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Metabarons

The Metabarons (La Caste des Méta-Barons) or The Saga of the Meta-Barons is a science fiction comics series relating the history of a dynasty of perfect warriors known as the Metabarons. The Metabarons series was written by creator Alejandro Jodorowsky and illustrated by Argentine artist Juan Giménez. The series, published by Humanoïdes Associés, is complete, the last volume having been released at the end of 2003.

The first appearance of a Metabaron (chronologically the last of the Metabarons) was May 1981 in the Incal comic book series. This was followed by a series of prequels that concerned this character's origin, presented as the narration of the android Tonto to the android Lothar, of his masters' achievements. The series takes place over the course of several generations, and chronicles the life of each of the five Metabarons. The stories depict a space opera reminiscent of Greek tragedy, and heavily influenced by Frank Herbert's Dune novels. Jodorowsky had been in the early stages of making a Dune film in 1973.

Rites
Every Metabaron is mutilated by his father in his youth so that his endurance to pain is tested, and receives a powerful mechanical body part as a replacement for the destroyed limb. In each generation, the son and heir must eventually face his father in a battle to the death. These battles have taken many forms, from hand-to-hand combat to space duels, and the succession is only achieved once the son succeeds in killing his father.

Bushitaka
The Bushitaka is the strict code of honor followed by the Metabarons, named after the Japanese bushido. It demands that the practitioners dedicate themselves to victory in all things at any cost, wherein the only alternative to victory is death, and even forsake their own family members in the pursuit of total victory.

Metabaronic weaponry
Each Metabaron draws upon an array of advanced weaponry. These include cybernetically implanted lasers, nanotech nuclear warheads implanted in the body, swords which can disintegrate in bursts of flame, and advanced spaceships. Many of the Metabarons also exhibit powerful psychic abilities.

Castaka
On the occasion of his son-in-law Othon's succession to the title of Metabaron (intended to be resolved by mortal combat but forestalled by his use of guile to seal victory), Baron Berard of Castaka tells of his caste's lineage leading up to the present. On the remote planet Ahour-The-Dwarf, a long-forgotten schism had drawn its inhabitants into an interminable civil war between two castes—the Amakuras and the Castakas—who adhere to respective versions of a once-shared warrior code, known by the Amakuras as Bushikara and by the Castakas as Bushitaka. One day, the Castakas' queen Oriela was abducted by the Amakura king Divadal, taunting her king Omezo by publicly raping her and taking her hostage. Omezo, employing guile over the established codes of combat, overwhelmed the Amakuras, but not before Divadal released a bioweapon that rendered every man on the planet sterile.

Oriela, having been shielded from the weapon, gave birth to Divadal's son, Dayal—the last fertile male on the planet, spared in contravention of the bushitaka due to necessity—then committed ritual suicide eight days later, leaving him only a bite on his shoulder as a memento. Once of age, Dayal became a breeding-stud to all the Castaka women, but once his offspring came of age themselves, Omezo gave up concealing his disgust at his half-Amakura "stepson" and banished him. His mentor General Pakko matched him with his daughter Antigrea, whom he had conceived just before the assault on the Amakuras, and despite initial antipathy they fell in love. Antigrea bore Dayal twin daughters, Myrtha and Narda, but Dayal's disappointment at lacking a male heir drove him to withdraw to the wilderness, hunting wild game, while Antigrea and Pakko raised the twins in the martial arts.

Some years later, the Technopriests elected to build their new space station in Ahour's system. While they saw the planet as no inherent threat, their concern that an enemy might use it as a bridgehead led them to lobby the ageing Omezo to install planetary defences on-world. When he declined, they infected him with a virus in hopes his heir (Dayal) might be more accommodating. The dying Omezo abhorred having Dayal succeed him and ordered the murder of him and his family, but Pakko bought time for them to reunite at Dayal's remote bunker. The Technos, witnessing the failure of their machinations, destroyed the whole planet, leaving the bunker adrift as an asteroid. There, Dayal finally acknowledged his warrior daughters and completed their training.

The family hijacked a Techno convoy and leveraged its booty and their lethal martial skills to claim leadership of the pirate asteroid of Thor-Thougah, from which they wage a bloody and profitable offensive against the Technos. Eventually, the Technos catch the pirates in an ambush and Antigrea is mortally wounded. Seeking a burial site, they land on the planet Marmola, but find its marble composition impossible to dig. They are ambushed by bandits who seek the planet's hidden treasure, a secret guarded by the giant eagle-like Gangez, and use Antigrea's remains as bait to capture him. Loosing their bonds they overwhelm the bandits, and pledge themselves to the now-dying Gangez who by eating her has become Antigrea's sepulchre. Gangez leads them to the planet's only fertile valley, where they bury him, and his spirit leads them to the planet's treasure: a subterranean reservoir of epiphyte, a substance that defies gravity. Summoning the Techno robots he cast into space on their first raid, Dayal develops the valley into a city for his caste.

Dayal takes ship back to Thor-Thougah with his daughters, seeking sires for them. En route, it emerges that Narda's brain and Myrtha's ovaries have sustained tumours that will rapidly kill them both. With their consent, Dayal has the robots graft Narda's lower body to Myrtha's upper body. Upon arrival in Thor-Thougah, the resulting being confronts the sole survivor of the Technos' assault on the asteroid. He agrees to impregnate her followed by a fight to the death, but when bested he takes his own life, asking to be remembered by his unborn progeny.

Berard concludes his tale by revealing that he is the child of that union, and he welcomed Othon (a fugitive pirate) seeing in him a trace of his own father. Othon is now ready to receive the mark of the Metabarons (the absorbed spirit of Gangez, worn as a mark on the chest) from his father-in-law.

Main saga
The main saga of the Metabarons begins on Marmola, on which Berard's tribe export huge blocks of marble. The existence of the epiphyte has been kept secret by the Castakas for many generations, until its revelation to save the life of Othon von Salza, the son-in-law of Baron Berard. Soon after the revelation of the epiphyte, the planet's orbit becomes a battlefield, with the treacherous Imperial Black Endoguard as the victors. At the end of the war, Othon and his son Bari are the only survivors of the Castaka tribe. The Imperial couple, rulers of the known galaxy, are astonished by the achievement of Othon and reward him; and Othon shows them where the epiphyte was hidden in exchange for a percentage of the new market for anti-G Technology, a new planet to which their palace would be transferred, and a gift for his son intended to restore the joy lost with his crippled legs. The emperor gives him a horse, an extinct species revived by genetic manipulation, but pirates steal the horse. Othon kills them in retaliation, but accidentally kills his son, and is castrated by an attacker. Othon thereafter invests a large part of his fortune in the development of the first 'metabaronic' weapons and begins the tradition of cybernetic implants and later becomes a mercenary of extraordinary skill and power. By the destruction of 100,000 pirate vessels, he and his descendants receive the title of Metabaron, and the Imperial couple promise a gift. Later, a woman named Honorata offers that she can bear Othon a child if he places a drop of his blood in her uterus. With this done, two of Othon's servants try to commit suicide, taking the pregnant Honorata with them; but Othon injects a potion of epiphyte into Honorata. This deprives his son, Aghnar von Salza, of weight; wherefore Othon lets Honorata train Aghnar by herself. When Aghnar is seven years old, he defeats a machine set against him by his father; whereupon Othon continues his training. Honorata then confesses she was ordered to give birth to a hermaphrodite instead of a son, by the priestesses of Shabda-Oud. For her disobedience, the Shabda-Oud attempt her destruction. Othon, to assure his son's ability to avenge her, orders Aghnar to fight him to the death, and Aghnar seizes the title of Metabaron for himself.

The sole human in a hostile world, Aghnar befriends a single primatoid, and becomes its tribe's messiah. He then seizes a Shabda-Oud cetacyborg battleship with which to carry out his vengeance; but is distracted by the Cetacyborg's crew's original objective: to capture Princess Oda, to use her for the sisterhood's breeding experiments. After a telepathic confrontation with the sisterhood, Oda suffers debilitating injuries; whereupon Honorata, kept alive by her own mental powers, transfers her own soul to Oda, who thereafter bears Aghnar a son. Disgusted by his incest, Aghnar attempts to kill his son, whom Oda/Honorata gives a cybernetic head to replace his own, for which he is called Steelhead. Steelhead later kills his parents. At his claim to the title of Metabaron, the Princess Doña Vicenta argues that his offspring must be unworthy of the title. Therefore, Steelhead assumes the disembodied head of Zaran Krleza, the last poet in the galaxy. United in body and head (but somehow maintaining individual personas), Steelhead and Zaran become Melmoth, which declares Doña Vicenta as the object of his affections, and resurrects her father, along with a rare, titanic tree (both destroyed by Steelhead himself). Doña Vicenta consents to the match; but the clone of her father attempts to take her by force, whereupon Vicenta gives him her eyes. Mollified, he permits Melmoth and Doña Vicenta to marry; but Melmoth discovers that Tonto, his robotic servant, has replaced her eyes by cybernetic sensors, and shuns her. Eventually, he reverts to the form and character of Steelhead, and takes care of his bride. When unable to preserve both of Vicenta's twin children alive, Steelhead removes the male twin's brain and implant it in the female child, and trains the androgynous Aghora would be trained as a warrior, who eventually faces his/her father in single combat to become Metabaron. To conceive an heir, he/she extracts the male cells from his/her own brain and implants them in his/her womb, thereby creating a male clone: the Nameless Metabaron who reigns in Incal.

In the last chapter of the saga (Sans-Nom, le dernier Méta-Baron), Lothar, the faithful android to whom Tonto is relating the Metabaronic lore in the frame narration, is identified as Steelhead himself, kept alive by his conversion to a robotic existence. Recovering his personality, but not his full memories, after a brief confrontation in which he gives Nameless the iconic scarring in his eyebrow, he allies himself with a vampiric creature to enact his vengeance upon his descendant. Ultimately, he repents; whereupon Nameless has himself sterilized, and remains in self-pity until the Spirit of the Castaka family, embodied by the mark on his chest, prompts Nameless to become a force for good, protecting life whenever he can. With this new mission, the Metabaron becomes the unstoppable mercenary featured in the Incal.

Cultural references
In February 2019, American black metal band Bihargam released their debut album titled Castaka that is a musical adaptation of The Metabarons. The band's name is taken from the book Weapons of the Metabaron.

French
The series has been published in French as follows:

La Caste des Méta-Barons

 * 1) Othon le Trisaïeul (Othon the Great-Great-Grandfather) (1992)
 * 2) Honorata la Trisaïeule (Honorata the Great-Great-Grandmother) (1993)
 * 3) Aghnar le Bisaïeul (Aghnar the Great-Grandfather) (1995)
 * 4) Oda la Bisaïeule (Oda the Great-Grandmother) (1997)
 * 5) Tête-D'Acier l'Aïeul (Steelhead the Grandfather) (1998)
 * 6) Doña Vicenta Gabriela de Rokha l'Aïeule (Doña Vicenta Gabriela de Rokha the Grandmother) (1999)
 * 7) Aghora le Père-Mère (Aghora the Father-Mother) (2002)
 * 8) Sans Nom, le Dernier des Métabarons (Nameless, the Last of the Metabarons) (2003)

A special volume La Maison des Ancêtres (The House of the Ancestors) was released in 2000 containing interviews with Jodorowsky and Giménez as well as sketches, unseen art and 2 short stories. A remake of In the Heart of the Impregnable Metabunker, also known as Incal: The Lost Pages, drawn by Giménez instead of Moebius and The Crest of Castaka that formed the bases for the second volume of Castaka (The Rival Twins).

Castaka
This is a prequel to the original series. The artwork is by Das Pastoras because Juan Giménez was busy with other projects.
 * 1) Dayal, le Premier Ancêtre (Dayal, the First Ancestor) (2007)
 * 2) Les Jumelles Rivales (The Rival Twins) (2013)

Les Armes du Méta-Baron
Another spin-off by Travis Charest and Zoran Janjetov:
 * 1) Les Armes du Méta-Baron (Weapons of the Metabaron) (2008)

Méta-Baron
Spin-off by Jerry Frissen, Valentin Secher, Niko Henrichon and Pete Woods:
 * 1) Wilhelm-100 le Techno-Amiral (Wilhelm, The Techno-Admiral) (2015)
 * 2) Khonrad l'Anti-Baron (Khonrad, The Anti-Baron) (2016)
 * 3) Orne-8 le techno-cardinal (Orne-8, the Techno-Cardinal) (2016)
 * 4) Simak le transhumain (Simak, the Transhuman) (2017)
 * 5) Rina la meta-gardienne (Rina, the Meta-Guardianess) (2017)
 * 6) Sans-Nom le techno-baron (No-Name, the Techno-Baron) (2018)
 * 7) Adal le bâtard (Adal, the Bastard) (2022)
 * 8) Dargona la proto-gardienne (Dargona, the Proto-Guardian) (2022)

Simak
Spin-off by Jerry Frissen and Jean-Michel Ponzio: An origin story for Simak from Jerry Frissen´s The Metabaron series.
 * 1) Traque sur Solar Corona (Hunt on the Solar Corona) (2018)
 * 2) Jeux mortels (Deadly Games) (2018)

The Saga of the Meta-Barons
All the main French albums were reprinted in English in their original version by Humanoids. These include:

 * 1) Othon & Honorata (136 pages, 2004, ISBN 1-4012-0362-0)
 * 2) Aghnar & Oda (136 pages, 2004, ISBN 1-4012-0381-7)
 * 3) Steelhead & Doña Vicenta (136 pages, 2005, ISBN 1-4012-0642-5)
 * 4) Aghora & The Last Metabaron (128 pages, 2010, ISBN 1-59465-001-2)

Humanoids Publishing released 17 issues, published in 2000–2001. All were collected into censored trade paperbacks, with a fifth volume containing 4 short stories.

 * 1) Path of the Warrior (collects #1-5, 152 pages, 2001, ISBN 1-930652-47-X)
 * 2) Blood and Steel (collects #6-10, 136 pages, 2003, ISBN 1-930652-24-0)
 * 3) Poet and Killer (collects #11-14, 112 pages, 2002, ISBN 1-930652-23-2)
 * 4) Immaculate Conception (collects #15-17, 80 pages, 2003, ISBN 1-930652-93-3)
 * 5) Alpha/Omega (One-shot; collects The Crest of Castaka, The Last Metabaron, Incal: The Lost Pages by Moebius and a reworked version of Metabarons: The Lost Pages by Giménez), 48 pages, 2002, ISBN 1-930652-41-0)

Castaka

 * 1) Metabarons Genesis: Castaka (112 pages, 2014, ISBN 9781594650536)

Weapons of the Metabaron

 * 1) Weapons of the Metabaron (64 pages, 2011, ISBN 9781594650369)

The Metabaron

 * 1) Wilhelm, The Techno-Admiral (54 pages, 2016, ISBN 9781594658075)
 * 2) Khonrad, The Anti-Baron (56 pages, 2016, ISBN 9781594653391)
 * 3) Orne-8, The Techno-Cardinal (56 pages, 2017, ISBN 9781594654725)
 * 4) Simak, The Transhuman (56 pages, 2017, ISBN 9781594657764)
 * 5) Rina, The Meta-Guardianess (55 pages, 2018, ISBN 9781643377810)
 * 6) No-Name, The Techno-Baron (55 pages, 2018, ISBN 9781643378145)
 * 7) The Bastard (56 pages, 2023, ISBN 9781643376288)
 * 8) The Proto-Guardianess (56 pages, 2023, ISBN 9781643378800)

The Metabarons: Second Cycle
Contains Vol 1 to 6 in hardcover form.
 * 1) The Metabarons: Second Cycle (360 pages, 2020, ISBN 9781643379951)

Simak

 * 1) Hunt on the Solar Corona (56 pages, 2019, ISBN 9781643378237)
 * 2) Deadly Games (56 pages, 2019, ISBN 9781643375076)

title: Metabarons


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User:SirJective/Double entries

This was a list of entries in the cur database table, which are doubled: Same namespace, same title, different id.

Probably they are created by rapidly clicking "Save page" on a new article, which confuses the software. Entries on this list appear as bogus entries in different maintance lists, e.g. Special:Lonelypages or Special:Shortpages.

These entries can be handled by deleting and restoring them. This makes all entries appear in one version history.

See also User:Topbanana/Reports/Duplicate article title and Multiple titles.

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

title: User:SirJective/Double entries


text:
Talk:Paragliding

Speed range
I changed the average speed range from 20-60 km/h to 21-45 km/h, which seems much more indicative of the normal wing. I also added the equivalent range in mph.

For consistency, all the metric data should also probably be presented in the English system to make the data more meaningful to more people. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.190.28.92 (talk) 12:04, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

SIV
I came to this article to find out what "SIV" stood for in "SIV training", but it wasn't mentioned. I finally discovered this BHPA document which expands it as the French "Simulation d'Incident en Vol". I wanted to record that here in case the Instruction section of this article is ever expanded to include SIV training. -- ToE 01:00, 25 August 2017 (UTC)

External links modified (January 2018)
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I question whether paragliding should be described as an extreme sport. What's extreme about it? Any thoughts?Manormadman (talk) 09:33, 4 January 2019 (UTC)

As a veteran of both hang gliding and paragliding, I would agree with you. Neither one should be considered "extreme", although we need a reliable source to cite indicating as much.62.175.36.11 (talk) 17:31, 6 September 2019 (UTC)

World Records: Highest Flight/Gain of Height?
The article gives the record for the highest flight as 8,157 m (26,762 ft): Antoine Girard; Broad Peak (Pakistan). What about Ewa Wiśnierska, who reached an altitude of 9,946 metres (32,631 ft), according to her GPS, at Manilla, New South Wales, Australia, on 14 February 2007? And gain of height record is given as 5,700 m (18,700 ft): Antoine Girard (France); Aconcagua (Argentina); 15 February 2019. From the highest launching point near Manilla, Mt Borah at 880m (2,700 ft) to her highest alitude of 9,946m (32,631 ft), Wiśnierska had a height gain of 9,066m (29,931 ft). Even if these are not official records, being accidental due to being caught in a thunderstorm on a practice flight, surely they rate a mention, being the highest known flight and the greatest known gain of height. Ptilinopus (talk) 12:04, 30 September 2019 (UTC)
 * Re: Ewa Wiśnierska, this is akin to giving the Titanic an award for the deepest diving submarine. Rowan Forest (talk) 14:50, 30 September 2019 (UTC)

Человек
Человек -это типо животное, но разумное. P.S. не все такие... 94.190.85.229 (talk) 12:53, 4 April 2022 (UTC)

title: Talk:Paragliding


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Talk:Metabarons

Name
Shouldn't this be at Metabaron, the singular? Rmhermen 14:42, Aug 13, 2004 (UTC) Is Incal the name of a comic book or a publisher or ...? It be in italics if the name of a book. Could someone take a look at comic and find which article (comic book, comic strip, web comic, etc.) best applies and change this article to the correct kind. Rmhermen 14:46, Aug 13, 2004 (UTC)

Edited the Bushitaka section to make it accurate. It referes to a code of honor, and not the Meta-barons' final initiation. --Erin Clark 17:57, 19 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Added an expansion tag, because this needs work. Erin Clark 02:08, 17 May 2005 (UTC)

Hey!
Hey, this whole article smacks of inaccuracies. Fafnir665 20:21, 13 June 2007 (UTC)
 * I'm happy with it now Drake P. 17:08, 25 September 2008 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Castaka1.jpg
Image:Castaka1.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

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BetacommandBot 05:27, 16 September 2007 (UTC)

English editions
The article says "Humanoids Publishing has plans to release the full series published so far. So far they have released:", and it lists collections of 17 single-issues. But the text doesn't refer to these 17 single issues elsewhere! As a reader it's impossible to know how these issues relate to the original French editions. Also the www.metabarons.com website seems to be down. 193.91.181.142 (talk) 12:23, 10 August 2008 (UTC) (Nick)

Humanoids's issue #17 ends with vol. 7 of the French edition. Vol.8 is missing. -- megA (talk) 14:16, 12 December 2014 (UTC)

title: Talk:Metabarons


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Challenge coin

A challenge coin is a small coin or medallion, bearing an organization's insignia or emblem and carried by the organization's members. Traditionally, they might be given to prove membership when asked and to enhance morale. They are also collected by service members and law enforcement personnel. Historically, challenge coins were presented by unit commanders in recognition of special achievement by a member of the unit. They could also be exchanged in recognition of visits to an organization.

Modern day challenge coins may feature popular culture attributes or organizational values. Modern challenge coins are made in a variety of sizes and are often made using popular culture references, including superheroes and other well-known characters in a way that creates a parody.

Origins
There are several stories detailing the origins of the challenge coin. Many originate in popular culture based on current events.

The Roman Empire rewarded soldiers by presenting them with coins to recognize their achievements. In Rome, if soldiers excelled in battle one day, they would receive their typical day's wages along with a separate bonus coin each. According to some accounts, these bonus coins were specially minted, featuring the marks of the legions from which they came. As a result, some soldiers apparently kept their coins as mementos, instead of spending them.

Challenge coins were also known as "Portrait Medals" during the Renaissance and were often used to commemorate specific events involving royalty, nobility, or other types of well-to-do individuals. The medals would be given as gifts or awards, and people also exchanged them with friends and associates. The most common format was for one side to depict the patron while the other showed something that represented that individual's family, house, lineage, and/or seal.

The first instance of using a coin as a response to an actual challenge may come from the 17th century religious wars in France. Following King Louis XIV's 1685 revocation of the Edict of Nantes, French Protestants began to suffer persecution by the state for their illegal religion. Many Protestants fled France to find religious freedom elsewhere. Among those who chose to remain in France were some from a Protestant group known as Huguenots who were forced to conduct their religious services in secret. In order to avoid infiltration by state spies the Huguenots began to carry their méreau communion coin. When challenged while trying to gain entry to Protestant church services the Huguenot would produce his méreau coin as a token to show allegiance with the Protestant Church and be admitted entry.

According to one story, challenge coins originated during World War I. Before the entry of the United States into the war in 1917 American volunteers from all parts of the country filled the newly formed flying squadrons of the Army and Naval Air Service. Some were wealthy scions attending colleges such as Yale and Harvard who quit in mid-term to join the war.

In one squadron, a wealthy lieutenant ordered medallions struck in solid bronze and presented them to his unit. One young pilot placed the medallion in a small leather pouch that he wore about his neck. Shortly after acquiring the medallion, the pilot's aircraft was severely damaged by ground fire. He was forced to land behind enemy lines and was immediately captured by a German patrol. In order to discourage his escape, the Germans took all of his personal identification except for the small leather pouch around his neck. In the meantime, he was taken to a small French town near the front. Taking advantage of a bombardment that night, he escaped. However, he was without personal identification. He succeeded in avoiding German patrols by donning civilian attire and reached the front lines. With great difficulty, he crossed no-man's land. Eventually, he stumbled onto a French outpost. Saboteurs had plagued the French in the sector. They sometimes masqueraded as civilians and wore civilian clothes. Not recognizing the young pilot's American accent, the French thought him to be a saboteur and made ready to execute him. He had no identification to prove his allegiance, but he did have his leather pouch containing the medallion. He showed the medallion to his would-be executioners and one of his French captors recognized the squadron insignia on the medallion. They delayed his execution long enough for him to confirm his identity. Instead of shooting him they gave him a bottle of wine.

Back at his squadron, it became tradition to ensure that all members carried their medallion or coin at all times. This was accomplished through challenge in the following manner: a challenger would ask to see the medallion, if the challenged could not produce a medallion, they were required to buy a drink of choice for the member who challenged them. If the challenged member produced a medallion, then the challenging member was required to pay for the drink. This tradition continued throughout the war and for many years after the war while surviving members of the squadron were still alive.

According to another story, challenge coins date back to World War II and were first used by Office of Strategic Service personnel who were deployed in Nazi held France. Similarly, Jim Harrington proposed a Jolly sixpence club amongst the junior officers of the 107th Infantry. The coins were simply a local coin used as a "bona fides" during a personal meeting to help verify a person's identity. There would be specific aspects such as type of coin, date of the coin, etc. that were examined by each party. This helped prevent infiltration into the meeting by a spy who would have to have advance knowledge of the meeting time and place as well as what coin was to be presented, amongst other signals, as bona fides.

Others argue the tradition started during the Vietnam War, when an Army infantry-run bar tried to keep non-infantrymen away by forcing "outsiders" to buy drinks for the whole bar if they couldn't prove they had been in combat. The "proof" started with enemy bullets, then got a little out of control with grenades, rockets and unexploded ordnance. So, a coin-sized item emblazoned with the unit's insignia became the accepted form of proof. This tradition, now known as a coin check, continues today, hence it being called a "challenge" coin.

While a number of legends place the advent of challenge coins in the post-Korean Conflict era (some as late as the Vietnam War), or even later, Colonel William "Buffalo Bill" Quinn had coins made for those who served in his 17th Infantry Regiment during 1950 to 1958. The 17th Infantry Regiment "Buffalo" coin is the oldest challenge coin known in existence. On one side of the coin is a picture of a buffalo with the date 1812, which signified the year the unit was formed. On the other side was the 17th Infantry patch with the dates 1950 – 1958 and the word Korea to signify the tour. The cross and fort icon represent the unit's heritage which started in Cuba during the civil war. This coin is recognized as one of the oldest and most valuable challenge coins in circulation. Very few remain available, and most are thought to be in private collections.

Colonel Verne Green, commander of the 10th Special Forces Group-A, embraced the idea. He had a special coin struck with the unit's badge and motto in 1969. Until the 1980s, his unit was the only unit with an active challenge coin tradition.

There is another story about an American soldier scheduled to rendezvous with Philippine guerrillas during WWII. As the story goes, he carried a Philippine solid silver coin that was stamped on one side with the unit insignia. The coin was used to verify, to the guerrillas, that the soldier was their valid contact for the mission against the Japanese. The challenge coin tradition has spread to other military units, in all branches of service, and even to non-military organizations as well as the United States Congress, which produces challenge coins for members of Congress to give to constituents. Today, challenge coins are given to members upon joining an organization, as an award to improve morale, and sold to commemorate special occasions or as fundraisers. In the Air Force, military training instructors award an airman's coin to new enlisted personnel upon completion of their United States Air Force Basic Military Training and to new officers upon completion of the Air Force Officer Training School.

U.S. presidents
Challenge coins issued by presidents date back to the late 1990s. Separately, the White House Communication Agency (WHCA) has issued challenge coins for foreign heads and military during presidential visits. In May 2018, controversy arose when WHCA released a coin featuring President Donald Trump and North Korean head Kim Jong-un ahead of peace talks scheduled for June 2018 in Singapore.

President Bill Clinton displayed several racks of challenge coins, which had been given to him by U.S. service members, on the credenza behind his Oval Office desks. These coins are currently on display at the Clinton Library. The challenge coins appear in the background of his official portrait, now hanging in the White House.

President George W. Bush received a challenge coin from a Marine combat patrol unit during his short but unexpected visit to Al Asad Airbase in Anbar province, Iraq, 3 September 2007.

President Barack Obama, in addition to handing challenge coins to U.S. service members, would leave coins on the memorial graves of dead soldiers.

President Donald Trump's coin broke with tradition, omitting the presidential seal, the motto "E pluribus unum" and the thirteen arrows representing the thirteen original states. His campaign slogan "Make America Great Again" appears on both sides. It features a banner at the bottom, which also serves as a base allowing the coin to stand upright.

President Joe Biden's coin depicts his home state of Delaware and "261st" for the 261st Theater Tactical Signal Brigade of the Delaware Army National Guard, his late son Beau Biden's unit.

Challenging
The tradition of a challenge is the most common way to ensure that members are carrying their unit's coin. The rules of a challenge are not always formalized for a unit, and may vary between organizations. The challenge only applies to those members that have been given a coin formally by their unit. This may lead to some controversy when challenges are initiated between members of different organizations and is not recommended. The tradition of the coin challenge is meant to be a source of morale in a unit, and forcing the challenge can cause a reverse effect. The act of challenging is called a "coin check" and is usually loudly announced.

The challenge, which can be made at any time, begins with the challenger drawing his/her coin, and slapping or placing the coin on the table or bar. In noisy environments, continuously rapping the challenge coin on a surface may initiate the challenge. (Accidentally dropping a challenge coin is considered to be a deliberate challenge to all present.) Everyone being challenged must immediately produce the coin for their organization and anyone failing to do so must buy a round of drinks for the challenger and everyone else who has their challenge coin. However, should everyone challenged be able to produce their coin, the challenger must buy a round of drinks for the group.

While most holders of challenge coins usually carry them in their pockets or in some other readily accessible place on their persons, most versions of the rules permit a challenged person "a step and a reach" or if an individual has an extra coin to pass it off to the person closest to them. Coins on belt buckles or key chains are not acceptable for meeting a challenge. However, a coin worn in a pouch around the neck is acceptable for meeting a coin challenge.

Variants of the rules include, but are not limited to, the following: If someone is able to steal a challenge coin, everyone in the group must buy a drink for that person. During a challenge, everyone in the group must buy a drink for the holder of the highest-ranking coin.

A coin's rank is determined by the rank of the giver of the challenge coin. For example, a coin presented by an Admiral would outrank a coin presented by a Vice Admiral, while both would outrank a coin presented by a Captain. Traditionally, the presentation of a coin is passed during a handshake. Some units provide strict time limits to respond to a challenge. Also, coins are ranked in level of difficulty in attaining them. An Infantryman coin would outrank a logistical coin. A Ranger coin would outrank an Infantryman coin.

Traditionally, rules of a challenge include a prohibition against defacing the coin, especially if it makes it easier to carry at all times. If the challenge coin is attached to a belt buckle or key ring or has had a hole drilled in it to attach to a lanyard, it no longer qualifies as a challenge coin.

Appearance
There are many finishes available—from a simple pewter to 24K gold. While there are only a few base metals, the patina (finish) can range from gold, silver, or nickel to brass, copper, or bronze—plus the antiqued variations. Soft or hard enamel or a printed inset with an epoxy coating may add color (the epoxies are often more resilient and scratch resistant than the metal surfaces).

Challenge coins are often made from various types of metals and are typically plated to enhance their appearance and durability. The plating used in challenge coins can vary, and each type offers a unique look and feel. Challenge coins can be coated in a wide variety of coin plating finishes such as; antique gold, antique silver, antique brass, polished gold, polished brass, polished silver, black nickel, or other types of plating finishes. Here are some common types of plating used in challenge coins:

 * 1) Gold Plating: This gives the coin a high-quality, prestigious look. Gold plating can range from bright to more subdued antique finishes.
 * 2) Silver Plating: Silver plating provides a sleek, modern appearance. Like gold, it can also be finished in a bright or antique style.
 * 3) Nickel Plating: Nickel plating is a popular choice for a shiny, mirror-like finish. It's less expensive than gold or silver but still offers a high-quality appearance.
 * 4) Copper Plating: Copper plating gives a reddish-brown hue to the coin and is often used for a vintage or antique look.
 * 5) Brass Plating: Brass plating offers a golden-yellow color, similar to gold but with a different tone and is usually more cost-effective.
 * 6) Black Nickel or Black Metal Plating: This provides a dark, sleek, and modern look. It's often used for special editions or more contemporary designs.
 * 7) Dual Plating: Some challenge coins use a combination of two different metals for a more dynamic and intricate appearance.

Cost
Challenge coins are moderately inexpensive to design and produce. There are two basic processes by which to manufacture: zinc-alloy castings or die struck bronze.

Zinc alloy castings offer the advantage of low cost. Zinc casting also allows more flexibility in design like cutouts found on spinner coins or bottle opener coins. While a die struck bronze or brass coin is more expensive, the result renders a far superior product (numismatic quality).

, coins manufactured in China and South Korea typically cost between US $2.50 to US $7.00 per coin, depending on production process and complexity of design, laser engraving, enamels, voids, etc. The dies must be sculpted by an artist and can range in cost from US$50 to US$300, depending on complexity. The cost of domestic manufacture can be many times this amount.

In order to be competitive, most North American companies offering challenge coins rely on having the product manufactured offshore. Many challenge coins are fabricated in South Korea, as the connection to the US military bases there is strong, and costs are cheaper than those made in the US.

Uses
Besides using coins for challenging, they are also used as rewards or awards for outstanding service or performance of duty. As such, they are used as a tool to build morale. Military officials occasionally give them to non-military personnel for outstanding service or rewards, like the case of student athletes at Northeastern University.

In the context as they are used by the modern U.S. military, the tradition probably began among special forces units during the Vietnam War. The tradition spread through the Airborne community, and by the early 1980s also into the 75th Ranger Regiment. As officers were reassigned as their careers progressed, they carried with them the tradition of awarding a unit coin for acts that were worthy of recognition but yet lacked enough merit to submit the soldiers act for an official medal.

One widely known challenge coin in the United States Air Force was the "Bull Dog" challenge coin that was exclusive to B-52 enlisted tail gunners. Since the B-52 gunner position was phased out in 1991, this famous challenge coin has become rarer.

This coin was presented to gunners upon graduation from their Air Force technical training and their entry into the "Gunners Association". In the earlier days of bombers, a bean or a nugget was used. The coin represents the attributes of strength and courage as reflected in the Bulldog, the gunner's official mascot. The coin was also given to certain "honorary gunners", usually commanders and leaders who portrayed the spirit of the bulldog.

Some collectors buy them for their numismatic value.

Coins given as awards for accomplishments are normally given to the recipient during a handshake, passing from the right hand of the giver to the right hand of the awardee. It is also normal for the giver to offer a brief explanation of the reason for awarding the coin.

Outside the military
Challenge coins are also exchanged outside the military. NASCAR, the NFL, cadets of the Civil Air Patrol, Eagle Scouts, Canine Companions, and World Series of Poker all have their own challenge coins. They are also becoming popular with police departments, fire departments, labor unions, and fraternal organizations. In 2007, the Utah Symphony and Opera gave challenge coins to all of its staff and musicians, making it the first symphony organization in America to do so. Franklin Public School in Ontario has a coin that is given to graduates, featuring its mascot 'Frankie'. Many non-profits, especially those with connections to the military, give challenge coins to donors to acknowledge their support of the organization. The FBI's Crisis Response unit was the first unit in the FBI to issue coins to unit members in late 1980s. Memorial coins can be used to commemorate fallen officers.

New York City Police Department
Coins have been created by the Police Benevolent Association for NYPD precincts. One of these coins, which was used as a fundraiser dedicated to an officer in the 67 Pct. who was injured in the line of duty, has been criticized for containing racist imagery despite the officer being of Afro American West Indian descent.

Motorcycle Clubs
Another organization in which challenge coins have gained popularity is the "National Association of Buffalo Soldiers and Troopers Motorcycle Club" (NABSTMC), which has over 85 chapters totaling over 2,000 members. The coin must be earned by the members for a noteworthy accomplishment.

In 2009, the Harley Owners Group (HOG) created and made available its own challenge coin to Harley-Davidson motorcycle owners.

Science
In the International Genetically Engineered Machine competition (iGEM), participants that won the 'Grand Prize' are given a challenge coin from 2016 on.

Varian Medical Systems, a medical device manufacturer, awards challenge coins for notable accomplishments by its service personnel. A significant number of Varian's employees have military backgrounds, where many of them learn the electronics and mechanical skills needed to support Varian equipment.

Media, Business, and Education
Numerous examples illustrate challenge coins handed out in the media industry:

In 2020, a challenge coin went viral when America's largest challenge coin retailer released a coin about an incident that occurred with Connecticut state trooper Matthew Spina.

In 2020, the Secretary of the State of Virginia sent a cease and desist to Louis "Uncle Louie" Gregory regarding a challenge coin he created.

In 2022, the President of the United States announced that the U.S. Government would investigate the origins of a Border Patrol Challenge coin. The coin was later debated on the House Floor by the U.S. Congress.

In his audio commentary for the DVD release of Iron Man 2, film director Jon Favreau notes that he had Iron Man 2 challenge coins made to distribute to United States Air Force personnel as a gesture of thanks for their cooperation while the production (and its predecessor, Iron Man) filmed on location at Edwards Air Force Base.

Bill Prady, executive producer of The Big Bang Theory, gave the Big Bang Theory "executive producer's challenge coin" to the crew of the last space shuttle.

On the "Rockets" episode of Lock N' Load with R. Lee Ermey, R. Lee (Gunny) Ermey presents a challenge coin to Second Lieutenant Carr as a reward for being the "top gun" in his class with the Javelin Portable Rocket Launching System.

Members of the American Radio Relay League who are volunteer examiners may carry the VEC (volunteer examiner coordinator) challenge coin. These members are responsible for administering Federal Communications Commission sanctioned examinations that allow successful applicants to qualify as amateur radio operators in the three different license categories of: technician, general, and amateur extra.

The crew of Breaking Bad were given challenge coins designed by show creator Vince Gilligan for each new season. Another challenge coin was also included in the Blu-ray set of the entire series of the show.

Video game companies like Treyarch gave these coins with certain packages for the release of Black Ops 2.

The crowdfunded movie Lazer Team gave challenge coins to its backers as an optional perk of funding the movie.

A challenge coin is presented in a handshake to Gerard Butler's character in the 2018 film Hunter Killer.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 had challenge coins available for purchase commemorating their 30th anniversary on their 2018 30th anniversary "Watch Out For Snakes" Live Tour.

Meanwhile, examples can also be found in the realms of business and education. Many businesses are using corporate coins to recognize staff achievements, improve employee morale and reduce turnover,

For example, the Builders Association of the Twin Cities (BATC) issued a challenge coin highlighting their core values: "recruit, retain, grow."

Also, St Mary's University issued a coin honoring the Public Safety Administration.

Labor unions
Many labor unions, including the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the International Association of Firefighters, have adopted the practice of selling and/or disseminating challenge coins.

Canada
One of the first appearance of a challenge coin within the Canadian Forces (CF) was that of the Canadian Airborne Regiment. Although conceptualized in the early 1970s, it was not officially adopted until the regiment returned from Cyprus in 1974.

Recognized as an "Americanism", the widespread use of challenge coins is new to the Canadian Forces and was introduced by General Rick Hillier as the Canadian Army began to work more closely with the US military. While many regiments and military establishments purchase them as 'challenge coins', most branches and schools within the CF use them for presentation purposes.

The first RCAF coin belonged to 427 Squadron. Back in the Second World War, 427 and the film studios Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) shared the lion as their respective symbol. During a ceremony held on 27 May 1943, a bronze statuette of a lion was presented to the squadron as were MGM's coins for the squadron members. These coins granted free access to the MGM's theaters in Britain and were popular with aircrew and ground crew alike. In 1982, the custom was reintroduced by Lieutenant-Colonel Hugh Cunnigham, then the squadron commanding officer; it has since expanded widely within the RCAF tactical aviation community.

Every new officer cadet at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario, is issued a challenge coin upon completion of First-Year Orientation Period. The coin is engraved with the name of the college in French and English surrounding the college's coat of arms on the obverse. The cadet's college number and the Memorial Arch is on the reverse surrounded by the motto in both languages.

Members of the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME) Fund are issued challenge coins with the current RCEME badge and the member's branch fund membership number on the obverse side, and the original pre-unification RCEME badge and branch motto on the reverse side. Usually, these are issued to craftsmen at the Canadian Forces School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, in Borden, Ontario, where branch fund membership is first offered.

The coin from Commander Canadian Special Operations Forces Command is a dull colour, but distinct by its pierced sections.

Many of the CF training centres and staff colleges have a distinct coin—some available for the students to purchase, others available only by presentation by the establishment or the commandant for exemplary achievement while attending the facility. General (retired) Walter Natynczyk, when he was Chief of the Defence Staff, and the Canadian Forces Chief Warrant Officer often presented their personalized coins to deserving soldiers.

Police, corrections, security and fire departments have embraced the concept, and have found coins to be an excellent means of team building and creating a sense of brotherhood or belonging. Many feature a patron saint, badge or representative equipment.

Switzerland
The challenge coin tradition was introduced into the Swiss Armed Forces by American officers on training missions and other assignments for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, of which Switzerland is a member. Coins are not issued, but rather ordered and paid for by Swiss officers of various branches within the Army.

Australia and New Zealand

Coins have come into use by various Australian and New Zealand political leaders, senior officers and NCOs, under the influence of presentations from American personnel. Several hundred types of New Zealand challenge coins have been produced in recent decades.

United Kingdom
Exchange officers and British military visitors to US units and formations in recent decades have often been presented with challenge coins. The British Army has had challenge coins for recruiting purposes since the mid-2000s - for example the Special Air Service and Royal Engineer units have such challenge coins. British military medical units also discovered the tradition while working with American units in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Department of Military Anesthesia and Critical Care has been issuing a coin since 2006.

Tradition dictates that challenge coins are shown within social environments (see above) with the loser of the "coin check" purchasing drinks for those others involved. Following a turbulent period of change within the British Military, commanders have tightened restrictions on the consumption of alcohol and any activity that encourages drinking, leaving the traditional challenge coin as a collection item.

title: Challenge coin


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User talk:JamesMLane/John Kerry Silver Star

Text of the citation
Khaosworks, there was a point at which I hadn't read the citation; relying on a secondary source, I said on Talk:John Kerry that it didn't mention the killing. Now, however, in looking at this version of the citation, I see that it does, albeit in only one sentence buried in the middle: "Without hesitation Lieutenant (junior grade) KERRY leaped ashore, pursued the man behind a hootch and killed him, capturing a B-40 rocket launcher with a round in the chamber."

Do you have a different version of the citation? The reason I ask is that I thought I saw another one at some point, perhaps containing the "highly successful" language that I used in referring to the mission's evaluation. Now I can't find it, though. It makes me wonder if they have two versions, perhaps one being a shorter one that doesn't mention the killing. JamesMLane 14:46, 13 Aug 2004 (UTC)

 * There appears to be another version of the citation, also from John Kerry's website . This one has "Official Record Copy" stamped on it. khaosworks 14:58, 13 Aug 2004 (UTC)

 * Hmm. There is a difference between the two - the one in Wikisource is signed by Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Vietnam, while the "offical record copy" (of which there are two versions, identically worded) are signed by CINCPAC and the Secretary of the Navy respectively. So there are three levels here - which one to take as the official record is anyone's guess. In any case, a reading of the passage quoted by Elliot in his second affidavit to support his contention that Kerry shot the VC in the back has Kerry actually denying he shot the VC in the back, so I'm not sure how Elliot's criticism is cogent. --khaosworks 06:34, 15 Aug 2004 (UTC)


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Malabadi Bridge

The Malabadi Bridge (Malabadi Köprüsü, Pira Malabadê) is an arch bridge spanning the Batman River near the town of Silvan in southeastern Turkey. Construction began in the year AD 1146/47 during the Artuqid period, and appears to have been completed by about 1154 (AH 549). The bridge was commissioned by Husam al-Din Timurtash of Mardin, son of Ilghazi, and grandson of Artuk Bey.

According to the local 12th-century historian Ibn al-Azraq al-Farīqī, the contemporary bridge replaced one built in 668/69 (AH 48) that had collapsed in 1144 (AH 539). Inconsistencies between the two surviving manuscript copies of Ibn al-Azraq's account make it difficult to definitively identify the Malabadi bridge as the one he refers to as the Qaramān or Aqramān bridge. Nevertheless, many aspects of his geographical description and historical account support this identification.

Ibn al-Azraq says that construction of the current bridge was initiated by the Artuqid ruler of Mayafaraqin and Mardin al-Saʿīd Ḥusām al-Dīn Temür-Tash in 1146/47 (AH 541), under the supervision of al-Zāhid bin al-Ṭawīl. After al-Zāhid had built the bridge's eastern footing it was destroyed by floods. Al-Zāhid was fined for "defective craftsmanship" and replaced by Amir Saif al-Dīn Shīrbārīk Maudūd bin ʿAlī (bin Alp-Yaruq) bin Artuq. Shīrbārīk restarted the work under the supervision of Abuʾl-Khair bin al-Ḥakīm al-Fāsūl, who used massive timbers in the construction. By 1153 the bridge was nearly finished. However, at the time of the death of Ḥusām al-Dīn Temür-Tash on 18 January 1154, the arch was not yet complete. His successor, Najm al-Dīn Alpī, set about completing the bridge, and, although work was again interrupted by flooding, "[h]e built and repaired it and completed the joining of the arch."

The French architectural historian Albert Gabriel and epigraphist Jean Sauvaget visited the bridge in 1932 and Sauvaget discerned an inscription in the name of Temür-Tash with the year AH 542 (1147/48), which possibly corresponds to the start of the second construction under Shīrbārīk.

The bridge was restored in the late twelfth century, and recently in the beginning of the 20th century. It was once the only bridge across the river in this area, and was in continuous use until the 1950s, when a new road bridge was completed upstream.

The span of the bridge crosses perpendicular to the river, but the roadway is at an angle to the river, so there are angular breaks in the east and west approaches. The approaches rise from ground level to meet the central span, which is a pointed arch high over the deepest part of the river. Constructed from coloured solid masonry, the approaches have small arches built into them to let flood-waters through. Two of the piers of the bridge sit in the river; the western support is decorated with two carved figures, one standing and one sitting. The bridge is 150 m long and 7 m wide, 19 m in height and a main span of 38.6 m. The roadway has two toll-booths, one either side of the main span. The spandrels of the main arch incorporate small rooms for weary travelers. The Malabadi Bridge in Silvan, Diyarbakır takes its name from (Bad), Badh ibn Dustak the founder of the Marwanids. Malabadi means (house of Bad) in Kurdish.

In 2016 it was inscribed in the Tentative list of World Heritage Sites in Turkey.

title: Malabadi Bridge


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A210 road

The A210 road is a road in South East London.

title: A210 road


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User:Putrescent stench

Putrescent Stench is a novice to the Wikipedia experience (began in early August 2004). He has been reading Wikipedia for a while before that though, as he is a knowledge junkie. He got his degree in English (with an emphasis on creative_writing) from Behrend (the Erie campus of the Pennsylvania State University). Thus his interests lie mainly in literature, though he is also interested in philosophy, religion, and science, particularly paleontology.

His favorite writers are Franz Kafka, Sherwood Anderson, J. G. Ballard, Samuel Beckett, Jorge Luis Borges, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, James Joyce, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Flannery O'Connor, Rainer Maria Rilke, Salman Rushdie, William Shakespeare, Gertrude Stein, and William Butler Yeats. He has already made some significant additions and edits for the Franz Kafka page, and hopes to expand it more in the future, including writing articles for each of his major works that haven't been written yet. He also wants to write pages for writers who aren't on Wikipedia yet, such as Robert Sukenick, Lynn Emanuel, and Eric Baus (he's already added a Galway Kinnell page), as well as lengthen stubs for some writers, such as Ramsey Campbell.

He'd also like to work on some paleontology articles, particularly those dealing with dinosaurs, as many saurians are woefully missing (such as Ouranosaurus, Protoceratops, Baryonyx). He's already written a Spinosaurus article. And many that do exist are stubs, such as the Deinonychus page.

Anyone who wants to comment, criticize, or just chat, feel free to leave messages at his talk page. He's very interested in becoming a more active contributor to Wikipedia, which he thinks is the greatest idea since pesto (his favorite food).

title: User:Putrescent stench


text: Category:Academy Awards ceremonies

title: Category:Academy Awards ceremonies


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Marian Drăgulescu

Marian Drăgulescu (born 18 December 1980 in Bucharest) is a former Romanian artistic gymnast. During his senior gymnastics career he won 31 medals at Olympic Games at World and European Championships, of which eight are gold medals at the World Championships and ten are gold medals at European Championships. Drăgulescu's strongest events were vault and floor, on which he was a multiple world champion and Olympic medalist. The handspring double front somersault with ½ turn is named after him in the Code of Points. In the all-around, Drăgulescu was the European champion (2004) and bronze medalist (2000) and placed 8th at the 2004 Olympic Games.

Early life and career
As a young boy, Drăgulescu only attended gymnastics lessons because they were an excuse to get out of karate. However, as training became more intense he decided to switch to swimming because it was free. His father was not aware that he was not at gymnastics, but he soon went back to the gym as swimming was no longer free after three months. Drăgulescu's debut as a junior at a major international competition was in 1998 European Championships in St. Petersburg. There, he won gold on pommel horse, silver on vault, and bronze on floor and in the team event, and he placed eight in the individual all-around.

1999–2003
Drăgulescu's first participation as a senior at a major event was at the 1999 World Championships, where he placed fourth on vault, eight on high bar and 26th all around. One year later he won an all-around bronze, a gold on floor and a silver with the team at the 2000 European championships in Bremen ahead of the Sydney Games. His debut at the Olympic Games in 2000 was rather modest, coming sixth on the floor and 13th in the all-around. He soon overcame the disappointment suffered in Sydney at the world championships at Ghent in Belgium the following year, where he was in top form, winning gold on the floor and on vault. In 2002 he added three more gold medals to his collection on two on vault and with the team and a bronze on floor at the 2002 Europeans and at the 2002 Worlds. For his achievements he was awarded the "Gymnast of the Year Award" (2002) by the International Press Association. He received this award during the 2003 World Championships in Anaheim. Here he won silver on vault, placed fourth on floor in a final in which silver was not awarded, sixth all around and fourth with the team.

2004 and the Olympic Games
The 2004 European Championships in Ljubljana were an especially successful meet for Drăgulescu. He helped his team to defend their title previously won in 2002. Additionally, Marian won the all around title, and gold medals on floor and on vault. The only other gymnast to win four gold medals at a European Championships was Nadia Comăneci, who captured four gold medals at the 1975 European Championships. His success at the 2004 Europeans made him one of the favorites for medals at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

At the 2004 Olympic Games Drăgulescu helped his team to a bronze medal and was a forerunner in the all around event until a mistake on the high bar, after which he still thrilled the crowd with a difficult routine. He won silver in the men's floor only after a tiebreaker was needed with gold medalist Kyle Shewfelt. On the men's vault he performed the exceptionally difficult vault that bears his name (a handspring double front with half turn) and received a 9.9, the highest score awarded in World or Olympic competition since 1995. It seemed he needed only to land his second vault to take gold, but he fell. However Drăgulescu was still awarded the bronze, a controversial decision because the disparity between the judges scores was greater than is permitted and therefore some or all of them should have been altered. They were not, and Shewfelt was pushed into fourth place. The Canadian federation filed a protest, but the result stood. In 2005 the judges involved were suspended for one year.

Post Athens and the 2008 Olympic Games
Drăgulescu announced his retirement mid-2005, but has since returned and in the world championships in Melbourne in 2005 he won the vault title. He had long been hampered by the lack of a strong second vault, but debuted a new one being a round-off with half twist entry on platform into forward two and a half twist off.

Since then Drăgulescu has dominated that event, retaining his title at the 2006 World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark and winning the floor title as well. Drăgulescu no longer competed in all six events, which had given him more time to focus on those he still trained.

In 2007, Drăgulescu participated in the European Championships which turned to be an unfortunate event for him. On floor exercise, he did not manage to complete his routine. After a hard landing to the back of his head on a layout Thomas salto, he twice attempted to run into his final tumbling pass. Instead of tumbling, he stopped and walked off the podium. That afternoon Drăgulescu competed in the vault final, but missed his second vault (round-off, half-on, 2-1/2 twisting front), landing improperly and injuring his back. Romanian doctors then advised Drăgulescu to immediately stop training and undergo a detailed investigation in the United States to assess the seriousness of his injury. Hence, he missed the 2007 world championships and resumed training only several months prior to the 2008 Olympic Games.

Although Drăgulescu made the vault finals at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, history repeated itself and, as in Athens 2004, he fell on his second vault after an almost faultless first vault (which scored a 16.800), losing his chance to win his first Olympic Gold Medal. However, unlike in Athens, Drăgulescu did not medal on any event, placing fourth on vault with seventh on team and floor.

Post Beijing
Drăgulescu was very disappointed when he failed to medal at the Beijing Olympics, saying "my soul broke" after he fell on the landing of his second vault attempt. He announced his retirement and his intention to become a gymnastic coach. However, he reconsidered retirement and went to compete in Germany for Fabian Hambüchen's club, KTV Straubenhardt. In the club's first three competitions, Drăgulescu competed on floor and vault, obtaining the league's top scores on the latter event: 16.500 in the first two competitions, and 16.300 in the third one. The club won the second place in December 2008. After competing in the German league Dragulescu formally announced his retirement. He went to coach gymnastics alongside his former team colleagues Marius Urzică and Dan Potra at Dinamo Club Bucharest. He declared that his goal is to create a gymnast better than himself.

2009
In 2009, Drăgulescu once again reconsidered his retirement from gymnastics. He had a very successful comeback winning the floor and the vault titles at the 2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.

2010–2011
In 2010, Drăgulescu skipped the European Championships and Romanian Nationals but was a member of the Romanian team at the World Championships. There, he only competed on vault, floor and high bar, but did not qualify for the team or any individual final. After skipping 2011's spring competition season, Drăgulescu made another comeback in the Romanian Nationals at the end of August. This competition marked his comeback as an all-around gymnast after a break of seven years. In October, he joined the team at the 2011 World Championships and competed in the preliminary rounds, helping them qualify for the 2012 Olympics. Individually, he made the all-around, floor and vault finals giving him a chance to regain his titles, but due to injury, he could not compete and withdrew from all three finals.

2015
Drăgulescu participated in the 2015 Israel Cup winning gold in vault. Meanwhile, he has been training a new skill, potentially the "Drăgulescu 2", which is a Drăgulescu with a full twist instead of ½.

On 1 November 2015 Drăgulescu participated in the 2015 World Championships held in Glasgow, Scotland, and won the silver medal in the individual vault event final with an average combined score of 15.400. His two vaults were the "Drăgulescu" or front handspring double (tucked) somersault with ½ twist, his own skill, and "Li Xiaopeng" or a "half on–2½ off" with D-scores 6.0 and 6.2. Ri Se Gwang of North Korea won gold (15.450) with own D-score 6.4 vaults, the "Ri Se Gwang 1" and "2". It was noted that the 34-year-old Drăgulescu was the oldest individual vault finalist at these championships.

2016
Drăgulescu (age 36) participated in the 2016 European Championships held in Bern, Switzerland in May 2016, tying Armenian Artur Davtian for silver on vault with a score of 15.316 and also winning silver on floor with a score of 15.333.

At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro that August, Drăgulescu participated in and qualified for the event final on vault. In the conclusion of the event, his average combined score was tied for the bronze medal with Japanese teenager Kenzo Shirai, but after applying the Olympic tiebreak rules to both scores, Drăgulescu was relegated to fourth place due to Shirai's massive combined score on his first vault, which was brought on by the total of his scores in two parts, the final's highest execution score of 9.466 and second highest difficulty score of 6.4, for the successful completion of the now officially named "Shirai 2" or 3½-twisting Yurchenko on vault, a new and an extremely difficult skill, in competition. In Drăgulescu's best Olympic performance of the same two vaults he had been using for many years now, and they were once again the "Drăgulescu" (a handspring double front tucked with ½ twist to land; D-score – 6.0) and "Li Xiaopeng" (Yurchenko, ½ twist on with 2½ twists in layout off; D-score – 6.2). However, he still lost. This was also the second time that the tiebreak had not worked in favour of Drăgulescu at the Olympics. The first time happened at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens where he missed out on the gold medal and settled for silver when he tied for the highest score with 9.787 in the individual floor exercise apparatus finals. After applying the tiebreak, Kyle Shewfelt of Canada ranked ahead in first with Drăgulescu relegating to second place.

2017
In 2017, Drăgulescu was once again selected to represent the host Romanian team at the 2017 European Championships. He won gold in the floor exercise event final, his first victory at the European Championships in 11 years. He followed up his success at the championships in vault the next day, winning the silver medal.

At the 2017 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, Drăgulescu finished the individual vault final in fourth place with an average combined score of 14.716. He had simplified his second vault to the "½ on–double full off" instead of his usual, the "Li Xiao Peng". Kenzō Shirai of Japan, the man Drăgulescu tied for the third highest final score in the individual vault final at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, won the gold medal with a score of 14.900. Drăgulescu was again the oldest individual vault finalist at 36 years, 9 months and 20 days old.

2019
At the 2019 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, Drăgulescu repeated his 2017 performance by placing fourth again in the individual vault final with an average combined score of 14.624. He had also stayed with the same simplified second vault he competed at these championships in 2017. Once more, he was the oldest individual vault finalist, this time at 38 years, 9 months and 25 days old.

2020/2021
Drăgulescu had previously qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo as a specialist in the opening rounds of two individual events—floor exercise and vault—but he ultimately chose to not compete the individual floor exercise apparatus and fully focus only on vault. His qualification scores on vault were 13.466 and 14.533 to average 13.999 and place 16, which did not qualify him for the finals. Competing in individual vault qualifications, Drăgulescu was 40 years, 7 months and 6 days old.

Competitive history
1Drăgulescu qualified for individual finals of the AA (21st), FX (2nd) and VT (3rd), but due to being injured, he could not compete in any final, withdrawing from all events at the championships.

2Even Drăgulescu was documented under the individual AA event, he qualified for Romania's national squad as a member of the team event only, contributing on FX, VT and HB to team total.

3Drăgulescu had earlier qualified to compete in the opening rounds of the individual FX event as an apparatus specialist, but chose not to do so to focus just on the individual VT event instead.

Awards

 * Gymnast of the Year (2002); he shared the title with gymnast Elena Gómez.
 * To honour his past achievements the Romanian Sporting Press awarded him the sportsman of the year award (2005) in a Sports Gala; he shared the award with fencer Mihai Covaliu.
 * Romanian Sportsman of the Year (2009); he shared the title with boxer Lucian Bute.

title: Marian Drăgulescu


text:
Francis John Welsh Whipple

Francis John Welsh Whipple ScD FInstP (17 March 1876 – 25 September 1943) was an English mathematician, meteorologist and seismologist. From 1925 to 1939, he was superintendent of the Kew Observatory.

Biography
Whipple was the son of Kew Observatory employees George Mathews Whipple and Elizabeth Beckley, an astronomical photographer.

Whipple attended Willington Preparatory School in Putney, where in 1888 he won a scholarship at Merchant Taylors' School. From here, he obtained a scholarship at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1895, where he was placed Second Wrangler in the Mathematical Tripos of 1897. In 1899, he showed that bicycles could be self stable.

Career
From 1899–1912, he was an assistant master at Merchant Taylors' School, and then worked at the Meteorological Office from 1912. From 1925, he was Assistant-Director of the Meteorological Office and Superintendent of Kew Observatory, where he succeeded Charles Chree. Whipple remained in this post until he retired in 1939. He also served as president of the Royal Meteorological Society from 1936 to 1937.

In his role as Superintendent of Kew Observatory, Whipple played an important part in the recording of earthquakes, since Kew had been the site of a seismological observatory since 1898. During his time as superintendent, Whipple devoted considerable time and energy to improve the quality of the seismological observations. He realised that the sensitivity of the seismometers was badly affected by wind, since wind would cause the whole observatory building to move. So he designed and commissioned a new, underground bunker to hold the Kew seismometers. Whipple was Chair of the Seismological Investigations Committee of the British Association for the Advancement of Science from 1931-1939, and also served on the National Committee for Geodesy and Geophysics. These roles brought him into contact with prominent seismologists around the world. Whipple was a Fellow of the Institute of Physics, and was awarded the ScD degree from Cambridge in 1929.

Family and connections
Francis Whipple had an older brother, Robert, whose collection of scientific instruments and books was the basis of the Whipple Museum of the History of Science in Cambridge. Whipple's father, George Whipple, was superintendent of Kew Observatory from 1876-1893; as was George's godfather, John Welsh, from 1852-1859.

title: Francis John Welsh Whipple


text: File:Heyjudealbum.jpg

title: File:Heyjudealbum.jpg


text:
Talk:Public land

Comment
Is land held by other governments in the United States (state, local) not considered "public land"?

 * Yes, land held by state and local governments is typically considered "public land." Pam212

 * Our article currently states that "Those trust lands cannot any longer be considered public lands as allowing any benefits to the "public" would be in breach of loyalty to the specific beneficiaries." This is misleading: at least in Arizona, you can buy a recreation permit, or a hunting/fishing license, which allows you to use State land for those purposes. Pete Tillman (talk) 22:49, 2 May 2008 (UTC)

It would be interesting to see more about Chinese traditions
The article on Tu Di Gong provides an interesting glimpse of another pattern of thought. The phrase can be taken to mean either "land grandfather" or "public land", I think, and is personified as a minor deity (and his wife) who live among the people and bring them wealth. The importance of Chinese tradition can best be appreciated by a little prowling around with Google Earth, in which thousands of little plots of woodland can be seen scattered uniformly over the Chinese landscape, a truly unique appearance really. Wnt (talk) 16:38, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Split US Public Lands from rest of article
I think it would be better to split off the sections on United States and make them into a new article. I would leave a small paragraph in this acticle topped off with the link Further information: US Public Land. If there are no objections (and no one makes the change before me), I'll start next week. RoyGoldsmith (talk) 20:57, 5 June 2009 (UTC)

Article globalization needed
The article focuses on the United States and needs additional info regarding the rest of the world, if available. I will tag it as such. -- momo  ricks  20:41, 16 September 2016 (UTC)

title: Talk:Public land


text:
Marius Urzică

Marius Daniel Urzică (born 30 September 1975 in Toplița, Romania) is a Romanian gymnast. Urzică is an Olympic champion, a three-time world champion and a three-time European champion on pommel horse. He competed at three Olympic Games, medaling each time on pommel horse (gold Sydney 2000, silver Atlanta 1996 and silver Athens 2004) and contributed to the team bronze in Athens 2004. His unique technique and style of performance have won him the recognition as one of the greatest masters on this piece of apparatus ever, together with Miroslav Cerar and Zoltán Magyar. Known as "The King of the Pommels" in 2001 he achieved the maximum score of 10.00 on this piece of apparatus at the Glasgow Grand Prix. Two elements in artistic gymnastics, one on pommel horse and one on parallel bars are named after him.

He was the founder of Romanian Golden Team.

Skills
Urzică had difficult routines, which  he always tried  to execute without fault. Among his skills on the pommel horse was a super E element called "the four Russians on one handle" and a move named after him rated C in the Code of points. On parallel bars he was known for his eponymous salto forward to 1/1 turn to upper arm hang rated E.

title: Marius Urzică


text:
Talk:Full House

Plot summary – "drunk driver" detail
I decided to remove that from the plot (diff) as both trivia and undue weight. This is a detail about the car accident that killed Pam which is not revealed until episode 178 in season 8 ("Under the Influence") when DJ needs to tell Kimmy about what happened to her mom and doesn't want to see her best friend be killed as a result of alcohol. Pam's being killed by a drunk driver is mentioned only once in the entire series, and doesn't need to be given spotlight in the series' plot. MPFitz1968 (talk) 15:21, 21 June 2018 (UTC)
 * OK, I agree – if it's just mentioned once, it's not an important plot detail, and should be left out. --IJBall (contribs • talk) 18:10, 21 June 2018 (UTC)
 * After looking at the trivia section for the "Under the Influence" episode in the Wikia for this show, I'm scratching my head as to the relevance of the detail that Pam was "killed in a car accident", another detail that is not revealed until a bit into the series - (well into season 2, quoting the Wikia page - In "Goodbye Mr. Bear", it was told that Pam had succumbed to injuries sustained in a car accident...). I take Wikia with a grain of salt, but (since I have the DVDs for the entire series) I could take a look at every episode up to that season 2 one to see if any mention of "car accident" is made. Regardless, the series doesn't put a lot of emphasis on that point every time Pam is referenced, and it may be better to start the plot with "After the death of his wife Pam, sports anchorman Danny Tanner..." (if I recall right, that was how it was originally worded in old revisions here). Given that Full House is a sitcom, I definitely understand the producers not wanting to focus a whole lot on the circumstances of Pam's death, but "car accident" and "drunk driver" seem to be more trivial details for this series than for, say, Party of Five (which is a drama series), where there was a whole season one episode devoted to the Salinger children confronting the driver who killed their parents. Thoughts? MPFitz1968 (talk) 17:07, 22 June 2018 (UTC)
 * Again, agreed. On this series, the salient fact is her death, not the details of the circumstances of her death. Save that for the wikia – this series isn't Party of Five. --IJBall (contribs • talk) 19:43, 22 June 2018 (UTC)

 * DJ saying "Mom was killed by a drunk driver" is like "Poochie died on the way back to his home planet" - it comes out of nowhere, means nothing, and is never referred to outside that episode. Paul Benjamin Austin (talk) 18:17, 22 June 2018 (UTC)

 * That's why it's in the trivia section (on Wikia) -- and doesn't really belong on WP. --Musdan77 (talk) 21:23, 23 June 2018 (UTC)

"British remake" IP editor?
I think they were referring to shows such as The Upper Hand (TV series) which was a remake of Who's the Boss?. It would have been hard to translate Full House into a British setting as the original show is very U.S. and very Californian in its style and substance. I don't think three men raising three young female children would have worked in Britain at that time either, particularly once things like Robert Black start a fearful panic among parents. Paul Benjamin Austin (talk) 00:01, 21 October 2018 (UTC)

The recent edits?
Such as this: "Jodie Sweetin was spotted in a guest spot on the show Valerie."

I'll be nice and not point out that that guest spot was BEFORE she was on Full House, yet the way it's worded makes the reader think she got it BECAUSE of her Full House fame. PAustin4thApril1980 (talk) 05:45, 10 December 2019 (UTC)

Stereo Broadcasts on ABC
Does anyone happen to remember when the first stereo broadcasts began? Maybe it was Season 4 (1991) or Season 5 (1992) or earlier Moonlightfocus (talk) 10:30, 17 January 2020 (UTC)

Edit: Season 4 (1990) and Season 5 (1991) Moonlightfocus (talk) 10:36, 17 January 2020 (UTC)

Requested move 25 November 2021

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

The result of the move request was: No consensus, both on whether the show Is the primary topic for this capitalisation, and whether DIFFCAPS should result in a move. Sceptre (talk) 19:56, 2 December 2021 (UTC)

Full House → Full House (American TV series) – Not the WP:PRIMARYTOPIC. In Asian countries Full House (South Korean TV series) is more popular (or popularity split) according to Google Trends. Hddty (talk) 12:24, 25 November 2021 (UTC)
 * Oppose, current primary topic is justified per |Full_House_(South_Korean_TV_series) pageviews. 162 etc. (talk) 15:21, 25 November 2021 (UTC)
 * Support, given the amount of additional articles that also share this name seen at Full house, Full House should direct to the disambiguation page, and this should be adjusted with a disambiguation. See also WP:NCTVUS. - Favre1fan93 (talk) 16:36, 25 November 2021 (UTC)
 * Oppose. Agree with 162 etc. Looking at Full house, there's no other article that touches this one in terms of page views. Other topics existing doesn't inherently mean there isn't a primary topic. Nohomersryan (talk) 20:10, 25 November 2021 (UTC)
 * Weak support a "full house" can mean lots of things such as the card meaning at least that we cover. It would seem better to have no primary topic for the capitalized version per WP:DIFFCAPS.  Crouch, Swale  ( talk ) 22:36, 25 November 2021 (UTC)
 * Oppose. The page views presented above are convincing: the American TV show remains the primary topic here. Calidum  03:49, 27 November 2021 (UTC)
 * Support per nom. Dicklyon (talk) 06:57, 28 November 2021 (UTC)
 * Support for the same reason that "Full House" is no longer just an American TV series, so specifying it in the article is clear. WatABR (talk) 03:21, 29 November 2021 (UTC)
 * Neutral the American TV show has 4x the page views of the next topic, and all the top 3 TV shows are over a decade old. I'm not sure that's enough for a primary topic, given that the poker/yahtzee term is older (and probably the basis of the show names) for all of them.  But I'm also not sure that's not enough. User:力 (powera,  π,  ν ) 17:40, 29 November 2021 (UTC)
 * Support. Far too many others for this one to be primary. -- Necrothesp (talk) 14:37, 1 December 2021 (UTC)

Updates
The syndication section needs to be updated. I'm surprised they didn't delete that article you cited. 2600:1700:B270:20F0:1927:66DA:C5BF:41D9 (talk) 22:35, 8 January 2023 (UTC)

title: Talk:Full House


text:
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title: User talk:Xrikcus~enwiki