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Talk:John Kennedy Toole

Adding a new section?
Do contributors to this page think it's appropriate to add some sort of section regarding Toole's influence on popular culture and music? Perhaps such a section would be more appropriate on the A Confederacy of Dunces page?

I recently added a link in the Bibliography "Works about Toole" section but it was removed because it was deemed out of place in the list of otherwise scholarly works (sorry if I made a faux pas – newbie here).

I wouldn't press the point except for the fact that the work in question is a song by the late Jimmie Spheeris, who knew Toole in New Orleans and included a song entitled You Must Be Laughing Somewhere on his final album. Jimmie's final album was completed on the night he died and not released publicly for 16 years. There are some striking parallels between the publication of Toole's novel and the release of Jimmie's final album — I can't help but think readers would find this interesting. Again, I don't want to press this and would appreciate comments.

Jimmie was a friend and I've been making updates to his Wiki page lately. He and I had several conversations regarding Toole over the years. Documentation would be difficult to prove, but the song lyrics speak for themselves.

Thanks, Art101 18:33, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

 * Yes, the biggest problem which got your addition to the article removed is that the "works about Toole" section you added it to was part of the "Bibliography" section, where it didn't fit in with other biographic reference books.
 * While in some cases references in other media have been added to articles (sometimes under a "trivia" section-- a practice some editors disparage), in this case I'd lean towards not adding it to the article. Your information is interesting, but I see the reference is already explained on the Jimmie Spheeris article while I don't see it adds much to the understanding of John Kennedy Toole. Furthermore, the song lyrics you link don't mention Toole by name, and a quick google search for the song title + John Kennedy Toole or Jimmie Spheeris + JKT both only got me one link, to the same NPR story-- this suggests that the reference to Toole in the song is not famous. Thank you for asking. Cheers, -- Infrogmation 20:15, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for your clarification
Thanks, Infrogmation. I'll refrain from the temptation to add anything to the Toole page and concentrate on expanding Jimmie's Wikipedia page.

Art101 23:27, 18 April 2007 (UTC)

Flannery O'Connor?
I was wondering how Toole could have met up with Flannery O'Connor the night he died (in 1969) when she had died in 1964? Clearly there's something wrong.

Sontag12 —Preceding comment was added at 19:13, 30 January 2008 (UTC)

 * Thanks for catching that! I'll go back and see where that came from. How strange. Brandoid (talk) 00:16, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

 * I did a little more research. I believe that I misinterpreted a text. I have reviewed several others, and it appears that John Kennedy Toole visited the home of then deceased writer O'Connor. I will revise my addition. Brandoid (talk) 00:25, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

Succumbing to Deafness?

 * Toole's father worked as a car salesman and mechanic before succumbing to deafness and failing health...

He succumbed to deafness? Wow, must have been a particularly malignant form of deafness.... And, if he "succumbed" to it, then "failing health" might be a bit of an understatement.... rowley (talk) 20:35, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Military Service
According to Selective Service, the Vietnam War draft lottery began in 1970. The Korean War draft ended on 1950. This article states that Toole was drafted in 1961, and served 2 years.

Can you please clarify?

http://www.sss.gov/lotter1.htm

173.70.172.98 (talk) 06:38, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

 * There was a peace time draft at the time; see Conscription_in_the_United_States. The sss link you reference is about a reinstatement of the draft lottery during Vietnam, which was to get more troops troops in addition to the already existing draft. Infrogmation (talk) 23:41, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

Section removed

 * ==Scholarly disputes over certain aspects of Toole's life==

 * "Toole's biographers, Rene Pol Nevils and Deborah George Hardy, have suggested that a factor in Toole's depression was confusion about his sexuality and identity. In their biography, Ignatius Rising: The Life of John Kennedy Toole, they tracked down and interviewed many of Ken Toole's acquaintances. While one friend suggested that his domineering mother left no emotional room for any other woman in Toole's life (although he did date some women exclusively in his lifetime), others have disputed the suggestion that he was a homosexual, including David Kubach, a longtime friend who also served with Toole in the army. According to Kubach, the authors of Ignatius Rising were not personally acquainted with Toole, and "not knowing him makes a big difference."

References

 * Joel L. Fletcher, a close personal friend of Toole's, wrote a memoir of his life and times as a friend of the Toole family titled Ken & Thelma, and he found Ignatius Rising to be "an appalling piece of work". Nicholas Polites (another of Toole's close friends) wrote to LSU Press claiming that "so much of the information I provided has been embellished, distorted, and outright fabricated." "

The reason I removed the section is while skimming through both books I noticed there are severe discrepancies I will have to sort out before I feel this can even be discussed here. It seems like all the principal witnesses are complaining in Ken & Thelma that Ignatius Rising is nearly a work of fiction. I'll read both books over the weekend and incorporate what I can. Oh, boy I was hoping this would be much easier. Quadzilla99 (talk) 10:12, 23 September 2010 (UTC)

 * I'm eliminating the discussion of Toole's supposed homosexuality. Toole may or may not have been gay but there is nothing but supposition in Ignatius Rising and the one witness who claims to have first hand knowledge is a self-admitted drug addict who says he barely remembers the 1960s but claims to have had a sexual relationship with Toole twelve years previous after seeing him on the jacket of the book. He has no corroborating evidence and even the authors of Ignatius Rising admit he couldn't pick Toole's house out when they drove him to the block Toole lived on and pointing at the house for him.

 * My reasons for this can mostly be found in the postscript of Ken & Thelma, where Fletcher and several others dispute parts of the book. I can go into more detail if necessary. I feel from reading both books most of the questionable parts in Ignatius Rising are in attempts to make a case Toole is gay because he never appeared to have had sex with a woman and perhaps in the characterization of Toole's mother, especially after his death. The second problem doesn't really relate to this article thankfully, since her behavior after he died isn't hugely important to his biography but it might to Confederacy's article. Quadzilla99 (talk) 08:39, 4 October 2010 (UTC)
 * There's also some discussion of Toole's sexuality in the chapter titled Doonie in Ken & Thelma which indicates with somewhat circumstantial evidence he may have been bisexual, it's interesting but mostly second hand stories that are somewhat vague. One is reports of him making lewd comments about women the other is a possible attraction to a male friend. Quadzilla99 (talk) 11:21, 5 October 2010 (UTC)

 * It's too bad there isn't something more definitive out there to document whether this writer was gay or not. I was always under the impression he was. The loneliness and alcoholism he experienced is what many closeted men from his era succumbed to, and putting that alongside the fact that he had no physical interest in women...well, wasn't he either gay, or had a neutered sexuality?? (I'll leave the Marilyn Monroe mania and his devastation by her death out of this.) (Though, um...)

 * I guess someone could be lonely and alcoholic, and either intimidated by or indifferent to women, and be completely non-sexual...but, are there very many people out there who have a neutered sexuality?? I certainly don't know any! EDIT: It looks like there's an essay/article here (http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-165575195.html) on Toole's sexuality, and how it's reflected in his work.If someone's interested in the subject, perhaps they can gather some insights there for the entry. I don't know if the the Southern Literary Journal is a respected source to cite or not, and I don't have a subscription to that archival system, so I haven't read the whole piece.Codenamemary (talk) 03:19, 21 July 2011 (UTC)

Article rating
Unfortunately after much work on this, myself (I was Quadzilla99) and another user have decided that due to the issues raised above, the main source used just isn't reliable enough to stand up to FAC or GA level scrutiny. I truly believe everything in here is accurate as I feel I read the book with a critical eye and left out anything which sounded like conjecture, but there's just really no way to know for sure. I'm leaving this note here in case I retire again, and someone decides to nominate the article they know to tread lightly. Hopefully a good bio comes out on him, but I don't see anything in the pipeline. AaronY (talk) 08:30, 12 November 2010 (UTC)

Abbreviated title
Is there a widespread consensus that the appropriate title abbreviation of A Confederacy of Dunces is "Dunces"? If this was customary for Toole himself, or his editors, I must agree with it. However, in my own personal experience, the word "Confederacy" is the appropriate abbreviation. If there is a rule for this practice, it is apparently that the first noun in a title would be selected. This would be Confederacy, not Dunces, and the latter occurs within a prepositional phrase.Cdg1072 (talk) 04:02, 17 October 2012 (UTC)

Based on a single source?
It appears that most of the article is based on a single source (Nevils and Hardy), which does not seem ideal. I think the article should cut down its reliance on the single source for most of its content. Shreevatsa (talk) 22:19, 28 September 2016 (UTC)
 * Cory MacLauchlin's Butterfly in the Typewriter (2012) is mentioned in the 'External links' section but isn't used as a reference in the main text - does it contain anything that could be useful? JezGrove (talk) 23:30, 14 March 2017 (UTC)
 * I was the main writer of the article and I don't think Butterfly in the Typewriter was available then but I have it here now and it should be used in the article. Unfortunately, I am retired now but at the time there was only one book on the topic and to write a featured article which was my goal they wanted heavy use of book sources. Failing that anyone using web sources would be helpful if they wanted to diversify the number of sources. AaronY (talk) 07:59, 9 June 2021 (UTC)

Brain tumor ever considered?
Has the possibility that Mr. Toole suffered from an undiagnosed brain tumor ever been mentioned? His headaches and increasingly erratic behavior and paranoia might seem to render such possible. The article states he refused to see a neurologist as a physician recommended. Perhaps he had feared this possibility himself regardless if it were true and never let on. Was an autopsy performed? Perhaps not as the cause of death was obvious so what would have been the point of exploring health concerns at that point. In any event, a real tragedy and loss.HistoryBuff14 (talk) 23:33, 8 January 2019 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the. —Community Tech bot (talk) 02:37, 14 March 2020 (UTC)
 * Flannery-O'Connor 1947.jpg

Use of the word flaunt
The phrase "... there was an openly gay contingent which flaunted their homosexuality." is pretty homophobic. Would it be better to say that they didn't hide their homosexuality? Thbpr (talk) 13:49, 20 January 2023 (UTC)

title: Talk:John Kennedy Toole


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Ganges Delta

The Ganges Delta (also known the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta, the Sundarbans Delta or the Bengal Delta ) is a river delta in Eastern South Asia predominantly covering the Bengal region of the subcontinent, consisting of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the world's largest river delta and it empties into the Bay of Bengal with the combined waters of several river systems, mainly those of the Brahmaputra River and the Ganges River. It is also one of the most fertile regions in the world, thus earning the nickname the Green Delta. The delta stretches from the Hooghly River east as far as the Meghna River.

Geography
The Ganges Delta has the shape of a triangle and is considered to be an "arcuate" (arc-shaped) delta. It covers more than 105000 km2 and lies mostly in Bangladesh and India, with rivers from Bhutan, Tibet, and Nepal draining into it from the north. 67% of the delta is inside Bangladesh and only 33% belongs to West-Bengal. Most of the delta is composed of alluvial soils made up by small sediment particles that finally settle down as river currents slowdown in the estuary. Rivers carry these fine particles with them, even from their sources at glaciers as fluvio-glacial. Red and red-yellow laterite soils are found as one heads farther east. The soil has large amounts of minerals and nutrients, which is good for agriculture.

It is composed of a labyrinth of channels, swamps, lakes, and flood plain sediments (chars). The Gorai-Madhumati River, one of the distributaries of the Ganges, divides the Ganges Delta into two parts: the geologically young, active, eastern delta, and the older, less active, western delta.

Population
Around 280 million (180 million Bangladesh and 100 million West Bengal, India) people live on the delta, despite risks from floods caused by monsoons, heavy run-off from the melting snows of the Himalayas, and North Indian Ocean tropical cyclones. A large part of the nation of Bangladesh lies in the Ganges Delta; many of the country's people depend on the delta for survival.

It is believed that upwards of 300 million people are supported by the Ganges Delta; approximately 400 million people live in the Ganges River Basin, making it the most populous river basin in the world. Most of the Ganges Delta has a population density greater than 200/km2 (520 people per square mile), making it one of the most densely populated regions in the world.

Wildlife
Three terrestrial ecoregions cover the delta. The Lower Gangetic plains moist deciduous forests ecoregion covers most of the delta region, although the forests have mostly been cleared for agriculture and only small enclaves remain. Thick stands of tall grass, known as canebrakes, grow in wetter areas. The Sundarbans freshwater swamp forests ecoregion lies closer to the Bay of Bengal; this ecoregion is flooded with slightly brackish water during the dry season, and fresh water during the monsoon season. These forests, too, have been almost completely converted to intensive agriculture, with only 130 km2 of the 14600 km2 protected. Where the delta meets the Bay of Bengal, Sundarbans mangroves form the world's largest mangrove ecoregion, covering an area of 20400 km2 in a chain of 54 islands. They derive their name from the predominant mangrove species, Heritiera fomes, which are known locally as sundri or sundari.

Animals in the delta include the Indian python (Python molurus), clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), Indian elephant (Elephas maximus indicus) and crocodiles, which live in the Sundarbans. Approximately 1,020 endangered Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) are believed to inhabit the Sundarbans. The Ganges–Brahmaputra basin has tropical deciduous forests that yield valuable timber: sal, teak, and peepal trees are found in these areas.

It is estimated that 30,000 chital (Axis axis) are in the Sundarbans part of the delta. Birds found in the delta include kingfishers, eagles, woodpeckers, the shalik (Acridotheres tristis), the swamp francolin (Francolinus gularis), and the doel (Copsychus saularis). Two species of dolphin can be found in the delta: the Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) and the Ganges river dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica). The Irrawaddy dolphin is an oceanic dolphin which enters the delta from the Bay of Bengal. The Ganges river dolphin is a true river dolphin, but is extremely rare and considered endangered.

Trees found in the delta include sundari, garjan (Rhizophora spp.), bamboo, mangrove palm (Nypa fruticans), and mangrove date palm (Phoenix paludosa).

Geology
The Ganges Delta lies at the junction of three tectonic plates: the Indian Plate, the Eurasian Plate, and the Burma Plate. The edge of the Eocene paleoshelf runs approximately from Kolkata to the edge of the Shillong Plateau. The edge of the paleoshelf marks the transition from the thick continental crust in the northwest to the thin continental or oceanic crust in the southeast. The enormous sediment supply from the Himalayan collision has extended the delta about 400 km seaward since the Eocene. The sediment thickness southeast of the edge of the paleoshelf beneath the Ganges Delta can exceed 16 km.

Economy
Approximately two-thirds of the Bangladesh people work in agriculture and grow crops on the fertile floodplains of the delta. The major crops that are grown in the Ganges Delta are jute, tea, and rice. Fishing is also an important activity in the delta region, with fish being a major source of food for many of the people in the area.

In the last decades of the 20th century, scientists helped the poor people of the delta to improve fish farming methods. By turning unused ponds into viable fish farms and improving methods of raising fish in existing ponds, many people can now earn a living raising and selling fish. Using new systems, fish production in existing ponds has increased 800%. Shrimp are farmed in containers or cages that are submerged in open water. Most are exported.

As there is a maze of many river branches, the area is difficult to pass. Most islands are only connected with the mainland by simple wooden ferryboats. Bridges are rare. Some islands are not yet connected to the electric grid, so island residents tend to use solar cells for a bit of electric supply.

Arsenic pollution
Arsenic is a naturally occurring substance in the Ganga Delta that has detrimental effects on health and may enter the food chain, especially in key crops such as rice.

Climate
The Ganges Delta lies mostly in the tropical wet climate zone, and receives between 1500 to 2000 mm of rainfall each year in the western part, and 2000 to 3000 mm in the eastern part.. Hot, dry summers and cool, dry winters make the climate suitable for agriculture.

Cyclones and flooding
In November 1970, the deadliest tropical cyclone of the twentieth century hit the Ganges Delta region. The 1970 Bhola cyclone killed 500,000 people (official death toll), with another 100,000 missing. The Guinness Book of World Records estimated the total loss of human life from the Bhola cyclone at 1,000,000.

Another cyclone hit the delta in 1991, killing about 139,000 people. It also left many people homeless.

People have to be careful on the river delta as severe flooding also occurs. In 1998, the Ganges flooded the delta, killing about 1,000 people and leaving more than 30 million people homeless. The Bangladesh government asked for $900 million to help feed the people of the region, as the entire rice crop was lost.

History of the Bengal Delta
The history of the Bengal delta has been a concern of emerging scholarship by environmental historians.

Indian historian Vinita Damodaran has extensively profiled famine management practices by the East India Company, and related these practices to major ecological changes wrought about by forest and land management practices. Debjani Bhattacharyya has shown how Calcutta was constructed as an urban centre through tracing ecological changes wrought upon by colonial powers involving land, water and humans throughout the mid-18th to the early 20th centuries.

In terms of recent scholarship that focuses more on the eastern part of the Bengal/Ganges Delta, Iftekhar Iqbal argues for the inclusion of the Bengal Delta as an ecological framework within which to study the dynamics of agrarian prosperity or decline, communal conflicts, poverty and famine, especially throughout the colonial period. Iqbal has tried to show how resistance movements such as the Faraizi movement can be studied in relation to colonial ecological management practices.

A strong criticism of environmental history scholarship with regards to the Bengal/Ganges delta is that most of the scholarship is limited to the 18th to the 21st centuries, with a general dearth of ecological history of the region prior to the 18th century.

Future of the delta
One of the greatest challenges people living on the Ganges Delta may face in coming years is the threat of rising sea levels caused by climate change. An increase in sea level of 0.5 m could result in six million people losing their homes in Bangladesh.

Important gas reserves have been discovered in the delta, such as in the Titas and Bakhrabad gas fields. Several major oil companies have invested in exploration of the Ganges Delta region.

Tidal river management
To offset land loss, tidal river management has been implemented in the delta. This method has been implemented in 5 beels and resulted in benefits including decreased waterlogging, creation of agricultural areas, improved navigation and land creation.

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

title: Ganges Delta


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Sixfields

Sixfields is an area of Northampton, Northamptonshire, England about 1 mi west of the town centre along the A4500 St James Road and Weedon Road towards M1 junction 16 about 2 mi further west. It is close to the Duston, Upton and St James areas of the town. Located next to The River Nene and The Grand Union Canal (Northampton Arm), Sixfields is often called "The Starcity of Northamptonshire".

Northamptonshire County Council Division
Sixfields is also the name of a division of Northamptonshire County Council since the 2013 county council elections when it was held by the Liberal Democrat party. The division covers the Northampton town areas of Briar Hill, Camp Hill, part of West Hunsbury, Hunsbury Hill, Swan Valley, Hunsbury Meadows, Upton and St James. The division includes the Sixfields Stadium used by Northampton Town Football Club (known as "The Cobblers") as well as the Northampton Saints Rugby Football Club stadium both of which are due to expand in 2013. The Northampton Lift Tower is also located there. The River Nene flows in the valley between the north and south parts of the division. Significant flooding occurred in the St James area in 1998.

Background
Part of the area was a landfill site for domestic waste originally. It was redeveloped into a leisure area to accommodate the Sixfields Stadium and an athletics running track. A domestic and trade waste recycling centre run by Northamptonshire County Council occupies part of the site, but will be relocated soon.

Walter Tull memorial
Near the Cobblers stadium is a memorial to Walter Tull who played for Northampton Town. Tull became the first black/mixed race combat officer in the British Army during the first world war and was killed in action during 1918. The road past the stadium is named Walter Tull Way often showing signs of subsidence due to the previous use as a waste site.

title: Sixfields


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John Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough

John Albert Edward William Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough, (18 September 1897 – 11 March 1972), styled Marquess of Blandford until 1934, was a British military officer and peer.

Early life
He was born in London on 18 September 1897 as the first of two sons born to Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough and his first wife, the former Consuelo Vanderbilt, an American railroad heiress. His younger brother was Lord Ivor Spencer-Churchill who joined the Royal Army Service Corps and fought in the First World War. His parents separated in 1906 and divorced in 1921. Later that year his mother married Lt. Col. Jacques Balsan, a wealthy French balloon, aircraft, and hydroplane pilot, and his father married the French American Gladys Deacon.

His paternal grandparents were George Spencer-Churchill, 8th Duke of Marlborough and his first wife, Lady Albertha Hamilton (a daughter of James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn and Lady Louisa Russell).

His mother was the eldest child, and only daughter, of William Kissam Vanderbilt, a New York railroad millionaire, and the former Alva Erskine Smith. They divorced in 1895; she married his friend Oliver Belmont and he married the widow Anne Harriman. His maternal uncles were William Kissam Vanderbilt II and Harold Stirling Vanderbilt.

Marlborough was educated at Eton before joining the Life Guards.

Career
Prior to inheriting the dukedom in 1934, he was a lieutenant-colonel in the Life Guards, and served with distinction in France and Belgium during World War I. After the war, he served as Mayor of Woodstock, where Blenheim is located, from 1937 to 1942. His wife served as the first woman mayor of Woodstock. He also served as High Steward of Oxford in 1937. He enlisted during World War II and was a military liaison officer with the United States forces in Britain.

In 1950, the Duke opened the grounds and many rooms of Blenheim Palace (including the bedroom in which Sir Winston Churchill was born) to the public to help defray the cost of upkeep. Today, he is known as one of the originators of the "stately homes" business.

Personal life
On 17 February 1920, he was married to the Hon. Alexandra Mary Cadogan (1900–1961) at a ceremony at St Margaret's Church in London attended by King George V and Queen Mary. As a wedding gift, his maternal grandfather gave him a house in London. She was a daughter of Henry Cadogan, Viscount Chelsea, the son and heir of George Henry Cadogan, 5th Earl Cadogan. Together, they had two sons and three daughters:

 * Lady Sarah Consuelo Spencer-Churchill (1921–2000), who married Edwin Fariman Russell (1914–2001) in Westminster in 1943. They divorced in Reno, Nevada in 1966 and she married Guy Burgos Ossa the same year. They divorced in 1967 in Mexico and she married thirdly to Theo Roubanis in Philadelphia in 1967.
 * Lady Caroline Spencer-Churchill (1923–1992), who married Major Charles Huguenot Waterhouse (1918–2007) of Middleton Hall, Middleton-by-Youlgreave in Woodstock, Oxfordshire in 1946.
 * John George Vanderbilt Henry Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough (1926–2014), who married four times.
 * Lady Rosemary Mildred Spencer-Churchill (b. 1929), a lady in waiting to Queen Elizabeth II, she married Charles Robert Muir (d. 1972) at Oxford in 1953.
 * Lord Charles George William Colin Spencer-Churchill (1940–2016), who married Gillian Spreckels Fuller (b. 1946), a great-granddaughter of California industrialist and financier John D. Spreckels, in 1965. They divorced in 1968 and in 1970, he married Elizabeth Jane Wyndham (b. 1948), a great-niece of the interior decorator Nancy Lancaster.

Second marriage
Six weeks before his death, on 26 January 1972, the Duke married his second wife, (Frances) Laura (née Charteris) Canfield (1915–1990), the widow of the American publishing heir Michael Temple Canfield (whose first wife had been Caroline Lee Bouvier, the sister of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis). Laura Canfield was the second daughter of the Hon. Guy Lawrence Charteris (the second son of Hugo Charteris, 11th Earl of Wemyss and Lady Frances Lucy Tennant). Laura's older sister, Ann Geraldine Mary Charteris, was married to the novelist Ian Fleming. Laura herself was previously married to and divorced from Walter Long, 2nd Viscount Long and William Ward, 3rd Earl of Dudley.

The Duke died at a hospital in London on 11 March 1972, and was succeeded by his son John Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford. He and his first wife are buried in the churchyard of St Martin's Church, Bladon.

Descendants
Through his eldest daughter, Lady Sarah (who inherited the bulk of his mother's estate upon her death in 1965), he was a grandfather of four: Serena Mary Churchill Russell (b. 1944) (who married Neil Balfour), Consuelo Sarah Russell (b. 1946), Alexandra Brenda Russell (b. 1949), and Jacqueline Russell (b. 1958).

Through his second daughter, Lady Caroline, he was a grandfather of three: Michael Thomas Waterhouse (b. 1949), Elizabeth Ann Waterhouse (b. 1951) (who married Sir Richard Gervase Beckett), and David Charles Waterhouse (b. 1956).

Through his third daughter Lady Rosemary, he was a grandfather of three: Alexander Pepys Muir (b. 1954) (a godson of Princess Margaret), Simon Huntly Muir (b. 1959), and Mary Arabella Muir (b. 1962).

Through his youngest son, Lord Charles, he was a grandfather of three: Rupert John Harold Mark Spencer-Churchill (b. 1971), Dominic Albert Charles Spencer-Churchill (b. 1979), and Alexander David Spencer-Churchill (b. 1983).


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Wikipedia talk:Requests for adminship/Promotion guidelines

I actually agree with much of this, even though my oppose votes are generally "made by someone who is pursing a policy agenda of stricter standards" (though I don't agree with the "furthering a campaign" bit... because I'm not really campaigning; I just simply feel that 90% of the time, users with <2000 edits are not ready).

Thanks for all the history and analysis, it was a good read.

While I think coming to a consensus on promotion standards is a nice idea, I think it's impossible. There is too great a variety in the opinions of users on the matter. Some users would not have a problem supporting a candidate with 1200 edits. However, to some users that would be unthinkable. Same for time periods. I know some users that would probably support someone with six weeks under his/her belt, while I know others that won't support anyone with less than three months (or longer).

I would not oppose a "probationary period" for new admins, though I would oppose any such period longer than three months. Six months is unnecessary, IMO. I would also oppose not allowing "probationary" admins to block users. Blocks can be easily undone. If the community votes to give a user adminship, then he should have all the powers/abilities entailed. blankfaze | (беседа!)  16:07, 13 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Most of this is a solution in search of a problem, it seems. The other part is unenforceable. While I'd like to see RfA made less of a popularity contest (like the ridiculous attempt to strike down a nomination on the grounds of the user's deletionist principles), I don't see any way to enforce common sense on people. Ambi 08:26, 14 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * Agree with Ambi. Admins are no perfect (especially including me!), but overall they're pretty good and I haven't seen any major problems yet. I occasionally read that de-adminship is near impossible, but I think the very few de-adminships so far are not a sign of a difficult de-adminship but a sign of good admins. -- Chris 73 Talk 08:36, Oct 14, 2004 (UTC)


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North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction

The North Carolina superintendent of public instruction is an elected constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As the head of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the superintendent oversees the public school systems of the state. They also serve as the secretary of the North Carolina State Board of Education and are a member of the North Carolina Council of State. The incumbent is Catherine Truitt, who became superintendent on January 2, 2021.

The position of state superintendent was originally created in 1852 to run the new Department of Public Instruction. The office was abolished in 1865 but reestablished by the 1868 state constitution as a member of the new State Board of Education. The duties of the superintendent have been altered over time by the North Carolina General Assembly. A new state constitution in 1971 designated the superintendent as the secretary of the Board of Education, but removed the office's voting power on the body. The relationship between the superintendent and the board since the 1960s has been characterized by conflict and confusion over their responsibilities.

History of the office
In 1837, the North Carolina General Assembly passed a common school law to combine state and local funds to create a public school system. In 1850, North Carolina Governor Charles Manly appealed to the legislature for the creation of an office with centralized authority over public schools. In 1852, the assembly created the Department of Public Instruction to be led by the superintendent of common schools chosen by legislative appointment. Calvin H. Wiley served in the office from January 1, 1853, until April 25, 1865, when the state declared its offices vacant due to the surrender of the Confederate States of America in the American Civil War. Later that year the General Assembly declined to appropriate state funds for public schools and abolished the position of superintendent, effectively terminating the public school system. In 1868 the state ratified a new constitution that provided for a system of public schools to be led by a superintendent of public instruction and a State Board of Education, of which the superintendent was an ex officio member and served as the body's secretary. Under this framework, the superintendent was tasked with managing the school system and implementing relevant laws, creating an annual report on education in the state, and studying effective educational techniques in other jurisdictions. The constitution also made the superintendent an ex officio member of the Council of State.

The duties of the superintendent and the structure of the Department of Public Instruction have been altered over time by the General Assembly. In 1933 the legislature placed the superintendent on the new State School Commission, which was responsible for educational financing. The commission was disbanded in 1943. That year, the constitution was amended to revise the composition of the State Board of Education, leaving the superintendent a member but adding several seats to be filled by appointment from the governor, imbuing the body with a rivalling political authority over education policy. Conflict between the superintendent and the rest of the board over the scope of their responsibilities became common in the 1960s and 1970s. A 1968 constitutional study commission recommended making the Board of Education responsible for the selection of the superintendent to reduce voters' burden by shortening the ballot, but this proposal was disregarded by the General Assembly when it rewrote the state constitution in 1971. The new constitution affirmed that the superintendent was the secretary of the State Board of Education and removed the office's membership and voting power on the board. In 1987 another effort was made to make the office appointed by the board in an attempt to simplify governance of the state's educational system. The North Carolina Senate passed a constitutional amendment to that effect with the support of the governor and lieutenant governor but the bill was quashed in a House of Representatives committee. The following year the legislature empowered the superintendent to organize the structure of the Department of Public Instruction, spend its funds, and enter into relevant contracts in the course of its operations. As secretary to the State Board of Education, the superintendent was made responsible for expenditures related to the board's duties and for implementing its policy decisions.

In the 1990s, the Board of Education established the position of deputy superintendent and delegated direct management authority to them. School officials subsequently complained about a lack of clarity in the leadership of the Department of Public Instruction, and the Public School Forum of North Carolina dubbed the system a "four-head monster" under the competing authorities of the superintendent, deputy superintendent, the Board of Education, and the governor. In 1995 the General Assembly passed legislation transferring most of the superintendent's powers to the Board of Education. In 1997 the General Assembly again attempted to amend the constitution to remove the popular election of the superintendent, with the effort narrowly failing by two votes in the North Carolina House of Representatives. "Dual-reporting" positions within the Department of Public Instruction, which encompassed employees who were responsible both to the superintendent and the board, came into frequent use during Bob Etheridge's tenure as the superintendent.

June Atkinson, who was sworn in in 2005, was the first woman elected to the office. In 2007, the Board of Education resolved that the deputy superintendent was responsible to them and possessed the "power and duty...[t]o manage the Department of Public Instruction," thus removing the superintendent's basic control over the department. This position was later countermanded by state legislation. In 2009, Governor Bev Perdue, with the cooperation of the board, attempted to circumvent Atkinson's authority by appointing a chief executive officer to run the Department of Public Instruction, effectively rendering the superintendent a symbolic official. The governor justified her decision by arguing that it was "adding accountability and clear direction to a system that is badly in need of both." Atkinson sued to assert her leadership over the department, and the Wake County Superior Court decided in her favor, ruling that she was in charge of the chief executive officer.

In 2016, the General Assembly passed legislation transferring some of the board's powers to the superintendent. The board sued to block the law, and in 2018 the Supreme Court of North Carolina ruled that the superintendent was responsible "over all matters relating to the direct supervision and administration of the public school system" while also affirming that the board had "ultimate authority under the Constitution to supervise and administer the state's public school system" and that the board can determine "the mechanics of the relationship between the Board and the Superintendent, as well as how their respective departments will operate internally." In wake of the decision, Superintendent Mark Johnson eliminated dual reporting positions, making all such employees responsible only to him. The incumbent, Catherine Truitt, was sworn in to the office on January 2, 2021.

Duties and structure
The superintendent of public instruction is the only constitutional officer in North Carolina assigned responsibilities solely concerning public education. The office holder is not subject to term limits. In the event of a vacancy in the office, the Governor of North Carolina has the authority to appoint a successor until a candidate is elected at the next general election for members of the General Assembly. Per Article III, Section 8 of the constitution, the superintendent sits on the Council of State. The State Board of Education is responsible for setting education policy, and the superintendent serves as the board's secretary and chief administrative officer. The superintendent is not themselves a formal member of the board. The state constitution does not fully delineate the administrative responsibilities of the board and the superintendent, and leaves the latter's duties to be determined by state law. The superintendent is empowered by general statute to appoint a local school system superintendent to serve as one of eight advisory members on the board. As board secretary, the superintendent is responsible for managing the board's funds and its aid appropriations to local school boards. They also keep the board informed on public education matters, make recommendations to it, and keep its minutes. They are also required to report to the governor on the state of public education in North Carolina 30 days before each regular session of the legislature. They are an ex officio member of several state boards and commissions. They are seventh in the line of succession to the governor.

The superintendent manages the Department of Public Instruction. The department is divided into three sections each under the leadership of an assistant superintendent: Instructional and Accountability Services, Information and Technology Services, and Financial and Personnel Services. As of December 2022, the department has 886 employees retained under the terms of the State Human Resources Act. As of October 2022, two officers in the department—an internal auditor and the Director of Board Operations and Policy—report directly to both the superintendent and the Board of Education. As with all Council of State officers, the superintendent's salary is fixed by the General Assembly and cannot be reduced during their term of office. In 2022, the superintendent's annual salary was $146,421. They maintain an office in the Department of Public Instruction building.


text:
Shoeburyness railway station

Shoeburyness railway station is the eastern terminus of the London, Tilbury and Southend Line (Engineer's Line Reference FSS), serving the suburb of Shoeburyness, Essex. It is 39 mi down the main line from London Fenchurch Street via Basildon; the preceding station is Thorpe Bay. Its three-letter station code is SRY.

The line and station were opened in 1884 when the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway expanded east from Southend. The station and all trains serving it are currently operated by c2c.

Description
Shoeburyness is arranged in a through-station layout despite being a terminus. It was opened on 1 February 1884 by the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway. As a result of this layout, the station has step-free access from the town's high street to all of its platforms. Platforms 1 and 2 have an operational length for thirteen-coach trains and Platform 3 an operational length for nine-coach trains. A connection exists to the Ministry of Defence site nearby at Pig's Bay, to the east over a level crossing on the high street, and extensive carriage sidings exist to the west comprising 31 sidings.

The ticket office is equipped with the Tribute ticket issuing system. The station has sheltered bicycle storage, a taxicab rank, and a car park.

The station was renovated in January 2013 to improve customer safety, security and facilities for the c2c customers.

When London Underground's District line operated a seasonal non-stop excursion train service between 1910 and 1939 through to the Southend area, Shoeburyness was the terminus.

Services
As of the June 2024 timetable the typical Monday to Friday off-peak service is:
 * 4 tph (trains per hour) westbound to London Fenchurch Street via Basildon (2 tph all stations and 2 tph semi-fast)

All services are operated by c2c who use the British Rail Class 357 and British Rail Class 720.

title: Shoeburyness railway station


text:
United States Marine Corps School of Infantry

The School of Infantry (SOI) is the second stage of initial military training for enlisted United States Marines after recruit training. The ITB (Infantry Training Battalion) now called IMC (Infantry Marine Course) went from a 59 day course to 14 week course. Since the initial training pipeline is divided between coasts, Marines from areas east of the Mississippi River usually graduate from MCRD Parris Island and move on to SOI at SOI East (located at Camp Geiger, a satellite facility of Camp Lejeune in North Carolina), while those from the western half of the nation attend MCRD San Diego and move on to SOI West at the Camp San Onofre area of Camp Pendleton in California. Female Marines are trained at both SOI East and SOI West. The School of Infantry's training mission ensures "Every Marine is, first and foremost, a Rifleman". At SOI, Marines with the Military Occupational Specialty of infantry (0300 occupational field) are trained at the Infantry Training Battalion (ITB), while all non-infantry Marines are trained in basic infantry and combat skills at the Marine Combat Training Battalion (MCT Bn). SOI marks a transition in the professional training of entry-level students from basically trained Marines to combat-ready Marines.

History
Prior to 1953, there was no formal infantry training in the Marine Corps, and all Marines received combat training at recruit training. The Marine Corps established Infantry Training Regiments at Camp Lejeune and Camp Pendleton in that year. Between 1954 and 1966, all Marines received 13 weeks of Boot Camp (Basic Training) and 8 weeks of Infantry Training Regiment (ITR) regardless of their Primary Military Occupational Specialty (MOS), growing out of the philosophy that all Marines are riflemen first. Because of manpower demands for Vietnam, in 1966 Boot Camp training was reduced from 13 weeks to 8 weeks, and ITR was reduced from 8 weeks to 4 weeks. However, by late 1968 these were returned to their 13 week and 8 week lengths, as manpower demands were satisfied by recruiting efforts, as well as by Selective Service inductees volunteering for a Marine Corps option.

In 1971, infantry skills training for non-infantry Marines was folded into recruit training and entailed only 60 training hours. During the late 1970s and through the 1980s, Marines assigned an Infantry MOS went to Infantry Training School, commonly referred to as "ITS". This lasted until the Marine Corps established Marine Combat Training as a 28-day course in 1989 to teach rifleman skills to all male Marines. In 1996, the 2nd Marine Division disbanded Division Schools, passing the role of advanced infantry training to the newly established Advanced Infantry Training Company at the SOI. Prior to 1997, only male Marines were trained at SOI schools; females went directly to their MOS schools.

Training
The training is accomplished with a combination of classroom instruction, hands-on practical application, and live-fire experience. The Marine Combat Instructors at SOI provide continuity and consistency in the continuum of training and mentoring entry-level Marines. Also trained at the SOI, these instructors began earning the MOS 0913 (formerly MOS 8513) in 2003.

Infantry Training Battalion
The Infantry Training Battalion's mission is to train and qualify Marines in entry level infantry military occupational specialties to provide the Operating Forces and Marine Forces Reserve with Marines capable of conducting expeditionary combat operations.

Infantry Training Battalion was a 59-day training course that develops new Marines into infantrymen "who can fight, survive, and win in a combat situation". The first two weeks are a common skills package that all infantry MOSs share, where Marines receive instruction in combat marksmanship, use of grenades, identifying and countering improvised explosive devices, convoy operations, Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT), tactical formations, land navigation, and patrolling. Afterward, Marines receive instruction specific to their infantry MOS, regarding machine guns, mortars, reconnaissance, or anti-tank warfare. The training cycle includes physical conditioning via physical training, conditioning marches, and sustainment training in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP). Leadership traits and the application of the core values in every aspect of the Marine's life are also emphasized.

Marine Combat Training
Marine Combat Training (MCT) is a 29-day course in which entry-level non-infantry Marines are taught the common skills needed in combat. Marines learn the basics of combat marksmanship, counter-improvised explosive device techniques, how to conduct the defense of a position, convoy operations, combat formations, fireteam assaults, patrolling, MOUT, use of the AN/PRC-119 radio, reporting military intelligence, land navigation, and the use of hand grenades, the M203 grenade launcher, M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, and M240 machine gun. Training also includes combat conditioning by running an obstacle course, conducting marches, physical training, and MCMAP. Upon completion of MCT, the Marine is to have gained the knowledge and ability to operate in a combat environment as a basic rifleman and to perform his or her primary duties under fire.

Advanced Infantry Training Battalion
The Advanced Infantry Training Battalion (AITB) conducts additional training for those infantry Marines who have an MOS other than 0311, as well as advanced skills, MOS validation, leadership, and qualifications to infantry Marines who have advanced in their careers. The east and west coast stations have slightly different subordinate units.

 * The Light Armored Vehicle Training Company trains entry-level infantry MOS-qualified Armored Vehicle crewmen and trains infantry officers and SNCOs in the tactical employment of the Light Armored Vehicle, and awards the MOSs 0313 and 0303.
 * The Reconnaissance Training Company mentors and safely trains Marines in reconnaissance skills, in preparation for assignment to a reconnaissance unit. Graduates of the Basic Reconnaissance Course are awarded the MOS 0321.
 * The Scout Sniper Basic Course provides instruction in advanced marksmanship with the M40A1 sniper rifle and the M82A1A Special Application Scoped Rifle, small bore marksmanship training with the M40, and qualification with the M9 pistol. Instruction includes stalking and concealment techniques, range estimation, observation techniques, hide construction, land navigation, tracking, field communications, selection and occupation of positions, field sketch, observation log, range card, and patrol log construction and maintenance, terrain model construction, and night/thermal imaging device usage and anti-detection techniques. Tactical instruction includes detailed mission planning, preparation and conduct, scout-sniper employment, patrolling, and collecting and reporting information.
 * The Infantry Squad Leaders Course is designed to provide Marine Noncommissioned Officers with the required skills and knowledge to be an infantry squad leader. A Marine receives training in rifleman core competencies, war-fighting and decision making, troop leading procedures, advanced land navigation, how to call for indirect fire, small unit training, communications, infantry rifle company crew-served weapons, munitions and pyrotechnics, scouting and patrolling, defensive and offensive tactics and techniques.
 * The Infantry Mortars Leaders Course trains Marines to serve as a section leader for the M224 mortar section of an infantry weapons platoon or to serve as a squad leader, plotter, or section leader for an M252 mortar platoon in an infantry weapons company.
 * The Infantry Machinegun Leaders Course provides Marines with the knowledge and skills required to serve as a machine gun squad leader for a machine gun section of an infantry weapons platoon, or to serve as a heavy machine gun squad leader, or a heavy machine gun section leader for a heavy machine gun platoon of an infantry weapons company.
 * The Infantry Anti-Tank Missileman Leaders Course is designed to provide Marines with the knowledge and skills required to perform as a FGM-148 Javelin squad leader, team leader, and gunner and as an anti-tank missileman squad leader or section leader in an anti-armor platoon or a Combined Anti-Armor Team platoon in an infantry weapons company.
 * The Infantry Assaultman Leaders Course provides a Marine with the knowledge and skills required to serve as an assaultman squad leader for an assaultman section of an infantry weapons platoon.
 * The Infantry Unit Leaders Training Company provides skill progression training to ensure Staff Noncommissioned Officers are proficient in advanced infantry skills, developed in their decision making process, making practical use of their infantry experience, and equipped to assume increased levels of responsibility for infantry unit leadership. The course provides instruction in machine gunnery, mortar gunnery, anti-armor operations, Marine Corps leadership, Marine Corps planning process, law of land warfare, anti-terrorism and force protection, written communications, verbal communications, Uniform Code of Military Justice, and personnel administration, section and platoon leadership, platoon/company defensive and offensive tactics, platoon patrolling, and fire support to leaders in the MOSs of 0369, 0302, and 0306.
 * The Mobile Training Company conducts "train the trainer", Tactical Small Unit Leader Course, Combat Hunter, and other standards based training as directed to enhance the ability of unit commanders to conduct training that supports their mission.
 * Infantry Operations Chief Course is designed to train senior enlisted Marines in the knowledge and skills required to perform the duties of an Infantry Operations Chief in an infantry battalion. Topics that are covered include: training and education in unit training management, ground combat element operations, combat operations center operations, the Marine Corps planning process, fire support coordination, and the Command and Control Personal Computer system.
 * Marine Combat Instructors School prepares instructors in the knowledge and skills required to formally train entry-level Marines at the SOI. The Marine receives training in coaching skills for individual and crew served weapons and optics, reinforcement of both day and night land navigation, communications, CPR and first aid procedures, combat marksmanship, the Combat Life Saver program, scouting, patrolling, improvised explosive devices, Guardian Angel, and convoy operations. Graduates of the school receive the MOS 0913.
 * The Martial Arts Instructor Course certifies Marines as Martial Arts Instructors (MAI) (secondary MOS 0916, formerly 8551) in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program by providing the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to conduct all aspects of training. The graduating student will have the capability to certify Marines at belt levels the same as his or her own; supervise sustainment and integration training; conduct the combative sports program; and conduct the combat conditioning program. In order to obtain instructor qualifications for a higher belt, Marines must first meet the belt requirements and progress through the training program. In order to become a Martial Arts Instructor Trainer (MAIT), which can also certify green, brown, and black belt (1st Degree) instructors, they must go through a seven-week MAIT course at Marine Corps Base Quantico. Once the black belt is obtained, Marines can acquire up to six degrees of black belt training, distinguished by Tan (MAI) or Red (MAIT) stripes on the right side of the belt.


text:
ELS

ELS or Els may refer to:

Education

 * Emerson Literary Society, a social society at Hamilton College
 * Empirical legal studies
 * English Language School, Dubai
 * Europeesche Lagere School, a school system in the colonial Dutch East Indies
 * Expeditionary learning schools, in the United States

Medicine and science

 * Early Life Stage test, a chronic toxicity test
 * Eaton–Lambert syndrome, a muscle disease
 * Editor in the Life Sciences, a professional certification
 * ELS cotton (Gossypium barbadense), a species of cotton
 * Encyclopedia of Life Sciences, an online encyclopedia

People

 * Els (given name), a feminine given name short for Elisabeth
 * Ernie Els (born 1969), South African golfer
 * Jurie Els, South African singer

Technology

 * Electrophoretic light scattering
 * Engineered Lifting Systems & Equipment, a Canadian manufacturing company
 * Ensemble de Lancement Soyouz, a launch pad at Guiana Space Centre
 * Extreme Loading for Structures, structural analysis software
 * Emergency Light System, emergency lighting installed on emergency vehicles

Other uses

 * Els (Streu), a river in Germany
 * East London Airport, in South Africa
 * Edinburgh Labour Students, a student wing of the Labour Party of the United Kingdom
 * Elsternwick railway station, Melbourne
 * Equidistant letter sequence, a bible code method
 * Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad, in the United States
 * Evangelical Lutheran Synod, a US-based Protestant Christian denomination
 * Liberation Army of the South (Ejército Libertador del Sur), an armed group active during the Mexican Revolution

title: ELS


text:
Phone Losers of America

The Phone Losers of America (PLA) is an internet prank call community founded in 1994 as a phone phreaking and hacking e-zine. Today the PLA hosts a prank call podcast called the Snow Plow Show, which it has hosted since 2012.

History
The Phone Losers of America were founded by Brad Carter in 1994, in an era when landlines were plentiful.

The PLA text files continued until mid-1997.

In the early 2000s, with the introduction of companies offering Caller ID Spoofing, groups such as the Phone Losers of America became notable in their utilisation of the service for prank calling, for example in the spoofing of law enforcement and corporate office numbers.

In August 2015, the Columbia Daily Tribune in Columbia, Missouri, featured the PLA in an article about a series of "strange calls" received by local residents who had signed a petition against a crosswalk construction project. The article quoted an FBI representative who allegedly told the Tribune that the calls to Columbia residents "would likely be prosecuted on the local level."

In early November 2016, Carter reported that the FBI performed an early-morning raid on his recording studio, resulting in a temporary seizure of all technical equipment. The raid was triggered by an attempt to access customer profiles at numerous retail stores across the country, primarily Safeway, of which some were utilized for prank phone calls. The case was treated as a federal matter, and was presided over by Judge Marco A. Hernandez of the Federal District Court of Oregon. On October 16, 2017, Judge Hernandez sentenced Carter to eight months of home detention, followed by five years of probation. Carter must pay $19,600 in restitution to Safeway as a consequence.

Activities

The PLA maintains an archive of answer machine messages in text-based format, which Motherboard have described as being the "ringtones of their day".

title: Phone Losers of America


text:
Tusker

Tusker or Tuskers may refer to:

Animals

 * an elephant with large tusks (discussed at Tusk)
 * an adult male wild boar, particularly the American razorback population

Military unit nicknames

 * 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, a United States Army unit
 * No. 5 Squadron IAF, an Indian Air Force squadron
 * 413 Transport and Rescue Squadron, a Canadian Armed Forces air force squadron

Sports teams

 * Sri Lanka rugby union team nickname "The Tuskers”
 * East Africa rugby union team, who tour under the nickname "Tuskers"
 * Tusker F.C., a Kenyan football club owned by the East African Breweries
 * Ballari Tuskers, a Karnataka Premier League cricket franchise
 * Kochi Tuskers Kerala, a former Indian Premier League cricket franchise
 * Florida Tuskers, a former United Football League franchise
 * Matabeleland Tuskers, a Zimbabwean cricket franchise
 * Tuskers women's cricket team, a Zimbabwean women's cricket team

Other uses

 * Tusker (beer), a Kenyan beer bottled by East African Breweries
 * Tusker Rock, a rock in the Bristol Channel, Wales
 * a character in the Japanese anime series Kiba
 * a member of the DC Comics Justice League of Earth
 * the University of Nebraska's former Holland Computing Center high memory cluster
 * the name of a DHR B Class steam locomotive
 * the sports teams of Somers High School (New York), a public school

title: Tusker


text:
Murang'a County

Murang'a County is one of the counties of Kenya's former Central Province. Its largest town and capital is Murang'a, which was referred to as Fort Hall during the colonial era. The county is inhabited mainly by and is considered the birthplace of the Gikuyu, the largest ethnic group in Kenya. The county has a population of 1,056,640 based on the 2019 census.

History
When missionaries first came to Kenya, they found the Coast Region already inhabited by Portuguese who had taken the coast strategically for trade from Arab powers in the 16th century. The missionaries ventured into Kenya's rugged interior and Murang'a was one of the first places they settled.

When the British set up the East African Protectorate in 1895, their first administrative post (Fort Smith) was located in Murang'a.

One of the main highlights of Murang'a's history, however, is the Mau Mau uprising that was led by the Agikuyu community who consider Murang'a their ancestral origin. Murang'a is thus considered, at least by some, the birthplace of the Kenyan independence movement.

Missionaries had initially been welcomed by Karuri Wagakure who was the chief of Tuthu. They set up the first mission church in Kenya at Murang'a.

Murang'a is also the source of Rivers Maragua, which originates from the heart of the Aberdare Range, Mathioya, Kayahwe, Irati and Muriurio among others.

Additionally, Murang'a is known for its fertile soil and good climate, which are good for farming. Among the food crops grown in this county include maize, beans, sweet potatoes, arrow roots, pumpkins, and bananas.

Tea and coffee are the county's main cash crops.

County government
The Constitution of Kenya (2010) created 47 regional governments with the formerly larger Murang'a district as a county. The County Government has two arms, and these are; the County Assembly and the County Executive.

. The county uses the code 021 on the national coding scheme and locals famously refer to the county as Metumi.

Executive
From 2013 to 2022, the Executive arm was headed by Hon. Mwangi wa Iria, who was deputized by Hon Gakure Monyo during his first term and Hon Maina Kamau in his second term. In his last term, Mwangi wa Iria was assisted by a team of ministerial members referred to as County Executive Committee (CEC), which had ten other members. The individuals and their portfolios included:

Following the end of the two terms of governorship by Mwangi wa Iria as stipulated by the Kenyan Law, Murang'a County voters voted in Dr. Francis Irungu Kang’ata as their second Governor in August 2022 general elections. Governor Francis Irungu took Oath of Office on 25 August 2022, together with his deputy Stephen Mburu Munania, who became the third Deputy Governor of Murang'a County.

County Assembly
Murang’a County Assembly is located in Murang’a town along Kiria-ini Road. The Assembly is housed in the building formerly occupied by the Municipal Council of Murang’a.

Murang’a County has 35 MCAs, a speaker and 16 nominated members. The position of the Speaker of the Assembly was formerly held by Hon. Leonard Nduati, deputized by Hon. Moses Gachui. Johnson Mukuha was voted in as the new Speaker in September 2022 by the majority of Members of County Assembly (MCAs). The Assembly is administratively managed by Clerk to the Assembly, a post formerly occupied by Peter Ndegwa Mbue. The current Clerk to the Assembly is Mr. Kuria Thuita.

MEMBERS OF MURANG'A COUNTY ASSEMBLY(2022–2027)

Elected Members of County Assembly.
 * 1) Speaker - Johnson Mukuha - UDA
 * 2) Deputy speaker - Moses Gachui Mungai - UDA
 * 3) Majority Leader -  Francis Kibe Kamau - UDA

Religion
Religion in Murang'a County

Learning Institutions
Currently, there is only one public university in the county, known as Murang’a University of Technology (MUT). MUT was established in September 2011 via Murang’a University College order legal notice No. 129 September 2011 as a constituent College of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. MUT is the successor of Murang’a University College and Murang'a College of Technology. The university currently operates under the provision of the Universities Act 2012 CAP 210 B of the laws of Kenya.

The university is located 1.5 km from Murang'a town, 85 km North East of Nairobi, 70 km South East of Nyeri and 50 km South West of Embu.

There is also Kenya Medical Training College Murang’a Campus (KMTC). This Medical Training College is situated in Murang’a town, approximately 1 km from the town center. Having started in 1950s as a training Centre for Mid-wives, the college morphed into training nurses and gradually started offering Certificate and Diploma Courses in Nursing and Mental Health Psychiatry. Murang'a county also has a teachers training college,Murang'a Teachers college in Makuyu. The college offers training for primary school teachers. Another public institution is the Michuki Technical Training Institute which is located near Karugia Shopping Centre in Kangema subcounty.

In 2022 Murang'a Technical Institute a TVET institute was opened in Maragua Town and offers diplomas and certificates in various trades.

County subdivisions
The county has seven constituencies:
 * Kangema Constituency
 * Kiharu Constituency
 * Mathioya Constituency
 * Kigumo Constituency
 * Kandara Constituency
 * Maragwa Constituency
 * Gatanga Constituency

The county has several towns:
 * Kangare
 * Kirwara
 * Kenol
 * Maragwa
 * Kangema
 * Kiriani
 * Sabasaba
 * Gatura

Wealth/Poverty Level
Cash crops in Murang'a county:
 * Tea
 * Coffee

Notable people

 * Paramount Chief Karuri wa Gakure - A colonial tribal leader who died in 1916 who at one time was senior most chief in Kiambu, Murang'a and Nyeri Counties.
 * Kenneth Matiba – Politician, First Kenyan Opposition Leader, Business Man, civil servant
 * Dr. Julius Gikonyo Kiano- First black Kenyan to get a PhD degree,founding father of the Republic of Kenya, member of the initial independent Kenya cabinet and long time cabinet minister; one time frontrunner for post of Secretary of UNCTAD. Jointly with Tom Mboya organised with assistance of John F. Kennedy, initially as Senator and briefly as President of US, the educational scholarships for many Kenyans who furthered their education in USA in the late 1950s and early 1960s, referred as the Kennedy Airlifts program.
 * Charles Rubia – First African Mayor of Nairobi
 * Mwangi wa Iria – Former Governor
 * Irungu Kan'gata – Current Governor
 * Kembi Gitura – Former Senator Murang'a County
 * Peter Kenneth – Presidential candidate 2013 elections, Former Assistant Minister and Member of Parliament
 * Sabina Wanjiru Chege – Former Chairperson of Health Committee in National Assembly, MP, Woman Representative Murang'a County
 * Joseph Kamaru – The Late Renowned Benga Musician
 * John Njoroge Michuki – Former Cabinet Minister
 * Elias Mbau – Former MP
 * Ndindi Nyoro – Current MP Kiharu and Chairperson of the National Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee.
 * Clement Muchiri Wambugu – Former MP, Mathioya Constituency
 * James Mwangi – Entrepreneur, Businessman and Current C.E.O of Equity Bank
 * Peter Munga – Businessman, Entrepreneur
 * Jimnah Mbaru – Politician, Businessman, Entrepreneur
 * Alice Muthoni Wahome – Former MP Kandara, and Current Cabinet Secretary for Water, Sanitation, and Irrigation.
 * Wangu wa Makeri – A woman colonial chief
 * Peter Kagwanja – A Scholar, Former Presidential Adviser
 * Jamleck Kamau – Former Kigumo MP

title: Murang'a County


text:
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis

James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III (born June 6, 1959) and Terry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956) are an American R&B/pop songwriting and record production team. Their productions have received commercial success since the 1980s with various artists, most extensively Janet Jackson. They have written 31 top ten hits in the UK and 41 in the US. In 2022, the duo were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Musical Excellence category.

History
Jimmy Jam is the son of Cornbread Harris, a Minneapolis blues and jazz musician. Jimmy Jam met Lewis while attending an Upward Bound program on the University of Minnesota campus.

In the mid 1970s, Harris formed or joined Mind & Matter, an 11 piece band.

Lewis had been in the band Flyt Tyme, which Harris joined late in its history and which Prince restructured as the Time in 1981. As members of the Time, they played instruments on all but one of the group's five albums (Ice Cream Castle ), including Condensate which the group recorded as the Original 7ven.

In 1982, Jam and Lewis were introduced to music executive Dina R. Andrews, who was then an employee of Dick Griffey's SOLAR Records, where they would be mentored by record producer Leon Sylvers III. The pair asked Andrews to manage them, and through her relationships, Andrews first introduced the duo to Clarence Avant. They produced their first work for Avant for the S.O.S. Band. Andrews set up Jam and Lewis's company Flyte Tyme Productions and shopped them to her music industry colleagues. Jam and Lewis went on to produce several other acts for Avant under Dina Andrews Management for the S.O.S. Band, Cherrelle, Alexander O'Neal and Change. Additionally, Andrews shopped the duo to many of the executives and artists who used her services, such as Klymaxx, Cheryl Lynn ("Encore"), and executives such as A&M's John McClain (Janet Jackson).

The pair were fired by Prince after a freak Atlanta blizzard left them unable to make a tour date during which they were, unbeknown to Prince, producing music for the S.O.S. Band. However, one of the Atlanta tracks, "Just Be Good to Me", became a hit and established the duo's reputation. Jam and Lewis would rejoin the Time for two albums: 1990's Pandemonium and the 2011 album Condensate when the band went by the Original 7ven.

The duo was noted for early use of the Roland TR-808 drum machine, which was used in most of its productions. After working with other artists such as Cherrelle and Alexander O'Neal, Jam and Lewis were introduced to Janet Jackson and produced her breakthrough album Control in 1986, for which the duo won a Grammy Award. Their collaboration on her next album, 1989's Rhythm Nation 1814, proved even more successful as the album became one of the top-selling albums in history with four Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits. Their collaboration continued and remained highly successful, especially on the Billboard 200 No.1 albums janet., The Velvet Rope, All for You and Unbreakable.

In 1991, they founded a record label, Perspective Records, an A&M Records distributed label that has since been closed and then reactivated. Later that year, their newly minted label experienced success with the Minneapolis-based gospel/R&B group Sounds of Blackness. Their debut single, "Optimistic", served as a groundbreaking anthem stressing positivity and encouragement. The song served as a summer and fall anthem and began propelling Jam and Lewis' label. Other successes followed with Sounds of Blackness as well as releases from labelmates Mint Condition, Lo-Key? and Solo. In 1992, Perspective released the soundtrack for the film Mo Money, which starred Damon Wayans, Stacey Dash and Marlon Wayans. Executive produced by Jam and Lewis, the soundtrack featured songs by Mint Condition, Ralph Tresvant and Caron Wheeler, as well as a duet by Janet Jackson and Luther Vandross.

In 2003, Jam and Lewis moved their recording operations to Santa Monica, California naming it Flyte Tyme West, due to more opportunities for work and collaboration. In 2006, they won a Grammy for Yolanda Adams' song "Be Blessed", from her 2005 album Day By Day. In 2007, Jam and Lewis produced the two-time Grammy Award-winning CD Funk This for Chaka Khan, which included the Award-winning R&B duet "Disrespectful", with Mary J. Blige.

The production duo reunited with the Time at the 50th Grammy Awards on February 10, 2008, in a medley that included the artist Rihanna, and featuring "Jungle Love". In June and July 2008, all of the original members of the Time (Morris Day, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Jesse Johnson, Jerome Benton, Jellybean Johnson, and Monte Moir) reunited once again for a series of shows at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

In a career that has spanned more than four decades, Jam and Lewis have worked with a multitude of artists, including Lionel Richie, Herb Alpert, TLC, Sounds of Blackness, Yolanda Adams, Jordan Knight, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Boyz II Men, Usher, Johnny Gill, Patti LaBelle, Mary J. Blige, Chaka Khan, Mariah Carey, Prince, Mýa, Bryan Adams, Spice Girls, Vanessa Williams, George Michael, Melanie B, Rod Stewart, Kelly Price, Gwen Stefani, New Edition, Eric Benet, Pia Zadora, SOLO, and the Human League.

Personal lives
Terry Lewis has two children from previous relationships; son Trey and daughter, Chloe. Lewis was married to R&B singer Karyn White; the couple had two children: son Brandon and daughter Ashley. He later married Indira Singh and had two children with her.

Jimmy Jam is married to Mexican-US businesswoman Lisa Padilla Harris; they have three children: Tyler, Max, and Bella. Jimmy served as chairman of the board of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. He is currently listed as chairman Emeritus.

Charts
They have produced 16 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits, and 26 Billboard R&B No. 1 hits.

They are among a handful of producers to have No. 1 records in three consecutive decades, with number ones in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.

They have had 41 songs reach the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, and 31 in the top 10 in the UK.

Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s

 * Janet Jackson:
 * "When I Think of You"
 * "Miss You Much"
 * "Escapade"
 * "Love Will Never Do (Without You)"
 * "That's the Way Love Goes"
 * "Again"
 * "Together Again"
 * "Doesn't Really Matter"
 * "All for You"
 * The Human League - "Human"
 * George Michael - "Monkey"
 * Karyn White - "Romantic"
 * Boyz II Men:
 * "On Bended Knee"
 * "4 Seasons of Loneliness"
 * Mariah Carey - "Thank God I Found You" (featuring Joe & 98 Degrees)
 * Usher - "U Remind Me"

Awards
Since forming their music company Flyte Tyme in 1982, Jam & Lewis have earned more than 100 gold, platinum, multi-platinum and diamond albums for their work with such artists as Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Boyz II Men, Usher, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Luther Vandross, Yolanda Adams, Herb Alpert, New Edition, Human League, George Michael, Earth, Wind and Fire, TLC, Robert Palmer, Gwen Stefani and Kanye West. They have more than 100 ASCAP songwriting and publishing awards, including several Songwriter of the Year awards.

In 1993, Jam & Lewis were nominated with Janet Jackson for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Again", from the movie Poetic Justice.

In 2020 Jam & Lewis were nominated with Sheila E. for an Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction for the TV special Let's Go Crazy: The Grammy Salute to Prince.

Grammy Awards
Jam & Lewis have won five Grammy Awards. They have received more nominations for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical than any other producer, with 11 nominations. They won the award in 1987 at the 29th Grammy Awards, in the first year they were nominated.

 * align="center" rowspan="3"| 1987
 * Control
 * Album of the Year
 * Nominated
 * "What Have You Done For Me Lately"
 * Best R&B Song
 * Nominated
 * Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
 * Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
 * Won
 * align="center" rowspan="3"| 1990
 * Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814
 * Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocals
 * Nominated
 * "Miss You Much"
 * Best R&B Song
 * Nominated
 * Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and Janet Jackson
 * Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
 * Nominated
 * align="center"| 1991
 * "Alright"
 * Best R&B Song
 * Nominated
 * align="center" rowspan="2"| 1994
 * "That's the Way Love Goes"
 * Best R&B Song
 * Won
 * Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
 * Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
 * Nominated
 * align="center"| 1995
 * Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
 * Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
 * Nominated
 * align="center" rowspan="2"|1996
 * HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I
 * Album of the Year
 * Nominated
 * Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
 * Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
 * Nominated
 * align="center"|2001
 * Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
 * Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
 * Nominated
 * align="center" rowspan="3"| 2002
 * All For You
 * Best Pop Vocal Album
 * Nominated
 * "All For You"
 * Best Dance Recording
 * Won
 * Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
 * Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
 * Nominated
 * align="center"|2003
 * Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
 * Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
 * Nominated
 * align="center"|2004
 * Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
 * Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
 * Nominated
 * align="center" rowspan="3"| 2005
 * Confessions
 * Album of the Year
 * Nominated
 * Damita Jo
 * Best Contemporary R&B Album
 * Nominated
 * Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
 * Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
 * Nominated
 * align="center" rowspan="3"| 2006
 * Love. Angel. Music. Baby.
 * Album of the Year
 * Nominated
 * "Be Blessed"
 * Best Gospel Song
 * Won
 * Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
 * Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
 * Nominated
 * align="center"| 2007
 * 20 Y.O.
 * Best Contemporary R&B Album
 * Nominated
 * align="center"| 2008
 * Funk This
 * Best R&B Album
 * Won
 * align="center"| 2016
 * Forever Charlie
 * Best R&B Album
 * Nominated
 * }
 * Love. Angel. Music. Baby.
 * Album of the Year
 * Nominated
 * "Be Blessed"
 * Best Gospel Song
 * Won
 * Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
 * Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
 * Nominated
 * align="center"| 2007
 * 20 Y.O.
 * Best Contemporary R&B Album
 * Nominated
 * align="center"| 2008
 * Funk This
 * Best R&B Album
 * Won
 * align="center"| 2016
 * Forever Charlie
 * Best R&B Album
 * Nominated
 * }
 * align="center"| 2016
 * Forever Charlie
 * Best R&B Album
 * Nominated
 * }
 * }

title: Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis


text:
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--agr 16:24, 13 Oct 2004 (UTC)

title: File:Write protect ring.agr.jpg


text:
List of Irish kingdoms

This article lists some of the attested Gaelic kingdoms of early medieval Ireland prior to the Norman invasion of 1169-72.

For much of this period, the island was divided into numerous clan territories and kingdoms (known as túatha). These túatha often competed for control of resources and thus they continually grew and shrank (in both size and number). In addition to kingdoms or túatha, Gaelic Ireland was also divided into five prime overkingdoms (Old Irish cóiceda, Modern Irish cúige). These were Ulaid (in the north), Connacht (in the west), Laighin (in the southeast), Mumhan (in the south) and Mide (in the centre).

After the Norman invasion, much of the island came under the control of the Lordship of Ireland, although some parts remained under the control of Gaelic dynasties. After 1350, Norman control began to weaken, and a "Gaelic resurgence" took place which resulted in the direct influence of the Parliament of Ireland shrinking to an area known as The Pale by 1500. In 1541 the Kingdom of Ireland was established by Henry VIII and the Tudor conquest of Ireland commenced. The repudiation of the terms of the Treaty of Mellifont by the Crown resulted in the Nine Years War and Flight of the Earls, which marked the end of the Gaelic order.

Earliest times

 * Darini, in Tyrone, Armagh and Down, possibly a branch of the Érainn and linked with their supposed ancestor deity Dáire
 * Erdini in County Fermanagh
 * Robogdii, in Antrim and Londonderry
 * Venicnii in County Donegal
 * Voluntii, probably the people later known as the Ulaid, in Armagh, Down, Monaghan and Cavan

Early Christian

 * Airgíalla or Oirghialla or Oriel
 * Airthir
 * Cairpre Droma Cliab
 * Cenél Conaill (Tir Chonaill)
 * Cenél nEogain (Tir Eogain)
 * Conaille Muirtheimne
 * Cruithne
 * Dál nAraidi
 * Dál Fiatach
 * Dál Riata
 * Dartraige
 * Dartraige Con-innsi
 * Eilne
 * Fir Manach
 * Iveagh
 * Uí Echach Cobo
 * Northern Uí Néill
 * Ulaid

From the 12th century

 * East Breifne

Earliest times

 * Ebdani, Eblani or Blanii (probably variants of the same name)

Early Christian

 * Ciannachta
 * Southern Uí Néill
 * Brega
 * Lagore
 * Cnogba

Earliest times

 * Brigantes in south Wexford, also known from northern Britain; possibly linked with the goddess Brigit
 * Cauci around Dublin
 * Coriondi north Wexford
 * Menapii in County Wicklow, also known from Gaul; their name is linked to Fermanagh and Monaghan, although they are much further north
 * Osraige

Early Christian

 * Kingdom of Dublin
 * Uí Ceinnselaig
 * Uí Dúnlainge

From the 12th century

 * Kingdom of Leinster, see also Kings of Leinster.

Earliest times

 * Gangani or Concani in Counties Limerick and Clare; also lived in Wales - Ptolemy calls the Llŷn Peninsula the "Promontory of the Gangani"
 * Iverni in County Cork, later known as the Érainn
 * Luceni in Counties Kerry and Limerick
 * Usdiae, Udiae or Vodiae in Counties Waterford and Cork, possibly related to the later Osraige
 * Uterni in Cork
 * Vellabori or Velabri in Kerry

Early Christian

 * Builg
 * Corcu Baiscind
 * Corcu Duibne
 * Corcu Loígde
 * Dáirine
 * Dál gCais
 * Deirgtine
 * Déisi
 * Eóganachta
 * Érainn
 * Iarmuman
 * Mairtine
 * Múscraige
 * Uí Fidgenti
 * Uí Liatháin

From the 12th century

 * Kingdom of Desmond

Earliest times

 * Auteini in County Galway, identified with the later Uaithne
 * Nagnatae in County Mayo and County Sligo, possibly linked with the Ol nÉcmacht; Cóiced Ol nEchmacht was an ancient name for Connacht.

Early Christian

 * Aidhne or Uí Fiachrach Aidhne
 * Breifne
 * Conmaicne Mara
 * Connachta
 * Corco Moga
 * Delbhna
 * Delbhna Nuadat
 * Delbhna Tir Dha Locha
 * Fir Domnann (aka Irrus Domnann)
 * Hy Briuin Ai
 * Hy Diarmata
 * Hy Fiachrach Aidhne
 * Hy Fiachrach Fionn
 * Hy Fiachrach Muaidhe
 * Hy-Many
 * Iar Connacht
 * Kinela
 * Moylurg
 * Muintir Murchada
 * Partraige
 * Síol Anmchadha
 * Síol Muirdeach
 * Soghan
 * Tyrconnell
 * Uí Fiachrach

From the 12th century

 * Clanricarde
 * Mac William Íochtar
 * West Breifne

title: List of Irish kingdoms


text:
Hardy Monument

The Hardy Monument (sometimes referred to as Hardy's Monument) is a 72 ft monument on the summit of Black Down near Portesham in Dorset. It was erected in 1844 by public subscription in memory of Vice Admiral Sir Thomas Hardy, flag captain of Admiral Lord Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar. It has been owned by National Trust since 1938, when it was bought for £15, and is regularly opened for visitors can climb the 120 steps to the viewpoint at the top.

Admiral Hardy lived in Portesham and his family owned the Portesham estate which stretched from the middle of Portesham to Black Down. The site for the monument, a hill overlooking the English Channel, was chosen because the Hardy family wanted a monument which could be used as a landmark for shipping. The monument has been shown on navigational charts since 1846 and is visible from a distance of 60 mi.

The monument was designed to look like a spyglass, as Admiral Hardy would have used on board ship. Its eight corners are aligned with the compass points. Viewed from the ground the corner to the right of the lightning conductor points due south. The bench mark on the northwest face denotes the altitude of Black Down at 780 ft.

From the top of the monument at a height of 850 ft above sea level it is possible on a clear day to see the coast from Start Point, Devon to St. Catherine's Point on the Isle of Wight, both of which are 56 mi distant. To the north can be seen Pen Hill in the Mendip Hills which is 38 mi away.

The monument was designated as a grade II listed building in 1956. It has had several major renovations during its history. It was restored in 1900 by Hardy's descendants, and again by the National Trust in 2009-12.

Adjacent to the monument is a stone seat erected in memory of Lt Col William Digby Oswald who was killed on the Somme in 1916.

Geodesy
The Hardy Monument was the origin (meridian) of the 6 inch and 1:2500 Ordnance Survey maps for Somerset and Dorset.

title: Hardy Monument


text:
Catholic Church in Thailand

The Catholic Church in Thailand is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.

According to Catholic Social Communications of Thailand, there are 388,468 Catholics in Thailand,  a figure that represents about 0.58% of the Thai population of 69 million. There are 11 dioceses with 526 parishes and 662 priests.

History
The first historical record of an attempt to introduce Christianity to Thailand is owed to John Peter Maffei who stated that about 1550 a French Franciscan named Bonferre, hearing of the great kingdom of the Peguans and the Siamese in the East, went on a Portuguese ship from Goa to Cosme (Peguan), where for three years he preached the Gospel, but without any converts.

In 1552 Francis Xavier, writing from Sancian to his friend Diego Pereira, expressed his desire to go to Siam, but his death on 2 December 1552, prevented him. In 1553 several Portuguese ships landed in Siam, and at the request of the king three hundred Portuguese soldiers entered his service. The following year two Dominicans, Fathers Hieronymus of the Cross and Sebastian de Cantù, joined them as chaplains. In a short time, they established three parishes at Ayutthaya with about fifteen hundred converted Siamese. Both missionaries, however, were murdered by locals in 1569, and were replaced by Fathers Lopez Cardoso, John Madeira, Alphonsus Ximenes, Louis Fonseca (martyred in 1600), and John Maldonatus (d. 1598).

17th century
In 1606 the Jesuit Balthasar de Sequeira, at the request of the Portuguese merchant Tristan Golayo, and in 1624 Father Julius Cesar Margico, came to Ayutthaya and gained the favour of the king. A subsequent persecution, however, stopped the propagation of the Christian faith and no missionaries were allowed until Siam was made a Vicariate Apostolic by Pope Alexander VII on 22 August 1662. Soon after, Msgr. Pierre de la Motte-Lambert, Vicar-Apostolic of Cochin China, arrived at Ayutthaya, accompanied by Fathers De Bourges and Deydier. In 1664 he was joined by Msgr. Pallu, Vicar Apostolic of Tong King. Siam, in those days a rendezvous of commercial enterprise in the East, gave shelter to several hundred Annamite and Japanese Christians who had been expelled or lived there as exiles due to persecutions at home.

Some Portuguese and Spanish Jesuits, Franciscans, and Augustinians provided the spiritual care of their countrymen in Siam. Msgr. Pallu, on his return to Rome (1665), obtained a Brief from Pope Clement IX (4 July 1669), by which the Vicariate of Siam was entrusted to the newly founded Society of Foreign Missions of Paris. In 1673 Father Laneau was consecrated titular Bishop of Metellopolis and first Vicar Apostolic of Siam, and ever since Siam has been under the spiritual care of the Society of Foreign Missions. King Phra Narai gave the Catholic missionaries a hearty welcome, and made them a gift of land for a church, a mission-house, and a seminary (St. Joseph's colony). Through the influence of the Greek or Venetian, Constantine Phaulkon, prime minister to King Narai, the latter sent a diplomatic embassy to Louis XIV in 1684. The French king returned the compliment by sending M. de Chaumont, accompanied by some Jesuits under Fathers de Fontenay and Guy Tachard.

On 10 December 1685, King Naraï signed a treaty at Louvo (Lopburi) with France, in which he permitted Catholic missionaries to preach the Gospel throughout Siam, exempted his Catholic subjects from work on Sunday, and appointed a special mandarin to settle disputes between Christians and others. However, after the departure of M. De Chaumont, a Siamese nobleman, Phra-phret-racha, instigated a revolution in which Greece's Minister to Ayutthaya was murdered, King Naraï deposed, Msgr. Laneau and several missionaries were taken prisoners and ill-treated, and Siamese Christians were persecuted.

When peace and order were restored in 1690, Bishop Laneau resumed work until his death in 1696. His successor, Bishop Louis of Cice (1700–1727), was able to continue it in peace. However, after his death the rest of the century is a history of persecutions (those of 1729, 1755, 1764 are the most notable), either by local nobles or Burmese invaders, though the kings remained more or less favourable to the missionaries and to Bishops Texier de Kerlay and de Lolière-Puycontat (1755). During the inroads of the Burmese, the Siamese king even appealed to Bishop Brigot for help against the common foe, who sacked and burned the Catholic stations and colleges and imprisoned both the bishop and the missionaries.

In 1769 Father Corre resumed the missions in Siam and thus paved the way for the new vicar Apostolic, Msgr. Lebon (1772–80). However, a fresh persecution in 1775 forced him to leave the kingdom, and neither of his successors, Bishops Condé and Garnault, was able to accomplish much. During the Burmese wars, the Christians were reduced in number from 12,000 to 1000, and Bishop Florens was left in charge with only seven native priests.

19th century
It was only in 1826 and 1830 that a fresh supply of European missionaries arrived, among them Fathers Bouchot, Barbe, Bruguière, Vachal, Grandjean, Pallegoix, and Courvezy. In 1834 the last was appointed Vicar Apostolic of Siam, and the missions began to revive. Under him Siam numbered 6,590 Catholics and 11 European and seven native priests. His successor, Bishop Pallegoix (1840–1862), author of Description du royaume Thai ou Siam and Dictionnaire siamois-latin-français-anglais (30,000 words), was one of the most distinguished vicars Apostolic of Siam, the best Siamese scholar, and a missionary among the Laotines. He induced Napoleon III to renew the French alliance with Siam and to send an embassy under M. de Montigny to Siam in 1856. On 8 July 1856, King Mongkut signed a political-commercial treaty with France, by which the privileges granted to the Catholic missionaries by Phra-Naraï in the 17th century were renewed. The bishop was highly esteemed by the king, who personally assisted at his funeral and accepted from the missionaries as a token of friendship the bishop's ring.

Thanks to the broad-mindedness of Kings Mongkut (1851–1868) and Chulalongkorn (1868–1910), the Catholic Church in Siam enjoyed peace under Pallegoix's successors, Bishops Dupont (1862–1872) and Vey (1875–1909). Owing to the complications between France and Siam, in 1894, the missionaries had to endure the ill will of local mandarins, though the minister of foreign affairs promised that no harm would be done to the missionaries and their work on account of the French invasion.

20th century
At the beginning of the 20th century, there were about 23,000 Catholic believers, 55 churches and chapels, representatives of such monastic orders, social and educational institutions (e.g., orphanages, schools and a seminary, college). During the 20th century, many other Catholic congregations arrived to work in Thailand.

In 1975 the Catholic Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees was established for protection of moral values and social work, including the urgent problem created by refugees from Indochina.

Pope John Paul II became the first pope to visit Thailand, 10–11 May 1984. The pope told King Rama IX Bhumibol Adulyadej that his visit was not only to return the courtesy when the king visited his predecessor Pope John XXIII in 1960 but to also personally thank Thailand for welcoming refugees which he said was an exemplary example of humanity. King Rama IX told the pope he observed how Christianity had grown in the kingdom and recognized how the relationship between Thailand and the Vatican first began hundreds of years earlier during the Ayutthaya Kingdom.

On 22 October 1989, the Martyrs of Thailand were beatified. The catechist Philip Siphong Onphitak and six companions had been killed in 1940 as suspected French spies at a time when Thailand was at war with the French.

21st century
In 2003, there were 278,000 Catholics in Thailand, which constituted 0.44% of the total population at the time.

Some members of the Catholic religious orders in Thailand (Religious of the Good Shepherd, Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Sisters of St. Paul de Chartres) take an active part in fight against human trafficking.

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra visited the Vatican on 13 September 2013 where she met Pope Francis. Her visit was the first to the Holy See by a Thai governmental leader in over 50 years. At this meeting Yingluck formally invited Pope Francis to visit Thailand, although no dates were discussed at the time.

Pope Francis visited Thailand from 19–23 November 2019 as part of an Asian tour, the first such papal visit since that of Pope John Paul II in 1984. The papal visit marks the 350th anniversary of the establishment of the Apostolic Vicariate of Siam, which brought Catholicism to Thailand in 1669, as well as the 50th anniversary of formal diplomatic relations between Thailand and the Vatican. While in Thailand he had audiences with the prime minister, King Vajiralongkorn, and the supreme Buddhist patriarch, as well as celebrating masses at the National Stadium and Assumption Cathedral.

Administration
The church in Thailand is administered by 11 dioceses, including two archdioceses.
 * Bangkok (Archdiocese)
 * Chanthaburi
 * Chiang Mai
 * Chiang Rai
 * Nakhon Sawan
 * Ratchaburi
 * Surat Thani
 * Thare and Nonseng (Archdiocese, based in Sakon Nakhon)
 * Nakhon Ratchasima
 * Ubon Ratchathani
 * Udon Thani

Orders and congregations
Orders and congregations in Thailand include:
 * Brothers of St. Gabriel (Gabrielite Brothers)
 * Capuchin Poor Clares
 * Camillians
 * Congregation of the Holy Infant Jesus
 * Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
 * Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata
 * Vincentians
 * Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul
 * Order of Friars Minor
 * Order of Preachers (Dominicans)
 * Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (De La Salle Brothers)
 * Daughters of the Cross
 * Marist Brothers of the Schools
 * Oblates of Mary Immaculate
 * Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel
 * Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions
 * Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco
 * Society of Jesus
 * Society of Mary
 * Salesians of Don Bosco
 * Society of the Divine Word
 * Ursulines
 * Montfort Missionaries
 * Montfort Brothers of St. Gabriel

title: Catholic Church in Thailand


text:
William Brock

William Brock may refer to:

 * William Brock (MP), MP for City of Chester
 * Bill Brock (1930–2021), American senator
 * William Brock (Australian politician) (1851–1913), member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly
 * William Brock (Canadian politician) (1836–1917), Canadian politician
 * William Brock (pastor) (1807–1875), British nonconformist minister
 * William Brock (engineer) (1830-1907), British entrepreneur
 * William A. Brock (born 1941), American economist
 * William Emerson Brock (1872–1950), American politician, grandfather of Bill Brock
 * William S. Brock (1895–1932), American aviator
 * William John Brock (1817–1863), religious writer
 * William Hodson Brock (born 1936), British chemist and science historian

title: William Brock