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Rafael Betancourt

Rafael Jose Betancourt (born April 29, 1975) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians and Colorado Rockies, as well as in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yokohama BayStars.

Boston Red Sox
Betancourt was originally signed as an amateur free agent by the Boston Red Sox on September 13, 1993. The Red Sox released him following the 1999 season and then re-signed him as a free agent in December 2000 after he spent the 2000 season with the Yokohama BayStars. He was granted free agency again in October 2001, after serving the required time to acquire free agency.

Cleveland Indians
After sitting out the 2002 season due to right elbow surgery, Betancourt signed with the Cleveland Indians as a minor league free agent on February 6, 2003. He began the season with the Double-A Akron Aeros, making 31 appearances and posting a 1.39 ERA, 16 saves and 75 strikeouts in $45 1⁄3$ innings. Betancourt was soon promoted to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, where he recorded one save and a 4.05 ERA in four games. On July 12, the Indians purchased Betancourt's contract, and he made his Major League debut for the Indians the next day against the Chicago White Sox. In the game, he tossed $1 1⁄3$ innings, giving up an earned run while walking one and striking out one. Betancourt pitched in 33 games for the Indians in 2003, going 2–2 with one save and an ERA of 2.13.

In 2004, Betancourt spent the entire season with the Indians, finishing 5–6 with four saves and a 3.92 ERA in 68 relief appearances.

On July 8, 2005, Betancourt became the sixth Major League player to be suspended for testing positive in steroids testing. He went on to appear in 54 games, posting a 4–3 record, one save and a 2.79 ERA.

In 2006, Betancourt's ERA grew a full run higher than his previous season. He finished with a 3–4 record, three saves and a 3.81 ERA in 50 relief appearances. Betancourt's best season was in 2007, as he finished 5–1 with three saves and a 1.47 ERA in 68 relief appearances. He registered career bests in ERA, innings pitched ($79 1⁄3$), WHIP (0.76), and walks allowed (9).

On January 23, 2008, Betancourt signed a new two-year contract with the Indians worth $5.4 million guaranteed. The deal also included a $5 million club option for 2010. His success from 2007 did not carry over to 2008, as he finished 3–4 with four saves and a 5.07 ERA in 69 relief appearances. In 2009, Betancourt began the season 1–2 with one save and a 3.52 ERA in 29 games.

Colorado Rockies
On July 23, 2009, Betancourt was traded to the Colorado Rockies for minor league pitcher Connor Graham. He made 32 relief appearances with the Rockies to finish the season, going 3–1 with one save and a 1.78 ERA. His $5 million club option was declined at the end of the season, making him a free agent. Betancourt qualified as a Type A free agent, and was offered arbitration by the Rockies.

On December 7, 2009, Betancourt accepted the arbitration offer from the Rockies, returning to the team from free agency. In his first full season in Colorado, he finished 5–1 with one save and a 3.61 ERA in 72 games. Betancourt improved on those numbers in 2011, going 2–0 with eight saves and a 2.89 ERA in 68 relief appearances.

After numerous seasons being a set up man, Betancourt was named the Rockies' closer prior to the 2012 season. On January 25, he signed a two-year, $8.5 million contract extension with the Rockies that included an option for 2014. Betancourt saved 31 games as closer, and posted a 1–4 record with a 2.81 ERA in 60 relief appearances.

Betancourt made 32 relief appearances in 2013, going 2–5 with 16 saves and a 4.08 ERA. On August 22, he suffered a season-ending injury to his right elbow. Eight days later, it was announced that Betancourt would undergo Tommy John surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Despite concerns that the injury may end his career, manager Walt Weiss stated that Betancourt would continue pitching. On October 29, the Rockies declined his option for 2014, making him a free agent.

On April 25, 2014, Betancourt signed a new minor league deal with the Rockies. He spent the season rehabbing from surgery and did not make an appearance in the majors.

On January 30, 2015, Betancourt signed a minor league contract to remain with the Rockies. He made his return to the Rockies' bullpen on April 6, tossing a scoreless inning while striking out two in Colorado's 10–0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. On August 23, Betancourt was designated for assignment. At the time, he was 2–4 with one save a 6.18 ERA in 45 relief appearances. Betancourt was released by the Rockies on August 27.

Betancourt announced his retirement from baseball on February 26, 2016.

Pitching style
Betancourt's best pitches were a 90–94 MPH four-seam fastball, and a slider which was often mistakenly called a slurve. He also threw a changeup. Although he was not classified as a strikeout pitcher, Betancourt got more than his share by throwing a significant number of strikes. He was a converted shortstop with a metal plate and six screws in his pitching elbow.

Betancourt was known in some circles for his odd windup. He constantly tapped his foot on the rubber before coming set with a runner on base. He would constantly move his hands around and then tug on his baseball cap (sometimes doing it nine times) prior to throwing the next pitch. This was among the longest windups in the league. There is a rule to avoid unnecessary delays which states that if a pitcher takes at least 12 seconds to deliver a pitch, the pitch is automatically ruled a ball. Betancourt was one of the few pitchers who have had this rule enforced while pitching.

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

title: Rafael Betancourt


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Pelee, Ontario

Pelee Island is an island in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is located in the western half of Lake Erie. At 42 km2, Pelee Island is the largest island in Lake Erie and the southernmost populated point in Canada. An Ontario Historical Plaque was erected by the province to commemorate the development of Pelee Island's role in Ontario's heritage. Nearby Middle Island is the southernmost point of land in Canada.

Due to its southerly location and the moderating effect of Lake Erie, it has a slightly milder climate than inland areas. Its climate is one of the mildest in Canada, and the island has been used for vineyards and wine making since 1860, though local wine making died out in the early twentieth century and was restarted in the 1980s by the Pelee Island Winery. The island is an agricultural-based community, which grows about 5000 acre of soybeans, about 1000 acre of wheat, 500 acre of grapes, and a few hectares of specialty corn.

The island is connected to the Canadian mainland and the United States by ferry service. It is a part of an important flyway for migrating birds between Ohio, the Lake Erie islands and Point Pelee. For many years, the island has hosted a fall pheasant hunt which attracts hunters from Canada, the United States and many other countries. The pheasant hunt brings tourist dollars to Pelee at a time of year when virtually no other activities are available, thus generating important revenue in the offseason.

History
Evidence of occupation by indigenous peoples can be dated back 10,000 years through archaeological evidence of projectiles and ceremonial objects. European settlement of the island began in 1788 when the land was leased to Thomas McKee by the Ojibwa and Odawa tribes. William McCormick bought the island in 1823 and the McCormick family settled permanently in 1834. In addition to subsistence agriculture, the island's lumber, stone quarries, and fishing supported inhabitants. Wine making on Pelee Island began in the 1860s.

Pelee Island features an original 1833 lighthouse that was once used to guide sailors through the rocky Pelee Passage. Lake Erie is full of shipwrecks; Pelee Passage alone contains the remains of at least 15 shipwrecks. One wreck that is particularly close to the island, JJ Carroll, is just 100 ft off the eastern shore of Fish Point.

Pelee was the site of a battle during the Patriot War. The Battle of Pelee Island took place along what is now the Michigan-Ontario border in 1838 involving small groups of men on each side of the border seeking to "liberate" Upper Canada from the British. On February 26, 1838, 300 men captured the island, and on March 3 they were repulsed and either fled the island or were captured.

Climate
Due to its southerly location and the moderating effect of Lake Erie, it has a slightly milder climate than inland areas. Its climate is one of the mildest in Canada outside of British Columbia, and the island has long been used for vineyards and wine making. It has the longest frost free season in Ontario. It lies within the Carolinian forest region. The island has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa) and falls into the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 7a. Winters are cold with a January average of -5.0 C and the average annual snowfall is 76 cm, which falls mainly from November to April. Summers are warm and humid with a July high of 27.5 C and a low of 18.9 C. Temperatures rarely go over 32 C, averaging 4 days per year. Pelee island and Point Pelee receive the fewest days with precipitation in Ontario, averaging 75 days with measurable precipitation, and drought-like conditions occur every 4–5 years. The average annual precipitation is 891 mm which is evenly distributed throughout the year with January and February being the driest months. The record low was -31.5 C on January 20, 1985 and the record high was 41.1 C on July 24, 1934.

Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Pelee had a population of $230$ living in $122$ of its $374$ total private dwellings, a change of NaN% from its 2016 population of $235$. With a land area of 41.03 km2, it had a population density of in 2021.

Tourism
Pelee Island is a popular tourist destination, with thousands of visitors each year. There are several key events such as the Annual Springsong Weekend, a celebration of birds and books, traditionally held on Mother's day weekend, and hosted by famed Canadian author Margaret Atwood. Pelee Island Stone & Sky Music & Art Series feature spoken word, live performance and visual arts weekly for the duration of the summer. The Stone & Sky Farmer's Market is held every Saturday in the Quarry throughout the summer. The southernmost Chili Cook Off takes place at the Pelee Island Winery Pavilion. The season wraps with the Heritage Weekend, hosted by the Pelee Island Heritage Centre.

Canada Day is celebrated on the island with a fireworks display and a parade along the West Shore Road.

The Pelee Island Half Marathon attracts runners from both the United States and Canada to participate in what is billed as Canada's southernmost and most exclusive half-marathon. Only about 350 runners are allowed to register for the race which is held the first weekend in June.

Ecotourism
Pelee Island has features that make it an ecotourist destination. Pelee is the southernmost inhabited part of Canada and is situated on two major migratory bird routes, the Atlantic Flyway and the Mississippi flyway. The island has been designated as a globally Important Bird Area (IBA) by the Canadian partners of BirdLife International: the Canadian Nature Federation (CNF) and Bird Studies Canada (BSC). IBAs are described as “truly outstanding sites of significance nationally or internationally and sites that are exceptionally important for birds”. Every year the return of the migratory birds is celebrated on Pelee with the Annual Springsong Weekend, usually taking place on Mother's Day weekend. Pelee Island Bird Observatory located on the island work to conserve and study birds on the island, and offers visitors the opportunity to take part in tracking, tagging and photographing the wide variety of species present.

Pelee Island is one of Ontario's most botanically significant sites, and features several Nature Conservancy of Canada areas, and two Provincial Nature Reserves, Lighthouse Point Nature Reserve and Fish Point Nature Reserve. Glaciation left a variety of habitats for wildlife, such as wetlands, sand dunes, alvars (areas of limestone with a shallow overburden), and deep soils suitable to the trees of the Eastern Deciduous Forest zone. Pelee Island is home to numerous species at risk including both flora and fauna as well as insects, snails, mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians.

Government
Pelee Island is part of the Township of Pelee which has its own mayor, deputy mayor, and three councillors. It is a separated township, separate from Essex County. The township comprises nine islands, the largest being Pelee Island, and including Middle Island, Middle Sister Island, Hen Island, Big Chicken Island, Little Chicken Island, Chick Island, East Sister Island, and North Harbour Island. The total land area of all islands in the township is 41.84 km2.

Transportation

The island is serviced by two ferries, MV Pelee Islander II and MV Pelee Islander (owned by Pelee Island Transportation Company, a subsidiary of the OSTC). MV Pelee Islander II is the largest passenger ferry along the Lake Erie route to Pelee Island. The leisurely cruise to Pelee Island can range from one-and-a-half to just over two hours depending on departure routes. The ferry service splits the season between Leamington and Kingsville on the Ontario mainland. Leaving from Leamington from early spring until August, the ferry then finishes the season (mid December) in nearby Kingsville. The ferry from Pelee Island to Sandusky, Ohio runs only from late spring until early fall, while Pelee Islander II runs from the Canadian ports of Leamington and/or Kingsville from early spring until early December. When the ferries are not operating, the only practical way to get to the mainland or to Pelee Island is via airplane. In January 2004, a Cessna 208 Caravan crashed on takeoff from Pelee, killing eight pheasant hunters, the pilot and his girlfriend. The plane crashed into the shallow waters of Lake Erie. It is believed the plane was overloaded and potentially ice-laden according to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada report.

The older MV Pelee Islander, which continues to operate, carries 196 passengers and 14 vehicles. MV Upper Canada, which serviced Pelee prior to Jiimaan, was sent to Lake Huron (the people of Christian Island received her for transport to and from the mainland) when Jiimaan began service to Pelee. Pelee Islander was built at Erieau, Ontario in 1960.

In June 2015, the Ontario Government announced that it would invest $40 million in a new ferry, to replace MV Pelee Islander. A tender was awarded to Asenav of Chile to build the replacement ferry, MV Pelee Islander II, which carries 399 passengers and 34 vehicles.

During the winter season (starting December 11 until the start of the ferry the next year) Pelee Island Transportation Company operates an air service to the Pelee Island Airport from Windsor.

Emergency services
There is a medical clinic on the island operated by the Victorian Order of Nurses. This Nursing Station has regular hours of operation during the summer but does not respond to emergencies. In the event of an emergency, visitors or residents of the island are instructed to call 911. Essex-Windsor EMS are on the Island 365 days a year to provide emergency paramedic services. Air Ambulance services are also available to airlift patients to the nearest hospital if necessary.

The Pelee Island Volunteer Fire Department is present on the Island 365 days a year and responds to 911 calls on the Island; the Department is made up of a fire chief, a deputy fire chief, and volunteers.

Police services on the island are provided by the Ontario Provincial Police. Officers are present on the island four days a week during the summer, during the annual pheasant hunt in the fall, and on the long weekend in May. During the winter, police will fly to the island to respond to emergency calls only. There are typically two officers on the island at a time. The OPP detachment is located on the second floor of the municipal building.

Education
Pelee Island has one school which is part of the Greater Essex County District School Board and serves students from Junior Kindergarten through grade 8. Children on the island can choose to attend high school on the mainland or they can complete high school courses online with the assistance of the teachers at Pelee Island Public School. The school has a student population of about 10 to 20 pupils at any given time and a staff of two to three teachers. Classes are held in a traditional three room school house that was built in 1927 and is located at the north west corner of the island. Every year the children of the school raise money for an annual field trip by holding a raffle during the island's fall pheasant hunt.

title: Pelee, Ontario


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Marshall Allen

Marshall Belford Allen (born May 25, 1924) is an American free jazz and avant-garde jazz alto saxophone player. He also performs on flute, oboe, piccolo, and the electronic EWI.

Allen is best known for his work with Sun Ra, having recorded and performed mostly in this context since the late 1950s, and having led The Sun Ra Arkestra since 1995, after Sun Ra's death in 1993 and John Gilmore's death two years later. Critic Jason Ankeny describes Marshall as "one of the most distinctive and original saxophonists of the postwar era."

Early life and military service
Marshall Belford Allen was born in Louisville, Kentucky, United States.

During the Second World War he enlisted in the 92nd Infantry Division, known as the Buffalo Soldiers Division, and was stationed in France. Allen studied alto saxophone in Paris.

Music career
Allen played in Europe with Jazz pianist Art Simmons and Saxophonist James Moody.

Allen is best known for his mastery of explosive, jarring, chaotic sound effects on the alto saxophone. Some have referred to this as a "pyrotechnic" playing style. He has said that he "wanted to play on a broader sound basis rather than on chords" (1971 interview with Tam Fiofori) ). The opportunity came through his long association with Sun Ra, with whom he performed almost exclusively from 1958 to Ra's death in 1993, although he did record outside The Sun Ra Arkestra, with Paul Bley's group in 1964 and Olatunji's group during the mid-1960s. Critic Scott Yanow has described Allen's playing as "Johnny Hodges from another dimension".

After Sun Ra died, first John Gilmore led the Arkestra, then Allen took over as leader. The Arkestra recorded two albums with Allen as their bandleader. In May 2004, Allen celebrated his 80th birthday on stage with the Arkestra, as part of their performance at the Ninth Vision Festival in New York City. Allen gave other performances on his birthday in 2008 at Sullivan Hall and at Iridium Jazz Club in 2018, both in New York City.

Allen often appeared in New York-area collaborations with bassist Henry Grimes, and has also participated in the "Innerzone Orchestra" together with Francisco Mora Catlett, Carl Craig and others in an appreciation of Sun Ra's music. He performed the part of Sun Ra, the Egyptian god, in The Eighth Hour of Amduat, an opera with text from a 5000-year-old book on the sun's nightly journey through the underworld.

Honours and later life
In 2022, a building at 5626 Morton Street known as the Arkestral Institute of Sun Ra was listed as a historic landmark in the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. Allen began living there in 1968.

Marshall turned 100 on May 25, 2024.

Discography

For Recordings With Sun Ra See: Sun Ra

As leader

 * 1998: Mark–n–Marshall: Monday (CIMP)
 * 1998: Mark–n–Marshall: Tuesday (CIMP)
 * 2000: PoZest (CIMP)

As co-leader

 * 2003: The All-Star Game (Eremite) with Hamid Drake, Kidd Jordan, William Parker, and Alan Silva
 * 2003: Opportunities & Advantages (CIMP) with Elliott Levin and the Tyrone Hill Quintet
 * 2005: Ten by Two (Edisun) with Terry Adams
 * 2005: Cosmic Tsunami (Nolabel) with Michael Ray, Toshi Makihara, and Jeffrey Shurdut
 * 2010: Night Logic (RogueArt) with Matthew Shipp and Joe Morris
 * 2011: Vibrations of the Day (Re:konstruKt) with Konstrukt, Hüseyin Ertunç, and Barlas Tan Özemek
 * 2014: Two Stars in the Universe (Little Rocket) with Kash Killion
 * 2019: Ceremonial Healing (RareNoiseRecords) with Danny Ray Thompson, Jamie Saft, Trevor Dunn, Balázs Pándi, and Roswell Rudd
 * 2020: Flow States (ScienSonic) with Roscoe Mitchell, Scott Robinson, and Milford Graves

As sideman

 * With Terry Adams
 * Terrible (New World Records, 1995)

 * With Paul Bley
 * Barrage (ESP-Disk, 1965)

 * With Tyrone Hill
 * Out of the Box (CIMP, 1998)

 * With Medeski, Martin and Wood
 * The Dropper (Blue Note, 2000)

 * With The Muffins and Knoel Scott
 * Loveletter #2 The Ra Sessions (Hobart Films & Records, 2005)

 * With the Odean Pope Trio
 * In This Moment (CIMP, 2016)

 * With Alan Silva
 * H.Con.Res.57/Treasure Box (Eremite, 2003)

 * With Dave Soldier
 * The Eighth Hour of Amduat (Mulatta Records, 2016)

 * With Surrender to the Air
 * Surrender to the Air (Elektra, 1996)

 * With Hawk Tubley & The Airtight Chiefs
 * Cooking With Dynamite! (2011)

title: Marshall Allen


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Waterworld

Waterworld is a 1995 American post-apocalyptic action film directed by Kevin Reynolds and co-written by Peter Rader and David Twohy. It was based on Rader's original 1986 screenplay and stars Kevin Costner, who also produced it with Charles Gordon and John Davis. It was distributed by Universal Pictures.

The setting of the film is in the distant future. The polar ice caps have completely melted, and the sea level has risen over 7600 m, covering nearly all of the land. The plot of the film centers on a nameless antihero, "The Mariner", a drifter who sails the Earth in his trimaran.

The most expensive film ever made at the time, Waterworld was released to mixed reviews from critics, who praised the futuristic setting and premise, but criticized the execution, including the characterization and acting performances. The film also was unable to recoup its massive budget at the box office despite being the ninth highest-grossing film of 1995; however, the film did later become profitable owing to video and other post-cinema sales. The film was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Sound at the 68th Academy Awards.

The film's release was accompanied by a novelization, video games, and four themed attractions at Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Singapore, Universal Studios Japan, and Universal Studios Beijing called Waterworld: A Live Sea War Spectacular, all of which are still running.

Plot
In 2500, as a result of the sea levels rising over 7600 m, every continent on Earth is now underwater. The remains of human civilization live on rugged, floating communities known as atolls, having long forgotten about living on land. It is believed that a mythological "Dryland" exists somewhere in the endless ocean, though some refuse to believe that it does, calling it a myth.

The Mariner, a lone drifter, arrives at an atoll on his trimaran to trade dirt, a rare commodity, for other supplies. When the atoll's residents see that the Mariner is a mutant, with gills and webbed feet, several accost him and he kills one in self-defense. As a result, the Mariner is sentenced to be "recycled" by being drowned in a pit of organic sludge. Before this can happen, however, the atoll is attacked by the Smokers, a gang of pirates seeking a young girl named Enola. According to their leader, the Deacon, she has a map to Dryland tattooed on her back. Enola's guardian, Helen, attempts to escape with her on a gas balloon dirigible created by inventor Gregor, but he accidentally releases it with only himself onboard.

Helen quickly frees the Mariner, on the condition he take both of them with him. The three escape to the open sea aboard the trimaran, escaping the Smokers. Later, when the Smokers send a seaplane to find the Mariner's boat, Helen shoots it with a harpoon. Its cable causes damage to the boat before being severed, causing the Mariner to cut Helen's hair (and later Enola's) as punishment. During their quest, the trio encounter another drifter who is killed by the Mariner after a trade-gone-wrong, as well as a trap set by the Smokers, a mutated shark the Mariner kills for food, and drawings Enola made on the boat with crayons belonging to the Mariner, angering him.

Later, Helen explains that she believes humans once lived on land and demands to know where the Mariner collected his dirt. He takes her in a homemade diving bell to show her the underwater remains of Denver, Colorado and the soil on the ocean's floor, seeming to disprove Helen's belief. When they surface, they find that the Smokers have caught up, threatening to kill them if they do not hand over Enola, who is hiding aboard the boat.

The Smokers abduct Enola and try to kill Helen and the Mariner before the two dive underwater, where the Mariner uses his gills to help Helen breathe. Before the Smokers leave, they set the boat on fire, destroying it. When they surface some time later, Helen and the Mariner discover the floating wreckage of the boat. While looking through it, the Mariner locates some National Geographic magazines and compares their images to Enola's drawings, realizing she was drawing Dryland objects.

Gregor, having followed the boat's smoke in his dirigible, finds Helen and the Mariner and takes them to a new makeshift atoll inhabited by the survivors of the first attack. From there, the Mariner takes a captured Smoker's jet ski to chase down the Deacon at the Smokers' base of operations, the remains of the Exxon Valdez. The Deacon orders the crew to start rowing the "Deez" after bluffingly announcing that he has decoded the map on Enola's back.

With all of the Smokers below deck to row, the Mariner confronts the Deacon, threatening to ignite the oil reserves in the hold unless Enola is returned. The Deacon calls the Mariner's bluff, knowing that it would destroy the ship, but to his surprise, the Mariner drops a flare into the oil reservoir. The ship is engulfed in flames, and begins to sink. The Mariner rescues Enola, escaping via a rope from Gregor's balloon with Helen and the Atoll Enforcer aboard.

The Deacon fires on the balloon, shaking Enola into the ocean. As the Deacon and some of his men converge on her, the Mariner makes an impromptu bungee jump from the balloon to grab Enola right before the Deacon and his men collide on their jet-skis, dying in the resulting explosion.

Gregor later identifies Enola's back tattoo as coordinates with reversed directions. Following the map, the balloon party discover Dryland, covered with vegetation and wildlife. They also find a hut with the remains of Enola's parents. The Mariner, feeling that he does not belong on Dryland, takes an old wooden catamaran from the island and departs, as Helen and Enola bid him farewell.

Production
Writer Peter Rader came up with the idea for Waterworld during a conversation with Brad Krevoy where they discussed creating a Mad Max rip-off. Rader wrote the initial script in 1986 but kept it shelved until 1989. Rader cited Mad Max as a direct inspiration for the film, while also citing various Old Testament stories and the story of Helen of Troy (with the main female character being named Helen in a direct reference). It is also widely believed that inspiration was taken from Freakwave by Peter Milligan and Brendan McCarthy, a "Mad Max goes surfing" comic strip first published by Pacific Comics in Vanguard Illustrated #1-3 (November 1983-March 1984), and continued by Eclipse Comics in Strange Days #1-3 (November 1984-April 1985). McCarthy himself had unsuccessfully tried to sell Freakwave as a movie in the early 1980s; he would go on to co-write Mad Max: Fury Road (2015).

After several rewrites, Kevin Costner and Kevin Reynolds joined the Waterworld production team in 1992. The film marked the fourth collaboration between Costner and Reynolds, who had previously worked together on Fandango (1985), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), and Rapa-Nui (1994), the latter of which Costner co-produced but did not star in. Waterworld was co-written by David Twohy, who cited Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior as a major inspiration. Both films employed Dean Semler as director of photography.

During production, the film was plagued by a series of cost overruns and production setbacks. Universal initially authorized a budget of $100 million, which by mid-1994 had swollen to $135 million, with final costs reaching an estimated $175 million, a record sum for a film production at the time. Filming took place in a large artificial seawater enclosure similar to that used in the film Titanic two years later; it was located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Hawaii. The final scene was filmed in Waipio Valley on the Big Island, also referred to as The Valley of Kings. Additional filming took place in Los Angeles, Huntington Beach, and Santa Catalina Island, and the Channel Islands of California. Before filming began, Steven Spielberg had warned Costner and Reynolds not to film on open water owing to his own production difficulties with Jaws. The production was hampered by difficulties in obtaining otherwise simple shots due to poor weather, safety concerns, and the camera crew being pushed out of position by waves. One of the floating sets sank in heavy seas, and had to be repaired. Eventually the production had to be extended by nearly three months, from 96 days to over 150. The state of Hawaii had more than $35 million added to its economy as a result of the colossal film production.

The production featured different types of personal watercraft, especially Kawasaki jet skis. Kevin Costner was on the set for 157 days, working six days a week. At one point, he nearly died when he got caught in a squall while tied to the mast of his trimaran. Professional surfer Laird Hamilton was Kevin Costner's stunt double for many water scenes. Hamilton commuted to the set via jet ski.

Mark Isham's score, which was not recorded for approximately 25 percent of the film and had only demos completed, was reportedly rejected by Costner because it was "too ethnic and bleak", contrasting with the film's futuristic and adventurous tone; Isham offered to try again but was not given the chance. James Newton Howard was brought in to write the new score. Joss Whedon flew out to the set to do last minute script rewrites and later described it as "seven weeks of hell"; the work boiled down to editing in Costner's ideas without alteration.

Inspired by racing trimarans built by Jeanneau Advanced Technologies' multi-hull division, Lagoon, a custom 60 foot yacht was designed by Marc Van Peteghem and Vincent Lauriot-Prevost and built in France by Lagoon. Two versions were built, a relatively standard racing trimaran for distance shots, and an effects-laden transforming trimaran for closeup shots. The first trimaran was launched on 2 April 1994, and surpassed 30 knot in September of that year. The transforming version was first seen in the film as a sort of raft with a three-bladed egg-beater windmill. When needed, levers could be triggered that would flatten the windmill blades while raising a hidden mast to full racing height. A boom emerged, previously hidden in the hull, and the two sails were automatically unfurled. Once the transformation was complete, this version could actually sail, although not as well as the dedicated racer. The transforming version is in private hands in San Diego, California. For many years, the racing version was kept on a lake at Universal Studios Florida, before being restored for use as a racing trimaran named Loe Real, which was (as of 2012) being offered for sale in San Diego.

Kevin Reynolds quit the film before its release, owing to heated battles with Costner over his creative decisions. Reynolds still received full credit as director. Despite their reported clashes, the director and star reunited almost two decades later for the History Channel miniseries Hatfields & McCoys.

Box office
Because of the runaway costs of the production and its expensive price tag, some critics dubbed it "Fishtar" and "Kevin's Gate", alluding to the flops Ishtar and Heaven's Gate, although the film debuted at the box office at No. 1. For its first weekend, Waterworld collected a total of $21.6 million. With a budget of $172 million (and a total outlay of $235 million once marketing and distribution costs are factored in), the film grossed $88 million at the North American box office. The film did better overseas, with $176 million at the foreign box office, for a worldwide total of $264 million. However, even though this figure surpasses the total costs spent by the studio, it does not take into account the percentage of box office gross that theaters retain, which is generally up to half; but after factoring in home video sales and TV broadcast rights among other revenue streams, Waterworld eventually became profitable.

Critical response
Contemporary reviews for the film were mixed. Roger Ebert gave Waterworld 2.5 stars out of 4 and said: "The cost controversy aside, Waterworld is a decent futuristic action picture with some great sets, some intriguing ideas, and a few images that will stay with me. It could have been more, it could have been better, and it could have made me care about the characters. It's one of those marginal pictures you're not unhappy to have seen, but can't quite recommend." Owen Gleiberman gave it a B in Entertainment Weekly. He commented that while its massive budget had paid off by genuinely creating the sensation of a world built on water, the film generally came off as a second-rate rip-off of The Road Warrior, with weaker, slower-paced action sequences and less startling villains. He praised Costner's performance, but found the film's environmental message pretentious. James Berardinelli of Reelviews Movie Reviews was one of the film's few supporters, calling it "one of Hollywood's most lavish features to date". He wrote: "Although the storyline isn't all that invigorating, the action is, and that's what saves Waterworld. In the tradition of the old Westerns and Mel Gibson's Mad Max flicks, this film provides good escapist fun. Everyone behind the scenes did their part with aplomb, and the result is a feast for the eyes and ears." Mick LaSalle, reviewing the film the week of its release on home video, argued that it did not deserve some of its more negative reviews, since "despite its confused impulses and occasional slow spots, Waterworld... has an elusive, appealing spirit that holds up for more than two hours. It's a genuine vault at greatness that misses the mark -- but survives." He commented that while the film succeeds at its high ambitions for isolated moments, the clash between its earnest ambition and intrusive flashiness makes it generally fall short of its reach.

On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 47% based on 66 reviews, with an average rating of 5.5/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Though it suffered from toxic buzz at the time of its release, Waterworld is ultimately an ambitious misfire: an extravagant sci-fi flick with some decent moments and a lot of silly ones." Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 56 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.

In a 2020 retrospective, Ben Child of The Guardian described it as "a perfectly watchable sci-fi cult classic" that deserves reappraisal. He acknowledged that much of the plot was illogical and absurd and some of the action set-pieces "preposterously ambitious", but argued that both of them offer excitement and B-movie charm.

Cast and director's reception
Kevin Costner said he's very fond of the film: "It stands up as a really exotic, cool movie. I mean, it was flawed — for sure. But, overall, it's a very inventive, cool movie. It's pretty robust." Dennis Hopper also enjoyed it, saying "I thought Waterworld got a bad name for itself in the United States, but it did really well in Europe and Asia. I think the studio sort of shot themselves in the foot by announcing it was so over budget, blah blah blah, it's going to be a failure... All this came out before we released it in the States. But I enjoyed it." In retrospect, Director Kevin Reynolds said: "My own personal take on the picture is that I don't think it's any better, any worse than most summer blockbusters, it's somewhere in the middle. I think yeah, it's certainly got its faults, but I think, you know, on another level I think it works quite well compared to some of the other big films. But by the end, people…they wanted it to be a disaster."

Home media
Waterworld was released on VHS and LaserDisc on January 23, 1996. On September 9, 1997, it debuted on a THX certified widescreen VHS release. The film was then released on DVD on November 1, 1998, on Blu-ray on October 20, 2009, and on 4K Blu-ray on July 9, 2019.

Novelization
A novelization was written by Max Allan Collins and published by Arrow Books. It goes into greater detail regarding the world of the film.

Comic books
A sequel comic book four-issue mini-series entitled Waterworld: Children of Leviathan, drawn by Kevin Kobasic, was released by Acclaim Comics in 1997. Kevin Costner did not permit his likeness to be used for the comics, so the Mariner looks different. The story reveals some of the Mariner's back-story as he gathers clues about where he came from and why he is different. The comic expands on the possible cause of the melting of the polar ice caps and worldwide flood, and introduces a new villain, "Leviathan", who supplied the Deacon's Smoker organization. The comic hints at the possibility that the Mariner's mutation may not be caused by evolution but by genetic engineering and that his origins may be linked to those of the "Sea Eater", the sea monster seen during the fishing scene in the film.

Video games
Video games based on the film were released for the Super NES, Game Boy, Virtual Boy, and PC. There was to be a release for the Genesis, but it was canceled and was only available on the Sega Channel. A Sega Saturn version of the game was also planned, and development was completed, but like its Genesis counterpart it was cancelled prior to release. The Super NES and Game Boy releases were only available in the United Kingdom and Australia. While the Super NES and Virtual Boy versions were released by Ocean Software, the PC version was released by Interplay. The Virtual Boy version of the game was the only movie licensed game for the system.

Pinball
The film was released as a pinball machine in 1995 by Gottlieb Amusements (later Premier, both now defunct).

Theme park attractions
There are attractions at Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Japan, and Universal Studios Singapore based on the film. The show's plot takes place after the film, as Helen returns to the Atoll with proof of Dryland, only to find herself followed by the Deacon, who survived the events of the film. The Mariner arrives after him, defeats the Deacon and takes Helen back to Dryland.

TV series
In July 2021, it was announced Universal Cable Productions was in early development on a follow-up TV series to be directed by Dan Trachtenberg.

title: Waterworld


text:
RAF Burtonwood

Royal Air Force Burtonwood (or RAF Burtonwood) is a former Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Forces base that was located in Burtonwood, 2 mi Northwest of Warrington in Cheshire, England. The base was opened in 1940 in response to World War II by the RAF and in 1942 it was transferred to the United States of America for war operations.

The base was home to 18,000 American servicemen at the end of the war. In 1946 the base was transferred back to the United Kingdom however United States operations continued. The base officially closed in 1991 and since then the runway and most of the associated buildings have been demolished. RAF Burtonwood Heritage Centre was opened on part of the former base and focuses on the lives of the servicemen, the war and the airplanes at the base.

Overview
Burtonwood airfield was opened on 1 January 1940 as a servicing and storage centre for modifying British aircraft. It was operated by No. 37 Maintenance Unit RAF until June 1942.

United States Army Air Forces use
The facility was transferred to the United States Army Air Forces in June 1942 to become a servicing centre for the United States Eighth, Ninth, Twelfth and Fifteenth Air Forces aircraft. Burtonwood was also known as  Base Air Depot 1 (BAD 1), although an RAF presence continued in the form of the RAF Police who maintained security on the site until the mid-1960s.

Burtonwood was the largest airfield in Europe during the war with the most USAAF personnel and aircraft maintenance facilities. The roar of the engines in the test beds could be heard for miles around, especially at night. By the end of the war 18,000 servicemen were stationed at Burtonwood.

According to some sources Burtonwood was placed strategically so that it was out of range of Luftwaffe bombers, but this is not true, as several Nazi air raids were made on the facility. In any case the Luftwaffe bombed Belfast in 1941, which was much further away from Occupied Europe than Burtonwood. During their leave periods, American servicemen from Burtonwood virtually took over the centre of nearby Warrington.

USAAF Station Units assigned to RAF Burtonwood were:
 * 27th Air Transport Group (302d Transport Wing, VIII Air Force Service Command)
 * 310th, 311th, 312th Ferry Squadrons; 320th, 321st Air Transport Squadrons

 * 325th Service Group (US Strategic Air Forces Service Command)
 * 328th, 343d Service Squadron; HHS 325th Service Group

 * 401st Air Depot (US Strategic Air Forces Service Command)
 * HHS 401st Air Depot

 * Base Air Depot 1, US Strategic Air Forces
 * Maintenance Division; Hq, Base Air Depot Area, US Strategic Air Forces

 * 18th Weather Squadron
 * 91st Station Complement Squadron
 * 97th Airdrome Squadron
 * 1518th Quartermaster Battalion
 * 494th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Gun Battalion
 * 1109th Quartermaster Company
 * 1289th and 890th Military Police Companies
 * 1716th Ordnance Medium Maintenance Company
 * 1985th, 2073d, 2097th, 2188th, 2192d, 2194th, 2224th Quartermaster Truck Companies
 * 892nd Signal Depot Company
 * 2000th and 2001st Engineer Fire Fighting Platoons
 * 20th Medical Supply Platoon
 * 14th Veterinary Section
 * 55th Field Hospital

Sub-stations
The USAAF units based here also supported a number of sub-sites spread across the United Kingdom.

United States Air Force use
When hostilities ended, control of Burtonwood was returned to the RAF in June 1946 and became an equipment depot operated by No 276 Maintenance Unit.

In November 1946 six B-29 Superfortress bombers from the USAAF Strategic Air Command 43d Bombardment Group were sent to Burtonwood, and from there to various bases in West Germany as a "training deployment". In May 1947 additional B-29s were deployed to Burtonwood to keep up the presence of a training programme. This so-called training programme was in fact a cover story, intended to conceal their actual mission i.e. to have a strategic air force permanently stationed in Europe. The American presence continued with an echelon of United States Air Force personnel using the facility as a maintenance base for C-54 Skymasters used during the Berlin Airlift.

On 7 November 1953 the USAF 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron began operating from the base flying initially the WB-29 then WB-50D Superfortress, having been transferred from Kindley Field, Bermuda. The squadron was assigned to collecting weather data that was transmitted to weather stations for use in preparing forecasts required for the Air Force Military Air Transport Service (MATS) and the US Weather Bureau. The squadron was transferred to RAF Alconbury in Cambridgeshire on 26 April 1959.

MATS also used Burtonwood as a cargo and passenger transport facility until 1958, when its operations were moved to RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk. Transatlantic transport flights through the base were operated by Douglas C-54, Douglas C-118, Douglas C-124, Douglas C-133 Cargomaster and Lockheed C-130 aircraft. During the 1950s, European-based USAF aircraft were overhauled or modified at Burtonwood, including Republic F-84 Thunderjets, F-84F Thunderstreaks and North American F-86 Sabres.

A small village was built, with its own school and shop, to house the many US servicemen. The buildings were known as "Tobacco Houses", because the lease for the land was paid with American tobacco.

Major USAF use of Burtonwood ended in April 1959 when the flightline was closed although some use of the runway was made by gliders of the RAF Air Training Corps (635 Gliding School ran weekend training throughout the year and longer courses during school holidays). For several years the facility fell into disuse and the USAF returned the station to the Ministry of Defence in 1965. During the 1970s the US Army continued to use Burtonwood for operations of transiting DHC-1 Beavers and there was usually at least one Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopter based there, making regular appearances at Liverpool (Speke) airport in the early 1970s.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the area was used extensively by Territorial Army and Cadet units for training purposes. The site was also used by the MoD for civil contingency and emergency planning exercises, EOD exercises for Police as well as Fire and Rescue training.

In 2009 the final bunkers were demolished. However, the scars of the bunkers and runways can still be seen from the M62 motorway. As of 2015 new construction has obliterated the former traces of the bunkers. One building still remains and is in use (as of 2008) from the former base, the Royal Mail building.

African-Americans based in Burtonwood
There were approximately 46,000 American GIs in Britain during the early 50s, largely based in East Anglia and at Burtonwood. During this period there were growing anxieties about female sexuality, and 'public concern became especially pronounced after the arrival of American troops during the summer and autumn of 1942'. There was increased attention to the behaviour of young girls that would loiter around the army bases like Burtonwood and spend time with the American troops. Illegitimacy rates went up during the war years and there was great social concern about preserving the British national identity. However, this became more of an issue when these young women were involved in relationships with black American soldiers. Women were given the central role and criticised for their sexual impropriety when the soldier was white; however, when the relationship involved an African-American soldier, the blame and criticism was shifted to the man. Women were portrayed as vulnerable to these men and there were social concerns about how "half-caste" babies 'threatened to blur the racial lineaments of British national identity.'

Venessa Baird, born in April 1958 to a Liverpudlian mother and Black GI based at Burtonwood airfield, is one of many mixed-race babies that came of the interracial relationships between British women and African-American troops during World War II. Baird's father did not know about her birth, and her mother's father was extremely disapproving, so Baird's mother and grandmother left Liverpool and moved to Norwich were they had friends in relationships with African American at Lakenheath and Mildenhall. Baird explains how there was a small and accepting community at USAF bases and the women that had met African-American men were good friends and formed a 'large extended family' with their mixed-race children.

United States Army use
The U.S. Department of Defense returned to Burtonwood in 1966 when France withdrew its military support for NATO. Burtonwood was used as a receiving depot for USAF and United States Army equipment and supplies being withdrawn from their former French NATO facilities. Afterwards, the US Army took over the base and renamed it Burtonwood Army Depot.

The Army developed Burtonwood into a storage and forward supply depot operated by the 47th Support Group. The main warehouse was described as the largest building under a single roof in Europe. The idea was that in the event of an emergency, U.S. troops in the USA that were earmarked for NATO service in Europe would fly over and pick up their kit from Burtonwood before going on to the battle front. It was never tested for this eventuality, although the base provided service functions for the 1991 Gulf War.

When the Cold War ended, Burtonwood Army Depot was declared excess to NATO requirements and was closed in June 1994.

Runways
The M62 motorway bisects the airfield in an east–west direction over the former main runway 09/27. Before junction 8 was made, the last part of this runway was still visible, but is now covered by Junction 8. Part of the airfield is also occupied by the motorway Welcome Break Burtonwood service station. The other two runways had orientation 03/21 and 14/32.

Later use
In late 2008 and early 2009 the remaining buildings were demolished over four months (the storage bunkers pictured in this article). This left some of the World War II aircraft hardstands, part of the old airfield perimeter track, and the northwest end of a secondary runway still visible.

During 2016 the rest of the airfield was dismantled and a new industrial estate was built on its former aerodrome. The main road through the new estate is called Skyline Drive.

The Royal Mail building is still in use (as of 2008) and dates back to when it was on the base and having been built prior to 1945. It is the only building left from the base still standing.

RAF Burtonwood Heritage Centre
A museum and heritage centre exists on part of the former site. The centre is located at the Gulliver's World theme park in Warrington.

There are five exhibit areas focussing on the living history of Burtonwood; GI brides; planes of RAF Burtonwood; entertainment and personal stories; and everyday life. The planes exhibited are the B-17 Flying Fortress, P-47 Thunderbolt and the B-29 Super Fortress. There is also a selection of Pratt & Whitney Wasp series engines.

title: RAF Burtonwood


text:
Talk:Variable universal life insurance

Untitled
I hope this page isn't a waste of space .. delete it if it is unhelpable. I started it when trying to figure out what "VUL"s were. Not a whole lot of financial information on the 'pedia y'know. - karlwick 20:10, May 5, 2004 (UTC)

 * No, its a good, needed article. The article should really be at Variable Universal Life Insurance I think, and VUL should be a re-direct to that. I am quite familiar with VUL's and I will write an article on it soon.  Agreed the financial areas are a bit lacking.  What specific topics did you find lacking?  Check List of finance topics first and see if they are already there.  If not, add them as requests on that talk page and I'll see what I can do to write or improve them, if you also do what you can to write the articles you know about. - Taxman 20:27, May 5, 2004 (UTC)

 * Definitely merge, its just a variation in capitalization. Thatcher131 02:04, 13 February 2006 (UTC)

You should not post an article that with a disclaimer on it that Wikipedia doesn't endorse. If you are going to put your credibility on the line, then you should post factual information about the VUL. Your readers are taking this article as fact, when if more of an opion article. Please revise the following section: Criticisms of Variable Universal Life. Although there are criticisms, there are major benefits to the VUL. Each invstor is different and had different needs. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 130.13.81.7 (talk • contribs) 2006-07-19 00:11:40 (UTC)

Recent edits
Pjkundert's recent edits are a problem. One problem is reverting over and over without discussion or much attempt to handle concerns by other editors. Adding references is a good thing, but a few POV websites don't count as reliable references. The other, is the edits represent very little attempt to state things factually and follow the NPOV policy. While there is nothing wrong with dicussing fees and legitimate criticism of policies (some of which was removed in earlier edits and shouldn't have been), the way to solve that is to state facts and balance the article. That doesn't happen by adding biased text in an effort to counterbalance. So please read WP:NPOV and WP:V and discuss instead of repeatedly reverting in your preferred material. - Taxman Talk 17:34, 4 February 2007 (UTC)

This article reads like a sales pitch for VUL. Where is the contrasting view? For example, most people would be better off with term life insurance and a ROTH IRA? There needs to be a more balanced discussion. Particularly when it seems that World Financial Group wants to put polish on thier scam to sell VUL to the world. 97.126.130.198 (talk) 23:24, 10 March 2010 (UTC)

Refuting the facts
The page may have been relevant when written but it is factually incorrect (as a previously licensed seller). See this link, on the State of Colorado website: http://www.dora.state.co.us/Insurance/consumer/2007docs/lifeinsaug2107.htm.

Also: "VULs, as securities, may only be sold in Canada by representatives duly registered with their provincial securities commission to sell mutual funds." This is currently incorrect. A life insurance-licensed representative is not required to hold a mutual fund license or securities license in order to sell this product. Also, the article implies that a VUL is a security. This is also incorrect - it is a life insurance policy and is governed as such under the Insurance Act, regardless of the nature of the underlying holdings. --anon —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.71.131.150 (talk) 07:05, 13 September 2010 (UTC)

title: Talk:Variable universal life insurance


text:
James Shaw Kennedy

General Sir James Shaw Kennedy, (13 October 1788 – 30 May 1865) was a British soldier and military writer.

Personal background
Shaw Kennedy was the son of Captain John Shaw, a former captain in the 76th Highlanders, of Dalton, Kirkcudbrightshire. He was educated at Ayr Academy. He was commissioned into the 43rd (Monmouthshire) Light Infantry in 1805 joining the regiment at Hythe, Kent where it was training under Sir John Moore. He first saw service in the Copenhagen Expedition of 1807 as a lieutenant, and under Sir David Baird took part in the Corunna Campaign. In the retreat from Corunna, led by Sir John Moore, Shaw and the 43rd fought with the rearguard to the army. On his return to England he suffered from a severe fever from which he never fully recovered. In May 1809, Shaw returned to the Peninsula with the 43rd and took part in the 250-mile march from Lisbon to Talavera where he became adjutant of his now famous regiment at the Battle of Talavera.

Military career
As Robert Craufurd's aide-de-camp during 1809 and 1810, Shaw was on the staff of the Light Division at the Coa and the Agueda, and, with William Campbell, prepared and edited the Standing Orders of the Light Division (printed in Home's Précis of Modern Tactics, pp. 257–277). He was wounded at Almeida in 1810, but rejoined Craufurd at the end of 1811 and was with his chief at the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo in January 1812. At the great assault of 19 January, Shaw carried his general, mortally wounded, from the crest of the glacis and later conveyed Wellington's summons to surrender to the French governor. At Badajoz, now once more with the 43rd, he displayed, at the lesser breach, a gallantry which furnished his brother officer William Napier with the theme of one of his most glorious descriptive passages.

At the siege and the Battle of Salamanca, in the retreat from Burgos, Shaw, still a subaltern, distinguished himself and in July 1812, was promoted to captain. At the end of the year, he had to return to England due to ill health. In April 1813, Shaw joined the senior department of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He returned to active service, and at the Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815, he was assistant quartermaster-general with the Third Division of Charles Alten. The Third Division, during the late afternoon of 18 June, had to defend its position against repeated French cavalry charges and Shaw was struck in the side and out of action for a period. During the battle, one of his horses was killed and another wounded under him. Shaw, by his reconnoitring skill and tactical judgment, was of the greatest assistance to Alten and to Wellington, who promoted him brevet major in July, and brevet lieutenant-colonel in January, 1819.

During the occupation of France by the allied army, Shaw was commandant of Calais from 1815 to 1818, and on his return to England, was employed as a staff officer in the north. In this capacity, he was called upon to deal with the Manchester riots of 1819.

Manchester
Shaw was put on half pay 25 March 1817, and was not called back to active service until 1826 when he was appointed assistant adjutant-general in Belfast, but within less than a year he transferred to Manchester where, over the next nine years, he dealt with several outbreaks of civil disorder which had their origins in the widespread dissatisfaction with working conditions.

Royal Irish Constabulary
Shaw in 1829 declined Sir Robert Peel's offer of the position of first commissioner of the newly formed Metropolitan Police. He was inspector-general of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) from 1836 to 1838 during which time he raised and organized a force of 8000 men. Afterwards, Shaw led a retired country life for ten years.

Liverpool and ill health
In 1848, during the Chartist movements, Shaw Kennedy as he was then known (see family below) was called upon to command at Liverpool, and soon afterwards was offered successively a command in Ireland and the governorship of Mauritius. Ill-health compelled him to decline these. A little later he briefly took up an offer of the Scottish command, but was again forced to retire due to ill health. In 1852, Sir William Napier, referring to Shaw Kennedy, said that, "He is, perhaps, with the exception of Lord Seaton, the very ablest officer in the service".

Later years
Shaw Kennedy was promoted to lieutenant-general in June 1854, and in August of the same year, he became colonel of the 47th Foot. He was promoted to full general in August 1862. Shaw Kennedy was appointed C.B. in July 1838, and K.C.B. in 1863. He also held the military general service medal, often known as the Peninsular silver medal, with three clasps and the Waterloo medal.

Shaw Kennedy died in Bath, Somerset on 30 May 1865, following a long-standing liver complaint.

Family
Shaw married Mary Primrose Kennedy of Kirkmichael at Ayr in 1820, with whom he later had one son and two daughters. In 1834, on succeeding, in right of his wife, to the estate of Kirkmichael, he added Kennedy to his surname.

They had three children: Wilhelmina Shaw, who died young; Henrietta Shaw Kennedy, who married Primrose W. Kennedy of Drumellan; John Shaw Kennedy (d 1905), laird of Kirkmichael

title: James Shaw Kennedy


text:
Talk:Iroquois kinship

old talk
This is a great addition (if there is no copyright violation) but I think the chart needs to be modified (and I don't know how to do it). Terms like Uncle, Aunt, and Cousin are really appropriate to Eskimo kinship terminology and just not valid for B-M terminology. I would replace them either with MB, FZ, MBS, MBD, FZS, FZD, or the general word "affine." Slrubenstein

Thanks. I originally created the chart (using Visio - for a class of mine) without using Aunt and Uncle. I added them just before uploading so as to make the chart more clear to western readers. As for the use of "cousin" though, I have been instructed and found in my readings that this is acceptable. While Cross cousins are technically labelled as "Brother" and "Sister", it is extremely confusing to western (and introductory) readers to use the term. Therefore, I labelled them as cousins. For Parallel cousins, I believe you noticed that I did label them as "B" or "Z" in additon to grouping them as parallel. From what I have learned, the use of the term "cousin" is fairly vauge. Specifying parallel or cross clears up this problem though.

I think the article clearly explains the structure, but I could see where someone might misunderstand the chart. Do you think I should edit it to exclude Aunt and Uncle?

FYI, I'm currenly putting together charts (& articles) for all of the other kinship systems. Maclyn611 20:46, 5 May 2004 (UTC)
 * Yeah, I really would edit the chart -- I think unfamiliar terms are less confusing than familiar ones that really aren't accurate. The article is quite good, and perhaps all you'd need to add is some clarification of the terms in the chart.  I still would avoid "cousins" because one of the points of the article is that in B-F terminology there are two different kinds of cousins, cross and parallel.  The chart adequately identifies parallel cousins as siblings, but I think it would still confuse many to call cross cousins simply "cousins."  Slrubenstein

Any suggestions as to how I should label the cross-cousins? Every chart I've seen has them labelled as "Co". BTW, Eskimo kinship is now up. Maclyn611 03:34, 8 May 2004 (UTC)
 * Eskimo kinship looks great, good job. As for cross-cousins here -- well, I would either label them cross-cousins, or (and this is my preference) affine, with a note explaining what affine means (a term for people which is traced genealogically, but which is opposed to "kin" because it signifies people who may be or become related through marriage). Slrubenstein

Contradiction
the fourth sentence in the 'kinship'partagraph contradicts the third. in one you say they're called aunt and uncle;in the next mother- and father-in-law. i must be missing something, but it needs clarification.Toyokuni3 (talk) 14:26, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Genetic benefits
I was trying to see if there was any genetic basis for distinguishing parallel and cross cousins and I noticed that this system seems to guarantee that if you never marry a parallel cousin there is no chance of a child ending up with two copies of the same X-chromosome. This would offer the society good protection against X-linked recessive inheritance. None of the other chromosomes gain this protection because they don't make it externally visible which copy you got from each parent. —dgies tc 02:57, 26 January 2012 (UTC)
 * User:Dgies, That is only true for the mother's side. For the father's side, cross cousins can carry the same X-chromosome, thus, on the father's side, the parallel cousins would be the preferred group to avoid getting two copies of the same X-chromosome. Males act like X filters since theirs only come from their mother, and their sons do not inherit theirs. Their daughter's will inherit their X, but their father's brother's son will not, so their daughter could safely marry their brother's son without worry of duplicate pairs of X-chromosomes. Their sister's children, however, can receive the same X as they have. — al-Shimoni  (talk) 16:43, 28 April 2018 (UTC)

I strongly doubt whether cross-cousin marriage originated or persisted for such reasons. Rather the main reason is unilineal exogamy -- if there are unilineal (either patrilineal or matrilineal) lineages or descent groups in a society, then cross-cousin marriage ensures that the spouses will always belong to two different lineages or descent groups. Cross-cousin marriage is certainly genetically preferable as a long-term practice to the unilineal endogamy (or father's brother's daughter marriage) found in certain Arab or Muslim social groups, but any genetic advantage over the situation when marriage is allowed with anyone but a few close relatives is probably quite small... AnonMoos (talk) 23:57, 29 April 2018 (UTC)

About the "Chinese" Section in This Article
Traditional Han Chinese families are patrilineal. It does not only makes distinctions with both "father and father's brothers" and "mothers and mother's sisters," but also differentiates older brothers and younger brothers no matter it's ego's, ego's father's, or ego's any other patrilineal blood relative's. The Han Chinese family system has no resemblance with the Iroquois system, instead, it should better be classified as Sudanese kinship system.

The section's description is incorrect unless it is actually referring to some Chinese minority peoples' familial system, but then again the description has no citations.

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Move to "iroquois kinship"
I understand that Haudenosaunee is the correct term for the confederacy known also as Iroquois, but per WP:COMMONNAME this article really needs to be located at Iroquois kinship there is a major literature that uses the term Iroquois kinship, and no corresponding literature under this name. Furthermore the term "iroquois kinship" does not refer specifically to the kinship system of the Haudenosaunee people, but to to all kinship systems that use bifurcate merging. ·maunus · snunɐɯ· 17:00, 7 March 2018 (UTC)
 * This ngram pretty much settles the question .·maunus · snunɐɯ· 17:10, 7 March 2018 (UTC)

 * Thanks for handling the situation. I saw the original rename in my watchlist, but didn't really want to deal with it for various reasons (such as that I'm not sure when renaming an article over a redirect requires admin powers, and when it doesn't...) AnonMoos (talk) 23:46, 29 April 2018 (UTC)

Iroquois kinship and bifurcate merging
I don't think that "Iroquois kinship" and "bifurcate merging" are absolute synonyms. "Iroquois" usually refers to terms on the sibling/cousin generation, while (at least in some usages) "bifurcate merging" refers more to the terms on the parental generation. Usually an Iroquois cousin/sibling terminology goes together with a bifurcate merging parent/aunt/uncle terminology, but a few languages have divergences between terminological sub-systems of different generations, and a bifurcate merging terminology on the parental generation also goes together with Crow and Omaha kinship terminologies... AnonMoos (talk) 00:08, 30 April 2018 (UTC)

 * It is true that they are not absolute synonyms since other systems also have the feature "bifurcate merging", but Iroquois is to my knowledge the only system that is also sometimes referred to as "bifurcate merging" instead of "iroquois".·maunus · snunɐɯ· 06:38, 30 April 2018 (UTC)

title: Talk:Iroquois kinship


text:
J-Kwon

Jerrell C. Jones (born March 28, 1986), better known by his stage name J-Kwon, is an American rapper from St. Louis, Missouri. He signed with Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings, an imprint of Arista Records to release his 2004 single "Tipsy," which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. It served as the lead single for his debut studio album Hood Hop (2004), which entered the Billboard 200 at number seven and contained the charting single "You & Me" (featuring Sadiyahh). He departed So So Def after its release, and his subsequent material failed to chart.

Life and career
At age 12, Jones was expelled from his home for allegedly dealing illegal drugs. He slept at his friends' homes and in cars. After winning one rap battle, he suffered a broken jaw from childhood friend Marquise.

J-Kwon first rose to stardom with the single "Tipsy" from his 2004 album Hood Hop, which peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 on April 17, 2004, after 14 weeks on the chart. The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. "Tipsy" also performed well globally, peaking within the top ten of the charts in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Other singles included "You & Me" with Sadiyyah and "Hood Hop."

For the 2005 film XXX: State of the Union, J-Kwon performed the single "Get XXX'd" with Petey Pablo and Ebony Eyez. J-Kwon began working on the follow-up to Hood Hop, Louisville Slugger, that same year. He collaborated with comedian Andy Milonakis in "Like Dis", to promote The Andy Milonakis Show, and appeared on Bow Wow's single "Fresh Azimiz". In 2008, he released a single "Boo Boo" through his own label Hood Hop Music with album Hood Hop 2 following the next year exclusively for digital download. Follow-up Hood Hop 2.5 was released on CD on July 28, 2009. Its first official single was "Louie Bounce (I Smacked Nikki)".

In March 2010, J-Kwon's record label, Gracie Entertainment, said that he had been missing since early February 2010. Later the same month, MTV News reported that he had been in touch with the record label, confirming he was alive and well.

J-Kwon released his fourth studio album on March 23, 2010, entitled J-Kwon.

In June 2013, he made a diss track titled "Pushing the Odds" produced by H Snow Beatz towards Odd Future and Pusha T after previous disses from both.

Discography

 * Hood Hop (2004)
 * Hood Hop 2 (2009)
 * Hood Hop 2.5 (2009)
 * J-Kwon (2010)

title: J-Kwon


text:
Talk:Exxon Valdez

Missing ship
Thought: How can you hide an oil tanker in an undislosed port? I mean, there aren't many things made by man bigger than the Exxon Valdez. -Litefantastic 20:13, 5 May 2004 (UTC)

 * The Great Wall of China? The NASA Vehicle Assembly Building? Perhaps a List of large things made by humans is in order? Mark Richards 20:20, 5 May 2004 (UTC)

 * Maybe there are, and they're hidden. NORAD, for example. Area 51. RealGrouchy 17:07, 10 Dec 2004 (UTC)

 * Area 51 isn't hidden, it's anything but hidden. It's a massive open air testing and development facility for new aircraft, probably the most (in)famous one in the world. I've got a gigantic blown up photograph of the base taken from a satellite... nothing secret or interesting about it other than the related UFO conspiracies.-- ▫Bad▫ harlick♠ 15:58, 29 September 2006 (UTC)

Current Status
The SR mediterranean is still in service. Possibly Middle East to Japan.KAM 17:22, 11 May 2005 (UTC)
 * Are you sure? I had understood it was mothballed off the coast of Africa. Wadsworth 20:06, 21 April 2006 (UTC)
 * S/R Mediterranean was laid up Sept 2002 then reativated in Jan 03. In March 05 it was reflagged to the Marshall Island. KAM 23:43, 21 April 2006 (UTC)

KAM, do you have a source of info you can cite? I was just reading Exxon Valdez and Exxon Valdez oil spill and noticed an inconsistency between them regarding the ship's current status:

Exxon Valdez:
 * In 2002, the ship was removed from service because it was too expensive to operate. It is currently in East Asia.

Exxon Valdez oil spill:
 * It was still sailing as of August 2007.

--Nmagedman (talk) 08:41, 24 August 2008 (UTC)

Amount spilled
Right now, the article states that 30 million gallons were spilled (could this perhaps be restated in metric units?). However, according to a recent news article at http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20060202-1336-wst-tankeraground.html, only 11 millions gallons were spilled. Which is it?
 * It will never be known exactly, but the best estimates say about 30 million. The 11 million figure was reported by Exxon early on, but was based on their estimates of oil pumped from the ruptured tanks. It later turned out that it was mostly seawater that had displaced the oil. The media has latched onto the initial 10.8 million figure, though, so they consistently get it wrong. You can read about it here at http://www.soundtruth.info/sidebar1.htm Wadsworth 20:04, 21 April 2006 (UTC)
 * How would seawater displace oil inside the ship? Oil is lighter then water. Inside a loaded tanker the level of the cargo is higher then the outside sea level. Given calm sea conditions if the hull is holed below the water line the level of the cargo would drop until hydrostatic pressure inside and outside is equal. Most of the oil would remain inside. Also not all the cargo tanks were opened to the sea. It was something like seven out of ten. That web page looks like an ad for a book. KAM 12:50, 22 April 2006 (UTC)
 * Hmm, interesting about the hydrostatic pressure. Makes sense to me. Now that I think about it, the reference to seawater "displacing" the cargo of oil probably came from my own reasoning; it's my own word. I apologize! Also, I didn't intend to make an ad for a book or anything. I did buy a copy of the book when it came out, and read through it. Pretty interesting stuff, if you're into that sort of thing (turns out I wasn't quite as interested as I thought I might have been). What remains is the evidence that the calculations made by Exxon on how much oil spilled are highly suspect, especially considering that nobody would buy the lightered cargo, due to excessive seawater. Wadsworth 23:37, 22 April 2006 (UTC)
 * 1 per cent is considered excessive water for many oil cargos. Riki Ott's main argument is that the tankers used for lightering returned to Valdez with ballast water aboard. Tankers are either laden (loaded) or in ballast. When the load, they discharge ballast, when they discharge cargo, the take on ballast. The amount of ballast required for the ballast voyage is not related to the amount of water in the cargo.There is no relationship between the amount of water in the cargo of the EV and the amount of ballast aboard the returning tankers. Ott claims that the ballast came from the cargo tanks of the EV but has no proof and the claim maks no sense.
 * The amount spilled was determined by two different methods. The amount of cargo removed, and from sounding the tanks while the EV was aground. The amount of cargo remaining aboard during the salvage would of great interest to the salvors trying to refloat a tanker. The web page above simply say that the soundings were in error because of water in the tank. This is a common problem and tankermen and salvors are capable of finding the oil/water interface and determing the amount of oil aboard the ship.
 * Here is an explaination of how most of the cargo would remain in tanks: http://darwin.nap.edu/books/0309043778/html/73.html
 * This is an article from the Anchorage paper summing up the argument that more oil was spilled: http://www.anchoragepress.com/archives-2004/newsvol13ed11.shtml Ott does not show how the oil came out of ship and has no proof the ballast returned to Valdez came from the EV. The amount Exxon uses is also the amount the State of Alaska, NOAA, U.S. Coast Guard and Alaska Dept of Environment and other parties hostile to Exxon use. I think the article should show the 10.8 mg figure unless there is more proof that the State of Alaska is wrong and that the page Ott is using to sell her book is correct. KAM 23:33, 24 April 2006 (UTC)
 * Thanks for your input, especially for the links on hydrostatic pressure, and amount of oil spilled. I especially likes the second article. It should be cited in this article's text. My concern is that your stance doesn't match what is presented in the article, by a long shot. For example, you said that finding the interface between oil and water is easy. But contrast that with this sentence from the article you referenced:
 * “It is always difficult, even in ideal situations to differentiate between emulsified oil and water, and oil, and in this case very large quantities of water was apparently measured as oil."
 * The article cites experts as saying that a minimum of 25 million gallons spilled. It also says that Exxon as stood by it's numbers. It seems to conclude that the issue has never resolved.
 * I will look at the text of the article, and see if an adjustment to the wording should be made. I will certainly cite the reference you so helpfully supplied. Wadsworth 17:09, 25 April 2006 (UTC)

Page is inconsistent about the volume of the spill. Working on the basis that a barrel is 159 ltr "spilling millions of barrels" = few times 159e6 ltr "The size of the spill is estimated to have been 40,900 to 120,000 m3" = 41e6 - 120e6 ltr "or 257,000 to 750,000 barrels" = 41-120e6 ltr

Renaming?
I read somewhere that the Valdez was renamed upon its reactivation. Can anyone confirm? SteelyDave 03:37, 24 March 2006 (UTC)

Google "S/R Mediterranean" Marshall Islands, you will get a some trade news type articles. KAM 15:35, 28 April 2006 (UTC)

should be called "the ship in waterworld"

Prohibited by law from entering PWS...
...is that because it belongs to a specific class of ships, or was that specific ship explicitly banned? If so, by who? Thanx 68.39.174.238 09:06, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

 * I believe it is because the ship does not comply with the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90), not because of any bias against the ship.Offshore1 03:08, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

 * 1990 Oil Pollution Act prohibits any ship from operating in the sound if it has spilt more than one million gallons of oil. The sister ships to the Valdez are allowed. KAM 13:27, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

 * Thanks -- I learned something today! Offshore1 15:03, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Made improvements
I've made a few improvements to the article. I changed some stuff to read in past tense, and just now realised that it was probably a bad idea, since the ship still exists, it just operates under a different name. I'll go back and correct this.-- ▫Bad▫ harlick♠ 15:55, 29 September 2006 (UTC)

Hazelwood Information
Someone with an interest may want to reconcile the information on this page about Joseph Hazelwood (the Captain) with the information presented on his own page, as they're quite different and even contradictory. Azazelx 17:51, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

Fine
Exxon was levied a fine for all this, how much was it? kpturvey 7:52, 13 September 2007 (EST)

Exxon spent some 2.2 billion dollars cleaning up the affected areas, don't know how much the fine was though.--64.230.94.27 02:15, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

 * "In settlement of civil charges, Exxon would pay the State of Alaska and the United States $900 million over a 10-year period. The money would be used for restoration and administered by six government trustees; three federal, three state. In settlement of criminal charges, Exxon would pay a fine of $250 million. Two restitution funds of $50 million each were established, one under state control and one under federal authority. Against strong opposition from many Alaskans, $125 million of the balance was forgiven, owing to Exxon's cooperation during the cleanup, and upgraded safety procedures to prevent a reoccurrence. The remaining $50 million was divided between the Victims of Crime Act account ($13 million) and the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund ($12 million). On September 16, 1994, a jury in federal court returned a $5 billion punitive damages verdict against Exxon. The company appealed several times, and in November 2001, the verdict was overturned by a panel of the Ninth Circuit Court." http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h2405.html] Hope that helps. NinjaKid (talk) 11:00, 29 July 2008 HI

Sold For Scrap
http://today.seattletimes.com/2012/03/exxon-valdez-sold-for-scrap/ — Preceding unsigned comment added by 132.3.65.68 (talk) 22:05, 20 March 2012 (UTC)

Should This Article Continue?
Although, as indicated by the above post, the ship has been sold for scrap, it would seem that the saga continues. As of May 10, 2012, the ship has been denied entry into India where it was to be broken up for scrap and I'm wondering if the article should be expanded to account for the additional information. Does it detract from the value of the article (which seems a might unfinished as currently presented) to include more detail on the history of the ship? How much detail is too much detail for an encyclopedic article? These are genuine questions... NorthCoastReader (talk) 01:35, 11 May 2012 (UTC)

 * Very well, then. The matter has been settled and reported in the article.  NorthCoastReader (talk) 00:45, 15 August 2012 (UTC)

Remaining oil
"As of 2010 there are an estimated 23,000 US gallons (87 m3) of Valdez crude oil still in Alaska's sand and soil." This doesn't belong in the litigation section, probably it belongs in the Spill article. Rich Farmbrough, 21:01, 9 January 2013 (UTC).

As of 2010 there are an estimated 23000 USgal of Valdez crude oil still in Alaska's sand and soil.

removed form this article. Rich Farmbrough, 21:21, 9 January 2013 (UTC).

Worth keeping updated until the end
Until the ship's fate is sealed I believe the information should be updated. Although its location is unlikely to change, finally having been beached, I would still like it updated until the dismantling is documented and listed here. Ongoing updates should not be stopped until then. Ebdonaldson (talk) 04:56, 31 July 2013 (UTC)

"Waterworld Usage"
Hello! I agree with KAM. There should be a reference to how it was used as the Smokers' base in the movie, "Waterworld". I thought that there used to be such a reference here. So, where did it go? Why was it removed if it used to exist? Other ships, that appear in movies, get a reference in their respective articles. So why not this ship? LeoStarDragon1 (talk) 08:39, 25 March 2014 (UTC)
 * I agree. It's trivia, and trivia isn't encouraged in Wikipedia, but a brief mention is warranted. --Ef80 (talk) 23:34, 28 March 2014 (UTC)

 * Popular culture headings are found in many Wikipedia articles, and the Valdez spill was a high-profile event in our culture, making the Exxon Valdez a cultural symbol for Corporate disregard of Environmental issues, hence the reference in Waterworld, which seems to me a bit more relevant than simple trivia. I think it should be included.
 * Ernest Ruger (talk) 23:50, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

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Pronunciation
How come it is often pronounced 'valdeez' instead of the spanish way? KhlavKhalash (talk) 15:50, 22 January 2023 (UTC)

title: Talk:Exxon Valdez