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Michèle Mouton

Michèle Hélène Raymonde Mouton (born 23 June 1951) is a French former rally driver. Competing in the World Rally Championship for the Audi factory team, she took four victories and finished runner-up in the drivers' world championship in 1982.

Mouton debuted in rallying as a co-driver but quickly moved to the driver's seat, steering an Alpine-Renault A110 in national rallies. In 1975, she competed in circuit racing and won the two-litre prototype class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. After being signed by Fiat France for 1977, Mouton finished runner-up to Bernard Darniche in the European Rally Championship. She went on to win the 1978 Tour de France Automobile and record consistent results in her home events in the WRC; the Tour de Corse and the Monte Carlo Rally. For 1981, Audi Sport signed Mouton to partner Hannu Mikkola. In her first year with the Audi Quattro, she took a surprise victory at the Rallye Sanremo.

In the 1982 World Rally season, Mouton finished a close second overall to Walter Röhrl, after wins in Portugal, Brazil and Greece, and helped Audi to its first manufacturers' title. Her campaign the following year resulted in fifth place. With the team having four top drivers for 1984, Mouton's participation on world championship level became part-time. In 1985, she won the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in the United States, setting a record time in the process. In 1986, she moved to Peugeot and won the German Rally Championship as the first female driver to win a major championship in rallying. Soon after securing the title, Mouton retired from rallying due to the ban of Group B supercars. In 1988, she co-founded the international motorsport event Race of Champions in memory of her former rival Henri Toivonen. Mouton became the first president of the FIA's Women & Motor Sport Commission in 2010 and the FIA's manager in the World Rally Championship in 2011.

Early life and career
Michèle Mouton was born 23 June 1951 in Grasse, a town on the French Riviera, close to the mountain stages famously featured in French rallies. Her parents grew roses and jasmine on their large property. After graduating from high school, Mouton began law studies, but would soon drop out and concentrate on a career in rallying. Although Mouton began driving her father's Citroën 2CV when she was 14 years old, she did not turn her interest to rallying until 1972, when her friend Jean Taibi asked her to practise the Tour de Corse with him. Mouton later co-drove for him in the 1973 Monte Carlo Rally, the first-ever World Rally Championship (WRC) event. After a few more rallies, Mouton's father suggested a switch to driving if she wanted to continue in rallying, and promised to buy her a car and give her one-year to prove herself. Driving an Alpine-Renault A110, she debuted at the Rallye Paris – Saint-Raphaël Féminin and then tackled the Tour de France Automobile. In the Île de Beauté, a complementary event to the Tour de Corse at the end of 1973, Mouton finished eighth overall.

In the World Rally Championship, Mouton made her driver debut in 1974, finishing 12th in the Tour de Corse in an Alpine A110. It was rumoured her good performances were the result of a special engine, however her car passed inspection by WRC scrutineers. At the end of the year, Mouton was crowned both French and European ladies' champion. Re-entering the Tour de Corse the following season, she took seventh place. Mouton successfully defended her ladies' titles, and also competed in circuit racing: In an all-female team with Christine Dacremont and Marianne Hoepfner, she won the two-litre prototype category of the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans. Recalling the race in 2008, Mouton said: "It started to rain I remember, and I started to pass everybody. I was running on slicks. In the pits they were saying 'Michele you must stop', but I did not want to because I was passing everyone." Her results attracted a major sponsor in the form of the French oil company Elf. In 1976, Mouton drove the A110 to 11th place in Monte Carlo and retired at the Rallye Sanremo. At the Tour de Corse, her debut in the newer A310 also ended in retirement.

Fiat
For the 1977 season, Fiat France signed Mouton to partner Jean-Claude Andruet. She was not impressed by the handling of the Fiat 131 Abarth, stating it was "like a big truck, not a car" and "terrible to drive". However, the car would prove successful and Mouton put in very consistent results, finishing eighth in the Tour de Corse in 1977 and fifth three years in a row from 1978 to 1980. In 1980, she had been running as high as second before her engine died for a time. In Monte Carlo, she drove the car to seventh place in 1979 and 1980, equalling the result she had achieved in the event in a Lancia Stratos HF in 1978.

Outside the World Rally Championship, Mouton drove a Porsche Carrera RS to victory in the 1977 RACE Rallye de España and to second place in the 1977 Tour de France Automobile. She also finished runner-up to Bernard Darniche in the overall European Rally Championship (ERC). Mouton went on to win the Tour de France with the 131 Abarth the following year. At the Rallye d'Antibes, she finished third behind the Stratos drivers Darniche and Attilio Bettega. She placed fifth in the ERC standings and fourth in the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) Cup for Drivers, the predecessor to the drivers' world championship. In 1979, Mouton finished second in the French Rally Championship, behind Porsche 911 SC driver Bernard Béguin.

1980
In 1980, Audi Sport, Audi's new factory team, called Mouton and signed her for a World Rally Championship programme for the 1981 season. Mouton described Audi's call as "a complete shock". Audi's decision to nominate her instead of established male rivals attracted a great deal of publicity. As the Audi Quattro, the first rally car to have over 300 bhp and both a turbocharger and four-wheel-drive, had not yet gained FIA homologation, Audi could only enter rallies as zero cars and not as competitive entries. Hannu Mikkola debuted the car in the Algarve Rally in October, and would have won by about thirty minutes had his times been officially registered. Mouton joined Freddy Kottulinsky for the final round of the Finnish Rally Championship, the Northern Lights, and also showed encouraging pace on the slippery surfaces. Mouton initially found the car understeering, but became more comfortable after switching to left-foot braking, as advised by Mikkola who was in charge of developing the car. Audi announced their participation in eight events in 1981, although Mouton would not be entered in the Swedish Rally due to her lack of experience on driving on ice and snow.

1981
Mouton's first competitive run in the Quattro in Monte Carlo ended before it had even begun. She withdrew from the event before the start due to apparent engine problems. The team later discovered that dirt had got into the fuel system. At the Rally Portugal, she started her long partnership with the Italian co-driver Fabrizia Pons. Mouton won seven stages and took a career-best fourth place, despite suffering from electronic problems. This ended criticism of Audi for signing a female driver. After a retirement due to a broken camshaft in the Tour de Corse, Mouton set several fastest times at the Acropolis Rally in Greece. While Mikkola was leading and Mouton fifth, the stewards excluded the Quattros citing homologation infractions. Although Audi protested, the stewards upheld the decision. In her debut in the high-speed 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland, Mouton found it hard to get used to the rhythm changes. She recorded a few top-ten stage times and finished 13th. She was satisfied with her performance, and the local newspaper Keskisuomalainen described her debut as successful. At the Rallye Sanremo in Italy, a mixed surface event with tarmac and gravel, Mouton took the lead when the local star Michele Cinotto crashed and held off Henri Toivonen and Ari Vatanen to take the victory. This marked the first time a female driver had won a world championship event in rallying. Mouton's male rivals were left speechless. Earlier during the weekend, Vatanen had been confident: "Never can nor will I lose to a woman." Mouton recalled her debut win in a 2008 interview for RallySport Magazine:

"I remember not just because it was a win, but also because it was a big fight right into the last night. Fabrizia reminded me the other night that we had a problem with the brake pads, so we lost a lot of time. We finished three days rallying (with one day to go), night and day, 32 seconds in front of Ari Vatanen. We drove the last special stage for the night, came back to the hotel and I could not sleep at all, four hours in front of me and no sleep. Then I arrive at the special stage, it's about 42 km long, and I look at Fabrizia and I said 'OK, we forget everything, and we are at the first stage of the rally again, because one of us will crash.' And so Ari hit a rock, and we won the rally."

In the season-ending RAC Rally in Great Britain, Mouton continued her good performances by running third at half distance, despite having been uncomfortable about competing in a rally where pacenotes and practice are not allowed. However, her Quattro later incurred gearbox problems and she retired from fifth place after sliding off the road into a snow-filled ditch. Mouton would later state: "For me, rallying is England. No pacenotes – just you in the car having to do the fastest time. This, to me, is rallying. OK, it was not easy for me because I did not have experience there of the British championship, but it is really rallying. I like it very much." Mouton finished the season in eighth place in the drivers' championship, while Audi was fifth in the manufacturers' standings.

1982
Mouton's 1982 season started with a big accident at the Monte Carlo Rally. On stage twelve in the small town Briançonnet in Provence, she hit a patch of ice and slid off the road, crashing into the stone wall of a large house at 110 km/h (70 mph). Mouton injured her knee while Pons suffered a concussion. She had been in third place, and had set the fastest time for the difficult Col de Turini mountain pass. The pair's injuries were not serious and Mouton went on to make her debut in the Swedish Rally. She was running third when she slid into a snow bank, and crashed into the Quattro of teammate Hannu Mikkola who had gone off at the same place. She eventually finished fifth. In Portugal, Mouton recorded 18 stage wins on her way to a clear victory ahead of Toyota's Per Eklund. She once admitted that to be competitive in the rally, she tried to think of the large crowds right by the side of the route as trees. At the Tour de Corse, she could not match the pace of the leaders and finished seventh. At the Acropolis Rally, Mouton won ahead of the Opel duo Walter Röhrl and Henri Toivonen, and closed to within 20 points of the championship leader Röhrl. The event was overshadowed by two serious accidents, one of which killed a spectator. Mouton had commented: "I'm afraid that something might break in my car and I can no longer avoid hitting a spectator."

In New Zealand, Mouton continued her good performances and traded the lead with Mikkola, Röhrl and Björn Waldegård. Soon after regaining the lead on stage twelve, she retired with a broken oil pump. After seven rounds, Mouton was second in the championship, 32 points behind Röhrl and 12 ahead of Eklund. The Rally of Brazil was marred by the fatal accident of Brazilian driver Thomas Fuchs, and featured chaotic conditions as parts of the course were not successfully closed for competition. Although only five teams made it to the finish, Mouton improved her title hopes by winning her duel with Röhrl after the German lost a wheel on the last day. At the 1000 Lakes, she clocked in the eighth fastest time for the famous Ouninpohja stage and placed seventh after the first day. On the following leg, Mouton drove too fast into a jump and damaged her Quattro while landing. After the next jump, her front wheels locked up and she rolled the car. Mouton was next locked in a tight battle for the win in Sanremo. Although she recorded nine stage wins and Audi took a one-two, she had to settle for fourth behind Röhrl.

Audi had not originally planned to participate in the African marathon events, but now found it necessary to enter the penultimate round, the Rallye Côte d'Ivoire, due to their title battles with Opel. Just before the start of the event, Mouton received news that her father had succumbed to cancer in his house in Nice. His last wish was that Mouton start the rally. After a first day of over 1,200 kilometres (750 miles) of racing in temperatures over 30 °C (86 °F), she was eight minutes clear of Mikkola and nearly half an hour ahead of title rival Röhrl. Mikkola said that he had never been in such a hot car, and Röhrl estimated that the temperature inside his car reached an "almost unbearable" 70 °C (158 °F). With just over half of the 5,000 km (3,100 mi) behind, Mouton led from Röhrl by over an hour despite losing 25 minutes due to transmission problems. On the third day, both Mouton and Röhrl struggled with several reliability issues and her lead over Röhrl shrank to 18 minutes. The Toyota Celica GT2000s of Eklund and Waldegård were still over two hours behind. Should Mouton go on to hold off Röhrl, she would reduce Röhrl's lead in the championship to just two points. As a driver's seven best results counted towards the championship at the time, Mouton would only need a third place in the RAC Rally to take the title even if Röhrl would win. On the final day, she continued to suffer from mechanical problems and had the complete fuel injection system changed. For the next time control, Röhrl and Mouton arrived almost simultaneously. With only 600 km to go, Mouton went off the road and rolled her car. She drove the severely damaged Quattro for five more kilometres before giving up.

Röhrl inherited the win and became the first two-time world champion in rallying. Having lost her father, Mouton did not dwell on losing the title. Röhrl had earlier conceded that he "would have accepted second place in the championship to Mikkola", but not to Mouton: "This is not because I doubt her capabilities as a driver, but because she is a woman." He believed that defeat would have devalued his performances. At the RAC, Mouton edged out Toivonen to take second place behind Mikkola. This result made Audi the first German marque to win the manufacturers' world title. At the inaugural Autosport Awards gala, Mouton won the International Rally Driver of the Year award.

1983
The 1983 season started the Group B era of the WRC and Mouton was now at the wheel of the Audi Quattro A1. She also had a new teammate; Audi had signed Stig Blomqvist as their third regular driver. For the third year in a row, Mouton had a bad start to her season in Monte Carlo. She went off the road on a stage not far from her home town, and again hit a stone wall at over 100 km/h (60 mph). The car was destroyed, but Mouton and Pons were unharmed. Mouton explained to her team boss Roland Gumpert, later of Gumpert supercar fame, that she had had to dodge a photographer. Mouton went on to record successive points finishes. She finished fourth in Sweden in a quadruple win for Audi, after an early driving error that had sent her Quattro into a snow bank. In Portugal, Mouton finished second to Mikkola, ahead of Lancia's Röhrl and Markku Alén. After the first section of the Safari Rally, totaling over 1,600 km (1,000 mi), Mouton arrived to the finish on three wheels and said she was "totally exhausted" from the effort. She eventually placed third behind Opel's Ari Vatanen and her teammate Mikkola. After four events, Mikkola and Mouton were first and second in the drivers' championship.

At the Tour de Corse, Audi debuted the Quattro A2, which was 70 kg (155 lb) lighter and had an engine producing 30 more horsepower. Mouton's rally ended when her engine caught on fire. On the first stage in Greece, she rolled her car on a hairpin turn 18 km (11 mi) from the start. Rally New Zealand was for Mouton a repetition of the previous year; she took the lead on the seventh stage and held on to it until her A2's engine failed, with only six of the 33 stages to go. The three retirements in a row dropped Mouton to fifth place in the championship. She then finished third behind Mikkola and Blomqvist at the Rally Argentina, but this would remain her last podium finish of the season. At the 1000 Lakes in Finland, Mouton finished the first day in seventh place after setting two top-five stage times. Her car later caught on fire, but she was able to continue in the event by following Mikkola's advice and driving into a lake. With a string of top-ten times, she eventually finished 16th. In the Rallye Sanremo, the tarmac stages were dominated by the Lancia 037 and Mouton finished seventh after suffering from fuel injection problems. In the season-ending RAC Rally, she started well and held second place after the first twelve stages. An Audi mechanic later accidentally refilled Mouton's fuel tank with pure water which resulted in time-consuming repairs. She eventually retired after crashing out, and placed fifth overall in the drivers' championship. Although Mikkola beat Lancia's Röhrl and Alén to the drivers' title, Audi had lost the manufacturers' title to Lancia after the latter's triple win in Sanremo.

1984
For the 1984 season, Audi added two-time world champion Walter Röhrl to their star line-up and Mouton now had a part-time role, competing in five WRC events. For the first time in nine years, she did not enter the Monte Carlo Rally. However, Mouton signed up to commentate the event for Radio Monte Carlo. She started her year well by finishing second at the Swedish Rally behind teammate and home favourite Blomqvist. Mouton later stated that "finishing second was fantastic. When you are out rallying on ice or snow in country like that it is like dancing. From one side to the other side. My dancing background helped my rallying. As soon as I started on gravel I liked it because of that. It was so nice to feel and move the car like that. Sweden, in ice and snow, like ballet!" This would remain her last podium position in the World Rally Championship.

In the Safari Rally, a rotor arm in Mouton's Quattro failed and caused the turbo to break down as well. She retired after falling victim to the team's ranking order; as the repairs were expected to take too long, Gumpert ordered championship leader Blomqvist's Quattro to be fixed by using Mouton's sister car as spares. Her debut in the new Sport Quattro at the Acropolis Rally ended with engine overheating problems. In the 1000 Lakes, Mouton placed ninth after the short first day. She later crashed and continued without a windscreen, but the damage to her Quattro could not be repaired in service. Mouton retired and left Finland pointless for the fourth year in a row. In late October, she signed a contract extension with Audi. At the RAC Rally, a slight mistake led to a puncture and Mouton dropped from third to fifth. She went on to narrowly lose the final podium spot to Toyota's Per Eklund. Mouton's results placed her 12th in the drivers' world championship, a point behind Röhrl. Outside the WRC, Mouton debuted in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in the United States, driving an Audi Sport Quattro together with her usual co-driver Fabrizia Pons. After her main opponent Martin Schanche got hampered by a flat right front tyre she won the open rally category (now known as unlimited) in a record time and placed second overall, leaving behind several specialised V8 single-seaters that had normally dominated the race.

1985
Audi's WRC programme was limited for the 1985 season due to the recent defeats to Peugeot Talbot Sport, Peugeot's factory team headed by Jean Todt. Mouton and Mikkola were assigned to testing and development duties. She drove both the Sport Quattro and its follower, the Quattro S1 (Sport E2). Mouton considered the S1 the most difficult rally car she had driven: "For rallying on asphalt, I agree the limit had gone too far. We did not have the reflexes to control it properly. It was tough to drive the car, but not the short Quattro before."

Although Mouton competed in only one world championship event during the season, she contested a full six-round British Rally Championship. Her campaign was plagued by reliability problems and she recorded only one finish. In the National Breakdown Rally, Mouton stopped after damaging her Quattro in a jump. After technical problems led to an early retirement at the Circuit of Ireland, she finished second at the Welsh Rally behind Malcolm Wilson in another Quattro. At the Scottish Rally, Mouton had been closing in on the leading Wilson until a transmission problem forced her to retire. At the Ulster Rally, she set the fastest time for the first stage but then dropped out with a mechanical failure. In the season-ending Manx International Rally, Mouton struggled to start her Quattro and then crashed out five stages later.

Mouton's only WRC event of the year was the long-distance Rallye Côte d'Ivoire. She was co-driven by Arne Hertz as Pons was ill at the time of the start. Mouton started well and tied the lead with Toyota's Juha Kankkunen after the first day. Her Quattro incurred severe engine problems on the next day, but was seemingly repaired by Audi mechanics off the route in the jungle. At the same time, the Sport Quattro "chase car", a high-speed service car, retired and Audi faced accusations of swapping the cars. The team withdrew Mouton just before the finish and the controversy remains unresolved; the stewards did not find proof but the media published evidence afterwards. Although her rallying year was a disappointment, Mouton made a successful return to the Pikes Peak, winning the event overall in her Sport Quattro. Despite slippery conditions caused by a hailstorm, she broke Al Unser Jr.'s 1982 record by about thirteen seconds. The Frenchwoman's win irritated some of her male rivals. Bobby Unser was reputedly quite vocal about his loss, to which Mouton is said to have replied: "If you have the balls you can try to race me back down as well."

Peugeot
Mouton broke off her contract with Audi in late 1985 to join Peugeot for the coming season. She contested the German Rally Championship and two WRC events in a Peugeot 205 Turbo 16, with which the marque had captured the previous year's world titles. To replace the newly-wed Pons, Mouton recruited Terry Harryman who had been left jobless after Ari Vatanen's accident. Mouton, nicknamed "der schwarze Vulkan" (The Black Volcano) due to her temperament and long black hair, won six of the eight events in the German championship, including the Rallye Deutschland. Although the Hessen Rallye was stopped after the severe accident of Formula One driver Marc Surer, which claimed the life of his co-driver Michel Wyder, Mouton was declared the winner. She secured the German national title on the seventh and penultimate round, the Sachs Baltic, after taking her fifth win of the season. She became the first female driver to win a major championship in rallying.

Mouton's WRC outings were her home events: Monte Carlo Rally and Tour de Corse. In Monte Carlo, she was running in eighth place after eleven stages, but soon retired with oil pump problems. For the Tour de Corse in May, Mouton was given the second evolution of the car. She quickly showed good pace and held third place behind Lancia's Henri Toivonen and teammate Bruno Saby. However, she ran into gearbox trouble on the tenth stage and was forced to retire. During the next day, Toivonen and his co-driver Sergio Cresto crashed out from the lead and died in their seats. Mouton was still in Corsica and remarked to her boyfriend that "if they stop the Group B now, it will be the end for me." Within days, FISA announced new regulations and banned the Group B supercars for the following year.

In October, two weeks after securing the German Rally Championship title, Mouton announced her retirement from rallying. She cited the end of the Group B era as the reason behind the decision, and stated that it was "a good time to stop". Later in the same month, Mouton crowned her career by winning the last event of the German championship, the Drei-Städte-Rallye (Three Cities Rally), ahead of Armin Schwarz's MG Metro 6R4.

Later career
In 1988, Mouton co-founded the international motorsport event Race of Champions with Fredrik Johnsson, in memory of Toivonen and to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the world championship for rally drivers. The event originally included the world's top rally drivers, but now features stars also from other disciplines, such as Formula One, NASCAR, Le Mans and MotoGP, competing against each other in identical cars.

In 1988 and 1989, Mouton participated in rally raids as part of Peugeot's service team for Ari Vatanen and Jacky Ickx. At the 1988 Rally of Tunisia, Mouton drove a 205 T16 Grand Raid chase car and transported spare parts for Vatanen and Henri Pescarolo, but also classified sixth overall. She later took part in the Dakar Rally as a press driver in 2004 and 2009. In 2000, Mouton finished second in the London–Sydney Marathon driving a Porsche 911, behind former teammate Stig Blomqvist. After 22 years, Mouton and Fabrizia Pons reunited to compete in the 2008 Otago Classic Rally in New Zealand. In 2010, Mouton competed with a 911 in the Rallye du Maroc and finished second to Grégoire De Mévius.

In 2010, Mouton became the first president of the FIA's Women & Motor Sport Commission. She stated that "for many years people have asked me why there have been no women following in my footsteps. I really hope the Commission can help answer that question and that we can attract and support women in all areas of our sport." Having already headed a working group on the future of rallying, Mouton was appointed FIA's manager in the World Rally Championship in 2011. Mouton also serves in the nomination committee of the Rally Hall of Fame. In March 2012, she recused herself after becoming a candidate for nomination. Mouton was inducted into the Hall of Fame along with two-time world champion Carlos Sainz.

Personal life and legacy
While announcing her retirement from rallying, Mouton stated her intention to start a family with Corsican sports journalist Claude Guarnieri. She had her daughter Jessie (Jessica) in 1987. Mouton credited her father Pierre's support as the secret for her success: "He loved driving. He loved fast cars. And I think he would have loved to do what I did. He was a prisoner of war for five years and when he came back he never had the opportunity to compete. But he came to all the rallies I did. And my mother came, too."

Mouton states that in her mind she did not try to beat her male rivals, but to be at their level. She noted that in rallying, time is the most important thing. David Evans of Autosport described her as "motorsport's most successful ever female driver". Rally journalist and historian Graham Robson credits Mouton, along with Pat Moss, as "the driver by whom all other females measure their skills and achievements". Mouton and Moss were of different eras and did not compete directly against each other, although they both appeared at the 1973 Monte Carlo Rally where Mouton co-drove. In 1985, they swapped cars in a private test session with Moss driving the Quattro and Mouton an Austin-Healey 3000. Stirling Moss regarded Mouton as "one of the best", and Niki Lauda described her as a "superwoman".

In 2011, Mouton was made knight of the Legion of Honour (Légion d'honneur) by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. At the 50th International Emmy Awards in 2022, the documentary Queen of Speed about Mouton's rise to the top of rallying in the 1980s was awarded an Emmy for the Best Sports Documentary.

title: Michèle Mouton


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Slope stability

Slope stability refers to the condition of inclined soil or rock slopes to withstand or undergo movement; the opposite condition is called slope instability or slope failure. The stability condition of slopes is a subject of study and research in soil mechanics, geotechnical engineering and engineering geology. Analyses are generally aimed at understanding the causes of an occurred slope failure, or the factors that can potentially trigger a slope movement, resulting in a landslide, as well as at preventing the initiation of such movement, slowing it down or arresting it through mitigation countermeasures.

The stability of a slope is essentially controlled by the ratio between the available shear strength and the acting shear stress, which can be expressed in terms of a safety factor if these quantities are integrated over a potential (or actual) sliding surface. A slope can be globally stable if the safety factor, computed along any potential sliding surface running from the top of the slope to its toe, is always larger than 1. The smallest value of the safety factor will be taken as representing the global stability condition of the slope. Similarly, a slope can be locally stable if a safety factor larger than 1 is computed along any potential sliding surface running through a limited portion of the slope (for instance only within its toe). Values of the global or local safety factors close to 1 (typically comprised between 1 and 1.3, depending on regulations) indicate marginally stable slopes that require attention, monitoring and/or an engineering intervention (slope stabilization) to increase the safety factor and reduce the probability of a slope movement. A previously stable slope can be affected by a number of predisposing factors or processes that make the safety factor decrease - either by increasing the shear stress or by decreasing the shear strength - and can ultimately result in slope failure. Factors that can trigger slope failure include hydrologic events (such as intense or prolonged rainfall, rapid snowmelt, progressive soil saturation, increase of water pressure within the slope), earthquakes (including aftershocks), internal erosion (piping), surface or toe erosion, artificial slope loading (for instance due to the construction of a building), slope cutting (for instance to make space for roadways, railways or buildings), or slope flooding (for instance by filling an artificial lake after damming a river).

Examples

Earthen slopes can develop a cut-spherical weakness area. The probability of this happening can be calculated in advance using a simple 2-D circular analysis package. A primary difficulty with analysis is locating the most-probable slip plane for any given situation. Many landslides have only been analyzed after the fact. More recently slope stability radar technology has been employed, particularly in the mining industry, to gather real time data and assist in determining the likelihood of slope failure.

Real life failures in naturally deposited mixed soils are not necessarily circular, but prior to computers, it was far easier to analyze such a simplified geometry. Nevertheless, failures in 'pure' clay can be quite close to circular. Such slips often occur after a period of heavy rain, when the pore water pressure at the slip surface increases, reducing the effective normal stress and thus diminishing the restraining friction along the slip line. This is combined with increased soil weight due to the added groundwater. A 'shrinkage' crack (formed during prior dry weather) at the top of the slip may also fill with rain water, pushing the slip forward. At the other extreme, slab-shaped slips on hillsides can remove a layer of soil from the top of the underlying bedrock. Again, this is usually initiated by heavy rain, sometimes combined with increased loading from new buildings or removal of support at the toe (resulting from road widening or other construction work). Stability can thus be significantly improved by installing drainage paths to reduce the destabilizing forces. Once the slip has occurred, however, a weakness along the slip circle remains, which may then recur at the next monsoon.

Angle of repose
The angle of repose is related to the shear strength of geologic materials, which is relevant in construction and engineering contexts. For granular materials, the size and shape of grains can impact angle of repose significantly. As the roundness of materials increases, the angle of repose decreases since there is less friction between the soil grains.

When the angle of repose is exceeded, mass wasting and rockfall can occur. It is important for many civil and geotechnical engineers to know the angle of repose to avoid structural and natural disasters. As a result, the application of retaining walls can help to retain soil so that the angle of repose is not exceeded.

The angle of repose and the stability of a slope are impacted by climatic and non-climatic factors.

Water content
Water content is an important parameter that could change the angle of repose. Reportedly, a higher water content can stabilize a slope and increase the angle of repose. However, water saturation can result in a decrease in the slope's stability since it acts as a lubricant and creates a detachment where mass wasting can occur.

Water content is dependent on soil properties such as grain size, which can impact infiltration rate, runoff, and water retention. Generally, finer-grained soils rich in clay and silt retain more water than coarser sandy soils. This effect is mainly due to capillary action, where the adhesive forces between the fluid, particle, and the cohesive forces of the fluid itself counteract gravitational pull. Therefore, smaller grain size results in a smaller surface area on which gravitational forces can act. Smaller surface area also leads to more capillary action, more water retention, more infiltration, and less runoff.

Vegetation
The presence of vegetation does not directly impact the angle of repose, but it acts as a stabilizing factor in a hillslope, where the tree roots anchor into deeper soil layers and form a fiber‐reinforced soil composite with a higher shear resistance (mechanical cohesion).

Roundness of grains
The shape of the grain can have an impact on the angle of repose and the stability of the slope. The more rounded the grain is, the lower the angle of repose. A decrease in roundness, or an increase in angularity, results in interlocking via particle contact. This linear relationship between the angle of repose and the roundness of grain can also be used as a predictor of the angle of repose if the roundness of the grain is measured.

Slope stabilization
Since the stability of the slope can be impacted by external events such as precipitation, an important concern in civil/geotechnical engineering is the stabilization of slopes.

Application of vegetation
The application of vegetation to increase the slope stability against erosion and landslide is a form of bioengineering that is widely used in areas where the landslide depth is shallow. Vegetation increases the stability of the slope mechanically, by reinforcing the soils through plant roots, which stabilize the upper part of the soil. Vegetation also stabilizes the slope via hydrologic processes, by the reduction of soil moisture content through the interception of precipitation and transpiration. This results in a drier soil that is less susceptible to mass wasting.

Stability of slopes can also be improved by:
 * Flattening of slopes results in reduction in weight which makes the slope more stable
 * Soil stabilization
 * Providing lateral supports by piles or retaining walls
 * Grouting or cement injections into specific zones
 * Consolidation by surcharging or electro osmosis increases the stability of slope

Mass classification and rating
Various classification and rating systems exist for the design of slopes and to assess the stability of slopes. The systems are based on empirical relations between rock mass parameters and various slope parameters such as height and slope dip.

Probability classification
The slope stability probability classification (SSPC) system is a rock mass classification system for slope engineering and slope stability assessment. The system is a three-step classification: ‘exposure’, ‘reference’, and ‘slope’ rock mass classification with conversion factors between the three steps depending on existing and future weathering and damage due to method of excavation. The stability of a slope is expressed as probability for different failure mechanisms.

A rock mass is classified following a standardized set of criteria in one or more exposures (‘exposure’ classification). These values are converted per exposure to a ‘reference’ rock mass by compensating for the degree of weathering in the exposure and the method of excavation that was used to make the exposure, i.e. the ‘reference’ rock mass values are not influenced by local influences such as weathering and method of excavation. A new slope can then be designed in the ‘reference’ rock mass with compensation for the damage due to the method of excavation to be used for making the new slope and compensation for deterioration of the rock mass due to future weathering (the ‘slope’ rock mass). If the stability of an already existing slope is assessed the ‘exposure’ and ‘slope’ rock mass values are the same.

The failure mechanisms are divided in orientation dependent and orientation independent. Orientation dependent failure mechanisms depend on the orientation of the slope with respect to the orientation of the discontinuities in the rock mass, i.e. sliding (plane and wedge sliding) and toppling failure. Orientation independent relates to the possibility that a slope fails independently from its orientation, e.g. circular failure completely through newly formed discontinuities in intact rock blocks, or failing partially following existing discontinuities and partially new discontinuities.

In addition the shear strength along a discontinuity ('sliding criterion')  and 'rock mass cohesion' and 'rock mass friction' can be determined. The system has been used directly or modified in various geology and climate environments throughout the world. The system has been modified for slope stability assessment in open pit coal mining.

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

title: Slope stability


text:
Harry Gregson-Williams

Harry Gregson-Williams (born 13 December 1961) is a British composer, conductor, orchestrator, and record producer. He has composed music for video games, television and films including the Metal Gear series, Spy Game, Phone Booth, Man on Fire, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian, Déjà Vu, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Martian, Antz, The Tigger Movie, Chicken Run and its sequel, the Shrek franchise, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, Flushed Away, Arthur Christmas, Early Man, and Catch-22. He is also the older brother of fellow composer Rupert Gregson-Williams.

Gregson-Williams worked with several film directors such as Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, Andrew Adamson, Ben Affleck, Joel Schumacher, Antoine Fuqua, Niki Caro, Nick Park, and Dan Ireland.

Education
Gregson-Williams won a musical scholarship to St John's College School in Cambridge at the age of seven. He was a child chorister at the school and later attended Stowe School, an independent boarding school in the civil parish of Stowe in Buckinghamshire, where he was a music scholar. He next went to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.

He learned to play the piano as a child on a Broadwood piano which his father had bought with the winnings from a hundred-to-one bet during the Grand National.

title: Harry Gregson-Williams


text:
Talk:Arabian Gulf

Protectionism?
I am not happy with wikipedia admins policy for locking and reverting. I can not see the reason for rigid protectionism. Admins: please state your reason(s) for full locking in discussion page before locking any page, otherwise this will not be wikipedia. --Nevit (talk) 07:55, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

 * The edit summaries should be enough. This page has been vandalized many times before and based on the recent edits to the talk page the vandalism will resume as soon as the protection ends. Given this I am inclined to recommend that this page receive full protection on a permanent basis. – allen四names 16:33, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

 * I can not see any reason to protect the page from being edited by established users. --Nevit (talk) 15:18, 8 May 2010 (UTC)

 * I've found that protection for a month or two will usually produce a few additional months of respite from the vandalism. Occasionally there are even productive edits made during those periods. --Carnildo (talk) 00:55, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

to anyone all other in the world: how are arabs? why edit the history of the world with your wishes? persian gulf was for persians and it will be bahrain yamen oman qatar was a part of persian kingdom abaout 100 years ago. now,what the reason that a r a b i a n gulf in wroted? thats just a lie. a gulf bitween two boundry of a coutry is for that country and it's persian. persian gulf is the true name of this gulf wiki please correct your databases fore save your respect —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.185.140.117 (talk) 06:25, 30 April 2011 (UTC)

FAQ
I've combed the talk history and created Talk:Arabian Gulf/Archive 1, keeping much of the ranting. We probably need to trim it down, however I thought it may be useful to use it in order to develop an FAQ for this talk page, explaining why this disambiguation page exists, and telling people to rant on a more appropriate talk page ;-) John Vandenberg (chat) 13:56, 10 May 2010 (UTC)

US Navy uses again "Arabian Gulf"
Now that the U.S. Navy officially uses "Arabian Gulf", doesn't that bolster the case for making this a redirect to Arabian Gulf? Kauffner (talk) 06:34, 11 December 2010 (UTC)
 * Not really- all that (and the similar information about Australian military usage) is telling us is that military forces acting in co-operation with Arab states in the area find it more convenient not to use a name those Arab states dislike. David Trochos (talk) 07:33, 13 December 2010 (UTC)

Persian Gulf is the true name and historically correct name for that area! There thousands pages of evidence that are showing Persian Gulf is a true historical name of that area! Arab countries just start to change it based on their racist pan-Arabism beliefs. Saeed Karimian (talk) 07:08, 4 July 2017 (UTC)

"Southwest of the Indian subcontinent"
I have twice reverted an edit placing the Arabian Sea "southwest of the Indian subcontinent" rather that "west of India". The editor's reason for reinstating the change, that "'Indian subcontinent' in this context means both India + Pakistan" illustrates the problem- the Arabian Sea can be regarded as "southwest" of the subcontinent only if it consists of precisely those two nations, ignoring Bangladesh (and it is of course most unclear how many of the Himalayan nations should also be included). For geographical clarity, I would argue that the Arabian Sea is best described as the only sea which is immediately "west of India". David Trochos (talk) 07:31, 15 February 2011 (UTC)

By certain Arab countries?
Eh...bit of a weasel word there no? Persian Gulf is by far the more common name but Arabian Gulf isn't unheard of in the west. The Gulf is very common indeed. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.15.70.172 (talk) 14:39, 9 May 2011 (UTC)

Comments from Mmo123456
Arabian Gulf does Not refer to Red Sea, in geographical works from ancient times to the 19th century.

please Wikipedia stop putting false information on your website. please do not try to fool people, if you are sure that Arabian gulf refer to Red sea, please provide your reference and your prove, I am sure you will not find any reference for that.

The translation of Arabian gulf is Al khaleej Al-Arabi الخليج العربي, NOT persian gulf, please put the correct information. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mmo123456 (talk • contribs) 09:37, 2 June 2011

 * This article is just meant as a summary and link list- for the details you should see the articles to which it links, and if they contain material not backed by reliable sources, you should either amend them yourself or make suggestions on the Discussion pages for those articles. David Trochos (talk) 07:20, 3 June 2011 (UTC)

Edit request on 16 March 2012: Arabian Gulf
On the page about the Arabian Gulf it states that Khalij el-Arab, near Alexandria, Egypt, translates to English as the "Arab Gulf", or "The Arabs' Gulf"

This is not accurate and is talking about a different body of water. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Gatorgal1632 (talk • contribs) 16:33, 16 March 2012 (UTC)

 * Are you saying that "Khalij el-Arab" does not translate to English as "Arab Gulf"? --Carnildo (talk) 00:09, 17 March 2012 (UTC)

Arabian Gulf is a fals name that was used by some of the Arab countries around Persian Gulf. It's historically a fals name and shouldn't be used in Wikipedia! Please consider changing it to Persian Gulf which is the correct and true name of this area. Saeed Karimian (talk) 07:04, 4 July 2017 (UTC)

Organisations
Per WP:PTM:

 * "Do not add a link that merely contains part of the page title, or a link that includes the page title in a longer proper name, where there is no significant risk of confusion... Add a link only if the article's subject ... could plausibly be referred to by essentially the same name as the disambiguated term"

On this basis, there appears to be no justification for the inclusion of Is there some other policy to justify their inclusion? --gråb whåt you cån (talk) 10:52, 4 December 2012 (UTC)
 * Popular Front for the Liberation of the Occupied Arabian Gulf
 * National Democratic Front for the Liberation of Oman and the Arabian Gulf
 * Done --gråb whåt you cån (talk) 22:27, 28 July 2013 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 29 March 2015
The Arabian/Persian Gulf is located between Arabian Peninsula and Iran. The red sea is located on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula and Africa continent.

Reference: https://www.google.ae/maps/place/Arabian+Gulf/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x3e43baa0d01c0fd7:0x670637ef2b576d2e?sa=X&ei=qq8XVaClBM7aav3EgtAF&ved=0CBsQ8gEwAA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Gulf http://www.arabiangulfmaps.com/

Aduwaih (talk) 07:55, 29 March 2015 (UTC)
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format. Amortias (T)(C) 11:23, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 6 April 2015
Persian Gulf! please correct.

213.233.178.176 (talk) 12:35, 6 April 2015 (UTC)
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format. Alakzi (talk) 12:42, 6 April 2015 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 11 March 2016
For legally recognized name of Persian Gulf, reference shall be made to United Nations Website and Merriam Webster Dicionary

http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/ungegn/docs/23-gegn/wp/gegn23wp61.pdf http://www.un.org/Depts/los/LEGISLATIONANDTREATIES/persian_gulf.htm http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/mideastr.pdf http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/qatar.pdf http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/kuwait.pdf http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/english/htmain.htm http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/westasia.pdf http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/iran.pdf http://www.persiangulfonline.org/research/books.htm http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/nytmaps.pl?iran

R

168.187.124.29 (talk) 12:00, 11 March 2016 (UTC)
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format. Cannolis (talk) 13:56, 11 March 2016 (UTC)

 * Information orange.svg Please note, this is a disambiguation page - an index of other articles - and we do not put any references on disambiguation pages. - Arjayay (talk) 14:08, 11 March 2016 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 7 July 2016
There is no arabian gulf in history, only persian gulf is true, please correct it.

46.62.253.62 (talk) 19:06, 7 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format. nyuszika7h (talk) 19:11, 7 July 2016 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 25 September 2016
There are some missing info which has to be correct.

Amirn3 (talk) 10:52, 25 September 2016 (UTC)

Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format. - BilCat (talk) 11:01, 25 September 2016 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 12 August 2017
Hi, I think there has been a mistaken in this page. The location you are referring to is not called the Arabian Gulf, it is indeed called the PERSIAN GULF. Please fix it as it confuses other people out there. The real name of this gulf is the PERSIAN GULF regardless of what the Arabs call it. This gulf has an identity and has served the Middle East for centuries, please the least you could do is respect it and call it by its true name. Panda8080 (talk) 16:08, 12 August 2017 (UTC)

please change arabian gulf to persian gulf — Preceding unsigned comment added by Panda8080 (talk • contribs) 16:13, 12 August 2017 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: please establish a consensus for this alteration before using the template. jd22292 (Jalen D. Folf) (talk) 16:18, 12 August 2017 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 28 October 2018
"On October" = "In October" 2605:E000:9149:8300:BD8B:F88D:27CA:DF63 (talk) 08:08, 28 October 2018 (UTC)
 * Yes check.svg Done  D Big X ray ᗙ  09:36, 28 October 2018 (UTC)

Redirection to the original article
This URL should be a redirect to the original article. Alirwez061 (talk) 21:07, 26 April 2021 (UTC)

you use Wrong name
Persian gulf is correct 2A01:5EC0:981A:C983:BDED:10FA:A310:6F93 (talk) 06:24, 20 November 2022 (UTC)
 * Yes, but it's sometimes wrongly called the Arabian Gulf. Jim Michael 2 (talk) 12:53, 16 April 2023 (UTC)

title: Talk:Arabian Gulf


text:
Cristina Narbona

María Cristina Narbona Ruiz (born 29 July 1951) is a Spanish politician who served as First Vice President of the Senate. She also presides over the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). From 18 April 2004 to April 2008, she served as Minister of Environment in the government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. She is a trustee of the Fundacion IDEAS, a think tank linked to the PSOE.

Biography
Narbona was born in Madrid. At the age of 12 she emigrated to Rome with her parents, where she obtained a degree in economics before returning to Spain in 1975. Subsequently, she taught at the University of Seville and served in the regional government of Andalucia. In 1993 she joined the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). She served in the local government of Madrid in several capacities. She has represented Madrid in the Spanish Congress since 2000.

On 18 June 2017 she was elected president of Spanish Socialist Worker's Party. Having been in a relationship with fellow PSOE politician Josep Borrell since 1998, they married in July 2018.

She tested positive for the COVID-19 on 1 February 2021 during the pandemic in Spain, but with mild symptoms.

Political views
In a 2002 interview with Telemadrid, Narbona argued that the price of housing in Spain was excessive and out of reach of young people, and called for more government aid in the housing sector.

Narbona is an opponent of nuclear power and supports the gradual closure of nuclear plants in Spain. She has also supported the implementation of the Kyoto Protocols in Spain.

title: Cristina Narbona


text:
Robbert

Robbert is a Dutch form of the masculine given name Robert. People with the name include:

 * Robbert A.J. Agerbeek (1937–2023), Indo Dutch boogie-woogie and jazz pianist
 * Robbert Andringa (born 1990), Dutch volleyball player
 * Robbert Baruch (born 1967), Dutch politician
 * Robbert-Kees Boer (born 1981), Dutch short track speed skater
 * Robbert van de Corput (born 1988), Dutch house DJ known as "Hardwell"
 * Robbert Dijkgraaf (born 1960), Dutch mathematical physicist
 * Robbert Duval (1639–1732), Dutch painter
 * (1771–1856), Dutch army general and government minister
 * Robbert Valentijn Gonggrijp (born 1968), Dutch hacker
 * Robbert Hartog (1919–2008), Dutch-born Canadian businessman
 * Robbert van 't Hoff (1887–1979), Dutch architect and furniture designer
 * Robbert Kemperman (born 1990), Dutch field hockey player
 * Robbert Klomp (born 1955), Dutch-born Australian rules footballer
 * Robbert te Loeke (born 1988), Dutch footballer
 * Robbert van Mesdag (1930–2018), Dutch rower
 * Robbert Olijfveld (born 1994), Dutch footballer
 * Robbert Schilder (born 1986), Dutch footballer
 * Robbert Vos (born 1986), Dutch euphonium player and conductor

title: Robbert


text:
Waldenburg, Baden-Württemberg

Waldenburg is a hilltop town in south central Germany, eastwards of Heilbronn in the Hohenlohe (district) of Baden-Württemberg. The town is the site of Waldenburg Castle and some hilltop churches. Records first mention Waldenburg in the year 1253, but the town was destroyed in April 1945, at the end of World War II, and it has been rebuilt since.

Geographical form
Waldenburg covers part of the natural Schwäbisch-Fränkische forest-hills and the Hohenloher-Haller Ebene.

City outline
Waldenburg includes the village of Waldenburg proper and the 2 sections Obersteinbach (173 people, as of 31 March 2006) and Sailach (222 people).

History

The first recorded mention of Waldenburg dates from 1253. By 1330 it was a free imperial city in the Holy Roman Empire. Plague and war reduced the population during the Thirty Years' War. The Confederation of the Rhine of 1806 annexed Waldenburg into the Kingdom of Württemberg under the process of "mediatisation", and the town has been part of the state of Baden-Württemberg, within the Federal Republic of Germany, since 1952.

In April 1945, at the end of World War II, the town was occupied for a last-ditch stand by the Wehrmacht against the advancing Third United States Army, and was almost completely destroyed by American artillery. Postwar efforts have reconstructed some historic buildings.

The ancient castle still belongs to the Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst family that built it.

On 1 January 1971, there was the annexation of Upper Steinbach.

Religions
In Waldenburg, there are Protestant, Catholic and Apostolic churches. The Catholic Church, together with the parishes of Pfedelbach and Bretzfeld form a pastoral unit.

Population growth
Estimated population of Waldenburg, per year:
 * 1648: 640
 * 2000: 3079
 * 2005: 3083

Mayors

 * Franz Gehweiler (November 1945–March 1978)
 * Gerhard Lauth (March 1978–August 1990)
 * Roland Weinschenk (December 1990–April 2004)
 * Markus Knobel (July 2004–2020)
 * Bernd Herzog (since 2020)

Coat of arms and flag
The blazon of arms of Waldenburg is: in the upper part of gold with green ground, are three green fir trees; below in a silver border, is a red-tongued black lion (leopard), with tail curled underneath. The flag of the city is red and white.

From the 16th Century since, the seals in the Waldenburg detectable crest reaches into the upper half of the city name, and displays in the bottom half with the leopard, the emblem of Hohenlohe. The city colors are the colors of the Hohenlohe house.

Sister cities
Waldenburg maintains partnership relations with Sierck-les-Bains in Lorraine, France.

Traffic
Waldenburg is located on autobahn A 6 and federal highway B 19.

Waldenburg is located in the area of HNV on the Heilbronn–Crailsheim railway. Waldenburg (Wurttemberg) station is served every two hours by Regional-Express services to Heilbronn and Crailsheim. In the hours in between Regional-Express services it is served by Regionalbahn services on the Öhringen–Schwäbisch Hall-Hessental route.

Established companies
The industrial park is a plan of the Hohenlohe Waldenburg Association of Municipalities, copper and cell Künzelsau and has an area of 230 ha, of which 135 hectares are being used. It is situated at the foot of the mountain Waldenburg 6 in the immediate vicinity of the station Waldenburg, the Federal Autobahn and Federal Street 19.

In the industrial field, the following companies are based or have a production site:
 * R. Stahl
 * Ziehl-Abegg
 * SWG (Schraubenwerk Gaisbach) of the Würth Group
 * Lidl
 * Wolff & Müller
 * Würth Elektronik eiSos, part of the Würth Elektronik Group

Museums
The City Council of Waldenburg is a museum with Urweltfunden. Since 1971, the castle houses a museum with collections of seals from the early Middle Ages.

Buildings and structures

 * Schloss Waldenburg
 * Keep
 * Remnants of the monastery at the settlement site Goldbach
 * Waldenburg TV Tower
 * Friedrichsberg Television Tower, a TV tower of reinforced concrete under construction
 * Evangelical Lutheran, Catholic, and Apostolic churches exist in Waldenburg.

East of Waldburg operates the southwest radio with the 150 m TV Tower Waldenburg-Fredericksburg since 2008, as the main transmitter for radio and television. By 2009, the village was finished using TV Tower Waldenburg in operation, which was dismantled after the shutdown to the water tower.

Nature
Near the settlement site Goldbach are the nature reserves of Rößlesmahdsee, with Pfaffenklinge and the Eastern Goldbachsee lake.

Between Obersteinbach and the hamlet of Tommelhardt are the nature reserves of Obere Weide (pasture) and Entlesboden, which show the natural vegetation of the old Hutewälder forest.

title: Waldenburg, Baden-Württemberg


text:
Isola 2000

Isola 2000 is a ski resort in the southern French Alps. It is located on the territory of the commune of Isola, Alpes-Maritimes. It is one of the Stations du Mercantour, along with Auron and St. Dalmas, and is operated by the council of the Alpes-Maritimes. It is located next to the Mercantour National Park, and is about 90 km from Nice, France.

Origins
The area used to be part of the County of Nice in the Kingdom of Piedmont Sardinia. In 1861, with Italy's unification, it became part of the Province of Cuneo. In 1947 following the treaty of Paris the area was given to France.

The idea of a ski resort near the small town of Isola first came from a British Army ex-officer, and Olympic skier, Peter Boumphrey, in the late 1960s, after he discovered a basin in the southern French Alps on a map. The local village of Isola owned the land he wanted to build the resort on – a small town located at an altitude of 900m, with poor prospects for development as citizens were migrating to the cities. As a result of this, the local mayor was happy to allow Boumphrey, and the London-based contractors he persuaded to help him, to build a ski resort above Isola, as the land required was of little value as farmland.

The regional government was concerned not too much about the resort itself, but about the road that was required to access it. Before the resort existed there was a small dirt road up the resort's location, and avalanches were constantly blocking this in the winter, as well as rockslides in the summer. Therefore, the government was interested in building a slightly longer, but safer road to the resort, that could serve Isola 2000, and also another proposed resort, called Azur 2000, that was never built. However, the mayor of Isola was adamant that the road pass through his town, and the British contractors did not want the resort to be any further from Nice Côte d'Azur Airport, a key aspect of the location, so the new route was scrapped, and the old road was upgraded.

In the summer of 1971 the resort officially finished, and had a capacity to sleep 6,000 people. It opened in December that year.

Recent developments
Over the resort's history, many new lifts have been added and upgraded, such as new 6 seater and 4 seater chair lifts, as well as a new gondola, added in 2006. More accommodation has been built around the original 70s structure, and many bars, restaurants and shops have been established.

The access road to the Mediterranean coast has also been constantly improved by removing corners and adding bridges and tunnels. It is now very possible to make the drive in less than an hour and a half from the nearest city of Nice. There is also a regular bus service from many surrounding areas, with ticket prices very low, at around €1.00, making day trips amongst locals attractive and commonplace.

The 1993 Tour de France and 2024 Tour de France used Isola 2000 as a stage finish, and the 2008 Tour de France also passed through the resort.

On 23 March 2008, Isola hosted various slalom stages for the Championnats de France de Ski 2008 (the 2008 French ski championships).

Lifts
Isola 2000 currently has 2 gondola lifts, 9 chairlifts, 10 button lifts and 1 funicular, with a total capacity of about 20,000 pph.

Piste
The resort has over 120 km of piste, consisting of two main ski areas. There are 7 green runs, 21 blue runs, 11 red runs, and 4 black runs. The resort is considered by ski guides to be well suited for families, beginner and intermediate level skiers.

At 2000m, the resort is one of the highest in the Alps. This, with a favourable micro-climate, ensures fairly reliable snow cover, and in December 2007, Isola 2000 was the resort with the most snow cover in France. However, when required, there are over 210 snow cannons to guarantee skiable conditions.

The resort also has a snow park, including jumps and rails, 3 km of cross-country ski piste and downhill racing facilities.

Architecture
The buildings in the resort are mainly clustered around the original purpose-built structure from the early seventies. This complex incorporates much concrete in its design, and is considered by most visitors as an ugly building. However, there have been many smaller structures built around it, which are more akin to traditional wooden chalet style. As the resort is very high compared to other resorts, there are very few trees at the station altitude and above.

Dining and nightlife
The resort has a handful of bars and restaurants. It has been noted by some guides that the resort has limited night life.

title: Isola 2000


text:
Hrishikesha

Hrishikesha (हृषीकेश; IAST: Hṛṣīkēśa) lit. lord of the senses is an epithet of the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu. It is the 47th name in the Vishnu Sahasranama. According to Adi Shankara's commentary on the Vishnu Sahasranama, the name has several meanings:
 * The lord of the senses.
 * He under whose control the senses subsist.
 * He whose hair consists of the rays of the sun and the moon, which gives joy to the world.

Rishikesh is a city in Uttarakhand state of India named after Hrishikesha.

title: Hrishikesha


text:
State of the Union (disambiguation)

The State of the Union is the name of an annual address (lecture) presented by the President of the United States of America to the United States Congress.

State of the Union may also refer to:

Government

 * State of the Union (European Union), an annual speech addressed by the President of the European Commission
 * U.S. state, a constituent political entity of the United States (a.k.a. the "Union")
 * The northern states during the American Civil War.

Conferences

 * The State of the Union (European University Institute), an annual forum for high level reflection on the European Union organised by the European University Institute (EUI).

Films

 * State of the Union (film), a 1948 film by Frank Capra
 * XXX: State of the Union, a 2005 film by Lee Tamahori

Literature

 * State of the Union (play), a 1946 play by Russel Crouse and Howard Lindsay
 * State of the Union, a 2005 novel by Douglas Kennedy

Groups

 * State of the Union, a band on WTII Records
 * State of the Union, a band featuring Brooks Williams and Boo Hewerdine

Works

 * State of the Union (album), a Dischord Records various artists compilation
 * "State of the Union" (song), a song by David Ford
 * "State of the Union", a song on Siren Song of the Counter Culture, an album by punk band Rise Against

Television

 * State of the Union (American TV program), an American TV news program/talk show that has aired on Sundays on CNN since 2009
 * State of the Union (British TV series), a British television comedy (Series 1: 2019; Series 2: 2022)
 * Tracey Ullman's State of the Union, a comedy sketch TV show

Other arts, entertainment, and media

 * State of the Union, a Creators Syndicate comic

Other uses

 * Australian Provincial Championship or The State of the Union, a rugby union competition

title: State of the Union (disambiguation)


text:
Talk:African languages/to do

 * 1) Classification history. (Cust, Bleek, Meinhof, Westermann, Guthrie, Greenberg, Mann&Dalby, Ehret, Blench, etc., etc.)
 * 2) Section Language in Africa — should be expanded, a load of issues that need to be covered are mentioned below.
 * 3) Map of Francophone, Anglophone, Lusophone, and Arabic regions. Does someone have a neat overview?
 * 4) language politics (education, government)
 * 5) national languages vs. official languages
 * 6) endangered languages
 * 7) extinct languages
 * 8) lingua franca
 * 9) multilinguality
 * 10) language attitude
 * 11) literacy
 * 12) Bibliography, references, further reading: the article should provide the reader with a kick-ass annotated bibliography.

Last update: — mark ✎ 08:40, 17 February 2006 (UTC)

title: Talk:African languages/to do


text:
José Antonio Alonso

José Antonio Alonso Suárez (28 March 1960 – 2 February 2017) was a Spanish judge and politician, member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). He was member of the Spanish Cabinet from 2004 to 2008.

Born in León, he was a jurist (judge since 1985 after graduating from the University of Leon, magistrate 1989 and criminal court judge with the provincial court in Madrid) and academic at the law faculty of the University of Leon before his political career, Alonso was elected to the Spanish Congress as a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party in 2004, representing León Province and was re-elected in 2008. He later served as spokesman for the PSOE Parliamentary Group.

From 18 April 2004 to 7 April 2006 he was the Minister of the Interior in the government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. Described by his ministerial colleagues as a man "driven by his strong ideological beliefs and professionalism", Zapatero is said to have chosen Alonso on the grounds that the latter would fight terrorism without compromising human rights. Alonso served as the Minister of Defense until 11 April 2008. Prior to his election he had been a critic of the People's Party's support for George W. Bush and their alleged politicisation of judicial bodies.

Alonso died from lung cancer in Madrid on 2 February 2017 at the age of 56.

title: José Antonio Alonso


text: User talk:128.6.175.24

title: User talk:128.6.175.24


text:
User talk:Robbertteriele

Okay, please don't put up any pseudoautobiographical articles on Wiki anymore, whether it's because you're trying to be funny, or you have ill intent. There are other places to express creativity than the wiki, which is an encyclopedia.Benji 12:37, 14 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Please stop adding nonsense to Wikipedia. It is considered vandalism. If you were just trying to experiment, then use the sandbox instead. Thank you. --Woggly 13:01, 14 Dec 2004 (UTC)

title: User talk:Robbertteriele


text:
Victorian Goldfields Railway

The Victorian Goldfields Railway is a broad gauge tourist railway in Victoria, Australia. It operates along a formerly disused branch line between the towns of Maldon and Castlemaine.

History
The original line was opened on 16 June 1884, opening up rail access from the established station at Castlemaine to the towns of Muckleford and Maldon. The area was prosperous, as Castlemaine and Maldon had both experienced gold rushes in the preceding years, and local residents had been petitioning the government for a railway since 1874. On 2 August 1884, a contract was let for an extension to Laanecoorie, however further construction was suspended after the line reached the small town of Shelbourne in 1891.

The line was served by twice-daily trains for the first forty years of its life, which was increased to four-times-daily trains in 1924. However, these were cut back at the end of the 1920s due to a decrease in the local population, and passenger services were eliminated altogether during World War II. This meant that the line was used by only a weekly goods train which went through to Shelbourne. When bushfire damage caused the closure of the Shelbourne extension in 1970, the remainder of the line was rendered largely useless, and it was officially closed in December 1976.

The response to the closure from the local community was swift, and the Castlemaine and Maldon Railway Preservation Society was founded in the same month, with the intention of reopening the line as a tourist railway. While Maldon station was intact, and was able to be used as a base for their operations, they were faced with numerous problems: a line that needed substantial repairs, a lack of rolling stock, and rebuilding the demolished station at Muckleford.

Reconstruction
Over the next decade, volunteers obtained and renovated rolling stock and by 1986, trains were able to operate on a one kilometre section of track out of Maldon. By 1996, the line from Muckleford to Maldon had been restored, with the platforms being reinstated and a small replacement building being constructed. Services were able to operate along a regular timetable, and the society set about reopening the Muckleford-Castlemaine section of the line.

The project received the support of the local, state and federal governments. The necessary physical work had largely been completed by 2003, but it took another year to secure the necessary approvals and sign an agreement with freight operator Pacific National over the use of its line into Castlemaine station, which is still in regular passenger use today. The section of line finally opened on 19 December 2004, approximately a year behind schedule. , the Society has shown no plans to restore the dismantled Shelbourne extension in the foreseeable future.

Current operations
The railway now operates two return trips to Castlemaine on Sundays, Wednesdays and public holidays. Steam locomotives operate most services, although the Society also operates diesels during days of total fire ban or when steam is not available. During December, January and February all services are hauled by diesel locomotives.

The Railway also operates a number of special trains such as Ales on Rails and Murder on the Orient Express Trains. Additionally, the railway offers Driver Experiences, where customers can drive a locomotive and Footplate Experiences where you can ride in the cab for either the Maldon to Muckleford or Muckleford to Maldon leg of the trip.

Leased locomotives
Since 2011, Steamrail Victoria have leased members of their fleet to the VGR in order to lighten the load on the railway's own limited fleet. This has seen use of K190, K153, D3 639 and Y164 on the Maldon branch.

Highlights
29 March 1986: First section of railway reopened between Maldon station and the Bendigo Road crossing (approx. 1 km). The reopening train consist being K160-2BCE-42BU-16BCPL.

1987: Diesel locomotives F212 and T333 acquired from VicRail. F212 was transferred from Melbourne to Maldon by road. T333 was railed from Bendigo to Maldon.

31 March 1991: Locomotive J549 makes its first move under steam and returned to service later that year.

9 October 1993: Railmotor 61RM officially handed over to the VGR. It had been held by a group of railmotor drivers at Spencer St prior to being railed to Bendigo and then trucked to Maldon.

25 September 1995: Locomotive D3 646 retrieved from a park outside Maryborough Railway Station.

8 June 1996: Line officially reopened to Muckleford. J549 was used on the official train.

11–12 July 1998: First heritage rail weekend, promoted as "Steamfreight '98". A variety of passenger, goods and mixed trains ran with K160, J549, T333, F212 and 61RM over the 2 days.

July 1999: "Steamfreight '99", the 2nd such event held. A similar program of operations to the previous one. Highlights included K160 being renumbered K157 on the Sunday. A triple headed goods also operated with "K157"-T333-F212.

May 2001: "Steamfreight 2001", the 3rd such event to be held. K160, J549, T333 and 61RM operated. 2 L type sheep wagons were transferred by road from the collection at Castlemaine and restored for this event.

19–20 June 2007: The VGR held a Steam on Show Event using J515, K160 & diesel Y133. A variety of passenger, goods and mixed trains operated from Maldon to Castlemaine on the 19th, while regular services ran as mixed trains headed by K160 and J515 on the 20th.

26 July 2008: The VGR ran the first double-headed J Class working in thirty years, using J515 and J541.

6 September 2008: The VGR held the first "Picnic at Muckleford" event, combined with Steam on Show. The major highlight of this event was the first triple headed steam on the VGR (and the Castlemaine-Maldon branchline) with K160-J515-J541. A variety of passenger and mixed trains ran throughout the day.

14 June 2009: The VGR celebrated the 125th anniversary of the Castlemaine-Maldon line with a special train from Castlemaine hauled by doubled headed J class. Steamrail Victoria operated double headed R class from Melbourne as part of the festivities.

19 December 2010: E cars 2BCE, 20BE, 15BE & 18AE, were sold to the SRHC & transferred from Maldon to Seymour for restoration.

29 October 2011: Steamrail Victoria locomotive K190 transferred by rail from Melbourne to Maldon to provide back-up motive power. It left the railway on 9 March 2012. It returned for a second period of hire on 23 October 2012 and left on 23 June 2013.

26 November 2011: Another "Steam on Show" event was held. K190-K160 ran a special mixed train from Maldon to Muckleford with K190 leading tender-first and K160 trailing funnel-first. At Muckleford K160 ran around the train to form a tender-to-tender formation for the run to Castlemaine. The return from Castlemaine was run as a double-header with K190 leading K160.

12 May 2013: Diesel Electric Rail Motor Preservation Association Victoria ran a special from Melbourne to Maldon and return with 58RM. It was the first time a passenger train has operated such a trip since the last VR train on the Maldon line in November 1976. The railmotor crossed J515 operating the regular VGR service in both directions.

23 June 2013: D3 639 arrived at Maldon by rail from Melbourne on loan from Steamrail Victoria, making it the first time a D3 has traveled on the branch in forty years.

20 October 2013: J549 undertakes its first test runs after completion of a 9-year overhaul. During the overhaul the loco received new tyres on the pony truck and coupled wheels, a new smokebox barrel, cylinders re-bored, motion gear re-metaled and the tender bogie wheels re-profiled. The test run included a light engine trial around Maldon yard, followed by a line test to Muckleford and return with Y133. The following week it undertook load tests to Muckleford and Castlemaine.

26 October 2013: Steamrail Victoria and the VGR operate a special tour from Melbourne to Maldon and return, dubbed the "Maldon Steam Spectacular". R761-K190 hauled the train from Melbourne to Castlemaine where it transferred to the VGR yards. R761 was removed from the train and locomotive J515 and carriage 42BU were added. K190-J515 then ran from Castlemaine to Muckleford with photostops en route. At Muckleford J515 was swapped with J549 which had operated a Wedding Charter from Maldon. K190-J549 then continued to Maldon where K190 was left for another hire stint on the railway. D3 639 was attached and the train returned to Castlemaine. Upon its return to Castlemaine J549 and 42BU were shunted off and the D3 turned. R761-D3 639 returned the train from Castlemaine to Melbourne later that evening.

20 January 2014: K160 transferred by road from Maldon to Newport Workshops. It was moved to Newport to conduct a major overhaul. A finish date for this overhaul is unknown at this stage.

15–17 August 2014: Steamrail Victoria operate a special weekend tour from Melbourne to Castlemaine with K153 and T356 on 15 August. K153 then joined K190 which was already at the VGR to operate the special to Maldon early on the morning of 16 August. A series of workings using both K-class locos operated in either double-headed, tender-to-tender and tender-first combinations on passenger or mixed trains for the remainder of the day. Both K153-K190 returned to Melbourne with the mainline train and T356 on 17 August.

19 October 2014: To commemorate the Centenary of the commencement of the First World War, a special re-enactment of the troop trains that conveyed Australian soldiers to Ports for transport to the Warfronts was operated on 19 October 2014 under the banner "Answering the Call". The train was hauled by D3 639 from Steamrail and J515 from the SRHC. The D3 was decked out with flags and a special headboard while the train itself featured replica banners that appeared on the original troop specials.

13 December 2014: Centenary of the first DD-class locomotive constructed at Thompson's Foundry Castlemaine. Locomotive DD 893 rolled out of the foundry on 12 December 1914. To commemorate the Centenary Steamrail locomotive D3 639 was used to re-enact the locomotive steaming from the foundry (instead using the new VGR carriage shed to represent the foundry shed). The D3 also bore replica DD 893 plates as well as replica Thompson's Foundry plates.

13 February 2016: Steamrail Victoria transferred 31CE behind Y164 and T356 to Castlemaine for restoration at the VGR for future use on the railway. On the same day, Y133 was transferred to Melbourne for repairs.

18 August 2018: In conjunction with Steamrail's Maldon weekender. K153, J549 and K190 hauled one of the largest and heaviest trains to run on the VGR. With 6 sleeping carriages, a power van, water gin, Lowanna, the VGR 4 wheel goods set and Y133 hauled dead. This was the first triple header on the VGR in over 10 years.

Maldon station fire
On the night of 20 October 2009, a large fire in the Maldon station building caused major damage and loss of equipment. However, the brickwork structure was deemed safe and work on a contract initiated by VicTrack to completely rebuild the roof was started in February 2011, leading to VGR re-occupying the building the following June.

title: Victorian Goldfields Railway


text:
Fast Sunday

Fast Sunday (previously Fast Day) is a Sunday set aside by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for fasting by its members. On Fast Sunday, a fast and testimony meeting is held by local congregations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Overview
On Fast Sunday, church members are encouraged to fast for two consecutive meals. Members are also encouraged to give the money they save by not eating as a fast offering, which will be used by the church to financially assist those in need.

On Fast Sunday, the sacrament meeting is known as fast and testimony meeting. In this meeting, rather than predetermined speakers on particular subjects, the members are given the chance to voluntarily bear extemporaneous testimony to one another of gospel truths. Non-members of the church are welcome to participate in Fast Sunday activities.

Fast Sunday is usually the first Sunday of each month. In some circumstances, the week of Fast Sunday may be adjusted by church leaders. In many areas of the world, this occurs in April and October, when the church's general conferences are held on the first Sunday of the month. They may also be adjusted due to stake conferences or temple dedications that are held on the first Sunday of the month.

In addition to the regular Fast Sunday, individuals, families, wards, or stakes may designate additional fast days for special needs of individuals, families, communities, or the church. No fast and testimony meeting is held for these non-regular fast days.

History
Fast Day was started by Joseph Smith, as described by Brigham Young:

 * You know that the first Thursday of each month we hold as a fast day. How many here know the origin of this day? Before tithing was paid, the poor were supported by donations. They came to Joseph and wanted help in Kirtland, and he said there should be a fast day, which was decided upon. It was to be held once a month, as it is now, and all that would have been eaten that day, of flour, or meat, or butter, or fruit, or anything else was to be carried to the fast meeting and put into the hands of a person selected for the purpose of taking care of it and distributing it among the poor.

During the 19th century, almost a fifth of converts in the United Kingdom were miners by profession. Their physical work made fasting during the week very difficult and an exception was granted to allow British miners to fast on Sundays instead of Thursdays. The practice became popular among the wider membership of the church in Britain and quickly spread. In 1896, Fast Day was changed to the first Sunday of the month, instead of the first Thursday. Since then, it has commonly been referred to as Fast Sunday.

Modern LDS Church leaders have affirmed the need for a Fast Day. Church apostle Gordon B. Hinckley stated: "What would happen if the principles of fast day and the fast offering were observed throughout the world[?] The hungry would be fed, the naked clothed, the homeless sheltered. ... A new measure of concern and unselfishness would grow in the hearts of people everywhere."

Studies
The LDS practice of intermittent fasting has been studied in the context of Mormons' lower rate of coronary artery disease and cardiac mortality. While this phenomenon has been attributed to LDS Church's prohibition on tobacco and  alcohol use, fasting practices have also been hypothesized to play a role.

title: Fast Sunday


text:
Juan Fernando López Aguilar

Juan Fernando López Aguilar (born 10 June 1961) is a Spanish jurist and politician of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) who has been serving as a member of the European Parliament since 2009. He served as Minister of Justice in the government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. He also represented Las Palmas in the Congress of Deputies between 1996 and 2007 and between 2008 and 2009.

Early life and education
López Aguilar was born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. He holds a Ph.D. in Law from the University of Bologna, Italy, and for a long time he has been a Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. He also holds a master's degree in Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He funded his studies largely by working as a newspaper caricaturist and comic-book illustrator.

Member of the Spanish Parliament, 1996–2007
As a member of the Spanish parliament, López Aguilar served as his parliamentary group’s spokesperson on home affairs.

Candidate for President of the Canary Islands, 2006–2007
In November 2006, López Aguilar was chosen as the socialist candidate for the Presidency of the Canary Islands Government.

He won the 2007 elections, but his majority was insufficient to defeat opposition manoeuvring that prevented him becoming leader of the regional government. Instead, he was later nominated to head the PSOE list in the 2009 European elections.

Member of the European Parliament, 2009–present
López Aguilar has been a Member of the European Parliament since the 2009 European elections. He has since been a member of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, which he chaired during first term until 2014 and since 2019. In this capacity, he served as the parliament's rapporteur on fundamental rights in Poland (2020) and on COVID-19 certificates (2021).

In addition, López Aguilar served on the Special Committee on Organized Crime, Corruption and Money Laundering (2012-2013) and the Committee of Inquiry into Money Laundering, Tax Avoidance and Tax Evasion (2016-2017) that investigated the Panama Papers revelations and tax avoidance schemes more broadly.

Since 2014, López Aguilar also has been serving as vice-chairman of the parliament’s delegation to the ACP–EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly. He has taken part in monitoring missions for the Ukrainian parliamentary elections in 2012, led by Paweł Kowal, and the Tajikistani parliamentary elections 2010.

López Aguilar is a member of the Spinelli Group, and the European Parliament Intergroup on Integrity (Transparency, Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime).

Other activities

 * European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), Member

title: Juan Fernando López Aguilar


text:
Balaji Telefilms

Balaji Telefilms is an Indian company that produces Indian soap operas in several Indian languages. Balaji Telefilms also owns Alt Balaji, the platform known for producing adult rated content. Balaji Telefilms also produces reality TV, comedy, game shows, entertainment, and factual programming. Balaji Telefilms is promoted by Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor and is a public company listed at Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange of India.

In the 2000s, the company produced some historic blockbusters, which included Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, Kaahin Kissii Roz, Kasautii Zindagii Kay, Kahiin to Hoga, Kkusum and Kasamh Se amongst several others.

In the 2010s the company produced several hugely successful drama series which includes Pavitra Rishta, Tere Liye, Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani, Bade Achhe Lagte Hain, Jodha Akbar, Yeh Hai Mohabbatein,  Kumkum Bhagya,  Meri Aashiqui Tum Se Hi, Kasam Tere Pyaar Ki, Kundali Bhagya,   Yeh Hai Chahatein and Bhagya Lakshmi.

Since 2015, the company introduced several seasonal format weekend drama thriller series which went out to be highly rated series amongst which includes Naagin (TV series) (running currently in its 6th season), Kavach (TV series) (2 seasons), Brahmarakshas (2 seasons), Haiwaan : The Monster, Daayan (TV series) and Qayamat Ki Raat amongst several others.

In 2017, the company launched its biography, Kingdom of the Soap Queen: The Story of Balaji Telefilms.

History
The company was registered as 'Balaji Telefilms Private Limited' on 11 November 1994 in Mumbai, India, with the objective of creating serials and other entertainment content by Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor. Balaji has specialized in formatted programming that can be adapted for languages around the nation as well as abroad. One notable success Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. Other examples include Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, Kaahin Kissii Roz, Kahiin to Hoga,Kasautii Zindagii Kay, Kkusum, Kutumb, Kohi Apna Sa, Kasamh Se, Pavitra Rishta, Parichay, Kya Hua Tera Vaada, Jodha Akbar, Bade Achhe Lagte Hain, Yeh Hai Mohabbatein, Naagin, Kumkum Bhagya and Kundali Bhagya The later five are dubbed and re-produced in several languages across India and Asia. In recent years the company has been expanding its reality show output with shows such as titles such as Box Cricket League on Sony TV.

Balaji was incorporated as a public limited company on 29 February 2000, and its name was changed to 'Balaji Telefilms Ltd' on 19 April 2000. The company made public issue of 28,00,000 equity shares of ₹10 each at a premium of ₹120 aggregating ₹36.40 crore. The issue included a book-built portion of 25,20,000 equity shares and a fixed price portion of 2,80,000 equity shares. In the same year, Nine Network Entertainment India Pvt. Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nine Broadcasting India Pvt. Ltd., merged with Balaji Telefilms Ltd. During 2000–04 the stock market capitalization grew sixteenfold to ₹571 crores when Star India acquired a 26% stake in the business.

Balaji Telefilms started a media training institute in 2010. Known as ICE Institute of Creative Excellence, it trains students in acting, cinematography, direction, modelling, etc.

In 2014, the company and Ekta Kapoor were subject to protests in Jaipur led by the Shri Rajput Karni Sena (SRKS), a Hindutva group. These occurred because of perceived communal slights in the Jodha Akbar television series.

In 2015, Balaji Telefilms produced a finite series, Naagin, which became the most viewed show on Indian television since its inception. The show won multiple awards and returned for its second and third season, which also generated high ratings. The fourth season of series was broadcast starting in December 2019 but it was not doing well on television so it was replaced by the fifth season of the series in August 2020.

In 2017, Reliance Industries acquired a 25% stake in Balaji Telefilms for Rs413 crore. The deal gave RIL access to Balaji Telefilms' content for use by telecom unit Reliance Jio.

title: Balaji Telefilms


text:
Fast offering

Fast offering is the term used in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) to denote money or usable commodities donated to the church, which are then used to provide financial or other assistance to those in need. The local bishop or branch president is responsible for the use of the fast offering resources, and is usually assisted by other local church leaders to identify individuals and families to receive assistance and to disburse the resources.

Background
Members are encouraged to fast once a month on Fast Sunday and to give the money they save by not eating two meals to the church; those who can afford to be more generous are encouraged to give more than simply the money saved as a fast offering. Members may also choose to fast and donate fast offerings more than once per month.

When the Mormon pioneers first settled in the western United States in 1847, LDS Church leaders encouraged members to perform their fast on the first Thursday of each month, and to donate the food thus saved to their bishop. This food was collected in small buildings called "Bishop's Storehouses", and were held until needed by other members. Over time, this practice was changed: the members, who were primarily farmers and laborers, had difficulty fasting on a day of regular labor, so the day of observance was changed to Sunday. When money, in the form of specie instead of barter, became more available in Utah Territory, members were encouraged to make their donations in cash, which could better be held until needed to purchase food.

Purposes
Donations from fast offerings are not used for the same purposes as those monies given through tithes. Specifically, fast offerings are used to provide food, shelter, clothing, medical care, and other necessities for those who are in need, fulfilling the meaning conveyed in Isaiah 58:6–11, with attendant blessings to the giver and the receiver. Tithing funds are used to build and maintain meetinghouses, temples, and educational facilities; for the general maintenance of church operations; and for costs of missionary and genealogical and family history work.

Collection methods
Church members are encouraged to make regular financial contributions to the church through the leader of the local church unit, usually a bishop. The combined contribution can include tithing, fast offerings, and other humanitarian donations, and is delivered to the leader on a "convenience" basis (i.e., there is no set time either in or outside of a formal meeting where the funds are requested).

Young men (deacons or teachers in the Aaronic Priesthood) are often assigned to pass by members' residences to inquire if they can convey any fast offerings to the bishop. In some areas, members may also pay fast offerings on the Internet.

There is no requirement to make any financial donation to fast offerings or any of the church's other funds in order to maintain one's membership; such donations are encouraged but are not mandatory.

Distribution
No publicly available accounting of fast offerings exists. (The LDS Church does disclose its financials in the United Kingdom, Canada, and other jurisdictions where it is required to do so by law. These financials are audited by the UK office of PricewaterhouseCoopers.) However, it is claimed by the church that fast offering funds are primarily available to the bishop to distribute to those in need in the area where they were collected, but that any excess (or deficiency) is shared with the rest of the church, first on a stake level, then on wider levels.

Bishops are instructed by church guidelines that they have "a divine mandate to seek out and care for the poor (see D&C 84:112). It is not enough to assist [with fast offerings] only when asked."

Purpose of fast offerings, and financial prudence
While administering to the needs of the poor through use of the fast offering funds, each bishop is also counseled to encourage individuals and families to become self-reliant through reducing debt, seeking work opportunities or improved income through education if needed, and paying tithes and offerings to receive temporal blessings from the Lord as promised in Malachi 3:8–12.

title: Fast offering


text:
Talk:Gotse Delchev (disambiguation)

What is this nonsence - you picture here the father of the Macedonian Nation as Bulgarian. This is highly iligal and I will consider taking you to court unless you take those insunuations from your webpages.

Even if he was Bulgarian (which he was not, the statement used usually is falsified), he was still Macedonian revolutionary, for he fought for revolution in Macedonia.

 * Please do not post emotional outbursts. They are not productive. If you wish to discuss this issue please join us on the discusion page of Goce Delchev. Their you will find that there are many others who have issues with the current article. You are free to argue and state your beliefs but it is even better if you support these with documented evidence and good reasoning. You may also wish to consult Npov in order to better formulate and argue your contributions. Also, try not to be anonymous by registering. Regards --Modi 16:50, 30 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * That statement has stayed here for some time - he was one of the "transitory birds". VMORO 22:54, Apr 30, 2005 (UTC)

If Macedonians are really Bulgarians, as you claim VMORO, why do you need to reaffirm that he was a Macedonian-Bulgarian revolutionary? It would be easier just to say that he was Macedonian....Seems to me, you have your doubts :) Makedon 23:01, 18 December 2005 (UTC)

Goce Delchev himself said he was Bulgarian, so then he is not Macedonian
It is very simple. What kind of propaganda have you been fed my friend? All the founders of VMRO were Bulgarian. They tried to convert the Macedonians. Boris Sarafov was from Bulgaria, Delchev went to Sofia often to get supplies and weapons -the list goes on and on. ==The Macedonian web page www.macedoniagreece.com will grow. Tens of thousands of people have visited the web site. From here they will learn about the history of Macedonia.
 *

* www.macedoniagreece.com
Visit the site and learn who the real Macedonian heroes were.

title: Talk:Gotse Delchev (disambiguation)


text: User talk:62.249.211.244

title: User talk:62.249.211.244


text:
User:Jamescolton

The definition you give for iridology is far from accurate. I should first explain the 2 different methods of iridology. The American model is based on the fact that only medical doctors can make a diagnose, this for iridologists in America meant changing its main principles resulting in bastardisation and inaccuracy. The other model stems from Europe and is totally different from the American model.

In most of Europe people are free to learn and practice iridology unlike in the USA where people do not have the same freedom, which is strange for a country that is forever saying it is the land of the free. In Europe iridologists do use iridology to name specific diseases.

The terms referred to “overactive” and “inflammation” is inaccurate and misleading and is the foundations of American iridology. Such terminology is shallow, misleading and non professional. You are also wrong in stating that the iris changes, it does not.

In the 1980s I conducted my own research into the iris changing. What occurs is a photograph taken of an iris in sunlight appears different to the same iris taken in a darkened room. Pupil dilation or constriction changes the patterns of the iris. It took me a couple of hours to prove this, which begs the question why hasn’t one American iridologist with half a brain found the same.

You also state “Other features that iridologists look for are contraction rings and Klumpenzellen, which are said to indicate various other health conditions, as interpreted in context.” This is again American bull shit. Who ever wrote this should resign.

Iridologists in Europe view the iris before taking a medical history, or any information that can be seen to be passing the same information back to the patient who has already stated a medical problem. You also state “A visit to an iridologist can have a placebo effect.” Such a statement cements your ignorance of iridology.

Scientific research into iridology Oh dear, if the same criteria was given to all medical research as in Simon et al.4, 1979 the second biggest killer of people being doctors in America, would create a national panic. Diagnosis from a photograph is not possible.

The Paul Knipschild trail was flawed; Knipschild could not find any iridologist to take part in his plan. So he got 5 doctor cronies to work from an iridology book, which just happen to be the American model of iridology. Anyone for heart surgery, I have a excellent book to work from.

You presented no research that is available from Spain, Russia, or Korea which shows very good results for iridologists.

If you can’t be honest then don’t write it.

title: User:Jamescolton