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Robert Benchley

Robert Charles Benchley (September 15, 1889 – November 21, 1945) was an American humorist best known for his work as a newspaper columnist and movie actor. From his beginnings at The Harvard Lampoon while attending Harvard University, through his many years writing essays and articles for Vanity Fair and The New Yorker and his acclaimed short films, Benchley's style of humor brought him respect and success during his life, from his peers at the Algonquin Round Table in New York City to contemporaries in the burgeoning film industry.

Benchley is remembered best for his contributions to the magazine The New Yorker; his essays for that publication, whether topical or absurdist, influenced many modern humorists. He also made a name for himself in Hollywood, when his short movie How to Sleep was a popular success and won Best Short Subject at the 1935 Academy Awards. He also made many memorable appearances acting in movies such as Alfred Hitchcock's Foreign Correspondent (1940) and Nice Girl? (1941). Also, Benchley appeared as himself in Walt Disney's behind the scenes movie, The Reluctant Dragon (1941). His legacy includes written work and numerous short movie appearances.

Early life
Robert Benchley was born on September 15, 1889, in Worcester, Massachusetts, the second son of Charles Henry Benchley and Maria Jane (Moran). They were of Welsh and Northern Irish (Protestant) ancestry, respectively, both from colonial stock. His brother Edmund was thirteen years older. Benchley was later known for writing elaborately fanciful autobiographical statements about himself (at one time asserting that he wrote A Tale of Two Cities before being buried at Westminster Abbey).

His father served with the Union army for two years during the Civil War and had a four-year hitch in the Navy before settling again in Worcester, marrying and working as a town clerk. Benchley's grandfather Henry Wetherby Benchley, a member of the Massachusetts Senate and Lieutenant Governor during the mid-1850s, went to Houston, Texas and became an activist for the Underground Railroad for which he was arrested and jailed.

Brother Edmund's death

Robert's older brother Edmund (born March 3, 1876) was a 4th year cadet at West Point in 1898 when his class was graduated early to support preparations for the Spanish–American War; he was killed July 1 at the Battle of San Juan Hill. When news reached the family, Maria's stunned reaction was to cry out, "Why couldn't it have been Robert?!"; accounts conflict as to whether Robert (who was nine years old at the time) heard this.

Edmund's fiancée Lillian Duryea, a wealthy heiress, doted on Robert for many years, and Edmund's death may have encouraged the pacifist sympathies present in Robert's writing. Additionally, because the news about Edmund had arrived during a July 4th celebration, Robert for the rest of his life associated fireworks with Edmund's death.

Meeting his wife
Robert Benchley met Gertrude Darling in high school in Worcester. They became engaged during his senior year at Harvard University, and they married in June 1914. Their first child, Nathaniel Benchley, was born a year later. A second son, Robert Benchley Jr., was born in 1919.

Education
Robert grew up and attended South High School in Worcester and was involved in academic and traveling theatrical productions during high school. Thanks to financial aid from his late brother's fiancée, Lillian Duryea, he could attend Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire for his final year of high school. Benchley reveled in the atmosphere at the academy, and he remained active in creative extracurricular activities, thereby damaging his academic credentials toward the end of his term.

Benchley enrolled at Harvard University in 1908, again with Duryea's financial help. He joined the Delta Upsilon fraternity in his first year, and continued to partake in the camaraderie that he had enjoyed at Phillips Exeter while still doing well in school. He did especially well in his English and government classes. His humor and style began to reveal themselves during this time: Benchley was often called upon to entertain his fraternity brothers, and his impressions of classmates and professors became very popular. His performances gave him some local fame, and most entertainment programs on campus and many off-campus meetings recruited Benchley's talents.

During his first two years at Harvard, Benchley worked with the publications Harvard Advocate and the Harvard Lampoon. He was elected to the Lampoon's board of directors in his third year. The election of Benchley was unusual, as he was the publication's art editor and the board positions typically fell to the foremost writers on the staff. The Lampoon position opened a number of other doors for Benchley, and he was quickly nominated to the Signet Society meeting club as well as becoming the only undergraduate member of the Boston Papyrus Club at the time.

Along with his duties at the Lampoon, Benchley acted in a number of theatrical productions, including Hasty Pudding productions of The Crystal Gazer and Below Zero. He also had the position of κροκόδιλος (Crocodilos) for the Pudding in 1912. Benchley kept these achievements in mind as he began to contemplate a career for himself after college. Charles Townsend Copeland, an English professor, recommended that Benchley become a writer, and Benchley and future Benchley illustrator Gluyas Williams from the Lampoon considered doing freelance work writing and illustrating theatrical reviews. Another English professor recommended that Benchley speak with the Curtis Publishing Company; but Benchley was initially against the idea, and ultimately accepted a job at a civil service office in Philadelphia. Owing to an academic failure during his senior year due to an illness, Benchley would not receive his Bachelor of Arts from Harvard until the completion of his credits in 1913. His shortcoming was the submission of a "scholarly paper" – which Benchley eventually rectified by a treatise on the U.S. – Canadian Fisheries Dispute, written from the point of view of a cod. He took a position with Curtis soon after he received his diploma.

Early professional career
Benchley did copy work for the Curtis Company during the summer following graduation, while doing other odd service jobs, such as translating French catalogs for the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. In September, he was hired by Curtis as a full-time staff member, preparing copy for its new house publication, Obiter Dicta. The first issue was criticized by management, who felt it was "too technical, too scattering, and wholly lacking in punch." Things did not improve for Benchley and Obiter Dicta, and a failed practical joke at a company banquet further strained the relationship between Benchley and his superiors. He continued his attempts to develop his own voice within the publication, but Benchley and Curtis were not a good match, and he eventually quit, as Curtis was considering eliminating Benchley's role and he had been offered a job in Boston with a better salary

Benchley had a number of similar jobs during the following years. His re-entry into public speaking followed the annual Harvard–Yale football game in 1914, where he presented a practical joke involving "Professor Soong" giving a question-and-answer session on football in Chinese. In what the local press dubbed "the Chinese professor caper," Soong was played by a Chinese-American who had lived in the United States for more than thirty years, and pretended to answer questions in Chinese while Benchley "translated". While his fame increased, Benchley continued with freelance work, which included his first paid piece for Vanity Fair in 1914, titled "Hints on Writing a Book," a parody of the non-fiction pieces then popular. While Benchley's pieces were bought by Vanity Fair from time to time, his work was sporadic, and he accepted a job with the New York Tribune.

Benchley started at the Tribune as a reporter. He was a very poor one, unable to get statements from people quoted in other papers, and eventually had greater success covering lectures around the city. He was promised a job with the Tribune's Sunday magazine when it launched, and he was transferred to the magazine's staff soon after he was hired, eventually becoming chief writer. He wrote two articles a week: the first a review of non-literary books, the other a feature-style article about whatever he wanted. The liberty gave his work new life, and the success of his pieces in the magazine convinced his editors to give him a signed byline column in the Tribune proper.

Benchley filled in for P. G. Wodehouse at Vanity Fair at the beginning of 1916, reviewing theatre in New York. This inspired staff at the Tribune magazine to creativity for articles (such as arranging for the producers of The Thirteenth Chair to cast Benchley as a corpse), but the situation at the magazine deteriorated as the pacifist Benchley became unhappy with the Tribune's rhetoric concerning World War I, and the Tribune editors were unhappy with the evolving style and irreverence of the magazine. In 1917, the Tribune terminated the magazine, and Benchley was out of work again. When a rumored vacancy for an editorial job at Vanity Fair failed to happen, Benchley decided he would continue freelancing, having made a name for himself at the magazine.

This freelancing attempt did not start out well, with Benchley selling just one piece to Vanity Fair and accumulating countless rejections in two months. When a position as press agent for Broadway producer William A. Brady was offered, Benchley accepted it, against the advice of many of his peers. This experience was a poor one, as Brady was extremely difficult to work for. Benchley resigned to become a publicity director for the federal government's Aircraft Board at the beginning of 1918. His experience there was not much better, and when an opportunity was offered to return to the Tribune with new editorial management, Benchley accepted it.

At the Tribune, Benchley, along with new editor Ernest Gruening, was in charge of a twelve-page pictorial supplement titled the Tribune Graphic. The two were given a good deal of freedom, but Benchley's coverage of the war and emphasis on African-American regiments as well as provocative pictorials about lynching in the southern United States earned him and Gruening scrutiny from management. Amid accusations that both were pro-German (the United States was fighting Germany at the time), Benchley tendered his resignation in a terse letter, citing the lack of "rational proof that Dr. Gruening was guilty of...charges made against him..." and management's attempts to "smirch the character and the newspaper career of the first man in three years who has been able to make the Tribune look like a newspaper".

Benchley was forced to take a publicity job with the Liberty Loan program, and he continued to freelance until Collier's magazine offered him an associate editor job. Benchley mentioned this offer to Vanity Fair to see if they would match it, as he felt Vanity Fair was the better magazine, and Vanity Fair offered him the job of managing editor. He accepted and began work there in 1919.

An influence upon Benchley's early professional career was the admiration and friendship of the Canadian economist, academic, and humorist Dr. Stephen Leacock. Leacock closely followed the increasing body of Benchley's published humor and wit, and began correspondence between them. He admitted to occasional borrowing of a Benchley topic for his own writings. Eventually, he began lobbying gently for Benchley to compile his columns into book form, and, in 1921, was delighted when the result of his nagging - Of All Things - was published. The British edition of the book included a Leacock introduction, and Benchley, for his part – in a tribute to Leacock – later said he read everything Leacock ever wrote.

Vanity Fair and its aftermath
Benchley began at Vanity Fair with fellow Harvard Lampoon and Hasty Pudding Theatricals alumnus Robert Emmet Sherwood and future friend and collaborator Dorothy Parker, who had taken over theatre criticism from P. G. Wodehouse years earlier. The format of Vanity Fair fit Benchley's style very well, allowing his columns to have a humorous style, often as parodies. Benchley's work was published typically twice a month. Some of Benchley's columns, featuring a character he created, were attributed to his pseudonym Brighton Perry, but he took credit for most of them himself. Sherwood, Parker, and Benchley became friendly, often having long lunches at the Algonquin Hotel. When the editorial managers went on a European journey, the three took advantage of the situation, writing articles mocking the local theatre establishment and offering parodic commentary on a variety of topics, such as the effect of Canadian ice hockey on United States fashion. This worried Sherwood, as he felt it could jeopardize his forthcoming raise.

The situation at Vanity Fair deteriorated upon management's return. They distributed a memo forbidding the discussion of salaries in an attempt to control the staff. Benchley, Parker, and Sherwood responded with a memo of their own, followed by placards around their necks detailing their exact salaries for all to see. Management attempted to issue "tardy slips" for staff who were late. On one of these, Benchley wrote, in very small handwriting, an elaborate excuse involving a herd of elephants on 44th Street. These issues contributed to a general deterioration of morale in the offices, culminating in Parker's termination, allegedly due to complaints by the producers of the plays she criticised in her theatrical reviews. Upon learning of her termination, Benchley tendered his own resignation. It was mentioned in Time by Alexander Woollcott, who was at a lunch with Benchley, Parker, and others. Given that Benchley had two children at the time of his resignation, Parker referred to it as "the greatest act of friendship I'd ever seen".

After Benchley's resignation, he received many freelance offers. He worked constantly while claiming he was intensely lazy. He was offered $200 per basic subject article for The Home Sector, and a weekly freelance salary from New York World to write a book review column three times per week for the same salary he received at Vanity Fair. The column, titled "Books and Other Things," was published for one year and included mundane topics such as Bricklaying In Modern Practice. Unfortunately for Benchley, however, his writing a syndicated column for David Lawrence drew the ire of his World bosses, and "Books and Other Things" was terminated.

Benchley continued to freelance, submitting humor columns to a variety of publications, including Life (fellow humorist James Thurber stated that Benchley's columns were the only reason the magazine was read). He continued meeting with his friends at the Algonquin Hotel, and the group became popularly known as the Algonquin Round Table. In April 1920, Benchley obtained a job with Life writing theatre reviews, which he would continue doing regularly through 1929, eventually taking complete control of the drama section. His reviews were known for their flair, and he often used them to publicise issues of concern to him, whether petty (people who cough during plays) or more important (such as racial intolerance).

Things changed again for Benchley a number of years into the arrangement. A theatrical production by the members of the Round Table was put together in response to a challenge from actor J. M. Kerrigan, who was tired of the Table's complaints about the ongoing theatre season. The result, which played for one night April 30, 1922 at the 49th Street Theatre, was No Sirree! (the name being a pun of the European revue La Chauve-Souris), "An Anonymous Entertainment by the Vicious Circle of the Hotel Algonquin." Benchley's contribution to the program, "The Treasurer's Report," featured Benchley as a nervous, disorganized man attempting to summarize an organization's yearly expenses. The revue was applauded by both spectators and fellow actors, with Benchley's performance receiving the biggest laughs. A reprise of "The Treasurer's Report" was often requested for future events, and Irving Berlin (who had been musical director for No Sirree!) prompted producer Sam H. Harris to request Benchley to perform it as part of Berlin's Music Box Revue. Reluctant to appear onstage as a regular performer, Benchley decided to ask Harris for the outlandish sum of $500 a week for his brief act in order to get out of the situation entirely; when Harris replied "OK, Bob. But for $500 you better be good," Benchley was completely surprised. The Music Box Revue began in September 1921 and played until September 1922, with Benchley appearing in his eleven-minute skit eight times a week (evening performances on Monday through Saturday and matinees on Wednesday and Saturday).

The movies and The New Yorker
Benchley had continued to receive positive responses from his performing, and in 1925 he accepted a standing invitation from movie producer Jesse L. Lasky for a six-week term writing screenplays at $500. While the session did not yield significant results, Benchley did get writing credit for producing the title cards on the Raymond Griffith silent movie You'd Be Surprised (released September 1926), and was invited to do some titling for two other movies.

Benchley was also hired to help with the book for a George Gershwin musical, Smarty, featuring Fred Astaire — Benchley's name and Fred Thompson's were listed as the book writers on the sheet music issued during the tryout period. This experience was not as positive, as most of Benchley's contributions were excised and the final product, Funny Face, did not have Benchley's name attached.

Worn down, Benchley began his next commitment, motion-picture versions of his pieces The Treasurer's Report and The Sex Life of the Polyp, filmed in 1928 by Fox with its new Movietone sound system. The filming went quickly, and though he was convinced he didn't perform well as a screen performer, both shorts were financial and critical successes -- especially when considering that talking short-subject comedies were then in their infancy, and Benchley's pioneer efforts helped to establish them. Benchley featured in a third short not written by him, The Spellbinder. As Life would say after his eventual resignation in 1929, "Mr. Benchley has left Dramatic Criticism for the Talking Movies".

During the time that Benchley was filming various short movies, he also began working at The New Yorker, which had started in February 1925 under the control of Benchley's friend Harold Ross. While Benchley, along with many of his Algonquin acquaintances, was wary of getting involved with another publication for various reasons, he completed some freelance work for The New Yorker during the first few years, and was later invited to be newspaper critic. Benchley initially wrote the column using the pseudonym Guy Fawkes (the main conspirator in the English Gunpowder Plot), and the column was well received. Benchley discussed issues ranging from careless reporting to European fascism, and the publication flourished. He was invited to be theatre critic for The New Yorker in 1929, quitting Life, and contributions from Woollcott and Parker became regular features of the magazine. The New Yorker published an average of forty-eight Benchley columns per year during the early 1930s.

With the emergence of The New Yorker, Benchley was able to stay away from Hollywood work for a number of years. In 1931, he was persuaded to do voice work for RKO Radio Pictures for a movie that would eventually be titled Sky Devils, and he acted in his first feature movie, The Sport Parade (1932) with Joel McCrea. The work on The Sport Parade caused Benchley to miss the autumn theatre openings, which embarrassed him (even if the relative success of The Sport Parade was often credited to Benchley's role), but the lure of moviemaking did not disappear, since RKO offered him a writing and acting contract for the next year for more money than he was making writing for The New Yorker.

Benchley on film and "How to Sleep"
Benchley re-entered Hollywood at the height of the Great Depression and the large-scale introduction of the talkie movies he had begun working with years before. His arrival put him on the scene of a number of productions almost instantly. While Benchley was more interested in writing than acting, one of his more important roles as an actor was as a salesman in Rafter Romance, and his work attracted the interest of MGM. Benchley took a role in the feature movie Dancing Lady (1933), which also featured Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Fred Astaire, Nelson Eddy, and the Three Stooges. That same year, Benchley appeared in the short movies Your Technocracy and Mine for Universal Pictures and How to Break 90 at Croquet for RKO. He continued to work in Hollywood a writer and performer, contributing dialogue for the Stuart Palmer mystery Murder on a Honeymoon (1935) and appearing in the lavish feature-length production China Seas for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, featuring Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Wallace Beery, and Rosalind Russell; Benchley's character was a slurring drunk throughout the movie.

Upon its completion, MGM invited Benchley to write and perform in a short production inspired by a Mellon Institute study on sleep commissioned by the Simmons Mattress Company. The resulting movie, How to Sleep, was filmed in two days, and it featured Benchley as both the narrator and sleeper—the latter a role Benchley claimed was "not much of a strain, as [he] was in bed most of the time." Benchley was in fact a last-minute participant. As his son Nathaniel Benchley recalled, "How to Sleep was supposed to be a Pete Smith short, but Pete Smith was sick. It was going to be a thing on Simmons mattresses; they had this film of quick shots showing how many positions you take during an evening's sleep. They tried to have somebody else do it, who couldn't make it, and they finally came to my father and asked if he would try to do it. That's what finally wound up being How to Sleep." The film was well received at previews and was promoted heavily, with a still from the film being used in Simmons advertisements. The only group not pleased was the Mellon Institute, which did not approve of the studio mocking their study.

How to Sleep was named Best Short Subject at the 1935 Academy Awards, and MGM kicked off an entire series of situation-comedy reels, each 10 minutes in length, showing Benchley giving mock-instructional lectures (How to Be a Detective, How to Rest, etc.) or coping with household situations (An Evening Alone, Home Movies, etc.).

While starring in his short subjects Benchley returned to feature films, cast in the revue Broadway Melody of 1938 and in his largest role to that point, the lightweight comedy Live, Love and Learn. The latter film is actually more notable for its coming-attractions trailer, "The Glamorous Robert Benchley in How to Make a Movie Trailer," staged like one of his comedy shorts and even using the shorts' theme song.

Benchley's 1937 short A Night at the Movies, showing Mr. B.'s disastrous evening at the neighborhood moviehouse, was his greatest success since How to Sleep: it was Oscar-nominated, and secured him a contract for more short subjects. These films were produced more quickly than his previous efforts (while How to Sleep needed two days, the later short How to Vote needed less than twelve hours), and took their toll on Benchley. He still completed two shoots in one day (one of which was The Courtship of the Newt), but rested for a while following the 1937 schedule.

Benchley's return yielded two more short films, and his high-profile prompted negotiations for sponsorship of a Benchley radio program and numerous appearances on television shows, including the first television entertainment program ever broadcast, an untitled test program using an experimental antenna on the Empire State Building. The radio program, Melody and Madness - with the "Melody" provided by Artie Shaw - was a showcase for Benchley's acting, as he did not participate in writing it. It was not well received and it was removed from the schedule, although television was still in its experimental stages and few people saw the program, doing little or no damage to Benchley's reputation.

Later life
The year 1939 was a bad year for Benchley's career. Besides the cancellation of his radio show, Benchley learned that MGM did not plan to renew his shorts contract, and The New Yorker, frustrated with Benchley's film career taking precedence over his theatre column, appointed Wolcott Gibbs to take over in his stead. Following his final New Yorker column in 1940, Benchley signed with Paramount Pictures for a new series of one-reel shorts, all filmed at Paramount's Long Island studio in Astoria, New York. Most of them were adapted from his old essays. The Witness was based on his 1935 essay "Take the Witness!," with Benchley fantasizing about conquering a tough cross-examination; Crime Control was taken from his 1931 story "The Real Public Enemies," showing the criminal tendencies of sinister household objects.

In 1940 Benchley appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's Foreign Correspondent for which he is also credited as one of the dialogue writers. In 1941 Benchley received more feature-length roles: Walt Disney's The Reluctant Dragon, in which Benchley tours the various departments of the Disney studio;, Nice Girl? with Deanna Durbin, noteworthy for a rare dramatic performance by Benchley; and two for Columbia Pictures, Bedtime Story starring Fredric March and Loretta Young, and the farce comedy Three Girls About Town, starring Joan Blondell and featuring Benchley.

Benchley's roles primarily came as a freelance actor, as his Paramount shorts contract didn't pay as well as feature films. Benchley was cast in minor roles for various romantic comedies, some shoots going better than others. He appeared in prominent roles with Fred Astaire in You'll Never Get Rich (1941) and The Sky's the Limit (1943). Paramount did not renew his shorts contract when it lapsed in 1942—no fault of Benchley; the studio was suspending all short-subject production in New York.

Benchley signed with MGM with an exclusive contract to work in Hollywood. The situation was not positive for Benchley, as the studio "mishandled" him and kept Benchley too busy to complete his own work. His contract concluded with only four short films completed and no chance of signing another contract. Following the printing of two books of his old New Yorker columns, Benchley gave up writing for good in 1943, signing one more contract with Paramount for feature films in December of that year.

While Benchley's books and Paramount contract were giving him financial security, he was still unhappy with the turn his career had taken. By 1944 he was taking thankless roles in the studio's least distinguished films, like the rustic musical National Barn Dance. He also appeared as a guest November 10, 1944 on radio's 'Duffy's Tavern'.

By this time Robert Benchley's screen image was established as a comic lecturer who tried but failed to clarify any given topic. In this capacity Paramount cast him in the 1945 Bob Hope-Bing Crosby comedy Road to Utopia; Benchley interrupts the action periodically to "explain" the nonsensical storyline. On April 22, 1945, he guest starred on the Blue Network's (soon to be ABC) top-rated radio series The Andrews Sisters Show, sponsored by Nash motor cars & Kelvinator home appliances. His final radio appearances was as a guest on Hildegarde's Raleigh Room (NBC) on October 30, 1945.

Death
Though Benchley had been a teetotaler in his youth, in later life he drank with increasing frequency, and eventually he was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver. While he completed his year's work, his condition continued to deteriorate, and he died in a New York hospital on November 21, 1945. His funeral was private, and his body was cremated and interred in a family plot in Prospect Hill Cemetery on the island of Nantucket.

The 1954 publication of The Benchley Roundup, a collection of favorite Robert Benchley essays edited by Nathaniel Benchley, prompted MGM to re-release Benchley's movie shorts to theaters in 1955.

In 1960, Benchley was posthumously inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame with a motion pictures star at 1724 Vine Street.

Family
Nathaniel Benchley also became an author, and he published a biography of his father in 1955. He was also a well-respected fiction and children's book author. Nathaniel married and also had sons who became writers: Peter Benchley was known best for the book Jaws (which was adapted as the movie of the same name), and Nat Benchley wrote and performed in an acclaimed one-man production based on their grandfather Robert's life.

Algonquin Round Table
The Algonquin Round Table was a group of New York City writers and actors who met regularly between 1919 and 1929 at the Algonquin Hotel. Initially consisting of Benchley, Dorothy Parker, and Alexander Woollcott during their time at Vanity Fair, the group eventually expanded to over a dozen regular members of the New York media and entertainment, such as playwrights George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly and journalist/critic Heywood Broun, who gained prominence due to his positions during the Sacco and Vanzetti trial. The table gained prominence due to the media attention the members drew as well as their collective contributions to their respective areas.

Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle is a 1994 American film that depicts the Round Table from the perspective of Dorothy Parker. Campbell Scott portrays Robert Benchley.

Humor style
Benchley's humor was molded during his time at Harvard. While his skills as an orator were already known by classmates and friends, it was not until his work at the Lampoon that his style formed. The prominent styles of humor were then "crackerbarrel" — which relied on devices such as dialects and a disdain for formal education, in the style of humorists like Artemus Ward and David Ross Locke, through his alter-ego Petroleum Vesuvius Nasby — and a more "genteel" style of humor, very literary and upper-class in nature, a style popularized by Oliver Wendell Holmes. While the two styles were, at first glance, diametrically opposed, they coexisted in magazines such as Vanity Fair and Life. The Lampoon primarily used the latter style, which suited Benchley. While some of his pieces would not have been out of place in a crackerbarrel-style presentation, Benchley's reliance on puns and wordplay resonated more with the literary humorists, as shown by his success with The New Yorker, known for the highbrow tastes of its readers.

Benchley's definition of humor was simple: "Anything that makes people laugh."

Benchley's characters were typically exaggerated representations of the common man. They were designed to create a contrast between himself and the masses; the character is often befuddled by society and is often neurotic in a "different" way—the character in How to Watch Football, for instance, finds it sensible for a normal fan to forgo the live experience and read the recap in the local papers. This character, labeled the "Little Man" and in some ways similar to many of Mark Twain's protagonists, was based on Benchley himself; the character did not persist in Benchley's writing past the early 1930s, but survived in his speaking and acting roles. This character was apparent in Benchley's Ivy Oration during his Harvard graduation ceremonies, and would appear throughout his career, such as during "The Treasurer's Report" in the 1920s and his work in feature films in the 1930s.

Topical, current-event style pieces written for Vanity Fair during the war did not lose their levity, either. He was not afraid to poke fun at the establishment (one piece he wrote was titled "Have You a Little German Agent in Your Home?"), and his common man observations often veered into angry rants, such as his piece "The Average Voter," where the namesake of the piece "[F]orgets what the paper said...so votes straight Republicrat ticket." His lighter fare did not hesitate to touch upon topical issues, drawing analogies between a football game and patriotism, or chewing gum and diplomacy and economic relations with Mexico.

In his films, the common man exaggerations continued. Much of his time in the films was spent spoofing himself, whether it was the affected nervousness of the treasurer in The Treasurer's Report or the discomfort in explaining The Sex Life of the Polyp to a women's club. The longer, plot-driven shorts, such as Lesson Number One, Furnace Trouble, and Stewed, Fried and Boiled, likewise show a Benchley character overmatched by seemingly mundane tasks. Even the more stereotypical characters held these qualities, such as the incapable sportscaster Benchley played in The Sport Parade.

Benchley's humor inspired a number of later humorists and filmmakers. Dave Barry, author, onetime humor writer for the Miami Herald, and judge of the 2006 and 2007 Robert Benchley Society Award for Humor, has called Benchley his "idol" and he "always wanted to write like [Benchley]." Horace Digby claimed that, "[M]ore than anyone else, Robert Benchley influenced [his] early writing style." Outsider filmmaker Sidney N. Laverents lists Benchley as an influence as well, and James Thurber used Benchley as a reference point, citing Benchley's penchant for presenting "the commonplace as remarkable" in "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty". In 1944, Benchley starred as Mitty in an adaptation of the story for the radio anthology series, This Is My Best.

Works
Benchley produced over 600 essays, which were initially compiled in twelve volumes, during his writing career. He also appeared in a number of films, including 48 short treatments that he mostly wrote or co-wrote and numerous feature films.

Posthumously, Benchley's works continue to be released in books such as the 1983 Random House compilation The Best of Robert Benchley, and the 2005 collection of short films Robert Benchley and the Knights of the Algonquin, which compiled many of Benchley's popular short films from his years at Paramount with other works from fellow humorists and writers Alexander Woollcott and Donald Ogden Stewart.

title: Robert Benchley


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User:Greenpousse~enwiki

Name: Christian Schmidt

Born in Berlin, grew up in Hamburg, studied transport planning in Berlin, Loughborough und London, I now live in Newport (Gwent) and work as a Planning Manager with Sewta.

In the 1990s for some time I used to be a councillor for Die Grünen (German Green Party) in Altona (a borough of Hamburg).

Consequently I mainly add things on public transport and politics (and of course transport policy), both in the English and in the German editions of Wikipedia.

And since I have forgotten my password, I'm now continuing as Greenpousse2

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title: User:Greenpousse~enwiki


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Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Asch effect

Listed for User:Poccil. I'd have speedied it myself as a sub-stub, but Poccil put a VfD tag on the page so I'll list it here.
 * I've speed deleted it as a content-free page. Ftr it said: "The Asch effect is an effect that Asch devised" -- There is indeed the concept of "Asch effect" in psychology, but Asch effect wasn't even pointed in the right direction. Somebody can write a real article at any time. Wile E. Heresiarch 14:00, 21 Jul 2004 (UTC)


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Claire Sweeney

Claire Jane Sweeney (born 17 April 1971) is an English actress, singer, and television personality. Known for her portrayal of Lindsey Corkhill on Channel 4's Brookside (1991–2003), she also played Roxie Hart in Chicago (West End, 2001–2002) and starred in touring productions of Guys and Dolls (2006), Tell Me on a Sunday (2011), Legally Blonde (2011), and Educating Rita (2012). She was a panellist on ITV's Loose Women between 2003 and 2005, and presented 60 Minute Makeover from 2004 to 2006. Her debut album, Claire, reached number 15 on the UK Albums Chart in 2002. Sweeney has portrayed Cassie Plummer on the ITV soap opera Coronation Street since 2023. Her other credits include Candy Cabs (2011),  Scarborough (2019), and The Good Ship Murder (2023).

Sweeney has appeared as a contestant on various reality television shows. She was a housemate on the first series of Celebrity Big Brother (2001), competed on the first series of Strictly Come Dancing (2004), and appeared on the sixteenth series of Dancing on Ice (2024).

Early life
Sweeney was born in Walton, Liverpool, the daughter of a butcher who had a shop in Toxteth. She trained at the Elliott-Clarke Theatre School in Liverpool, and worked at weekends in her father's shop.

Her first singing gig was at the age of 14 in the Montrose Club in Liverpool, for which she was paid £25. She was then educated full-time at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London. In 1987, she was a member of the Southport Summer Youth Theatre Workshop's production of the musical Hair.

Career
Sweeney's first major role was as Lindsey Corkhill in the soap opera Brookside, initially as a recurring character from 1991 and then as a leading character from 1995 until the programme ended in 2003.

In 2001 Sweeney appeared in the first series of Celebrity Big Brother and Lily Savage's Blankety Blank, and presented ITV's Challenge of a Lifetime. She was also cast as Roxie Hart in the London revival of the musical Chicago. In the same year she became a brand promoter for Marks & Spencer, and a brand ambassador for Fashion World and SlimFast.

In 2002 Sweeney became a forces sweetheart and entertained British Army troops serving in Afghanistan. In the same year she released the album Claire, featuring a mix of original material and cover versions: it peaked at number 15 in the UK Albums Chart in July 2002. She also co-presented BBC One's A Song for Europe with Christopher Price.

In 2003, Sweeney starred in the world tour of the musical revue Fosse, and featured on the album Give Me a Smile by Carl Davis and the BBC Concert Orchestra.

She was a regular panellist on the ITV's Loose Women from 2003 to 2005, and has appeared as a guest panellist several times since then.

In 2004, Sweeney appeared as a contestant on series one of Strictly Come Dancing, being eliminated in week five.

From 2004 to 2006 Sweeney presented the ITV daytime show 60 Minute Makeover.

In 2005 Sweeney presented series four of the Living TV show I'm Famous and Frightened!. She also hosted BBC One's Here Comes the Sun In May 2005 she was among the performers who took part in A Party to Remember event commemorating the 60th anniversary of VE Day.

In 2005 and 2006, Sweeney appeared in pantomime productions of Snow White and Aladdin at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham. In July 2006, She took on the role of Miss Adelaide in the British production of Guys and Dolls at the Piccadilly Theatre in London's West End for an eight-week run, before touring the UK alongside Patrick Swayze in the same production.

In 2008 she appeared in the ITV documentary Claire Sweeney's Big Fat Diet, in which she gained 2 st in six weeks as part of a medical experiment.

In December 2008 she starred in the pantomime Snow White at the Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent. In December 2009 she played Carrion the Wicked Fairy in Sleeping Beauty at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley.

In 2010 she sang with Carl Davis and the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in the Battle of Britain 70th Anniversary concert.

In 2011 Sweeney played both "The Girl" in a national tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Tell Me on a Sunday and Paulette in the first UK tour of Legally Blonde: The Musical. She also starred as Amanda in the BBC sitcom Candy Cabs.

In 2012, Sweeney appeared in the UK tour of Educating Rita. From November 2012 to January 2013 she starred in the White Christmas musical at the Lowry in Salford Quays.

In 2013 Sweeney appeared in Let's Dance for Comic Relief alongside Natalie Cassidy, Dean Gaffney and Ricky Groves, performing to "You Can't Stop the Beat" from Hairspray. They came second to Antony Cotton.

In May and June 2014 she appeared in the comedy musical Sex and the Suburbs, co-written by Sweeney and Mandy Muden, at the Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool.

Since 2015 Sweeney has presented her own series, Magic of the Musicals on Magic Radio.

In 2015 and 2016 Sweeney played Velma Von-Tussle in the UK tour of Hairspray.

In 2019 Sweeney took part in a special episode of Radio 2's Friday Night Is Music Night to celebrate Tony Hatch's 80th birthday. She starred as Hayley in the BBC sitcom Scarborough, alongside Jason Manford, Stephanie Cole, and Catherine Tyldesley. On Christmas Day 2019 she presented a biography of Cilla Black on Radio 2.

In July 2021, Sweeney performed at G-A-Y alongside drag queen Veronica Green as part of the regular cabaret night “Defying Musicals”.

Sweeney provided 'alternative Scouse commentary' for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 final in Liverpool, alongside a member of the public chosen via BBC Radio Merseyside's "Voice of Eurovision" talent search campaign, who was revealed on 1 May 2023 to be Paul Quinn.

In April 2023, it was announced that Sweeney would be joining the cast of Coronation Street as Cassandra Plummer, the daughter of Evelyn Plummer and the biological mother of Tyrone Dobbs.

In 2024, Sweeney appeared as a contestant on the sixteenth series of Dancing on Ice. She was paired with Colin Grafton and was third to be eliminated.

Charitable work
Sweeney supports Claire House Children's Hospice, and is a patron of Queenie's Christmas Charity and the Children's Liver Disease Foundation.

Personal life
Sweeney had a relationship with businessman Tony Hibbard for six years, until 2007. She has a son, Jaxon, with her ex-partner Daniel Reilly.

Discography

 * Claire (2002)

title: Claire Sweeney


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Talk:Airdrieonians F.C.

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

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

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If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

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Update and changes to Article
Recent changes made to the article:-

Requested move

 * The following discussion is an archived discussion of the proposal. 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 proposal was moved to Airdrie United F.C.; Airdrie F.C. can remain where it is. --BDD (talk) 20:06, 25 September 2012 (UTC) (non-admin closure)

 * Airdrie F.C. (2002) → Airdrie F.C.
 * Airdrie F.C. → Airdrie F.C. (disambiguation) – Airdrie United F.C. have dropped the United from their title (I don't know when exactly) hence another user moved Airdrie United F.C. to Airdrie F.C. (2002). But clearly the current club is the primary topic rather then the disambiguation hence the request. ★☆  DUCK IS JAMMMY ☆★ 03:55, 18 September 2012 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in WikiProject Football's list of association football-related page moves. ★☆ DUCK IS JAMMMY ☆★ 04:05, 18 September 2012 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in Scottish task force's list of association football-related page moves. ★☆ DUCK IS JAMMMY ☆★ 04:05, 18 September 2012 (UTC)

 * Move back to Airdrie United F.C.. There seems to have been a style change in their badge and some casual use of "Airdrie F.C." in their website, but they haven't told anybody of this change. The Scottish Football League (the league Airdrie (United) plays in) still uses "Airdrie United" and reliable 3rd party sources still use Airdrie United BBC Sport. I suspect that the club "want" to change their name from Airdrie United but aren't allowed to for some reason connected to the liquidation of Airdrieonians. Until third parties start dropping the United from the name - even the club themselves are still using "Airdrie United" in some articles - then Wikipedia should follow that. Jmorrison230582 (talk) 05:54, 18 September 2012 (UTC)
 * I did initially try to revert the other user to move it back to Airdrie United F.C. as it was never announced they had dropped the United, but couldn't due to the double move. But then looked further into it & couldn't find any evidence of Airdrie referring to themselves as Airdrie United FC. It certainly shouldn't be called Airdrie F.C. (2002). ★☆ DUCK IS JAMMMY ☆★ 07:38, 18 September 2012 (UTC)
 * One of the articles on the news page of their website refers to "Airdrie United under-13s". History page is titled "history of Airdrie United". Jmorrison230582 (talk) 07:42, 18 September 2012 (UTC)
 * The limited company is still titled "Airdrie United Football Club" . Jmorrison230582 (talk) 07:45, 18 September 2012 (UTC)
 * Seems odd they're trying to distance themselves from their own officially title. I'm happy with the move back to Airdrie United F.C ★☆ DUCK IS JAMMMY ☆★ 07:54, 18 September 2012 (UTC)

 * Move back to Airdrie United F.C. per Jmorrison230582's rationale. GiantSnowman 07:48, 18 September 2012 (UTC)

Firstly, the SFL have NOT been informed of any official name change - it is my understanding that this will happen in time for next season. It also has absolutely nothing to do with Airdrieonians or any legal/liquidation aspect regarding that.
 * Some comments re above:-

Secondly, as noted the club has changed its badge, website and other merchandise - this is a progressive move to the "official" SFL change in time for next season.

Thirdly, do not place too much emphasis on third parties and how they name clubs - have a look at the same "reliable" BBC source and you will see they call Forfar just Forfar - not Forfar Athletic, or Dunfermline (not Dunfermline Athletic), or Albion (not Albion Rovers), or Ayr (not Ayr United) - infact if you look at any media (tv, print, digital) they will call teams by their full names, shortened names, or a mixture of both - there is no consistency and so 3rd party media sources are not reliable.

In respect of the points made above, until the name is officially changed by the SFL I propose that the article be moved back to Airdrie United FC. Centre Stand (talk) 10:15, 18 September 2012 (UTC)
 * Thanks for your comments. The only reason I mentioned Airdrieonians was because I recall a certain Daily Record journalist talking this summer about how the Airdrieonians company is still in liquidation (it hasn't been formally closed yet, over 10 years on). He had called the liquidator with a view to acquiring the club badge and other intangible properties, but the liquidator advised against this because of potential legal problems with the Airdrieonians creditors. Jmorrison230582 (talk) 12:16, 18 September 2012 (UTC)

 * Interesting comment about the Daily Record/Airdrieonians situation. There are mixed feelings at the club - some want a complete change back to Airdrieonians, others are happy enough with Airdrie FC. There is a majority of opinion that are NOT happy with the "United" part, and this is what has swayed the Board to make a first progressive step to dropping the "United" part and making a first stage move to Airdrie FC. Whether that progresses fully back to Airdrieonians remains to be seen. And I will correct myself because the badge hasn't changed at all - only the name below the crest/badge!

Even when the club was "Airdrieonians" most referred to it as Airdrie - even the (inconsistent) media! There are similarities here with dozens of clubs up and down the length of the UK - as already said some call a club the full, official title - many don't. I'm still of the opinion that, despite the club's progressive (unofficial) moves away from the "United", until the club is listed with the SFL as simply Airdrie FC then the article should be moved back to Airdrie United. Centre Stand (talk) 14:07, 18 September 2012 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the proposal. 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.

Official Club Name Change
Due to todays announcement on STV News, I have moved the page from Airdrie United F.C. to Airdrieonians F.C. (2002). The article (and related articles) however will need quite a lot of updating so that it makes sense now that the name has changed. I will be able to work on updating the whole article, but wont be able to spend much time on it today, so if anyone fancies having a go at it by all means go ahead. Thanks, Vanguard  Scot  12:24, 3 June 2013 (UTC)
 * It makes more sense for the original club to be disambiguated by year and the new club to be at Airdrieonians F.C., as people are more likely to be searching for the present club. Jmorrison230582 (talk) 12:32, 3 June 2013 (UTC)
 * That does make sense, yeah. Vanguard  Scot  12:44, 3 June 2013 (UTC)
 * In reference to the editor trying to put the original airdrieonians club badge on this page. That wont be happening, the current club have changed their name not their badge. Thanks, Vanguard  Scot  13:08, 3 June 2013 (UTC)
 * They have also reverted back to the original Airdrieonians logo. (Lbarnett-bl (talk) 13:25, 3 June 2013 (UTC))
 * As it stands the only sources there are for this say nothing of a badge change. Until it is sourced it stays as it is. The page will be moved to either Airdrieonians F.C. or Airdrieonians F.C. (2002), pending conclusion of the discussion at WP:Football. Thanks, Vanguard  Scot  13:43, 3 June 2013 (UTC)
 * I have now put the logo back in as I have provided a reference within the article on the bit about the name change. (Lbarnett-bl (talk) 15:59, 3 June 2013 (UTC))
 * I have reverted for now, pending the discussion at Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Football

Requested move 2

 * 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. 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 Airdrieonians F.C. to Airdrieonians F.C. (1878), Airdrie United F.C. to Airdrieonians F.C.. That the previous naming scheme was inadequate was quite easily proven. The arguments for naming the current club without the disambiguation seemed quite strong, particularly alongside other club articles that have been named in similar fashions. I must add that the name Airdrieonians F.C. (1878–2002) seemed to, at least to me, make more sense than simply Airdrieonians F.C. (1878), but that was never even brought up here, so I obviously couldn't make that move. (P.S. I don't know enough about the topic to write the hatnotes for these articles, so I hope someone else can take care of those.) --  tariq abjotu  16:43, 23 June 2013 (UTC)

– As a result of the club's official rename we need to make a couple of page moves in order to disambiguate between this one and the clubs previously of this name. As discussed at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Football propose the above changes plus following the move Airdrieonians F.C. becoming a disambiguation page. Blethering  Scot  20:04, 3 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Airdrie United F.C. → Airdrieonians F.C. (2002)
 * Airdrieonians F.C. → Airdrieonians F.C. (1878)
 * Support I agree with all of the above. The Airdrieonians F.C. (1881) suggestion was silly, and I think both clubs should have dates (2002 and 1878) as the original club is still much more notable (in my eyes anyway) than the current club. Vanguard  Scot  20:12, 3 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in WikiProject Football's list of association football-related deletions. GiantSnowman 20:23, 3 June 2013 (UTC)

 * Support both moves, and turn Airdrieonians F.C. into a disambiguation page as I'm not sure either club has PRIMARY. GiantSnowman 20:26, 3 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Support. The original club clearly achieved more than the present one has, to date, so giving the latter primacy would be wrong. Walls of Jericho (talk) 20:40, 3 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Question: at what point would the new(er) club achieve primary status? Jmorrison230582 (talk) 21:53, 3 June 2013 (UTC)
 * The original spent several years in the top flight, reached four Scottish Cup finals and played in Europe; the present one has not finished higher than mid-table in the second tier. I probably shouldn't have said it would be wrong since there are examples of present clubs having primacy over the original. If there is consensus for newer clubs to be primary then that's fine, I just don't remember seeing it. Walls of Jericho (talk) 23:37, 3 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Comment I believe the current club should have primacy as it is the one currently playing and not at a level dissimilar to the old club when it was wound up, and this is consistent with the Accrington Stanley, Bootle and Maidstone United situations (the original Bootle and Maidstone clubs were arguably more notable than the present ones, as they played in the Football League, but the articles are at Bootle F.C. (1879)/Bootle F.C. and Maidstone United F.C. (1897)/Maidstone United F.C.). As a result I would support this article being moved to just Airdrieonians F.C.. I fully support the proposed move of the article already at that location. Number   5  7  22:03, 3 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Not so sure, they played at a similar level to each other last few seasons but the original club was far more successful overall. I would find it hard to argue one way or another who was the primary at least to a level we would all be happy with. Personally feel both being as dates is the best solution. Blethering  Scot  22:44, 3 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Yes, but as pointed out, the original Bootle and Maidstone were also more successful than the current club, but the current one takes primacy. Page view stats also back up the fact that more people are looking for the modern club as opposed to the old one (120 views/day for the modern club compared to 87 for the old one). Number   5  7  08:40, 4 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in Scottish task force's list of association football-related page moves. ★☆ DUCK IS JAMMMY ☆★ 06:15, 4 June 2013 (UTC)

 * Support Number 57 suggestion of move Airdrie United to Airdrieonians FC. I think the new club will very quickly become the primary topic. For example (as things stand) Airdrie United / Airdrieonians will play Rangers FC next season in the Scottish Second Division and it is more than likely that one or more of their games will be televised. Anyone watching those games who wants information about "Airdrieonians" will want to know about the present club. See also the precedent with American clubs of siting the new MLS clubs (eg Portland Timbers) at the primary page, whereas arguably more notable NASL clubs have to be disambiguated. Jmorrison230582 (talk) 10:40, 4 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Whether or not games will be televised or how notable an opponent is should not come into this at all, only how notable this club is over the other one. Page stats aren't enough of a difference to show that one has outright primacy over the other either, imo needs to be much more of a difference. On top of that one is clearly more successful than the other. No one has shown a clear argument validating primacy nor against it could be said, one click isn't going to harm anyone and to me is by far the best solution. Don't see harm in either version but feel the two at dates is most accurate in this situation so will leave to the closing admin to decide. Blethering  Scot  20:10, 4 June 2013 (UTC)

 * Comment It would be wrong IMO to give primacy to the current club mainly due to the fact both clubs have been around so recently (I'm only 21 and have been to matches involving both teams), more so but as well as the fact the current club has had no where near the attendances, league position or cup success of the original club. The fact they will only have been known as Airdrieonians for a matter of months is another reason I believe both should have dates to avoid confusion. Vanguard  Scot  11:44, 4 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Boring housekeeping comment - regardless of the outcome of this discussion, we need to move quickly to re-name all the relevant templates/categories etc. and ensure all links point to the correct club(s). GiantSnowman 11:53, 4 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Comment Why not just the old club with a date & the former Airdrie United club as 'Airdrieonians F.C.' & a 'hat note' on it saying something along the lines of "for the 1878 club see 'Airdrieonians F.C. (1878)?' (Lbarnett-bl (talk) 14:39, 4 June 2013 (UTC))
 * That is what User:Number 57 proposed above. Jmorrison230582 (talk) 15:57, 4 June 2013 (UTC)
 * I think now that it has been revealed that both clubs will have the same badge as well as the same name it is even more important that both clubs are distinguished in the title with the year of formation, to avoid confusion. Vanguard  Scot  16:14, 4 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Any hatnote should see to confusion being avoided. (Lbarnett-bl (talk) 16:39, 4 June 2013 (UTC))
 * Note to administrators, Gazaufc has created a duplicate of this page at Airdrieonians F.C. (2002). Think we need to get the ball rolling on a decision here. Vanguard  Scot  15:34, 4 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Support Number 57's suggestion. Giving present clubs primacy seems to be the done thing and that's fine; Seattle Sounders FC being another. Time is short, as stated. I assume that an appropriate hatnote will be added to both pages. Walls of Jericho (talk) 16:26, 4 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose and merge the two articles. We only have a single article on Clydebank F.C. and Rangers F.C.. If that doesn't happen treat the present club as primary. PatGallacher (talk) 16:48, 4 June 2013 (UTC)
 * A ridiculous suggestion, these are clearly two seperate clubs. GiantSnowman 16:50, 4 June 2013 (UTC)
 * It isn't actually that ridiculous, it's actually another valid idea IMO, the Clydebank article refers to two separate clubs albeit around a year of difference between the old club going bust to get replaced by Airdrie & the new club being formed, the 2 Airdrieonians clubs' difference was within the same year albeit the new club being called Airdrie United. (Lbarnett-bl (talk) 16:56, 4 June 2013 (UTC))
 * It is. Clubs having the same name does not make them the same club. GiantSnowman 17:00, 4 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Well I originally said 2 separate clubs but the Clydebank article actually refers to many separate clubs under the same or a similar name, correct me if I'm wrong? (Lbarnett-bl (talk) 17:02, 4 June 2013 (UTC))
 * The Clydebank article refers to many more than just 2 clubs. None of any major significance. It is a history of football in the town more than a club article, with some info on the current team in the Junior set-up. Vanguard  Scot  17:06, 4 June 2013 (UTC)
 * I am more in favour of the previous suggestion by User:Number 57 but I feel it was extremely harsh to completely ridicule this suggestion when in fact some precedence was set by the Clydebank article whether it be correct to merge all the Clydebank teams or not. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Lbarnett-bl (talk • contribs) 17:08, 4 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Sorry for forgetting to sign. (Lbarnett-bl (talk) 17:12, 4 June 2013 (UTC))
 * It wasnt me that called it ridiculous, but it was IMO a very lazy suggestion for solving this 'Airdrieonians problem'. Vanguard  Scot  17:15, 4 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Totally opposed to this suggestion. The two incarnations of Airdrieonians are officially separate clubs. The current club was originally Clydebank F.C. until it was taken over, re-branded and moved to Airdrie (ala what MK Dons did to Wimbledon F.C.). The Rangers senario was totally different with a new company (The Rangers Football Club Ltd) performing an asset buy out (including Rangers F.C.) from the old company (The Rangers Football Club Plc). With six teams throughout the last 130 years called Clydebank, none of massive note, I believe that article is merited as a history of football in the town. Vanguard  Scot  17:04, 4 June 2013 (UTC)
 * I think we've really reached as much agreement as we'll ever get on doing User:Number 57's suggestion, IMO now would be the time for admins to set the wheels in motion. (Lbarnett-bl (talk) 18:25, 4 June 2013 (UTC))
 * Wikipedia is not a democracy, and this is not a poll. Just because there is one extra person on one side does not mean that side will prevail in a discussion. Both sides have given their reasons for why it should/shouldn't be Airdrieonians F.C. (2002) / Airdrieonians F.C. that the page is moved to. Ultimately an administrator will decide which to go with based on the points raised, not the number of people raising each point. Vanguard  Scot  18:55, 4 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Well a decision could do with being made soon & who is this person who decides & why is he/she so slow in making a decision? (Lbarnett-bl (talk) 19:15, 4 June 2013 (UTC))
 * Now would be a good time to read up on a bit of wikipedia policy i think. However read the opening paragraphs of Requested moves for your answers. Blethering  Scot  20:10, 4 June 2013 (UTC)
 * I am also opposed to merging the articles. The first Airdrieonians and the current Airdrie United / Airdrieonians are clearly distinct clubs (as opposed to merely distinct companies, in the Rangers FC case), because Airdrie United / Airdrieonians was formed out of the league place and SFA membership held by Clydebank FC, while the old Airdrieonians vacated their place and membership. The reason Airdrie United / Airdrieonians has not adopted the insignia and so on of the old Airdrieonians is because they were unable to acquire that intellectual property until the old company was formally liquidated earlier this year. It didn't buy the "business and assets" of the club in the way that the new Rangers company did. I suspect the Clydebank FC article has information about various incarnations because Wikipedia (and the Clydebank FC article) was created after Clydebank was forced out of senior football. Jmorrison230582 (talk) 08:06, 5 June 2013 (UTC)

 * Actually I'm going to stick to my guns on this. I quote the article about the period immediately after the demise of first Airdrieonians: "Airdrie United then went on to complete a buy-out of the ailing Second Division side Clydebank and with SFL approval the club was relocated to Airdrie, the strips were transformed to resemble that of Airdrieonians, and the name was changed to Airdrie United. While this means that the club is therefore officially a continuation of Clydebank it is almost universally accepted as a reincarnation of Airdrieonians, with Clydebank having been reformed by supporters groups and entering into the West Region Junior League."  Later they adopted a club crest resembling that of old Airdrieonians, they are nicknamed the Diamonds, their ground is unofficially known as new Broomfield.  The degree of continuity here may not be quite as great as with the 2 incarnations of Rangers, but not much less, and may even be greater than with the various incarnations of Clydebank.  There are other cases of single articles on a team with various incarnations e.g. Vale of Leven F.C.. PatGallacher (talk) 10:25, 5 June 2013 (UTC)
 * I politely direct you to WP:OTHERSTUFFEXISTS. GiantSnowman 10:30, 5 June 2013 (UTC)
 * By all means stick to your guns. A merged article is not going to happen though, as it would mean a lot of the good information from the original airdrieonians article would be lost to the history section of the current airdrieonians. By all means request at WP:Football that all 6 Clydebank clubs should have separate articles, but most of them would just be tiny stubs, so I cant see many editors wanting to change it. The Clydebank article not ideal as it is, but it is better than the alternatives IMO. Vanguard  Scot  10:45, 5 June 2013 (UTC)
 * The club's own website talks about the old club operating from 1878 to 2002 (ie it doesn't claim it as one unbroken history in the way that Rangers do). Jmorrison230582 (talk) 12:15, 5 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Yep. What happened to Rangers is no different to that dozens of other clubs in Britain; one company goes bust, another takes over, the club continues. Are we any closer to making something happen here? The club has been called Airdrieonians for nearly a week now. Walls of Jericho (talk) 10:50, 6 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Its been three days since the rename. Request moves usually take around 7 days or longer depending on consensus. See the documentation at WP:RM. Blethering  Scot  16:10, 6 June 2013 (UTC)
 * I'm aware of that. This isn't a common RM though; the current article name isn't what the club is called any more, but whatever. Walls of Jericho (talk) 17:36, 7 June 2013 (UTC)

 * Support nominator's suggestion. We shouldn't assume that the current club is WP:PRIMARYTOPIC, just because the other club is disbanded. Instead we could have a new move discussion in a year or two where we discuss whether the current club is primary topic, when we know better if the current club becomes primary topic. Mentoz86 (talk) 13:22, 7 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Is it really about who is the primary topic? people aren't stupid, if the current club is on the Airdrieonians F.C. page with a hatnote to the old club, people will read that & understand, not to mention the current club probably are the primary topic, if someone says "Airdrieonians" to you in 2013, 9 times out of 10 they mean the current club no? (Lbarnett-bl (talk) 14:52, 8 June 2013 (UTC))
 * Also if Airdrieonians F.C. is becoming a disambiguation page, what is happening to the one at Airdrie F.C. or is this a simple move as well? (Lbarnett-bl (talk) 15:22, 8 June 2013 (UTC))
 * Just for the record with the realisation that there is the Airdrie F.C. page operating as well I'm in favour of the following:

 * Airdrie United F.C. → Airdrieonians F.C. (with redirects from Airdrieonians F.C. (2002) & Airdrie United F.C. & hatnote to disambiguation page)
 * Airdrieonians F.C. → Airdrieonians F.C. (1878)
 * Airdrie F.C. → Airdrieonians F.C. (disambiguation), with redirect on Airdrie F.C. name (Lbarnett-bl (talk) 15:57, 8 June 2013 (UTC))
 * Nobody is likely to search specifically for Airdrieonians F.C. (2002) if there is an Airdrieonians F.C. if thats the option we go down so would be a pointless redirect. The original idea is by far the best idea given that we cant prove primacy, and really that as Mentoz8 said should be esthablished down the line. However moving Airdrie F.C. → Airdrieonians F.C.  as the disam page would be a good idea in the original scenario. Blethering   Scot  16:02, 8 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Are you presuming that everybody goes to the main page & puts what they're looking for into the search box because I certainly don't unless I can't find an article? I use the URL (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/name of page), in which case someone might put "Airdrieonians_FC_(2002)" in the URL & come back with no results. (Lbarnett-bl (talk) 22:40, 8 June 2013 (UTC))
 * its both an unlikely search term and a type in for a redirect. Its assuming a knowledge of when the club was re-founded and as a type in i see it even less although we will only find out if and when the pages are active at their correct location. Primarily thats because we have redirects all over the place at the moment and whilst redirects are cheap its just a very unlikely search term and the less confusing redirects in this case the better. As ive said i consider the original option the better because assuming primacy based on it being the current club is flawed, there isn't enough evidence to prove primacy and it certainly shouldn't be assumed. Long term it could and thats the time to look at it. Blethering   Scot  05:10, 9 June 2013 (UTC)

 * Comment: Still nothing been done, now over a week since the switch from Airdrie United to Airdrieonians! Surely the decision should've been made by now? (Lbarnett-bl (talk) 23:26, 10 June 2013 (UTC))
 * Still nobody willing to do anything about this!? Do I need to perform another 'controversial move' for people to actually do something about this!? (Lbarnett-bl (talk) 21:25, 14 June 2013 (UTC))
 * Making threats whether you mean or do it is not entirly helpful. An administrator will close eithier way when they get around to it or they feel there is enough consensus to do so. No immediate harm is being done to the encyclopaedia in any way, In fact the real problems begin after the move. Although i would not after 11 days it is due for a close. Blethering  Scot  21:41, 14 June 2013 (UTC)
 * It wasn't a threat it was a question, the team are Airdrieonians so continuing to referring to them as Airdrie United in the title is wrong, not to mention it looks strange to have an article named Airdrie United F.C. with Airdrieonians info on the right & an opening sentence of "Airdrieonians Football Club are a Scottish professional football team based in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire" explanation or no explanation, there has also been at least 1 more attempted move by a user since we last spoke & my prediction is that there will be continue to be attempted moves left, right & centre unless something is actually done, would you take over a week to make a decision in a place of work? A lot of the pages on here read really professionally so Wikipedia should be treated professionally! (Lbarnett-bl (talk) 22:10, 14 June 2013 (UTC))
 * With over 1000 incoming links, the work created by a move would not be trivial. As for urgency, we're all volunteers here. When I start getting paid to be an admin, then I might treat it like my place of work, but until then my day job takes priority ;-) Oldelpaso (talk) 10:36, 15 June 2013 (UTC)

 * Oppose and merge Rangers suffered the grim finality of liquidation just as Airdrie did. But because they were viewed as "too big to fail" their fans have been allowed to pretend that their phoenix entity is the same club. This Hans Christian Andersen tale about club/company distinction only started last year with Sevco-Rangers. But now the precedent seems to have been set: we must reflect local sources, however stupid and corrupt it may seem to an outsider. Clavdia chauchat (talk) 22:24, 14 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Em Rangers situation is nothing like this at all and is a wholly weird view. All that is happening here is the club changing their name to mirror the club they were formed to replace, that is all they are not the same club by any stretch of the imagination. This is a name change request that is all. Blethering   Scot  22:28, 14 June 2013 (UTC)
 * The new Rangers are also a different club to the old club, the only difference being that Airdrie's new club operated as Airdrie United from 2002 having taken over from Clydebank. (Lbarnett-bl (talk) 22:33, 14 June 2013 (UTC))
 * Not entirely Rangers company was liquidated not the actual club which is widely proven and accepted by all without pov on the matter, however that has no basis here as its entirely different. Airdrie United make no claim to being the same club at all. They fully acknowledge the old club ceased and they had to purchase and kill Clydebank in order to create Airdrie United as a new club. In changing their name they also acknowledge their history whilst not being the same club. The difference between the situation is a gaping hole. This is a simple rename no more no less. Blethering  Scot  22:39, 14 June 2013 (UTC)

Comment There's a few details I'd like to sort out before any move, particularly as over 1000 pages link to Airdrieonians F.C., and checking/changing the target of those would be a lot of work. Currently there is a redirect from Airdrieonians F.C. (1881) to Airdrieonians F.C.. From reading the relevant articles, it seems that is the date when the club changed name from Excelsior. But in searches I'm also getting results for a separate Airdrie or Airdrieonians club that played in the Scottish Cup before 1881, which confuses matters. Is 1878 the definite foundation date that sources use for the ex-league club? Oldelpaso (talk) 10:36, 15 June 2013 (UTC)
 * I'm thinking that Airdrie F.C. the team mentioned at the Airdrie F.C. article as not having an article & playing in the Scottish Cup tournaments from 1868-1890 were a separate club from Excelsior F.C. who went on to become Airdrieonians, someone will probably clear this up though. (77.97.229.201 (talk) 11:17, 15 June 2013 (UTC))
 * That comment was myself, forgot to sign in! (Liam_Barnett (talk) 11:21, 15 June 2013 (UTC))
 * Officially Airdrie United (now called Airdrieonians) were founded in 1965, as they as just a rebranded, relocated Clydebank - official source. I know this makes things even more confusing but thought it needed posted. I am still in favour of 2002 and 1878 in the titles though. (The 1881 redirect should be deleted, an editor created it the other week when performing a controversial move of the page. There is no question the original club was formed in 1878. Manchester United were formed in 1878 as Newton Heath FC, no one knows MUFC's formation date as 1902. Because it isn't 1902, it is 1978 - source) Vanguard  Scot  12:04, 15 June 2013 (UTC)
 * If things are so complicated with the years, why not just do the following as a compromise?

 * Airdrie United F.C. → Airdrieonians F.C. (hatnote for old club)
 * Airdrieonians F.C. → Airdrieonians F.C. (liquidated club)
 * Airdrie F.C. staying the same (Liam_Barnett (talk) 12:15, 15 June 2013 (UTC))
 * Worst suggestion yet IMO. Including '(liquidated club)' in he title is much more ambiguous and confusing than having 1878 and 2002. I also don't see what the need for rush is, the article explains the situation well as it is and it is better to get the title move right than make a botched job. Vanguard  Scot  12:23, 15 June 2013 (UTC)
 * How on earth is that "confusing!?" plus there is no correct way of doing it, it is open to everyone's interpretation, the only way anything would be wrong is if the 'Airdrie United F.C.' title remained which we have all agreed cannot happen. (Liam_Barnett (talk) 12:30, 15 June 2013 (UTC))
 * You also say "ambiguous" the definition of which is 'open to more than one interpretation' what are the interpretations because as far as I can see there is only one liquidated club called Airdrieonians? (Liam_Barnett (talk) 12:34, 15 June 2013 (UTC))
 * 'Liquidated' is generally not a good word to include in the title IMO. As we seen in the last year with Rangers F.C. (And last few decades with other clubs across Europe) the operating company of a club can be liquidated, but if the clubs SFA membership is transferred to a new company in an asset buy out, the club can survive. As such I don't think Airdrieonians F.C. (liquidated club) is a suitable title, as the word liquidation is ambiguous in this sense. It is also unprecedented as far as I can tell on Wikipedia to use such a word in the title of a former football club. There is reasoned and well though out debate above on why using 1878 and 2002 is the best solution. I'm going to put my neck on the line (as a non-administrator) and say that Airdrieonians F.C. (liquidated club) is not going to happen, as it is a silly title and nowhere near as sensible as both the solutions above (1878 & 2002, and 1878 & no date). Vanguard  Scot  18:26, 15 June 2013 (UTC)
 * With regard to that work i am more than happy to actually fix those links myself no matter how much work it causes. The original Airdrieonians were founded as Excelsior in 1878 to 1881. There were lots of similar clubs with Airdrie in the title around that time. Airdire itself 1868-1890, Airdrie Bluebell 1879-1880, Airdriehill 1879-1896. I suspect that whats muddying the waters. Blethering  Scot  18:33, 15 June 2013 (UTC)
 * There's still no explanation as to how it is "confusing" & "ambiguous"? All you have said is that it isn't suitable. (Liam_Barnett (talk) 18:56, 15 June 2013 (UTC))
 * Read/re-read the first 2½ lines of my above post. Cheers, Vanguard  Scot  19:55, 15 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Apologies, misread it the first time, fair point however liquidated club is not liquidated company! (Liam_Barnett (talk) 19:57, 15 June 2013 (UTC))
 * Thanks Blethering Scot, that is what I was referring to. If none of the others formed in 1878, then concerns that a title Airdrieonians F.C. (1878) might cause confusion are allayed. Oldelpaso (talk) 11:51, 16 June 2013 (UTC)
 * No problems the several clubs with Airdrie in the name could of complicated things but should be ok. Yes none of the other clubs were founded in 1878, this is the best year for me because 1881 really isn't when they were founded only when they were renamed. Blethering   Scot  21:59, 16 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Just to be clear is the agreement between you two referring to 1878 & no date or 1878 & 2002? I'm in favour of either if it means a bit of consensus & therefore action. (Liam_Barnett (talk) 23:36, 16 June 2013 (UTC))
 * Also some may have noticed a redirect & hatnote I've created namely Airdrieonians F.C. (1878) redirecting to Airdrieonians F.C. & a note on said page to clear up where to find the current Airdrieonians, this is temporary & as such there is no need for moaning from some folk, it's so folk who end up on the Airdrieonians F.C. page looking for Airdrie United don't need to read through most of the article to find what they are looking for, this will be sorted when there is some action on moves. (Liam_Barnett (talk) 11:21, 17 June 2013 (UTC))

Crest change
Not getting an answer at Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Football, I presume it is OK now to put the old Airdrieonians logo on this page about the new club now that the club has confirmed that it is the same logo being used? (Lbarnett-bl (talk) 15:50, 4 June 2013 (UTC))
 * Yip, should be fine now! I might work out a license to have the away kit version somewhere in the article in the future as well if I'v got time. You might want to replace the Airdrie Advertiser article source with the official site source, it is much clearer! Vanguard  Scot  16:07, 4 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Okay, I have edited the logo, I will edit the source now. (Lbarnett-bl (talk) 16:13, 4 June 2013 (UTC))
 * That's the source edited now. (Lbarnett-bl (talk) 16:14, 4 June 2013 (UTC))
 * Em they clearly are not identical to the original.This was pointed out to you that they were highly unlikely to be so, i have removed this one until the correct version of the crest[ ] is uploaded.[[User:Blethering Scot| Blethering ]] Scot  20:07, 4 June 2013 (UTC)
 * The normal logo IS clearly identical to the original logo while the alternative one is simply just a black version for red backgrounds. (Lbarnett-bl (talk) 20:19, 4 June 2013 (UTC))
 * No they are not identical it was a bad move and shouldn't of been done. They are totally different logos, yes parts of the old crest has been used but they are not identical by any means. Adding the one of a different club certainly would not meet the fair use rationale nor is it accurate, i have rectified this but please be more careful when it comes to the use of what are copyrighted logos. Blethering  Scot  20:22, 4 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Well I have now noticed very subtle differences but let me tell you you can see from this that I was given permission to do so & at least 1 other didn't notice the differences & could I ask when are these articles going to be sorted so Airdrieonians are named Airdrieonians & also is it within the person specification for each administrator to talk down to normal users? (Lbarnett-bl (talk) 20:28, 4 June 2013 (UTC))
 * It was pointed out by myself and GS that they were unlikely to be the same. Im not saying that its your fault just that it was a bad move and shouldn't of been done. It would of been picked up that it was on an article without a valid fair use rationale soon enough anyway, its rectified for now until a better version of the image is found anyway. Blethering  Scot  20:56, 4 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Apologies, I clearly didn't look very closely at the two crests before advising to add it back in. I will upload a version of the new crest later on tonight if it hasn't already been done. Vanguard  Scot  21:00, 4 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Have a look at this Club website all red it should be. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.171.61.137 (talk) 06:39, 5 June 2013 (UTC)
 * It has been uploaded. Blethering   Scot  got there before me! Cheers  B  S .  Vanguard  Scot  11:10, 5 June 2013 (UTC)

Sourcing and tidy up
Ive went through the article and sourced as much of it as i can but having difficulty sourcing the hall of fame and player of the year sections, can anyone help as feel will have to remove the section if cant source. The Mixed fortunes section first paragraph i feel needs a rewrite as will parts of the article once the name is decided. As for the Club statistics section would anyone object if this was removed and as much as possible placed in List of Airdrie United F.C. seasons and individual season articles. Blethering  Scot  21:54, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

Player category
Following the moves, does/do the related player category/categories require updating? eg Category:Airdrieonians F.C. players? Bladeboy1889 (talk) 11:04, 25 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Most definitely. Both sets of players cant be in the same category as are two separate clubs. Blethering  Scot  11:36, 25 June 2013 (UTC)
 * There are 10 categories that need name updates listed at Categories for discussion/Speedy (Liam_Barnett (talk) 14:14, 26 June 2013 (UTC))
 * Template:Airdrie United F.C. managers also requires a move to Template:Airdrieonians F.C. managers which currently carries a redirect. (Liam_Barnett (talk) 14:23, 26 June 2013 (UTC))

Old Airdrie United crest
If anyone still has the old Airdrie United crest file could someone please upload it to the "History" section please?

External links modified
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 * Added tag to http://scottishfootballarchive.co.uk/league-tables/2001-02-first-division
 * Added tag to http://www.statto.com/football/teams/airdrie-united/2002-2003/results
 * Added tag to http://www.statto.com/football/teams/airdrie-united/2003-2004/results
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20111130135229/http://www.scottishgrounds.co.uk/airdrie_united.htm to http://www.scottishgrounds.co.uk/airdrie_united.htm
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20120129214754/http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/football/sfl/2010/09/15/airdrie-united-appoint-jimmy-boyle-as-manager-on-a-permanent-basis-86908-22562806/ to http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/football/sfl/2010/09/15/airdrie-united-appoint-jimmy-boyle-as-manager-on-a-permanent-basis-86908-22562806/
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20130501165813/http://www.statto.com/football/teams/airdrie-united/history/modern to http://www.statto.com/football/teams/airdrie-united/history/modern

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Dangling ref
I have located a dangling ref and hidden it, replacing it with a citation needed tag. This has been done because we have a reference pointing to a source that is not recorded in the article. Please feel free to contact me if you need assistance fixing this. - Aussie Article Writer (talk)

title: Talk:Airdrieonians F.C.


text:
OPC Foundation

The OPC Foundation (Open Platform Communications, formerly Object Linking and Embedding for Process Control ) is an industry consortium that creates and maintains standards for open connectivity of industrial automation devices and systems, such as industrial control systems and process control generally. The OPC standards specify the communication of industrial process data, alarms and events, historical data and batch process data between sensors, instruments, controllers, software systems, and notification devices.

The OPC Foundation started in 1994, as a task force comprising five industrial automation vendors (Fisher-Rosemount, Rockwell Automation, Opto 22, Intellution, and Intuitive Technology), with the purpose of creating a basic OLE for Process Control specification. OLE is a technology developed by Microsoft Corporation for the MS Windows operating system. The task force released the OPC standard in August 1996. The OPC Foundation was chartered to continue development of interoperability specifications and includes manufacturers and users of devices instruments, controllers, software and enterprise systems.

The OPC Foundation cooperates with other organizations, such as MTConnect, who share similar missions.

OPC standards and specification groups

 * OPC Data Access : This group of standards provides specifications for communicating real-time data from data acquisition devices such as PLCs to display and interface devices like Human-Machine Interfaces (HMI). The specifications focus on the continuous communication of data

 * OPC Alarms and Events : Standards for communicating alarm and event data on demand, as opposed to the continuous communications in the OPC Data Access group

 * OPC Batch : Standards to address the needs of batch processes

 * OPC Data eXchange : This group of standards addresses server to server communications across industrial networks. The standards also address remote configuration, diagnostics, monitoring and management communications

 * OPC Historical Data Access : Standards for communicating stored data

 * OPC Security : Standards for controlling client access to OPC compliant devices and systems

 * OPC XML-DA : Builds on the OPC Data Access specifications to communicate data in XML. Incorporates SOAP and Web services

 * OPC Complex Data : Standards for specifying the communication of complex data types such as binary data and XML documents

 * OPC Commands : Standards for communicating control commands to devices and systems

 * OPC Unified Architecture : An entirely new set of standards that incorporates all of the functionality of the above standards (and more), but does so using cross platform web services and other modern technology.

The OPC Foundation enhanced the range for certification of OPC product to meet the increasing demand for reliable functionality and insured interoperability. The self-certification using the ComplianceTestTool (CTT) and the participation at an Interoperability Workshop (IOP) are now enhanced with a Certification in an independent test facility. According to the test specification here not only the OPC Data Access (DA2/3) interface is tested but also the overall behavior of the product in a real world environment is verified. OPC Certification
 * OPC Certification : The OPC Foundation has a well established Certification Process.  The OPC Foundation calls this the OPC Enhanced Certification Program.

title: OPC Foundation


text:
Amīn Rāzī

Amin Razi also known as Omid) was a Safavid-era (16th to 17th century) Persian geographer, author of a geographical and biographical encyclopedia (tadhkirah)  called Haft iqlīm (هفت اقلیم "seven climes") based on the system of seven climes of Ptolemy's Almagest.

Al-Razi was born in Ray, Persia into a prestigious family; his father was Kvajeh Mirza Ahmad, the mayor of Ray by appointment of Tahmasp I (r. 1524–1576). His paternal uncle was Khvajeh Mohammad-Sharif, a poet and minister to the governor of Khorasan and later to the Shah.

Al-Razi states that he completed his encyclopedia in AH 1002 (1593/4) after six years of work, although the work as extant includes additions of younger date. His dates of birth and death are unknown. He may have visited Mughal India during the reign of Akbar.

Haft iqlīm (also Haft eqlīm) provides extensive historical, biographical and topographical information, arranged by "clime", i.e. the major division of the known world by geographic latitude according to Ptolemy. The total number of biographies in the work is 1,560, in many cases giving more detail than those found in medieval works such as Lubab ul-Albab or Tazkirat al-Awliya. The work also cited samples of poetry which is not recorded elsewhere, and some prose passages, e.g. by Ubayd Zakani.

Al-Razi's sources have been researched by Naqawī, who identified thirty-nine. Ethé provides a table of the contents of the work. The work survives in numerous manuscripts. The only complete edition is by Jawād Fāżel (1961). The Calcutta edition by Ross et al. is superior to Fāżel's but is incomplete, omitting the fourth clime (which encompasses more than half of the work).

title: Amīn Rāzī


text:
Talk:Soviet battleship Novorossiysk

Untitled
The article content uses transliteration Novorossiysk, while the title is Novorossiisk. Obviously, these should be united; as far as I understand Transliteration of Russian into English, y is more correct and also wis in googlefight 35 000 : 11 000 (where 3 of first 10 results are Wiki mirror/leeches). So, any objections to moving it? --Malyctenar 13:11, 21 Jul 2004 (UTC)

title: Talk:Soviet battleship Novorossiysk


text:
Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/Royal Assent

Royal Assent
(Uncontested -- July 7)

This is a self-nomination. -- Emsworth 02:34, Jul 7, 2004 (UTC)
 * Question: the article on reserved powers mentions Germany, and seems to apply to many nations, while this article only mentions Britain and the commonwealth countries. Where does this apply, and how does it relate to U.S. veto power or the powers of other heads of state? For example, does the Netherlands have royal assent, and how does it differ from the English model? [[User:Meelar|Meelar (talk)]] 02:45, 7 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * As far as I know, the phrase "Royal Assent" is a British one. -- Emsworth 03:24, Jul 7, 2004 (UTC)
 * Well, the article's talk page seems to indicate that more countries than Britain and commonwealth are included. And I'd still be interested in seeing how and if it affected the powers granted other heads of state. [[User:Meelar|Meelar (talk)]] 03:51, 7 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * I've added a section on other nations. -- Emsworth 16:30, Jul 7, 2004 (UTC)
 * A good article. However, I object on the grounds that it does not cover royal assent in current crown colonies at all.  Does, say,  the Governor of Gibraltar have that power?  Does he ever use it?  Morwen - Talk 20:50, 7 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * I object. Royal Assent, when granted under the new procedure created by the Royal Assent Act, 1967, is not notified by Royal Commissioners in Buckingham Palace. The article states, wrongly, that under the 1967 Act´s procedure, Royal Commissioners are also used, but they notify Assent in Buckingham Palace, rather then in Parliament. This is wrong, as I have pointed out in the article´s discussion page. While Assent by Commission is still used in the end of session, and is still a possibility, when the procedure created by the Royal Assent Act, 1967 is used (which is the most common procedure nowadays and which is a different procedure than Assent by Commission), then no Royal Commissioners are used at all. Under the new procedure created as an alternative to Assent by Commission by the Royal Assent Act, 1967, there are no Royal Commissioners. The very text of the Letters Patent show that, under the 1967 Act´s procedure, no Royal Commissioners are appointed. The "Companion to the Standing Orders and Guide to the Procedures of the House of Lords makes clear that, the 1967 Act´s procedure is totally different from Assent by Commission, videlicet: " ROYAL ASSENT 6.172  Letters Patent are issued from time to time to signify the Royal Assent to bills and Measures passed by both Houses of Parliament.; 6.173  Royal Assent is usually notified to each House sitting separately in accordance with the provisions of the Royal Assent Act 1967. Once Royal Assent has been notified to both Houses, the bills become Acts of Parliament. If notification is given on different days to each House, the date of Royal Assent is the date of notification in the second House.; 6.174  Notification is frequently given before starred questions, but it may take place at any break between two items of business, or at the end of business, if necessary after an adjournment. The order in which notification is given is as follows: supply bills, other public bills, provisional order confirmation bills, private bills, personal bills, Measures. 6.175  Royal Assent may also be signified by Commission, as described in appendix H (page 233). --Antonio Basto 12:28, 3 November 2005 (UTC)

Having rectified the article myself, I do now remove the above objection, as long as the inaccurate information is not re-inserted in the article (as unfortunately happened before). --Antonio Basto 00:57, 4 November 2005 (UTC)
 * I've added information on Crown colonies/ dependencies, and also a passage about ceremony in the Isle of Man. -- Emsworth 00:30, Jul 8, 2004 (UTC)
 * Support. Morwen - Talk 06:09, 8 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Support. Lots of good detail. 81.168.80.170 21:04, 7 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Support. Lovely. James F. (talk) 04:51, 9 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Object for now - Nice article, but it needs a better lead section. So far I only count 2 sentences in the lead which arguably doesn't make one para when an article of that size should have two good-sized paragraphs in the lead section in order to concisely lead-in the subject. --mav
 * I've added to the lead section. -- Emsworth 18:02, Jul 10, 2004 (UTC)
 * Support - great work! --mav 21:48, 10 Jul 2004 (UTC)

 * Support. Object. 1) The "historical development" section (UK) doesn't give many specifics as to its origin: Historically, "the agreement of all three was required for the passage of legislation."; at a minimum, a date or two would be helpful. 2) The usage of the Royal Assent needs more coverage, if this sentence is correct: "While the power to deny the Royal Assent was once exercised often..." — when / who excercised it often? The first mention in the history section is about Anne, the last monarch to use it. 3) Questions that might need answering in this article: Does anyone want to scrap the method of Royal Assent, in the UK or elsewhere? 4) Would it be realistically possible for the monarch to veto legislation, or is it all a ceremonial sham? What do people speculate would happen in such an instance? — Matt 02:20, 13 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * 1) and 2) Addressed. 3) I'm sure that people want to get rid of the Royal Assent. But because it is a merely ceremonial procedure, there isn't any major opposition to it. I think that the argument would almost always fall under broader constitutional reform plans, such as the abolition of the monarchy. But the article, in my opinion, should not be concerned with major constitutional reforms and sentiments directed against the monarchy in general (as opposed to the Royal Assent itself), as such a concern is merely tangential, if not entirely off-topic. 4) This question is the most difficult to address. It is theoretically possible for the monarch to veto legislation, but realistically impossible (this is addressed in the article). The possibility is so extremely remote that speculation would probably be futile. The scenario is so difficult to envision that one cannot say how the people would react. -- Emsworth 14:10, Jul 13, 2004 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the additions and answers to the queries; I've removed the objection. — Matt 23:42, 13 Jul 2004 (UTC)