Devi bhagwat Purana, Mahabharata which contains the following five characteristics :-- (1) Creation of the universe, (2) Secondary creation, (3) Dynasties (4) Manvantaras and (5) The description of Manus and other kings. Mahâbhârata writen by Vedavyâsa, characterised by these five things. This is known as the fifth Veda and Itihâsa (history.)Source of this Topic Ambaputra (talk) 06:02, 1 January 2024 (UTC)

Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya by Madhwacharya
'Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya'. It has 5000+ shlokas, in 1st Adhyaya Madhwacharya help to prove Mahabharata as Panchama Veda.

Bhaskarna (talk) 11:26, 21 February 2024 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 27 February 2024
Mahabharatha was also translated to Telugu somewhere between 11 Century CE and 14 Century CE by Kavitrayam (Trinity of poets), consisting of Nannayya, Thikkana and Yerrapragada (also known as Errana) with title ఆంధ్ర మహాభారతం(read Andhra Mahabharatam). Jyothiprasad.buddha (talk) 16:44, 27 February 2024 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. The Herald (Benison) (talk) 08:13, 5 March 2024 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 19 May 2024
"Change astronomical dating of Mahabharata in compilation of text row that is 5561 BCE by professor Nilesh Nilkanth Oak Pranav kantak (talk) 07:54, 19 May 2024 (UTC)
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. Charliehdb (talk) 10:06, 20 May 2024 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 19 May 2024 (2)
astronomical dating of 5561 BCE for Mahabharat text as researched by Nilesh Oak Pranav kantak (talk) 08:03, 19 May 2024 (UTC)
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. Charliehdb (talk) 10:07, 20 May 2024 (UTC)

James L. Fitzgerald (2018) analysis
Recently Fitzgerald proposed a 5 stage development of Mahabharata, explained in Dokter-Mersch (2023): 1) Before 400 BCE, it was an oral composition called "Bharata," prior to invention of writing in India. 2) Between 400 and 50 BCE, when "although writing was invented in this period [...] the composition, preservation, and transmission of this Bharata was still oral. 3) Between 50 BCE and 50 CE, "the creation and promulgation of a written Sanskrit Mahabharata." 4) Between 50 and 150 CE "[t]he transmission [...] continued orally because, non-Sanskritic audience needed explanations in their local language to understand the text," along with a major written addition. 5) Between 150 and 350 CE, the last written addition took place.

Ref: Dokter-Mersch, Sanne, (2023). "Orality in a world of manuscripts..." in: Manuscript and Text Cultures, Vol. 2, Number 2, pp. 206.

It would be fit to incorporate this perspective in the Mahabharata's article.--Carlos Eduardo Aramayo B. (talk) 03:51, 13 July 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:Mahabharata


text:
Talk:Arabic alphabet/from the French Wikipedia/discuss this page

A few help
I tried to translate a paragraph but my linguistic knowledge is too poor so I can't even understand the French sentence. If a native english speaker could have a look to provide a better formulation, it could help!

Cheers PY 12:32, Mar 2, 2004 (UTC)

And the layed out talk page on arabic alphabet is not 'up to date' I did a partial translation of the Voyelles paragraphs (the first still in French)

French/English linguistics dictionary
While struggling with some of the French linguistic terminology in this article, I came across: http://www.sil.org/linguistics/glossary_fe/ which may well prove useful for figuring out some of the more esoteric stuff. Bill 16:07, 9 Aug 2003 (UTC)

Glossaire typographique et linguistique
A French language typography/linguistic glossary has been helpful too: http://alis.isoc.org/glossaire/

Moteur de rendu
About "moteur de rendu": I've used "rendering engine" to translate this phrase. There is a difference between a browser and a rendering engine. All Web browsers use a "rendering engine" to process the received, encoded HTML and present the results on a users computer display screen. -- Bill 13:04, 10 Aug 2003 (UTC)
 * That's the right translation : cf. http://www.yoyodesign.org/doc/w3c/lexique_fr_en.html#m. The rendering engine may be independant from the browser : in Windows systems, it is mainly the Uniscribe files which process the data. Its version depends on the Windows OS. It means that, giving that you use the same browser, let's say Opera 7, you won't necessary get the same results if your OS is Windows98 or XP, because of Uniscribe limitations in Windows98. I hope It's clear... Vincent Ramos 12:53, 15 Sep 2003 (UTC)

Article title
About the article title: I suspect the use of a foward slash in the title is what's causing the anomaly at the top of the Talk page. Should be move the article to "Arabic alphabet from the French Wikipedia"? Bill 13:06, 10 Aug 2003 (UTC)

 * No, it's deliberately made as a temporary "subpage" of Arabic alphabet. Even though this is a no-no for normal article titles, it's acceptable usage for things like "Article name/Temp", and it's that meaning that I intend here: the idea is that the finished product will replace or be merged with the current article. -- The Anome 13:17, 10 Aug 2003 (UTC)

 * OK. -- Bill 13:37, 10 Aug 2003 (UTC)

Liants
I'm stuck on "liants". A "liant" is an invisible character which influences the behavior of neighboring characters. A "liant avec chasse" forces two characters to abut one-another. A "liant sans chasse" inhibits this behavior. All well and good, but I dont' know the English for these. Can anyone help? -- Bill 13:39, 10 Aug 2003 (UTC)

 * Combining marks? Non-combining marks? -- The Anome

 * Trouble is, since they're "invisible", it's a bit odd to call them "marks"; I'm pretty sure there's an exact English expression for this; I just don't know what it is. -- Bill 14:50, 10 Aug 2003 (UTC)

 * OK, I found this: "zero width non-joiner" and "zero width joiner", documented at: http://www.htmlhelp.org/reference/html40/entities/special.html. I'm not very happy with it, but let's use it as a space holder until something better comes along. -- Bill 15:23, 10 Aug 2003 (UTC)

 * That's it : liant sans chasse is the French translation of the Unicode bidirectional control character zero width joiner. Vincent Ramos 12:38, 15 Sep 2003 (UTC)

Peer review
My French is not too bad and I have a slight familiarity with linguistics, but I think the result of our translation should be reviewed by someone with linguistic training, and preferably with a knowledge of Arabic. At least if there's any way to get this to happen. Bill 13:12, 10 Aug 2003 (UTC)

About "support" (for the hamza)
French support is the equivalent of English carrier, a silent letter whose function is to bear another character. Hamza often needs a carrier, which may be, according to complexe rules, أ, ؤ or ئ. In this case, the alif, waaw or yaa are mute letter : only hamza is pronounced. Vincent Ramos 12:45, 15 Sep 2003 (UTC)


text:
Talk:Windsurfing

Spelling
It should be noted that "windsurfing" is the generally accepted spelling. The same goes for boardsailing.

Spelling gybe. is not how we spell it in Hawaii, or how i have ever heard anyone spell it. I believe it is spelt Jibe, not gybe.

193.118.251.61 14:02, 21 June 2007 (UTC)Ganlyb Gybe is a sailing term, jibe is to scoff.

Perhaps, in consistence with the naming of the tools of other gliding sports (surfboard, skateboard, snowboard, wakeboard, bodyboard, kiteboard and even waveboard), a windsurfboard should perhaps be only referred to as a "sailboard", because "windsurf board" refers to "riding the surf using the wind", which is only the reserve of the most skilled of wind surfers. 80% of windsurfers don't do that, and also, you don't need to, because you don't need a surf to "windsurf". You see, in the name should appear only a feature/condition that is necessary (in the strictest possible sense, so it distinguishes from other sports) to the execution of the sport concerned; you need a surf to use a surfboard, you need snow to use a snowboard, you need a kite to use a kiteboard, you need a wake (i.e. motorboat) to use a wakeboard etc., but you don't need a surf to use a windsurfboard. What you do need is a ... sail. So "windsurf" is a bit of a misnomer. I therefore suggest the terms "sailboarding" and "sailboard", and to change title of this wikipedia section from "windsurfing" to "sailboarding" (not "boardsailing" because you don't say "boardkiting" or "boardwaking" or "boardsnowing" or "boardskating" etc. either). --Tavernsenses (talk) 08:53, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

Freestyle and tricks
A lot more could be dedicated to freestyle and tricks. It's a growing part of the sport that can be done in many different wind speeds.

Picture
And we _really_ need a more exciting picture! (Don't think I have any, will look). Mat-C 17:50, 18 Apr 2004 (UTC)

Equipment and E2 article
Where should the information about the windsurfing equipment go? Different kinds and shapes of boards, etc.? Also, I have a nice article about modern windsurfing sail design on Everything2, but I'm not sure where to put it.

Alga 00:34, 2004 Aug 18 (UTC)

Moving over my stuff on windsurfing sails from e2: sail and Rotating Asymmetric Foil -- Alga 00:49, 2004 Aug 22 (UTC)

Vacation destinations
Perhaps we should mention that people go to windsurfing vacations, and list the most prominent locations. Alga 21:36, 10 January 2006 (UTC)

I've added some links to the Hayling Island development, as this would be great for windsurfing in th UK - a boost of traffic and some exposure on here would be awesome as they are still bidding for the development. Incorporated hopefully into vac dest.?

I suggest that the Beaufort scale reference in the article be changed to knots or to miles per hour. I've never heard of windsurfers using the Beaufort scale to measure wind speed.. Flashywordz

I have been windsurfing on England's south coast since 1985 and have very frequently heard windsurfers use The Beaufort Scale. I think that it is more frequently used to describe the mid range wind speeds (4,5,6). MPH/Knots is often used for low and high speeds e.g. "I managed to get planing in only 10 knots", or "it was manic, gusting to 50 knots". — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A00:23C4:4B20:600:F5C6:4415:1F40:2538 (talk) 21:43, 8 December 2018 (UTC)

History Section
This history was written by people with enmity toward Hoyle Schweitzer and thus is distorted and divorced from reality. I tried to correct it at one point, but the guards uncorrected it. While Chilvers and Darby may have created a version of a sailboard at one point, their efforts did nothing to advance the popularity of the sport. Jim Drake and Hoyle Schweitzer collaborated on designing the Windsurfer, but it was Hoyle who took the risk and made the concept successful commercially. Jim didn’t want any part of the commercial development. It was Hoyle who developed components that could be mass-produced economically and set up licensees around the world who developed a school system that brought millions into the sport. The emphasis on who made the first or who thought of a mechanical universal joint is misplaced. Steve Jobs didn’t design the first computer, but he is remembered as the star who brought computers to the masses. Hoyle and his wife Diane should be remembered the same way. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dicklambsb (talk • contribs) 21:30, 7 January 2024 (UTC)

This would benefit from a Timeline structure. Additionally the brands and boards that created the sport in the early days are not mentioned in any significant manner. What about the "Windsurfer" and the "Bic" etc?

This paragraph seems not to be up to date.
 * Windsurfing has experienced a boom in the 1980s. Windsurfing became an Olympic sport in 1984, and a shortboard was invented around the same time. However, windsurfing was in a sharp decline in mid-1990s, as the equipment got specialized and hard to sail. Now the sport is experiencing a revival, as new beginner-friendly designs became readily available.

What revival? what beginner-friendly designs? RogerDulhunty (talk) 03:32, 28 March 2015 (UTC)

Fiddle Faddle 17:54, 16 April 2006 (UTC)

I added some sentences about the development of the Windsurfer as a one design sailboat. This concept was influenced by Hoyle's discussions with Ian Bruce and perhaps Hobie Alter. His other choice would have been to have more of a development class. This is one of the reasons the class got to be old because new designs were certainly easier to sail and manouver but his sticking with one design led to his path to the Olympics. I also added a section about computer scoring, something that Schweitzer sponsored and was unique at that time. I was the one who developed the computer program he used. This program was subsequently used by the Laser class and many yacht clubs after I ported it to the then new TRS80 computer - it was more affordable than the HP9825 - Hoyle had an arrangement to fly me in to score the regatta and fly Jay Thomas in who worked for HP who had a HP9825 and printer we could borrow. That portable computer cost about $20000 back in 1976 dollars so this was one of the first applications of portable computers outside the lab, I think. I also ended up working in HP for the manager of the HP9825 computer project, strangely

Familywells 11:16, 6 August 2007 (UTC)familywells

I removed the section about "sailsurfing" as this not a name that has ever been in common use. I also changed the Youth section to improve the language used as well as to introduce more contemporary information (i.e. about Philip Koester and Pozo) 86.132.238.31 (talk) 09:27, 15 August 2010 (UTC)

RogerDulhunty (talk) 06:27, 10 September 2012 (UTC) The contributions of many early pioneers such as Darby, Eastaugh, Chilvers and even Drake has been exaggerated as a consequence of the ill-will arising from the legal disputes.

Indoor Windsurfing?
No mention of any indoor windsurfing, which is suprisingly popular...

I know they have a tournament at the London Boat show every year, and I think there is a big one in Germany - some links and info would be good? Incidentally - The London boat show (and the indoor windsurfing tournament) are held on the same dock where Peter Chilvers has setup his windsurfing and sailing centre - and lives today! So this should be added - I'll scratch around and see what I can find... I know there will be some good photos from the boat show (as bad as their indoor tourny is) but i've got *technical issues* with uploading photos - if i can post links in here - can someone update the page with the pics please? 212.158.239.172 21:27, 19 May 2006 (UTC)

http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/04/0118pwa/

There are some AWESOME shots on this link from the London Boat show - i'm sure a mention of Schroders

A feature in American Windsurfer is now archived online here: https://www.americanwindsurfer.com/articles/indoor-windsurfing-a-french-experience/ — Preceding unsigned comment added by FreelanceCT (talk • contribs) 14:32, 20 August 2020 (UTC)

Rigging Instructions
It appears the rigging instructions section has been taken from / adapted from instructions provided by a company. Perhaps I am wrong, but "Easy-Uphaul" sounds like a commercial product (attached to the rig to allow easier uphaul, maybe?) that would not apply to all rigs. In either case, whether it is applicable to all rigs or not, the title of the section is wrong, as they are not rigging instructions, but more uphaul instructions.
 * Good catch. Yes, the material was copied from a commercial website. I've removed it now. Cheers, -Will Beback 22:55, 21 May 2006 (UTC)

Youth Windsurfing
Isn't T-15 etc only UK/RYA specific?

Nothing yet written about the greats
Hey, there is nothing yet written about the greats here. I'm talking Robby Naish, Bjorn Dunkerbeck, Anders Bringdal, Jason Polokow etc

These guys (and many more) should all have their own entry that links off this page.

Fin choice & performance
Could someone add information on fin choice and how size and shape affect performance. [Brian 26/7/2006]

origin rewrite of 2006-11-4
Uh oh! I hastily reverted what might be a legitimate edit by. The revert was based on the introduction which was an unencyclopedic introduction, vanity, apparent deletion of most of the text, and the editor's short history. I'll leave it to those knowledgeable about the sport to reinstate valid sections. — EncMstr 16:54, 4 November 2006 (UTC)

Rigging
It would be great to have a short tutorial on rigging a wind surfer.

I just added this section.

Letsrig (talk) 18:59, 30 January 2008 (UTC)

could we get a picture of John Kerry?
c'mon that picture and commercial were pretty funnyTallicfan20 (talk) 04:49, 24 October 2008 (UTC)

Lots of photos of John Kerry here: https://www.americanwindsurfer.com/articles/senator-john-kerry-interview/ — Preceding unsigned comment added by FreelanceCT (talk • contribs) 14:29, 20 August 2020 (UTC)

Spanish Version messed up
I know this would belong in the Spanish version, but it seems that something is wrong with it. The whole page goes black and you cannot access "edit this page" or discussion" or anything at all. Can someone look into what happened? Gchick (talk) 16:57, 16 March 2010 (UTC)

Neutral? I think not.
Describing windsurfing as "the ultimate water sport" would seem to violate the neutrality policy. I rewrote the first sentence. ..edit.. If someone wants to improve that opening statement, feel free, but please save the hyperbole for sales brochures. Thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by JGarrick (talk • contribs) 03:12, 27 March 2010 (UTC) Joe Garrick (talk) 03:35, 27 March 2010 (UTC)

Horsepower
I was told a yacht generated 4 horsepower per square metre of sail in a force 4 wind. Given force 4 is a fairly wide range of wind speed and that horsepower is work/time, has anyone got a rule of thumb to calculate the horsepower of sail of a planing windsurfer per square metre of sail for a given Beaufort number? 92.26.27.7 (talk) 21:46, 26 April 2010 (UTC)Ganlyb

yikes
"Learning to kite board is more like learning checkers." "The average age of the windsurfer is around 45." J.Schmill (talk) 04:25, 18 October 2010 (UTC)

Similar sports in 'See also' section
I added some very brief descriptions for other sports to clarify things for people who are unfamiliar with them. However, as I have no understanding of any of these sports, I can't be sure I've got things right. Hope someone else can have a look.--A bit iffy (talk) 19:08, 5 February 2012 (UTC)

Technique section
I took the liberty of restructuring and rewriting parts of the Technique section. The difference between sailing and planing is now more clear, I hope. I'm working on an excel sheet graph that shows the relation between rider weight, sail size and wind speed, when it comes to planing or not. --Tavernsenses (talk) 11:18, 26 October 2012 (UTC)

Boiling water? Under Planing Conditions (strong winds, more than appr. 15 kts)
The reference to low pressure on the windward side of the fin causing water to boil is totally incorrect. A fin's loss of lateral resistance (Spin Out) is caused when the low pressure area on the winward side of the powered up fin is allowed to draw in air or create a vacuum. It is the same as "cavitation" on an outboard engine's propeller. A fin loses most of its lateral resistance when the water's laminar flow is disturbed. This is also similar to "stalling" an aircraft wing. This problem can be almost totally avoided by: 1) Good sailing technique. 2)Correct size of fin for sail size and conditions. A Spin Out can often be recovered from by turning the board downwind to reinstate the laminar flow - just the same principle as putting an aircraft in a nose down attitude to recover from a stall. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.179.118.218 (talk) 21:08, 25 October 2014 (UTC)
 * I removed the comment about boiling water, made other edits, and compared the phenomenon with stalling and cavitation (with links) as you suggested.—LithiumFlash (talk) 15:32, 30 April 2017 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 6 external links on Windsurfing. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20150219204212/http://amhistory.si.edu/archives/d8625.htm to http://amhistory.si.edu/archives/d8625.htm
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20120702191042/http://americanhistory.si.edu/archives/d8625.htm to http://americanhistory.si.edu/archives/d8625.htm
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20051123054657/http://www.invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/ilives/darby/darby.html to http://invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/ilives/darby/darby.html
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20100821211652/http://www.boardseekermag.com/features/windsurfers/philip-koster-135.html to http://www.boardseekermag.com/features/windsurfers/philip-koster-135.html
 * Added tag to http://slcc.strath.ac.uk/scotslawcourse/ip/ip/patent/windsurf.html
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20070312031133/http://dwsv.net/regattakalender/kalender_anzeige.php?category_12=1&Submit=Liste+filtern to http://dwsv.net/regattakalender/kalender_anzeige.php?category_12=1&Submit=Liste+filtern
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20070312031020/http://dwsv.net/regattakalender/kalender_anzeige.php?category_11=1&Submit=Liste+filtern to http://dwsv.net/regattakalender/kalender_anzeige.php?category_11=1&Submit=Liste+filtern

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 19:32, 9 December 2017 (UTC)

Dangerous Photo - Youth Windsurfing
Dear Sirs,

I am very concerned that the photo in the Youth Windsurfing section of the Windsurfing article illustrates a very dangerous practice of learning to uphaul in a swimming pool. I would appreciate it very much if you would choose to replace this photo with another "youth windsurfing" photo.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windsurfing#Youth_windsurfing

Thanks,

Bob — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.103.228.190 (talk) 05:41, 11 September 2018 (UTC)

Under the title "Boards and gear" subtitle "Slalom boards"
Hello everyone, first of all I would like to let you know that I'm doing this change/addition for a homework. I have realized that the definition of a slalom board on this article is lacking, and therefore I would like to make the following change/addition:

Slalom boards: In the past, the key feature of slalom boards was merely speed, but it has been proven that maneuverability and ease of use are as important as speed in order to get you around the slalom course faster, and therefore modern slalom boards are shortboards aimed at top speed, maneuverability and ease of use. --Cooperpooper95 (talk) 20:12, 22 September 2018 (UTC)

The section referring to the action of the fin says that it generates lift. How is this possible when the fin is at 90 degrees to the board and the water surface?
Surely the purpose of the fin is to provide lateral resistance. The fin is at 90 degrees in planing conditions on flat water with the board level. Can someone explain the physics of its generation of "lift"?

It is noticeable that foiling boards for surfing, kitesurfing and windsurfing all require horizontal underwater surfaces to generate the required lift. A windsurfing fin is a vertical surface with no horizontal component, so how is lift produced?

(Speedboats, skim stones and other flat (ish) bottomed items can plane without a fin.) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A00:23C4:4B20:600:45AB:EA65:5160:6DC6 (talk) 14:51, 2 December 2018 (UTC)

Wind direction
Onshore,Offshore,Side shore,Cross onshore,Cross offshore. Any winds that are suitable for or advised against windsurfing? Setenzatsu (talk) 18:42, 28 May 2019 (UTC)

Intro needs a trim
Generally the intro should be short readable summary of the body. Currently it seems to be in part a Personal Essay unrelated to anything in the body. A trimming is in order. - Snori (talk) 01:11, 6 December 2019 (UTC)

Commons files used on this page or its Wikidata item have been nominated for speedy deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons files used on this page or its Wikidata item have been nominated for speedy deletion: You can see the reasons for deletion at the file description pages linked above. —Community Tech bot (talk) 15:07, 31 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Antoine Albeau World Record Speed of 53+ knots.jpg
 * Antoine Albeau leading.jpg
 * Bjorn Dunkerbeck 41 x World Champion.jpg
 * Dorian - Olympian.jpg
 * Indoorwindsurfing.png
 * RSX World Championships 2019.jpg
 * Sarah-Quita.jpg

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the. —Community Tech bot (talk) 16:06, 31 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Moreno Twins.jpg

Commons files used on this page or its Wikidata item have been nominated for speedy deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons files used on this page or its Wikidata item have been nominated for speedy deletion: You can see the reasons for deletion at the file description pages linked above. —Community Tech bot (talk) 16:06, 31 January 2020 (UTC)
 * 15 year old Z Schettewi at Pe'ahi.jpg
 * Marcillio Browne at Pe'ahi.jpg
 * Sarah Hauser At Pe'ahi.jpg

Commons files used on this page or its Wikidata item have been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons files used on this page or its Wikidata item have been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the. —Community Tech bot (talk) 16:21, 31 January 2020 (UTC)
 * 15 year old Z Schettewi at Pe'ahi.jpg
 * Sarah Hauser At Pe'ahi.jpg

The IWT
I am concerned that someone decided to remove every single reference to the international Windsurfing Tour (IWT) from this page. The IWT is a major international wave riding tour with many of the best weave riders on earth, and all of the Aloha Classic Champions from the last decade competing. It is the the major international windsurfing tour for the pure wave riders of the world. In 2019 it had USD $50,0000 prize money and 6 wave events across Japan, Chile, Peru, Mexico, the USA mainland and Hawaii. It generated over 20 million views across social media in 2019 for the sport of windsurfing, as verified by official facebook data. To delete one or two references, or to moderate some of the comments, to disagree on some details, all would have been within the range of normal in a public forum such as wikipedia, but to methodically delete every single reference to the IWT, large and small, is to attempt to deny basic reality and truth. This not a reasonable thing to do with any factual encyclopaedia source. I urge editors to reconsider these extreme actions. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Simeonglasson (talk • contribs) 22:36, 10 May 2020 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the. —Community Tech bot (talk) 00:43, 23 January 2021 (UTC)
 * Antoine Martin V2.jpg

Undue weight
I think the current article has too much information about the original Windsurfer class and not enough on mainstream modern windsurfing. PhilKnight (talk) 10:55, 8 June 2023 (UTC)

Mike Waltz
I was surprised that Mike Waltz champion who taught me at Sprecelsville Maui Hawaii. Shame on you!!! 2600:1702:CC6:9650:716D:5037:3822:D001 (talk) 00:19, 11 January 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:Windsurfing


text:
Jonathan Tweet

Jonathan Tweet (born 1965 ) is an American game designer who has been involved in the development of the role-playing games Ars Magica, Everway, Over the Edge, Talislanta, the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons and 13th Age, and the collectible miniatures game Dreamblade. In 2015 Tweet released Grandmother Fish, a full-color, full-sized book about evolution aimed at preschoolers. In 2018 Tweet released Clades and Clades Prehistoric, two card games for children and adults which demonstrate the concept of a clade.

Early life
Native to Rock Island, Illinois, Tweet is the son of Roald Tweet, an Augustana College professor emeritus and local historian, and Margaret Tweet. Jonathan Tweet started playing D&D in the 1970s, when his father gave him his first Dungeons & Dragons game. He then formed his own gaming group by recruiting classmates. Tweet graduated from Rock Island High School class valedictorian in 1983. He majored in psychology and sociology at his parents' alma mater, St. Olaf College in Minnesota.

Career
Jonathan Tweet and Mark Rein-Hagen founded Lion Rampant in 1987 while students at St. Olaf College. There, they also met Lisa Stevens who later joined the company. His article "Egyptian Magic for Call of Cthulhu" appeared in Different Worlds #47 (Fall 1987), the magazine's final issue. In 1987, Tweet and Rein-Hagen designed the game Ars Magica, a game centered around wizards in the Middle Ages. Tweet left Lion Rampant and briefly left the RPG industry in 1989 to begin a new career. Tweet wrote Festival of the Damned (1991), an adventure published by Atlas Games for Ars Magica. Tweet continued to run an game he created called "Al Amarja" for a group in Rock Island, Illinois, and wrote about the game in articles published in Alarums and Excursions; when John Nephew read these articles he wanted to publish the game, and the result was Over the Edge (1992), the first original game from Atlas Games. His design on Over the Edge notably involved free-form rules and a subjective approach. Lisa Stevens recommended to Wizards of the Coast to have Tweet work freelance to revise the Talislanta rules for Wizards to publish, and also write the first new adventure for their version of the game; Tweet also wrote a revised version of the Talislanta Guidebook (1992), and the adventure The Scent of the Beast (1992). Tweet wrote the adventure Apocalypse (1993) for the Role Aids line by Mayfair Games. Nephew and Tweet also designed On the Edge (1994), a collectible card game based on Over the Edge. Tweet joined Wizards of the Coast as a full-time employee in June 1994, and brought about new product lines for the company beginning with Ars Magica, which Tweet recommended Wizards to acquire. Tweet designed Everway, which was first published by Wizards of the Coast in 1995. After Wizards of the Coast moved away from role-playing games, Tweet worked on Portal, a Magic: The Gathering set designed to help new players learn the game.

Tweet was lead designer on the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons. Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams all contributed to the 3rd edition Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual, and then each designer wrote one of the books based on those contributions. Tweet oversaw the Chainmail Miniatures Game design team, and Skaff Elias was responsible for the main design work and Chris Pramas created the game world. Tweet became the head of the miniatures group, and the Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures Game (2003) was the result of the work by Tweet, Rob Heinsoo, and Skaff Elias. On December 2, 2008, Tweet was laid off from Wizards of the Coast.

13th Age a d20 System RPG, designed by Heinsoo and Tweet was published by Pelgrane Press on August 3, 2013. The pre-release version was a nominee for the RPG Geek RPG of the Year 2013.

In 2015 Tweet published Grandmother Fish, a Kickstarter-funded book described as "the first book to teach evolution to preschoolers". While criticized by creationist organizations, it has been praised by science educators.

In 2018 Tweet, along with children's science illustrator Karen Lewis, released two card games, Clades and Clades Prehistoric. These animal matching games are intended to be used as tools to teach about evolution. Clades Solo, an app version that includes both prehistoric and modern animals, was released in 2019

The third edition of Over the Edge, with a new setting and new rules, was released June 1, 2019.

Religious views
An atheist since grade school, Tweet has devoted much of his personal website to his views on religion, in particular on the historical Jesus. He also blogs about religion on the Secular Sunday School blog.

My plan was to demonstrate hell to be absurd... One Sunday, I screwed up my courage and announced to the teacher, "I don't believe in Hell."

The teacher responded with "I don't either."

With the initial foray against dogma a total failure, I called off the whole assault. Speaking my mind would have to wait for college.

Personal life
Tweet and his wife Tracy moved to Seattle, Washington, in 1994. Tracy died from multiple sclerosis in 2008. He continues to live in the Seattle area with his daughter.

title: Jonathan Tweet


text:
Talk:High fidelity

Cleanup!
The lead 'graph says that in the 50s and 60s HF was defined by a standard not defined until the 70s. Absurdities, and even apparent absurdities, require attention. --Jerzy•t 02:52, 8 April 2008 (UTC)

 * The para is trying to say that "High Fidelity" once had a fixed, objective meaning, and gradually came to mean any mid-level stereo system. And that audiophiles invented another term "high end audio" once the original term became diluted. The para is still overly restrictive, tho?

 * 1) My grandfather had high end audio equipment in the 50s and 60s. I doubt he knew or cared about the DIN standard. Probably the salesperson didn't either. So maintaining that the phrase "high fidelity" ever meant (in common usage) DIN is probably incorrect.

 * 2) This phrase appears as part of the explanation of the evolution of the word "high fidelity": "in subsequent decades, the term was applied more loosely to any mid-level stereo system". That's a little too limited, in that high fidelity was applied to other consumer equipment besides stereos, and finally came to mean practically nothing at all in terms of sound quality.

 * Alpha Ralpha Boulevard (talk) 16:56, 24 July 2008 (UTC)

Merge or delete High End Audio, redirect here
High-end audio should be redirected to High fidelity. The first sentence says it all:

"High fidelity or hi-fi reproduction is a term used by home stereo listeners and home audio enthusiasts (audiophiles) to refer to high-quality reproduction of sound or images that are very faithful to the original performance."

Maybe some might be afraid that expensive-speaker-cable-loving-folks will end up here (oops, I am one), but considering how meagre the high-end article is, it doesn't look that way. As an audiophile, if I put "high end audio" in the search box, and was directed to an article titled "High fidelity," I'd say, yep, I'm in the right place.--Nyctc7 (talk) 06:14, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Hi Fi / Hi End
High Fidelity means "high fidelity to the original source music". High End means expensive. Gucci makes high end shoes. A "high end" stereo is a description of price. The two terms have some small overlap, but refer to totally different things. Here is the dictionary on fidelity:

"Faithfulness to a person, cause, or belief". Similar: faithfulness, constancy, devotedness, devotion, adherence, true-heartedness, trustworthiness, trustiness, honesty, dependability, reliability

2nd meaning: the degree of exactness with which something is copied or reproduced. "the 1949 recording provides reasonable fidelity" Billyshiverstick (talk) 04:28, 1 April 2023 (UTC)

Name similarity to popular "Hi(gh)-Five" term for hand gesture/greeting
Maybe it should be shortly mentioned that the similarity of the term Hi-Fi to the "high-five" term contributed over time to its popularity and easier adoption. 38.15.87.15 (talk) 04:45, 13 March 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:High fidelity


text:
Talk:Darcy Wretzky

All references I've seen give the proper birth name as D'Arcy Wretzky -- I'm going to create a new page under that name and redirect this there. Jgm 16:21, 9 Aug 2003 (UTC)

title: Talk:Darcy Wretzky


text:
D'arcy Wretzky

D'arcy Elizabeth Wretzky (born May 1, 1968) is an American musician. She was the original bassist of the alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins and is credited on their first six studio albums. She left the band in 1999. She has also been a member of Catherine and performed with Filter.

Early life
Wretzky was born and grew up in South Haven, Michigan where her mother, Vikke Anderson, a working musician, encouraged D'arcy and her sisters to perform music. D'Arcy played violin for 9 or 10 years, played oboe, and performed in choirs while growing up. She also was in gymnastics. D'Arcy intended to have a musical career from the time she was 10 years old.

She later referred to her father, Jerry Wretzky, a pipefitter with a love of horseback riding, as "a very strange man". D'Arcy was a self-described "tomboy" and had a contentious relationship with her sister. D'Arcy suffered from severe stage fright during her childhood. She attended South Haven's L.C. Mohr High School, where she grew interested in post-punk and played in cover bands. After high school, she moved to France to join a band, but the band had already disbanded upon her arrival, prompting her to return to the United States. She moved to Chicago and later joined the Smashing Pumpkins. Wretzky said that she is a self-taught bass player.

Wretzky was married to musician Kerry Brown, from 1993 to 1999. Wretzky said that she had a miscarriage in 1999.

1988–1999: Smashing Pumpkins
After a concert at a local rock club, Wretzky overheard Billy Corgan criticizing the band that had performed. An argument and discussion followed and Corgan recruited her to be in his band, the nascent Smashing Pumpkins, which at the time, was merely Corgan and James Iha using a drum machine. Wretzky accepted, and Jimmy Chamberlin completed the lineup a few months later, after Joe Shanahan encouraged Corgan to add a live drummer.

Wretzky is the credited bassist on the Smashing Pumpkins' first five studio albums: Gish, Siamese Dream, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Adore, and Machina/The Machines of God. It was confirmed by both her and Corgan, however, that Corgan played the bass tracks on Gish and Siamese Dream. Wretzky often contributed backing vocals on some songs on studio albums and in concert. She contributes vocally in Smashing Pumpkins songs such as "Daydream" from Gish, many songs on Siamese Dream, "1979", "Cupid De Locke", "Farewell and Goodnight", "Beautiful"; "Where Boys Fear to Tread" from Mellon Collie, and "Dreaming" and "The Bells" from The Aeroplane Flies High. Wretzky also co-wrote the Smashing Pumpkins song "Daughter".

In 1995, Wretzky and Iha started an independent record label called Scratchie Records, featuring artists such as The Frogs.

1999: Final tour, recording sessions and leaving the band
Wretzky's time in the band was marked with alternating periods of happiness and discomfort. Corgan considered her the "moral authority" and "moral conscience" of the band. In the aftermath of the success of 1995's Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Corgan said that she began an "apparent slow descent into insanity and/or drugs (take your pick)." After the short, nine-date "The Arising!" tour in April 1999 with all four original members performing together for the first time since 1996, Wretzky decided to leave the band and intended to pursue an acting career. The band was recording Machina/The Machines of God and Machina II/The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music at the time and as a result she performed very few bass parts on the album.

Most of the bass parts were handled by Corgan himself. Shortly after leaving the group, she was arrested for possession of crack cocaine. Corgan later commented she was "fired for being a mean-spirited drug addict who refused to get help." She was replaced on 2000's Machina tours by former Hole bassist Melissa Auf der Maur.

1999–present: Life after the Smashing Pumpkins
Wretzky did not participate in the Smashing Pumpkins' reunion. In 2008, she and her former boyfriend and bandmate James Iha filed a lawsuit against Virgin Records for selling ringtones of Smashing Pumpkins songs without their consent.

After many years out of the spotlight, Wretzky resurfaced in July 2009 by calling in unexpectedly on Chicago's Q101 FM with Ryan Manno. During the interview, she expressed that she was not healthy enough to be a musician, and repeatedly professed her admiration for Monkees frontman Davy Jones who was known to be an early romantic crush of hers. She also discussed her appreciation for the band Silversun Pickups who have a sound influenced by the early Gish era of the Smashing Pumpkins. She mentioned that she then lived on a farm in Michigan, that she had briefly lived in Austin, Texas, sometime during the previous decade, and that her former fiancé Wendell Green had died.

Wretzky was jailed on February 1, 2011, for missing four court dates related to a ticket she received for failing to control her wild horses, allowing them to freely roam the streets at night causing interference to local traffic and farmers, as well as trespassing on public property and stealing vegetables from the local farmer's market storage. She spent six days in jail. The next day after getting released from jail, she was arrested again on February 7, 2011, on a misdemeanor drunken-driving road rage charge in South Haven, Michigan. She was sent back to jail.

In 2013, Wretzky's relationship with Corgan remained tense, with both parties saying that they were not speaking. In September 2014, she tried to re-establish contact with him, but Corgan had changed his phone number. In August 2016, Corgan posted a video to Facebook which said that he and Wretzky had recently reestablished communication saying, "I've been in communication with D'arcy for the first time in 16 or 17 years, it's awesome to have my friend back." Corgan emphasized that this did not necessarily mean the band was getting back together, instead insisting "my primary interest in the old band was us having good relationships again."

On February 14, 2018, Wretzky gave her first interview in nearly 20 years. In it, she was highly critical of Corgan and their past.

Wretzky said that she had been offered a contract to rejoin the band on the Shiny and Oh So Bright Tour, but that Corgan rescinded the offer soon after. Corgan released a statement denying the claims, "Ms. Wretzky has repeatedly been invited out to play with the group, participate in demo sessions, or at the very least, meet face-to-face, and in each and every instance she always deferred." Wretzky later provided screenshots of a text message conversation with Corgan.

Other musical work
In 1996, Wretzky joined the band Catherine as a second vocalist for their final album, Hot Saki & Bedtime Stories. She also appeared in the video for Four Leaf Clover. At the time, Wretzky was married to Catherine drummer Kerry Brown. She contributed vocals to the track "One and Two" on James Iha's 1998 solo album, Let It Come Down.

In 1999, she worked with cellist Eric Remschneider, whom she had worked with when he had recorded with the Smashing Pumpkins. That year, she also contributed additional vocals on the Filter song "Cancer" from Title of Record. In a 2016 interview with Loudwire, Filter lead singer Richard Patrick spoke of a romantic relationship which he had with Wretzky, saying that she was the subject of a song he wrote called "Miss Blue", also on Title of Record.

While making no indication that she will record with or make any meaningful contribution, Michigan doom-sludge metal band Grave Next Door said on Twitter that they were jamming with Wretzky at her home, with one band member posting a pic of himself with a prop from the video for "Tonight Tonight".

title: D'arcy Wretzky


text:
Benicio del Toro

Benicio Monserrate Rafael del Toro Sánchez (born February 19, 1967) is a Puerto Rican actor. He has garnered critical acclaim and numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, and a Silver Bear for his portrayal of the jaded but morally upright police officer Javier Rodriguez in the film Traffic (2000). Del Toro's performance as despairing ex-con turned zealot Jack Jordan, in Alejandro González Iñárritu's 21 Grams (2003), earned him a second nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

He is also known for his breakout role as the eccentric, unintelligible crook Fred Fenster in The Usual Suspects (1995); Benny Dalmau in Basquiat (1996), winning two consecutive Independent Spirit Awards for both films; Dr. Gonzo in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998); gambling addict Franky Four Fingers in Snatch (2000); the predatory, unhinged antagonist Jackie Boy in Sin City (2005); revolutionary Che Guevara in Che (2008), a performance that earned him the Best Actor award both at the Cannes Film Festival and at the Goya Awards; and as Alejandro, a mysterious, ruthless agent out to bring down a drug cartel in Sicario (2015), for which del Toro was nominated for several awards, including the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

His other roles include portrayals of the Collector in the Marvel Cinematic Universe; drug lord Pablo Escobar in Escobar: Paradise Lost (2014); Lawrence Talbot in the 2010 remake of The Wolfman; and the codebreaker in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017). In 2018, he starred as Richard Matt in the Showtime miniseries Escape at Dannemora, for which he received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie.

Early life
Del Toro was born on February 19, 1967, in San Germán, Puerto Rico, to Gustavo Adolfo del Toro Bermúdez and Fausta Genoveva Sánchez Rivera (daughter of Benicio Sánchez Castaño and Lirio Belén Rivera), who were both lawyers. He has an older brother, Gustavo, who is the Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, New York. He had a Catalan paternal great-grandfather and a Basque maternal great-grandmother. Del Toro's great-grandfather was Rafael Rivera Esbrí, one of the heroes of the El Polvorin fire in Ponce, and who would also later become mayor of that city (1915–1917).

He spent most of his infancy in Santurce, a barrio within San Juan. Del Toro, whose childhood nicknames were "Skinny Benny" and "Beno", was raised a Roman Catholic and attended Academia del Perpetuo Socorro (The Academy of Our Lady of Perpetual Help), a Roman Catholic school in Miramar, Puerto Rico. When del Toro was nine years old, his mother died of hepatitis. At age 15, he moved with his father and brother to Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, where he was enrolled at the Mercersburg Academy. He spent his adolescence and attended high school there. After graduation, del Toro followed the advice of his father and pursued a business degree at the University of California, San Diego. Success in an elective drama course encouraged him to drop out of college and study with noted acting teachers Stella Adler and Arthur Mendoza, in Los Angeles, as well as at the Circle in the Square Theatre School in New York City.

Career
Del Toro surfaced in small television roles during the late 1980s, playing mostly thugs and drug dealers on programs such as Miami Vice and the NBC miniseries Drug Wars: The Camarena Story. He appeared in the 1987 music video for Madonna's song "La Isla Bonita" as a background character sitting on a car hood. Film roles followed, beginning with his debut in Big Top Pee-wee (1988) and as Dario in the James Bond film Licence to Kill (1989). Del Toro continued to appear in film including The Indian Runner (1991), China Moon (1994), Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992), Money for Nothing (1993), Fearless (1993) and Swimming with Sharks (1994).

His career gained momentum in 1995 with his breakout performance in The Usual Suspects, where he played the mumbling, wisecracking Fred Fenster. The role won him an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male and established him as a character actor. This led to stronger roles in independent and major studio films, including playing Gaspare in Abel Ferrara's The Funeral (1996) and winning a second consecutive Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his work as Benny Dalmau in Basquiat (1996), directed by his friend, film-maker and painter Julian Schnabel. Del Toro also shared the screen with Robert De Niro in the big-budget thriller The Fan (1996), in which he played Juan Primo, a charismatic Puerto Rican baseball star. He subsequently starred opposite Alicia Silverstone in Excess Baggage (1997), which Silverstone produced.

For Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, the 1998 film adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's a famous book, he gained more than 40 lbs. (about 18 kg) to play Dr. Gonzo (a.k.a. Oscar Zeta Acosta), Thompson's lawyer and drug-fiend cohort. The surrealistic film, directed by Terry Gilliam, has earned a cult following over the years.

Del Toro's performances in four films in 2000 gained him a mainstream audience. First, the crime yarn The Way of the Gun reunited him with The Usual Suspects screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie. A few months later, he stood out among a first-rate ensemble cast in Steven Soderbergh's Traffic, a complex dissection of the North American drug wars. As Javier Rodriguez—a Mexican border policeman struggling to remain honest amid the corruption and deception of illegal drug trafficking—del Toro, who spoke most of his lines in Spanish, gave a performance that dominated the film. His performance swept all of the major critics' awards in 2001. Del Toro won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, becoming the fourth living Oscar winner whose winning role was a character who speaks predominantly in a non-English language. Del Toro is also the third Puerto Rican actor to win an Oscar, after Jose Ferrer and Rita Moreno. The year he won his Oscar marked the first time that two actors born in Puerto Rico were nominated in the same category (the other actor was Joaquin Phoenix). In his acceptance speech, del Toro thanked the people of both Nogales, Arizona and Nogales, Sonora and dedicated his award to them. In addition to the Oscar, he also won the Golden Globe Award and the Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Traffic was also a success at the box office. This was soon followed by a small role as the diamond thief Franky Four Fingers in Guy Ritchie's hip caper comedy Snatch and a role as a mentally challenged Native American man in The Pledge, directed by his old friend Sean Penn.

In 2003, del Toro appeared in two films: The Hunted, co-starring Tommy Lee Jones and the drama 21 Grams, co-starring Sean Penn and Naomi Watts. He went on to earn another Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his performance in the latter. He then appeared in the film adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel Sin City, directed by Robert Rodriguez, and Things We Lost in the Fire, the English-language debut of celebrated Danish director Susanne Bier.

In 2008, del Toro was awarded the Prix d'interpretation masculine (or Best Actor Award) at the Cannes Film Festival for his portrayal of Che Guevara in the biographical films The Argentine and Guerrilla (together known as Che). During his acceptance speech, del Toro dedicated his award "to the man himself, Che Guevara" along with director Steven Soderbergh. Del Toro was also awarded the 2009 Goya Award as the Best Actor for his portrayal of Guevara. Sean Penn, who won the 2009 Best Actor Oscar for his performance in Milk, remarked that he was surprised and disappointed that Che and del Toro were not also up for any Academy Award nominations. During his acceptance speech for the Best Actor award at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Penn expressed his dismay stating, "The fact that there aren't crowns on Soderbergh's and del Toro's heads right now, I don't understand... that is such a sensational movie, Che." For the final portions of the film (shown here), del Toro shed 35 pounds to show how ill Guevara had become near the end of his life in the jungles of Bolivia.

In 2010, del Toro starred in and produced the remake of Lon Chaney Jr.'s classic cult film The Wolf Man (1941). He was chosen to be the face of the 2011 Campari calendar, becoming the first male model to be featured in the Italian liquor company's calendar. Del Toro played The Collector in a mid-credits scene of Marvel Studios' superhero film Thor: The Dark World (2013) and later reprised his role in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Avengers: Infinity War (2018).

In September 2015, del Toro played Alejandro Gillick in the critically acclaimed Sicario, about a Mexican ex-prosecutor seeking revenge for the slaying of his wife and daughter working with a CIA special ops team to bring down the leader of a powerful and brutal Mexican drug cartel. Film critics widely praised his performance. Del Toro reprised his role in the sequel Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018). In 2016, del Toro appeared in a Heineken television advertisement in its More Behind the Star series. The gag in the spot is that fans frequently mistake him for fellow actor Antonio Banderas, much to del Toro's chagrin. In 2017, he played DJ (an abbreviation for "Don't Join", as DJ viewed the Resistance and the First Order as equally corrupt), a supporting antagonist in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, who betrayed Rose and Finn to save himself when they were apprehended on the First Order's flagship.

In 2021, del Toro starred in the Wes Anderson film The French Dispatch as Moses Rosenthaler, a mentally disturbed artist.

Personal life
On April 11, 2011, del Toro's publicist announced that del Toro and Kimberly Stewart, daughter of British singer Rod Stewart were expecting a child, although they were not in a relationship. Stewart gave birth to a daughter on August 21, 2011. They had their daughter baptized in Puerto Rico.

On November 4, 2011, he acquired Spanish citizenship, along with fellow Puerto Rican Ricky Martin. The request was granted by the Spanish government in recognition of his artistic talents and for his Spanish ancestry (he has family in Barcelona).

In March 2012, he was granted an honorary degree by the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico for his influence on the cinema enterprise, during the celebration of the institution's centenary.

In 2003, del Toro became the spokesman of the educational campaign Yo Limpio a Puerto Rico, an environmental organization founded in 1997 by Ignacio Barsottelli, whose mission is to educate and mobilize Puerto Ricans in favor of recycling and the protection of the environment.

Del Toro narrated the public service announcement entitled "Coral Reef", joining the Artists to the Rescue of the Environment campaign.

title: Benicio del Toro