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Redfern railway station

Redfern railway station is a heritage-listed former railway bridge and now railway station located on the Main Suburban railway line in the Inner City Sydney suburb of Redfern in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by John Whitton and built by Department of Railways. It is also known as Redfern Railway Station group and Tenterfield railway. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

The station that opened on 26 September 1855 is located on what was originally the Illawarra line. It is now served by all Sydney Trains lines except the Cumberland Line and the airport branch of the Airport & South Line. Some NSW TrainLink Intercity services also call at the station.

History of Redfern suburb
Redfern's natural landscape was defined by sand hills and swamps. The Carrahdigang, more widely known as the Cadigal people, valued the area for its abundant supply of food.

The name Redfern originates from an early land grant to William Redfern in 1817. It was previously known as Roberts Farm and Boxley's Swamp. William Redfern (1774–1833) was a surgeon's mate in the Royal Navy and was aboard HMS Standard when its crew took part in the revolt in 1797 known as the Mutiny of the Nore. Because he had advised the men to be more united, he was included among leaders who were court-martialled. Although sentenced to death, he was reprieved because of his youth and in 1801 arrived in Sydney as a convict. He served on Norfolk Island as an assistant surgeon. In 1803 he was pardoned, but remained on the island until 1808, when he returned to Sydney and was appointed assistant surgeon after being examined in medicine and surgery by Surgeons Jamison, Harris and Bohan.

In 1816, he took charge of the new Sydney Hospital, but maintained a private practice. In 1814 he reported on conditions on convict transport ships and his recommendation that all have a surgeon on board whose duties were to superintend the health of convicts was put into practice. He resigned from Government service in 1819 when not appointed to succeed D'Arcy Wentworth as principal surgeon. Despite his valuable service, many were contemptuous of him as he was an emancipist, although he had the friendship of Governor Macquarie. In 1818 Redfern received a grant of 1300 acre in Airds (in today's Campbelltown area) and later received more land in the area and by his death in 1823 he owned, by grant and purchase, over 23000 acre in NSW.

In 1817, he had been granted 100 acre in the area of the present suburb of Redfern. The boundaries were approximately the present-day Cleveland, Regent, Redfern and Elizabeth Streets. The commodious home Redfern built on his land was considered to be a country house, surrounded by flower and kitchen gardens. His neighbours were John Baptist (at the 40 acre Darling Nursery in today's Chippendale) and Captain Cleveland, an officer of the 73rd regiment, remembered by today's street of that name, and before its demolition, by Cleveland House, his home.

The passing of the Sydney Slaughterhouses Act in 1849 brought other businesses to the district. This act banned abattoirs and noxious trades from the city. Tanners, wool scourers and wool-washers, fellmongers, boiling down works and abattoirs had ten years to move their businesses outside city boundaries. Many of the trades moved to Redfern and Waterloo - attracted by the water. The sand hills still existed but by the late 1850s Redfern was a flourishing suburb housing 6,500 people.

The Municipalities Act of 1858 gave districts the option of municipal incorporation. Public meetings were held and after a flurry of petitions Redfern Municipality was proclaimed on 11 August 1859, the fourth in Sydney to be formed under the Act. Redfern Town Hall opened in 1870 and the Albert Cricket Ground in 1864. Redfern Post Office came in 1882. The majority of houses in Redfern in the 1850s were of timber. From the 1850s market gardeners congregated in Alexandria south of McEvoy Street, around Shea's Creek and Bourke Road.

Sydney's original railway terminus was built in the Cleveland Paddocks, which extended from Devonshire and Cleveland Streets to Chippendale. All that remains of the Cleveland Paddocks is Prince Alfred Park, where the exhibition building was erected in 1870 for an inter-colonial exhibition opened by Governor Belmore, after whom Belmore Park was named, on 30 August 1870.

Redfern was the scene of the maiden trip of the first double-decker tram in 1879. It travelled between the old Redfern station to the corner of Hunter and Elizabeth Streets in the city. In 1885 the Sands Sydney Directory listed 54 market gardens. While many were worked by European-Australians, by the 1870s Chinese market gardeners had acquired leases in the district and a decade later were dominating the trade.

The Eveleigh complex in 1886 became one of the largest employers in the state. Redfern was an industrial working class suburb by the end of the 19th century. Reschs brewery and other factories attracted migrants. The Syrian/Lebanese community began settling around Redfern and Surry Hills by the 1880s.

Redfern railway station
In the early history of the New South Wales Government Railways, Redfern station was the frequently used but unofficial name of the principal Sydney terminus, a fact which has led to persistent confusion. That station, the first Sydney Terminal, was north of Cleveland Street, which is Redfern's northern boundary, and south of Devonshire Street. It opened on 26 September 1855 in an area known as Cleveland Fields which is now the railway corridor called Sydney Yard. This original 'Redfern' station comprised one wooden platform in a corrugated iron shed, with the station's name honouring William Redfern. The station was built of iron and the first stationmaster was a Mr Fielding. As traffic increased the original station was replaced in 1874 by a brick and stone building containing two platforms. This second station, the second Sydney Terminal which grew to 14 platforms, was designed for through traffic if the lines were extended in the city direction. This second station was found to be too far from the city centre, so a new station (the present Sydney Central station) was built to the north of Devonshire Street and opened on 4 August 1906. The 1874 station was soon demolished.

A station was opened in 1876 1.3 km west of the original Redfern and named Eveleigh, after an old home located on the western side of the railway line. In 1885 Eveleigh's platforms were reconstructed at its present site, and was renamed Redfern on 21 October 1906, shortly after the current Central railway station was opened on the site of the former Devonshire Street cemetery.

Redfern station had been opened to serve the Eveleigh railway workshops, the first stage of which was completed in 1887, as well as the inner-city residential and industrial suburb of Redfern, one of Sydney's most high-density residential areas. The name Eveleigh was retained for the railway workshops, just beyond the station, on the site of the original Hutchinson Estate, now part of the present suburb of Eveleigh. In 1894 there was a steam train collision at the station that resulted in eleven people being killed and several were injured including John Ralston

By the 1940s, three-quarters of Sydney factory workers worked within a three-mile radius of Redfern station, and many commuted to work by train.

The original station consisted of three island platforms serving four lines. The ticket office was located on the corner of Lawson Street and Rosehill Street, with stairs down to each individual platform. Rosehill Street was demolished to make way for the later expansion of Redfern station to the east, while the ticket office survived and was later extended.

The construction of the Redfern station was overseen by the office of John Whitton, engineer-in-chief of the NSW Railways. Whitton had been appointed in 1856 at the beginning of the NSW railway development and remained in the position until 1890, overseeing the establishment of the main body of the NSW system. The station was extended in 1891/92 to accommodate the quadruplication of the main suburban lines, with new platforms being built during this period (Platforms 5, 6 and 7) and again in 1919 (Platforms 8 and 9) and again in 1924/25 (Platform 10). In 1913 a footbridge was erected at the southern end of the platforms to allow access to the Eveleigh workshops from the station for the workers. The footbridge extended across all the platforms with stairs down to each.

On 1 August 1926, a further two platforms opened on the southern side (9 and 10) as part of the electrification of the Illawarra line. Work on underground platforms 11 and 12 began in the 1940s but did not finish until the 1970s when the Eastern Suburbs railway line was opened in 1979. The original plans of The City and Suburban Electric Railways (Amendment) Act of 1947 had included additional railway lines that were never completed, resulting in unfinished platforms and tunnels existing above the current platforms 11 and 12.

Until 1994, Redfern had an overhead footbridge at the Eveleigh end of the platforms, connecting platforms 1–10 by stairs. This was demolished because the funds for its maintenance were not available. In c. 1994 the southern footbridge was removed as the Eveleigh railway workshops were gradually closed down and the footbridge was no longer required.

In c. 1999, the station underwent a major upgrade including the demolition of the northern footbridge and stairs to the platforms. A new footbridge and stairs were built, with only a pair of iron newel posts on platform 1 remaining of the earlier stairways. A single track tunnel was built for steam locomotives from Central station to access Eveleigh Railway Workshops. Known as the Engine Dive, it dives to the north of Platform 1 surfacing at the southern end of Platform 10. A number of chimneys still exist, especially on Platform 1.

The present Redfern station was damaged by fire in the 2004 Redfern riots. The ticketing area and station master's office were significantly damaged - and the windows in the front of the station were bricked up for almost a year afterwards to prevent further attacks. They have since been replaced with glass windows.

A rising public concern about the lack of disability access to the station platforms led to a petition of over 50,000 signatures and a debate in State Parliament in 2013. Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian has committed funding to provide a lift to one platform. A lift eventually opened on platform 6 & 7 in November 2015.

The Gibbons Street exit closed in 2018 and was replaced by a new entrance on the corner of Gibbons & Lawson Streets in November 2018.

In August 2019, further improved accessibility was proposed including a new concourse at the southern end of the station. The Southern Concourse began construction in 2021 and opened in October 2023. The upgrade provided lift access to Platforms 1–10, a new entrance off Little Eveleigh Street and a relocation of the existing Marian Street entrance.

Lift access to platforms 11–12, which are on a diverging alignment and would involve a multi-story private development, are being considered separately.

Station configuration
Redfern has 12 platforms, ten ground level (linked by stairs to the concourse at Lawson Street), and two underground (linked by stairs and escalators to the concourse at Gibbons Street). The two concourses are linked. Station offices and facilities such as toilets and the main indicator boards are located next to the Lawson Street entry.

As part of the construction of the Eastern Suburbs Railway (now platforms 11 and 12), it was proposed to build up to four platforms for the underground route. Two of these platforms were built and now are platforms 11 and 12, however, the two platforms above were half constructed above platforms 11 and 12. These are visible through a small gap in the wall opposite Platform 11, as well as by a boarded up entry portal under the Lawson Street Bridge (which was to be the down track), and a now filled-in dive tunnel under the Wells Street Sectioning Hut on the Central side of Lawson Street. The area in which the platforms were to be situated is visible from the station concourse at the entrance to Platform 10.

Description
The Redfern railway station complex includes a type 19 Overhead Booking Office, erected in 1892; a type 3 waiting room located on Platform 1, erected in 1884; a store located on Platform 1, erected c. 1884; an office, located on Platform 1, erected c. 1884; five type 11 station buildings located on Platforms 1 to 10, erected in 1912; and the Eastern Suburbs Railway (ESR) Platforms 11–12, erected in 1979. Other structures in the heritage-listed complex include platforms, completed in 1884 and 1912; the Lawson Street Overbridge, completed in 1891; Air vents to engine dive, located on Platform 1; ESR Steel Framework and Tunnels, erected c. 1960; and the footbridge, steps and canopies, erected in 1999.

Erected in 1892, the exterior of Redfern Station consists of a main entrance building and ticket office, built of brick in a Federation Queen Anne style with terracotta tiled hipped roof with central cupola and ornamental flèche. The central building is accessed from Lawson Street via the original central arched doorway flanked with sandstone columns and pediment or via a larger entrance to the east, which replaced an earlier arched window. Sandstone quoin blocks feature at the corners of the central portion of the entrance building, with sandstone keystones above the windows and doors and sandstone sills. A number of additions to the entrance building are visible along the Lawson Street frontage.
 * Overhead booking office

The building interior includes the ticket office, Station Master's office and male and female toilets. The ceiling is of timber tongue-and-groove boards with decorative ceiling roses and exposed timber beams. Electronic ticket gates lead to the overhead walkway that provides access to each of the platforms.

The brick, Type 3, waiting room, completed in 1884, features a U-shaped floor pattern with enclosed end wings. An open waiting area with a timber bench seat spans the space between each wing. The waiting room building also features a corrugated iron hipped roof and chimneys. The enclosed wings each have two double hung sash timber windows with double arched label moulds above and rendered sills with brackets beneath. Each wing also contains a fireplace.
 * Waiting room

Adjacent to the waiting room is a simple rectangular brick Store Room, completed c. 1884, with three double hung sash timber windows (two facing the tracks and one facing north) and a door at its southern end. The building has a hipped corrugated iron roof hidden behind a brick parapet. Possibly former toilet.
 * Store

The third Platform 1 building is a rectangular brick office building, completed c. 1884, with six timber sash windows facing the platform and a door at either end. The building has a corrugated iron gabled roof. The construction date of the building is unknown, but appears to be contemporary with other Platform 1 structures.
 * Offices

Each of the island platforms (2–9) and the wayside Platform 10 all include variations on the Standard (A8-A10) Island Platform design, all with platform offices and some with public toilets, completed in 1912. There are five in total. The buildings are constructed of face brick with rendered architraves, sills and brackets. The buildings feature a gabled corrugated sheet metal roof with a single corbelled and rendered chimney. The roof extends to form a platform awning which spans the length of the structures, and is supported on double curved cast iron brackets upon rendered brackets. The roof extends to form a covered area to the north of each building, which is supported by simple timber posts. The string course is of two small projecting rendered bands, with the rows of brick between painted to give the impression of a deep rendered string. Most original double-hung timber windows remain. Decorative features include timber valance to awning ends and coloured glass to upper panes of windows.
 * Platform buildings

Completed in 1979, Platforms 11 and 12 are underground, being part of the Eastern Suburbs Railway and Illawarra Line. These are accessed via stairs or escalators from the street level. The escalator shaft ceilings are of moulded plywood. This plywood, with recessed fluorescent strip lights, is used throughout the station platform area. Station walls are tiled, with the station name in tri-level banked blue lettering. The platforms consist of an island platform divided with tiled masonry walls. The platform faces are concrete.
 * Eastern Suburbs Railway (ESR) platforms

The station includes 12 platforms (2 underground on ESR) formed in seven island platforms, all facing two lines except Platform 1 and Platform 10 which both face single lines. Platforms 1- 10 are constructed of brick with bitumen surface. Platforms 11 and 12 are concrete.
 * Platforms

The northern end of the Station is defined by the Lawson Street Overbridge, completed in 1891, which carries Lawson Street across the tracks. The bridge is brick laid in English bond pattern and was constructed in 1891. The bridge has been altered and extended in various stages. Construction appears to be a combination of jack arch, steel girder and concrete slab.
 * Lawson Street Overbridge

Platform 1 includes four brick ventilation air vents or chimneys for the engine dive line that runs underneath the station, allowing engines to traverse between the Sydney Yard and the Eveleigh Maintenance Centre.
 * Air vents to engine dive on Platform 1

Above Platforms 11 and 12, exposed steelwork for an unfinished platform remains in place, completed c. 1960. Unfinished tunnels also run north and south from this section of the station, indicating earlier plans for extensions that never proceeded.
 * ESR steel framework and tunnels

The footbridge and steps to platforms was largely upgraded in 1999, and features a covered area connected to the Overhead Booking Office and glazed viewing area with access to all platforms. Platforms 2-9 also feature modern metal canopies joining access stairs to the platform buildings which forms a covered area for commuters. This was installed in 1999 as part of a new overhead walkway and access stairs to each platform. The stairs are concrete treads with steel banisters and balustrades. A pair of decorative cast iron newel posts at the bottom of the stairway to Platform 1 are all that remain from the original lattice iron stairway that was removed in c. 1999.
 * Footbridge, steps and canopies

The garden on Platform 1 runs along the western wall of the platform from the base of the stairs to the first building on the platform. Some garden plantings remain but it is not maintained to a high standard.
 * Landscape

Condition
As at 10 June 2009, the station building, including the Overhead Booking Office, Station Buildings on Platforms 2–10, and ESR Platforms were all in good condition. The structures at Redfern Station are in good condition with the exception of the disused tunnels at the eastern end and the exposed steelwork frames which are rusted. At least one section of tunnel has been backfilled due to threat of collapse. A condition report completed for the Lawson Street overbridge in 2006 indicated a number of structural issues that required attention.

Redfern Station has undergone a number of modifications and changes, including an upgrade of the overhead walkway and stairs in c. 1999, the addition of awnings to the platforms in c. 1999 but overall is largely intact and has a moderate to high level of integrity. The platform buildings and overhead booking office in particular retain a high level of integrity.

Modifications and dates

 * 1925–27: Platform 1 footbridge raised for electrification with two concrete steps at platform level.
 * 1981: demolition of small timber waiting shed on Platform 1
 * c. 1993: Station platform upgrading
 * 1994: removal of southern footbridge
 * c. 1999: station upgrades including new footbridge at northern end and stair access to platforms
 * 2004: station damaged by fire, ticket office windows bricked up to prevent vandalism.
 * 2018: New eastern entrance and turnstiles opened on the corner of Lawson Street and Gibbon Street
 * 2023: construction complete of new southern concourse between Little Eveleigh Street and Marian Street, providing lift access to all above ground platforms.

Since 2013, there have been a number of announcements concerning major upgrades for Redfern Station including the building of a lift to platforms 6 and 7. In December 2014 Transport for NSW invited customers to provide feedback on plans for the new lift at Redfern station. Work on the upgrade commenced on 13 April 2015. The lift opened on 30 November 2015.

Accessibility and exits
The station has four exits ― from the northern concourse, the main entrance and exit is on Lawson Street next to the ticketing area (Exit A on the diagram below) and the second exit is on Gibbons Street (especially for passengers using platforms 11 and 12) (Exit B on the diagram below). From the new southern concourse which opened in October 2023, there are exits onto Marian Street and a new exit was created onto Little Eveleigh Street.

Station map

Legend:

Transport links
Redfern does not have a connecting bus interchange. However, two stops along Gibbon Street close to the Gibbons Street entrance (near platforms 11 & 12) serve the following Transdev John Holland, Transit Systems and two NightRide routes:
 * 305: to Mascot Stamford Hotel
 * 306: to Mascot station
 * 308: Marrickville Metro to Eddy Avenue
 * 309: to Port Botany
 * N11: Cronulla station to Town Hall station
 * N20: Riverwood station to Town Hall station

There are stops further afield in Redfern Street servicing bus routes to Railway Square and in Regent Street servicing bus routes to Marrickville, Mascot and Banksmeadow.

Heritage listing
As at 26 June 2009, Redfern Railway Station Group is significant at a state level as a major suburban station which played an important role in the development of the surrounding residential and industrial suburbs. The overhead booking office is a rare remaining example of the Queen Anne style of railway architecture and along with the 1884 station building on Platform 1 remain as some of the last examples of these types of structures to survive in the metropolitan area. The booking office retains its overall form and much original detail.

The platform buildings on platforms 2-10 are consistent in design and represent the largest group of such buildings in the system at one site, reflecting the location's importance as a junction for commuters and for its access to the adjacent Eveleigh workshops. The addition of platforms and their associated platform buildings, including the Eastern Suburbs Railway, represent the importance of the Station as a commuter hub and reflect the expansion of Redfern Station and the Sydney network generally though the later nineteenth and into the twentieth century. Structures such as the air vents or chimneys connected to the underground engine dive, on Platform 1, are indicators of the adjacent industrial uses of the Eveleigh Yards and are unusual features on a suburban station.

The early station buildings and structures indicate the high quality of buildings provided during the mid-Victorian period of railway construction and the former importance of Redfern as an industrial and residential area in the development of the Sydney suburbs. The pair of newel posts is an example of colonial cast-iron work and represents the end of the era of ornamentation brought about by Railway Commissioner Eddy.

Redfern railway station was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999 having satisfied the following criteria.

The place is important in demonstrating the course, or pattern, of cultural or natural history in New South Wales.

Redfern Station has historic significance as a major suburban station that served Eveleigh Railway workshops as well as the surrounding industrial suburbs of Redfern, Darlington and Chippendale and as such served to promote the growth of these suburbs. The station retains a collection of early station buildings, including a prominent overhead booking office as its main entrance which is a rare example of its type, demonstrating the changing use and expansion of the station. Redfern Station is also associated with the development of the Eveleigh railway workshops for which it served as the main station for workers. The expansion of the Sydney network is evident at Redfern through the addition of platforms to cope with new lines, including the Eastern Suburbs Railway in the 1970s.

The place has a strong or special association with a person, or group of persons, of importance of cultural or natural history of New South Wales's history.

Redfern Railway Station is associated with engineer-in-chief of the NSW Railways, John Whitton who oversaw the development of the station towards the end of his long employment in the role.

The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales.

Redfern Station has aesthetic significance with a collection of nineteenth and early twentieth century railway buildings built to set designs for the NSW railways and providing a consistency of style across the network. The overhead booking office on Lawson Street is a fine example of the Queen Anne style for railway architecture and is one of the few remaining examples of this type on the Sydney system. The remaining portion of the Station garden has some local aesthetic significance and demonstrates the former practice of maintaining a station garden at suburban stations.

The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group in New South Wales for social, cultural or spiritual reasons.

The place has the potential to contribute to the local community's sense of place and can provide a connection to the local community's history.

The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales.

Redfern Station ticket and booking office is a rare surviving example of a Queen Anne style overhead booking office, being one of only three remaining examples on the Sydney network, Newtown and Homebush being the others. The elaborate detailing of the building, including the cupola and decorative fleche, make it unique in Sydney's railway architecture. The cast iron newell posts, remaining on Platform 1 are rare surviving examples of decorative iron work (once part of a larger iron latticework stairway) that was briefly introduced to suburban stations but discontinued by Commissioner Eddy after Redfern Station was built. The brick air vents or chimneys on Platform 1 are unusual features on a suburban station and demonstrate the connection to the Eveleigh Railyards adjacent to Redfern.

The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural or natural places/environments in New South Wales.

Redfern Station is representative of late nineteenth-century suburban railway development with a range of standard railway designed building styles and uses for the period 1890–1925. They remain the largest group of such buildings in the NSW system. It is representative of the expansion of the railway network to accommodate increasing passengers and new lines, as illustrated by the development of the Eastern Suburbs Railway. The station continues to serve as a major commuter station on the Sydney network.

title: Redfern railway station


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Eleutheria (play)

Eleutheria (sometimes rendered Eleuthéria: see above image) is a play by Samuel Beckett, written in French in 1947. It was his first completed dramatic endeavor (after an aborted effort about Samuel Johnson). Roger Blin considered staging it in the early 1950s, but opted for Waiting for Godot, because its smaller cast size made it easier to stage. At this point, Beckett suppressed the manuscript. Beckett later recycled the name "Krap" (with two Ps) for his play Krapp's Last Tape.

Publishing history
In 1985, Beckett's longtime American publisher, Barney Rosset, was fired after a buyout of Grove Press. Beckett offered to help Rosset, and proposed translating Eleutheria into English for him to publish, and gave him a copy of the manuscript. But according to the American edition of the play, Beckett was clearly reluctant to sanction publication of the work, and Rosset held off publication.

After Beckett's death in 1989, Rosset set out to publish Eleutheria in English. It was his view that, like other work that Beckett suppressed but eventually published, he would have changed his mind again had he lived. But Jérôme Lindon, Beckett's French publisher and literary executor, was against publication. After much wrangling and some legal threats, Lindon and the estate reluctantly allowed Rosset to publish, and issued their own edition in the original French. The estate will not grant performance licenses; however, a few private shows have been done.

The American edition, published in 1995 by Rosset's new company Foxrock, is translated by Michael Brodsky, himself a novelist and playwright. The first English translation had a mixed reception; one critic wrote "the new translation of the long unavailable play will delight Beckett scholars and aficionados alike" (playwright and journalist Jack Helbig writing in Booklist), but as might perhaps be expected the French publisher criticized the translation as "too American." It contained a few translation errors, such as the phrase Ton canotier avait un couteau, which is rendered as 'Your oarsman had a knife'; a canotier is a straw hat and couteau, here, means 'osprey feather'. A British edition was published in 1996 by Faber and Faber, translated by Barbara Wright.

Characters

 * M. Henri Krap
 * Mme. Henri (Violette) Krap
 * Victor Krap, their son.
 * Madame Jeanne Meck, friend of the Kraps
 * Dr. André Piouk
 * Madame André (Marguerite) Piouk, sister of Madame Krap
 * Mademoiselle Olga Skunk, Victor's fiancée
 * A Glazier
 * Michel, his son
 * An Audience Member
 * Tchoutchi, a Chinese torturer
 * Madame Karl, Victor's landlady
 * Jacques, manservant in the Krap home
 * Marie, maidservant in the Krap home, Jacques's fiancée
 * Thomas, Madame Meck's chauffeur
 * Joseph, a thug
 * Prompter

Plot
The plot concerns the efforts of a young member of the bourgeoisie, Victor Krap, to cut himself off from society and his family—while at the same time accepting hand-outs from his mother. The title, eleutheria (ελευθερία) is Greek for "liberty". Each act takes place on successive Winter days in Paris.

Act I
Henri Krap is having problems with his urinary tract, and when he sits down, he is unable to get up. His wife is expecting a visit from her friend, Jeanne Meck, whose husband, a field marshal, has recently died. Before that, her sister comes, newly married to the hideous Dr. André Piouk, a radical with a hideous countenance who wants to end the human population through mandatory use of condoms, abortion, and homosexuality, and encouraged euthanasia. The family's main concern, is that Victor has left the household. They have put barbed wire around his favorite places. The family, except for Henri, leaves to try to get Victor to come home. After behaving inappropriately with Olga and Marie, making them uncomfortable, Henri becomes interested in Piouk's ideas and muses on the notion of homosexuality, asking Joseph, the servant, to kiss him, who complies. During the night, Henri dies in his chair.

Act II
Victor does nothing but move around his apartment in a pattern. He throws one of his shoes out the closed window, and a glazier appears immediately with the shoe, and he and his ten-year-old-son, Michel, set to work fixing the pane. The glazier thinks Michel is a dolt, and things often have to be repeated. Victor's family keeps arriving to interrupt the glazier's work, and Mme. Karl, the landlady, keeps inquiring as to whether Victor is staying or going. The Kraps want Victor to attend his father's funeral, but he is not interested in leaving his apartment. Mme. Meck tries to get her chauffeur, Thomas, to forcibly remove him, but fails.

Act III
The glazier is still repairing Victor's window, as well as the lock on his door. Victor's mother is now ill with grief, and the funeral has been delayed as long as possible to get Victor to attend. The glazier starts to get an explanation that Victor desired freedom from his family, but could not get it because of their interminable visits, but that he has not received any sort of freedom when they are not around, either. An audience member becomes dissatisfied and leaves his box to get on the stage, complaining that the play is going on without providing any satisfaction to the audience. The prompter becomes fed up, and the script plummets from the sky onto the ground. The audience member brings a Chinese torturer to try to cure Victor. Eventually, he gets a mildly satisfactory answer and leaves the stage. Dr. Piouk, whom Victor is stunned to learn is now his uncle by marriage, arrives with Olga to see if he wants to take a poison pill and commit suicide, but he does not wish to. The glazier leaves his work unfinished, leaves the tools to Victor, and Mme. Karl again arrives to ask for the rent. He gives her a wad of money from the drawer, but it's not enough, so he gives her the tools, and tells her to pawn the jacket he thinks that he has left on the stairs to pay the rent. She tries to offer him food, but says that she can't be a nursemaid to him. He pushes the bed as far from the door and window and as close to the audience member's box as possible, then sits on the bed to rest.

Staging
The staging calls for "marginal action" which interacts with the main action only at a few specific moments. Victor's apartment is always shown on stage, although none of the main action of the first act occurs there. He walks around in a pattern, although much of the details are left up to the actor.

In the second act, Victor's apartment is shown from a different angle, and the Krap home is still visible. For much of the act, that part of the stage is empty, except for a moment where Jacques lights the lamp and paws his master's armchair. At one point, Victor arrives, and Jacques allows him to sit in his father's chair. This part of the stage then remains empty until the end of the act.

In the third act, Victor's apartment is seen from yet a third angle, and has encroached upon the stage entirely, with the Krap home completely gone.

Performance history
On April 13, 1998, the French Embassy in Washington, DC, hosted the first staged public reading of Eleutheria as translated by Michael Brodsky and directed by Robert McNamara. The first production of Eleutheria took place in 2005, performed by Naqshineh theatre, as translated by Vahid Rahbani and directed by Vahid Rahbani and Mohammadreza Jouze at the City Theatre of Tehran.

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

title: Eleutheria (play)


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ATOS

Autonomous Decentralized Transport Operation Control System (東京圏輸送管理システム) or ATOS (アトス) is a computerized control system used by the East Japan Railway Company to regulate train traffic on railway lines in metropolitan Tokyo, Japan. It was designed by Hitachi. The first deployment was on the Chūō Main Line in 1997. It is now used on fourteen lines listed below.

On ATOS-enabled lines, each train station has electronic displays, which show scheduled arrival times and train destinations in Japanese and English, warn passengers when trains are arriving or passing through, send updates on system delays and accidents, and display messages to advertise JR products or warn passengers not to smoke. Pre-recorded voice announcements in train stations are also automated by ATOS.

ATOS also directs train drivers through 16-by-16 lamp matrices, which flash messages telling the train driver to speed up, slow down, or adjust their scheduled departure time in order to keep the entire network running on schedule.

Several JR lines in the Kantō region use CTC or PRC systems in lieu of ATOS.

ATOS-enabled lines

 * Chūō Main Line in metro Tokyo (March 1997)
 * Yamanote Line (August 1998)
 * Keihin-Tohoku Line (August 1998)
 * Sobu Line (Rapid and Local) west of Chiba (June 1999)
 * Yokosuka Line north of Ofuna (July 2000)
 * Tōkaidō Main Line (Passenger and freight) (September 2001)
 * Joban Line (Rapid and Local) (January 2004)
 * Tohoku Main Line (December 2004)
 * Takasaki Line (December 2004)
 * Saikyo Line (July 2005)
 * Kawagoe Line (July 2005)
 * Yamanote Freight Line (July 2005)
 * Nambu Line (March 2006)
 * Tohoku Freight Line (December 2004)
 * Yokosuka Line (Ofuna - Kurihama) (November 2009)
 * Musashino Line (January 2012)
 * Yokohama Line (July 2015)
 * Keiyō Line (September 2016)

Future ATOS-enabled lines

 * Ōme Line (Tachikawa - Ōme)
 * Itsukaichi Line

title: ATOS


text:
Heat Vision and Jack

Heat Vision and Jack is a 1999 American comedy science fiction television pilot created and written by Rob Schrab and Dan Harmon, directed by Ben Stiller, and starring Jack Black, Owen Wilson, and Ron Silver. The pilot was originally ordered by Fox, which ultimately did not order it to series. While the show was not picked up, the pilot became a cult classic and gained an online following.

Plot
The pilot opens with Ben Stiller talking about the cancelled Ben Stiller Show, the Emmy Award he won for the show, and sarcastically criticizing George Lucas for having not won an Emmy. After a short sting, Heat Vision then opens with a title sequence explaining how Jack gained his new powers, and how Heat Vision came into existence.

Main

 * Jack Black as Jack Austin, a former astronaut. He was exposed to inappropriate levels of solar energy, giving him superintelligence. He appears to lose this intelligence at night, requiring only Earth-normal levels of daylight to reactivate it. His catchphrases are "I know EVERYTHING!" and "Knowledge is power... for real."
 * Owen Wilson as Heat Vision, a talking motorcycle. He was created when Jack's unemployed roommate Doug was shot by an experimental ray gun, causing him to merge with his motorcycle. He is capable of speech and can fight by ramming into opponents. He is unable to use doorknobs and is unable to right himself if pushed over.
 * Ron Silver as himself, the main villain. He works for NASA, and will stop at nothing to capture or kill Jack Austin, but he also dabbles in acting, perhaps as a diversion, perhaps as a cover. He appears to be invulnerable, shrugging off the threat of being shot and later displaying great annoyance but no injury or pain when he is actually shot.

Guest

 * Christine Taylor as The Sheriff
 * Vincent Schiavelli as Frank, a cook who becomes possessed by an alien broadcast and thereafter calls himself Paragon
 * O-Lan Jones as Patrice
 * Sy Richardson as Doctor

Legacy
Heat Vision was featured as a part of the mockumentary Tropic Thunder: Rain of Madness, only stating that the character of "Jeff Portnoy" played the role of Jack Austin.

In a March 27, 2007 interview, Rob Schrab stated that a script for the Heat Vision and Jack feature film was in the works.

title: Heat Vision and Jack


text: Category:Irish radio personalities

title: Category:Irish radio personalities


text:
Talk:Weight average molecular weight

As written on Sep 30, 2004: "Intuitively, if the weight average molecular weight is w, and you pick a random monomer, then the polymer it belongs to will have a weight of w on average."

<--- this is not intuitive... I'm a student, and I always have problems with that kind of statement. Is there a link to a mathematics section on different methods of averaging to better explain this? --ChicagoGuy321 06:16, 30 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Agreed. It's not intuitive. I'll try to write something better.

Difference between WAMW and NAMW
This pertains to both this page and the number average molecular weight page. The expressions indicated on the two pages describe the exact same thing. If you divide the numerator and denominator of the series on this page by $$M_i,$$, it's the same as the series on the NAMW page. I don't think this is correct, considering there's also a page devoted to the polydispersity index, which is defined to be WAMW/NAMW, and would always be equal to 1 if the pages here are correct.

title: Talk:Weight average molecular weight


text:
Victor Chang

Victor Peter Chang (born Chang Yam Him; 21 November 1936 – 4 July 1991) was a Chinese-born Australian cardiac surgeon and a pioneer of modern heart transplantation in Australia.

His murder in 1991 stunned Australia and is considered one of the most notorious in the country's history. Chang was given a state funeral, and in 1999, he was voted Australian of the Century at the People's Choice Awards.

After completing his medical studies at the University of Sydney and working in St Vincent's Hospital, he trained in the United Kingdom and the United States as a surgeon before returning to Australia. At St Vincent's Hospital, he helped establish the National Cardiac Transplant Unit, the country's leading center for heart and lung transplants. Chang's team had a high success rate in performing heart transplantations, and he pioneered the development of an artificial heart valve. In 1986, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia for his "service to international relations between Australia and China and to medical science".

In 1991 Chang was murdered by two young men in a failed extortion attempt. His legacy includes setting up the Victor Chang Foundation. Additionally, after his death, the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute was created, and the Dr. Victor Chang Lowy Packer Building at St Vincent's Hospital was established.

Early life and education
Chang was born in 1936 in Shanghai to Australian-born Chinese-British parents. He grew up in Hong Kong, where he attended primary school in Kowloon Tong and spent two years in St. Paul's College. On 7 April 1948, Chang's mother died from breast cancer at the age of 33, prompting him to consider a career in medicine at the age of 12.

Chang's father Aubrey sent him and his younger sister to Sydney in 1951 to stay with extended family. He attended Belmore Boys' High School in Belmore. He completed his secondary education at Christian Brothers' High School in Lewisham. He undertook his tertiary education at the University of Sydney, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Medical Science with First-Class Honours and a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery in 1962.

Medical training
After completing his medical education, Chang interned at St Vincent's Hospital under cardiac surgeon Mark Shanahan, who sent him to London to train with British surgeon Aubrey York Mason.

Chang became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1966 and trained in cardiothoracic surgery at the Royal Brompton Hospital. In London, he met and married his wife Ann (née Simmons).

Chang spent two years in the United States at the Mayo Clinic and became chief resident. In 1972, he returned to St Vincent's Hospital, where he was a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon and was appointed Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 1973 and Fellow of the American College of Surgeons in 1975.

Cardiothoracic surgery career
At St. Vincent's Hospital, Chang worked with surgeon Harry Windsor, who had performed Australia's first heart transplant in 1968. The advent of anti-rejection drugs in 1980 made heart transplants more feasible, and Chang lobbied to raise funds to establish a heart transplant program at St. Vincent's. On 8 April 1984, a team of doctors, led by Chang, operated on 14-year-old Fiona Coote, who became Australia's youngest heart transplant patient.

Between 1984 and 1990, Chang's unit performed over 197 heart transplants and 14 heart–lung transplants. The unit had a high rate of success, with 90% of those receiving transplants from the unit surviving beyond the first year. In 1986, Victor Chang was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) "in recognition of service to international relations between Australia and China and to medical science".

Concerned about a shortage of organ donors, Chang led the assembly of a team of scientists, engineers, and marketing specialists to develop an artificial heart and manufacture inexpensive heart valves. In 1980, he met Frank Tamru, who acted as a marketing and sales specialist, while he worked for Shiley Laboratories in Singapore. Together with engineers Richard Martin and Brij Gupta, Chang and Tamru founded Pacific Biomedical Enterprises Ltd., which is headquartered in Singapore and set up facilities to develop mechanical and tissue heart valves, called St. Vincent's Heart Valves, in Guangzhou and Sydney. The valves were widely used throughout Asia.

Death
On the morning of 4 July 1991, Chang was shot twice in the head in a failed extortion attempt. His body was found slumped in the gutter next to his Mercedes-Benz 500SL in the Sydney suburb of Mosman. Two Malaysian men, Chew Seng (Ah Sung) Liew and Choon Tee (Phillip) Lim, picked Chang at random from a magazine featuring Asians who had "made it good" in Australia. They ran their Toyota Corolla into Chang's vehicle, forcing him to pull over. After getting into an argument with Chang, who refused to give them money, Liew fired the fatal shots. The first shot entered near the right cheek and exited below the right ear while the fatal second, fired from point-blank range, entered the right temple and passed through the brain. Police investigators initially suspected the involvement of Triad syndicates but later concluded the killing was an amateur act.

Trial
Liew pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 26 years in prison with a non-parole period of 20 years. Lim, who pleaded not guilty and claimed he did not know Liew had a firearm, received a sentence of 18 to 24 years. Another man, Stanley Ng, abandoned the extortion plan a day before the murder. He had unsuccessfully tried detaining Chang twice to force him to give $3 million. Ng was granted immunity for his evidence. The prosecution alleged the plan had been to abduct Chang, tie him up with his family at his home in Clontarf, and threaten to hang them to coerce Chang into withdrawing money from the bank. In his ruling, Supreme Court Judge John Slattery stated, "It was an absurd, improbable plan, always doomed to failure".

On 26 October 2009, Lim was granted parole. Following a public outcry and objection by the New South Wales Corrective Services Minister, John Robertson, his release was put on hold, pending another parole hearing. The New South Wales Supreme Court ruled that the Parole Authority lacked the power to rescind their previous parole decision. Lim was freed from Parramatta Correctional Centre on 1 March 2010 into the custody of immigration officers waiting outside. He was to be deported back to Kuala Lumpur on 2 March, but the flight was canceled for technical reasons. He was flown out of Australia on 3 March.

After 21 years in prison, Liew was granted parole. In his parole hearing, he made a broad apology for the crime and stated that he believed that his long term in prison had had a good effect. There was a small objection from NSW Attorney-General Greg Smith; however, this was retracted, and Liew was released from prison on 12 October 2012 and was met by immigration officers. He was sent back to Malaysia the next day.

Memorial
Chang was given a state funeral. He was cremated and his ashes were buried under a memorial plaque at Green Park, Darlinghurst, opposite St Vincent's Hospital. His manner of death is described in the Dr. Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute website as a "tragic circumstance".

In April 2012, Australia Post released a commemorative postcard and postage stamp featuring a portrait of Dr Chang.

Legacy
In 1984, Chang founded the Victor Chang Foundation to grant funds in two areas he felt passionate about: education and innovation in cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery. The foundation continues today under the leadership of his daughter Vanessa Chang.

On 15 February 1994, the Dr. Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, a body intended to focus on researching "the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart muscle diseases," was launched by Prime Minister Paul Keating with Kerry Packer as its patron. The Dr. Victor Chang Science Labs in Christian Brothers' High School are named after him.

In 1999, Prime Minister John Howard announced Chang as Australian of the Century at the People's Choice Awards after a decision between two Australian larrikins and two lifesavers. Swimmer Dawn Fraser, cricketer Donald Bradman, and ophthalmologist Fred Hollows were other contenders.

In St Vincent's Hospital, the Dr. Victor Chang Lowy Packer Building was established in 2008 with $35 million from the state government and $45 million in corporate and private donations. Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark officially opened the building and declared that Chang "was an original thinker and saw the need for research and the development of heart assist devices and, not least, he is known for his legendary caring for his patients and their families". In Time magazine's "A Golden Anniversary" article, which lists people who have shaped the last "50 Years in the South Pacific" (1959–2009), Chang was listed as the figure of 1979–1989.

In 2017, a Sydney Ferries Emerald-class ferry was named Dr. Victor Chang. Minor planet 24450 was named after him. On 21 November 2023, Google celebrated his 87th birthday with a Google Doodle.

Personal life
Chang met his wife Ann Simmons in 1966. He was the on-call emergency physician at St. Anthony's Hospital in North Cheam, London, where Ann took herself after being taken unwell at a party. They had 3 children: Vanessa, Matthew, and Marcus.

According to his children, he enjoyed driving, saying that cars "provided a chance for Dad to get away from it all; they were his hobby and his opportunity to relax". He restored a 1950s MG TF, and enjoyed the opportunity to vigorously drive many cars, including his 1982 Citroën CX Prestige and several Porsches.

Chang had two younger siblings: sister Frances and brother Anthony. He was not religious but was known to ask the hospital's nun, Sister Bernice, to say a prayer for his patients and was known for his compassion.

title: Victor Chang


text:
AEA White Wing

The White Wing (or Aerodrome #2) was an early US aircraft designed by Frederick W. Baldwin and built by the Aerial Experiment Association in 1908. Unusual for aircraft of its day, it featured a wheeled undercarriage. The wings were equipped with ailerons controlled by a harness worn around the pilot's body; leaning in one direction would cause the aircraft to bank to follow. The ailerons led to a legal dispute with the Wright brothers over the brothers' patent on movable wing surfaces.

First piloted by Baldwin himself on 18 May and the aircraft flew very well. White Wing was then piloted by Lt Thomas Selfridge at Hammondsport, New York, on 19 May 1908 (becoming the first US Army officer to fly an airplane) and then Glenn Curtiss made a flight of 1,017 ft (310 m) in it on 21 May. On 23 May, it crashed during a landing by John McCurdy and was damaged beyond repair.

title: AEA White Wing


text:
Talk:Jack Austin (politician)

Should we set up disambiguation so people don't confuse the politician with the fictional character from Heat Vision and Jack? Factitious 06:21, Sep 30, 2004 (UTC) (feel free to delete the previous post, it is just spam) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.68.68.152 (talk) 01:43, 1 February 2009 (UTC)
 * woot, best politician ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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title: Talk:Jack Austin (politician)


text:
Pitt Street

Pitt Street is a major street in the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia. The street runs through the entire city centre from Circular Quay in the north to Waterloo, although today's street is in two disjointed sections after a substantial stretch of it was removed to make way for Sydney's Central railway station. Pitt Street is well known for the pedestrian only retail centre of Pitt Street Mall, a section of the street which runs from King Street to Market Street.

Pitt Street is a one way (southbound only) from Circular Quay to Pitt Street Mall and (northbound only) from Pitt Street Mall to Goulburn Street, while Pitt Street Mall is for pedestrians only. It is dominated by retail and commercial office space.

History
Pitt Street was originally named Pitt Row, and is one of the earliest named streets in Sydney. Pitt Street is believed to have been named by Governor Arthur Phillip in honour of William Pitt the Younger, at the time, the Prime Minister of Great Britain. In 1853, Pitt Street was extended north from Hunter Street to Circular Quay.

Pitt Street was previously a one-way street in a southerly direction from Circular Quay to Campbell Street. In preparation for the construction of the Pitt Street Mall, in February 1987 the sections between Hunter Street and Martin Place, and Martin Place and King Street were converted to two-way cul de sacs to allow the Martin Place plaza to be extended. This was later reverted and today the Circular Quay to King Street section is one-way throughout in a southerly direction. From Goulburn Street to Park Street was converted to become one-way in a northerly direction. The Market Street to Park Street section initially remained as a southbound street, but was later converted to run northbound. The Goulburn Street to Campbell Street section was converted to two-way.

Tram line
The Circular Quay to Central station line was an important part of the Sydney tram network. It was an extremely busy service for passengers transferring from suburban trains, particularly prior to the opening of the City Circle underground railway line in 1926. Trams operated in a loop from Central station, running north along Pitt Street to Circular Quay returning south via Castlereagh Street. These tracks were also used by some eastern and south-western routes during busy periods. The line closed on 27 September 1957 with four tram services replaced with buses and three others diverted to operate via Elizabeth Street. The line made use of the sandstone viaduct onto the colonnade above Eddy Avenue at Central station, which since 1997 has formed part of the Inner West Light Rail.

Heritage-listed properties
The following properties, located on or adjacent to Pitt Street, are listed on various national, state, and/or local government heritage registers:
 * Bulletin Place warehouses, on Bulletin Place, between Pitt Street and Macquarie Place
 * Commonwealth Trading Bank Building
 * Kings Hotel
 * Pitt Street Uniting Church
 * Soul Pattinson Building
 * The Strand Arcade
 * Sydney School of Arts building
 * Former Sydney Water Head Office
 * The Sydney Club
 * Wales House, now part of the Radisson Blu hotel chain

Pitt Street Cycleway
During the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020 the City of Sydney installed a "pop up" (or temporary) cycleway on Pitt Street. This cycleway was the busiest of all the pop up cycleways installed, with an average of 4430 weekly trips.

In March 2021 the city announced the cycleway would become permanent. It now connects to the King Street cycleway at the south end.

title: Pitt Street


text:
Category talk:Filipino people

Untitled
Not only is "Filipino people" more consistent with the vast majority of nationalities (see Category:People by nationality), this category has a subcategory for "Filipino Americans", indicating that it is actually referring to Filipino people in a wider sense than simply citizens or inhabitants of the Philippines. --VivaEmilyDavies 03:28, 3 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Another suggestion: How about Filipinos( < )? It is shorter. I regularly submit in the Spanish Wiki. There is a Filipino category. There is a resistance to Gente de las Filipinas  category.

There is a List of Filipinos. Merge ?--Jondel 06:26, 30 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Articles directly under this category
Will be sent to its appropriate subcategory, unless for certain special articles. Circa 1900 15:37, 26 March 2006 (UTC)

title: Category talk:Filipino people


text:
African oystercatcher

The African oystercatcher or African black oystercatcher (Haematopus moquini) is a large charismatic wader resident to the mainland coasts and offshore islands of southern Africa. This near-threatened oystercatcher has a population of over 6,000 adults, which breed between November and April. The scientific name moquini commemorates the French naturalist Alfred Moquin-Tandon who discovered and named this species before Bonaparte.

Description
The African oystercatcher is a large, noisy wader, with completely black plumage, red legs and a strong broad red bill. The sexes are similar in appearance, however, females are larger and have a slightly longer beak than males. Juveniles have soft grey plumage and do not express the characteristic red legs and beak until after they fledged. The call is a distinctive loud piping, very similar to Eurasian oystercatchers. As the Eurasian oystercatcher is a migratory species they only occur as a vagrant in southern Africa, and its black-and-white plumage makes confusion impossible.

Average measurements
Body Length: 42 –

Wingspan: 80 and 88 cm

Mass: ♂ 665 g ♀ 730 g

Tarsus: 50.6 to 60.8 mm

Culmen: 57.7 to 79.1 cm

Distribution and habitat
The African oystercatcher is native to the mainland coasts and offshore islands of Southern Africa - sometimes occurring as a vagrant in Angola and Mozambique. Its breeding range extends from Lüderitz, Namibia to Mazeppa Bay, Eastern Cape, South Africa. There are estimated to be over 6,000 adult birds in total.

Typically sedentary African oystercatchers rarely leave their territories, which include a nesting site and feeding grounds. These will usually be located on or near rocky shores where they can feed.

Feeding
African oystercatchers predominantly feed on molluscs such as mussels and limpets, although they are known to also feed on polychaetes, insects and potentially even fish. They are adapted to pry open mussels and loosen limpets off the rocks but have been recorded picking through sand to locate other food items.

Breeding
The nest is a bare scrape on pebbles, sand or shingle within about 30 m of the high-water mark. On rock ledges there may be a rim of shells to keep the eggs in place. The female generally lays two eggs, but there may be one or three, which are incubated by both adults. The incubation period varies between 27 and 39 days and the young take a further 38 or so days to fledge. Breeding success is greater on offshore islands where there are few predators and less disturbance than mainland sites.

The eggs average about 65 mm in length, ranging from 45 to 73 mm, and have a breadth of 41 mm, ranging from 34 to 45 cm.

Longevity and mortality
The lifespan of an African oystercatcher is about 35 years, of which they are known to pair up for 25 years. Although adults are rarely predated, most mainland egg and chick fatalities are due to disturbance by people, off-road vehicles, dog attacks and predation by the kelp gull (Larus dominicanus) and other avian predators. Offshore pairs experience similar avian predation although most chicks perish due to starvation.

Status
As of December 2017 the global IUCN assessment of the African oystercatcher's status is "Least Concern". The population trend seems to be upward as the local community becomes more involved in adopting conservation measures. In South Africa, the species has also been downlisted to Least Concern. A long-term program by the South African Ringing Scheme is tracking the dispersal of ringed birds to keep conservation assessments in South Africa and Namibia up to date.

title: African oystercatcher


text:
Water channel

Water channel may refer to:
 * Strait, a naturally formed, narrow waterway
 * Channel (geography), a landform consisting of the outline of the path of a narrow body of water
 * Canal, a man-made channel for water
 * Aquaporin, a cellular membrane structure that selectively passes water
 * An experimental tank
 * Ship model basin, used in naval architecture to study the behaviour of sea vessels
 * Water tunnel (hydrodynamic), used to study hydraulic flow
 * Wave tank, a laboratory setup for observing the behavior of surface waves (also called: wave flume)
 * Ripple tank, a shallow glass tank of water used in schools and colleges to demonstrate the basic properties of waves

title: Water channel


text:
Gregory Smith (actor)

Gregory Edward Smith (born July 6, 1983) is a Canadian and American actor and director. Smith has appeared in several Hollywood films, and is known for his roles as Alan Abernathy in Small Soldiers, Ephram Brown on The WB television series Everwood, and as Dov Epstein on the ABC/Global police drama series Rookie Blue.

Early life
Smith was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Terrea (née Oster), a teacher from the United States, and Maurice Smith, a producer of low-budget films originally from the United Kingdom. Smith's mother appeared in several of the films that his father produced during the 1980s. Smith has two brothers, including fellow actor Douglas Smith, and a sister.

Career
Smith began acting when he was fourteen months old, and appeared in a Tide television commercial and in store catalogues. After a role in the 1994 children's film Andre, he starred in the 1995 direct-to-video release Leapin' Leprechauns! and its 1996 sequel, Spellbreaker: Secret of the Leprechauns. Also in 1996, Smith appeared opposite Michelle Trachtenberg in Harriet the Spy.

Smith subsequently starred in another direct-to-video film, Shadow Zone: My Teacher Ate My Homework, and appeared in three 1998 films: Krippendorf's Tribe, playing one of the children of the title character, The Climb, a drama also starring John Hurt, and the film Small Soldiers, in which Smith had a lead role opposite Kirsten Dunst, and for which he won a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film Leading Young Actor in 1999.

During the 2000s, Smith appeared in the Mel Gibson-led The Patriot (2000), played outlaw Jim Younger in the western American Outlaws (2001), was featured in the short-lived 2001 CBS drama series Kate Brasher, and was cast in a lead role on The WB Television Network show, Everwood, which became a success and ran from 2002 until June 2006. His role on the show was described by The Independent Weekly as "one of the best portrayals of a thoughtful, alienated teenager on television". For this role, Smith won a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV series (Comedy or Drama) Leading Young Actor in 2003. During Everwood's filming, Smith owned a home on location in Park City, Utah.

In 2005, Smith appeared in the comedy-drama film Kids in America, which had a regional release in the U.S. During the film, Smith shared the longest on-screen kiss with Stephanie Sherrin, timed at almost six minutes. He also played in Zenon (Girl of the 21st Century) as Greg.

Smith next appeared in the independent film drama Nearing Grace, which received a limited theatrical release on October 13, 2006; in the film, which co-stars Ashley Johnson and Jordana Brewster, he plays Henry Nearing, a high senior in the 1970s. The News & Observer's review of the film described Smith's character as "self-deluded" and "perpetually brow-furrowing", although The Seattle Times noted that Smith was "likable", and HeraldNet's review specified that a "better movie will make [Smith] a star".

In 2007, Smith had a small role in The Seeker: The Dark is Rising as Max Stanton. Smith next appeared in the Richard Attenborough-directed period romance Closing the Ring, playing a younger version of Christopher Plummer's character Young Jack, as well as in the thriller Boot Camp, which co-stars Mila Kunis.

In 2008, Smith produced the direct release-to-DVD film Wieners, and made a guest appearance on the series Eli Stone. Smith returned to TV in the series Rookie Blue as Officer Dov Epstein. The series premiered on both ABC and Global TV in Canada on June 24, 2010. Making his television directing debut, he also directed five episodes.

On March 18, 2010, he was cast by Jim Sheridan for his 2011 thriller film Dream House; the movie was shot in Toronto.

He played Slick, the sadistic psychopath, in the 2011 independent film Hobo with a Shotgun.

Personal life
On August 18, 2018, Smith married Canadian actress and model Taylor McKay. In 2021, the couple welcomed their first child, a boy; in 2022, they had a second child, a girl.

title: Gregory Smith (actor)