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Östersund

Östersund (Staare) is an urban area (city) in Jämtland in northern Sweden. It is the seat of Östersund Municipality and the capital of Jämtland County. Östersund is located at the shores of Sweden's fifth-largest lake, Storsjön, opposite the island Frösön. It is the only city in Jämtland. The northern part of the urban area is located inside of the municipality of Krokom.

Östersund is the region's cultural and economical centre and by tradition a city of trade and commerce. The city had one of the most extensive garrisons in Sweden prior to its closure in the early-21st century. Östersund is home to Mid Sweden University's largest campus site with approximately 7,000 students. With a total population of 50,960 (2017) Östersund is the 22nd most populous city in Sweden, the 46th most populous city in Scandinavia, and by far the largest inland city in Northern Sweden.

The city was the only Swedish city founded and chartered in the 18th century. Östersund was founded in order to create a trade monopoly over Jämtland whose inhabitants' lucrative trade annoyed the Swedish Crown. The intention was to persuade the local farmers to deliver merchandise to middlemen in Östersund, but the population opposed this economic philosophy, and Östersund long remained small. It took until the end of the 19th century for Östersund to truly become a city, after the arrival of the railroad and the economic liberalization of that time.

Östersund is situated in inland Scandinavia and connected to Sundsvall in the east on the Swedish coast, and Trondheim in the west at the shores of the Norwegian Sea. Östersund is located in the middle of Scandinavia, in the middle of Sweden, in the middle of Jämtland County and in the middle of Östersund Municipality. As the most centrally located city in Sweden, the city credits itself as the centre of Sweden.

Östersund is marketed as Vinterstaden – Winter City. Winter City as a project is run by the municipality together with city enterprises. While winters are long, the local climate is only moderately cold by elevated and northerly Swedish standards, but with chilly summers. Östersund has had a long history as a centre of outdoor activities with a modern cross-country ski stadium and an actual piste in the city itself. Östersund has also hosted several World Championships in various sports such as biathlon, speed skating and ski orienteering along with Swedish National Championships in cross-country skiing and snocross. The city has been the applicant city of Sweden for several Winter Olympic Games, but has yet to host one. The precursor to the Winter Olympic Games, the Nordic Games, were however held at several occasions in the city, due to lack of snow in Stockholm.

Geography
Östersund is the only city in the province and is located on the shore of Storsjön, the fifth largest lake in Sweden. The area surrounding this lake is commonly referred to as Storsjöbygden and has been described as the world's northernmost located genuine agricultural society in the inland with continental climate. The city sprawls along the eastern slopes of lake Storsjön with most of the city, and the city core itself, located on the mainland, facing the non mainland part of the city, the island of Frösön, which for a very long time was the actual centre of Jämtland. Today, a sizeable part of the city's population live on the slopes of the island that face the city centre. Östersund is a bimunicipal town because a minor part of it, with roughly 400 inhabitants, is actually situated in Krokom Municipality.

The city spans across Östersundet and the city was named after this strait. Östersund can be directly translated from Swedish to English as "East Sound". The name of the strait derives from an older Jamtish name now present in the form Åstersånn.

Climate
Östersund has a subarctic climate (Köppen: Dfc) and is located in the far north of the north temperate climate zone. The cold Arctic winds that occasionally find their way to the city are called nordvästan ('the north-westerner') or kallvästan ('the cold-westerner') locally.

The winter climate is much warmer than most locations at similar latitudes. This is due to the Gulf Stream and the many passages in the mountain range, bringing warmer Atlantic winds to the city during winters. This somewhat maritime character also makes the summers in the city rather cool, in comparison to other towns in inland Scandinavia, which all have a more continental climate with cold winters and warm summers. It contains a strong influence of the humid continental climate (Dfb) courtesy of its mild September lows extending the mild mean temperatures.

Though Östersund is in fact affected by the Gulf Stream, it lacks the high frequency of rain or snow following the currents. This is due to the Scandinavian Mountain Range acting as a natural barrier, receiving most of the precipitation, giving Östersund and the surrounding area a rain deficit. Another issue that has to be taken into account is the higher elevation of Östersund compared to the weather stations in Ångermanland farther east. For example, Sollefteå at a similar latitude 130 km to the east but near sea level in an inland valley, has three degrees warmer July days. There is often temperature inversion between Östersund and lower areas in winter.

Östersund has a high exposition of sunlight and was the sunniest city in Sweden in the summer of 2007 (1 July to 9 August) with 654 hours of sun. However, in comparison to east coast locations, sunshine is relatively low.

Cityscape
Östersund was laid out with roads spanning from north to south countered by several alleys from east to west, which is why an alley in Östersund is synonymous with a road leading down towards Storsjön. From the inner city one may gaze upon Storsjön, Frösön and the Jamtish fell region with snow-clad mountains. This was made possible due to the topography and the grid plan.

The regularity in Östersund's road system and the slanting alleys leading from higher altitudes down towards Storsjön have created the "windows to the west" characteristic and unique to Östersund as a city. The alleys, often seen as rather steep, have created the illusion that the houses in the city core are climbing to higher grounds. These houses were conformed upon their construction to fit with the slopes. The first city plan of Östersund was made with several large segments in the core being reserved as green areas. Östersund was thus planned as a green city and special lots, e.g. kryddgårdstomter 'spice garden lots' were created along with construction lots. These lots shifted with a construction lot alternating with a spice garden lot. The garden lots are no longer existent since they too have been constructed upon. Many of the fences that separated each lot from another with trees and verdure were left intact. The large green areas are still present, with parks such as Kyrkparken, Österängsparken and Badhusparken being the most prominent. Badhusparken was once the location of a large bath house (hence the name Badhus-) though it was torn down in 1881 when the railway was constructed. A new larger two-storey pompous bath house was later built on poles a few metres from the shore, enabling the population to bathe in the waters of Storsjön during summers. This house was also torn down when a new bath house with heated water was founded in 1938. When Östersund started to grow as a city in the late 19th century the houses consisted predominantly of wood, though stone had become popular in the central parts. These houses were heavily characterized by Neo-Gothicism and Neo-Renaissance architecture. A very common feature of these houses were towers, some even resembling those on old castles like the one on Hotell Grand at the main square. In the early 20th century a new age had come and in the main road, Prästgatan, the new age came fiercely. The wooden houses were replaced by stone buildings, because a city's well-being was measured in how many stone buildings it had. At the same time military barracks were constructed in connection to the older settlement. Jugendstil became popular too as an addition to the National Romantic style architecture. In the 1930s, the functionalistic style made itself apparent in Östersund's outskirts, which were growing. In the 1940s, the city was made more car-friendly and the city was first and foremost planned for cars. Later sanitarian issues were brought up, which resulted in the construction of a sewage treatment works and the waste water was no longer flushed directly into Storsjön. Östersund was also affected by the Million Programme, though to a lesser extent than other cities. During the same period older buildings such as Hotell Grand (to make room for Storsjöteatern), Cellfängelset (a jail located at the beginning of Prästgatan), Flickskolan (the girl school next to the city hall, where the current county library is located) and Västra stationen (at Badhusparken) were torn down. The local media described it all as e.g. "demolishing madness". When the Good Templar house was threatened in order to widen Rådhusgatan the city's inhabitants had had enough and the building was saved. The buildings along Storgatan (literally: 'the large street') with entire segments intact since the 1880s are considered one of the best preserved city settlements in Sweden. The wooden façades are rich with details and the house are relatively low, short and slim. A great amount of work was put down on creating a balance between details and entirety. Parallel with Storgatan lies Prästgatan – 'the priest street', Östersund's main shopping street. The buildings between the two streets are often connected and the streets create small rooms mostly inaccessible for keen winds. These so-called rooms also stimulate the social life on the streets.

Stortorget – the main town square in central Östersund is one of six "closed squares" built in Sweden, the others being the ones in Uppsala, Karlstad, Vimmerby, Piteå and Haparanda. It was created through indentation in four different blocks to deliberately create an open air room with openings to every direction, a style deriving from how cities were planned during the Renaissance. However the town square lost its original shape when it was opened up and expanded towards the lake. Stortorget has long been the city's main market place and core; it is also here that the thousand-year-old market Gregorie market is held each year in March. The city festival Storsjöyran has Stortorget as its main centre.

Districts and housing estates
Before Östersund was established the population in the area was very scarce. In Odensala and Torvalla older settlements existed; the name Odensala can be derived from the Viking age and the Halls of Odin (though Torvalla means 'dry wealds' with no reference to Thor). These two villages were later incorporated into Östersund and are today two major urban districts. Besides them the urban districts of Staden, Norr, Söder, Odenslund, Karlslund, Körfältet Odenskog, Lugnvik are found on the mainland of Östersund. On the island Frösön are the six urban districts Hornsberg, Östberget, Frösödal, Mjälle, Valla and Härke.

The central parts of Östersund are a part of the urban district Staden – 'the city', which has become synonymous with Östersund for many people living in the nearby villages and towns. As Östersund is the only city in the area and nearest city for many it is common to call it Stan, though the dative form Staa has increasingly grown unusual. The residents of Östersund are referred to as östersundare, though local people in rural areas call them stassbon 'towners', and stassbo 'towner', in singular.

Landmarks
The most well-known landmark of Östersund is the national romantic Östersund City Hall (Östersunds rådhus). It is 51 meters tall and contains 136 rooms. It is the greatest constructional symbol of the National Romantic architecture in Östersund. The city hall looks almost like a fortress and has a particular connection to the local art of Jämtland. The bell tower is of typical Jamtish design, shaped like an onion. Local sculptor Olof Ahlberg (1876–1956) made most of the sculptural details and the ornaments are made from Jamtish limestone.

Östersund City Hall was designed by Frans Bertil Wallberg (1862–1935) and was seen by contemporary colleagues as the best of modern Swedish architecture. The main part of the building is accentuated by a grand tower and a monumental stairway. It is accompanied by only one wing, the north wing, as the second, south wing, was torn down in the 1970s.

A recently built landmark is Arctura, named after Jämtland's provincial star Arcturus, a large hot water accumulator tank. Due to its appearance it is referred to as Termosen ('the Thermos'). At night the 65-meter building is illuminated with various lights to give the appearance of sunrise and the Aurora Borealis, for example.

History

Lake Storsjön's shores have long been inhabited. The area where Östersund is situated was for a very long time Frösön's link to the east mainland. Frösön, the island of the Norse god Freyr, was originally the centre of the region and it was here the only inland Scandinavian hill fort, Mjälleborgen, was built around 300 AD. The ancient Scandinavian thing Jamtamót was held on this island, the christening of Jämtland begun here and it was here the world's northernmost raised runestone, Frösö Runestone, was raised.

Plans regarding the foundation of a Swedish city or köping (market town, 'Chipping') in Jämtland existed among governmental officials already after the previously Norwegian province was ceded from Denmark-Norway in 1645. Queen Christina demanded the establishment of a sconce on Andersön shortly after the province became Swedish; this sconce would together with Frösö sconce secure Swedish control of Jämtland. Christina's intention was to locate the "Jamts' city" within this fortification. In order to construct the sconce the local inhabitants were coerced into forced labour 1651 but after protests and lack of capital the project was ended in 1654. In 1758, the plans were brought back up through an initiative from the chief financial director Pehr Schissler and the proposition did however initiate a new debate whether or not a city was to be established in Jämtland, in order to counteract the trading and faring traditions of Jämtland's farmers. Several other attempts at concentration had previously been taken, and deemed unsatisfactory. Östersund was founded and given its charter by Monarch Gustav III of Sweden on 23 October 1786, shortly after the outskirt of the Odensala farmers' lands were bought for the purpose. Several other places had been suggested, like Huså, the then-largest settlement in Jämtland, along with Krokom, Sunne and Ede outside of Brunflo. Frösön was also a candidate but the lot fell on Östersund, as it was deemed most favourable. The only things actually located in the area at the time were the main road and the bridge to Frösön. Östersund was upon its foundation freed from taxes for a period of 20 years and completely liberated from trade regulations and guild order. In other remote locations of the Nordic region, similar cities were founded, like Reykjavík in Iceland the very same year, Tromsø (1794) in Northern Norway and Tampere (1775) and Kuopio (1782) in the Finnish inland. Östersund is however the only city in present-day Sweden to have been founded in the 18th century. The city developed poorly and had to struggle in its infancy. The state tried to persuade the Jamtish traders on Frösön to migrate to the new city but they had no intentions of leaving such a rich parish with the fertile soils Frösön consisted of in favour of the swamp and marshes across the strait. During its first 50 years the city's population only grew by an average of eight people per year. The city became the county seat of the newly founded county consisting of the provinces Jämtland and Härjedalen in 1810, and a county council was established. Though, Östersund remained a de facto farming village with fewer than 400 inhabitants in 1820. An upswing occurred in the 1850s, as trade was liberalized and the logging industry developed.

It took until the construction of the railroad in 1879 before Östersund became a real city and actually gained the status as Jämtland's centre, at Frösön's expense. Thanks to the "farmer chieftain" Nils Larson i Tullus, the railroad came to pass through the city itself instead of outside it, as planned. The railway from coast to coast across the then-union between Sweden and Norway was finished in 1882, connecting Östersund more closely to Trondheim and Sundsvall. Östersund then came to grow faster than any other Swedish city. After ten years it had passed 20 Swedish cities in population. The city attracted immigrants, a slight majority from the Jamtish countryside, though still with a high number of settlers from southern Sweden. While Östersund was in its most intense state of growth, popular movements emerged among the inhabitants. In Jämtland and Härjedalen the Good Templar movement (a part of the temperance movement) came to dominate completely. In 1883, 700 of the city's total population of 3,000 were organized Good Templars. The greatest symbol of the movements grandeur was the Order House constructed in 1885 in the city, Östersunds-Goodtemplars-Ordenshus. When one of the most prominent leaders, Joseph Malins, visited the city he announced that it was the world's largest order house.

Many of the leading people behind the popular movements in Östersund saw industrialization as a significant threat to the native districts and the old village and farming community. The work from the movements made the city and its centre-right governance extremely hostile to industry. Instead they wanted to portray Östersund as a centre of outdoor activities, culture, education and tourism. Industry was not allowed to threaten the good environment and cultural history traditions.

In 1917 when the Great War was fought on the continent and with the February Revolution in Russia, the beginning of the Russian Revolution also affected Östersund. Rationing led to lack of supplies and a revolution was feared. Some of the citizens, primarily soldiers, went on hunger strikes and at the first of May that year 4,000 demonstrators gathered in front of the city hall demanding lower prices on milk and wood. The year after, the Spanish flu spread like wildfire across the world. The city doctor in Östersund noted that "Östersund ought without objection to have been more haunted by the flu than any other Swedish city", which is why Östersund was referred to by locals as spanska sjukans huvudstad, 'capital of the Spanish flu'. Despite the Great Depression and several crises resulting in a very high unemployment rate, Östersund continued to grow in the interwar period. In 1918 the Odenslund area was incorporated. The business sector remained largely unaffected and Östersund continued to be one of the least industrialized cities in Sweden. Instead Östersund continued to focus on wholesale trade and became a centre for it in northern and north-central Sweden. The city's central position was strengthened when the Inlandsbanan railway was constructed through Jämtland from the north to the south. The first scheduled bus route was created in the 1920s between Östersund and the nearby town of Brunflo. In the next decade well over 40 bus routes were functioning in Östersund. The dairy was located west of the bus square, Gustav III:s torg, at the current site of the shopping mall Kärnan. This square naturally become a central part of the city.

Östersund continued to grow after the Second World War. Lugnvik was incorporated into the city in 1954 and Östersund was, like the rest of Jämtland, affected by the Rehn-Meidner-model, though not in the same way. The Swedish Keynesian policy was launched in order to improve the mobility of the labour force. Jämtland was struck hard by this when the people moved from the countryside to cities, from inland to coast and from the north to the south. As an urban area Östersund was affected by the Million Programme and urban districts like Körfältet were created. The negative view towards industry changed when the Social Democrats came to power for the first time in the city's history in 1952. Industries were enticed to Östersund through the national localization policy and industrial areas were created in Odenskog and Lugnvik. Development was not, as already mentioned, as good in the rest of Jämtland as it was in Östersund and as a counter to the governmental policy, the Republic of Jamtland was established in 1963. Östersund became the capital of the tongue-in-cheek republic and the home of the freedom festival Storsjöyran.

Östersund continued to grow and in 1970 Frösö köping was made part of Östersund. In 1971 a major reform occurred in Sweden creating large municipalities replacing all the older institutions; the new large municipality was named after the city. As in the rest of Sweden, the public sector greatly expanded at this time. In 1960 the public sector of Sweden constituted about 30 per cent of Sweden's total gross domestic product; by the mid-1980s the number had grown to 65 per cent. At the time jobs were growing in the county council, the government and in the new municipality. The main reasons for the large expansion were the expanded transfer payment to the households that occurred along with growing interest and public consumption. Everything was financed by heavy tax increases. The entirety of the 1970s was a period of expansion. Besides the new industrial complex the Frösö bridge was constructed, a new police station, Z-kupolen (burned to the ground in 1989), Storsjöteatern, Folkets hus, neighborhood churches, malls, etc. The county administrative office and the hospital were expanded and large residential areas grew up in the aforementioned Körfältet and Lugnvik areas, as well as in Odensala.

As early as the 1940s, the city tried to have a humanities university college located on Frösön. Opposition between cities in Norrland was great and it was Umeå that finally emerged victorious in 1962. Östersund did, however, get a university college for social workers (Socialhögskola) in 1971. Since 2005 Östersund has been one of the main campus sites of the Mid Sweden University (Mittuniversitetet). A number of governmental offices have also been built in the city in recent years.

Garrison town
Östersund became a garrison town when the Norrland Artillery Regiment (A 4) was founded in the city in 1892, followed by the upgrading of the Jämtland Ranger Corps to the Jämtland Ranger Regiment (I 23). This was done with the growing fear of a Russian assault whereas Jämtland-Trøndelag and Norrbotten became the most prioritized defense regions. The dissolution of the union between Sweden and Norway contributed by enhancing Östersund as a military city and strengthening its presence; the Jämtland Ranger Regiment was located in the city in 1910 and the Jämtland Wing (F 4) came to Frösön in 1926.

Östersund's importance as a garrison town grew when the city was connected to the Boden Fortress, following the construction of the Inlandsbanan railway.

After the fall of the Iron Curtain, the destruction of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the Dissolution of the USSR in 1991 Sweden had lost its national threat and the demand for a strong defense organization was deemed unnecessary. The issue was debated throughout the 1990s and the final decision came in 2004 where all military presence in Östersund was ended. Upon delivering the message the Swedish Minister for Defence Leni Björklund was publicly booed by the city's inhabitants.

The ending of Östersund's status as a garrison town has however created larger enthusiasm regarding the city's future as the private sector has grown larger and more companies are being established, much of which is due to the financial compensation offered by the state. The older areas reserved for military activities have been opened up and two more urban districts were made available.

Politics and governance

Östersund is the capital of Jämtland County and thus, the county governor Britt Bohlin Ohlsson resides in the city. Bohlin Ohlsson is the head of Jämtland County Administrative Board (Länsstyrelsen i Jämtlands län), an administrative entity appointed by the Swedish Government.

Östersund is also the seat of Jämtland County Council (Jämtlands läns landsting). The County Council is the elected assembly of Jämtland County. The County Council's responsibilities lie primarily within the public health care system and transportation between the municipalities.

Östersund is the seat of Östersund Municipality (Östersunds kommun). The legislative body of the municipality is the 67-member municipal assembly (kommunfullmäktige), elected by proportional representation for a four-year term. The assembly appoints the municipality's main governing body, the 15-member executive committee (kommunstyrelsen). The executive committee is headed by the Mayor (kommunstyrelsens ordförande). Östersund has historically been dominated by the Conservatives, the freeminded (later on Liberal People's Party) and the Social Democrats. Though contrary to Sweden on a national level, Östersund's centre-right parties long remained in majority. The situation changed only in 1952 when the Social Democrats were included and they won an absolute majority in 1962. In 1966 the agrarian and rural Centre Party entered the scene, along with the minor Christian Democrat and Communist parties. A new centre-right municipal government was appointed and the Centre Party became the largest party in that coalition in 1970. However, since the 1980s the Social Democratic Party has been in power (excluding a term in the 1990s) supported by the communists (now Left Party) and occasionally the Green Party (entered in 1982). Jens Nilsson from the Social Democratic Party is the mayor of Östersund and has been so since 1997.

Transport
The airport is situated 11 km outside the city centre, on the island of Frösön. Åre Östersund Airport (previously named Östersunds flygplats) is an international airport and the ninth biggest in Sweden with roughly 390,000 passengers in 2005. The airport is one of few Swedish airports with incoming foreign charter traffic and the only one with considerable economic growth in that sector.

The European route E14 runs through Östersund from Trondheim to Sundsvall and briefly merges with the European route E45 (referred to as Inlandsvägen locally) coming from the north. The two roads are later split in Brunflo where E14 continues heading east and E45 turns south again.

Östersund has passenger rail services to and from, mainly, Sundsvall and Stockholm. Norrtåg operates Mittbanan from Storlien to Sundsvall. Inlandsbanan runs in the same directions as European Route 45. Östersund is connected to Stockholm via long distance SJ 3000 (higher-speed trains), InterCity and night train. There are overnight services to and from Gothenburg and, seasonally, Malmö. Local company Stadsbussarna i Östersund (literally: 'the City Buses in Östersund') has nine routes in the city.

As Östersund is located on the shores of Storsjön, (English: 'the great lake'), it also has a harbour. There is also a harbour on the Frösö side of the strait. Several bridges span across Storsjön connecting Östersund with communities nearby, Frösöbron across Östersundet, Vallsundsbron from Frösön across Vallsundet to Annersia 'the other side' and Rödöbron from Frösön to Rödön in Krokom Municipality.

Trade and commerce
Like the rest of Jämtland Östersund is heavily dominated by many small businesses. The city is the centre of trade and commerce in Jämtland County and has more than 300 shops. The retail trade's turnover is 30 per cent higher than it ought to be, given the number of inhabitants the city has. Trade in the central business district (Staden – 'the city') is mostly concentrated on the shopping and pedestrian street Prästgatan where large local shopping malls such as Kärnan and Mittpunkten along with department stores such as Åhléns are located. There are large clothing companies such as H&M and Lindex and smaller ones like WESC, approximately 50 restaurants, shoe stores, sporting goods retailers like Stadium and Intersport, several supermarkets (Östersund has rather few convenience stores), etc. Storgatan, the street that runs parallel with Prästgatan, is also lined with shops, restaurants and coffeehouses. Unlike Prästgatan this street is not a pedestrian street. Östersund is the city in Sweden with the most square metres of window display per capita. The most prominent figure in Östersund's business life throughout the 20th century was the car salesman (who started out selling horses) Sven O. Persson, founder of Persson Invest, Byggelit and Bilbolaget. A significant real estate owner was Maths O. Sundqvist (1950–2012).

Östersund has had a long history as a marketplace with the already mentioned ancient Gregorie market, tracing its lineage back to the 11th century, held in early March. Despite being banned in 1914, it continued to be held for a couple of years. In 1950, the market was reborn shortly and was completely resurrected in 1986, when the city celebrated its 200th anniversary, and has been held yearly since then. In 1948, when the markets were non-existent, visions to restore Östersund's market traditions in a modern version were brought up. The result was the trade fair Expo Norr, initiated in 1950 in order to strengthen Östersund as a leading centre of trade in the northern parts of Sweden. The trade fair is an annual event just like Gregorie market, though Expo Norr is held during the summer and not during the winter. Expo Norr is usually attended by 30,000 individuals every year.

Like many other county capitals in Sweden the county council and the municipality are among the largest employers.

Besides trading and public services Östersund has some larger companies such as Solectron, Cybercom, Volex, Husqvarna AB, Swedbank's telephone bank and Telia. Companies such as the dairy cooperation Milko and Inlandsbanan AB have located their corporate headquarters in the city.

A national survey done by the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise shows that out of every company in Östersund Municipality 52 per cent are "very positive towards globalization", thus ranking Östersund at number eight in Sweden as the most globalization-friendly municipality (2008).

Cultural venues
Östersund is the cultural centre of Jämtland County and home to the prize winning museum Jamtli. The museum has both an indoor exhibition area and an outdoor area which contains a number of historical buildings from all over the county, depicting the old lives of peasants, the early city of Östersund and the Scandinavian inland herding. The museum exhibition hosts an interesting set of tapestries, the Överhogdal tapestries, showing a rich imagery of both Norse and Christian origin from the Viking Age. The mythical Storsjöodjuret (Great Lake Monster) has an exhibit of its own. Another remnant from the Viking Age is Frösöstenen, one of the world's most northerly rune stones located on Frösön, the island of Freyr.

The county library, Jämtlands läns bibliotek, is located in the city. It is the oldest county library in Sweden, being founded in 1816 by the will of professor Carl Zetterström. As the library grew it was moved to a bigger facility. The older building is now situated beside the old church in Kyrkparken. Lake Storsjön has been trafficked for a long time and the steamships S/S Thomée and S/S Östersund are still in operation every summer. Unlike most boats, they are seen as male and not female. S/S Thomée is the only one that sets sail from Östersund's harbour. S/S Östersund sails from Arvesund, located at Storsjön's western shore but makes visits to Jamtli's steamboat jetty.

Frösö Zoo was one of Sweden's largest zoological gardens with exotic animals. Prior to its closing in 2019, it had roughly 700 animals including Siberian tigers, lions, polar wolves, and monkeys. Frösö Zoo also had a tropical house, a biological museum and an amusement park. Outside of Östersund in the village of Orrviken there is a moose zoo called Moose Garden, allowing close encounters with tame moose. Färgfabriken ('the paint factory') is a centre for experimental culture based in Stockholm that portrays itself as a laboratory of contemporary art. A branch named Färgfabriken Norr was established in Östersund between April 2008 and January 2011.

Gaaltije, the centre for South Sami culture, opened in 1999 and is a living source of knowledge for South Sami culture, history and business.

Gamla Tingshuset holds a small cinema, a café, a small venue and practice halls. It is usually a meeting place for the town's youth.

Events

 * The city festival Storsjöyran (referred to as simply Yran, literally meaning: The Great Lake Giddy Festival), the oldest city festival in Scandinavia and with 55,000 visitors every year the largest in Sweden. Storsjöyran is held in the middle of Östersund the last weekend of July. Although the event starts the weekend before with the opening of Krogstråket when regional bars and restaurants gather near the lake.
 * Jamtli Christmas Market is well attended market taking place the second weekend of Advent.
 * Expo Norr, Sweden's oldest merchandise trade fair held in June with roughly 400 exhibitors.
 * Vinterparken ('The Winter Park'), with seasonal lakeside events.

Media
The largest daily newspaper in Östersund is Östersunds-Posten (ÖP) with a circulation of 30,000 copies and the second largest is Länstidningen Östersund (LT) with a circulation of 15,000 copies (2006 for both). Like most Swedish newspaper they each have a political editorial page, views of the Centre Party are expressed in ÖP and views of the Swedish Social Democratic Party are expressed in LT. Länstidningen is unique in Sweden, as it is the only Swedish newspaper with press support that has ever made itself non-dependent on state subsidy. Much of the paper's success is ascribed to the then editor-in-chief awarded with the Grand Journalism Award (Stora Journalistpriset). Since 2006 the newspaper has been dependent on state subsidy. The media group Mittmedia has owned both newspapers since 2005.

Two free daily newspapers exist in the city, 100 procent Östersund and Lokaltidningen Storsjön.

Local radio stations include Radio Jämtland (a part of Sveriges Radio), One FM and Modern Times Group's Rix FM.

Films shot in Östersund
The following feature films have been shot in Östersund:
 * Bitter Flowers
 * Dunderklumpen
 * Marianne
 * The American

Education
Östersund recently became a university city and the Mid Sweden University has its largest campus site in Östersund with well over 7,000 students. The Mid Sweden University was a university college (högskola) named Mitthögskolan until it was granted university status in 2005, making it the youngest university in Sweden. Mitthögskolan was the result of the merger between the University College of Sundsvall/Härnösand (Högskolan i Sundsvall/Härnösand) and the University College of Östersund (Högskolan i Östersund)

Östersund is a centre for the research in social sciences (business administration, psychology, sociology and political science) and social work, whilst the research in Health Sciences is split between Östersund and Sundsvall.

The city has several secondary schools (gymnasieskolor) of which Palmcrantzskolan (PC) and Wargentinsskolan (Wargen) are the two largest. Among the smaller are Storsjögymnasiet, Östersund's gymnasieskola and Dille Gård Naturbruksgymnasium.

Sports
Östersund is marketed as the Winter City and has a long history of winter sports. It is internationally perhaps most known as one of the regular Biathlon World Cup hosts in late-November and early-December. World Cup competitions have been held there since 1989. The Biathlon World Championship 1970 were hosted in Östersund in 1970, 2008 and 2019.

The cross-country skiing stadium is located two kilometres (2 km) from the city centre and is one of the most well-equipped and spectator friendly ski stadiums in Sweden. The stadium is also internationally renowned due to the topography of its ski tracks, the compact track-system and the fact that Östersund is usually quite a reliable locality for snow during the winter months. A number of biathlon world cup races have been held at the stadium as well as several national championships in cross-country skiing.

Nationellt Vintersportcentrum (NVC, Swedish Winter Sports Research Centre) is a research and training project run by the sports movement, the university, the municipality and the county council. The Swedish Olympic Committee (SOC) use its lab for various tests.

Östersund, in association with the neighboring municipality of Åre, had plans to be the candidate of Sweden for the organization of the XXII Olympic Winter Games, the 2014 Winter Olympics, but the candidacy proposal was rejected by the government. It would have been the fourth attempt of this city (after 1994 where Östersund lost the bid with the score 45–39 to Lillehammer in the final round, 1998 and 2002).

Östersund has a basketball team in Sweden's highest division (Ligan), Jämtland Basket.

Östersund's Fallskärmsklubb is the oldest of Sweden's drop zones and was formed in 1958. The very first civilian parachute jump was done actually on the ice of Storsjön in February 1956. The jumpers were officers from the Swedish Parachute rangers regiment that also wanted to jump on their spare time. Östersund's Fallskärmsklubb is today localized to Optand's airfields, approximately 13 km south from Östersund where the education of students and skydiving for experienced jumpers are carried out year-round with the exception of late autumn until early winter.

Other sports clubs include:

 * IFK Östersund
 * Ope IF
 * Östersunds FK
 * Fältjägarnas IF

2021 Special Olympics World Winter Games
Östersund along with Åre were originally to host the 2021 Special Olympics World Winter Games. It would have marked the first time that Sweden had ever hosted the Special Olympics. However, due to lack of funding on 19 December 2019, the event did not take place in Sweden. Instead it will take place in Kazan, Russia and was delayed to 2022.

Notable residents

 * Alx Danielsson (born 1981), racing driver
 * Alexander Edler (born 1986), professional ice hockey defenseman for the Los Angeles Kings
 * Emil Fjellström (1884–1944), stage and film actor
 * Mathias Fredriksson (born 1973), cross-country skier
 * Anna Haag (born 1986), cross-country skier
 * Rune Hassner (1928–2003) photographer and film director
 * Martha Hedman (1883–1974), Swedish-American stage actress
 * Emil Jönsson (born 1985), cross-country skier
 * Jacob Moverare (born 1998), ice hockey player
 * Annika Norlin (born 1977), singer/songwriter for Hello Saferide and Säkert!

Twin towns – Sister cities
Östersund is twinned with:
 * 🇳🇴 Trondheim, Norway (since 1946)
 * 🇵🇱 Sanok, Poland

title: Östersund


text:
Åre

Åre is a locality and one of the leading Scandinavian ski resorts situated in Åre Municipality, Jämtland County, Sweden with 3,200 inhabitants in 2018. It is, however, not the seat of the municipality, which is Järpen. 25% of the local economy is based on tourism, most notably the downhill skiing and biking resorts in Åre, Duved and Storlien. The growth in tourism has resulted in the development of hotels, recreational and shopping opportunities in the area.

History
In the 12th century the Åre Old Church was built. Saint Olaf the Holy is a historical figure who has influenced the village and for centuries pilgrims passed through the village on their way to Trondheim. Sami people settled in the mid-17th century to take advantage of good reindeer pasture. In the 18th and 19th century the copper mines in Fröå were important industries. Tourism started to grow with the establishment of a railroad in 1882, and Åre's first Grand Hotel was erected in 1896. The kings of Sweden and Norway came to stay in Åre and Storlien for recreational purposes since the 19th century.

Geography
Åre is situated in Åredalen (Åre Valley), approximately 400 m AMSL at the coastline of Åresjön lake. Through Åre goes the European route E14 and the Mittbanan railway, connecting the larger towns Östersund and Trondheim.

Climate
Åre has a subarctic climate (Dfc).

Tourism
Tourism in Åre started as King Oscar II in 1882 supervised construction of the Östersund–Trondheim railway. With this new railway, many people came to Åre to breathe the fresh air and to walk to the top of Åreskutan. They were soon known as "air-guests" (Sw. luftgäster).

There was no hotel, but in 1888 Albin Wettergren opened a restaurant by the railway station. In 1891, Åre Tourist Station opened and even more guests were attracted to the village.

A lady from Östersund saw this increasing tourism as a great opportunity to open a hotel and did so in 1895. It was called "Hotell Åreskutan". Albin Wettergren opened a hotel ("Grand Hotell") as well. These were only a few of all the hotels that were going to be founded in Åre.

In 1910, the funicular Åre Bergbana was built and was the third one in Sweden after Skansens Bergbana in Stockholm (1898) and the one in Kiruna (1907). This was a more convenient way for the air-guests to reach the top of Åreskutan.

In 2008, the hotel Copperhill Mountain Lodge opened on the top of the Förberget hill. Designed by American architect Peter Bohlin, it is the only mountain hotel in Scandinavia referred to as a "Design Hotel".

Winter events
Taking advantage of the Åreskutan fell, Åre Ski Area has become the major center for alpine skiing in Sweden, sporting more than 30 modern ski-lifts. It hosted the Alpine World Championships in 1954, 2007 and 2019, and has hosted more than 100 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup events throughout the years. On 9–10 March 2012, the Freestyle FIS World Cup was held at the Slalombacken slalom course close to the village centre, and on 18 Feb 2020 a sprint race in the FIS Cross-Country World Cup was held at the same place.

2021 Special Olympics World Winter Games
Åre along with Östersund were initially selected to host the 2021 Special Olympics World Winter Games. It would have marked the first time that Sweden has ever hosted the Special Olympics. However, due to a variety of issues including lack of funding, on 19 December 2019, the event will not take place in Sweden. Instead it will take place in Kazan, Russia and was delayed to 2022.

Winter Olympics
Åre has also been the site for the alpine events in Sweden's eight failed bids to host the Olympic Winter Games, including for the 1984, 1988, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2022 and 2026. This is because Åre has the only piste in Sweden suitable for top-level downhill races.

Notable people

 * Henrik Lundqvist – New York Rangers goaltender, gold medalist in 2006, 2012 Vezina trophy winner and twin brother of Joel Lundqvist
 * Joel Lundqvist – Frölunda HC captain and checking forward, two-time world champion, former Dallas Star and twin brother of Henrik Lundqvist
 * Jon Olsson - Professional freestyle skier, X-Games Champion and social media influencer
 * Henrik Windstedt – winner of the 2008 Freeride World Tour
 * Lars-Börje Eriksson – Olympic alpine skiing bronze medalist
 * Henrik Harlaut – Professional freestyle skier

Summer events
Åre has since the 1990s become the largest mountainbike resort in Sweden. In 1999 it was the host for the UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships and it hosted the Nordic Championships 2007. There are numerous graded downhill cycling trails. The Åre Bikepark is open from 1 May until 15 October and is the host for the Mayhem Festival.

During summer Åre can also sport hiking, paragliding, kayaking, and a golf course about 15 minutes from the village. In July every year there is a multisport competition in Åre – Åre Extreme Challenge. It counts as the Scandinavian championship in multisport.

"One of the world's ten best ski-resorts"
In 2008 Åre was appointed as one of the ten best ski-resorts in the world at the list from the magazine Condé Nast Traveller

Transport
The nearest airport is situated 99 kilometres (62 mi) eastward, on the island of Frösön in Östersund. Åre Östersund Airport is an international airport and the ninth biggest in Sweden with roughly 390 000 passengers (2005).

The European route E14 runs through Åre from Trondheim via Östersund to Sundsvall, where it merges with the European route E45.

Åre also has a train station. Norrtåg operates the Mittbanan railway from Storlien (where Trondheim-bound diesel trains connect), via Åre and Östersund to Sundsvall. Åre is connected to Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö through long distance SJ 3000 (higher-speed trains) and InterCity. Åre is also served by seasonal overnight trains.

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

title: Åre


text:
Strömsund

Strömsund (Straejmie) is a locality and the seat of Strömsund Municipality in Jämtland County, Sweden with 3,589 inhabitants in 2010.

The church (Ströms kyrka) was inaugurated in 1847.The Grand Hotel dates to 1909. The Court House (Tingshuset) was inaugurated in 1911 and was designed by architect Frans Bertil Wallberg (1862–1935). Strömsund railway station was built in 1913. It is on a branch line from Ulriksfors at the Inland Line. Strömsund Bridge (Strömsundsbron), a cable-stayed road bridge, bringing European route E45 over Ströms vattudal in Strömsund,  opened in 1956. Strömsund's Municipal Building (Strömsunds kommunalhus) was designed by architect firm Klemming & Thelaus in 1958.

Strömsund is noted for being pictured in the 1974 Swedish movie Dunderklumpen! directed by Per Åhlin.

The following sports clubs are located in Strömsund:
 * IFK Strömsund
 * IBK Strömsund

title: Strömsund


text:
Bräcke

Bräcke is a locality and the seat of Bräcke Municipality in Jämtland County, Sweden with 1,651 inhabitants in 2010.

The community is located next to Lake Revsundssjön, 70 km south-east of Östersund. The railway has been an important factor in Bräcke's development. The town is located along the Central line and is the starting point of the Main Line Through Upper Norrland. European route E14 also passes through Bräcke and Länsväg 323 starts in Bräcke and goes towards Kälarne.

Bräcke Church (Bräcke kyrka) was built in the summer of 1859 following a drawing by Abraham Rafael Ulric Pettersson (1824-1866). The church building is externally clad with white painted wooden paneling. The ceiling of the church room has a thin vault of wood. The altarpiece was painted in 1926 by Stockholm artist Karl Tirén (1869-1955). In the church tower hang two bells; the little bell was cast in 1778 and large bell was cast in 1859.

Climate
Bräcke has a subarctic climate influenced by its interior elevated plateau position transitioning between the coastal and mountainous regions of Norrland. This renders a variable climate prone to summer frosts. The annual temperature is usually just above 2 C. Compared to Torpshammar not far to its east, Bräcke is relatively cold due to the elevation difference. Being in a relative rain shadow from the Scandinavian Mountains, winter snow packs are usually moderate.

title: Bräcke


text:
Krokom

Krokom (from Old Norse krókar, dat. krókum, 'bends [of the Indalsälven river]') is a locality and the seat of Krokom Municipality in Jämtland County, Sweden with 2,277 inhabitants in 2010.

Krokom is situated about 20 km northwest of Östersund along European route E14 (E14). It is located at the junction where E14, County Road 340 / County Road 339 and County Road 615 meet. Railroad service passage through Krokom started in 1882. The one-way railway bridge from 1927 was shut down in connection with the record-high spring flood in 1995. A new bridge downstream of the old one, which was demolished, was opened in 1997. The municipal building (Kommunhuset) was built in the early 1970 when several smaller municipalities were merged into Krokom Municipality.

title: Krokom


text:
Category:Virgin Group

Category for Richard Branson's Virgin Group of companies.

title: Category:Virgin Group


text:
Template talk:Ffd

Protection
Why is this template protected? Template:vfd and others are unprotected—So why isn't this? I have an improvement but I will not suggest it here as another user's name will be assigned to it in the history. Protection gives sysops an unfair advantage. — El Chico!  Talk 11:57, 27 Sep 2004 (UTC)

 * Most of the most-used templates are semi-permanently protected, especially if they have been the targets of edit-wars in the past. The reason is, when you change this template, it changes hundreds of pages on Wikipedia. The protection is to ensure all changes are discussed here first, and that there is consensus to make the change. Then a sysop can unprotect it for you, long enough for you to make the change, and then re-protect it.

 * So what improvement were you thinking of making?   – Quadell (talk) (help)   23:30, Dec 6, 2004 (UTC)
 * I don't know about El Chico, but I would like to change  to  . – ABCD 18:54, 18 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Please unprotect this page. Template:Vfd is unprotected, and so is Template:Ifd. Why is this any different?

Well, I think that the idea of linking to the template to improve upon it is sort of bogus, if its protected. The wording should be changed to 'suggest improvements' and the link should be to the talk page. →Iñgōlemo← talk   donate  00:22, 2 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * I also think that this passage "However, you are welcome to make improvements to it." should be removed. I would also reword this sentence: "Please do not remove this notice while the question is being considered."  I would replace it with "Please do not remove this notice while it's deletion is being discussed." Zscout370 19:52, 21 Apr 2005 (UTC)

I unprotected the template. It is only used on 199 pages at the moment; I don't think that's enough to count it as one of the "most-used" templates. dbenbenn | talk 01:37, 23 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Image?
Do you think we should have an image of this template to show the template out more on image pages so people then know about the image being deleted? Image:Stop hand.png • Thorpe • 21:15, 28 July 2005 (UTC)
 * I agree, and I've implemented your suggestion. dbenbenn | talk 20:56, 16 August 2005 (UTC)

Change in look
I have given the template a look that is similar to the other templates that remind people that image may have to be deleted. I hope that's fine, if not then revert. (I also added a link to editing the page and changed the font size of the "If you have just labeled" sentence to be similar to other templates using such a sentence.) Wcquidditch 18:10, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

Putting and image or media up for deletion is a three step process; see the main article for more information. Template:Idw is used in the second step by Subst.

This template is a self-reference and so is part of the Wikipedia project rather than the encyclopaedic content. This template is not useful for Subst. This template will categorise tagged categories into Category:Images and media for deletion but this template will not be included.

Rewritten
This has now been rewritten similar to Afd. --Wcquidditch | Talk 15:45, 9 December 2005 (UTC)

Link to entry on IFD
Would it be possible to change the link to IFD so that it goes directly to the image's entry? The template which is recommended for listing images on IFD makes an anchor with the name of the image. It might be possible to change the line in this template that says:
 * Please share your thoughts on the matter at its entry on the Images and media for deletion page.

Could that link be changed to something like the following?
 * Images and media for deletion

If the image was listed on IFD without using, then this fragment identifier wouldn't help any, but it wouldn't hurt anything either. In the majority of cases, though, this would take a person directly to the image's entry. —Bkell (talk) 07:16, 30 June 2006 (UTC)

 * There being no objections, I'm going to be bold and make the change. —Bkell (talk) 11:53, 19 July 2006 (UTC)

Hide/Show bug
When viewing this template, the hide/show comes up as hide, requiring a user to click "hide" and then "show" to get the lower portion to display. Could this be fixed so that the "Show" is the first action so the user doesn't have to double-click? -- MECU ≈ talk 04:14, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Edit requested
Please change

to

Thank you. ("#" to "/"). This makes much more sense, since IFDs often have a backlog, and it would be nice to access a deletion debate by going directly to it, rather than digging through said backlogs or doing a search. afd1 also has this feature. Thanks. Grace notes T § 06:29, 25 January 2007 (UTC)
 * Oops. Hm, that's not what I meant to say. Just a sec; I'm going to fix it. Grace notes T § 07:05, 25 January 2007 (UTC)
 * OK, I think I have it: change it to
 * Hopefully the includeonly substitution of parserfunctions won't be too quirky in this case. Thanks! Grace notes T § 07:10, 25 January 2007 (UTC)
 * Unfortunately, they are. – ABCD✉ 17:52, 25 January 2007 (UTC)
 * In this case? Grace notes T § 21:44, 25 January 2007 (UTC)
 * In this case? Grace notes T § 21:44, 25 January 2007 (UTC)

You want to put the includeonly around the subst:  Except that that will have to be tested too, because subst-ParserFunction combinations are weird. --ais523 09:30, 30 January 2007 (UTC)
 * That should work... but only if the template were substituted. The documentation currently says that the template can be used unsubstituted, but if this change were made and the template used without substitution it would always point to the page for the CURRENT date... regardless of when the template was placed on the page / what date the discussion is listed under. Thus, implementing this logic change would require a corresponding change in culture / use. --CBD 22:30, 31 January 2007 (UTC)
 * "Not carried out right now", said the humble dolt going through the editprotected requests. "There's been no response since CBD's pertinent point of contention", and he wandered along to the next template talk page.  Proto ::  ►  18:29, 5 February 2007 (UTC)
 * Hm, fair enough, I sort of forgot about my request. Gracenotes dreams of a day when template substitution can be set default Grace notes T § 20:28, 21 February 2007 (UTC)

Edit request: Change to look more like Template:Afd
Proposed new design:  This file is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedia's deletion policy.

Please share your thoughts on the matter at its entry on the Images and media for deletion page.

You are welcome to edit this file, but please do not remove this notice while the discussion is in progress.

How to list a file for deletion ([ log]) After adding   to the file description page, please:

I think this template is a bit more formal. Also, having the afd and ifd images so different in design might be confusing to some users. --24fan24 (talk) 21:50, 3 March 2007 (UTC)
 * I am not opposed, but it's too early for an editprotected, some discussion first, please. Guy (Help!) 12:44, 4 March 2007 (UTC)

Edit request
editprotected Please place | in the #, so it reads #. This is so people can insert their own TOC menus. For instance, I added to Image:1999-instal-WhiteNoise.jpg, but the image link still points to WP:IFD#Image:1999-instal-WhiteNoise.jpg. hbdragon88 00:03, 21 May 2007 (UTC)
 * [[Image:Yes check.svg|20px]] Done. By the way, the code is actually . Cheers. --MZMcBride 02:47, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

Interwiki
editprotected Please, add sl:Predloga:Szb. Thanks. --Eleassar my talk 09:05, 29 May 2007 (UTC)
 * [[Image:Yes check.svg|20px]] Done. Cheers. --MZMcBride 10:23, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Problem with this template
Can we change this template to where it will link to the discussion of the image nominated for deletion, rather than just the entire IFD page? This is a big problem, especially for images that have been moved into the backlogged recesses. Its almost impossible to find the discussion for any given image from the image. — Gaff  ταλκ  18:30, 11 June 2007 (UTC) The instructions need to say to leave off the Image: and User: prefixes because otherwise the section links fail. ←BenB4 05:19, 25 July 2007 (UTC)
 * What I am asking is: can we have the linked phrase Please share your thoughts on the matter at its entry on the Images and media for deletion page actually link to the image's entry rather than the whole page. I hope this is clear?  — Gaff   ταλκ  18:33, 11 June 2007 (UTC)
 * Currently, IFDs discussions do not have their own discussion subpage, like used on AFDs. IFDs discussions are held in a section of a long IFD discussion page. Currently this template should take you to the discussion's section on this page. --24fan24 (talk) 21:59, 11 June 2007 (UTC)
 * If possible, the link should be changed to take you to the dated subpage rather than the main IFD page. This may be difficult to do without having to subst the template, though I am not well versed in the arcane realm of template black magic. —Bkell (talk) 03:04, 19 July 2007 (UTC)

Minor overhaul
editprotected

Please replace the contents of this template with:

Note that this template does not have to be substituted.

de:Vorlage:Löschantrag Bild gu:Template:Ifd sl:Predloga:Szb vi:Tiêu bản:Bỏ phiếu xóa tập tin zh:Template:Ifd

This will wikify the template, improve the user experience for screen readers and text only browsers, and remove the rather useless "log" link. —Remember the dot (talk)
 * Most of the changes look fine, but why remove the log link? --- RockMFR 01:22, 18 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Looks like there were some code errors. I fixed them in the copy above. Cheers. --MZMcBride 02:09, 18 August 2007 (UTC)
 * I've added another span tag that was missing. --- RockMFR 02:38, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

 * Thanks. —Remember the dot (talk) 04:51, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

 * I don't see any point to the "log" link when by clicking [show] you can see the same edit link and much more. —Remember the dot (talk) 04:51, 18 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Maybe you don't see the point, but I came here to ask why there's no log link! Other deletion templates now display the text you need to make the listing and have a link to the log. This one feels like it's from the Stone Ages in comparison. Could somebody improve it please? IFS is always a nightmare because the templates are so crap and there's so many hoops to go through for what usually turns out to be uncontested deletion. --kingboyk (talk) 20:55, 21 January 2008 (UTC)
 * ✅ Mr.Z-man  talk ¢ 05:08, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

Doc subpage
editprotected

Hi, I've added a documentation subpage at Template:Ifd/doc (see WP:DOC); please modify the source for this template page to:

My only changes were: (1) Changed "linebreak" to "line break" in comment of first line; and (2) replaced all code after the category includeonly with the present template from WP:DOC. Thanks! 17:50, 28 September 2007 (UTC)
 * ✅ Done. --ais523 18:07, 28 September 2007 (UTC)

Signature
editprotectedThe instructions tell you to use. Note that there is only one hyphen before the signature, and the space is inserted after the hyphen (which makes it stick to the reason, like this: ). This should be changed to match the default Wikipedia signature:. -- Prince Kassad (talk) 16:04, 28 November 2007 (UTC)

 * Those instructions are actually at Template:IfD doc, which is not protected. I've made the change. —Bkell (talk) 16:10, 28 November 2007 (UTC)

Internal link edit
Please include this 'its entry on the...' as part of the internal link, so that it is clear that there is a link to the discussion (currently just looks like a link to the general page). Richard001 (talk) 10:22, 26 September 2008 (UTC)
 * I've changed it to match the afd/cfd/mfd templates. --- RockMFR 15:16, 26 September 2008 (UTC)

WP:FfD link
There's a problem with the links to WP:FfD. The File parameter is needed. For example, File:Cc-tub.jpg links to Files_for_deletion/2009_June_23 instead of. -- Ricky81682 (talk) 04:10, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

 * Note: I know I could do it but I don't know I have a clue how to do it without completely messing up the code. -- Ricky81682 (talk) 04:10, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

 * Done. --- RockMFR 15:04, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Have all XfD be substituted and link to the actual page of discussion
Please participate in the discussion at Wikipedia talk:Deletion discussions. עוד מישהו Od Mishehu 07:11, 25 February 2010 (UTC)

Editprotected request involving this template
This message is to inform people monitoring this talk page that there is an "editprotected" request involving this and several other templates at Template talk:! cymru.lass (hit me up)⁄(background check) 20:46, 28 December 2010 (UTC)

Date bug?
Somehow, File:OnceMoreWithFeeling.jpg was nominated on July 31 for deletion. But the template says August 30. Same with File:South Park raisins scene.jpg but it's August 31. Is there something wrong with the date? --George Ho (talk) 20:47, 18 September 2013 (UTC)
 * The date concerned is generated by Template:FfD doc. If you nulledit either of those files, you'll probably find that the date becomes today's date. I suspect that we need to pass the log parameter through tp . -- Red rose64 (talk) 22:38, 18 September 2013 (UTC)
 * Sorry, but where in the template is the date displayed? The collapsed nominating instructions should always show the current date, as if a nomination is not put in the log at the time of nomination, it shouldn't be later placed in that log, lest it be deleted without being listed for the full duration expected. Monty  845  02:45, 19 September 2013 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: There doesn't seem to be any bug here, per Monty's comment. — Mr. Stradivarius  ♪ talk ♪ 10:54, 20 September 2013 (UTC)

Discussion regarding verbiage in progress on WT:FFD
There is currently a ongoing discussion to determine verbiage in regards to WP:FFD becoming "Files for discussion". The discussion is taking place at Wikipedia talk:Files for discussion. Watchers of this page, as well as anyone else interested, are welcome to participate in the discussion to determine the new verbiage. Steel1943 (talk) 17:13, 5 November 2015 (UTC)

Routine deletions
Following consensus at WT:FFD, could a routine deletion option be added? Basically alt text that says "The purpose of this file is currently being discussed by the Wikipedia community in accordance with Wikipedia's routine deletion policy." Thank you. -- Iazyges   Consermonor   Opus meum  03:54, 22 February 2017 (UTC)

This should match afd and friends
Based on the current version of the FFD template and mfd. KMF (talk) 00:03, 4 April 2017 (UTC)

Template-protected edit request on 3 December 2017
I added  and   as part of the ffd2 template and changed the instructions of the "ffd" template in the sandbox and changed the Template:ffd2 preload. The #2 step should be changed to encourage usage of lowercase parameters. George Ho (talk) 03:37, 3 December 2017 (UTC)
 * Yes check.svg Done — JJMC89  (T·C) 19:51, 3 December 2017 (UTC)

Usage of "help=off"
I noticed that  has been used lately while using FFD. If it's becoming more common, can the " " be  in edit previews and   by default or something, like AFD template has been? George Ho (talk) 05:08, 23 December 2017 (UTC)

Protected edit request 4 May 2020
The name of the notification template has changed from Template:Fdw to Template:Ffd notice. –LaundryPizza03 ( d c̄ ) 13:11, 4 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Yes check.svg Done – Jonesey95 (talk) 13:27, 4 May 2020 (UTC)

Template-protected edit request on 19 August 2020
Please add .mbox-ffd as a class to this template to make it easier to locate this template using code. Aasim 09:11, 19 August 2020 (UTC)
 * ✅ * Pppery * it has begun... 13:56, 19 August 2020 (UTC)

Edit request
Please add a section parameter to this template so that nominators can directly link to a section on FfD when making an FfD nomination. Aasim 07:36, 25 August 2020 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done for now: I tried to implement your request, but I don't understand how what you are requesting is different from the existing parameter #1 in the template. Could you explain, please? --Bsherr (talk) 17:39, 27 August 2020 (UTC)

title: Template talk:Ffd


text:
William Frederick Fisher

William Frederick Fisher (born April 1, 1946) is an American physician and a former NASA astronaut. Fisher went into space in 1985 on board the Space Shuttle. He retired from NASA in 1992 and returned to the full-time practice of medicine. His time at NASA coincided with that of his former wife and fellow astronaut Anna Lee Fisher. He is also the great grandson of Pony Express rider William Frederick Fisher (1839 - 1919)

Early life
Fisher was born April 1, 1946, in Dallas, Texas.

Education

 * 1964: Graduated from North Syracuse Central High School, North Syracuse, New York
 * 1968: Received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biological Sciences from Stanford University
 * 1969–1971: Performed graduate work in Microbiology at the University of Florida
 * 1975: Received a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Florida
 * 1975–1977: Residency in General Surgery from UCLA Medical Center
 * 1978–1980: Performed graduate work in Engineering at the University of Houston

Career
Fisher graduated from Stanford University in 1968, and later served as a mountaineering instructor in Leysin, Switzerland. He attended medical school at the University of Florida, graduating in 1975. After medical school, Fisher completed a surgical residency from 1975 to 1977 at Harbor–UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, California. He entered private practice in emergency medicine in 1977. He also attended graduate school at the University of Houston from 1978 to 1980. He was accepted as a NASA astronaut in 1980.

He has logged over 2,000 hours in prop, rotary-wing, jet aircraft and spacecraft.

NASA career
Fisher was selected as NASA Astronaut in 1980. His technical assignments included: scientific equipment operator for high altitude research on the WB-57F aircraft (1980–1981); astronaut medical support for the first four Shuttle missions (1980–1982); astronaut office representative for Extravehicular Mobility Unit (spacesuit) and Extravehicular Activity (EVA) procedures and development, including thermal vacuum testing of the suit (1981–1984); astronaut office representative for the Payload Assist Module (PAM-D) procedures and development (1982–1983); Astronaut office representative for Shuttle Mission Simulator (SMS) development (1983); support crewman for STS-8; CAPCOM for STS-8 and STS-9; Remote Manipulator System (RMS) hardware and software development team (1983); Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) development team (1983); Deputy Director of NASA Government-furnished and Contractor-furnished Equipment (1982–1983); Chief of Astronaut Public Appearances (1985–1987); Member of the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board (1986–1991); NASA Medicine Policy Board (1987–1991); Astronaut Office Space Station Manned Systems Division, and Health Maintenance Facility (1987–1989); Astronaut Office representative on space crew selection and retention standards for Space Station (1989–1991). Fisher also continued to practice Emergency Medicine in the greater Houston area in conjunction with his astronaut duties.

Fisher was a mission specialist on STS-51-I, which launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on August 27, 1985. STS-51-I was acknowledged as the most successful Space Shuttle mission yet flown. The crew aboard Space Shuttle Discovery deployed three communications satellites, the Navy SYNCOM IV-4, the Australian AUSSAT, and American Satellite Company's ASC-1. They also performed a successful on-orbit rendezvous with the ailing 15,400 pound SYNCOM IV-3 satellite, and two EVAs (spacewalks) by Fisher and van Hoften to repair it, including the longest spacewalk in history (at that time). Discovery completed 112 orbits of the Earth before landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on September 3, 1985. Fisher logged over 170 hours in space, including 11 hours and 52 minutes of Extravehicular Activity (EVA).

In 1990, Fisher led a study of the design of the planned space station. The New York Times reported that study "found the 500-foot structure was so complex and fragile that it could need up to 3,700 hours of maintenance a year by space-suited astronauts, as against the designers' original goal of 130 hours." In March of that year Fisher gained political notice "when he publicly accused his superiors at the space agency of ignoring the maintenance problem. Subsequently, he was called to Capitol Hill to testify before a number of committees."

Post-NASA
After leaving NASA, Fisher returned to the practice of emergency medicine. He remains in active medical practice in the greater Houston area at the present time.

Personal life
He married fellow physician and later fellow astronaut, Anna Lee Fisher of St. Albans, New York on August 23, 1977. They have two daughters. The Fishers were divorced in 2000.

Organizations

 * Diplomate of the American Board of Emergency Medicine
 * Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians
 * Fellow of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine

Awards and honors

 * American Astronautical Society Victor A. Prather Award for Outstanding Achievement in the field of Extravehicular Activity (1985)
 * Federation Aeronautique Internationale V.M. Komarov Diploma for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Exploration of Outer Space(Awarded to the STS-51 Crew) (1985)
 * NASA Space Flight Medal (1985)
 * NASA Exceptional Service Medal (1988)
 * Group Achievement Awards for EMU (Extravehicular Mobility Unit or "Space Suit") and MMU (Manned Maneuvering Unit) Development (1983, 1984)
 * Group Achievement Awards for Payload Assist Module (PAM) Software Development and Vehicle Integration (1983)
 * Named an ad hoc member of the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board (1986–1991)
 * Appointed a member of the NASA Medicine Policy Board (1987–1991)

title: William Frederick Fisher


text:
Talk:Sea snake

Venom
It should be useful to know which animal species was used for the LD50 experiment. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Attila v m (talk • contribs) 22:28, 23 April 2015 (UTC)

Relationships
Are these snakes closely related to cobras, or not? The article says both. (Anonymous)
 * I don't see any contradiction in what it currently says. Perhaps this has been edited. The entry, particularly in the Sea krait paragraph where it seems to use 'sea snake' and 'sea krait' interchangably, is rather confusing though and could be better organized. CFLeon 04:00, 23 April 2006 (UTC)

Dangerousness
Does anyone know how dangerous the venom is? Do they attack swimmers? What is their normal prey? Get-back-world-respect 12:04, 27 Sep 2004 (UTC)

I saw an episode of Modern Marvels on the History Channel today that included a bit of info about sea snakes. They are indeed much more poisonous than land snakes. The species Hydrophis belcheri is the most poisonous snake in the world, according to the show. They said its venom is at least ten times more potent than that of a Taipan or Black Mamba. --OverlordChris 06:54, 9 October 2005 (UTC)

The venom of all species is quite toxic, drop for drop. But sea snakes are very docile animals and divers can usually swim amongst them with no problem whatsoever. They seem to bite more if they are taken out of water, there are many reports of people playing with them in water without being bitten at all. There's probably some variation due to species, mating season, females that are gravid, roughness of handling, hunger, etc. CFLeon 04:00, 23 April 2006 (UTC)

 * This site has useful information http://www.venomdoc.com/ Highlandlord 16:04, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

Yellow-bellied Sea Snake
I am familiar with the yellow-bellied sea-snakes found along the pacific coast of central america. The Smithsonian tropical lab in Panama had a couple in one of their tanks. They stressed the following:

Their venom is extremely dangerous. I spoke with someone who got lucky after being bit by one but it didn't inject any venom. He was moving it from one tank to another tank. It bit him, he finished moving it tot he other tank, then waited, and after 15 minutes he figured it didn't inject any venom, as he was still ok. I have heard sources listing them as the most lethal snake venom in the world (but most references I can find list the Inland Taipan of Australia as the most lethal).

they had no recorded instances of a swimmer ever being bit by one, even during the season when they show up in large numbers. However, they have bitten people when handled outside of the water, as in the case of the guy moving it to another tank, and (more commonly) in fishermen trying to remove them from nets.

one of the concerns of the Panama Canal was that it might get introduced to the carribean. A sea level canal would have definitely done this, but the loched canal has not, though in theory it might happen with ship ballast. Studies done with carribean fish show that they have no clue about respecting the sea snake and giving it distance like the pacific fish do.

- Andrew Apold

 * The Inland Taipan's venom is the most toxic of any *land* snake. Seasnakes are deadlier, although as many people have noted they tend to be quite gentle.  I once encountered a beached yellow-bellied seasnake (Pelamis platurus) in southern California.  He was trapped because, as the article notes, true seasnakes (unlike seakraits) don't have the type of ventral scales that snakes need to be able to crawl on land, so I warned everybody to stay back (especially people who had kids) while I used a shovel to lift the snake back into the ocean.  He was very relaxed, not at all a nervous animal -- surprising considering how scared I would have expected him to be under the circumstances.  As far as I know, this is the only species of seasnakes ever found off the coast of the USA. Mia229 (talk) 04:47, 21 September 2011 (UTC)

Editing
reverted vandalism by user 64.112.218.155, who is a repeat vandal. CFLeon 20:47, 1 May 2006 (UTC)

Predators?
Do the sea snakes have natural predators? I have heard that tiger sharks feed upon them.

 * Rather seems like everything in the ocean tends to eat everything else, I'm sure sharks eat sea snakes all the time. I wonder how sea snakes sleep? They need to sleep, don't they? .. But I doubt they're buoyant enough to just float on the surface...

Images
I find it distressing that a large group of reptiles which are to be found on every seashore do not have a single image in Wikipedia/Wikimedia Commons. Help. Can someone alleviate this scarcity of photos? AshLin 09:02, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

Elapids
Is the reason that this article says they are related to cobras because they are elapids? If so then they are also just as related to Tiger Snakes, Taipans, Mambas, Coral Snakes etc. as these snakes (plus a lot more) are elapids along with the cobra. Or are they elapids that are particularly close in genus to the Cobra? Finally are they ALL elapids?

See my remarks below. --Jwinius 17:59, 27 February 2007 (UTC)

Merge with Elapidae
Folks, in case you're not aware, both ITIS and the EMBL no longer recognize the sea snakes as a separate family (Hydrophiidae) or subfamily (Hydrophiinae). The experts include the Hydrophiidae in the Elapidae because nobody has yet been able to convincingly work out the phylogenetic positions of the various subgroups. For example, did the sea snakes evolve from the cobras and coral snakes, or did they evolve from the Australian elapids? Maybe the Australian elapids evolved from sea snakes. Nobody has any good answers to these questions yet, which is why the sea snakes are simply grouped with the elapids these days. Wikipedia should reflect this thinking. On the other hand, there may be an argument for maintaining a separate article on sea snakes (although I think that would likely lead to more confusion down the road), but then lets be honest and admit that this group currently has no valid taxonomic status. --Jwinius 15:21, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

 * While the phylogenetic status of the sea snakes may be subject to debate among experts, the term sea snakes is in wide use and refers to a sufficiently discrete group of species that the group can be usefully defined and described for a general audience. The fact that there is a separate entry for the elapidae does not reduce the need for or value of a discrete entry for the sea snakes, for the same reason that there is still value in providing additional, more specific information on other elapids, such as cobras, coral snakes and taipans (all of which also have Wikipedia entries).  Rather than delete the article entirely, it would be more useful to both expert and lay readers to simply note the disagreements over the phylogenetic position of the sea snakes in the article itself. -- User:ChosenatRandom

 * That there are currently separate articles for cobras, coral snakes and taipans has nothing to do with it: those groups are represented by currently valid individual genera. However, this article has a taxobox that describes sea snakes as an individual family. According to present day theory, this is widely considered false information, and even if you changed that to subfamily Hydrophiinae it would still be wrong. If left as a separate article, the solution would be to get rid of the taxobox altogether and explain to the reader that what is described here is only considered an unofficial subset of the larger elapid family. But, this might seem confusing to some people, and since the current article isn't that long, why not just merge it with the Elapidae article? The "Sea snakes" redirect could even take readers directly to the corresponding subsection. --Jwinius 13:06, 19 December 2006 (UTC)

 * I agree with ChosenatRandom. The article could use some improvement and would definitely need a section address the concerns with classification, but sea snakes is a widely used term and the other article (And the individually geni it links to) offer very little information. I don't have the time now, but I'll put the article on my watchlist and will, when I have more time, work on expanding it. --Scorpios 21:22, 22 February 2007 (UTC)

 * Sea snake may be a widely used term, but explaining the problem with the classification remains awkward and the taxobox will forever be "corrected" by those unfamiliar with the taxonomy. Besides, I've been told that if you create a section in an article with the same name as a redirect that points to the article, that readers will be taken directly to that section. --Jwinius 23:49, 22 February 2007 (UTC)

Diet
Fish presumably? Could someone expand on this? Drutt 06:34, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

Do not merge this article with cobras!
Do not merge this article with cobras! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 76.176.148.67 (talk) 23:50, 9 May 2007 (UTC).

For the general public...
I understand the taxonomic changes, but to the layperson the marine lifestyle of seasnakes make them VERY different. Just adding sea snakes as a section in the Elapidae article doesnt do much for someone who wants to know about sea snakes. My thought would be to update the taxobox (with correction comment), certainly, but keep "sea snake" as its own article with a link to the Elapidae article. Currently the link "cobras" in the first line doesn't link to the Elapidae article but to a more specific article about cobras. I think the sea snakes should keep thier own article, however.

List of marine snakes
If anyone has a list of sea snake species (or perhaps genera), could you please add it to the list of marine reptiles? Thanks! — Epastore 19:10, 23 July 2007 (UTC)

 * I found them at Category:Sea_snakes. I added those to list of marine reptiles, but have no idea how complete the list of snakes is. Can someone please have a look and see what's missing? Thanks. — Epastore 18:31, 4 August 2007 (UTC)

 * After a little research and a few corrections, I think the list of of genera in the taxobox is now the right subset (sea snakes) of the genera listed in Elapidae, but you may want to double-check to be sure. Anyway, the advantage is that you can now use this link, Elapidae, to check which species are associated with these genera. --Jwinius 02:47, 5 August 2007 (UTC)

GA Review
Overall, this article is very well done. Good lead section, good description. I made a few minor grammatical edits, and overall I think the article about ready for GA status. There are a couple of larger issues that should be addressed, however, which is why I've placed this 'on hold' at WP:GAC.

First, regarding the various sections. I think the 'geographic range' and 'habitat' sections should be combined into one, called 'habitat'. They seem to be somewhat related, and I think that referring to geographic range could be considered a subset of the overall habitat.

Move the 'conservation status' section to near the end of the article. This section is relatively short, and contains relatively trivial information, and I think is overall less important than the biological characteristics like feeding, reproduction, and taxonomy. Likewise, the 'captivity' section should probably be closer to the end of the article as well, but above 'conservation status'.

Combine 'taxonomy' and 'genera' since these are related. I think the text of the taxonomy section would make a good starting paragraph, and then put the table from the genera section after it, all in one section. Recommend calling the new section 'taxonomy'.

This sentence (in the feeding section) doesn't seem to make sense: "One species prefers molluscs and crustaceans[8][7] (prawns and mentioned[10]) and few feed only on fish eggs,..." Specifically, prawns and mentioned what?

Other than these issues, I think the article is about ready for GA. One thing that could be added on the road towards featured status, might be more information on the cultural and/or economic significance of sea snakes, per WikiProject Amphibians and Reptiles. Cheers! Dr. Cash 21:34, 12 August 2007 (UTC)

 * Wow! Such a rapid response! Article promoted. Cheers! Dr. Cash 23:05, 12 August 2007 (UTC)

 * Hi Dr. Cash! I combined the 'geographic range' and 'habitat' sections into one called 'Distribution and habitat'. I hope you don't mind the compromise too much, but my feelings regarding this issue are rather the reverse, since the larger regions where these animals are found strike me as being more important than the kinds of habitats that they prefer, which is on a smaller scale. Other than that, I applied the rest of your advice. I wanted to added a section called 'Sea snakes and man', but just dodn't have enough reference material for it (I need more books). The same goes for a distribution map (although I've learned enough to know that the one in the Snake article is just plain wrong regarding sea snakes), and for the geo. range data in the genus table. --Jwinius 23:11, 12 August 2007 (UTC)

Evolutionary language
While evolution is a widely accepted theory on our origins, I believe that this article should be edited to simply discuss the biological structures of sea snakes and not focus so much on evolutionary adaptations. The constant explanation of what different biological structures developed for takes away from the discussion and explanation of the structures themselves. I would therefore suggest a rewrite of this article to reduce references to evolution's role in sea snake's development and emphasize the sea snake's biological structures themselves as well as how those structures assist them in adapting to their habitat. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.34.131.219 (talk) 03:21, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

 * On the contrary, much of the debate that has surrounded sea snake taxonomy for the past decades concerns how they evolved from land dwelling snakes (see section Taxonomy). I don't want to start a religious debate, but the subject of evolution is, as you say, widely accepted, not to mention basic to all biology, which is why it is not surprising that it is mentioned here as well. Removing all references to the concept from this article would not do the subject any justice. (I've toned down the opening sentence in the introduction a little, undoing somebody else's changes (which I never liked), but that's all I'm willing to do for you.) --Jwinius 13:53, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

Pictures
This is just a suggestion, but I think someone should add different pictures. The only ones I see (as of 5/17/08) are pictures of Sea Kraits, which are a very special type of Sea Snake. I suggest adding different pictures of more common types of Sea Snakes. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.250.72.128 (talk) 01:35, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

 * Agreed. I've added one of Aipysurus laevis, but besides another Laticauda image, there doesn't seem to be much more. I think only the German WP has an image we don't have, but it's of an unidentified species that looks like A. laevis, so it's not of much use to us. In other words, it appears we simply don't have all that much choice at the moment. Of course, you're welcome to donate! --Jwinius (talk) 10:25, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

NPOV
"Sea snakes are exploited for their meat, skin and internal organs, but despite great numbers being killed every year, CITES does not afford them any protection..."

Not that this shouldn't be mentioned, but the term "exploited" is somewhat (read as "very") loaded as far as viewpoint meaning, especially when coupled in context with the second half of the statement which seems to represent an opinion that they should be subject to protection.

I will not change it myself, but perhaps a more neutral phrasing should be considered.

DJC (unregistered user), 13 June 2008

 * I see nothing wrong with using the term "exploited" in this context. After all, natural resources are "exploited" all over the world, whether it be silicon, sunshine or sea snakes. What's unfortunate is a lack of management when the natural resources are living organisms that are over-exploited (read as "very"), eventually to the point of extinction. --Jwinius (talk) 18:28, 13 June 2008 (UTC)
 * the word exploited is used all the time to refer to use of natural resources, including by the people doing the exploiting. --86.135.221.95 (talk) 18:14, 17 August 2008 (UTC)
 * the word "exploited" MIGHT be able to be used in an NPOV way, but the use here is clearly pushing an agenda. It has been reworded. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.69.139.140 (talk) 22:04, 7 November 2009 (UTC)

Suta sp.
Will someone add Suta to the article? It is a genus viewable on EoL and Wikispecies. Thanks. StevePrutz (talk) 06:50, 22 June 2008 (UTC)

 * Suta is a Australian terrestrial species and is therefore not discussed here. While it's true that some have argued that all Australian elapids are descended from sea snakes, that line of reasoning has yet to be worked out convincingly. This page is dedicated to those elapids that spend most or all of their lives in a marine environment. Suta is, however, included in the list of genera on the Elapidae page. --Jwinius (talk) 10:23, 22 June 2008 (UTC)

Reliance on fresh water
This recent study suggesting that sea snakes need fresh water should be worked into article? http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081106153629.htm 76.126.210.179 (talk) 05:23, 19 December 2010 (UTC)

Concern: mentioning experts
I added the "term paper" template for the "Behavior" section. It is typically not appropriate to mention to explicitly mention specific experts and their opinions in the text. If the expert is expressing scholarly consensus, it is preferable just to state the scholarly consensus and provide the experts work as a ref. If the expert's opinion does not represent scholarly consensus, then it is usually not appropriate to mention their opinion in an encyclopedia article. In rare circumstances where either the issue being discussed is controversial or there is a fringe opinion that is especially important, the expert and their opinion can be mentioned. Even then, however, research-paper notation is not appropriate (i.e. do not use things like "Smith (1995) says that ...").

--MC — Preceding unsigned comment added by 192.88.158.216 (talk) 01:40, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

Feeding
Under section “Feeding”, it says, “They feed on small fish and occasionally young octopi.” This section should be expanded, and include citations.--Solomonfromfinland (talk) 05:03, 22 November 2013 (UTC)

title: Talk:Sea snake


text:
User talk:Jonathanwelsh

Zohra: The Planet of Truth and knowledge is a well woven novel made up of four parts, each a tribute to a different style of writing that are often encountered in the genre literature. In part I, we are introduced to four high school students on a journey in which they will be tested as to their courage and bravery, with elements of the popular coming-of-age stories, avoiding the often predictable, by-the-numbers tearjerker. In part II, the story unfolds as fragments of a dazzling puzzle that jumps back and forth, which centers around two brothers and two themes, Jason's obsession of a power outage that occurs every year on June 23rd and his brother Adam's secrecy, which he has dubbed 'The project of the Century'. Part III was written in the traditional suspense-mystery of a whodunit and why. The beautiful Helen has been abducted, while the world around Adam, who has turned himself into the famous Doctor-of-Youth, is coming apart at the seams. Part IV will rejoice the traditional fans of space opera whereby the reader is 'hyper-transported' to the planet Zohra, an exotic planet that is ruled by a single powerful Queen and drones who seek out her sexual favours by bringing technologies from the four corners of the galaxy. The quest is to seek out from the Queen the release of the abducted Helen.

When Mark Julian asks Adam Brook, "Quit stalling, where's Helen?" the roof is about to fall on the famous health spa wizard. Besieged by an unexplained break-in, a missing needle, his old-time flame Vanessa, now a renown professor of biochemistry, a rich lawyer ready to buy him out with an outrageous offer, a brother to whom he has lied to for decades, and an alien Zaybu from Planet Zohra who doesn't seem to know where the 'merchandise' is, Joseph Palazzo, in this tale of intrigue and of so many twists, brings the reader into the world of the mysterious and famous Doctor-of-Youth. Soon after, Mark and his best friend, the artist and karate expert Simon Lee, are 'hyper-transported' to planet Zohra, where the Alien Zarrack, the minister of Truth and knowledge, is performing mind-probing experiments on the abducted Helen about a black box lost on Earth twenty-five years ago.

"Imagine traveling anywhere you would want to by the simple flick of a button on a box the size of a TV remote (control)," writes author Joseph Palazzo. He turns this sci-fi prospect into reality in his new riveting novel, Zohra: The Planet of Truth and Knowledge In this fast-paced novel, Palazzo explores how a small, simple instrument could change the world. This magic box would eliminate the need for transportation, such as airplanes, cars and boats, and could eradicate thousands of jobs. It could destroy the world's security systems, making banks, government institutions and even private homes vulnerable to innumerable calamities. When four young students find this magic box, left behind by aliens, they realize its power and potential for danger and bury it in nearby woods. Years later, the space portal falls into the hands of a biochemist, who strikes a deal with the aliens. He uses the box as leverage for a "fountain of youth" potion, and his health-spa business flourishes. However, one of the students accidentally learns of the incident. The girl is kidnapped by the aliens and taken to the planet Zohra. Her friends rush to rescue her. What they discover is a fascinating planet of drones, organized like ants around one powerful queen. Zohra: The Planet of Truth and Knowledge Written by: Joseph Palazzo Publisher: 1stBooks Library

http://isbn.nu/1410770966

Reposted content
A tag has been placed on Joseph palazzo, requesting that it be speedily deleted from Wikipedia. This has been done because the article appears to be a repost of material that was previously deleted following a. If you can indicate how Joseph palazzo is different from the previously posted material, or if you can indicate why this article should not be deleted, I advise you to place the template hangon underneath the other template on the article, and also put a note on Talk:Joseph palazzo saying why this article should stay. An admin should check for such edits before deleting the article. Feel free to leave a note on my talk page if you have any questions about this. Please read our criteria for speedy deletion, particularly item 4 under General criteria. Please do not remove the speedy deletion tag yourself. We welcome your help in trying to improve Wikipedia, and we ask you to follow these instructions. – Riana shiny disco balls 11:25, 18 March 2007 (UTC)

title: User talk:Jonathanwelsh