text:
Talk:William Hanna

Birth Date
When was he born, July 19, 1912 or July 14, 1910? The obit here says July 14, 1910, and I suspect this is correct. Will someone with more knowledge on the subject please correct this featured article? Johann1870 (talk) 21:05, 14 July 2010 (UTC)
 * 14th is correct. — Rlevse • Talk  • 21:08, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

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title: Talk:William Hanna


text:
Category:Anglo-Saxon England

 * Anglo-Saxon England — the period in the history of.
 * The period is from Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain the 5th century to the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century.

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

title: Category:Anglo-Saxon England


text:
Talk:William Hanna/to do

 * add the list of awards he won/was involved in winning

title: Talk:William Hanna/to do


text:
Karl Müllenhoff

Karl Viktor Müllenhoff (born September 8, 1818, in Marne, Duchy of Holstein; died February 19, 1884, in Berlin) was a German philologist who specialized in Germanic studies.

Biography
He was born in Marne, Holstein as the second son of merchant Johann Anton Müllenhoff. In his youth, he received his education in the town of Meldorf (1830–1837). He later studied under Gregor Wilhelm Nitzsch at the University of Kiel, then continued his education at Leipzig (1839, under Gottfried Hermann and Moriz Haupt) and then in Berlin (1839-1841), where his instructors included Karl Lachmann and Wilhelm Grimm. In 1841 he received his PhD at Kiel with a dissertation on Sophocles.

He taught classes in German language, literature and mythology at the University of Kiel, where in 1854 he became a full professor of German literature and history. Afterwards, he returned to Berlin as a professor of German philology (1858-1884). In 1861 he became a member of the Gesetzlose Gesellschaft zu Berlin. Two of his well-known students in Berlin were Wilhelm Scherer and Elias von Steinmeyer.

In 1863 he introduced a theory involving the continuity of written language dating from the era of Old High German.

From around 1875, he resided at Schellingstraße 7 (Berlin-Tiergarten), a few years later, moving to a house on Lützowufer in the same district. He was buried in the Alter St.-Matthäus-Kirchhof in Berlin-Schöneberg. In 1896, a thoroughfare called  Müllenhoffstraße (Berlin-Kreuzberg) was named in his honor.

Publications

 * Sagen, Märchen und Lieder der herzogthümer Schleswig, Holstein und Lauenburg, 1845 – Collection of sagas, fairy tales and songs from the Duchies of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg.
 * De Antiquissima Germanorum Poesi Chorica, a treatise; cited as one of his greatest works (1847).
 * Altdeutsche Sprachproben, 1864 (4th edition, 1885. 5th edition, 1963).
 * Denkmäler deutscher Poesie und Prosa aus dem 8. bis 12. Jahrhundert, with Wilhelm Scherer (Berlin, 1864) – Monuments of German poetry and prose from the 8th-12th century.
 * Deutsche Alterthumskunde, left unfinished; cited as one of his greatest works (1870–99); five volumes.
 * Vol. 1. Die Phoenizier. Pytheas von Massalia.
 * Vol. 2. Die Nord- und Ostnachbaren der Germanen. Die Gallier und Germanen.
 * Vol. 3. Der Ursprung der Germanen.
 * Vol. 4. Die Germania des Tacitus.
 * Vol. 5. Über die Voluspa. Über die ältere Edda.

title: Karl Müllenhoff


text: Category:American Indian peoples

title: Category:American Indian peoples


text:
Thomas Dundas, 2nd Earl of Zetland

Thomas Dundas, 2nd Earl of Zetland, KG (5 February 1795 – 6 May 1873), was a British nobleman and politician.

Born in Marylebone, London, eldest son of the 1st Earl and his wife Harriet Hale, he was educated at Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge. In 1818 he was elected Whig Member of Parliament for his father and grandfather's old seat of Richmond, becoming representative for York twelve years later. In 1835 he returned to Parliament as member for Richmond, and four years later succeeded his father as second Earl of Zetland.

Like his father a prominent freemason, Lord Zetland was the United Grand Lodge of England's Grand Master from 1844 to 1870. Zetland was a senior member of the Jockey Club and won The Derby and St Leger Stakes with his horse Voltigeur in 1850.

In the year of his succession to the earldom, he was appointed Lord Lieutenant and Custos Rotulorum of the North Riding of Yorkshire, and in 1861 became a Knight of the Thistle. He resigned the Order on being made a Knight Companion of the Garter in 1872, and died the following year at Aske Hall, Yorkshire.

He married, on 6 September 1823, Sophia Jane, daughter of Sir Hedworth Williamson, Bt.

title: Thomas Dundas, 2nd Earl of Zetland


text: Category:History of Northern Ireland

title: Category:History of Northern Ireland


text:
OTL

OTL may stand for:
 * Oradea Transport Local
 * Over-the-line, a variant of softball played mostly in Southern California
 * Over time limit
 * Output transformerless, a vacuum tube amplifier topology
 * Outside the Lines, an American sports television series focusing on off-the-field stories
 * Oracle Template Library
 * An emoticon representing a kneeling or bowing person
 * Overtime loss in ice hockey
 * Otl Aicher, a graphic designer and typographer
 * South Airlines, by ICAO airline code
 * Ottawa Tool Library
 * On the Loose, an outing club for the Claremont Colleges in Claremont, California, United States

title: OTL


text:
Three's a Crowd

Three's a Crowd (also known as Three's Company, Too in the Three's Company syndication package) is an American sitcom television series produced as a spin-off and continuation of Three's Company that aired on ABC from September 25, 1984 (one week after the final episode of Three's Company was broadcast), until April 9, 1985, with reruns airing until September 10, 1985. It is loosely based on the British sitcom Robin's Nest, which was itself a spin-off of Man About the House, on which Three's Company was based.

Plot
In Three's Company 's final episodes, Vicky Bradford (Mary Cadorette) is introduced as a love interest of Jack Tripper (John Ritter), beginning with the episode titled "Cupid Works Overtime". In the following two-part episode "Friends and Lovers", Jack proposes marriage, but Vicky, afraid of marriage after witnessing her parents' tumultuous relationship and bitter divorce, declines the offer. Vicky instead convinces Jack to move in with her in the vacant apartment above his restaurant. Vicky's wealthy father James Bradford (Robert Mandan) buys the building from Jack's former boss Frank Angelino. James does not approve of Jack, and he constantly tries to disrupt his and Vicky's relationship.

Other characters include E. Z. Taylor (Alan Campbell), Jack's eccentric assistant at the bistro, and Claudia Bradford (Jessica Walter), Vicky's mother and James's ex-wife.

Main

 * John Ritter as Jack Tripper
 * Mary Cadorette as Victoria "Vicky" Bradford
 * Robert Mandan as James Bradford
 * Alan Campbell as E.Z. Taylor

Recurring

 * Jessica Walter as Claudia Bradford

Production history
Three's Company had been based on the sitcom Man About the House, which aired on ITV in the United Kingdom from 1973 to 1976. When the series concluded, producers Brian Cooke and Johnnie Mortimer devised two spin-offs. The first was George and Mildred, which ran from 1976 to 1979 and starred Brian Murphy and Yootha Joyce as the characters of George and Mildred Roper. The second spin-off was Robin's Nest, which ran from 1977 to 1981 and featured Richard O'Sullivan as Robin Tripp (the basis of the Jack Tripper character), who runs the titular restaurant with his live-in girlfriend and her antagonistic father.

Three's Company 's producers were eager to capitalize on these spin-offs. In 1979, they had spun off The Ropers, based on George and Mildred, but the show ran for only one and a half seasons. Executive producers Ted Bergmann and Don Taffner attempted to adapt the Robin's Nest series, but without John Ritter. A pilot for a series called Byrd's Nest was written with the same premise as Robin's Nest, with a young man living with his older girlfriend and her disapproving father, who owns the building in which they live. The series was planned as a spin-off from Three's Company and possibly a vehicle for Richard Kline, but ABC passed on the idea. As Three's Company entered its eighth season in September 1983, ratings took a dive due to stiff competition from the new NBC series The A-Team, and ABC approved the development of a new series to be called Three's a Crowd, starring Ritter.

Development and casting of the new series occurred in secret as Three's Company's eighth season progressed. Ritter's cast members Richard Kline, Joyce DeWitt, Priscilla Barnes and Don Knotts were kept out of the loop. During a Christmas hiatus in late 1983, producers auditioned several female leads to play Jack's new love interest Vicky Bradford, and eventually decided on Broadway actress Mary Cadorette. An embarrassing situation arose when DeWitt accidentally walked in on the auditions after visiting the studio to set up her dressing room at the end of the hiatus. Informed of the spin-off project and the looming cancellation of Three's Company, DeWitt was upset by the secrecy but soon reconciled with Ritter. She and Barnes found it difficult to tape the rest of the season, for both actresses learned that their characters would conclude with the series finale. Kline and Knotts were offered recurring roles on Three's a Crowd, but both declined the offer (Kline would make a guest appearance on the show in early 1985). Suzanne Somers reportedly lobbied to reprise her Three's Company character Chrissy Snow as Jack's love interest in the spin-off.

Transition
Moving from Three's Company to Three's a Crowd, series producers decided to follow the plot line of the British series. Season 8 of Three's Company closed with a three-episode story arc. In the first of the three episodes, Janet meets wealthy art collector Phillip Dawson. In the second episode, she falls in love with him, while Jack meets and falls in love with stewardess Vicky Bradford. Her wealthy father, played by Robert Mandan, does not approve of the relationship. When first aired, the episode ended with the words, "To be continued... next fall", but when rerun late in the summer, it was changed to, "To be continued... next week". The last episode of Three's Company aired as an hour-long special that kicked off the 1984–85 fall television season and set up the premise for Three's a Crowd. In the finale, Janet marries Phillip, Terri moves to Hawaii, while Jack and Vicky profess their love for one another; but Vicky, the child of a bitter divorce, turns down Jack's marriage proposal. They instead move in together in an apartment above Jack's bistro. In the last scene, Jack and Vicky are spending their first romantic evening in the new apartment, but Mr. Bradford accidentally barges in on them, explaining that he has bought the building and has become their new landlord. The title card for Three's Company appears with the word, "COMPANY", zooming out, and replaced with, "A CROWD".

Three's a Crowd employed most of the same writers, producers and staff from Three's Company, but the new show's style had changed. While the Jack Tripper character is the lead role in Three's Company, the show features an ensemble cast of the three roommates along with supporting characters. However, the new show is centered around Jack. Vicky, her parents and E. Z. are supporting characters. The new show also employs more slapstick for Ritter. The events and characters of the previous show are not mentioned, except in a late-season episode in which Larry Dallas appears.

Ratings and cancellation
Three's a Crowd garnered moderate ratings, having to compete with The A-Team on NBC. When the 1984–85 television season finished, the show placed 39th out of 77 shows with a 14.5/22 rating/share. This put the show on the fence with ABC, as it had enough of an audience to warrant renewal, but its ratings paled in comparison to The A-Team, which finished sixth for the season. The network would commit to only a half season of 13 episodes to see how the series would fare, and Ritter reportedly said that he would not return to the show unless a full season was ordered. Finally, ABC instead decided to pick up Diff'rent Strokes, which had just been canceled by NBC.

Home Media
On December 22, 2023, to coincide with a re-release of the complete Three's Company series for its 40th anniversary, Visual Entertainment Inc. released Three's a Crowd and The Ropers on DVD.

Reruns
Daytime reruns aired on ABC from September 23, 1985, to January 3, 1986, followed by another prime-time run on USA Network. Some syndicated versions aired under the title Three's Company, Too, using the theme song of Three's Company.

Six episodes of the series aired on TV Land in September 2006, and four episodes aired on WGN America in October 2008. The series began airing on Antenna TV in June 2011 (as Three's a Crowd, with its "Side by Side" theme song). The series is available for streaming in the U.S. as of July 2021 on Pluto TV and as of June 2022 on Tubi.

title: Three's a Crowd


text:
Anzac-class frigate

The Anzac class (also identified as the ANZAC class and the MEKO 200 ANZ type) is a ship class of ten frigates; eight operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and two operated by the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN). During the 1980s, the RAN began plans to replace the River-class destroyer escorts (based on the British Leander-class frigate) with a mid-capability patrol frigate and settled on the idea of modifying a proven German design for Australian conditions. Around the same time, the RNZN was seeking to replace their Leander-class frigates while maintaining blue-water capabilities. A souring of relations between New Zealand and the United States in relation to New Zealand's nuclear-free zone and the ANZUS security treaty prompted New Zealand to seek improved ties with other nations, particularly Australia. As both nations were seeking warships of similar capabilities, the decision was made in 1987 to collaborate on their acquisition. The project name (and later, the class name) is taken from the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps of the First World War.

Twelve ship designs were tendered in 1986. By 1989, the project had selected a proposal by Germany's Blohm + Voss, based on their MEKO 200 design, to be built in Australia by AMECON at Williamstown, Victoria. The modular design of the frigates allowed sections to be constructed at Whangārei, New Zealand and Newcastle, New South Wales in addition to Williamstown. The RAN ordered eight ships, while the RNZN ordered two and had the option to add two more. The frigate acquisition was controversial and widely opposed in New Zealand, and as a result, the additional ships were not ordered.

In 1992, work started on the frigates; 3600 t ships capable of a 27 kn top speed, and a range of 6,000 nmi at 18 kn. The armament initially consisted of a single 5-inch gun and a point-defence missile system, supported by a missile-armed helicopter. In addition, the ships were fitted for but not with a torpedo system, anti-ship missiles, and a close-in weapons system. The last ship of the class entered service in 2006; by this point, the RAN and RNZN had embarked on separate projects to improve the frigates' capabilities by fitting the additional weapons, along with updates to other systems and equipment.

Since entering service, Anzac-class frigates have made multiple deployments outside local waters, including involvement in the INTERFET multi-national deployment to East Timor, and multiple operational periods in the Persian Gulf. , nine ships are in service following HMAS Anzac's decommissioning in May 2024. The RAN intends to start replacing theirs in 2024, while the RNZN ships will remain active until the mid-2030s.

Planning and development
The Anzac class originated from the RAN's New Surface Combatant (NSC) project, which began in the mid-1980s to find a replacement for the RAN's six River-class destroyer escorts. By 1985, various design briefs ranging from 1200 to 5000 t displacement were under consideration, with the RAN emphasising anti-ship missile defence, damage control, and ship survivability based on Royal Navy experiences during the Falklands War. Eventually, the project settled on a ship of approximately 3,600 t displacement. At this time, it was also believed that Australia did not have the capability to design a major warship from scratch, so the decision was made to select a proven foreign design and fit it with an Australian-developed combat system. In early 1986, a review of policy regarding surface combatants saw the NSC classified into the middle of three tiers: a patrol frigate designed to operate on low- to mid-intensity operations in Australia's economic exclusion zone.

Around the same time, the need to replace the RNZN's Leander-class frigate force with new warships was under consideration. The government saw maintaining a blue-water capable force built around three or four frigates as important, but the cost of acquiring and maintaining such a force was prohibitive, once it became clear on the basis of RN and RAN studies that the generally favored Type 21 design lacked the space and volume for the required range and development. A joint Anzac project offered the RNZN the first chance in 20 years for new deepwater warships. The NZ 1983 Defence Review on the basis of RN theoretical study and enthusiasm for the 2400 Vicker sub-project, saw a submarine force as the only way of maintaining an RNZN as a combat force, and the Muldoon government actually entered into a memo of understanding with Australia for the joint development of what became the Collins-class submarines and assigned staff to the Australian project. However, it became clear that surface vessels were also required and the cost risk was too high. Alternate suggestions, such as reducing the RNZN to a coast guard-type force responsible for coastal and fisheries protection, replacing the frigates with smaller offshore patrol vessels, or reorienting the navy to primarily operate submarines, were made in several venues, but were seen as an unacceptable loss in capability. Around the same time, the 1984-elected Fourth Labour Government of New Zealand implemented a nuclear-free zone, which incensed the United States and led to a deterioration of relations between the two nations, including the American withdrawal of support for New Zealand under the ANZUS security treaty. In response, the New Zealand government sought to improve ties with Australia; one such avenue was to promote military interoperability between the countries by standardising equipment and procedures where possible. The Australian NSC project was seen to have "virtually identical" requirements to the RNZN's proposed Replacement Combat Ship concept, and the need to replace the warships dovetailed with the need to improve relations with Australia.

On 6 March 1987, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the two nations and RNZN representatives were invited to collaborate on the project. To recognise their involvement, the project was renamed the Anzac Ship Project, taking the name from the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps of World War I. The New Zealanders' involvement was structured to allow their involvement in the selection of the design and shipyard and explore options for New Zealand industry involvement. When the time came to commit, they could either continue cooperating into the construction stage of the project, independently order the ships from the designer or abandon the project entirely.

The proposed baseline characteristics called for a vessel capable of reaching speeds of 27 kn and a range of 6000 nmi at 18 kn based on a combined diesel or gas (CODOG) propulsion system, able to operate in Sea State 5, and capable of operating a Seahawk-size helicopter. The ship was to be fitted with a 76 or main gun and an eight-cell launcher for a point-defence missile system, and fitted for but not with a torpedo system, anti-ship missiles, and a close-in weapons system. Tenders were requested by the project at the end of 1986, and 19 submissions were made, 12 of which included ship designs: the Netherlands' M-class (later Karel Doorman-class frigate) frigate, a design based on the German MEKO 200 multipurpose frigate design, Italy's Maestrale-class frigate frigate, the French F2000 design, the Canadian Halifax-class frigate frigate, the German Type 122 (later Bremen-class frigate frigate), Norway's Nordkapp-class offshore patrol vessel offshore patrol vessel, the British Type 23 frigate (which was proposed by two different shipyards), South Korea's Ulsan-class frigate frigate, and an airship design proposed by Airship Industries. By August 1987, a cost ceiling of A$3.5 billion (1986 terms) was established, and the submitted proposals were narrowed down in October to Blohm + Voss's MEKO design, the M class offered by Royal Schelde, and a scaled-down version of the British Type 23 proposed by Yarrow Shipbuilders. The Type 23 proposal was eliminated in November 1987, with the other two going into a development phase where the designer partnered with an Australian shipbuilder: Blohm + Voss with AMECON, and Royal Schelde with Australian Warship Systems.

On 14 August 1989, the Australian government announced that AMECON had been awarded the tender for construction of the Anzac class based on modified MEKO 200 design. Although both the MEKO 200 and M-class designs met the design requirements, the MEKO design was selected as more ships could be purchased for the budget cost. The A$5 billion contract was, at the time, the largest defence contract awarded in Australia. The decision was made despite ongoing debate in New Zealand over the project. New Zealand committed in principle to the purchase of two frigates plus the option for two more on 7 September, and the contract for the first two ships was signed on 10 November.

In 1992, the Australian Force Structure Review contained plans to replace the three Perth-class destroyer guided-missile destroyers and four of the six Adelaide-class frigate guided-missile frigates with air defence vessels. The initial proposal – to build an additional six Anzac-class frigates configured for wide-area anti-aircraft warfare – did not go ahead as the Anzac design was too small to effectively host all the required equipment and weapons. Instead, the RAN began to upgrade the Adelaides in 1999 to fill the anti-aircraft capability that would be lost when the Perths left service between 1999 and 2001, and began work on a long-term replacement of the destroyers with what became the Hobart-class destroyer air warfare destroyer.

New Zealand controversy

From the late 1960s decision of the UK government to withdraw the Royal Navy from East of Suez in the early 1970s considerable doubt existed within the RNZN, the government, and community about the continuing relevance, viability, and usefulness of an RNZN force of three to four frigates. The option of the United States Coast Guard's (USCG) Hamilton-class cutters was seriously considered as an alternative to the order of HMNZS Canterbury in 1968, which was approved under the understanding that New Zealand would hold continued access to the UK market after Britain entered the European Economic Community and was affordable only because it was part of a British deal with the Yarrow shipyard to build seven RN, Chilean and RNZN Leanders at less than the cost to save shipyard jobs in Scotland.

During the late 1970s, proposals for a modified Hamilton-class cutter with less range or the RN Type 21 frigate with similar anti-submarine capability to a Leander but with a smaller crew and with less AW, AA, an AD. Both these proposals and others for full combat Dutch or American Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates were rejected by the Muldoon government and in the early 1980s a number of retired naval officers and political scientists like Helen Clark and Robert Miles were seriously debating and writing papers and articles suggesting options such as RN OPVs, the Castle-class patrol vessel and the USCG's WMEC Bear class. The navy was interested in some of these ideas, but only for the option proposed by the 1978 Defence Review of acquiring two OPVs to patrol the expanded EEZ and free the Leanders for other uses and for replacement of the inadequate and worn out Lake-class patrol vessels. After the election of the Lange Labour government, thinking on alternatives to frigates for the RNZN had moved towards purpose-built designs rather like the Irish Navy's LÉ Eithne patrol corvette, a sort of 1,800-ton high endurance corvette with Leander-like helicopter hangar and pad or small Meko 100–140 designs rather different from the Espora-class corvettes built for Argentina. After the nuclear ships crisis and other events, the acquisition of some Anzac frigates was virtually certain, because the key Labour MP Jim Anderton either accepted the Anzac ships as a necessary increased self-defence capability with the securing of a nuclear-free policy or tacitly agreed not to oppose it like Helen Clark.

The new most touted off-the-shelf options in 1986–88 (the Castle and Bear-class vessels) were no longer possible as the Scottish shipbuilders had closed and development of the Bear cutter option into a stretched vessel was effectively impossible after the ANZUS impasse. The New Zealand government's planned acquisition of the Anzac-class frigates was a major point of debate and contention: researcher Peter Greener claims that it "was possibly the most strongly debated defence purchase of the century". In New Zealand, at the time, "frigate" was a dirty word and attempts to make the replacement of the old navy ships more palatable to the public included using euphemisms like "ocean combat ship" and "ocean surveillance vessel". The government's official stance was dedication to maintaining a blue-water navy, primarily in order to defend the nation and contribute to regional security. Despite this, the government was slow to respond to opponents of the project which included peace campaigners, politicians (from both within and outside the Labour Party, and from both ends of the political spectrum), and military personnel. Most of the concern revolved around the cost of purchasing frigate-type ships, along with the idea that four high-capability warships would be too few and too overspecialised to operate in the roles envisioned for the RNZN.

The primary role foreseen for the RNZN was fisheries protection, particularly following the introduction of a 200 nmi exclusive economic zZone by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea; this was thought to require a minimum of six vessels to effectively police. Peace campaigners claimed that the purchase of the Anzacs was a politically motivated decision made under pressure from Australia, which was trying to support its shipbuilding industry, and stated that the Fourth Labour Government was undermining its commitment to reduce the nation's deficit by spending so much on high-tech warships (although figures of $NZ20 billion for purchase and 20 years of operation was misquoted as an upfront lump sum). There were also concerns that by possessing modern warships, New Zealand would be "dragged" back into ANZUS. One proposal suggested to avoid this was that the New Zealand Anzacs be fitted with inferior engines that would reduce the vessels' top speed and make it impossible to operate with United States Navy fleets. However, these changes would have incurred major additional expenses. A recurring alternate proposal was the purchase of the British Castle-class patrol vessel design. Two months after tenders for the project closed, the managing director of Svendborg Skibsværft began to campaign for the construction of the Danish IS-86 patrol vessel (later designated the Thetis-class patrol vessel frigate) for the RNZN. In response to these proposals, the government indicated that it was committing to purchasing Australian ships, and that interoperability with the RAN (which the alternate ship designs were incapable of) was a major element in the decision.

At the time of the August 1989 decision for AMECON to build the MEKO-based frigate, the controversy was still ongoing in New Zealand. David Lange, a major supporter of the Anzac project, had only just resigned from the prime ministership. Despite the Labour Party's national conference rejecting the frigate project a year earlier, the purchase of two Anzacs, with the option to acquire two more, was approved by Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer's cabinet on 4 September, then a majority of the Labour caucus on 7 September. From the government's perspective, the Anzac project was being seen as a litmus test of New Zealand's commitment to (among other things) relations with Australia and regional defence, particularly after the problems between New Zealand and the United States.

Despite the government signing contracts for the purchase of two Anzacs in November 1989, the project continued to be a bone of contention in New Zealand politics, particularly after the Fourth Labour Government lost the 1990 election to the National Party, which formed the Fourth National Government. In 1992, Minister of Defence Warren Cooper began claiming in several arenas that exercising the option for two more frigates may not be necessary. Following the 1996 election, the National Party retained power, but only in coalition with the New Zealand First party, which opposed the purchase of additional frigates. Other options for replacing the two remaining Leanders were explored, but these were generally more expensive than purchasing the Anzacs. The US Clinton Administration partly discredited the option of a third Anzac by formally offering the RNZN two Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate shorthulls of 15–17 years age, purportedly armed with SM1 Standard missiles and later 28 F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft which it had refused to transfer to Pakistan. These offers were made partly because of US concern that Australia needed more regional defence support to conduct a more robust foreign and economic policy in SE Asia. However the F-16 offer, offered the NZ cabinet an option and out and they took it, rather than be immensely unpopular in both Canberra and Washington by rejecting both. In the view of NZ PM Jenny Shipley the Australians had made a good offer, but it was not good enough and there were many alternative ship designs. Internal political opposition, particularly from New Zealand First, prevented the exercising of the contract option for two more ships before it lapsed on 10 November 1997, at which point the government was considering the purchase of a single frigate outside the terms of the original contract. A year later, the idea was still being debated internally although the proposal had been downgraded to buying one of the active Australian Anzacs second-hand which the RAN could then replace by building an additional ship. At this point, the National-New Zealand First coalition had collapsed, and the National Party was only holding on to power by the support of minority parties and independents; support that was likely to be withdrawn if a third frigate was approved. Cabinet rejected the plan, and the issue of replacing the Leander-class frigate HMNZS Canterbury (F421) was deferred.

Design at launch
The Anzac design is derived from Blohm + Voss' MEKO 200 PN (or Vasco da Gama-class frigate) frigate, and is identified by the company as the MEKO 200 ANZ. In addition to capability modifications to meet RAN and RNZN requirements, the ships were redesigned during the development phase to maximise the involvement of Australian and New Zealand industries through the use of locally sourced components: 80% of the materials (by value) was locally sourced, and within this, 20% must come from New Zealand. The Anzacs were designed to German Navy standards, except where Australian or United States standards were specifically requested.

Each frigate has a 3,600 t full load displacement. The ships are 109 m long at the waterline, and 118 m long overall, with a beam of 14.8 m, and a draught at full load of 4.35 m. The hull and superstructure are of all-steel construction, and the ships are fitted with fin stabilisers.

The frigates use a combined diesel or gas (CODOG) propulsion machinery layout, with a single, 30172 hp General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbine and two 8,840 hp MTU 12V1163 TB83 diesel engines driving the ship's two controllable-pitch propellers. Maximum speed is 27 kn, and maximum range is over 6,000 nmi at 18 kn. The frigates' range is about 50% greater than other MEKO-type frigates, due to an enhanced fuel supply. Originally, two gas turbines were to be fitted; this layout would have provided a top speed of 31.75 kn. The starboard turbine was cancelled to save costs.

The standard ship's company of an Anzac consists of 22 officers and 141 sailors. Onboard electricity requirements are met by four MTU diesel generators. Each ship can carry up to 29 m3 of dry provisions, 29 m3 of refrigerated provisions, and 54 t of fresh water.

Armament

At the time of construction, the main weapon for the Anzacs was a United Defense 5-inch 54 calibre Mark 45 Mod 2 dual purpose gun. The forward-mounted gun is capable of firing 32 kg shells at a rate of 20 rounds per minute, to a distance of 23 km. The barrel can elevate to 65 degrees. This was supplemented by an eight-cell Lockheed Martin Mark 41 Mod 5 vertical launch system for RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missiles as a point-defence system. The Sea Sparrow is a semi-active radar homing missile, with a 39 kg warhead, a range of 14.6 km, and a top speed of Mach 2.5. Two 12.7 mm machine guns were fitted for close defence.

A missile-armed helicopter was a key component of the frigates' armament. When construction started, both navies were planning for, but had yet to identify, new helicopters to be operated by the frigates; as an interim measure, the RAN used Sikorsky S-70B-2 Seahawks, while the RNZN embarked Westland Wasps.

Ships were fitted for but not with a close-in weapons system, two quad-canister Harpoon anti-ship missile launchers, and a second Mark 41 launcher. After the ships were completed, both navies fitted Mark 32 three-tube torpedo launchers to their frigates. These were taken from older ships where possible; for example, Te Kaha's launchers came from HMNZS Southland. The launchers were configured to fire the Mark 46 Mod 5 torpedo, an active/passive homing torpedo with a range of 11 km at 40 kn, and a 44 kg warhead.

Sensors and systems
The radar suite includes a Raytheon SPS-49(V)8 ANZ radar for aerial search and long-range surveillance, a Saab 9LV 453 Target Indication Radar for air and surface search, an Atlas Elektronik 9600 ARPA navigational radar, and a second Saab 9LV 453 unit for fire control. All ships were initially fitted with a ThomsonSintra Spherion B hull-mounted bow sonar, for active search and attack operations. From Warramunga onwards, ships were launched with a Petrel Mine and Obstacle Avoidance Sonar system. this was later retrofitted to Anzac. All ships were fitted for but not with a towed-array sonar, with the RAN and RNZN following separate acquisition programs for these. The frigates were also fitted for but not with SATCOM and a Helo datalink.

Countermeasures and electronic warfare equipment fitted at launch included Mark 36 SRBOC launchers, an SLQ-25A towed torpedo decoy, four four-cell Nulka decoy launchers, Racal Thorn modified Sceptre-A electronic support measures (ESM) equipment, and a Telefunken PST-1720 Telegon 10 radar intercept unit. The Anzacs were fitted for but not with offboard active ECM systems. The Sceptre-A equipment was unable to meet the required performance specifications, and Thales UK (which previously acquired Racal Thorn) was contracted in 2001 to replace the units with the Centaur ESM.

A Cossor AIMS Mark XII identification-friend-or-foe system is also installed.

The core of the Anzacs' combat system was built around CelsiusTech's (now Saab) 9LV 453 Mark 3 distributed command and fire-control system.

Construction
On 14 August 1989, AMECON was awarded the tender to build the Blohm + Voss designed frigate. The frigates were to be constructed at the AMECON shipyard in Williamstown, Victoria (formerly Williamstown Naval Dockyard), but the modular design of the frigate allowed sections of the ships to be constructed throughout Australia and New Zealand, with final assembly in Williamstown. Each vessel was made up of six hull modules and six superstructure modules. All of lead ship Anzacs modules were assembled at Williamstown, but for later ships, the superstructure modules were fabricated in Whangārei, and hull modules were built at both Williamstown and Newcastle, New South Wales. Unlike previous shipbuilding contracts, AMECON was contractually obliged to meet only the navy's set commissioning dates for the ships; all other construction deadlines were to be determined at the shipbuilder's discretion.

The second and fourth ships to be built were allocated to the New Zealanders. The third and fifth ships to be produced were earmarked for the RNZN in the event that approval to order two more frigates was given, with two more ships for the RAN to be added at the end of the production run. Project offsets meant that construction costs for the New Zealand ships were about 20% less than the Australian vessels.

Steel cutting for the first ship, HMAS Anzac (FFH 150), commenced on 27 March 1992. Work on the first New Zealand ship, HMNZS Te Kaha (F77), began in February 1993. Anzac commissioned into the RAN in May 1996, and Te Kaha into the RNZN in July 1997. In early 2002, the first four ships found to have microscopic cracks in the bilge keel and hull plating. The ships' hulls were repaired and reinforced. Construction of the final vessel, HMAS Perth (FFH 157), began in July 2003, with the vessel commissioning into the RAN in August 2006.

Modifications and improvements
The Anzac-class ships were designed with a minimum standard of offensive and defensive weapons, with other equipment fitted "for but not with". The RAN and RNZN began to plan for upgrades to their frigates before all of the ships entered service; these upgrades were planned and executed on a national basis.

Australian modifications

The RAN commenced plans to improve their frigates' combat capability in 1996, with the Warfighting Improvement Program (WIP). Upgrades proposed under the WIP included installation of a phased-array radar, a second Mark 41 vertical launch system. The WIP was scrapped near the end of 1999, and plans for a less ambitious anti-ship missile defence (ASMD) upgrade were made. In 2004, Tenix, Saab, and the Department of Defence formed a Private Public Partnership to upgrade the anti-ship missile defence (ASMD) capability of the Anzac class, through the installation of CEA Technologies' CEAFAR and CEAMOUNT active phased array radars, a Vampir NG Infrared Search and Track system, and Sharpeye Navigational Radar Systems. On 18 January 2010, Perth docked at the Australian Marine Complex in Henderson, Western Australia for the ASMD upgrade. Both of the frigate's masts were replaced, and the operations room layout was improved. Additional ballast was required to maintain stability, and the combined weight increase brought the ship's full load displacement to 3,810 tons. After completion in October 2010, Perth was used to test the modifications, with trials completed in July 2011. Approval to upgrade the other seven RAN Anzacs was granted in November 2011, with work on the A$650 million refits to begin in 2012. As of March 2017, all eight ships of the RAN had completed the upgrade.

From Warramunga onwards, the frigates were launched with the ability to carry and fire the RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) as a replacement for the Sea Sparrow missile; these were quad-packed into the Mark 41 launcher for a payload of 32 missiles. Warramunga was the first ship in the world fitted with the ESSM, and the first test firing was conducted aboard on 21 January 2003. The modifications entered operational service aboard three ships in June 2004. A CEA Technologies solid-state continuous wave illuminator was also fitted as part of the ESSM system.

From 2005 onwards, the RAN began fitting the Anzacs and the Adelaides with Harpoon Block II missiles in two quad-tube canister launchers. The Australian Anzacs were fitted for but not with the launchers, but the originally planned location on 02 deck was found to be unsuitable, and the launchers were relocated to 01 deck, in front of the bridge. Around the same time, the RAN began to fit all frigates deploying to the Persian Gulf with two M2HB .50 calibre machine guns in Mini Typhoon mounts, installed on the aft corners of the hangar roof. Two TopLite EO directors are used with the guns.

The Mark 32 torpedo tubes aboard the Australian frigates were originally fitted with American Mark 46 anti-submarine torpedoes, but these were replaced with the French-Italian MU90 Impact torpedo prior to 2008. Toowoomba was the first Australian ship to fire an MU90 torpedo, during a test firing in June 2008, and Stuart performed the first 'warshot' firing of an armed MU90.

The RAN commenced tendering for a helicopter design to replace the Seahawks aboard the Australian Anzacs in 1996, with a contract for 11 Kaman SH-2G Super Seasprite helicopters signed in 1997. In addition to the Anzacs, the acquired helicopter also had to be operable from the class of offshore patrol vessels the RAN was planning to build with the Royal Malaysian Navy (Malaysia later withdrew from the plan, and the RAN acquired the smaller Armidale-class patrol boats, which were not helicopter-equipped), with a second contract to be signed for these at a later date. In order to get the best capability for the cheapest price, the Australian Department of Defence opted to have Kaman acquire 40-year-old SH-2F Seasprite airframes decommissioned by the United States Navy, and fit modern flight systems to the reconditioned airframes. This approach led to major delays, and the helicopters were found to be inoperable in low-visibility conditions. By 2006, ten of the helicopters had been delivered, but none were permitted to fly. The Super Seasprite acquisition was cancelled outright in March 2008. Following the acquisition of the Romeo Seahawk helicopter variant, modifications to the Anzacs began to embark the helicopter.

As part of the ANZAC Mid-life Capability Assurance Programme (AMCAP) upgrade under SEA 1448, Phase 4B, the SPS-49(V)8 was replaced with CEAFAR2-L L band phased array radar, along with replacements of the Cossar Mk XII IFF, Exelis ES-3701 ESM and upgrades to the LESCUT, AN/SLR-25C torpedo self-defence system, and the Nulka active missile decoy capability.

Australia is planning to replace the Harpoon Anti-ship missiles with the Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile (NSM) by 2024. The Naval strike missile can be used against both land and sea targets and provides a significant increase in range.

New Zealand modifications
As soon as the New Zealand Anzacs entered service, a Phalanx CIWS weapons system, recycled from decommissioning various Leander frigates, was fitted to each new frigate in addition to the Mark 32 torpedo tube sets.

In 1997, the RNZN began steps to acquire five Kaman SH-2G Super Seasprite helicopters for the two frigates. Unlike the Australians, the New Zealand contract specified new-build helicopters. Kaman Aerospace loaned four SH-2F Seasprites to the RNZN while the new helicopters were constructed: the SH-2Fs operated from February 1998 to August 2001, when the first two SH-2Gs were accepted into service.

In 2006, the RNZN fitted two Mini Typhoons for each of its Anzac-class frigates.

In 2007, Te Kaha began undergoing a series of major upgrades as part of the four-stage Platform Systems Upgrade (PSU), planning for which started in 2004. The four areas of modification under the PSU were improved stability and compartment configuration changes, overhaul of the propulsion system, installation of a new Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS), and upgrades to onboard environmental control. The stability upgrades were to accommodate predicted increases in displacement as updated equipment was installed on the ships. As part of the modification, the ships' quarterdecks were partially enclosed, creating space for a gymnasium and improved laundry facilities. Propulsion changes are primarily focused on replacing the TB83 diesel engines with the TB93, providing an additional 1.4 MW and higher speeds during diesel-only sailing. The IPMS replacement is prompted by the perceived obsolescence of the current system by 2013; as of 2009, tendering for the new system was underway. The environmental control upgrade is intended to improve personnel comfort during deployments to South East Asia, the Middle East, or similar climates, and will use more environmentally friendly products. Each stage of the upgrade is organised to occur simultaneously with ship maintenance dockings, with the first two upgrades being installed during each ship's major maintenance docking in 2009 and 2010 respectively, then the other two upgrades during the next docking in the 2011–2012 period.

A series of austere upgrades were approved on 14 April 2014, at an original contract cost of NZ 446m under the ANZAC Frigate Systems Upgrade (FSU) programme. These include the replacement of the existing combat management system, with a system modelled on that of the RCN Halifax-class frigates awarded to Lockheed Martin, The British Sea Ceptor anti-air missile replaced the Sea Sparrow on 27 May 2014. Other changes included the Norwegian Penguin Mk 2 Mod 7 for the Seasprite helicopters and the fitting of a Sea Sentor Surface Ship Torpedo Defence, or SSTD system, as well as MASS (Multi Ammunition Softkill System). A new inertial navigation positioning system (Northrop Grumman) and navigation radar and SharpEye™ surveillance radars with an Agile Tracker has been fitted. The main radar will be the Thales SMART-S Mk2 3D radar. Other sensors and upgrades include Link 16, laser warning, and IFF. The Lockheed Martin Combat Management System 330 is also installed on the RNZN frigates, as it increases the eyes on each screen, covering lesser sensors and crew.

Operational history

In 1999, Te Kaha pursued Patagonian Toothfish poachers in the Ross Dependency, participated in the INTERFET multinational deployment to East Timor, and operated as part of the Multinational Interception Force in the Persian Gulf in 1999. The New Zealand frigates served periods as guardships at the Solomon Islands capital of Honiara between 2000 and 2001. In 2002, Te Kaha returned to the Persian Gulf, this time as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, after a four-month flag-showing deployment in Asian waters. The frigate was replaced in the Gulf by Te Mana in early 2003.

In March 2003, Anzac provided fire support for Royal Marines during the Battle of Al Faw during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq.

A 2002 review of the RNZN's abilities found that the navy was not meeting its patrol capability requirements; one of the contributing factors was that the New Zealand Anzacs were both too few and overcapable for EEZ patrols, and deploying them in this manner prevented them from more effective use elsewhere. Remedying this was one of the aims of Project Protector, a multi-ship acquisition project which saw three new classes of ship enter RNZN service.

From 2018, the Anzac-class frigates were undergoing their Midlife Capability Assurance Program (AMCAP) upgrade at the Australian Marine Complex, Henderson, Western Australia, a process scheduled to be completed by 2023. Arunta was the first ship to undergo the upgrade, followed by Anzac and Warramunga.

Planned replacement
The RAN plans to begin removing their Anzacs from service from 2024 onwards. To replace them, the Hunter-class frigate of new frigates will be built under the SEA 5000 acquisition project. The frigates are predicted to have a displacement of up to 7000 t, and although they will be primarily oriented towards anti-submarine warfare, they are expected to be capable of also operating against air, sea-surface, and land targets. Originally eight vessels were planned, but by August 2015, the number of planned ships had increased to nine, with an estimated cost of $20 billion. Construction is predicted to commence in 2020. The Abbott government promised that the two-decade construction project will be headquartered in South Australia, with shipbuilding divided between ASC Pty Ltd in South Australia and BAE Systems' Williamstown Dockyard in Victoria. On 18 April 2016, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (Abbott's successor) confirmed that BAE Systems' Type 26 frigate, Fincantieri's FREMM frigate and a re-designed F-100-class frigate designed by Navantia had been shortlisted to replace the ANZAC-class in Australia. The Prime Minister confirmed that any frigate will be built in Adelaide and incorporate an Australian CEA phased array radar The program is estimated to be worth $35 billion. In June 2018 it was confirmed that BAE Systems's Type 26 had won the SEA5000 competition, with the in-service date for the new vessels being set for 2027.

The New Zealand Defence Capability Plan 2019 states that the RNZN's Anzacs will be replaced in the mid-2030s by "modern surface combatants relevant to New Zealand's prevailing strategic environment".

In February 2024 it was announced that HMAS Anzac was due to decommission in 2024, the first of her class, to free up funding for a future enlargement of the RAN. Her sister ship, Arunta, is scheduled to be decommissioned in 2026 while the remainder of the class would receive no more major upgrades.

Books

 * Book at ANU.
 * Book at ANU.
 * Book at ANU.

title: Anzac-class frigate


text:
Kibæk

Kibæk is a town in Herning Municipality in Denmark with a population of 2,636 (1 January 2024). It was founded because of the railroad. This small provincial town consists of two streets with shops, and it is surrounded by a lovely and fertile nature with moor, forest and streams. Nearest major town is Herning. Kibæk was the administrative center in Aaskov Municipality between 1970 and 2006.

Etymology
The oldest known source for the name Kibæk is from 1466, where the form Kybeck appears. Later evidence includes forms such as Kibeck (1638) and Kibek (1797). The meaning of the first part is disputed, but it is possibly an Old Danish noun kwī, which means 'cattle fold'. However, it could also represent a well-known, old coincidence between words of twi- and kwi-, which refer to something twofold. The second part of the name (bæk) means stream. The name may thus mean either "the stream by the cattle fold" or "the two-part stream".

History
The stream, which runs through Kibæk, created the basis for a watermill established sometime in the early 1400s, which until the end of the 19th century was the most important building in the area. With the construction of the railway between Herning and Skjern in 1881, Kibæk became home to a station, which created the basis for a large population growth in the following decades. Thus, at the 1901 census, 248 inhabitants were registered, and the town now had three merchants, a manufactory, an innkeeper, a lumber merchant, a physician, and a number of artisans. However, Kibæk also still had a number of farmers and homesteaders. There were also mission houses from 1889 and assembly houses from 1894. In the 1910s, the town also got a school, power station and pharmacy.

Kibæk continued its growth in the following decades. There were 479 inhabitants in 1925, 720 in 1955 and 1,279 in 1970. This development meant that Kibæk, which until the end of the 19th century had only been a secondary settlement in Assing Sogn, accommodated more than half of the parish's population. Kibæk also became the home of Assing Sogn's municipal office in 1958. The town received a nursing home in 1929, a library in 1937, a central school in 1958 and a retirement home in 1963. In addition, there were recreational facilities and sports fields. Between the 1920s and 1960s, the business community expanded with i.a. cooperative dairy, cement goods factory and several knitwear and furniture factories.

Notable people

 * David Huda (born ca. 1898 in Safed, Palestine - 1982 in Denmark), author, school teacher, member of the Danish resistance during WW II, maternal grandfather of Peter H. Fogtdal.
 * Kristian Bach Bak (born 1982 in Kibæk) a retired Danish professional footballer, 332 club caps
 * Mai Villadsen (born 1991) political spokesperson for the Red–Green Alliance, grew up in Kibæk and attended Kibæk School
 * Niklas Eg (born 1995 in Kibæk) a Danish cyclist

title: Kibæk


text:
Lotus Center

Lotus Center is the first and largest shopping mall in Oradea, Romania. It was opened under the name of Lotus Market in 2002 by the local businessman Alexandru Mudura. In 2006 the shopping mall has undergone several modernization and expansion works.

The center include around 150 stores, a multiplex, a hypermarket, restaurants and luxury shops. The complex has a floor area of 40000 sqm and 1,400 parking spaces.

title: Lotus Center


text:
ASEA

Allmänna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget (English translation: General Swedish Electrical Limited Company; Swedish abbreviation: ASEA) was a Swedish industrial company.

History
ASEA was founded in 1883 by Ludvig Fredholm in Västerås as a manufacturer of electrical light and generators. After merging with Wenström's & Granström's Electrical Power Company (Wenströms & Granströms Elektriska Kraftbolag) the name was changed to Allmänna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget, literally the "General Swedish Electrical Limited Company", or ASEA for short.

In 1987, it announced a merger with the Swiss company Brown, Boveri & Cie (BBC) to form ABB. The merge took effect on 1 January 1988. After this merger, ABB acquired several companies, including the power transmission and distribution operations of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation and the Combustion Engineering Group.

 * 1889 – the partner Jonas Wenström creates 3-phased generators, motors and transformers.
 * 1933 – The company removes the swastika from its logo, due to the symbol's association with Nazi Germany.
 * 1953 – ASEA creates the first industrial diamonds.
 * 1954 – HVDC Gotland project, first static high-voltage DC system
 * 1960s – ASEA builds nine of 12 nuclear plants in Sweden.
 * 1968 – ASEA's elevator business gets acquired by Kone
 * 1974 – Industrial robots are introduced by ASEA
 * 1987 – Acquires Finnish Oy Strömberg Ab
 * 1988 – Merges with Brown, Boveri & Cie, Asea Cylinda laundry appliances branch bought by Finnish furniture maker Asko, renamed Asko ASEA.

CEOs

 * 1883–1891 – Ludvig Fredholm
 * 1891–1903 – Göran Wenström
 * 1903–1933 – Sigfrid Edström
 * 1934–1942 – Arthur Lindén
 * 1942–1949 – Thorsten Ericson
 * 1949–1961 – Åke Vrethem
 * 1961–1976 – Curt Nicolin
 * 1976–1980 – Torsten L. Lindström
 * 1980–1988 – Percy Barnevik

Chairman of the Board

 * 1891–1891 – Ludvig Fredholm
 * 1892–1909 – Oscar Fredrik Wijkman
 * 1910–1914 – Oscar Wallenberg
 * 1914–1933 – Sten Ankarcrona
 * 1934–1949 – Sigfrid Edström
 * 1949–1956 – Thorsten Ericson
 * 1956–1976 – Marcus Wallenberg
 * 1976–1991 – Curt Nicolin

title: ASEA


text:
Sinteza

Sinteza (bvb: STZ), is the name of a large chemical factory in Rogerius quarter, Oradea, Transylvania, Romania. During Communist times, it was a large employer in the area, even though now its operations have been considerably reduced. It does remain, however, one of Oradea's best known industrial areas.

title: Sinteza


text:
Category:Dungeons & Dragons characters

The Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game features a fictional history, in which the following characters had roles.

Subcategories feature characters from other campaign settings.

title: Category:Dungeons & Dragons characters


text:
Whoops Apocalypse

Whoops Apocalypse is a six-part 1982 television sitcom by Andrew Marshall and David Renwick, made by London Weekend Television for ITV. Marshall and Renwick later reworked the concept as a 1986 film of the same name from ITC Entertainment, with almost completely different characters and plot, although one or two of the original actors returned in different roles.

The British budget label Channel 5 Video released a compilation VHS cassette of all six episodes edited together into one 137-minute chunk in 1987.

The American video distributor EDDE Entertainment released a compilation VHS cassette of all six episodes edited together into one 121-minute chunk in 1991.

In 2010, Network released both the complete, unedited series and the movie on a 2-DVD set (Region 2) entitled Whoops Apocalypse: The Complete Apocalypse. (Rights issues were simplified by the fact that both LWT and ITC Entertainment productions were by this time owned by Granada Television).

In March 2022 the series was made available for streaming on BritBox.

Series
The series details the weeks leading up to the Apocalypse. It features a chaotic and increasingly unstable global political situation in which nuclear alerts are accidentally triggered by malfunctioning Space Invaders machines. The naïve and highly unpopular Republican U.S. President Johnny Cyclops (an obvious Ronald Reagan parody, played by Barry Morse) is advised by an insane right-wing fundamentalist security advisor, called The Deacon, who claims to have a direct hotline to God. (The Deacon was so named because of the previous role of the actor who played him (John Barron) as a Cathedral Dean in the sitcom All Gas and Gaiters; the writers claimed not to know at the time that Alexander Haig, Reagan's first Secretary of State, was known as The Vicar in the White House.)

In the Eastern Hemisphere, things are similarly unstable. Soviet Premier Dubienkin (Richard Griffiths) is in fact a series of clones, which keep dying and being replaced. Meanwhile, the deposed Shah of Iran, Shah Massiq Rassim (Bruce Montague), led by his advisor Abdab (David Kelly) who is always blindfolded to avoid looking upon the Shah's magnificence, is shunted around the world in search of a refuge (spending most of the series in a cross channel ferry's toilet).

The main danger is the Deacon's development of a new super-powerful American nuclear weapon. This is originally called the Johnny Cyclops Bomb; later, when the President vetoes the name, it is renamed the Quark Bomb (Formerly Known As The Johnny Cyclops Bomb After The President of the Same Name). The Deacon arranges for Lacrobat (John Cleese), a disguised international arms smuggler nicknamed The Devil (a parody of Carlos the Jackal), to steal a Quark Bomb and take it to Iran, to help the Shah in his counterrevolution. The Soviets get word of this (via Rassim's parrot) and decide to invade, gaining control over the world's oil supply.

The Soviets have a new ally in British Prime Minister Kevin Pork (Peter Jones), a parody of left-wing Labour politicians Michael Foot and Peter Shore. Pork, who has gone insane and believes himself to be Superman, heads an especially left-wing government (a parody of Foot's Labour Party). The British Foreign Secretary is blackmailed by the Soviets to join the Warsaw Pact. This situation so unnerves the foreign secretary (Geoffrey Palmer, in a role based on David Owen) and the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Richard Davies) that they also lose their sanity, don Green Lantern and Hawkman costumes, and are locked up in a padded cell at 10 Downing St.

The Soviets are also holding two elderly American tourists named Jonathan and Martha Hopper captive. They are constantly tortured by Commissar Alex Solzhenitsyn ("no relation", played by Alexei Sayle) in the belief they are secretly CIA spies. This turns out to be true, but the Hoppers are crushed by a helicopter in a bungled CIA rescue operation. This does not help Cyclops's nosediving popularity rating, which is just below that of Charles Manson. The Deacon stages an assassination attempt in order to help Cyclops' flagging popularity (a reference to the Reagan assassination attempt the year before). It is damaged further when the speeding ambulance carrying Cyclops to the hospital accidentally runs over his highly popular main opponent, Democratic Senator Jimmy Hennessy (a parody of Senator Teddy Kennedy). By the end of the series we're told Cyclops is now less popular than the Boston Strangler. (These developments are followed by a dramatic newsreader named Jay Garrick, and his topless female counterpart across the Atlantic.)

Eventually the Quark Bomb is accidentally detonated in Israel when Lacrobat's attempt to prevent it being incinerated goes horribly wrong, destroying the country and killing most of the US army who were stationed there. Meanwhile, the Shah, who has temporarily been given sanctuary aboard a space shuttle, manages to crash it into the Moscow Kremlin. Believing it to be a bomb, the Russians launch their weapons at America. In the final scene Soviet missiles are on their way to obliterate the United States and President Cyclops has to decide whether to retaliate. The title sequence already showed the aftermath of the decision, Earth reduced to a nuclear wasteland. In a final twist, we discover that the woman we see in the title sequence selling buttons reading "WEAR YOUR MUSHROOM WITH PRIDE" is in fact the First Lady, who was hidden in a fallout shelter and is one of the few survivors of the war.

Cast

 * Barry Morse as President Johnny Cyclops
 * John Barron as The Deacon, Presidential Advisor
 * Richard Griffiths as Premier Dubienkin
 * John Cleese as Lacrobat
 * Peter Jones as Prime Minister Kevin Pork
 * Bruce Montague as Shah Mashiq Rassim
 * Ed Bishop as Jay Garrick, Newsreader
 * Geoffrey Palmer as British Foreign Secretary
 * Richard Davies as British Chancellor of the Exchequer
 * Alexei Sayle as Commissar Solzhenitsyn (no relation)
 * David Kelly as Abdab

Also appearing are: Kirstie Pooley as British Newsreader, Matt Zimmerman as Dean, Bob Sherman as Buzz, Lou Hirsch as Jed Grodd, Jack Klaff as Dwight, Ed Devereaux as General E.F. "Gizzard" Pemberley, Rik Mayall as Biff and small uncredited roles by Stuart Milligan, Carmen Silvera, John Dair and Pat Astley.

Film
In 1986, a film of the same title was released. The plot of the film is almost completely different from the TV series, but does share certain commonalities.

British Prime Minister Sir Mortimer Chris (Peter Cook), a conservative politician who goes insane, is a fusion of US President Johnny Cyclops and UK Prime Minister Kevin Pork.

title: Whoops Apocalypse


text:
Băile Felix

Băile Felix (Félixfürdő) is a thermal spa resort near the commune of Sânmartin in Bihor County, Transylvania, Romania. Băile Felix is at a close distance to Oradea, a major city in western Romania.

History
Thermal springs were valued in the eighteenth century by the monk Félix Helcher of the Monastery of Klosterbruck (de) in Moravia, administrator of the Váradszentmárton (today: Sânmartin, Romania) monastery. Between 1711-1721 the first treatment facilities were organized under the name of Félixfürdő (in Romanian: Baia lui Felix). Félix Helcher died in 1737. In 1885 a new spring, with a temperature of 49 °C, was found.

The thermal springs were discovered around 1000, or around 1200, or according to other experts, only in 1700. The only fact agreed by all experts is the appearance of the first buildings in this resort: between the years 1711–1721.

In 1920, the commune became part of Romania, in 1940, it was given back to Hungary. After World War II, it became part of Romania again.

In 1948 Sanmartin monastery area was nationalized by the communist authorities. Several recreational bases, including the one belonged to Securitate, were built on the nationalized land. The Premonstatens Order claims it latter. On April 2, 2014, the HCCJ (Higher Court of Cassation and Justice) ordered the transfer of the filed case from Oradea Court to the Giurgiu District Court, where it is now. Other requests of the Premonstratens Order on retrocession the Băile Felix lands are in progress at HCCJ.

Geography
Băile Felix and 1 Mai are two thermal spa resorts located in a hilly area with birch and oak tree woods, 8 km south of the municipality of Oradea (seat of Bihor County) and 22 km south-east of Borş (border checkpoint to Hungary). The resort lost its passenger railway service in 2014.

Climate
Summers are not excessively hot and winters are mild, with moderate precipitation (650 mm annually).

Fauna and flora
In the thermal waters of the Peţa river and lake, having a constant temperature of 30-31 °C, live the snail Melanopsis parreyssi (tertiary relict) and the fish Scardinus racovitzae as well as a rare species of subtropical water lily - Nymphaea lotus thermalis - tertiary relict, a natural monument.

Spa
The resorts host many mineral springs with thermal (20-48 °C), sulphuric, calcic, sodic, rich in bicarbonate waters known since the beginning of the millennium. The soothing effect of the waters on articular and muscular pain and on various rheumatic neuralgias accounts for the fame of cures in the resort for the treatment of inflammatory rheumatic diseases (rheumatic polyarthritis, rheumatoid spondylitis, conditions after acute articular rheumatism), degenerative and articular rheumatic diseases, central and peripheral neurological disorders, gynecological diseases, post-traumatic conditions, endocrine disorders.

The facilities of the two resorts offer treatment of rheumatism and neurological and gynecological diseases. The modern medical base has at its disposal various facilities for procedures involving electrotherapy, hydrotherapy, aerosols, massage, paraffin packing and other water treatments.

Attractions
The Felix and 1 Mai spa are also ideal for relaxation and visitors can take advantage of the following:
 * the pool with artificial waves in 1 Mai (the oldest in the country)
 * the thermal water swimming resorts : "Apolo" (since 1900) in Felix and "Venus" in 1 Mai

Those who have an interest in church history and architecture  might also  romantic elements
 * the Sanifarm baroque building, formerly "Saint Vincent" monastery (18th century)
 * the churches in Rontău (15th century) and Haieu (1906)
 * the wooden churches in Băile Felix

title: Băile Felix


text:
Svilengrad

Svilengrad (Свиленград; Σβίλενγκραντ; Cisr-i Mustafapaşa) is a town in Haskovo Province, south-central Bulgaria, situated at the tripoint of Bulgaria, Turkey, and Greece. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Svilengrad Municipality.

Geography
Svilengrad is close to the road borders of Greece and Turkey (supposedly one of the largest road customs in Europe). Svilengrad is located ESE of Sofia and Plovdiv, South of Varna and Burgas, West of Edirne and North of the nearest Greek community Ormenio and Alexandroupolis in Greece. There is a higher level of employment than in surrounding villages. Most people work for customs and border related industries e.g. TIR servicing, hotels, border police, etc. The town centre has a pedestrianized high street mostly filled with cafes, bars, phone shops and hotels. The town has 3 DVD rental shops, two cinemas and a library. The Maritsa river flows through Svilengrad. The Evros regional unit of Greece is bordered to the south. The Rhodope mountains lie to the west and southwest. The area to the southwest is famous for its fruit trees and a moderate climate all year long.

History
During Ottoman times, the town's name was Cisr-i Mustafapaşa, meaning "Bridge of Mustapha Pasha". In 1529, the Old Bridge (Старият мост) over the Maritsa, one of the symbols of the town, was erected. The town was ceded to Bulgaria in 1912 after the First Balkan War.

The favorable natural conditions in the Svilengrad region and its strategic geographical location are the reason why it has been inhabited since ancient times. According to Anastas Razboynikov, the oldest traces of human life date back to the end of the Neolithic and Stone Age. During the Bronze and Iron Ages the lands around today's Svilengrad were inhabited by the Thracian tribe Odrysians. Traces of settlements, tombs, sanctuaries, dolmens and others have remained from the time of the Thracians. In the old neighborhood of Kanaklia there was a place Mogilata, named after a large mound, in the vicinity of which were found the remains of chariots. Anastas Razboynikov's observations were confirmed in 2003-2004 during the rescue excavations along the route of the Trakia Motorway on the hill above the Kanaklia neighborhood, where a pit sanctuary from the Iron Age was discovered.

Middle Ages
The region was a bustling crossroads and an arena of constant wars even after the establishment of the Bulgarian state. Under Khan Krum (803-814), Bulgarian troops often ravaged areas of the Byzantine Empire, according to the triumphal columns of Pliska for the conquest of the fortresses of Scutarion (now Shtit), Provat and others.

This region is associated with one of the greatest battles in medieval Bulgarian history. In 1205, Kaloyan's troops inflicted the first major defeat on the hitherto invincible army of the Latin Em[ire, led by Emperor Baldwin. It is believed that the site of the battle was north of Adrianople, at the foot of Bukelon Fortress.

In 1371, on the opposite right bank of the Maritsa River near Chermen, the Battle of Chernomen took place between the troops of Sultan Murad I and the Christian forces under the command of King Vukašin and Despot Uglješa, which ended in catastrophic defeat for the Christians.

In 1433, the Burgundian pilgrim Bertrand de la Broquierre passed through here, then the first armor bearer of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, who traveled to the Holy Sepulcher and back to explore the possibilities of a new crusade. Brokier describes how on the first day of the journey from Adrianople up the Maritsa River he and his comrades, numbering 10 horses, were transported in such a raft on March 12, 1433. Among the passengers was the Milan ambassador to the Turkish sultan in Adrianople.

In 1529 a bridge was built on the Maritsa River, representing a significant facility for its time. The bridge now connects the two parts of Svilengrad. A new settlement appeared around the bridge - Jesir Mustafa Pasha, which became a town in the second half of the 16th century.

Revival
During the Ottoman rule, the population of the city selflessly fought to preserve their national identity. In 1847 a school for secular sciences was built. The patriarch of Bulgarian literature Ivan Vazov taught in this school from 1872 to 1873. In 1870 the Zvezda Chitalishte opened its doors. Another Revival teacher - Peter Stanchov, became the godfather of the city. The settlement began to be called so only in 1913.

On the way to Constantinople, famous Bulgarian revolutionaries, educators and revivalists - Georgi Rakovski, Petko Slaveykov, Hristo G. Danov, Dragan Tsankov, Konstantin Velichkov - passed and stayed here. Vasil Levski also came to the city. Here, in 1871, he founded a secret revolutionary committee. On January 8, 1878, Russian troops, commanded by General Alexander Strukov, entered Svilengrad. A year later, after the Berlin Treaty, the city was left under Turkish rule.

34 years later, during the First Balkan War, Svilengrad was occupied by Bulgarian forces on 5 October 1912, after the Bulgarian army captured Sheinovets peak in the Rhodopes. During the Balkan Wars, the first military airport near Svilengrad was equipped.

During the Second Balkan War, in the summer of 1913, the city was ruined and burned house by house when the Ottomans entered the war against Bulgaria. The city was finally annexed to Bulgaria at the end of September 1913, after the Treaty of Constantinople. According to the defined new border, Svilengrad remains in Bulgaria. Its returned inhabitants revived the city from the ashes and rebuilt it.

During World War II, in 1940, one the escape routes of Poles from occupied Poland led through Svilengrad to territory of Polish-allied France, where the Polish Army was reconstituted to continue the fight against Germany (see also Bulgaria–Poland relations).

Sports

 * FC Svilengrad 1921

Notable people

 * Binka Zhelyazkova – film director
 * Hristo Atanassov – politician
 * Ognyana Dusheva – sprint canoer
 * Milko Kalaidjiev – singer
 * Rıza Tevfik Bölükbaşı – Turkish philosopher, poet and politician
 * Nikolay Mihaylov – Bulgarian cyclist

Honours
Svilengrad Peninsula on Davis Coast, Antarctica is named after the town, in connection with its pioneering role in the world aerial warfare history.

title: Svilengrad


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Caral

The Sacred City of Caral-Supe, or simply Caral, is an archaeological site in Peru where the remains of the main city of the Caral civilization are found. It is located in the Supe valley of Peru, near the current town of Caral, 182 kilometers north of Lima, 23 km from the coast and 350 metres above sea level. It is attributed an antiquity of 5,000 years and it is considered the oldest city in the Americas and one of the oldest in the world. No other site has been found with such a diversity of monumental buildings or different ceremonial and administrative functions in the Americas as early as Caral. It has been declared a Humanity Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO.

The Caral culture developed between 3000 and 1800 B.C (Late Archaic and Lower Formative periods). In America, it is the oldest of the pre-Hispanic civilizations, developing 1,500 years earlier than the Olmec civilization, the first Mesoamerican complex society.

Closely related to the city of Caral was an early fishing city, Áspero or El Áspero, located on the coast near the mouth of the Supe River. There, remains of human sacrifices (two children and a newborn) have been found. In 2016, the remains were found of a woman, who presumably belonged to the local elite of 4,500 years ago.

History
Caral was inhabited between approximately 26th century BC and 20th century BC, and the site includes an area of more than 60 ha. Caral has been described by its excavators as the oldest urban center in the Americas. This claim has been challenged by the discovery of other ancient sites nearby, such as Bandurria, Peru. Accommodating more than 3,000 inhabitants, Caral is the best studied and one of the largest sites known of the Norte Chico civilization.

The city was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009. In early 2021, tensions arose between squatters claiming land rights and archaeologists researching the site, as housing construction encroached on the site.

Archaeological findings
Paul Kosok discovered Caral in 1948. The site received little attention at the time because it appeared to lack many of the typical artifacts that were sought at archaeological sites throughout the Andes.

In 1975, the Peruvian architect Carlos Williams made a detailed record of most of the archaeological sites of the valley of Supe, among which he recorded Caral. Based on what he observed in the region, he made some observations about the development of architecture in the Andes.

Ruth Shady further explored this 4,000- to 4,600-year-old city in the Peruvian desert, with its elaborate complex of temples, an amphitheater, and ordinary houses. The urban complex is spread out over 150 ha and contains plazas and residential buildings. Caral was a thriving metropolis at roughly the same time as the great pyramids were being built in Egypt, which is considered one of the earliest civilizations in the world.

Caral is the largest recorded site in the Andean region, with dates older than 2000 BC. It appears to be the model for the urban design adopted by Andean civilizations that rose and fell over the span of four millennia. Scholars believe that research conducted in Caral may answer questions about the origins of the Andean civilizations and the development of its first cities.

Among the artifacts found at Caral is a knotted textile piece that the excavators have labelled a quipu. They write that the artifact is evidence that the quipu record keeping system, a method involving knots tied in textiles that was brought to its highest development by the Inca Empire, was older than any archaeologist previously had determined. Evidence has emerged that the quipu also may have recorded logographic information in the same way writing does. Gary Urton has suggested that the quipus used a binary code that could record phonological or logographic data.

Main temple
The main temple complex (Templo Mayor) is 150 meters long, 110 meters wide and 28 meters high. The date of its construction is unknown.

Peaceful society
Shady's findings suggest it was a society built on commerce and pleasure. No indications of warfare, such as battlements, weapons, or mutilated bodies, have been found at Caral. This contrasts with the older site of Sechin Bajo, where depictions of weapons are found. In one of the Caral temples, researchers found 32 flutes made of condor and pelican bones and 37 cornetts of deer and llama bones. One find revealed the remains of a baby, wrapped and buried with a necklace made of stone beads.

Scope of site
Caral was flanked by 19 other temple complexes scattered across the 90 km2 area of the Supe Valley.

The date of 2627 BC for Caral is based on the carbon dating of reed and woven carrying bags that were found on site. These bags were used to carry the stones for the construction of the temples. The material is an excellent candidate for high precision dating. The site may date even earlier, however, as samples from the oldest parts of the excavation have yet to be dated.

Caral had a population of approximately 3,000 people. However, 19 other sites in the area (posted at Caral), allow for a possible total population of 20,000 people sharing the same culture in the Supe Valley. All of these sites share similarities with Caral, including small platforms or stone circles. Shady believes that Caral was the focus of this civilization. It is believed to be part of an even more vast cultural complex, trading with the coastal communities and the regions farther inland. She suggests that a depiction of monkeys may be evidence of trade with communities along the Amazon.

Geoglyph
In 2000, Marco Machacuay (the chief of excavations at the time) and his colleague, Rocío Aramburú, discovered a large shape etched on the ground among circular stone lines near Caral. This image, known as a geoglyph, is located on the desert floor just west of the main site at Caral. The lines form the design of a human face with long, streaming hair and a gaping mouth.

This geoglyph is similar to bleeding figures with a similar gaping mouths found etched onto the stone walls at a site called Cerro Sechín, in the Casma Valley 240 km to the north. What this figure represents is unclear. It is believed to have been constructed around the same time as Caral and to have been associated with a nearby ceremonial site known as Chupacigarro.

Musical instruments
Another significant find at the site was a collection of musical instruments, including 37 cornetts made of deer and llama bones and 33 flutes of unusual construction. The flutes were radiocarbon dated to 2170±90 BC.

City layout
The city of Caral was split into two sections, an "Upper Half" and a "Lower Half". These halves were divided naturally by the Supe River Valley. In the Upper Half there are six monumental complexes, each of which includes a pyramid, open plaza, and assemblage of residential buildings. In the Lower Half there are residential buildings, small pyramids, and one monumental complex called the "Temple of the Amphitheater".

The Upper Half complexes were all constructed around a pyramid. These are the "Great Temple/Great Pyramid", "Central Pyramid", "Quarry Pyramid", "Lesser Pyramid", "Pyramid of the Gallery", and "Pyramid of the Huanca". The associated residential structures around each of these pyramids contain evidence of elite living, including food remnants that would have been exclusive to elite lifestyles, such as sea lion bones. In the Upper Half of Caral, many of the residents were wealthy elites, whose lives likely were associated with religious and social activities that would have taken place in the temples.

By comparison, the residential buildings in the Lower Half have less evidence of elite populations. Instead of the large structures, exclusively elite residential complexes of the Upper Half, these residences are smaller and single rooms are used for more than one purpose. The diets of the people living in the Lower Half of Caral consisted mostly of agricultural plants and some fish. These diets were less rich than those of the elites living in the Upper Half.

The current explanation for the divided city is that the city was intentionally planned in this way, with the monumental architecture and complexes of the Upper Half designed both to house elites and to physically indicate their political power. Conversely, the Lower Half was designed to house laborers, with the river serving as the division between these groups. This sort of intentional city planning is evidence of structuralized inequality at Caral, which perpetuated existing social stratification.

title: Caral


text:
Telekom Romania Mobile

Telekom Romania Mobile Communications S.A. is a mobile network company in Romania, wholly owned by OTE, which in turn is controlled by Deutsche Telekom, operating under Telekom brand. Telekom Romania Mobile had 3.5 million subscribers with 15% market share as of July 2021.

The network operated together with Telekom Romania Communications (which traces its ancestry back to ROM-POST-TELECOM, later renamed Romtelecom) from 2014 until 2021 under the same brand Telekom. Both companies were majority owned by OTE, which in turn is controlled by Deutsche Telekom.

On November 6, 2020, OTE agreed to sell the 54% stake in the fixed network company Telekom Romania Communications to Orange Romania for €295 million. In order for the transaction to be approved by the authorities, OTE has committed to buy the remaining 30% of shares in Telekom Romania Mobile, which operates the mobile network. The transaction was completed in July 2021.

OTE did not succeed in selling the mobile phone company after the transaction with Digi failed due to the fact that it only wanted to buy cell sites and mobile frequencies, thus making Deutsche Telekom to rebrand it as Telekom Mobile and keep the company in OTE's portfolio until it finds a buyer.

In November 2023, OTE would eventually sell Telekom Romania Mobile to Clever Group, the owner of Prima TV.

Cosmorom
The company was launched as Cosmorom in 1999 by Romtelecom as its mobile telephony brand and entered service in April 2000. In the first years, the company failed to gain market share. Having around 1% market share and financial losses, there were talks about the selling of the company, but the decision was delayed several times due to disagreement between OTE, the majority owner of Romtelecom and the Romanian Government. In January 2004 Romtelecom decided to sell a majority stake in the company. Buying offers were made by Mobilkom (now A1 Telekom Austria), which was seen as a favorite, and the Hungarian company Matev of Deutsche Telekom. But in the end, the Greek company OTE, which owned 54% of Cosmorom's parent company, decided to buy 70% of the company, leaving Romtelecom with the remaining 30%.

Cosmote Romania
In July 2005 OTE's mobile division Cosmote relaunched the mobile operator separate from the fixed services company Romtelecom, with a popular offer for prepaid services. In December 2005 had approximately 50,000 subscribers. The process of relaunching, started with the rebranding as Cosmote on 6 December 2005. On 2 March 2006 started a wide advertising campaign on prepaid market, offering a limited number of SIM cards with 2000 free minutes within the network per month for a low price (3 euro). The network could no longer cope with the large number of users and network failures often occurred. So on March 20, the company announced that the offer will work until March 31 only for people who have activated the service until March 22.

On 30 June 2009 Cosmote acquired Zapp Mobile, a CDMA mobile operator with 374,000 subscribers, who also had a 3G license. Following Zapp acquisition, Cosmote launched 3G service. At the end of 2013, Cosmote Romania had 6.1 million customers, of which 25.9% were postpaid subscribers and the rest were users of prepaid services.

Telekom Romania
On 12 September 2014, Romtelecom and Cosmote România unified mobile and fixed services under a single brand and changed their respective legal names to Telekom Romania Communications and Telekom Romania Mobile Communications. The company tried to attract postpaid customers, including with bundling mobile and fixed services, but the market share dropped. The company raised prices, but financial losses continued.

Shareholders
Telekom Romania Mobile Communications S.A. (mobile services):
 * OTE - 99.9999994%
 * Societatea Națională de Radiocomunicații S.A - 0.0000006%

title: Telekom Romania Mobile


text:
Murray Ball

Murray Hone Ball (26 January 1939 – 12 March 2017) was a New Zealand cartoonist who became known for his Stanley the Palaeolithic Hero (the longest running cartoon in Punch magazine), Bruce the Barbarian, All the King's Comrades (also in Punch) and the long-running Footrot Flats comic series. In the 2002 Queen's Birthday and Golden Jubilee Honours, Ball was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services as a cartoonist.

Life and work
Ball was born in Feilding in 1939; his father was All Black rugby player Nelson Ball. He grew up in New Zealand before spending some years in Australia and South Africa, where he attended Parktown Boys' High School and finished his education. He played for the Junior All Blacks in 1959 as a "first five-eighth" (number 10). As a young man he worked for the Dominion newspaper in Wellington and the Manawatu Times before becoming a freelance cartoonist and moving to Scotland, where he found work with publishers DC Thomson, of Dundee.

He developed his character Stanley and had it published in the influential English humour-magazine Punch. Stanley the Palaeolithic Hero featured a caveman who wore glasses and struggled with the Neolithic environment. It became the longest-running strip in Punch's history, and other English and non-English speaking countries syndicated it. Ball continued to contribute to Punch after returning with his family to New Zealand.

Ball's early cartoons often had political overtones; his mid-70s UK strips included All the King's Comrades, Stanley often expresses left-wing attitudes, and he described himself in the introduction to The Sisterhood (1993) as a socialist, and he was avidly anti-apartheid while in South Africa. Despite this, he has also been accused of racism, and often found himself at odds with contemporary leftists, especially on issues regarding gender identity, feminism, transgenderism, and abortion.

In 2002 Ball was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit.

Tributes paid to him included these:

"Murray was a great influence to many Australian cartoonists and will be long remembered by his friends across the sea here in Australia."

"Ball was funny and goofy and generous, and incredibly serious about inequality"

"Sheer brilliance"

Footrot Flats
After 1975 Ball wrote several comics in New Zealand (for instance 'Nature Calls'), but it was in 1976 that he first published the strip Footrot Flats in Wellington's afternoon newspaper, The Evening Post. It rapidly led to the demise of his other strips including Stanley, which he was still writing for Punch.

The strip follows the adventures of a working sheep-dog called (if anything) "Dog" or "The Dog" or "@*&#!", his owner Wal Footrot and the other characters, human and animal, that they encounter or associate with. Ball expresses Dog's thoughts in thought-bubbles, though he clearly remains "just a dog" (rather than the heavily anthropomorphised creatures sometimes found in other comics or animation). Dog also has alter-egos including "The Grey Ghost" and "The Iron Paw".

Ball's Footrot Flats has appeared in syndication in international newspapers, and in over 40 published books. Footrot Flats inspired a stage musical, a theme-park and New Zealand's first feature-length animated film, Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale (1986). Footrot Flats characters include Wal, Dog, Cooch, Cheeky Hobson, Aunt Dolly, Horse, Pongo, Rangi, Charlie, Major, Jess and the Murphy family of Irish and Hunk and Spit.

Footrot Flats features several remarkable traits: its expansive created-universe, complete with ancillary characters, things and places; the fact that the characters slowly but perceptibly age and mature throughout the twenty-year run of the comic; and the gradual encroachment of political themes over the years (particularly environmentalism and gentle parodies of feminism).

Ball said he wanted his cartoons to have an impact. "The heart of a cartoon is the idea, an artist can create a painting, hang it on the wall and be satisfied with what he has achieved even if no-one else sees it. In cartooning, you must get a human reaction to the idea. The task of the cartoonist is to translate his idea into a drawing that will have impact".

Death
Ball lived with his wife Pam on a rural property in Gisborne, New Zealand. In an interview on Radio New Zealand National on 27 January 2016, Pam said that Murray's health had been poor for the last six years and that he was suffering from dementia. Longtime friend and collaborator Tom Scott said that on Sunday, 12 March 2017, he had been advised that Ball had died. He is survived by his wife and children.

Interests
Murray Ball and Charles M. Schulz each admired the other's work. One Footrot Flats strip shows Dog laughing at a Snoopy cartoon. Schulz wrote the introduction to the only Footrot Flats published in the United States (it appeared as Footrot Flats there, but as Footrot Flats 4 in Australasia.)

title: Murray Ball


text:
Talk:Frankston (suburb)/to do

 * NPOVing
 * follow up the links to the notable people and create the articles

title: Talk:Frankston (suburb)/to do