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Prague Castle

Prague Castle (Pražský hrad; ) is a castle complex in Prague, Czech Republic serving as the official residence and workplace of the president of the Czech Republic. Built in the 9th century, the castle has long served as the seat of power for kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman emperors, and presidents of Czechoslovakia. As such, the term "Prague Castle" or simply the "Castle" or "the Hrad" are often used as metonymy for the president and his staff and advisors. The Bohemian Crown Jewels are kept within a hidden room inside it.

According to the Guinness Book of Records, Prague Castle is the largest ancient castle in the world, occupying an area of almost 70000 m2, at about 570 m in length and an average of about 130 m wide. The castle is among the most visited tourist attractions in Prague, attracting over 1.8 million visitors annually.

Přemyslid fort
The history of the castle began in 870 when its first walled building, the Church of the Virgin Mary, was built. The Basilica of Saint George and the Basilica of St. Vitus were founded under the reign of Vratislaus I, Duke of Bohemia and his son St. Wenceslaus in the first half of the 10th century.

The first convent in Bohemia was founded in the castle, next to the church of St. George. A Romanesque palace was erected here during the 12th century.

Several 13th-century Venetian coins found there were studied by the numismatist Zdenka Nemeškalová-Jiroudková.

Medieval castle
King Ottokar II of Bohemia improved fortifications and rebuilt the royal palace for the purposes of representation and housing. In the 14th century, under the reign of Charles IV the royal palace was rebuilt in Gothic style and the castle fortifications were strengthened. In place of the rotunda and basilica of St. Vitus, building began of a vast Gothic church, that were completed almost six centuries later.

During the Hussite Wars and the following decades, the castle was not inhabited. In 1485, King Vladislaus II Jagiellon began to rebuild the castle. The massive Vladislav Hall (built by Benedikt Rejt) was added to the Royal Palace. New defence towers were also built on the north side of the castle.

A large fire in 1541 destroyed large parts of the castle. Under the Habsburgs, some new buildings in Renaissance style were added. Ferdinand I built the Belvedere as a summer palace for his wife Anne. Rudolph II used Prague Castle as his main residence. He founded the northern wing of the palace, with the Spanish Hall, where his precious art collections were exhibited.

The Third Defenestration of Prague in 1618 took place at the castle which kick-started the Bohemian Revolt. During the subsequent wars, the castle was damaged and dilapidated. Many works from the collection of Rudolph II were looted by Swedes in 1648 during the Battle of Prague (1648) which was the final act of the Thirty Years' War.

The last major rebuilding of the castle was carried out by Empress Maria Theresa in the second half of the 18th century. Following the abdication of Ferdinand I, in 1848, and the succession of his nephew, Franz Joseph, to the throne, the former emperor, Ferdinand I, made Prague Castle his home.

Presidential residence
In 1918, the castle became the seat of the president of the new Czechoslovak Republic, Tomáš Masaryk. The New Royal Palace and the gardens were renovated by Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik. In this period the St. Vitus Cathedral was finished on 28 September 1929. Renovations continued in 1936 under Plečnik's successor Pavel Janák.

On 15 March 1939, shortly after Nazi Germany forced Czech President Emil Hácha (who suffered a heart attack during the negotiations) to hand his nation over to the Germans, Adolf Hitler spent a night in the Prague Castle, "proudly surveying his new possession." During the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia in World War II, Prague Castle became the headquarters of Reinhard Heydrich, the Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia. According to a popular rumor, he is said to have placed the Bohemian crown on his head; old legends say a usurper who places the crown on his head is doomed to die within a year. Less than a year after assuming power, on 27 May 1942, Heydrich was ambushed during Operation Anthropoid, by British-trained Slovak and Czech resistance soldiers while on his way to the Castle, and died of his wounds, which became infected, a week later. Klaus, his firstborn son, died the next year in a traffic accident, also in line with the legend.

After the liberation of Czechoslovakia and the coup in 1948, the Castle housed the offices of the communist Czechoslovak government. After Czechoslovakia split in 1993 into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the castle became the seat of the Head of State of the new Czech Republic. Similar to what Masaryk did with Plečnik, president Václav Havel commissioned Bořek Šípek to be the architect of post-communist improvements for Prague Castle, in particular of the facelift of the castle's gallery of paintings.

Architectural styles of Prague Castle
Prague Castle's architecture is a unique blend of styles from different periods, reflecting its long and complex history. The castle buildings represent many of the architectural styles of the last millennium. Prague Castle includes Gothic St. Vitus Cathedral, Romanesque Basilica of St. George, a monastery and several palaces, gardens and defense towers. Most of the castle areas are open to tourists. The castle houses several museums, including the National Gallery collection of Bohemian baroque and mannerist art, exhibition dedicated to Czech history, Toy Museum and the picture gallery of Prague Castle, based on the collection of Rudolph II. The Summer Shakespeare Festival regularly takes place in the courtyard of Burgrave Palace.

The neighborhood around Prague Castle is called Hradčany.

Churches

 * Katedrála svatého Víta, Václava a Vojtěcha (St. Vitus Cathedral)
 * Bazilika svatého Jiří (St. George's Basilica, Prague) and Klášter svatého Jiří (St. George's Convent, Prague), it is the oldest surviving church building within Prague Castle.
 * Chrám Všech svatých (All Saints Church)
 * Kaple svatého Kříže (Holy Cross Chapel)

Palaces

 * Starý královský palác (Old Royal Palace)
 * Letohrádek královny Anny (Queen Anne's Summer Palace, better known as the Belvedere)
 * Lobkovický palác (Lobkowicz Palace, not to be confused with the German embassy in Malá Strana)
 * Nový královský palác (New Royal Palace (Prague))

Halls

 * Sloupová síň (Column Hall)
 * Španělský sál (Spanish Hall)
 * Rudolfova galerie (Rudolph's Gallery)
 * Rothmayerův sál (Rothmayer's Hall)
 * Vladislavský sál (Vladislav Hall)

Towers

 * Bílá věž (White Tower (Prague Castle))
 * Černá věž (Black Tower (Prague Castle))
 * Daliborka (Dalibor Tower)
 * Prašná věž or Mihulka (Mihulka)

Other buildings

 * Zlatá ulička (Golden Lane)
 * Staré purkrabství (Old Supreme Burgrave's House )
 * Míčovna (Ball Game Hall)
 * Jízdárna Pražského hradu (Riding School)
 * Staré proboštství (Old Provost Residence )
 * Nové proboštství (New Provost Residence)
 * Obrazárna Pražského hradu (Picture Gallery of the Prague Castle)
 * Konírna Pražského hradu (stable)
 * Prašný most (Powder Bridge)

Gardens

 * Královská zahrada (Royal Garden of Prague Castle)
 * Oranžérie (Orangery)
 * Zahrada na terase Jízdárny (Riding School Terrace Garden)
 * Zahrada Na Baště (The Garden on the Bastion)
 * Jižní zahrady (South Gardens)
 * Rajská zahrada (Paradise Garden (Prague Castle))
 * Zahrada Na Valech (Garden on the Ramparts)
 * Hartigovská zahrada (The Hartig Garden)
 * Jelení příkop (Deer Moat)
 * Svatováclavská vinice (St. Wenceslas vineyard)
 * Produkční zahrady Pražského hradu (Horticultural Gardens)

Structures

 * Kohlova kašna (Kohl's Fountain)
 * Matyášova brána (Matthias Gate)
 * Prague Castle Obelisk
 * Socha svatého Jiří (Statue of Saint George)

title: Prague Castle


text:
Talk:Blue Dog Coalition

"who identify as fiscally responsible and centrist"
Is that NPOV? It seems to call the non-blue non-dog Democrats "fiscally irresponsible". --Hob Gadling (talk) 15:50, 11 November 2020 (UTC)
 * The article is reporting their own description of themselves, rather than claiming that they are fiscally responsible, so I think it meets NPOV rules. But as a self-description, its a vague and unhelpful one: either as you say, an accusation by implication that other factions are fiscally irresponsible, or just a meaningless platitude that everyone would claim.  (Ditto for the other claims on their website of "commonsense solutions to practical problems" and "dedicated to the financial stability and national security of the country").  As such, I think the article could benefit from more details about what they actually advocate and what they have actually done.  Iapetus (talk) 11:14, 4 January 2021 (UTC)

Continued vandalism by User talk:Toa Nidhiki05
This user has been sitting on this page for five+ years on the insistence that the blue dog democrats contain center-left tendencies, all because he found *two Politico articles by the same person* that claim such. The user is incapable of pointing out what exactly is leftward leaning about any politician mentioned in the sources he is using, and meekly defers to them seemingly without much awareness as to the matter at hand. The idea that a conservative coalition within a centrist party, which for the last four years has been fighting off leftists as if it considers them a disease, could be considered left-leaning is absolutely absurd.

I wonder why the perspective of a single conservative, against many others who disagree, should have the authority to define what center-left tendencies are if he can't even point them out when asked. Why is this individual so concerned with narrative control over a faction of a party that he isn't part of? In the political world the blue dogs are overwhelmingly known as a conservative faction, including by conservatives, so why must everyone else reading the article be subjected to this one user's bias?

"Shifted left"
The source does not say the Blue Dogs shifted left. It says that the center has shifted left, and that the Blue Dogs have more socially liberal views. The Blue Dogs AFAIK have not shifted left at all on economic issues or foreign policy. Right now, the text inappropriately implies that they shifted left overall. The source does not say that. Also, it's much too much weight on a single source to state this interpretation. The article has a more nuanced point than the one being used: ''Some observers say this shows that the coalition, like the party, is drifting away from the center. The Blue Dogs may have regained some influence after 2018, but it’s hard to imagine the trend of polarization reversing itself. “They make a stylistically moderate point,” says Danielle Thomsen, a visiting scholar in politics at Princeton University and author of a book on the political center. But from the policy side, she says, “the actual demands that they’re trying to make might not differ so much from the party mainstream.” Progressives like Mr. Lawson disagree; he says many Blue Dogs today use socially liberal views to win support from Democratic voters, despite the fact that on economic matters they represent corporate interests. He says the coalition wrongly identifies the political center as a place where Wall Street gets a bigger piece than Main Street. “It’s ‘fiscal responsibility’ that happens to hurt the people,” he says.'' Andre🚐 18:54, 20 August 2022 (UTC)
 * Sources are pretty unequivocal that they've shifted left and align more with baseline Democratic policies. The fact that progressives dislike Democrats that aren't progressives and feel that liberals and moderates are too corporate isn't especially notable here. Toa Nidhiki05 18:57, 20 August 2022 (UTC)
 * That's not the case, and it doesn't address the argument. You have one source which has a nuanced take that says the Blue Dogs have adopted more socially liberal views. However their economic views and foreign policy have remained the same. The source given does not even say the Blue Dogs shifted left - it says the center shifted left. Andre🚐 18:59, 20 August 2022 (UTC)
 * It's not just one source. This one WaPo one, for example. Toa Nidhiki05 21:03, 20 August 2022 (UTC)
 * A point-in-time analysis from 2018 that is already out of date, once again overindexing on a recentism horserace analysis and ignoring a longer view. But regardless, it also states in the same Wapo article: "These Democrats are resisting the push to use the new majority to advance the most ambitious liberal agenda", again pointing out that they are not as left as the mainstream caucus. There is other research showing that the Blue Dogs move left at a slower rate than the party or the country. See this research from 2010 for example: "The two-sample t-test below shows the relationship between the slight liberal shift and membership in the Blue Dog Coalition. Both groups, over the 104th -110th Congress period do move left on average, but Blue Dogs move less to the left than the rest of their party. Again, our significance level fails to meet the threshold required to rule out chance results"  This article from Bloomberg Government explains it's a perception and that the Blue Dogs are fighting a tide:  "Blue Dog co-chair Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.) said it’s become harder for moderate voices in the party to break through the perception in the electorate that Democrats have moved further to the left." Andre🚐 21:10, 20 August 2022 (UTC)
 * Saying sources from the last few years are outdated while trying to pass off a source from 2010 as better is many things, but a serious argument isn't one of them. Toa Nidhiki05 21:44, 20 August 2022 (UTC)
 * Of course it is a serious argument. The 2010 source is an academic study, while the 2018 source is a Wapo "analysis," borderline editorial. Here's another explanation of the effect: 'ideologically extreme and moderate candidate are now roughly equally likely to be elected to Congress' -Utych, S. M. (2020). Man Bites Blue Dog: Are Moderates Really More Electable than Ideologues? Journal of Politics, 82(1), 392–396. https://doi.org/10.1086/706054 And just to be clear I'm not saying Wapo is unreliable or not to use it. It should be used but it needs to be balanced with progressive views and other views.Andre🚐 21:46, 20 August 2022 (UTC)
 * Progressive views are not worth noting here. Progressives dislike any Democrats to their right, which is most Democrats; frankly, their opinion doesn't matter. Toa Nidhiki05 21:54, 20 August 2022 (UTC)
 * Progressive and moderate wings of the party both have perspectives on whether the party has moved left or had moved right. For NPOV we need to balance all the views. Your claim that the only view that matters is that conservative Dems think the party is too far left is not NPOV. And it's too much weight on a couple of cherry-picked sources. Andre🚐 22:01, 20 August 2022 (UTC)
 * I agree with Toa Nidhiki05. The current Blue Dog is not conservative at all. The center-right should be confined to its historical political position. Mureungdowon (talk) 03:33, 7 November 2022 (UTC)
 * That's an opinion. The recent edits removing center-right should be reversed. Blue Dogs are center to center-right based on RS Andre🚐 16:27, 19 December 2022 (UTC)
 * I have reversed those edits, as there is no consensus for them, as the editor who made them knows full well. Beyond My Ken (talk) 17:00, 19 December 2022 (UTC)

Re: How to Read (Interpret & UNDERSTAND!) the Blue- Dog Seat Chart in Congress
Hello,

I am NOT sure WHO it is (which names/addigend "authority") to turn to in order to provide me with some explanation as to how to read & understand the chart listed/posted on this page!

In your chart, you have 2 columns: one entitled: Democratic Seats & the other, entitled: Seats both of which show a certain value/number of a general number. So, thinking that the Bule-DOg Coalition is a part of teh Democratic party, which values refer to/reflect the count of soley that coalition (as carved out & separate from teh entire democratic party). The way it is presented here to me is truly unclear/confusing (challenging to my understanding...).Is thee a way to improve this presentation to ensure betetr clarity-or, if there isn;t, can anyone then, CLARIFY this to me, personally/individually, pretty please ? ! :) AK63 (talk)

"Toa Nidhiki05"s vandalism
User "Toa Nidhiki05" continues to vandalize the page and discourage any facts that dont agree with their opinions when it comes to the Blue Dogs idelogical positioning. It is abundantly clear that this individual has some personal reason to hope to regulate the already known public perception of the Blue Dog Coalition. As pointed out by other users in the talk section. You continually avoid discussion because you are clearly adding your own opinion through the veil of two politico editorial pieces written by the same person, and a brand new Hill article you conjured up. The correct political position is "Center". Minnesotawaterballer (talk) 03:10, 20 May 2024 (UTC)

 * @Minnesotawaterballer If so, why have you not added reliable souroces to support the claim? This administrator does not see any bad-faith editing by Toa Nidhiki05. —C.Fred (talk) 03:35, 20 May 2024 (UTC)
 * Blue Dog Coalition condemn Biden's "Open Border Policy."
 * Blue Dog Dems official platform - BLUE DOG PAC "
 * -"Currently, the Blue Dog Coalition is comprised of moderate, fiscally-responsible Democrats who represent every corner of the country and continue to work to end the divisive and toxic nature of politics today. They have a long history of working with members of both parties to find areas of compromise and to advance public policies that benefit the entire nation."
 * This user has been sitting on this page for 5+ years insisting on it. His sources are opinion articles which do not official platform or policy. It appears to me as other users that they're inserting their own opinion. Minnesotawaterballer (talk) 22:51, 28 May 2024 (UTC)
 * "Dwindling Blue Dog Democrats look to make comeback for Moderates"
 * This is undoubtedly the most conservative faction of Democrats in the House. Referring to the the page for the national Democratic Party Displays "Center - Center Left".
 * The definition "Center-Left" clearly doesn't apply to conservative Democratic Party members and even though it was the ideology listed for years, I believe the admin should correct it as multiple users on the talk page have pointed out. Minnesotawaterballer (talk) 22:58, 28 May 2024 (UTC)
 * The term Center-left is backed by two reliable sources. Removing it because you personally disagree is not in keeping with our policies. Toa Nidhiki05 23:35, 28 May 2024 (UTC)
 * Would admin, "C.Fred" please ask why this user can only react with the same statement. Your sources are not "reliable" and you provide no evidence other than a blank statement after I provided numerous direct reliable sources including direct policy statemnts rather than politico opinion articles. Minnesotawaterballer (talk) 23:49, 28 May 2024 (UTC)
 * @Minnesotawaterballer I'm going to ask again: what reliable sources do you have to say they aren't center-left? Self-published sources are normally disregarded in these instances, and Fox News is not a reliable source for matters related to politics. —C.Fred (talk) 23:58, 28 May 2024 (UTC)
 * https://rollcall.com/2023/06/22/waning-blue-dogs-eschew-branding-in-favor-of-taking-down-weirdos/
 * “I hate to even have to address that stuff you’re trying to bring up. I really do, because I never thought about that stuff when I chose to join the Blue Dogs,” said Rep. Jared Golden, the third-term Maine representative who last month was named one of three co-chairs of the centrist caucus of House Democrats.
 * https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2019/0604/Centrist-Democrats-are-back.-But-these-are-not-your-father-s-Blue-Dogs
 * "Back in 2009, (blue dogs) had urged changes to the Affordable Care Act that some in the party say watered down President Barack Obama’s signature bill." Minnesotawaterballer (talk) 00:08, 29 May 2024 (UTC)
 * Given Roll Call's reputation, that source has some merit. It's also a 2023 story. —C.Fred (talk) 00:17, 29 May 2024 (UTC)
 * And looking at what's in the article currently, Politico calls the Blue Dogs center-left, but that's also in a story from 2018. Morning Consult is paywalled, so I can't read what it says.
 * Are you familiar enough with that source to know what it says about the Blue Dogs, and in what context? —C.Fred (talk) 00:23, 29 May 2024 (UTC)
 * Here's the web archive version, : "Still, Democratic strategists and some members of center-left organizations, such as the Blue Dog Coalition and Third Way, worry that the gradual decline in support visible in a national poll reflects a hesitancy from moderate voters concentrated in vulnerable swing districts."
 * It's worth noting - none of what is saying contradicts them also existing on the center-left. In fact, the Roll Call piece only uses the term "centrist" once and the term "center" twice - one of those is a Blue Dog describing himself. Obviously we can't deem to be an authoritative source on their ideology, but it doesn't contradict the fact reliable sources have described them as both. Toa Nidhiki05 00:30, 29 May 2024 (UTC)
 * https://prospect.org/politics/2024-05-03-house-leaderships-support-henry-cuellar/
 * "a Blue Dog who voted against Democratic priorities on several occasions, across the finish line." - Blue Dog leadership. Minnesotawaterballer (talk) 00:10, 29 May 2024 (UTC)

 * Looking at the article and the discussion, here is what I see.
 * In contradiction to the title of this section, has edited in good faith in restoring sourced material to the article.
 * As is demonstrated in the sources, third parties have identified the Blue Dog Coalition as both center and center-left.
 * The status-quo version of the article has both labels, so the burden of sourcing is on to present third-party sources that talk about the Blue Dogs' move (back) toward the right, if they seek to have the center-left label removed entirely.
 * Any such change will be achieved only through discussion here and reaching consensus.
 * To that end, is reminded to remain civil toward other editors generally and participants in discussion here specifically. Drawing conclusions about other editors' political leanings could be viewed through a number of negative lenses, and when comments to that end are made in attempts to canvass for discussions here or at noticeboards, they could be seen to be personal attacks] and sanctionable.
 * All participants are generally reminded that post-1992 US politics is a contentious topic.
 * Since this is ultimately a content dispute, the venue for seeking outside assistance is either to request a third opinion or make a request for comment.
 * —C.Fred (talk) 02:50, 29 May 2024 (UTC)

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

title: Talk:Blue Dog Coalition


text:
Archer (tank destroyer)

The Self Propelled 17pdr, Valentine, Mk I, Archer was a British tank destroyer of the Second World War based on the Valentine infantry tank chassis fitted with an Ordnance QF 17 pounder gun. Designed and manufactured by Vickers-Armstrongs, 655 were produced between March 1943 and May 1945. It was used in north-west Europe and Italy during the war; post-war, it served with the Egyptian Army. This vehicle was unusual in that its gun faced the rear of the chassis instead of the front.

Design and development
The 17 pounder anti-tank gun was very powerful but also very large and heavy and could be moved about the battlefield only by a vehicle, which made the gun more effective in defence than in the attack. A variant of the Churchill tank had been built in 1942 as a self-propelled gun—the "3-inch Gun Carrier"—and the US was expected to be able to provide the 76 mm armed M10 tank destroyer through Lend-lease. Other projects were considered using obsolete tank chassis, including the Valentine for its reliability and low profile and the Crusader for its good power-to-weight ratio. In development were tank designs using the 17-pounder, which led to the Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger tank (and its post-war variant the Avenger SP gun) derived from the Cromwell cruiser tank and the Sherman Firefly conversion of the Sherman tank.

The Valentine chassis was soon chosen, as it was in production but obsolescent for British use and was also one of the few chassis that could accommodate such a large gun. The engine in the Archer had a higher power rating than in the Valentine. Since the Valentine had a small hull and it was not possible to use a turret, the gun was mounted in a simple, low, open-topped armoured box, very much like the early Panzerjäger German self-propelled guns in appearance, with the gun facing to the rear, which kept the length of the Archer short. The mounting allowed for 11 degrees of traverse to either side, with elevation from -7.5 to +15 degrees.

On firing, the gun breech recoiled just shy of the driver's space, with the driver staying in position, in case the vehicle needed to move quickly. The rear mounting combined with its low silhouette made the Archer an excellent ambush weapon, allowing its crew to fire, then drive away without turning round. The first prototype was completed in 1943, with firing trials carried out in April 1943. Vickers were given orders for 800 vehicles.

Service

Production started in mid-1943 and the Archer entered service in October 1944. It was used in North-West Europe and (in 1945) in Italy. By the end of the war, 655 of them had been produced.

Under military doctrines prevalent in Commonwealth armies at the time, vehicles such as the Archer were "self-propelled anti-tank guns" and operated by the Royal Artillery (RA), rather than Royal Armoured Corps (RAC). This was the same for two vehicles of US origin, that were initially conceived as "tank destroyers" though not used as such by the British: the 3 in. Self-Propelled Mount M10 and 17 pdr Self-Propelled Achilles.)

Post-war, the Egyptian Army received 200 ex-British Archers after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Some were successfully used against Israeli armour in 1956. The Archer served with some units of the Royal Armoured Corps in the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) in the early 1950s.

Jordanian Arab Legion and National Guard were supplied with 36 ex-British Archers in 1952.

Surviving vehicles
Surviving vehicles are preserved at
 * Yad La-Shiryon museum in Latrun
 * National War and Resistance Museum, Overloon in the Netherlands
 * The Tank Museum in the UK
 * The Wheatcroft Collection in the UK, awaiting restoration
 * Cavalry Tank Museum, Ahmednagar, India. One Archer with a short-barrelled gun minus gun mantlet
 * Australian Armour and Artillery Museum in Cairns, Australia
 * The Royal Tank Museum, Amman, Jordan

title: Archer (tank destroyer)


text:
Area codes 416, 647, and 437

Area codes 416, 647, and 437 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Area code 416 is one of the original North American area codes created by the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) in 1947. Area codes 647 and 437 are additional area codes for the same numbering plan area (NPA), forming an overlay numbering plan.

The incumbent local exchange carrier in the numbering plan area is Bell Canada. Almost all Toronto Bell Canada landlines have area code 416, with 647-numbers allocated disproportionately to a growing mobile telephone market and to competitive local exchange carriers, such as cable and voice-over-IP services. Telephone numbers are portable, with few exceptions for specific services such as pocket pagers.

The competitive local exchange carriers in numbering plan area are Rogers Communications, Telus, and some independent companies.

Demand for telephone numbers with area code 416 for mobile, foreign exchange and voice over IP service in the 905-suburbs (Durham, Peel, York and Halton regions) has elevated the local significance of these numbers as their local calling area is a superset of that of a suburban number.

History
Toronto's original manual telephone exchanges were recognized by an exchange name and a block of four-digit line numbers. The "GRover exchange" at Kingston Road and Main Street in East Toronto became the first Canadian dial exchange in 1924. Montréal got its first dial telephones one year later. The numbers were dialled as two letters and four digits (2L+4N). Grover 1234 was dialled GR-1234 (or 47-1234). Conversion to seven-digit (2L+5N) format began in 1951, and continued until the introduction of direct distance dialling (DDD) in 1958.

Area code 416 was one of the 86 original North American area codes, assigned by the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) for Operator Toll Dialing in 1947. It comprised most of the populous Golden Horseshoe region in southern Ontario, from Colborne to Niagara Falls to Kitchener-Waterloo. It was almost completely surrounded by Ontario's other area code, 613. Ontario and Quebec were the only provinces to be assigned multiple area codes at the inception of the continent-wide telephone numbering plan.

Area code 416 has been split twice. The first came in 1953, when the western portion of 416 (including Kitchener) was combined with the southern portion of area code 613 to form area code 519. This left 416 largely co-extensive with the area that is generally reckoned as the core of the Golden Horseshoe. Despite rapid growth in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), this configuration remained for 40 years.

By the late 1980s, however, 416 was close to exhaustion because of the GTA's continued growth and Canada's inefficient number allocation system. Canada does not use number pooling as a relief measure. All competing carriers are assigned 10,000-number blocks, which correspond roughly to a single prefix, in each rate centre in which it plans to offer service, regardless of its actual subscriber count. Most rate centres do not need nearly that many numbers to serve their customers, but a number cannot be allocated elsewhere once it has been assigned to a carrier and rate centre, resulting in thousands of wasted numbers. The problem was less severe in the Golden Horseshoe than in other areas of Canada since then, as now, numbers tended to be used up fairly quickly because of the area's dramatic growth.

The GTA's rapid growth in telecommunication services, and the proliferation of cell phones, fax machines, and pagers, demanded more central offices, with another area code for the Golden Horseshoe soon becoming necessary. This resulted in a second split of 416 when, in October 1993, the area code's numbering plan area was reduced to its current size, consisting only of the municipalities constituting Metropolitan Toronto (East York, Etobicoke, North York, Old Toronto, Scarborough, and York). The rest of the former 416 numbering plan area, consisting of the Golden Horseshoe outside Metropolitan Toronto (the Niagara Peninsula, the regional municipalities of Durham, Halton, Hamilton–Wentworth, Peel, and York, and parts of Northumberland County) were assigned area code 905. Although 905 was introduced in 1993, permissive dialing of 416 for the Golden Horseshoe beyond Metropolitan Toronto continued until March 1994.

With the amalgamation of Metropolitan Toronto into the "megacity" of Toronto in 1998, 416 became the only Canadian area code to serve just one rate centre and just one city. Many of Canada's larger cities, especially "megacities" that have been created from mergers of previously separate cities, are split between multiple rate centres that have never been amalgamated. Toronto is an exception and has been a single rate centre, which is by far Canada's largest, since 1977, with the merger of the historical Agincourt, Don Mills, Islington, New Toronto, Scarborough, West Hill, Weston, and Willowdale exchanges into the Toronto exchange.

The 1993 split had been intended as a long-term solution for Canada's largest toll-free calling zone. Within five years, however, 416 was once again close to exhaustion. Toronto's size and status as a single rate centre have caused numbers to tend to be used up fairly quickly. Therefore, the number allocation problem was not nearly as serious as in other Canadian cities that are split between multiple rate centres. Splitting Toronto between two area codes, a solution adopted in the United States for cities like New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles, was ruled out because of the area's high population density and the lack of a suitable boundary along which to split. Another option was the conversion to an overlay plan for 416. Overlays were a new concept that was somewhat controversial because of the requirement for ten-digit dialling. Bell and other telephone companies pressed for an overlay since they wanted to spare their customers the expense and burden of having to change telephone numbers, which would have required a massive reprogramming of cellular telephones. Also, it would have been extremely difficult to split Toronto since it is a single rate centre. Ultimately, the decision was made to implement an overlay.

On March 5, 2001, 416 was overlaid with area code 647, creating Canada's first overlay. The implementation of 647 made ten-digit dialling mandatory in Toronto. Within a decade, both 416 and 647 were close to exhaustion once again. A new overlay area code, 437, started operation on March 25, 2013. That effectively allocates 24 million numbers to a city of 2.5 million people.

Area code 942 is scheduled for addition to the 416/647/437 overlay on April 26, 2025. Area code 387 has been reserved for Toronto's future use.

Since the implementation of area code 647, overlays have become the preferred solution for exhaustion relief in Canada, as it does not require renumbering existing subscriber accounts. As of April 28, 2023, only three Canadian area codes (709, 807, and 867) are still single-code areas, without overlay, still allowing seven-digit dialing for local calls.

Future
A 2020 exhaust analysis by the NANPA projects exhaustion in 2025 for central office prefixes in the numbering plan area.

Local calling area
Toronto is the centre of the largest local calling area in Canada, and one of the largest in North America. As of 2013, the following points in area code 905 were a local call to 416 in Toronto: Ajax-Pickering, Aurora, Beeton, Bethesda, Bolton, Brampton, Caledon East, Campbellville, Castlemore, Claremont, Georgetown, Gormley, King City,  Markham, Milton, Mississauga (rate centres Clarkson, Cooksville, Malton, Nobleton, Port Credit and Streetsville) Oak Ridges, Oakville, Palgrave,  Richmond Hill, Schomberg, Snelgrove, South Pickering, Stouffville, Thornhill, Tottenham, Unionville, Uxbridge, Vaughan (rate centres Kleinburg, Maple and Woodbridge) and Victoria. Caledon in area code 519 is also a local call to Toronto. Many of these suburban areas are long-distance to each other, particularly, but not exclusively, those which are across Toronto from each other (i.e. north versus east versus west of Toronto).

In popular culture
In the Greater Toronto Area, the terms the 416 is also used to describe the area within Toronto proper, and Toronto residents are called 416ers. In recent years, Toronto has been increasingly referred to as "The 6". The suburbs are referred to as the 905 or the 905 belt, and suburbanites are called 905ers (in this use the term does not include the more distant parts of area code 905, such as Niagara Falls).

The 647 area code does not carry the same strong geographic associations as it disproportionately contains nomadic services (such as mobile telephones and voice over IP); an incumbent Bell land line is hard-wired to a specific location in area 416, postal code M. Some have paid a premium for a true 416 number as the code gives the appearance of a local, long-established business instead of a new entrant.

On March 17, 1966, The Munsters episode "A Visit from Johann" depicted a person-to-person call to a Happy Valley Lodge in the 416 area code. A hamlet of Happy Valley exists in King Township, in 416 at the time but now (as part of York Region) in 905.

In 1994, food delivery chain Pizza Pizza obtained a Canadian registered trademark on its 416 telephone number, 967–1111, which had featured in distinctive radio advertising jingles since the 1970s.

Toronto rapper Maestro Fresh Wes rendered homage to the area code in his 1998 song "416/905 (TO Party Anthem)". Rapper Drake has a tattoo of the number on his rib to symbolize Toronto as his birthplace. Drake has also released his fourth studio album, titled Views, referring to the 416 and 647 area codes. His album picture is of him sitting on top of the CN Tower in Toronto.

Central office codes
All central office codes reside within the rate centre of Toronto. In some cases, 416 prefixes are available to wire centres outside Toronto city limits which serve Toronto subscribers (such as MALTON22 in Mississauga, which serves an airport hotel strip in Toronto).

Exchange names
Toronto's original manual telephone exchanges used exchange names, each serving a block of four-digit telephone numbers. The GRover exchange at Kingston Road and Main Street in East Toronto was the first Canadian dial exchange in 1924. Montréal in Quebec got its first dial telephones one year later. The numbers were dialled with two letters and four digits (2L-4N). For example, GRover 1234 was dialled GR1234 (or 471234). Conversion to seven-digit (2L-5N) format began in 1951, and continued up to the introduction of direct distance dialling (DDD) in 1958.

Toronto numbers that were converted from 2L-4N format, or from manual service, include:
 * 416–363, 364, 366, 368 (EMpire 3,4,6,8) were ADelaide, ELgin, PLaza and WAverly in the Adelaide St (Queen West) area west of downtown. These were the first to be lengthened to 2L-5N in 1951–1953.
 * 416-861 (UNiversity 1) was TRinity exchange in the Adelaide St (Queen West) area west of downtown (lengthened to 2L-5N in 1955).
 * 416–921, 922, 923, 924 (WAlnut 1,2,3,4) were RAndolph, KIngsdale, MIdway and PRincess (lengthened to 2L-5N in 1954) in the Annex.
 * 416–691, 694, 699 (OXford 1,4,9) were HOward, GRover, OXford (lengthened to 2L-5N in 1955) in East Toronto. These numbers usually relate to the Beaches and Upper Beaches neighbourhoods or to Crescent Town in East York.
 * 416–461, 463, 465, 466 (HOward 1,3,5,6) were RIverdale, GErrard, GLadstone, HArgrave east of downtown (lengthened to 2L-5N in 1957).
 * 416–483, 485, 488, 489 (HUdson 3,5,8,9) were MOhawk, MAyfair (lengthened to 2L-5N in 1958) and HUdson, HYland (lengthened to 2L-5N in 1953); these served the Eglinton area, then the northernmost point on the TTC subway (1954).
 * 416–782, 783 (RUssell 2,3) were ORchard, REdfern (lengthened to 2L-5N in 1958) in the Willowdale/Weston areas in the north of the city.
 * 416–762, 766, 767, 769 (ROger 2,6,7,9) were MUrray, ROdney, LYndhurst, JUnction (lengthened to 2L-5N in 1955) in the Runnymede/Toronto Junction area in the west end.
 * 416–531, 532, 533, 534, 535, 536 (LEnnox 1,2,3,4,5,6) were MElrose, LAkeside, KEnwood, OLiver, LLoydbrook, LOmbard in the Dufferin Street area west of downtown (lengthened to 2L-5N in 1956).

Additional named exchanges were created (as 2L-5N) in the late 1950s to accommodate expansion into then-growing suburbs such as Don Mills (GArden), Agincourt (AXminster/CYpress), Islington (BElmont/CEdar), New Toronto (CLifford), Scarborough (AMherst, PLymouth), West Hill (ATlantic), Weston (CHerry, MElrose) and Willowdale (BAldwin/ACademy). Exchange names were phased out in 1961–1966 in favour of plain seven-digit numbers.

title: Area codes 416, 647, and 437


text:
Fjord1

Fjord1 AS is a Norwegian transport conglomerate, one of the largest in the Norwegian transport sector. Formed in 2001, company headquarters are in Florø, with the headquarters of the ferry division in Molde. It operates a fleet of environmentally friendly vessels in the Norwegian fjords.

Formation
Nordvestlandske was formed in 2001 by the merger of the county council-owned ferry companies Møre og Romsdal Fylkesbåtar and Fylkesbaatane i Sogn og Fjordane, becoming Fjord1 in December 2002. The fact that the merged company headquarters were located in Sogn og Fjordane made the merger unpopular in Møre og Romsdal county. The choice of name, Fjord1, was also not well-accepted among the local population. These strains on public relations, amongst other things, resulted in talks intended to further the merger process breaking down during the winter and spring of 2004.

Fjord1 AS was listed on the main list on the Oslo Stock Exchange on 15 August 2017. In 2021, US investment firm Vision Ridge Partners and Havila Holding, an investment company owned by the Sævik family, privatised the company, with each having 50% ownership.

Operations
The company is one of the largest in the Norwegian transport sector. A holding company with numerous subsidiaries, its main assets are the two ferry companies MRF and Fylkesbaatane, which serve the rugged and numerous fjords of Møre og Romsdal and Vestland counties. The company is involved in numerous transport ventures within its two home counties, including a 66% ownership of the bus company Aukra Auto, a 49% ownership of fast ferry company Kystekspressen (operates an express boat route from Kristiansund to Trondheim ) and a 49% of Fjord1 Partner, that operates the Bergen Light Rail. It owned four local bus companies, including Fjord1 Buss Møre, Fjord1 Sogn Billag, Hallingdal Billag and Fjord1 Nordfjord-Ottadalen.

In 2005, the company had 75 ships, 394 buses and 147 trucks and transported 24 million passengers. A study by Siemens and the Bellona Foundation in 2016 identified that of Norway's 180 ferries on 112 ferry routes, 127 could feasibly be replaced with either fully electric or hybrid ferries. Fjord1 is transitioning to low- and zero-emission technology and introduced two fully electric ferries, MF Gloppefjord and MF Eidsfjord on the E39 Anda to Lote route in 2018. Between 2017 and 2021, Fjord1 put into service 26 new hybrid-battery ferries and converted a further eight vessels to hybrid-battery propulsion, so they had 34 hybrid battery vessels operating on 17 routes, approximately 43 per cent of its ferries. The 2019 Annual Report records 19.9 Million passengers and 9.9 million vehilcles carried.

The group also operates in the tourism sector, through Fjord Tours Group (50/50 ownership with Vy-Gruppen) and The Fjords (50/50 ownership with Aurland Ressursutvikling).

title: Fjord1


text:
Jules Pipe

Julian Benjamin Pipe (born May 1965) is a British politician who currently serves as the Deputy Mayor of London for Planning, Regeneration and Skills. Pipe was the first directly elected mayor of the London Borough of Hackney between his election in October 2002 and his resignation in the summer of 2016.

He worked as a journalist for The Sunday Telegraph until taking on the full-time position as mayor. The council was short-listed for Council of the Year in 2010 in what was described as a "Meteoric rise".

Pipe was elected as a Labour party councillor in Stoke Newington in 1996, later representing the King's Park Ward. He was re-elected at the May 2006 mayoral election, the May 2010 mayoral election and subsequently in the May 2014 mayoral election. He was Leader of Hackney Council from June 2001 to October 2002.

On 30 June 2016 Pipe was appointed the Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and Skills by Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and resigned on 20 July 2016 as Mayor of Hackney to take up the post. He was succeeded by Philip Glanville who was reelected for a second term in 2018.

Pipe has launched the Skills for Londoners Capital Fund, investing in digital skills, designs and facilities specifically tailored for disabled Londoners and those with special education needs.

title: Jules Pipe


text:
Eyre Coote

Eyre Coote may refer to:

 * Eyre Coote (East India Company officer) (1726–1783), Irish soldier and Commander-in-chief of India
 * Eyre Coote (British Army officer) (1762–1823), Irish-born general in the British Army
 * Eyre Coote (MP) (1806–1834), MP for Clonmel, son of the above
 * Eyre Tilson Coote, 3rd Baron Castle Coote (1793–1827), Sheriff of County Dublin
 * Eyre Coote (born 1857) (1857–1925), British Army Officer and Conservative candidate, Sheriff of County Dublin

title: Eyre Coote


text:
SVN

SVN or svn may refer to:

Businesses and organizations

 * 7 Days Inn (former NYSE ticker symbol), a Chinese budget hotel chain
 * CoogTV, formerly Student Video Network, a student-operated television station at the University of Houston
 * Social Venture Network, a social responsibility network
 * Swami Vivekanand University, Madhya Pradesh, or Sri Vivekanand Niji University, a university in India
 * SVN, a British vocal group consisting of Aimie Atkinson, Alexia McIntosh, Grace Mouat, Millie O'Connell, Natalie Paris, Maiya Quansah-Breed, and Jarnéia Richard-Noel
 * SVN Zweibrücken, a German association football club from Zweibrücken, Rhineland-Palatinate
 * Together for the Netherlands (Samen voor Nederland), a Dutch political party

Places

 * Hunter Army Airfield (IATA code), Savannah, Georgia, United States
 * Slovenia (ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code)
 * South Vietnam, a former state
 * State of Vietnam, a former state of the French Union

Science and technology

 * Apache Subversion, a software versioning and revision control system
 * Space Vehicle Number, a serial number for Global Positioning System satellites; see list of GPS satellites
 * SVN-98, a variant of the KSVK 12.7 Russian sniper rifle

title: SVN


text: User:Zigmar

title: User:Zigmar


text:
Beur

Beur, or alternatively rebeu, is a colloquial term, sometimes considered pejorative, in French to designate European-born people whose parents or grandparents are immigrants from the Maghreb. The equivalent term for a female beur is a beurette. However, the term beurette is condemned and criticized by several anti-racist organizations because of the xenophobic and degrading connotation that this word has taken on over the decades (in particular because of the fetishization of North African women in France as well as an insult stemming from colonialism:   for several years the racial category beurette was the most popular in France on porn sites). The term rebeu is neither applicable to females nor does it have a female version.

Use
The word beur was coined using verlan for the word arabe, which means Arabic or Arab in French. Since the late 1990s, many young people have used the twice-verlanised term rebeu as a synonym. This term is now the dominant term used by the younger generations (under 30). The word beurette, the female version of beur, is created by adding the -ette female suffix in French. In French many slang words are created by simply reversing the word in terms of spelling and then reading it out. Because of French grammar rules, the new word is usually completely different from the result of reversing the word phonetically. The word beurgeois is derived from a combination of the words beur and bourgeois.

The term is mostly used in French-speaking European countries ― France, Belgium, Monaco, Luxembourg and Switzerland ― as well as in the Maghreb. Due to cultural integration between such peoples across Europe, the term is now popular in other parts of Europe with a large Maghrebi community, such as the UK, Spain, the Netherlands and Italy.

Since 1992, the BEUR.FM radio station has broadcast nationwide (106.7 FM in Paris).

title: Beur


text:
Homentropic flow

In fluid mechanics, a homentropic flow has uniform and constant entropy. It distinguishes itself from an isentropic or particle isentropic flow, where the entropy level of each fluid particle does not change with time, but may vary from particle to particle. This means that a homentropic flow is necessarily isentropic, but an isentropic flow need not be homentropic.

A homentropic and perfect gas is an example of a barotropic fluid where the pressure and density are related by$$P(\rho) = K\rho^\gamma,$$where $K$ is a constant.

title: Homentropic flow


text:
Template:Indo-European topics

{{Documentation |content =

title: Template:Indo-European topics


text:
Neochori

Neochori (Νεοχώρι, meaning "new village") may refer to the following places:

 * Neochori Aristomenous, a village in the municipal unit of Messini, Messenia
 * Neochori Ithomis, a village in the municipal unit of Meligalas, Messenia
 * Neochori Mesolongiou, a village in the municipal unit of Oiniades, Aetolia-Acarnania
 * Neochori Nafpaktias, a village in the municipal unit of Platanos, Aetolia-Acarnania
 * Neochori Falaisias, a village in the municipal unit of Falaisia, Arcadia
 * Neochori Gortynias, a village in the municipal unit of Tropaia, Arcadia
 * Neochori Lykosouras, a village in the municipality of Megalopoli, Arcadia
 * Neochori Mantineias, a village in the municipal unit of Korythio, Arcadia
 * Neochori Ypatis, a village in the municipal unit of Ypati, Phthiotis
 * Neochori Tymfristou, a village in the municipal unit of Agios Georgios Tymfristou, Phthiotis
 * Neochori, Argolis, a village in the municipal unit of Lyrkeia, Argolis
 * Neochori, Arta, a village in the municipal unit of Arachthos, Arta regional unit
 * Neochori Thespion, a village in the municipal unit of Thespies, Boeotia
 * Neochori, Cephalonia, a village in the municipal unit of Erisos, Cephalonia
 * Neochori, Chalkidiki, a village in the municipal unit of Arnaia, Chalkidiki
 * Neochori, Chios, a village in the municipal unit of Agios Minas, Chios
 * Neochori, Corfu, a village in the municipal unit of Lefkimmi, Corfu
 * Neochori, Domokos, a village in the municipal unit of Domokos, Phthiotis
 * Neochori, Euboea, a village in the municipal unit of Avlon, Euboea
 * Neochori, Evros, a village in the municipality of Orestiada, Evros regional unit
 * Neochori, Grevena, a village in the municipal unit of Ventzio, Grevena regional unit
 * Neochori Myrtountion, a village in the municipal unit of Kastro-Kyllini, Elis
 * Neochori, Imathia, a village in the municipality of Alexandreia, Imathia
 * Neochori, Ioannina, a village in the municipal unit of Pasaronas, Ioannina regional unit
 * Neochori, Karditsa, a village in the municipal unit of Nevropoli Agrafon, Karditsa regional unit
 * Neochori, Kerkini, a village in the municipal unit of Kerkini, Serres regional unit
 * Neochori, Laconia, a village in the municipal unit of Gytheio, Laconia
 * Neochori, Lefkada, a village in the municipal unit of Ellomenos, Lefkada
 * Neochori, Lefktro, a village in the municipal unit of Lefktro, Messenia
 * Neochori, Lesbos, a village in the municipal unit of Plomari, Lesbos
 * Neochori, Magnesia, a village in the municipal unit of Afetes, Magnesia
 * Neochori, Samos, a village in the municipal unit of Marathokampos, Samos
 * Neochori Strymona, a village in the municipal unit of Strymonas, Serres regional unit
 * Neochori, Thesprotia, a village in the municipal unit of Paramythia, Thesprotia
 * Neochori, Xanthi, a village in the municipal unit of Stavroupoli, Xanthi regional unit
 * Neochori, Zacharo, a village in the municipal unit of Zacharo, Elis

title: Neochori


text:
Drawbridge

A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word drawbridge commonly refers to all types of moveable bridges, such as bascule bridges, vertical-lift bridges and swing bridges, but this article concerns the narrower historical definition of the term where the bridge is used in a defensive structure.

As used in castles or defensive structures, drawbridges provide access across defensive structures when lowered, but can quickly be raised from within to deny entry to an enemy force.

Castle drawbridges
Medieval castles were usually defended by a ditch or moat, crossed by a wooden bridge. In early castles the bridge might be designed to be destroyed or removed in the event of an attack, but drawbridges became very common. A typical arrangement would have the drawbridge immediately outside a gatehouse, consisting of a wooden deck with one edge hinged or pivoting at the gatehouse threshold, so that in the raised position the bridge would be flush against the gate, forming an additional barrier to entry. It would be backed by one or more portcullises and gates. Access to the bridge could be resisted with missiles from machicolations above or arrow slits in flanking towers.

The bridge would be raised or lowered using ropes or chains attached to a windlass in a chamber in the gatehouse above the gate-passage. Only a very light bridge could be raised in this way without any form of counterweight, so some form of bascule arrangement is normally found. The bridge may extend into the gate-passage beyond the pivot point, either over a pit into which the internal portion can swing (providing a further obstacle to attack), or in the form of counterweighted beams that drop into slots in the floor.

The raising chains could themselves be attached to counterweights. In some cases, a portcullis provides the weight, as at Alnwick. By the 14th century a bascule arrangement was provided by lifting arms (called "gaffs") above and parallel to the bridge deck whose ends were linked by chains to the lifting end of the bridge; in the raised position the gaffs would fit into slots in the gatehouse wall ("rainures") which can often still be seen, as at Herstmonceux Castle. Inside the castle the gaffs were extended to bear counterweights, or might form the side-timbers of a stout gate which would be against the roof of the gate-passage when the drawbridge was down, but would close against the gate-arch as the bridge was raised. In France, working drawbridges survive at a number of châteaux, including the Château du Plessis-Bourré. In England, two working drawbridges remain in regular use at Helmingham Hall, which dates from the early sixteenth century.

Turning bridge
A bridge pivoted on central trunnions is called a turning bridge, and may or may not have the raising chains characteristic of a drawbridge. The inner end carried counterweights enabling it to sink into a pit in the gate-passage, and when horizontal the bridge would often be supported by stout pegs inserted through the side walls. This was a clumsy arrangement, and many turning bridges were replaced with more advanced drawbridges.

Forts
Drawbridges were also used on forts with Palmerston Forts using them in the form of Guthrie rolling bridges.

In art
Drawbridges have appeared in films as part of castle sets. When the drawbridge needs to be functional this may present engineering challenges since the set may not be able to support the weight of the bridge in the conventional manner. One solution is to build the drawbridge from steel and concrete before hiding the structural materials behind wood and plaster.

title: Drawbridge


text:
Talk:Zen Arcade

Untitled
What facts are in dispute, exactly? Why is the article flagged as such? The existing info seems correct. Gyrofrog 18:41, 29 Dec 2004 (UTC)

 * OK, looks like someone removed the "In Dispute" flag. Gyrofrog 06:26, 1 Jan 2005 (UTC)

I just made some copyedits in an attempt to clean up this article a bit. Among these was a clarification in the numbering of the band's albums. Metal Circus is an EP, clocking in under 20 minutes, and should not be considered a full-length album. -- Gyrofrog (talk) 17:40, 15 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Uhhh, the idea that ZA is the FIRST record to incorporate the elements claimed in the iteration of this article is hyperbolic. I'm fixing it.--Dirtypants 01:39, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

I just wanna say this album rules.

Does anyone know what "Zen Arcade" means?

There were more than 25 tracks recorded. According to, the non-LP songs recorded were Eight Miles High, Dozen Beats Eleven, Some Kinda Fun (noted in the media notes), and an untitled Grant Hart piano piece; with Eight Miles High being the only one commercially released. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.20.48.140 (talk) 21:25, 7 January 2019 (UTC)

<^>v!!This album is connected!!v<^>

 * All song titles serve as redirects to this album, have their own pages, or have been placed at the appropriate disambiguation pages.--Hraefen Talk 16:42, 7 September 2006 (UTC)
 * I don't know how to edit this, sorry for format, the song Pink turns Blue is NOT about drugs. It's about necrophelia. Please edit the page. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.112.51.163 (talk) 08:26, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

Music
ok i'll get you references but just listen to them. Land Speed Record is definitevely hardcore. There are no songs on Zen Arcade at all that sound this way. Sure there are some similarities manifesting as violence indicative of hardcore but that is for the most part thrash, not hardcore. Listen to the differences between these violent songs on Zen Arcade and Land Speed Record. I didnt call Articles of Faith (Band) definitively emo. I called Rites Of Spring that. I promise you, Bob Mould producing those two Article Of Faith albums is not just some coincidence. So, whats the connection? Well, I've already explained that.

Where are the references to show that Land Speed Record was a hardcore album, and Zen Arcade was not? It seems like a fairly large assumption to make. Original research is also present in the section. Why are Articles of Faith mentioned twice, and called the definitive emo band? CloudNine 10:10, 3 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Listen to Pride then listen to Heroin and Mohinder THEN edit my contributions. did any of you know about the octave chords in Pride? no of course you didnt. Any of you know about Bob Mould producing Article Of Faith's emo record that same year? maybe. did you connect the dots? i doubt it. please feel free to do so now.216.16.193.253 10:12, 3 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Yes, but you need a reference for such a statement; has someone else made the connection before? If not, it is original research. I'll add a tag however. CloudNine 10:27, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

EMO
fourfa.com

the link i included was talking about octave chords and their fundamental role in emo.

on the opening page of fourfa's history it talks about husker du's role in general of emo.

even the wikipedia entry on husker du discusses how zen aracde is often cited as the beginning of emo. so you just think these people are delusional or that something i learned today is just as hardcore as land speed record?!

 * Post-hardcore is better than that. --186.87.18.30 (talk) 03:24, 12 August 2010 (UTC)

Song duration
The track listing does not contain durations for any of the songs. I find this especially surprising as it was a collaboration of the week. Tommy Stardust 14:25, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
 * I was busy that week. Anyway, what I feel should also be done is the tracklisting should be split to reflect the original vinyl release (discs and sides). I can pull out a vinyl copy over the weekend for reference. WesleyDodds 10:30, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

Critical reception
Rolling Stone magazine did not review Zen Arcade until after the following album New Day Rising came out. I know this because I browsed RS reviews weekly at the time. Zen Arcade received considerable attention in other publications outside the punk zine world (such as Village Voice), but the implication that Rolling Stone reviewed Zen Arcade "[u]pon its release" is misleading. The online reprint of this review (in tandem with Double Nickels on the Dime, another album that seems to have confused Rolling Stone) is dated 1985, which chronologically is more like playing catchup. / edg ☺ ☭ 02:47, 13 June 2008 (UTC)

Questionable first paragraph
I find it hard to say that Zen Arcade was not a commercial success. SST invested around $1,500 for its recording, and they sold so many copies of it they could never keep it in stock reliably until about 1995. There are no hard numbers on exactly how many copies it has sold, which is part of the Huskers' fight with SST, and why we don't have a remastered CD out today (it's not going to be reissued until Mould and Hart are satisfied that they've got all their back royalties). But still, this album more than made its money back, and was one of the first 1980s underground American albums to get mainstream attention.

Also, the statement that the album has "recently" attained cult status is very dubious. It may be that the modern-day emo kids are just discovering it, but believe me, generations of kids have gotten through their teenage years with the help of this album. It has been a cult favorite for at least 20 years. Leamanc (talk)

Narrative
What is the exact plotline to this album? I can understand the basic plotline, but certain songs don`t make any sense. ~ Alec scheat (talk) 05:30, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

"Spot's Arcade"
single LP w/ outakes/alternate takes fr ZA sessions. does it merit inclusion in ZA entry? Fp cassini (talk) 08:17, 31 December 2010 (UTC)

Dead external links to Allmusic website – January 2011
Since Allmusic have changed the syntax of their URLs, 1 link(s) used in the article do not work anymore and can't be migrated automatically. Please use the search option on http://www.allmusic.com to find the new location of the linked Allmusic article(s) and fix the link(s) accordingly, prefereably by using the Allmusic template. If a new location cannot be found, the link(s) should be removed. This applies to the following external links: --CactusBot (talk) 19:05, 1 January 2011 (UTC)
 * http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=A2votk6hx9kr3

Assessment comment
Substituted at 11:15, 30 April 2016 (UTC)

title: Talk:Zen Arcade


text:
Metal Circus

Metal Circus is an EP by American punk rock band Hüsker Dü, released in 1983 by SST Records. As one of their early records, it was largely rooted in the band's initial hardcore punk style. However, signs of a new, poppier influence emerge on Metal Circus, particularly in the songs sung by Grant Hart ("It's Not Funny Anymore" and "Diane"). It also features some of Bob Mould's most passionate singing and shows further development in his guitar playing. Harmonic, chorus-type effects applied to Mould's guitar are more prominent. The change from the furious hardcore moments of Land Speed Record and Everything Falls Apart towards increasing melodicism hints at the groundbreaking new approach that was to be seen on the band's next release, Zen Arcade.

The horrific murder depicted in the anguished "Diane" is based upon the murder of West St. Paul waitress Diane Edwards by Joseph Ture in 1980. The song was covered by Coffin Break in 1989, Irish band Therapy? in 1995, Superdrag in 1998 and Gravenhurst in 2004.

While only 21 seconds shorter than their debut studio album Everything Falls Apart, and generally viewed as an EP, Metal Circus was almost released as a 30-minute album with 12 songs. The outtakes were "Standing by the Sea" (later used on Zen Arcade), "Heavy Handed", "Is Today the Day?", "You Think I'm Scared", and "Won't Change" (which later appeared on the compilation A Diamond Hidden in the Mouth of a Corpse). In 2017, The Numero Group released the Savage Young Dü compilation of early Hüsker Dü material. A bonus edition of the compilation was packaged with a 7" entitled Extra Circus containing the outtakes from the EP's sessions.

Critical reception
In a 1984 Trouser Press review, John Leland said the band "flirts with heavy metal, but also reveal strains of folk and psychedelia. The metal ventures (noisy lead guitars) expand Hüsker Dü's sound without getting sludgy or bombastic. On the slower tunes,...the guitars drone like a supercharged Dream Syndicate. On the fast tunes they smoke."

AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine said that Metal Circus "is the first indication of Hüsker Dü's greatness," adding that "With these five songs, the band shows more invention, skill, and melody than it did over the course of a full album with Everything Falls Apart, and both Bob Mould and Grant Hart emerge as significant songwriters."

Track listing
Side One Side Two
 * 1) "Real World" (Mould) – 2:27
 * 2) "Deadly Skies" (Mould) – 1:50
 * 3) "It's Not Funny Anymore" (Hart) – 2:12
 * 4) "First of the Last Calls" (Mould) – 2:48
 * 1) "Lifeline" (Mould) – 2:19
 * 2) "Diane" (Hart) – 4:42
 * 3) "Out on a Limb" (Mould) – 2:39

Personnel
Liner notes adapted from the album sleeve.

 * Hüsker Dü
 * Bob Mould – vocals, guitar
 * Grant Hart – vocals, drums
 * Greg Norton – bass guitar
 * Technical
 * Hüsker Dü – producer
 * Spot – producer, engineer
 * Fake Name Graphx – album cover

title: Metal Circus


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Talk:Metal Circus

Untitled
Why is the factual accuracy of this article in dispute? Same thing with Zen Arcade. Gyrofrog 05:01, 30 Dec 2004 (UTC)
 * Because information needs to be cited to show it's just not stuff thrown up there. It makes everything more legitimate, I think. --piper108 03:57, 29 January 2007 (UTC)

Metal Circus, SST re-issue, writing on the album
Hey I just notice my re-issue of Metal Circus on SST vinyl has writing in the gap next to the label. They are as follows...

Side A: That old stainless Charity. If you could see me now. Shirley. S-22061 L-15122 kdisc SST-020-A

Side B: Falling from grace with the goose. Howard Hughes, A Wing A Prayer. (see below) S 22062 L-15122-X SST-020-B —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.68.50.33 (talk) 04:41, 2 January 2010 (UTC)

title: Talk:Metal Circus


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Kaldadalsvegur

The Kaldadalsvegur is the shortest of the highland tracks traversing the Highlands of Iceland, therefore the nickname "highlands for beginners". Its name derives from the valley it crosses: Kaldidalur means "cold dale/valley". Sometimes the Kaldadalsvegur is referred to as simply "the Kaldidalur".

The route begins a bit to the north of Þingvellir and to the west of the volcano Skjaldbreiður, which really comes up to its name (meaning broad shield). The track continues between the glaciers Þórisjökull and Ok and leads up to the north. To the east of Reykholt it comes near the Reykholtsdalur to Húsafell. Then it continues up to Hvammstangi at the Miðfjörður.

Signed as route 550 (formerly F550), the track is 40 kilometers long, and has no unbridged river crossings. (The Kaldadalsvegur is not an F road, and a four-wheel-drive vehicle is not legally required to traverse it, however many car rental companies forbid the use of their two-wheel-drive vehicles on this interior route.)

The other well known highland routes are Kjölur and Sprengisandur.

title: Kaldadalsvegur


text: Template:History of South Asia

title: Template:History of South Asia


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Ola By Rise

Ola By Rise (born 14 November 1960) is a Norwegian football coach and former player. He played 18 seasons and 346 matches in the Norwegian top division.

Career
In his career as an active player, he was the goalkeeper of Rosenborg BK in Trondheim. From 1977 to 1995 he played 346 matches for Rosenborg in the Norwegian top league, which was a national record at the time he retired and until By Rise was surpassed by former teammate Roar Strand. As of January 2013, By Rise ranks 5th in this respect. He was capped 25 times for the Norwegian national team, and was in the Norwegian squad for the 1994 World Cup. He was also a member of the Norwegian team competing at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California.

By Rise was the assistant coach of Rosenborg under the head coaches Trond Sollied (1998), Nils Arne Eggen (1999–2002) and Åge Hareide (2003). When Hareide quit in Rosenborg to become head coach of the Norwegian national team, By Rise became the head coach of Rosenborg in the 2004 season. Going into the 2004 season, Rosenborg had won twelve consecutive league titles. However, despite winning for a 13th consecutive season in 2004, the club had a relatively poor season by its high domestic standards, as it finished level on points and goal difference with Vålerenga, winning the title on goals scored. By Rise was sacked November 2004 by the club and worked for NRK radio station P1 as managing editor from 1 February 2005. On 18 July 2006, he was assigned as the new assistant coach for the Norwegian national team. In April 2014 he signed a contract for the final 4 games to try Danish team Aarhus Gymnastikforening avoid relegation.

He has also had a professional career outside football as a journalist for Adresseavisen, the local newspaper in Trondheim.

Player

 * Rosenborg
 * Norwegian top division (7): 1985, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995
 * Norwegian Football Cup (4): 1988, 1990, 1992, 1995

Coach

 * Norwegian top division (6): 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 (as assistant coach)
 * Norwegian Football Cup (2): 1999, 2003 (as assistant coach)
 * Norwegian top division: 2004 (as head coach/manager)

Individual

 * Kniksen award as goalkeeper of the year: 1992
 * Kniksen's honour award: 1995

title: Ola By Rise


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Affoltern

Affoltern may refer to the following places in Switzerland:

 * Affoltern am Albis, in the Canton of Zürich
 * Affoltern im Emmental, in the Canton of Bern
 * Affoltern (Zürich), part of the city of Zürich
 * Grossaffoltern, in the Canton of Bern

title: Affoltern


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Kjölur

Kjölur is a plateau in the highlands of Iceland, roughly defined as the area between the Langjökull and Hofsjökull glaciers. It lies at an elevation of about 600–700 metres.

Geography
At the northern end of the Kjölur road, near the headwaters of the Blanda river, the hot springs of Hveravellir provide a warm oasis. Not far from Hveravellir, the Kerlingarfjöll, a volcanic mountain range, is situated to the north-east of the Kjölur road.

History
Like Sprengisandur highland road, the area was probably known since the first times of Icelandic settlement and is mentioned in the Icelandic sagas. A track along Langjökull was used as a shortcut between regions during summer. This is today known as Kjalvegur hinn forni (Old Kjalvegur) and is still in use for trekking and horse-riding. Piles of stones mark the track through the highland desert. After some people had perished in a snowstorm by the end of the 18th century, the Kjölur road was forgotten for about 100 years. It was rediscovered in the 19th century.

In the 18th century, the Icelandic outlaw Fjalla-Eyvindur used the Hveravellir hot springs as a settlement. One of the hot spots in this area is still used for bathing.

Transport
A gravel road known as Kjalvegur (F35) runs through the centre of the area, connecting the Southern Region and Northwestern Region of the country. A few smaller tracks lead from the main track, making Hveravellir and Kerlingarfjöll accessible by car. Other tracks however, may be used only on foot.

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Kerlingarfjöll

Kerlingarfjöll is a 1477 m tall volcanic massive in Iceland situated in the Highlands of Iceland near the Kjölur highland road. It is usually regarded as part of a large tuya fissure system of 100 km2 in the southern portion of the Hofsjökull volcanic system, although is about 20 – in diameter itself, and is between 68 and 350 thousand years old predating some of the activity in the rest of the system. The volcanic origin of these mountains is evidenced by tholeiite basalt deposits, the numerous hot springs and rivulets in the area, as well as red volcanic rhyolite stone most marked near the two caldera. Minerals that have emerged from the hot springs also color the ground yellow, red and green.

The area was known formerly for its summer ski resort, but this was dismantled in 2000. Since 2000, Kerlingarfjöll has been operated as a highland resort, offering accommodation and food services to guests in the area.

On March 17 in 2017 it was reported that the Kerlingarfjöll Mountains and geothermal area were being turned into a nature reserve. Although parts of the place already had protection, a whole 367 km2 are to be under the protection of the state of Iceland. There have been thoughts of using the 140 Celsius hot springs as a geothermal power plant. The area is popular with hiking and the tourists.

There are various half-day and one-day hiking trails in the area.

title: Kerlingarfjöll


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Wassail

Wassail (,, most likely from Old Norse "ves heill") is a beverage made from hot mulled cider, ale, or wine and spices, drunk traditionally as an integral part of wassailing, an ancient English Yuletide drinking ritual and salutation either involved in door-to-door charity-giving or used to ensure a good harvest the following year.

Etymology
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word "wassail" originated as a borrowing from the Old Norse salutation ves heill, corresponding to Old English hál wes þú or wes hál – literally meaning 'be in good health' or 'be fortunate'. It was initially used in the sense of 'hail' or 'farewell', without any drinking connotation. The English interjection "" is a cognate of the etymon of the second part of "wassail", and was probably influenced by the Old English phrase.

The expression later became part of the drinking formula "wassail ... drinkhail" which, the OED suggests, initially arose in England among the Anglo-Danes, and from there spread to the native population, being considered a specifically Anglo Saxon characteristic by the 12th century. The earliest record is of around 1140, in Geoffrey of Monmouth's telling of the Rowena story, which has wes heil ... drinc heil (or, in a variant reading, was heil). Later Middle English manuscripts have a variety of spellings, including wæs hæil, wæshail, wessail, washayl, washail, wesseyl, wassayl, wassaile, wassaylle, wessayle, whatsaile and whatsaill.

The second expression, "drinkhail", may derive either from Old Norse or Old English, again with a variety of spellings including drinkel, drincheheil, drechehel, drincheheil, drinceseil, drinqueheil, drinkeil and dringail.

The earliest example of the drinking phrases in a specifically English context comes from a manuscript of 1275, preserving a 12th-century text which has Þat freond sæiðe to freonde...Leofue freond wæs hail Þe oðer sæið Drinc hail. [That friend said to [the other] friend..., "beloved friend, wassail!"; the other said, "drinkhail!"]

By c. 1300, the sense had extended from a toast to the drink itself, especially to the spiced ale used in Twelfth-night and Christmas Eve celebrations. By 1598 it was being applied to the custom of drinking healths on those nights. Shakespeare's 1603 use of "Keep wassel" in Hamlet i. iv. 10 was the first record of the term's use in a more general sense of "carousal" or "revelling".

Beverage

Wassail is a hot, mulled punch often associated with Yuletide, often drunk from a 'wassail bowl'. The earliest versions were warmed mead into which roasted crab apples were dropped and burst to create a drink called 'lambswool' drunk on Lammas day, still known in Shakespeare's time. Later, the drink evolved to become a mulled cider made with sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, topped with slices of toast as sops and drunk from a large communal bowl. Modern recipes begin with a base of wine, fruit juice or mulled ale, sometimes with brandy or sherry added. Apples or oranges are often added to the mix, and some recipes also call for beaten eggs to be tempered into the drink. Great bowls turned from wood, pottery or tin often had many handles for shared drinking and highly decorated lids; antique examples can still be found in traditional pubs. Hence the first stanza of the traditional carol Gloucestershire Wassail; variations of which were known to have been sung as far back as the 1700s, and possibly earlier:

At Carhampton, near Minehead, the Apple Orchard Wassailing is held on Old Twelfth Night (17 January) as a ritual to ask the gods for a good apple harvest. The villagers form a circle around the largest apple tree, hang pieces of toast soaked in cider in the branches for the robins, who represent the 'good spirits' of the tree. A shotgun is fired overhead to scare away evil spirits, and the group sings the following being the (last verse):

Lamb's wool
"Lamb's wool" or "lambswool" is an early variety of wassail, brewed from ale or mead, baked apples, sugar and various spices.

British-Irish antiquarian Charles Vallancey proposed that the term "lambswool" is a corruption of the name of a pagan Irish festival, "Lamas Ubhal", during which a similar drink was had. Alternatively, the name may derive from the drink's similar appearance to the wool of lambs. Ale is occasionally replaced by ginger ale for children, especially around Halloween and New Year.

Wassailing
In the cider-producing counties in the South West of England (primarily Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Gloucestershire, and Herefordshire) or South East England (Kent, Sussex, Essex, and Suffolk), as well as Jersey, wassailing refers to a traditional ceremony that involves singing and drinking to the health of trees on Twelfth Night in the hopes that they might better thrive. The purpose of wassailing is to awaken the cider apple trees and to scare away evil spirits to ensure a good harvest of fruit in the Autumn. The ceremonies of each wassail vary from village to village but they generally all have the same core elements. A wassail King and Queen lead the song or a processional tune to be played/sung from one orchard to the next; the wassail Queen is then lifted into the boughs of the tree where she places toast soaked in wassail from the clayen cup as a gift to the tree spirits (and to show the fruits created the previous year). In some counties, the youngest boy or "Tom Tit" will stand in for the Queen and hang the cider-soaked toast in the tree. Then an incantation is usually recited.

A folktale from Somerset reflecting this custom tells of the Apple Tree Man, the spirit of the oldest apple tree in an orchard, and in whom the fertility of the orchard is thought to reside. In the tale a man offers his last mug of mulled cider to the trees in his orchard and is rewarded by the Apple Tree Man who reveals to him the location of buried gold.

Modern music
British folk rock band Steeleye Span opened their third album Ten Man Mop, or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again (1971) with an extended, minor-key version of "Gower Wassail", Tim Hart singing the traditional verses and the others joining the chorus.

The British rock band Blur released a song titled "The Wassailing Song", with each member taking a verse. The release was limited to 500 7-inch pressings, given out at a concert in 1992. The version of "The Wassailing Song" performed by Blur was later adapted in a recording by The Grizzly Folk, who have stated that the arrangement bears a close resemblance to the "Gloucestershire Wassail".

In her song "Oh England My Lionheart", on the 1978 album Lionheart, Kate Bush sings, "Give me one wish, and I'd be wassailing in the orchard, my English rose."

The alternative rock band Half Man Half Biscuit from Tranmere, England, included a song named "Uffington Wassail" on their 2000 album Trouble over Bridgwater. With its references to the Israeli Eurovision contestant Dana International, the Sealed Knot English Civil War re-enactment society, and also to the skier Vreni Schneider, the meaning of the song's title in this context is a little obscure.

In 2013 Folk Rock musician Wojtek Godzisz created an arrangement of the traditional Gloucestershire Wassail words with original music for the Pentacle Drummers' first Annual Wassail festival (2013), called "Wassail".

For the Pentacle Drummers' second Wassail festival (2014), the pagan rock band Roxircle also wrote a Wassail song especially for the event called "Wassail (Give Thanks to the Earth)". The Pentacle Drummers encourage their headline acts to write a song centered around wassailing, a way to keep the tradition alive.

The English progressive rock band Big Big Train released an EP entitled "Wassail" in 2015, named for the title track.

Yorkshire-based folk singer Kate Rusby included the track "Cornish Wassail" on her 2015 album, The Frost Is All Over.

Television
Wassail was mentioned in the television show Mystery Science Theater 3000. Crow T. Robot and Tom Servo ask Mike Nelson to provide some. When asked to explain further what exactly wassail is, they admit to having no idea. However, they offer a guess that it might be an "anti-inflammatory". Upon actually getting some, they describe it as "skunky", discovering it to be a 500-year-old batch.

It was mentioned and explained to Bing Crosby by Frank Sinatra in a special episode of the Frank Sinatra Show entitled "Happy Holidays with Bing and Frank" released 20 December 1957.

In 2004, the alternative Christmas message was presented by The Simpsons who close out with a cup of "traditional British wassail". When the director cuts, they spit it out in disgust, with Bart remarking that it tasted "like hurl".

Wassail was featured on the BBC Two special Oz and Hugh Drink to Christmas, aired in December 2009. Oz Clarke and Hugh Dennis sampled the drink and the wassailing party in Southwest England as part of their challenge to find Britain's best Christmas drinks.

During the episode "We Two Kings" on the NBC sitcom Frasier, the title character's brother Niles asks to borrow his wassail bowl; when Frasier's father Martin asks why they can't just use a punch bowl, Niles retorts, "Then it wouldn't be Wassail then would it?" In response, Martin looks up 'wassail' in the dictionary, defined as 'a Christmas punch'.

In the Good Eats holiday special episode "The Night Before Good Eats", Alton Brown is given a wassail recipe by St. Nicholas which he then must make to appease a mob of angry carolers.

In Will Vinton's Claymation Christmas Celebration, which originally aired December 21, 1987, the main characters of the special Rex and Herb talk about the term "wassail" regarding a specific Christmas carol, which is comically mis-sung by varying groups that show up throughout the show.

title: Wassail


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Haukadalur

Haukadalur (Icelandic:, from Haukadalr , "hawk dale" or "valley of hawks") is a valley with geothermal activity in Iceland.

Geography
The shallow valley is at about 100 m above sea level about 110 km to the north-west of Reykjavík. It lies to the north of Laugarvatn lake in the south of Iceland.

Geology
There is a north-south orientated geothermal area in the valley, of about 1 km in width and about 6 km long, mainly on the eastern slopes of the rhyolite dome of Laugarfjau that is 187 m high. To the west of the valley is Bjarnarfell at 727 m which is a hyaloclastite ridge mainly composed of basalt and some rhyolite. To the north is a shield volcano, Sandfell at 610 m, which on the valley's horizon. The volcanoes have not been active for over 10,000 years.

Geysers
Haukadalur is home to some of the best known sights in Iceland: the geysers and other geothermal features which have developed on the Laugarfjall rhyolitic dome. The biggest geysers of Haukadalur are Strokkur and Geysir itself, which gave us the word 'geyser'. Strokkur is very dependable and erupts every 4 to 10 minutes, whereas the bigger Geysir nowadays erupts very rarely. There are also more than 40 other smaller hot springs, mud pots and fumaroles nearby. The water source for the geothermal activity may originate from the southern Langjökull ice sheet, about 50 km to the north.

Haukadalur geothermal area was mentioned in written sources around 1294 CE, when new local hot springs were activated by earthquakes, but geothermal activity was present before this. Earthquakes are also known to have activated local geysers in the recent past, including the earthquakes that occurred on 17 and 21 July 2000. Due to the geysers the valley has been a popular tourist attraction since the 18th century.

Nearby attractions
The Gullfoss waterfall is about 10 km to the north in the direction of the Highlands of Iceland, via the beginning of the Kjölur highland road. Along with Gullfoss and Þingvellir, Haukadalur is part of the Golden Circle.

title: Haukadalur


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Škoda Works

The Škoda Works (Škodovy závody, ) was one of the largest European industrial conglomerates of the 20th century, founded by Czech engineer Emil Škoda in 1859 in Plzeň, then in the Kingdom of Bohemia, Austrian Empire. It is the predecessor of today's Škoda Auto, Doosan Škoda Power and Škoda Transportation companies.

1859–1899: establishment of Škoda
The noble Waldstein family founded the company in 1859 in Plzeň, and Emil Škoda bought it in 1869. It soon established itself as Austria-Hungary's leading arms manufacturer producing heavy guns for the navy, mountain guns or mortars along with the Škoda M1909 machine gun as one of its noted products. Besides producing arms for the Austro-Hungarian Army, Škoda has ever since also manufactured locomotives, aircraft, ships, machine tools, steam turbines and equipment for power utilities.

In 1859, Count Wallenstein-Vartenberk set up a branch of his foundry and engineering works in Plzeň. The output of the plant, employing over 100 workers, included machinery and equipment for sugar mills, breweries, mines, steam engines, boilers, iron bridge structures, and railway facilities. In 1869, the plant was taken over by Emil Škoda, an industrious engineer and dynamic entrepreneur.

Škoda soon expanded the firm, and in the 1880s, he founded what was then a very modern steelworks capable of delivering castings weighing dozens of tons. Steel castings and later forgings for larger passenger liners and warships went on to rank alongside the sugar mills as the top export branches of Škoda's factory.

1899–1945: before and during World War II

In 1899, the ever-expanding business was transformed into a joint-stock company, and before World War I, Škoda Works had become the largest arms manufacturer in Austria-Hungary. It was a navy and army contractor, mainly supplying heavy guns and ammunition.

Exports included castings, such as part of the piping for the Niagara Falls power plant and for the Suez Canal sluices as well as machinery for sugar mills in Turkey, breweries throughout Europe, and guns for the Far East and South America.

World War I brought a drop in the output of peacetime products. Huge sums were invested into expanding production capacities. By then, Škoda Works held majorities in a number of companies in the Czech lands and abroad that were not involved in arms manufacture. In 1917, the company had 35,000 employees in Plzeň alone.

Following the emergence of the Czechoslovak Republic in 1918, the complex economic conditions of postwar Europe caused the company to be transformed from what was exclusively an arms manufacturer into a multi-sector concern. In addition to traditional branches, the production programme embraced a number of new concepts, such as steam (and later electric) locomotives, freight and passenger vehicles, aircraft, ships, machine tools, steam turbines, power-engineering equipment, etc.

In 1923, the company's world-famous registered trademark, the winged arrow in a circle, was entered in the Companies Register. The deteriorating political situation in Europe saw arms production rise again in the mid-1930s.

Škoda manufactured the triple-barreled gun turrets for the Tegetthoff-class battleship s of the Austro-Hungarian navy. Prior to World War II, Škoda produced LT-35 tanks, which are better known under their German designation, Panzer 35(t). They were originally produced for the Czechoslovak Army and were used extensively by the Wehrmacht in the Polish campaign, the Fall of France and the German invasion of the Soviet Union. In July 1944, Škoda started production of the Jagdpanzer 38(t).

In 1924, Škoda Works acquired the Laurin & Klement car manufacturer, later known as Škoda Auto. The companies were separated after 1945, when all of the Czechoslovak economy was nationalised.

 * Mountain guns produced by Škoda:

 * Škoda 75 mm Model 15
 * Škoda 75 mm Model 1928
 * Škoda 75 mm Model 1936
 * Škoda 75 mm Model 1939
 * Škoda 100 mm Model 1916
 * Škoda 100 mm Model 16/19
 * Škoda 105 mm Model 1939
 * Škoda 150 mm Model 1918

 * Other weapons produced by Škoda:
 * Škoda M1909 machine gun
 * 3,7cm KPÚV vz. 34 - anti-tank gun
 * 3,7cm KPÚV vz. 37 - anti-tank gun
 * 3,7cm ÚV vz. 38 ( A7) - used on LT vz. 38 light tank
 * Skoda 47mm SFK L/33 H
 * Skoda 47mm SFK L/44 S
 * Škoda 7 cm K10
 * Škoda 7.5 cm d/29 Model 1911
 * Škoda 76.5 mm L/50
 * Škoda 10 cm K10
 * Škoda 10 cm vz. 38 howitzer
 * 85 mm vz. 52
 * Škoda 10 cm vz. 53
 * Škoda 14 cm/56
 * Škoda 15 cm K10
 * Škoda 149 mm K-series
 * Škoda 149 mm K1 / Model 1933
 * Škoda 149 mm K4 / Model 1937
 * Škoda 19 cm vz. 1904
 * 21 cm Kanone 39
 * 210 mm gun M1939 (Br-17)
 * 24 cm Haubitze 39
 * Škoda 24 cm L/40 K97
 * Škoda 305 mm Model 1911
 * Škoda 30.5 cm /45 K10
 * 305 mm howitzer M1939 (Br-18)
 * 42 cm Haubitze M. 14/16

1945–1989: after World War II

In 1945, the year that nationalisation efforts began in Czechoslovakia, Škoda was nationalised, and many sections were split from the company. The car works in Mladá Boleslav became Automobilové závody, národní podnik, AZNP, today's Škoda Auto, and the aircraft plant in Prague and truck plant became part of a conglomerate of nine truck producers headquartered in Liberec as LIAZ (Liberecké automobilové závody), although the trucks were still marketed as Škodas. Some factories in Slovakia were also split off, and other plants produced food-industry equipment.

The company was renamed Závody Vladimíra Iljiče Lenina (Vladimir Ilyich Lenin Works) in 1953, but since the new name caused losses of sales abroad, the name was changed back to Škoda in 1965.

The factory concentrated on markets in the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc. The company produced a wide range of heavy machinery such as nuclear reactors and locomotives. A lack of updates to its product designs and infrastructure considerably weakened the company's competitive position and its brand.

After 1962, Škoda became well known in the Soviet Union and other countries as a trolley bus manufacturer after it began to export Škoda 9 Tr, one of its most successful models. The successor, Škoda 14 Tr, manufactured between 1982 and 1997, is still widely used, for example, in post-Soviet states.

In 1978, the company was turned into the government-owned group of companies ("koncern") Škoda. It was based in Plzeň and consisted of the companies: První brněnská strojírna (First Machine Works of Brno), ČKD Blansko, ČKD Dukla Praha-Karlín in Prague, Slovenské energetické strojárne S. M. Kirova (Slovak S. M. Kirov Energy Machine Works) in Tlmače, and Výzkumný ústav energetických zařízení (Energy Facilities Research Institute) in Brno.

1989–2011: after fall of communism
After the Communist Party lost power in late 1989, the company was privatized into the hands of management. Mismanagement and asset stripping led to a collapse. The company was restructured and some factories closed. Except for some smaller companies named Škoda and Škoda Auto, after the chaotic 1990s period, the Czech Škoda companies were again regrouped within the holding company Škoda Holding a.s. in 2000. In 2010, the holding company changed its name to Škoda Investment, a.s..

Following the change in the political climate in 1989, Škoda started along a path of privatisation and used the time to come up with an optimal production programme, make new business contacts and look for markets other than those that had so far been its priority markets, communist countries.

In 1991, a foreign partner for the passenger car works Škoda Auto a.s. was sought by the Czech government. Volkswagen was chosen, and the German firm initially took a 30% stake, rising to 100% ownership by 1999. Škoda Auto is now a completely-independent entity from other companies bearing the Škoda name.

In 1992, the company was privatised by the so-called Czech method. It began expanding its production activities, acquiring the Tatra and LIAZ vehicle works and constructing a plant to produce aluminum soft drink cans. The expansion put the company's financial stability in jeopardy. In 1999, it concluded an agreement with creditor banks, and the restructuring of the entire capital structure of the Škoda group was undertaken. The result was the legal and financial stability at the company. Currently, a sectoral restructuring of production companies in the group is under way. In April 2000, Škoda Holding a.s. took over the helm, controlling nineteen primary subsidiaries and most product lines.

In 2003, the Czech government sold its 49% stake to the Appian Group for 350 million CZK; (in 2020, equivalent to 14,78 million USD) later that year the Appian Group acquired the rest of its stake in a liquidation of the previous owner. The Appian Group is a holding company incorporated in the Netherlands and controlled through a screen of shell companies. The real owner or owners are unknown, despite investigations by the Czech police. In September 2010, a group of four current or former Škoda or Appian managers announced that it would acquire Škoda from Appian for an undisclosed price. The Czech media speculated that the acquisition was only a formality, as the managers probably owned the parent company Appian.

Škoda was then focused solely on the transport sector. Other divisions have been sold, a large part of them to the Russian company OMZ (the price was not published, estimated at 1 billion CZK). Some smaller transport companies were acquired, such as part of the Hungarian company Ganz, VÚKV (owner of the Velim railway test circuit) and some transport-related assets of the former ČKD, now called Škoda Vagonka. In 2009, Škoda holding announced that the South Korean conglomerate Doosan would acquire its power section for 11,5 billion CZK (US$656 million). Finally, in March 2011, Škoda sold its Škoda Transportation subsidiary to Cyprus-based company Škoda Industry (Europe) Ltd, later renamed CEIL (Central Europe Industries) Ltd.

As of 2012, Škoda Investment still owns the Škoda brand and some real estate but does not perform any industrial activity. Between 2007 and 2012, the company paid dividends to Appian, a sum of 32 billion CZK (1.18 billion euro or US$1.6 billion).

Škoda products
Škoda Transportation produces various types of trolleybuses, tramcars, locomotives and rapid transit train systems. More can be found at: List of Škoda Transportation products.

Former subsidiaries

 * Power division sold to Doosan produces as Doosan Škoda Power (former Škoda Power) steam turbines, heat exchangers and condensers
 * Metallurgy division held by United Group produces as Pilsen Steel (former Škoda, Hutě, Plzeň) crankshafts, turbine components or ingots
 * Nuclear division sold to OMZ produces as Škoda JS equipment for nuclear plants or oil refining, petrochemical and gas industry
 * Transportation division produces as Škoda Transportation trolleybuses, tramcars, electric locomotives, electric multiple units and rapid transit train systems.
 * Škoda Praha sold to ČEZ Group is supplier of power generation projects and their technological parts.
 * Former Škoda Vyzkum research institute now operating as VZÚ Plzeň
 * TS Plzeň a.s. (former Škoda TS) is active in heavy engineering, doing curing presses, hydraulic presses, equipment for rolling-mill plants and equipment for sugar-cane refineries.
 * Brush SEM, owned by UK based FKI, manufactures generators.
 * Pilsen Tools s.r.o. and Škoda Machine Tool a.s. are active in the machine tool sector.
 * Czech Precision Forge a.s. does open- die and closed-die forging of steel and non-ferrous alloys.
 * MKV Ozubená kola s.r.o. and Wikov Gear s.r.o.  produce gearboxes and gear wheels.

title: Škoda Works


text:
Pussyfoot

Pussyfoot was a British recording act of the late 1970s. The act consisted of songwriter, producer and musician Mick Flinn, and vocalist Donna Jones. Flinn remained behind the scenes, and Jones was marketed as a solo artist.

Early 1970s
Flinn had been a member of Australian rock band The Mixtures from 1967 to 1972, which included the band's most successful period. With consecutive number 1 songs in Australia in 1970, "The Pushbike Song" and "In the Summertime". The Mixtures made the trip to England in January 1971, returned to Australia in November for a concert tour, and then returned to England in January 1972. Flinn left the band in May 1972, eventually settling permanently in the UK. In the UK, Flinn formed The Springfield Revival with Ray Martin and Donna Jones. Flinn subsequently became Jones' manager-writer-producer.

1975-1984: Pussyfoot
In 1975, Pussyfoot recorded the soft rock song "The Way That You Do It" which was released in June 1975, and first attracted public attention when the song's suggestive lyrics caused it to be banned by the BBC. The song was re-released under the title "Ooh Na Na Hiya" in 1976, but did not chart.

In Australia, the television show Countdown began playing the video clip, and exploited the British ban on playing the song. Over several months, Jones became a sensation and a sex symbol. The song was released as a single by EMI Australia in 1976 and spent seven weeks at number one on the singles chart from 31 January 1977. "The Way That You Do It" was the second highest single in Australia in 1977

"Ooh Ja Ja" was released in Australian 1977 and peaked at number 20 in Australia. Pussyfoot toured Australia in April 1977 promoting their debut studio album, Pussyfootin' Round... With Love.

In 1978, Pussyfoot released a second studio album, featuring the singles ""A Night to Remember" and "Dancer Dance", which reached number three on the British club charts.

Flinn formed the Mick Flinn Band in 1978; Jones joined The New Seekers in 1979.

In 1980, Jones fronted a female band of Fiona Tucker, Jude Allen, Jackie Dixon and Annabel Rees with Mick Flinn on bass that adopted her previous stage name Pussyfoot, and the group entered the Song for Europe 1980 contest, in an attempt to represent the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "I Want to Be Me". Pussyfoot came fourth in the contest, with media commentators speculating after the event that Jones was, once again, too raunchy for British tastes.

In 1984, Pussyfoot released The Australian-only single "Mind Over Matter" that failed to chart.

1985-present: Post Pussyfoot
Jones returned to The New Seekers in the late 1980s as a replacement for Vivien Banks who had been a member of the 1976 group Co-Co. Jones had previously been in the girl trio Chrys-Do-Lyns along with fellow New Seekers bandmate Lyn Paul.

Flinn worked with Peter Morris of the band Black Lace for the 1984 UK Top 40 hit "Do the Conga", and joined The New Seekers in 2002.

title: Pussyfoot