text:
Talk:Rabbi Akiva

Biography vs legend
The "biography" strikes me as containing a healthy dose of legend. Can someone clarify what is and isn't established historical fact? Josh Cherry 02:48, 16 Aug 2004 (UTC)

 * Josh: Don't you see that it says the sources are Mishnah, Midrash, and Talmud (do you even know what they are?). They are the most reliable written sources of classical Judaism, see also Category:Jewish texts. IZAK 03:35, 16 Aug 2004 (UTC)

 * My comment was perfectly civil; there's no need to be insulting. Yes, I know what these works are.  I know that much of what they contain is legend.  The "Biography" section states things as historical fact.  Someone reading this would be entitled to believe that, for example he really returned home with twelve thousand disciples, but that would seem to be a legendary embellishment. Josh Cherry 12:12, 16 Aug 2004 (UTC)

 * I agree. The entire article seems to be made up of legend, which was the reason I clicked on the discussion tab to begin with. Is there an objective biography of him available? :) --User:Jenmoa 19:02, 27 May 2005 (UTC)

He is not attested to outside of Mishnah, Midrash, and Talmud. Much like Jesus, who is not attested to outside of the New Testament, and who has even more fantastic claims made about him. Jayjg (talk) 19:45, 27 May 2005 (UTC)

 * Jayjg would have had a point if the article on Jesus had been a simple summary of the four gospels. However, that article has a section discussing the historicity of Jesus as well as links to articles discussing different viewpoints. On a side note there is also quite a debate whether Jesus is attested outside the NT, in other "gospels", as well as in the writings of Josephus and some Roman historians. The NPOV version of this article should at least use words like "according to the Talmud".--itpastorn 15:09, 31 October 2005 (UTC)

Blast! The very statement that "what they contain is legend" is POV. This article is obviously "according to the Talmud". What did you think? According to the awen gilayon (gospel)? hasofer 00:40, 1 March 2006 (UTC)

I agree with Josh. The "biography" part of this article is a naive retelling of the talmudic sources with no hint to a text-critical or scholarly approach. I don't have the time to rewrite it in a way worthy of an encyclopedia but I wish somebody did. The way the text reads now, it's fit only for a cheder textbook.

I have to agree with those who are very skeptical of this article. Take the following passage for example:

"It was at dawn of the Jewish Day of Atonement when the burnt offering that day was to be the great Rebbi Akiva, the wise and considerate teacher and father of his people. He had attained the same age as Moses, one hundred twenty, yet his body was still powerful, his eyes undimmed and his spirit unbroken. They tied him to a stake, and the Roman torturers tore lumps of living flesh from him with red hot pincers. But no cry of pain escaped him. As the sun rose in the East, Rebbi Akiva put his hand over his eyes and cried out with a loud voice: 'Hear O Israel, the Lord our G-d, the Lord is One. Blessed be His Name for ever and ever. And thou shalt love the Lord thy G-d with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy might.'"

The following heroic exagerations are noted:

great, wise, considerate; 120...and still powerful; undimmed, unbroken; and tied...[yet his hands are placed over his eyes and with lumps of flesh missing no less]....

This sort of article is exactly that which leads people to question the validity of Wikipedia. Comic book writers need not apply. Maybe Wikipedia should be divided into a serious side and a non-serious side. Articles that remain silly should be relegated to the non-serious side until improved. Then they could be transfered to the serious side and locked with further commentary pending reasonable inspection. I like Wikipedia, and Wikipedia is too good a resource to allow it to be tainted by fiction writers.

I strongly agree with those objecting to legendary material as present. It is not enough that the sources are cited, most people don't know enough to determine the authority of these early rabbinical sources. However I see no reason to merge. The article should make clear that the character is shrouded in legend, and the biographical details are stories. In short, it needs to be rewritten to look more like the article on Jesus. There just isn't enough that's known reliably about the historical Akiba to do it any other way. He is primarily a literary character. 76.124.117.246 (talk) 05:35, 13 February 2009 (UTC)

merge
I have redirect the the article `Aqiba ben Joseph to here. The aticle said:

`Aqiba ben Joseph (c. 50-132) was a Jewish Palestinian rabbi, of the circle known as tana. It is almost impossible to separate the true from the false in the numerous traditions respecting his life. He became the chief teacher in the rabbinical school of Jaffa, where, it is said, he had 24,000 scholars. Whatever their number, it seems certain that among them was the celebrated Rabbi Meir, and that through him and others `Aqiba exerted a great influence on the development of the doctrines embodied in the Mishnah. He sided with Simon bar Kokhba in the last Jewish revolt against Rome, recognized him as the Messiah, and acted as his sword-bearer. Being taken prisoner by the Romans under Sextus Julius Severus, he was flayed alive with circumstances of great cruelty, and met his fate, according to tradition, with marvellous steadfastness and composure. He is said by some to have been a hundred and twenty years old at the time of his death. He is one of the ten Jewish martyrs whose names occur in a penitential prayer still used in the synagogue service. `Aqiba was among the first to systematize the Jewish tradition, and he paved the way for the compilation of the Mishnah. From his school emanated the Greek translation of the scriptures by Aquila of Sinope.

 * References
 * 1911

If you see anything that should be added here, please do so. Jon513 21:37, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

cleanup-tone
I've added a cleanup notice to the article, as the biographical section does not attempt to sort hagiography from history. I know of the limitations of historical sources on Akiva, but at least an attempt should be made to summarize uncontroversial points in a historical section before embarking on the lengendary stuff from the Talmud. Taragüí @ 07:16, 30 May 2006 (UTC)
 * Taragui: So far, what was cited are not "legends" -- legends would imply "tall tales", whereas classical Judaism regards these as the the truth, or do you wish to dispute that? IZAK 08:40, 12 June 2006 (UTC)
 * A legend is something that may be regarded as true, but lacks convincing historical evidence to support it. Almost everything in this article falls into this category. While Orthodox Judaism may adhere to it, there is no evidence that it actually happened. Think of, say, Greek myths about their gods or Aztec ones; ancient Greeks and Aztecs regarded them as true, which is not to say we should take them at face value.
 * Please do not single-handedly remove a cleanup notice without settling the issue with the tagger; it may be construed as vandalism, specially when you have already tried to push your own POV as regards this article many times. Taragüí @ 17:35, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

 * The only relevant difference is that ancient Greeks and Aztecs don't publish their opinions in contemporary publications in a way that meets WP:V and WP:RS. If they did, Wikipedia would be as obligated under WP:NPOV to report their current religious views when discussing subjects relevant to them as it is to report living religious views when discussing issues relevant to living religions. The WP:NPOV policy discusses how to address the issue, noting that one can resolve conflicting points of view by putting the different perspectives in different sections in a way that makes it clear who is saying what without endorsing any view. Thus, one could have a section called something like "Rabbi Akiva in the Talmud" describing how Rabbi Akiva is depicted in the Talmud without Wikipedia taking an opinion on whether what the Talmud says is true or not, and another section entitled something like "Rabbi Akiva and the History of Ancient Judaea" describing how Rabbi Akiva is depicted in the writings of various academic historians -- and without taking an opinon on whether what academic historians say is true or not. All the content involved is encyclopedic and appropriate, and it would be appropriate to describe the Talmudic writings using the term Aggadah. Best, --Shirahadasha 03:27, 16 January 2007 (UTC)

Fixing
I am going to try to fix some of the issues with this article. Let me take a crack at it, and then we'll see. —Dfass 02:20, 16 January 2007 (UTC)

 * I'm done with it now. I merged a large amount of material from the Jewish Encyclopedia article with the existing material here.  I moved some of the more "legendary" content to a section of legends at the end (as per JE), but kept some of it up front as well.  I hope this will satisfy everyone, but I know it won't, so fire away.  I will now return to editing more obscure articles that no one cares about.  Thanks.  —Dfass 19:40, 16 January 2007 (UTC)

On his view of the Messiah
The article contains this: His doctrine concerning the Jewish Messiah was the realistic and thoroughly Jewish one, as his declaration that Bar Kokba was the Messiah shows. He accordingly limited the Messianic age to forty years, as being within the scope of a man's life—similar to the reigns of David and Solomon—against the usual conception of a millennium (Midr. Teh. xc. 15). A distinction is, however, to be made between the Messianic age and the future world (עולם הבא). This latter will come after the destruction of this world, lasting for 1,000 years (R. H. 31a). To the future world all Israel will be admitted, with the exception of the generation of the Wilderness and the Ten Tribes (Sanh. xi. 3, 110b). But even this future world is painted by Akiba in colors selected by his nationalist inclinations, for he makes Messiah (whom, according to Ezek. xxxvii. 24, he identifies with King David) the judge of all the heathen world (Ḥag. 14a).

Could someone explain the first sentence to me and why it is valid to be in this article? The implication seems to me to be that Akiva was 100% correct in interpreting the Hebrew Bible's references to the coming Messiah. At the same time, though, it uses Akiva's embracement of a false Messiah as the actual Messiah as evidence that his views were 100% Jewish and therefore correct. This doesn't seem to make sense to me at all, unless the writer of this seems to think that choosing a false Messiah is Jewish (which I don't think was the intention whatsoever). Surely Akiva's declaration of Bar Kokba as Messiah was wrong, and not perfectly in line with the Hebrew Bible. Clarification welcome. -- DavidC99 (talk) 19:34, 20 January 2008 (UTC)

It's largely from the Jewish Encyclopedia article subsection "The Messianic Age and the Future World:
 * "His doctrine concerning the Messiah was the realistic and thoroughly Jewish one, as his declaration that Bar Kokba was the Messiah shows. He accordingly limited the Messianic age to forty years, as being within the scope of a man's life—similar to the reigns of David and Solomon—against the usual conception of a millennium (Midr. Teh. xc. 15). A distinction is, however, to be made between the Messianic age and the future world . This latter will come after the destruction of this world, lasting for 1,000 years (R. H. 31a). To the future world all Israel will be admitted, with the exception of the generation of the Wilderness and the Ten Tribes (Sanh. xi. 3, 110b). But even this future world is painted by Akiba in colors selected by his nationalist inclinations; for he makes Messiah (whom, according to Ezek. xxxvii. 24, he identifies with David) the judge of all the heathen world (Ḥag. 14a)."

75.14.219.123 (talk) 19:05, 5 May 2015 (UTC)

Jewish Encyclopedia
Is the Jewish Encyclopedia old enough to be public domain? Large sections of the article match word-for-word with the JE article. That would seem a bit on the plagiarism side of things unless it is public domain and then simply citing the source would be sufficient.

Does anyone have the copyright information on the JE?

Theolog (talk) 15:18, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

 * Yes, it's PD. Published 1901-06; so before 1923. Jheald (talk) 22:51, 17 July 2008 (UTC)

Contested statements removed

 * A rule was later established: "whenever Rabbi Akiva disputes a single sage, the halakhic ruling follows him, but not so when he disputes more than one sage."
 * The Roman judge who condemned him sentenced him to a punishment that was unusually severe even by Roman standards: flaying alive.
 * Participation in a rebellion would be a more serious threat to Roman rule than merely teaching a deviant religion—even one that questions the validity of worshipping the Emperor as a god.
 * [Rachel answers] "The greater, the higher a man's task is, the more he must endure, the more he must fight and suffer. An ordinary simple man who doesn't bother about anything usually lives a quiet an undisturbed life. The man who wants to do something, who is concerned with the general welfare has troubles and worries. When G-d elevated Israel and chose us from all the nations, He placed us in the midst of every conflict. Wherever something great is being fought for, Israel must be there. Few peoples rise above the others, to put their foot on the neck of the nations. The various generations come up, grow, flourish and disappear. Israel must play its part in all of them. Of course, that involves suffering and sorrow. Sometimes we are hurled down to earth, and the ploughs are drawn across our backs and we are marked by long furrows. But G-d has always raised us up again. He has never punished us as He has punished those who torment us. He has never doomed us to die like those nations who oppress us. If we must suffer more than other peoples, G-d has also given us the strength to bear our troubles; to endure."
 * According to the Talmud, [Hyrcanus  was a neighbor of Joseph, the father of Akiva]

Please do not return this information to the article without a citation.-- Birgitte SB  00:17, 15 November 2008 (UTC)

 * It's probably all from the Jewish Encyclopedia article. 75.14.219.123 (talk) 19:09, 5 May 2015 (UTC)

Requested move

 * The following discussion is an archived discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the move request was move to Akiva ben Joseph. Jafeluv (talk) 15:56, 30 July 2009 (UTC)

Akiba ben Joseph → Akiva ben Joseph — more correct transliteration -  -shirulashem (talk) 23:49, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

Survey

 * Feel free to state your position on the renaming proposal by beginning a new line in this section with  or  , then sign your comment with  . Since polling is not a substitute for discussion, please explain your reasons, taking into account Wikipedia's naming conventions.

Discussion

 * Any additional comments:

Why is this article name "Akiba"? The text uses "Akiva" mostly, and as far as I know that is more correct. Debresser (talk) 17:56, 7 July 2009 (UTC)

 * Using a "b" for a ב is common. It's usually in more scholarly work. It happens a lot. My guess is that it's done to differentiate between ב and ו. Kind of like how ת is often transliterated into English as "th" (i.e., בית = "Beth") to differentiate between ת and ט. Just a guess.  -shirulashem (talk) 17:24, 23 July 2009 (UTC)
 * My guess it that it is the work of people who don't know what they are talking about. Referring to those same scholars (as opposed to talmidei chachamim). Just a guess. No joke. Debresser (talk) 17:27, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

 * Nah, I don't think that's necessarily true. Do a Google search on "rabbi akiba" and you'll see a lot of JEWISH sources spell it with a B.  -shirulashem (talk) 17:52, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

 * Won't contest that. The question is where they got their spelling from. Everything has a reason. Debresser (talk) 17:56, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

 * If you're interested, which I am now, take a look here.  -shirulashem (talk) 18:17, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

 * That doesn't take into account the dagesh and rafe, so is not relevant to our discussion. Perhaps dagesh is a better place to look. Debresser (talk) 18:46, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

 * That's kind of my point. This method of translation disregards the dagesh. Take a look at page 5 here, where it says the latin character for בּ and ב is "B", and then note 1 on the bottom where it explicitly states, "The same conversion applies also to this character when used with the Hebrew Dagesh (05BC)." Now of course in today's Yiddishe velt people would give you a strange look if you said "Akiba" but that doesn't mean that it isn't acceptable for it to be used other places.  -shirulashem (talk) 19:39, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

I have no problem with some ISO-standards mistakingly rending a "b", but according to Wikipedia guidelines we should stick to what is 1. correct and 2. widely know to the English reader. And we should be 3. consistent (at least within each article, and preferrably in the whole of Wikipedia). Debresser (talk) 19:56, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

 * I never said I don't agree it should be "V" ... I merely said that it's not totally wrong to use a "B". :D  -shirulashem (talk) 19:59, 23 July 2009 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

puzzled
I was tagging some books of Joseph Opatoshu (different revisions and translations). There is an article Bar Kokhba revolt. This article is using different other variants  Relationship with Bar Kochba, Bar Kokba revolt maybe some others. Regards ·לערי ריינהארט·T·m:Th·T·email me· 17:56, 26 July 2010 (UTC)

Akiva and Calvinism
I've tagged a clause as being rather dubious due to being anachronistic:

 * Akiba insists emphatically that next to the transcendental nature of God, there is no limitation in the freedom of the human will. This insistence is in opposition to the Christian doctrine of the sinfulness and depravity of man, and apparently controverts his view of divine predestination.

This clearly is alluding to Calvinism, a Christian theology that is not known to have existed in the first century, or even the first millennium. As such, Rabbi Akiva could not possibly have been opposing it during his life time, which is what this section seems to imply. -- Kendrick7talk 18:45, 27 June 2011 (UTC)
 * The section goes on to retrofit additional late medieval Christian theology, perhaps more Luther than Calvin, as if it were current in Akiva's life time. Is there a source for any of this? Of course, certain theologians are wont to pretend their teachings are merely restorations of the teachings of their religion's original founders, but such claims don't belong in Wikipedia without sourcing. -- Kendrick7talk
 * The clause is from the Jewish Encyclopedia article (although the wording was changed). It was removed by (14:35, 6/Jan/13) with the edit summary: “tagged since 2011”. -- -- -- 21:04, 7 April 2017 (UTC)

'Rabbinical' Judaism
I previously removed the sentence re: founded rabbinical Judaism. Rabbinical Judaism was not 'founded' by a person. The original Judaism is orthodox Judaism, which is synonymous with what you have called rabbinical Judaism. Since the inception of Judaism as a religion (which was formally at Mt Sinai, when the Jews received the Torah), what you have deemed rabbinical Judaism has always been the case. Both the Oral Torah and the Written Torah were given at Mt Sinai (according to Judaism), and the fact that this was only written centuries later does not mean that it was established centuries later. Rabbi's existed from the time of Mt Sinai (Moses as the 'head' rabbi of sorts), with the 70 elders also being rabbis, and their methods and authority having been established at Mt Sinai. Read the Torah before make claims to the contrary. Karaite Judaism (which exists minimally today) was an offshoot of Judaism back then just like Reform and Conservative Judaism are today. They do not represent Authentic Torah Judaism at all, and thus while they need to be distinguished as Karaite, Reform or Conservative Judaism - Judaism itself does not need to be distinguished as rabbinical Judaism, but rather only out of necessity as orthodox Judaism in order to distinguish it from the offshoots of Judaism.

The term rabbinical Judaism is offensive on a number of levels, and to posit that it was ever founded at any time other than at Mt Sinai is contrary to Jewish belief and what is found in the Torah itself. The article on rabbinical Judaism should thus also be deleted and any relevant and true information inserted into the article of orthodox Judaism. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.133.54.96 (talk) 22:28, 19 March 2013 (UTC)

POV edits
Regarding the IP adding lines like
 * As he recognised Bar Kokba as another Messiah so he was directly responsible for the destruction of Jerusalem and causing its inhabitants to be sold as slaves in Egypt.

This fails some policies of Wikipedia (below). Finding or writing up historical ironies is not our business here. these overarching stories end up as minefields and it's not a good idea to treat all attachable topics on the articles on persons with some significance and documentation within Rabbinic Judaism, when much wider areas should be assessed. This is one of the problems of what we call Giving unde weight.
 * "Bar Kokba as another Messiah". Another to what? the Jewish Messaiah to come, Jesus, the rebels of the First Jewish Roman War? All these links show that you consider the view of BK as Messiah in comparison to some, better, worse or equally bad, messianic views. We cannot express those positions but only what academics make of the historical phenomenon of BK messianism and its context.
 * "he was directly responsible". That's an accusation. we can report the results of the revolt but not decide who shares what part of the blame. We also don't have very good reports on the dynamics with the BK camp, but probably some theories can be found (please do).
 * "for the destruction of Jerusalem". There is an ongoing disagreement between historians about whether the destruction of J was actually a result of the revolt. the fact you sidestep that discussion or not aware of it show too you write from a religious or ideological viewpoint. Because it is a little complicated, it is best left the articles about the revolt and about Aelia Capitolina, and not the connected biographies.
 * "causing its inhabitants". Again, keeping the focus on Jerusalem ignore whatever details we have of who and where participated in the revolt (even from the Talmud I think).
 * "to be sold as slaves in Egypt." That's completely off the conduct of wikipedia and the historical understanding. Egypt was no side here. There is no direct indication to that consequence. Slave went out the land in the previous war and probably on other occasions. Incidentally, you don't seem to be aware of the prominent opinion that there no enslavement in Egypt as told in the bible.

What you wrote clearly a peace of Original Research, which is what wikipedia tries to avoid. At that, it is at best the result of Synthesis of published material, also sanctioned on Wikipedia. At worst it is a Fringe theory, which seems most the case as you don't indicate the use of any Reliable Source. Its religious or ideological flavor goes against Neutral point of view.

When a conflict like here arises, users are expected to use this talk page to decide on a solution. If you respond to this message that would be a good second chapter in your efforts. If you revert the article back to your version without response, I will request page protection. trespassers william (talk) 16:12, 22 April 2015 (UTC)
 * Semi protection requested. trespassers william (talk) 22:35, 4 May 2015 (UTC)
 * , you declined semi protection . How do you suggest effectively contacting 91.125.168.74, 78.149.26.46 , 87.113.3.88 , 80.189.26.199 , 87.112.71.110 , 87.113.95.40 , 87.115.157.34 , 87.112.232.48 , 109.65.57.238 , who together made about 23 similar edits without responding to objections? trespassers william (talk) 13:04, 5 May 2015 (UTC)

RFC: Page rename

 * 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. No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the move request was: move over redirect to rename. — Maile (talk) 12:21, 22 June 2016 (UTC)

Why isn't this page called Rabbi Akiva? This is how he is most commonly known and cited in the Talmud. Rabbi Akiva gets 428,000 ghits, Akiva ben Joseph 249,000 ghits. Akiva ben Joseph is also a weird combination of Hebrew and English. We have Rabbi Tarfon, why not Rabbi Akiva? Yoninah (talk) 00:16, 7 June 2016 (UTC)
 * Support--Geewhiz (talk) 05:32, 7 June 2016 (UTC)
 * Support per most common name. Debresser (talk) 14:24, 7 June 2016 (UTC)
 * Support - This should be a WP:RM not RfC but regardless, per WP:COMMONNAME I support changing page name to Rabbi Akiva. Meatsgains (talk) 18:12, 7 June 2016 (UTC)
 * I thought I should get consensus before requesting the move. Yoninah (talk) 18:22, 7 June 2016 (UTC)

 * Support — MShabazz Talk/Stalk 18:14, 7 June 2016 (UTC)
 * Support - per most common name. I support changing the name to Rabbi Akiva. Cheers,  Comatmebro  User talk:Comatmebro 12:34, 8 June 2016 (UTC)
 * Strong support per nom. -- Notecardforfree (talk) 04:55, 15 June 2016 (UTC)
 * Support and second above. FoCuS  contribs ;  talk to me!  10:36, 16 June 2016 (UTC)
 * Strong Support - per WP:COMMONNAME. Fieari (talk) 00:36, 22 June 2016 (UTC)

 * Per this request on my talk page,and consensus above, this article has been successfully moved. — Maile (talk) 12:07, 22 June 2016 (UTC)

 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page or in a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

POV
I do apologize for wandering into an area in which I have little familiarity and certainly not the expertise to properly remedy this, which is why I have posted here. I noticed an edit to this page; upon comparing the diffs, noted that the old version leveled an accusation against the Septuagint, "the errors and inaccuracies in which frequently distorted the true meaning of Scripture", and put quotation marks around "proofs" to imply to the reader that Christian defenses based on the Septuagint were invalid. The new edit responded to this by providing a defense of the Septuagint and by equivocating on how Christians were using it. The diff in question. Neither is necessary (and I noticed the apparent lack of citation for Akiva actually accusing the Septuagint of such, which is why I removed both assertions). It is sufficient to provide phrasing e.g. "Akiva was motivated by a belief that Christian defenses based on the Apocrypha were invalid due to the presence of errors and distortions in the text" or "Akiva believed the Septuagint to contain errors and inaccuracies which distorted the true meaning of Scripture" rather than having Wikipedia itself assert such a statement as fact. It is of course necessary to also provide citations to show that this was indeed Akiva's opinion.

The article itself seems to have a bit of an issue with tone, e.g. WP:PEACOCK for describing Aquila as a "devoted talmid" or "a man after Akiva's own heart" - I've substituted "disciple of Akiva", but please correct if a different term should be used. Also there seems to be some WP:POV issues, e.g. I'm not sure what to make of the modesty section. IMHO, It is perfectly valid (and desired!) to explain Akiva's point of view, but not to present it in first-person here as fact -- I hope that distinction is clear. Anyway, I made a small attempt (more of a hackjob, really) to remedy this in that specific section, but this article as a whole deserves a lot more work than I am able to give it. Please forgive and correct any blatant errors on my part. Thank you,

-- Joren (talk) 20:13, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

Can a section be added in article entitled "Quotes"
There seems to be a dispute whether or not this article should have a section entitled "Quotes" and where it incorporates the following quotes taken from this 2nd century Jewish scholar. One editor has voiced his concern that such quotes used in the article do not look "encyclopedic." Perhaps rewording of some entries may be necessary. Opinions are welcome. Davidbena (talk) 01:14, 22 January 2019 (UTC)

Quotes
"Jesting and levity accustom a man to lewdness. The tradition is a fence around the Law (Torah); Tithes are a fence around riches; vows are a fence around abstinence; a fence around wisdom is silence." "All things are foreseen [by God], yet the choice is given [unto man], and the world is judged on [its] merits; yet, all is according to the preponderance of works, rather than the deed." "A plebeian cannot be pious, neither can a bashful man learn, nor a stern man teach!" "Poverty is comely unto Jacob's daughter as a red lace on the head of a white horse." "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself (Leviticus 19:18) - This is the all-embracing principle of the divine law." "Good humor is a safeguard to one's honor." "More than what a disciple desires to learn, his mentor desires to teach." Modesty is a favorite theme with Rabbi Akiva, and he reverts to it again and again: "Take your place a few seats below your rank until you are bidden to take a higher place; for it is better that they should say to you 'Come up higher' than that they should bid you 'Go down lower'." "He who esteems himself highly on account of his knowledge is like a corpse lying on the wayside: the traveler turns his head away in disgust, and walks quickly by." A further example of Rabbi Akiva's oratory skills is in his funeral address over his son Simon. To the large assembly gathered on the occasion, he said: "Brethren of the house of Israel, listen to me. Not because I am a scholar have ye appeared here so numerously; for there are those here more learned than I. Nor because I am a wealthy man; for there are many more wealthy than I. The people of the south know Akiva; but whence should the people of Galilee know him? The men are acquainted with him; but how shall the women and children I see here be said to be acquainted with him? Still I know that your reward shall be great, for ye have given yourselves the trouble to come simply in order to do honor to the Torah and to fulfill a religious duty."

Davidbena (talk) 01:14, 22 January 2019 (UTC)
 * COMMENTS:

 * For their insertion, although with perhaps some modifications.Davidbena (talk) 02:30, 22 January 2019 (UTC)
 * I agree they're not encyclopedic. Please add to wikiquote instead. Sro23 (talk) 03:56, 22 January 2019 (UTC)
 * What is the procedure for adding these quotes to Wikiquote? I've never done this before, but if you can give me basic instructions on how, I'll do it. Thanks.Davidbena (talk) 04:36, 22 January 2019 (UTC)
 * I have edited Wikiquote for a while, and I would be perfectly happy to make that article if that is the consensus. Puzzledvegetable (talk) 02:03, 23 January 2019 (UTC) + edit
 * , the Wikiquote article is here. Sro23 (talk) 02:40, 24 January 2019 (UTC)

 * I see no problem with a few select quotes of aphorisms. However, I think these quotes in themselves should be notable, and from the above only one is, IMHO (and it too has been translated poorly, IMHO). Debresser (talk) 13:43, 22 January 2019 (UTC)
 * Against their insertion. While these quotes are reliable, they certainly aren’t encyclopedic. I see no reason why this can’t be made as a separate article on Wikiquote. We can link to that article in the External links section. Puzzledvegetable (talk) 02:02, 23 January 2019 (UTC)
 * Thanks to everybody, especially to Sro23. I'll try updating the Wikiquote article, as time permits. Feel free, meanwhile, to improve the style and translation of any quote.Davidbena (talk) 14:33, 24 January 2019 (UTC)

 * Oppose addition here - as noted above, these should be added to Wikiquote. power~enwiki ( π, ν ) 19:23, 24 January 2019 (UTC)

title: Talk:Rabbi Akiva


text:
Chapecó

Chapecó is a municipality in the state of Santa Catarina, in the Southern Region of Brazil. Being a major industrial, financial and educational center, it is a major producer of industrialized food products. Considered a medium city, with a population estimated at 224,013 inhabitants, it is among the four most important cities in the state. It belongs to the Meso-region of Western Santa Catarina and to the Microregion of Chapecó.

Distant 550 km from the state capital, Florianópolis, it is Headquarters of the Metropolitan Region of Chapecó, and exerts significant influence not only in the Catarinense West but also in the Northwest Rio Grande do Sul and Southwest of Paraná, from an economic, cultural, or political point of view.

Chapecó became known worldwide through its association football club Chapecoense and the aftermath of LaMia Flight 2933 which killed 71, including most of the team's roster and staff.

With the titles of "Brazil's agribusiness capital" and "Brazil's business tourism capital", the planned town constructed in the form of a chess grid also has universities attracting students from all over Brazil. The main educational institutions are UFFS, UCEFF, UNOCHAPECÓ, UNOESC and UDESC.

History
Until the 19th century, the area around Chapecó land was under indigenous (mainly Kaingang) and Spanish control, mostly unoccupied by European people and subject to border issues and armed conflicts. Brazilian control was in fact established as a military colony in 1882. Its official status as a municipality was established by state government decree after the Contestado War on August 25, 1917. Its area was then given to a private colonization company which began selling land to people coming mainly from the neighboring state of Rio Grande do Sul. Most of its inhabitants are descended from Italian, German and Polish immigrants.

Demography
The region has always been the subject of disputes because of its strategic importance as a border region. During the Contestado War, airplanes were used for the first time in the history of America for the purpose of recognition and support for war operations. Colonized by Italian and German immigrants, mainly from Rio Grande do Sul, Paraná, São Paulo and the coast of Santa Catarina, the city today attracts several inhabitants thanks to its development.

It is one of the cities with the highest number (in percentage) of buildings in Santa Catarina. According to the IBGE, Chapecó has almost 16% of its population living in apartments, gaining in percentage of cities such as Joinville, Itajaí and Blumenau.

Economy
This region of the state is home of some of the largest meat processing and exporting industrial enterprises such as Sadia and Seara Foods; the farmers are organized in agricultural cooperatives. Chapecó is known as a Brazilian agro-industrial capital, specialized in pork, poultry and technology involved. The city is headquarters of Aurora Central Cooperative and has a plant of BRF S.A. since 1973.

Other major economic sectors are metal mechanics specialized in equipment for slaughterhouses and transportation, plastics and packaging, furniture, beverages, software development and biotechnology. Civil construction and trade are also important source of income.

Chapecó is served by Serafin Enoss Bertaso Airport.

Sports
Football is the great passion of the Chapecoenses. The Chapecoense Football Association, known among its fans as a "Hurricane from the west", Chape and verdão, a team from Santa Catarina, has as its last title the Campeonato Catarinense de Futebol de 2020 - Série A. Its headquarters is in Arena Condá, with a capacity of over 22,000 people and located in the East Zone of the city. The team had spent three consecutive years in the C Series of the Brazilian Championship (2010, 2011 and 2012), before beginning a rapid rise through the Brazilian football pyramid by reaching the second division in 2013 and entering the Serie A Brasileirão in 2014, where it currently resides. The team was among the best teams in South America, reaching the quarterfinals of the 2015 Copa Sudamericana and reaching the final of the 2016 Copa Sudamericana.

On November 29, 2016, Chapecoense team members and staff boarded LaMia Flight 2933 to play the first leg of the 2016 Copa Sudamericana Finals against Atlético Nacional in Medellín, Colombia. The plane crashed in the mountains a few miles south of the city. Seventy-one of the seventy-seven people on board died, including all of the club's coaching staff and all but three of the players. A wave of commotion abated in the football world in the days and weeks after, playing tribute to the club; Atlético Nacional requested that CONMEBOL, the governing football association for South America, award the 2016 title to Chapecoense, which was granted.

Other
The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Chapecó.

Twin towns – sister cities
Chapecó is twinned with:
 * Asunción, Paraguay
 * 🇨🇴 La Unión, Colombia
 * 🇨🇴 Medellín, Colombia
 * 🇨🇳 Ninghai, China
 * 🇦🇷 Pergamino, Argentina

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

title: Chapecó


text:
Talk:Social Text

Expand
No offense to anyone, but this is the only thing I know about the journal. Someone should try to expand this article in a "non-Sokal" direction (the articles on Alan Sokal, the Sokal Affair, and Fashionable Nonsense already talk enough about the hoax). - dcljr 02:51, 16 Aug 2004 (UTC)

 * Well, nearly three years later and it hasn't been expanded, and doesn't seem likely to. The fundamental problem is that there aren't any third party sources for anything else: Pretty much the only things that have been written about the journal at all are in the context of the Sokal affair.  Every incoming link is also from that context. --Delirium 21:14, 20 January 2007 (UTC)

Call for Accolades
Goodness gracious. Social Text is a great journal. We really gotta update this little diatribe. --Dylanfly 21:41, 4 July 2007 (UTC)

Uh oh, I smell an intellectually dishonest SJW mired in doublespeak incoming. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.200.125.151 (talk) 23:03, 11 October 2016 (UTC)

 * Glad to see Alan Sokal felt the need to hide his identity when he commented above. I agree - this article, whatever one thinks of the journal, doesn't say much about the history of Social Text, the role it's played in the development of the social sciences and humanities, and instead focuses on the debates about science. Joeyvandernaald (talk) 14:04, 31 May 2017 (UTC)
 * I'd be pretty surprised if Alan Sokal, who lives in New York, monitored the talk page of this article and cared enough to reply to a then two-year old comment when on a trip to Florida or something. Headbomb {t · c · p · b} 14:52, 31 May 2017 (UTC)

Peer reviewed? Or: Is it a journal or a magazine?
Is there any evidence of peer review performed in Social Text? I couldn't find anything under the Submission Guidelines (tab). Otherwise, either this periodical needs to be recategorized under Category:Academic magazines or Wikipedia's definition of academic journal needs to be expanded (further info: Talk:Academic journal). Thanks. Fgnievinski (talk) 20:24, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

title: Talk:Social Text


text:
User talk:Aazzolini

Hello and welcome to Wikipedia! Hope you like it here, and stick around.

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title: User talk:Aazzolini


text:
U.S. Route 189

U.S. Route 189 is a spur of U.S. Route 89. It currently runs for 322 miles (518 km) from Provo, Utah at Interstate 15 to Jackson, Wyoming. The highway was not part of the original 1926 U.S. Highway system. The highway was created in the 1930s, absorbing former U.S. Route 530 and a portion of U.S. Route 30S. The portion through Provo Canyon (between Provo and Heber City, Utah) has been designated the Provo Canyon Scenic Byway by the state of Utah.

Utah
US-189 begins in Provo where it is known as University Avenue, referring to Brigham Young University. The highway then winds up Provo Canyon passing by Deer Creek Reservoir and paralleling the route of the Heber Creeper (now known as the Heber Valley Railroad). The portion in Provo Canyon is designated the Provo Canyon Scenic Byway by the state legislature. The highway exits Provo Canyon near Heber City, Utah.

At Heber City US-189 meets U.S. Route 40 and is co-signed with Route 40 all the way to its junction with I-80.

Prior to the construction of the Jordanelle Reservoir, the highway continued north concurrent with the former alignment of US-40 that is now under water. US-40 and 189 separated at Hailstone, also now under the lake. US-189 emerged from the lake shore along the route now signed State Route 32. SR-32 and former US-189 join I-80 in Wanship. Prior to the completion of Interstate 80 in eastern Utah US-189 formed the main streets of Coalville and other communities now bypassed by I-80.

The Utah section of US-189 is defined in Utah Code Annotated § 72-4-124(2). The Utah Code does not contain the concurrent alignment along US-40 and I-80, but the concurrent portion is included in Utah Department of Transportation maps of the area.

Wyoming
US 189 enters Wyoming from the west co-routed with Interstate 80. The routes separate east of Evanston, at exit 18, where US 189 proceeds north through the town of Kemmerer, home of the JC Penney Mother Store which is located along the route. US 189 continues north, eventually following the western shore of Fontenelle Reservoir and passing Names Hill before entering La Barge, passing what is left of the Moondance Diner, which was moved to the town from New York City in 2007, and is famous from many movies and television shows. The route then continues north along the Green River towards the neighboring towns of Big Piney and Marbleton. This area is heavily developed by the Oil and Natural Gas industries. The route then cuts across the northern part of the Green River Basin through the town of Daniel and intersects with US 191 at Daniel Junction and runs concurrently to the north. Continuing north, the road traverses increasingly mountainous terrain, entering the Bridger-Teton National Forest and passing through the small community of Bondurant before descending through the narrow Hoback River Canyon to an intersection with US 26 and rejoining its parents route, US 89 at Hoback Junction.

History
There was a US-189 in the initial 1926 plan for U.S. Highways, which ran from Nephi to Pigeon Hollow Junction. This route is currently the eastern half of State Route 132.

In 1938, a second iteration of US 189 was created using several state routes. The portion from Provo to Heber City in Utah was numbered State Route 7. Although signed US-189 starting in 1938 this road retained the SR-7 designation until 1977.

US-189 replaced US-530, designated in 1926, between the modern junctions of I-80 with US-40 at Silver Creek Junction and I-84 at Echo. Between Echo and Evanston, Wyoming US-189 was originally concurrent with US-30S. As portions of I-80 were complete, US-189 was moved from the old US-30S alignment to the freeway alignment.

Prior to the construction of the Jordanelle Reservoir, the US-189 designation alternated between two routes between Hailstone and Wanship. For most of this era, US-189 was routed along what is now State Route 32 via Kamas. However, there are some years the official Utah Highway Map shows the road through Kamas designated as US-189 Alternate, with the main route of US-189 concurrent with the routes of US-40 and what is now I-80.

In 1985 the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) began plans to relocate US-40 and US-189 to prepare for the construction of the Jordanelle Reservoir. As late as 1989, UDOT still intended move US-189 to an alignment on the northern shore of the proposed reservoir. On January 18, 1990 the Federal Highway Administration sent a letter to UDOT recommending that US-189 not be moved to this new alignment. The stated reason was this new routing would result in traveling 15 mi "out-of-direction". AASHTO agreed, and authorized a change of plan for the route of US-189 to run concurrent with US-40. UDOT agreed, and this new road was instead signed as extension of State Route 248. The portion of the former route of US-189 not submerged by the new lake was designated State Route 32 after months of negotiations with county officials.

However, although US-189 was now officially concurrent with US-40 between Heber City and Silver Creek Junction, this segment was signed only as US-40, and an "END US-189" sign was posted in Heber City. This lasted until late 2017, when the end signs were removed and US-189 signs were added to the US-40 concurrency. US-189 remains unsigned on the I-80 concurrency between Silver Creek Junction and the Wyoming state line.

title: U.S. Route 189


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Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (sometimes known as the WBS Penguins) are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, and are the AHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins. They play at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre Township, Pennsylvania, just outside the city of Wilkes-Barre. They have won the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy twice for having the best record in the regular season.

History
The Pittsburgh Penguins' top minor league affiliate throughout the 1990s was the Cleveland Lumberjacks of the IHL. However, in the mid-1990s, the IHL began moving away from being a developmental league and more towards being an independent minor league. For this reason, the Penguins wanted their top minor league affiliate in the AHL. The Penguins purchased the dormant Cornwall Aces AHL franchise from the Colorado Avalanche in 1996, but left the team inactive until the 1999–2000 season due to construction delays at their intended home–a new arena in Wilkes-Barre Township. The team is affectionately referred to as the "Baby Penguins" by fans. Their mascot is Tux the penguin, who wears number No. 99 in reference to the team's first season, in 1999.

The Penguins have gone to the Calder Cup final three times but have never won the championship. The team went all the way to the finals in their second season, losing to the Saint John Flames in six games. The Penguins returned to the finals in their fifth season, but were swept by the Milwaukee Admirals. They most recently made it to the finals in 2008 by way of beating the Portland Pirates in a seven-game series in the Eastern Conference finals. They went on to play the Chicago Wolves in the final, but lost the series in six games.

The WBS Penguins won the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy for the best finish in the regular season, in 2011, with 117 points. Goaltender Brad Thiessen was named the recipient of the Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award, an award given to the AHL's most outstanding goaltender for each season. He posted a record of 35–8–1 in 46 appearances, along with a 1.94 goals-against-average and a .922 save percentage. Head coach John Hynes won the Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award, awarded to the most outstanding AHL coach of the season. Despite the best regular season finish in team history, the Penguins were eliminated in the second round of the 2011 playoffs by the Charlotte Checkers in six games. The Penguins have made the playoffs in all but four seasons of their existence. The Penguins held a playoff streak of 16 seasons from the 2002–03 season to the 2017–18 season.

Prior to the 2009–10 season, they held the inaugural Penguins Black and Gold Game, an intra-squad game which featured members of the Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and was the first ever head-to-head meeting between Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The game was a complete sellout and tickets never reached the general public. The Penguins organization held its second Black and Gold Game prior to the 2010–11 season on September 19, 2010.

In 2009, they also spawned an affiliated youth level organization, the Wilkes-Barre Junior Pens. The team is based out of the Ice Rink at Coal Street Park, which also serves as a practice facility for the Penguins.

The Penguins' biggest rivals had been the Philadelphia Phantoms, the AHL affiliate of Pennsylvania's other NHL team, the Philadelphia Flyers. After that team moved to Glens Falls, New York, (as the Adirondack Phantoms) the Hershey Bears, also located in Pennsylvania, became the major rivals of the Penguins (they are currently the AHL affiliate of another rival of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Washington Capitals). In 2014, the Adirondack Phantoms relocated back to eastern Pennsylvania as the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Season-by-season results
Won Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy for the best record in the regular season Round not held

Current roster
Updated July 18, 2024.

 * }

Team captains
• John Slaney, Stephen Leach & Tyler Wright, 1999–00

• Sven Butenschon & John Slaney, 2000–01

• Jason MacDonald, 2001–02

• Tom Kostopoulos, 2002–03

• Patrick Boileau, Kris Beech & Tom Kostopoulos, 2003–04

• Rob Scuderi, 2004–05

• Alain Nasreddine, 2004–06

• Micki DuPont, 2006–07

• Nathan Smith, 2007–08

• David Gove, 2008–09

• Wyatt Smith, 2009–10

• Ryan Craig, 2010–12

• Joey Mormina, 2012–13

• Tom Kostopoulos, 2013–18

• Garrett Wilson, 2018–19

• David Warsofsky, 2019–20

• Josh Currie, 2021

• Taylor Fedun, 2021–present

Notable alumni
Players listed have played at least 100 games with the Penguins and 100 games in the NHL. • Josh Archibald

• Colby Armstrong

• Kris Beech

• Paul Bissonnette

• Teddy Blueger

• Dennis Bonvie

• Robert Bortuzzo

• Jesse Boulerice

• Wade Brookbank

• Sven Butenschon

• Daniel Carcillo

• Sebastien Caron

• Erik Christensen

• Ryan Craig

• Simon Despres

• Brian Dumoulin

• Deryk Engelland

• Marc-Andre Fleury

• Brian Gibbons

• Alex Goligoski

• Scott Harrington

• Tristan Jarry

• Dustin Jeffrey

• Nick Johnson

• David Koci

• Tom Kostopoulos

• Tom Kuhnhackl

• Mark Letestu

• Ben Lovejoy

• Jayson Megna

• Josef Melichar

• Matt Murray

• Brooks Orpik

• Michel Ouellet

• Toby Petersen

• Derrick Pouliot

• Carter Rowney

• Rob Scuderi

• Dominik Simon

• Brian Strait

• Oskar Sundqvist

• Tomas Surovy

• Jeff Taffe

• Maxime Talbot

• Eric Tangradi

• Zach Trotman

• Joe Vitale

• Ryan Whitney

• Tim Wallace

Team records

 * Single season
 * Goals: Chris Minard, 34 (2008–09)
 * Assists: Jeff Taffe and Janne Pesonen, 50 (2008–09)
 * Points: Janne Pesonen, 82 (2008–09)
 * Penalty minutes: Dennis Bonvie, 431 (2005–06)
 * Goaltending wins: Brad Thiessen, 35 (2010–11)
 * GAA: Jeff Zatkoff 1.93 (2012–13)
 * SV%: Rich Parent (2000–01), Dany Sabourin (2005–06) and Brad Thiessen (2010–11), .922

 * Career
 * Career goals: Tom Kostopoulos, 181
 * Career assists: Tom Kostopoulos, 269
 * Career points: Tom Kostopoulos, 450
 * Career penalty minutes: Dennis Bonvie, 1081
 * Career goaltending wins: John Curry, 103
 * Career shutouts: Brad Thiessen, 17
 * Career games: Tom Kostopoulos, 627

AHL records
As of the 2009–10 AHL Season. Data from the AHL Hall of Fame Website.

Team

 * Most road wins, 80-game season: 28 (2010–2011) (tied)

 * Longest road winning streak (one season): 13 games (October 9 – December 3, 2005) (tied)

 * Longest road winning streak (overall): 15 games (April 10 – December 3, 2005)

Player

 * Most points by a defenseman, career: John Slaney, 486 (Baltimore, Portland, Cornwall, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Philadelphia)

 * Most goals by a defenseman, career: John Slaney, 157

 * Most goals by a defenseman, season: John Slaney, 30 (1999–2000)

 * Most PIM, career: Dennis Bonvie, 4,104 (Cape Breton, Hamilton, Portland, Philadelphia, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Providence, Binghamton, Hershey)

 * Most PIM, game: Steve Parsons, 64 (March 17, 2002 vs. Syracuse)

AHL awards and trophies
Per the AHL Hall of Fame:

Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy (AHL regular season champions)
 * 2016–17
 * 2010–11

Frank Mathers Trophy (Eastern Conference regular season champions from 2004 to 2011)
 * 2010–11

Richard F. Canning Trophy (Eastern Conference playoff champions)
 * 2007–08
 * 2003–04

F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy (East Division regular season champions from 2002 to 2011)
 * 2010–11
 * 2007–08
 * 2005–06

Robert W. Clarke Trophy (Western Conference playoff champions)
 * 2000–01

'''Eddie Shore Award (best defenseman)
 * John Slaney: 2000–01

'''Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award (best goaltender)
 * Matt Murray: 2014–15
 * Brad Thiessen: 2010–11
 * Dany Sabourin: 2005–06

'''Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award (goalies with lowest goals against avg.)
 * Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith: 2016–17
 * Matt Murray and Jeff Zatkoff: 2014–15
 * Jeff Deslauriers and Eric Hartzell: 2013–14
 * Brad Thiessen and Jeff Zatkoff: 2012–13
 * Brad Thiessen and John Curry: 2010–11
 * Dany Sabourin: 2005–06

'''Yanick Dupre Memorial Award (AHL Man of the Year Service)
 * Matt Carkner: 2006–07

'''Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award (coach of the year)
 * John Hynes: 2010–11

title: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins


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User:Aazzolini

Alisson Azzolini
My name is Alisson Azzolini, and I am an student of Computer Engineering at State University of Campinas, Brazil.

My hometown is Chapecó.

title: User:Aazzolini


text: User talk:68.187.223.105

title: User talk:68.187.223.105


text:
Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

"Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" is episode 16 of season two of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was written by Marti Noxon and first broadcast on The WB on February 10, 1998.

In this episode, Cordelia breaks up with Xander after her friends mock her. Xander retaliates by attempting a love spell to "put her through the same hell", and he gets a little more than he had bargained for.

Plot
During a patrol through the cemetery, Xander shows Buffy a silver necklace he intends to give to Cordelia the following night for Valentine's Day. The next day at school, Xander witnesses Amy Madison use magic to avoid a homework assignment. Soon after, Giles runs into Jenny Calendar; however, their relationship remains frosty, with Giles deciding talking to Buffy is more important than making amends with Jenny. Giles warns Buffy that Angelus becomes particularly vicious around Valentine's Day, and suggests she stays indoors for the following nights. Meanwhile, Cordelia is insulted by Harmony and the Cordettes, revealing to Cordelia that her relationship with Xander is not as secret as she once thought.

Angel competes with Spike for Drusilla's affection. Spike, who is still in a wheelchair after the events of "What's My Line," gives her a gold necklace, whereas Angel gives her a human heart, fresh and bloody, saying, "I knew you'd like it. I found it in a quaint little shop girl."

Xander gives the necklace to Cordelia, but she breaks up with him under pressure from her friends. Xander is heartbroken, and blackmails Amy into casting a love spell upon Cordelia so he can take revenge by breaking up with her. However, as he intended to use the spell for revenge rather than its true purpose, the magic goes wrong, with Cordelia becoming the only woman not to be affected by the spell (protected by her necklace).

The following day, Xander is shocked to find Cordelia repels his advances, and retreats to the library. Buffy makes it clear that she is attracted to Xander, but Amy interrupts them and tells Xander she believes the spell went wrong. She begins to act similarly to Buffy, so Xander rushes home and finds Willow in his bed, where she attempts to seduce him.

The following day, all of the girls of Sunnydale High obsessively start following Xander around the corridors and Harmony criticises a shocked Cordelia for breaking up with Xander. Xander seeks help from Giles, who is appalled by Xander's foolishness. Giles goes looking for Amy, so that she can reverse the spell, while Xander barricades himself in the library. However, Buffy gets in and attempts to seduce a reluctant Xander. Amy also arrives, and becomes jealous of Buffy, ultimately casting a spell that changes Buffy into a rat. An angry Giles orders Xander to go home, while he attempts to make Amy reverse the spells. Oz looks for the Buffy-rat to ensure that she is not hurt.

As Xander is leaving the school, he finds the spell is becoming stronger and more uncontrollable. He saves Cordelia from an attack by Harmony and a group of girls. Xander and Cordelia seek shelter in Buffy's home, locking Joyce out when she too falls under the spell. While in Buffy's room, Xander is pulled out of the window by Angelus, who intends to kill him to upset Buffy. Xander is saved by an infatuated Drusilla. Just as Drusilla is about to turn Xander into a vampire, a group of girls from the school arrive to save him, then Cordelia saves him from the girls. Xander barricades himself in the basement with Cordelia, who is touched to learn that Xander performed the spell for her. The love-crazed mob breaks through the door and attacks Xander and Cordelia just as Giles and Amy manage to lift the spell. Buffy regains human form and the mob disperse, uncertain of why they were there in the first place. The next day Buffy and Xander talk about events and decide it could be worse. Cordelia comes by with her friends and they make fun of Xander when Cordelia suddenly snaps, tells her friends she is way cooler than any of them because she makes up her own mind about what she wants, and she will date who she wants to. She then catches up with Xander and they walk away together holding hands.

Themes
Essayist Theresa Basile compares the episode's complex treatment of the dangerous nature of love spells with the classic Shakespeare comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream. "Giles states that the reason the spell backfired is because Amy performed it improperly. Two other explanations are heavily implied in the episode, though. One potential reason is that Cordelia didn't respond to the spell because she already loved Xander. The other reason is that Xander's intentions behind the spell weren't 'pure'" - Amy tells him, "Intent has to be pure with love spells." Basile says, "Cordelia doesn't really want to break up with Xander, but feels pressured to end the relationship because she doesn't want to lose favor with her popular friends. ... Xander, meanwhile, receives confirmation that even his most sincere, gentle efforts will end in rejection, that even if a girl likes him and he likes her back, she won’t like him enough to stand up to her friends. No wonder his feelings are hurt. At the end of the episode, though, after he does something damaging and colossally stupid, then Cordelia decides to get back together with him. I'm not sure the lesson about violating consent really sinks in when the result is getting his girlfriend back."

Reception
Vox ranked this episode at #68 out of the 144 Buffy episodes, calling it "a marvel of tonal balancing: The Xander A-plot is slapstick and funny with a core of heartbreak, and the subplot of Angel musing on the perfect Valentine's Day gift for Buffy keeps the menace and subtle horror of the season's central plot running through the background."

Noel Murray of The A.V. Club praised the acting of "Nicholas Brendon, who gets to do slow-burns, double-takes and head-palms — all the classic business of the comic actor — throughout the episode, while also getting to display how deeply wounding this whole Cordelia situation is." He admired the subplot with Angel, "who lurks around the edges of the episode like a malicious presence, reminding Buffy and the audience at home that he could strike at any time."

Reviewer Billie Doux called the episode "a delight from beginning to end. None of that wussy lovey dovey Valentine's Day stuff... It's topical, funny, silly, romantic, clever, horrifying, and has a great moral for all of us: being yourself is more important than pleasing the masses." Mark Oshiro observes that Xander had been "written with one note" and been "running with that for twenty-seven straight episodes. And now, this long character arc has come to fruition in a terrifying and hilarious way," though the episode is difficult, being "inherently about one man violating the consent of EVERY single woman in the entirety of Sunnydale, possibly the world... [T]he show takes what was awful about Xander in the past (his creepy opinions of attractive women) and then actively uses that against him."


text:
User:Alxt

Hey Hey! Perfect homepage for me, feel free to help make it better...

Hit Me! | My Website

All The Useful Stuff I Need
Inspired by fine work from User:Siroxo

title: User:Alxt


text: User talk:69.29.174.175

title: User talk:69.29.174.175


text:
User talk:AlexDante

Locke & Key
Thank you for your recent edit of the Locke & Key page. It has been reverted back to the previous version since your edits were not supported by the currently cited sources (one from the author and one from the artist) in addition to not providing a reliable source for the information you altered. If you have any questions regarding this, please feel free to contact me or post the to the Locke & Key talk page for discussion. Thank you. hornoir (talk) 15:56, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

 * Thanks for explaining your edit to me. I think I understand where you are coming from now.  I can say, with 100% certainty, that Welcome To Lovecraft is strictly a prologue and not part of Act 1.  I didn't mean for the phrasing to indicate 24 numbered issues, rather 24 monthly issues broken into story arcs (Act 1 comprised of Head Games + something else; Act 2 comprised of the next 12 issues).  In re-reading it carefully, I fully acknowledge that it wasn't clear, though.  I've altered the text slightly (please read Locke & Key to see the "new" version) which I hope you will find acceptable.  Thanks again.  hornoir (talk) 13:21, 27 February 2009 (UTC)

title: User talk:AlexDante


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Lichen planus

Lichen planus (LP) is a chronic inflammatory and autoimmune disease that affects the skin, nails, hair, and mucous membranes. It is not an actual lichen, but is named for its appearance. It is characterized by polygonal, flat-topped, violaceous papules and plaques with overlying, reticulated, fine white scale (Wickham's striae), commonly affecting dorsal hands, flexural wrists and forearms, trunk, anterior lower legs and oral mucosa. The hue may be gray-brown in people with darker skin. Although there is a broad clinical range of LP manifestations, the skin and oral cavity remain as the major sites of involvement. The cause is unknown, but it is thought to be the result of an autoimmune process with an unknown initial trigger. There is no cure, but many different medications and procedures have been used in efforts to control the symptoms.

The term lichenoid reaction (lichenoid eruption or lichenoid lesion) refers to a lesion of similar or identical histopathologic and clinical appearance to lichen planus (i.e., an area which resembles lichen planus, both to the naked eye and under a microscope). Sometimes dental materials or certain medications can cause lichenoid reactions. They can also occur in association with graft versus host disease.

Classification
Lichen planus lesions are so called because of their "lichen-like" appearance and can be classified by the site they involve, or by their morphology.

Site
Lichen planus may be categorized as affecting mucosal or cutaneous surfaces.
 * Cutaneous forms are those affecting the skin, scalp, and nails.
 * Mucosal forms are those affecting the lining of the gastrointestinal tract (mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, anus), larynx, and other mucosal surfaces including the genitals, peritoneum, ears, nose, bladder and conjunctiva of the eyes.

Pattern
Lichen planus lesions can occur in many different forms:

Overlap syndromes
Occasionally, lichen planus is known to occur with other conditions. For example:
 * Lupus erythematosus overlap syndrome. Lesions of this syndrome share features of both lupus erythematosus and lichen planus. Lesions are usually large and hypopigmented, atrophic, and with a red to blue colour and minimal scaling. Telangectasia may be present.
 * Lichen sclerosus overlap syndrome, sharing features of lichen planus and lichen sclerosus.

Signs and symptoms

Although lichen planus can present with a variety of lesions, the most common presentation is as a well defined area of purple-coloured, itchy, flat-topped papules with interspersed lacy white lines (Wickham's striae). This description is known as the characteristic "6 Ps" of lichen planus: planar (flat-topped), purple, polygonal, pruritic, papules, and plaques. This rash, after regressing, is likely to leave an area of hyperpigmentation that slowly fades. That said, a variety of other lesions can also occur.

Skin
Variants of cutaneous lichen planus are distinguished based upon the appearance of the lesions and/or their distribution. Lesions can affect the: Other variants may include:
 * Extremities (face, dorsal hands, arms, and nape of neck). This is more common in Middle Eastern countries in spring and summer, where sunlight appears to have a precipitating effect.
 * Palms and soles
 * Intertriginous areas of the skin. This is also known as "inverse lichen planus".
 * Nails characterized by irregular longitudinal grooving and ridging of the nail plate, thinning of the nail plate, pterygium formation, shedding of the nail plate with atrophy of the nail bed, subungual keratosis, longitudinal erthronychia (red streaks), and subungual hyperpigmentation. A sand-papered appearance is present in around 10% of individuals with nail lichen planus.
 * Hair and scalp. The scalp is rarely affected by a condition known as lichen planopilaris, acuminatus, follicular lichen planus, and peripilaris, characterised by violaceous, adherent follicular scale with progressive scarring alopecia. While lichen planus and lichen planopilaris may occur together, aside from sharing the term 'lichen' and revealing inflammation on skin biopsy, there is neither established data on their co-occurrence nor data to suggest a common etiology. Lichen planopilaris is considered an orphan disease with no definitive prevalence data and no proven effective treatments.
 * Lichen planus pemphigoides characterized by the development of tense blisters atop lesions of lichen planus or the development vesicles de novo on uninvolved skin.
 * Keratosis lichenoides chronica (also known as "Nekam's disease") is a rare dermatosis characterized by violaceous papular and nodular lesions, often arranged in a linear or reticulate pattern on the dorsal hands and feet, extremities, and buttock, and some cases manifest by seborrheic dermatitis-like eruption on the scalp and face; also palmo plantar keratosis has been reported.
 * Lichenoid keratoses (also known as "benign lichenoid keratosis", and "Solitary lichen planus" ) is a cutaneous condition characterized by brown to red scaling maculopapules, found on sun-exposed skin of extremities. Restated, this is a cutaneous condition usually characterized by a solitary dusky-red to violaceous papular skin lesion.
 * Lichenoid dermatitis represents a wide range of cutaneous disorders characterized by lichen planus-like skin lesions.

Mucous membranes
Lichen planus affecting mucosal surfaces may have one lesion or be multifocal. Examples of lichen planus affecting mucosal surfaces include:
 * Esophageal lichen planus, affecting the esophageal mucosa. This can present with difficulty or pain when swallowing due to oesophageal inflammation, or as the development of an esophageal stricture. It has also been hypothesized that it is a precursor to squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus.
 * Genital lichen planus, which may cause lesions on the glans penis or skin of the scrotum in males, and the vulva or vagina in females. Symptoms may include lower urinary tract symptoms associated with stenosis of the urethra, painful sexual intercourse, and itching. In females, Vulvovaginal-gingival syndrome, is severe and distinct variant affecting the vulva, vagina, and gums, with complications including scarring, vaginal stricture formation, or vulva destruction. The corresponding syndrome in males, affecting the glans penis and gums, is the peno-gingival syndrome. It is associated with HLA-DQB1.

Mouth
Oral lichen planus (also termed oral mucosal lichen planus), is a form of mucosal lichen planus, where lichen planus involves the oral mucosa, the lining of the mouth. This may occur in combination with other variants of lichen planus. Six clinical forms of oral lichen planus (OLP) are recognized: These types often coexist in the same individual. Oral lichen planus (OLP) tends to present bilaterally as mostly white lesions on the inner cheek, although any mucosal site in the mouth may be involved. Other sites, in decreasing order of frequency, may include the tongue, lips, gingivae, floor of the mouth, and very rarely, the palate.

Generally, oral lichen planus tends not to cause any discomfort or pain, although some people may experience soreness when eating or drinking acidic or spicy foodstuffs or beverages. When symptoms arise, they are most commonly associated with the atrophic and ulcerative subtypes. These symptoms can include a burning sensation to severe pain. They may also experience mucosal bleeding in response to mild trauma, such as toothbrushing. Additionally, the Koebner phenomenon (the development of new lesions at sites of trauma) is not only present in cutaneous lichen planus (CLP) but can also occur in the setting of OLP.

Residual postinflammatory hyperpigmentation has been reported in association with OLP, manifesting as brown to black pigmentation on the oral mucosa and may most likely occur in dark-skinned individuals.

OLP may occur as a sole manifestation of the disease or in conjunction with other clinical manifestations of LP, including cutaneous LP, genital LP, nail LP, and lichen planopilaris (scalp LP).

Causes
Cutaneous LP is a self-limiting condition. It usually resolves within 6 to 12 months. Oral LP is a non infectious, chronic inflammatory condition that involves the oral mucosa and may be accompanied by skin lesions. The etiology of oral LP are unknown.

It is not clear whether the mechanisms causing isolated oral LP are different from those causing oral LP with cutaneous LP. An immune-mediated mechanism where basal keratinocytes are being targeted as foreign antigens by activated T cells, especially CD8+ T cells, has been proposed. Upregulation of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and cytokines associated with T-helper 1 immune response, may also play an important role in the pathogenesis of lichen planus.

Stress is thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of oral LP. Patients with anxiety and depression are reported more commonly with oral LP if compared to normal healthy individuals. Some studies have indicated that stressful events can induce LP lesions in otherwise healthy individuals. However, a cause effect relationship between stress and the onset of oral LP has not been demonstrated.

Autoimmune response to epithelial self-antigens remains a possibility. A single study of cutaneous LP reported evidence in support of autoimmunity by expanding in vitro T cells isolated from the skin lesions of two patients, followed by testing the ability of these T cells to kill autologous keratinocytes (cytotoxicity).

Several potential triggers of oral LP have been proposed over the years, mainly

 * 1) Hypersensitivity reaction
 * 2) * Restorative material (e.g. amalgam and composite) or drugs can cause hypersensitivity reaction and lead to oral LP.
 * 3) * Oral LP usually resolve upon removal of the trigger, as is characteristics of oral LP
 * 4) Viral infection

Pathogenesis
Oral LP is considered to be a T-cell mediated chronic inflammatory tissue reaction that results in a cytotoxic reaction against epithelial basal cells. The inflammatory infiltrate in oral LP is primarily composed of CD8+ T cells. A potential pathway for CD8+ T cell-mediated cytotoxicity in oral LP is described as follows:

Antigens presented on MHC 1 molecules activates CD8+ T cells on keratinocytes or by encounters with activated CD4+ helper T cells or cytokines produced by activated CD4+ helper T cells

Activated CD8+ T cells induce keratinocyte apoptosis through various mechanisms such as secretion of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, secretion of granzyme B, or Fas-Fas ligand interactions. Chemokines are produced by activated CD8+ T cells that attract additional inflammatory cells, thereby promoting continued inflammation.

Other mechanisms that have been proposed include:
 * upregulation of matrix metalloproteinases that disrupt the epithelial basement membrane zone and allow entry of immune cells into the epidermis,
 * the release of proinflammatory mediators and proteases by mast cells, and
 * perturbations in the innate immune response that may involve toll-like receptors.

Oral LP may also be caused by genetic factor which influence the immune function. A separate study performed in China found an association between a polymorphism in the TNF-alpha gene and risk for oral LP in a subset of patients. An Italian study found a significant increase in a genetic polymorphism of the first intron of the interferon (IFN)-gamma promoter in patients with oral LP compared with controls.

Skin
Patient history and clinical presentation need to be taken to diagnose lichen planus. Patients with suspected cutaneous lichen planus need to be evaluated clinically through patient interviews and physical examinations. Patients should be questioned about their medication history, any history of pruritus or genital pain and history of dysphagia or odynophagia. Examination of entire cutaneous surface including the scalp, oral cavity and external genitalia need to be included. Wickham's striae often can be seen during microscopic examination of cutaneous lesions of lichen planus.

To confirm the diagnosis of cutaneous lichen planus, a skin biopsy can be done. A punch biopsy of sufficient depth to the mid dermis is usually significant. Immunofluorescence studies are not always needed. Direct immunofluorescence (DIF) can be useful in patients with bullous lesions to differentiate the condition from an autoimmune vesiculobullous disease.

Mouth
A diagnosis of oral lichen planus (LP) is confirmed through review of the patient history, physical examination, and histologic findings.

The clinical evaluation should include a patient history that assesses the following:
 * History of LP involving other body sites or other skin disorders that may present with similar findings (e.g., autoimmune blistering diseases)
 * Presence of associated symptoms (e.g., pain, burning)
 * Medication the patients are taking within the few weeks to months after drug initiation e.g. antihypertensives, antidepressants, diuretics, antidiabetics, NSAIDs, etc. to evaluate for the possibility of an oral lichenoid drug eruption
 * History of dental restorations, use of dental appliances, or oral exposure to substances that may cause oral lichenoid contact eruptions (e.g. dental composites, cobalt chromium based dentures etc.)

A full examination that includes the evaluation of the mucosal and cutaneous surfaces, including the vulva, vagina, penis, scalp, and nails should be performed. Thorough examination may lead to the detection of extraoral manifestations of LP that provide additional support for the diagnosis or the identification of clinical findings that suggest another diagnosis.

Tissue biopsies of oral LP help to confirm the diagnosis and are particularly of value for erythematous and erosive LP, which share features with multiple other mucosal disorders, including oral malignancy. Biopsies to confirm oral LP are less essential in patients who present with classic reticular LP, particularly in patients in whom a diagnosis of LP has already been confirmed through biopsy of an extraoral manifestation of this disorder.

Skin

 * 1) Lichenoid drug eruption
 * 2) * The cutaneous manifestations resemble idiopathic lichen planus.
 * 3) Chronic graft-versus-host disease
 * 4) * The history of preceding hematopoietic cell transplant is helpful for diagnosis
 * 5) Psoriasis
 * 6) Atopic dermatitis
 * 7) Cutaneous lupus erythematosus
 * 8) Discoid lupus erythematosus

Oral lichenoid drug reaction
Lichenoid drug eruptions may be caused by a variety of systemic medications and share clinical features with oral LP. Histologic findings of a deep mixed infiltrate with lymphocytes, plasma cells, and neutrophils (with or without eosinophils) and perivascular inflammation favor this diagnosis.

Oral lichenoid contact reaction (allergic contact mucositis)
Oral lichenoid contact reactions may be caused by a variety of substances. The clinical and histologic features of oral lichenoid contact reactions are similar to oral LP. Patch testing and recognition of the proximity of an offending substance to the eruption can aid with diagnosis.

Autoimmune blistering diseases
Mucous membrane pemphigoid and other autoimmune blistering diseases may present with oral erosions and desquamative gingivitis similar to that seen in erosive LP. Biopsies for routine histologic examination and direct immunofluorescence are useful for distinguishing these disorders from oral LP.

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD)
Lacy, reticulated plaques or erosions that resemble oral LP may occur in GVHD. The histologic findings of these disorders are also similar. The patient history is useful for differentiating chronic GVHD from oral LP. Oral involvement in acute GVHD is less well characterized than chronic GVHD, but has been associated with erythematous, erosive, ulcerative, or lichenoid oral lesions.

Leukoplakia
Leukoplakia is a manifestation of squamous epithelial hyperplasia that may be a precursor to oral squamous cell carcinoma. White patches or plaques usually appear on the oral mucosa. To rule out malignancy, a biopsy of leukoplakia is indicated.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) can present as erythematous or white patches, ulcers, or exophytic masses. The highest risk for oral SCC may occur in patients with erythematous or erosive oral LP. A biopsy is indicated.

Leukoedema
Leukoedema is a common, benign finding in the oral cavity that presents as white-gray, somewhat translucent plaques on the mucosa. The buccal mucosa is the most common site for involvement. Symptoms are absent, and no treatment is necessary.

Oropharyngeal candidiasis
Oropharyngeal candidiasis (also known as thrush) is a common infection that has a predilection for infants, older adults with dentures, immunosuppressed individuals, and individuals utilizing intraoral corticosteroid therapy. Patients present with white plaques or erythematous patches on the buccal mucosa, palate, tongue, or oropharynx that may be mistaken for reticular LP.

Histopathology

The histologic findings of oral LP can offer strong support for the diagnosis, but are not pathognomonic. Clinical correlation is required. Common histologic findings of oral LP include:
 * Parakeratosis and slight acanthosis of the epithelium
 * Saw-toothed rete ridges
 * Liquefaction (hydropic) degeneration of the basal layer with apoptotic keratinocytes (referred to as Civatte, colloid, hyaline, or cytoid bodies)
 * An amorphous band of eosinophilic material at the basement membrane composed of fibrin or fibrinogen.
 * A lichenoid (band-like) lymphocytic infiltrate immediately subjacent to the epithelium.

Nonetheless, interpreting the histopathological features of oral LP has been associated historically with high intra-observer and inter-observer variabilities.

Treatment
There is no cure for lichen planus, and so treatment of cutaneous and oral lichen planus is for symptomatic relief or due to cosmetic concerns. When medical treatment is pursued, first-line treatment typically involves either topical or systemic corticosteroids, and removal of any triggers. Without treatment, most lesions will spontaneously resolve within 6–9 months for cutaneous lesions, and longer for mucosal lesions.

Skin
Many different treatments have been reported for cutaneous lichen planus, however there is a general lack of evidence of efficacy for any treatment. Treatments tend to be prolonged, partially effective and disappointing. The mainstay of localized skin lesions is topical steroids. Additional treatments include retinoids, such as acitretin, or sulfasalazine. Narrow band UVB phototherapy or systemic PUVA therapy are known treatment modalities for generalized disease.

Mouth
Reassurance that the condition is benign, elimination of precipitating factors and improving oral hygiene are considered initial management for symptomatic OLP, and these measures are reported to be useful. Treatment usually involves topical corticosteroids (such as betamethasone, clobetasol, dexamethasone, and triamcinolone) and analgesics, or if these are ineffective and the condition is severe, then systemic corticosteroids may be used. Calcineurin inhibitors (such as pimecrolimus, tacrolimus or cyclosporin) are sometimes used. While topical steroids are widely accepted as first line treatment for mucosal lichen planus, there is only weak evidence to support their effectiveness for erosive oral lichen planus.

Prognosis
Cutaneous lichen planus lesions typically resolve within six months to a year. However, some variant such as the hypertrophic variant might persist for years if left untreated or unmonitored.

It is found that cutaneous lichen planus does not carry a risk of skin cancer. In contrast to cutaneous LP, which is self limited, lichen planus lesions in the mouth may persist for many years, and tend to be difficult to treat, with relapses being common.

Although this condition was first described almost a century ago, it has been reported that its associated oral cancer risk has been exaggerated. Overall, it is found that patients with erythematous or erosive oral lichen planus have a higher risk of oral squamous cell carcinoma compared to patients diagnosed with other variants.

Due to the possibility that oral LP may increase risk for oral cancer, patients with oral lichen planus are encouraged to avoid activities known to increase the risk for oral cancer, such as smoking and alcohol use.

Patients with oral lichen planus should be followed-up at least every 6 to 12 months, to assess the disease activity, changes in symptoms or even detect early signs of malignancy.

Epidemiology
The overall estimated prevalence of lichen planus in worldwide population is in the range of 0.2% to 5%.

It generally occurs more commonly in females, in a ratio of 3:2, and most cases are diagnosed between the ages of 30 and 60, but it can occur at any age.

Lichen planus can occur in patients as diverse cutaneous manifestations alone or in combination with mucosal lichen planus and, or lichen planus of the nails. Study shows that frequency of mucosal involvement of lichen planus patients is 30- 70%.

Oral lichen planus is relatively common, It is one of the most common mucosal diseases. The prevalence in the general population is about 1.27–2.0%, and it occurs more commonly in middle aged people. Oral lichen planus in children is rare. About 50% of females with oral lichen planus were reported to have undiagnosed vulvar lichen planus.

Some studies suggest that cutaneous lichen planus is more commonly found in men whilst oral lichen planus lesions are more commonly found in women.

History
Lichen planus was first described in 1869 by Erasmus Wilson as an inflammatory disorder with unknown etiology. Initially, the characteristic surface markings or striae was described by Weyl in 1885. In 1895, Wickham further explained the characteristic of the lesion, now known as Wickham striae. Further on, Darier explained the presence of such characteristic markings by correlating with an increase thickness of the granular cell layer. The coexistence of oral, cervical and stomach lichen planus lesions were described by Guogerot and Burnier in 1937. A similar variant of mucosal lichen planus as the vulvovaginal-gingival syndrome with erosive lesions involving oral and vulvovaginal mucosa were introduced by Pelisse and colleagues in year 1982.

The origin of the word is believed to be from the Greek word Leichen, which means tree moss, and also from Latin word planus, which means flat and even surface.

Research
Apremilast is undergoing investigation as a potential treatment.

title: Lichen planus


text:
Surprise (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

"Surprise" is episode 13 of season two of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was written by Marti Noxon and first broadcast on The WB on January 19, 1998. "Surprise" is part one of a two-part story. Part two, "Innocence," was broadcast the next day.

Plot
Buffy has a vivid dream where a very "alive" Drusilla dusts Angel, which she fears is prophetic and realizes that Spike and Drusilla may still be alive. Oz finally asks Willow out on a date. She accepts, but remembers the Scoobies are planning a surprise party for Buffy's 17th birthday and instead invites him to the party.

Elsewhere, Drusilla, strong as Buffy dreamed, arranges her own gala event, while Spike, using a wheelchair but quite "alive" as well, directs his gang to collect scattered pieces of the demon The Judge, a hoped-for ally who has the ability to burn humanity from people, to reassemble for her present.

Jenny Calendar gets a visit from her mysterious Uncle Enyos, who reveals her Gypsy past; they discuss her responsibilities ensuring that Angel continues to suffer. Enyos orders Jenny to separate Angel from the Slayer. On their way to Buffy's surprise party, Buffy and Jenny intercept a piece of the Judge and bring it to the party, deducing Drusilla's plot. Following her Gypsy orders, Jenny encourages Angel on a mission to prevent the dire consequences of reassembling the Judge – he must take the Judge's arm by cargo ship to "the remotest region possible." While Angel gives Buffy a Claddagh ring for her birthday during their tearful parting at the dock, Spike's vamps manage to steal the arm back, scrubbing the mission.

Later at the library, Buffy has another informative dream, and takes Angel to investigate Spike and Drusilla's lair at the factory. They discover the Judge is fully assembled and activated, and Spike and Drusilla capture and taunt the two, debating who will die first. They narrowly escape into the sewer system, then return to Angel's apartment exhausted and drenched from the rain. Still suffering from successive threats of losing one another, Angel and Buffy confess feelings each has been trying to suppress. They make love for the first time and fall asleep in each other's arms. Suddenly, in a flash of lightning and a crash of thunder, Angel bolts awake and runs out into the storm, calling Buffy's name in anguish.

Filming
According to Buffy, the Vampire Slayer: The Watcher's Guide by Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder, filming at the docks occurred in San Pedro, California. The water was warmer than expected because of a warm El Niño current.

Sarah Michelle Gellar discussed love scenes in an interview with British newspaper The Independent in 2002:

"Love scenes are never the most comfortable things in the world. The best thing about it is I have been with the same crew for six years, so they are like my family. It is a lot easier doing things you feel silly or uncomfortable about if you are around people who are that close to you - although you wouldn't want your real family to see you doing things like that! To be honest, it is truly the unsexiest thing in the world. David Boreanaz, who was one of my first boyfriends on the show, and I were the worst. We would do horrible things to each other. Like eat tuna fish and pickle before we kissed. If he had to unbutton my shirt or trousers I would pin them or sew them together to make it as hard as I could. Once I even dropped ice cream on him."

Continuity
In Buffy's dream at the beginning of the episode, Willow is sitting at a table with a cappuccino and an organ grinder's monkey. She says to the monkey, "L'hippo a pique ses pantalons" ("The hippo stole his pants"). This is a back reference to Oz's jokes about animal crackers at the end of "What's My Line, Part 2." Willow must have told Buffy about the amusing incident. Also, Willow helps Buffy study for a French class in "School Hard."

Oz and Willow have their first date, commencing one of the longest relationships on the show. Angel is transformed into Angelus, becoming the Big Bad of season 2. Spike and Drusilla are established as worthy adversaries, allowing for Spike's eventual return appearances in seasons 3 and 4; and for his permanent placement as a regular cast member for seasons 5, 6, and 7. Buffy's birthday gift from Angel, her Claddagh ring, not only comes to signify her lost love for the rest of season 2, but also plays an important part in the beginning of season 3: First as a resonant antecedent to Scott Hope's impromptu gift, and then as a mystical focus for Angel's return from Acathla's hell dimension.

Broadcast
"Surprise" drew a viewing audience of 2.3 million households.

It was the last episode to air on a Monday in the United States. It aired on Tuesdays from the next episode onward, so the second part ("Innocence") was shown the next day. Myles McNutt explains,

"'Surprise' and 'Innocence' aired on back-to-back nights in January 1998, an event designed to transition the show to its new Tuesday night timeslot from its original Monday home. It's a neat sort of paratextual narrative at play here: there are often circumstances where scheduling intersects with story, like when Lost's third season was considered a creative failure based on what was largely a scheduling decision, but this is one instance where the narrative function of the episodes (to transition from one sort of dynamic to quite a different dynamic) was reinforced and even enhanced by the scheduling. It's also important to note that 'Surprise' and 'Innocence' don't really operate within a traditional two-part structure: while there is a cliffhanger between the two episodes, complete with a 'To Be Continued...' chyron to confirm that we will be seeing the resolution of that story, the two episodes function as separate narratives."

Reception
Vox ranked it at #16 out of the 144 episodes, saying that it "is the last episode of Buffy before it becomes a different show. Up until this point, it's been a smart, charming, and sharply written but also goofy and campy take on adolescence and its demons. After "Innocence," it's an immortal piece of television. "Surprise" is the episode that gets it there, and it does so with aplomb. There's an almost palpable sense of foreboding hanging over everything... It's an episode that promises everything is about to change, and while a lot of TV makes that promise, Buffy actually delivers."

Myles McNutt writes that "by merging romance with tragedy, and by turning its central character into an unwitting agent of terrifying change, Buffy moves beyond the limitations of teenage drama to something that strikes deeper into the limitations of the human condition. ... [T]he show isn't interested in drawing out the mystery of how things are going to change, but rather focused on demonstrating what has been changed, how it's been changed, and what the ramifications of this are to the series' future."

Billie Doux writes that the "symbolic dream sequences work incredibly well with the plot. Broken plates, white nightgowns, rings dropping to the floor, wonderful symbols of lost virginity."

title: Surprise (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)


text:
Amtrak Express

Amtrak Express is Amtrak's freight and shipping service. It handles small package express service, heavy freight shipments and city-to-city freight shipping by private and commercial customers. Boxes up to 36" x 36" x 36" (maximum 50 pounds), suitcases, and boxed bicycles are acceptable, but numerous classes of fragile, valuable and hazardous items are not permitted. Large pallet shipments of up to 500 pounds (227 kg) are accepted at certain major stations. Quoted transit times range from 2 to 7 days depending on distance and service frequency.

Amtrak suspended shipping during the COVID-19 pandemic beginning October 1, 2020, and has not yet stated when it will resume.

A message was posted on the website, "Amtrak Express shipping is suspended until further notice.".

Express service types
Service is available between most Amtrak stations that handle checked baggage (over 130 cities). Service and hours vary widely by station, limited by available equipment and security considerations, and service is not available on all days at all stations.

 * Light Express (LEX)
 * Smaller stations with limited storage space that handle shipments of up to 250 pounds. Each piece may not exceed 36" x 36" x 36" in size or 50 pounds in weight.
 * Regular Express (REX)
 * The majority of Amtrak stations that handles small packages. Shipments to/from Regular Express stations are limited to 500 pounds (227 kg) total. Each piece may not exceed 36" x 36" x 36" in size or 50 pounds in weight.
 * Heavy Express (HEX)
 * Larger stations with forklifts or pallet jacks that can handle palletized shipments. Each piece may not exceed 36" x 36" x 36" in size or 50 pounds in weight. Pallets may not exceed 60" x 48" x 60" or 500 pounds.

Preparing the shipment
Each piece in the shipment, including individual pieces shipped together on a pallets, must have a separate lot label (provided by Amtrak), and name, address and telephone number of the shipper and the consignee legibly marked or securely attached to the package.

Shipments must be in sturdy containers that will withstand ordinary care in handling. Shipments that may be susceptible to damage by conditions that may be encountered in transport (i.e., changes in temperature) must be adequately protected by proper packaging. Amtrak does not accept containers that are not sturdy or cannot hold contents, light rubber/plastic containers (heavy plastic shipping containers are permissible), trash bags or woven fabric zipper bags.

Shipment charges
Amtrak Express charges are based on the total weight and distance of shipment. Large but lightweight pieces may be calculated using the item's Cubic Dimensional Weight. Express rates can be determined at any staffed Amtrak location through the reservation system or by calling the Amtrak Express Desk. Amtrak accepts cash or credit card for payment of Express charges. Payment is due at the time the shipment is dropped-off.

Amtrak automatically assumes liability of $50 per shipment for loss or damage. Shippers may declare additional value of up to $2,000 for $1.00 per $100 of value declared, or up to $10,000 for $1.50 per $100 declared.

Shipments are held, without charge, for a period of 48 hours after arrival. Afterwards, storage will be charged at the rate of either $3.00 per 100 pounds, per 24 hours, or $4.00 per piece, per 24 hours (whichever is greater) until claimed.

Special items
Some special items are exempt from maximum size per piece requirements, such as:

 * Baby carriages, car seats, high chairs, playpens, portacribs and strollers (collapsible and boxed)
 * Bicycles (including tricycles): Must fit into one bicycle box
 * Golf bags (covered) and carts (must be separated)
 * Luggage carts (separated from suitcases)
 * Musical instruments (in suitable containers)
 * Sample cases
 * Scuba gear (tanks empty and in container)
 * Skis and ski poles (in ski bags, on pair per bag)
 * Snowboards (in suitable containers, one per container)
 * Surfboards (wrapped and tied): 7-foot maximum on Pacific Surfliner
 * Wheelchairs (folding)

Prohibited items
The following prohibited items are not acceptable for shipment under any circumstances:

 * Animals
 * Appliances (larger items such as air conditioners, microwave ovens, etc.)
 * Cameras and Photographic Accessories
 * Controlled or Illegal Substances
 * Dangerous or Hazardous Items (acidic or corrosive substances, ammunition, batteries containing acid, explosive, fireworks, flammable items, poison, radioactive materials, etc.)
 * Electronic Equipment (radios, stereos, tape recorders, televisions, video cameras, video game systems, etc.)
 * Eyeglasses or Contact Lenses
 * Fragile Articles (antiques, art works, china, clocks, glassware, watches, etc.)
 * Furniture or Mattresses
 * Guns
 * Liquids (except for properly packaged blood and plasma shipments by hospitals and laboratories)
 * Medications and Prescriptions
 * Motorized Vehicles and Engines
 * Office-type Equipment (calculators, computers, printers, telephones, typewriters, etc.)
 * Perishable Items (flowers, food, plants, etc.)
 * Playground Equipment (swing sets, etc.)
 * Poles used in pole vaulting
 * Sailboards with Masts
 * Valuable Items (credit cards, coin or stamp collections, gems and minerals, irreplaceable papers, photos or manuscripts, jewelry, money, stamps, stock certificates, watches, etc.)
 * Any other overweight item, or an item unsuitably packed or too fragile to withstand normal handling.

Human remains
Amtrak accepts human remains at many stations that handle Amtrak Express. Undertakers must make prior arrangements with the Amtrak Express Desk.

title: Amtrak Express