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VP6

On2 TrueMotion VP6 is a proprietary lossy video compression format and video codec. It is an incarnation of the TrueMotion video codec, a series of video codecs developed by On2 Technologies. This codec is commonly used by Adobe Flash, Flash Video, and JavaFX media files.

Overview
The VP6 codec was introduced in May 2003. In October 2003, On2 officially released its TrueMotion VP6 codec.

In November 2003, On2 announced that VP6 had been chosen as a codec for China's Enhanced Versatile Disc (EVD), a competitor format to DVD. Beijing-based company E-World was to be the exclusive reseller of the EVD VP6 technology in China, with On2 Technologies earning royalty payments of about $2 USD per player. Then in April 2004 On2 announced that negotiations with E-World had broken down and that On2 would file multiple breach of contract claims against E-World in arbitration proceedings. In March 2005, On2 announced that the arbitrator had dismissed all of On2's claims and had decided that E-World owed nothing to On2. Although E-World included VP6 to its EVD standardization proposal to the Chinese government, it is not clear what, if any, action was then taken by the government. The EVD format initiative appears to be indefinitely stalled.

In November 2003, On2 announced that the VP6 codec will be used in products for broadcasting in the field, such as with BBC reporters and QuickLink software.

In January 2005, On2 announced a new VP7 codec with better compression capabilities than VP6.

In April 2005, On2 Technologies licensed On2 Video Codec (including VP6 and VP7) for Macromedia Flash. In August 2005, Macromedia announced they had selected VP6 as the flagship new codec for video playback in the new Flash Player 8.

In March 2006, a VP6 decoder (libvp62) appeared as an open-source project, but was driven underground by On2 on copyright infringement claims.

As of September 2006, an open-source implementation of the decoder is part of the libavcodec project. VP6 decoder is part of stable version FFmpeg 0.5, released in March 2009. There are some claims that producing or dealing with VP6 video streams inside libavcodec/libavformat is discouraged and/or refused due to clashes between the FFmpeg's developers and On2 technologies by a claim of Intellectual Property and Trade Secrets Infringement made by the corporation itself.

In May 2008, Sun Microsystems announced it had licensed On2 TrueMotion codecs to add video capabilities to JavaFX, a family of products for creating Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) across Mobile, Desktop, TV and more. JavaFX uses On2 VP6.

Later incarnations of this codec are VP7, VP8 and VP9. With the Google acquisition of On2, VP8 is licensed as open source. Earlier versions such as VP6 remain unsupported.

title: VP6


text: File:Rush roll the bones.jpg

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

title: File:Rush roll the bones.jpg


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Do Bigha Zamin

Do Bigha Zamin is a 1953 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Bimal Roy. Based on Rabindranath Tagore's Bengali poem "Dui Bigha Jomi", the film stars Balraj Sahni and Nirupa Roy in lead roles. Known for its socialist theme, Do Bigha Zamin is considered an important film in the early parallel cinema of India, and a trend setter.

Inspired by Italian neo-realistic cinema, Bimal Roy made Do Bigha Zamin after watching Vittorio De Sica's Bicycle Thieves (1948). Like most of Bimal Roy's movies, art and commercial cinema merge to create a movie that is still viewed as a benchmark. It has paved the way for future cinema makers in the Indian neo-realist movement and the Indian New Wave, which began in the 1950s.

A moderate commercial success, it was awarded the All India Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film, it became the first film to win the Filmfare Best Movie Award and the first Indian film to win the International Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, after Neecha Nagar (1946), which won the Palme d'Or (Grand Prize). It was also winner of the Social Progress Award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. In 2005, Indiatimes Movies ranked the movie amongst the Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films. The film was also released in China and in USSR.

The film also marks Meena Kumari's maiden guest appearance in her 33-year-long career. The lullaby, Aa Jaa Ri Aa is picturised on her.

Plot
The story revolves around a farmer, Shambhu Maheto, who lives with his wife Parvati, son Kanhaiya and father Gangu in a small village that is hit by drought. After years of drought and famine, the region finally gets rain, leading the farmers to rejoice. Shambhu owns two bighas of land (a bigha being the equivalent of two-thirds of an acre of land), which is the only means of livelihood for the whole family. The local landlord Thakur Harnam Singh partners with some businessmen to construct a mill on his large parcel of land, which in return, he opines, would bring them profit and bring prosperity to the village. The only problem is that in the middle of Harnam Singh's land lies Shambhu's meager two bighas of land.

Harnam Singh is very confident that he can buy Shambhu's land. Shambhu has borrowed money from Harnam Singh several times in the past and has not paid off his debt. Harnam Singh calls for Shambhu and proposes to Shambhu to sell his land to him in exchange for his debt. Shambhu disagrees to sell his only means of livelihood. Angered by the refusal, Harnam Singh orders him to repay his debt by the next day or risk the auctioning of his land.

Shambhu returns home to discuss the issue with his father; father and son figure that the debt amounts to Rs. 65/-. Shambu wants to save his land by all means and sells all his household items, including his wife's gold earrings. When Shambhu meets Harnam Singh's accountant to pay back his debt of Rs. 65/-, he is shocked to know that he actually owes Rs. 235/-. The accountant had fudged the accounts and now refuses to consider the labor provided by Shambhu's father Gangu as a portion of the debt payoff. The case goes to court and Shambhu, being illiterate, has a tough time explaining to the judge how the accountant fudged the numbers and how he took the accountant's word and did not demand any receipt. Shambhu loses the case and the judge orders Shambu to pay Rs. 235/- to Harnam Singh in 3 months. If Shambhu is not able to clear the debt, then his land would be auctioned off and the proceeds would go to pay off his debts.

Shambhu now struggles to get the money. He is unable to get a loan because he has no collateral. One of his friends gives him an idea to go to Calcutta (now Kolkata) and try to get a job to earn enough money to pay off his debt. Shambhu likes this idea but faces resistance from his wife as she is pregnant and does not want to live away from him. Shambhu persuades her that he'll be gone for only 3 months and it would benefit his family and the soon-to-be-born baby. Kanhaiya wants to join his father too, but Shambhu refuses and scolds him. On the train to Calcutta, Shambhu finds Kanhaiya hiding in it, hitchhiking or as a stowaway and after a brief confrontation agrees to take Kanhaiya with him.

In Calcutta, Shambhu and Kanhaiya have a harsh welcome. Nobody is willing to talk with them, let alone help them. Kanhaiya befriends a street-side shoe-shiner named Lalu Ustad. They even lose their last possessions while they are asleep on the footpath. Kanhaiya falls ill and Shambhu ends up renting a small room in the slums with the help of a tea vendor and the landlady's adopted grandchild, Rani. To pay the rent, Shambhu works as a coolie. Shambhu befriends an old Rickshaw Puller, who helps him get a license as a Rickshaw Puller. Kanhaiya tries to help his family by taking up shoe-shining with the help of the old Rickshaw Puller and Lalu. Back in the village, Parvati and Gangu survive on eating water chestnuts picked from the local river. She seeks help from Thakurain to write letters to Shambhu and stay in touch.

Near the end of the third month, Shambhu becomes desperate about earning and saving money. One day, a man asks Shambhu to chase another rickshaw that is carrying his girlfriend. Shambhu is asked to pull the rickshaw very fast for more money. The rickshaw loses a wheel and Shambhu meets with an accident. Looking at the condition of his father, Kanhaiya joins a pickpocket to earn quick money. Shambhu gets angry on learning this and beats Kanhaiya. Meanwhile, Parvati gets worried since she receives no letters or money from Shambhu and the landlord's accountant accuses Shambhu of forgetting his family. She ends up working at a local construction site and is devastated when she receives news of Shambhu's accident. Finally, Parvati decides to visit Shambhu in the city even though Gangu is bedridden and has a high fever.

Parvati arrives in Calcutta and is taken in by a strange man, who claims he knows Shambhu and will take her to him. He takes her to his shed and tries to steal her belongings and rape her. She flees from him but gets hit by a car. A crowd gathers around her and they call for a rickshaw to take her to the hospital. Shambhu, who is passing by, offers a ride and is shocked to see that it is his own wife injured. Meanwhile, Kanhaiya, unable to withstand his father's condition, steals money from a lady and runs back to the slum. He learns of his mother's condition and rushes to the hospital. He cries after seeing his injured mother and claims that God has punished them because he stole money. He rips the money into pieces. The doctors tell Shambhu that he has to spend money on medicine and blood to save his wife. Poor Shambhu has no choice but to spend all his earnings to save his wife.

Back in the village, the land is auctioned because Shambhu could not pay back the debt and Gangu becomes insane. The land, now owned by Harman Singh, sees the beginning of mill construction. Shambhu and his family return to the village, only to see their land sold and a factory being constructed on it. He then tries to get a handful of dirt from his land but is stopped by a security guard. The film ends as Shambhu and his family walk away from their former land.

Cast

 * Balraj Sahni as Shambhu Maheto
 * Nirupa Roy as Parvati (Paro) Maheto
 * Ratan Kumar as Kanhaiya Maheto
 * Nana Palsikar as Gangu Maheto (Shambhu's father)
 * Meena Kumari as Thakurain
 * Mehmood as Preetam
 * Jagdeep as Laloo Ustad, Shoe-Shine boy
 * Nasir Hussain as Rickshaw puller
 * Murad as Thakur Harnam Singh
 * Rajlakshmi Devi as Nayabji
 * Ramayan Tiwari as Paro's Molester
 * Ashit Kumar Sen as the Savory Seller
 * Krishna Kant as The Judge

Production
In 1952, at the first International Film Festival in Mumbai, director Bimal Roy saw Vittorio De Sica's 1948 Italian film Bicycle Thieves (1954). In the train while he was returning home, he decided to make his next film as real as the film and shot on location. His wife, Manobina Roy, recalled her excited husband instructing his unit to come up with a story right after the screening. The film was based on Rickshawalla, a short story written by composer Salil Chowdhury. It revolved around a farmer who desperately pounds the streets of Kolkata to earn the Rs 235 needed to save his two acres of land, only to lose it to the industrialisation. Chowdhury agreed to Roy taking his idea, but on the condition that he would score the music.

Initially Roy had planned to cast Paidi Jairaj, Trilok Kapoor and Nazir Hussain in the lead, then he saw the performance of Balraj Sahni in Hum Log (1951) and decided to cast him. This decision of Roy was criticised by his team as Sahni had mostly done rich roles. To better prepare for the role, Balraj Sahni actually rehearsed for the role by pulling a rickshaw on the streets of Calcutta. He interacted with many rickshaw pullers and some of them were facing the same situation as portrayed in the movie. Actress Nirupa Roy had mostly done the role of Hindu goddess in several mythological films till that time. She was cast in the role of Parvati. She wept in real for her scenes in the film, saying, "this is the first film I didn't use glycerine for tears."

The films title is derived from a famous poem by Rabindranath Tagore, called "Dui Bigha Jomi". Bimal Roy distributed the film abroad with the name "Calcutta – The Cruel City". The measurement of Bigha varies from state to state. In Bengal, where the movie is based, 3 bigha is one acre (4,000 m2). Roy filmed Parineeta (1953) and Do Bigha Zamin at the same time in Kolkata. Hrishikesh Mukherjee was the film's editor and scenario writer. He asked Meena Kumari if she'd do a cameo in the film, on which she agreed after seeing the stills of the film.

Awards and nominations

 * 1st Filmfare Awards (1954)
 * Winner – Best Film
 * Winner – Best Director – Bimal Roy
 * 1st National Film Awards (India)
 * Winner – All India Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film
 * 7th Cannes Film Festival (1954)
 * Winner – Prix International (International Prize)
 * Nominated – Grand Prize (Best Film)
 * Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
 * Winner – Prize for Social Progress

Songs
The music for the film was composed by Salil Chowdhury, with lyrics written by Shailendra. In an interview with All India Radio, Chowdhury described the tune for "Apni Kahani Chod Ja – Dharti kahe pukaar ke" having been inspired by a Red Army march song as well as influenced by Bhairavi (hence the added stanza and Aalap at the beginning of the song), thus giving it a Komal Gandhara (Ga) lilt to make it softer.

title: Do Bigha Zamin


text:
Foreign worker

Foreign workers or guest workers are people who work in a country other than one of which they are a citizen. Some foreign workers use a guest worker program in a country with more preferred job prospects than in their home country. Guest workers are often either sent or invited to work outside their home country or have acquired a job before leaving their home country, whereas migrant workers often leave their home country without a specific job in prospect.

Tens of millions of people around the world operate as foreign workers. As of 2018, according to reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is an estimated 28 million foreign-born workers in the United States, which draws most of its immigrants from Mexico, including 4 or 5 million undocumented workers. It is estimated that around 5 million foreign workers live in northwestern Europe, half a million in Japan, and around 5 million in Saudi Arabia. Between January and June in 2019, 2.4 million foreigners arrived to work in Russia. A comparable number of dependents may accompany international workers.

Some foreign workers migrate from former colonies to a former colonial metropole (France, for example). Chain migration may operate in building guest-worker communities.

Canada
Foreign nationals are permitted to enter Canada on a temporary basis if they have a student visa, are seeking asylum, or possess special permits. The largest category, however, is called the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), under which workers are brought to Canada by their employers for specific jobs. In 2000, the Immigrant Workers Centre was founded in Montreal, Québec. In 2006, 265,000 foreign workers worked in Canada. Amongst those of working age, there was a 118% increase from 1996. By 2008, the intake of non-permanent immigrants (399,523, the majority of whom are TFWs) had overtaken the intake of permanent immigrants (247,243). To hire foreign workers, Canadian employers must complete a Labour Market Impact Assessment administered by Employment and Social Development Canada.

United States
The United States issues a number of employment-based immigrant visas. These include the H-1B visa to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations temporarily and the H-2A visa for temporary agricultural work.

Over one million undocumented immigrants work in agriculture in the United States, while roughly 250,000 are admitted under the H-2A visa, as of 2019.

Green card workers are individuals who have requested and received legal permanent residence from the government in the United States and intend to work in the United States permanently. The United States’ Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery program authorises up to 50,000 immigrant visas to be granted each year. This help facilitates foreign nationals with low rates of immigration to the United States a chance to participate in a random drawing for the possibility of obtaining an immigration visa.

Germany
In Nazi Germany, from 1940 to 1942, Organization Todt began its reliance on guest workers, military internees, Zivilarbeiter (civilian workers), Ostarbeiter (Eastern workers) and Hilfswillige ("volunteer") POW workers.

The significant migration phase of labour migrants in the 20th century began in Germany during the 1950s, as the sovereign Germany, since 1955 after repeated pressure from NATO partners, has yielded to the request for closure of the so-called 'Anwerbe' Agreement (German: Anwerbeabkommen). The initial plan was a rotation principle: a temporary stay (usually two to three years), followed by returning to their homeland. The rotation principle proved inefficient for the industry because inexperienced ones constantly replaced experienced workers. The companies asked for legislation to extend the residence permits. Many foreign workers were followed by their families in the following period and stayed. Until the 1970s, more than four million migrant workers and their families thus came to Germany, mainly from the Mediterranean countries of Italy, Greece, the former Yugoslavia and Turkey.

Since about 1990, the disintegration of the Soviet bloc and the enlargement of the European Union allowed guest workers from Eastern Europe to Western Europe.

Some host countries set up a program to invite guest workers, as did the West Germany from 1955 to 1973, when over one million guest workers (German: Gastarbeiter) arrived, mostly from Turkey.

Switzerland
The underestimation of the required integration services by the state and the host countries' society and by the migrants themselves. Switzerland's transformation into a country of immigration was not until after the accelerated industrialization in the second half of the 19th century. Switzerland was no longer a purely rural Alpine area but became a European vanguard in various industries at that time, first of textile, later also the mechanical and chemical industries. Since the middle of the 19th century, mainly German academics, self-employed and craftsmen, but also Italians, who found a job in science, industry, construction and infrastructure construction migrated to Switzerland.

Asia
In Asia, some countries in South and Southeast Asia offer workers. Their destinations include Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Brunei and Malaysia. A 2020 Greenpeace investigation found significant evidence for the abuse of foreign laborers in the Taiwanese distant water fishing industry. Taiwanese conglomerate FCF was specifically singled out for links to illegal fishing and forced labor.

West Asia
In 1973, an oil boom in the Persian Gulf region (UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain, which comprise the Gulf Cooperation Council), created an unprecedented demand for labour in the oil, construction and industrial sectors. Development demanded a labor force. This demand was met by foreign workers, primarily those from the Arab states, with a later shift to those from Asia-Pacific countries. A rise in the standards of living for citizens of western Asian countries also created a demand for domestic workers in the home.

Since the 1970s, foreign workers have become a large percentage of the population in most nations in the Persian Gulf region. Growing competition with nationals in the job sector, along with complaints regarding the treatment of foreign workers, has led to rising tensions between the national and foreign populations in these nations.

Remittances are becoming a prominent source of external funding for countries that contribute foreign workers to the GCC countries. On average, the top recipients globally are India, the Philippines, and Bangladesh. In 2001, $72.3 billion was returned as remittances to the countries of origin of foreign workers, equivalent to 1.3% of the world GDP. The source of income remains beneficial as remittances are often more stable than private capital flows. Despite fluctuations in the economy of GCC countries, the amount of dollars in remittances is usually stable.

The spending of remittances is seen in two ways. Principally, remittances are sent to the families of guest workers. Though often put towards consumption, remittances are also directed to investment. Investment is seen to lead to the strengthening of infrastructure and facilitating international travel.

With this jump in earnings, one benefit that has been seen is the nutritional improvement in households of migrant workers. Other benefits are the lessening of underemployment and unemployment.

In detailed studies of Pakistani migrants to the West Asia in the early 1980s, the average foreign worker was 25–40 years old. Seventy per cent were married, while families accompanied only 4 per cent. Two-thirds hailed from rural areas, and 83 per cent were production workers. At the time, 40 per cent of Pakistan's foreign exchange earnings came from its migrant workers.

Domestic work is the single most important category of employment among women migrants to the Arab States of the Persian Gulf and Lebanon and Jordan. The increase of Arab women in the labour force, and changing conceptions of women's responsibilities, have resulted in a shift in household responsibilities to hired domestic workers. Domestic workers perform an array of work in the home: cleaning, cooking, child care, and eldercare. Common work traits include an average 100-hour work week and virtually non-existent overtime pay. Remuneration differs greatly according to nationality, oftentimes depending on language skills and education level. This is seen with Filipina domestic workers receiving a higher remuneration than Sri Lankan and Ethiopian nationals.

Saudi Arabia is the largest source of remittance payments in the world. Similar to other GCC countries, remittance payments from Saudi Arabia rose during the oil boom years of the 1970s and early 1980s but declined in the mid-1980s. As oil prices fell, budget deficits mounted, and most governments of GCC countries put limits on hiring foreign workers. Weaknesses in the financial sector and government administration impose substantial transaction costs on migrant workers who send them. Although difficult to estimate, costs consist of salaries and the increased spending required to expand educational and health services, housing, roads, communications, and other infrastructure to accommodate the basic needs of the newcomers. The foreign labour force is a substantial drain of the GCC states' hard currency earnings, with remittances to migrants' home countries in the early 2000s amounting to $27 billion per year, including $16 billion from Saudi Arabia alone. It has been shown that the percentage of the GDP that foreign labour generates is roughly equal to what the state has to spend on them.

The main concerns of developed countries regarding immigration centres are: (1) the local job seekers' fear of competition from migrant workers, (2) the fiscal burden that may result on native taxpayers for providing health and social services to migrants, (3) fears of erosion of cultural identity and problems of assimilation of immigrants, and (4) national security.

In immigrant-producing countries, individuals with less than a high school education continue to be a fiscal burden to the next generation. Skilled workers, however, pay more in taxes than what they receive in social spending from the state. The emigration of highly skilled workers has been linked to skill shortages, reductions in output, and tax shortfalls in many developing countries. These burdens are even more apparent in countries where educated workers largely emigrated after receiving a highly subsidised technical education. "Brain Drain refers to the emigration (out-migration) of knowledgeable, well-educated and skilled professionals from their home country to another country, [usually because of] better job opportunities in the new country."

As of 2007, 10 million workers from Southeast Asia, South Asia, or Africa live and work in the countries of the Persian Gulf region. Xenophobia in receiving nations is often rampant, as menial work is often allocated only to foreign workers. In host countries, expatriate labour is treated with prejudice despite government attempts to eradicate malpractice and exploitation of workers. Emigrants are offered substandard wages and living conditions and must work overtime without extra payment. Workers or their dependents are not paid due to compensation regarding injuries and death. Citizenship is rarely offered, and labour can oftentimes be acquired below the legal minimum wage. Foreign workers often lack access to local labour markets. Oftentimes these workers are legally attached to a sponsor/employer until completion of their employment contract, after which a worker must either renew a permit or leave the country.

Racism is prevalent towards migrant workers. With an increasing number of unskilled workers from Asia and Africa, the market for foreign workers became increasingly racialised and dangerous, or "dirty" jobs became associated with Asian and African workers noted by the term "Abed", meaning dark skin.

Foreign workers migrate to the West Asia as contract workers by means of the kafala, or "sponsorship" system. Migrant work is typically for two years. Recruitment agencies in sending countries are the main contributors of labour to GCC countries. Through these agencies, sponsors must pay a fee to the recruiter and pay for the worker's round-trip airfare, visas, permits, and wages. Recruiters charge high fees to prospective employees to obtain employment visas, averaging between $2,000 and $2,500 in such countries as Bangladesh and India. Contract disputes are also common. In Saudi Arabia, foreign workers must have employment contracts written in Arabic and have them signed by the sponsor and themselves to be issued a work permit. Contracts may be written or oral with other GCC countries, such as Kuwait.

Dependence on the sponsor (kafeel) naturally creates room for violations of the rights of foreign workers. Debt causes workers to work for a certain period of time without a salary to cover these fees. This bondage encourages the practice of international labour migration as women in situations of poverty can find jobs overseas and pay off their debts through work. It is common for the employer or the sponsor to retain the employee's passport and other identity papers as a form of insurance for the amount an employer has paid for the worker's work permit and airfare. Kafeels sell visas to foreign workers with the unwritten understanding that the foreigner can work for an employer other than the sponsor.

When a two-year work period is over, or with a job loss, workers must find another employer willing to sponsor them or return to their nation of origin within a short time. Failing to do this entails imprisonment for violation of immigration laws. Protections are nearly non-existent for migrant workers.

The population in the current GCC states has grown more than eight times during 50 years. Foreign workers have become the primary, dominant labour force in most sectors of the economy and the government bureaucracy. With rising unemployment, GCC governments embarked on formulating labour market strategies to improve this situation, create sufficient employment opportunities for nationals, and limit the dependence on expatriate labour. Restrictions have been imposed: the sponsorship system, the rotational system of expatriate labour to limit the duration of foreigners' stay, curbs on naturalization and the rights of those who have been naturalised, etc. This has also led to efforts to improve the education and training of nationals. Localization remains low among the private sector, however. This is due to the traditionally low income the sector offers. Also included are long working hours, a competitive work environment, and a need to recognise an expatriate supervisor, often difficult to accept.

In 2005, low-paid Asian workers staged protests, some violent, in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar for not receiving salaries on time. In March 2006, hundreds of mostly south Asian construction workers stopped work and went on a rampage in Dubai, UAE, to protest their harsh working conditions, low or delayed pay, and general lack of rights. Sexual harassment of Filipina housemaids by local employers, especially in Saudi Arabia, has become serious. In recent years, this has resulted in a ban on the migration of females under 21. Such nations as Indonesia have noted the maltreatment of women in the GCC states, with the government calling for an end to the sending of housemaids altogether. In GCC countries, a chief concern with foreign domestic workers in childcare without the desired emphasis on Islamic and Arabic values.

Possible developments in the future include a slowdown in the growth of foreign labour. One contributor to this is a dramatic change in demographic trends. The growing birth rate of nationals in the GCC states will lead to a more competitive workforce in the future. This could also lead to a rise in the numbers of national women in the workforce.

A report published by human rights organizations in 2022 suggested up to 10,000 migrant workers die annually in the West Asia.

European Union
In 2016, around 7.14% (15.885.300 people) of total EU employment were not citizens, 3.61% (8.143.800) were from another EU Member State, 3.53% (7.741.500) were from a non-EU country. Switzerland 0.53%, France 0.65%, Spain 0.88%, Italy 1.08%, United Kingdom 1.46%, Germany 1.81% (until 1990 former territory of the FRG) were countries where more than 0.5% of employees were not citizens. The United Kingdom 0.91%, Germany 0.94% (until 1990 former territory of the FRG) are countries where more than 0.9% of employees were non-EU countries. countries with more than 0.5% employees were from another EU country were Spain 0.54%, United Kingdom 0.55%, Italy 0.72%, Germany (until 1990 former territory of the FRG) 0.87%.

title: Foreign worker


text:
Snow cream

Snow cream can be one of two distinct desserts.
 * A dessert consisting of whipped cream with added flavorings.
 * A dessert in which snow is mixed with a sweetened dairy-based liquid to make an ice cream substitute. This is also known as snow ice cream.

The cream-based dessert
Whipped cream, with or without flavorings, was known as "snow cream" or "milk snow" (neve di latte, neige de lait) until the 17th century. Whipped egg whites were also sometimes included. There are English and continental European recipes dating to the 16th century.

The snow-based dessert
The technique of using snow as a main ingredient in a dessert is very old. Common ingredients for this variety are a dairy based ingredient, sugar and a flavouring agent. In adding a small amount of dairy-based liquid and a flavouring agent (similar to ice cream ingredients) into clean snow, the snow melts and congeals into a simple ice cream substitute.

Other "snow" recipes
Apple snow, with puréed apple added to the basic recipe, was popular served hot in the 17th century while a more modern version is eaten cold. Fruit juice contents were also used in lemon and orange snow. There is a Russian version that is called air pie, which is egg white, sugar, and fruit pureé, whipped and served hot.

Summer snow is known as a version with fruit content, egg whites and alcohol.

Snowballs can be a variety of desserts. They are usually not related to snow cream desserts. One of these, which is more commonly known as slush, and is based on ice and fruit syrup, can be seen as related to Snow Cream.

A snow cone or sno cone is a frozen dessert made of crushed or shaved ice, flavored with brightly colored syrup, usually fruit-flavored, served in a paper cone or cup.

title: Snow cream


text:
Elections in Norway

Norway elects its legislature on a national level. The parliament, the Storting (or Stortinget by Norwegian grammar), has 169 members elected for a four-year term (during which it may not be dissolved) by a form of proportional representation in multi-seat constituencies.

Norway has a multi-party system, with numerous parties in which no one party often has a chance of gaining power alone, and parties must work with each other to form coalition governments or minority cabinets.

In Norway, elections are held every second year, alternating between elections for the Parliament and local elections, both of which are held every four years.

Suffrage is universal from the year a person turns 18 years old, even if the person turns 18 later in the year the election is held. Only Norwegian citizens can vote in the Parliamentary elections, but foreigners who have lived in Norway for three years continuously can vote in the local elections. Women's suffrage was adopted in 1913.

The last elections were the 2023 local elections on 11 September. The last parliamentary election was the 2021 parliamentary election, on 13 September.

Election system
Norway uses the same system in both local and national elections when it comes to distributing mandates. This method is the modified Sainte-Laguë method and the underlying principle is that the number of seats a party gets in the Storting should be as close as possible to the relative number of votes the party got in the election.

There are some exceptions to the above-mentioned principle:

 * 1) Leveling seats: These seats exist to resolve situations in which a party receives significant support, but not enough in any single constituency to ordinarily win a seat. A party must earn more than 4% of the total votes – the election threshold – to be entitled to levelling seats.
 * 2) Rural overrepresentation: Rural, sparsely-populated constituencies get more seats than the population would otherwise dictate. This is to maintain a representative feeling in assemblies and to prevent the preferences of urban areas always overruling those of rural areas. However, this has been criticised by the OSCE, among others, as being unfair.
 * 3) Many parties, but few seats: All of the nine parties represented in the Storting (Red Party (R), Socialist Left Party (SV), Green Party (Norway) (MDG), Labour Party (Ap), Centre Party (Sp), Venstre (V), Christian People's Party (KrF), Conservative Party (H), Progress Party (FrP)) run lists of candidates in all 19 counties. There are also many minor parties that run in some, but not all, constituencies. These parties all compete for the same seats, and in constituencies with few seats, only a few parties win representation. This is partially offset by levelling seats, but only for parties above the election threshold.

Unlike most parliaments, the Storting always serves its full four-year term; the constitution does not allow snap elections, nor does it give the monarch the right to dissolve parliament even if the government wants to do so. By-elections are not used, as the list-system means that vacant seats are merely filled by the next one on the party list (suppleants). This is also the case when candidates take temporary leave due to illness, childbirth etc.

Norway switched its parliamentary elections from single-member districts decided by two-round run-offs to multi-member districts with proportional representation in 1919.

Voting
High voter turnout is generally seen as beneficial by all parties, and the voting process has been streamlined in order to encourage voting. Registration is automatic and based on the national registry,

Ballots
The ballots are uniform throughout the country, with the exception of the candidate list. Each ballot will contain the name of a party, and also a list of the candidates promoted by that party in order of priority. Voters may assign personal choices among those candidates by checking a box next to the candidates name (thus changing the priority). Voters may also write in names from other lists if they so desire.

The ballot is in the form of an A4 sheet of paper folded in two (e.g. an A5 folder). The ballots are identical for all parties/lists in a given election. The inside of the ballot has the name of the party/list and the list of candidates. The outside of the ballot has a field for the election official to stamp the ballot as correctly received immediately prior to the voter casting the ballot in the ballotbox.

The ballots are located inside each voting booth. Election officials are tasked with keeping the number of ballots in each voting booth approximately even, to reduce the possibility of influencing the voter.

In the case of national elections, there is only one group of ballots to choose from. In the case of local elections, there is two groups of ballots, one for the County-level elections, and one for the municipality-level elections.

Procedure

 * 1) The voter first selects the ballot corresponding to the party/list he/she wants to cast a ballot in favor of.
 * 2) The voter then proceeds to change/amend the lists if desired.
 * 3) The voter then folds the ballot along a marked line, to ensure that no one can see which ballot he/she has chosen.
 * 4) The voter proceeds to an election official, identifies himself, is checked towards the voting registry, and gets the ballots stamped.
 * 5) The voter then casts the ballot in the ballot-box, one per election.

Early voting
Early voting can happen in any early polling place in the country, usually starting in July and ending about a week before election day. Voters wishing to vote early can search for polling places on the public website www.valglokaler.no. Early polling places are usually at City Halls or similar public buildings. Larger cities such as Oslo also deploy mobile early polling places in places such as large public transport hubs, metro stations etc. Voters are required to identify themselves before voting.

Voters submitting an early vote in another district/municipality than their own, will be given a ballot without a candidate list. The ballot will then be enclosed in an envelope with the name of his/her home district. The voter will then proceed to deliver the ballot to the sealed ballot box. The ballot will be mailed by to the correct district/municipality in advance of election day.

Voters may not change their ballot after submitting an early ballot.

Voting from abroad
Voters staying abroad can vote at Norwegian embassies and consulates.

Voters abroad who are not close to any Norwegian foreign station can vote through mail. They can request ballots to be sent to them. Voters can also write their own ballots, as long as they follow a few simple rules.

Election day
Election day is normally the 2nd Monday of September, but many polling places are also open the preceding Sunday. Election day is not a public holiday. Voters may only vote in their own municipality on election day. Polling places are usually local schools, community centers or similar, and are normally open from 09:00 or 12:00. All polling places close at 20:00 across the country.

Constituencies and seat distribution
Norway was up until 2018, divided into 19 counties, and each of the former counties is a constituency in the election. Each constituency elects a pre-calculated number of seats in the Parliament, the Storting, based on the population and geographical area of the constituency. Each inhabitant scores one point and each square kilometer scores 1.8 points. This calculation is done every eight years. This practice has been criticized because in some larger counties with sparse population a single vote counts more than in other more densely populated counties. Others claim that counties with a scattered and sparse population situated far away from the central administration should have a stronger representation in the Parliament. In recent elections a vote in the northernmost county Finnmark has counted approximately twice a vote in the capital Oslo or the surrounding county Akershus.

Norwegian citizens living in Svalbard and Jan Mayen, as well as Norwegian citizens living abroad who have resided in Norway within the past ten years, are registered to vote in the constituency they last resided in.

After the votes are counted and the members of the Parliament are designated their respective seats of their county, 19 leveling seats, one in each county, are divided to parties who got fewer seats than their election result percentage would suggest. This practice was adopted in 1989. However, only parties with more than 4% of the votes on a national basis – the election threshold – are entitled to leveling seats.

For the 2021 election the distribution of seats, including levelling seats, is as follows:

Local elections

The local elections are two separate elections held at the same time. The first is the county election, which elects politicians to the county council. Second is the municipality election, which elects politicians to the municipal councils.

Sámi Parliament election
People of Sámi heritage, included in the Sámi Parliament's electoral roll, are eligible to vote to the Sami Parliament of Norway. For the election Norway is divided into 13 constituencies from which 3 representatives are elected. In addition an additional representative is elected from the four constituencies with most votes. The election is held at the same time as the elections to the Norwegian Parliament.

Referendums

 * Norwegian referendum on the dissolution of the union between Sweden and Norway, 1905
 * Norwegian referendum on Prince Charles of Denmark as Norwegian King, 1905
 * 1919 Norwegian Prohibition referendum
 * 1926 Norwegian continued prohibition referendum
 * 1972 Norwegian European Communities membership referendum
 * 1994 Norwegian European Union membership referendum

title: Elections in Norway


text:
Talk:Do Bigha Zamin

Untitled
Linking Indian Movies in this article to Indian Cinema would be correct but to Bollywood would not be. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ankur (talk • contribs)

Fair use rationale for Image:Do bigha zamin (dvd cover).jpg
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If there is other 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 uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.BetacommandBot 01:41, 3 June 2007 (UTC)

WikiProject class rating
This article was automatically assessed because at least one WikiProject had rated the article as start, and the rating on other projects was brought up to start class. BetacommandBot 17:51, 9 November 2007 (UTC)

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Two Acres of Land
"Two Acres of Land" redirects here, but the article doesn't explain why. You would think this would be a requirement for all redirects. Why does "Two Acres of Land" redirect here?

title: Talk:Do Bigha Zamin


text:
User:Spstarr

Just a regular geek who participates in a multitude of Open Source projects. mainly KDE and Fedora Currently I maintain several Rubygems and will be maintaining OpenNebula and Icinga packaging for Fedora. my IRC nickname is: spstarr and I can be found on Freenode and OFTC My website is http://www.sh0n.net/spstarr

Spstarr (talk) 14:53, 25 November 2013 (UTC)

title: User:Spstarr


text:
Misty (Pokémon)

Misty, known as Kasumi (カスミ) in Japan, is a fictional character in the Pokémon franchise owned by Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri. She has appeared as a Gym Leader in the Pokémon video games Pokémon Red and Blue, Pokémon Gold and Silver, and their respective remakes. She was a protagonist in the ongoing anime for the first five seasons, travelling alongside Ash Ketchum and Brock / Tracey to become the world's best Water-type Pokémon trainer before departing home to Cerulean City to run the family gym, but made recurring appearances after and eventually resuming her journey after Ash won the rank of World Champion. The character has also appeared in manga like Pokémon Adventures. She specialises in Water Type Pokémon. Her Japanese voice actress is Mayumi Iizuka, while her English voice was supplied by Rachael Lillis and Michele Knotz.

Conception and design
Developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, the Pokémon series began in Japan in 1996 with the release of Pokémon Red and Blue for the Game Boy. In these games, the player assumes the role of a Pokémon Trainer whose goal is to capture and train creatures called Pokémon. Players use the creatures' special abilities to combat other Pokémon, and some can transform into stronger species, or evolve. The ultimate goal is to complete the Pokédex, a comprehensive Pokémon encyclopedia, by capturing, evolving, and trading to obtain creatures from all Pokémon species.

Designed by Ken Sugimori as a "gym leader", a Pokémon trainer that acts as an area boss, Misty was introduced in Red and Blue. Due to the nature of the game's development, only one set of concept sketches were done before implementing the character as sprite art within the game. Originally intended to be the game's third gym leader battle, she was changed to be the second instead for the game's final release. Designed as a young woman with red hair tied into a side ponytail, Sugimori often depicted her in a two piece swimsuit to fit thematically with her gym and its swimming pools.

For her anime appearance, she was designed by Atsuko Nishida. Her outfit was changed significantly for this appearance, giving her sneakers, a yellow shirt that reached above her midriff, and blue shorts held up by red suspenders around her torso. Emphasis was placed on the shape of her eyes in the animation guides, and how to draw them. Her Japanese voice actress, Mayumi Iizuka, stated that during her audition the director asked her to act like herself, and in doing so she landed the role. As a result, she considers Misty to be the one character she has voiced who most represents herself. Iizuka keeps track of her character's promotional appearances in merchandise and other material, additionally providing fans with insights on possible future cameos in the anime series.

In January 1999, Game Freak explained the origin of the English name of Misty: "The English word for 'Kasumi' is 'Mist,' so the name was changed to -ty to make it sound more feminine."

In the video games
In the video games Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow, FireRed & LeafGreen, Pokémon Gold, Silver, Crystal, Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, and Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, Misty is the Gym Leader of Cerulean City. She specializes in Water-type Pokémon. Misty, in her anime form, also appears as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee and as a gym leader in Pokémon Puzzle League. Additionally, she appears on Pokémon Channel on a full Japanese Pichu Bros. Disc. The disc differs from the other Japanese disc, as Misty's (Kasumi) voice actor is the narrator. Misty, as well as most of the gym leaders in Pokémon history, reappear in 'Pokémon Black 2 and White 2' as part of the Pokémon World Tournament.

In the anime
The anime follows the quest of one of the main characters, Ash Ketchum, as he and his friends travel around the fictitious world of Pokémon along with their Pokémon partners. Misty is a stubborn tomboy who trains Water Pokémon and has three siblings, Daisy, Lily, and Violet. She left the Gym to her three older sisters prior to traveling with Ash in the anime, although she still retained the title of Gym Leader despite this. She first comes across Ash when she accidentally fishes him and his Pikachu out of a river while fishing for water Pokémon. Soon after this incident, Ash "borrows" her bike in an attempt to flee from a flock of wild Spearow. The bike is later charred by an attack from Pikachu. Misty tells Ash she will not leave him alone until he replaces the bike and commits to follow him on his journey, and the two soon become best friends. After retrieving her repaired bike at the end of the Johto League Silver Conference, she returns to the Cerulean Gym and resumes her duties as the Gym Leader.

Misty becomes a central character in Pokémon Chronicles, a spin-off to the Pokémon anime, and appears in several specials and episodes. She maintains her friendship with Ash and eventually goes to Hoenn to meet up with him, meeting May and Max, and sees him again when he returns to Pallet following a long stint in Hoenn. She also appeared in an arc composed of at least two episodes of the Sun & Moon series, where she and Brock meet Ash and his friends in Kanto, and later appears in two more episodes of the Sun & Moon series when she reunites with Ash in Alola. Misty made more appearances in Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series as Ash's journey with the show came to end.

In the early episodes, Misty is depicted as having a short temper, stubborn temperament, and little patience. As the series progresses, however, she gradually shows herself to be kind and sensible. Misty becomes the parental guardian of Togepi, caring for it throughout the series. Misty constantly reins in Brock when he becomes enamored with pretty girls, often pulling him away by the ear. She also has the insectophobia of most Bug-type Pokémon. Misty aims to be a world-class Water-type Pokémon trainer despite her sisters' ridicule.

In the manga
The Misty character that appears in the Electric Tale of Pikachu manga series, which is loosely based on the anime, is similar to the Misty in the anime, while the Misty in Pokémon Adventures is similar to the Misty in the video games. She appears throughout Electric Tale of Pikachu, traveling on occasion with Ash. In Pokémon Adventures, When Red, the protagonist of the manga, first meets her, she is trying to recapture her Gyarados with help of her Staryu, which has been brainwashed by Team Rocket. They decide to team up and confront Team Rocket. The next morning, after spending the night resting in Misty's mansion, Misty leads Red to her Gym and reveals herself to be the Gym Leader. They have a battle, and though Misty quickly gained the upper hand and easily defeated Red with her fast and strong Starmie, she is worried that if they do not prepare themselves, Team Rocket will defeat them easily. Red decides that he might actually need training, and agrees to train. At that point, they become close friends.

In Pokémon Pocket Monsters, Red, the protagonist of the series, is seeking a Moon Stone along with his Pikachu and his Clefairy (one that speaks human language). When they meet Misty, Clefairy notices that she is wearing a Moon Stone as a necklace. Misty declares that they battle her if they wish to have it. While the Clefairy is initially pumped up to battle, he quickly changes his mind when he sees that his opponent is a massive Blastoise. After a while, the battle is won when Clefairy sucks up all the water in a nearby river and releases the water onto Misty's Pokémon, sending it flying into the sky. Just when Misty is about to reward Red's group with the prize they sought, the stone is stolen.

Critical reception
The book The Japanification of Children's Popular Culture described Misty's portrayal in the anime as a mother figure, calling her a "nurturing component" for the original trio of herself, Ash and Brock. It further described her as an "unusually 'complete' girl of the cartoon world", noting both her feminine sentimentality and her "explosive rage". Anime Classics Zettai!: 100 Must-See Japanese Animation Masterpieces praised the character as being "particularly nuanced" and described her as contributing heavily to the series' appeal. Pikachu's Global Adventure: The Rise and Fall of Pokémon stated that though the anime focused on Ash, Misty was a distinctly significant character especially to young female consumers, neither "butch" nor "dizzily feminine", seemingly "carefully constructed to appeal to preadolescent girls". It added that, unlike other aggressive female characters in the series, Misty did not sacrifice her femininity to succeed, making the character further popular with young American women, a contrast to Japanese children who focused more on the individual Pokémon species to identify with.

In studies on the reactions boys and girls had to the concept of Misty as a heroine in the series, girls accepted it and were eager to associate themselves with the character, while boys attempted to belittle her efforts. On the other hand, children of both genders felt the character alongside Brock gave Ash a sense of identity and moral support, which researchers attributed to the concept of group identity. In another study, children were shown to associate the attributes of attractiveness and aggressiveness, while college students described the character as romantic. Pikachu's Global Adventure additionally stated Misty also served as a source of non-threatening sexuality for both older and younger male viewers, though the context of such was presented in a more subtle way for North American localizations of the series.

In 2013, nearing Halloween, Archie Comics illustrator Ryan Jampole utilized Misty as one of the 31 costumes for the character Roll from the Archie Comics adaptation of the Mega Man franchise.

title: Misty (Pokémon)


text:
Marina Raskova

Marina Mikhaylovna Raskova (Мари́на Миха́йловна Раско́ва; née Malinina; 28 March 1912 – 4 January 1943) was the first woman in the Soviet Union to achieve the diploma of professional air navigator. Raskova went from a young woman with aspirations of becoming an opera singer to a military instructor to the Soviet's first female navigator. She was the navigator to many record-setting as well as record-breaking flights and the founding and commanding officer of the 587th Bomber Aviation Regiment, which was renamed the 125th M.M. Raskova Borisov Guards Dive Bomber Regiment in her honor. Raskova became one of over 800,000 women in the military service, founding three female air regiments, one of which eventually flew over 30,000 sorties in World War II and produced at least 30 Heroes of the Soviet Union.

Early life
Marina Malinina was born to middle-class parents. Her father was operatic singer and singing instructor Mikhail Malinin (Михаил Дмитриевич Малинин) and her mother a teacher. Anna Lyubatovich, her mother's sister, was a known Russian singer as Tatyana Lyubatovich (Татьяна Спиридоновна Любатович). Her half-brother (through her father) was shipbuilding scientist Boris Malinin. Unlike the majority of Soviet airwomen, Marina did not show any early interest in aviation. Becoming a pilot-navigator was her second choice. Raskova had originally wanted to become a musician, and her goal was to become an opera singer.

In 1919, when she was seven, her father died from the injuries inflicted when he was struck by a motorcycle. She continued her drama and singing studies, but later she fell victim to a middle ear infection that left her unable to continue singing. She decided to quit music and to devote herself to studying chemistry and engineering in high school. After graduation in 1929, to help her family, she started work in a dye factory as a chemist. She married an engineer, Sergey Raskov, whom she met at the dye factory, so changing her name to Raskova. She had a child, Tanya, in 1930. The following year she started to work in the Aero Navigation Laboratory of the Air Force Academy as a draftswoman.

Raskova became a famous aviator as both a pilot and a navigator for the Soviet Union in the 1930s. She was the first woman to become a navigator in the Soviet Air Force in 1933. A year later, she started teaching at the Zhukovsky Air Academy, also a first for a woman. She taught male and later, female students military navigation. She was the subject of skepticism by many of her male students but was able to prove herself capable. Later, the Academy sent Raskova to Tushino for the Central Flying Club in order to receive flying lessons, which she completed in August 1935. When Raskova's training ended, she was able to become an instrument flying instructor and was allowed to teach command personnel advanced navigation. In 1935, she divorced. She set a number of long-distance records, a significant achievement in the eyes of the Soviet Union, which gave its aviators celebrity status. Most of these record flights occurred in 1937 and 1938, while she was still teaching at the air academy. She was referred to as the "Russian Amelia Earhart" for her achievements.

The most famous of her long-distance records was the flight of the Rodina (Russian for "Motherland"), Ant-37 – a converted DB-2 long range bomber – on 24–25 September 1938. She was the navigator of the crew that also included Polina Osipenko and Valentina Grizodubova. From the start, the goal was to set an international women's record for a straight-line distance flight. The plan was to fly from Moscow to Komsomolsk (in the Far East). When finally completed, the flight took 26 hours and 29 minutes, over a straight-line distance of 5,947 km (total distance of 6,450 km). However, the ordeal took 10 days when the plane was unable to find an airfield due to poor visibility. Because the navigator's cockpit had no entrance to the rest of the plane and was vulnerable in a crash landing, Raskova parachuted out before they touched down. She had forgotten her emergency kit and was unable to find the plane for 10 days, with no water and almost no food. The rescue crew had found the aircraft eight days after the landing, and was waiting when she found her way to it, after which all three women were taken to safety. On 2 November 1938, all three women were decorated with the Hero of the Soviet Union award, the first females ever to receive it and the only ones before World War II.

World War II
When World War II broke out, there were numerous women who had training as pilots and many immediately volunteered. While there were no formal restrictions on women serving in combat roles, their applications tended to be blocked, run into red tape, etc. for as long as possible in order to discourage the applicants from entering any training program. Raskova is credited with having used her personal connections with Joseph Stalin to convince the military to form three combat regiments of women. Following a speech by Raskova on 8 September 1941 calling for women pilots to be allowed to fight, Stalin on 8 October 1941 ordered the formation of the all-female 122nd Aviation Corps. Not only would the women be pilots, but also support staff and engineers. After their training, the Group's three regiments received their formal designations as follows:

 * Bundesarchiv Bild 169-0112, Russland, erbeutetes Flugzeug Po-2 - restored.jpg, and subsequently captured by German troops, 1941. On this type of aircraft, the Night Witches flew more than 24,000 sorties]]The 586th Fighter Aviation Regiment (586 IAP/PVO): This unit was the first to take part in combat (16 April 1942) of the three female regiments. Equipped with Yakovlev Yak-1, Yak-7B and Yak-9, it flew 4,419 flights. destroying 38 enemy aircraft in 125 air battles. Commanders were Tamara Kazarinova and later Aleksandr Gridnev.
 * The 587th Bomber Aviation Regiment, (later renamed the 125th Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment): Raskova commanded this unit until her death in a flying accident, while leading two other Petlyakovs to their first operative airfield, near Stalingrad, whereupon the unit was given to Valentin Markov. It started service as the 587th Bomber Aviation Regiment until it was given the Guards designation in September 1943. The unit was given the very best of the Soviet bombers, the Petlyakov Pe-2, while many male units used obsolete aircraft, which resulted in much resentment. The unit flew 1,134 missions, dropping over 980 tons of bombs. It produced five Heroes of the Soviet Union.
 * The 588th Night Bomber Aviation Regiment (later renamed the 46th Taman Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment, nicknamed the "Night Witches" (die Nachthexen) by the Germans): This was the best known of the regiments and was commanded by Yevdokia Bershanskaya. It originally began service as the 588th Night Bomber Regiment (588 NBAP), but was redesignated in February 1943 as recognition for service which tallied 24,000+ combat missions by the end of the war. The regiment produced 24 Heroes of the Soviet Union. Their aircraft was the Polikarpov Po-2, a very outdated biplane. They were the only one of the three regiments to remain solely female throughout the war, a distinction they went to some lengths to maintain.

Raskova died on 4 January 1943, when her aircraft crashed attempting to make a forced landing on the Volga bank, while leading two other Pe-2s to the first operative airfield near Stalingrad. The entire crew perished. She received the first state funeral of the war.

Legacy
Her ashes were buried in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis, beside Polina Osipenko's, on Red Square. She was posthumously awarded the Order of the Patriotic War I Class. An American ship, Ironclad (launched as Mystic in April 1919), that had taken part in Convoy PQ 17 was transferred to Russian ownership and renamed Marina Raskova (ship) in June 1943.

A street was named after her in Moscow and Kazan respectively, as well as a square in Moscow, some schools and Young Pioneer detachments. There was a bust of her at the "M.M. Raskova" Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots in Tambov, but that school ceased to function in 1997.

title: Marina Raskova


text:
Talk:List of fantasy authors

Untitled
This list would be more interesting and useful if each entry included a headline-length phrase mentioning the person's most notable/memorable works of fantasy. I added a few notes as a trial. Stan 04:29, 1 Dec 2003 (UTC)

But for some authors, there's lots and lots of those most notable works of fantasy!Regeane Silverwolf 01:17, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

I guess that's fine but the info shouldn't go past one line per author or the list will get too long (extra details should be in the bio anyway). Earlier, I had added many of the birth and death dates for the authors. I thought that would be good idea because I noticed that this list shows up in Yahoo and Google when you do a search for a particular author and so this tiny bit of info (plus Stan's notes) helps to make this page a one stop info shop for people who come here from Yahoo or Google. MS, 15, Dec, 03

I noted that several major fantasy authors (mostly from the 'epic' or 'high' subgenre) were not included on the list, so I have inserted R. Scott Bakker, Paul Kearney, Kate Elliott and Patrick Tilley (whose Amtrak Wars series may be set in the future and have SF elements, but is very definitely fantasy due to the presence of magic, telepathy and prophecy). I also added a link to Steven Erikson's entry for the Wiki page on his Malazan Book of the Fallen sequence and an entry for the co-creator of the Malazan series, Ian Cameron Esslemont, who has started publishing his own Malazan novels. --Werthead 00:15, 24 April 2006 (UTC)

Science Fiction authors accidently included here
I believe some of the authors included in this list were included mistakenly, as some only write Science fiction, and have not written any fantasy. Below I have started a list of suspects. If you know of at least one fantasy book they've written, add it after their name here. If you find a suspect entry, add it... --ssd 23:13, 13 Jun 2004 (UTC)

 * Anne McCaffrey (Pern is definately science fiction, not fantasy)
 * Alan Dean Foster
 * Sheri S. Tepper
 * John Norman

Before entries above are deleted, they should be either OR
 * Added to Category:Fantasy writers and their page updated to reflect their fantasy work
 * removed from this article as fantasy writers if someone is really sure they never wrote any fantasy material

Hmm...while McCaffrey and Norman's works may theoretically be SF, in that they are supposedly set on alien planets, rather than in some imaginary fantasy world, is that really enough to say that they are not fantasy? The work of both is discussed in Clute and Grant's Encyclopedia of Fantasy. McCaffrey it says is basically science fiction, although it notes that she uses a lot of fantasy tropes. Norman, however, is discussed as a fantasy writer, but Norman's works, as "Planetary romance" are classified as a kind of hybrid, I guess. At any rate, I think in light of that, it's appropriate to list at least Norman on the list. Foster, BTW, has definitely written fantasy - apparently he wrote the Spellsinger series, as well as novelizations of Clash of the Titans and Krull. Tepper is also listed in the Encyclopedia of Fantasy - the EofF says that the True Game series "is dramatized in terms of fantasy yet technically is sf: this readiness to conflate the conventions of distinct genres has characterized her work since, so that much of her writing is perhaps best described as technofantasy." I'd say that, based on this, all of these, with the possible exception of McCaffrey, can be listed as fantasy authors. But I dunno. Certainly Foster should be. john k 05:08, 28 Jun 2004 (UTC)
 * To me, the difference between fantasy and science fiction is the pivotal role of technology in SF, and the pivotal role in supernatural forces (especially magic) in fantasy. Things get grey when you mention things like ESP which is theorized but not proven by science, and which McCaffery includes in almost all her books.  (Teleportation, although perhaps less likely, is mentioned in Star Trek which is clearly hard SF, and perhaps inherited by many other SF books.)   I'm not sure why, but people seem to think just because it is set in the past or on a primitive planet with limited technology, it can't be science fiction which usually is written in the future with high technology.

 * Anyway, my point for this list is that if authors have written fantasy, they are here because their Wikipedia page does not mention it. If they have books (or series) that are clearly fantasy, a sentence or two needs to be added to indicate such, and the first line of the article should also mention fantasy. --ssd 05:19, 28 Jun 2004 (UTC)

Hmm...certainly that should be done with Foster. With the others, it's a bit more complicated. I mean, it is very easy to write books that are essentially fantasy books in all essential ways, save that what would normally be considered magic is explained in some quasi-scientific way. I suppose you could say that this makes it science fiction. But I don't think that you can say that this makes it not fantasy. As far as I can gather from my limited awareness of Norman's work, this would be a fairly accurate way to categorize it (to the extent that it is not just S&M porn). McCaffrey seems to be approaching that level (not with the S&M porn, but with the quasi-fantasy content). Tepper seems to be a weirder case, since it seems as though the issue is that there are fantasy tropes in her novels, so I'm not really sure on that. Perhaps someone more familiar with her work could get into that. john k 05:30, 28 Jun 2004 (UTC)

Look, I do believe that there plenty of people who feel that all the people on that list are fantasy and so they should stay on the fantasy list. User ssd thinks that Anne McCaffrey "is definately science fiction." Excuse me, but that is one persons opinion. I do believe there are many others who think she is definately fantasy and so that's where she should be included. I think it's better to have someone listed on too many lists than too few. It does no harm and in fact helps to better cross reference. I do appreciate the hard work users like ssd put into this site, BUT I also think they are trying too hard to find things to fix. Some things just need to be left alone. Having too much information is ALWAYS better than having too little, IMHO. --MS

Sheri S. Tepper's The True Game series is definately fantasy, as is Alan Dean Foster's Spellsinger series. Neither of them uses science to explain how "magic" work, though The True Game has high technology and magic side-by-side, so it could be considered to be both fantasy and sci-fi. -- Khym Chanur 01:08, Feb 9, 2005 (UTC)

I think the line between fantasy and sci-fi is blurry sometimes. Certainly there are stories which definately fall into the fantasy catagory, others which are clearly sci-fi, but some are not so clear.

Also, I think Phyllis Eisenstien should be on the list of authors also, but I am not sure the spelling is right.

Consider adding Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, I'd say. Yes, also at their page only science fiction is mentioned, but how is e.g. their "Hard to Be a God" not by far more fantasy than SF? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ajkoning (talk • contribs) 16:06, 15 January 2024 (UTC)

McCaffrey again
I agree with the sentiments to keep Anne McCaffrey on the list (and I've readded her.) While people can argue semantics about whether she fits one definition or another for Fantasy, people will expect to see her her, as she is often considered a fantasy author; even her memorandum on the TOR ( http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/11/anne-mccaffrey-in-remembrance ) and Del Rey ( http://sf-fantasy.suvudu.com/2011/11/a-message-from-anne-mccaffreys-family.html?wbtrak=NGZiYzAxN2UtNDU0YTE4NTg= ) sites reflect this. Beska (talk) 21:16, 22 May 2012 (UTC)
 * Just because the cat had her kittens in the oven, doesn't make them biscuits. McCaffrey wrote nothing but SF, and was known to be somewhat caustic on the topic. Calling her SF set on a low-tech planet "fantasy" is nonsense and original research; you will not find any competent critics calling it fantasy, because it is not. Calling it "fantasy" or "science fantasy" will not change that. -- Orange Mike |  Talk  21:27, 22 May 2012 (UTC)
 * I agree with the kittens thing...to the point where I would say that just because she was insistent that it wasn't fantasy, doesn't mean it wasn't. You claim that there are "no competent critics calling it fantasy"; any references?  You call my point original reasearch: I added two references to the talk page, from publishers, who refer to her as a fantasy writer.  But you know what?  Whatever.  I don't think I'm going to convince you, and I'm not interested in an edit war.  So you "win".  Beska (talk) 12:07, 23 May 2012 (UTC)
 * Unless McCaffrey wrote some short fiction which is fantasy, which may be possible, I'd have to look in Get Off the Unicorn, I wouldn't include her on the list. She does use the tropes of fantasy, but with a science fictional underpinning (as evidenced that even the early Dragonrider stories were originally published in Analog, known for only publishing science fiction.Shsilver (talk) 13:51, 23 May 2012 (UTC)

Adding author photos, cover art etc. to perk up the list
I've been doing this to the List_of_science_fiction_authors, but couldn't resist this cute picture of Fiona Mcintosh I came across. I may do more later, or you may want to join in the fun! Cheers, Pete Tillman (talk) 03:58, 26 April 2009 (UTC)

Tags
I will add the sources here so that there aren't just random citations:
 * He is notable. David Forbes - sales rank shows that he has shifted a few copies.Same as above.This man definitely exists and has sold fantasy. Re-adding.
 * A review on a well known site for Robert Wayne McCoy.This shows both numerous reviews and such. Re-adding.Another well known site for fantasy.
 * I have outlined the reasons for keeping Richard Monaco on TheRedPenOfDoom's talk page. He is a pulitzer prize nominee for christ sake.
 * Janna Nickerson. Up for a Pacific Northwest book award. Ok, it isn't a Pulitzer, but it shows notability. This shows some notability as well as a couple of reviews.
 * I agreed to remove Rodriguez and Thomas on RedPen's talk page (see above).
 * C. Lee Tocci.see this for Booklist reviewShows importance of Booklist

Regards. Alan 16  talk  count  09:58, 10 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Notability is more than a blurb in Amazon - show actual notability exists for these authors by actual coverage in reliable third party sources. AND wikipedia is not a promotional media for people like Tocci to pimp their own work.-- The Red Pen of Doom  11:52, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

 * Right. Well I don't care too much about Tocci, so she can go. However, David Forbes has clear notability. The interview by itself with SFF World (a well respected fantasy website where not everyone gets an interview) shows notability. With all due respect, I get annoyed by people who delete authors simply because they are self-published. They can be self-published and still be notable. Alan16 (talk) 13:39, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Redlinked authors?
Seems okay to have redlinked works, but I think redlinked authors should be kept off the list. Authors on this list should have an entry already. Artemis-Arethusa (talk) 23:56, 18 April 2011 (UTC)
 * Vehemently agree! -- Orange Mike |  Talk  01:00, 6 December 2012 (UTC)

WorldCat Genres
Maximilianklein (talk) 23:13, 5 December 2012 (UTC)

Retitling page
Should this article be re-titled "List of notable fantasy authors"? The article does not include every single fantasy author and besides, notability is the requirement, apparently. -- Billybob2002 (talk) 07:18, 22 January 2014 (UTC)

Marion Zimmer-Bradley
Shouldn't she be on the list? -Sparkling Twilight, 1st November 2014-
 * She is there, under B, not Z. - I am not sure why, but the Marion Zimmer Bradley article also is sorted under Bradley, ... . Daranios (talk) 19:28, 2 November 2014 (UTC)

Proposed addition to the List of fantasy authors
•	Information to be added or removed: Please add the author Vincent Hunter to the List of fantasy authors. •	Explanation of issue: Vincent Hunter is not yet on the list of fantasy authors. •	References supporting change: Vincent Hunter press release in Surrey Now Leader Newspaper: https://www.surreynowleader.com/entertainment/transgender-surrey-brothers-debut-fantasy-novel-as-author-duo-vincent-hastings/

Vincent Hunter author page on Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B08JHF2V31?ref_=dbs_p_ebk_r00_abau_000000

The Garnet Crown: https://www.amazon.ca/Garnet-Crown-Book-Crimson-Plumes-ebook/dp/B08FLWZM1L/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=the+garnet+crown&qid=1602991308&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExQU9MSlIyWUJHTE1BJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMTQ1NTY3MUs5MDdKQUZTOFY5OCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMDM5MzExNTFVVTZZVURNNlgmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

Vincent Hunter official website: https://vincenthunterofficial.wordpress.com/blog/ FirebornMana (talk) 03:29, 18 October 2020 (UTC)
 * Hi FirebornMana. I'm afraid I must decline your edit request. A prerequisite to being included on this list is [e]very entry...must have an article written in the English Wikipedia, with reliable sources to support inclusion... Vincent Hunter (the author) does not have an article on Wikipedia, so unfortunately he cannot be included in this list at this time. Best, Altamel (talk) 04:30, 24 October 2020 (UTC)

"This article needs additional citations for verification"
Why should the article need additional citations for verification? This is a list, and all you have to do is to click on the name of the author or the examples of work, and there is all the verification you need. What more could anyone ask for? 46.212.117.57 (talk) 00:51, 11 February 2022 (UTC)
 * I completely agree. Looking into the history, it seems the note was introduced because the notability of some entries in the list were in question, which in turn would be solved by providing secondary sources. Now we only have entries with blue links. I think it would be overkill to require secondary sources for everyone in our very large list just to prevent the off chance that there are blue-linked entries which are not notable after all. If someone has doubts in that direction, they could better be addressed in the article of the individual entry, not here. So I am all for removing that notice. What does anyone else think? Daranios (talk) 11:29, 11 February 2022 (UTC)
 * Yes, it should be removed. Using secondary sources where redlinks are not allowed just to prove that the various names are really fantasy authors seems pointless.
 * (Someone has added the same demand on List of horror fiction writers. Also on the list List of horror fiction writers; someone finds it necessarily to add that Bruno Schulz was a Holocaust victim. Didn't find it relevant, so I removed it, only to see me edit being reverted again. No additional information is mentioned in any of the others more than hundred authors.) 46.212.117.57 (talk) 08:24, 14 February 2022 (UTC)
 * As for the description of Bruno Schulz, I'd agree from the general structure of the List of horror fiction writers that that's a fact which should be in the article, not the list. However, to avoid conflicts in case of differing opinions, Wikipedia policy suggests the BOLD, revert, discuss cycle. Which means, if you still think you are right after your edit was revert, start a discussion on the talk page and act on its result.
 * Ah, I see that's been done already. I'll chime in there. Daranios (talk) 11:20, 15 February 2022 (UTC)
 * As for the secondary sources demand, pinging, who has put up the template. Maybe they would like to give us their rationale here and we can work out a decision? Daranios (talk) 11:32, 14 February 2022 (UTC)
 * Hi. Thanks for tagging me . Per WP:SOURCELIST, "all individual items on the list must follow Wikipedia's content policies: the core content policies of Verifiability (through good sources in the item's one or more references), No original research, and Neutral point of view, plus the other content policies as well. Content should be sourced where it appears with inline citations if the content contains any of the four kinds of material absolutely required to have citations." That said, I'm not familiar with a lot of literary fantasy works, so to my eye, any of these authors could or could not be to fantasy authors to me. Andrzejbanas (talk) 15:02, 14 February 2022 (UTC)
 * Thanks for stopping by! I don't think anything on our list here falls under the four kinds of material absolutely required to have citations. Sure, it's about living persons, but I don't think them being fantasy writers is contentious. Rather, I think we can assume in good faith that the editors who put them here did the right thing. Also, this is a list for navigation purposes, with all entries having their own articles. So the actual information can be found, presumably with sources, in the articles proper. Taking that together I think it would be an undue effort to require transfer of all the sources from the articles here (also greatly blowing up the article size) just to prevent the small chance that we have false entries. Daranios (talk) 11:20, 15 February 2022 (UTC)
 * Cool cool. It's not so much that it's contentious, it's just that genre is subjective, and per WP:SUBJECTIVe and WP:OR, I think we should still have someone out there stating that yes, this author is primarily known for fantasy. We've had similar discussions in the past for directors like Alfred Hitchcock, who surely has directed films close to or are horror films, but he's not primarily known for the genre. Andrzejbanas (talk) 17:13, 15 February 2022 (UTC)
 * A good example that sort of opposes this is Howard Browne, who has no information for him on a popular fantasy series. Which is fine, might just not have any popular ones. However, on his wikiarticle, it says he primarily writes Science fiction and mystery. This is why I push for sources. Andrzejbanas (talk) 17:24, 15 February 2022 (UTC)
 * I see your argument, and find it has some merit. Overall I am still prefering not require the sources due to the other arguments (and the fact that it's unlikely to be done in grand style in the forseeable future, which is a very weak additional argument). Daranios (talk) 08:11, 17 February 2022 (UTC)
 * I understand out of sheer convenience, but as the goal of every article on wikipedia is to be featured status, we shouldn't just turn a blind eye to sources here. Andrzejbanas (talk) 17:42, 18 February 2022 (UTC)

title: Talk:List of fantasy authors


text:
Gary Stewart

Gary Stewart may refer to:
 * Gary Stewart (singer) (1944–2003), American country musician
 * Gary L. Stewart (born 1953), Imperator of AMORC from 1987 to 1990
 * Gary Stewart (politician) (born 1938), politician in Ontario, Canada
 * Gary Stewart (basketball) (born 1961), American college basketball coach
 * Gary Loyd Stewart, American author, engineer, and businessman
 * Gary Stewart, protagonist in The House of the Dead 2
 * Gary Stewart (music executive) (1957–2019), American music executive

title: Gary Stewart


text:
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title: User talk:Spstarr