text:
User talk:Kerensababy

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

title: User talk:Kerensababy


text:
Silvia Farina Elia

Silvia Farina-Elia (born 27 April 1972) is a former professional tennis player from Italy. She won three WTA singles titles, reached the quarterfinals of the 2003 Wimbledon Championships and achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 11 in May 2002. Farina-Elia won her first ITF title at Caltagirone in 1991 and her first WTA tournament at Strasbourg in 2001. She made her debut Grand Slam appearance at the 1991 French Open and was coached by husband Francesco Elia, whom she married September 1999.

Career
Farina-Elia made steady progression on the ITF circuit during the early 1990s and finished her first year in the top 100 in 1991. She completed her first victory over a top ten player (Gabriela Sabatini, Roland Garros) in 1994 and won her first doubles title the next year. In 1996, she represented Italy at the Atlanta Olympics. 1998 was considered her breakthrough year, reaching the final of four tournaments and in the process securing a place in the year end top 20. She was 26 at the time and thus considered a "late bloomer". She only reached one singles final in 1999 but made a greater impact in doubles, winning three tournaments.

In 2001, Farina-Elia won a belated first WTA Tour title, at the Internationaux de Strasbourg. She ended the year No. 14, what was to be her best year end finish and played in the WTA Tour Championships of 2001 and 2002. She consolidated the Strasbourg win with two more wins at the tournament. In 2003, she achieved her best Grand Slam result at the unlikely venue of Wimbledon, home of her least favourite surface, losing to Kim Clijsters, 7–5, 0–6, 1–6 in the quarterfinals.

Farina-Elia represented Italy at nine Federation Cups and also at three Olympics.

On Monday 24 October 2005, she announced her retirement from the tour due a recurrence of a shoulder injury, saying, "My body has given all it can."

Personal life
Farina-Elia began playing tennis aged 10; introduced to the sport by her mother, who played recreationally. Her parents are both insurance agents, as is her sister, Olga. Her brother, Enrico, restores furniture. She married Francesco Elia on 22 September 1999 and described the prospect of life after tennis as "exciting".

Doubles: 17 (9 titles, 8 runner-ups)

 * Wins
 * 2004: Warsaw (w/ Francesca Schiavone)
 * 2001: Strasbourg (w/ Iroda Tulyaganova)
 * 2000: Palermo (w/ Rita Grande)
 * 1999: Auckland (w/ Barbara Schett)
 * 1999: 's Hertogenbosch (w/ Rita Grande)
 * 1999: Pörtschach (w/ Karina Habšudová)
 * 1998: Prague (w/ Karina Habšudová)
 * 1997: Palermo (w/ Barbara Schett)
 * 1995: Maria Lankowitz (with Andrea Temesvári)

 * Runner-ups
 * 2005: Gold Coast (w/ Maria Elena Camerin)
 * 2004: Paris (w/ Francesca Schiavone)
 * 2003: Linz (w/ Marion Bartoli)
 * 2000: Hannover (w/ Karina Habšudová)
 * 1997: Gold Coast (w/ Ruxandra Dragomir)
 * 1996: Moscow (w/ Barbara Schett)
 * 1993: Palermo (w/ Brenda Schultz)
 * 1990: Taranto (w/ Rita Grande)

Head-to-head record against players in the top 10
Players who have been ranked world No. 1 are in boldface.

 * Dominique Monami 1-4
 * Martina Hingis 1-4
 * Lindsay Davenport 1-7
 * Dinara Safina 0-2
 * Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 0-5
 * Serena Williams 1-1
 * Maria Sharapova 1-1
 * Justine Henin 0-3
 * Kim Clijsters 0-6
 * Amélie Mauresmo 0-7
 * Jelena Janković 2-1
 * Elena Dementieva 1-3
 * Iva Majoli 0-4
 * Jana Novotná 1-5
 * Anna Kournikova 3-4
 * Flavia Pennetta 1-0
 * Nadia Petrova 0-4
 * Karina Habšudová 2-1

title: Silvia Farina Elia


text:
Talk:Dáil Éireann

Why does this article now have a Westminster style graphic that shows FF sitting on the government benches?
The Dáil's shape is a semi-hemicycle so we should use either that shape or an arch graph. FF sit on the opposition benches, even though they support the incumbent government. Also the graph is just wrong, I4C don't have 11 seats! — Preceding unsigned comment added by D6wDavidChristianDem (talk • contribs) 12:17, 28 November 2019 (UTC)

Why is the government seated to the left of the Cean Comhairle?
Why is the government seated to the left of the Cean Comhairle, as opposed to most Westminster parliaments, where the government is seated to the speaker's right? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 220.86.167.229 (talk) 04:50, 27 February 2011 (UTC)

TDs' use of Irish in the chamber
I don't think TDs switch between Irish and English during Dáil debates. Irish is rarely used in the chamber apart from opening prayers and some other formalities. Iain (talk) 17:46, 30 June 2012 (UTC)

 * There certainly needs to be more information about the languages of debate. Are only English and Irish "authorized" in the house?  Does the Dail use simulataneous translation?  Please expand on this angle. --Kevlar (talk • contribs) 22:39, 16 August 2012 (UTC)

Seamus Healy didin't run for Workers and Unemployed Action, he ran as non-party http://tipperaryreturningofficer.com/index.php/general-election-2016/7-notice-of-poll — Preceding unsigned comment added by 95.45.123.145 (talk) 23:47, 9 April 2016 (UTC)

Pronunciation
The pronunciation /dɔɪl/ is uncommon. A better one would be /dɑːl/. An Irish pronunciation should also be added, which should be /d̪ˠaːlʲ eːɾʲən̪ˠ/ — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.42.20.229 (talk) 00:29, 12 April 2016 (UTC)

Uploaded audio pronunciation of Dáil Éireann as requested. Deleted request template from Talk page Joe byrne (talk) 17:43, 24 June 2018 (UTC)

Now should Fianna Fáil be switched to a position called "Supporting Government"?
For 3 budgets. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kafari (talk • contribs) 04:55, 30 April 2016 (UTC)

Taoiseach and Ceann Comhairle
Constitutionally, these posts are never vacant, so the current holders (Varadkar and O'Fearghail) should remain in the infobox until officially replaced. Culloty82 (talk) 23:07, 12 February 2020 (UTC)

Ceann Comhairle
Seán Ó Fearghail has been re-elected by 130 votes to 28. Culloty82 (talk) 14:23, 20 February 2020 (UTC)

"The Dáil Éireann" nonsense
The lede of Santiago Bernabéu Stadium begins "The Santiago Bernabéu Stadium".

The lede of Croke Park begins "Croke Park".

The lede of Allianz Arena begins "Allianz Arena".

English isn't consistent in the use of the definite article, even when it comes to non-English terms. I suggest a certain editor learns this before continuing to edit. FDW777 (talk) 22:30, 23 February 2020 (UTC)

Number of FF Seats
Tá fadhb againn. Though it is true that FF came out of the most recent Dáil Election with 37 Seats, this included the Ceann Comhairle. Both the Arch Diagram and List below Same misrepresent this by having both 37 Light Green dots and a Black dot for the Ceann Comhairle. In the List this is reiterated by having the number 37 appear beside FF as well as a separate entry for Ceann Comhairle. Kennygc7 (talk) 20:20, 15 September 2020 (UTC)

 * FF had 38 seats including the Ceann Comhairle. FDW777 (talk) 20:30, 15 September 2020 (UTC)

Requested move 16 May 2021

 * The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

The result of the move request was: No consensus to move. No such user (talk) 13:02, 28 June 2021 (UTC)

Dáil Éireann → Dáil –
 * This is the only topic that's called "Dáil" in English-language reliable sources, as you can tell from the Google Scholar results, and therefore is WP:PRECISE.
 * It satisfies recognizability as it's the WP:COMMONNAME of this institution, which throughout its history has been much more commonly referred to as the "Dáil" or "Dail"
 * It is also more WP:CONCISE than using the full official name.
 * A similar discussion resulted in renaming the Welsh parliament to Senedd. (t · c)  buidhe  01:10, 16 May 2021 (UTC)

 * I'm open to other perspectives, and I'm enthusiastic about WP:COMMONNAME, but my initial response would be Oppose - it's a formal body, and its legal / constitutional name is Dáil Éireann, while Dáil is just a generic "assembly". Yes, we talk of The Dail in casual conversation, but this is an encyclopedia... and to be specific, I think we need the full name. I do not see a strong relevance for WP:CONCISE.  But I agree that there is very little use of generic "Dáil" in English. So I will make a !vote after more community input. SeoR (talk) 22:13, 16 May 2021 (UTC)
 * Oppose - and I return to this, where it seems to me that there is a clear consensus among contributing editors who regularly deal with topics pertaining to Ireland. Guliolopez has provided a clear policy-based summation, and the points about concision (minor savings achieved in return for some loss) and the definite article (dail = an assembly, An Dail / The Dail = the lower house of the Irish parliament, a la The Bronx or Den Haag / The Hague) are discussed. WP:CONCISE does not trump all other points, and the BBC is not an expert arbiter, good as they may be on many topics. This is an encyclopedia and for a body such as this, formal treatment is appropriate, and a redirect can (demonstrably) handle any more casual usages. I suggest that the outcome of this discussion is clear, and propose that it be closed, leaving the name as it is. SeoR (talk) 22:30, 9 June 2021 (UTC)

 * Support – The common name is Dáil, and as there is no other 'Dáil' to disambiguate from, there is no reason to retain the 'Éireann' suffix, as it doesn't even provide additional information for the average English reader, who will not understand what it means. Per WP:CONCISE, 'Dáil' is to be preferred. As for the 'casual conversation' mentioned above, does that honourable editor consider the BBC news website to be written in a 'casual, conversational' tone? The BBC uses plain 'Dáil', and there is no reason we should not do so either. RGloucester  — ☎ 16:34, 17 May 2021 (UTC)
 * Support – per Senedd, Althing, Verkhovna Rada etc. Dáil Éireann for the Infobox name. Declangi (talk) 19:27, 17 May 2021 (UTC)
 * Oppose - As with, my opinion is that the current title, "Dáil Éireann", is the most natural, precise, recognisable and consistent name of the subject. And, as such, automatically meets 4 of the 5 expectations of WP:TITLE. The 5th part of the WP:TITLE guideline, that "Dáil Éireann" perhaps doesn't meet, is the "concise" expectation. However, my opinion is that the proposed title, "Dáil", while concise, is not reflective of the common name. I say this because the common name is "The Dáil". Including the definite article. Like "The Hague" or "The Bronx" or other similar subjects where the article forms part of the proper and common name. A version which excludes the definite article ("Dáil"), in my view, inappropriately prioritises the goal for "conciseness" over the other guidelines considerations (not least "natural" and "recognisable"). In short, it is my view that "Dáil Éireann" represents the most natural, precise, recognisable and consistent name for the subject. And, while "Dáil" or "The Dáil" may be more consise, neither is quite as natural, precise, recognisable and consistent. Guliolopez (talk) 17:03, 18 May 2021 (UTC)
 * This is a very strange argument, and I suggest you read WP:THE again. It's simply a matter of Wikipedia convention that the definite article is not included in the title. I don't know how you reconcile your argument with the presence of Senedd, Althing, Riksdag, Bundestag, &c. &c. Of course, all of these are normally referred to in English with the definite article, and it is absurd to suggest that anyone would write 'Riksdag is the parliament of Sweden', because of course, that's not how English works...but Wikipedia titles only include the definite article in exceptional circumstances, and there is no evidence that the application of the relevant conventions in the case of the Dáil should differ from their application to any of the other examples listed above. RGloucester  — ☎ 19:55, 18 May 2021 (UTC)
 * Hi RGloucester.
 * RE: "very strange argument". We're each entitled to our opinion. And to express it. (Seeking input/opinion from others being the purpose of these discussions.) While you may feel the need to characterise another's inputs as "strange" or "absurd", I do not agree with such a charecterisation, and my own opinion remains as above. Namely that we shouldn't prioritise the proposed "concise" title over the existing "natural" and "recognisable" title.
 * RE: "it is absurd to suggest that anyone would write 'Riksdag is the parliament of Sweden'". You might be right. And while I'm not sure where this particular strawman has come from, I have not heard anyone (and certainly I have not) made such an argument.
 * RE: "reconcile your argument with the presence of Senedd, Althing, [etc]". I am less familiar with the Icelandic parliament. And its common and official and natural name (in either English or Icelandic or how an Icelandic speaker might refer to their parliament when speaking English). But I think the existing title of *this article* represents an accurate/common/recognisable/natural title. If there's to be a separate discussion/proposal on other/overlapping/parallel topics, then that's cool. I'm only responding to the proposal raised here.
 * RE: "Wikipedia titles only include the definite article in exceptional circumstances". Again, you may well be right. But, I've not advocated (and have not heard others advocate) moving this article to "The Dáil". I've advocated that we leave it as it is.
 * Anyway, while I may have felt the need to respond to the characterisation of my contributions as "strange" (or "absurd"), I'm otherwise not inclined to contribute further. I don't agree with the proposal. And have explained why I don't agree with the proposal. I'm not inclined to argue the point further. Guliolopez (talk) 13:23, 19 May 2021 (UTC)
 * You suggested that Dáil was not the common name, as the common name was The Dáil, with the definite article. I pointed out that this was 'absurd', because on Wikipedia, these two titles are equivalent, and negating the 'commonness' of Dáil because the definite article is not in the title does not jibe with every other article on a parliament on Wikipedia. We don't have the article for Riksdag at Sveriges riksdag merely because Riksdag would normally be referred to as The Riksdag in speech and writing. RGloucester  — ☎ 13:31, 19 May 2021 (UTC)

 * Oppose - The current title, "Dáil Éireann", is instantly recognisable, frequently used in political discourse, and reasonably concise for the intended purpose. The suggested contraction to "Dáil" is too informal for an encyclopedia or any academic purpose. It is worth noting that there are two other pages, Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic) and Dáil Éireann (Irish Free State) which are in reference to the legislatures from which this body claims direct descent, most notably in terms of successive numbering. In the event that there is a change to this page's title, would the rationale applied by supporters of this proposed change mean these titles would need to change in tandem? And if not, why not? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ronanmurphy98 (talk • contribs) 21:52, 18 May 2021 (UTC)
 * Oppose, in agreement with Guliolopez – I guess, being pedantic, "An Dáil" would make more sense, if one were forced to choose; sticking an English article onto an Irish word produces nothing but a linguistic monstrosity, and in any case the grammatical rules for the use of articles are so different between the two languages that this is kind of a moot point. English is absurdly inconsistent in its use of definite articles with proper nouns – q.v. even such eccentricities as "we were at Court" (not "at the Court"), "I have swum in the Pacific" vs "I have swum in Windermere", and trying to generalize these non-rules to other languages is a circle that cannot be squared. But my dhá phingin is that "Dáil Éireann" is ceart go leor. Archon 2488 (talk) 21:56, 18 May 2021 (UTC)
 * Oppose per Guliolopez and others. The WP:CONCISE problem is solved with the redirect already in place. Bastun Ėġáḍβáś₮ŭŃ! 08:57, 19 May 2021 (UTC)
 * What you are suggesting, in short, is simply ignoring WP:CONCISE altogether in every article. Might as well move When the Pawn... to When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He'll Win the Whole Thing 'fore He Enters the Ring There's No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might So When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights and If You Know Where You Stand, Then You Know Where to Land and If You Fall It Won't Matter, Cuz You'll Know That You're Right because the WP:CONCISE problem is solved with the redirect already in place Red   Slash  21:59, 1 June 2021 (UTC)
 * Ah, the old slippery slope logical fallacy. Bastun Ėġáḍβáś₮ŭŃ! 13:31, 10 June 2021 (UTC)

 * Oppose per Guliolopez and others. Spleodrach (talk) 07:56, 22 May 2021 (UTC)
 * Support. I doubt there is a single English-speaking person in the universe who A) recognizes Dáil Éireann, and yet B) would not recognize Dáil as referring to the same thing. They are equally recognizable and one is significantly more common and precise. Red   Slash  21:59, 1 June 2021 (UTC)
 * What? No. Dáil literally means "a gathering", whereas Dáil Éireann means the lower house of the Irish parliament. Bastun Ėġáḍβáś₮ŭŃ! 13:31, 10 June 2021 (UTC)

 * Oppose. The WP:CONCISE argument is a fallacy. "Dáil Éireann" is concise. "Dáil" is not more concise, it's just shorter by eight characters. 's example is a good example of where the article title is concise where the full title is not, and nicely highlights the difference between that article and this one. In this case, the full title of the legislature is the appropriate title for the article. Scolaire (talk) 18:11, 2 June 2021 (UTC)
 * May I ask how you feel about Riksdag, then? Should it be moved to the official Sveriges riksdag? Or, how about Bundestag to Deutscher Bundestag? RGloucester  — ☎ 14:20, 6 June 2021 (UTC)
 * What I think about the Riksdag and the Bundestag is that they fall under WP:OSE. In this case, I believe the full title of the legislature is the appropriate title for the article. In this case, as in others, consensus should decide, and consensus seems to favour retention of "Dáil Éireann". Scolaire (talk) 16:30, 8 June 2021 (UTC)
 * That's not an answer. Consensus is based on Wikipedia policies and guidelines, not a vote. As of now, most people here seem to be ignoring them in their entirety. I offered a thought experiment to test whether your logic had any backing. Perhaps you could've persuaded me, as such. Instead, you've made clear that your opinion has no basis in Wikipedia policies and guidelines at all. Bravo! RGloucester  — ☎ 20:01, 8 June 2021 (UTC)
 * I will simply ignore the ad hominem, as no doubt will the closer. My argument stands. Scolaire (talk) 11:12, 10 June 2021 (UTC)

 * Support This hearkens back to a previous discussion, where I had proposed moving the modifier in constituencies from (Dáil Éireann constituency) to (Dáil constituency). This move was made, although I will note the difference between the difference between the name of body and its use as an adjectival noun. For example, within the text of the Constitution proper, the body is always called Dáil Éireann. However, in the explanatory notes of the Fourth and Ninth Amendments on the same page, when used as an adjectival noun, the term used is Dáil … elections. We also have the term Dáil Constituencies in the short title of legislation, e.g. Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2017, even as the long title reads, An Act to provide for the number of members of Dáil Éireann.
 * But even having distinguished this discussion from the previous one, I do find myself moderately supporting the move. While in the Irish language, dáil means both an assembly or gathering in general, and, when capitalised, usually refers to a house within the Oireachtas, in the English language, the term Dáil invariably refers to the parliamentary body. Whatever the arguments that may be advanced on Vicipéid as to the alternative meanings of Dáil in its undistinguished form, they don't apply on the English language Wikipedia. Oireachtas can also mean gathering or assembly in Irish, but that alone doesn't compel us to distinguish it by titling the page Houses of the Oireachtas. Whatever about the use by the BBC, "dail -eireann" has 25,300 results on RTÉ, showing that it is a generally used concise title, whereas "dail eireann" has 3,660 results. Take a recent RTÉ headline, for example, Dáil passes measure to increase stamp duty for investment funds (where within the text of the article, we have … has been passed by the Dáil without a vote.
 * Dáil satisfies four of the five WP:CRITERIA. The educated reader from within or outside Ireland would be as likely to recognise it as its current title; it is as likely, if not sometimes more likely, to be how it is referred to when linked in other articles (e.g. so-and-so was elected to the Dáil in 1989); it is not so short as to be ambiguous, so distinguishes it from other bodies; and is no longer that it needs to be. While it is not currently consistent with other pages within the WP:IRELAND project, as the primary article, other titles such as List of women in Dáil Éireann, Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Seanad Éireann etc. should be moved in parallel if this page is moved. It is, however, consistent with naming conventions for other parliamentary bodies with a unique name, e.g. Senedd. –Iveagh Gardens (talk) 13:23, 15 June 2021 (UTC)

 * Support per nom. The proposed name has been shown to satisfy WP:COMMONNAME and WP:CONCISE, and I think that's sufficient to make this a clear move. The Senedd argument would also give this a degree of consistency, all other things being equal. I don't find the "oppose" arguments above particularly convincing here. Just to address the principal oppose arguments:
 * that Dáil Éireann is more recognizable than Dáil - this is not evidenced and seems unlikely, per Red Slash; if you recognize Dáil Éireann then you'll recognize Dáil.
 * that Dáil means simply a "gathering", and is therefore not WP:PRECISE - but this is the English Wikipedia, not the Irish Wikipedia, and in English Dáil only has one common meaning.
 * that the CONCISE argument is a "fallacy" - this argument doesn't match years of practice at WP:RM; removing one word from a two-word title will always make it more concise.
 * Please let me know if there's another reason to oppose that I've missed, but overall I think the policy favours the move and it should go ahead. Cheers — Amakuru (talk) 09:32, 21 June 2021 (UTC)
 * Oppose. To say that “Dáil” means nothing else is an English-centric disrespect of other language and culture. It means assembly, and is unique only because few Gaelic words are borrowed into English. It has to be either “Dáil Éireann” or “The Dáil”.  This is a case of a false claim of “concise”, it is false because it is shortened by discarding important information.  Concise does not mean brief. —SmokeyJoe (talk) 09:10, 25 June 2021 (UTC)
 * Oppose as a solution looking for a problem. And is there an WP:ENGVAR issue here?  At encyclopedia-level discourse in Ireland, it's usually Dáil Éireann.  —  AjaxSmack  03:43, 26 June 2021 (UTC)
 * Oppose per Guliolopez and Seor. And I had hoped that we were long past the days of editors advocating the use of the BBC as an arbiter of Irish matters. --  Brown HairedGirl  (talk) • (contribs) 19:40, 27 June 2021 (UTC)
 * Comment I agree that we should not use the BBC as an arbiter of Irish matters. We should probably even make it formally standard that mainstream Irish media publications are used for MOS:IRELAND purposes. However, having cited RTÉ above in this discussion as using Dáil in ordinary common references, a search of recent legislation found the same in The Irish Times, and  similarly  in regards to the Seanad. Not that it's relevant to this discussion, but Irish language media also refer to it as the Dáil rather than Dáil Éireann, e.g..
 * I don't think that the contention is the “Dáil” means nothing else, but that it has a single standard meaning in English usage, just as a other Irish words such as Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Oireachtas have a specific political institutional meaning when used in general speech. Other editors have mentioned the Dáil has a wider meaning than Ireland's house of representatives, which it does, but not given an example here on Wikipedia of when it has been used to mean that.
 * However, suggests that at encyclopedia-level discourse in Ireland, it's usually Dáil Éireann. So I checked my copy of The Oxford Companion to Irish History (OUP, 2002). This does indeed contain separate entries for dáil and Dáil Éireann. So while I do think the balance remains in favour of moving, there is a reasonable case not to do so, specifically for this reason. My ultimate approach would be to move to Dáil, but include a paragraph on the page with information on the general or historical Irish language use of the term. It's notable that we don't currently have an entry for Dáil with the information on its pre-1919 meaning that is considered by contributors here to be distinguishing. Maybe we should though, Wikipedia can always be expanded and a discussion like this can be what prompt is. –Iveagh Gardens (talk) 09:59, 28 June 2021 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

title: Talk:Dáil Éireann


text:
Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad

The Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad was a Class I railroad company in the United States, with its last headquarters in Dallas, Texas. Established in 1865 under the name Union Pacific Railroad (UP), Southern Branch, it came to serve an extensive rail network in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri. In 1988, it merged with the Missouri Pacific Railroad; today, it is part of UP.

In the 1890s, the MKT was commonly referred to as "the K-T", because for a time it was the Kansas–Texas division of the Missouri Pacific Railroad and "KT" was its abbreviation in timetables as well as its stock exchange symbol. This soon evolved into the nickname "the Katy".

The Katy was the first railroad to enter Texas from the north. Eventually, the Katy's core system linked Parsons, Emporia, Fort Scott, Junction City, Olathe, and Kansas City, Kansas; Kansas City, Joplin, Columbia, McKittrick, Jefferson City, and St. Louis, Missouri; Tulsa, Wagoner; and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Dallas, Fort Worth, Waco, Temple, Austin, San Antonio, Houston, and Galveston, Texas. An additional mainline between Fort Worth and Salina, Kansas, was added in the 1980s after the collapse of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad; this line was operated as the Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Railroad (OKKT). Former Rock Island trackage rights acquired by the Katy also gave it access to Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa.

At the end of 1970, MKT operated 2623 miles of road and 3765 miles of track.

Formation and construction
The Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway was incorporated in May 1870 in Junction City, Kansas. The company received government land grants to build a supply railroad connecting the frontier military posts of Fort Riley, Fort Gibson, and Fort Scott; and eventually Fort Worth, as well as establishing connections with other railroads that served Fort Leavenworth, Fort Wallace and Fort Smith — but its broader ambitions were to connect Chicago and New Orleans. Upon its incorporation, the MK&T acquired the Union Pacific Railway, Southern Branch (est. 1865) and its 182 mi of track in Kansas.

At the time of its incorporation, consolidations were also made with the Labette & Sedalia Railway Co. and the Neosho Valley & Holden Railway Co.; MK&T also acquired the Tebo and Neosho Railroad, the St. Louis & Santa Fe Railroad Co., and the Hannibal & Central Missouri Railroad Co. Combined with the UP Southern Branch, these small, newly built railroads formed the foundation on which the Katy built. In the late 1890s, a subsidiary once called the Missouri-Kansas-Eastern railroad was established to run from existing MKT rails approaching Kansas City into St Louis via the Missouri River basin.

Congress had passed acts promising land grants to the first railroad to reach the Kansas border via the Neosho Valley. The Katy portion of the former UP Southern Branch, which had begun building from Fort Riley just north of Junction City, Kansas, was in a heated competition for the prize. On June 6, 1870, Katy workers laid the first rails across the Kansas border, winning the race. Congress' promised land grants were never made, as the courts overturned the grants because the land was in Indian Territory and was the property of the Indian tribes.

The Katy continued its push southward, laying track through the territory and reaching Texas in 1872, acquiring other small railroads while extending its reach to Dallas in 1886, Waco in 1888, Houston in April 1893, and to San Antonio in 1901.

When the Katy railroad reached Houston, its joint ownership of the Galveston, Houston and Henderson Railroad gave it immediate access to the Port of Galveston and its ocean-going shipping on the Gulf of Mexico.

Operations
A Katy train was robbed by the Dalton Gang on July 14, 1892, at Adair, Oklahoma, in what was then Indian Territory. The gang got away after a gun battle.

In 1896, as a publicity stunt set up by William Crush, the Katy crashed two locomotives head-on, pulling loaded trains, at a site that came to be known thereafter as Crush, Texas. The collision occurred before more than 40,000 spectators, three of whom died (and several were injured) by debris from the exploding boilers. Ragtime composer and pianist Scott Joplin, who was performing in the area at the time, commemorated the event in his piano piece, "The Great Crush Collision March" (which he dedicated to the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railway).

The Katy acquired the Beaver, Meade and Englewood Railroad in 1931. This trackage, like the length between Altus and Forgan, was abandoned in January 1973.

From 1915 until January 4, 1959, the Katy, in a joint venture with the St. Louis – San Francisco Railway (popularly known as the Frisco), operated the Texas Special from St. Louis to Dallas, Ft. Worth, and San Antonio. It sported rail cars with names including Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, David Crockett, and James Bowie after prominent men of the state.

The city of Parsons was at the crossroads of the mainlines to St. Louis, Kansas City, and south to Oklahoma, so it was chosen as the first heavy repair shop site. In 1905 the shops were expanded with a new machine shop 860 by 153 feet in size, blacksmith shop, and storehouse. The primary freight car repair shops were located in Sedalia, Missouri. After extending the mainline into Texas, shops were established at the new center of the system in Denison, Texas, however, these were downgraded when a new shop site was built at Waco, Texas. The Waco Shops were established in 1910 in a section called Bellmead and renamed as the Warden Shops during World War II. Upon transitioning to diesel power, the Warden Shops were closed and diesel maintenance work was concentrated mainly at Parsons.

Merger and legacy
On August 12, 1988, the Missouri Pacific Railroad (MoPac) and its owner, Union Pacific Corporation, purchased the Katy with approval from the Interstate Commerce Commission. The merging and restructuring of railroads during the 1980s had cost the Katy much overhead traffic, and it had been seeking a merger partner. On December 1, 1989, the Katy was merged into the MoPac, which is now part of the Union Pacific Railroad system.

In the "rails to trails" program, much of the Missouri track line has been adapted for use as the Katy Trail State Park, including a spur to Columbia, a Missouri State Park, which runs along the Missouri River for the major portion of its route. In downtown Dallas, a 3.5-mi-long section called the Katy Trail is being converted into a multiuse trail linking Southern Methodist University to the American Airlines Center.

In 1997, the segment linking Katy, Texas, to downtown Houston was abandoned, and stripped of rails soon after. The section between Katy and Interstate 610 was purchased by the Texas Department of Transportation in 1998 for the expansion of Katy Freeway. The line that went into Houston was purchased by the city's Parks and Recreation Department. In 2009, it was adapted and paved as the Heights Bike Trail.

In Tulsa, Oklahoma, the 8.1 miles Katy trail follows an old corridor of the railroad between the northwest edge of downtown Tulsa and its suburb of Sand Springs.

As part of a new heritage program, in July 2005, Union Pacific unveiled a new EMD SD70ACe locomotive, Union Pacific 1988, painted in traditional MKT colors.

Passenger trains
The Katy operated these named passenger trains: (On its main line routes, trains originated in St. Louis or in Kansas City, linking in Parsons, KS, split in Denison, TX, with sections going via either through Dallas or Fort Worth, linking again in Waco, then heading south to either San Antonio or Houston.)
 * Train numbers 1 and 2: The Texas Special:
 * St. Louis, Missouri - San Antonio, Texas (March 4, 1917 – 1959) jointly with the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway), then
 * Kansas City-San Antonio (1959-July 26, 1964), then
 * Kansas City-Dallas (July 27, 1964 to June 30, 1965)
 * Train numbers 3 and 4: Katy Limited
 * Kansas City-Dallas, with sections to Oklahoma City, Fort Worth and San Antonio
 * Train numbers 5 and 6: Katy Flyer
 * St. Louis and Kansas City originating trains, south to San Antonio
 * Train numbers 7 and 8: Bluebonnet
 * Kansas City to San Antonio via Dallas, and Kansas City to Houston via Fort Worth
 * Train numbers 23 and 28: Sooner
 * Kansas City - Oklahoma City

Company officers
Presidents of the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad:

 * Judge Levi Parsons, prior to 1878
 * Jay Gould, 1880
 * George J. Gould, 1886–1887
 * Henry C. Rouse, –1904
 * Frederick N. Finney, 1904–1906
 * Adrian H. Joline 1906–
 * Charles E. Schaff, 1912–1926
 * Charles N. Whitehead, 1926
 * Columbus Haile, 1927–1930
 * Michael H. Cahill, 1930–1934
 * Matthew S. Sloan, 1934–1945
 * Donald V. Fraser, 1945–1956
 * William N. Deramus III, 1957–1961
 * Charles T. Williams, 1961–1965
 * John W. Barriger III, 1965–1970
 * Reginald N. Whitman, 1970–1975
 * Harold L. Gastler, 1975-1988

title: Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad


text:
Forest River (North Dakota)

The Forest River is an 81.0 mi tributary of the Red River of the North in eastern North Dakota in the United States. It rises in Walsh County and flows southeast and east, past the towns of Fordville and Minto, and forms a confluence with the Red approximately 40 mi north of Grand Forks.

title: Forest River (North Dakota)


text:
Katy

Katy or KATY may refer to:

People and Characters

 * Katy, a short form of the name Katherine
 * Katy (given name)
 * Katy (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a fictional character
 * Katy Perry
 * Katie Perry, Australian fashion designer
 * Katy Perry (prison service), Israeli prison head

Serbia

 * Kać, Serbia (Káty)

United States

 * Katy, Missouri, an unincorporated community
 * Katy, Texas, the only incorporated U.S. city with this name
 * Greater Katy, suburban region around the city of Katy; located in Greater Houston
 * Katy High School
 * Katy, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
 * Katy Township, Boone County, Missouri
 * Watertown Regional Airport (ICAO code: KATY), an airport in South Dakota

Art and entertainment

 * Katy (series), a set of novels by Susan Coolidge
 * Katy (novel), a children's novel by Jacqueline Wilson inspired by the series
 * Katy (TV series), a TV adaptation of the Wilson novel
 * Katy Fox, a character in Hollyoaks
 * "K-K-K-Katy", a World War I-era song
 * Katy (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a fictional character
 * An ambulance in the film Ice Cold in Alex
 * KATY-FM, a radio station of California, United States

Other uses

 * Katy (apple), an apple variety
 * Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad, sometimes called "the Katy", from which the above U.S. places take their name
 * KATY-FM, a radio station of California, United States

Katies
Katies, the plural of "Katy", may refer to:

 * Katies (1981–2004), a British Thoroughbred racehorse
 * The Katies, a Tennessee powerpop band
 * An Australia women's wear brand last owned by Miller's Retail

title: Katy


text:
J. P. Ricciardi

John Paul Ricciardi (born September 26, 1959) is an American Major League Baseball executive currently serving as a special advisor to the president of baseball operations with the San Francisco Giants. He previously served as the general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays from 2001 to 2009.

Early life and career
Ricciardi went to and played baseball for St. Peter's/St. Peter-Marian High School in Worcester, Massachusetts, and then played for the Saint Leo University Lions from 1979 through 1980. He then spent two years as an infielder in the New York Mets minor league system, playing for the Mets' A-class league affiliates in Little Falls in 1980 and Shelby in 1981. He finished his playing career with a batting average below .200.

After the conclusion of his playing career, Ricciardi became a coach in the New York Yankees farm system in the early 1980s before joining the Oakland Athletics organization in 1986 as a minor league instructor and scout. By the early 1990s he had risen to the rank of East Coast scouting supervisor and later national crosschecker. Ricciardi made his break into the front office in 1996, when he became special assistant to Athletics general manager Sandy Alderson. Under new general manager Billy Beane, who was hired in 1997 and had been Ricciardi's former teammate with the Little Falls Mets, his role became director of player personnel.

Toronto Blue Jays
Impressed by the success Ricciardi and Beane were having with the low-budget Athletics, the Toronto Blue Jays, who sought to cut payroll while becoming more competitive after their acquisition by Canadian media giant Rogers Communications, sought Ricciardi's services after firing then-general manager Gord Ash. During his tenure, the Blue Jays never made the playoffs, coming closest in 2006, when they finished second in their division.

2001-2004
On November 14, 2001, Ricciardi was hired as general manager of the Blue Jays. He signed a five-year contract with Toronto after the 2002 season, which was extended to 2010 after the 2005 season.

After arriving in Toronto, one of Ricciardi's first deals was to send hard-throwing reliever Billy Koch to the Athletics for third baseman Eric Hinske and pitcher Justin Miller. Over the next few years, Ricciardi would develop a reputation for coziness with his former team, making deals with Oakland for starting pitcher Cory Lidle in November 2002 and another starting pitcher, Ted Lilly, in November 2003. After a surprising 2003 campaign, which saw the emergence of Roy Halladay and Vernon Wells, the team suffered its worst season since 1980, in 2004, mainly due to injuries to key players such as Wells and star slugger Carlos Delgado. Delgado became a free agent in the off-season, and for financial reasons the Blue Jays did not seriously pursue re-signing him; the Florida Marlins eventually inked him to a contract. During the 2004 season, Ricciardi hired former Shelby teammate John Gibbons as the Blue Jays' new manager. Gibbons remained as Blue Jays' manager until being fired on June 20, 2008.

Ricciardi's arrival in Toronto had been greeted with great optimism and enthusiasm after the team had suffered through several disappointing seasons. The enthusiasm steadily waned, however, as the team repeatedly failed to qualify for the postseason.

2005
Ricciardi was given more freedom to move after Blue Jays owner Ted Rogers expanded the team's payroll to $210 million over three years prior to the 2005 season. In the 2005 MLB Draft, Ricciardi famously drafted Ricky Romero instead of Troy Tulowitzki, overruling the recommendations of his scouting staff. While Romero would have modest success, even being named to the 2011 MLB All-Star Game as a Blue Jay before eventually being released by the team, Tulowitzki would have the better career, winning multiple awards with the Colorado Rockies. Coincidentally, Tulowitzki would join the Blue Jays 10 years later in a trade executed by Riccardi's successor, Alex Anthopoulos.

2006
After the 2005 season (in which the Blue Jays posted an 80–82 record), Ricciardi began working to improve Toronto's pitching, signing free agent starter A. J. Burnett and closer B.J. Ryan. He also secured two big bats in first baseman Lyle Overbay and slugging third baseman Troy Glaus via the trade bloc, and signed Gold Glove-winning catcher Bengie Molina as well. The additions paid significant dividends for the team in 2006, as the Blue Jays finished second in the tough American League East with an 87–75 record. It was the first time Toronto had finished above third in the division since winning the 1993 World Series.

2007
Seeking to upgrade the everyday lineup as well, Ricciardi signed a two-year contract with experienced slugger and designated hitter Frank Thomas. However, due to his slow start in 2008, in which he batted just .167 with three home runs in his first 60 at-bats, Thomas was released in April of that year. Ricciardi also signed veteran shortstop Royce Clayton as a "stopgap" measure to shore up the middle infield for the 2007 season.

During spring training of 2007, B.J. Ryan was suffering from an injury that Ricciardi initially reported to be a result of a bad back. It was later revealed that it was not a back injury that he was suffering from at all, but rather a more severe elbow injury which subsequently required season ending Tommy John surgery. When asked why he was not more upfront about Ryan's injury situation, Ricciardi responded by saying, "They're not lies if we know the truth."

2008
Despite the lack of hitting on his 2008 ball club, Ricciardi had assembled one of the more effective pitching staffs in Major League Baseball, bolstered by bullpen pick-ups such as Scott Downs, Brian Tallet, Jesse Carlson, and Shawn Camp. Over the season, the team had the best ERA in baseball at 3.49 and the bullpen ERA of 2.94. Early in the season, the Jays struggled, and the team fired manager John Gibbons, replacing him with former manager Cito Gaston. Toronto ended the season on a high note, finishing with a final record of 86 wins and 76 losses, the organization's third-best showing since the 1993 season.

In the middle of June 2008, with the Jays in last place in the American League East, Ricciardi appeared on local Toronto sports radio station The FAN 590, in which he fielded questions from fans. One fan insisted that the Jays should actively seek to acquire Cincinnati Reds outfielder Adam Dunn, to which Ricciardi responded with very negative personal comments about Dunn's passion for the game of baseball:

"Do you know the guy doesn't really like baseball that much? Do you know the guy doesn't have a passion to play the game that much? How much do you know about the player? There's a reason why you're attracted to some players and there's a reason why you're not attracted to some players. I don't think you'd be very happy if we brought Adam Dunn here ... We've done our homework on guys like Adam Dunn and there's a reason why we don't want Adam Dunn. I don't want to get into specifics."

On June 24, 2008, Ricciardi told Toronto media that he received a personal phone call from Dunn and personally apologized for the ad-lib comments, a conversation Dunn vehemently refuted in an interview with MLB.com. Some again questioned Ricciardi's trustworthiness, but Ricciardi said, "All I know is the person I talked to said it was Adam Dunn. That's quite a prank to pull."

2009
During Roy Halladay's last home start of the 2009 season on September 25, a sign in the 500 level stating "Fire JP!" was hung over the railing. The sign was taken away by security at the bottom of the 2nd inning.

With two games remaining in what was a disappointing 2009 season, Ricciardi was fired on October 3, 2009. The day before Blue Jays players had gone public with criticism over Gaston's managing style, and had asked for a meeting with team president Paul Beeston. His firing was widely expected. Ricciardi was replaced by assistant vice-president of baseball operations and assistant general manager, Alex Anthopoulos. Anthopoulos was eventually made the permanent general manager for the Jays.

New York Mets
Ricciardi joined the Mets front office in November 2010.

From 2011 to 2018 Ricciardi served as special assistant to former New York Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson. In July 2018 Alderson took a leave of absence from the Mets due to a recurrence of cancer. Ricciardi along with John Ricco and Omar Minaya assumed the responsibilities of general manager. Ricciardi and the Mets mutually parted ways after the 2018 season.

San Francisco Giants
In December 2018, Ricciardi was hired by the San Francisco Giants as a senior adviser of baseball operations.

Television career
On February 25, 2010, ESPN announced that Ricciardi would join Baseball Tonight as an analyst after spending three decades in Major League Baseball.

Ricciardi left ESPN to join the Mets front office in November 2010.

Personal life
Ricciardi is married and lives with his family in West Boylston, Massachusetts. He and his wife Diane have two sons, Dante and Mariano. He also has a brother, Stephan Ricciardi, and sister, Mary Sivo.

Ricciardi's son Dante was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 39th round of the 2015 MLB June Amateur Draft from Worcester Academy.

Ricciardi's father, John, was an outstanding athlete at Worcester Boys' Trade High School. Johnny was named three-time, "All City" in baseball and won multiple batting crowns as a varsity third baseman. Johnny won the batting crown in the Worcester Parks Community League and also was one of the youngest athletes to play with the Norton Abrasives, a semi-pro team that competed against several barnstorming major league players. He signed a contract with the Boston Red Sox in 1948. He played professional baseball in Canada with Fredericton, New Brunswick, in the Can-Am League. He also played for the Worcester Hawks, a professional fast-pitch softball team. Johnny was later inducted into both the Worcester Public Schools Hall of Fame and the Sons of Italy of Worcester Hall of Fame.

Ricciardi is also a fan of the Boston Bruins, New England Patriots and Boston Celtics.

title: J. P. Ricciardi


text:
West Manchester

West Manchester may refer to:

 * West Manchester, Ohio
 * West Manchester Township, York County, Pennsylvania

title: West Manchester


text:
User:Decumanus/riverdisambigs

 * Fraser River (disambiguation)
 * Jordan River (disambiguation)
 * Mississippi River (disambiguation)
 * North River (disambiguation)
 * Platte River (disambiguation)

 * Big Sandy River
 * Birch Creek
 * Black River
 * Blackwater River
 * Blue River
 * Boulder River
 * Cedar River
 * Colorado River
 * Cow Creek
 * Crow Creek
 * Eagle River
 * Forest River
 * Grand River
 * Green River
 * James River
 * Little Missouri River
 * Milk River
 * New River
 * Peace River
 * Red River
 * Smith River
 * St. Croix River
 * St. Marys River
 * Salt River
 * San Juan River
 * San Miguel River
 * Santa Clara River
 * Slough Creek
 * Squaw Creek
 * Stillwater River
 * Sweetwater River
 * Teton River
 * Thames River
 * Tongue River
 * White River
 * Willow Creek

title: User:Decumanus/riverdisambigs


text:
Qamishli

Qamishli is a city in northeastern Syria on the Syria–Turkey border, adjoining the city of Nusaybin in Turkey. The Jaghjagh River flows through the city. With a 2004 census population of 184,231, it is the ninth most-populous city in Syria and the second-largest in Al-Hasakah Governorate after Al-Hasakah. Qamishli has traditionally been a Christian Assyrian majority city, but is now predominantly populated by Kurds with large numbers of Arabs and Assyrians and a smaller number of Armenians. It is 680 km northeast of Damascus.

The city is the administrative capital of the Qamishli District in Al-Hasakah Governorate, and the administrative center of Qamishli Subdistrict, consisting of 92 localities with a combined population of 232,095 in 2004. Qamishli was the de facto capital of the AANES, until it was moved to Ayn Issa.

Etymology
The city was initially a small village inhabited by Assyrians called ܒܝܬ ܙܠܝ̈ܢ (Bēṯ Zālīn) meaning "House of Reeds". The modern name is the Turkish translation of this name. Kamış means "reed" and -lı suffix denotes "place with" in Turkish.

History
The city dates back to the 1920s, when a sizable amount of Assyrians, escaping the Assyrian genocide carried out by the Ottoman Empire, fled from northwestern Iran and southern Turkey and built a small town, under the French Mandate authorities, which they initially called Bet-Zalin. The city itself was officially founded as Qamishli in 1926 as a railway station on the Taurus railway. One of the most important funders of the early development projects in the city was Masoud Asfar, an Assyrian who survived the Massacres of Diyarbakır (1895) as a young child. Masoud, along with stepbrother, whose last name was Najjar, established the Asfar & Najjar Corporation, a company that produced wheat in Qamishli. Throughout the 1920s–1940s, the Asfar & Najjar Corporation funded hospitals, Assyrian schools, and churches throughout the city. At the same time, many Armenians and Assyrians, fleeing persecution in Iraq and Turkey, moved into the region. This was followed by the emigration of Kurds from Turkey, most of whom settled in the countryside and then began to move to the city. However, in the 1960s and until the late 1970s, when Assyrians still constituted two-thirds of the city's population, the government of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region actively confiscated Assyrian farms, lands, and areas, causing an Assyrian exodus.

Qamishli is considered a center for both the Kurdish and the Assyrian ethnic groups in Syria. It was heavily settled by refugees from the Assyrian genocide. Assyrians were the majority in the city until the 1970s, when Kurds from the surrounding countryside moved into the city in numbers. Qamishli is renowned for its large Christmas parade, and Newroz and Kha b-Nisan festivals.

21st century

In March 2004, during a chaotic soccer match, the Qamishli riots began when visiting Arab fans from Deir ez-Zor started praising Saddam Hussein to taunt the Kurdish home fans. The riot expanded out of the stadium and weapons were used against people of Kurdish background. In the aftermath, at least 30 Kurds were killed as the Syrian security services took over the city.

In June 2005, thousands of Kurds demonstrated in Qamishli to protest the assassination of Sheikh Khaznawi, a Kurdish cleric in Syria, resulting in the death of one policeman and injury to four Kurdish civilians.

In March 2008, according to Human Rights Watch, three more Kurds were killed when Syrian security forces opened fire on people celebrating the spring festival of Newroz.

Civil war
With the civil war and the Rojava conflict from 2011, the city grew into a major political role, being the de facto capital of the AANES. Part of the city, as well as an area to the south which includes Qamishli Airport, remain under the administration of the Syrian government. Unlike many Syrian cities, Qamishli has not seen large-scale fighting during the war, although it has been attacked by unknown perpetrators in 2015 and by Islamic State in 2016, as well as brief skirmishes between AANES and Syrian forces in 2016 and 2018. Qamishli is home to Chirkin prison, which houses detained Islamic State militants.

On 17 August 2020, Syrian forces reportedly clashed with US troops near Qamishli, which resulted in the death of one Syrian. Two other Syrian soldiers were said to have been injured during the clash, state media added.

In 2022, the Syrian government remains in control of a large part of the city centre as well as a substantial rural area to the south, including the airport, the border crossing, various government buildings, and many residential neighborhoods. The government still organises the production and the distribution of the harvest in the southern countryside, and organizes flights between Qamishli and other Syrian cities, as well as Beirut. However, most of the city is under the administration of the AANES.

Climate
The Köppen climate classification subtype for this climate is "Csa" (Mediterranean climate; dry-summer subtropical climate). The summers tend to be dry and warm, with July being the hottest month of the year, while the winters are usually cold and wet, with January being the coldest month and having an average of 11 days of rain. In total, around 53 days of rain occur every year.

Demographics

In 1939, French mandate authorities reported the following population numbers for different ethnic/religious groups in Qamishli city centre.

Qamishli is an ethnically mixed city. Kurds make up a majority of the city's population, which also has many Arabs, Assyrians, and Armenians.

Muslims
More than 80% of Qamishli's inhabitants are Sunni Muslims. They are mainly Kurds, followed by Arabs.

Christians
The city is considered to be a Christian center in Syria, and was a Christian-majority city for much of its history.

In the 1930s it is estimated that out of the town's population of 23,000 individuals, 20,000 of those were Christians.

Before the civil war, the Christian population of Qamishli was about 40,000, of whom 25,000 belonged to the Syriac Orthodox Church, the biggest church in the city. As of 2014 it was believed that half of all Christians had left the city.

Once a Christian-majority city, the rural migration to Qamishli has increased the Kurdish population of the city. In addition, since the PYD militia took control of the city in 2012 they carried out a Kurdification process touching all aspects of life, starting by changing the name of the city to Qamishlo, to cultural and social aspects of the city. The Christian and Arab population in the city were fiercely opposed to the PYD rule. Half the Christian population left by 2017 although no fighting happened in the city.

Churches in the city

 * Syriac Orthodox Church of Saint Jacob of Nisibis (كنيسة القديس مار يعقوب النصيبيني للسريان الأرثوذكس)
 * Syriac Orthodox Church of Our Lady (كنيسة السيده العذراء للسريان الأرثوذكس)
 * Syriac Orthodox Church of Saint Ephrem the Syrian (كنيسة مار افرام السرياني للسريان الأرثوذكس)
 * Syriac Orthodox Church of Saint Quriaqos (كنيسة مار قرياقوس للسريان الأرثوذكس)
 * Syriac Catholic Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (كنيسة القديسين مار بطرس وبولس للسريان الكاثوليك)
 * Assyrian Church of Saint George (كنيسة مار جرجس للآشوريين)
 * Assyrian Church of Saint Ephrem (كنيسة مار أفرام للآشوريين)
 * Chaldean Catholic Church of Saint Jacob of Nisibis (كنيسة القديس مار يعقوب النصيبيني للكلدان الكاثوليك)
 * Armenian Orthodox Church of Saint Hagop (كنيسة القديس هاكوب الأرمن الأورثوذكس)
 * Armenian Catholic Church of Saint Joseph (كنيسة مار يوسف الأرمن الكاثوليك)
 * National Evangelical Presbyterian Church (الكنيسة الأنجيلية المشيخية الوطنية)

Jews
Historically, Qamishli was also home to a significant Jewish community. The origin of the Jews of Qamishli (unlike the Jews of Damascus and Aleppo who are a mixture of Sephardi Jews and Musta'arabi Jews) is the adjoining city of Nusaybin, on the other side of the Turkish-Syrian border. As after the foundation of Turkey in 1923, the major economic hubs were allocated to Turkey, the French Mandate authorities deemed it necessary to encourage the settlement or foundation of new villages and towns in the region. The current town was founded in 1926 by the French Mandate, which following encouraged the settlement of the population in Nusaybin, which is located just across the border. Within a few years, Qamishli was more populous than Nusaybin. The major part of the Christian, and also of the Jewish population from Nusaybin moved to Qamsihli. In the 1930s the Jewish population of Qamishli numbered 3,000. After the escalation of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in 1947, the situation of the Jews of Qamishli deteriorated. The exodus of Jews from Syria peaked due to violence, such as the 1947 anti-Jewish riots in Aleppo. By 1963, the community had dwindled to 800, and after the Six-Day War it went down further to 150, of whom no one remain today.

Neighborhoods
Qamishli is divided into several districts, which are further divided into neighborhoods.

This is a list of the neighborhoods of Qamishli.

 * Al-Zahra (Al-Wusta)
 * Al-Qusour
 * Al-Muwazafin
 * Qudour Bek
 * Al-Gharbiyah
 * Corniche
 * Al-Arbawiyah
 * Al-Ashouriyin (Assyrian)
 * Al-Siryan (Syriac)
 * Al-Bashiriyah
 * Tay
 * Al-Thawra
 * Al-Golan (Berkila)
 * Qanat al-Suways
 * Al-Antariyah
 * Maysaloun
 * Al-Hilaliyah
 * Jurnak
 * Alaiya (Hattin)
 * Mahmakiyah
 * Jumaayah
 * Halko

Transportation
Qamishli Airport was closed to civilians in October 2015, but later reopened. Syrian airline companies including Cham Wings Airlines, FlyDamas and Syrian Air provide flights between Qamishli and Damascus, Latakia, and Beirut.

Media and education
The Kurdish-language newspaper Nu Dem has its headquarters in Qamishli.

While prior to the Rojava conflict, there had been no institution of higher education in northeastern Syria, in September 2014 the Mesopotamian Social Sciences Academy started teaching. Following the University of Afrin, in July 2016 the Jazira Canton's Board of Education officially established the second Syrian Kurdish university in Qamishli. The University of Rojava initially comprised four faculties: Medicine, Engineering, Sciences, and Arts and Humanities. Programs taught include health, oil, computer and agricultural engineering, physics, chemistry, history, psychology, geography, mathematics, primary school teaching, and Kurdish literature.

Sports
Al-Jihad SC is the largest football club in the city and plays at 7 April Stadium.

Notable people

 * Aram Tigran, singer
 * Xêro Abbas, musician
 * Viyan Antar, Kurdish (YPJ) fighter
 * Ciwan Haco, singer
 * Sanharib Malki, footballer
 * Gregorius Yohanna Ibrahim, Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo
 * Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church
 * Gabriel Asaad, Assyrian Musician
 * Salim Barakat, novelist and poet
 * Agop Donabidian, football coach and former player

Explanatory notes

title: Qamishli


text:
Jamie-Lynn Sigler

Jamie-Lynn Sigler (born May 15, 1981) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Meadow Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos from 1999 to 2007.

Early life
Sigler was born in Jericho, New York, on May 15, 1981, the daughter of Steve and Connie Sigler. She has two brothers, Adam and Brian. Her father was the founder of the Men's Senior Baseball League. Sigler is of Greek-Jewish and Romanian-Jewish descent through her father, and of Cuban descent through her mother.

Sigler's mother was raised Catholic but converted to Judaism upon marrying Sigler's father. She attended Jericho High School and studied at the Cultural Arts Playhouse in Old Bethpage, New York.

Acting
In 1997, Sigler was cast as Meadow Soprano, daughter of New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos. When her manager first told her about auditioning for The Sopranos, Sigler thought she would have to sing soprano. She continued to play the role through the series finale in 2007.

Sigler played the title role in Cinderella on tour and at The Theatre at Madison Square Garden in 2001. She then spent five months on Broadway from October 2002 through February 2003 playing Belle in Beauty and the Beast.

In 2004, Sigler starred as "Hollywood Madam" Heidi Fleiss in the USA television movie Call Me: The Rise and Fall of Heidi Fleiss. In that same year, she had her first starring feature film role, Extreme Dating, an independent film. In 2005, Sigler starred in Love Wrecked and the following year in Homie Spumoni, when she played the role of Alli, the girlfriend of Renato/Leroy (Donald Faison) directed by Mike Cerron.

In 2008, Sigler appeared as herself in 13 episodes of the fifth and sixth season of the HBO series Entourage. In the fifth season, she appeared as the love interest of the character Sal 'Turtle' Assante, portrayed by Jerry Ferrara. She returned as a recurring guest star for season six of the series, after becoming Ferrara's real-life girlfriend. On November 17, 2008, Sigler guest-starred as Jillian on the TV series How I Met Your Mother in the episode "Woooo!". On the December 6, 2008, airing of Saturday Night Live, she appeared as the checkout girl for the Digital Short music video "Jizz in My Pants" by The Lonely Island.

In 2009, Sigler starred in the psychological thriller film Beneath the Dark, which originally had a working title of Wake. The same year, she appeared on ABC's Ugly Betty in a five-episode arc. From 2012 to 2013, she appeared as a main character in the short-lived series Guys with Kids.

In 2019, Sigler appeared on the game show Pyramid alongside Steve Schirripa.

In 2020, Sigler starred as a featured player in the Adult Swim sitcom Beef House.

Other endeavors
In 2001, Sigler released a pop album called Here to Heaven, which featured the single "Cry Baby." In 2012, she collaborated with Romeo Santos on the single "You" and appeared in its music video.

In 2002, Sigler co-authored her autobiography, Wise Girl: What I've Learned About Life, Love, and Loss.

In 2024, Sigler began a podcast with fellow actress Christina Applegate called MeSsy about their friendship based on both being diagnosed with MS.

Personal life
Sigler met Abraxas "A.J." DiScala when she was 19, and he became her manager. They began dating shortly before she turned 21, and married on July 11, 2003. She subsequently changed her name to Jamie-Lynn DiScala. They separated in September 2005, and she resumed using her maiden name. She then dated restaurateur Scott Sartiano from 2006 to 2008.

In 2008, Sigler visited Israel through the Birthright Israel program and was moved by the trip, calling Israel "one of the most beautiful, inspiring places [she's] ever been to". She said that the trip gave her a greater understanding of her Jewish ancestry. Also in 2008, she began a relationship with actor Jerry Ferrara, whom she met while guest-starring on Entourage as a love interest of Ferrara's character. They split up in 2009. She later dated football player Mark Sanchez.

In 2012, Sigler began dating baseball player Cutter Dykstra, the son of former Major League Baseball player Lenny Dykstra. The two became engaged on January 28, 2013, and announced in February 2013 that they were expecting their first child. Sigler gave birth to their first son on August 28, 2013. They were married in Palm Springs, California, on January 16, 2016. The couple had their second son on January 15, 2018.

In January 2016, Sigler revealed that she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when she was 20 years old. In 2000, while filming Campfire Stories in Hamburg, New Jersey, Sigler was paralyzed from the waist down for several days. This symptom turned out to be related to multiple sclerosis, but it was misdiagnosed as Lyme disease at the time. In 2023, Novartis hired Sigler to star in a TV commercial for their multiple sclerosis drug Kesimpta.

Discography

 * 2001: Here to Heaven

title: Jamie-Lynn Sigler


text:
University Radio Nottingham

University Radio Nottingham is the university radio station of the University of Nottingham, England, where it is part of the Students' Union. During term-time it broadcasts locally on University Park Campus on 1350 AM and worldwide via its website. It is run by student volunteers from the University of Nottingham.

History
URN was established from the university's Radio Broadcasting Club, who, in the late 1970s had an hour's slot on BBC Radio Nottingham. The station set up its first studio in the Cherry Tree buildings in 1978 and "University Radio Nottingham" started broadcasting to Hugh Stewart Hall and Cripps Hall of residence on 963 kHz (312m) in November 1979. Additional induction loops were set up over the next few years in other halls on campus. A fifth induction loop was installed on Sutton Bonington Campus in 1990, financed by their Guild.

In 1997, URN became one of the first radio stations to broadcast on the internet using the MP3 format. The station started broadcasting in the Ogg Vorbis format in 2002.

The station was one of the first to broadcast using an LPAM long-term restricted service licence to the whole of University Park on 1350AM in 2001.

In 2004, URN moved into new purpose build studios located in the university's Portland Building. This was due to the demolition of the Cherry Tree buildings in 2003.

During the summer of 2012, the whole station was refitted to use a Studer digital system for audio routing and mixing.

In 2014 the station won the Student Radio Awards Best Station for a record breaking fifth year in a row and still holds the record for the most consecutive Best Station awards to this day.

In the summer of 2018, the station was relocated in the Students' Union Building to the new MediaZone. A brand new AoIP Studio was installed in spring 2020.

Programming
URN broadcasts twenty-four hours a day during Nottingham term time, with shows from 09:00 a.m to 3:00 a.m. The station is split into three sections: Daytime, After Dark, and Speech shows. URN's programming includes news-show The Pulse, feature-based speech programming, including sport and a large variety of other topics, daytime personality-based programming and evening specialist music shows. URN has a strong focus on Nottingham University students in all areas of its programming.

Stunts
Steve Doran accomplished a 40-hour continuous broadcast in November 2005 for Children in Need. In 2016, four teams walked 50 miles in under 24 hours in aid of Sport Relief.

During December 2020, presenters George Scotland and Damian Stephen attempted to get Russ Abbot's novelty track 'Atmosphere' to Christmas number 1, gaining endorsements from Paul Chuckle, Scott Muslin and Alistair Griffin. All proceeds were to go to charity with Abbot and his family fully behind the campaign.

Famous alumni
The former head of music for URN presented BBC 6 Music's weekly chart show. Philippa Treverton-Jones graduated in 2007. She is now a TV producer. Another former presenter on the station; Ian Chaloner is the current producer of the Greg James Show on BBC Radio 1. Katie Baxter was a previous member of URN and now produces the Happy Hour Podcast. Rob Howard was another former presents; he now hosts Capital (radio network) Breakfasts.

Awards
Student Radio Awards Best Station 2010

Student Radio Awards Best Station 2011

Student Radio Awards Best Station 2012

Student Radio Awards Best Station 2013

Student Radio Awards Best Station 2014

Student Radio Awards Best Station 2016

Student Radio Awards Best Station 2017

Student Radio Awards Best Station 2018

Student Radio Awards Best Station 2021

title: University Radio Nottingham


text:
Rantoul

Rantoul may refer to:

Places
In the United States:
 * Rantoul, Illinois
 * Rantoul (Amtrak station), a train station in Rantoul, Illinois
 * Rantoul, Kansas
 * Rantoul, Wisconsin

People

 * Robert Rantoul, Jr., US Senator and US Representative from Massachusetts
 * Robert S. Rantoul, mayor of Salem, Massachusetts

title: Rantoul


text:
Metacity

Metacity was the default window manager used by the GNOME 2 desktop environment until it was replaced by Mutter in GNOME 3. It is still used by GNOME Flashback, a session for GNOME 3 that provides a similar user experience to the Gnome 2.x series sessions.

The development of Metacity was started by Havoc Pennington and it was released under the GNU General Public License. Before the introduction of Metacity in GNOME 2.2, GNOME used Enlightenment and then Sawfish as its window manager. Although Metacity was designed to integrate into the GNOME desktop, it does not require it to run, while GNOME can be used with different window managers provided that they support the part of the ICCCM specification that GNOME requires.

Metacity uses the GTK graphical widget toolkit to create its user interface components, which makes it themeable and makes it blend in with other GTK applications. Originally, Metacity used GTK 2 however as of version 3.12.0 it has been ported to GTK 3.

Aim
Metacity's focus is on simplicity and usability rather than novelties. Its author has characterized it as a "Boring window manager for the adult in you. Many window managers are like Marshmallow Froot Loops; Metacity is like Cheerios." People in favour of Metacity say that it is aimed at new computer users who do not need the abundant options and functionality of Sawfish or Enlightenment. Havoc Pennington wrote an essay explaining why he wrote Metacity and simplified the GNOME desktop.

Themes
Despite the incomplete state of Metacity theme development documentation, many themes have been written for Metacity. A popular theme engine is Clearlooks, which was the default in GNOME from version 2.12 until the release of GNOME 3 and GNOME Shell.

title: Metacity