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Gail Porter

Gail Porter (born 23 March 1971) is a Scottish television personality, former model and actress. She started her television career in children's TV, before branching out into modelling and presenting mainstream TV. In the 1990s, she famously posed nude for FHM, which was projected on to the Houses of Parliament. Later in her career, Porter has been affected by alopecia, a condition which causes hair loss.

Life and career
Porter attended Portobello High School in Edinburgh. She studied for a BTEC HND in media production at West Herts College. After making an unsuccessful bid to join the presentation team of the BBC children's show Blue Peter, she made a brief guest appearance in one episode of the BBC medical drama series Cardiac Arrest before going onto present family-friendly television programmes, or ones aimed at children. They include Children's BBC Scotland, T.I.G.S, Around Scotland, MegaMag, Up For It!, Sticky, Disney's Great Cartoon Chase, How 2, Scratchy & Co, It's a Mystery, Children in Need, Fully Booked, The Movie Chart Show, Top of the Pops, Live & Kicking, and programmes such as The Big Breakfast and Gail Porter's Big 90s for VH1.

In the late 1990s she began to pose for magazines such as FHM. A nude photograph of Porter was projected on the Houses of Parliament in 1999 as part of a guerrilla marketing campaign, and accompanied it with a message to vote for her in the FHM Sexiest Women Poll. In her autobiography, Porter says she did not know about the stunt until it was reported the following day. In an interview with the BBC in 2020, she said that the incident left her so distraught that she was unable to get out of bed for a long time.

In 2001, Porter took part in the reality television show Celebrity Blind Man's Bluff and on Lily Savage's Blankety Blank. In 2003, she was on Channel 4's The Games, although injury curtailed her participation.

In 2004 to 2006 she presented three series of Dead Famous and in 2009 presented episodes of The Gadget Show, temporarily replacing Suzi Perry. In 2008 to 2011, Porter was a regular panelist on Channel 5's The Wright Stuff.

In 2010, she was a guest team captain on What Do Kids Know? with Rufus Hound, Joe Swash and Sara Cox on Watch. In August 2010, she began the Two Way Street campaign for solicitors Russell Jones & Walker, an initiative to develop the relationship between large goods vehicle drivers and cyclists, keeping them safer. In October 2010, Porter hosted a documentary on Current TV, Gail Porter on Prostitution which investigated prostitution laws.

In 2014, Porter said she would be guest editor of Fashion Plus magazine.

She appeared at London Fashion Week in September 2014 and wrote of her experiences for the magazine.

On 27 August 2015 she entered the Celebrity Big Brother house representing the UK. On 15 September, she was the fourth housemate to be evicted after spending 20 days in the house.

In 2017 she became the brand ambassador for the insolvency practitioner Creditfix, meeting with the public and speaking openly about her struggles with debt in several corporate videos.

In 2018, she joined 26 other celebrities at Metropolis Studios and performed an original Christmas song called Rock With Rudolph, a song written and produced by Grahame and Jack Corbyn. The song was recorded in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital and was released digitally through independent record label Saga Entertainment on 30 November 2018 under the artist name The Celebs. The music video debuted exclusively with The Sun on 29 November 2018 and had its first TV showing on Good Morning Britain on 30 November 2018. The song peaked at number two on the iTunes pop chart.

In 2020, Porter narrated the BBC Scotland series Inside The Zoo.

At the start of 2022, Porter was a presenter of Spooked Scotland (or branded as Haunted Scotland for the American audience) alongside Chris Fleming.

Alopecia
In 2005 Porter developed alopecia totalis, losing her hair. She decided not to wear a hat or wig in order to raise awareness of the condition. She became ambassador for the Little Princess Trust, a charity which provides wigs to children with hair loss. On Richard & Judy on 15 February 2006 she showed her hair, eyebrows and eyelashes were beginning to grow back. On 12 April 2006 she said "It is possible that I'm going to get my hair back." By May 2010 hair had grown on three-quarters of her scalp. By the end of the year, her hair had started falling out again.

Porter's alopecia totalis was the subject of the BBC ONE Life series documentary Gail Porter Laid Bare on 31 May 2006. Her autobiography, Laid Bare: My Story of Love, Fame and Survival, was published in September 2007.

Other activities
Gail Porter takes part in a number of charitable causes. She is a vice-president of The Children's Trust, a UK charity for children with brain injuries, and is an ambassador for Together Co, a loneliness charity in Brighton and Hove.

Porter tried stand-up comedy and appeared at the Comedy Store on 23 November 2009 in the Laughing Point event to help the youth homelessness charity, Centrepoint. Gail is currently running her standup show, Hung Drawn and Portered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where she talks of her life and mixes laughter and her personal hardships in equal measures.

Personal life
Porter married Toploader guitarist Dan Hipgrave in August 2001 and gave birth to their daughter Honey on 3 September 2002. She said in February 2005 that they had separated eight months earlier. Before they met, Porter was in a relationship with Keith Flint, the vocalist from The Prodigy.

Porter has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and says she has insomnia.

She is a black belt in Karate.

On 8 September 2011, Porter told BBC Radio 5 Live's presenter Phil Williams that she had been detained under the Mental Health Act of 2007 for 17 days of treatment against her will. She stated that the signature on the documents to have her involuntarily committed to psychiatric treatment was that of her then-boyfriend, after texting him to say she felt suicidal. She said she had been "very frail, so who knows". She said she felt no benefit from the stay. She praised the staff but said the resources and the facilities were under-funded.

title: Gail Porter


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Meiningen

Meiningen is a town in the southern part of the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in the region of Franconia and has a population of around 26,000 (2024). Meiningen is the capital and the largest town of the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district. From 1680 to 1920, Meiningen was the capital of the Duchy (and briefly of the Free State) of Saxe-Meiningen.

Meiningen is considered the cultural, judicial and financial centre of southern Thuringia and thus hosts the state theatre, justice center, state archives, bank buildings and many museums. It is economically reliant on mechanical engineering, high-tech industry and tourism. The dialect and language of the inhabitants is East Franconian.

Through the Middle Ages
Meiningen originated during the formation of the Frankish Empire in the 6th or 7th century, which established trade routes, river crossings and boundary markers. An intersection of two trade routes and a ford was located at the present-day southern end of the old town near the Werra river.

Meiningen was first mentioned in 982 (extract certificate: "…in villis Meininga in Meiningermarca…"). The village was first a crown land in the Duchy of Franconia and later a possession of the king. Around the year 1000, construction of the Stadtkirche (town church) began. It was several times expanded and rebuilt over the centuries. German Emperor Henry II donated Meiningen in 1008 to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Würzburg, and for 534 years it remained part of Würzburg. To protect their property, the Bishops of Würzburg built a moated castle (today Schloss Elisabethenburg palace) in the 11th century. In 1153, the plague raged in Meiningen, which was also granted judicial rights (the first town-charter type of rights) that year by the rulers. In 1222, Würzburg and the House of Henneberg fought for possession of Meiningen, while the town suffered extensive damage. Meiningen was first mentioned in 1230 as a Stadt (town) and was granted wide-ranging autonomy in 1344. During this time the citizens built a powerful fortification with a double wall and three moats. From 1239 to 1242 the Friars Minor of the Franciscan Order built a monastery between the castle and the Lower Gate. In 1380, a fire destroyed around a quarter of the town, including the archives of the town council. The town joined together with ten other towns of the Bishopric of Würzburg and participated in 1396-1399 in the "Franconian town war" against the diocese. Würzburg troops besieged Meiningen, until it capitulated in 1399. In an uprising on 10 August 1432, the citizens destroyed the castle (Würzburger Burg or Burg Meiningen). In the years 1443-1455, the town church was enlarged in the Gothic style.

Early modern period
Meiningen had about 2,000 inhabitants in 1450. At the end of the 15th century two devastating fires destroyed almost the whole town. 26 people were killed. The town church was spared from the fire. Bishop Lorenz von Bibra built a new castle from 1509 to 1511. In the town textiles, metal working and trade became more important. In 1542, Meiningen came to the Henneberg family in exchange for the administrative district (Amt) of Mainberg from the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg, Conrad von Bibra. In 1583, with the extinction of the Henneberg family, the town went to the Wettin family. The Wettin family established its seat of transitional government for the County of Henneberg in Meiningen until 1660. The town experienced a great economic boom driven by the fustian- and linen weaving, dyeing and fabric trades, which lasted until the beginning of the 17th century, resulting in faster population increase to about 5,000. For example, in 1614 234 master craftsmen produced 37,312 pieces of cloth that were traded throughout Europe. This period was ended abruptly by the Thirty Years' War in 1634, when Croatian troops plundered the town. In 1641, Swedish troops besieged the town. Meiningen lost thousands of inhabitants to death or expulsion.

Residence of the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen
Between 1680 and 1918, Meiningen was the capital of the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen. In 1682-92, the ducal palace Schloss Elisabethenburg was built and by 1690 the Court Orchestra had been created. From 1782, the Englischer Garten, an English landscape garden was created in the town center.

In 1813, a Russian army of 70,000 soldiers and 2,300 officers under Grand Duke Alexander in his campaign against Napoleon camped in and around Meiningen. The Tsar had his quarters in the inn Zum Braune Hirsch, which also served for the entrained Prussian Army as headquarters. In 1782, Friedrich Schiller had been a guest at the inn.

One of the princesses of Saxe-Meiningen, Adelheid Louise Theresa Caroline Amelia von Sachsen-Meiningen, became the wife of the future King William IV of Great Britain in 1818. The Australian city of Adelaide is named for her.

Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, who became a great patron of the theatrical art, was born in 1826. The first Meiningen Court Theatre opened in 1831. The fairy tale collector and writer Ludwig Bechstein was an archivist in Meiningen. In 1858, the town was connected by the Werra Railway to the German railway network. In September 1874, a major fire destroyed a third of the town. The reconstruction took place in Neoclassical style with the financial help of many German and Austrian cities. In the same year, the Schweinfurt–Meiningen railway opened. A new town hall was built in 1878.

By end of the 19th century and by the beginning of the 20th century, the existence of several large banks made Meiningen an important financial centre in Germany. During these decades, the town stretched out far beyond its ancient limits. New residential areas were built, and the population grew rapidly. Many lavish buildings were built at that time. 1889, the town church was enlarged in the Gothic Revival style. A large fire destroyed the Hoftheater (court theatre) in 1908, it was rebuilt in Neoclassical style and reopened in December 1909. In 1914, the Meiningen Steam Locomotive Works was built.

After 1918
The Duchy was abolished at the end of World War I in 1918. Meiningen then became the capital of the successor state Freistaat Saxony-Meiningen. From 1920, it was a district town in the newly created state of Thuringia. was founded in 1923. In 1927, , an airfield, was opened. In October 1931, airship LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin landed there before 100,000 spectators, followed by the airship LZ 130 Graf Zeppelin II on 9 July 1939. During World War II, Meiningen was the location of a prisoner of war hospital, and several German military hospitals. The Deutsche Dienststelle was based in the Drachenbergkaserne barracks from 1943 to 1945. A heavy air raid on Meiningen on 23 February 1945, by the USAAF caused 208 deaths, destroyed 251 houses and two bridges in total, and damaged 440 buildings. Meiningen was occupied by American armed forces on 5 April 1945. In July 1945, the town was included in the Soviet occupation zone along with the rest of Thuringia, and thus later became part of the German Democratic Republic (DDR). To accommodate workers for a microelectronics plant, the Robotron Meiningen, the new district of Jerusalem (Meiningen) was created from 1967 to 1983 in the north between Helba and Welkershausen, eventually housing around 6,000 inhabitants. Meiningen was an important center of Die Wende in southern Thuringia in 1989. Among the many events were a total of 25 demonstrations with 1,000-25,000 participants.

After German reunification in 1990, Meiningen became the district town of Schmalkalden-Meiningen. In the Dreißigacker district, new businesses and the new Meiningen Hospital were constructed. In the 1990s, there was a new construction boom in the town, with many houses being renovated and embellished. In July 1994, Chancellor of Germany Helmut Kohl visited the town, Angela Merkel did so in April 2012. The new Justizzentrum (court house) was built in 2000. In 2003, the town was connected to the Bundesautobahn 71. With the opening of the new Kammerspiele in June 2008, the town created another theater venue, underlining its national significance as a cultural town. In 2013, the new industrial area Rohrer Berg near the motorway junction Meiningen-North was created.

Geography and climate
The town is situated in the valley of the Werra river between the Thuringian Forest and the Rhön Mountains. Meiningen lies 60 km east of Fulda, 80 km south of Erfurt and 104 km north of Würzburg, across the former frontier between West and East Germany.

Subdivisions
Meiningen has several subdivisions. The urban districts are town center, North, East, South, Jerusalem (Meiningen), the rural communities are Helba (amalgamated in 1923) and Welkershausen (1936), as Dreißigacker (1990) and Herpf (2010). The former municipalities Henneberg, Wallbach and Walldorf were merged into Meiningen in January 2019, Stepfershausen in December 2019, and Sülzfeld in January 2024.

Meiningen abuts the following municipalities: Wasungen, Utendorf, Kühndorf, Rohr, Thuringia, Ellingshausen, Obermaßfeld-Grimmenthal, Untermaßfeld, Grabfeld, Mellrichstadt (Bavaria), Rhönblick, Rippershausen and Mehmels.

Climate
The relation to the surrounding mountain ranges of the Rhön mountains and the Thuringian Highland deep and sheltered Werra valley and the dense town buildings provide a regional level, for a mild climate in Meiningen. The following values are averages from 1990 until 2012. The average annual temperature is 9.1 C. Temperature extremes since 1960 at Meiningen have ranged from 36.1 C on August 7, 2015, down to -18.5 C on February 12, 2012. The rainfall is 656 millimeters and the sun shines 1,559 hours per year.

Demographics
The town has about 25,000 (2021) inhabitants. Together with neighbouring Untermaßfeld, Obermaßfeld-Grimmenthal, Einhausen, Sülzfeld, Rippershausen, Ritschenhausen, Mellrichstadt, Wasungen and Utendorf, Meiningen forms a small conurbation with a population of about 70,000.

Agriculture, industry and services
Meiningen offers over 14,500 jobs in around 3,200 small and medium-sized companies, medical facilities, cultural institutions and administrations. The largest employer is the hospital Klinikum Meiningen with nearly 1,000 employees.

Meiningen is a center of electrical engineering and high-tech manufacturing. Numerous companies in that industry (founded here or that have settled here) form a business cluster. This includes the global high-tech enterprise ADVA Optical Networking (ADVA AG).

Meiningen Steam Locomotive Works is the only plant in Western and Central Europe where steam locomotives can be completely repaired and maintained. it also builds new locomotives and repairs historic passenger coaches, diesel locomotives and other railway vehicles. Other companies provide hardware for doors and windows, tools, ovens, electric goods and radiators. In the food industry, there are a wholesale bakery and a meat plant.

Outside of manufacturing, the local savings bank (Sparkasse), municipal services, the theater and museums, the railway company Südthüringenbahn and health facilities are important in the local economy.

Agriculture plays a minor role in Meiningen as the soil is not very fertile. However, the rural districts Herpf and Dreißigacker account for most of the agricultural area (17.6% of the total municipal territory).

Theatre
The Staatstheater Meiningen offers musical theatre (opera, operetta, musicals), plays, symphony concerts, puppet shows, ballet and youth theatre. The Meiningen Hoftheater opened on 17 December 1831. It was destroyed in a fire in 1908 and was replaced in 1909 by the current building. The company was called the Meininger. It featured plays and gave concerts, and travelled throughout Germany and Europe. Active support by the Theaterherzog Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (1866–1914) helped it to attain international celebrity. Today the theatre is known as "Staatstheater Meiningen" (State Theatre Meiningen). It employs more than 320 people. The Director is Jens Neundorff von Enzberg.

Meininger Hofkapelle
The Meiningen Court Orchestra is one of the oldest orchestras in Europe. The now 68-member orchestra is part of the Meininger Theatre and performs, in addition to opera accompaniment, regular symphony concerts and youth concerts. Philippe Bach was the music director from 2010 to 2022. His successor will be Killian Farrell (Ireland) from 2023.

The court orchestra was founded in 1690 by Duke Bernhard I. In October 1880 the most successful period of the orchestra began and it developed into an elite European orchestra under the direction of Hans von Bülow. During the von Bülow period, Johannes Brahms came to Meiningen to collaborate with the court orchestra and to conduct occasionally. Other notable conductors included Richard Strauss from 1885 to 1886, Max Reger from 1911 to 1914, and Kirill Petrenko from 1999 to 2002.

Kunsthaus
The Kunsthaus Meiningen (art house) is a cultural institution in the historic half-timbered house Alte Posthalterei ("Old Post Office"). It presents exhibitions of contemporary art and offers workshops and job opportunities for local and foreign artists.

Museums

 * Meininger Museen ("Meiningen Museums") comprise six cultural and historical museums which house the largest art collection in Thuringia. The main museum is in Schloss Elisabethenburg (Elisabethenburg Palace), the former residence of the Dukes of Saxe-Meiningen.
 * Museum of Literature "Baumbachhaus" is mainly an exhibition on the life and work of local poet Rudolf Baumbach. Furthermore, there are exhibits on the interaction of Friedrich Schiller, Jean Paul and Ludwig Bechstein during their time in Meiningen. There is also a department of urban and local history.
 * The newest art museum, opened in 1999, is the Theater Museum "Magic World of Scenery" in the former riding school near the palace. It offers an annually changing exhibit of historically important theatre stage backdrops and historical information on the European tours of the Meiningen Court Theatre.
 * The Meininger Zweiradmuseum (MZM) shows all types of two-wheel vehicles produced in the GDR and a variety of police vehicles. This is run by a private club whose members acquire the models and restore them to their original condition.
 * Meiningen Steam Locomotive Works from 2023 hosts an interactive museum. Here, visitors can learn all about steam locomotives. The focus of the exhibit is a locomotive that can be accessed on multiple levels.

Townscape
Meiningen has an urban townscape typical of a residence town. The town has a historic downtown, neoclassicist streets and extensive parks in the town center. Around the center there are residential areas.

The historic old town is still surrounded by parts of the town wall with moats. It originated mainly in the 12th and 13th centuries. Several times in the town's past, large-scale fires or wars destroyed many buildings. A great fire destroyed nearly half the town's old quarter in September 1874. This part was rebuilt in the Neoclassical style with ornate buildings and straight streets. This style also characterizes the main shopping street, Georgstraße. In other parts of the old town half-timbered houses from the 16th to 17th century and large mansions from the 18th to the 19th century still predominate. Since 1990, some modern new buildings were added. The center is dominated by the Stadtkirche (town church). In the western part, the townscape has formed around Schloss Elisabethenburg.

The old town is surrounded by residential and business districts with neoclassical villas and palaces that were built in the 19th and 20th centuries, including the theater and several large bank buildings. North of the old town is the English Garden. In the north and south of the town are the industrial areas and shopping centers. While the town center and densely built-up residential areas are in the valley, many residential areas are situated on the hill slopes.

Castles and palaces

 * Schloss Elisabethenburg palace, built 1682-1692, a Baroque castle with three wings and Hofkapelle(castle chapel) and a rotunda. This is the former seat of the Dukes of Saxe-Meiningen. Today the palace houses museums, the town hall, the concert hall Johannes Brahms, wedding room, the restaurant Schloßstuben, a tower cafe, the town archives and the state archives. It is now a museum of German History.
 * , built 1840 for Duke Bernhard II, inspired by visits to his sister Adelheid, queen consort of the United Kingdom. Built under the direction of architect August Wilhelm Döbner in Gothic revival style.
 * Kleines Palais (Little Palace), built in 1821. The Little Palace (also known as Princess Palace) is a Neoclassical palace of the Dukes of Saxe-Meiningen. Duke Bernhard II had it built by the architect Johann Andreas Schaubach as his summer palace.
 * Großes Palais (Great Palace), built 1823. The palace was built in Neoclassical style by architect Johann Andreas Schaubach as widow seat for the Duchess Luise Eleonore. In 1863, it was renovated and expanded in the Neo-Renaissance style under the direction of architect Otto Hoppe.
 * Strupp Villa, mansion in the Neoclassical style, built for the banker Gustav Strupp in 1909 to a design by architect Karl Behlert.

Churches

 * Protestant parish church of Our Lady (Stadtkirche, town church), with foundations from the year 1000. The church received its present (Gothic revival) form after conversion in between 1884 and 1889.
 * Catholic Church Our Lady, built in 1972.
 * Castle Church, baroque style, located in the south wing of Schloss Elisabethenburg, today a concert hall.
 * Crypt Chapel in Gothic revival style in the English Garden, built in 1839-41 as a burial place for the ducal family.

Fountains and monuments

 * Bechstein Fountain, also called Märchenbrunnen (fairy tale fountain). The poet and collector of fairy tales lived in Meiningen. In his honour, the fountain by Robert Diez was erected in the English Garden in 1909.
 * Heinrichsbrunnen (Emperor Henry II Fountain), considered to be the founder of the local church. Built in 1872, the fountain is located in the marketplace.
 * Fountain Chapel, very old fountain in the small square At The Chapel.
 * Monument to Johannes Brahms. The monument from 1898/99 is the work of sculptor Adolf von Hildebrand (1847-1921) from Munich. It was the first monument honouring Brahms in Germany.
 * Monument to Jean Paul, located in English Garden, built in 1858.
 * Monument to Max Reger, it has been standing in the English Garden since 1935.

Other landmarks

 * Goetz-Höhle, guided cave tours. Largest accessible gap cave in Europe with 50-metre high clefts. The cave was discovered in 1915 by Reinhold Goetz in his mountain garden and has been open to the public since 1934.
 * The English Garden is located in the town center and was created in 1782. The park was several times altered and enlarged in the 19th century.
 * Districts in the Neoclassical style. A large part of the old town was rebuilt after a fire with stately buildings in the style of the period (Gründerzeit).
 * Some half-timbered houses (examples: Büchnersches Hinterhaus, Henneberg Haus, Hartung Haus, Rassmann Haus)

Government

Meiningen is the district town of the Kreis Schmalkalden-Meiningen. The town functions as a major center of southern Thuringia in a number of ways (justice (Landgericht Meiningen, Amtsgericht Meiningen), state theater, state archives, hospitals).

Mayor and town council
The current mayor Fabian Giesder, SPD has been in office since 2012. His predecessor was Reinhard Kupitz, Freie Wähler (in office 1992–2012).

Election results
The last municipal election was held in 2014 with the result: * The holders of one seat from Pro Meiningen and the one from Dreißigacker switched in June 2014 to SPD. / ** until 15 February 2015 (resigned).

Town twinning
Meiningen is twinned with:
 * 🇩🇪 Neu-Ulm DEU Neu-Ulm COA.svg, Germany, since 1988
 * 🇫🇷 Bussy-Saint-Georges, France, since 2006
 * 🇩🇪 Obertshausen Wappen Obertshausen.png, Germany, since 2007
 * 🇦🇹 Meiningen (Vorarlberg) Wappen at meiningen.png, Austria, since 2012

Friendly relations also exist with the city of Adelaide in Australia because it was named for Queen Adelaide (Queen of the United Kingdom), born and raised in Meiningen as Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen.

Transport
Meiningen is located at the Bundesautobahn 71 (Sangerhausen–Erfurt–Schweinfurt) with two motorway junction. Furthermore, there are two Bundesstrassen (federal roads): to Eisenach and Würzburg (B 19) and to Sonneberg and Kronach (B 89) as well as some regional roads to Fulda in Hesse, Suhl in Thuringia and Mellrichstadt in Bavaria. A bypass road around Meiningen was built in the 2000s in the east; its northeastern extension is in planning.
 * Road

Meiningen has been a railway node since the late 19th century. The Werra Railway was opened in 1858, the Schweinfurt–Meiningen railway in 1874 and the Neudietendorf–Ritschenhausen railway from Erfurt in 1884. Meiningen station was built in 1858. The Bavarian station was added as the second train station in 1874. There are direct train services to Erfurt, Eisenach, Sonneberg and Schweinfurt.
 * Railway

Urban transport is operated by bus routes. There are 13 lines with about 100 stops, serving all parts of the town.
 * Bus

There are several long-distance cycling trails, the first Werratal-Radweg along the Werra valley from the Thuringian Forest to the river Weser, the second Main-Werra-Radweg from Meiningen to Würzburg on the Main river. A third trail goes from Meiningen to Haßfurt in Bavaria.
 * Bike

Education
After reunification, the educational system was reformed. In 1994, the Thuringian Police academy Meiningen was established and in 1998 a Police Hochschule (tertiary education / German name: Fachhochschule Polizei) was added. The campus accommodates about 500 police officers in training. In addition, there are two medical schools and a technical school for Emergency medical technicians. Furthermore, there is one public and one Protestant Gymnasium in Meiningen.

People born in Meiningen

 * Peretz Bernstein (1890–1971), Israeli politician
 * Matthias Brenner (born 1957), actor, director and writer
 * Fritz Diez (1901–1979), actor and producer
 * Kurt May (1896–1992), Lawyer and campaigner against the Nazis
 * Bernd Meinunger (born 1944), lyricist and record producer
 * Theodor Oberländer (1905–1998), German politician
 * Paul Oestreicher (born 1931), Anglican priest and canon emeritus in Coventry
 * Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen (1792–1849), queen consort of the United Kingdom and of Hanover as spouse of William IV of the United Kingdom
 * Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (1826–1914), "Theatre Duke"
 * Fritz Schulz-Reichel (1912–1990), German jazz and pop pianist
 * Gunter Sieberth (born 1965), oboist
 * Gustav von Vaerst (1894-1975), general
 * Johann Georg Walch (1693–1775), Lutheran theologian and philosopher
 * Ludwig von Wolzogen (1773–1845), military officer

Notable residents

 * Albert Bassermann (1867–1952), actor
 * Rudolf Baumbach (1840–1905), poet
 * Ludwig Bechstein (1801–1860), poet
 * Bjørn Bjørnson (1859–1942), actor and director
 * Peter Borgelt (1927–1994), actor
 * Johannes Brahms (1833–1897), composer, pianist and conductor
 * Hans von Bülow (1830–1894), conductor
 * Eberhard Esche (1933–2006), actor
 * Ellen Franz (1839–1923), (as wife of the Duke: Helene Freifrau von Heldburg), pianist and actress
 * Elīna Garanča (born 1976), operatic mezzo-soprano
 * Elisabeth Grümmer (1911–1986), operatic lyric soprano
 * Josef Kainz (1858–1910), actor
 * (1854–1895), historian, occultist and theosophist
 * Karl Korsch (1886–1961), Marxist
 * (1773–1839), stenographer
 * Jean Paul (1763–1825), poet
 * Kirill Petrenko (born 1972), conductor
 * Max Reger (1873–1916), composer, pianist and conductor
 * Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805), poet
 * Adele Sandrock (1863–1937), actress
 * Richard Strauss (1864–1949), composer and conductor
 * Ingrid van Bergen (born 1931), actress
 * Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832), poet, dramatist, diplomat and philosopher

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

title: Meiningen


text:
User talk:Sam Spade/ - archive Oktober 2004

re:A man without tea in him is incapable of understanding truth and beauty
Amen! :-) Kim Bruning 07:29, 29 Aug 2004 (UTC)

 * Hehehe.... :) Sam Spade 16:06, 29 Aug 2004 (UTC)

Vandal vs. userpage
A vandal hit your userpage twice and your talkpage twice. His damage was reverted. -- Grun t 🇪🇺 18:04, 2004 Aug 31 (UTC)

 * Thank you for your assistance. Sam Spade 10:22, 3 Sep 2004 (UTC)

A bit late
I am sorry but it struck me that I did not express my gratitude properly over the links that you sent me. They cleared up a whole mess. Thank you very much. --Marco 13:51, 3 Sep 2004 (UTC)

 * Glad to be of service :) Sam Spade 09:13, 4 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Links
Thanks for sending me the links some time ago when I registered.

Finally got round to putting something on my homepage and checked out yours while I was at it.

Your opening line made me laugh;

"A man without tea in him is incapable of understanding truth and beauty"

Just in case its true, I'm off to make a cuppa.

Kevinb 22:15, 10 Sep 2004 (UTC)

 * Good idea, tea is so very good that I find it difficult to express its importance sometimes ;) The opening line is a Japanese proverb, and while it may be a bit extreme, it is quite difficult to exaggerate the benefits of copious tea consumption :) Glad to have you, Sam Spade 11:27, 11 Sep 2004 (UTC)

ha ha
Why am I not really laughing at your redirect "Gnome Chompy". If someone's that far off the right spelling of the name, they don't deserve to see the article we have on Noam. -- user:zanimum

 * I've had this discussion before regarding redirects. The summary is that my redirect in the worst hurts nothing, and takes up an infintesimal amount of space. In best case it assists a user who probably has more need for the information provided here than one with a perfect grasp of spelling. I am of the position that every possible misspelling of every entry here should be a redirect, with the limit being when it is debatable where the mispelling aught to redirect to. Your position, as I see it, is exclusionary in nature, and rooted in haughtyness and academic argot. I see this as anti-wiki, and personally desire the wikipedia to be accessable to the common man, if for no other reason than that is the only way the project will survive. Also, it is clearly the moral thing to do. Sam Spade 10:33, 24 Sep 2004 (UTC)

good grief. Exploding Boy 16:33, Sep 24, 2004 (UTC)

Adminship
How would you like to be a sysop, with over 12,000 edits since November 4, 2003? I would think that you are true sysop material. What do you say? Marcus2 14:51, 26 Sep 2004 (UTC)

 * What a strange idea... Why would you think of me? Where do you know me from? What inspired you to count my copious edits? I'd like alot more info as to where this idea is coming from, if you please. Sam Spade 14:32, 27 Sep 2004 (UTC)

 * I have heard about you a few times. Also, see List of Wikipedians by number of edits. That's where I found out about how many edits you've made. Furthermore, I've traced your editing career down to as early as November 4, 2003. If you didn't know already, a "sysop" is a term used for a Wikipedia administrator. These administrators are able to delete articles, block vandals from editing, edit locked pages (i.e. the Main Page), etc. And with a broad range of edits over a span of almost a year, you may as well be nominated for the adminship. I just wanted to get your consent to nominate you. In other words, I wanted to know if you'd accept this nomination. Marcus2 20:18, 27 Sep 2004 (UTC)

 * What context have you heard about me in? To be frank the only benefit I can think of in adminship would be the "prestige" of community support, and I am quite doubtful I would recieve such. More likely it would be an excuse for the usual suspects to sound off about how their inability to cope w the group editing process is compounded by their poor social skills. Also, I wouldn't really have any use for the added abilities, generally oppose lone-ranger blocks and page protection (additionally I tend to get involved in debates, so me protecting a page in a neutral fashion would be difficult), and I havn't any interest in editing the main page, it seems pretty nice as is. Other than my long term and copious contributions to the project, what is it about me that suggested to you that I'd be a good one to nominate as admin? Curiously yours, Sam Spade 14:26, 28 Sep 2004 (UTC)

 * I first heard about you when you readded the "PPG World" fan site back to "The Powerpuff Girls" article with an edit summary of "+ fan site for lame cartoon". This site did belong there because I saw a bunch of other "External links" pages to fan sites, so why couldn't that one belong there? So I guess you decline in my request for your nomination as an admin, huh? Marcus2 22:00, 28 Sep 2004 (UTC)

 * Perhaps by default. I'm not officially declining it because I might accept it if I won, and I might be amused by the debate/slander either way. But its highly unlikely I'd win, and would be of no more than symbolic benefit if I did ;) Thanks for thinking of me, Cheers, Sam Spade 15:43, 29 Sep 2004 (UTC)

For You

 * October's winds come,
 * shake the leaves in dream dances:
 * is it hat weather?

Just wanted to say hello :-) -- Jwrosenzweig 22:05, 28 Sep 2004 (UTC)

 * Hey thanx.I just moved, and will fill you in on the particulars when I get a moment (and a home-I-net connection ;) Sam Spade 15:56, 29 Sep 2004 (UTC)

 * Wow, your nom for adminship caught me by surprise. One of the toughest ones I've had to decide on in a long time. You know we have our differences of personal opinion (though I think we agree in many ways about the principles on which this site is based), and certainly I've seen you in many disputes. But the disputes seem to have dissipated recently. I just want to ask one question of you, which will help immensely in my decision. There seem to be some current administrators who want to go beyond current policy in applying blocks, page protections, etc. -- they generally excuse these actions as being in "Wikipedia's best interests" and claim that policy takes too long to catch up. If you were an admin, Sam, would you remain within consensus policy in using your admin powers, or do you feel there are areas where policy is so insufficient that you would feel the need to go outside policy (basing your actions on "common sense" or some other independent standard)? I think I know the answer to this question, but I've seen a lot of comments here and there that people claim are quotes from you, and I want to be sure. I hope you don't take offense to my asking. Jwrosenzweig 19:50, 4 Oct 2004 (UTC)

 * lol, you are surprisingly consistent about worrying if people will take offense to things. Is that a real life character trait, or just something I seem to notice online? Anywho, no, I have never remotely taken offense to anything I've ever "heard" (seen, or whatever) you say ( altho I've been meaning to ask you if you had some specific complaints/suggestions regarding my interactions w 172, and/or any questions I'm allowed to answer. I have held back cuz I don't know what the rules are re: matter in arbitration. Just so that you know, your opinion is a valuable one to me, and I wouldn't want you to be over-cautious in providing it, once the time is right. ) and this is certainly no exception. I know exactly what your talking about, my comment about holding popular folks to the same standard as others. I ment that sincerely, but I didn't mean to suggest I would become the "rogue sysop" myself in doing so! Quite the opposite, I'm a bit of a "rules lawyer" kinda guy, I think we have rules for a reason, and if they’re bad they should be changed, not ignored. I'm not one of your "passive resistance" or "civil disobedience" types. Frankly, I'd use sysop "powers" similarly to how I use my regular user "powers", w the main difference being I assume I'd use them less. What I really ment by what I said is that too many here hold those they like to different standards than those they don't like, or don't know. That’s no good. Rules aren’t just for newbies and trolls and anons, their for admins too, heck even for arbitrators and bureaucrats, IMO. Rather than making controversial lone ranger blocks and defying consensus in my actions, I'd be making controversial votes (as I do now, but I've seen ideas of admin-only votes) and altering consensus w my persuasive talents regarding the treatment of those very same lone rangers. As I think I made pretty clear re:172, my thought is that everybody must be held to the same fair standards, w warnings, encouragement, and eventually... escalating penalties (and perhaps most important, an effective reform process, since many of these people will be here for the long term). Hope that was clear, and to end on a happier note (and to provide a bit of balance) I would point out that I don't think the wikipedia community does enough in the way of praising those who excel. We have too much attention paid to Requests for comment and arbitration, and not enough to pages like Trust network, Great editing in progress, etc... Sorry I rambled on so long, but I feel pretty strongly this stuff. Always nice talking to you, Sam Spade 20:24, 4 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Hello Mr. Spade
Hello "Sam Spade" there seems to be a problem here that maybe you could correct. I think you are violating wikipedia's NPOV policy by refering to Kim Jong-il as a dictator.--Gustuv 05:28, 29 Sep 2004 (UTC)

 * Why is my name in quotes? Are you insinuating I am someone else? I will have you know that while "Sam Spade" is not my name IRL, it is the only user name I currently maintain on this project. If you ment the quotations in only a generally disparaging way, I appologise for the lengthy explanation. As far as your comment RE: Kim Jong-il, I have interestingly enough been recently convinced by an explanation by User:172 on talk:Kim Jong-il. Seeing as how your user page states you are a communist, and I oppose the very fundamental tenents of Communism, It is distinctly unsuprising that you might find some question regarding my NPOV. That said, in the future it is more functional to discuss these particulars in depth in the article talk, assuming it is not a personal matter. Cheers, Sam Spade 15:54, 29 Sep 2004 (UTC)

I think he is insinuating that you are not the character from the Maltese Falcon.AndyL 16:46, 30 Sep 2004 (UTC)

 * oh, but I am ! ;) Sam Spade 11:45, 1 Oct 2004 (UTC)

User talk:Pir
I removed that sentence from the racism talk page. - pir 11:47, 3 Oct 2004 (UTC)

 * Hi Sam. Agreeing to disagree? Yes and no. Of course it's completely OK for you to disgagree with me, and of course I have not interest of describing all of my personal opinions as NPOV. The thing is that some issues are more than just a question of opinion. To give an analogy, imagine the situation I argued that Earth is spherical and that we known that Erath is spherical because of sea-farers that didn't fall off at the edge of a flat earth, satellite pictures, the way shades fall, evidence that it's part of the solar system etc, and another Wikipedian constantly and religiously objected "but it looks flat to me, it's obvious". Would I just agree to disagree, and would I agree to state in the Earth article that "some people believe Earth to be round while others believe it to be flat"? Clearly not. It is not just a question of opinion. To make such a statement in the article would have far-reaching implications in terms of the world-view Wikipedia is promoting. Don't get me wrong: I love the NPOV policy, I believe it to be truly revolutionary because it allows for real pluralism and allows for a lot political propaganda and disinformation to be undermined. However, the NPOV policy must not lead to a situation where all facts become malleable, subject to political discourse and ideology, in an Orwellian way. The nihilism of such an Orwellian encyclopedia scares me. How do we decide between what should be described as fact and what should be described as opinion? Through reasoned debate on the talk pages. If objections are justifiable, have merit and hold up to scrutiny, then they should not be presented as facts. If they are not justifiable then the objections should only be described as opinion while the thing they object to should be described as fact. So I'd only agree to the sentence "While historically Earth was believed to be flat, a view some people still adhere to, Earth is now known to be a spherical planet, as suggested by XYZ."
 * Of course racism is a lot more complicated than the shape of our planet. And of course there are different definitions and uses of the term racism, and we may disagree on that. But it is a matter of historical record that racism was developed in the context of European colonisation which racism was used to legitimise, and that it has subsequently been used in similar ways by powerful interests to oppress and divide people. I'd agree to mentioning both definitions/uses of the term if they are discussed in the text and merits/defects stated. - pir 12:24, 3 Oct 2004 (UTC)

 * "How do we decide between what should be described as fact and what should be described as opinion? Through reasoned debate on the talk pages."

 * No. Thru Cite your sources and Verifiability. Do you have an expert source stating "it is a matter of historical record that racism was developed in the context of European colonisation"? If so we can present that as one opinion amongst many. Our own personal opinions are not ment to end up in the article, thats POV. NPOV is when we present all verifiable expert POV's in a neutral manner, not taking any position, except in case of concensus. As far as I am concerned, there is concensus amongst all expert sources that I am correct and that you are wrong (regarding this matter), and further I feel the position that racism is power related is a fringe (non-expert) opinion worthy only of a passing mention. However, for the sake of progress, compromise and concensus, I am willing to allow both opinions to be presented in the introduction for the time being. Presenting the fringe as fact, and dismissing the concensus of expert opinions (like say every other encyclopdia, dictionary, and source of reference) would be a grotesque violation of the NPOV policy. Sam Spade 12:45, 3 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Welcome Message
Thanks for the welcome. Have I just reached some magic contribution count that has brought me to your attention? I only ask because I have been around for over 7 months now and it seems a queer time to be welcomed. User:PRB (signed by Sam Spade 12:21, 4 Oct 2004 (UTC))

 * Well, I only just now noticed you on my watchlist. You made an edit to Nigger (word) which just so happens to be on my watchlist. I responded to the conversation there. Sorry we didn't get around to welcoming you sooner, but I was moving, and its a bit of a gamble for me to find you nubes (based on the red /unused talk page) in anycase ;) Glad to have you, Sam Spade 12:40, 4 Oct 2004 (UTC)

From Caroline Colden
Thank you. User:C Colden ( sig added after by Sam Spade 15:13, 4 Oct 2004 (UTC) )

 * And thank you for being here, glad to have you :) Sam Spade 15:13, 4 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Why
My primary reason was the comment on your talk page about not wanting/using the admin powers. I'll also say I'm familiar with some of the past run-ins you've had with others, but since those are older I'm not inclined to let that influence my vote. CryptoDerk 15:57, Oct 4, 2004 (UTC)

admin accountability
Hi Sam, yes I guess we do agree on that subject. I don't think there are appropriate mechanisms to hold admins to account. The existing ones just take far too long. Most importantly, admins should be judged by all Wikipedians, and not a selected elite. I think it makes a real difference, because the people in these committees are seasoned and respected users of the community and therefore - although I have no doubt whatsoever that they act in perfectly good faith- would give admins a more sympathetic hearing than the average Wikipedian. The reason is that the average Wikipedian is far more at risk from any "rogue" admin than a respected user who's a member of such a committee. Furthermore, admins are elected by all Wikipedians, and that's where this power should remain. So I am in favour of a proper recall procedure, with strong safeguards against abuse (there must be no lynch mob or witch hunting of admins). I think it would make a real difference, even if it is only used very rarely in the most serious cases of admin abuse (which is rare anyway), because there would be no temptation for admins to use their powers and get away with it. I also think that adminship should not be "for life", but ideally would be limited for a certain period, after which admins would have to become "common" Wikipedians again for a certain period. In this way there would be a regular turn-over of admins. This would prevent the formation of a special group with the associated group-think, all of which I think to be detrimental to Wikipedia project. But maybe it's too late for this already, I don't know, the Wikipedia founding fathers should have thought of this. - pir 20:01, 4 Oct 2004 (UTC)

 * It's never too late! Write up a policy on it, or have a look at mine. We may not agree on matters of etymology/word politics, but we do seem to agree on wiki-policy. Let me know if you come up w anything specific, or have any thoughts re: my idea. Cheers, Sam Spade 20:32, 4 Oct 2004 (UTC)

See RFA
See my vote at RFA....hope it doesn't offend you. ;-) I kid, I kid. I am pleased to support you in what looks like an unsuccessful nomination. If you should be promoted, I trust you will do a very good job, in part because there will be a good many admins, I think, ready to snap their jaws at the first sign that you are somehow abusing your powers. And in part because you're a good guy who wants the best for this place and knows its policies inside out. Regarding the arbitration question, I think it best to wait to chat about it, since apparently my comments to some users (which I have thought reasonably innocent, or at least not prejudicial) have bothered others. I can't recuse myself too often or the other arbitrators will grouse about my light caseload. :-) I will keep you in mind, however, and I promise to be unhesitant in criticism if necessary. All my best, Jwrosenzweig 20:42, 4 Oct 2004 (UTC)

 * Great, thanx. As so that you know, I am one of the most difficult to offend people I know of, and you are one of the least offensive, so the statistical likelihood of offense is approacing null ;) Sam Spade 20:47, 4 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Sorry to see the hard time you are getting - you have my respect and admiration, for what it's worth. ;) Mark Richards 23:12, 4 Oct 2004 (UTC)

 * Oh, this is the nicest I've ever been treated! I'm actually thrilled, no sarcasm. I've had a couple nominations in the past, and a couple people stood up for me, but until this time the haters were in the majority, which really didn't make me feel to good about my volunteering here. However, I liked the project ideals, interface, and subject (I read encyclopedias/research generally in my spare time anyhow) enough that I expected to be here for years, even if apreciation for my work didn't increase much. This time around, its obvious that goodwill towards myself is on the increase, and the uglyness is on its way out. I'll convert them, molify them, or outlive them, but one way or another I can see myself actually being able to present my service here as blurb on my resume, or whatnot, something to be proud of. Unlike alot of the users I have problems with, my ego isn't bigger than my enthusiasm for the core values of the project, and I plan to do whats best for the wiki... stay working here for years to come :) Sam Spade 23:22, 4 Oct 2004 (UTC)

 * P.s., have a look at what I was saying about you all the way back in July ;) (that list is by no means complete, BTW~!) Sam Spade 23:25, 4 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Thank you for drawing that to my attention, I hadn't seen it. ;) Mark Richards 00:04, 5 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Fedora
Saw your comment about fedoras - have you seen this? Mark Richards 03:10, 5 Oct 2004 (UTC)

 * Haha, now I know where I can buy that bullwhip! Sam Spade 10:27, 5 Oct 2004 (UTC)


text: Category:Networking companies of the United States


text:
Dio vi salvi Regina

Dio vi salvi Regina (Italian for "God save you Queen") is a Corsican folk song. It is considered the de facto "national anthem" of Corsica. It is customarily sung it at the end of concerts of Corsican folk music.

It was written as a religious song in Italy by Francis de Geronimo (later canonized) about 1675. It was adopted de facto as the national anthem of Corsica when it proclaimed independence from the Republic of Genoa at Orezza, on 30 January 1735. Traditionally, a shepherd, Salvadore Costa, is credited with converting the hymn not only to a Corsican anthem, but to a rallying symbol for Corsican independence. It was first performed at the Chapel of St. Mark (San Marco) on 25 April 1720.

The anthem requests the intercessory protection of the Virgin Mary, heartily concurred in by the independence leaders. There were a few changes, such as in the second stanza from "disperati" (desperate) to "tribolati" (troubled). The commonly used version's last stanza was an original addition, written in the Corsican language, which makes reference to victory against enemies of Corsica, as to highlight the adopted lyrics' intended use.

title: Dio vi salvi Regina


text:
Talk:Inspector general

Assalamualaikum. Janab-e-wala ki khidmat me OR ki guzarish ha. Janab-e-wala me 2014 se application de raha ho Lekin koi reply nh mil raha. Janab ka Dua go Ex.Helper/cook zubair Ahmed

Untitled
The link to Internal Affairs appears to be a link to a "hardcore punk" band. Should either remove the links or have a disambiguation page.

--Hurricane111 22:09, 6 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Many of these external links should be moved to an External Links section or replaced with wikilinks. --Beefyt 04:56, 20 June 2006 (UTC)

minor alteration
The OIG in the U.S. also inspects military contractors. I know this because the company I work for has just finished up with one.Jlujan69 05:05, 23 August 2006 (UTC)

Free encyclopedic public domain source (CRS report)
I'm adding Congress's CRS reports to their relevant pages, since they're so thorough and you can just copy-and-paste the content ... here's yours:

http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS:_STATUTORY_OFFICES_OF_INSPECTOR_GENERAL:_A_20TH_ANNIVERSARY_REVIEW%2C_November_20%2C_1998

btw, IMHO the US content will need to get moved to Inspector General (United States) pretty soon

Agradman talk/contribs 08:20, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Missing US Inspectors General
Here are 5 United States IGs not currently listed on this page: The 3 August 2012 letter from Rep. Issa to all IGs includes a list of the 73 IGs (although Issa's list is missing the Special IG for Afghanistan Reconstruction). http://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/2012-08-03-DEI-to-73-IGs-reporting-to-Congress.pdf mrmdog 11:45, 8 August 2012 (EST)
 * Defense Intelligence Agency: http://www.dia.mil/about/inspector-general/
 * Government of the District of Columbia: http://oig.dc.gov/main.shtm
 * National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency: https://www1.nga.mil/About/Pages/InspectorGeneral.aspx
 * National Reconnaissance Office: http://www.nro.gov/offices/oig/
 * National Security Agency: http://www.nsa.gov/about/oig/index.shtml

Inspector general/kennethclingerman@org.gov
Modified November 7, 11:00 AMERICA and legal government approved entitled entity Updates for Kenneth Alan Clingerman Jr owner ChromeUpdates approved for Kenneth Alan Clingerman Jr owner of the United States of America and patent Owner IANA ICANN legally allowed to be able provide protection program application approved for Kenneth Alan Clingerman Jr owner and approved by president Joe Biden and UK Canada and United Nations is a W3C AccountData account web access for Kenneth Alan Clingerman Jr owner 2600:1012:B125:56E:F61E:4EB9:4493:E764 (talk) 19:21, 7 November 2022 (UTC)

Sevierville police dept and sheriff dept
I'm fully disabled my name is Freddie Stokes I'm I'm bed most of my days that's where most of the harassment is they do not care weather I know they are there or not as well as taking photos of me in bed and bathroom trying to make it look like and planting stuff as well in my house and taking photos as well as my doctor's offices I've tried 5 times to get help at the doctors ive reached out to several agencies they said to contact internal affairs I cam hear them saying they are going to make it look like I'm doing something wich I can prove I don't do drugs or anything can you please help me on this issue before they kill me all month I've had really bad chest pain as well as a stroke today I know this sounds like a rant but it's not I swear please help me Freddie Stokes (talk) 06:57, 30 June 2023 (UTC)

title: Talk:Inspector general


text:
User talk:Sam Spade/Info

I find it mildly amusing that I am turns out to be a red link. Maybe we should create it as a redirect to Tetragrammaton? --Michael Snow 22:11, 6 Oct 2004 (UTC)

title: User talk:Sam Spade/Info


text:
Liam Brady

William Brady (born 13 February 1956) is an Irish former footballer and pundit. He found success both in England with Arsenal, where he won an FA Cup in 1979, and in Italy with Juventus, winning two Serie A titles. Brady was capped 72 times for the Republic of Ireland national team.

Brady was a talented attacking midfielder renowned for his left foot and elegant technical skills such as his high-quality passing, vision and close control, which made him an excellent playmaker.

Brady went on to manage Celtic and Brighton and Hove Albion. He was the assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland national football team from 2008 to 2010 and also held the post of Head of Youth Development at Arsenal from 1996 to 2013. He began his media career as a television pundit in 1990 with the BBC, before moving to RTÉ Sport in 1998. In June 2023, Brady announced that he would step down from his punditry duties with RTÉ after 25 years.

Early life and family
Brady was born and raised in Dublin in a footballing family, with both his great uncle Frank Brady Sr. and older brother Ray Brady winning senior international caps. Of his other brothers, Frank won the FAI Cup with Shamrock Rovers in 1968 and made two appearances in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, while Pat played with Millwall and Queens Park Rangers. Liam attended St. Aidan's C.B.S., leaving before his Intermediate Certificate. He alleged at the time that he had been expelled for missing a school Gaelic football match to play a schoolboy soccer international; the school denied this.

Club career
Brady started his career at Arsenal, moving to London to join the side on schoolboy forms in 1971, at the age of 15. He turned professional on his 17th birthday in 1973, and made his debut on 6 October 1973 against Birmingham City as a substitute for Jeff Blockley, and put in an assured performance. However his next match, in a North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur, Brady had a poor match, and Arsenal manager Bertie Mee decided from then on to use the young Irishman sparingly for the time being. Brady ended the 1973–74 season with 13 appearances (four of them as substitute) to his name. While at Arsenal, and particularly early in his career, Brady was nicknamed "Chippy", not for his ability to chip the ball but for his fondness for fish and chips.

In 1974–75 Brady was a first-team regular at Arsenal, and shone as a rare light in a side that hovered close to relegation for a couple of seasons in the mid-1970s. With the appointment of Terry Neill as manager and the return of Don Howe as coach, Brady found his best form. His passing provided the ammunition for Arsenal's front men such as Malcolm Macdonald and Frank Stapleton, and Arsenal reached three FA Cup finals in a row between 1978 and 1980. Arsenal won only the middle of the three, against Manchester United in the 1979 final, with Brady starting the move that ended in Alan Sunderland's famous last-minute winner.

Brady was at the peak of his Arsenal form by now, as shown by one of his best goals for Arsenal; having dispossessed Peter Taylor he flighted a looped curled shot from the edge of the penalty area into the top corner, in a 5–0 win against Tottenham Hotspur on 23 December 1978. During this time he was voted the club's player of the year three times, and chosen as the PFA Players' Player of the Year in 1979. Being from Ireland, he was the first foreign player to win the award.

He was the most talented player in what was then a promising young Arsenal side, which was looking to consistently challenge for honours such as the Division One title. Despite this, by the 1979–80 season rumour was rife that Brady would be leaving the club in search of a fresh challenge.

That season, Arsenal reached the Cup Winners' Cup final (losing to Valencia on penalties), having beaten Juventus 2–1 over two legs in the semi-finals. Brady's performance in the tie impressed the Italian giants and in the 1980 close season they signed him for just over £500,000, becoming the first foreign player to sign for the club since the Italian borders were re-opened for foreign transfers in 1980. He is remembered as one of Arsenal's all-time greats, playing 307 matches for the Gunners, scoring 59 goals and setting up many more.

Brady spent two seasons with Juventus, wearing the number 10 shirt, and picking up two Italian Championship medals, in 1981 and 1982; Brady scored the only goal (a penalty) in the 1–0 win against Catanzaro that won the 1982 title. After the arrival of Michel Platini in summer 1982, Brady moved to Sampdoria, allowing him to take the number 10 shirt and team up with Trevor Francis. Brady moved on after two years in which Sampdoria failed to finish higher than sixth place, and went on to play for Internazionale (1984–1986). At the San Siro, Brady teamed up with Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, reaching a UEFA Cup semi-final and a third place finish domestically, but failed to win any major honours. In 1986, Brady joined Ascoli, where his career in Italy reached a sour conclusion. A year spent arguing over failed payments of wages with club president Costantino Rozzi, marked the end of what was a much celebrated chapter of his career.

Brady, at the age of 31, returned to London in March 1987, for a transfer fee of £100,000, to play for West Ham United, where he scored 10 goals in 119 games in all competitions. He was a member of the side relegated from the First Division in 1989 and played one season in the Second Division before finally retiring as a player in 1990. His last game came on 5 May 1990, a 4–0 home win against Wolverhampton Wanderers, a game in which he scored.

International career
Brady made his debut for Ireland on 30 October 1974, in a 3–0 win against the Soviet Union at Dalymount Park in a European Championship qualifier. Brady has claimed his favourite international goal was that against Brazil in 1987.

Due to a suspension accrued before Euro 88 he was not eligible to play within the tournament. During qualification for Italia 90 Brady retired from the international game. As Ireland got to the World Cup for the first time ever he declared himself available to play once again. However, Jack Charlton went on to declare that only those who played in the qualifiers would make the trip to Italy.

He won 72 international caps for the Republic of Ireland with 70 within the starting line-up, scoring nine goals.

Managerial career
After retiring from playing in 1990, he managed Celtic between 1991 and 1993, and then Brighton & Hove Albion between 1993 and 1995. Neither spell was particularly successful, and at both clubs Brady's tenure was overshadowed by the respective clubs' financial problems. At Celtic, Brady failed to win a single trophy in his two-year tenure, which included a 5–2 defeat on aggregate by Neuchâtel Xamax in the 1991–92 UEFA Cup.

Brady had no greater success with Brighton, departing following a disagreement over the way the club was being run. He later led an unsuccessful bid by a consortium to buy the club.

He rejoined Arsenal in July 1996, as Head of Youth Development and Academy Director. Although he was linked to the manager's post after the departure of Bruce Rioch, Brady stated he was not interested in the role and Arsène Wenger eventually took up the post. Under Brady, Arsenal's youth sides won the 1998 FA Premier Youth League, the FA Premier Academy League U17 title in 2000 and the FA Premier Academy League U19 title in 2002. Under his watch they also lifted the 2009 and 2010 FA Premier Academy League U18 titles, together with the FA Youth Cup in 2000, 2001 and 2009.

After the sacking of Steve Staunton as Republic of Ireland manager in 2007, Brady became an assistant to new manager Giovanni Trapattoni alongside former Juventus teammate Marco Tardelli in 2008, while continuing to work as Director of the Arsenal Youth Academy. He stepped down from the Republic of Ireland post in April 2010 when his contract expired. He stated he would have gladly stayed on with Ireland were it not for his Arsenal commitments.

On 30 January 2013, Arsenal announced that Brady would leave his role as Director of the Arsenal Youth Academy in May 2014.

Brady has served as an ambassador of The Arsenal Foundation since 2017.

Media career
Brady first worked as a pundit for the BBC at the 1990 and 1994 World Cups before moving for the 1998 tournament to RTÉ Sport. He joined what became a long-running studio team with fellow pundits Johnny Giles and Eamon Dunphy and presenter Bill O'Herlihy. They were parodied by the Après Match sketches in which Brady was portrayed by Barry Murphy. Brady remained an RTÉ television analyst, appearing on coverage of the 2018 World Cup, UEFA Euro 2020 and 2022 World Cup.

Brady was involved in an Irish anti-drugs campaign in the early 1990s, called "give drugs the boot", which encouraged young boys to play sport as a healthy pastime.

In February 2023, a documentary about his life called Liam Brady: The Irishman Abroad aired on RTÉ One.

On 19 June 2023, Brady announced that he would step down from his punditry duties with RTÉ Sport after 25 years. His final match as an analyst was the 3–0 win against Gibraltar.

International

 * Scores and results list the Republic of Ireland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Brady goal.

Club
Arsenal
 * FA Cup: 1978–79
 * UEFA Cup Winners' Cup runners-up: 1979–80

Juventus
 * Serie A: 1980–81, 1981–82

International
Republic of Ireland
 * Iceland Triangular Tournament: 1986

Individual

 * PFA Players' Player of the Year: 1978–79
 * PFA Team of the Year: 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80
 * Football League 100 Legends: 1998
 * FAI Hall of Fame: 2001
 * English Football Hall of Fame: 2006
 * Arsenal Player of the Season: 1975–76, 1977–78, 1978–79
 * The Irish Post: Outstanding Sports Personality

Managerial

 * Younger's Tartan Special Manager of the Month: August 1992

title: Liam Brady


text:
Talk:Hāngi

Question
"Traditional hāngi food is pork, mutton or lamb, and chicken" - anyone got any information on what food was in a hangi before pakeha got to NZ? AstroDave (talk) 15:26, 3 June 2008 (UTC) See Wairau Bar for an extensive list of authentic moahunter cuisine from the archaic period-roughly 1280 to say 1450.During the much later Musket war period (1805-1840)human flesh was cooked and eaten .Missionaries observed this on several occaisions in the 1830's while trying to prevent warfare between iwi."Officialy" the last time cannabalism was practiced was in Te Awamutu ,Waikato in 1840 though it is on the cards that it still went on -perhaps in Taranki or in isolated areas like Tuhoe country until 1870-80.Eating human flesh is associated with the Pa building Classic Maori period after about 1500-mainly in the North Island.It was not a daily event but during the frequent wars of this period it was SOP to eat the defeated chiefs -starting with their eyes then brains and internal organs like heart and liver.According to some sources this was done while the victim was still alive but they wouldnt have lived long!The feasting went on for about 5 days until the stink of the rotting corpses drove the victors away-again according to missionary accounts.Claudia Jan 2011 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 125.237.32.140 (talk) 00:04, 25 January 2011 (UTC)

Copyvio removed
I have removed the entry by anon user at 222.152.185.218 because it is a verbatim lift from either or. This user has made some very odd contributions recently. Moriori 22:12, Oct 6, 2004 (UTC)

Lifting the hangi "fact or fiction"
Lifting the Hangi

The story goes that if no steam comes out when the hangi is first uncovered, then put the dirt back and "go buy some kai bro" ("kai" meaning food) Otherwise, it is very hard to overcook a hangi, and careful removal of the soil and unwrapping of the food is the last step before the huge feast.

i have never heard this story, i think it would be amiss of me, some how making it legitimate if it was left here ? in the rare event that a hangi comes out under cooked, esp rare when cooked in the ground, more common when cooked in some kind of above ground cooker.

there is only 1 option

1. finish the hangi in an oven, (or many ovens depending on size)

there is not normally ever a backup plan

i think this section should be removed, it is far from being verifiable

Umu
needs a note to say that this is an alternative Maori word (possibly just for the oven rather than the method?), but that in modern NZ use it tends to refer generically to other Island versions.

photograph illustrations
This article needs some photographs to illustrate the process. – Kaihsu (talk) 10:49, 9 June 2010 (UTC)

Copyvio or plagiarism? Template added
Much of the text in this article copies text from http://www.genuinemaoricuisine.com/Folders/Hangi.html I am checking to see whether this comes under copyright or plagiarism and will update warning and take steps according to relevant policy. Plutonium27 (talk) 19:51, 18 October 2016 (UTC)

edit: the web page cited above does have a NZ copyright notice, so the template warning applies. Contributions need to be checked to establish whether or not the pertinent editor has the necessary "expressed written permission." Plutonium27 (talk) 19:56, 18 October 2016 (UTC)

 * I am not sure whether this article has copied the genuinemaoricuisine site, or that site took a version of the article and adapted it. The site claims copyright, and there is no single version of the Wikipedia article which corresponds to its content. While the site has numerous links to Wikipedia articles, these were added sometime in 2010 or 2011 and do not appear in earlier archives. There are no archives for the site at web.archive.org earlier than 2009, so it is not possible to determine when the site was created other than by the copyright date stating 2005.

 * The second paragraph of our article is almost identical to a passage at genuinemaoricuisine, but our paragraph was built up in pieces by several editors including two administrators. See and  for edits which built up this paragraph. This implies that our paragraph was copied by the genuinemaoricuisine site, not vice versa.

 * A great deal of text with considerable overlap with the genuinemaoricuisine site was added by 82.70.66.94, a British IP, on 18 May 2005. This looks likely to have been copied from somewhere; possibly a source no longer online which also influenced genuinemaoricuisine. I don't think any substantial part of the text introduced at this point still exists in the current version of the article.

 * A further substantial addition of text almost certainly taken from genuinemaoricuisine was added by User:Hangiforeveryone on 19 September 2007. Some of this text has survived into the current version.

 * In conclusion, I don't think it is safe to keep the article in its present form, and the version before the addition of May 2005 is too short to be worth keeping, so the article should probably be deleted and restarted with a clean slate.- gadfium 23:05, 4 February 2017 (UTC)

title: Talk:Hāngi


text:
User:Ire and curses

Registered since 09/04.

My username is an anagram.

Some of my interests
Astronomy/Astrophysics, Braindance, Chess, Decentralisation, Emergence, Existentialism, Fourier transforms, Karate, Linux, Magic:The Gathering, Heavy metal music, Perl, Rave, Self-organisation, Software agents

Articles I have created
eSTAR

Some contributions I have made
Guide star, Isaac Newton Telescope, J. Norman Lockyer, Karate, Mirror (computing), My Dying Bride, Smoothed particle hydrodynamics, Sunn O))), Swarm intelligence, The Prodigy, Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope

Notes to self
Articles of note: Emergence, Self-organisation (link to non-linear preprint archive)

Articles to improve: Laurent Cassegrain (split telescope into new article), software agent (expand)

Articles to add: RoboNet

title: User:Ire and curses


text:
Finding Neverland (film)

Finding Neverland is a 2004 biographical film directed by Marc Forster and written by David Magee, based on the 1998 play The Man Who Was Peter Pan by Allan Knee. The film earned seven nominations at the 77th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actor for Johnny Depp, and won for Best Original Score. The film was the inspiration for the stage musical of the same name in 2012.

Premise
The film is about playwright J. M. Barrie and his relationship with a family who inspired him to create Peter Pan.

Plot
In 1903, following the dismal reception of his latest play, Little Mary, Sir James Matthew Barrie meets the widowed Sylvia and her four young sons (George, Jack, Peter and Michael) in Kensington Gardens. A strong friendship develops among them. Barrie proves to be a great playmate and surrogate father figure for the boys, and their imaginative antics give him ideas that he incorporates into a play about boys who do not want to grow up, in particular one named after troubled young Peter Llewelyn Davies. Although Barrie sees this family as wonderful and inspirational, others question his relationship with the Llewelyn Davies family. Barrie's wife Mary divorces and Sylvia's mother Emma du Maurier objects to the time that he spends with the Llewelyn Davies family. Emma also seeks to control her daughter and grandsons, especially as Sylvia weakens from an unidentified illness.

Producer Charles Frohman agrees to mount Peter Pan, despite his belief that it holds no appeal for upper class theatergoers. Barrie peppers the opening night audience with children from a nearby orphanage, and the adults react to their delight with an appreciation of their own. The play proves to be a huge success. Barrie is all set for his play, but when Peter arrives alone to the play, he goes to Sylvia's house to check up on her, and misses the show. Peter attends the play and realizes it is really about his brothers and Barrie.

Barrie arranges to have an abridged production of it performed in the Llewelyn Davies house. At the end of the play, Peter Pan points to the back doors and implies that Sylvia should go off to Neverland. She takes the hands of her boys and slowly walks out.

The following scene takes place at Sylvia's funeral. Barrie discovers that her will says that he and her mother should look after the boys, an arrangement agreeable to both parties. The film ends with J. M. Barrie comforting Peter on the bench in the park where they had first met.

Production
Finding Neverland was originally scheduled to be released in autumn 2003. Universal Pictures, which owned the film rights to Barrie's original play and was adapting it for cinema release the same year, refused to allow Miramax to use scenes from the play in Finding Neverland if it were released the same year. Miramax agreed to delay the release, in exchange for the rights to reproduce in the film scenes from the stage production. Finding Neverland opened in 2004, 100 years after Barrie's play opened.

Richmond Theatre in Richmond upon Thames doubled as the Duke of York's Theatre, the venue in which Peter Pan was first presented. Exterior scenes were filmed in Hyde Park, Brompton Cemetery and Kensington Gardens. According to commentary on the DVD release, the structure used as Barrie's summer cottage was located near Kent. Interiors were filmed in the Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, and the Shepperton Studios in Surrey.

Filming occurred in various places in the U.K. Production shot a short fantasy sequence at the Laredo Wild West Town in Kent. The town is featured in multiple fantasy-playing sessions set in the Wild West, when Barrie (Johnny Depp) plays with the Llewellyn Davies boys.

Dustin Hoffman had previously appeared in the title role of Hook (1991), the Peter Pan sequel film by Steven Spielberg. The screenplay for Finding Neverland had originally included a scene in which his character, the play's sceptical producer, was to put on the Captain Hook costume and read some of his lines to point out how silly he found it. Hoffman objected to this, so the scene was rewritten for him to simply read aloud and ridicule character names from the play.

Eileen Essell, 82 years old at the time, made one of her first feature film appearances. She also followed Depp to a role in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Freddie Highmore's performance in Finding Neverland led Depp to suggest him to Tim Burton for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, in which he played Charlie Bucket and Depp played Willy Wonka.

Release
The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival. It was shown at the Telluride Film Festival, the Haifa Film Festival, the Athens Panorama European Film Festival, the Mill Valley Film Festival, the Chicago International Film Festival and the Leeds International Film Festival, before opening in the U.K. 29 October 2004.

It had a limited release in the United States 12 November 2004, and opened more widely 24 November 2004.

Box office
The film was budgeted at $25 million. It grossed $51,676,606 in the U.S., and $63 million in other markets, for a total worldwide box-office tally of $115,036,108.

Critical reception
On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 83%, based on 206 reviews, with an average rating of 7.47/10. The website's consensus states: "It won't pass muster for those looking for historical accuracy, but Finding Neverland is a warm, heartfelt drama with a charm all its own — and Johnny Depp gives a graceful performance as Peter Pan creator J.M. Barrie." Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 67 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "A" on a scale of A+ to F.

In her review in The Times, Wendy Ide called the film "charming but rather idiosyncratic", and added, "A mixture of domestic drama, tragedy and exuberant fantasy, the film blends moist-eyed nostalgia with the cruel disappointments of a marriage break-up; a childlike playfulness and unpredictability with a portrait of a treacherously unforgiving and rigid Edwardian society. It could appeal to everyone from preteens to pensioners, or it could appeal to no one at all. Ultimately this unconventionality is probably one of the film's main strengths. And if the tone veers a little haphazardly between fantasy and cold, hard reality, well, perhaps that is the most effective way of taking us into the mind of the film's mercurial protagonist."

Manohla Dargis of The New York Times said it "is the kind of film where even the smallest crack has been sealed. Instead of real quirks, strange habits, moments of everyday gas, gurgle and grunting, movies like this give us sumptuous production design, meticulous costumes and stories meant to leave us dewy-eyed and thoughtful, if never actually disturbed... The problem isn't the liberties the filmmakers take with reality, but that this isn't an engaging bowdlerization... Johnny Depp neither soars nor crashes, but moseys forward with vague purpose and actorly restraint... [he] and Ms. Winslet are pleasant to watch, as are the actors who play the Davies boys, but they haven't been pushed to their limits."

In the San Francisco Chronicle, Mick LaSalle observed that the film "ends so beautifully, so poignantly and so aptly that there's a big temptation to forget that most of what precedes the ending is tiresome drivel, that Johnny Depp's performance... is precious and uninsightful, and that almost all the movie's magic derives directly from scenes lifted from Barrie's play. Winslet's no-nonsense strength is especially appreciated... Another actress would have followed Depp into the quicksand of faux-poetic self-indulgence. But Winslet is direct, grounded and heartfelt in a recognizably human way. Dustin Hoffman, as Barrie's producer, also steers clear of Depp's rhythms, though he has trouble deciding whether the producer is British or American."

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone rated the film 3½ stars out of 4, and called it "glorious entertainment... magical, not mush". About Depp, he said, "It's too early to speculate on how [he] will grow as an actor. Based on Finding Neverland, it's not too early to call him a great one."

In the St. Petersburg Times, Steve Persall gave the film a "B" grade, and commented, "A first viewing of Finding Neverland was tear-inducing and completely satisfying. Seeing it again was a mistake, less of my own than Forster's, who didn't make a movie that can sustain its magic beyond first impressions. Problems with David Magee's screenplay that initially could be shrugged off—occasionally slow pacing, melodramatic plot twists—became glaring. With familiarity, the fantasy simply wasn't as fanciful. It felt like growing up, and it was disappointing. On the other hand, many of the film's qualities are too strong to falter, starting with another fascinating man-child performance by Johnny Depp as Barrie."

Carina Chocano of the Los Angeles Times described the film as "gently seductive, genuinely tender and often moving without being maudlin", and added, "Depp and Winslet share a rare combination of airiness, earthiness and sharp, wry intelligence."

Theatre
On 6 February 2011, La Jolla Playhouse, California, announced that it would produce a new stage musical based on the film, with the book by Allan Knee, score by Scott Frankel and Michael Korie, and directed and choreographed by Rob Ashford. A planned production at La Jolla Playhouse was not held. A developmental reading was held in New York 31 March 2011 with Julian Ovenden, Kelli O'Hara, Tony Roberts, Mary Beth Peil, Michael Cumpsty and Meredith Patterson, directed by Ashford. The adaptation had its world premiere 22 September 2012 at Curve in Leicester. Directed by Rob Ashford, it stars Julian Ovenden as J. M. Barrie, and West End actress Rosalie Craig as Sylvia Llewelyn Davies.

On 14 August 2014, it was announced that the show would transfer to Broadway in March 2015. The show played at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. On 10 November 2014, it was announced that Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe-nominee Matthew Morrison would take Jordan's place in the portrayal of J. M. Barrie in the production's 2015 move to Broadway. Kelsey Grammer starred as Charles Frohman, and Laura Michelle Kelly reprised her role of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies.

title: Finding Neverland (film)