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Agde

Agde is a commune in the Hérault department in Southern France. It is the Mediterranean port of the Canal du Midi. It is situated on an ancient basalt volcano, hence the name "Black Pearl of the Mediterranée".

Location
Agde is located on the Hérault river, 4 km from the Mediterranean Sea, and 750 km from Paris. The Canal du Midi connects to the Hérault river at the Agde Round Lock ("L'Écluse Ronde d'Agde") just north of Agde, and the Hérault flows into the Mediterranean at Le Grau d'Agde. Agde station has high-speed rail direct connections northbound to Paris, Lille, Geneva, southbound to Perpignan as well as Spain. Agde has regional services to Narbonne, Montpellier, Nimes and Avignon.

Foundation
Agde (525 BCE) is one of the oldest towns in France, after Béziers (575 BCE) and Marseille (600 BCE). Agde (Agathe Tyche, "good fortune") was a 5th-century BCE Greek colony settled by Phocaeans from Massilia.

2,500 years ago, the Hérault river had three arms : "grau de Vias", "grau d'Agde", "grau d'Ambonne"; a delta was formed in the middle of Agde volcanoes, and the eastern arm was leading to the Bagnas pond (occitan name Banhas), which was largely drained in the Middle Ages when mills were built with constant flow on the main arm (the bishop's mill still remains).

The Greek name was Agathe (Ἀγάθη). The symbol of the city, the bronze Ephebe of Agde, of the 4th century BCE, recovered from the fluvial sands of the Hérault, was joined in December 2001 by two Early Imperial Roman bronzes, of a child and of Eros, which had possibly been on their way to a villa in Gallia Narbonensis when they were lost in a shipwreck.

Development
The inlet in the Hérault river, Grau d'Agde, became from the Antique to the Eighteenth century period the most important port in this occitanian region of the Mediterranée for trade.

From the early 5th century (until the French Revolution), Agde was the seat of a bishopric. But "It was subjugated by the Roman Empire, the Visigoths [from Italy] and the Saracens [from Spain] before becoming definitively Christian in 759."

Around the beginning of the 13th century, the town was administered by consuls, a forerunner of modern municipalities. Development took place on the main rock, sheltered from flooding, and urban districts appeared, with the concept of the urban island, named after the person who paid the highest tax to the king and the bishopric. The town was divided into two parts: the part on the rock and the part around the rock, where farmland was divided into hamlets of properties around churches.

The fortifications appeared in the 12th century around the rock, in the 14th century extended around the town, during the French Revolution of 1848 the fortifications were demolished except for the small part next to the current Tourist Office.

At the end of the 16th century the lieutenant-general of Languedoc Joyeuse built Fort Brescou. Later Cardinal Richelieu undertook the construction of a roadstead for an Harbour, a strategic point in the Mediterranean area. The work, made difficult by the gradual silting up of the coastline, was abandoned after the death of the Cardinal. Fort Richelieu remains in place.

The paths and squares are named in Occitan, with French added over time, streets have existed since the French Revolution, when the population and birthplaces were registered.

Until the French Revolution, Agde was owned by the bishopric: through the wars of religion all seigniorial possessions become the property of the episcopate. And until then Vias was part of the commune. Today only the chapter house remains in Agde.

At the end of the 18th century, when tall sail ships gave way to motor merchant ships, Agde changed its activity towards the exploitation of the land, market gardening, olives and fruits. The local viticulture then experienced is one of its greatest moments of prosperity until the phylloxera.

With the transition to the steam engine, the port of Agde became a shipping point for foodstuffs, it was connected to the railway on a state planning decision concerning the Canal du Midi; The floating bridges before the suspension iron bridge 1836 are the solution to the overflow of the Hérault (the entry carries a tax for 9 years). The episcopal palace is cut in two for the passage of the bridge - the right part became the actual Hôtel de la Galiote, the left part the gendarmerie and the prison (which were demolished in 1982) -.

In the 19th century the old 17th century ice houses of Agde became reservoirs allowing the distribution of water by pumping through cast iron pipes.

Public lighting using electricity (from the Moulin des Evèques) in Agde was planned in 1890 (electricity in a low head dam was also installed by Laurens in his Château). In 1929 the Compagnie de Distribution Electrique du Midi took over the municipal and private contract. In 1946 Électricité de France manages the electricity factory (production stops in 1951).

At the 19th century Belle Epoque, in the mediterranean shore, the development of the French Riviera with the Train Bleu instituted winter aristocratic cosmopolitan tourism since 1880 around Monaco and its grand hotels; An Agatha native Emmanuel Laurens, an inherited millionaire, bought the "St Gervais Villa" in Saint-Raphaël, Var (1898). In the same time he builds in Agde "Belle-Isle" the "Château Laurens", the marquant concrete Art Nouveau building in Occitania, with its private train station.

In the old town center, the 1960's municipality had to rebuild the entire infrastructure due to decrepitude and population growth.

After immediate World War II the summer mass tourism was created in campsites and in 1960s' some very large and high residences were integrated in the "new urbanism". Actual shore development in Occitania began in the 60's following first waterfront in Grau d'Agde with numerous campsites.

The Mission Racine aimed to revitalize the economy of the region between Béziers and Sète, and make Cap d'Agde "the holiday port of Toulouse", the decrepit little town of Agde depends on Béziers.

The main marina (Port) was designed next to the location of the cape small fishing port (Cap d'Agde). It replaces the former salt marsh, in use 1912-1916. The fishing port of the Hérault river has been modernised with its professional fish market hall. The river's shipyards, which are mixed with pleasure boats and small fishing boats, succeeded the wooden boat yards. "1960: The president's plan is actually to make from the coast of Occitania the "French Florida".

The heads of the inter-ministerial mission developed collective facilities to attract the greatest number of tourists: holiday centres and camps of the nationalised PTT, EDF, SNCF; holiday village houses with Belgian, Netherlands, German investments. Campsites are created, one with the first naturist settlement in France. About leisure, tennis courts, discotheques, amusement parks (an aquatic park) are built. The National Forestry Office with arboriculturists (e.g. Vilmorin) contributed to the creation of green spaces in the resort, and reforestation. Hundreds of thousands of seedlings are then distributed free of charge to individuals.

The naturist campsite became an important tourist complex outside the city, and in its vicinity the tennis courts was the major theme for the development of housing estates.

Since 2007 the Sodéal (Economic development society of Agde and the coast (70% of capital owned by the town) ammenages the marinas on the Hérault river and the shore, main one Le Port de Cap d'Agde.

Urban sprawl has been taking place for first twenty years of the 21th century between Le Cap and Grau d'Agde, and this latter place is densifying from its postwar existing hollydays habitat on small plots among large empty ones. In the 21st century, green spaces are reduced to housing and are no longer accessible to the public.

After the installation of basic urban networks, going further, in the same time, cycling infrastructure is reamenaged because of car traffic jams in the 2010s. And municipal car parks receive solar panels in 2017 2019.

2021-2024 Project for extended railway station and the new marina on the Canal du Midi started with destroying the retail buildings around Hôtel Riquet, the Agde offices of the canal's founder.

Access to the city tunnel under the railroad line was opened in 2023, after two years of construction, while the most central space, the Promenade and its market, is transformed with the digging of a scheduled car parking lot that began in 2023.

Historical act in Agde : French Clergy and property
In the history of Roman Catholicism in France, the Council of Agde was held 10 September 506 at Agde, in Saint-André church, under the presidency of Caesarius of Arles. It was attended by thirty-five bishops, and its forty-seven genuine canons dealt "with ecclesiastical discipline". One of its canons (the seventh), forbidding ecclesiastics to sell or alienate the property of the church from which they derived their living, seems to be the earliest mention of the later system of benefices.

Population
Agde's inhabitants are called Agathois.

10% permanent residents, the population goes up to 200,000 inhabitants in the summer (fourth of a year)

Wine, wineyards and winemakers

The vineyards in Agde are among the oldest in France. Viticulturists, winegrowers experienced the problems of viticulture in the 19th century with diseases. However, while Aramon was able to save the production situation (see the electric pump) in the region by cultivation near the sea, the intensive production of wine in the colony of Algeria caused both the low profitability and the low quality of Agde wines among Languedoc zone. Production began to decline. And production has plummeted since the sea-resort was planned, as housing needs space. The Richemer Cellars were born from the merger of the cooperative cellars of Agde (1936) and Marseillan (1934). However, tourist festivals are still present in the 21st century, including the Vinocap trade show, which brings together a hundred winegrowers. Stores supply wine for tourists. And if the last vineyard of Bagnas is now very small below Château Maraval with the Meyer distillery in ruins, walking in is a planed tourist-office leisure nowadays; its wine is better for "connoisseurs", old grape varieties producing piquette have been abandoned. This "Wine tourism" has been in full development for several years.

The wine-growing area of the Bagnas reserve was reduced in 2019 with the urbanization of the border running from Château Maraval down to the naturist camp: the most expensive detached villas in the town are here, as well as those at the top of the Mont St Martin with panoramic sea views, which also had vineyards starting at Richelieu beach that disappeared with the urbanisation of 1970.

Retail parks suburb belt

 * Professional fish market.
 * Shipchlanders facing dry dock on the Cap d'Agde marina.
 * Shopping centers.
 * East of town, an area for the old wine traffic via the Canal du Midi and its old railway traffic, more recently there were stocks for the trade in building-materials.
 * On road towards Sète, since the 1970's, a specific area for building-materials stocks.

Since 2000, many allotments of houses reaches those Economic Activity Zone.

Marinas
The Port of Cap d'Agde (main marina) was excavated following the Mission Racine in the old salt marsh, the Luno lagoon.

The marina is delimited by the buildings that border it, each one with 100 apartments and around those the housing estates of 200 villas, and in the 2 cases hotels added.

The marina has a single entrance, due to the south-north marine currents that silt it up. It is made up of two distinct parts, built around accessible and non-accessible islands. The part between accessible Ile des Loisirs and non-accessible Ile St Martin is the part of the harbor where the boat's mooring ring to the quay is private and sold with the villa or apartment. The part between Ile St Martin and accessible Ile des Pêcheurs is the part of the harbor where the boat's mooring ring is rented to the harbor master.

There's also a second marina, Port Ambonne, a remnant of the dried-up eastern arm of the Hérault delta, known as Port Lano (old name Lano pound). This is a port for the naturist camp. It is close to a heliport for safety operations at sea. Les Berges de l'Hérault are the historic riverbanks of the Hérault.

Overall the car must be available for yachtsmen, and some of the places to live are built with an underground garage.

Naturist complex

After the creation of a camping in the farm for nudists receiving Belgian, German and Dutch families, the beach was officially designated as a naturist beach in 1973. The first development was the construction of apartments, stores and swimming pools in a paid-entry area. These massive concrete buildings did not comply with town-planning regulations, and the huge buildings have global form O and Y. Nudity was legal on the beach. A small commercial area was built before the entrance, the one that makes the camp self-sufficient after it, and housing estates grew up on the seafront, filling the land up to the vacation villages of 1975. This complex is aside Port Lano and its marina.

Architecture
Agde is known for the distinctive black basalt used in local buildings such as the cathedral of Saint Stephen, built in the 12th century to replace a 9th-century Carolingian edifice built on the foundations of a fifth-century Roman church.

Bishop Guillaume fortified the cathedral's precincts and provided it with a 35-metre donjon (keep). The Romanesque cloister of the cathedral was demolished in 1857.

The sanctuary of Notre-Dame-du-Grau was once an ancient temple, for dévotion in the Antique. The Agenouillade (Kneel) is built after a miraculous prayer by Our Lady (Mary, mother of Jesus) to avoid flooding in Agde in the Sixteenth century.

Near by the Agde Round Lock, aside the rail-way (with a special station for a private stop), Château Laurens is an splendid furnished villa, dandy residence. Inside is a gothic style "salon de concert" with original 19th century stained glass windows from Bézier's school. All like some wine châteaux of Bordeaux were built in classic style due to winery riches, this one coming from an Agde vineyard income is in eclectic style. it is the most beautiful concrete building in Occitania from Belle Epoque.

But if it includes an electric power plant, it does not include a producer wine cellar.

The urban planning of the 60s in France for the new towns separates car traffic and pedestrian-cyclist traffic with some footbridges. For French resorts architecture, "Mediterranean style" sets the mood. This vision of the popular vacation with its french social side is associated with the real estate. In this area, the way was given by the neighbor town Sète for its after-war development, mainly with the retail area of its harbour.

The Bishops's Mill is now (2010) a cultural exhibition center, it was " a 13th century building and former flour mill rehabilitated in the last century as a hydraulic factory and then as a "sardine factory".

The cooperative winery is created in 1936, but merged in 1998 with the one of Marseillan, activity in Marseillan, traffic on Beziers-Sète road. It is transformed into offices and apartments in 2021.

Former National and Municipal Police Station is founded in the old building of National Police in the town-center in 2004, the new one is an extension. And the new establishment replacing the old one in Cap center is open in 2020 (cost 1,2 million€). The Musée de l'Éphebe was inaugurated in 1987 after a series of clandestine archaeological excavations of the Roman villa in front of the arena, culminating in the first official underwater archaeological museum.

The modernist movement in the town design can be seen in social housing as well as institutional buildings such as retirement homes, hospital and hôtels. During the "Trente Glorieuses", high schools were built for baby boomers, with their stadiums, gyms and swimming pools. In Agde, for example, the historic 1975 Sunflower swimming pool has been transformed into a yoga and gymnastics hall.

In 2000's the International Style is associated with wealth, and it appears in new construction sites with glass facades or rhythmically perforated metal facades, this becomes the decided new rule for the appearance of buildings to improve the value of the city with the aim of attracting more prosperous people to live there.

The new municipal and departmental swimming pool L'Archipel, cité de l'eau, is created in 2011, a wooden structure, glass roof.

The new Cap d'Agde Center was designed with first its casino and second its congress center. The designer is Jean-Michel Wilmotte (architect), with its twin Spanish-style esplanades (Barcelona) (2018 the first one, 2020 the twins), tall circular buildings with large crenellations on the upper floors plus interior gardens, a new annex of the town hall, a new post office, a new congress centre (architect Philippe Bonon and Hervé di Rosa), a new tourist office, ground floors a shopping area (housing starts from 2020 to 2024). Circular Casino Barrière (architect Philippe Bonon), is the first built with  the today redevelopment of the Ile des Loisirs.

The Maison des Savoirs, former Agde high school transferred to Paul Emile Victor school in Cap d'Agde site, is a Médiathèque, it is the transformation of the old school (built in the 19th century), the first phase was designed in 2000 by Denis Milhé, the second phase is that of Philippe Bonon, opened in 2020.

The theatre, associated with the media library of the Maison des Savoirs has been rehabilitated since 2020, the whole renovation of the esplanade starting from the Hérault and ending at the theatre will end in 2024.

Jewish community
It is assumed that a Jewish community was established in the town around the sixth century AD. During the Council of Agde, assembled by the Catholic church in 506 AD, Christian laymen and ecclesiastics were prohibited from eating with Jews or hosting them. This prohibition suggests that the town Jews held good relations with their town neighbours. It is also assumed that the Jewish community was never large, since it did not own a cemetery and buried their dead in Béziers, three miles away.

The Jewish name of the city was Agdi, or Akdi (אגדי).

Agde camp
Agde was one of the Internment camps in France, 1936-1946, for the "dangerous people".

"In February 1939, Agde had a population of 9,000 when the army decided to build a camp at its gates to accommodate 25,000 Spanish “Retirada” republicans. When war was declared, they were replaced by soldiers from the Czechoslovak army, joined a year later by workers from Indochina. In May–June 1940, the town welcomed a large number of French refugees, as well as Belgians, Poles and Czechoslovakians, (including Jews), many of whom were interned in the camp."

During World War II, about two thousand Jews from Germany and Austria were sent to the camp near the town; most were deported on 24 August 1942.

Sport and leisure
The seaside resort of Agde has 14 km of sand for 10 beaches including 15 seasonal private beaches between Grau d'Agde and Port Ambonne.
 * Bagnas natural reserve since 1984 : Bagnas

 * Boat show for traders since 1999 : Salon nautique

 * Tennis since 1973 : 1973, le Camp Barthès au Cap-d'Agde

 * Vinocap since 2009 : Vinocap

 * Deuch' since 2022: La folie Deuch'

In 1973 "Cap-d'Agde was the temple of the yellow ball in the camp created by Pierre Barthès, before being the Mecca of naturism".
 * E-mobility : e-mobility

In 1993 the Mediterranean Games began in Cap d'Agde. To celebrate the memory of first 1601 historic tournament in town, in 2001 the city of Agde organised major festivities bringing together all the jousting societies of the region. Agde has a football club RCO Agde who play at the Stade Louis Sanguin. They currently play in the Championnat de France amateur 2.

Agde also has a rugby club, Rugby Olympique Agathois (ROA), who play in the French Federale 1 competition.

Administrative and budgetary structure
Since the 1960 Racine plan for national mass tourism, the town of Agde has been divided into 3 entities: Agde, Cap d'Agde and Grau d'Agde. However, there is only one town with no arrondissements, managed by a single council and a single mayor. Consequently, there is only one zip code.

In 2024, the town's responsibilities include town planning, building permits, social housing, parks, gardens and stadiums, and local roads. Police powers remain the responsibility of the municipalities even if Agde was one of the prototypes of the gathering in the same premises its municipal police, and the national police (2020), and that the mayor is responsible for directing and planning emergency. One of the main problems since 2020 is the drinkable water supply on a too old network (1970) that leaks, with the climatic problem of drougth.

The budget for all actions within this framework is provided mainly by local taxes on housing and industrial and commercial activity, (plus the garbage collection tax, for the "Sictom" waste collection center in Pézenas since 2014 for Agde ).

Since 2003, an Agglomeration of communities for the administration of 20 communes (with Agde 24,651 inhabitants and Pézenas 8,317 inhabitants (2012) as the main towns) has been founded under the name "Agglomération Hérault Méditerranée". "With a total population of 2,294 permanent residents and around 350,000 in season, this represents a surface area of 371 km2, 20km-long coastline."

The declared competencies and responsibilities in place of the municipalities of the agglomeration are : "Agriculture, Quality of life, Water and wastewater treatment, Budget management, Environment, Housing, Leisure and Arts and Crafts (Media libraries, Swimming-pool), Heritage, Public transport (Cap'Bus)."

For Agde's old town, an urban contract for social cohesion (CUCS) was signed between the Hérault-Méditerranée agglomeration community and the French government in 2007.

Protecting people and property
Since January 1, 2018, the law has assigned the block of competencies relating to Water Environment Management and Flood Prevention (GEMAPI) to the agglomeration [and not to town halls]. The territory is particularly exposed to a double risk, of flooding on the one hand, with a rich hydrographic network including the Hérault river and its watershed, and on the other, of marine submersion.

The Agglomération is responsible for the maintenance and monitoring of several urban flood protection dykes in Agde territory.

Green spaces department
Developing dry gardens, encouraging the planting of perennials, pruning trees and mowing stadium lawns with the pooling of equipment and machinery: the Agglomération's 100 employees keep public spaces clean. Their job is to clean streets and sidewalks, parking lots, squares and public gardens. I.e, there are 70 kms of hedges in Cap d'Agde.

Waste water reused
The first project of its kind in France is to irrigate the golf course (a private area). It is materialized with the construction by the Agglomeration of the storage reservoir and a first launch in 2018, avoiding the use of 200,000 m3 drinking water. "Eventually, part of Agde's green spaces will be able to be irrigated by treated water from the "POSIDONIA" wastewater treatment plant".

title: Agde


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Category:Company towns

Company towns, past and present ...

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title: Category:Company towns


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Great Bedwyn

Great Bedwyn is a village and civil parish in east Wiltshire, England. The village is on the River Dun about 4.5 mi southwest of Hungerford, 14 mi southeast of Swindon and 6 mi southeast of Marlborough.

The Kennet and Avon Canal and the Reading to Taunton line both follow the Dun and pass through the village. Bedwyn railway station is at Great Bedwyn and is the terminus of the rail commuter service via Reading and London Paddington.

The parish lies within the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It includes the hamlets of Crofton and St Katharines, together with Tottenham House and part of its estate, Tottenham Park.

Romans
A Roman road between Cirencester and Winchester crosses the parish, with Crofton on its route. Castle Copse, south of Great Bedwyn village, is the site of a Roman villa.

'Bedanheafeford', the Battle of Bedwyn
The battle of 'Bedanheafeford' between Aescwine of Wessex and King Wulfhere of Mercia in 675 is alleged to have been fought near Great Bedwyn. The battle was originally recorded in the 675 AD entry of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

A.H. Burne interpreted 'Biedanheafde' as an early version of Bedwyn, the derivation of the name being "the head of the Bieda" or "Beda", a stream running through the Bedwyns. However placename interpretation is tenuous evidence for the battlefield location; the site of the battle has also been claimed for Beedon in Berkshire, and elsewhere.

The discovery of a number of skeletons at Crofton in 1892 by J.W. Brooke was later used to substantiate a local battlefield location. An account of the battle of Bedwyn was published by local historian Maurice Adams in 1903. However, only excavation of these graves will confirm if they contain battlefield victims.

Brooke recorded that "I cannot assign any period to them, but the field over them is paved with flint weapons. On one visit I observed children building miniature castles with human femur and tibiae." In a letter to Maurice Adams, B.H. Cunningham described the graves, five to seven in number, "radiating from a common centre like the spokes of a wheel". Unfortunately he had made no notes of his finds and was writing from memory. Mrs M.E. Cunnington's study of Saxon grave sites in Wiltshire noted that there was no evidence to support the belief that the Crofton site contained Saxon graves. Nearby finds consisted only of a La Tène earthenware pot. As the graves are within the site of a causewayed camp this is not surprising. Maurice Adams would not have known about the Crofton camp as it was undiscovered until an aerial survey in 1976.

Given the lack of evidence, Maurice Adam's confidence in a Bedwyn battlefield site cannot be shared. Until more substantial evidence about the Crofton graves can be gathered, there is no reason to suggest that the Bedwyn location, for an obscure 7th century battle, is anything more than a myth.

Reference in the will of King Alfred the Great
The last will and testament of King Alfred the Great contains reference to Bedwyn. Describing his elder son Edward's inheritance he writes "And I grant him the land at Cannington and at Bedwyn and at Pewsey ..." The Bedwyn of King Alfred was a large estate, whose territory included the modern parishes of Great and Little Bedwyn, Grafton, and Burbage. Bedwyn continues to enjoy an enduring royal pedigree. It belonged to the crown in 788, when part of the estate was granted to a crown servant called Bica. King Alfred's descendants held the estate until it was granted to Abingdon Abbey by King Edgar in 968. However the estate was recovered by King Athelred a few years later, and was recorded as a crown estate in the Domesday survey of 1086. Although most of the estate had passed into private hands by the end of the mediaeval period, the execution of Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, in 1552 resulted in the temporary return of much of Bedwyn to the crown. The disastrous finances of his descendants resulted in the great sale of 1929, and much of the former Bedwyn estate was purchased by the Crown Estate. They remain one of the largest landowners in modern Bedwyn.

Church of St. Mary

The Church of England parish church of Saint Mary the Virgin has 12th-century origins. Beneath the church are substantial remains of a Saxon church begun in AD 905. In the chancel is a memorial to Sir John Seymour, father of King Henry VIII's wife Jane Seymour. The church is designated as a Grade I listed building, and a 14th-century limestone cross in the churchyard is Grade II*.

Thomas Willis (1621–1675), the great Oxford physician and natural philosopher, was born at Great Bedwyn on 27 January 1621 and was baptized on 14 February at the church.

Church of St. Katharine
St Katharine's was built by T.H. Wyatt in 1861, as the estate church for Tottenham House. In 1864, a parish was formed for it from parts of the parishes of Great Bedwyn, Little Bedwyn and Burbage. The church is Grade II* listed.

Methodist chapel
A Methodist chapel was opened c. 1810 in Church Street, Great Bedwyn. It was replaced by a chapel built in 1875 in Brown's Lane; this chapel closed in 1967.

Canal and railway
The Kennet and Avon Canal was opened from Hungerford to Great Bedwyn in 1799, and from Great Bedwyn to Devizes in 1809. There are four locks in the parish: Burnt Mill Lock and Bedwyn Church Lock near the village, and two of the Crofton flight to the southwest.

In 1862 the Great Western Railway built the Berks and Hants Extension Railway from Hungerford to Pewsey and Devizes, closely following the north bank of the canal, with a station named at Great Bedwyn. There are regular services to Reading and London Paddington, and the station is a railhead for Marlborough which is served by buses that connect with the trains.

Schools
A National School was built in Church Street, Great Bedwyn in 1835 and extended in 1856, becoming a Church of England primary school in 1963. The school moved to a new building on the outskirts of the village in 1994.

In the northwest of the parish, a church school was opened at St Katharine's in 1865 and continues in use.

The National School at East Grafton, opened in 1846, was used by children from Crofton; this school closed in 2011.

Local government
The civil parish elects a parish council. It is in the area of Wiltshire Council unitary authority, which performs all significant local government functions.

In 1895 the southern portion of Great Bedwyn parish (south of the railway, including Wolfhall and East Grafton) became a new parish called Grafton. Wolfhall was transferred to Burbage parish in 1988.

Parliamentary representation
Great Bedwyn was a parliamentary borough which elected two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1832, when the borough was abolished by the Great Reform Act. The parish now falls within the Devizes constituency.

Notable people
A branch of the Hungerford family of Farleigh Hungerford owned land in the area. Members include Sir Anthony Hungerford (1567–1627), a religious controversialist, who sat in Parliament for Marlborough and later Great Bedwyn. He bought an estate at Marten (now in Grafton parish).

Thomas Willis (1621–1675), influential physician and anatomist, Oxford professor and one of the founders of the Royal Society, was born at Great Bedwyn.

title: Great Bedwyn


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Baltic Cup (football)

The Baltic Cup (Balti turniir, Baltijas kauss, Baltijos taurė) is an international football competition contested by the national teams of the Baltic states – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Sometimes guests from the Northern Europe subregion are also invited: Finland has participated in the event twice, Iceland once, and Faroe Islands made a debut appearance in 2024. Though originally held annually, the competition has been biennial since 2008.

It is one of the oldest national teams football tournaments in Europe after the British Home Championship, and the oldest of the ones still organized.

History
As Estonia had unofficially declared itself the Baltic football champion in 1925, 1926 and 1927 based on matches played with Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland it was decided in 1928 to organize an official tournament. Though Poland and Finland were invited to join, the tournament took place between the three Baltic nations.

The tournament was intended to improve relations between the nations, but intrigues around the organization and budget questions worked against this goal. The hosts always did everything to wear out their competitors. In 1933 Lithuanian hosts surprised the officials with a tour to a local brewery in Kaunas in the morning before the Lithuania–Latvia match. The Estonian newspaper Päevaleht reported that the Finnish referee for the match was really jolly, but did a horrible job, mostly favouring the Lithuanian hosts. The rules demanded that at least two wins were necessary to win the championship. Both the Lithuania–Estonia and Lithuania–Latvia matches had been drawn, but stopped due to darkness and a lack of artificial lighting.

In the team meeting Latvia demanded that the Lithuania–Estonia match should be re-played first. Latvia was hoping for an advantage against a tired Lithuanian team in their match. Lithuania and Estonia disagreed, noting that Latvia had won their match against Estonia, so a Latvian win against Lithuania would grant the Latvians the championship and end the tournament. Consensus was not reached and the Latvian team left the same day. The championship was not awarded.

The feud led to the cancellation of the 1934 tournament, but the championship returned for the 1935. The rules were changed so that extra matches were now only held between leading teams if they were necessary for deciding on the championship. In 2021, for the 2020 Baltic Cup, Estonia won the Cup after a wait of 83 years.

During the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states, the Baltic Cup took place in 1940 and from 1948 to 1976 (with cancelled editions in 1951, 1953 to 1956 and 1963 to 1968) as a minor regional tournament between the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian SSRs, with occasional appearances by the Belarusian SSR. In 1991, the tournament was fully restored to the format as it was in the 1930s.

The 2020 tournament was postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic, and took place in 2021, similarly to UEFA Euro 2020.

The trophy
The original silver trophy of the Baltic Cup was seized by the Soviets in 1940 and subsequently lost after reportedly being taken to Moscow. A replica trophy was created in 1991 by Latvian sculptor Indulis Urbāns. It depicts three footballers, representing the three Baltic nations, holding a football on their shoulders akin to Atlas. However, in recent editions, e.g. 2022 and in the 2000s, the trophies awarded were of various different shapes.

Medal summary

 * As of 2024, excluding 1933.

Statistics

 * As of 2024. Including the 1933 tournament, but excluding the replay match played on 5 September 1933.

Hat-tricks
Since the first official tournament in 1928, 4 hat-tricks have been scored in over 50 matches of the 28 editions of the tournament. The first hat-trick was scored by Arnold Pihlak of the Estonia, playing against Lithuania on 26 July 1928; and the last was by Virginijus Baltušnikas of Lithuania, playing against Latvia on 12 July 1992. No player has ever scored two hat-tricks in the Baltic Cup and no player has ever scored more than 3 goals in a single Baltic Cup match.

title: Baltic Cup (football)


text: User talk:68.65.146.196

title: User talk:68.65.146.196


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/The Killers

The Killers was proposed for deletion. This page is an archive of the discussion about the proposed deletion. This page is no longer live. Further comments should be made on the article's talk page rather than here so that this page is preserved as an historic record. The result of the debate was keep and move to The Killers (band)

Excessive trivia about a non-notable band whose first album has only been out for two months now. This title should also probably be reserved for the Ernest Hemingway novel and the film versions of it. RickK 22:47, Sep 26, 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. I've only heard of one song from this band.  I think it was called "Somebody Told Me".  I think Island Records is paying MTV and radio stations just to play that crappy song.  Also, their choice of TV appearances is laughable.  I mean, come on who watches "Jimmy Kimmel Live", "The O.C.", or "Pepsi Smash".  Delete this stupid band and replace it with the respectable Ernest Hemingway work. Abner 23:17, 26 Sep 2004 (UTC)
 * Abner, it might be nicer not to be so rude. Anyhow, it's not notable, so Delete . --Improv 23:21, 26 Sep 2004 (UTC)
 * Changing my vote to Keep. Typo in google search caused me not to find hits on them. --Improv 06:53, 27 Sep 2004 (UTC)
 * He's being sarcastic, I've gathered, and it is quite notable. Please tell me how it's not notable. Mike H 23:28, Sep 26, 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep - I'm sure we could cut down the trivia within the article, but the article itself should stay - they are a notable band, if notable is having a pretty enormous hit single (no matter how crappy and overplayed you think it is). We have articles about much less notable bands than these guys. Adam Bishop 23:23, 26 Sep 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep (although a cleanup and disambig are probably in order). Definitely notable, their debut album is still in the top 40 in the UK,  plus they've been featured on the cover of both NME and Rolling Stone. - 23:25, 26 Sep 2004 (UTC) Lee   (talk)

I didn't think I was this far behind the times in music. I mean, I listen to Hoobastank, for Gawd's sake. If they're notable, then keep, but move to The Killers (band). RickK 23:50, Sep 26, 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep and move to The Killers (band) so the main article can be turned into a disambig or an article on the Hemingway story.   — Gwalla | Talk 23:53, 26 Sep 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep Dude, what is wrong with that article? All of the information about it is completely true! And besides, just because you do not like that group, does not mean that you should delete it. I do not like heavy metal at all, but I am not asking for it to be deleted because of what it is. So just keep. I HAVE PROOF that all of the information about everything in that article is true. If you would like me to give you websites which prove the truthfulness of this article, then tell ask me. NOTHING in this article is trivia. It is all true! Here are the websites for proof Scorpion :

 * Biography fron Island Records
 * Article on David Keuning (band member) and The Killers

 * Keep and move to The Killers (band). They are a fairly notable band, and there is no reason to delete the page.
 * Keep. Notable band. -- Chuq 07:12, 27 Sep 2004 (UTC)

 * Move to The Killers (band), and cleanup. They have a recording contract, and an album out with a major label, so they're notable enough. Remember, it's note we're talking about here, not talent (not that I've ever heard anything by them). Average Earthman 08:50, 28 Sep 2004 (UTC)

 * Keep & move to The Killers (band) --*drew 08:55, 28 Sep 2004 (UTC)

 * Keep - the album and single have charted in both the US and Australia - see All Music Guide - there should be a disambuigation page for band, film/s and book 165.228.129.11 10:36, 28 Sep 2004 (UTC)

 * Move to The Killers (band) since they seem to be notable, and to keep The Killers open for the novel. Luigi30 19:27, 28 Sep 2004 (UTC)

 * KEEP it the way it is. The Killers were there first! Besides, in the UK they are a very notable band. Do not move it anywhere. JUST leave it the way it is. --Shawn1
 * Votes don't count if you're not logged in. —Rory ☺ 20:18, Sep 28, 2004 (UTC)
 * Move to The Killers (band). They aren't any more notable than the book or movie. Make The Killers a disambiguation page. —Rory ☺ 20:18, Sep 28, 2004 (UTC)
 * To play the devils advocate, they must be slightly more notable to a number of people, as no-one has bothered to write an article about the book or the movie yet :) But when they have, then yes, a disambiguation page is the best idea. -- Chuq 23:47, 28 Sep 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep & move to The Killers (band). --Asmodai 11:44, Sep 29, 2004 (UTC)

Wow, I've been hearing their song for several weeks now and never associated the song with the name of the band. DJs these days don't do a very good job of back-announcing the songs. OK, I know who they are. Yeah, this was a bad VfD. RickK 04:52, Oct 1, 2004 (UTC)

Keep - Much editied and improved

 * Keep They are most definately a band of note, whether or not you approve of their music or not. surely it would make a lot more sense to have the book in the Hemmingway section? their album has sold many copies both here in the UK and in the USA, probably many more copies than the novel of the same name by Hemmingway. You may argue that they will probably disappear faster than they arrived on the music scene but i personally cannot see the effect that 'the killers' has had on the literary scene. Michael Underhill

 * Move to The Killers (band). This band has generated a significant amount of attention and press even with one album.  There have been articles about thre Killers in most of the major rock music publications which has found them to be on the cutting edge of a revival of the rock/dance genre.  Edit for content and quote information from the publicaionts rather than from the band's own management.

 * KEEP, I don't see any reason to delete it. The band's video has been seeing heavy rotation on both MTV and VH1, therefore they are notable. -- Old Right 20:50, 4 Oct 2004 (UTC)

 * Very weak keep, and only if it's moved to The Killers (band). Gamaliel 03:05, 5 Oct 2004 (UTC)

This page is now preserved as an archive of the debate and, like other '/delete' pages is no longer 'live'. Subsequent comments on the issue, the deletion or on the decision-making process should be placed on the relevant 'live' pages. Please do not edit this page.


text:
Agde Cathedral

Agde Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Étienne d'Agde) is a Roman Catholic church located in Agde in the Hérault département of southern France. The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Stephen, and stands on the bank of the river Hérault.

It was formerly the seat of the Bishops of Agde, the last of whom, Charles-François-Siméon de Rouvroy de Saint-Simon de Vermandois de Sandricourt, was guillotined during the Terror. The see was not restored after the French Revolution and its parishes were added to the Diocese of Montpellier by the Concordat of 1801.

History and description
The present building was constructed in the 12th century, beginning in 1173 under the direction of bishop William II of Agde, replacing a 9th century Carolingian church that had stood on the foundations of a 5th-century Roman church, which stood on the site of a temple of Diana.

The cathedral is remarkable for being built of black basalt from the nearby volcanic Mont St. Loup quarries. The building is extremely strong and was designed to serve as a fortress as much as a church: the walls are between 2 and 3 metres thick, and the square tower, 35 metres high, could also function as a keep (a fortified tower). The very prominent crenellations and machicolations are more characteristic of a fortress than of a church. It was declared a monument historique in 1840.

The Romanesque cloister which once adjoined the cathedral was demolished in 1857. Many of the materials, such as the capitals and the columns, were shortly afterwards reused for the construction of the lady chapel, which is now used as the entrance.

The 17th century high altar is made of polychromatic marble, which stands out against the austere setting of the cathedral's interior, as does the organ's Baroque architectural style.

Of the cathedral's five bells, four are hung in the belltower, and were cast by Burdin-Aîné of Lyon in 1894 and 1895. The fifth is on top of the belltower and is used only for the chiming of the clock. It was cast in 1665 by Damiac Fulcrand at Béziers, and declared a monument historique in 1959.

Sources and external links

 * Ministère de la culture: archive photographs
 * Agde municipality
 * Agde Tourist Office
 * Amis des Orgues d'Agde
 * Amis des Orgues d'Agde

title: Agde Cathedral


text:
Murphy Moose

The Murphy Moose is a Canadian high-wing utility light aircraft produced in kit form by the Chinese-owned Murphy Aircraft of Chilliwack, British Columbia for amateur construction. The Moose can be purchased as a "quick-build" kit which comes partly pre-assembled.

Builders can choose whether to equip their aircraft with the 269 kW (360 hp) Russian-built Vedeneyev M14P nine-cylinder radial or the horizontally-opposed 187 kW (250 hp) Lycoming O-540. Both engines allow the Moose to take off in roughly 180 m (600 ft). At least one owner has equipped their aircraft with a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-20 turboprop engine and another builder has installed a 460 hp General Motors LS3 V-8 engine.

title: Murphy Moose


text: Category:Roadable aircraft

title: Category:Roadable aircraft


text:
Category:Credit unions

Credit unions are co-operative financial institutions that are owned and controlled by their members. Their services are similar to but operating models distinguish them from banks, savings and loan associations and related financial services companies.

title: Category:Credit unions


text: User talk:64.165.234.105

title: User talk:64.165.234.105


text:
Talk:Douglas Hogg

Disambiguation
"Douglas Hogg" could also refer to the first Viscount. To prevent confusion, this page should be at Douglas Hogg, 3rd Viscount Hailsham. -- Emsworth 22:56, 26 Sep 2004 (UTC) It is Kettlethorpe hall not kettleburgh like the Mirror says. I know due to my dog falling in the drain that leads to his moat! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.130.127.108 (talk) 16:26, 20 May 2009 (UTC)

Right Honourable or PC
There appears to be some controversy concerning the correct form of address to be used. For the avoidance of doubt, the form of address for Douglas Hogg as given on the | UK Parliament's website is "Rt Hon Douglas Hogg, QC MP" (as used by Douglas Hogg on his own stationery), not "Douglas Hogg, PC QC MP". -- Graham Smith 21:58, 27 December 2008 (UTC)

 * I am not sure what the controversy is here. Lords who are members of the Privy Council are given the post nominal PC. Members of the House of Commons who are also members of the Privy Council are identified solely with the prefix "Right Honourable". As one of the few Members of the House of Commons that is also a Lord a resolution needs to be made between these conflicting rules one way or the other. If you have a source which specifically states that Douglas Hogg does not use PC then that is acceptable. Unfortunately however I am unable to verify your source as the link returns the error "You do not have permission to view this." Were you accessing a non-public area of the Parliament website, or is it just my computer blocking me from viewing the page?
 * On a side note I have removed "The Right Honourable" from the introductory sentence. Biographies on Wikipedia do not normally include such titles in the first sentence, as you will see from viewing any other articles about members of the Privy Council. Road Wizard (talk) 22:24, 27 December 2008 (UTC)

 * Apologies for any difficulties you are having with the link. From the Members & Staff page at www.parliament.uk, goto "MPs by alphabetical list" => "H" => "Hogg, Rt Hon Douglas (Con)" => "Biog" and look under the "Westminster" heading on the "Member Profile" page - Graham Smith (talk) 05:04, 28 December 2008 (UTC)

Total Expenses Claimed in respect of Parliamentary Duties
Another editor has removed a table showing Douglas Hoggs total expenses over the past few years on the basis that he claimed the maximum Additional Costs Allowance (ACA) each year and the table is therefore misleading. I disagree and believe that the table helpfully allows the reader to put the sums of money discussed elsewhere into context.

I don't want to get into any fights over this by simply reverting the previous edit and want the opinions of others. For information, here is the disputed edit: — GrahamSmith (talk) 14:25, 13 May 2009 (UTC) Douglas Hogg has consistently had one of the lowest total expenses claims of all MPs.

References

 * My view is that this is the total MP Allowances (not personal expenses) including items like Staffing Allowance, Stationery and Staff Computer Equipment. Hogg claimed the maximum Additional Costs Allowance (recently in the news) every year since 2002 - "joint 1st" according to TheyWorkForYou - so listing total Allowances here as "expenses" confuses and does not in my opinion help understanding. In fact there is no single measure that can be simply tabulated that clearly compares MPs (eg given they all have different travelling distances). Best to simply point the interested reader at the full TheyWorkForYou table. Rwendland (talk) 16:36, 13 May 2009 (UTC)

 * Others will know that, in an attempt to put Douglas Hogg's controversial Additional Costs Allowances (ACA) claims into context, I added a table showing the Total Expenses he had claimed using data from the independent TheyWorkForYou website. This was removed. After seeking comments via Talk:Douglas_Hogg I reinstated the table with a revised comment stating "Even though he claimed the maximum possible Additional Costs Allowance in five out of the seven years between 2001/02 and 2007/08, Douglas Hogg has consistently had one of the lowest total expenses claims." This revised edit has now been removed by what appears to be an unregistered user accessing Wikipedia from a BT Internet broadband account. I consider the table of total expenses meets WP:NPOV and also believe it helpfully puts the ACA claim into context; it should be allowed under WP:BLP as it is fair comment. — GrahamSmith (talk) 04:57, 15 May 2009 (UTC)
 * I am seeking information mediation on how to present the controversial Additional Costs Allowance within the context of Douglas Hogg's total expenses . — GrahamSmith (talk) 05:47, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

 * For ref, the the official description of the various MP Allowances is here. Only columns 1 and 2 of the main table, and the non-employee columns in the travel expenditure table, would match what in everyday use would be called "expenses". Rwendland (talk) 10:45, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

Informal Mediation
Hi guys, I saw the request for a third party at Mediation Cabal as requested by User:GrahamSmith. For your information, I am from the UK, so if you have an objection to be helping, please let me know straight away. As far as I understand, GrahamSmith added the table of expenses which shows overall he claimed a low amount compared to MP's which was then removed by User: Rwendland & then by an IP. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Could anybody who has a view pop their name below & say whether they are OK with me giving you a hand. Could you then give me a summary of your views & what you would ideally like the sentence/passage to read. Then we can go from there? dottydotdot (talk) 17:05, 20 May 2009 (UTC)

 * Hi dottydotdot. That's roughly it, though I think the text reinstated then removed by an IP info was not the full table. I've explained my reasons in the section above, but to summarise the numbers tabulated are not "expenses" either in official House of Commons terminology, nor in an everyday sense. The rankings are a secondary issue.
 * a) This is officially called "allowances" by the House of Commons.
 * b) The total tabulated includes allowances for staffing an office, such as elements for Staffing Allowance (employee salaries), Stationery and Staff Computer Equipment. So this total is not "expenses" in an everyday sense.
 * If we wanted something approximating to the everyday notion of "expenses" we would have to sum and rank certain parts of the overall allowances, perhaps columns 1 and 2 of the main table, and the non-employee columns in the travel expenditure table. I don't think this is worthwhile for Wikipedia, and would anyway have to be updated yearly. Anyway MPs have different travelling distances so ranking against each other is a dubious comparison. Unless we can find a secondary source that attempts to total (and maybe rank) suitable parts of the allowances data, I think we should avoid this level of detail. Rwendland (talk) 18:01, 20 May 2009 (UTC)
 * If we wanted something approximating to the everyday notion of "expenses" we would have to sum and rank certain parts of the overall allowances, perhaps columns 1 and 2 of the main table, and the non-employee columns in the travel expenditure table. I don't think this is worthwhile for Wikipedia, and would anyway have to be updated yearly. Anyway MPs have different travelling distances so ranking against each other is a dubious comparison. Unless we can find a secondary source that attempts to total (and maybe rank) suitable parts of the allowances data, I think we should avoid this level of detail. Rwendland (talk) 18:01, 20 May 2009 (UTC)
 * If we wanted something approximating to the everyday notion of "expenses" we would have to sum and rank certain parts of the overall allowances, perhaps columns 1 and 2 of the main table, and the non-employee columns in the travel expenditure table. I don't think this is worthwhile for Wikipedia, and would anyway have to be updated yearly. Anyway MPs have different travelling distances so ranking against each other is a dubious comparison. Unless we can find a secondary source that attempts to total (and maybe rank) suitable parts of the allowances data, I think we should avoid this level of detail. Rwendland (talk) 18:01, 20 May 2009 (UTC)

 * Thank you for offering to informally mediate, dottydotdot. It is very kind of you and, in answer to your question, I have no objections to your mediation providing you don't have a prejudicial interest in the subject (e.g. support of a UK political party, involvement in UK journalism, etc.). Kindly confirm this is indeed the case.
 * As set out above, my view is that the Additional Cost Allowance is just one part of the "expenses/allowances" that an MP can claim, and that it is helpful to see these total expenses. I therefore included totals from a table published by TheyVoteForYou.com. After this edit was reverted by Rwendland and subsequent comments above, I reinstated the table with a revised introduction making clear that Douglas Hogg had claimed the maximum ACA (see above for exact words used), as I hoped this would be acceptable. Regrettably it was not and I therefore requested informal mediation.
 * Since making the above edits to Douglas Hogg, MSN UK has published articles on the expense claims, together with a map with details of your MP's expense claims between April 2007 and March 2008. Like TheyWorkForYou.com, the MSN UK hot map shows total expenses that include not just ACA (which it calls "Second Home"), but also office, staffing, stationery, IT provision, staff cover, communication and travel.
 * In sum, ACA is only one heading under which monies (whether called expenses or allowances is immaterial to me, I use "expenses" because that term is commonly used on TheyWorkForYou.com and other websites) from the public purse can be claimed by MPs. And I think it is helpful to have a note of those total "expenses/allowances" included in the main article. — GrahamSmith (talk) 04:58, 21 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Since making the above edits to Douglas Hogg, MSN UK has published articles on the expense claims, together with a map with details of your MP's expense claims between April 2007 and March 2008. Like TheyWorkForYou.com, the MSN UK hot map shows total expenses that include not just ACA (which it calls "Second Home"), but also office, staffing, stationery, IT provision, staff cover, communication and travel.
 * In sum, ACA is only one heading under which monies (whether called expenses or allowances is immaterial to me, I use "expenses" because that term is commonly used on TheyWorkForYou.com and other websites) from the public purse can be claimed by MPs. And I think it is helpful to have a note of those total "expenses/allowances" included in the main article. — GrahamSmith (talk) 04:58, 21 May 2009 (UTC)
 * In sum, ACA is only one heading under which monies (whether called expenses or allowances is immaterial to me, I use "expenses" because that term is commonly used on TheyWorkForYou.com and other websites) from the public purse can be claimed by MPs. And I think it is helpful to have a note of those total "expenses/allowances" included in the main article. — GrahamSmith (talk) 04:58, 21 May 2009 (UTC)

(Unindent) No I have no affiliations to any parties & am not a journalist. Rather than me suggest a passage, can I get you guys to write down a passage that you are happy with-Rwendland, you may be happy with it at the moment, but if you can move towards GrahamSmith & GrahamSmith, if you can move the other way, then hopefully, somewhere in the middle will be a sentence that everyone is happy with! dottydotdot (talk) 07:33, 21 May 2009 (UTC)

"Even though he claimed the maximum possible Additional Costs Allowance in five out of the seven years between 2001/02 and 2007/08, Douglas Hogg's total running costs as an MP (including allowances, expenses and staff costs) have consistently been at the lower end of the scale as shown in the following table:" Or, as Rwendland makes what is probably a valid point concerning travel distances, perhaps the following: "Even though he claimed the maximum possible Additional Costs Allowance in five out of the seven years between 2001/02 and 2007/08 and lives over a hundred miles north of London, Douglas Hogg's total running costs as an MP (including allowances, expenses and staff costs) have consistently been at the lower end of the scale as shown in the following table:" — GrahamSmith (talk) 11:20, 21 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Thank you for your assurance, dottydotdot, which I greatly appreciate. I'm happy to make clear that "expenses" are more than simply expenses, if that is the issue and suggest:

 * I'm afraid I still think the article is best without this level of detail. To quote some policy WP:NOT "Long and sprawling lists of statistics may be confusing to readers and reduce the readability and neatness of our articles." I also recall there is a guideline that we should view the article from 50 years forward in judging what is important to include and will pass the test of time - and I doubt this level of detail passes that test.
 * More specifically, and as an example of the hazards, the "five out of the seven years" is misleading. In the election year there was no ranking in the source because of the broken parliamentary year, so "four out of the six full parliamentary years" would be accurate. Not that I think we should go to this detail.
 * This is not to say the section text is currently ideal, and could do with a bit of a rewrite, and a mention of his low overall allowances would be useful. I'd suggest simply adding Even though he had been claiming near maximum Additional Costs Allowance in recent years, Douglas Hogg's total running costs as an MP (including allowances, expenses and staff costs) have consistently been lower than most MPs. Just referencing TheWorkForYou, without including the data. Rwendland (talk) 12:15, 22 May 2009 (UTC)
 * This is not to say the section text is currently ideal, and could do with a bit of a rewrite, and a mention of his low overall allowances would be useful. I'd suggest simply adding Even though he had been claiming near maximum Additional Costs Allowance in recent years, Douglas Hogg's total running costs as an MP (including allowances, expenses and staff costs) have consistently been lower than most MPs. Just referencing TheWorkForYou, without including the data. Rwendland (talk) 12:15, 22 May 2009 (UTC)
 * This is not to say the section text is currently ideal, and could do with a bit of a rewrite, and a mention of his low overall allowances would be useful. I'd suggest simply adding Even though he had been claiming near maximum Additional Costs Allowance in recent years, Douglas Hogg's total running costs as an MP (including allowances, expenses and staff costs) have consistently been lower than most MPs. Just referencing TheWorkForYou, without including the data. Rwendland (talk) 12:15, 22 May 2009 (UTC)

 * Fair point. But you did also mention the relative cost of travel, so could we agree on the following?
 * Even though he had been claiming near maximum Additional Costs Allowance in the 2001 and 2005 UK Parliaments and despite living over a hundred miles north of Central London, Douglas Hogg's total running costs as an MP (including allowances, expenses and staff costs) were consistently at the lower end of the scale.
 * References
 * —GrahamSmith (talk) 16:14, 22 May 2009 (UTC)

(unindent) The sentence seems to be taking shape-I agree we don't want too many large tables etc. GrahamSmith, at the moment the extra bit "despite living over a hundred miles north of Central London" does not read as having a NPOV. Do you have any problems with the version put forward by Rwendland, which appears to both mention the large ACA but also his lower than average other costs? dottydotdot (talk) 18:06, 22 May 2009 (UTC)

 * Let's just take a moment here to review where we are. My original contribution was a correctly referenced table, taken from a respected independent source, showing that Douglas Hogg's total running costs as an MP have consistently been one of the very lowest of all MPs. This table was introduced with the sentence: "Douglas Hogg has consistently had one of the lowest total expenses claims of all MPs."
 * This was disputed by Rwendland, who made the following points:
 * The table showed total MP Allowances (not personal expenses) including items like Staffing Allowance, Stationery and Staff Computer Equipment.
 * Douglas Hogg claimed the maximum Additional Costs Allowance every year since 2002 - "joint 1st" according to TheyWorkForYou.
 * All MPs have different travelling distances.
 * In response to these points, I suggested using the introductory sentence "Even though he claimed the maximum possible Additional Costs Allowance in five out of the seven years between 2001/02 and 2007/08, Douglas Hogg has consistently had one of the lowest total expenses claims." This was also deleted and I therefore sought informal mediation.
 * I then suggested "Even though he claimed the maximum possible Additional Costs Allowance in five out of the seven years between 2001/02 and 2007/08, Douglas Hogg's total running costs as an MP (including allowances, expenses and staff costs) have consistently been at the lower end of the scale as shown in the following table:"
 * And then, to take account of Rwendland's third point: "Even though he claimed the maximum possible Additional Costs Allowance in five out of the seven years between 2001/02 and 2007/08 and lives over a hundred miles north of London, Douglas Hogg's total running costs as an MP (including allowances, expenses and staff costs) have consistently been at the lower end of the scale as shown in the following table:"
 * In response to comments and suggested words from Rwendland, I suggested Additional Costs Allowances be referenced to the two relevant UK Parliaments, rather than specific years, and also (reluctantly) agreed to drop the summary table.
 * It now seems to me that I have addressed ALL of the original points made by Rwendland:
 * No summary table: simply a reference to the original detailed data;
 * Addressed the "expenses" point by replacing the word "expenses" with "total running costs" and made clear these include allowances, expenses and staff costs;
 * Addressed the "maximum Additional Costs allowances" point by including the factual comment "...claiming near maximum Additional Costs Allowance in the 2001 and 2005 UK Parliaments";
 * Addressed the travelling distances point by noting that Douglas Hogg lives over a hundred miles north of Central London.
 * Would it be unreasonable to suggest that the entry now be agreed as:
 * Even though he had been claiming near maximum Additional Costs Allowance in the 2001 and 2005 UK Parliaments, and despite living over a hundred miles north of Central London, Douglas Hogg's total running costs as an MP (including allowances, expenses and staff costs) were consistently very much lower than most MPs.
 * References
 * Addressed the "expenses" point by replacing the word "expenses" with "total running costs" and made clear these include allowances, expenses and staff costs;
 * Addressed the "maximum Additional Costs allowances" point by including the factual comment "...claiming near maximum Additional Costs Allowance in the 2001 and 2005 UK Parliaments";
 * Addressed the travelling distances point by noting that Douglas Hogg lives over a hundred miles north of Central London.
 * Would it be unreasonable to suggest that the entry now be agreed as:
 * Even though he had been claiming near maximum Additional Costs Allowance in the 2001 and 2005 UK Parliaments, and despite living over a hundred miles north of Central London, Douglas Hogg's total running costs as an MP (including allowances, expenses and staff costs) were consistently very much lower than most MPs.
 * References
 * References
 * —GrahamSmith (talk) 19:05, 25 May 2009 (UTC)

 * Graham, I'm content with your suggested sentence. I'd be happy if you wanted to leave out "and despite living over a hundred miles north of Central London", which might help readability and conciseness. Sorry to be slow replying, have been busy the last two days. Rwendland (talk) 11:12, 27 May 2009 (UTC)

(unindent)OK cool, Graham if you want to go & change it, then we're sorted? dottydotdot (talk) 11:46, 27 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Might I please express my grateful thanks to dottydotdot for the calm and reasoned approach he has taken to (what I believe is) his first attempt at mediation? I am also very grateful indeed to Rwendland, without whose willing participation this informal mediation would not have succeeded. Thank you both! —GrahamSmith (talk) 18:34, 27 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Yep, afraid so, newby to this! Thanks to both of you for making this easy & calm! dottydotdot (talk) 23:48, 27 May 2009 (UTC)

Stevens Inquiry Discussion
It would seem appropriate in the light of the government's official report of Dec 2012 to update this section. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/246867/0802.pdf see also relevant news media comments  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Isthisuseful (talk • contribs) 11:29, 2 January 2015 (UTC)

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title: Talk:Douglas Hogg


text:
User:Sebyyc

 * Name: Sebastian Christian Dragomirescu
 * Age: 18
 * Born: 24th of June 1986 in Orsova, Romania
 * Live in: Montréal, Canada
 * Spoken and written languages: Romanian, English and French

title: User:Sebyyc


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Dolomite (rock)

Dolomite (also known as dolomite rock, dolostone or dolomitic rock) is a sedimentary carbonate rock that contains a high percentage of the mineral dolomite, CaMg(CO3)2. It occurs widely, often in association with limestone and evaporites, though it is less abundant than limestone and rare in Cenozoic rock beds (beds less than about 66 million years in age). The first geologist to distinguish dolomite from limestone was Déodat Gratet de Dolomieu; a French mineralogist and geologist whom it is named after. He recognized and described the distinct characteristics of dolomite in the late 18th century, differentiating it from limestone.

Most dolomite was formed as a magnesium replacement of limestone or of lime mud before lithification. The geological process of conversion of calcite to dolomite is known as dolomitization and any intermediate product is known as dolomitic limestone. The "dolomite problem" refers to the vast worldwide depositions of dolomite in the past geologic record in contrast to the limited amounts of dolomite formed in modern times. Recent research has revealed sulfate-reducing bacteria living in anoxic conditions precipitate dolomite which indicates that some past dolomite deposits may be due to microbial activity.

Dolomite is resistant to erosion and can either contain bedded layers or be unbedded. It is less soluble than limestone in weakly acidic groundwater, but it can still develop solution features (karst) over time. Dolomite rock can act as an oil and natural gas reservoir.

Name
Dolomite takes its name from the 18th-century French mineralogist Déodat Gratet de Dolomieu (1750–1801), who was one of the first to describe the mineral.

The term dolomite refers to both the calcium-magnesium carbonate mineral and to sedimentary rock formed predominantly of this mineral. The term dolostone was introduced in 1948 to avoid confusion between the two. However, the usage of the term dolostone is controversial, because the name dolomite was first applied to the rock during the late 18th century and thus has technical precedence. The use of the term dolostone was not recommended by the Glossary of Geology published by the American Geological Institute.

In old USGS publications, dolomite was referred to as magnesian limestone, a term now reserved for magnesium-deficient dolomites or magnesium-rich limestones.

Description
Dolomite rock is defined as sedimentary carbonate rock composed of more than 50% mineral dolomite. Dolomite is characterized by its nearly ideal 1:1 stoichiometric ratio of magnesium to calcium. It is distinct from high-magnesium limestone in that the magnesium and calcium form ordered layers within the individual dolomite mineral grains, rather than being arranged at random, as they are in high-magnesium calcite grains. In natural dolomite, magnesium is typically between 44 and 50 percent of total magnesium plus calcium, indicating some substitution of calcium into the magnesium layers. A small amount of ferrous iron typically substitutes for magnesium, particularly in more ancient dolomites. Carbonate rock tends to be either almost all calcite or almost all dolomite, with intermediate compositions being quite uncommon.

Dolomite outcrops are recognized in the field by their softness (mineral dolomite has a Mohs hardness of 4 or less, well below common silicate minerals) and because dolomite bubbles feebly when a drop of dilute hydrochloric acid is dropped on it. This distinguishes dolomite from limestone, which is also soft but reacts vigorously with dilute hydrochloric acid. Dolomite usually weathers to a characteristic dull yellow-brown color due to the presence of ferrous iron. This is released and oxidized as the dolomite weathers. Dolomite is usually granular in appearance, with a texture resembling grains of sugar.

Under the microscope, thin sections of dolomite usually show individual grains that are well-shaped rhombs, with considerable pore space. As a result, subsurface dolomite is generally more porous than subsurface limestone and makes up 80% of carbonate rock petroleum reservoirs. This texture contrasts with limestone, which is usually a mixture of grains, micrite (very fine-grained carbonate mud) and sparry cement. The optical properties of calcite and mineral dolomite are difficult to distinguish, but calcite almost never crystallizes as regular rhombs, and calcite is stained by Alizarin Red S while dolomite grains are not. Dolomite rock consisting of well-formed grains with planar surfaces is described as planar or idiotopic dolomite, while dolomite consisting of poorly-formed grains with irregular surfaces is described as nonplanar or xenotopic dolomite. The latter likely forms by recrystallization of existing dolomite at elevated temperature (over 50 to 100 C).

The texture of dolomite often shows that it is secondary, formed by replacement of calcium by magnesium in limestone. The preservation of the original limestone texture can range from almost perfectly preserved to completely destroyed. Under a microscope, dolomite rhombs are sometimes seen to replace oolites or skeletal particles of the original limestone. There is sometimes selective replacement of fossils, with the fossil remaining mostly calcite and the surrounding matrix composed of dolomite grains. Sometimes dolomite rhombs are seen cut across the fossil outline. However, some dolomite shows no textural indications that it was formed by replacement of limestone.

Occurrence and origin
Dolomite is widespread in its occurrences, though not as common as limestone. It is typically found in association with limestone or evaporite beds and is often interbedded with limestone. There is no consistent trend in its abundance with age, but most dolomite appears to have formed at high stands of sea level. Little dolomite is found in Cenozoic beds (beds less than 65 million years old), which has been a time of generally low sea levels. Times of high sea level also tend to be times of a greenhouse Earth, and it is possible that greenhouse conditions are the trigger for dolomite formation.

Many dolomites show clear textural indications that they are secondary dolomites, formed by replacement of limestone. However, although much research has gone into understanding this process of dolomitization, the process remains poorly understood. There are also fine-grained dolomites showing no textural indications that they formed by replacement, and it is uncertain whether they formed by replacement of limestone that left no textural traces or are true primary dolomites. This dolomite problem was first recognized over two centuries ago but is still not fully resolved.

The dolomitization reaction

 * 2CaCO3 + Mg(2+) -> CaMg(CO3)2 + Ca(2+)

is thermodynamically favorable, with a Gibbs free energy of about -2.2 kcal/mol. In theory, ordinary seawater contains sufficient dissolved magnesium to cause dolomitization. However, because of the very slow rate of diffusion of ions in solid mineral grains at ordinary temperatures, the process can occur only by simultaneous dissolution of calcite and crystallization of dolomite. This in turn requires that large volumes of magnesium-bearing fluids are flushed through the pore space in the dolomitizing limestone. Several processes have been proposed for dolomitization.

The hypersaline model (also known as the evaporative reflux model) is based on the observation that dolomite is very commonly found in association with limestone and evaporites, with the limestone often interbedded with the dolomite. According to this model, dolomitization takes place in a closed basin where seawater is subject to high rates of evaporation. This results in precipitation of gypsum and aragonite, raising the magnesium to calcium ratio of the remaining brine. The brine is also dense, so it sinks into the pore space of any underlying limestone (seepage refluxion), flushing out the existing pore fluid and causing dolomitization. The Permian Basin of North America has been put forward as an example of an environment in which this process took place. A variant of this model has been proposed for sabkha environments in which brine is sucked up into the dolomitizing limestone by evaporation of capillary fluids, a process called evaporative pumping.

Another model is the mixing-zone or Dorag model, in which meteoric water mixes with seawater already present in the pore space, increasing the chemical activity of magnesium relative to calcium and causing dolomitization. The formation of Pleistocene dolomite reefs in Jamaica has been attributed to this process. However, this model has been heavily criticized, with one 2004 review paper describing it bluntly as "a myth". A 2021 paper argued that the mixing zone serves as domain of intense microbial activity which promotes dolomitization.

A third model postulates that normal seawater is the dolomitizing fluid, and the necessary large volumes are flushed through the dolomitizing limestone through tidal pumping. Dolomite formation at Sugarloaf Key may be an example of this process. A similar process might occur during rises in sea level, as large volumes of water move through limestone platform rock.

Regardless of the mechanism of dolomitization, the tendency of carbonate rock to be either almost all calcite or almost all dolomite suggests that, once the process is started, it completes rapidly. The process likely occurs at shallow depths of burial, under 100 m, where there is an inexhaustible supply of magnesium-rich seawater and the original limestone is more likely to be porous. On the other hand, dolomitization can proceed rapidly at the greater temperatures characterizing deeper burial, if a mechanism exists to flush magnesium-bearing fluids through the beds.

Mineral dolomite has a 12% to 13% smaller volume than calcite per alkali cation. Thus dolomitization likely increases porosity and contributes to the sugary texture of dolomite.

The dolomite problem and primary dolomite
Dolomite is supersaturated in normal seawater by a factor of greater than ten, but dolomite is not seen to precipitate in the oceans. Likewise, geologists have not been successful at precipitating dolomite from seawater at normal temperatures and pressures in laboratory experiments. This is likely due to a very high activation energy for nucleating crystals of dolomite.

The magnesium ion is a relatively small ion, and it acquires a tightly bound hydration shell when dissolved in water. In other words, the magnesium ion is surrounded by a clump of water molecules that are strongly attracted to its positive charge. Calcium is a larger ion and this reduces the strength of binding of its hydration shell, so it is much easier for a calcium ion than a magnesium ion to shed its hydration shell and bind to a growing crystal. It is also more difficult to nucleate a seed crystal of ordered dolomite than disordered high-magnesium calcite. As a result, attempts to precipitate dolomite from seawater precipitate high-magnesium calcite instead. This substance, which has an excess of calcium over magnesium and lacks calcium-magnesium ordering, is sometimes called  protodolomite. Raising the temperature makes it easier for magnesium to shed its hydration shell, and dolomite can be precipitated from seawater at temperatures in excess of 60 C. Protodolomite also rapidly converts to dolomite at temperatures of 250 C or higher. The high temperatures necessary for the formation of dolomite helps explain the rarity of Cenozoic dolomites, since Cenozoic seawater temperatures seldom exceeded 40 °C.

It is possible that microorganisms are capable of precipitating primary dolomite. This was first demonstrated in samples collected at Lagoa Vermelha, Brazil in association with sulfate-reducing bacteria (Desulfovibrio), leading to the hypothesis that sulfate ion inhibits dolomite nucleation. Later laboratory experiments suggest bacteria can precipitate dolomite independently of the sulfate concentration. With time other pathways of interaction between microbial activity and dolomite formation have been added to the discord regarding their role in modulation and generation of polysaccharides, manganese and zinc within the porewater. Meanwhile, a contrary view held by other researchers is that microorganisms precipitate only high-magnesium calcite but leave open the question of whether this can lead to precipitation of dolomite.

Dedolomitization
Dolomitization can sometimes be reversed, and a dolomite bed converted back to limestone. This is indicated by a texture of pseudomorphs of mineral dolomite that have been replaced with calcite. Dedolomitized limestone is typically associated with gypsum or oxidized pyrite, and dedolomitization is thought to occur at very shallow depths through infiltration of surface water with a very high ratio of calcium to magnesium.

Uses
Dolomite is used for many of the same purposes as limestone, including as construction aggregate; in agriculture to neutralize soil acidity and supply calcium and magnesium; as a source of carbon dioxide; as dimension stone; as a filler in fertilizers and other products; as a flux in metallurgy; and in glass manufacturing. It cannot substitute for limestone in chemical processes that require a high-calcium limestone, such as manufacture of sodium carbonate. Dolomite is used for production of magnesium chemicals, such as Epsom salt, and is used as a magnesium supplement. It is also used in the manufacture of refractory materials.

Caves in dolomite rock
As with limestone caves, natural caves and solution tubes typically form in dolomite rock as a result of the dissolution by weak carbonic acid. Caves can also, less commonly, form through dissolution of rock by sulfuric acid. Calcium carbonate speleothems (secondary deposits) in the forms of stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone etc., can also form in caves within dolomite rock. “Dolomite is a common rock type, but a relatively uncommon mineral in speleothems”. Both the 'Union Internationale de Spéléologie' (UIS) and the American 'National Speleological Society' (NSS), extensively use in their publications, the terms "dolomite" or "dolomite rock" when referring to the natural bedrock containing a high percentage of CaMg(CO3)2 in which natural caves or solution tubes have formed.

Dolomite speleothems
Both calcium and magnesium go into solution when dolomite rock is dissolved. The speleothem precipitation sequence is: calcite, Mg-calcite, aragonite, huntite and hydromagnesite. Hence, the most common speleothem (secondary deposit) in caves within dolomite rock karst, is calcium carbonate in the most stable polymorph form of calcite. Speleothem types known to have a dolomite constituent include: coatings, crusts, moonmilk, flowstone, coralloids, powder, spar and rafts. Although there are reports of dolomite speleothems known to exist in a number of caves around the world, they are usually in relatively small quantities and form in very fine-grained deposits.

title: Dolomite (rock)


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Murphy Aircraft

Murphy Aircraft Manufacturing Limited is a Canadian maker of civil general aviation kits for amateur construction. The company was founded in 1985 by Darryl Murphy and is located in Chilliwack, British Columbia.

History
The company was started as the result of a hunting accident. Darryl Murphy was a mechanical engineering technologist who designed and built a rigid wing hang glider in 1978 as a school project at the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. In 1984 Murphy was in a non-aviation accident that left him hospitalized for four months. During his recovery time he decided to design a biplane to fit into the then-new Canadian ultralight category. The aircraft was a single-seat model and was intended as a one-off aircraft for his own use, with no production intentions. Murphy named it the Renegade.

After taking the Renegade to a number of fly-ins and other aviation events, Murphy was encouraged by the positive response it received and by the number of people who asked him to build one for them. In 1985 Murphy quit his job and started Murphy Aviation (later renamed Murphy Aircraft Manufacturing), with his brother Bryan and located the company in Chilliwack, British Columbia.

The original Renegade design was turned into a two-seater by relocating the fuel tank from the centre fuselage to the upper wing, installing a second seat and designating it the Renegade II. Initial sales were disappointing as only one kit was sold in the first six months. Sales improved greatly once the aviation press began reviewing the aircraft. By 1986 the company had a backlog of orders, including many from outside North America. Murphy displayed the Renegade at the EAA Convention, Oshkosh and returned to Chilliwack with a substantial order book. During 1989 sales totalled 129 Renegade IIs.

In May 1987 a new version of the basic Renegade design first flew. Named the Renegade Spirit it added a radial engine-style round cowling and a 64 hp Rotax 532 and later the Rotax 582 engine.

In September 2008, as a result of restructuring due to the early 2000s recession, Murphy Aircraft split off their sales functions to a new company, Patterson AeroSales, headed by former Murphy sales representative Bob Patterson. Murphy Aircraft continues to concentrate on designing and manufacturing kit aircraft while Patterson handles "show appearances, advertising materials, promotions and general sales responsibilities". Murphy Aircraft President Darryl Murphy also explained that the company will only manufacture kits in batches once sufficient numbers of orders have been accumulated to justify a production run and that standard aircraft hardware parts, like rivets and bolts would be shipped directly from the suppliers to customers to save costs.

On 9 January 2014 the company issued a press release indicating that Darryl Murphy was retiring and wished to sell the company, indicating he expected to receive in the "$2.5 to $4 million range, depending on how much of the manufacturing machinery the buyer wants".

On 22 January 2016 Murphy Aircraft announced that it has begun the process to put the Murphy Rebel into the light-sport aircraft category.

The company unveiled a new Darryl Murphy design at AirVenture in July 2016, the Murphy Radical, which incorporates bicycle carriers on the wings.

The company was eventually sold to the Duofu International Holding Group, one of the top 25 Chinese conglomerates, which has subsidiaries in the fields of investment, manufacturing, mining, real estate, culture, tourism, international trade and aviation manufacturing. The company appointed Jensen Li as the managing director.

The newly acquired company halted kit production while rewriting the kit documentation using CAD/CAM computerization and also re-working the kits to speed up assembly time with improved pre-drilling. Kit production was expected to resume later in 2023, with a reduced offering of only three designs, the Murphy Moose, Radical and Rebel.

title: Murphy Aircraft


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Mogi das Cruzes

Mogi das Cruzes ( or ) is a municipality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, located within the metropolitan region of the state capital of the city of São Paulo. The population is 450,785 (2020 est.) in an area of 713 km2. It is located 40 km to the east of the city of São Paulo. It was founded in 1560 by the bandeirantes.

Districts
The municipality is subdivided into the following districts:
 * Brás Cubas (named after Brás Cubas)
 * Biritiba-Ussu
 * César de Sousa
 * Jundiapeba
 * Quatinga
 * Sabaúna
 * Taiaçupeba

Media
In telecommunications, the city was served by Companhia Telefônica da Borda do Campo. In July 1998, this company was acquired by Telefónica, which adopted the Vivo brand in 2012. The company is currently an operator of cell phones, fixed lines, internet (fiber optics/4G) and television (satellite and cable).

Notable people

 * Bruno Bronetta - retired footballer
 * Bruno Cazarine - retired professional footballer, played at top levels in Brazil, Europe, Middle East, Asia and currently in Belarus with Dinamo Minsk.
 * Edmar Halovskyi - retired professional footballer, who played for Ukraine national team.
 * Maikon Leite - professional footballer, plays for Figueirense.
 * Neymar (born 1992), Al Hilal footballer, top goalscorer of the Brazil national football team
 * Felipe Augusto de Almeida Monteiro - professional footballer
 * Yan Gomes - (born 1987) Chicago Cubs baseball player

title: Mogi das Cruzes


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The Computer Wore Menace Shoes

“The Computer Wore Menace Shoes" is the sixth episode of the twelfth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 3, 2000. In the episode, Homer buys a computer and creates his own website to spread gossip and fake news. However, when Homer starts writing conspiracy theories about flu shots, he is sent to an island where people who know too much are imprisoned.

"The Computer Wore Menace Shoes" was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Mark Kirkland. The title of the episode is a reference to the 1969 Disney comedy film The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, but the episode isn't related to the film in any other way. The episode's third act features many references to the 1967 science fiction series The Prisoner.

The episode features Patrick McGoohan as Number Six, the main character from The Prisoner. In its original broadcast, the episode was seen by approximately 9.1 million viewers, finishing in 28th place in the ratings the week it aired. Following its broadcast, the episode received mixed reviews from critics; commentators were divided over the episode's third act.

Plot
After finding out that all of the nuclear power plant's staff members had been informed of the plant's closure for maintenance via e-mail, Homer decides to buy a computer. After Lisa sets up the computer for him, Homer starts his own webpage, which contains copyrighted material from other pages. To avoid getting sued, Homer calls himself "Mr. X". Late at night, unable to sleep until someone visits his page, Homer hears a rumor from Bart started by either Nelson Muntz or Jimbo Jones that Mayor Quimby spent the street repair fund on a secret swimming pool. He posts this rumor on his page, which is seen by several of Springfield's citizens, and reporters find a luxurious pool along with many scantily dressed women in Quimby's office building.

Homer keeps anonymously investigating and posting more scandals, including Mr. Burns selling uranium to terrorists (resulting in Burns getting arrested by the FBI), Apu selling expired doughnuts as bagels, and various unprofessional acts by the Springfield Police Department (although he overlooks Krusty's admission to vehicular manslaughter). Eventually, Mr. X wins the Pulitzer Prize for his journalistic achievements, despite no-one knowing who he is. When he hears that the prize money will be given to starving children, Homer reveals himself as Mr. X. However, this ends up alienating Homer from the rest of the town, as no-one feels comfortable confessing their secrets now that they know he is Mr. X, and his fame soon plummets. To boost his popularity, Homer begins posting outrageous fake stories on his webpage. Regaining his fame, Homer celebrates by going to a Kwik-E-Mart which turns out to be fake, and he ends up being kidnapped.

Homer wakes up on the "Island", a place where the inhabitants are people who have been exiled from society for harboring dangerous secrets. Homer learns from the organization's leader, Number Two, that a story he wrote about flu vaccinations containing a mind-control serum is true; the mind control drug is calibrated to drive people into a frenzy of shopping, which is why flu shots are administered shortly before Christmas. While Homer is trapped on the Island, he is replaced by a doppelgänger who looks identical to him but speaks with a thick German accent and wears a dark tie.

Number Six, who is trapped on the Island for inventing the bottomless peanut bag, tells Homer about a makeshift boat he spent thirty-three years making, which Homer steals and escapes the Island with. When he gets home, Homer tries to contact the police through his computer, only for the computer to be hacked remotely by Number Two. Homer is attacked by his doppelgänger but then defeats him by kicking him in the crotch. Marge and the kids are happy that the real Homer has returned, but then a fake Santa's Little Helper spouts a gas that drugs the entire family. The episode ends with everyone in the family enjoying their strange, new life on the Island.

Production
"The Computer Wore Menace Shoes" was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Mark Kirkland. It was first broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on December 3, 2000. Originally, the episode was about Homer becoming Matt Drudge, the creator and an editor of the news aggregation website the Drudge Report, of which Swartzwelder is a fan. At that point, the episode was called "Homer the Drudge". The chalkboard gag was written by staff writer Don Payne, and the couch gag was conceived by producer Laurie Biernackie.

The third act of "The Computer Wore Menace Shoes" is a pastiche of the 1967 science fiction television series The Prisoner. In order to "get the feel" of The Prisoner, the writers watched its opening sequence, which summarizes the story of the series. Kirkland, who had seen a couple of episodes as a child, watched several episodes of the series with The Simpsons ' animators in order to make "The Computer Wore Menace Shoes" resemble it. They were also influenced by 1960s modernism and furniture designs from the 1971 science fiction film A Clockwork Orange.

The episode features American-born actor Patrick McGoohan as Number Six, the central character in The Prisoner, which McGoohan played. "The Computer Wore Menace Shoes" was the only time McGoohan reprised his role as Number Six. In the DVD commentary for the episode, Payne said that McGoohan was "very funny", and that all the writers wanted to meet him when he came to record his dialogue for the episode.

McGoohan was reportedly very pleased with his role in the episode; when his wife Joan McGoohan, who is a real estate broker, helped staff writer Max Pross buy a house, she told him that Patrick McGoohan was as proud of the episode as anything in his career.

Cultural references
"The Computer Wore Menace Shoes" makes fun of use of the Internet, which was rapidly growing in popularity at the time. "[...] The Internet was just starting to turn into a serious waste of time around this point in history", staff writer Matt Selman said in the episode's DVD commentary. The news website that Homer creates is based on the Drudge Report, a news aggregator created by journalist Matt Drudge. The episode was also written at a time when several The Simpsons producers invested in an animated web series' company called icebox.com, which was co-created by two former The Simpsons writers.

Although the title of the episode is a reference to the 1969 Disney film The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, the episode itself has "essentially nothing" to do with the film, according to M. Keith Booker in his book Drawn to Television: Prime-Time Animation from The Flintstones to Family Guy. In the episode, the slogan of Homer's webpage is "All the muck that's fit to rake". This is a reference to the American newspaper The New York Times, whose slogan is "All the News That's Fit to Print". The word "muck" refers to muckrakers, a term closely associated with reform-oriented journalists who wrote largely for popular magazines after 1900.

The episode's third act, which serves as a parody of The Prisoner, features several references to the series. When the secret organization finds out about Homer's discovery, he is taken to a secret location called the "Island". The "Island" is modeled after the "Village", where Number Six is taken in The Prisoner.

While he is in the "Island", Homer is repeatedly gassed by unexpected objects, a reference to the way Number Six would often be gassed in The Prisoner. "George [Meyer] and I used to laugh a lot about how often [Number Six] would be gassed by unexpected devices in the show", Scully said in the episode's DVD commentary. "And we wanted to cram as many in as we could." While escaping the "Island", Homer is chased by a "big balloon". The balloon is a reference to Rover, a floating white ball in The Prisoner that was created to keep inhabitants in the "Village", which was also featured in the season 9 episode "The Joy of Sect". The music heard in the scene is based on The Prisoner ' s theme music.

Release and reception
In its original American broadcast on December 3, 2000, "The Computer Wore Menace Shoes" received a 9.0 rating, according to Nielsen Media Research, translating to approximately 9.1 million viewers. The episode finished in 28th place in the ratings for the week of November 27-December 3, 2000, tying with an episode of the news magazine Dateline NBC and the CBS sitcom The King of Queens. After the episode was released, The Simpsons ' writers created a website called mrxswebpage.com, which was made to resemble Homer's website in the episode.

This was at a time when many television shows created websites to promote episodes; earlier that year, Fox created a website called whatbadgerseat.com in conjunction with the season premiere, in which badgers played an important role. On August 18, 2009, the episode was released as part of a DVD set called The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season. Mike Scully, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Don Payne, John Frink, Matt Selman, Tom Gammill, Max Pross, Mark Kirkland and Joel H. Cohen participated in the audio commentary for the episode.

Following its broadcast, "The Computer Wore Menace Shoes" received mixed reviews from critics. Giving it a positive review, DVD Talk's Jason Bailey described the episode as a "smart piece of social satire". He especially enjoyed Homer's part in the episode, and found that his incompetence at handling computers is "comedic gold". Casey Burchby, another reviewer for DVD Talk, also enjoyed the social satire in the episode, and although he found the parody of The Prisoner "bizarre", he maintained that it was "bold".

Writing for DVD Verdict, Mac MacEntire argued that the episode is "hilarious", provided one has seen The Prisoner. DNA Smith described the episode as "memorable". The episode is also often considered to be a fan favorite, according to Matt Haigh of Den of Geek. On the other hand, DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson was less impressed with the episode.

In his review of The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season, Jacobson wrote that he enjoyed the episode's take on "Internet idiocy". He wrote, "Some parts of it feel dated, but the web features even more ill-informed opinions today than it did nine years ago, so much of it remains timeless and on target." However, he was critical of the episode's third act. "The side of the show feels like it was intended to amuse a few fans and it doesn’t show a lot of real cleverness or wit", he wrote. He summarized the episode as being decent, but inconsistent.

title: The Computer Wore Menace Shoes