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Robert Stevenson (civil engineer)

Robert Stevenson, FRSE, FGS, FRAS, FSA Scot, MWS (8 June 1772 – 12 July 1850) was a Scottish civil engineer, and designer and builder of lighthouses. His works include the Bell Rock Lighthouse.

Early life
Robert Stevenson was born in Glasgow. His father was Alan Stevenson, a partner in a West Indies sugar trading house in the city. Alan died of an epidemic fever on the island of St. Christopher in the West Indies on 26 May 1774, a few days before Robert's second birthday. Robert's uncle died of the same disease around the same time. Since this left Alan's widow, Jean Lillie Stevenson, in much-reduced financial circumstances, Robert was educated, as a young child, at a charity school.

Robert's mother intended him to join the ministry, so when he was a bit older she enrolled him in the school of a locally famous Glasgow linguist, a Mr Macintyre. But when Robert was 15, she remarried and the family moved to 1 Blair Street, off the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. Robert's new stepfather was Thomas Smith, a tinsmith, lamp maker, ingenious mechanic, and civil engineer, who had been appointed to the newly formed Northern Lighthouse Board in 1786.

In 1798 or 1799, when Robert was about 26, the family moved to a newly built home, 2 Baxters Place, at the head of Leith Walk.

In 1815, Robert's stepfather died, and Robert inherited the house, where he continued to live until about 1820.

Professional career
Stevenson served as an apprentice civil engineer to his stepfather, Thomas Smith. He was so successful at it that, at age 19, he was given responsibility for supervising the erection of a lighthouse on Little Cumbrae island in the River Clyde. His next project was overseeing the building of lighthouses on Orkney. While working on these projects, he continued his civil engineering studies: He diligently practised surveying and architectural drawing, and attended maths and physics lectures at the Andersonian Institute in Glasgow.

In the winter, when it was too chilly for construction work, he attended lectures at the University of Edinburgh in philosophy, mathematics, chemistry, natural history, moral philosophy, logic, and agriculture. He was not granted a degree because he did not have the proficiency in Latin or Greek that was a requirement for a degree in those days.

In 1797, he was appointed engineer to the Lighthouse Board, succeeding to his stepfather's place there. In 1799, he married Smith's eldest daughter Jean, who was also his stepsister, and, in 1800, Smith made him his business partner.

The most important work of Stevenson's life was the Bell Rock Lighthouse, built between 1807 and 1810 when he was in his mid-30s. The lighthouse still stands today. Its construction was a scheme long in the gestation, and then long (and extremely hazardous) in the construction. Its structure was based upon the design of the Eddystone Lighthouse, which had been built by John Smeaton — but Stevenson made several improvements to that design. John Rennie was a consulting engineer on the project. After the project was complete, there was some contention as to who should get more credit—Rennie or Stevenson. That contention grew particularly strong as between the two men's sons when they were older - Robert's son Alan Stevenson and John Rennie's son, Sir John Rennie.. Samuel Smiles, a popular engineering author of the time, published an account taken from Rennie, which gave prominence to Rennie's claim. However, the Northern Lighthouse Board gave full credit to Stevenson, as have historians since then.

Stevenson's work on the Bell Rock and elsewhere provided a fund of anecdotes about the dangers he tended to place himself in and his lucky narrow escapes. For example, in 1794, he was aboard the sloop Elizabeth of Stromness, returning from the Orkney Islands, when it became becalmed off Kinnaird Head. Unlike others aboard the ship, he had the good fortune to be taken off it and rowed ashore. After he left it, a gale arose and drove the ship back to Orkney, where it foundered: All aboard were drowned. Another time, he was with a crew of men on the Bell Rock, which was only above the surface of the water at the lowest tide, when one of the crew boats drifted away. The remaining boats did not have enough room to carry everyone back to the mainland. Once the tide rose, the rock would have been submerged, and anyone not in a boat would have been stranded in the water. Luckily, before the tide rose, the Bell Rock pilot boat happened to arrive on an errand to deliver some mail to Stevenson, and thus saved the situation.

Stevenson served as the engineer to the Northern Lighthouse Board until 1842 - nearly fifty years. During that time he designed numerous lighthouses and oversaw their construction and the addition of later improvements to them. His many innovations included his choice of light sources and mountings, his reflector design, his use of Fresnel lenses, and his use of rotation and shuttering systems that provided lighthouses with individual signatures (characteristics) — allowing them to be identified by seafarers. For this latter innovation, he was awarded a gold medal by King William I of the Netherlands.

Engineering skills were in high demand after the Battle of Waterloo, which marked the end of the continental wars, as the focus turned toward improving the country's infrastructure. So Stevenson was kept busy. In addition to his work for the Northern Lighthouse Board, he served as a consulting engineer on many projects, collaborating with other engineers such as John Rennie, Alexander Nimmo, Thomas Telford, William Walker, Archibald Elliot, and William Cubitt. These projects included the construction of roads, bridges, harbours, canals, railways, and aids to river navigation. He designed and oversaw the construction in Glasgow of the Hutcheson Bridge, and in Edinburgh of the Regent Bridge and approaches to it from the east. He also produced a number of designs for canals and railways which were not built, and new and improved designs for bridges, some of which were later implemented by his successors. He invented the movable jib and the balance crane as necessary aids to lighthouse construction, and, as George Stephenson noted, he led the trend toward using malleable rather than cast-iron rails in the construction of railways.

In 1815, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were John Barclay, John Playfair and David Brewster.

In 1824, he published a paper about the condition of the eastern coastline of the United Kingdom, entitled Account of the Bell Rock Lighthouse. In it, he presented convincing evidence that the North Sea was eroding that coastline, and in particular that the great sandbanks were disappearing — the spoils taken by the sea. He hypothesized that freshwater and saltwater areas at river mouths exist as separate and distinct streams, and carried out tests of this hypothesis. He contributed articles to the Encyclopædia Britannica and the Edinburgh Encyclopædia, and published papers in a number of scientific journals.

He was inducted into the Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame in 2016.

Family life
In 1799, Robert married his stepsister, Jean Smith, who was his stepfather Thomas Smith's eldest daughter by his first wife. A number of their children died young, including three who died of childhood diseases early in 1808, during the construction of Bell Rock. Three of Stevenson's sons became engineers: Alan, David and Thomas. Robert's other surviving child was Jane (1801–1864). Jane became her father's secretary and helped him write and illustrate his account of the Bell Rock Lighthouse construction. He had two grandchildren who became well-known: His son Alan was the father of the author and journalist Katharine de Mattos, and his son Thomas was the father of the author Robert Louis Stevenson.

Stevenson lived in Baxter's Place at the head of Leith Walk for most of his later years, moving from No. 2 to the far larger No. 1 around 1820. In 1985, the building was named "Robert Stevenson House" in his honour. It was used as an office from 1985 to 2015. The building was converted into a Marriott Hotel in 2017, at which point the name was removed.

Stevenson died on 12 July 1850, at 1 Baxters Place in Edinburgh. He is buried in the Stevenson family plot in the New Calton Burial Ground.

Memorials to Stevenson
Stevenson College, Edinburgh, named after Robert Stevenson, was founded in 1970. For a good portion of his life, Stevenson lived at 1 Baxter's Place, Edinburgh. In 1985, the building was named “Robert Stevenson House” in his memory. (The name was removed in 2015 because Marriott bought the building to convert it to a hotel.)

Robert and his father, Alan, are memorialized on the gravestone of his grandfather, a Glasgow merchant — also named Robert Stevenson - who died in 1764 and was buried in the churchyard of Glasgow Cathedral.

Biographies
The Lighthouse Stevensons, published in 1999, is an account of the professional accomplishments of Stevenson and his sons, written by Bella Bathurst (Harper Collins Publishers, 1999, ISBN 0-06-019427-8).

Lighthouses

 * Bell Rock (1811)
 * Toward Point (1812)
 * Isle of May (1816)
 * Corsewall (1817)
 * Point of Ayre (1818)
 * Calf of Man (1818)
 * Sumburgh Head (1821)
 * Kinnaird Head (Rebuild, 1823)
 * Eilean Glas Lighthouse, Scalpay (Rebuild, 1824)
 * Rinns of Islay, Orsay, Inner Hebrides (1825)
 * Buchan Ness (1827)
 * Pentland Skerries Lighthouse, Pentland Firth (Rebuild, 1827)
 * Cape Wrath (1828)
 * Tarbat Ness (1830)
 * Mull of Galloway (1830)
 * Dunnet Head (1831)
 * Girdle Ness (1833)
 * Barra Head (1833)
 * Lismore (1833)
 * Dubh Artach (1872)

Other

 * Annan Bridge
 * Hutcheson Bridge, Glasgow
 * Marykirk Bridge
 * Regent Bridge, designed by Archibald Elliot. (Stevenson carried out feasibility study and was in charge of construction)
 * The Melville Column, Edinburgh. (Stevenson did not design this, but advised on foundations)
 * Stirling New Bridge
 * Allenton bridge

title: Robert Stevenson (civil engineer)


text:
Talk:The Adventures of Pete & Pete

Location of Wellsville
Ok I haven't seen the show in a long time however I distinctly remember that Wellsville was located in the fictional state of Sideburbia nestled somewhere between California and Nevada. Does anyone remember this or is my brain just making it up? Soupersauce 00:02, 31 January 2007 (UTC)

Why is the show The Simpsons mentioned under the setting paragraph? Does it have anything to do with The Adventures of Pete & Pete? It should be removed. --Jeff (talk) 21:25, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

175 000
This article may well have been the 175 000th article on Wikipedia.

The Hunter S. Thompson question
I'm taking Hunter S. Thompson off the list of guest stars; IMDb is wrong for crediting him. A man named Hunter Thompson does appear in the episode "New Year's Pete," but it's clearly not the same man as Hunter S. Thompson. The show's creator, Will McRobb, even commented in this interview (http://216.127.88.91/podcasts/greenroomradio/GRR-006_Will_McRobb_The_Adventures_Of_Pete__Pete.mp3) that it was just some dude named Hunter Thompson.

alpha5099 1:40, 21 June 2005 (EST)
 * I've reverted an edit that re-added HST to the guest star list, adding a link to this discussion in the edit summary. - Hedgey42 08:06, 3 November 2005 (UTC)

Article length
It looks like there are some sections that could easily be spun off into their own entries - the episode guide, and perhaps the character list. Any thoughts on this? -Hedgey42 17:40, 22 December 2005 (UTC)
 * I moved the episodes here: List of The Adventures of Pete & Pete episodes. The character list should be moved from here as well. And if someone would take the time to make pages for individual episodes, most of the trivia could be spread out... but that would take some dedication. Pele Merengue 17:19, 23 May 2007 (UTC)
 * As much as I love the show, I don't think it's notable enough to warrant an article for each episode. Oh well. --Rubber cat 00:33, 24 May 2007 (UTC)

"Older/Younger" vs. "Big/Little"
I've wondered if there's a reason behind the use of "Older Pete" and "Younger Pete" instead of "Big Pete" and "Little Pete." The DVD episode descriptions use the "big" and "little" descriptors, as does IMDb, and I recall this being what Nickelodeon used to refer to the characters (though none of the above are ever used on the show itself). - Hedgey42 17:40, 22 December 2005 (UTC)
 * I'm going on and changing the usage to "Big/Little," since no one's offered a reason for the other one (and since "Little Pete" was already used in at least one section.) -Hedgey42 07:51, 10 January 2006 (UTC)

Miscellaneous comments
Does anybody else think that Danny Tamberelli (little Pete) resembles John Belushi's character in Animal House? Often quiet, but really crazy and unpredictable when pushed... Cogibyte 20:03, 14 Dec 2003 (UTC)

This was one of those great Nickolodeon shows with some originality and zest before the network became another part of the giant pool of crap we call pop culture. I believe Nick assimilated with Rocko's Modern Life. 172.197.32.108 18:37, 1 November 2005 (UTC)

There is actually a town called Wellsville in the state of New York. Not that it bears any resemblance to the fictitious Wellsville, but maybe somebody should edit the respective paragraph in the article?

I love this show --66.218.13.185 20:59, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Mister Tasty = Artie?
This article mentions that the mysterious Mr Tastee was played by Toby Huss, the same actor who played Artie.. has anyone ever seen or read anything from the creators about it? I wish to know if they intended for Mister Tastee to indeed be Artie (The Strongest Man in the World) or if he just happened to play the role as well. --Isequals 08:48, 15 January 2006 (UTC)

 * If you watch the director's commentary on the DVD, they come out and state at the end of the episode that Toby played Tastee. El Juno 17:03, 18 January 2006 (UTC)

 * I am quite aware that Toby Huss plays Tastee.. I want to know if they intended for the actual character (Mister Tastee) to be Artie in disguise. --Isequals 08:56, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

 * OH! In that case, almost definitely not, given that Artie and Tastee coexist. And I'm going to need to pull out my DVDs, but I'm pretty certain that Artie spots Tastee's truck at one point. El Juno 11:25, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

 * Since adding the actor, I got the 2nd-season set and recall seeing at least one scene with both Artie and Tastee in it, so I've been wondering if we should note that the confirmation was for just that episode. -Hedgey42 18:59, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Season 3 DVD
The article says it's canceled, however the only news I've read elsewhere is that it was taken off of the release schedule without explanation, implying (to me anyway) that there still may be a chance for its release. Is there a good source for Paramount definatively saying it's canceled?

 * From what I heard there was a management change at Paramount and The Rewind Collection was put on hiatus. So Season 3 may come in the future it is just a matter of when. Tazz765

Wayne "The Pain" Pardue
i feel that he's somewhat an important character, yet i don't see him anywhere.

Wayne appeared in Season 3 in the third episode, The Good, The Bad And the Lucky. He was instrumental because he helped Pete find his lucky penny before Pit Stain and his gang.

38?
The sidebar says that there are 38 episodes of The Adventures of Pete and Pete. The regular run of the show had 34 episodes. With the five specials, we're looking at 39. Unless there's a reason one of those episodes is being omitted, I'm changing the sidebar. Alpha5099 18:04, 28 May 2006 (UTC)

Addition of new photos
While listing the characters in the program, I feel that it would be helpful to include some screenshots from the opening credits. Can do? A link to some clear ones is included.

I love this show --66.218.13.185 20:57, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Marshmallow in Pete's Nose
I changed it from Eisenhower to Van Buren... after watching it again.

 * I thought it was a pencil eraser, not a marshmallow.
 * --Jaberwockynmt 15:30, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

Possible episode name inconsistency
I noticed that in the Content section (in the paragraph about the Reservoir Dogs reference), there is a mention of an episode "Tool or Die", while in the article, there are numerous references to an episode "Tool and die". I'm not sure, but one of them is probably incorrect. 80.98.114.198 00:27, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Theme song
Could someone please confirm or deny the rumor that the theme song is about the Kent State shootings? Does anyone have access to the lyrics? samwaltz 01:33, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

 * confirms this. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.249.145.226 (talk) 08:42, 30 July 2008 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:PeteandPete.gif
Image:PeteandPete.gif 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 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 (talk) 19:51, 26 November 2007 (UTC)

6. Special?
in the article it says there were 6 Specials. but in the episodes article there were only 5 Specials?

Multiple camera?
Isn't this a single camera show? Why is it listed as multiple camera? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.184.179.20 (talk) 04:55, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

South Orange, NJ
A lot of this show was filmed in South Orange, NJ. Why the cover up...? :0 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.118.127.55 (talk) 05:06, 29 April 2012 (UTC)

Guest Stars - Golden Brooks
Why is Golden Brooks the only guest star who is not in alphabetical order? I don't know the series well enough to know if Brooks really was a guest star or whether this is a prank. Ileanadu (talk) 00:50, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

Why Pete & Pete?
Shouldn't there be some explanation as to why both kids are named "Pete"? Is there a reason, or is it just more surrealism? I read in imdb that it was originally supposed to be a boy and a dog both named Pete (like Pirates of the Caribbeans' "We named the monkey Jack), but do the writers ever explain the reason for the names? Ileanadu (talk) 01:00, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

Setting Section
The Setting section appears to be almost entirely explicit original research, if the show states Wellsville, then a cite should be able to be found for that. Since it doesn't mention the state it should only be added if an RS cite that discusses it can be found, with an explanation of the context. Otherwise the whole section should be removed.121.73.221.187 (talk) 08:33, 13 June 2013 (UTC)

Specials (1991–93) in Season 1? Correct order? New production codes for the edits?
I posted this over on Talk:List of The Adventures of Pete & Pete episodes but since it is the first talk post there thought it would get seen better here:

Is there a listing of where the specials (1991-1993) are placed when they were edited for season 1 (as mentioned in article and below)? New production codes for the edited versions? Thanks!

JohnRussell (talk) 01:58, 2 February 2023 (UTC)
 * These episodes were produced prior to the first season. When they originally aired, the opening credits were narrated by the character Ellen. As part of the first season, these episodes were edited. Several minutes of footage were removed, the opening and closing credits were replaced with the standard first season credits (depicting Polaris performing in a front lawn setting, intercut with clips from various episodes), and the licensed music was replaced with the songs within the show's stock music library. All subsequent re-runs and releases have been the shorter "normalized" versions.

Pete & Pete
Directed by Mel Smith produced by Chris Meledandri, Ton Roosendaal, John Hughes and Ricardo Mestres Wrriten by John Hughes and Nicholas Kazan. 85.255.235.105 (talk) 04:06, 18 September 2023 (UTC)

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

title: Talk:The Adventures of Pete & Pete


text:
Talk:Advertising

Wiki Education assignment: Introduction to Media Culture
— Assignment last updated by Izalescik (talk) 16:50, 27 September 2022 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 28 April 2023
Mohamad Rezduan Bin Ali (talk) 17:31, 28 April 2023 (UTC)
 * Please carefully read the instructions at WP:EDITREQUEST. OhNo itsJamie Talk 17:33, 28 April 2023 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 6 June 2023
Source Text: Mid-1900s - David Ogilvy (1911–1999) - advertising tycoon, founder of Ogilvy & Mather, known[by whom?] as the "father of advertising"

EDIT: attribution to the "[by whom?]" can be properly cited by:

Hatfield, Stefano. "The father of advertising; Media." Times [London, England], 23 July 1999, p. 44. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A58133131/AONE?u=anon~16bc3d02&sid=googleScholar&xid=5cdd5e2b. Accessed 6 June 2023. Gstoecker.digital (talk) 20:16, 6 June 2023 (UTC)

 * ❌. It looks like all you want to do is add a citation? If that is the case, I'd like to have a proper URL so that I can take a look at the source. The link you provided outputs an error. Please reply to this comment, and use the citation template and paste the URL to output a valid citation. Thanks! Cocobb8 (talk) 16:06, 7 June 2023 (UTC)

"Propaganda"?
I have reverted. The term "propaganda" has a pejorative meaning not normally associated with advertising, given that it implies deception in the form of half-truths and/or untruths being promoted as fact. Advertising in general, as opposed to false advertising, does not possess those characteristics. Discuss your edit here and offer reliable sources that support your edit before you make it again, please.  General Ization Talk  20:24, 13 June 2024 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: Research Process and Methodology - SU24 - Sect 200 - Thu
— Assignment last updated by Zhilin0321 (talk) 14:05, 20 July 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:Advertising


text:
George Mitchell (Scottish musician)

George Mitchell (27 February 1917 – 27 August 2002) was a Scottish musician, best known for having devised the long-running The Black and White Minstrel Show.

Biography
He was born in Falkirk, Scotland. Mitchell's grandfather was well-known Scottish choir master John Laing, and both of his parents were amateur singers. He was educated at Southgate County School in North London. Mitchell was an accountant before his World War II military service. During the war, he served with the Royal Army Pay Corps at Finsbury Circus. This posting enabled him to organise choirs within the armed forces and put on shows at the Cripplegate Theatre, among others. This led to appearances on many BBC Radio shows.

The choir continued after the war, and soon no radio programme was complete without its quota of Mitchell Singers, often performing under different names. Given their own radio show in 1950, the George Mitchell Glee Club, George and his singers continued to perform in hundreds of radio and stage shows and appeared in several films. They also had several hit records. In 1957, the George Mitchell Minstrels first appeared at the annual Earl's Court Radio Show, a programme which was televised. From 1958, the Minstrels, in red make-up which looked black on camera, became an enormous hit, with a peak viewing audience of 16.5 million viewers in 1964. It won the Golden Rose of Montreux for Best TV Show in the World in 1961.

The show appeared in a prime-time television slot for twenty years, as well as spawning two touring stage shows, one in the UK and one in Australia, and a permanent one in London which ran from 1962 until 1972 at the Victoria Palace Theatre, with a further year at the New Victoria. During the 1970s, the television show's popularity declined, partly because of the style of music becoming dated, and partly because of an increase in racial awareness. It was axed by the BBC after several unsuccessful attempts to change the format.

Mitchell was awarded the OBE in 1975.

title: George Mitchell (Scottish musician)


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John Hacket

John Hacket (Born Halket) (1 September 1592 – 28 October 1670) was an English churchman, Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry from 1661 until his death.

Life
He was born in London and educated at Westminster and Trinity College, Cambridge. On taking his degree he was elected a fellow of his college, and soon afterwards wrote the comedy, Loiola (London, 1648), which was twice performed before King James I. He was ordained in 1618, and through the influence of John Williams became rector in 1621 of Stoke Hammond, Buckinghamshire, and Kirkby Underwood, Lincolnshire.

In 1623 he was chaplain to James, and in 1624 Williams gave him the livings of St Andrew's, Holborn, and Cheam, Surrey. He was Archdeacon of Bedford from 1631 to 1661.

When the so-called Root and Branch Bill was before Parliament in 1641, Hacket was selected to plead in the House of Commons for the continuance of cathedral establishments. In 1645 his living of St Andrew's was sequestered, but he was allowed to retain the other, ceding it for practical reasons in 1662.

On the accession of Charles II, his fortunes improved; he frequently preached before the king, and was elected Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry after the bishopric was rejected by the Presbyterian leader Edmund Calamy the elder. Hacket was elected to the See on 6 December, confirmed on 20 December, and consecrated a bishop on 22 December 1661. His time at the Cathedral coming immediately after the English Civil War meant that Hacket had the unenviable task of overseeing the restoration of Lichfield Cathedral.

He has a near life-size effigy at rest over marble plaques in Lichfield Cathedral.

Works
His best-known book is the biography of his patron, Archbishop Williams, entitled Scrinia reserata: a Memorial offered to the great Deservings of John Williams, D.D. (London, 1693).

title: John Hacket


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Wong Tai Sin

Wong Tai Sin or Huang Daxian is a Chinese Taoist deity popular in Jinhua, Zhejiang, and Hong Kong with the power of healing. The name, meaning the "Great Immortal Wong (Huang)", is the divine form of Huang Chuping or Wong Cho Ping (c. 328 – c. 386), a Taoist hermit from Jinhua during the Eastern Jin dynasty.

Legend
According to the text Self-Description of Chisongzi ("Master Red Pine"), Wong Tai Sin was born Huang Chuping (Wong Cho Ping in Cantonese) in 328 in Lanxi, Jinhua, Zhejiang province. Western sources have him listed at c. 284 to 364 CE.

Wong Cho Ping is said to have experienced poverty and hunger, becoming a shepherd when he was eight years old. He began practising Taoism at the age of fifteen after meeting an immortal or saintly person on Red Pine Mountain in his hometown. Legend has it that he was able to transform stones into sheep forty years later. Wong Tai Sin later became known as the Red Pine Immortal, after the mountain where he had his hermitage, and his birthday is celebrated on the 23rd of the eighth lunar month.

Influence in Hong Kong

Today, Sik Sik Yuen is an educational and charitable foundation that, true to Leung's origins as a healer, runs a free clinic and a number of schools and colleges. In Hong Kong, the Wong Tai Sin area and Wong Tai Sin district are named after the deity. There is also one MTR station that is named as Wong Tai Sin station. Many worshippers and tourists from all over the world visit Wong Tai Sin Temple everyday.

In popular culture

 * Adam Cheng has the role of the TVB's tv series, The Legend of Wong Tai Sin in the eighties.
 * Lam Ching Ying is another role for the movie of TVB's same title in 1992, depicting the life story of Wong Tai Sin.

title: Wong Tai Sin


text:
Pub token

Pub tokens or tavern tokens (as they are known in Great Britain and Ireland) or bar tokens or chits (United States usage) are a form of exonumia used in drinking establishments.

Usage
In Great Britain, Ireland and the US, during the 17th to 20th centuries, public houses sometimes issued tokens which could be used in payment for future drinks. These tokens were sometimes used in small, family bars where patrons knew each other. They were also used in saloons and hotel bars. When buying a round of drinks for friends, the bartender would give a token to those patrons already having a drink, and collect the full sum from the round-buyer. The owner would collect immediately, and the drinkers would have a token for later use. As the token cost less to produce than the value of the drink, there was a significant profit to the bar owner. Sometimes, drinkers would take the token home, and forget to bring them back. This has been cited as the reason bar owners loved tokens, and they were found in virtually every drinking establishment.

Tokens were also used as change, where the price of the drink was odd. For example, in America for many years, drinks were two for 25 cents, or one bit (12.5 cents) each. Thus tokens exist with one-bit denominations.

The early tokens were usually made of brass or aluminum and would have the name or initials of the pub on them, so that they could not be used anywhere else. Often, they had the landlord's name on them as well. This ensured that, when the pub changed hands, the new landlord would not have to honor old tokens. Many small, family bars still use tokens today, but modern tokens are generally made of plastic (brass and aluminum tokens are still made, but as they are more expensive, are less used). Many tokens only had names or initials, and are known as mavericks, as their location is often unknown. Token researchers spend many hours attempting to identify maverick tokens to a specific location, as attributed tokens are therefore desired by collectors of that town. Unidentified maverick tokens are worth minimal sums, where some identified tokens can be worth up to hundreds of dollars.

Books on pub or bar tokens are generally by country or state. Not all states have been researched, and some state catalogs are out of print.

title: Pub token


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Socialism in New Zealand

Socialism in New Zealand had little traction in early colonial New Zealand but developed as a political movement around the beginning of the 20th century. Much of socialism's early growth was found in the labour movement.

The extent to which socialism plays a part in modern New Zealand politics depends on which definitions of socialist are used, but few mainstream politicians would describe themselves using the word "socialist". The term "social-democrat" is more common, but the general "left-wing" or "centre-left" are used far more frequently. New Zealand has a complicated assortment of socialist causes and organisations. Some of these play a considerable role in public activism, such as the anti-war movement; other groups are strongly committed to socialist revolution.

Several prominent political parties in New Zealand, such as the New Zealand Labour Party, have historical links to socialism but are not generally considered socialist today due to their acceptance of a capitalist economy. More likely to receive this label are the small Marxist organisations that exist outside the political mainstream, such as Organise Aotearoa, the International Socialist Organisation, Socialist Aotearoa, or the Communist Party of Aotearoa.

History of New Zealand socialism
Academic Josephine F. Milburn argues that socialist theories were introduced by immigrant workers with experience in the British labour movement. Their ideas were not widely accepted, however. The Liberal Government of New Zealand that was dominant 1891–1912 rejected socialism but it supported unions, and the government built the foundations of the country's welfare state in the 1890s and fought the large landholders. Milburn argues that governmental activism cannot be attributed to the influence of the small socialist movement.

Unions and workers' parties
Ideological socialism, when it arrived, mostly stemmed from Britain or other British colonies. Much of socialism's early growth was found in the labour movement, and often coincided with the growth of trade unions. During the 1870s, James McPherson and his Canterbury Working Men's Mutual Protection Society had written to Karl Marx, requesting affiliation with the First International. The New Zealand Federation of Labour (also known as the "Red Federation") was influenced by socialist theories, as were many other labour organizations. The Red Federation was formed in 1909 when a federation of the mining unions invited other unions to join a New Zealand Federation of Labour. The Red Federation's official organ was the Maoriland Worker, which advocated militant unionism and socialism. Key Red Federation leaders included the Australian–born Hickey and Paddy Webb, and fellow Australian Bob Semple. In opposition to the Red Federation, mainstream trade and labour councils formed a rival Federation of Labour.

The arrival of 200 British socialists called the "Clarion Settlers" led to the formation of the New Zealand Socialist Party in 1901, which promoted the works of Marx and Friedrich Engels. Strongly influenced by the British Independent Labour Party, the Socialist Party advocated promoting socialism through education and agitation rather than elections. The group met with little tangible success, but it nevertheless had considerable impact on the development of New Zealand socialism, forging close ties with the "Red Federation." In particular, Edward Hunter (sometimes known under the pen name "Billy Banjo", and a member of both the Socialist Party and the Red Federation), was a major figure in the spread of socialist ideas to the unions.

In the years leading up to the First World War, several New Zealand and Australian socialists including Harry Holland, Michael Joseph Savage, Peter Fraser, Harry Scott Bennett, Tom Barker, Tom Bloodworth, and Bob Semple advocated the creation of a "Cooperative Commonwealth" in which all land and means of wealth production, distribution, and management would be owned and managed collectively by the people. Besides Marx and Engels, these antipodean socialists were influenced by various radical European and American writers including Henry George, Edward Bellamy, Georges Sorel, August Bebel, Eugene Debs, Bill Haywood, and Irving Fisher. In 1912, a Petone Marxian Club was formed and met every Monday. This was one of the forerunners to the New Zealand Marxian Association.

The growth of unionism eventually led to the establishment of a number of socialist-influenced parties. Originally, the working class vote was concentrated mainly with the Liberal Party, where a number of prominent left-wing politicians (such as Frederick Pirani) emerged. Later, however, there were increasing calls for an independent workers' party, particularly as the Liberals began to lose their reformist drive.

The second organised party to gain a seat in Parliament (after the Liberal Party) was the small Independent Political Labour League, which won an urban electorate in Wellington in the 1908 election. Later, in 1910, the IPLL was reformed as the Labour Party (not to be confused with the modern party).

Emergence of the Labour Party
The growing drive for unity among left-wing groups resulted in a "Unity Conference" being called in 1912. This conference aimed to merge the various left-wing parties in New Zealand, including both the moderate Labour Party and the hardline Socialist Party. The Socialist Party, however, refused to attend the conference, and the new United Labour Party consisted only of the Labour Party and a number of independent campaigners.

Premier William Massey's "heavy-handed" suppression of the Waihi miners' strike prompted another attempt at unity in 1913. This time, the Socialists were willing to attend. A new group, the Social Democratic Party, was formed, merging the United Labour Party and the Socialist Party. A faction of the United Labour Party refused to accept the decision, however, and continued on under the same name. Later, a decision by the Social Democrats to support a strike of dockworkers and coal miners resulted in a number of Social Democratic leaders being arrested, leaving the party in disarray in the 1914 election, the remnants of the United Labour Party actually won more seats than the "united" Social Democrats.

Finally, in 1916, it was agreed that the Social Democrats and the United Labour Party remnants would all be amalgamated into a single group, the New Zealand Labour Party. The new Labour Party was explicitly socialist, and was based around goals of redistribution of wealth, nationalization of industry, and elimination of conscription. Eventual Labour Party leader, Harry Holland, was strongly socialist in his beliefs, having been associated with the Socialist Party and with the striking miners in Waihi. Holland believed that the militancy at Waihi was a sign of further impending class conflict. While the Labour Party gained some electoral success, it continued to trail the Liberal Party and the Reform Party until the replacement of Holland with Michael Joseph Savage. Savage, although also involved in the earlier Socialist Party, was more moderate than Holland, and Labour gained considerable support. Assisted by the Great Depression, Labour won a decisive victory in the 1935 election.

Labour's social democracy
Despite its socialist roots, the Labour Party shifted towards a more social democratic orientation once in power. The First Labour Government led by Savage and Peter Fraser implemented a range of socialist policies such as nationalising industry, broadcasting, transportation, and a Keynesian welfare state. However, the party did not seek to abolish capitalism, instead opting for a mixed economy. Labour's welfare state and mixed economy were not challenged until the 1980s.

Two years after the Labour Party lost the 1949 election, the goal of implementing "the socialisation of the means of production, distribution, and exchange" was removed from the party's policy platform. This is sometimes seen as the end of any real claim to full socialism by the Labour Party. However, the shift away from socialism had not come about without dispute. Labour Party politician John A. Lee was harshly critical of the changes, and had eventually left to establish the Democratic Labour Party in 1940. The party was considerably more socialist than Labour, but performed poorly. Many members eventually left the party, mostly due to Lee's perceived autocratic style.

During the 1980s, the Fourth Labour Government under Prime Minister David Lange and Finance Minister Roger Douglas implemented several neoliberal economic reforms known as Rogernomics which transitioned New Zealand's Keynesian economy towards a more free market model. Labour's abandonment of its traditional values fractured the party, leading disaffected members to join Jim Anderton's NewLabour Party, Greens, New Zealand Democratic Party for Social Credit, and the Mana Motuhake parties under the Alliance. Successive Labour governments have promoted centre-left social and economic policies while preserving a free market economy. The former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern identifies as a social democrat and formerly served as President of the International Union of Socialist Youth.

Rise of the Communist Party
Even before Holland's replacement, and especially after Labour's 1949 policy change, many people had come to the conclusion that the Labour Party had moved too far away from its socialist roots. Only two years after Labour's foundation, the New Zealand Marxian Association was established. The Marxian Association was inspired by the Socialist Party of Great Britain (SPGB) and focused on political action. It would later clash acrimoniously with Holland. The Marxian Association itself would fall prey to internal division in 1921. That year, a number of members who supported the Russian Revolution departed to form the Communist Party of New Zealand (CPNZ). They were joined by two other revolutionary strands within the New Zealand Socialist Party: the De Lonites who espoused revolutionary politics and industrial unionism; and the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)-syndicalist tradition who advocated direct action and spurned political activity.

In 1930, however, former members of the Marxian Association (backed by members of the Socialist Party of Australia (WSM)) established the Socialist Party of New Zealand (distinct from the earlier New Zealand Socialist Party). This group denied that the Labour Party (or even any of the parties before it, except for the Marxian Association) represented genuine socialism. The new Socialist Party still exists today, although has slightly modified its name, becoming the World Socialist Party).

Meanwhile, the CPNZ built its support from miners in the South Island's West Coast and Huntly in the North Island's Waikato district, and from seamen and waterside workers. The party faithfully followed the official position of the Soviet Union, modelling its aims, beliefs, manifesto and organisational structure and processes on those of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). The Soviets also sought to guide international Communist parties through the Third International or Comintern. In addition, the CPNZ also maintained close ties with the Communist Party of Australia (CPA) and supported Maori rights and the Mau movement in Western Samoa.

During the 1920s, the CPNZ and the Communist front organisation NZ-USSR Society attempted to influence the New Zealand trade union movement, workers, intellectuals and the New Zealand Labour Party to promote support for the Soviet Union and socialist policies. These attempts were largely unsuccessful and the Labour Party adopted a policy excluding all members of the CPNZ and Communist front organisations. This set the stage for enmity and rivalry between communists and social democratic parties over control of the trade unions and unemployed workers' movements during the Great Depression. Both communists and social democrats however did work together during the 1930s to combat fascism.

Communist offshoots
When the Sino-Soviet split occurred in the 1960s, the CPNZ was sharply divided between supporters of the Soviet Union (led by the "revisionist" Nikita Khrushchev) and supporters of China (led by the radical Mao Zedong). Eventually, the Maoists led by Vic Wilcox triumphed, and supporters of Khrushchev were expelled. Under Wilcox's leadership, the CPNZ was the only Western Communist party to side with China against the Soviets. The CPNZ's official mouthpiece was the People's Voice.

The expelled members led by Ken Douglas and George Harold (Bill) Andersen eventually established the Socialist Unity Party (SUP). The SUP supported the CPSU and Soviet Union until the collapse of the USSR in 1991, defending the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, the suppression of the 1982 Solidarity demonstrations in Poland, and the Soviet–Afghan War. In return, Moscow funded frequent trips by SUP members to Russia, and Soviet ideologues and advisers regularly visited their SUP counterparts in New Zealand. The SUP's newspaper was called NZ Tribune. The Socialist Unity party eventually suffered its own split, with some members departing to found the modern Socialist Party of Aotearoa.

In 1969, a group called the Socialist Action League (now the Communist League) was established. The League emerged from student protests against the Vietnam War and was influenced by the theories of Leon Trotsky, Fidel Castro, and Che Guevera. The League took an interest in Communist movements in Cuba, Nicaragua, and the Philippines. Its newspaper was called Socialist Action. The League has proven to be one of the more durable parties and contested the 2017 Mount Albert by-election. Green Member of Parliament Keith Locke was once involved in the Socialist Action League.

After Mao's death, the CPNZ under the leadership of Richard Wolf and Harold Crook rejected the reforms introduced by Deng Xiaoping. Instead, they followed Albania, which was led by Enver Hoxha's Party of Labour of Albania. The leadership of the party believed that Hoxha was the only communist leader to keep "real" communism, but the group's determination to follow the narrowest path available alienated many of its supporters. The party gradually declined. Those CPNZ members who remained loyal to Beijing formed the Workers' Communist League, whose newspaper was called Unity.

During the Cold War, the CPNZ, SUP, Workers Communist League and the Socialist Action League tried to influence the Labour Party, trade unions, and a range of popular issues like the anti-Springbok tour protests, the Māori biculturalism, and the anti-nuclear movement.

Following the collapse of Albanian communism, the CPNZ adopted the Trotskyism it had once harshly condemned, and merged with a newer group known as the International Socialist Organization. The resultant party was called the Socialist Workers Organization. Later, however, many supporters of the International Socialist Organization withdrew from the new party, reestablishing their old group. As such, some see the Socialist Workers Organization (SWO) as a continuation of the old Communist Party. The SWO, known then as Socialist Worker, voted to dissolve itself in January 2012.

Other groups continue to promote socialism as well. In the 2002 election, four candidates were put forward an umbrella group (known as the Anti-Capitalist Alliance) consisting of the Workers Party of New Zealand, the Revolution group, and other left-wing activists. The International Socialist Organization is also active at some universities.

New Left variations
The New Left in New Zealand emerged during the 1950s and 1960s in response to the perceived "authoritarian, bureaucratic, and repressive norms" of New Zealand society and the so-called conservatism of the Communist Party, Labour, and National parties. Eschewing the hierarchical structures of the "Old Left" political parties, the New Left developed informal groups that were non-sectarian, anti-bureaucratic, and decentralised. While the "Old Left" viewed the working class as the agent of revolutionary change, the New Left also saw revolutionary potential in Third World peasants, students, ethnic minorities and other marginalised groups. As with their New Left counterparts in Europe and North America, the New Left in New Zealand was largely young, white, male, middle-class, student-dominated, and incorporated a wide range of beliefs including the counter-culture movement, Christian pacifism, anarchism, neo-Leninism, and libertarian forms of Marxism. According to Boraman, the New Zealand New Left combined both the socialist orientation of the European New Left and the liberal orientation of its American counterpart.

New Left groups championed several causes included opposition to racism, the nuclear arms race, and the Vietnam War. Key New Left organisations in New Zealand were the anti-apartheid Halt All Racist Tours (HART), the Progressive Youth Movement (PYM), Socialist Forum, and the Resistance bookshops; which were organised locally. Unlike the Australian and American New Left groups, the Socialist Forum, PYM groups, and the Resistance bookshops were not university-based organisations but largely drew their support from working-class youth. The Wellington PYM consisted of a mixture of working-class youth and university students. Like the American New Left, the various PYM groups opposed the Vietnam War, racism, and Apartheid. While the New Zealand Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) was not a New Left organisation, several New Leftists including Graham Butterworth, Jim Delahunty, and Helmut Eionhorn of Wellington Socialist Forum also participated in the CND.

During the 1960s and 1970s, the New Left reached its heyday. HART, the PYM, and Resistance bookshops were joined by other groups including the Auckland University Society for the Active Prevention of Cruelty to Politically Apathetic Humans (AUSAPOCHPAH), the Auckland-based Friends of Brutus, the New Left Club at Massey University, the Victoria University Socialist Club, the Anarchist Congress in Wellington, the Radical Student's Alliance at the University of Canterbury, the Christchurch-based Anarchist Commune, the University of Otago's Progressive Left Club, and the Dunedin Anarchist Army. The activist, scholar, and Green Party Member of Parliament Sue Bradford was involved in the Auckland PYM and the Auckland Resistance bookshop.

Following the election of the Third Labour Government in 1972, the new government delivered many of the New Left's demands including withdrawing New Zealand troops from Vietnam in 1972; ending compulsory military training that same year; and terminating sporting contact with South Africa. As a result, the New Left lost much of its prominence due to the winding down of the protest movement. While New Leftists were still active in radical politics such as the Resistance bookshops, the more liberal wing of the protest movement had largely been appeased by the Third Labour Government's policies.

During the early to mid 1970s, some New Left elements like the Christchurch PYM became influenced by the Maoist Communist Party. One New Left group that emerged in 1974 was Murray Horton and Owen Wilkes' Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa, which campaigned against foreign military bases and economic activity in New Zealand. According to Boraman, several New Leftists including former PYM members were also instrumental in founding several social movement organisations during the 1960s and 1970s including Tama Poata's Māori Organisation on Human Rights (MOOHR), the Black Panthers–inspired Polynesian Panthers, Therese O'Connell's Wellington Women's Liberation Front, the Auckland Women's Liberation Front, and the Auckland–based Women for Equality. Boraman has characterized opposition to American imperialism and uncritical praise for Communist states and figures like Mao Zedong, Ho Chi Minh, and Che Guevara as two key defining features of the later New Left activists and groups.

Left-wing alternative media
During the early 20th century, the emergence of working-class consciousness led to the formation of several left-wing newspapers including The Maoriland Worker (1910–1924), The Weekly Herald, The Transport Worker, and The New Zealand Watersider. During the 1930s, they were joined by activist theatre companies, politically-engaged literary magazines, the Left Book Club, the Co-Operative Book Movement, and the Progressive Publishing Company. During the Great Depression, liberal-left perspectives penetrated mainstream New Zealand society through churches, women's groups, populist radio programmes, and the Labour Party.

The Maoriland Worker later revamped itself as the New Zealand Worker (1924–1935) and as the Labour Party's affiliated newspaper The Standard (1935–1959). While it was sympathetic to the Labour Party, the Maoriland Worker was a largely radical socialist publication that was independent of the Labour Party. The various Communist parties also published their own newspapers. The CPNZ's official organ was the People's Voice (1939–1991), which reached a peak of 14,000 copies in 1945. The Socialist Unity Party's newspapers were the Tribune (1966–1995), Socialist Worker (1994–2005), The Spark (1991–2013), and Socialist Review (1997–present), and The Spark successor Fightback (2013–present). The Socialist Action League's newspaper was Socialist Action (1969–1998), which reached a peak of 8,400 copies during the 1978 general election. The Workers' Communist League's newspaper was called Unity (1978–1990).

Several notable independent socialist magazines and newspapers in New Zealand have included the New Zealand Monthly Review (NZMR, 1960–1996), The Republican (1974–1996), Race Gender Class (1985–1992), left-wing journalist Chris Trotter's social democratic New Zealand Political Review (NZPR, 1992–2005), the feminist Broadsheet (1972–1997), the Peace Movement Aotearoa's Peacelink, the queer feminist Bitches, Witches and Dykes, the anti-apartheid HART News, CARP Newsletter, Foreign Control Watchdog, and Peace Researcher. Other independent left-wing publications have included the Marxist Publishing Group's Red Papers (1976–1979), The Paper (1973–1975), and the Victoria University Socialist Club's Red Spark (1969–1970).

Contemporary socialist parties, groups, and media in New Zealand
There are around twenty political parties or organizations in New Zealand which follow socialist or communist policies. It is often difficult to gain a clear picture of socialist parties in New Zealand - mergers, splits, and re-namings leave the situation confused. In 2019 only Organise Aotearoa, the International Socialist Organisation, Socialist Aotearoa, the Canterbury Socialist Society, and the Communist Party of Aotearoa hold regular public meetings and maintain regularly updated websites.

Modern parties and organizations

 * New Zealand Federation of Socialist Societies - a Non Sectarian Socialist organization focused on the educational advancement of Socialism and political engagement in the long term.
 * Communist League - a Trotskyist group established in 1969 as the "Socialist Action League". It has links to the Socialist Workers Party of the US. The Communist League had two candidates in the 2002 election, but neither won their respective races. The League also stood candidates in the 2010 Auckland council election.
 * Communist Party of Aotearoa (2019) - a democratic socialist group based in Wellington with smaller branches around the country. Operates the Workers' Star newspaper and website. The main outlets of party work are the Hospo Workers Union and the Aotearoa Community Union. Originally known as the New Communist Party of Aotearoa.
 * Communist Workers' Group - a Trotskyist group. It was established in 1995 as a splinter group from the Workers' Power organization. It is associated with the global Liaison Committee of Militants for a Revolutionary Communist International alliance, which itself was a split from the global alliance that Workers' Power belonged to. Their website is redrave.blogspot.co.nz.
 * Fightback - formerly the Workers Party, which was previously the Anti-Capitalist Alliance. Branches in Wellington and Auckland and a monthly publication. Some members have worked as organisers for Unite Union. Fightback publishes a monthly magazine by the same name.
 * International Socialist Organization - a revolutionary Trotskyist group that is particularly active in universities. It briefly attempted to merge with the remnants of the Communist Party of New Zealand, forming the Socialist Workers Organization. However, the majority of the group eventually rejected this decision and reestablished their own party but were now outside of the International Socialist Tendency. The ISO has fraternal relations with Socialist Alternative, in Australia, and the International Socialist Organisation, US. Branches in Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin. Bi-monthly magazine called Socialist Review.
 * Organise Aotearoa – a revolutionary socialist group formed in 2016 and widely publicised in October 2018. Shortly after its public announcement, the organisation engaged in a series of direct action campaigns, including joining the blockade of New Zealand Defence Industry Association forums, occupying the Brazilian embassy after the inauguration of Jair Bolsonaro, occupying the United States consulate in Auckland during the 2019 Venezuelan coup d'état attempt, and joining the occupation of Ihumātao. The group has also organised broader mobilisations such as the 2018 protests agitating for abortion reform. As of June 2019, the organisation claims a membership of 272 active members. Branches in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, and Dunedin.
 * Permanent Revolution Group - a Trotskyist group established as a breakaway from the Spartacist League (which later became the Workers' Power organization). It is associated with the International Bolshevik Tendency.
 * Socialist Aotearoa - an Auckland-based group formed in May 2008 which split from Socialist Worker (Aotearoa) over disagreement with the organization's participation in the Residents Action Movement electoral coalition. The group has an eclectic mix of Trotskyists, anarchists, ecosocialists and various other ideologies in its ranks. Members are active in Unite Union, with one member, Joe Carolan, a senior organiser in that union.
 * Socialist Voice - a Trotskyist group established in 2002. It is associated with the Committee for a Workers' International, and is therefore linked to the Socialist Party of England and Wales.
 * Socialist Party of Aotearoa - a Marxist-Leninist group. It was founded in 1990 as a split from the Socialist Unity Party, which was itself a split from the Communist Party of New Zealand.
 * '''Communist Party of Aotearoa - A Marxist-Leninist party founded in 2018 in Auckaland. The party seeks to establish Socialism and create a sustainable environment.

Defunct parties and organizations

 * New Zealand Socialist Party (1901-1913) - an organization established in 1901. Not to be confused with the Socialist Party of New Zealand, a completely separate organization which is now known as the World Socialist Party.
 * Communist Party of New Zealand (1921-1994) - an old communist group that initially gained a modest measure of success, but which later declined. The party became attached to Stalinism, and when the Sino-Soviet split occurred, the party adopted Maoism. Later, after Mao's death, it followed Enver Hoxha, leader of Albania (which they considered to be the last bastion of true communism). After the fall of Albania, the party renounced all these ideologies and adopted Trotskyism. The party then attempted a merger with the International Socialist Organization, creating the Socialist Workers Organization. Most of the International Socialists eventually withdrew from this coalition, leaving the new Socialist Workers Organization dominated by the former Communist Party.
 * World Socialist Party (1930-??) - a group based primarily around opposition to Leninism. It was originally established in 1930 simply as the "Socialist Party of New Zealand", but later added "world" to its name. It is affiliated with the World Socialist Movement.
 * Socialist Unity Party (1966-1990) - a pro-Soviet party established by expelled members of the Communist Party. The Communist Party had been split between supporters of the Soviet Union and supporters of Mao Zedong's China, and the pro-Soviet faction eventually lost. The Socialist Unity party survived until relatively recently, and maintained a relatively high level of influence in the trade union movement.
 * Socialist Worker (Aotearoa) (?-2012). A revolutionary socialist group aligned with the International Socialist Tendency. Formerly known as the Socialist Workers Organisation, the final conference of SW voted to dissolve itself at its conference in January 2012.
 * Workers Party of New Zealand (2002-2013) - The party was founded in 2002. It was originally formed by an electoral alliance of the original Workers' Party (pro-Mao, Marxist-Leninist) and the pro-Trotsky Revolution group. it is the first, and so far only, registered hard left political party under mixed-member proportional (MMP) representation.
 * Black Cat BlackCat Anarchist Collective - an anarcho-communist group based in the city of Auckland.
 * Communist Party of Aotearoa - a Maoist group that split from the Communist Party of New Zealand in 1993, condemning that organization's abandonment of Maoism and adoption of Trotskyism.
 * Revolutionary Communist League of New Zealand founded in 1984 by students and lecturers at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch. It was a revolutionary Marxist group affiliated with the United Secretariat of the Fourth International. After a few conferences, intending to rally opposition to Rogernomics, RCLNZ organized a larger nationwide grouping called Socialist Alliance which stood a candidate in the 1987 general election. The RCLNZ was transformed into the Socialist Workers' Project in 1990, based in the ChCh Centre for Socialist Education.
 * New Zealand Marxian Association - a group established in 1918. It was founded to give endorsement and support to "Marxian Revolutionist" candidates in general elections.
 * Organisation for Marxist Unity - a Maoist group.
 * Revolutionary Workers League - a merger of the pro-Mao, Marxist-Leninist Workers' Party of New Zealand and the Revolution group. A tendency within the modern Workers' Party of New Zealand.
 * Socialist Workers Organization - a revolutionary Trotskyist party. It was established by the Communist Party of New Zealand and the International Socialist Organization, although the majority of the latter group eventually withdrew from the merger. It was linked to the International Socialist Tendency. It evolved into the present-day Socialist Worker (Aotearoa) group.
 * Workers' Party of New Zealand (pro-Mao, Marxist-Leninist) - A pro-Mao, Marxist-Leninist party founded by Ray Nunes, formerly a prominent member of the Communist Party of New Zealand. The party joined the Anti-Capitalist Alliance (ACA), a radical-left electoral alliance, in 2002. The Workers' Party merged with Revolution to become the Revolutionary Workers' League in 2004.
 * Workers' Power - a Trotskyist group formed in 1981 with links to the global Workers' Power entity. It later absorbed a group called the "Communist Left". It is linked to the League for a Fifth International.

Contemporary left-wing media
With the advent of the Internet during the 1990s and early 21st century, left-wing print media gave way to online alternative media, which were cheaper to produce. Notable left-wing New Zealand blogs have included the independent Marxist collective "Redline", "Against the Current", Martyn "Bomber" Bradbury's current affairs–oriented The Daily Blog (2012–present), and The Standard. Besides blogs, left wing alternative media have also utilised email newsletters, publishing software, and major social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.

Prominent figures in New Zealand socialism

 * Martyn "Bomber" Bradbury
 * Sue Bradford
 * Peter Fraser
 * Harry Holland
 * Edward Hunter (aka "Billy Banjo")
 * John A. Lee
 * Tama Poata
 * Michael Joseph Savage
 * Bob Semple
 * Chris Trotter
 * Owen Wilkes

Prominent figures in New Zealand communism

 * George Harold (Bill) Andersen
 * Ken Douglas
 * Vic Wilcox

title: Socialism in New Zealand


text:
2007 Rugby World Cup

The 2007 Rugby World Cup (Coupe du monde de rugby 2007) was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003, beating a bid from England. The competition consisted of 48 matches over 44 days; 42 matches were played in 10 cities throughout France, as well as four in Cardiff, Wales, and two in Edinburgh, Scotland.

The eight quarter-finalists from 2003 were granted automatic qualification, while 12 other nations gained entry through the regional qualifying competitions that began in 2004 – of them, Portugal was the only World Cup debutant. The top three nations from each pool at the end of the pool stage qualified automatically for the 2011 World Cup.

The competition opened with a match between hosts France and Argentina on 7 September at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, outside Paris. The stadium was also the venue of the final, played between England and South Africa on 20 October, which South Africa won 15–6 to win their second World Cup title.

Bids

Both England and France bid to host the tournament. The tender document for the 2007 bidding process was due out on 31 October 2001. Both England and France were invited to re-submit their plans. The International Rugby Board (IRB) stated that both countries must comply with tender document terms in one bid, but in their second option, could propose alternative ideas. The IRB said "England's original proposal contained three plans for hosting the tournament with a traditional, new and hybrid format all on offer... The French bid, while complying with the tender document in all other respects, fell outside one of the 'windows' in which the IRB wanted to stage an event". England's bids included a two-tier tournament and altering the structure of the qualifying tournament and France had a bid in September/October.

It was announced in April 2003 that France had won the right to host the tournament. The tournament was moved to the proposed September–October dates with the tournament structure remaining as it was. It was also announced that ten French cities would be hosting games, with the final at the Stade de France. French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin said that "this decision illustrates the qualities of our country and its capacity to host major sporting events...This World Cup will be the opportunity to showcase the regions of France where the wonderful sport of rugby is deeply rooted". French Sports Minister Jean-François Lamour said that "The organisation of this World Cup will shine over all of France because ten French towns have the privilege of organising matches and to be in the world's spotlight." French cities to host games were Bordeaux, Lens, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Nantes, St. Etienne, Toulouse and Paris, and it was also announced that the final would be at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis.

Qualifying
The eight quarter-finalists from the 2003 World Cup all received automatic entry, with the other 12 nations coming from qualifying series around the world. Ten of the 20 positions available in the tournament were filled by regional qualifiers, with an additional two being filled by repechage qualification. The qualifying tournament was divided into five regional groups; Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. Qualifying matches began in 2004 and were completed in early 2007. Including the automatic qualifiers, over 90 nations were in qualifying contention for the final tournament.

In July 2005, both Samoa and Fiji were confirmed as the qualifiers from Oceania, as Oceania 1 and 2 respectively. In July of the following year, Argentina qualified as Americas 1 by defeating Uruguay 26–0 in Buenos Aires. Americas 2 was filled in August when Canada defeated the United States 56–7 in Newfoundland. The United States went on to qualify as Americas 3 after beating Uruguay in a two-legged tie in early October. That month also saw Italy qualify as Europe 1 after defeating Russia 67–7 in Moscow, reaching the first place in its qualifying group; Romania defeated Spain 43–20 in Madrid, and also qualified for the World Cup as Europe 2.

Namibia qualified for their third consecutive World Cup after they earned their spot in France by defeating Morocco over two legs in November. In late 2006, it was announced that the IRB had withdrawn Colombo as the venue of the final Asian qualifying tournament due to security problems. Japan won the only Asian allocation after the tournament was moved to Hong Kong. Georgia was 14 points the better of Portugal over two legs to claim the last European place. Tonga qualified through repechage after defeating Korea. The final spot went to Portugal, joining Pool C after beating Uruguay 24–23 on aggregate. Portugal's qualification was the only change in the 20-team roster from the 2003 World Cup, replacing Uruguay, becoming the only wholly amateur team to qualify.

Venues
France won the right to host the 2007 World Cup in 2003, Then it was announced that 6 games would be held abroad, at the request of their neighbouring countries. Four matches would be held in Wales, at Cardiff's 74,500-seat Millennium Stadium: two Pool B games involving Wales, the match between Fiji and Canada and a quarter-final. Ireland was to have hosted matches at Lansdowne Road, Dublin, but opted out because the stadium was being redeveloped.

Two of Scotland's Pool C matches were played at Murrayfield Stadium in Scotland. The Scottish Rugby Union was reportedly having doubts in early 2006 about hosting these games and whether Scotland would generate enough market demand, but confirmed in April 2006 that the games would be played at Murrayfield. In the end, the Scotland v. New Zealand match failed to sell out, and the stadium was less than half-full for the Scotland v. Romania match.

There was a substantial increase in the overall capacity of stadiums compared to the 2003 Rugby World Cup – the smallest venue at the 2007 tournament could seat 33,900 people. The French venues were the same as those used for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Around 6,000 volunteers helped to organise the competition.

Although the 2007 tournament was the first to be hosted primarily by France, a number of matches during the 1991 and 1999 tournaments were played in France. In 1991, matches in Pool D (which included France) were played in Béziers, Bayonne, Grenoble, Toulouse, Brive and Agen, while Parc des Princes and Stadium Lille-Metropole each hosted a quarter-final. Similarly, in 1999, fixtures in Pool C (which included France) were played in Béziers, Bordeaux and Toulouse, Stade Félix-Bollaert was the venue for one of the quarter-final play-offs, and the Stade de France hosted a quarter-final.

Tickets and sponsorship
Ticket sales for the Rugby World Cup were broken up into three phases. The first phase was released in November 2005, when members of the European rugby community, such as officials, players and so on were given the opportunity for various packages. Upon the release of the second phase ticketing scheme, more than 100,000 tickets were sold in the first ten hours of release. The remaining tickets – individual tickets and tickets to the semi-finals – were released in phase three in November 2006. In June 2007, it was announced that 2 million of the 2.4 million tickets had been sold in advance of the tournament.

The Worldwide partners for the tournament were Société Générale, GMF, Électricité de France, Peugeot, Visa and SNCF, and official sponsors include Heineken, Vediorbis, Capgemini, Orange, Toshiba and Emirates. Gilbert provided the tournament balls, with the Gilbert Synergie match ball used throughout the tournament. This continued Gilbert's involvement with the World Cup, the company having provided the Barbarian (1995), Revolution (1999) and Xact (2003) balls in the past. Along with Gilbert, the official suppliers were Adidas, Coca-Cola, Clifford Chance, Goodyear and McDonald's. The host broadcaster for the event was TF1.

Squads
Each country was allowed a squad of 30 players for the tournament. These squads were to be submitted to the International Rugby Board by a deadline of 14 August 2007. Once the squad was submitted a player could be replaced if injured, but would not be allowed to return to the squad.

Match officials
The 2007 Rugby World Cup officials were appointed in late-April 2007, with 12 referees and 13 touch judges being chosen to officiate during the pool stage. In the knockout stage the 12 referees also acted as touch judges, with referee appointments being based on performance from previous matches and selection for neutrality. Referees came from seven different nationalities and three of them made their Rugby World Cup debut. The touch judges came from 10 countries. Tony Spreadbury of England officiated the opening game between France and Argentina at the Stade de France and Irishman Alain Rolland refereed the final.

Pool format
The competition was contested over 44 days between 20 different nations, over 48 fixtures. The tournament began on 7 September at the Stade de France with a match between the host nation, France, and Argentina. The tournament culminated at the same venue on 20 October for the final between England and South Africa.

Pool stage
Classification within each pool was based on the following scoring system: Bonus points, contributing to a team's cumulative match-point score, were awarded in each of the following instances (one match point for each event):
 * four match points for a win;
 * two for a draw;
 * zero for a loss.
 * a team scores four or more tries (regardless of the match result);
 * a team loses by seven points (a converted try) or fewer.

At the end of the pool stage, teams were ranked from first to fifth based on cumulative match points, with the top two nations proceeding to the quarter-finals.

If at the completion of the pool phase two or more Teams were level on Match points, then the following criteria would have been used in the following order until one of the Teams could be determined as the higher ranked:
 * Tie-breaking criteria

 * i. The winner of the Match in which the two tied Teams have played each other shall be the higher ranked;
 * ii. The Team which has the best difference between points scored for and points scored against in all its pool Matches shall be the higher ranked;
 * iii. The Team which has the best difference between tries scored for and tries scored against in all its pool Matches shall be the higher ranked;
 * iv. The Team which has scored most points in all its pool Matches shall be the higher ranked;
 * v. The Team which has scored most tries in all its pool Matches shall be the higher ranked;
 * vi. Should the tie be unresolved at the conclusion of steps (i) through (v), the Team that is higher ranked in the updated Official IRB World Rankings on 1 October 2007.

By elevating head-to-head results (rule i) above points difference (rule ii), a notable difference is created to other sports competitions, in which points difference usually determines rank for teams with the same number of match points (table points). These rules allowed the winners of Pools A, B and C to be determined by the results of the third pool matches on the weekend of 22 and 23 September. Although other teams could theoretically draw level on table points with South Africa, Australia and New Zealand and exceed their points differences at the end of the pool stages, head-to-head results by that time ensured these teams could be declared winners of their respective pools, with a match to spare. This also illustrates the fact that the pool tables do not tell the whole story.

Knockout stage
From this stage onwards, the tournament adopted a knockout format comprising eight fixtures: four quarter-finals, two semi-finals, a bronze medal match, and the final. The winner and runner-up from each of the four pools advanced to the quarter-finals. Pool winners were drawn against opposite pool runners-up in the quarter-finals, e.g. the winner of Pool A faced the runner up of Pool B, and the winner of Pool B faced the runner-up of Pool A.

In the knockout stage, if a match resulted in a draw after 80 minutes of normal play, further periods would be played to determine an outright winner. Initially, there would be two periods of extra time, 10 minutes each way; if there was no winner after this, then play would proceed to a single 10-minute period of "sudden death". If the contest was unresolved after a total 110 minutes of open play, the winner would be determined by a placekicking competition.

Effect on 2011 qualification
In a change from the format of the previous tournament, the top three teams in each pool would qualify for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand; previously, only the eight quarter-finalists gained an automatic place in the following tournament.

Pool stage
All times French time (UTC+2)

Statistics
The tournament's top point scorer was South African Percy Montgomery, who scored 105 points. Bryan Habana scored the most tries, eight in total.

title: 2007 Rugby World Cup


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Thomas Tickell

Thomas Tickell (17 December 1685 – 23 April 1740) was a minor English poet and man of letters.

Life
The son of a clergyman, he was born at Bridekirk near Cockermouth, Cumberland. He was educated at St Bees School 1695–1701, and in 1701 entered The Queen's College, Oxford, taking his M.A. degree in 1709. He became a fellow of his college in the next year, and in 1711 University Reader or Professor of Poetry. He did not take orders, but by a dispensation from the Crown was allowed to retain his fellowship until his marriage to Clotilda Eustace in 1726 in Dublin. Tickell acquired the name ‘Whigissimus’, because of his close association with the Whig parliamentary party.

In 1717 he was appointed Under Secretary to Joseph Addison, Secretary of State. In 1724 Tickell was appointed secretary to the Lords Justices of Ireland, a post which he retained until his death in 1740, at Bath, aged 54.

Tickell owned a house and small estate in Glasnevin on the banks of the River Tolka, which later became the site of the Botanic Gardens. A double line of yew trees (known as Addison's Walk) from Tickell's garden is incorporated into the Gardens.

He married in 1726 Clotilda Eustace, daughter and co-heiress of Sir Maurice Eustace of Harristown, County Kildare, and his second wife Clotilda Parsons. Maurice was in turn the nephew and heir of the immensely wealthy judge and landowner Sir Maurice Eustace, Lord Chancellor of Ireland. Clotilde, who outlived her husband by more than fifty years, was described by her family as "a most clever and excellent lady". They had four surviving children, including John, father of Richard. We have it on the authority of Samuel Johnson that Tickell was a devoted family man and temperate in his habits.

His grandson Richard Tickell became a playwright and married Mary Linley, of the Linley musical dynasty.

Writing
Tickell's success in literature, as in life, was largely due to the friendship of Joseph Addison, who procured for him (1717) an under-secretaryship of state, to the chagrin of Richard Steele, who from then on bore a grudge against Tickell. During the peace negotiations with France, Tickell published in 1713 the Prospect of Peace.

In 1715 he brought out a translation of the first book of the Iliad contemporaneously with Alexander Pope's version. Addison's reported description of Tickell's version as the best that ever was in any language roused the anger of Pope, who assumed that Addison was the author. Addison instructed Tickell to collect his works, which were printed in 1721 under Tickell's editorship.

Kensington Garden (1722), Tickell's longest poem, is sometimes viewed as inflated and pedantic. It has been said that Tickell's poetic powers were awakened by his admiration for the person and genius of Addison, and undoubtedly his best work is the sincere and dignified elegy addressed to Addison's stepson Edward Rich, 7th Earl of Warwick  on Addison's death: "He taught us how to live, and oh! too high, the price for knowledge, taught us how to die."

His ballad of Cohn and Mary was for a long time the most popular of his poems. Tickell contributed to The Spectator and The Guardian. *His Works were printed in 1749 and are included in Chalmers's and other editions of the English Poets.

title: Thomas Tickell


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Bromley-by-Bow

Bromley, commonly known as Bromley-by-Bow, is a district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London, located on the western banks of the River Lea, in the Lower Lea Valley in East London.

The area is distinct from Bow, which lies immediately north of the formal boundary between the two, which runs along Bow Road, or near the Lea, slightly to the south of the Road. The area has historically been known as both Bromley and Bromley-by-Bow. In 1967, the latter name was chosen as the new name for Bromley tube station, a change designed to prevent confusion with Bromley railway station in the London Borough of Bromley.

The formal boundaries of the area were set when the area became a parish in 1537 when it split from Stepney. The boundaries of the new parish were based on those of much older pre-existing estates.

Bromley has a rich history, but many of its most historic buildings have been lost. It is connected to the London Underground and Docklands Light Railway.

Toponymy
In early records the name first appears as Brambele, Brambelegh, or Brembeley and is likely to be derived from the Saxon words Brembel – a bramble, and lege – a field. The name Bromley-by-Bow has historic pedigree, appearing in the correspondence of Oliver Cromwell. In 1967, the name was chosen as the new name for Bromley tube station to prevent confusion with Bromley railway station in the London Borough of Bromley.

Bow itself (also part of Stepney until the 18th century) was originally known as Stratforde, becoming Stratford-at-Bow when a medieval bridge was built, in the arched shape of a bow, to distinguish it from Stratford Langthorne on the other side of the River Lea.

Pre-conquest to the creation of the Parish
The oldest surviving written reference to the area, as Braembeleg, was from about the year 1000 when it was referred to as one of the manors belonging to St Paul's Cathedral.

Bromley was home to St Leonard's Priory a Benedictine nunnery founded in the time of William the Conqueror and mentioned in the General Prologue to Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. It was destroyed at the time of the Dissolution in 1536, and the manor and lands passed to Sir Ralph Sadleir, who lived at Sutton House in Homerton and was privy councillor to Henry VIII. The exception was the priory chapel which was retained.

The small Tudor period Bromley Hall was built in the late 15th century as the manor house of Lower Bromley. The house was radically remodeled soon after 1700 and over the following centuries served as a calico printing works, gentleman's seat, gunpowder factory, charity home and a carpet warehouse. It is thought to be the oldest brick house in London.

From the creation of the parish (1537) to 1850
The priory chapel was turned into the parish church for a new parish, Bromley St Leonard, which split from the parish of Stepney and covered the area of two much older units, the Manor of Bromley and the estate of the Nunnery of St Leonard.

The area was part of the historic (or ancient) county of Middlesex, but military and most (or all) civil county functions were managed more locally, by the Tower Division (also known as the Tower Hamlets).

The role of the Tower Division ended when Bromley became part of the new County of London in 1889. The County of London was replaced by Greater London in 1965.

In 1606 a palace was built for James I facing the line of St Leonard's Street by John Thorpe. This was principally used as a hunting lodge but was a grand residence of 24 rooms, including a Stateroom, built along the lines of Hardwick Hall and Montacute House. Some of the stonework was quarried from the remains of the (now disused) priory. It remained in Royal use and was refurbished in the reigns of Charles II and James II and stables were added. During the 18th century, the frontage of the building was renewed and the palace was converted into two merchant houses. It went through a variety of uses, including a boarding school and a colour works.

The house was demolished at the end of the 19th century by the London School Board for construction of a new board school. Many of the original fittings remained in place and were said to be in fine condition. The house was sold piecemeal for £250 with the Stateroom, panelling and an oak doorway going to the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Bromley was also known as Bromley-St Leonards, after St Leonard's Priory a Benedictine nunnery founded in the time of William the Conqueror and mentioned in the General Prologue to Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. It was destroyed at the time of the Dissolution in 1536, and the manor and lands passed to Sir Ralph Sadleir, who lived at Sutton House in Homerton and was privy councillor to Henry VIII. The priory chapel was retained and turned into the parish church for a new parish, Bromley St Leonard, split from the parish of Stepney.

1850–present
In 1868, the Poplar and Stepney Sick Asylum was opened on a site next to the present day Bromley-by-Bow tube station. It was renamed St Andrew's Hospital in 1921. It closed in 2006. A new housing development, William Guy Gardens, now occupies the site. Henry Grattan Guinness founded the East London Missionary Training Institute (also called Harley College) at Harley House in Bromley-by-Bow in 1873, with Dr. Thomas Barnardo as co-director. The school outgrew the premises and relocated in 1883, eventually becoming Cliff College.

The Revd Richard Enraght, religious controversialist, was the Curate of St Michael and All Angels Church in St Leonards Road from 1884 to 1888 and Rector of St Gabriel Church (now demolished), Chrisp Street (Poplar), from 1888 to 1895. Between 1899 and 1965 the parish of Bromley St Leonard formed part of the Metropolitan Borough of Poplar, within the County of London.

On the other side of the River Lea, seven Victorian gasholders are is Grade II listed and have been named by the Victorian Society as a heritage building at risk of disrepair.

Gandhi
In 1931, Gandhi was in London for talks with the British Imperial government on the future of India-then a part of the British Empire, the only time he left India between 1914 and his death in 1948. He declined the government's offer of accommodation in a West End hotel, preferring to stay in the East End, to live among working-class people, as he did in India. He based himself at Kingsley Hall in Powis Road, Bromley-by-Bow, for the three-month duration of his stay and was enthusiastically received by East Enders.

WWII and Post-war
The area suffered heavily in the Blitz and St Leonards Church was destroyed by enemy action in 1941. The area around Aberfeldy Street was heavily bombed and subsequently redeveloped into the Aberfeldy Estate in 1947.

The ruins and much of the churchyard were swept away when the Blackwall Tunnel Approach Road was built through the area in the 1960s.

Governance
The area loosely approximates to three wards in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The councillors elected in May 2018 were:
 * Bromley North - Zenith Rahman (Labour) and Dan Tomlinson (Labour)
 * Bromley South - Danny Hassell (Labour) and Helal Uddin (Labour).
 * Lansbury - Rajib Ahmed, Kahar Chowdhury and Bex White (Labour)

Extent
Bromley-by-Bow is a part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and takes in parts of the E3 (in the north) and E14 (in the south) postal districts.

To the north is Bow, with the historic boundary running along Bow Road, or near the River Lea, slightly to the south of the Road – with Bow's parish church just south of the road, close to the Lea, a part of Bow. Stratford, West Ham and Canning Town are eastward, across the Lea, which is the boundary between the London Boroughs of Tower Hamlets and Newham. The historic Three Mills and the Bromley-by-Bow gasholders lies just over the border in Newham.

Mile End is located to the west of a historic boundary which runs through Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park and along parts of Bow Common Lane, though the small former open space which was known as Bow Common, on either side of part of that road, lay just on the other side of that boundary, wholly within Mile End. Poplar lies to the south, though the line of the historic boundary from Upper North Street heading south-east to the Lea, by the Leamouth Roundabout, has been blurred by patterns of urbanisation which did not follow the historic estate, parish and (for a time) ward boundaries that defined these areas.

The area is bisected north to south by the Blackwall Tunnel Approach Road (A12). The land between that road and the Lea is undergoing extensive redevelopment.

Demographics
In 2001, according to the UK national census data, there were 11,581 people living in the ward in 2188 households, giving an average of 2.8 people per household. Of these 51% were female, 30% were under the age of 16 and 40% were of Bangladeshi origin.

Tenure in Bromley-by-Bow ward was predominantly rented with only 15% of households being owner-occupiers. Census data indicates that the proportion of households in rented tenure was higher than the average for the borough. 60% of males were economically active with total unemployment being around 16% compared to 11% for the borough as a whole.

Transport
Bromley-by-Bow station is located in the centre of Bromley and has the London Underground District and Hammersmith & City lines serving it. The Metropolitan line ceased serving Bromley in 1990 British Rail London, Tilbury & Southend Railway services stopped at the station until 1962.

South Bromley railway station on the North London Railway between Bow and Poplar (East India Dock Road) stations opened in 1884, the station lay just to the north of the current Langdon Park DLR station which opened in 2009.

London Buses routes 108, 309, 323, 488 and D8 operate within the area. Route 108 uses the Blackwall Tunnel, a source of severe delays which leads to the route often being cited as amongst the least reliable in London.

The area is connected to the National Road Network by the north–south A12 (East Cross Route), also east-west B140 Devons Road and Devas Street as well as local road Bromley High Street provides further access.

The Lea Valley Walk on the River Lea Navigation and River Lea passes on the area eastern side for pedestrians and cyclists. To the south, the Limehouse Cut starts at the Bow Locks.

Community
Kingsley Hall is famous both for the visits of Mahatma Gandhi to the East End in 1931 and the therapeutic clinic run by the alternative psychologist R. D. Laing from 1965. Despite a severe fire in 1995, Kingsley Hall remains an active community centre.

The Bromley-by-Bow Centre is known for it approach to integrated health care, with nursery care, training opportunities and a community centre. It has been cited as a model for the future development of community services and health care.

Bromley By Bow Community Organisation (BBBCO) provides Youth Provisions and Community Engagement programmes for the area. Its projects and services as a voluntary organisation provide the area with five football teams, a Girls Group, Youth Group and Elderly and Community Services.

Redevelopment
The Spratt's Complex was redeveloped and split into studio workshops (live/work units) and sold by JJAK (Construction) Ltd for leaseholders to fit out. The first building to be converted was Limehouse Cut, varying in size between 580 to 1610 sqft. The building was featured in the Sunday Times in June 1986 and again in 1989.

The London Thames Gateway Development Corporation's aims for the Lower Lea Valley include providing 8,000 new homes and 2,500 new jobs in the Bromley-by-Bow area. The section of land between the River Lea and the A11 is currently being redeveloped. Immediately adjacent to it, in Newham, is the 26 acre Sugar House Island development, led by Vastint.

Education
Bow School is a comprehensive secondary school and sixth form for boys and girls. In September 2014 the school moved from the old site off Fairfield Road, in the neighbouring district of Bow to a new site in Bromley-by-Bow 1 mile to the south-east by Bow Locks, in a brand new building designed by van Heyningen and Haward Architects.

Schools which are located near Bromley by Bow are Bow School secondary, Little House Nursery, Wellington Primary, Marner Primary, Old Palace Primary School, St Paul's Way Trust secondary, Phoenix primary and secondary and Central Foundation Girls' School secondary.

Bromley-by-Bow Centre also offers adult training opportunities in the area, such as nursing training or apprenticeships.

Arts and culture
Walford, the area where the BBC soap opera EastEnders is set is based on Bromley-by-Bow. Albert Square, the main community in the show is based on Fassett Square in nearby Hackney.

The CBeebies television series Apple Tree House began filming its episodes on the Devons Estate in 2017.

Notable residents

 * John Bastow, cricketer
 * William Harold Joseph Childs FRSE, physicist
 * William Faulkner, first-class cricketer
 * Tommy Flowers, engineer who designed and built Colossus, the world's first programmable computer.
 * Andrew Mawson OBE, founder of the Bromley by Bow Centre; entered the House of Lords as Baron Mawson, of Bromley-by-Bow in 2007
 * Jack Warner (the Dixon of Dock Green actor) was, as a child, choir soloist at St. Leonard's Church, as were his sisters, the comic entertainers Elsie and Doris Waters
 * Mary Price, teacher at Bromley St Leonard's church school; mother of Professor Ralph Kekwick FRS (1908–2000), biochemist who did pioneering work on human blood plasma

title: Bromley-by-Bow