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Philip Michael Thomas

Philip Michael Thomas (born May 26, 1949) is an American actor and musician, best known for his role as detective Ricardo Tubbs on the hit 1980s TV series Miami Vice. His first notable roles were in Coonskin (1975) and opposite Irene Cara in the 1976 film Sparkle. After his success in Miami Vice, he appeared in numerous made-for-TV movies and advertisements for telephone psychic services. He served as a spokesperson for cell phone entertainment company Nextones, and also voiced the character Lance Vance in the video games Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002) and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (2006).

Early life
Thomas was born in Columbus, Ohio, but grew up in San Bernardino, California. He is of African American, Native American, Irish, and German descent. His father, Louis Diggs, was a foreman at a Westinghouse plant. Thomas's mother was Lulu McMorris. He and his seven half brothers and sisters had the surname Thomas, which was the last name of his mother's first husband.

As a child, he acted in his church's theater group and, at age 15, while participating in the Pentecostal Delman Heights Four Square Gospel Church choir, became interested in ministry. He graduated from San Bernardino High School in 1967 and briefly worked as a janitor to save money for college. Thomas earned a scholarship to the historically Black Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama, where he studied religion and philosophy after high school.

After two years at Oakwood College, Thomas transferred to the University of California, Riverside. During this time, he auditioned for and won a role in the San Francisco cast of Hair, which began his acting career. Thomas ultimately quit school to pursue acting as a profession, appearing in several features during the 1970s - including the classic musical drama Sparkle (1976). His big break came in 1984, when he landed a starring role in the popular television series Miami Vice alongside Don Johnson.

Miami Vice
In 1984, Thomas began playing the role of Ricardo Tubbs, an ex-NYPD police officer from the Bronx who came to Miami seeking revenge on the person who killed his brother Rafael Tubbs. In Miami he encounters another undercover cop, Sonny Crockett, who is coincidentally looking for the same person.

Thomas was reportedly paid $25,000 (equivalent to $ today) per episode for Seasons 1–2. In 1986, he was given an increase to $50,000 ($) per episode for Seasons 3–5. Johnson was paid $30,000 ($) per episode for Seasons 1-2 and $90,000 ($) per episode for Seasons 3–5.

Thomas coined the acronym "EGOT", meaning "Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony", in reference to his plans for winning all four. He has not,, been nominated for any of these awards, but has received a People's Choice Award and a Golden Globe nomination.

Nash Bridges
In 1997, Thomas was reunited with Don Johnson for two appearances in the police drama Nash Bridges. He played Cedrick "Rick" Hawks, a Deputy United States Marshal from Miami visiting Bridges (Johnson) in San Francisco. His first appearance was in the episode "Wild Card", and his second and final appearance was in the episode "Out of Miami", aired in 2001 during the program's final season.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
In 2002, Thomas performed a voice-over in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City as Lance Vance, a supporting character who aids the game's protagonist, Tommy Vercetti, in several story missions, while trying to avenge his brother, Victor Vance, killed in a botched drug deal with Tommy at the beginning of the game. He reprised his role in the 2006 prequel Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, which details Lance's arrival in Vice City, the beginning of his involvement in the drug business, and his relationship with Victor.

Music
In 1985, Thomas released a music album titled Living the Book of My Life under his own record label called Spaceship Records. It sold poorly and failed to produce a hit single, although Thomas produced a video for the track "Just the Way I Planned It".

Thomas performed the title song of the album during the 1985 Miami Vice episode "The Maze." The episode "Trust Fund Pirates" featured another of his songs, "La Mirada". Thomas' Miami Vice co-star Don Johnson recorded an album shortly afterward titled Heartbeat. In 1987, Thomas recorded a song called "Ever and Forever" with Argentine singer Lucía Galán of Pimpinela fame.

Thomas followed up in 1988 with a second album, Somebody. It also failed to produce a hit and sold poorly. In 1993, Thomas teamed with Kathy Rahill to compose "My, My, My, Miam...I", which was chosen as the city of Miami's theme song. That same year, Thomas teamed with Jamaican fitness instructor Sandi Morais to compose songs for a family-friendly musical titled Sacha, which enjoyed runs in south Florida and New York. The two formed the Magic Cookie Production Company. Thomas produced the music for Morais' fitness videos in 2001 and 2006.

Psychic Reader's Network
In 1994, Thomas signed an agreement with Florida-based Psychic Reader's Network (later known as Traffix, Inc.) to become the spokesman for the Philip Michael Thomas International Psychic Network. He appeared in television ads and claimed to have met the planet's premier psychics through his "world travels". He dressed similarly to his Miami Vice alter ego, even opening the ads with the phrase, "From Miami Vice to world advice!" He appeared in informercials with Eileen Brennan and Todd McKee and his daughter, Sacha Nicole, to promote the psychic line. Thomas released a cassette of music linked to his psychic business titled PMT Psychic Connection, Volume I.

Traffix replaced Thomas with Miss Cleo. Thomas sued, alleging breach of contract, and won. In 2002, a New York arbitrator awarded Thomas $1.48 million for improper use of his name and likeness and an additional $780,000 in interest.

Personal life
Thomas is a vegetarian, nonsmoker, and nondrinker. In 1986, he was sued for child support by Dhaima Mathews, the mother of his then 2-year-old daughter and 9-week-old son. Thomas later married model Kassandra Green. Green filed a domestic violence complaint against Thomas in 1997, during which time she was described as being the mother of 5 of his 12 children. Thomas dismissed the complaint as "an absolute, blatant lie".

title: Philip Michael Thomas


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Graceland Cemetery

Graceland Cemetery is a large historic garden cemetery located in the north side community area of Uptown, in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Established in 1860, its main entrance is at the intersection of Clark Street and Irving Park Road. Among the cemetery's 121 acre are the burial sites of several well-known Chicagoans.

Graceland includes a naturalistic reflecting lake, surrounded by winding pathways, and its pastoral plantings have led it to become a certified arboretum of more than 2,000 trees. The cemetery's wide variety of burial monuments include a number designed by famous architects, several of whom are also buried in the cemetery.

Establishment
Thomas Barbour Bryan, a Chicago businessman, established Graceland Cemetery in 1860 with the original 80 acre layout designed by Swain Nelson. Bryan created it though a business partnership with William Butler Ogden, Sidney Sawyer, Edwin H. Sheldon, and George Peter Alexander Healy. Bryan was the inaugural president of the Graceland Cemetery Association, with Healy serving as treasurer.

Bryan had been motivated to establish a new cemetery after being disappointed by the "neglected and actually repulsive condition" of Chicago's City Cemetery when his son Daniel was buried there. He sought to create a "rural burying ground, more remote from and worthy of the city [of Chicago] ." However, he placed these ambitions on hold after Rosehill Cemetery was opened by a group independent of Bryan's efforts. However, after he was offered the presidency of the company that operated Rosehill Cemetery, Bryan became motivated to pursue his shelved plans to establish his own cemetery.

Bryan purchased land for his cemetery from the heirs of Justin Butterfield, collaborated with a number of landscape architects to design the cemetery, and fought challenges from the owners of adjacent properties who opposed his plans to transform the site into a cemetery. In April 1860, the first burial at Graceland Cemetery occurred when Bryan's late son Daniel was reinterred. Graceland Cemetery was formally dedicated that August.

19th century operations
Daniel Page Bryan's disinterment from City Cemetery was an early part of the a greater process of relocating the thousands of remains at the City Cemetery and transforming that site into a public park (today's Lincoln Park). The remains of approximately 2,000 individuals were relocated in this process, which was completed in the 1870s. Graceland and Rosehill were the reburial sites of many of these remains. Graceland quickly established itself as a popular choice of burial site for prominent Chicagoans, with many opting to pre-erect burial monuments at the cemetery in for their future burials. In 1870, Horace Cleveland designed curving paths, open vistas, and a small lake to create a park-like setting.

In 1878, Bryan hired his nephew Bryan Lathrop as president. In 1879, the cemetery acquired an additional 35 acre, and Ossian Cole Simonds was hired as its landscape architect to design the addition. Lathrop and Simonds wanted to incorporate naturalistic settings to create picturesque views that were the foundation of the Prairie style. Lathrop was open to new ideas and provided opportunities for experimentation which led to Simonds use of native plants including oak, ash, witch hazel, and dogwood at a time when many viewed native plants as invasive. The Graceland Cemetery Association designated one section of the grounds to be devoid of monuments and instituted a review process led by Simonds for monuments and family plots. Simonds later became the superintendent at Graceland until 1897, and continued on as a consultant until his death in 1931.

20th cenutury
Graceland's attractive parklike appearance and elaborate burial monuments made it a popularly visited site. Visitation became so large, that in the early 20th century its operators grew concerned that it had turned into too popular of a recreation grounds to the detriment of its character as a cemetery. For a period, it instituted a policy in which open admission to the grounds was only permitted on Sundays and holidays, with the remaining dates seeing access limited to ticket holders. Graceland's popularity as a pleasure grounds declined in subsequent decades, however, as public attitude moved away from seeing cemeteries as appropriate sites for leisure. At the same time, the condition of the cemetery began to suffer from neglect.

21st century
In the early 21st century, attention was turned to repair the cemetery and restore much of its 19th-century landscape. Graceland Cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 18, 2001.

In 2020, the cemetery's landscape was damaged in a derecho (severe windstorm) that uprooted 50 mature trees. The cemetery was closed for several weeks thereafter to clean up the damage. Young trees were planted to replace the mature trees that were lost.

Geography
Graceland Cemetery is an example of a rural cemetery, which is a style of cemetery characterized by landscaped natural areas. The concept of the rural cemetery emerged in the early 19th century as a response to overcrowding and poor maintenance in existing cemeteries in Europe.

In the 19th century, a train to the north suburbs occupied the eastern edge of the cemetery, where the Chicago "L" train now runs. The line was also used to carry mourners to funerals, in specially rented funeral cars. As a result, there was an entry through the east wall, which has since been closed. When founded, the cemetery was well outside the city limits of Chicago. After the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, Lincoln Park, which had been the city's cemetery, was deconsecrated and some of the bodies were reinterred to Graceland Cemetery.

The edge of the pond around Daniel Burnham's burial island was once lined with broken headstones and coping transported from Lincoln Park. Lincoln Park was redeveloped as a recreational area. A single mausoleum remains, the "Couch tomb", containing the remains of Ira Couch. The Couch Tomb is probably the oldest extant structure in the city, everything else having been destroyed by the Great Chicago Fire.

The cemetery's walls are topped off with wrought iron spear point fencing.

Notable tombs and monuments
Many of the cemetery's tombs are of great architectural or artistic interest, including the Getty Tomb, the Martin Ryerson Mausoleum (both designed by architect Louis Sullivan, who is also buried in the cemetery), and the Schoenhofen Pyramid Mausoleum. The industrialist George Pullman was buried at night, in a lead-lined coffin within an elaborately reinforced steel-and-concrete vault, to prevent his body from being exhumed and desecrated by labor activists.

William Hulbert, the first president of the National League, has a monument in the shape of a baseball with the names of the original National League cities on it.

Along with its other famous burials, the cemetery is notable for two statues by the renowned Chicago sculptor Lorado Taft, Eternal Silence for the Graves family plot and The Crusader that marks Victor Lawson's final resting place.

The cemetery is also the final resting place of 31 victims of the Iroquois Theatre fire, in which more than 600 people died.

Notable burials

 * David Adler, architect
 * Walter Webb Allport, dentist
 * John Peter Altgeld, Governor of Illinois
 * Amabel Anderson Arnold, organized the Woman's State Bar Association of Missouri, the first association of women lawyers in the world
 * Philip Danforth Armour, meat packing magnate
 * Ernie Banks, Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame baseball player
 * Frederic Clay Bartlett, artist, art collector
 * Granville Bates, American actor
 * Mary Hastings Bradley, author
 * Lorenz Brentano, member of the State House of Representatives, United States consul at Dresden, Congressional Representative for Illinois
 * Doug Buffone, Chicago Bears former linebacker, host WSCR
 * Daniel H. Burnham, architect
 * Fred A. Busse, mayor of Chicago
 * Justin Butterfield, attorney, land grant developer
 * Ronald Coase, economist
 * Lydia Avery Coonley, author
 * Oscar Stanton De Priest first African American in the 20th century to be elected to Congress.
 * William Deering, founder of Deering Harvester Company, which later became International Harvester Company, father of James and Charles Deering
 * James Deering, executive of Deering Harvester Company and original owner of the Villa Vizcaya estate
 * Charles Deering, executive of Deering Harvester Company, former chairman of International Harvester Company, and philanthropist
 * Augustus Dickens, brother of Charles Dickens (he died penniless in Chicago)
 * Roger Ebert, film critic, journalist, screenwriter, author
 * George Elmslie, architect
 * John Jacob Esher (1823–1901), Bishop of the Evangelical Association
 * Marshall Field, businessman, retailer, whose memorial was designed by Henry Bacon, with sculpture by Daniel Chester French
 * Bob Fitzsimmons, Heavyweight boxing champion, born in Cornwall, UK
 * Melville Fuller, Chief Justice of the United States
 * Elbert H. Gary, judge, chairman of U.S. Steel, namesake of Gary, Indiana.
 * Bruce A. Goff, architect
 * Sarah E. Goode, first African-American woman to receive a United States patent
 * Bruce Graham, co-architect of John Hancock building and Sears Tower (now called the Willis Tower)
 * Dexter Graves was an early pioneer in the city who arrived on the schooner Telegraph in the 1830s. His memorial by Lorado Taft is the statue Eternal Silence (also known as "the Dexter Graves Monument").
 * Richard T. Greener, first black graduate of Harvard (1870), first black professor at the University of South Carolina (1873–1877), administrator for the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial, and diplomat to Russia
 * Marion Mahony Griffin, architect
 * Carter Harrison, Sr., mayor of Chicago
 * Carter Harrison, Jr., mayor of Chicago
 * Joe Hill, labor activist, incinerated here, ashes scattered elsewhere
 * William Holabird, architect
 * Henry Honoré, businessman, father of Bertha Honoré Palmer, father-in-law of Potter Palmer
 * William Hulbert, president of baseball's National League
 * Charles L. Hutchinson, banker, philanthropist and founding president of the Art Institute of Chicago
 * Isadore Gilbert Jeffery (1840-1919), poet
 * William Le Baron Jenney, architect, Father of the American skyscraper
 * Elmer C. Jensen, "The Dean of Chicago Architects"
 * Jack Johnson, first African-American heavyweight boxing champion
 * William Johnson, educator who served as superintendent of Chicago Public Schools
 * John and Mary Richardson Jones, husband-and-wife abolitionists and activists
 * Fazlur Khan, co-architect of John Hancock building and Sears Tower (now called the Willis Tower)
 * William Wallace Kimball, Kimball Piano and Organ Company
 * John Kinzie, Canadian pioneer, early white settler in the city of Chicago
 * Cornelius Krieghoff, Canadian artist
 * Bryan Lathrop, businessman, philanthropist, and longtime president of the cemetery
 * Robert Henry Lawrence Jr., first African American astronaut (cremated at Graceland, but not physically buried there)
 * Victor F. Lawson, editor and publisher of the Chicago Daily News
 * Agnes Lee, poet and translator
 * Li Fu Lee, first Chinese woman to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
 * Frank Lowden, Governor of Illinois
 * Franklin H. Martin, physician
 * Alexander C. McClurg, bookseller and Civil War general
 * Cyrus McCormick, businessman, inventor
 * Edith Rockefeller McCormick, Daughter-in-law of reaper inventor Cyrus McCormick and one of the four adult children of John D. Rockefeller
 * Katherine Dexter McCormick, Daughter-in-law of reaper inventor Cyrus McCormick, MIT grad, biologist, suffragist, philanthropist
 * Maryland Mathison Hooper McCormick, second wife of Col. Robert R. McCormick
 * Nancy "Nettie" Fowler McCormick, businesswoman, philanthropist
 * Florence McLandburgh, writer
 * Joseph Medill, publisher, mayor of Chicago
 * Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, architect
 * Minnie Miñoso, Chicago White Sox Hall of Fame baseball player, Cuban-American baseball pioneer
 * László Moholy-Nagy, influential photographer, teacher, and founder of the New Bauhaus and Institute of Design IIT in Chicago
 * Dawn Clark Netsch, comptroller of Illinois, professor & spouse of architect Walter Netsch
 * Walter Netsch, architect
 * Richard Nickel, photographer, architectural historian and preservationist
 * Ruth Page, dancer and choreographer
 * Bertha Honoré Palmer, philanthropist
 * Francis W. Palmer, newspaper printer, U.S. Representative, Public Printer of the United States
 * Potter Palmer, businessman
 * Allan Pinkerton, detective, progenitor of the Secret Service
 * William Henry Powell, Medal of Honor recipient
 * George Pullman, inventor and railway industrialist
 * Wilhelm Rapp, newspaper editor
 * Hermann Raster, newspaper editor, politician and abolitionist
 * John Wellborn Root, architect
 * Howard Van Doren Shaw, architect
 * Washington Smith, pioneer wholesale grocer and philanthropist. The Washington and Jane Smith Home (now Smith Village) was named in his honor.
 * Louis Sullivan, architect
 * Charles Wacker, businessman and philanthropist, also director of the 1893 Columbian Exposition
 * Kate Warne, first female detective, Allan Pinkerton employee
 * Hempstead Washburne, mayor of Chicago
 * Frank Wenter, politician
 * Daniel Hale Williams, African-American surgeon who performed one of the first successful operations on the pericardium
 * George Ellery Wood, lumber baron. His home, built in 1885, on 2801 S. Prairie Ave. in Chicago, IL is a historical landmark

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

title: Graceland Cemetery


text:
Pacific Islanders rugby union team

The Pacific Islanders was a combined international rugby union team that played from 2004 to 2008. It represented Fiji, Samoa and Tonga; Niue and the Cook Islands also supplied players to the squad for their tour in 2004. The team did not play at Rugby World Cups, where each of the nations continued to represent themselves.

Australia/New Zealand 2004
The Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance (PIRA) was formed in 2003. The coach is appointed by the Islanders board and in turn supported by the national coaches of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. Its team, the Pacific Islanders, is drawn from the best Fijian, Tongan and Samoan players, and created great interest in their inaugural 2004 tour. They lost every game, 29-14 v Australia, 41-26 v New Zealand and 38-24 v South Africa. The Islanders did beat a Queensland XV 48-29 at Ballymore and NSW Waratahs 68-21 at Australia Stadium.

Celtic Nations 2006
As the individual nations were primarily concerned with qualifying for the next World Cup the Islanders did not tour again until 2006. Scheduled matches against Italy and New Zealand in June 2006 did not take place, but they undertook a Northern Hemisphere tour in late 2006 with matches against Scotland, Wales and Ireland. PIRA had ruled in July 2006 that the team selected for that year's tour to Great Britain and Ireland would consist only of players who had previously played for Fiji, Manu Samoa or Tonga. This was intended to ensure that the Pacific Islanders team serves to develop players for the island nations only. Notably, two players on the 2004 tour, Sione Lauaki and Sitiveni Sivivatu (the latter the Islanders' leading scorer on that tour), went on to play for New Zealand. During that tour, they were the last opponents of at their traditional home of Lansdowne Road before its redevelopment into a modern all-seater stadium. The Pacific Islanders were beaten in all three matches.

Europe 2008
In November 2008, the team toured Europe and played Tests against England, France and Italy. The team's manager was Major-General Sitiveni Rabuka, former Prime Minister of Fiji and author of two military coups in 1987. Though it began with two defeats, the tour ended with the Islanders' first ever win over European opposition, with a 25-17 victory in Italy.

Alliance ends in 2009
In July 2009, the Samoa Rugby Union informed fellow Alliance members Fiji and Tonga that it had decided to quit the alliance because the merged Pacific Island team had failed to produce financial benefits sought by member unions.

"The original concept was basically to provide an opportunity (to play) every two years. There were two aims, to get revenue to help in the running of the activities of the unions (and) to provide players with the opportunity to play against tier one sides.

But the International Rugby Board changed the schedule for the Pacific Islands team to play every four years. Every four years won't generate the revenue needed to run our rugby."

Future status
There was speculation that the Islanders would be admitted into an expanded Super 12 competition or the Tri Nations Series, but instead the organisers of the Super 12 and the Tri Nations, SANZAR, opted to expand the Super 14 by adding one team each in Australia and South Africa and an extra round of fixtures to the Tri Nations without admitting any new teams. French businessman Eric Series, owner of the Asia Pacific Dragons team, proposed a Pacific Islands team for the 2016 Super Rugby season but was outbid by the Japan Rugby Football Union.

In 2014, a match between the Pacific Islanders and the British & Irish Lions was proposed for the 2017 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, but the match was never scheduled.

Squad

 * Two further players were originally included in the squad Sireli Bobo and Soane Tongaʻuiha. However Bobo became unavailable, and Tongaʻuiha later withdrew from the tour.

2004
Australia: 15. Joe Roff, 14. Clyde Rathbone, 13. Stirling Mortlock, 12. Matt Giteau, 11. Lote Tuqiri, 10. Stephen Larkham, 9. George Gregan (capt), 8. David Lyons, 7. Phil Waugh, 6. Radike Samo, 5. Nathan Sharpe, 4. Justin Harrison, 3. Al Baxter, 2. Brendan Cannon, 1. Bill Young – Replacements: 16. Jeremy Paul, 17. Nic Henderson, 18. Dan Vickerman, 19. George Smith, 20. Chris Whitaker, 21. Matt Burke, 22. Chris Latham Pacific Islanders: 15. Norman Ligairi, 14. Lome Fa'atau, 13. Seilala Mapusua, 12. Seremaia Baikeinuku, 11. Sitiveni Sivivatu, 10. Tanner Vili, 9. Moses Rauluni, 8. Alifereti Doviverata, 7. Sisa Koyamaibole, 6. Sione Lauaki, 5. Ifereimi Rawaqa, 4. Inoke Afeaki (capt), 3. Taufaʻao Filise, 2. Aleki Lutui, 1. Soane Tongaʻuiha - Replacements: 17. Tevita Taumoepeau, 18. Leo Lafaiali'i, 19. Semo Sititi, 20. Steven So'oialo, 21. Seru Rabeni, 22. Sireli Bobo – Unused: 16. Joeli Lotawa

New Zealand: 15. Mils Muliaina, 14. Rico Gear, 13. Tana Umaga (capt.), 12. Dan Carter, 11. Joe Rokocoko, 10. Carlos Spencer, 9. Justin Marshall, 8. Xavier Rush, 7. Marty Holah, 6. Jono Gibbes, 5. Keith Robinson, 4. Chris Jack, 3. Carl Hayman, 2. Keven Mealamu, 1. Kees Meeuws – Replacements: 18. Jerry Collins, 20. Byron Kelleher, 21. Nick Evans – Unused: 16. Andrew Hore, 17. Greg Somerville, 19. Mose Tuiali'i, 22. Sam Tuitupou Pacific Islanders: 15. Seru Rabeni, 14. Lome Fa'atau, 13. Brian Lima, 12. Seremaia Baikeinuku, 11. Sitiveni Sivivatu, 10. Tanner Vili, 9. Moses Rauluni, 8. Sisa Koyamaibole, 7. Alifereti Doviverata, 6. Sione Lauaki, 5. Ifereimi Rawaqa, 4. Inoke Afeaki (c), 3. Taufaʻao Filise, 2. Aleki Lutui, 1. Soane Tongaʻuiha - Replacements: 17. Tevita Taumoepeau, 18. Filipo Levi, 19. Semo Sititi, 19. Semo Sititi, 21. Tane Tuʻipulotu, 22. Sireli Bobo – Unused: 16. Joeli Lotawa, 20. Steven So'oialo

South Africa: 15. Percy Montgomery, 14. Breyton Paulse, 13. Marius Joubert, 12. De Wet Barry, 11. Jean de Villiers, 10. Jaco van der Westhuyzen, 9. Bolla Conradie, 8. Jacques Cronjé, 7. AJ Venter, 6. Schalk Burger, 5. Gerrie Britz, 4. Bakkies Botha, 3. Eddie Andrews, 2. John Smit (c), 1. Os du Randt – Replacements: 17. CJ van der Linde, 18. Quinton Davids, 19. Pedrie Wannenburg, 20. Fourie du Preez – Unused: 16. Danie Coetzee, 21. Brent Russell, 22. Gaffie du Toit Pacific Islanders: 15. Norman Ligairi, 14. Sireli Bobo, 13. Seilala Mapusua, 12. Seru Rabeni, 11. Sitiveni Sivivatu, 10. Tanner Vili, 9. Moses Rauluni, 8. Sisa Koyamaibole, 7. Alifereti Doviverata, 6. Sione Lauaki, 5. Ifereimi Rawaqa, 4. Inoke Afeaki (capt.), 3. Tevita Taumoepeau, 2. Aleki Lutui, 1. Soane Tongaʻuiha - Replacements: 16. Joeli Lotawa, 17. Taufaʻao Filise, 18. Filipo Levi, 19. Tu Tamarua, 20. Steven So'oialo, 21. Seremaia Baikeinuku, 22. Brian Lima

title: Pacific Islanders rugby union team


text: Category:Brazos County, Texas

title: Category:Brazos County, Texas


text:
User talk:QuentinGeorge

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

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Invite to Star Wars Wiki
I am notifying you that we finally have Star Wars Wiki (aka Wookieepedia) up and running and we need good Star Wars contribs like yourself helping the cause. -- Riffsyphon1024 05:54, Mar 12, 2005 (UTC)

Ben Turner's "Louis" in "The Girl in the Fireplace"
Hey, QG. I noticed your edit summary saying that Ben Turner's character in "The Girl in the Fireplace" isn't Louis XV. Has this been confirmed? (Even if it hasn't, I agree that he should be removed from the list until we know definitively — I'm just wondering for my own edification.) —Josiah Rowe (talk • contribs) 16:16, 22 November 2005 (UTC)

 * I wrote the note on The Girl in the Fireplace myself, and intended it to indicate that we don't yet know whether "Louis" is Louis XV or not. OG's news page actually says it's Louis XIV, which sounds unlikely, since he died before Madame de Pompadour was born.  (Still, this is a series about time travel...)

 * I'll try to reword the note to make it clearer. —Josiah Rowe (talk • contribs) 20:19, 22 November 2005 (UTC)
 * Ah, ok, sorry 'bout that. :) QuentinGeorge 05:55, 23 November 2005 (UTC)

Dragonlance timeline
I have added a "" template to the article Dragonlance timeline, suggesting that it be deleted according to the proposed deletion process. All contributions are appreciated, but I don't believe it satisfies Wikipedia's criteria for inclusion, and I've explained why in the deletion notice (see also "What Wikipedia is not" and Wikipedia's deletion policy). You may contest the proposed deletion by removing the  notice, but please explain why you disagree with the proposed deletion in your edit summary or on its talk page. Also, please consider improving the article to address the issues raised. Even though removing the deletion notice will prevent deletion through the proposed deletion process, the article may still be deleted if it matches any of the speedy deletion criteria or it can be sent to Articles for Deletion, where it may be deleted if consensus to delete is reached. Fram 13:13, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

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Orphaned non-free media (Image:Katrina.jpg)
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Korriban
A proposed deletion template has been added to the article Korriban, suggesting that it be deleted according to the proposed deletion process. All contributions are appreciated, but this article may not satisfy Wikipedia's criteria for inclusion, and the deletion notice should explain why (see also "What Wikipedia is not" and Wikipedia's deletion policy). You may prevent the proposed deletion by removing the  notice, but please explain why you disagree with the proposed deletion in your edit summary or on its talk page. Also, please consider improving the article to address the issues raised. Even though removing the deletion notice will prevent deletion through the proposed deletion process, the article may still be deleted if it matches any of the speedy deletion criteria or it can be sent to Articles for Deletion, where it may be deleted if consensus to delete is reached. If you agree with the deletion of the article, and you are the only person who has made substantial edits to the page, please add  to the top of Korriban. User:Ceyockey ( talk to me ) 16:05, 21 December 2007 (UTC)

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Raymond E. Feist
{| class="messagebox standard-talk" Are you interested in the Raymond E. Feist series? Currently, there has been a new Wiki-project set up especially for anything to do with Raymond E. Feists' works and that includes characters, items, places, reces, etc, etc. If you are interested why not sign up at the members section at WP:RAY
 * [[Image:Rapiere-Morges-2.jpg|45px]]
 * [[Image:Rapiere-Morges-2.jpg|45px]]

Audio theatre an article to audio dramas
Please if you have time and you know anything to it (I have seen that you have made edits in the article area which owns relations on it), please look on the article Audio theatre, somebody placed a erase discussion on it. after we have had a merge discussion. It would be interesting what you would say to the merge and the delete discussion. )-: --Soenke Rahn (talk) 03:27, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Blackthorn.jpg
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TfD nomination of Template:Midkemia character
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AfD nomination of Chronology of Star Wars
An editor has nominated one or more articles which you have created or worked on, for deletion. The nominated article is Chronology of Star Wars. We appreciate your contributions, but the nominator doesn't believe that the article satisfies Wikipedia's criteria for inclusion and has explained why in his/her nomination (see also Notability and "What Wikipedia is not").

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Proposed deletion of Tika Waylan

The article Tika Waylan has been proposed for deletion  because of the following concern:
 * A search for reliable, secondary sources reveals an insufficient amount of significant coverage. This article fails Wikipedia's notability guidelines for fictional characters.

While all contributions to Wikipedia are appreciated, content or articles may be deleted for any of several reasons.

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ArbCom elections are now open!
MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 12:50, 23 November 2015 (UTC)

Nomination of Tika Waylan for deletion
A discussion is taking place as to whether the article Tika Waylan is suitable for inclusion in Wikipedia according to Wikipedia's policies and guidelines or whether it should be deleted.

The article will be discussed at Articles for deletion/Tika Waylan until a consensus is reached, and anyone is welcome to contribute to the discussion. The nomination will explain the policies and guidelines which are of concern. The discussion focuses on high-quality evidence and our policies and guidelines.

Users may edit the article during the discussion, including to improve the article to address concerns raised in the discussion. However, do not remove the article-for-deletion notice from the top of the article. TTN (talk) 23:52, 23 December 2016 (UTC)

title: User talk:QuentinGeorge


text:
User talk:Tacysa

Welcome to the Wikipedia
Here are some links I thought useful:

 * Tutorial
 * Help desk
 * Foundation issues
 * Policy Library
 * Utilities
 * Cite your sources
 * Verifiability
 * Wikiquette
 * Civility
 * Conflict resolution
 * Brilliant prose
 * Neutral point of view
 * Pages needing attention
 * Peer review
 * Bad jokes and other deleted nonsense
 * Village pump
 * Boilerplate text
 * IRC channel
 * Mailing lists
 * Current polls

Feel free to ask me anything the links and talk pages don't answer. You can sign your name by typing 4 tildes, like this: ~.

Be Bold!

Sam [Spade] 23:39, 6 Aug 2004 (UTC)

title: User talk:Tacysa


text:
User:Kim Meyrick

reference codes
 * wiki servers
 * wiktionary
 * wikitruth.info Issues & Criticisms of Wikipedia

citation needed is

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Editing

when creating a page add this at the bottom (edit this page to see what's actually there)

title: User:Kim Meyrick


text:
User talk:ABE~enwiki

ABE - recently, you move Chernobyl to Chornobyl. This is incorrect, according to our policies, and according to a poll conducted to settle just such disputes (Naming policy poll). Articles belong at the location where they are known by most english speakers. →Raul654 23:42, Aug 6, 2004 (UTC)

Hmmm, nie wiem czemu ale mam wrażenie że już się znamy... [[User:Halibutt|Halibutt]]

Your account will be renamed
Hello,

The developer team at Wikimedia is making some changes to how accounts work, as part of our on-going efforts to provide new and better tools for our users like cross-wiki notifications. These changes will mean you have the same account name everywhere. This will let us give you new features that will help you edit and discuss better, and allow more flexible user permissions for tools. One of the side-effects of this is that user accounts will now have to be unique across all 900 Wikimedia wikis. See the announcement for more information.

Unfortunately, your account clashes with another account also called ABE. To make sure that both of you can use all Wikimedia projects in future, we have reserved the name ABE~enwiki that only you will have. If you like it, you don't have to do anything. If you do not like it, you can pick out a different name. If you think you might own all of the accounts with this name and this message is in error, please visit Special:MergeAccount to check and attach all of your accounts to prevent them from being renamed.

Your account will still work as before, and you will be credited for all your edits made so far, but you will have to use the new account name when you log in.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Yours, Keegan Peterzell Community Liaison, Wikimedia Foundation 21:32, 19 March 2015 (UTC)

Renamed
 This account has been renamed as part of single-user login finalisation. If you own this account you can |log in using your previous username and password for more information. If you do not like this account's new name, you can choose your own using this form after logging in: . -- Keegan (WMF) (talk) 10:07, 22 April 2015 (UTC)

title: User talk:ABE~enwiki


text:
Edmonton Road Runners

The Edmonton Road Runners were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada at Rexall Place.

History
After the 2003–04 season the Edmonton Oilers announced that the Toronto Roadrunners would play the 2004–05 season in Edmonton, where they were based in the Oilers' own arena, Rexall Place. The NHL team's decision to re-locate its affiliate to Edmonton was an unusual one for a North American professional sports organization, and was likely influenced by the expectation that the 2004–05 NHL lockout would wipe out the 2004–05 NHL season. The expectation proved accurate, as the season was officially cancelled on February 16, 2005. With no NHL hockey for the season, the team proved highly successful at the gate, finishing third in the AHL in attendance at 8,854 fans per game despite a disappointing season plagued by injury.

Despite the franchise's short term success, the Oilers' owners realized that Edmonton could probably not support both NHL and AHL franchises in the long term, and Edmonton was never intended to be a permanent location for the Roadrunners. The eventual plan was to re-locate the Roadrunners to Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan as part of a transaction that would have re-located the Western Hockey League's Saskatoon Blades to Edmonton in exchange. However, an agreement could not be reached with the owners of the Blades. Without their backing Credit Union Centre was unavailable to the Roadrunners as the terms of the Blades' lease precludes its abrogation save for the relocation of an NHL team to the facility. As a result, the team announced on June 6, 2005 that they were requesting permission from the American Hockey League to suspend team operations. The decision was likely motivated by the improving lockout negotiations and the widespread belief that the Oilers would be back for the 2005–06 season, which was confirmed when the owners and players agreed on July 13, 2005, to a new six-year collective bargaining agreement.

Though the Oilers chose first to maintain split AHL affiliations in 2005–06 and 2007–08, then make a conventional agreement with the Springfield Falcons for the next three seasons, they retained the rights to the dormant Road Runners franchise. The franchise was resurrected as the Oklahoma City Barons in the 2010–11 season.

Team records

 * Goals: 22 🇫🇮 Tony Salmelainen, 🇺🇸 Brad Winchester
 * Assists: 26 🇨🇦 Kyle Brodziak
 * Points: 46 🇫🇮 Tony Salmelainen, 🇨🇦 Raffi Torres
 * Penalty minutes: 231 🇨🇦 Rocky Thompson
 * GAA: 2.63 🇨🇦 Tyler Moss
 * SV%: .906 Tyler Moss
 * Goaltending wins: 24 Tyler Moss
 * Shutouts: 5 Tyler Moss
 * Games: 80 🇨🇦 Jeff Woywitka

Affiliates
 * Edmonton Oilers (2004-2005)

title: Edmonton Road Runners


text:
User:Grontesca

Grontesca

Grontesca Bladthranx hails from the Possomery, though has also been known as erp squelid and Charles Fweepleshorts.

Her surfer name is Cap'n Eggwash, and scientific name is Fenchon Erbitor.

Her secret name on the wide-ass web is Reginald Penibod, and for official sites she goes by Ermintrude Blowthorpe or, when occasion calls for a man, Bertiginous Wobble or Fentobli X Eknifrast.

She's still known in some circles as King of Sweden. In her younger days she was Funty Blanchoid (boyfriend Scrutch Oafenscut). Her nom de poèt is Y2Cuthbert, and totem is Lizardo Heaping Nostril.

A brief search for some of these handles in the newsgroups, especially alt.usage.english, will reveal their use going back to the late 1980s.

Yer ever luvin' Uncle Bert |-)

title: User:Grontesca


text:
Session musician

A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a tour. Session musicians are usually not permanent or official members of a musical ensemble or band.

Many session musicians specialize in playing common rhythm section instruments such as guitar, piano, bass, or drums. Others are specialists, and play brass, woodwinds, and strings. Many session musicians play multiple instruments, which lets them play in a wider range of musical situations, genres, and styles. Examples of "doubling" include double bass and electric bass, acoustic guitar and mandolin, piano and accordion, and saxophone and other woodwind instruments.

Session musicians are used when musical skills are needed on a short-term basis. Typically, session musicians are used by recording studios to provide backing tracks for other musicians for recording sessions and live performances, recording music for advertising, film, television, and theatre.

In the 2000s, the terms "session musician" and "studio musician" were synonymous, though in past decades, "studio musician" meant a musician associated with a single record company, recording studio or entertainment agency.

Session musicians rarely achieve mainstream fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders. However, top session musicians are well-known within the music industry. Some have become publicly recognized, such as the Wrecking Crew, the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and The Funk Brothers who worked with Motown Records.

Approaches
Session musicians may play in a wide range of genres or specialize in a specific genre (e.g., country music or jazz). Some session musicians with a classical music background may focus on film score recordings. Even within a specific genre specialization, there may be even more focused sub-specializations. For example, a sub-specialization within trumpet session players is "high note specialist."

The working schedule for session musicians often depends on the terms set out by musicians' unions or associations, as these organizations typically set out rules on performance schedules (e.g., regarding the length of sessions and breaks). The length of employment may be as short as a single day, in the case of recording a brief demo song, or as long as several weeks if an album or film score is being recorded.

Musicians' associations and unions often set out the remuneration terms. Some musicians may get the minimum scale rate set out by the union. Heavily in-demand session musicians may earn much more. The union rates may vary based on whether it is a music recording versus a film/television recording. While the film/television rates may be lower, there may also be residual payments to compensate them for reruns, DVD sales, streaming usage, and so on.

Session musicians often have to bring their own instruments, such as in the case of guitar, bass, woodwinds, and brass. It is expected that studio musicians will have well-maintained professional-tier instruments. In some cases, larger or heavier instruments may be provided by the recording studio, such as a grand piano or Hammond organ and Leslie speaker. In certain cases, a session musicians may bring some instruments or musical gear and use them with larger instruments that are provided by the studio, such as a synthesizer player, who might bring rack-mounted synth modules and connect them to the studio's MIDI controller stage piano. Similarly, if the studio has a selection of well-known bass amplifiers, and speaker cabinets, a bass player may only have to bring basses and effect units.

The requirement to read different types of music notation, improvise and/or "play by ear" varies according to the type of recording session and the genres of music being performed. Classical musicians and many jazz and popular music musicians are expected to read music notation and do sight-reading. In jazz, rock, and many popular music genres, performers may be expected to read chord charts and improvise accompaniment and solos. In country music, performers may be expected to read Nashville Number System charts and improvise accompaniment and solos. In many traditional and folk music styles, performers are expected to be able to play by ear.

Session musicians need a nuanced sense of the playing styles and idioms used in different genres. For example, a sax player who mainly plays jazz needs to know the R&B style if they are asked to improvise a solo in an R&B song. Similarly, a bass player asked to improvise a walking bassline in a rockabilly song needs to know the stock lines and cliches used in this genre.

Regardless of the styles of music session musicians play, some qualities are universal: punctuality in arriving at the session; rhythmic and intonation precision; ability to play with good ensemble and excellent blending with the other performers; willingness to take direction from bandleaders, music directors, and music producers; and having good musical taste in regards to choices with musical ornaments and musical phrasing.

1950s–1960s
During the 1950s and 1960s, session players were usually active in local recording scenes concentrated in places such as Los Angeles, New York City, Nashville, Memphis, Detroit, and Muscle Shoals. Each local scene had its circle of "A-list" session musicians, such as The Nashville A-Team that played on numerous country and rock hits of the era, the two groups of musicians in Memphis, both the Memphis Boys and the musicians who backed Stax/Volt recordings, and the Funk Brothers in Detroit, who played on many Motown recordings.

At the time, multi-tracking equipment, though common, was less elaborate, and instrumental backing tracks were often recorded "hot" with an ensemble playing live in the studio. Musicians had to be available "on call" when producers needed a part to fill a last-minute time slot. In the 1960s, Los Angeles was considered the top recording destination in the United States — consequently studios were constantly booked around the clock, and session time was highly sought after and expensive. Songs had to be recorded quickly in the fewest possible takes. In this environment, Los Angeles producers and record executives had little patience for needless expense or wasted time and depended on the service of reliable standby musicians who could be counted on to record in a variety of styles with minimal practice or takes, and deliver hits on short order.

Studio band
A studio band is a musical ensemble that is in the employ of a recording studio for the purpose of accompanying recording artists who are customers of the studio. The use of studio bands was more common during the 1960s with groups such Booker T. & the M.G.'s. The benefit of having a regular group, an approach which typified Southern soul, is that the group has much more experience playing together, which enables them to get a better sense of ensemble.

Notable groups

 * The Nashville A-Team (Nashville, 1950s–1960s)
 * Studio musicians who recorded during the Nashville sound era. Their contributions began in the 1950s with artists such as Elvis Presley. The original A-Team includes bassist Bob Moore; guitarists Grady Martin, Hank Garland, Ray Edenton, and Harold Bradley; drummer Buddy Harman; pianists Floyd Cramer and Hargus "Pig" Robbins; fiddler Tommy Jackson; steel guitarist Pete Drake; harmonicist Charlie McCoy; saxophonist Boots Randolph; and vocal groups The Jordanaires and The Anita Kerr Singers. Cramer, McCoy, and Randolph, along with later A-Teamer and producer Chet Atkins, would later emerge as part of Hee Haw's Million Dollar Band in the 1980s.

 * Booker T. & the M.G.'s (Memphis, 1960s–1970s)
 * The house band at Stax records in Memphis during the 1960s and 1970s, playing behind Otis Redding, Eddie Floyd, Sam and Dave, Isaac Hayes, The Staple Singers, and others. M.G.'s guitarist Steve Cropper co-wrote many of Redding's hits, and the M.G.'s produced albums and hit singles such as "Green Onions" in their own right while being the house band at Stax.

 * The Wrecking Crew (Los Angeles, 1960s–1970s)
 * Prolific, established studio musicians based in Los Angeles, among which bassist Carol Kaye stands out as one of the rare female instrumentalists. They have recorded many songs and albums since the 1960s.

 * The Ron Hicklin Singers (Los Angeles, 1960s-1980s)
 * A vocal session group closely associated with the Wrecking Crew and appeared as backing vocalists on many of the Crew's recordings, including T.V. and movie themes and radio and television commercials.

 * The Blossoms (Los Angeles, 1950s-1970s)
 * An all-female vocal group featuring Darlene Love, which was closely associated with the Wrecking Crew and with Phil Spector, appeared as backing vocalists on many of their recordings. From 1964 to 1966, they were featured vocalists on the weekly rock' n' roll television program Shindig!

 * The Funk Brothers (Detroit, 1960s–1970s)
 * Session musicians who backed many Motown Records recordings from the late 1950s to the early 1970s as well as a few non-Motown recordings, notably on Jackie Wilson's "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher".

 * The Andantes (Detroit, 1960s-1970s)
 * An all-female trio of backing vocalists who backed many Motown Records artists from the late 1950s to the early 1970s as well as a few non-Motown artists, including Jackie Wilson, Betty Everett, and John Lee Hooker. Closely associated with the Funk Brothers.

 * The Memphis Boys (Memphis, 1960s)
 * Session musicians who served as American Sound Studio's house band. They backed such artists as Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley, Wilson Pickett, Joe Tex, Neil Diamond, and Dusty Springfield, among others.

 * The Section (Los Angeles, 1960s–1970s)
 * A Los Angeles singer/songwriter scene associated with the Troubadour nightclub and Laurel Canyon in the late 1960s to mid-1970s was supported by musicians Russ Kunkel, Danny Kortchmar, Leland Sklar and Craig Doerge. This session combo, nicknamed "the Section" or "the Mafia," backed many musicians, among others: Carole King, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, Kris Kristofferson and David Crosby.

 * The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (Memphis, 1960s)
 * A group comprising Barry Beckett, Roger Hawkins, David Hood, and Jimmy Johnson, also known as the Swampers, became known for the "Muscle Shoals Sound." Many of the recordings done in the Memphis area, which included Muscle Shoals, Alabama, used The Memphis Horns in their arrangements.

 * MFSB (Philadelphia, 1970s)
 * MFSB ("Mother Father Sister Brother") was a group of soul music studio musicians based in Philadelphia at the Sigma Sound Studios; they later went on to become a name-brand instrumental group, and their best-known hit was "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)," better known as the theme from Soul Train.

 * The Hillside Singers (1970s)
 * A vocal group commissioned to provide vocals for Mayoham Music, formed by husband and wife Al Ham and Mary Mayo (the latter of whom was also a member of the group). The group is best known for their jingles and television news themes. "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)," originally composed as a jingle for Coca-Cola, became a surprise hit and the source of the group's recording name, as the Coca-Cola commercial featured singers on a hillside. The New Seekers would have an even larger hit with the same song. Their best-known news theme was "Move Closer to Your World," associated with Capital Cities Communications' Action News local news format.

 * Salsoul Orchestra (New York, 1970s–1980s)
 * Session musicians who backed many Salsoul Records recordings from 1974 to 1982. Under their own name, they recorded and released several hit singles and albums between 1975 and 1982.

 * Compass Point All Stars (Nassau, 1970s–1980s)
 * Session musicians who served as the house band at Compass Point Studios.

title: Session musician


text:
Theo Albrecht

Theodor Paul Albrecht (28 March 1922 – 24 July 2010) was a German entrepreneur. He established the discount supermarket chain Aldi with his brother Karl Albrecht. In 2010, Theo was ranked by Forbes as the 31st richest person in the world, with a net worth of $16.7 billion.

Business career
Albrecht learned the grocery business from his mother, in order to escape the fate of his father in the mines. He and his brother Karl developed Albrecht Diskont, one of Europe's largest chains of supermarkets, with the motto "The best quality at the lowest price," and now known by its acronym, Aldi. Forbes has estimated Theo's fortune from the supermarket chain as approximately £11 billion. Theo and Karl Albrecht split the Aldi Company they founded in 1960 after a dispute about whether to sell cigarettes. The supermarket divided into two legally separate operating units with two distinct geographical locations. Theo's Aldi Nord set to operate in the north of Germany, while Karl's Aldi Süd set to operate in Germany's south. Theo retired from daily operations in 1993 and remained as chairman of the board.

Kidnapping
In 1971, Albrecht was kidnapped. A ransom of seven million German marks (approximately US$2 million at the time) was paid for his release. He was held at gunpoint by Heinz-Joachim Ollenburg, a lawyer, and his accomplice Paul Kron. The ransom sum was delivered by Franz Hengsbach, then Bishop of Essen. His kidnappers were eventually caught by authorities, but only half of the money was recovered. Albrecht later unsuccessfully claimed the ransom as a tax deductible business expense in court.

Personal life
Albrecht was raised in a Catholic household. In 1940, at the age of 18, Theo was conscripted into the German Army and served in the North African campaign. Theo was captured by Americans in Tunisia. In 1946 he returned to Germany.

Albrecht's kidnapping in 1971 partially explains his and the family's hermit-like manner of existence. The kidnapping caused him to drive to work in an armored car, using a different route every day. Little is known about Theo and the Albrecht family's personal lives. The Albrecht family members are known to be very reclusive and have been described by Forbes as 'more reclusive than the yeti'. Theo was rarely pictured by photographers, and he never made a public statement. The last published photo of Theo Albrecht dates from 1971, one day after his kidnapping. Another photo of the two Albrecht brothers together was taken in 1987 by journalist Franz Ruch.

Albrecht and his brother Karl were once said to own an island located in the North Sea, where they indulged their hobbies such as golf and pastimes, including the collecting of antique typewriters. Theo had, as do members of the Albrecht family now, a highly secure estate overlooking the Ruhr valley. Obsessed with frugality, Theo is said to have collected and used pencil stubs frequently. He was also known to wear cheap, poorly fitting suits, and preferred plain meals with many potatoes. When he was asked to approve the plans for a new store in the Netherlands, he stated that the design was good, but the paper it was drawn on was too thick: "If you use thinner paper, we will save money."

Albrecht died 24 July 2010, in his hometown of Essen.

title: Theo Albrecht


text:
Gymnastics at the 1996 Summer Olympics

At the 1996 Summer Olympics, two different gymnastics disciplines were contested: artistic gymnastics and rhythmic gymnastics. The artistic gymnastics events were held at the Georgia Dome from July 20–25 and July 28–29. The rhythmic gymnastics events were held at Stegeman Coliseum in nearby Athens, on the campus of the University of Georgia from August 1–4.

The women's rhythmic group all-around was contested for the first time at these Games. This marked the second time that a women's only sport was introduced to the Games.

Format of competition
The gymnastics competition at the 1996 Summer Olympics was carried out in three stages:

 * Competition I - The team competition/qualification round in which gymnasts, including those who were not part of a team, performed both compulsory and optional exercises. Six of the seven team members performed on each apparatus, while only the five highest scores during each rotation were used to determine the overall team total. The thirty-six highest scoring gymnasts in the all-around qualified to the individual all-around competition. The eight highest-scoring gymnasts on each apparatus qualified to the final for that apparatus.
 * Competition II - The individual all-around competition, in which those who qualified from Competition I performed exercises on each apparatus. The final score of each gymnast was determined by adding the scores earned by him or her on each of the six apparatuses in the men's competition and each of the four apparatuses in the women's competition.
 * Competition III - The apparatus finals, in which those who qualified during Competition I performed an exercise on the individual apparatus on which he or she had qualified. The final score of each gymnast determined by the score earned by him or her on the apparatus during this competition.

Each country was limited to three gymnasts in the all-around final and two gymnasts in each apparatus final.

title: Gymnastics at the 1996 Summer Olympics


text:
Gwen Torrence

Gwendolyn Lenna Torrence (born June 12, 1965) is a retired American sprinter and Olympic champion. She was born in Decatur, Georgia. She attended Columbia High School and the University of Georgia. She was offered a scholarship because of her athletic abilities, but she said she wasn't interested because she initially wanted to become a beautician. From the persuasion from her coaches and family, she chose to enroll to the University of Georgia.

In the early 1990s, Gwen Torrence was one of the best sprinters in the world, winning five Olympic medals, and three gold.

Torrence won medals at the Summer Olympics, Outdoor & Indoor World Championships, Pan American Games, Goodwill Games, and World University Games. In 1988, Torrence achieved a tie with Evelyn Ashford in the 55 m race at the U.S. national indoor championships. She also had many battles both on the track and in the press with Florence Griffith Joyner.

In the 200 m at the 1995 World Championships, she was disqualified for stepping out of her lane after finishing first. This left her idol, Merlene Ottey, to be promoted to first place.

In 2000 she was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.

National titles

 * USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
 * 100 m: 1995
 * 200 m: 1988, 1993, 1995
 * USA Indoor Track and Field Championships
 * 55 m: 1989
 * 60 m: 1994, 1995, 1996
 * 200 m: 1994, 1996

Personal bests

 * Outdoor
 * 100-meter dash – 10.82 (1994)
 * 200-meter dash – 21.72 (1992)
 * 400-meter dash – 49.64 (1992)

 * Indoor
 * 50-meter dash – 6.07 (1996)
 * 55-meter dash – 6.56 (1987)
 * 60-meter dash – 7.02 (1996)

Awards

 * World Athletics Awards
 * World Athlete of the Year (Women)：1995

title: Gwen Torrence


text:
The Conference of the Birds

The Conference of the Birds or Speech of the Birds (منطق الطیر, Manṭiq-uṭ-Ṭayr, also known as مقامات الطیور Maqāmāt-uṭ-Ṭuyūr; 1177) is a Persian poem by Sufi poet Farid ud-Din Attar, commonly known as Attar of Nishapur. The title is taken directly from the Qur’an, 27:16, where Sulayman (Solomon) and Dāwūd (David) are said to have been taught the language, or speech, of the birds (manṭiq al-ṭayr). Attar’s death, as with his life, is subject to speculation. He is known to have lived and died a violent death in the massacre inflicted by Genghis Khan and the Mongol army on the city of Nishapur in 1221, when he was seventy years old.

Synopsis
In the poem, the birds of the world gather to decide who is to be their sovereign, as they have none. The hoopoe, the wisest of them all, suggests that they should find the legendary Simorgh. The hoopoe leads the birds, each of whom represents a human fault which prevents humanity from attaining enlightenment.

The hoopoe tells the birds that they have to cross seven valleys in order to reach the abode of Simorgh. These valleys are as follows:

Sholeh Wolpé writes, "When the birds hear the description of these valleys, they bow their heads in distress; some even die of fright right then and there. But despite their trepidations, they begin the great journey. On the way, many perish of thirst, heat or illness, while others fall prey to wild beasts, panic, and violence. Finally, only thirty birds make it to the abode of Simorgh. In the end, the birds learn that they themselves are the Simorgh; the name “Simorgh” in Persian means thirty (si) birds (morgh). They eventually come to understand that the majesty of that Beloved is like the sun that can be seen reflected in a mirror. Yet, whoever looks into that mirror will also behold his or her own image."

Commentary
Attar's use of symbolism is a key, driving component of the poem. This handling of symbolisms and allusions can be seen reflected in these lines:

Beside the symbolic use of the Simorgh, the allusion to China is also very significant. According to Idries Shah, China as used here, is not the geographical China, but the symbol of mystic experience, as inferred from the Hadith (declared weak by Ibn Adee, but still used symbolically by some Sufis): "Seek knowledge; even as far as China". There are many more examples of such subtle symbols and allusions throughout the Mantiq. Within the larger context of the story of the journey of the birds, Attar masterfully tells the reader many didactic short, sweet stories in captivating poetic style.

Sholeh Wolpé, in the foreword of her modern translation of this work writes: "The parables in this book trigger memories deep within us all. The stories inhabit the imagination, and slowly over time, their wisdom trickles down into the heart. The process of absorption is unique to every individual, as is each person’s journey. We are the birds in the story. All of us have our own ideas and ideals, our own fears and anxieties, as we hold on to our own version of the truth. Like the birds of this story, we may take flight together, but the journey itself will be different for each of us. Attar tells us that truth is not static, and that we each tread a path according to our own capacity. It evolves as we evolve. Those who are trapped within their own dogma, clinging to hardened beliefs or faith, are deprived of the journey toward the unfathomable Divine, which Attar calls the Great Ocean."

Wolpé further writes: "The book is meant to be not only instructive but also entertaining."

English translations

 * , reissued by Routledge and Kegan Paul Ltd, 1961.
 * , re-edited as The Canticle of the Birds, Diane de Sellier Éditeur, 2013.
 * , re-edited as The Canticle of the Birds, Diane de Sellier Éditeur, 2013.

La Conférence des oiseaux and other theatrical adaptations
Peter Brook and Jean-Claude Carrière adapted the poem into a play titled La Conférence des oiseaux (The Conference of the Birds), which they published in 1979. Brook toured embryonic versions of the play around rural Africa during the visit of his International Centre for Theatre Research to that continent in 1972–73, before presenting two extremely successful productions to Western audiences—one in New York City at La MaMa E.T.C., and one in Paris. John Heilpern gives an account of the events surrounding the early development of the play in his 1977 book Conference of the Birds: The Story of Peter Brook in Africa.

Sholeh Wolpe's stage adaptation of The Conference of the Birds was premiered by Inferno Theatre and Ubuntu Theater Project (now Oakland Theater Project), in Oakland California in November 2018.

Illustrations
Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Folio from an illustrated Persian manuscript dated c.1600. Paintings by Habiballah of Sava (active ca. 1590–1610), in ink, opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on paper, dimensions 25,4 x 11,4 cm.

In popular culture
ARTE France will launch 30 Birds, an upcoming puzzle video game inspired by Persian art and The Conference of the Birds. Set in the magical city of The Lanterns, the player takes on the role of Zig, a female detective assigned to track down an internationally wanted criminal known as "The Scientist", who is also the prime suspect in the kidnapping of the city's patron bird goddess, Simurgh. For Zig to both apprehend The Scientist and rescue Simurgh, she must recruit the eponymous thirty birds while solving complex puzzles along the way.

title: The Conference of the Birds