text:
Talk:Anthropocene

Etymology of Homogenocene
I think the etymology offered for Homogenocene must be wrong. There is no way that "homo" Latin for man would be used in this way. "Homo" appears in compounds as "homini-," not "homo," which form is only used as an independent word ("Homo sapiens"). Homogenocene probably is constructed from the word "homogeneous" + "cene"; the article in which the term first occurred was referring to the homogenization of life across the planet because of transfers of organisms by humans. Homogeneous comes from "homo" "same" and "gen" "kind" in Greek. Metrodorus (talk)

Removed further reading list
I've removed the further reading list, as I don't think such a long list is adding any value here. If any of the publications are very important, they should be used for inline citations.

EMsmile (talk) 08:45, 15 September 2023 (UTC)
 * Bonneuil, Christophe; Fressoz, Jean-Baptiste.(2016) The Shock of the Anthropocene. The Earth, History and Us, Verso Books. Translated by David Fernbach. Originally published as L’événement Anthropocène: La terre, l’histoire et nous. Le Seuil 2013
 * Emmett, Robert, Thomas Lekan, eds. "Whose Anthropocene? Revisiting Dipesh Chakrabarty's ‘Four Theses,’" RCC Perspectives: Transformations in Environment and Society 2016, no. 2. doi.org/10.5282/rcc/7421.
 * Kim, Rakhyun E. (2021). "Taming Gaia 2.0: Earth System Law in the Ruptured Anthropocene". The Anthropocene Review. https://doi.org/10.1177/20530196211026721
 * Purdy, Jedediah. (2015). "Anthropocene Fever". Aeon. pp. 1–9.
 * Thomas, Julia Adeney, Jan Zalasiewicz, "Strata and Three Stories." RCC Perspectives: Transformations in Environment and Society 2020, no. 3. doi.org/10.5282/rcc/9205.
 * Trischler, Helmuth, ed. "Anthropocene: Exploring the Future of the Age of Humans," RCC Perspectives 2013, no 3. doi.org/10.5282/rcc/5603.
 * Klinkenborg, Verlyn (December 2016). What's Happening to the Bees and Butterflies? New York Review of Books
 * Vanishing: The Sixth Mass Extinction, and How to stop the sixth mass extinction (December 2016), CNN.
 * 'Ozymandias in the Anthropocene: the city as an emerging landform', Dixon S., et al. (2017) AREA, Royal Geographical Society
 * Kim, Rakhyun E. (2021). "Taming Gaia 2.0: Earth System Law in the Ruptured Anthropocene". The Anthropocene Review. https://doi.org/10.1177/20530196211026721
 * Purdy, Jedediah. (2015). "Anthropocene Fever". Aeon. pp. 1–9.
 * Thomas, Julia Adeney, Jan Zalasiewicz, "Strata and Three Stories." RCC Perspectives: Transformations in Environment and Society 2020, no. 3. doi.org/10.5282/rcc/9205.
 * Trischler, Helmuth, ed. "Anthropocene: Exploring the Future of the Age of Humans," RCC Perspectives 2013, no 3. doi.org/10.5282/rcc/5603.
 * Klinkenborg, Verlyn (December 2016). What's Happening to the Bees and Butterflies? New York Review of Books
 * Vanishing: The Sixth Mass Extinction, and How to stop the sixth mass extinction (December 2016), CNN.
 * 'Ozymandias in the Anthropocene: the city as an emerging landform', Dixon S., et al. (2017) AREA, Royal Geographical Society
 * Purdy, Jedediah. (2015). "Anthropocene Fever". Aeon. pp. 1–9.
 * Thomas, Julia Adeney, Jan Zalasiewicz, "Strata and Three Stories." RCC Perspectives: Transformations in Environment and Society 2020, no. 3. doi.org/10.5282/rcc/9205.
 * Trischler, Helmuth, ed. "Anthropocene: Exploring the Future of the Age of Humans," RCC Perspectives 2013, no 3. doi.org/10.5282/rcc/5603.
 * Klinkenborg, Verlyn (December 2016). What's Happening to the Bees and Butterflies? New York Review of Books
 * Vanishing: The Sixth Mass Extinction, and How to stop the sixth mass extinction (December 2016), CNN.
 * 'Ozymandias in the Anthropocene: the city as an emerging landform', Dixon S., et al. (2017) AREA, Royal Geographical Society
 * Thomas, Julia Adeney, Jan Zalasiewicz, "Strata and Three Stories." RCC Perspectives: Transformations in Environment and Society 2020, no. 3. doi.org/10.5282/rcc/9205.
 * Trischler, Helmuth, ed. "Anthropocene: Exploring the Future of the Age of Humans," RCC Perspectives 2013, no 3. doi.org/10.5282/rcc/5603.
 * Klinkenborg, Verlyn (December 2016). What's Happening to the Bees and Butterflies? New York Review of Books
 * Vanishing: The Sixth Mass Extinction, and How to stop the sixth mass extinction (December 2016), CNN.
 * 'Ozymandias in the Anthropocene: the city as an emerging landform', Dixon S., et al. (2017) AREA, Royal Geographical Society
 * Klinkenborg, Verlyn (December 2016). What's Happening to the Bees and Butterflies? New York Review of Books
 * Vanishing: The Sixth Mass Extinction, and How to stop the sixth mass extinction (December 2016), CNN.
 * 'Ozymandias in the Anthropocene: the city as an emerging landform', Dixon S., et al. (2017) AREA, Royal Geographical Society
 * Vanishing: The Sixth Mass Extinction, and How to stop the sixth mass extinction (December 2016), CNN.
 * 'Ozymandias in the Anthropocene: the city as an emerging landform', Dixon S., et al. (2017) AREA, Royal Geographical Society
 * 'Ozymandias in the Anthropocene: the city as an emerging landform', Dixon S., et al. (2017) AREA, Royal Geographical Society
 * There are already (as of this writing) 178 reference footnotes, which IMHO is a lot. I notice that the above list is almost alphabetized by author's name (but Ozymandias in the Anthropocene by Dixon et al. is mentioned both at its alphabetical position and at the very end, and Klinkenborg is after Visconti). Maybe this list could be added as a "Bibliography" section, and in a common format with the author name(s) (if any) always in front. I would have suggested a scrolling list (see Help:Scrolling list) with a not too gigantic height (maybe 25 to 30 em), however MOS:SCROLL is against scrolling and collapsible lists in article space — though with a few exceptions: Collapsed or auto-collapsing cells or sections may be used with tables if they simply repeat information covered in the main text (or are purely supplementary, e.g…). Auto-collapsing is often a feature of navboxes. Maybe this list is "purely supplementary information" in which case it might fall into one of the exceptions. — Tonymec (talk) 03:49, 27 September 2023 (UTC)
 * What would be an advantage of a bibliography list? If any of those references are important they should be used as in-line citations. I think "further reading" lists might have been important in the days before Google but nowadays anyone can easily find more information themselves if they want. Hence we are better off keeping things short and succinct and not bombarding readers with longs lists (which would then have to be curated and updated...). EMsmile (talk) 08:45, 27 September 2023 (UTC)

Need better image in the lead
The current image for the lead showing light pollution is not really suitable for the lead image. Can someone propose a better one? Should we go for a 2 x 2 collage like at climate change mitigation? EMsmile (talk) 09:07, 15 September 2023 (UTC)

Removed content about kleptocene
I have taken this out because it's digressing and not WP:DUE here. It would be very much a minority view to say that the anthropocene started that early. At the most, this could be condensed into two sentences. But overall, I don't think we need it. Likely a student addition at some point.

European colonization of the Americas:

Professor of Earth System Science Mark Maslin and Professor of Global Change Science Simon L. Lewis argue that the start of the Anthropocene should be dated to the Orbis Spike, a trough in carbon dioxide levels associated with the arrival of Europeans in the Americas. Reaching a minimum around 1610, global carbon dioxide levels were depressed below 285 parts per million, largely as a result of sequestration due to forest regrowth in the Americas. This was likely caused by indigenous peoples abandoning farmland following a sharp population decline due to initial contact with European diseases – around 50 million people or 90% of the indigenous population may have succumbed. For Maslin and Lewis, the Orbis Spike represents a GSSP, a kind of marker used to define the start of a new geological period. They also go on to say that associating the Anthropocene to European arrival in the Americas makes sense given that the continent's colonization was instrumental in the development of global trade networks and the capitalist economy, which played a significant role in initiating the Industrial Revolution and the Great Acceleration.

A number of other anthropologists, geographers, and postcolonial, settler colonial, and Indigenous theorists, including Métis anthropologist Zoe Todd and Potawatomi philosopher Kyle Powys Whyte have also linked the Anthropocene to the rise of European colonialism. Because of these arguments, it has been suggested that the epoch should instead be called "The Kleptocene" to call "attention to colonialism's ongoing theft of land, lives (both human and nonhuman), and materials" that are "in large part responsible for contemporary ecological crisis." EMsmile (talk) 09:30, 15 September 2023 (UTC)

EMsmile (talk) 09:30, 15 September 2023 (UTC)

 * maybe this text block could be integrated into Early anthropocene rather. EMsmile (talk) 09:38, 15 September 2023 (UTC)

Culling out excessive detail on biodiversity loss
I've taken out this long paragraph that goes into too much detail. We have a sub-article for this on biodiversity loss. I guess the content could be moved to there if it's not already in there. I think we are better off with using an excerpt from biodiversity loss. Pinging User:C.J. Griffin and User:ASRASR for their information and comment.

++++++++

In a pair of studies published in 2015, extrapolation from observed extinction of Hawaiian snails of the family Amastridae, led to the conclusion that "the biodiversity crisis is real", and that 7% of all species on Earth may have disappeared already. Human predation was noted as being unique in the history of life on Earth as being a globally distributed 'superpredator', with predation of the adults of other apex predators and with widespread impact on food webs worldwide. A study published in May 2017 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences noted that a "biological annihilation" akin to a sixth mass extinction event is underway as a result of anthropogenic causes. The study suggested that as much as 50% of animal individuals that once lived on Earth are already extinct. A different study published in PNAS in May 2018 says that since the dawn of human civilization, 83% of wild mammals have disappeared. Today, livestock makes up 60% of the biomass of all mammals on earth, followed by humans (36%) and wild mammals (4%). According to the 2019 Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services by IPBES, 25% of plant and animal species are threatened with extinction. According to the World Wildlife Fund's 2020 Living Planet Report, 68% of wildlife populations have declined between 1970 and 2016 as a result of overconsumption, population growth and intensive farming, and the report asserts that "the findings are clear. Our relationship with nature is broken." However, a 2020 study, by Leung et al. including Maria Dornelas, disputed the findings of the Living Planet Report, finding that the 68% decline number was being influenced down by a very small amount extreme outliers and when these were not included, the decline was less steep, or even stable if other outliers were not included. A 2021 paper published in Frontiers in Conservation Science, which cites both of the aforementioned studies, says "population sizes of vertebrate species that have been monitored across years have declined by an average of 68% over the last five decades, with certain population clusters in extreme decline, thus presaging the imminent extinction of their species." EMsmile (talk) 09:53, 15 September 2023 (UTC)

EMsmile (talk) 09:53, 15 September 2023 (UTC)
 * I can live with that. I think most of this is already present in that article.--C.J. Griffin (talk) 12:12, 15 September 2023 (UTC)

Some culling and condensing (Sept 2023)
I've just done some edits on this article. My approach is that this article is better off short and snappy, rather than going into excessive details for topics that have good sub-articles, such as biodiversity loss and climate change. Some of the content in the section on debates needs further trimming: one can see that this article has been the subject of numerous student assignments... Parts of is are written more like an essay or academic literature review than an encyclopedic entry. EMsmile (talk) 09:55, 15 September 2023 (UTC)

That's all, folks!
And so the proposed era has been put in the rubbish bin: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/20/climate/anthropocene-vote-upheld.html 182.239.146.143 (talk) 05:02, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

 * yes, look like that. Good to see that someone has already updated the Wikipedia article accordingly. EMsmile (talk) 12:01, 27 June 2024 (UTC)
 * Call me again in 30 years; I'm fairly confident this isn't the final word on the topic. Newimpartial (talk) 14:17, 27 June 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:Anthropocene


text:
Pontoporia

Pontoporia may refer to:

 * The La Plata dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei)
 * Pontoporia, one of the Nereids in Greek mythology

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

title: Pontoporia


text:
Congregation of the Mission

The Congregation of the Mission (Congregatio Missionis), abbreviated CM and commonly called the Vincentians or Lazarists, is a Catholic society of apostolic life of pontifical right for men founded by Vincent de Paul. It is associated with the Vincentian Family, a loose federation of organizations that look to Vincent de Paul as their founder or patron.

Mission
Inspired by the "first mission" of Chátillon-les-Dombes and Folleville, where he delivered his first mission sermon, St. Vincent de Paul discovered the need and importance of popular missions and general confessions. His concern to form a group of missionaries for the most abandoned areas of France was born in him, and in 1625 he founded the Congregation of the Mission as an apostolic society together with other priests, Anthony Portail, M. Belin, Francis de Coudray and John de la Salle. Years later, this mission found its motto in the passage Luke 4:18, "Evangelizare pauperibus misit me" (The Holy Spirit sent me to bring the Good News to the poor).

In 1633, motivated by that same Spirit, St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac founded the Company of the Daughters of Charity, a group of women dedicated to serving the "poorest of the poor." Prayer and community life were essential elements of their vocation of service, with a characteristic spirit of humility, simplicity and charity.

History
The Congregation has its origin in the successful mission to the common people conducted by Vincent de Paul and five other priests on the estates of the Gondi family. More immediately it dates from 1624, when the little community acquired a permanent settlement in the Collège des Bons Enfants in Paris, which later became a seminary under the name of St. Firmin. The first missions of the Vincentians were in the suburbs of Paris and in Picardy and Champagne. Archiepiscopal recognition was obtained in 1626. By a papal bull on January 12, 1633, the society was constituted a congregation, with Vincent de Paul as its head. About the same time the canons regular of St. Victor handed over to the congregation their priory of Saint Lazare (formerly a lazar-house or leper hospital) in Paris, which led to its members being popularly known as 'Lazarists''.

Within a few years the Vincentians had acquired another house in Paris and set up other establishments throughout France; missions were also sent to Italy (1638), Tunis (1643), Algiers and Ireland (1646), Madagascar (1648), Poland (1651), and Turkey (1783). A bull of Alexander VII in April 1655 further confirmed the society; this was followed by a brief in September of the same year, regulating its constitution. The rules then adopted, which were framed on the model of those of the Jesuits, were published at Paris in 1668 under the title Regulae seu constitutiones communes congregationis missionis. Its special aims were the religious instruction of the poor, the training of the clergy, and foreign missions.

On the eve of the French Revolution, Saint Lazare was plundered by the mob and the congregation was later suppressed; it was restored by Napoleon in 1804 at the desire of Pius VII, abolished by him in 1809 in consequence of a quarrel with the pope, and again restored in 1816. The Vincentians were expelled from Italy in 1871 and from Germany in 1873.

The Vincentian province of Poland was singularly prosperous; at the date of its suppression in 1796 it possessed thirty-five establishments. The Congregation of the Mission was permitted to return in 1816, where it is very active. In Madagascar it had a mission from 1648 until 1674. In 1783 Vincentians were appointed to take the place of the Jesuits in the Levantine and Chinese missions; and in 1874 their establishments throughout the Ottoman Empire numbered sixteen. In addition, they established missions in Persia, Abyssinia, Mexico, the South American republics, Portugal, Spain, and Russia, some of which were later suppressed. In the same year they had fourteen establishments in the United States of America.

Mother House
The Mother House (Maison Mère) is the successor of the first Mother House which was the former priory of Saint Lazare. This house, located at 95 rue de Sèvres, was the former residence of the Duke of Lorges, and was made available to the Congregation of the Mission by the French government in 1817. Finally, in 2006, the French State made the Congregation of the Mission the owner of the house and its grounds.

The Mother House consists of a series of buildings around a paved courtyard. The entrance is in the central neo-Renaissance style pavilion at the back of the courtyard. In a niche on the façade is a statue of Saint Vincent de Paul.

Currently, for the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the Congregation of the Mission, the Vincentians are renovating the Mother House, with the aim of accommodating those seeking spiritual enrichment, especially members of all branches of the Vincentian Family, pilgrims and people of faith.

Vincentian Family
There are people who do not belong to groups or congregations of consecrated life, but who live the spirit of St. Vincent, his spirituality and charism; they are volunteers, they are in parishes, schools, hospitals and so many other places.

The spirituality of Vincent de Paul has influenced the foundation of other societies of apostolic life and even of some institutes of consecrated life which, in communion, form today what is called the Vincentian family.8 There are 170 congregations, with 2 million people involved, and groups of lay people, which have grown from a "family" to a "movement", reaching almost 4 million people:

 * the Daughters of Charity, founded by Vincent de Paul himself, with the help of Louise de Marillac in 1633,
 * the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul of Novara, a religious congregation founded in 1773 in Italy,
 * the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul of Majorca, founded in Spain in 1798,

 * the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, founded by Jeanne Antide Touret in Canada in 1799,
 * the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul of Gijzegem, founded in Belgium in 1818,
 * the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul of Fulda, founded in Germany in 1835,
 * the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul of Innsbruck, founded in Austria in 1835,
 * the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul of Paderborn, founded in Germany in 1840,
 * the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul of Hildesheim, founded in Germany in 1852,
 * the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul of Freiburg, also foiunded in Germany in 1853,

 * the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul of Halifax, founded in Canada,
 * the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul of Zagreb, founded in the former Yugoslavia,
 * the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul of the Prince of Palagonia, founded in Parmelo, Italy, in 1835,
 * the Sisters of Providence of Kingston, founded in Canada,
 * the Malabar Vincentians of the Syro-Malabar rite, founded in India in 1927,
 * and the Vincentian laity, who share the work and spirituality of the Congregation of the Mission and of the various Vincentian congregations or societies. There are many Vincentian lay groups, among them the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the Vincentian Marian Youth, the Miraculous Medal Association, the Volunteers of Charity and the members of the Conferences of St. Vincent de Paul.

Present day
In 2022, the Congregation of the Mission had 3,099 incorporated members, of whom 2,781 were priests. They have 476 houses, spread over five vice-provinces: Mozambique, Nigeria, Costa Rica and St. Cyril and Methodius (Ukraine), and thirty-seven provinces on five continents.

 * Africa: Madagascar, St. Justin de Jacobis (Eritrea), Ethiopia, and Congo.
 * America: Central America (comprising Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Panama), Argentina (comprising Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina), Brazil (with three provinces, Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba, and Fortaleza), Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, United States (with five provinces, Dallas, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, New England, and St. Louis), Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela.
 * Asia: China, India (North and South), Indonesia, the Philippines, and the Orient (including Lebanon, Egypt, Israel, and Syria).
 * Europe: Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain (with two provinces, St. Vincent de Paul - Spain and Saragossa), France (with two provinces, Paris and Toulouse), Holland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy (with three provinces, Naples, Rome and Turin), Poland, and Portugal.
 * Oceania: Australia.

As of 2021, the Vincentians number about 3,100 worldwide, with a presence in 95 different countries. Its specific apostolate remains the evangelization of the poor and the formation of the clergy. , Tomaž Mavrič is the incumbent worldwide superior general of the Congregation of the Mission, elected during its general assembly on July 5, 2016.

Opus Prize Finalist
On August 30, 2007, The Catholic University of America, (with the Opus Prize 2004 Foundation, affiliated with The Opus Group), announced that it would award on November 8 a $1-million and two $100,000 Humanity prizes to finalist organizations which contributed to solve most persistent social problems: John Adams (of So Others Might Eat which serves the poor and homeless in Washington, DC); Stan Goetschalckx (founder and director of AHADI International Institute in Tanzania which educates refugees from Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi); and Bebot Carcellar of the Vincentian Missionaries Social Development Foundation. On November 8, 2007, David M. O'Connell, president of Catholic University, personally bestowed these Opus Prizes at the university's Edward J. Pryzbyla University Center.

Philippines
In 2008 the Vincentian family marked 150 years in the Philippines, led by the provincial Bienvenido M. Disu, Gregorio L. Bañaga, President of Adamson University, and Archbishop Jesus Dosado of the Archdiocese of Ozamiz. The Philippine province has a deacon, 5 incorporated brothers, and 97 priests. A major work is the housing program for hundreds of families, especially those affected by demolitions and relocations along the Philippine North and South Railways tracks.

The CBCP Newsletter announced on July 10, 2008, the appointment of the Philippine Marcelo Manimtim as director of Paris-based Centre International de Formation. Manimtim is the first Asian to hold the office.

Housing programs
In 1991, Carcellar was assigned to Payatas. With his "Planning for a new home, Systemic Change Strategy," he organized Philippine massive home constructions, which he began by a savings program at Payatas dumpsite. Carcellar's "The Homeless Peoples Federation Philippines" provided slum dwellers of Iloilo City and Mandaue City with initiatives to survive poverty. In 2008 it promoted savings in Southeast Asia, since the Philippine Federation affiliated with an international network called "Slum/Shack Dwellers International".

Another, younger Vincentian was also assigned by Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales as the Coordinator of the Housing Ministry of the Archdiocese of Manila.

Vincentian Center for Social Responsibility
On September 28, 2007, Philippine Vice President Noli De Castro welcomed the launching of the Vincentian Center for Social Responsibility by the Adamson University. The center intends to engage the Adamson's academic community more deeply and directly in nation-building and to directly respond to Millennium Development Goals' poverty alleviation initiatives in the country. De Castro also cited the Adamson University and a Vincentian priest named Atilano "Nonong" Fajardo for their efforts in putting up the Vincentian Center.

The Vincentian Center for Social Responsibility is also responsible for the creation of the Vincentian Facilitators, the Academic Social Responsibility, the Academic Social Entrepreneurship, and the Academic Social Journalism at the Vincentian-owned Adamson University. Through the Vincentian Center, the movement towards academic social networking has become a reality in the university. It is also responsible for organizing the First Northville and Southville People's Congress, consisting of around 750,000 relocatees from Metro Manila and the provinces of Cavite, Bulacan and Laguna.

United States of America
The Vincentians travelled to the United States in 1816 and two years later established St. Mary's of the Barrens seminary. They founded Niagara University (1856), St. John's University (1870), and DePaul University (1898).

The Eastern Province's headquarters is located in Germantown, PA located next to the Basilica Shrine of the Miraculous Medal. The priests of this province serve in several parishes along the eastern sea board. The also founded and still run Niagara University along with St. John's University (New York City). They also has a sub-province in Panama.

The Western Province of the USA has a mission in Kenya, where in conjunction with parish ministry water projects have been initiated to provide clean water to the people.

The New England Province was founded in 1904 by Vincentians from Poland. They staff parishes in New York and Connecticut. The provincial headquarters is in Manchester, Connecticut.

Prominent members of the congregation
Members of the congregation include:
 * Thaddeus Amat y Brusi (1810-1878), first bishop of Los Angeles
 * Andrew E. Bellisario, archbishop of Anchorage–Juneau
 * E. Bore (died 1878), orientalist
 * Georges Bou-Jaoudé (1943-2022), Archbishop of Tripoli, Lebanon for the Maronites
 * P. Collet (1693-1770), writer on theology and ethics
 * Armand David (1826-1900), Basque missionary and zoologist
 * Jean-Claude Faveyrial (1813–1893), French historian and author of the first book on the history of Albania
 * Pierre-Marie-Alphonse Favier (1837-1905), missionary to China, and Vicar Apostolic of North Zhili Province (1898-1905)
 * Frederic Gehring (1903-1998), missionary to China and decorated chaplain to American forces during the Guadalcanal Campaign
 * Stéphanos II Ghattas (1920-2009), Patriarch of Alexandria for the Copts and cardinal
 * J. de la Grive (1689-1757), geographer
 * Joseph Lilly, translator of the Greek New Testament into English in 1946.
 * Oscar Lukefahr, theologian, writer, and Christian apologist
 * Évariste Régis Huc (1813-1860), missionary and traveller
 * David M. O'Connell (1955-), Bishop of Trenton
 * Pedro Opeka, Argentinian missionary in Madagascar
 * Teodorico Pedrini (1671-1746), missionary to China and musician
 * Stafford Poole (1936-2020), historian
 * Michael Prior, (1942-2004), Irish priest, liberation theologian, outspoken critic of Zionism
 * John T. Richardson (1923–2022), President of DePaul University
 * Franc Rode (1934-), Cardinal and former Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
 * Joseph Rosati (1789-1843), first bishop of St. Louis, Missouri
 * Joseph Patrick Slattery, (1866-1931) physicist, radiologist, pioneer in the field of radiography in Australia
 * Aba Shlimon (aka Pere Desire Solomon, Khwaja Shlimon) late 19th century Urmia, Persia, an Assyrian scholar
 * Bruce Vawter, chairman of religious studies at De Paul University from 1969 until 1986
 * Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel, Ethiopan archeparch of Addis Abeba and cardinal

Universities
The religious congregation runs the following institutions of higher education: Institutions formerly run by the Congregation:
 * Adamson University (Philippines)
 * DePaul University, Chicago (Western Province - United States)
 * Faculdade Vicentina, Curitiba (Brazil)
 * St. John's University, New York City (Eastern Province - United States)
 * Niagara University, Lewiston, New York (Eastern Province - United States)
 * All Hallows College, Dublin (Ireland)
 * Irish College in Paris (France), administered by the Vincentians from 1858 until 1939.
 * St Patrick's College, Drumcondra, Dublin (Ireland)
 * St. Mary's University, Twickenham (United Kingdom)
 * University of Dallas (United States)
 * St. Vincent's College, forerunner to Loyola Marymount University; the present university is the successor to the first institution of higher learning in Southern California, St. Vincent's College. Vincentian Fathers were commissioned by Bishop Thaddeus Amat y Brusi to found this for boys in Los Angeles.

Secondary schools
The Vincentian fathers also run a number of secondary schools, most notably in Dublin, Ireland, where the order is in charge of two such institutions.
 * Castleknock College, Dublin, Ireland
 * St. Paul's College, Raheny, Dublin, Ireland
 * Colégio São Vicente de Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
 * St Stanislaus College, Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia
 * Österreichisches Sankt Georgs-Kolleg, Istanbul, Turkey
 * Liceum Ogólnokształcące w Centrum Edukacyjnym „Radosna Nowina 2000”, Piekary, Poland
 * St Vincent College, Natovi, Fiji

title: Congregation of the Mission


text:
Passepartout

Passepartout (or passe-partout) is French for "pass everywhere" and is commonly used in French in the sense of a master key or passkey. It may refer to:

Transportation

 * Besson MB.35 Passe Partout (1926), a French two-seat spotter and observation floatplane
 * De Marçay Passe-Partout (1920), a small sport and touring aircraft
 * French cutter Passe-Partout (1845), also called the Mutin
 * Passe-Partout III, a large sailing yacht designed by Tony Castro

Other uses

 * Jean Passepartout, a character in Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days novel
 * Passe Partout, a local morning news program on KLFY-TV in Lafayette, Louisiana
 * Passe-Partout, a French-language children's television program produced from 1977 to 1992
 * Passe-Partout, a mat used in picture framing
 * Passepartout, a restaurant run by singer June Tabor in Penrith, Cumbria, England

title: Passepartout


text:
Emanuel Sperner

Emanuel Sperner (9 December 1905 – 31 January 1980) was a German mathematician, best known for two theorems. He was born in Waltdorf (near Neiße, Upper Silesia, now Nysa, Poland), and died in Sulzburg-Laufen, West Germany. He was a student at Carolinum in Nysa and then Hamburg University where his advisor was Wilhelm Blaschke. He was appointed Professor in Königsberg in 1934, and subsequently held posts in a number of universities until 1974.

Sperner's theorem, from 1928, says that the size of an antichain in the power set of an n-set (a Sperner family) is at most the middle binomial coefficient(s). It has several proofs and numerous generalizations, including the Sperner property of a partially ordered set.

Sperner's lemma, from 1928, states that every Sperner coloring of a triangulation of an n-dimensional simplex contains a cell colored with a complete set of colors. It was proven by Sperner to provide an alternate proof of a theorem of Lebesgue characterizing dimensionality of Euclidean spaces. It was later noticed that this lemma provides a direct proof of the Brouwer fixed-point theorem without explicit use of homology.

Sperner's students included Kurt Leichtweiss and Gerhard Ringel.

title: Emanuel Sperner


text:
Finless porpoise

Neophocaena is a genus of porpoise native to the Indian and Pacific oceans, as well as the freshwater habitats of the Yangtze River basin in China. They are commonly known as finless porpoises. Genetic studies indicate that Neophocaena is the most basal living member of the porpoise family.

There are three species in this genus:

Description
The finless porpoises are the only porpoises to lack a true dorsal fin. Instead there is a low ridge covered in thick skin bearing several lines of tiny tubercles. In addition, the forehead is unusually steep compared with those of other porpoises. With fifteen to twenty-one teeth in each jaw, they also have, on average, fewer teeth than other porpoises, although there is some overlap, and this is a not a reliable means of distinguishing them. Finless porpoises in Ariake Sound-Tachibana Bay showed ontogenctic and seasonal variations in diet. The mean length at weaning was estimated to be 101 cm, corresponding to approximately 6 months of age. Calves fed on small-sized demersal fish and cephalopods.

title: Finless porpoise


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Orcaella

The snubfin dolphins (Orcaella) are a genus of cetaceans containing two members: the Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) and the Australian snubfin dolphin (Orcaella heinsohni). The genus was long believed to be monotypic with the only species being the Irrawaddy dolphin; however, in 2005, supposed Irrawaddy dolphin populations inhabiting the Australian/New Guinean regions were found to be significantly different and were declared a separate new species named the Australian snubfin dolphin.

Taxonomy and evolution
Until 2005, Orcaella brevirostris was the only recognized species in the genus Orcaella. However, comparisons within the populations of Orcaella inhabiting the Asia region and populations inhabiting the Australia/New Guinea region show distinctions in habitat, morphology, and genetics. Morphological differences include skull shape, presence or absence of a median dorsal groove in front of the dorsal fin, height of dorsal fin, and coloration. Genetic analysis constitutes a 5.9% difference between the two populations. In 2005, these significant distinctions considered by Beasley, Arnold and Robertson warranted a taxonomic split of the genus Orcaella into two separate species, Orcaella brevirostris and Orcaella heinsohni. Orcaella brevirostris known as the Irrawaddy dolphin consists of the Asian population. The newly recognized species, known as the Australian snubfin dolphin, consists of the Australian/New Guinea population.

The snubfin dolphins (Orcaella) contain two of the 35 species of oceanic dolphins that make up the Cetacean family of Delphinidae. The phylogenetic status of Orcaella has long been confused. Although the snubfin dolphins share similar external features with the Monodontidae (narwhal), a genetic study conducted by Arnason and Gretarsdottir identified the 'Irrawaddy dolphin' as a delphinid. In their study, phylogenetic information obtained from a highly repetitive DNA (hrDNA) component characteristic of all cetaceans show that Orcaella share close relationships with the Delphinidae rather than the Monodontidae.

Some molecular analyses indicate that the genus Orcaella is closely related to the orca of the genus Orcinus, the two of them together forming the subfamily Orcininae. However, more recent studies have firmly found that Orcaella belongs in the Globicephalinae.

Habitat
Irrawaddy dolphins are mainly found in shallow and coastal waters in the Indo-West Pacific region. The Range of their presence stretches from the Bay of Bengal to the northeastern Australian Coast. One of their most common habitats are in the Mekong River of southern Laos, Ranging from the Khone Falls all the way to the Cambodian Border. Much of the data on the Irrawaddy dolphins of this region is collected by the Lao shore, where they are sighted daily during the dry season supposedly due to the importance of deep-water pools in the area. Their geographic range also extends to the coasts of Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia with some even being restricted to freshwater environments such as certain bodies of water in India and Thailand. They are known to stay relatively close to the shore, with most sightings being as close 1.6 kilometers off the shoreline and as far as 5 kilometers.

Population
In the western Gulf of Carpentaria in Australia, an estimate of one thousand specimens were calculated, though this number may be incorrect due to the lack of visibility when looking into the water and the unpredictable movement patterns of the dolphins. These dolphins form small groups of around ten, with information leading researchers to believe that they only occur in small, localized populations, rather than large groups that travel together. In spite of this, it is difficult to specifically designate a number for their population due to outstanding factors such as the large lack of data and human interference.

Irrawaddy dolphin
The Irrawaddy dolphin shares similar physical characteristics with the beluga whale, but its genetic makeup ties the Irrawaddy dolphin and the killer whale as close relatives of one another. Irrawaddy dolphins have a slate blue to a slate gray color and their bodies can grow up to 180-275 centimeters in length.

Irrawaddy dolphins eat fish and crustaceans and are rarely found by themselves. They are usually found in groups of around ten dolphins. These dolphins swim rather slowly while scouting for areas. They will raise their heads above the water and continue to swim around to familiarize themselves with their surroundings.

Australian snubfin dolphin
Australian snubfin dolphins are very similar to the Irrawaddy dolphins, however, while the bodies of Irrawaddy dolphins are two-colored, the bodies of Australian snubfins are three-colored. Australian snubfins can vary in color from a gray to a blue-gray. Their white underside, including the belly and genitals, helps in distinguishing them from the Irrawaddy dolphins. The Australian snubfins do not have a beak, but their necks, like the necks of Irrawaddy dolphins, are very flexible which leave creases or wrinkles behind their heads. Australian snubfins are shy and tend to stay away from boats. The skulls and fins of Australian snubfins also have slight variations from the Irrawaddy dolphins. Similar to the Irrawaddy, the Australian snubfins feed on fish and fish eggs, crustaceans, and cephalopods.

The bodies of the female Australian snubfin dolphins can grow up to 2.3m while the male bodies can grow up to 2.7m. Like the Irrawaddy dolphins, the Australian snubfins can weigh up to 130 kg.

Australian snubfins usually group together in schools of up to fifteen dolphins. Unlike the Irrawaddy dolphins, Australian snubfins can be found traveling alone. Usually the average school of Australian snubfins consists of five dolphins. These groups of Australian snubfins are found along Australia's north coast from the Kimberley National Marine Park in Western Australia to the Gladstone region of Queensland and can be spotted in the waters of Papua New Guinea.

Irrawaddy dolphin
In 2008, the IUCN Red List changed its assessment of the Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) from data deficient to vulnerable. Currently, five out of the seven sub-populations of Irrawaddy dolphin are categorized as critically endangered. The species was given the status due to the low sizes of sub-populations, significant range declines, and threats to the species continue to be documented, unsustainable and severe.

Threats
Irrawaddy dolphins inhabit freshwater environments making them subject to anthropogenic threats. They include mortality from bycatch (specifically gillnets); habitat degradation caused by: dams, deforestation, and mining; contact with vessels; and capture for live aquarium display. Irrawaddy dolphin have also been hunted in the past in certain areas including the Mekong and Mahakam Rivers. Other potential threats include noise pollution in nearby cities and the possibility of mass pathogen induced mortalities.

Conservation
The action plan for the Conservation of Irrawaddy dolphins provides detail on strategies to alleviate the bycatch problem and considers that protection of certain areas of freshwater Irrawaddy dolphin populations can be an effective method of conservation.

Australian snubfin dolphin
After the species of Australian snubfin dolphin (Orcaella heinsohni) was declared a new species in 2005, the species was categorized as near threatened on the IUCN Red List in 2008. Although data of population structure and population trends is limited, the species was categorized as near threatened rather than data deficient. This is due to species' small population size (fewer than 10,000 mature individuals), limited range, low densities, and the species' vulnerability to bycatch. After more conclusive data is collected, a reassessment of the species has the potential to be categorized as either vulnerable or endangered.

Threats
Due to its occurrence in the close proximity to the Australian/New Guinean shore, the Australian snubfin dolphin is threatened by anthropogenic causes. A significant number of Australian snubfin dolphins are killed by anti-shark nets used to protect bathers and inshore gill-nets embedded across creeks and rivers. However, compared to the Irrawaddy dolphin, the Australian snubfin dolphins have fewer cases of habitat degradation.

Conservation actions
Regulations have been set in order to mitigate bycatch, however net attendance rules and gear modifications are hardly enforced.

title: Orcaella


text:
Human race

Human race can refer to:

 * Humans (Homo sapiens) as a whole
 * Race (human categorization)

title: Human race


text:
Beroea (disambiguation)

Beroea was an ancient city of the Hellenistic period and Roman Empire in Macedonia. Beroea or Berœa may also refer to:
 * Aleppo or Beroea, a city in Syria
 * Beroea of Epirus, ancient Greek princess

title: Beroea (disambiguation)


text:
Electronic portfolio

An electronic portfolio (also known as a digital portfolio, online portfolio, e-portfolio, e-folio, or eFolio) is a collection of electronic evidence assembled and managed by a user, usually but not only on the Web (online portfolio).

Such electronic evidence may include input text, electronic files, images, multimedia, blog entries, and hyperlinks. E-portfolios are both demonstrations of the user's abilities and platforms for self-expression. If they are online, users can maintain them dynamically over time.

One can regard an e-portfolio as a type of learning record that provides actual evidence of achievement. Learning records are closely related to the learning plan, an emerging tool which individuals, teams, communities of interest, and organizations use to manage learning. To the extent that a personal learning environment captures and displays a learning record, it may also operate as an electronic portfolio.

E-portfolios, like traditional portfolios, can facilitate students' reflection on their own learning, leading to more awareness of learning strategies and needs.

Types
There are three main types of e-portfolios, although they may be referred to using different terms:
 * developmental (e.g., working)
 * assessment
 * showcase

A developmental e-portfolio can show the advancement of skill over a period of time rubrics. The main purpose is to provide an avenue for communication between student and instructor. An assessment portfolio will demonstrate skill and competence in a particular domain or area. A showcase portfolio highlights stellar work in a specific area, it is typically shown to potential employers to gain employment. When it is used for job application it is sometimes called career portfolio. Most e-portfolios are a mix of the three main types to create a hybrid portfolio.

Usage
Electronic portfolios have been used in:
 * Schools (see also Technology integration)
 * Higher education
 * Continuing professional development
 * Job applications/professional advertisements
 * Therapy groups
 * Assessment
 * Accreditation
 * Recognition of prior learning (RPL)

In education
In education, the electronic portfolio is a collection of a students' work that can advance learning by providing a way for them to organize, archive, and display work. The electronic format allows a professor to evaluate student portfolios as an alternative to paper-based portfolios because they provide the opportunity to review, communicate, and give feedback in an asynchronous manner. In addition, students are able to reflect on their work, which makes the experience of creating the e-portfolio meaningful. A student e-portfolio may be shared with a prospective employer or used to record the achievement of program or course specific learning outcomes.

The uses of e-portfolios are most common in the courses with departments of education. Most preservice teachers are asked to compile an e-portfolio to demonstrate competencies needed to gain teaching certification or licensure. Student e-portfolios are increasingly being used in other disciplines such as communications, math, business, nursing, engineering and architecture. In education e-portfolios have six major functions:
 * Document skills and learning;
 * Record and track development within a program;
 * Plan educational programs;
 * Evaluate and monitor performance;
 * Evaluate a course;
 * Find a job

In general e-portfolios promote critical thinking and support the development of technology literacy skills. Faculty now use e-portfolios to record course or discipline designs that may be shared with colleagues to promote teaching and learning. A teaching e-portfolio is used to showcase career accomplishments. Different sorts of files can be added here which the marking and other work is easier for the student as well as tutor.

E-portfolios also help to foster an independent and autonomous way of thinking, according to Strivens. This is in large part because people must focus on their collective work, think about how it will be portrayed, and what the work says about them as an individual. The individual is then in charge of their learning and the choice of where to demonstrate their proficiency. People are also forced to reflect on what they have learned and how they plan to build and improve in the future. This helps people to become better critical thinkers and helps them to develop their writing and multimedia skills. Today, many students are using multimedia such as Facebook, Twitter, and texting—all informal settings. The electronic portfolio, on the other hand, is a more formal setting where students must apply both their knowledge of how the web works and the message they want to convey. In this sense, students' use and comfort with the web at times can be a hindrance if they are not taught to use electronic portfolios in the correct fashion, suggests Lane. Many universities and schools are currently working to make sure that students are gaining practice and experience with electronic portfolios so that they are able to use them to the best of their ability. For example, in places like Michigan students can earn the MCOATT (Michigan Certificate of Outstanding Achievement in Teaching Technology) for submitting an electronic portfolio which demonstrates evidence of technology being used in the classroom. This consortium is an organization aimed to make Michigan one of the leaders in integrating technology into the training of young professionals.

title: Electronic portfolio


text:
Belle Boyd

Maria Isabella Boyd (May 9, 1844 – June 11, 1900 ), best known as Belle Boyd (and dubbed the Cleopatra of the Secession or Siren of the Shenandoah,  and later the Confederate Mata Hari   ) was a Confederate spy in the American Civil War. She operated from her father's hotel in Front Royal, Virginia, and provided valuable information to Confederate General Stonewall Jackson in 1862.

Early life
Maria Isabella "Belle" Boyd was born on May 9, 1844, in Martinsburg, Virginia (now part of West Virginia). She was the eldest child of Benjamin Reed and Mary Rebecca (Glenn) Boyd. She described her childhood as idyllic. After some preliminary schooling in Martinsburg, she attended finishing school at the Mount Washington Female College in Baltimore, Maryland in 1856 at age 12.

Southern spy
Boyd's espionage career began by chance. According to her 1866 account, a band of Union army soldiers heard that she had Confederate flags in her room on July 4, 1861, and they came to investigate. They hung a Union flag outside her home. Then one of the men cursed at her mother, which enraged Boyd. She pulled out a pistol and shot the man, who died some hours later. A board of inquiry exonerated her of murder, but sentries were posted around the house and officers kept close track of her activities. She profited from this enforced familiarity, charming at least one of the officers whom she named in her memoir as Captain Daniel Keily,

She wrote in her memoir that she was indebted to Keily "for some very remarkable effusions, some withered flowers, and a great deal of important information." She conveyed those secrets to Confederate officers via her slave Eliza Hopewell, who carried them in a hollowed-out watch case. Boyd was caught on her first attempt at spying and told that she could be sentenced to death.

General James Shields and his staff gathered in the parlor of the local hotel in mid-May 1862. Boyd hid in the closet in the room, eavesdropping through a knothole that she enlarged in the door. She learned that Shields had been ordered east from Front Royal, Virginia. That night, she rode through Union lines, using false papers to bluff her way past the sentries, and reported the news to Colonel Turner Ashby, who was scouting for the Confederates. She then returned to town. When the Confederates advanced on Front Royal on May 23, Boyd ran to greet Stonewall Jackson's men, avoiding enemy fire that put bullet holes in her skirt, as according to her memoir. She urged an officer to inform Jackson that "the Yankee force is very small [...] Tell him to charge right down and he will catch them all."

Jackson did and wrote a note of gratitude to her: "I thank you, for myself and for the army, for the immense service that you have rendered your country today." For her contributions, she was awarded the Southern Cross of Honor. Jackson also gave her captain and honorary aide-de-camp positions.

Boyd was arrested at least six times but somehow evaded incarceration. By late July 1862, detective Allan Pinkerton had assigned three men to work on her case. She was finally captured by Union officials on July 29, 1862, after her lover gave her up, and they brought her to the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, D.C. the next day. An inquiry was held on August 7, 1862, concerning violations of orders that Boyd be kept in close custody. She was held for a month before being released on August 29, 1862, when she was exchanged at Fort Monroe. She was arrested again in June 1863, but was released after contracting typhoid fever.

In March 1864, Boyd attempted to travel to England, but she was intercepted by a Union blockade and sent to Canada where she met Union naval officer Samuel Wylde Hardinge. The two married in England. and had a daughter, Grace. Boyd became an actress in England after her husband's death to support her daughter. Following the death of her husband in 1866, she and her daughter returned to the United States.

Boyd assumed the stage name Nina Benjamin to perform in several cities, eventually ending up in New Orleans where she married John Swainston Hammond in March 1869, a former British Army officer who fought for the Union Army during the Civil War. They had two sons and two daughters; their first son died as an infant. Boyd divorced Hammond in 1884 and married Nathaniel Rue High in 1885. She subsequently began touring the country giving dramatic lectures of her life as a Civil War spy.

Postwar years and death
Boyd published a highly fictionalized narrative of her war experiences in the two-volume Belle Boyd in Camp and Prison. She died of a heart attack in Kilbourn City, Wisconsin (Wisconsin Dells) on June 11, 1900, at age 56. She was buried in the Spring Grove Cemetery in Wisconsin Dells, with members of the Grand Army of the Republic as her pallbearers. For years, her grave simply read:

 * BELLE BOYD
 * CONFEDERATE SPY
 * BORN IN VIRGINIA
 * DIED IN WISCONSIN
 * ERECTED BY A COMRADE

In popular culture

 * Boyd's life inspired the silent film series The Girl Spy.
 * The Smiling Rebel (1955) is a Harnett Kane novel about Boyd.
 * Boyd is a main character in the Cherie Priest steampunk novel Clementine (2010) and its sequel Fiddlehead (2013).
 * Boyd appears as a master-spy in the Firaxis computer game Civilization 4 Beyond The Sword.

title: Belle Boyd


text:
Russian tradition of the Knights Hospitaller

The Russian tradition of the Knights Hospitaller is a collection of charitable organisations claiming continuity with the Russian Orthodox grand priory of the Order of Saint John.

The order emerged when Malta was captured by Napoleon in 1798 during the expedition to Egypt. The Grand Master at the stronghold of Malta, Ferdinand von Hompesch, failed to anticipate or prepare for the threat. The Order continued to exist in a diminished form and negotiated with European governments for a return to power. The Emperor of Russia gave shelter to the largest number of Knights in St Petersburg and this gave rise to the Russian tradition of the Knights Hospitaller and recognition within the Russian Imperial Orders. In gratitude the Knights declared Ferdinand von Hompesch deposed and Emperor Paul I was elected as the new Grand Master. The continuous Order was also approved by the Papacy, but due to British fear of Russians establishing a presence in the Mediterranean and because many knights were Orthodox Christians, the Order became de facto the traditional Order but de jure not recognised similarly or at par with the Sovereign Military Order of Malta or the Order of Saint John (Bailiwick of Brandenburg).

The organisations that claim to belong to the Russian tradition of the Knights Hospitaller are usually ecumenical, admitting baptized Christians from various Christian denominations.

Origin
Blessed Gerard created the Order of St John of Jerusalem as a distinctive Order from the previous Benedictine establishment of Hospitallers (Госпитальеры). It provided medical care and protection for pilgrims visiting Jerusalem. After the success of the First Crusade, it became an independent monastic order, and then as circumstances demanded grafted on a military identity, to become an Order of knighthood. The Grand Priory of the Order moved to Rhodes in 1312, where it ruled as a sovereign power, then to Malta in 1530 as a sovereign/vassal power.

17th century
In 1698, Peter the Great sent a delegation to Malta under Field Marshal Boris Sheremetev, to observe the training and abilities of the Knights of Malta and their fleet. Sheremetev also investigated the possibility of future joint ventures with the Knights, including action against the Turks and the possibility of a future Russian naval base.

Before leaving Malta, Ambassador Sheremetev, established diplomatic relations and was invested as a Knight of Devotion of the order.

18th century
The special relationship between the Knights of Malta and the crown of Russia continued into the 18th century.

From 1766 to 1769, Catherine the Great sent many distinguished Russian naval officers for special training with the Knights of Malta.

From 1770 to 1798 there was a continuing presence of the Russian Navy among the Knights of Malta.

From 1772 to 1773, Grand Master Pinto sent Baillif Sagramoso as an ambassador to Russia, with the aim of maintaining the Order's cordial relationship with the northern giant.

In 1789, Bailiff Count Giulio Renato de Litta, while on an official visit from the Knights of Malta, assisted with the reorganization of Russia's Baltic Fleet, and later served as a commander with the Russian Imperial Navy in the war against Sweden.

In 1782, Empress Catherine sent her son Grand Duke Paul to visit Grand Master De Rohan as a gesture of her respect and admiration. The next year, she sent Count Psaro as an envoy to visit De Rohan in Malta to solidify her relationship with the Knights of Malta, and further Russian influence in the Mediterranean.

In 1797, Paul I, Emperor of Russia signed a Treaty with the Order of Malta, establishing a Roman Catholic Grand Priory of 10 Commanderies in Russia in compensation for the loss of income from the former Polish Grand Priory (of 6 Commanderies), which lay in the Polish territory annexed by Russia.

In 1798, following Napoleon's taking of Malta, the Order was dispersed, but with a large number of refugee Knights sheltering in St Petersburg, where they elected the Russian Emperor, Paul I as their Grand Master, replacing Ferdinand Hompesch then held in disgrace. Hompesch abdicated in 1799, under pressure from the Austrian Court, leaving Paul as the De facto Grand Master. Although Paul I was the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, he assumed leadership of the order, which he structured as a Grand Priory with two divisions, a Catholic priory and an Ecumenical priory (for Lutherans and Orthodox Christians).

19th century – October Revolution of 1917
In 1802, the mission of the Corps des Pages (founded in 1759 as a school for training chamber pages) was broadened to that of a military academy, based on the ideals of the Order of St John. In 1810, the school was moved to the palace of the Sovereign Order of St John of Jerusalem. It continued at this location in St. Petersburg for over one hundred years (until the revolution).

There is disagreement about what happened next. Following Imperial Decrees of Alexander I of Russia in 1810–1811, the properties of Russian Grand Priory of Russia was nationalized, and the property basis of the until then hereditary commanderies became non-existent. Proponents of the view that a separate Russian order existed, see this as if a fiscal and legal separation of the Russian tradition of St John from the main Roman Catholic HQ was created (The main motive of these decrees was financial as Alexander sought to reduce his father's lavish expenditures and build up a war chest for his struggle against Napoleon. As early as May 1802, Lord St. Helens (British Minister to the Court of Russia) informed the Hon. Arthur Paget (Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court of Austria) that the Russian Emperor was going to make the Russian Priory "an independent and separate Community", which would have stripped "perhaps nine-tenths of the Revenues that constituted the Order’s principal income!" Although the Emperor did not take this action in 1802, by 1810, necessity forced the independence. Proponents of the survival claim that a Russian Order came to exist from 1810 and was akin to the German Johanniter Order, a Johannine tradition, but legally separate.

Opponents of the interpretation of this as a creation of a separate Russian order have argued that Emperor Alexander I abolished the Russian Grand Priory and/or the Order based on Decree for 1810, not least due to taking away the substance of the commanderies. Proponents say in return that is a bad misreading, misleading even Russian authors such as V.A. Durov. The Decree of 1810 Ukase 24.134 – 26 February 1810, which removed the Order's property, specifically states that the Order is still to continue, and that "All the expenses connected with the maintenance and running of the Order should be paid from the State Treasury" cited from the Ukase. Opponents argue that this reference is to the Order of Malta in Italy, which the emperor had recognized.

The Court Almanachs following that period still listed the Order of St John, listing as "protecteur" Alexandre Pavlovitch. In the 1813 Almanac the total membership of the Russian Grand Priory was 853, and the Catholic Grand Priory numbered 152. A further 21 members of the Order resided in Russia, providing in excess of a 1000 members.

However, there is no documentary evidence of any new members being admitted to any Russian order. There is also no evidence of any Russians fulfilling the requirements for membership of the order and succession to a commandery set out in the statutes issued by Emperor Paul. There is also no surviving evidence of any office holders of a Russian Grand Priory beyond 1810. Perhaps most tellingly there is no documentation that Emperor Alexander or his successors signed or styled themselves as protectors, grand masters or grand priors of any such institution.

A further decree was issued in 1817 forbidding Army Officers from wearing their decorations because they received them from outside of Russia from a foreign Bailiff of the Roman Catholic Order, which no longer officially existed in Russia by then. No such decree was ever issued concerning members of the non-Roman Catholic Russian Grand Priory, and in fact the reverse was true.

One of the leading French Bailiffs of the Military Order of Malta, who had studied the Russian tradition provided a footnote in his book; "Nevertheless, the Tsars have exceptionally authorised the eldest sons of the descendants of hereditary commanders to wear the decorations. Such an authorisation can be cited in the military service records of 19 October 1867.(De Taube. p. 43) One can also find the name of Demidoff, in his quality as hereditary commander in the Almanach de Gotha (1885, p. 467 and 1923, p. 556) and in the Almanach de St Petersbourg, 1913/14 p. 178"  Pierredon, Count Marie Henri Thierry Michel de, Histoire Politique de l'Ordre Souverain de Saint-Jean de Jerusalem, (Ordre de Malte) de 1789 à 1955, Vol 2, page 197.

In the Division of Petitions of His Imperial Majesty's Chancery, for 1912, Record No. 96803 permission is given to Count Alexander Vladimirovitch Armfeldt to wear the insignia of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, with the transfer of that right, after his death, to his son.

Portraits of Russian nobility wearing insignias of the Order of St John can be found throughout the 19th Century, with listings of members found in the Court Almanacs from the early 19th century through to the 20th Century.

It has been claimed that there is evidence of the Order's existence in Russia throughout the 19th Century on into the 20th Century; however, this is only through secondary evidence in handbooks, etc., and not primary sources. Some of these works include:

 * Alzog, The Reverend Dr Johannes Baptist. Translated by The Reverend Dr F.J. Pabisch and the Reverend Thomas S. Byrne, Manual of Universal Church History, R. Clarke & Co. Cincinnati Ohio, 1874 Volume II.
 * Brière, L. de la. a Knight of Malta, writing in L'Ordre de Malte, le Passé, le Présent, Paris, 1897.
 * Burke, Sir Bernard (ed). The Book of Orders of Knighthood and Decorations of Honour of all Nations. Hurst and Blackett, London 1858.
 * Chambers's Encyclopædia, W. and R Chambers, London 1863, Vol V. Page 729.
 * De Taube, Professor Baron Michel. L'Empereur Paul I de Russie, Grand Maître de l'Ordre de Malte, et son Grand Prieuré Russe, Paris 1955.
 * Karnovich, Eugeme, Knights of Malta in Russia, St Petersburg, 1880.
 * Leiber, Francis (Editor) Encyclopædia Americana, Carey and Lea, Philadelphia, 1832. Volume XI.
 * Loumyer, Jean Francis Nicholas, Histoire, Costumes et Decorations de tous les Ordres de Chevalerie et Marques d'Honneur, Brussels Auguste Wahlen 1844.
 * Magney C de, Recueil Historique des Ordres de Chevalerie, Paris 1843.
 * Maigne, W. Dictionnaire Encyclopédique des Ordres de Chevalerie, Paris 1861.
 * Romanoff, Grand Duke Nicolas Mikhailovitch, Portraits Russes, St. Petersburg; Tome I, Fascicle 1, Fascicle 2, Fascicle 3, Fascicle 4, 1905, Tome II, Fascicle 1, Fascicle 2, Fascicle 3, Fascicle 4, 1906, Tome III, Fascicle 1, Fascicle 2, Fascicle 3, Fascicle 4, 1907, Tome IV Fascicle 1, Fascicle 2, Fascicle 3, Fascicle 4, 1908, Tome V Fascicle 1, Fascicle 2, Fascicle 3, Fascicle 4, 1909.
 * Yate, Arthur C, The Future of Rhodes, article in the Journal of the Central Asian Society Vol. I, 1914 Part II, The Central Asian Society, London 1914.

20th–21st centuries
This Russian Hospitaller tradition of St John continued within the Russian Empire. Russian émigrés who went into exile following the Revolution in 1917 have attempted to keep the Order alive.

On 24 June 1928, a group of 12 Russian Hereditary Commanders met in Paris to re-establish the activities of the Russian Grand Priory. They were supported by three other Russian Nobles who were aspirants and admitted as Knights, and a Hereditary Commander of the Catholic Grand Priory of Russia. They came under the leadership of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich to 1933, and Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich to 1956, both holding the title of "Grand Prior". In 1939, Grand Duke Andrei and the Council agreed to the creation of a Priory in Denmark; the Priory of "Dacia". On 9 December 1953, the Hereditary Commanders held a reunion in Paris and drew up a Constitution for the Russian Grand Priory in exile. In February 1955, the exiled Grand Priory based in Paris was registered as a Foreign Association under French Law as "The Russian Grand Priory of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem."

Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia became the "Protector" to the Paris group in 1956, but refused the title of Grand Prior. Commander Nicholas Tchirikoff became the Dean of the Union until 1974. Prince Nikita Troubetzkoy became the remaining member of the council, which effectively signalled the end of the formal Paris group.

In 1958, a working title was adopted; "Union des Descendants des Commandeurs Hereditaires et Chevaliers du Grand Prieure Russe de l'Ordre de St Jean de Jerusalem". Although by 1975, with the death of the secretary, the original leadership had died out and the jurisdiction of the Paris Group came to a definite legal end; it is asserted that the tradition has been maintained by the Priory of Dacia, (which was acknowledged as a legal part of the Union) together with a number of descendants of the Hereditary Commanders associated with the Russian Grand Priory Association. In 1977, however, Count Nicholas Bobrinsky, along with several of the Hereditary Commanders, also claimed to maintain this tradition and became what is now known as the Orthodox Order of the Knights of St. John, Russian Grand Priory. This international philanthropic and chivalric group in the Russian tradition is based in New York, and has over 600 members including descendants of hereditary Russian nobility including several of the original Hereditary Commander families, as well as descendants of the House of Romanov and other Royal Houses, and has recognition as an NGO/DPI by the United Nations.

Paul I had created under Russian law, the Family Commanders of the Russian Grand Priory with Hereditary Rights. It is the descendants of these Commanders who have, with the support of members of the Imperial family, continued that Russian tradition in exile. In the latter days of the Empire and into exile, these were known as "Hereditary Commanders". The Commanders organised within the "Russian Grand Priory", a corporate organisation which existed under various names; "Association of Hereditary Commanders" (1928), "Russian Philanthropic Association of the descendants of the hereditary commanders of Sovereign the Order of Malta" (1929–1932), "Union des Commandeurs Hereditaires et Chevaliers du Grand Prieure Russe de l'Ordre de St Jean de Jerusalem" (1957–1958) and the longer "Union" title given above (1958–1975). Today various groups claim to be the continuation of the Russian Priory.

In July 2014, Maria Vladimirovna, Grand Duchess of Russia, a dynast of the House of Romanov and a leading claimant to the Russian Throne, whose claims are disputed by some members of the Romanov family, issued a statement through her Chancellery, disavowing and denying that any chivalric orders, or noble or hereditary commanderies, associated with the Order of St John survived Alexander I's decrees, citing the history of the Order of Malta in Russia, as well as Russian source documents.

Self styled / mimic orders
The history of the survival of this tradition has been complicated by various mimic orders. The large passage fees (alleged in some cases to be in the region of $50,000) collected by the American Association of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta in the early 1950s may well have tempted Charles Pichel to create his own "Sovereign Order of St John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller" in 1956. Pichel avoided the problems of being an imitation of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta by giving his organization a mythical history, claiming that it was founded by Russian Hereditary Commanders living in, or visiting, the US and dated to 1908; a spurious claim, but which nevertheless misled many including some academics. In truth, the foundation of his organisation had no connection to the genuine Russian tradition of the Knights Hospitaller. Once created, the attraction of a few exiled Russian nobles into membership of Pichel's "Order" lent some credence to his claims. This organisation and others have led to scores of other self-styled Orders. Two offshoots of the Pichel Order were successful in gaining the backing of two exiled monarchs, the late King Peter II of Yugoslavia, and King Michael of Romania.


text:
Revolting Cocks

Revolting Cocks, also known as RevCo, are an American-Belgian industrial rock band, and sometimes supergroup, that began as a musical side project for Richard23 of Front 242, Luc van Acker, and Al Jourgensen of Ministry.

1984: Origins
Revolting Cocks' origins date to late 1984, when Belgian industrial dance group Front 242, after being invited by Chicago-based indie record label Wax Trax! Records, commenced their first American tour as an opening act for their then-labelmates, American band Ministry. Afterwards, Ministry lead singer Al Jourgensen asked Front 242 member Richard23 to produce a dub remix project. After returning to Brussels, Richard23 discussed collaboration with Luc van Acker; Van Acker, previously session guitarist for Shriekback, joined the newly formed project after talking with Jourgensen over the phone. The band's name came from an incident that took place in a Chicago bar; according to van Acker and Jourgensen, the band was trying out "insulting French expressions" on a waiter, ordering something they said meant "revolting cock" which led the waiter to say, "You are revolting cocks!"

Their first release was "No Devotion" on Wax Trax! Records in 1985. The single was quickly followed by an album, Big Sexy Land (1986), featuring a mix of industrial, hard rock, and EBM with dominating sampling and strong synthesized beats.

1985–1994: Initial run
Richard23 quit in 1986, after falling out with Jourgensen over his and Adrian Sherwood's remix of the song "You Often Forget". The group's remaining two members were augmented by Chris Connelly (formerly of Finitribe, later of Ministry), Paul Barker and Bill Rieflin (both formerly of The Blackouts and at the time in Ministry), with various others appearing as contributors or guests.

The following live album, Live! You Goddamned Son of a Bitch (1988), recorded at a single September 1987 show in Chicago, featured more aggressive versions of the Big Sexy Land tracks along with some new material. This trend continued on Beers, Steers, and Queers (1990), layering sample over sample and pushing ever further into distortion. The budget for Beers, Steers, and Queers and its accompanying single "(Let's Get) Physical" ballooned to $30,000 in early 1990 primarily due to copyright troubles surrounding the cover of Olivia Newton-John's hit song, and led to a strained relationship between Jourgensen and Wax Trax. As it happened, these would be the last Revolting Cocks releases on Wax Trax as Sire Records bought out the rights to all of Jourgensen's side projects.

Linger Ficken' Good (1993) was released by Sire Records, with most tracks returning to the less layered material. Included was a cover of Rod Stewart's "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?", also released as a single. A tour was planned but cancelled, and the band went on hiatus.

2004–2010: First revival
In 2004, Jourgensen and former RevCo player Phildo Owens (Skatenigs, Snow Black) revived the group and previewed a new song, "Prune Tang". An album titled Purple Head was due in 2004, but was delayed until 2006 with a change in title to Cocked and Loaded. "Caliente (Dark Entries)", a cover of "Dark Entries" by Bauhaus, with vocalist Gibby Haynes (Butthole Surfers), was featured on the soundtrack to Saw II in 2005.

After assembling a touring line up to open for Ministry on the MasterBaTour of 2006, Jourgensen chose vocalist Josh Bradford (Stayte, Simple Shelter, V.H.S.), keyboardist Clayton Worbeck (Stayte, Simple Shelter), and guitarist Sin Quirin (Society 1, later Ministry and ReVamp) as the new full-time members for the Revolting Cocks, now simply being called "RevCo". The group recorded Sex-O Olympic-O, which was originally set to be released in October 2008, but was delayed multiple times until it saw release on March 3, 2009. Following a tour, a second album with this lineup, ¿Got Cock?, was released on April 13, 2010. The project fell apart once again with Bradford and Worbeck parting ways. Quirin continued to work with Jourgensen following Ministry's revival in 2011.

2010s: Second revival
In celebration of the record label, a "Wax Trax! Records Retrospectacle: $33 1/3$ Year Anniversary" concert series was held from April 15 to 17, 2011 at Metro Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. As a part of the lineup, Chris Connelly, Paul Barker, and Luc van Acker performed Revolting Cocks songs with Duane Buford, Dan Brill, Jamie Duffy and others. For their performance on the 17th, Richard 23 joined them on stage to sing "No Devotion".

In 2016, Richard 23, van Acker, Barker, and Connelly performed under the shorter name The Cocks for a six-date tour to mark the 30th anniversary of Big Sexy Land, accompanied by Dan Brill and Jason Novak. A larger tour followed in 2017, with the band using the original Revolting Cocks name. The band played a series of gigs in Europe, including the WGT and Infest festivals, before returning to the US for a tour with Front Line Assembly.

On April 8, 2018, Jourgensen announced that another album was in the process of being recorded.

Members

 * Current members
 * Richard23 – vocals (1985–1986, 2011 [guest appearance], 2016–present), percussion (1985–1986)
 * Luc van Acker – vocals (1985–1991, 2006, 2011, 2013, 2016–present), guitars (1985–1988)
 * Paul Barker – bass (1987–1993, 2011, 2013, 2016–present), production (1987–1993)
 * Chris Connelly – vocals (1987–1993, 2011, 2013, 2016–present)

 * Former members
 * Al Jourgensen – production, guitar (1985–1993, 2004–2010)
 * Bill Rieflin – drums (1986–1993; died 2020)
 * Phildo Owen – vocals (1989–1991, 2004–2006)
 * Duane Buford – keyboards (1993, 2011, 2013)
 * Mike Scaccia – guitar (1993, 2004–2006; died 2012)
 * Josh Bradford – vocals (2006–2010)
 * Sin Quirin – guitars, bass, keyboards (2006–2010)
 * Clayton Worbeck – keyboards, bass (2006–2010)

 * Touring members
 * Nivek Ogre – vocals (1988)
 * Michael Balch – keyboards (1990–1991)
 * Mark Durante – guitar, backing vocals (1990–1991)
 * Trent Reznor – vocals (1990)
 * Jeff Ward – drums (1990; died 1993)
 * Anna K – bass (2006)
 * Seven Antonopoulos – drums (2006)
 * Murv Douglas – bass (2009)
 * Aaron Rossi – drums (2009)
 * Jamie Duffy – guitar (2011; died 2012)
 * Dan Brill – drums (2011, 2013, 2016–present)
 * Jason Novak – samples, percussion, guitar (2016–present)

Studio albums

 * Big Sexy Land (1986)
 * Beers, Steers, and Queers (1990)
 * Linger Ficken' Good (1993)
 * Cocked and Loaded (2006)
 * Sex-O Olympic-O (2009)
 * ¿Got Cock? (2010)

Live albums

 * Live! You Goddamned Son of a Bitch (1988)

Remix albums

 * Cocktail Mixxx (2007)
 * Sex-O MiXXX-O (2009)
 * ¿Got Mixxx? (2011)

Singles

 * "No Devotion" (1985)
 * "You Often Forget" (1986) (UK Indie #13)
 * "Stainless Steel Providers" (1989)
 * "(Let's Get) Physical" (1989)
 * "Beers, Steers, and Queers" (The Remixes) (1991)
 * "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" (1993)
 * "Crackin' Up" (1994)

title: Revolting Cocks


text:
Talk:Sextant

Astrolabe link
Given the context of the intro paragraph would it be more appropriate to link to Mariner's astrolabe, instead of to astrolabe. Not that I'm an expert on this, but the sextant, in the navigational context mentioned, was the direct replacement of the sailing tool, as opposed to the standard astrolabe, which was not well-suited for shipboard use. -- Palironsat 12:22, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

 * One problem is this is an oversimplification of the history of nav instruments. A very short list in order of invention would be something like:

 * kamal
 * quadrant? might be later.
 * Cross staff
 * astrolabe - not common at all at sea based on my, admittedly limited, research.
 * Mariner's astrolabe
 * Davis quadrant aka backstaff
 * octant
 * sextant
 * Given that the mariner's astrolabe was pretty much out of use by the late 17thc, the octant/sextant replaced the Davis quadrant, at least in the Royal Navy. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Michael Daly (talk • contribs) 05:43, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

A question
I have a question:

If one is to measure the height of the horizon above the imagined sea level, can you do that with a sextant?

I imagine it should be possible with something on the sextant to keep it totally horizontal.

Sverdrup 13:06, 21 Nov 2003 (UTC)

 * If you can't see the horizon, an artificial horizon can used. You can also do this if you are far above the horizon.  For aircraft, bubble sextants have been used.  A traditional artificial horizon is a small box with a glass cover (looks like a little house with a glass roof) and has a pool of mercury in it.  The mercury acts as a mirror and twice the angle to a star (or sun) is measured; the angle, being reflected, is twice the distance from the horizon.  Michael Daly 04:59, 10 September 2007 (UTC)

 * I should add that if you don't know your height above the horizon, there is no general means of measuring the altitude with a sextant that I've ever heard of. An altimeter or independent means of determining altitude is required. Michael Daly 05:06, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

The link from "artificial horizon" in the article now goes only to an article about aircraft attitude indicator. Can this be changed please.

It would be helpful to have the use of the mercury-filled (or similar liquid-filled) artificial horizon explained in the main body of the article. Many explorer-surveyors carried bottles of mercury for this purpose as part of their equipment at one time.

martinev (talk) 18:02, 28 November 2009 (UTC)

I removed extraneous information about damaged sextants, storing them, why someone shouldn't buy one without a case, etc. This is an encyclopedia article, not a product-buying guide. Alcarillo 17:20 27 Apr 2004 (UTC)

Given the age of the technology, and the amount of ones that can be found for sale at collectors and antique stores, information on how to identify the age, and condition of a sextant sounds like something that should be included at least somewhere. How it works and how to care for them is part of the information of a sextant that is just as valuable as what it does.--Talroth 23:48, 4 January 2007 (UTC)

Octant link
This article has a link to octant, which re-directs here. Anything on what to do with the link?? 66.245.121.70 02:18, 1 Dec 2004 (UTC)

The link to quadrant goes to a disam page, with no link to a relevant page. 68.1.98.64 04:01, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Pilotage, horizontal angles etc
A sextant is not exclusively used to measure angles between a celestial object and the horizon. As many sailors know, it is also used to measure angles between two landmarks by placing it horizontaly. This can be very helpful in determining one's position at sea in coastal navigation, if one has a Chart, of course. --Jprats

You can also use it (the normal way up) to measure distance-off by measuring the angular height of an object like a lighthouse (if the real height is known and corrections are made for the current height of the tide). I've been wondering whether to put these ideas into here or into Pilotage. We can do something here about these present day, modern uses of the sextant in pilotage, as well as as a backup for the day when the GPS system or your own GPS receiver(s) pack up while you're at sea. It's not just a historical novelty. --Nigelj 11:26, 6 August 2005 (UTC)

Sextant
The phrase "scale of a sextant" is used in the second paragraph. I cannot find a reference to the word "scale." At first I thought that it might be a synonym for the physical portion called the "arc," but that is clearly wrong. Help.

when?
Okay, I was doing a research project and I was just trying to figure out what time period sectants were used. I can't find it. It says something about 1730, but is that when they were used. I read somewhere about the Elizabethan era. Ahhh, I don't know anything about them. jess523s 23:34, 30 April 2006 (UTC)
 * My problem as well. Looks like these are still used, to read the article, which I didn't expect.  So could someone clarify this? 98.82.201.24 (talk) 21:52, 14 April 2011 (UTC)
 * In the list of links at the top of the article you'll find:
 * For the history and development of the sextant see Reflecting instruments
 * That article gives the dates of development of various instruments up to and including the sextant. The History of navigation article does cover other technologies that are newer than sextants.--Michael Daly (talk) 18:57, 15 April 2011 (UTC)

Approximate vs. Precise
The reason I changed "precise location" to "approximate location" is that the use of a Line of Position (LOP) from a sextant reading is approximate, and the LOP from dead reckoning is likewise approximate. Stating "precise position" is implying something a little more specific. Generally, if you can establish your position within 1-3 miles of actual position you're doing pretty good. (unsigned comment by User:Quartermaster)

I changed it to just plain "fix". All fixes are approximate. A sextant fix might be good to a couple of miles, a GPS fix to a few yards, but they're both approximate. Calling something "precise" is almost meaningless unless you specify the numeric uncertainty. -- RoySmith (talk) 19:08, 21 May 2006 (UTC)

The question is now do we use the appropriate and relevant jargon "location fix" without linking to an explanation that all fixes are approximate. We're agreed that a celestial LOP and dead reckoning position are not precise. No position is precise, but a fix determined by celestial navigation within 1 mile is considered excellent, hence, the overriding need to delete the term "precise" here, which has been done.

How about a change that states "The intersection of that circle with a dead reckoning track, or another sighting yields a location fix (approximate location)." That way we use the appropriate vocabulary for the topic (location fix) but parenthetically clarify it to the casual Wikipedia user. Ideally, we would point to an entry explaining "location fix," but at least the "See also" links to celestial navigation and navigation would clarify things for the thorough and curious. Quartermaster.

illustrations
I think that this article could use some diagramatic illustrations elxplaining the layout and principle of a sextants operation. ike9898 04:10, 28 October 2006 (UTC)
 * I agree. I took out the photo I recently put up of my own sextant and substituted a diagram found in Wikimedia commons.  There are other images there as well.  KenWalker | Talk 16:12, 28 October 2006 (UTC)

Inventor?
This article seems to be saying that Newton developed the sextant. Is it not true that Newton was born 1643 and Tycho Brahe was using sextants in the mid 1500s? ::Obstructio 02:19, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

Confusion over sextants - two types - direct and reflecting
There are two different instruments referred to as sextants. One is a reflecting instrument, the other is not.

The sextant referred to in the intro as being invented in 995 is a mural sextant. This is not a reflecting instrument and is not anything like the sort of thing discussed in the majority of the article. Ditto Brahe's instrument - that was a direct reading sextant - a span of 60° gave a reading range of 60°. These things should have a separate section or a separate article.

Reflecting sextants derive from the octant - aka reflecting quadrant - and are the sort of instrument most think of today when they hear the word sextant. Reflecting instruments read up to 120° from an arc that spans 60° Michael Daly 05:06, 10 September 2007 (UTC)

 * I've created a new page for the non-reflecting sextant and removed from this page information on non-reflectig instruments. I have added a note to the top directing readers to the other page if they are interested in the other topic. Michael Daly 16:45, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

Astronomical Sextant is not a precursor to the Navigator's sextant.
The reason I created a new page for the astronomical sextant is that it is a completely different instrument. The astronomical sextant is not a precursor. The precursor to the sextant was the octant, and before that the reflecting quadrant. The astronomical sextant is just an angle measuring instrument with a single arc that happens to be 1/6 of a circle. Michael Daly 03:03, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

Bris sextant is not a sextant
Since the Bris sextant is not a true sextant, I wonder if it should be on this page or on it's own page as a navigation instrument. A link from this page under "see also" would be appropriate. Michael Daly 22:58, 27 September 2007 (UTC)

 * The Bris sextant is indeed a type of sextant, in the modern sense where the word no longer specifically requires a measuring range up to 120 degrees. See the discussion page at Bris sextant for more.24.148.18.151 (talk) 01:48, 26 October 2010 (UTC)

About sextant practical
sir give me the practical information about sextant. what type I can do. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 220.227.98.62 (talk) 05:26, 21 June 2008 (UTC)

Use of a Sextant
Could somebody possibly write-up a section on how a Sextant is used, how it works? The animation demonstrates this, but from just looking at it one wouldn't know that it is an animation, and it requires one to travel to a different page to find out how it works. Many thanks, 82UK (talk) 17:05, 23 August 2010 (UTC)
 * Well, I never noticed that it wasn't there! I have just added a subsection called 'Taking a sight', based on the book I have on the subject. I know about WP:NOTHOWTO and have tried to avoid that. If I have not quite succeeded (due to the very how-to nature of my source material!), please help me to tweak the wording. I also have not included any wikilinks in the new material yet, but there are plenty of possible links to add. Thanks for the suggestion. --Nigelj (talk) 21:03, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

Errors discussion
The discussion of errors is a little weak. It provides no information on the scale of the errors. It (previously) included "side error" at the same level of importance as the other errors, yet side error is inconsequential for observations and does not need to be removed (text in the article modified). The item on index error should be re-written to emphasize that it does not need to be eliminated, only observed and recorded as the I.C. or "index correction". The item on telescope collimation mentions only the old method of testing this and doesn't describe simple tabletop methods of collimation. Also it should be mentioned that many/most? modern sextants have no provision for adjusting telescope collimation and the telescope may be presumed collimated by construction.24.148.18.151 (talk) 01:46, 26 October 2010 (UTC)

What is "the scale of a sextant?"
The phrase "scale of a sextant" appears in the introduction to the overall entry. Is"the scale of a sextant" a part of the sextant, or part of its use, or ...? At first, I thought that it might be the "arc" but that is wrong. Please explain what "a turn" is, and how it relates to the 1/6th on the name "sextant."97.114.90.169 (talk) 00:17, 14 November 2011 (UTC)

whoever wrote this article's intro has not concept of a sextant. It states that a sextant IS a sixth of a circle in scale. Hogwash. All modern sextants are well over 1/3 of a circle. Take a look at the photos... 0 to 140 degrees. Although the scale has doubled the name has not changed. Wish I could edit the intro. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.186.16.120 (talk) 04:59, 4 February 2014 (UTC)

please correct it in a manner encyclopedia freaks relish. do sailors really use the term hog wash ? 72.219.202.186 (talk) 14:22, 9 April 2014 (UTC)

in Section: Taking a Sight
(dark glass is not safe enough, see Arc welding lenses, see Telescope solar lenses)

was added as correction

Please either say nothing, refer to manufacturer instructions, or correctly say it is a special solar lense. Dark glass alone will cause blindness over time.

This is also true for cheap* sunglasses but don't tell anyone!

(Cheap sunglasses use dark material and the eye feels safe but is actually being damaged at wavelengths that do not cause pain. A doctor would suggest squinting eye lids instead of relying on cheap sunglasses for eye pain situations)

Never look at arc welding using dark sunglasses.

72.219.202.186 (talk) 14:22, 9 April 2014 (UTC)

intro: more basic!
At the very beginning, how about a paragraph like...A sextant is a device for finding your position on the Earth while at sea. It measures the vertical angle between the horizontal and a heavenly body. Given these angle measurements and an accurate time piece you can calculate your longitude and latitude at sea. It is a version of the simple protractor that measures vertical angles on land, but designed to be used specifically on the ocean. The sextant's design makes use of the ocean's horizon line as the horizontal reference and is designed to be used while standing on a rocking surface, yet giving a high degree of accuracy.

The current intro starts out too technical. Overall a good article! Pb8bije6a7b6a3w (talk) 15:30, 29 October 2017 (UTC)

External links modified (January 2018)
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Diagram and explanation
As a lot of work has evidently gone into the article, it may seem churlish to complain, but neither the diagram nor the description of the instrument are very clear. The text refers repeatedly to the 'index arm', but this is not marked on the diagram (as at 29 March 2018), so it is impossible to be sure what the description is referring to. I *guess* that it is the broad bar projecting down from the circle holding the index mirror. If so, it should be marked. The caption does refer to an 'index bar', but this is not referred to in the text until the section on 'taking a sight'. Again, I *guess* that 'index bar' is just another term for the 'index arm', but if so the terminology should be harmonized. Also, the diagram shows a clamp, but it is not clear how this works. What is it clamped *to*? And how does the 'fine adjustment' screw work if the index bar is clamped? It is stated that 'By setting the index bar to zero, the sun can be viewed through the telescope', but this does not seem correct unless the sun is very close to the horizon. In the animated diagram, when the index bar is set to zero the sun is *not* visible through the telescope. Finally, it is not clear how the horizon can still be seen when the index arm (or bar) has been rotated. From other accounts, I think the view in the mirrors only covers *half* the field of view through the telescope, the other half being seen directly through the telescope. But this is not consistent with the animated diagram, which shows the image of the sun as a complete circle overlapping the mid-line, then, when the caption reads 'swing to verify', the image of the sun moves away from the mid-line entirely, which seems impossible if the mid-line demarcates the half of the scene viewed indirectly through the mirrors from the half viewed directly through the telescope. I hope that someone who understands the sextant better than I do can review the text and diagram and clarify it where necessary.86.179.155.102 (talk) 20:24, 29 March 2018 (UTC)

Bartholomew Gosnold
We even see it here https://books.google.com/books?id=KepS8XXqRCgC&pg=PA117&dq=Bartholomew+Gosnold+sextant&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjv2uaQ3qHaAhWLdN8KHWa7BwsQ6AEIJzAA#v=onepage&q=Bartholomew%20Gosnold%20sextant&f=false

They sailed without communications; there was no telephone, radio, radar or satellite navigation. Captain Gosnold could determine latitude with a sextant, but it would be a century and a half before navigators could measure longitude. https://britishheritage.com/timeline-the-world-of-1607/

The Sextant is older than Wikipedia thinks, and this was just what I dug up using the internet. A real historian would likely find much later uses than that.71.179.58.178 (talk) 23:10, 4 April 2018 (UTC)

 * I found no articles which are paying attention to the history of the sextant that indicate an earlier origin.
 * I found a number from sites that suggest they know something about navigation that agree with the dates in the current article.
 * Quadrants and astrolabes existed before 1730.
 * I suggest that non-navigator authors may use sextant to refer to anything that measures the angle of stars. Rimorphis (talk) 21:17, 31 March 2024 (UTC)
 * I suggest that non-navigator authors may use sextant to refer to anything that measures the angle of stars. Rimorphis (talk) 21:17, 31 March 2024 (UTC)

Corrections to readings.
Suggested additional section. I don't know how to edit or I'd make the changes myself. Once a reading is made it should be corrected for a number of issues. What follows are 3 of the corrections that need to be taken. 1) The horizon is below horizontal, that dip is dependent on the height above sea level. 1.77 x sqrt(height in meters) gives the correction in arc-minutes. There are tables so you don't have to do the math. 2) If the horizon is shoreline a different correction must be taken. https://davidburchnavigation.blogspot.com/2018/06/dip-short-distance-off-and-running-fix.html 3) If celestial object being sighted (i.e. either the Sun or the Moon) is close parallax must be taken into account. Celestial navigation assumes readings are taken in line with the center of the Earth, so any reading other than directly overhead must be corrected.

The first link is an archive.org scan of a book written in the early 1800s teaching how to navigate it covers these corrections and others. https://archive.org/details/newcompleteepito00nori/page/n13/mode/2up These go over the same corrections. https://astrolabesailing.com/2016/10/10/celestial-navigation-sextant-angle-corrections/ https://oceannavigator.com/celestial-navigation-series-part-5/ Rimorphis (talk) 21:05, 31 March 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:Sextant