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Line (heraldry)

The lines in heraldry used to divide and vary fields and charges are by default straight, but may have many different shapes. Care must be taken to distinguish these types of lines from the use of lines as charges, and to distinguish these shapes from actual charges, such as "a mount [or triple mount] in base," or, particularly in German heraldry, different kinds of embattled from castle walls.

In Scotland, varied lines of partition are often used to modify a bordure (or sometimes another ordinary) to difference the arms of a cadet from the chief of the house.

Indented and dancetty
An ordinary indented is bounded by small zigzags like a triangle wave or the teeth of a saw, with peaks on one side matching peaks on the other. An ordinary dancetty is similar, but with peaks matching troughs, so that the width is constant; it also typically has fewer points than indented. In early armory these were not distinguished. In the arms of the 55th Electronic Combat Group of the United States Air Force the indented is "edged wider on the back angle (sinister) than on the face (dexter) of each angle".

Dentilly is a modern invention, similar to indented, but with one of the sides of the points perpendicular and the other angled, as in a sawtooth wave.

Rayonné (also rayonne, rayonny; from French rayonner) may be considered a variant of indented, but with wavy instead of straight lines, as in the conventional representation of rays of the sun. Rayonne palewise appears in the arms of the 172d Support Battalion of the United States Army. A chief enarched rayonné on a gold field appears in the arms of Sechelt, British Columbia, forming the appearance of a sun.

The arms of the Worshipful Company of Security Professionals contain an example of indented acute, a form of indented with higher peaks.

The number of peaks in indented is almost never specified, but an exception is the arms of Arthur D. Stairs: Per bend sinister indented of six steps Gules and Sable, and Westville, Natal, South Africa bears Sable, issuant from behind a fence of spears in base Argent, a fig tree in leaf Or;  on a chief indented of four points to base, also Or, three lion's faces Sable.

In South Africa there are a number of examples of dancetty inverted. While the number of peaks in dancetty are three unless otherwise specified, the arms of Wagland show dancetty of two points and the arms of Baz Manning show a chief "dancetty of two full points upwards". The arms of the Matroosberg Transitional Representative Council in South Africa give an example of dancetty… in the shape of a letter W. The arms of the French department of Côtes d'Armor show émanché, which would be equivalent to the English per fess dancetty of two full points upwards. The arms of Baron Griffiths of Fforestfach are Paly of four Vert and Argent per fess enhanced indented of two points upwards each point double barbed throughout issuing in base a pile double barbed throughout all counterchanged. The arms of Alaric John Martin Woodrow show an example of barry dancetty each point double barbed, used to represent a line of fir trees as a play on the surname. The arms of the Free State in South Africa show "a chief dancetty, the peaks terminating in merlons", and so might be called a combination of dancetty and embattled; a similar hybrid can be seen in the arms of the Agricultural Gymnasium. Hoerskool Hangklip provide an example of dancetty with points flattened, and Blouberg of dancetty the peaks couped. It is difficult to know whether to characterise the "wall-like extremity with five merlons and four embrasures" in the arms of the Kurgan Oblast in Russia as a divided field or a charge.

The arms of Ernest John Altobello show a chevron with the upper edge grady (this is identical in appearance to indented) "and ensigned of a tower Argent".

Wavy and nebuly
A line wavy (also called undy) is a sine wave, often used to represent water; a line nebuly is similar but with more exaggerated meanders, representing clouds. There are confusing, ambiguous and non-standard uses of a wavy in the military heraldry of the United States to refer to irregularly wavy lines.

The wavy chief in the arms of Lord Nelson was blazoned as undulated.

The field of the arms of the 40th Finance Battalion of the United States Army is blazoned per fess wavy (in the manner of a Taeguk).

In wavy crested the waves appear like pointed breakers. The arms of James Hill show an example of barrulets wavy crested to the sinister on the upper edge. The chief in the arms of Professor S.W. Haines is wavy of one crest and depressed in the centre of one point.

There are examples of even greater complexity and specificity in the wavy line, such as the arms of "Baron Nolan ... [which include] three 'bars wavy couped composed of two troughs and a wave invected of one point on the upper edge and engrailed of one point on the lower edge'".

Specification of the number of "undulations" in nebuly can be seen by Jochen Wilke's roundel, with ten. (It is uncommon for lines of partition to modify a charge other than an ordinary.)

The Blount family of Worcestershire, England, whose members held the titles of Baron Mountjoy and two baronetcies, bore Barry nebuly of six or and sable. Nebuly lines also appear in the arms of the former borough councils of Fleetwood (Lancashire) and Hyde (Cheshire).

Engrailed and invected

These lines consist of a series of circular arcs curving in the same direction, meeting at angles, forming points outward (engrailed) or inward (invected). When these terms are applied to a partition rather than to an ordinary, the first part of the field is the "interior".

The arms of Liverpool Hope University include a Cross engrailed of one point on each limb. The Flag of Flintshire is Argent a cross engrailed sable between four Cornish choughs proper.

The arms of the Pretoria Philatelic Society show a chief engrailed and couped, having the appearance of the edge of a perforated postage stamp. The arms of Kutlwanong Dorp in South Africa provide an example both of the specification of the number of lobes in invected, and those lobes being trefly.

Embattled and variants
A line embattled is a square wave, representing the battlements of a castle.

When a fess is embattled, only the topmost edge is altered (as in the arms of Muri bei Bern). If both edges are to be embattled, the term embattled-counter-embattled (or counter-embattled, as in the arms of Sir Cecil Denniston Burney) is used. In this case the lines are parallel. If gaps face gaps, the term bretessé is used. There is at least one emblazonment suggesting that the orle is only embattled on its outer edge.

Italian armory has a variant, Ghibelline battlement, with notched merlons.

In a line raguly the extensions are oblique rather than orthogonal, like the stumps of limbs protruding from a tree-trunk.

Dovetailed is as in carpentry. Unlike embattled, gaps face gaps.

Potenty may be considered a variant in which the points are extended to T-shapes ("potent" means a crutch).

A line embattled grady or battled embattled consists of series of two or three steps, as if each merlon has a smaller merlon atop it. Parker's glossary says that double-embattled may be the same as this.

The arms of Schellenberg in Liechtenstein provide an example of embattled "with three battlements". The bordure in the arms of Boissy l'Aillerie, in Val d'Oise, France, has nine battlements (the bordure is also masoned and contains door-like openings).

A very unusual occurrence of embattled occurs in the arms of the 136th Military Police Battalion of the United States Army: Sable, a fesse enhanced and embattled Or, overall a magnifying glass palewise rim Argent (Silver Gray), the glass surmounting and enlarging the middle crenel between two merlons, the handle Gules edged of the second bearing a mullet Argent.

The arms of Baron Kirkwood show two chevronels round embattled (the merlons are rounded rather than squares). There are also examples of embattled pointed and embattled in the form of mine dumps.

James Parker cites the arms of Christopher Draisfield: "Gules, a chevron raguly of two bastons couped at the top argent."

The arms of Zodwa Special School for Severely Mentally Handicapped Children show a chevron dovetailed, the peak ensigned with a potent issuant.

Some examples also exist of urdy, where the line is in the shapes of the upside-down and rightside-up "shields" of vair (this is to be distinguished from couped urdy, in which the couping takes a pointed form ). The arms of Winfried Paul Reinhold Steinhagen are Per chevron, the peak in the form of a merlon round urdy of four, Gules and Or, in chief a horse forcene and a goat clymant respecting one another, Argent, and in base a bull's head Sable armed Argent; a chief per fess in the form of a wall with three watchtowers, Azure and Argent, the latter charged with a strand of barbed wire throughout, Sable. The "unusual, if not unique" arms of Lourens Du Toit are Per fess of three pallets urdy Sable and Or.

The arms of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons have a bordure emblazoned "dentate", although this appears to be quite similar to dovetailed.

Embowed, nowy and variants
A line embowed consists of a single arch.

A line nowy contains a semicircular protuberance in the middle. A line with an angular protuberance in the middle, like a battlement, is called escartelly.

The arms of Laerskool Bosveld in South Africa have a field Per chevron embowed trefly, Azure and Argent.

The arms of Léopold-Henri Amyot show "per fess ogivy"; this is based on the ogive or pointed arch.

Chiefs, fesses and palar dividing lines are sometimes seen arched and double-arched (and there is an example of triple-arched), though there is some debate as to whether or not these are lines of partition. That arched can be combined with partition lines can be seen from the arms of South Lanarkshire in Scotland. Arched can also be reversed.

Rarer lines and recent inventions
The rare line bevilled modifies the bendlets in the arms of Thomas Roy Barnes and the pairle in the arms of Rovaniemi, Finland. This lightning-bolt type of line with one zigzag is to be distinguished from angled, in which the line takes a pair of 90° turns before continuing parallel to and in the same direction as the old line. There is a South African example of bevilled to sinister, and a bend double bevilled can be seen in the arms of Philip Kushlick School.

A line trefly shows protuberances in the form of trefoils.

The arms of Saint Paul's Cathedral in Regina, Saskatchewan contain a bordure its inner line looping in foils of poplar of the field within the bordure at each angle and at regular intervals between.

The arms of Carmichael show a fess "wreathy", which may or may not be strictly speaking a line of partition, but does modify the fess; the coat is not blazoned as a "wreath in fess". James Parker calls this "tortilly".

The 20th century saw some innovations in lines of partition. Erablé, a series of alternating upright and inverted maple leaves, is a typically Canadian line of partition, though the College of Arms in London has used it in a few grants (but compare the cross nowy erablé in the arms of Katherina Fahlman Selinger Schaaf. A Finnish line of partition, invented by Kaj Cajander and called kuusikoro, which is called fir-tree topped in Britain, and which the Canadian Heraldic Authority coined the term sapiné to blazon, resembles fir trees; in the arms of Guy Selvester this is called sapinage. A line resembling fir twigs, and so called in British blazon, is called sapinagé in Canada (English and French), and havukoro in Finland. Other 20th-century examples of lines, or things akin to lines, include the 1990 grant to Albersdorf-Prebuch in Austria, in which the upper line of the fess takes the form of fruit, the bottom of vine-leaves. (It is debatable what the distinction is between such lines, and examples such as the arms of Bierbaum am Auersbach, a town in Styria, in which three pears grow from a pall.)

The South African Bureau of Heraldry has developed the line of partition serpentine (which has also been called ondoyant), which is rather like wavy, but with only one "wave", one complete cycle of a sine wave; the serpentine in the arms of the Mtubatuba Primary School is defined as "dexter to chief and sinister to base". (Similar is the German im Schlangenschnitt (snake-wise).) It has also developed the uniquely South-African lines of division (which can also form the ends of a charge) nowy of a Cape Town gable (now called just nowy gabled), and nowy of an Indian cupola. Similarly, the fess line in the arms of the Council for Social and Associated Workers is nowy of a trimount inverted, the fess in the arms of Mossel Bay is nowy of two Karoo gable houses, the chief in the arms of the Lenasia South-East Management Committee is nowy of an Indian cupola, the chief in the arms of the Genealogical Society of South Africa is double nowy gably and that of Frederick Brownell is gably of three. The arms of the Reyneke Bond (i.e. Reyneke Family Association) are Per fess, in each flank double nowy fitchy to base, Azure and Or, a lion rampant per fess of the second and Gules, a chief Or. The plain chief identifies these as the arms of a family association. The arms of Itsokolele, South Africa include a chief double fitchy inverted.

Broad fitchy couped is a line of South-African origin similar in appearance to a mine-dump or escartelly with sloping sides.

Chevrons can be topped with a fleur-de-lys, and ordinaries with non-straight edges (particularly if they are dancetty or engrailed) can have the points topped with demi fleurs-de-lys. It has sometimes been said that in some reference works flory-counter-flory (and flory) is treated like a line of partition, even though strictly speaking it is not – though it has been used for centuries that way in the royal arms of Scotland blazoning the double tressure (Public Register of Arms, Lyon Court, Edinburgh) and used by the College of arms in blazoning coats like that of Sutherland of Dunstanburgh Castle (Gules, a chevron flory-counterflory between in chief three mullets and in base a lymphad all or) and is used by the South African Bureau of Heraldry blazoning the coat of Huis Tankotie of the University of Pretoria (Per fess, flory counter-flory, Argent and Azure, in base within the flower an annulet Sable; a bordure counterchanged) and Emmanuel-Opleidingsentrum in the South African Bureau of Heraldry's online database. (Flory is sometimes varied with other shapes than the fleur-de-lys, when it is blazoned as flory of. )

A vague and unhelpful blazon of the 27th Air Division of the United States Air Force provides for a "bordure of distinctive outline".

Gallery of different lines of partition
Each shield is Per fess _______ argent and gules, but some of these lines have no common English name.

title: Line (heraldry)


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Irrawaddy dolphin

The Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) is a euryhaline species of oceanic dolphin found in scattered subpopulations near sea coasts and in estuaries and rivers in parts of the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia. It closely resembles the Australian snubfin dolphin (of the same genus, Orcaella), which was not described as a separate species until 2005. It has a slate blue to a slate gray color. Although found in much of the riverine and marine zones of South and Southeast Asia, the only concentrated lagoon populations are found in Chilika Lake in Odisha, India and Songkhla Lake in southern Thailand.

Taxonomy
One of the earliest recorded descriptions of the Irrawaddy dolphin was by Sir Richard Owen in 1866 based on a specimen found in 1852, in the harbour of Visakhapatnam on the east coast of India. It is one of two species in its genus. It has sometimes been listed variously in a family containing just itself and in the Monodontidae and Delphinapteridae. Widespread agreement now exists to list it in the family Delphinidae.

Etymology
The species' name brevirostris is from the Latin meaning short-beaked.

Description
The Irrawaddy dolphin's colour is grey to dark slate blue, paler underneath, without a distinctive pattern. The dorsal fin is small and rounded behind the middle of the back. The forehead is high and rounded; the beak is lacking. The front of its snout is blunt. The flippers are broad and rounded. The finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides) is similar and has no back fin; the humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) is larger, and has a longer beak and a larger dorsal fin. It ranges in weight from 90 to 200 kg with a length of 2.3 m at full maturity. Maximum recorded length is 2.75 m of a male in Thailand.

The Irrawaddy dolphin is similar to the beluga in appearance, though most closely related to the killer whale. It has a large melon and a blunt, rounded head, and the beak is indistinct. Its dorsal fin, located about two-thirds posterior along the back, is short, blunt, and triangular. Dorsal fin shapes differ from one Irrawaddy dolphin to another. The flippers are long and broad. These dolphins are usually two-toned, with the back and sides being gray to bluish-gray and the belly lighter. Unlike any other dolphin, the Irrawaddy's U-shaped blowhole is on the left of the midline and opens towards the front of the dolphin. Its short beak appears very different from those of other dolphins, and its mouth is known for having 12-19 peg-like teeth on each side of the jaws.

Behaviour
Communication is carried out with clicks, creaks, and buzzes at a dominant frequency of about 60 kilohertz, which is thought to be used for echolocation. Bony fish and fish eggs, cephalopods, and crustaceans are taken as food. Observations of captive animals indicate food may be taken into the mouth by suction. Irrawaddy dolphins are capable of squirting streams of water that can reach up to 1.5 m; this distinct behaviour has been known for herding fish into a general area for hunting. They do this sometimes while spyhopping and during feeding, apparently to expel water ingested during fish capture or possibly to herd fish. Some Irrawaddy dolphins kept in captivity have been trained to do spyhopping on command. The Irrawaddy dolphin is a slow swimmer, but swimming speeds of 20 - 25 kph were reported when dolphins were being chased in a boat. In a year, females can sometimes swim as fast as average of 45 km, males can swim up to average of 100 km.

Most Irrawaddy dolphins are shy of boats, not known to bow-ride, and generally dive when alarmed. They are relatively slow moving but can sometimes be seen spyhopping and rolling to one side while waving a flipper and occasionally breaching. They are generally found in groups of 2-3 animals, though sometimes as many as 25 individuals have been known to congregate in deep pools. Groups of fewer than six individuals are most common, but sometimes up to 15 dolphins are seen together. Traveling and staying in groups not only enables Irrawaddy dolphins to hunt, but it also creates and maintains social bonds and allows copulation to occur. There are a few groups of dolphins in Brunei Bay seen near the mouths of Temburong and Aloh Besar rivers which are tame and gather around fisherman boats that catch fish during the fishing season from around December to February.

It surfaces in a rolling fashion and lifts its tail fluke clear of the water only for a deep dive. Deep dive times range from 30 to 150 seconds to 12 minutes. When 277 group dives were timed (time of disappearance of the last dolphin in the group to the emergence of the first dolphin in the group) in Laos, mean duration was 115.3 seconds with a range of 19  seconds to 7.18  minutes.

Interspecific competition has been observed when Irrawaddy dolphins were forced inshore and excluded by more specialized dolphins. When captive humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) and Irrawaddy dolphins were held together, reportedly the Irrawaddy dolphins were frequently chased and confined to a small portion of the tank by the dominant humpbacks. In Chilika Lake, local fishers say when Irrawaddy dolphins and bottlenose dolphins meet in the outer channel, the former get frightened and are forced to return toward the lake.

Mating
A female or male dolphin will attempt to pursue a mate for about a few minutes. They intertwine facing their bellies together and begin to copulate for 40 seconds. Once copulation has occurred, the dolphins will break away from each other and set off in different directions.

Reproduction
These dolphins are thought to reach sexual maturity at seven to nine years. In the Northern Hemisphere, mating is reported from December to June. Its gestation period is 14 months; cows give birth to a single calf every two to three years. Length is about 1 m at birth. Birth weight is about 10 kg. Weaning is after two years. Lifespan is about 30 years.

Feeding
There are plenty of food items that this dolphin feeds upon. They include fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods. During foraging periods, herds of about 7 dolphins will circle around prey and trap their victim. These prey entrapments occur slightly below the water surface level.

Habitat and subpopulations
Although sometimes called the Irrawaddy river dolphin, it is not a true river dolphin, but an oceanic dolphin that lives in brackish water near coasts, river mouths, and estuaries. It has established subpopulations in freshwater rivers, including the Ganges and the Mekong, as well as the Irrawaddy River from which it takes its name. Its range extends from the Bay of Bengal to New Guinea and the Philippines, although it does not appear to venture off shore. It is often seen in estuaries and bays in Borneo Island, with sightings from Sandakan in Sabah, Malaysia, to most parts of Brunei and Sarawak, Malaysia. A specimen was collected at Mahakam River in East Kalimantan, the local name pesut mahakam comes from it.

Presence of the species in Chinese, Taiwanese, and Hong Kong's waters has been questioned as the reported sightings have been considered unreliable, and the easternmost of ranges along Eurasian continent is in Vietnam.

No range-wide survey has been conducted for this vulnerable species; however, the worldwide population appears to be over 7,000. In India, Irawaddy dolphins are mostly found in Chilika Lake. Known subpopulations of Irrawaddy dolphins are found in eight places, listed here in order of population, including conservation status.
 * 1) Bangladesh: ~3500 (VU) in coastal waters of the Bay of Bengal and 451 (VU) in the brackish Sundarbans mangrove forest
 * 2) India: 156 (VU) in the brackish-water Chilika Lake, Odisha. Presence recorded from Sundarbans National Park, West Bengal also.
 * 3) Laos, Cambodia: 92 (CR) in a 190-km (118-mi) freshwater stretch of the Mekong River
 * 4) Indonesia: ~70 (CR), in a 420-km (260-mi) stretch of the freshwater Mahakam River
 * 5) Philippines: ~42 (CR) in the brackish inner Malampaya Sound. Researchers are studying the recent discovery of 30-40 dolphins sighted in the waters of Pulupandan and Bago, Negros Occidental, in Western Visayas.
 * 6) Myanmar (Burma): ~58-72 (CR) in a 370-km (230-mi) freshwater stretch of the Ayeyarwady River
 * 7) Thailand: less than 50 (CR) in the brackish Songkhla Lake, perhaps just 14.

Interaction with humans
Irrawaddy dolphins have a mutualistic relationship of co-operative fishing with traditional fishers. Fishers in India recall when they would call out to the dolphins, by tapping a wooden key also known as a lahai kway, against the sides of their boats, asking the Irrawaddys to drive fish into their nets. In Burma, in the upper reaches of the Ayeyarwady River, Irrawaddy dolphins drive fish towards fishers using cast nets in response to acoustic signals from them. The fishermen attempt to gain the attention of the dolphins through various efforts such as using a cone-shaped wooden stick to drum the side of their canoes, striking their paddles to the surface of the water, jingling their nets, or making calls that sound turkey-like. A pod of dolphins that agrees to work alongside the fisherman will entrap a school of fish in a semicircle, guiding them towards the boat. In return, the dolphins are rewarded with some of the fishers' bycatch. Historically, Irrawaddy River fishers claimed particular dolphins were associated with individual fishing villages and chased fish into their nets. An 1879 report indicated legal claims were frequently brought into native courts by fishers to recover a share of the fish from the nets of a rival fisher that the plaintiff's dolphin was claimed to have helped fill.

Folk stories
Laotians and Cambodians have a common belief that the Irrawaddy dolphins are reincarnations of their ancestors. Some even claim that the dolphins have saved drowning villagers and protected people from attacks by crocodiles. Their beliefs and experiences have led the people of Laos and Cambodia to live peacefully alongside one another for ages. The West Kalimantan people have a similar story where the dolphins were naughty children that ate a pot of rice reserved for the shaman, but their mouths scalded and jumped into the water to cool themselves, but later transformed into these dolphins.

Buddhist Khmer and Vietnamese fishermen have regarded the Orcaella as a sacred animal. If caught in fishing nets, they release the dolphin from the rest of the catch. In contrast, Muslim Khmer fisherman kill them for food. This has led to the dolphin becoming reputed to recognize the local languages of the area and it approaching areas of the Khmer Muslim community with caution.

Threats
Irrawaddy dolphins are more susceptible to human conflict than most other dolphins that live farther out in the ocean. Drowning in gillnets is the main threat to them throughout their range. Between 1995 and 2001, 38 deaths were reported and 74% died as a result of entanglement in gillnets with large mesh sizes. The majority of reported dolphin deaths in all subpopulations is due to accidental capture and drowning in gillnets and dragnets, and in the Philippines, bottom-set crabnets. In Burma, electrofishing, gold mining, and dam building are also serious and continuing threats. Though most fishers are sympathetic to the dolphins' plight, abandoning their traditional livelihood is difficult for them.

Another identified threat towards the Irrawaddy dolphins was noise pollution from high-speed vessels. This caused the dolphins to dive significantly longer than usual. The Irrawaddy dolphins always changed directions when they encountered these large vessels.

In recent years, Laotians and Cambodians developed techniques of using explosives for fishing. The government of Laos has made use of such tactics illegal, but few regulations have been made in neighboring Cambodia, where explosives are sold in local markets and the practice of using fishnets has been abandoned. The practice of using explosives instead has become very popular and led to a steady decline of populations of fish, and especially the dolphins swimming in the area. Although Laotians may not use explosives, they do use nylon gillnets, which pose another large threat to the survival of the Irrawaddy. Some dolphins accidentally become entangled in the net. Poor fishermen refuse to cut and destroy their nets because it would result in too great of an economic loss to save one Irrawaddy dolphin.

In Laos, a dam across the Mekong River is planned. This could threaten the existence of the endangered Irrawaddy dolphins in downstream Cambodia. Laos's government decision is to forge the dam upstream of the core habitat of the Irrawaddy dolphins. This could precipitate the extinction of this specific species in the Mekong River. The dam builders' proposal is to use explosives to dig out the tons of rock. This will create strong sound waves that could possibly kill the Irrawaddy dolphins due to their highly sensitive hearing structures.

In several Asian countries, Irrawaddy dolphins have been captured and trained to perform in public aquaria. Their charismatic appearance and unique behaviors, including spitting water, spyhopping, and fluke-slapping, make them very popular for shows in dolphinaria. The commercial motivation for using this dolphin species is high because it can live in freshwater tanks and the high cost of marine aquarium systems is avoided. The region within and near the species' range has developed economically; theme parks, casinos, and other entertainment venues that include dolphin shows have increased.

In 2002, there were more than 80 dolphinariums in at least nine Asian countries.

Collateral deaths of dolphins due to blast fishing were once common in Vietnam and Thailand. In the past, the most direct threat was killing them for their oil.

The IUCN lists five of the seven subpopulations as endangered, primarily due to drowning in fish nets. For example, the Malampaya population, first discovered and described in 1986, at the time consisted of 77 individuals. Due to anthropogenic activities, this number dwindled to 47 dolphins in 2007. In the Mahakam River in Borneo, 73% of dolphin deaths are related to entanglement in gillnets, due to heavy fishing and boat traffic.

Tourism
The Irrawaddy dolphins in Asia are increasingly threatened by tourist activity, such as large numbers of boats circulating the areas in which they live. The development of tours and boats has put a large strain on the dolphins.

Disease
Cutaneous nodules were found present in various vulnerable populations of Irrawaddy dolphins. A more precise estimate of the affected dolphins is six populations. Although the definite fate of this emergent disease is unknown, the species is at risk.

Conservation
The Irrawaddy dolphin's proximity to developing communities makes the effort for conservation difficult. Entanglement in fishnets and degradation of habitats are the main threats to Irrawaddy dolphins. Conservation efforts are being made at international and national levels to alleviate these threats.

International efforts
Protection from international trade is provided by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Enforcement, though, is the responsibility of individual countries. While some international trade for dolphinarium animals may have occurred, this is unlikely to have ever been a major threat to the species.

Some Irrawaddy dolphin populations are classified by the IUCN as critically endangered; in Lao PDR, Cambodia, Viet Nam (Mekong River sub-population), Indonesia (Mahakam River sub-population, Borneo), Myanmar (Ayeyarwady/Irrawaddy River sub-population), the Philippines (Malampaya Sound sub-population), and Thailand (Songkhla Lake sub-population). Irrawaddy dolphins in general however, are IUCN listed as an Endangered species, which applies throughout their whole range. In 2004, CITES transferred the Irrawaddy dolphin from Appendix II to Appendix I, which forbids all commercial trade in species that are threatened with extinction.

The UNEP-CMS Action Plan for the Conservation of Freshwater Populations of Irrawaddy dolphins notes that multiple-use protected areas will play a key role for conserving freshwater populations. Protected areas in fresh water could be a particularly effective conservation tool and can facilitate management, due to the fidelity of the species to relatively circumscribed areas. The Action Plan provides details on strategies for mitigating by-catch that includes:
 * -establishing core conservation areas where gillnetting is banned or severely restricted
 * -promoting net attendance rules and providing training on the safe release of entangled dolphins
 * -initiating programs to compensate fishers for damage caused to their nets by entangled dolphins that are safely released
 * -providing alternative or diversified employment options for gillnet fishers
 * -encouraging the use of fishing gear that does not harm dolphins, by altering or establishing fee structures for fishing permits to make gillnetting more expensive while decreasing the fees for nondestructive gear
 * -experimenting with acoustical deterrents and reflective nets.

The Irrawaddy dolphin is listed on both Appendix I and Appendix II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). It is listed on Appendix I as this species has been categorized as being in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant proportion of their range and CMS Parties strive towards strictly protecting these animals, conserving or restoring the places where they live, mitigating obstacles to migration and controlling other factors that might endanger them, as well on Appendix II as it has an unfavourable conservation status or would benefit significantly from international co-operation organized by tailored agreements.

The species is also covered by the Memorandum of Understanding for the Conservation of Cetaceans and Their Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region (MoU).

National efforts
Several national efforts are resulting in the reduction of threats to local Irrawaddy dolphin subpopulations:

Bangladesh
Portions of Irrawaddy dolphin habitat in the Sundarbans mangrove forest of Bangladesh are included within 139700 ha of three wildlife sanctuaries, which are part of the Sunderbans World Heritage Site. The Wildlife Conservation Society is working with the Bangladesh Ministry of Environment and Forests to create protected areas for the 6000 remaining dolphins

Cambodia
Irrawaddy dolphins are fully protected as an endangered species under Cambodian fishery law. In 2005, The World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) established the Cambodian Mekong Dolphin Conservation Project with support from government and local communities. The aim is to support the survival of the remaining population through targeted conservation activities, research, and education. In January 2012, the Cambodian Fisheries Administration, the Commission for Conservation and Development of Mekong River Dolphin Eco-tourism Zone, and WWF signed the Kratie Declaration on the Conservation of the Mekong River Irrawaddy Dolphin, an agreement binding them to work together, and setting out a roadmap for dolphin conservation in the Mekong River. On 24 August 2012, the Cambodian government announced that 180 km stretch of the Mekong River from eastern Kratie province to the border with Laos has been stated as limit fishing zone which uses floating houses, fishing cages and gill nets are disallowed, but simple fishing is allowed. This area is patrolled by a network of river guards, specifically to protect dolphins. Between January and February 2006, a dozen Irrawaddy dolphins were found dead. The discovery of 10 new baby dolphins on the coast of Cambodia was a relief and gave hope that the endangered Irrawaddy dolphins would make a comeback in population. Since the endangerment was evident, 66 guards have been posted on the coast of Cambodia to protect these dolphins, and only two deaths have been reported since these efforts. To make more efforts to keep these animals from going extinct, the use of fishing nets on the coast of Cambodia is banned, as well.

India
The Irrawaddy dolphin (under the common name of snubfin dolphin, with the scientific name misspelled as Oreaella brevezastris) is included the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, Schedule I, which bans their killing, transport and sale of products. A major restoration effort to open a new mouth between Chilika Lake and the Bay of Bengal in 2000 was successful in restoring the lake ecology and regulating the salinity gradient in the lake waters, which has resulted in increases in the population of Irrawaddy dolphin due to increase of prey species of fish, prawns, and crabs.

Indonesia
A conservation program, entitled Conservation Foundation for the Protection of Rare Aquatic Species of Indonesia, focused on protecting the Irrawaddy dolphin population and their habitat, the Mahakam River. The program not only educates and surveys the public, but also monitors the dolphin population and their habitat. A prime example of this is the establishment of patrols in several villages.

Laos
Some major concern for the population in the Mekong River has arisen due to numerous threats. In the 1970s, many Irrawaddy dolphins were slaughtered for oil, and soon after, intensive fishing practices with explosives and gillnets began. As of now, the dolphins are protected in Cambodia and Laos Democratic Republic. Now, both explosive fishing and use of gillnets is restricted in many of the Irrawaddy dolphin's habitats. Canadian conservationist Ian Baird set up the Lao Community Fisheries and Dolphin Protection Project to study the Irrawaddy dolphins in the Laotian part of the Mekong. Part of this project compensated fishers for the loss of nets damaged to free entangled dolphins. This project was expanded to include Cambodia, after the majority of the dolphin population was determined to have been killed or migrated to Laos' southern neighbor. The Si Phan Don Wetlands Project has successfully encouraged river communities to set aside conservation zones and establish laws to regulate how and when fish are caught. In April, after a 200-kg Irrawaddy dolphin was found dead on the coast of Laos, the death toll for Irrawaddy dolphins is now five in 2015. Usually, Irrawaddy dolphins are found dead with bruises and scars on their body, being killed by illegal poaching, but this Irrawaddy dolphin was found dead because of old age. She is the oldest and largest Irrawaddy dolphin researchers have discovered. The dolphin was 2.5 m in length and most likely in her late 20s.

Myanmar
Myanmar's Department of Fisheries took charge in December 2005, and instituted a protected region in a 74 km segment of the Ayeyarwady River between Mingun and Kyaukmyaung and created multiple provisions, as well. Protective measures in the area include mandatory release of entangled dolphins, prohibition of the catching or killing of dolphins and trade in whole or parts of them, and the prohibition of electrofishing and gillnets more than 300 ft long, or spaced less than 600 ft apart. Mercury poisoning and habitat loss from gold-mining dredging operations in the river have been eliminated

Philippines
In 2000, Malampaya Sound was proclaimed a protected seascape. This is the lowest possible prioritization given to a protected area. Malampaya Sound Ecological Studies Project was initiated by the WWF. With technical support provided by the project, the municipality of Taytay and the Malampaya park management developed fishery policies to minimize the threats to the Irrawaddy dolphin from bycatch capture. Gear studies and gear modification to conserve the dolphin species were implemented. The project was completed in 2007. In 2007, the Coral Triangle Initiative, a new multilateral partnership to help safeguard the marine and coastal resources of the Coral Triangle, including the Irrawaddy dolphin subpopulation in Malampaya Sound, was launched. In 2006, a new population was discovered in Guimaras island in the Visayas. In 2015, another new population was discovered in Bago in Negros Occidental, part of Negros island in the Visayas.

Thailand
In 2002, the Marine and Coastal Resources Department was assigned to protect rare aquatic animals such as dolphins, whales, and turtles in Thai territorial waters. To protect the dolphins, patrol vessels ensure boats stay at least 30 m away from dolphins and no chasing of or running through schools of dolphins occurs. Many fishermen on the Bang Pakong River, Prachinburi Province, have been persuaded by authorities to stop shrimp fishing in a certain area and 30 to 40 fishing boats have been modified so they can offer dolphin sightseeing tours. A total of 65 Irrawaddi dolphins has been found dead along the coast of Trat Province in the past three years. The local fishing industry is blamed for the deaths of the dolphins. In January 2013, over a dozen dead Irrawaddy dolphins were found on the coast of Thailand. These dolphins were said to be dead because of a lack of oxygen. Dolphins are mammals, and unlike other animals that live in the sea, they must come to the surface for air. Many of the dolphins are found dead in the water, and others were washed ashore, said to have been dead for a few days. Also, in the first week of February 2013, as many as four Irrawaddy dolphins were found dead. The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry is studying artificial breeding options in 2022 to try to save the last herd of Irrawaddy dolphins in Songkhla Lake, which is on the verge of extinction after only 14 were found in the most recent survey. They also intend to list dolphins as a protected species, Thailand's highest level of animal protection.

Malaysia
In 2008, the Department of Forestry and Sarawak Forestry Cooperative in Sarawak established a protected area for Irrawaddy dolphins in Santubong and Damai (Kuching Wetland). Furthermore, they plan to establish more beaches in Miri as protected areas for them. The protection measures in the area include prohibition of catching or killing of dolphins and trade in whole or parts of them, and prohibiting the use of gillnets. The government may also start small- and medium-scale research of this species at Sarawak Malaysia University with sponsorship from Sarawak Shell.

Vietnam
In 2012 in Vietnam, a group of scientists took in four Irrawaddy dolphins and provided them with medical care to see how they would survive. However, they found this to be the first case they saw of Irrawaddy dolphins having bacterial infections. The bacterial infection, chorioamnionitis, is common in many marine animals, but when these few dolphins were taken in, the scientists discovered this same bacterial infection for the first time in this group of dolphins. This disease mostly affects animals that are pregnant because the infection occurs through the umbilical cord and goes into the maternal bloodstream. One of the dolphins was pregnant and before her death was found circling around the bottom of the pool and was found dead early the next morning. This bacterial infection affects many organs in the body of the animal.

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

title: Irrawaddy dolphin


text:
Talk:Sherbet (Middle Eastern drink)

Merge: Sharbat
See discussion at Talk:Sharbat. Hyacinth (talk) 18:51, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

title: Talk:Sherbet (Middle Eastern drink)


text:
User:Vsync

Hey, I was trying to clear up the multiple meanings of "Depeche Mode", which seem to focus on the many ways "Depeche" is handled. (Mode may be tackled as well, I suppose). Maybe a paragraph about the history of the name is appropriate. -Bop

title: User:Vsync


text:
Talk:The Good Soldier Švejk

earlier comments
The Good Soldier Svejk (Redirected from The Good Soldier Schweik)

REDIRECT The Good Soldier Schweik

--> Could we avoid this please? --KF 09:48, 17 Nov 2003 (UTC)

I'd say the granddaddy of all absurdist anti-war novels is probably Simplicissimus (1668) by Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen. See http://gutenberg.spiegel.de/grimmels/simpl/simpl.htm

Good or Brave?
Doesn't the original title mean "The adventures of the brave soldier Svejk"? 72.80.202.119 (talk) 00:17, 14 April 2008 (UTC)
 * You're mistaking the finger for the moon. The original Czech title is "Osudy dobrého vojáka Švejka za světové války". So first you'd have to address the translation of the title. RealSvejk (talk) 12:42, 23 September 2020 (UTC)
 * Well, Schweik is actually both good and brave, so it doesn't matter. 140.109.169.66 (talk) 07:55, 15 April 2008 (UTC)
 * So whether a meaning of something is correct or not doesn't matter? By the way, Josef's last name is Švejk, i.e. Svejk, not Schweik. Sheesh... RealSvejk (talk) 12:42, 23 September 2020 (UTC)

come back when you can find one reliable source that translates dobr* as brave. — Chris Capoccia T⁄C 16:45, 15 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Thank you. RealSvejk (talk) 12:42, 23 September 2020 (UTC)
 * That's simple - dobrý is literally good. It has nothing to do with brave. --Adam Zivner (talk) 17:04, 7 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Thank you. RealSvejk (talk) 12:42, 23 September 2020 (UTC)

You seem to think of the German title "... des braven Soldaten ...", but "brav" in German is the same as good (like in "be a good boy"). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.47.49.236 (talk) 10:01, 16 July 2008 (UTC)
 * Thank you. RealSvejk (talk) 12:42, 23 September 2020 (UTC)

The Granddaddy born in 1668?
I'd say an ancestor. :-)
 * I'd say granddaddy, because it was the attribute the Introduction to the new English translation ascribed to Svejk, not Simplicissimus. Perhaps it should had been in quotation marks an attributed to the said Introduction. ;-)
 * I'd say that Švejk is not an anti-war novel. It's an anti-stupidity novel. 140.109.169.83 15:33, 19 December 2006 (UTC)
 * a major theme in the book is the stupidity of war. there are a lot of other stupid things that are criticized, but the one that keeps the book running is the stupidity of war.  — Chris Capoccia  T⁄C 16:05, 19 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Well, what you say is absolutely right. What I meant was that (it seems to me that) Hasek is saying that "This all enterprise was so stupid that it shouldn't even be called war, but confusion and slaughter. Let's imagine there would be a single good soldier...". In my imagination, Hasek perheps might have been a bit of a war fan with an unfulfilled wish for a proper war with honor and such, take a look e.g. at his description of the military encryption codes in the book. 140.109.169.42 07:31, 20 December 2006 (UTC)
 * hašek was an anarchist. i really doubt he favored a stronger state through war or any other means. read the wikipedia entry on hašek.    — Chris Capoccia  T⁄C 16:14, 20 December 2006 (UTC)

 * Hašek, as all people are, was and is many things to many people. To label him an anarchist is self-serving. Whether he was an anarchist, when, why, etc., is really not that important. Don't forget that after his collaboration with the Anarchist movement in his youth, after serving in the Austro-Hungarian military in WWI, he was later decorated as a member of the Czechoslovak Legionsfighting Austria-Hungary at the Russian front, then he was a Commissar of the Red Army the Legions ended up fighting on their way out of Russia. Most importantly, whatever he was - and he was more things than most ordinary people - he wrote a famous book. I presume he would like to prefer to be discovered through and defined by this latest accomplishment which is informed by and reflects all of his life's experiences. -- 67.72.98.45 14:04, 6 January 2007 (UTC)

Plagiarism issue?
I haven't compared them in detail, but quite a bit of the material here seems to come from this article from the Chicago Tribune: http://www.zenny.com/svejk/Chicago%20Tribune%20Tempo%20feature.html. There are a few identical phrases.
 * It would be helpful to identify them and share them with us. In the meantime, I put the following phrase - a quote from the Introduction to the new English translation - "drafted back into the army as cannon fodder to die for an Emperor he despises" in quoation marks.
 * here we go: "The novel is set in the times of World War I in Austria-Hungary, a country which, as someone put it, was a figment of bureaucratic imagination, with borders constructed by political compromise and military conquest and which held in subjection numerous nationalities, with different languages and cultures, for 300 years. The multiethnic, and in this respect modern Empire was full of long-standing grievances and tensions."
 * and "The multiethnic, and in this respect modern Empire was full of long-standing grievances and tensions. World War I, amplified by modern weapons and techniques, quickly escalated to become a massive human meatgrinder. Fifteen million people died, one million of them Austrian soldiers. Jaroslav Hašek participated in this conflict and examined it in The Good Soldier Švejk."
 * and "The German speaking Habsburgs and their imperial administrators had ruled the Czech Lands from 1526. By the arrival of the 20th century, Prague, the seat of the Czech Kingdom, had become a boomtown. Large numbers of people had come to the city from the countryside to participate in the industrial revolution. The rise of a large working class spawned a cultural revolution. The Austro-Hungarian Empire ignored these changes and became more and more decrepit and anachronistic. As the system decayed, it became absurd and irrelevant to ordinary people. When forced to respond to dissent, the imperial powers did so, more often than not, with hollow propaganda and repression."

 * All direct copies from zenny.com. But maybe Zenny Sadlon, whose signature I can see on this page posted them by himself - is it possible to plagiarize oneself :)? Apart from that, the section "Allusions/references ..." concentrates too much on the stereotypical interpretation of the book as an anti-empire caricature. Hašek himself was Czech nationalist and he definitely didn't like the Empire, but wasn't as naive as to deceive himself that the Empire and the Emperor were the main cause of the wrongs around him. The book investigates the real causes of corruption through the mirror of the unscathed Švejk's personality. Political agenda of the Empire is shown to be laughable and unimportant. Everybody and everything get their share of satire. It is said that the book exhaustively describes all possible life situations. There is no need to be obsessed with the Empire history when talking about Švejk. As for the geographical allusions, most of them are to Prague neighborhoods, it might help if somebody explained what is "Malá Strana", "Žižkov", "Pankrác", where is the pub "U Kalicha" etc., maybe today's photos of the locations would help, maybe a small map of Prague and Bohemia with Švejk's journey marked in, like in the Lord of the Rings. But the book is not about Prague and Bohemia, just like Dubliners are not about Dublin.

140.109.169.83 15:30, 19 December 2006 (UTC)

 * For an exhaustive account of all the realia of the book, you can consult The Good Soldier Švejk RealSvejk (talk) 12:50, 23 September 2020 (UTC)

 * "... is it possible to plagiarize oneself:)?" That indeed is the question. It is closely related to the question of "forging one's own signature". The following is an excerpt from Tropos Kynikos: Jaroslav Hašek's The Good Soldier Švejk, by Peter Steiner.

 * "... Hašek's text contains an instance of another legal act—in many respects very much like an oath—that by its nature ought to have stopped Švejk's unfettered play with identity. This is the signing of his confession in Chapter 2, Švejk at Police Headquarters:

"Do you confess to everything?" Švejk fixed his good blue eyes on the ruthless man and said softly: "If you want me to confess, your worship, I shall. It cannot do me any harm. But if you say: 'Švejk, don't confess to anything,' I'll wriggle and wriggle out of it until there isn't a breath left in my body." The severe gentleman wrote something on the file and handing Švejk a pen invited him to sign it. And Švejk signed Bretschneider's [the arresting plainclothes policeman] deposition with the following addition All the above-mentioned accusations against me are based on fact. Josef Švejk

When he had signed, he turned to the severe gentleman: "Have I got to sign anything else? Or am I to come back in the morning?" "In the morning you'll be taken off to the criminal court" was the answer. (58; 22)

 * "What does the signing of a confession represent? In broadest terms, we can speak of the volitional and semiotic ramifications of such an act. If breaking the law manifests a strong preference for competitive values on the part of the criminal, voluntary cooperation with the police (which the signature appended to a confession indicates) clearly marks the willingness to move in the opposite direction. An admission of guilt is the first signal to the authorities of an individual's readiness to reenter society, even at the cost of punishment. From a semiotic perspective, the signing of a police deposition is (like an oath) an unrepeatable event tethering the signer to the evidence in a singular, legally binding fashion, one that discredits any subsequent renditions of facts. And the evidence is authenticated because a signature is the unfalsifiable index of a unique individual which, because of its attachment to a confession itself, implies actual physical contact between the document and the signatory.

 * "This is the normative function that a signature effects in a society, and Švejk, we learn from another scene in the novel, is well aware of it. During his prewar service Švejk is regularly harassed by one of his NCOs, Sergeant-Major Schreiter. The opportunity for revenge occurs when Švejk, on sentry duty, notices on a nearby wall the inscription "Old sweat Schreiter is an oaf." Since this coincides fully with his own sentiments on the subject, he places his signature under it. This does not escape the attention of the hostile NCO, but the investigation he initiates reveals something more serious: Švejk's signature is also in proximity to another inscription that has a blatantly pacifist message. Švejk is immediately taken to the regional court, and handwriting experts begin to collect evidence as to which of the two inscriptions Švejk actually has written and authorized by his signature. "They sent all the material to Vienna and in the end," Švejk recalls some three years later, "the result was that as far as those inscriptions were concerned it was not my handwriting, but that the signature was mine as I confessed to it. So I was sentenced to six weeks because I had signed it while on sentry duty and they said I couldn't be properly on guard at the time that I was doing it" (342; 337).

 * "Švejk gets off the hook in this instance only because his signature falls, so to speak, into the crack between the two writings on the wall. Because of this crack the authorities are unable to decide whether his signature was intended to defame the NCO or to endorse draft resistance or both or neither. Švejk's signing the police deposition on the dotted line, however, closes the loophole and makes it seem inevitable that he will now face prosecution for his antisocial behavior. Yet the concept of signature is far from being as unproblematic as is commonly assumed. In his polemics with Austin, Derrida argues convincingly that "in order to function, that is, to be readable, a signature must have a repeatable, iterable, mutable form; it must be able to be detached from the present and singular intention of its production." Put differently, so long as the signature remains a sign, its connection to what it stands for cannot be completely transparent. Not only is it made with different purposes in mind, but also, because of its written form, a signature always exceeds the immediate context that generates it and thus obfuscates the originary intention behind it. With this caveat in mind, let us return to Hašek's text.

 * "What strikes us when we read Švejk's exchange with the police inspector is the patent inappropriateness of the good soldier's behavior. Even societies based on Plato's ideals sanction a judicial process as an agonistic situation in which an individual is encouraged to prove (within the bounds of the law) his or her competitive mettle. Yet, in an unpredictable fashion, Švejk turns a contest into cooperation, or better, straightforward submission. If Josef K. did the same. The Trial would be a short story accommodating in a single chapter a morning arrest and an evening execution. Thus, treating the inspector as the highest authority, Švejk asks his only question: To confess or not to confess? And when handed a pen he readily signs the deposition, offering, moreover, to replicate his signature on any other document the policeman might deem appropriate. But is Švejk's signing the confession tantamount to his acquiescing to crimes such as high treason, abuse of His Majesty and the members of the imperial family, approval of the murder of the Archduke Ferdinand, or the incitement (57; 20) for which he is charged? The answer, as the novel illustrates, depends entirely on context. As far as the inspector at police headquarters is concerned Švejk clearly confirms the evidence. The magistrate at the criminal court who sees the signature "detached from the present and singular intention of its production" is not so sure. One of the first questions he asks is whether anybody coerced Švejk to confess. The candid answer puzzles him: "Why, of course not. Your Worship. I asked them myself if I had to sign it, and when they told me to do so I obeyed. After all, I wouldn't want to quarrel with them just because of my own signature, would I? It wouldn't do me any good at all. There must be law and order" (61; 25). Švejk's intention, if this category still makes sense, in paraphing the deposition is not to authorize the document but to protect law and order, he says. Yet, by so doing he manages to subvert due process. This again brings Švejk close to Diogenes—the adulterator of coinage. For Švejk's autograph is a fraud of a forgery as well; a counterfeit of his own signature that renders it legally worthless. Like Diogenes, Švejk gets away with proverbial murder. After listening to him for a while, the magistrate concludes that Švejk is not responsible for his actions on the grounds of insanity, and instead of jail the good soldier ends up in a psychiatric hospital."

67.72.98.45 12:48, 6 January 2007 (UTC)

Why mention catch-22?
Here is why: "Joseph Heller said that if it weren’t for his having read The Good Soldier Švejk he would never had written his American novel Catch 22." Here is the source. -- Zenny K. Sadlon

 * it says More familiar to today’s readers, perhaps, is Joseph Heller’s Catch-22, set in World War II. Although predating it by almost 50 years, Hašek’s biting satire and humor is its direct ancestor also, as well as that of many others. Joseph Heller said that if it weren’t for his having read The Good Soldier Švejk he would never had written his American novel Catch-22 [1]

First of all, why mention this another book at all?

 * ... because there are important literary reasons, as for example the following: "J.P. Stern's recent comparison of Hasek's novel with Heller's Catch-22 asks the following: why did 'the Prague Circle linguistique, famous for its concerns with all sorts of out-of-the-way literary matters, totally ignore Svejk?'"

Secondly, there are quite some other Shveik rip-offs, like Arkady Gaidar's stories about bumbarash for example, thirdly, the text sounds terrible. That the book Catch-22 is perhaps maybe more known to modern people is certainly not very useful information, especially since where come from, in eastern europe, nobody seems ever have heared about this catch-22, the adventures of Shveik however, are still well known. So either it had to be added, that it is more familiar to today's northamerican readers or, rather, removed completely.
 * In fairness, I'd never heard of Švejk and am very familiar with Catch-22. A 32-year-old Canadian here. I think it's a good comparison to get Western Europeans and North Americans to understand the tone of the novel. --MattShepherd 20:52, 17 February 2006 (UTC)
 * And speaking as a continental European, I've never heard of Catch-22, but Svejk is a well-known classical picaresque novel. The Austrian TV series from the 1970s, starring Fritz Muliar, is still being broadcast regularly on ORF and 3sat in 2018, and further broadcast dates for 2019 are already scheduled. I'm not saying that Catch-22 shouldn't be mentioned in the article, I'm just saying that the statement that Catch-22 would be "better known" nowadays is very US-centric. --46.93.158.170 (talk) 09:55, 1 December 2018 (UTC)

The extreme popularity of the novel in Poland led to creation of a common noun szwej denoting a kind of street-wise soldier, as opposed to newly-drafted cats.
According to Internet dictionary of army language szwej is a drafted soldier, as opposed to a cadet. Xx236 12:12, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

Švejk interpretation disputed
(a) The current version writes that "Švejk is subverting the empire etc." and "Švejk despises the emperor". This is very shallow understanding of Švejk. (b) The novel (at least the Czech original), (c) does not contain any direct evidence to support either of this claim. It is likely that the vast majority of people in Švejk's situation WOULD despise the emperor and try to subvert the empire, (d) but this is exactly the conclusion which all the novel characters around Švejk make, whether they pretend loyalty to the emperor or not, since they know that 'only a fool would really support the empire'. They, not Švejk, are subverting the empire (e) and it is exactly because he is not doing so that the others have such a hard time understanding him (f) and are alternately taking him for either a fool or a clever trickster. (g) For most of the characters around Švejk, there is direct evidence of their lack of loyalty for the empire, but not for Švejk. (h) Still, most readers (i) make this conclusion by their own judgement. (j) But I suspect that this exactly is the prank Hašek is playing on us. (k) Rather than subversive element, (l) the story of the dog thief Švejk (m) is written as the one of the last righteous and fearless knight (n) and what happens to him among the corrupt rabble 100% filling the imperial institutions. Hašek in Švejk steps away from criticizing either the empire or the emperor (o) and gets down to the more primary cause, and that is the corruption of humanity, which is why his book fits our reality so well regardless of the borders, nationalities and professed political systems.

Previous unsigned comment posted by 140.109.169.80

 * (a) The flag in the article reads "The factual accuracy of this article or section is disputed", not "The interpretation of the understanding of the novel is disputed". Furthermore, per Wikipedia rules: "If an article links to this page, it is because someone is concerned that the article may be significantly inaccurate." This whole section does not belong here. However, since it's here, let's talk ... :-)
 * (b) ... whereas your understanding is deep, I presume?
 * (c) ... is it a matter of the Czech original or your particular Czech interpretation of it?
 * (d) ... and your evidence is ...?
 * (e) ... yeah, right ... in a pub, over a beer. Then when taken to task, they claim the beer made them do it, they didn't know what they were doing. That is the Czech model, isn't it? :-)
 * (f) ... since when is a singular character's not being understood by others a measure of how wrong he is?
 * (g) ... while he is neither ...
 * (h) ... Hašek's book is not a legal brief containing all the evidence, especially not evidence proving the innocence of the one being accused and maligned [i.e. Josef Švejk]...
 * (i) ... and your evidence as to the proportion of the readers is ... ?
 * (j) ... absolutely. They provide their own evidence for their judgement based on their own life experience.
 * (k) ... you think Hašek is playing a prank. I think he is deadly serious.
 * (l) ... his method of communicating, verbally and non-verbally, is indeed subversive and has a very long history ...
 * (m) ... just a dog thief? If you have to pick just one attribute, why this one? I'd say it is evidence of your bias against Švejk. He was also a veteran, among other things.
 * (n) ... a dog thief and the last righteous knight? You can't have it both ways. A righteous dog thief? You've gotta be kiddin'...
 * (o) ... he also "steps away" from concentrating on the title character. The book is not about Švejk ... he is a mere vehicle for the author's exposition of his views steeped in experiences most people have never had.

 * Answer: The most important thing about your remarks is not so much their contents, as the fact that you destroyed readability of my paragraph, before I turned your remarks into footnotes. Please behave well and do not destroy the postings just because you don't like them. This is not your personal mailbox. This is a forum so that all the assholes like me can express their stupid and POV opinions without affecting the main article. P.S.: I'm not Czech.

 * Yes, you are absolutely correct that this is not only a "very shallow understanding of Švejk," but actually an incorrect one as Švejking does not allow for Švejk to despise the emperor or subvert the empire--it is only through NOT doing that that Švejk Švejks. I suspect that anyone who has actually read the book does not make the conclusion that Švejk is subverting the empire, as it is hard to make this conclusion that he is trying to anything but serve the empire in exactly the way it deserves, or that he's mentally deficient, or that he doesn't want to go to the front and get killed, or anything.  This is a brilliant and important book that deserves more than this brief article.  And deserves to actually be read by more people

 * I am looking up resources to use to change this article to reflect an accurate reading and interpretation of the novel, however there are not many available English language sources on the article.
 * KP Botany 17:27, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

 * If you have the time, here are two collections of resources you might want to consult: [httsp://SvejkCentral.com The Good Soldier Švejk Central] and The Good Soldier Švejk RealSvejk (talk) 13:21, 23 September 2020 (UTC)

 * I apologize for having destroyed the readability of your paragraph. That was not my intent. I appreciate your reformatting it by including my comments as footnotes. Nice job. You find the unintended consequences of my action a more important characteristic of my remarks than their content. That is unfortunate. I don't contribute to Wikipedia outside of this subject and don't have the requisite dexterity or the time to aquire it. If the content of my remarks is of such low value in comparison to the value of the formatting, perhaps I should just spend my time doing something else. From what I understand, I have sinned and could be banished by one of the true Wikipedians in short order anyhow. -- 67.72.98.45 13:15, 6 January 2007 (UTC)

 * Yes, I must admit that you correctly expressed my feelings about the quality of your messages, although your sincere admission to your sins doesn't make me feel good about it. You might also be right that doing something else might be better for your own good. I must however beg you not to get down on yourself and not to pressure yourself away from WP. Numerous other poor quality contributors less sensitive than you will never introspect, will become admins and will take over WP once all the people like me and you leave. This is an inherent flaw of the WP constitution - because of this, also I almost do not contribute to WP outside this entry. The correct way is exemplified by Scholarpedia.org, which has expert-curated, peer-reviewed articles to which anyone can contribute. Unfortunately, they solve the problem of controversial entries by avoiding the issue - they currently only have science articles. Controversial entries would require not one, but several curators maintaining several versions for the entry covering all viewpoints. 140.109.169.66 (talk) 13:20, 15 April 2008 (UTC)

 * I can't believe this: "an accurate reading and interpretation of the novel"? According to whom? The Ministry of Accurate Interpretations of Novels? Are you the Minister? unsigned comment posted by User:67.72.98.46

 * Of course I am. Sarcasm aside, when an article discusses a novel from the viewpoint of someone who has never read it, which happens when someone writes an article about a book they have not read, it can perpetuate disinformation.  Shvejk is not about a soldier who despises the emperor, it's a subtle book, and whoever wrote the introduction to the English translation was probably simply hired to do that, not actually read the novel.  So, what's an "accurate ... interpretation" of this novel?  One that shows it is written by someone who has read the novel, and is in agreement with other interpretations written by others who have read the novel.  It's not rocket science, reading the book shows how wrong the publisher's comments tend to be about books that have not been read by those writing the review.  Please sign your comments with 4 tildas.  Minister KP Botany 18:01, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

 * Contrary to your expressed belief, the Introduction to the novel was not written by someone who has not read it. He wasn't paid to do it either. Both he and you have read the novel. Whose interpretation of it is the correct one and on what basis? -- 67.72.98.45 13:31, 6 January 2007 (UTC)

about two weeks ago, i completely rewrote the plot summary section. On november 10, the summary was:

The novel tells a story of the Czech veteran Josef Švejk who, after having been drafted back into the army as cannon fodder to die for an Emperor he despises, proceeds to undermine the Austro-Hungarian Army's war effort by "švejking". "Švejking" is the method for surviving "švejkárna", which is a situation or institution of systemic absurdity requiring the employment of "švejking" for one to survive and remain untouched by it. Švejk's method of subverting the Austrian Empire is to carry out his orders to an absurd conclusion. "Švejkovat", "to švejk"' has since become a common Czech word. The action of the novel begins in the very first days of the First World War, opening with a charwoman mentioning the assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand to her employer, Švejk, who had earlier been declared an imbecile by the army. It goes on to describe events taking place during the war's first year, as Švejk joins the army and has various adventures, first in rear areas, and then during a long anabasis to rejoin his unit on the front lines. The unfinished novel breaks off abruptly before Švejk has a chance to be involved in any combat or enter the trenches.

i rewrote the summary to be: The novel tells a story of the Czech veteran Josef Švejk and his adventures in the army. The story begins with news of the assassination in Sarajevo that precipitates World War I. Švejk is so enthusiastic about faithfully serving his country that no one can decide whether he is merely an imbecile or is craftily undermining the Austro-Hungarian Army's war effort. This idiocy/ subversion has come to be known as "švejking". The story goes on to describe events taking place during the war's first year, as Švejk joins the army and has various adventures, first in rear areas, and then during a long anabasis to rejoin his unit on the front lines. The unfinished novel breaks off abruptly before Švejk has a chance to be involved in any combat or enter the trenches.

are there any complaints with this rewrite? — Chris Capoccia T⁄C 19:02, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

 * Man, this is just a second iteration, but I'm actually so impressed that anybody around here cares for the real truth that I'm gonna have no further suggestions, just thanks. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 140.109.169.83 (talk) 00:08, 19 December 2006 (UTC).

The meaning of the name "Svejk"
Does anyone know by accident what the name "Svejk" origionally meant? I ask this question out of personal interest, since I'd like to know the meaning of my surname. I know that Wikipedia is not the right place to do such research. But I would really appreciate it, if someone came up with an idea. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 132.231.54.1 (talk) 13:44, 9 December 2006 (UTC).

 * Well, Švejk is just a Czech surname, perhaps derived from "šít" (to sow, pronounce "sheet") - "ševec" (shoemaker, pronounce "schehvetz"), "šev" (seam, "schehv") of which diminutive could be "švík" (little seam, "schveek") which could be pronounced as "schweik" in Prague dialect. The name conveys the feeling of (1) relatedness to dressmaking or shoemaking, (2) relatedness to seams as in "praskat ve švech" (bursting at seams), (3) phonetic impression of slyness given by largely voiceless letters as in "zašívat se" ("to stitch in" = to hide oneself) and (4) phonetic similarity to German Schwein (swine). His given name Joseph, or "Pepa", is perhaps the most frequent Czech name. 140.109.169.83 15:35, 19 December 2006 (UTC)

I think Hasek invented the name - it is not a common Czech surname, there is not a single Švejk in Prague and Brno telephone directories.--Georgius (talk) 13:57, 12 August 2009 (UTC)

Josef is not the most popular Czech christian name - historicaly Jan (John) has been the most popular name, now competing with Jakub. In Hasek´s time it was one of the most popular names, but its popularity decreased though it remains in top 20 male names. Jiří, Tomáš, Pavel and others are more popular then Josef, perhaps because the hypocoristicon for Josef (Pepík) has plebeian connotations. "Josef Švejk" sounds plebeian which was certainly the authors intention.--Georgius (talk) 10:54, 27 February 2010 (UTC)

Czech language article much better
I feel ashamed by my ignorance, the article in czech was written by real Haskologiststs, i'll try to translate it if I have time. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 140.109.169.42 (talk) 08:00, 20 December 2006 (UTC).

Interpretation or not?
The article writes: ''Švejk is so enthusiastic about faithfully serving his country that no one can decide whether he is merely an imbecile or is craftily undermining the Austro-Hungarian Army's war effort. This idiocy/subversion has come to be known as "švejking".'' Wasn't it an obvious trick? Švejk tries to dodge military service by presenting himself as an undesirable element - a fact he tries to hide by playing a volunteer? His reaction when he is found fit to serve is telling. -- Zz 14:04, 24 April 2007 (UTC)

Hašek allmost never betrays Švejk´s real intentions or emotions. Some of his absurd actions can be interpereted as having a rational purpose, some not. For example towards the end of the book he changes into abandoned russian uniform (no motivaton is provided), gets arrested  and is in danger of beeing executed as a Russian spy. He does not betray any fear and does not make any effort to save his life. Švejk is a surralistic or dadaistic character, not a psychologically realistic one.

--Georgius (talk) 11:24, 27 February 2010 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:JaroslavHasek.jpg
Image:JaroslavHasek.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

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BetacommandBot (talk) 14:34, 2 January 2008 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Muliar Schwejk.jpg
Image:Muliar Schwejk.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images lacking such an explanation can be deleted one week after being tagged, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

BetacommandBot (talk) 18:47, 2 January 2008 (UTC)

Modernism
The following claim is incorrect for a number of reasons, which I will enumerate after the quotation:

Jaroslav Hašek was one of the earliest writers of what we have come to know as modernist literature. He experimented with verbal collage, Dadaism and the surreal. Hašek was writing modern fiction before exalted post-World-War-I writers like Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and Faulkner.

I have added a fact template to this whole paragraph. First, the boundaries between modernism and earlier literary periods is blurry, to say the least. We can identify elements of modernist writing as far back as the 1880s, if we want to, in the writings of George Meredith and Thomas Hardy. Second, "verbal collage, Dadaism and the surreal" are not the only attributes of literary modernism. Third, this novel is published in 1923, a year after Joyce published Ulysses and T. S. Eliot published The Waste Land. So, Hasek is not an early modernist, he's writing during the high point of literary modernism. And fourth, Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Faulkner are indeed "exalted" writers, but what point does it prove to say that Hasek wrote before them? He didn't invent modernism as this paragraph implies, he was a product of it, as were the others. He didn't beat them to the punch, because they were all there at the same time. And finally, what is so significant about Hasek that elevates him over a group of Americans? Modernism existed before Hasek and after, and in many other countries.

My addition of the fact tag is just to give the people working on that paragraph a chance to restate their claim. If he was one of the earliest Eastern European modernist writers (an area of which I know nothing at all), then we need a citation to verify it. Otherwise, is there any special reason not to simply lump him in with all of the other modernist writers writing at the same time? Victorianist (talk) 18:28, 26 April 2008 (UTC)

 * "this novel is published in 1923" - Jaroslav Hasek died January 3, 1923, in the cottage he bought with the money generated by the sales of the first volume, published in 1921. All four books were published 1921-1923.

Dainfomaster (talk) 03:01, 24 June 2008 (UTC)

Mentioning "real life"
I remember reading in it that Hašek wanted to portray real life somewhere in the ending to the first section or somewhere like that. (i.e. swearing (Palivec), beer drinking and drunkeness, etc) Might that be included? Vltava 68 (talk  contribs ) 02:40, 31 October 2008 (UTC)
 * What you're refering to is a passage from AFTERWORD TO THE FIRST VOLUME: “IN THE REAR”.
 * It was said correctly, once upon a time, that a well-reared man could read anything. Only the biggest, dirty-minded swine, and other cunning vulgarians, stumble over that which is natural. In their most miserable, fraudulent, pseudo-morality, they refuse to grasp the true content. Instead, in frantic indignation, they throw themselves at individual words. Years ago, I read a review of some novel. The critic was upset over the fact that the author wrote: “He blew and wiped his nose.” He said this crass statement was contrary to everything esthetic and exalted, and to all that our literature is supposed to give to the nation. That is just one little example of the vile, dumb beasts that are born under the sun. People who become disconcerted over a strong expression are cowards, because it is really life that shocks them. And, such weak people are the very greatest agents of harm to both culture and character. They would have us be a nation of oversensitive folks, masturbators of false culture, of the type of Saint Alois. It is said in a book by the monk Eustach, that when Saint Alois heard how a man with flatulence released his winds, he began to weep. And, it was only by prayer that he consoled himself and found peace. Such people say publicly that they are offended. However, they will make a circuit of public washrooms with unusual fondness, just to read the vulgar inscriptions on the walls. By using several strong expressions in my book, I have simply demonstrated how people actually speak. We cannot demand that the pubkeeper Palivec speak as gently as Mrs. Laudová, Doctor Guth, Mrs. Olga Fastrová, and a whole number of others. This group would love to make the whole Czechoslovak Republic a huge salon with parquet floors, where people would come in tails and gloves. Proper language would always be used, and salon manners would be exercised. Under this veil of sophistication, the salon’s resident lions indulge themselves in the worst vices and eccentricities. RealSvejk (talk) 17:51, 23 September 2020 (UTC)

Interpretations
The BBC broadcast referred to was very good, but was a repeat of a broadcast from many years ago. I recall my father enjoying it and he has been dead 15 years. It would be good to reference the original date. Brunnian (talk) 22:06, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

Russia
I just wanted to say that in Russia this book is, without any exageration, one of the most popular and most loved books OF ALL TIME. --KpoT 11:52, 8 July 2009 (UTC)

Hapsburg
The correct name is Habsburg. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Gyurikutya (talk • contribs) 18:31, 28 July 2009 (UTC)

translation
The translations section seems very keen on the most recent (Sadlon) translation - it states that, links repeatedly to the publisher's (author's?) webpage, etc.

While it's probably true to say that Parrott is better than Selver, I'm not sure we've got much to go on by saying "Succeeding translations are generally perceived as evolving from good to better" - is Sadlon, the most recent, really that good?

Some critical comments:

 * However, given Sadlon and Joyce’s claims that this is by far the closest translation, and their lack of acknowledgement that it is simply a contemporary and deliberately Americanized view of the translation, some caveats have to be issued. Michelle Woods

 * The intermittent errors and clumsy diction ... make this translation frequently frustrating to read ... The result is that, for this reader at least, the book is no longer very funny! James Partridge, "Slavic and East European Journal"

There's no doubt good aspects to it, but I think we're being overly generous by implying it's universally regarded as an improvement on Parrott. I've dropped the line, and cut out most of the duplicated references to Sadlon - we really don't need multiple separate links to the publisher or a line explaining how it can be bought as an ebook. Shimgray | talk | 23:28, 21 October 2011 (UTC)

 * I've deleted the critical characterizations of the translations. Unless we want to do a serious comparative review of the translations, which would require another wiki, we best stay away from picking one sentence random characterizations. Until then, readers have plenty references to sources which provide a lot of information. RealSvejk (talk) 19:19, 23 September 2020 (UTC)

Cultural Influence: Svejk Restaurants
There are dozens (maybe more) Svejk-themed restaurants in the Czech republic. Why is this not mentioned? (147.228.209.157 (talk) 21:43, 26 July 2013 (UTC))
 * There's too much of everything having to do with the phenomenon of Švejk. But here's where you can see more on the subject: Švejk restaurants and pubs around the world. It's hard to keep up. New places open, old places close. RealSvejk (talk) 17:34, 23 September 2020 (UTC)

How many copies?
How many copies of Švejk (Schweik) books were sold worldwide? I know that only in Russia it was 20 million copies. It was the most translated czech book, but was it also the most selling one? Thanks for the reply. Jirka.h23 (talk) 06:55, 27 July 2013 (UTC)
 * How would you go around trying to find that out? Unless somebody gets some government grant to research such a trivial subject matter, we'll never know. RealSvejk (talk) 22:26, 25 September 2020 (UTC)

Novel?
I didn't want to make changes as obviously someone must have mentioned this before, but this wasn't published as a novel. It was published as a serial in a newspaper. Was there any reason why this was left out or was it just an oversight? The Haz talk 00:23, 26 March 2015 (UTC)

Byword in Czech Republic?

 * Švejk has become a byword in the Czech Republic...

Sorry to be picky, but the Czech Republic is only about 20 years old, and he was a byword before that...--Jack Upland (talk) 06:50, 10 July 2017 (UTC)

External links modified
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A Stroke of Genius in This Wiki Article
I would like to commend the editor from IP 81.190.69.124 for adding the comment "(dubious)" after the sentence that "[...]the word 'dub' ('oak') itself is a common synonym for a dull, idiotic person". Calling a "dub" "dubious" takes the gene of genius.

As to "dub" being a common word for an idiot, I wouldn't say it's common but IMO it's perfectly clear that when you call someone a "dub", you're questioning both their intelligence and their social aptitude.

Nevertheless I can't find a reliable reference for this usage, so with great joy, I hereby confirm that dub remains dubious. Eltomito (talk) 23:32, 24 November 2022 (UTC)
 * I think Parrott mentions this use of dub in the notes to his translation.Svejk74 (talk) 10:55, 25 November 2022 (UTC)

External link dead
External link "The Good Soldier Švejk (English/Norwegian)" gives 404 now. 176.52.33.82 (talk) 21:50, 12 February 2023 (UTC)

title: Talk:The Good Soldier Švejk


text:
K-9 and Company

K-9 and Company is a one-episode television pilot, for a proposed 1981 television spin-off of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features former series regulars Sarah Jane Smith, an investigative journalist played by Elisabeth Sladen, and K9, a robotic dog voiced by John Leeson. Both characters had been companions of the Fourth Doctor, but they had not appeared together before. The single episode, "A Girl's Best Friend", was broadcast by BBC1 as a Christmas special on 28 December 1981, but was not taken up for a continuing series.

"A Girl's Best Friend" is set in the fictional English village of Moreton Harwood in 1981. In the programme, Sarah and K9 investigate the disappearance of Brendan Richards (Ian Sears), the ward of Sarah's Aunt Lavinia (Mary Wimbush), in the wake of increasing reports of witchcraft.

Under a different production team, the overall concept of a Sarah Jane and K9 series did eventually come to fruition: The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007–2011), featuring both of these key characters and actors (though K9 and Leeson only appear in some episodes).

Programme origins
The programme has its roots firmly in the desire of Doctor Who producer John Nathan-Turner to get Elisabeth Sladen back into the TARDIS. He wanted her to have the contract that was eventually awarded to Janet Fielding in late 1980. Nathan-Turner's preferred plan for the transition from Baker to Davison was to have Sarah Jane be along for the ride from Logopolis to the second story of series 19. However, Sladen had no interest in returning simply to reprise a role and function identical to the one she had left years before.

Meanwhile, Nathan-Turner was trying to figure out what to do about K9. The robot dog was very popular among children but was difficult to deal with technically and Nathan-Turner felt that it made the TARDIS crew almost overwhelmingly formidable. He decided that a child-orientated spin-off series with K9 might be just the thing. However, such a series would require a human as the lead, and his prime candidate for this role was Sladen. He pitched the part to the actress as a departure from what she had previously done: she would be returning as Sarah Jane Smith, but she would do so as the heroine and not just a sidekick. This offer Sladen accepted.

Plot
Sarah Jane Smith visits her Aunt Lavinia, who was occasionally mentioned but never seen in Doctor Who. When she arrives at her aunt's house, though, she finds that her learned relative has left early for a lecture tour in America, Christmas notwithstanding. Sarah is thus left disappointed by the prospect of another holiday without family. Lavinia's ward, Brendan Richards, breaks her moment of reflection on her aunt's sudden disappearance. After picking him up from the railway station, they return to the house and discover a large crate that has been waiting for Sarah for a number of years. When they open it, they discover a mechanical dog named K9. Upon activation, it tells Sarah that it is a gift from the Doctor.

Brendan's curiosity about K9 is matched only by Sarah's renewed concern over Lavinia's absence. They thus split up and follow their new-found obsessions. Sarah goes into town to question the locals, and Brendan stays behind to test the capabilities of Sarah's new "pet". In town, Sarah discovers that Lavinia has become disliked by some because of her blunt letters to the local newspaper editors about a growing practice of witchcraft in the area. Brendan, meanwhile, is attacked while using K9 to analyse soil samples in Lavinia's garden. His attackers, George Tracey and his son, Peter, are tied into the local coven. George Tracey flees before Brendan can get a good look at him, however K9 uses his laser gun to stun Peter before setting off in pursuit of George. Peter is pinioned and interrogated by Brendan, but makes his escape when Brendan goes outside to investigate a crashing sound which turns out to be the accidental destruction of a greenhouse by K9 in his pursuit of the elder Tracey.

Since Tracey is actually Lavinia's gardener, he is naturally called in the next morning to investigate the damage K9's pursuit of him caused to the greenhouse. After Brendan attempts to brag about the pH balance of the soil, Tracey sharply comments that gardening is more about respect for nature than scientific theory. Otherwise, though, he doesn't betray his more sinister intent towards Brendan. Later that night, he sends his son out to kidnap the sleeping Brendan from the house.

This time, Brendan's attacker is successful, stealing him out from under Sarah, who is elsewhere in the house, reading up on the local practice of witchcraft.

Sarah is now increasingly suspicious of Tracey, believing he would have the opportunity to commit the crime, even if she can't yet put her finger on the motive. She therefore finds a way to hide K9 in Tracey's house. K9 quietly monitors the household, until he eventually listens in on a conversation that implicates Tracey as a member of a coven. He also discovers that Tracey intends to kill Brendan in an act of ritual murder.

When Tracey leaves his cottage, Sarah is able to retrieve K9, who alerts his new mistress to the impending crime. She has no way to enlist the aid of the local police or, really anyone else in the town, because she can't substantiate her claim of overhearing the conversation without also then having to explain who and what the anachronistic K9 actually is.

Realising that she and K9 are effectively on their own, she tries to figure out how to stop the sacrifice. Her first order of business is determining the when of it. Using Lavinia's books on witchcraft, she and K9 deduce it must occur at midnight on the winter solstice, now just a few short hours away. The where of it is more elusive, however, causing the duo to drive around the shire looking at all the churches. As the last few minutes before midnight tick away, they finally realise that there's an abandoned chapel on Lavinia's property. Rushing home, K9 and Sarah are briefly upset at missing something that was right under their noses all along.

They arrive just in time for K9 to use his blaster to stop the coven's Priest and Priestess from plunging a knife into Brendan's chest. Now stunned, the group's ringleaders are easily apprehended by the police.

Finally able to celebrate Christmas, Sarah receives a call from her Aunt Lavinia. She's surprised that Sarah was worried about her, since she left instructions for her business partner to send Sarah a cable. As he turned out to be the High Priest of the coven, Sarah merely laughs and tells her aunt that she has a story to tell her about why that message never reached her. Meanwhile, K9 tries to connect with the human holiday in his own way, teaching himself to sing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas".

Cast notes
Bill Fraser previously appeared with Tom Baker and K9 Mark II in the Doctor Who story Meglos in 1980 and Colin Jeavons played Damon in the Patrick Troughton serial The Underwater Menace in 1967.

Theme music
"A Girl's Best Friend" featured electronic theme music, composed by Ian Levine and Fiachra Trench. The music was intended to be an orchestral score, but was instead arranged directly from an electronic demonstration arrangement by Peter Howell (who also arranged the 1980s version of the Doctor Who theme music).

Broadcast and production
The viewing figures for the pilot were strong, achieving a viewership of about 8.4 million Britons on its première. This meant that it attracted more viewers than the average episode of Doctor Who during John Nathan-Turner's era as producer.

Despite these above-average ratings, the show did not go to series. The proximate cause for this was a changeover in channel controllers at BBC One; Bill Cotton, who had approved the pilot, vacated his position soon thereafter. He was replaced by Alan Hart, who simply disliked the idea and the resulting product. Further episodes were therefore not commissioned. The show was repeated on BBC2 on 24 December 1982.

Reception
The pilot attracted 8.4 million viewers on its original broadcast.

51.55% of Doctor Who Magazine readers participaing in "The Mighty 200" poll liked K-9 and Company. The title sequence came first in TV's Top 5 worst title sequences as part of David Walliams' Awfully Good TV.

In print
A novelisation of "A Girl's Best Friend" was released under the title K-9 and Company, in October 1987, as the last of The Companions of Doctor Who series by Target Books.

Home media
K-9 and Company was originally released on VHS on 7 August 1995 by BBC Worldwide. It was then released onto DVD 16 June 2008 as a double pack with K-9's first Doctor Who story The Invisible Enemy by 2entertain.

K-9 and Company was re-released on DVD by 2entertain on 25 October 2010.

It was included in the Doctor Who: The Collection Season 18 Blu-ray set, as an extra remastered to HD. It is also available for streaming, along with other vintage episodes of Doctor Who, on the streaming service BritBox and on BBC iPlayer in the UK.

title: K-9 and Company


text:
Old Rauma

Old Rauma (Vanha Rauma, Gamla Raumo) is the wooden centre of the town of Rauma, Finland. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1991 because of its unique wooden architecture and its well-preserved medieval town layout. It is one of the only medieval towns in Finland.

The area of Old Rauma is about 0.3 km2, with approximately six hundred buildings (counting both proper houses and smaller buildings like sheds) and about 800 people living in the area. The oldest buildings date from the 18th century, as two fires in 1640 and 1682 destroyed much of the town. However, the layout of the town center still retains much of its medieval structure. The wooden buildings are almost exclusively one story, although several older buildings also have cellars. The residential buildings are located along the main street, whereas the ancillary buildings (for example, grain houses and sheds) were constructed along narrow alleyways. Most buildings are currently inhabited and owned by private individuals, although along the two main streets and around the town square they are mainly outside in business use. In the 18th century, the town of Rauma expanded outside the Old Rauma proper, and the increased ship trading led to the modernization of the city.

Although Old Rauma was almost completely destroyed by fires, a few buildings and ruins survive from medieval times. The Church of the Holy Cross, a Franciscan monastery church inaugurated in 1512, contains several medieval paintings and is one of the main attractions in Old Rauma. Another church in Old Rauma, the Church of the Holy Trinity, also from the 15th century, burned in the fire of 1640. The only other ancient stone building is the Old Town Hall, which was constructed in 1776.

Other locations of special interest include the Kirsti house, which is a seaman's house from the 18th and 19th centuries, and the Marela house, which is a shipowner's house dating to the 18th century but with a 19th-century facade, both of which are currently museums.

title: Old Rauma