text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Hebei Daily

 This page is an archive of the discussion about the proposed deletion of the article below. This page is no longer live. Further comments should be made on the article's talk page rather than here so that this page is preserved as an historic record. The result of the debate was KEEP. —Korath (Talk) 07:21, Feb 28, 2005 (UTC)

Hebei Daily
Small propaganda newspaper in China. Doesn't seem particularly notable, should probably merge somewhere. Radiant! 10:35, Feb 17, 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep. Seems notable. Trilobite (Talk) 11:08, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep; this is the official organ of the government in a province which has 67,694,000 people in it. Kappa 12:07, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep. It's the party paper for Hebei. Nateji77 14:30, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep. Seems like one of the major party newspapers in Hebei. "Hebei Daily" currently registers over 252 Google hits. Zzyzx11 21:01, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete, just under the bar of notability for me. Megan1967 23:11, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep. English-language searches aren't going to be especially fruitful here.  -Sean Curtin 01:38, Feb 18, 2005 (UTC)
 * googled in chinese Nateji77 05:42, 20 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Keep. Hebei province has over 67 million people, so even if this were only a minor newspaper, it still would reach a significant number of people. - Walkiped 19:34, 19 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete, spurious notability. JamesBurns 10:22, 27 Feb 2005 (UTC)

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text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Hjalmar holand

 This page is an archive of the discussion about the proposed deletion of the article below. This page is no longer live. Further comments should be made on the article's talk page rather than here so that this page is preserved as an historic record. The result of the debate was KEEP. —Korath (Talk) 07:21, Feb 28, 2005 (UTC)

Hjalmar holand
Stub. This man has a theory. And that's all. My theory is that he should be deleted. Radiant! 10:37, Feb 17, 2005 (UTC)
 * Comment: No vote yet. This could be kept if expanded (and moved to a correct title), but I won't be sorry if the article in its present state is deleted. Hjalmar Holand was a fairly notable pseudohistorian who published several books, arguing, among other things, for the authenticity of the Kensington Stone and the Norse origin of the Newport Tower. He could possibly be the subject of an interesting biographical article. / Uppland 14:49, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep, and expand. Megan1967 23:13, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep and expand. The Vinland theory of which he was an early advocate is notable. Capitalistroadster 14:09, 18 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep and expand.. This guy has roughly 800 hits on Google and was mentioned in TIME magazine (though you need a subscription to read the article). Erraneous capitalisation of the last name needs to be fixed by the way. --Andylkl 19:07, Feb 18, 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep. ComCat 02:39, 19 Feb 2005 (UTC)

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

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


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Hippocampus Press

 This page is an archive of the discussion about the proposed deletion of the article below. This page is no longer live. Further comments should be made on the article's talk page rather than here so that this page is preserved as an historic record. The result of the debate was DELETE. dbenbenn | talk 15:01, 3 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Hippocampus Press
Vanity page. They publish Lovecraft works (but then so do several others). Once more, notable or not able? Radiant! 10:40, Feb 17, 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Vanity. Written in first person. Probably copyvio. Trilobite (Talk) 11:08, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Publisher is currently not notable: only two books listed on Amazon with very low rankings, insufficiently popular web site for traffic data to exist on Alexa, which also notes only four other web sites linking to them. Maybe one day they will be an encyclopedically cultural force, but not now. Oh, and it's advertising. HyperZonktalk 17:25, Feb 17, 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. I just marked it as copyvio because it is a direct copy from the company's About Us web page. Zzyzx11 21:10, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep if and when the copyvio is cleaned up. Megan1967 02:39, 18 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Copyvio, non-notable publisher.   — Gwalla | Talk 00:52, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep, seems notable on Google. JamesBurns 10:24, 27 Feb 2005 (UTC)

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text:
Talk:Polish Radio and Television

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment
This article is or was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment. Further details are available on the course page.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 06:50, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

Untitled
Polish Radio and Television was divided into separate entities - Polskie Radio and Telewizja Polska in the early nineties...

External links modified
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 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20090501073406/http://www.polskieradio.pl/thenews/foreignaffairs/artykul106640_libertas_allies_with_fringe_right_wing_in_poland.html to http://www.polskieradio.pl

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Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 16:40, 16 July 2016 (UTC)

title: Talk:Polish Radio and Television


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Hitwise

 This page is an archive of the discussion about the proposed deletion of the article below. This page is no longer live. Further comments should be made on the article's talk page rather than here so that this page is preserved as an historic record. The result of the debate was DELETE. jni 09:37, 25 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Hitwise
It's a webservice that counts page hits. How is that notable? Radiant! 10:41, Feb 17, 2005 (UTC) This page is now preserved as an archive of the debate and, like some other VfD subpages, is no longer 'live'. Subsequent comments on the issue, the deletion, or the decision-making process should be placed on the relevant 'live' pages. Please do not edit this page.
 * Delete. Not notable. Trilobite (Talk) 11:08, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete CDC   (talk)  18:11, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Looks more like a promotion. Zzyzx11 21:14, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Ad copy. Ellsworth 23:35, 18 Feb 2005 (UTC)

title: Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Hitwise


text:
File:AsiaRipa1603.JPG

Asia, woodcut in Cesare Ripa, Iconologia 1603

title: File:AsiaRipa1603.JPG


text: User talk:152.226.7.203

title: User talk:152.226.7.203


text:
Talk:The Hellbound Heart

Untitled
Crikey! The... purple... prose! The goggles, they do nothing! Can someone please rewrite this in a less hyperbolic style? -- The Anome 10:44, Feb 17, 2005 (UTC)

There is another problem with the article -- someone has obviously has never read the novella, and is paraphrasing a synopsis of the movie, Hellraiser. I have placed a dispute banner. I have to admit that I have unwittingly contributed to this mess by attempting to edit the "purple prose" without actually having read the novella myself. The differences between The Hellbound Heart and Hellraiser include: I have a copy of the novella and I will read it before gutting this article and starting over from scratch. The history shows that the article was fairly vague, naming only Frank, until 70.242.12.153 extensively changed the Plot Summary and included mention of "Larry" and "his teenaged daughter Kirsty". Canonblack 22:02, 12 March 2006 (UTC)
 * Frank's brother's name is Rory, not Larry. It was changed to Larry for the movie.
 * Rory and Julia move into a house left to Frank and Rory by their grandmother. It was not Frank's house.  Rory was told that Frank stayed there for a few days or weeks prior to his latest disappearance, but he left no furniture or belongings.  Although Julia expresses misgivings about Frank returning to "claim what is his", Rory explains that it is jointly owned by the two of them and that Frank "has no interest in property".
 * The novella is NOT "the story of a mystical puzzle box". It's the story of the people who come into contact with it.  The box is described, but very little of its history is revealed.
 * Kirsty is not Rory's daughter. She is an old friend of his, an awkward self-defeatist who has harbored a secret crush on him for years.

Plot summary
The plot summary has been overlong for some time. I've restored a briefer version [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Hellbound_Heart&direction=next&oldid=43089720[. --Tony 00:54, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

I've never read the novel, but I know several things (as described above) in this thread are in fact wrong; I was actually to read the differences between the movie and the book, yet your description is from the movie. This causes the page to be all kinds of confusing - it states plainly that Kirsty is Rory's friend and pines for him and the next paragraph has him named Larry and Kirsty is his daughter.

Reverting it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by BlazingOwnager (talk • contribs) 01:02, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

I've read through the book, and have made some minor changes to the plot summary. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.117.147.222 (talk) 18:38, 18 July 2009 (UTC)

The Hideous Heart
I don't know this, as I've never read any of Clive Barker's novellas, but it seems to me at least the title of the novella is related to the famous Edgar Allen Poe short story "The Case of the Hideous Heart", or something like that title anyways. Anybody know? 206.53.90.229 (talk) 23:15, 18 May 2008 (UTC)
 * In case anyone's still wondering, the title that anon is thinking of is probably The Telltale Heart — but there's no evidence yet that the one necessarily inspired the other. 72.72.210.89 (talk) 23:18, 7 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Also, the author is Edgar Allan Poe. Naaman Brown (talk) 00:44, 9 June 2009 (UTC)

Rory and Kirsty
Let's get this thing with Rory (or Larry) and Kirsty, daughter (or friend resolved).

I'd do it myself but I have only seen the movie. Thanks, 71.139.160.159 (talk) 22:45, 30 April 2012 (UTC)

title: Talk:The Hellbound Heart


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Hlebonas

 This page is an archive of the discussion about the proposed deletion of the article below. This page is no longer live. Further comments should be made on the article's talk page rather than here so that this page is preserved as an historic record. The result of the debate was DELETE. jni 09:37, 25 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Hlebonas
Alleged pharaoh, but apparent hoax. Doesn't google. Radiant! 10:45, Feb 17, 2005 (UTC) This page is now preserved as an archive of the debate and, like some other VfD subpages, is no longer 'live'. Subsequent comments on the issue, the deletion, or the decision-making process should be placed on the relevant 'live' pages. Please do not edit this page.
 * Delete - nothing in several academic indicies either. It's certainly possible that this is some non-standard spelling - I tried a few variants, but I'm no Egyptologist, so I could miss something. So delete unless someone adds a valid citation to the article. CDC   (talk)  18:32, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete, not notable - zero Google hits, possible hoax. Megan1967 23:14, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Hoax. This name isn't possible with any common transliteration of Egyptian, and the contents have "kiddi-wiki prank" written all over them.   — Gwalla | Talk 00:54, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)


text:
Jim French (cowboy)

Jim French was a cowboy in the New Mexico Territory. Called either "Big Jim" or "Frenchy", he was a key participant in the 1878 Lincoln County War.

Out of all Lincoln County Regulators and associates of Billy the Kid, French remains the most mysterious. Not much is known about him, such as where he came from or how he came to work for John Tunstall. He was reported to be a large, powerful man, variously said to be either half-Indian or half-black.

Lincoln County War
French was present at all the key events of the Regulators during the war, including the Blackwater killings of William Morton, Frank Baker, and William McCloskey on March 9, 1878. After the shooting of Sheriff William Brady on April 1, 1878 in Lincoln (when French and five partners killed Brady and a deputy), he and Billy the Kid broke from cover and ran to Brady's body, ostensibly to get his arrest warrant for Alexander McSween. A deputy who survived the shooting, Billy Matthews, opened fire. His shot wounded both men, French so seriously he that couldn't travel, hiding out under a friend's floor for a day until the Regulators smuggled him out of town. Just three days later, Jim French was present with his pals at the Gunfight at Blazer's Mill against Buckshot Roberts, when Regulator captain Richard M. Brewer was killed.

When the Regulators were trapped in Lincoln in July 1878, French was trapped along with McSween and Billy the Kid in the burning McSween house. Throughout the five-day ordeal, French remained volatile and dangerous. During a shouted parlay, when those surrounding them demanded to see the deputized Regulators' arrest warrants for rival James Dolan, French yelled back, "Our warrants are in our guns, you cock-sucking sonsabitches!" When the house was set afire on July 19, French and Billy the Kid led the Regulators out the rear door and escaped while several of their companions, including McSween, were gunned down in the backyard.

By the fall of 1878, the war had ended and the Regulators split up. French left New Mexico, later writing a friend from a new home near Keota, Oklahoma.

Postwar
French was rumored to have been killed back in Lincoln County, New Mexico, in a quarrel over stolen cattle on June 21, 1879, but this seems unlikely. Others say he went to South America. A man named Jim French was killed on February 6, 1895 while trying to rob a store in Catoosa, Oklahoma, but there is nothing to indicate that this man was the Jim French of the Lincoln County War. Fellow Regulator George Coe stated in 1927 that French had been shot in Oklahoma "about three years ago." Jim French's fate remains just as much a mystery as his origins.

In popular culture
In the film Young Guns II, Jim French was combined with fellow Regulator Henry Brown, and presented as a composite named Hendry French. Timid and clumsy, the film's portrayal of French, by actor Alan Ruck bears little actual resemblance to either outlaw.

title: Jim French (cowboy)


text:
Bréguet 693

The Bréguet 690 and its derivatives were a series of light twin-engine ground-attack aircraft that were used by the French Air Force in World War II. The aircraft was intended to be easy to maintain, forgiving to fly, and capable of 480 km/h at 4000 m. The type's sturdy construction was frequently demonstrated and the armament was effective. French rearmament began two years later than that in Britain and none of these aircraft were available in sufficient numbers to make a difference in 1940.

Bréguet 690
The Bréguet 690 had begun life in 1934 as the Bre 630, the Bréguet Aviation entry for the Service Technique Aéronautiques (STAé, Aeronautical Technical Service) Chasse, triplace specification of October 1934 along with the Hanriot H 220, Loire-Nieuport LN-20, Romano R.110 and the Potez 630. The Bréguet 630 was a twin-engined monoplane with twin tailplanes and Hispano-Suiza 14AB 02/03 (port and starboard) 14-cylinder air-cooled radial engines, both rotating inwards to limit torque problems if one engine failed. The aircraft was armed with two forward-firing Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannon and a 7.5 mm MAC 1934 machine-gun firing rearwards for aft defence. The Potez 630 won the C3 competition but Bréguet began construction of the prototype Bréguet 690 in 1935, without an order from the Armée de l'Air, which was not placed until 26 March 1937. Completion of the Bréguet 690-01 was slowed by a ten-month delay in the delivery of its engines from Hispano-Suiza. The Bre 690-01 was finished in early 1938 and flew on 23 March, revealing no serious design flaws and was sent to the Centre d'Essais de Matériels Aériens (CEMA, the Air Equipment Test Center) at Vélizy-Villacoublay Air Base for testing.

Bréguet 690-01
The tests showed that the Bre 690-01 performed well, in some aspects surpassing the Potez 630. The encouraging test results led to the order of a hundred Bréguet 691 AB2 (Assaut Bombardement Biplace, Two-seater Attack Bomber) on 14 June 1938. Bréguet replaced the navigator's position with a bomb-bay and bomb-racks, the port 20 mm cannon was changed for two 7.5 mm MAC 1934 machine-guns, the forward-firing guns capable of being depressed by 15° for ground strafing. The undercarriage was altered, the oil cooler intakes were moved from the wings to the engine nacelles and fuel capacity was increased from 705 to 985 l. The first hundred Bre 691 aircraft had 700 HP Hispano-Suiza 14AB10/11 radials and from then the 745 HP14 AB 12/13 radials, the first fifty aircraft having Ratier and later aircraft Hamilton-Standard three-bladed, variable-pitch propellers. The order for a hundred aircraft was doubled.

Production
Bréguet quickly established an assembly line and the first production aircraft Bréguet (Bre) 691-01 flew less than a year after being ordered; the type was in service before the end of 1939. As with the Potez 630, the Bre 691 was beset with engine difficulties. Hispano-Suiza had decided to concentrate on its V12 liquid-cooled engines and the 14AB engine was unreliable. The French authorities decided to limit Bréguet 691 production run to 78 aircraft, instead of 100. Orders were placed for another version, the Bre 693 powered by Gnome-Rhône 14M radials. Apart from the different engines, which were of slightly smaller diameter, the two types were virtually identical. Orders for the Bre 691 were switched to the new type and more than 120 of the latter had been completed by the time of the débâcle of the Allied defeat in June 1940. Late production versions of the Bre 693 introduced propulsive exhaust pipes that improved top speed by a small margin as well as, according to some sources, another two machine-guns in the rear of each engine nacelle. Belgium ordered 32 licence-built copies but none was completed before the Belgian collapse. French engine makers had even greater difficulties than airframe manufacturers in keeping up with demand from 1938 and in 1939 the French government decided that all combat aircraft had to be adapted for British and US engines. Fewer than 250 Bréguet 690 series aircraft were completed. The Armée de l'air received only 211 aircraft, 78 Bre.691s, 124 Bre.693s and nine Bre.695s; the Germans captured several complete or near-complete aircraft at the factories.

Operational history
A small experimental unit had been investigating ground-attack tactics since 1937, initially in outdated biplanes such as the Potez 25, then in ANF Les Mureaux 115 monoplanes. Eventually, the Armée de l'Air concluded that low-altitude level bombing was more suitable than dive-bombing for engaging enemy vehicles and artillery on the battlefield. The chosen tactic consisted in a hedge hopping approach at maximum speed, followed by a strafing run or the delivery of time-delayed bombs directly over the target. French commanders widely considered this tactic safe for the attackers, as anti-aircraft weapons then in service would be inefficient. The French Army was not using anti-aircraft autocannon at the time (the 25 mm Hotchkiss and Oerlikon 20 mm cannon were issued only later), relying instead on rifle-calibre machine guns and slow-firing 75 mm guns.

In late 1939, two squadrons transferred from level bomber units were gathered in the small airfield near Vinon-sur-Verdon, where they began their operational training. As Bréguet 691s were not available, the crews flew the Potez 633 light bomber. When they were delivered, the Bréguets were popular with their crews, although the unreliable engines in the Bre 691 affected aircraft serviceability and undercarriage failures proved especially troublesome. Only in March 1940 were the first combat-worthy Bre. 693s delivered and there were now five squadrons to equip, GBA I/51, GBA II/51, GBA I/54, GBA II/54, and GBA II/35 (GBA, Groupe de bombardement d'assaut, attack bomber squadron), with a theoretical complement of 13 aircraft each.

Because of late deliveries, crews were still working up their new machines and developing tactics when the Battle of France began. On 12 May, GBA I/54 and GBA II/54 performed the Bréguet's first operational sorties, against German motorized columns in the Liège–Tongeren–Maastricht area. German anti-aircraft fire shot down eight of the eighteen Bre.693s. The disastrous results of this first engagement forced the French commanders to reconsider their tactics. Until 15 May, GBA crews performed shallow dive attacks from higher altitude, which resulted in reduced losses but the attacks had clearly been inaccurate, as the Bréguet lacked a bombsight. On subsequent missions, the GBAs reintroduced low-level attacks in smaller formations. As the position of the French and Allied armies grew steadily more desperate, the assault groups were engaged daily, still enduring losses to anti-aircraft fire but also increasingly to German fighters.

In late June, the Armée de l'Air tried to evacuate its modern aircraft to North Africa, from where many hoped to continue the fight. The short-ranged Bréguets were not deemed able to cross the Mediterranean. Unlike other modern French types, the Bréguet 690 family saw its combat career end with the Armistice. By this time, 104 aircraft had been lost and 14 were written off in November 1940 (most of these had also been destroyed or damaged beyond repair during the campaign). Out of 205 Bréguets delivered to the Armée de l'Air, 58 per cent were lost. The five GBAs suffered crew casualties of around 50 per cent.

After the Armistice, the Vichy authorities were allowed to maintain a small air force in mainland France and its assault bomber pilots flew rare training flights in the Bre.693 and Bre.695. After Case Anton, the German occupation of all of France in late 1942, some of the survivors in the Italian occupation zone were transferred to Italy but were not used. The Germans ordered the completion of several unfinished aircraft after the Armistice that were used as advanced trainers.

Variants

 * Bre 690.01: Bréguet 690 prototype.
 * Bre 691.01: Bréguet 691 prototype.
 * Bre 691: Two-seat twin-engine ground-attack aircraft.
 * Bre 693.01: Bréguet 693 prototype.
 * Bre 693: Two-seat twin-engine ground-attack aircraft.
 * Bre 694.01: Prototype intended to be two or three-seat tactical reconnaissance aircraft.
 * S 10: Swedish reconnaissance variant of the export Bre 694 which would have had Swedish equipment and armament. 12 ordered but cancelled due to the war.

 * Bre 695.01: Bre 695 prototype.
 * Bre 695:A conversion of a Bre 693, was not particularly successful, the larger, heavier and higher-drag Pratt & Whitney R-1535 Twin Wasp Junior engines reducing visibility and providing only a minor performance improvement at lower altitudes. Only a few 695s were operationally used before the armistice.
 * Bre 696.01:A two-seat light bomber prototype, which was first ordered and then cancelled in favour of the Bre 693.
 * Bre 697:Intended as a pre-prototype for the Breguet 700 C2 heavy fighter. Powered by Gnome-Rhône 14N-48/Gnome-Rhône 14N-49 engines which offered 50% more power than the 14M, the Bre 697 prototype displayed a sensational rate of climb, and was as fast as a Bf 109E. The Bre 700 was expected to offer even higher speed and would have been very heavily armed.
 * Bre 810: Bre 693 modified for carrier usage, adopted by the Aeronavale in 1939 for use aboard the Joffre class carriers. Had folding wings and could carry a torpedo.

Operators

 * undefined: French Air Force

Vichy French Air Force
 * Vichy France

 * Nazi Germany: Luftwaffe

 * Kingdom of Italy: Regia Aeronautica. Several aircraft captured, never brought back into service.

title: Bréguet 693


text:
James French

James French may refer to:

 * James B. French (1857–1932), American politician
 * James M. French (1834–1916), American lawyer and politician in Virginia
 * James R. French, American aerospace engineer
 * James French (murderer) (c. 1936–1966), American criminal
 * James French (racing driver) (born 1992), American racing driver
 * James French (rugby union) (born 1998), Irish rugby union player
 * James Strange French (1807–1886), lawyer, novelist and hotel keeper
 * James Bruce French (1921–2002), Canadian-American theoretical physicist
 * Jim French (cowboy), New Mexican cowboy
 * Jim French (musician) (born 1954), American jazz musician
 * Jim French (photographer) (1932–2017), American photographer of male erotica
 * Jim French (radio host) (1928–2017), American radio host for KIRO (AM), writer-producer for The Adventures of Harry Nile
 * Jim French (baseball) (born 1941), American baseball player
 * Jim French (businessman) (born 1953), airline executive
 * Jim French (footballer, born 1926) (1926–2004), English footballer
 * Jim French (footballer, born 1907) (1907–?), Scottish footballer

title: James French


text: User talk:193.156.150.97

title: User talk:193.156.150.97


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Holiday Charity

 This page is an archive of the discussion about the proposed deletion of the article below. This page is no longer live. Further comments should be made on the article's talk page rather than here so that this page is preserved as an historic record. The result of the debate was DELETE. dbenbenn | talk 15:05, 3 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Holiday Charity
Non-notable local charity group. Radiant! 10:49, Feb 17, 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete Agree with Radiant, title might better be served as a redirect to a holiday charity. --InShaneee 21:29, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Not enought notable information. Zzyzx11 21:30, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete, not notable. Megan1967 23:16, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)

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


text:
Merina people

The Merina people (also known as the Imerina, Antimerina, or Hova; "those from the country where one can see far") are the largest ethnic group in Madagascar. They are the "highlander" Malagasy ethnic group of the African island and one of the country's eighteen official ethnic groups. Their origins are mixed, predominantly with Austronesians arriving before the 5th century AD, then many centuries later with mostly Bantu Africans, but also some other ethnic groups. They speak the Merina dialect of the official Malagasy language of Madagascar.

The Merina people are most found in the center of the island (former Antananarivo Province). Beginning in the late 18th century, Merina sovereigns expanded the political region under their control from their interior capital outwards into the island, with their king Radama I ultimately helping unite the island under their rule. The French fought two wars with the Merina people in 1883–1885 and in 1895, colonized Madagascar in 1895–96 and abolished the Merina monarchy in 1897.

They built innovative and elaborate irrigation infrastructure and highly productive rice farms in high plateaus of Madagascar by the 18th century. The Merina people were socially stratified with hierarchical castes, inherited occupations and endogamy, and one or two of the major and long serving monarchs of the Merina people were queens.

History
Austronesian people started settling in Madagascar between 200 and 500 BC. They arrived by boats and were from various southeast Asian and Oceanian groups. Later Swahili-Arabs and Indian traders came to the island's northern regions. African slaves were brought to the island's coasts between the 13th and the 18th centuries. The Portuguese traders were the first Europeans to arrive in the 15th century, followed by other European powers.

This influx of diverse people led to various Malagasy sub-ethnicities in the mid-2nd millennium. The Merina were probably the early arrivals, though this is uncertain and other ethnic groups on Madagascar consider them relative newcomers to the island. The Merina people's culture likely mixed and merged with the Madagascar natives named Vazimba about whom little is known. According to the island's oral traditions, the "most Austronesian looking" Merina people reached the interior of the island in the 15th century and established their society there because of wars and migrant pressure at the coast. Merina people were settled in the central Madagascar, formed one of the three major kingdoms on the island by the 18th century – the other two being Sakalava kingdom on the west-northwest and Betsimisaraka kingdom on the east-northeast.

These early Merina settlers through their industriousness and innovative abilities built vast irrigation projects that helped drain the plateau marshes, irrigate arable lands, and grow rice two times every year. They emerged as the politically dominant group and a wealthy kingdom towards the close of the 18th century. The capital of their kingdom remains the capital of contemporary Madagascar.

Oral history traces the emergence of a united kingdom in the central highlands of Madagascar – a region called Imerina – back to early 16th-century king Andriamanelo. By 1824, a succession of Merina kings had conquered nearly all of Madagascar, particularly through the military strategy, ambitious treaties and political policies of Andrianampoinimerina (circa 1785–1810) and his son Radama I (1792–1828). The colonial British empire recognized the sovereignty of the Merina kingdom and its control of the Madagascar island in 1817. Radama I welcomed European traders and allowed Christian missionaries to establish missions on Madagascar. After him, the Merina people were ruled by Queen Ranavalona I ruled from 1828 to 1861, Queen Rasoherina from 1863 to 1868, and Queen Ranavalona II ruled from 1868 to 1885.

The Swahili Arab traders expanded their opportunities to trade and European colonial powers such as the French trader Joseph-François Lambert signed a disputed lease with King Radama II for plantation lands for sugarcane cultivation and industries along the Madagascar coastal plains. The Merina people called the Malagasy living along the coasts as Cotier. These operations and plantations were worked by the forced labor of imported slaves. The largest influx of slaves was brought in by the 'Umani Arabs and the French. The Makua people from Mozambique were one of the major victims of this demand, slave capture and export that attempted to satisfy this demand. The slavery was abolished by the French administration in 1896, which adversely impacted the fortunes of Merina and non-Merina operated slave-run plantations.

The dominance of the Merina kingdom over all of Madagascar came to an end with the first Franco-Hova War of 1883 to 1885, triggered by the disputed lease signed by Radama II. At the war's end, Madagascar ceded Antsiranana (Diégo Suarez) on the northern coast to France and paid 560,000 gold francs to the heirs of Joseph-François Lambert, a Frenchman who had been promised lucrative trade privileges under King Radama II that had later been revoked. The French declared Madagascar as a protectorate in 1894, which the then Merina Queen refused to sign to. The Second Franco-Hova War followed in 1895, when the French military landed in Mahajanga (Majunga) and marched by way of the Betsiboka River to the capital, Antananarivo, taking the city's defenders by surprise. In 1896, the French annexed Madagascar, and in 1897 the Merina people became the residents of the colony of French Madagascar.

In early 20th century, the Merina people led an anti-French nationalist movement. The group, based in Antananarivo, was led by a Malagasy Protestant clergyman, Pastor Ravelojoana. A secret society dedicated to affirming Malagasy cultural identity was formed in 1913, calling itself Iron and Stone Network (in local language, Vy Vato Sakelika – VVS). Repressed at first with numerous arrests over 1915 and 1916, the movement re-emerged in the 1920s through communists who gained concessions by partnering with the French Left in France.

A famine in 1943-44 led to an open rebellion in Madagascar. The 1946 constitution of the French Fourth Republic made Madagascar a territoire d'outre-mer (overseas territory) within the French Union. Madagascar gained full independence in 1958 as the Malagasy Republic. The Merina people faced competition from other ethnic groups. The first president of the Republic, Philibert Tsiranana, was a coastal Malagasy of Tsimihety ethnicity, and he was able to consolidate his power with a winner-takes-all system, while the Merina nationalists of the Congress Party for the Independence of Madagascar was weakened by rifts between leftist and ultranationalist factions. The Merina form much of the elite and educated middle-class of Madagascar. They are influential in the economy, universities and government organizations of Madagascar.

Language
The Merina dialect of the Malagasy language, also called as Hova or Malagasy Plateau or just Malagasy, is spoken natively by about a quarter of the population of Madagascar; it is classified as Plateau Malagasy alongside the Betsileo, Bezanozano, Sihanaka, Tanala, Vakinankaritra dialects. The Hova is one of two official languages alongside French in the 2010 constitution putting in place the Fourth Republic. Previously, under the 2007 constitution, Malagasy was one of three official languages alongside French and English.

Merina is the national language of Madagascar. An estimated 7.5 million people were fluent in this language in 2011, according to Ethnologue. It is written in Latin script, introduced by the Christian missionaries. Merina is the language of instruction in all public schools through grade five for all subjects, and remains the language of instruction through high school for the subjects of history and Malagasy language.

Religion
King Radama I welcomed Christian missionaries to establish missions on Madagascar in the 1810s. The Merina nobles were among the first to convert to Christianity. The London Missionary Society established numerous missions along the coast of Madagascar in the 1820s. Those who converted were offered scholarships in London and apprenticeship in Manchester.

Due to the influence of British missionaries, the Merina upper classes converted to Protestantism entirely in the mid-19th century, following the example of their queen, Ranavalona II. The early spread of Protestantism among the Merina elite resulted in a degree of class and ethnic differentiation among practitioners of Christianity. The French preferred Catholic interpreters and the former slaves of the Merina people converted to Catholicism. The ruling and noble class, however was Protestant. The nobility attempted to intervene, by expelling certain Christian missions. This dynamic ultimately created religious sect divisions in contemporary demographics.

Social stratification
Among all the Malagasy ethnicities, the Merina historically have had a highly stratified caste system. The overall society, like many ethnic groups in Africa, had two categories of people, the free locally called the fotsy who had ancestors with Asian Malagasy physiognomy, and the serfs or mainty who had ancestors with African physiognomy mostly captured in other parts of Madagascar. However, the fotsy-mainty dichotomy among Merina is not based on physiognomy, states Karen Middleton, but whether they have a family tomb: fotsy have family tomb, mainty are those without one or those who have established a recent tomb. The Merine people were divided into three strata: the Andriana (nobles), the Hova (freemen), and the lowest strata called Andevo (slaves).

Each strata had been then hierarchically subdivided. The Andriana are divided into six sub-strata, each had an inherited occupation, and were endogamous.

The nineteenth century records show that Andevo or slaves were imported blacks, and they constituted about a third of the Merina society. The Merina society sold highland slaves to both Muslim and European slave traders on Madagascar coast, as well as bought East African and southeast African slaves from them for their own plantations between 1795 and 1895. Marriage and any sexual relations between the fotsy and mainty were a taboo. According to a 2012 report by Gulnara Shahinian – the United Nation's Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, the descendants of former slave castes continue to suffer in contemporary Madagascar Merina society, and inter-caste marriages socially ostracized.

Ritual and folklore
The Vazimba feature prominently in Merina oral history and popular imagination. It has been speculated that the Vazimba were the original population of Madagascar, descended from Southeast Asian seafarers who may have had pygmy physical characteristics. Among some Malagasy, the Vazimba are not believed to be human at all, but rather a form of supernatural creature possessing magical powers (mahery).

In the first seven years of their lives, boys are typically circumcised in a ritual wherein relatives request the blessings and protection of the ancestors. The Merina people also ritually kill their cattle with unusual violence, cook and consume beef prepared thereafter ceremoniously.

The Merina believe their land to be tanin'drazana (the land of the ancestors) and show reverence to their ancestors by burying them in family tombs typically located in the ancestral village of origin. Many believe that ancestors can intervene in events on Earth, for good or for ill, and this belief shapes the actions and thoughts of many Malagasy.

Cuisine
The cuisine of the Merina is so heavily dominated by rice that the term for eating a meal is simply "to eat rice". This staple of the diet is so central to the Merina that it is considered to be masina, or holy, and a common Merina belief holds that the eating of rice is the key to moral behaviour, and the French who occupied Merina lands were often looked down upon for eating bread over rice. Beef also plays a large part in the Merina diet, and according to Merina oral history, it was a servant of King Ralambo who discovered that cows were edible and shared this knowledge with the king, who in turn informed the rest of his kingdom.

Livelihoods
Rice, cassava and potatoes are staple crops of the Merina people. They also grow onions and other supplements, while cattle, pigs and animal husbandry is also a significant occupation. Many Merina people have moved into urban areas, where they operate factories and run businesses.

title: Merina people


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Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Honda CB500T

 This page is an archive of the discussion about the proposed deletion of the article below. This page is no longer live. Further comments should be made on the article's talk page rather than here so that this page is preserved as an historic record. The result of the debate was keep. Deathphoenix 01:26, 2 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Honda CB500T
List of technical specs for a particular type of car. Merge or move to wikisource? Radiant! 10:49, Feb 17, 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Technical spec no good as an article, whether this is notable or not. Trilobite (Talk) 11:09, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * redirect, or mark as stub. we are voting on the topic, not on the present content of the article. dab (ᛏ) 11:50, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep and mark as stub, the article could be expanded. BTW the Honda CB500T is a motorbike. Lochaber 10:05, 18 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep and expand. Made by notable manufacturer. Capitalistroadster
 * Keep -- Longhair 12:24, 20 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep - David Gerard 23:29, 20 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete, spurious notability. JamesBurns 10:27, 27 Feb 2005 (UTC)

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


text:
File:AmericaRipa1603.JPG

America, woodcut from Cesare Ripa, Iconologia 1603

title: File:AmericaRipa1603.JPG


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Honda Domani

 This page is an archive of the discussion about the proposed deletion of the article below. This page is no longer live. Further comments should be made on the article's talk page rather than here so that this page is preserved as an historic record. The result of the debate was KEEP. —Korath (Talk) 10:51, Feb 28, 2005 (UTC)

Honda Domani
Do we want articles for each individual type of car? Most aren't particularly notable, after all. Suggest merge. Radiant! 10:50, Feb 17, 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep. Trilobite (Talk) 11:09, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep or merge. Also why are you requesting deletion and suggesting merging at the same time? Kappa 12:09, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Because I believe the issue should be voted upon (hence VfD) and that is my vote. Radiant! 13:29, Feb 17, 2005 (UTC)
 * Redirects are cheap; be bold! Put appropriate merge tags on the article if you think the information should be kept but don't want to do it yourself.  (A merge with redirect does not require a VfD.)  Break out a request for comment if you're not sure what the article's fate should be.  Then come here, if you think it should be deleted.  Otherwise you're soaking up a lot of time from all the people who follow VfD. --TenOfAllTrades | Talk 15:37, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Yes we want. Keep. Grue 19:42, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Strong Keep I think that keeping articles for each distinct type of car is a better plan in the long run. What seems non-notable today may be quite notable in the future, and the relevant facts might be harder to mine out. Besides, cluttering a car manufacturer's page or a universal "list of models" page with some potentially comprehensive information about one model or another could get unweildy, and segregating models off only for some car manufacturers creates inconsistency in the organizational scheme. EggplantWizard 20:40, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Request withdrawn, per the above. Radiant! 21:14, Feb 17, 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete Spinboy 21:18, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete, not a particularly notable car. Megan1967 23:15, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep. Agree with EggplantWizard's arguments and we'd have to do an awful lot of changes. Capitalistroadster 09:54, 18 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep. Agree with EggplantWizard's comments --Lochaber 10:14, 18 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep -- Longhair 10:06, 20 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete, spurious notability. JamesBurns 10:26, 27 Feb 2005 (UTC)

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


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Springdales School

 This page is an archive of the discussion about the proposed deletion of the article below. This page is no longer live. Further comments should be made on the article's talk page rather than here so that this page is preserved as an historic record. The result of the debate was DELETE (listed as copyvio for over 7 days). jni 10:48, 25 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Springdales School
Another non-notable school -- Chris 73 Talk 10:51, Feb 17, 2005 (UTC) This page is now preserved as an archive of the debate and, like some other VfD subpages, is no longer 'live'. Subsequent comments on the issue, the deletion, or the decision-making process should be placed on the relevant 'live' pages. Please do not edit this page.
 * Agreed. Delete. Radiant! 14:29, Feb 17, 2005 (UTC)
 * It's a copyvio, and I've listed it as such. —Korath (Talk) 17:32, Feb 17, 2005 (UTC)


text:
Embu, Kenya

Embu is a town located approximately 125 km northeast of Nairobi towards Mount Kenya. Embu served as the provincial capital of the former Eastern Province and currently serves as the headquarters of Embu County in Kenya. Located on the south-eastern foothills of Mount Kenya, the Municipality of Embu had a population of 204,979 in 2019 census. Embu is also the 8th Largest Municipality in Kenya. It is the commercial hub of the Central Eastern part of Kenya and provides an avenue for trade, tourism and highway transit between the national capital and the Northern Frontier.

History
Embu town is a major trading centre in Eastern Kenya. For a long time, it was the main economic centre for the Embu, Mbeere, Meru and Kamba communities as well as other communities from central Kenya. Mbeere was carved out of the former Embu district in the 1990s and Siakago town, about 25 km east of Embu town, was made its headquarters.

Origins of Embu people are cited from North West Africa. They moved south to Congo. Then they later moved Eastward to the coast of Kenya via Tanganyika. It is in Tanganyika that there were intermarriages with both natives and migrants from farther south (mostly Bantus). Due to many circumstances they moved North towards Meru leaving their relatives, the Gikuyu at Ithanga. They then crossed Igambang'ombe ford. They settled at Gikuuri near Maranga hills. They had come from Igembe and came to Tharaka where they also settled. They left Tharaka possibly due to famines and moved to the current Embu.

It is believed as they moved towards the slopes of Mt Kenya, they encountered pygmy tribes such as the Gumba and the Zimba in the forest; some of whom were cannibalistic. They are cultivators. They planted crops like sorghum, millet and sweet potatoes. Today they have cash crops like coffee, tea, miraa and macadamia, among others.

Geography
The Municipality of Embu has an elevation of 1350 m, and is located on the foothills of Mount Kenya. It was the provincial headquarters of the defunct Eastern province, and is currently the Embu County Headquarters, hosting major public offices and institutions, including Embu Provincial General Hospital.

The area around the Municipality of Embu has conducive altitude for endurance training by athletes. As such, Kenyan athletes use the altitude and climate advantage of Embu for training, with specialised facilities at Kigari Teachers' Training College, about 15 km north of Embu Town.

Embu Town is known for its jacaranda trees that turn the municipality into a purple shower when in bloom. The jacaranda trees usually bloom from October to November each year, depending on rainfall.

The nunicipality slopes from west to east, with the highest elevation at the Ruvingaci River, up to the Kangaru School as well as from Njukiri forest in the west to Muthatari in the east, a radius of about 10 km in size. Embu has a small airstrip (1 km long), which is 7.1 km southeast of the heart of the town.

Past Kigari Teachers College approximately 25 km from Embu Town is a small town known as Kianjokoma that is a center for other shopping centers like Miandari, Kathande, Kiriari, Irangi and others. This town is fast growing due to the situated Mungania Tea Factory and as well as a county hospital and a police line in the area. Other small towns in Embu are Kibugu, Karurumo, Rukuriri, Mukuuri, Kathageri, Kanja and Manyatta.

Religion
There are numerous Christian churches and ministries in Embu, including the Seventh Day Adventist, East African Pentecostal Churches Dallas, Gakwegori, Kigumo, Kanginga, Kathari, Karurumo, Kiritiri among others Anglican Church of Kenya's St. Paul's Cathedral, the Presbyterian Church of East Africa's Blue Valley, PCEA, the national independent church of Africa, the African independent Pentecostal church of Africa, Majimbo, Kangaru Kathangariri, Kibugu, Kavutiri, Ndunduri, Itabua, Gichera, Makengi, Kirigiri and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Embu's Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral. The latter cathedral has a unique African-inspired design and is among the largest in Africa. Missions for Christ Ministries office and churches in Embu county. Churches under Missions for Christ Ministries includes Kevote Family Church, Embu town Family Church, Runyenjes Family Church, Kamugere Family Church and Kianjokoma Family Church. The national Independent church of Africa is located at Gakwegwori (Mwamba Imara), Kianjokoma, Kiriari, Kithunguriri, Kamugere, Mukuuri, Keria, Kibugu, and Kavutiri.

Another Protestant church, the first encountered, on entering Embu from Kirinyaga county is that of the Kenya Assemblies of God (KAG). It is better known as the Eastern Gate assembly as it is also the first church encountered on crossing into Eastern Province from all the Provinces except North Eastern.

Family Worship Church Inc is a Protestant Christian church founded in the early 1970s. It has the headquarters at Nembure and branches in Manyatta, Kithimu, Kiandundu, Gaikiro, Makengi and is in the process of starting a branch in Embu town.

Electoral subdivisions
Embu forms a municipality that has seven wards (Blue Valley, Itabua, Kamiu, Kangaru, Majengo, Matakari and Njukiri). All of them belong to Manyatta Constituency, which has a total of eleven wards. The remaining four are located within Embu County Council, the rural council of Embu.

Notable residents

 * Jeremiah J. M. Nyagah - former cabinet minister.
 * Joseph Nyagah - son of Jeremiah Nyagah and former cabinet minister.
 * Justin Muturi - Former Speaker of the National Assembly and Attorney General of Kenya
 * Kithinji Kiragu - public sector management consultant; retired
 * Patrick Njiru - Safari Rally driver
 * Cardinal John Njue - Archbishop of Nairobi and former Bishop of Embu
 * Martin Nyaga Wambora - first Governor of Embu; former Runyenjes MP and chair of Kenya Airports Authority
 * Cecily Mutitu Mbarire - Second and current Embu Governor.

University education

 * University of Embu
 * Embu College
 * Jeremiah Nyagah Technical Institute
 * Kenyatta University Embu Campus

title: Embu, Kenya


text:
The Pigman

The Pigman is a young adult novel written by Paul Zindel, published in 1968. It is notable for its authentic depiction of teenagers, and was among the first YA books to take the genre in a more realistic direction.

This dual perspective novel gives the reader two different sides to a story about a man they have befriended. The two main characters, teenagers Lorraine and John, have opposite personalities and together create a powerful narrative. This book would go on to win numerous awards, including the New York Times Outstanding Book of 1968, the ALA Notable Children's Book 1940–1970 the Horn Book 1969 Fanfare Honor List.

The novel is frequently assigned in elementary schools, middle schools, and some high schools for English classes. Although commonly taught, this book has been banned in certain areas for numerous reasons, some including offensive language and sexual themes. The book's sequel, The Pigman's Legacy, was published in 1980. The Pigman & Me, an autobiography by Paul Zindel, was first published in 1990; it is considered an unofficial triquel to The Pigman. Zindel wrote a screenplay, adapting the book for the stage and screen, but it was not taken up by any filmmaker.

Plot summary
When John, Lorraine, and two teen troublemakers, Norton Kelly, and Dennis Kobin, are bored, they make prank phone calls. The goal of the game is to see who can stay on the phone the longest. When it is Lorraine's turn, she picks out Mr. Pignati's phone number and pretends to be calling from a charity. After she wins the game, Mr. Pignati offers to donate ten dollars. Against Lorraine's better judgment, she and John travel to Pignati's house to collect the funds. After hesitantly accepting "The Pigman's" offer of going to the zoo, a friendship begins to blossom between the three of them. He begins to take on the role of a parental figure for the two teenagers, something neither of them has.

John and Lorraine's visits become increasingly frequent, and during one such visit, they discover a document inside his room. After reading it, they realize The Pigman has been lying about where his wife has been. His wife, Conchetta, is dead, instead of being on vacation as The Pigman has stated numerous times. Soon, John and Lorraine visit The Pigman daily after school, and he showers them with gifts, food, and most importantly, the love and attention they do not receive in their own joyless homes. They reveal to him that they were never affiliated with any charity, and he reveals what they already know: that his wife is dead.

Pignati gives each of the two a pair of roller skates. Getting a pair for himself also, the three of them could not be happier, until one afternoon. Mr. Pignati suffers a heart attack while he and the teens are playing tag with roller skates. He is sent to the hospital, and John and Lorraine agree to take care of his house while he recovers. While they are doing so, they resemble a married couple. Between the responsibilities and numerous chores, they love being inside the house. They begin to even acquire feelings for one another, and John begins to care about his appearance. Having an empty house to themselves, the kids decide to have a party and invite a few people over. The situation quickly turns into a drunken, boisterous party with more visitors than the two anticipated. The partygoers destroy the house, not caring what they break. Lorraine's friend rips Conchetta Pignati's wedding dress in a drunken accident after putting it on. Norton ransacks Mr. Pignati's house in hopes of finding valuables and destroys Conchetta's collection of porcelain pigs, which Mr. Pignati holds very dear. John beats Norton in retaliation.

Mr. Pignati returns to find his house ransacked, and is incredibly hurt when he finds out John and Lorraine were responsible for the incident. The police are called, and John and Lorraine believe they will get arrested, but The Pigman does not press charges. They try to go back into the house and apologize, but the officer tells them Mr. Pignati is crying and that they need to go home. After going home, Lorraine is beaten by her mother and John's parents say they are getting him therapy, which will never happen. Feeling terrible, the two offer to take Pignati to the zoo to help make up for the destruction of his house. When they arrive at the zoo to visit Bobo the baboon, Mr. Pignati's favourite animal and buddy, they learn the creature has died. Overcome with grief and the heaviness of the recent events, Mr. Pignati suffers from cardiac arrest and dies, leaving John and Lorraine grieving and reflecting on the fragility of life. John tells Lorraine to wait outside of the area where he died, fearing that her mother would hit her in punishment for creating the situation. They blame themselves for Pignati's death and believe that he would have been better off never meeting them in the first place. John and Lorraine write their story down.

Peer pressure
This story goes into the idea of peer pressure on numerous occasions. First is the phone call Lorraine made to Mr. Pignati. She did not want to keep the conversation going and felt as if she was not doing the right thing. Her friends kept pressuring her to continue the conversation and so she did.

When she and John, later on, go to visit him after their scheme of collecting money for charity, Lorraine has the same feeling of guilt. She does not want to take money from this poor old man and says to John how it is wrong. Not listening to her at all, he pressures her into taking the money and keeping silent about the truth.

Finally, John and Lorraine are pressured into having a party at the house. This results in the destruction of all of his possessions and him ultimately feeling broken.

With peer pressure running high in this story, many of the characters were unable to speak their own opinions and were afraid to stand up against the crowd. Whether it is Lorraine afraid to stand up against John, or John afraid to stand up to his friends, the main characters are reluctant in speaking their true emotions. The pressure given to them by a massive audience becomes the reason for the downfall of their great friend, The Pigman or Mr. Pignati.

Loss
The occurrence of losing loved ones and loved possessions are frequent throughout the novel. It begins with The Pigman's loss of his collection of pigs and his wife's dress. Both these items were very important to him, letting him remember a time of peace and happiness. When they were both destroyed, he lost a huge part of who he was. Paul Zindel references the loss of great friend Martin Musgrave as a base for the loss in The Pigman.

The Pigman also loses his best friend, Bobo. His death at the zoo was too much for this man, resulting in a heart attack that killed him. His death was the kids losing their dear friend, but also their innocence. The loss of their friend and watching him die was a hugely traumatic experience for them, whether they acknowledge it or not. Losing a friend is a very difficult thing for a person to go through. It becomes even harder when you lose a friend and believe that it is your fault. The amount of terrible and shocking experiences Lorraine and John put The Pigman through were too much for him, especially because of his old age. His last stitch of happiness died along with Bobo, leaving him a shell of his former self. When he finally died, his death was a loss to the kids, but not to himself, because he had been unhappy.

Family and parenting
Throughout the story, both John and Lorraine do not know a parental figure. Physically both of them have parents (John having his mother and father, Lorraine having her mother), but mentally they are not there for them.

John's parents do not care what he does and are very self-centered. Both let him smoke and drink and show him that there will be no repercussions for his actions. This makes John take part in troublesome actions, simply trying to get his parents' attention. While his efforts fail each time, he does not give up, and ironically only rebels in such a harsh manner wishing his parents paid attention to him.

Lorraine only lives with her mother, due to her father leaving them a long time ago. Her mother is not a great parental figure, mocking and ridiculing her daughter constantly throughout the story. Her mother's abusive nature strikes fear into Lorraine. She knows if she does anything wrong she will be hit as a repercussion. This is shown when Lorraine states, "She came towards me, and I backed away until I was cornered by the wall. Then she raised her arm and slapped me once across the face. She tried to hit me again, but my arm went up and blocked her."

Death
Whether physically or emotionally, death recurs throughout this novel. The most apparent sense of death in this novel is physical. Numerous characters in this story die. Some of these include The Pigman, his wife, Lorraine's mother's patients, Lorraine's father, Bobo, and John's Aunt Ahra. While some of these deaths are treated as non-important information, they are all tragic. Losing someone who you are close to or even someone you just know can take a toll on any individual.

This story portrays this message with the final physical death in the story, with Mr. Pignati. His death caused a break in not only the story, but in the two main characters John and Lorraine. This leads to the cause of emotional death in the novel. John and Lorraine have been through a traumatic and life-changing experience seeing this man die. Even though he was older his death was shocking and unexpected to them. This death of a fatherlike figure to these children emotionally traumatized them, causing a part of their innocence to die along with the Pigman. This emotional death is similar to that of Lorraine's mother. Her emotional distress after witnessing her husband cheat has caused her to become a bitter person and a different person. Emotionally a part of her died when she found out about her husband's affair and when he died. This novel breaks down the motif of death on a physical and emotional level.

Guilt and Blame
As shown in Lorraine's and John's reactions to the death or Mr. Pignati, guilt is a powerful emotion. While both teenagers blame themselves, their reactions are very different. Lorraine yells at John, while John reflects on life in general.

Characters

 * John Conlan (Bathroom Bomber) – the male protagonist who narrates the odd-numbered chapters. John is something of an anti-hero, as he uses his intelligence, looks, and charm for personal gain. He aspires to be an actor, but fuels his creativity with pranks, though most of them are benign. While writing his sections of the story, he uses symbols such as @#$% instead of cursing. His parents are both physically there, but mentally do not care what he does. This is the reason for his constant use of cigarettes and alcohol. He is trying to get his parents' attention by acting out. This is usually to no avail, as they show interest for a little while and then things go back to normal. His biggest stunt of throwing a party at The Pigman's house did not even grasp the attention of his parents, as they nonchalantly said they are taking him to a therapist, knowing it will never happen.
 * Lorraine Jensen – the female protagonist, who narrates the even-numbered chapters. Lorraine aspires to be a writer or psychologist, and her sensitive, analytical nature provides a counterbalance to John's impulsiveness. She is socially awkward, different, and has low self-esteem. Although not overweight, she is constantly ridiculed by her mother for her weight and abused when doing something wrong. Kids in her class do not make fun of her due to her friendship with John. The girls in their class are amazed that a girl like Lorraine could be best friends with a guy like John, being that they are opposites. This is why John tells Lorraine to stay outside when The Pigman dies, so her mother does not have a reason to abuse her. Since her father ran out on them, Lorraine's mother is very angry in regards to most men. Being a single mother has not only put a huge toll on her but her daughter since she has to take over a great deal of the workload. This has made her more mature in comparison to the people she associates herself with, including John.
 * Angelo Pignati (The Pigman) – an elderly widower who lives in a messy house in John and Lorraine's neighborhood. His nickname comes from his last name, as well as his vast collection of ceramic pigs. Lonely since the death of his wife, his friendship with John and Lorraine fills a void in his life. The Pigman also finds Lorraine and John to be quite generous and admires them. He treats them like children, as they fill his void of being alone. Throughout the story, The Pigman plays games with the children and teaches them small lessons, such as how to remember a list of items. One of Mr. Pignati's only friends before John and Lorraine is a baboon at a local zoo named Bobo. He would visit the baboon constantly and feed him peanuts, saying that it was his favorite snack.  The party which destroyed his house caused The Pigman to become increasingly ill. The loss of important objects such as his pig collection and wife's wedding dress were too much for him. After the death of his best friend, Bobo, he had a heart attack which ultimately killed him.
 * Mr. Conlan (Bore) – John's father. Bore is a commodities trader and although the stress of the job is detrimental to his health, he still pressures John to follow in his footsteps. He was a heavy drinker until he developed cirrhosis of the liver. One of John's lifelong goals is to become an actor, but his father refuses and forces him to be a businessman. Since Bore is constantly not paying his son any attention, he rebels in hopes that his father will correct him, but it never happens. Any interest is shown because of the negatives John does, and this attention is minimal.
 *  Mrs. Conlan (The Old Lady) – John's mother. It is suggested that she may have obsessive-compulsive disorder, as she is fixated on cleaning, which she uses as a coping mechanism for the tension between her husband and son. John often feels as if she cares more for inanimate objects than she cares for him.
 * Norton Kelly (Marshmallow kid) – a classmate of John and Lorraine, and the main antagonist. Described as a barbarian by the protagonists, Norton spends much of his time stealing and is convinced there are valuables inside the Pignati household. His entering the house ultimately leads to the destruction of all the pig items that The Pigman knows and loves. Norton does not reappear in the Pigman's Legacy but he is briefly referenced when a train with graffiti saying "Norton Was Here" is seen, which aggravates John.
 * Dennis Kobin – Norton's follower. He is best friends with Norton and plays a minor role in the novel.
 * Lorraine's mother – She is critical of her daughter, accuses her of being fat, and constantly tells her "you're not a pretty girl, Lorraine." After she discovered that her husband was cheating on her, she filed for divorce; later he died. She never got over that, and now she thinks that all men are evil. She constantly warns Lorraine against men and boys, saying "they have only one thing on their mind." The loss of her husband was hard for both of them and is a huge reason for her mother being so judgmental. She and Lorraine later reconcile.
 * Bobo – the baboon that the Pigman goes to see constantly when visiting the zoo. The Pigman has a great deal of love for this monkey, as he is one of the few living creatures he can look forward to seeing. He always feeds Bobo and makes sure that he is completely comfortable in his environment. His death later on in the story is something The Pigman cannot handle, as the animal has been one of his greatest friends for a very long time. The death of Bobo resembles the loss of hope in the eyes of The Pigman, as he has truly lost everyone and everything close to him.
 * Kenneth Conlan – John's older brother. He has apparently become a lawyer prior to the story and is frequently mentioned.

title: The Pigman


text:
French frigate Floréal

Floréal is the lead ship of the Floréal-class frigates (frégates de surveillance) of the French Navy. Floréal is the first French vessel named after the eighth month of the Republican Calendar. The ship was constructed by Chantiers de l'Atlantique at Saint-Nazaire, France, in 1992 and entered service in 1993. Floréal is stationed at Réunion in the Indian Ocean for patrol duties.

Design and description
The Floréal-class frigates were designed in response to a demand for a cheap warship capable of operating in low threat areas and able to perform general patrol functions. As a result, the Floréal class were constructed to mercantile standards in the areas of ammunition stowage, helicopter facilities and damage control, which significantly lowered the cost of the vessels. The Floréal class were designed for using modular construction which shortened their building times.

Floréal has a standard displacement of 2600 LT and 2950 LT at full load. The frigate measures 85.2 m long between perpendiculars and 93.5 m overall with a beam of 14 m and a draught of 4.3 m. Due to the frigate's broad beam, the ship is equipped with fin stabilisers.

The frigate is powered by a combined diesel and diesel (CODAD) system comprising four SEMT Pielstick 6 PA6 L280 BPC diesel engines driving two shafts each turning a LIPS controllable pitch propeller. The CODAD system is rated at 8820 hp The vessel is also equipped with one 272 hp bow thruster. Due to the mercantile construction design, the four diesels are all located within one machinery room for ease of maintenance. Both diesel fuel and TR5 aviation fuel is brought aboard at a single location at the stern compared to naval-constructed vessels which sport two. The ship also has three 750 kW diesel-electric generators located just fore and aft of the machinery room. Floréal has a maximum speed of 20 kn and a range of 9000 nmi at 15 kn.

Floréal was armed with two Exocet MM38 surface-to-surface missiles in launchers situated centrally atop the midships superstructure. However, at the end of the missile's life cycle in 2014, the launchers were removed as the French Navy did not intend to replace the capability aboard the ships. The ship also mounts one 100 mm CADAM turret with the Najir fire control system located forwards and two 20 mm modèle F2 guns situated in atop the aft superstructure. The ship is equipped with DRBV-21C (Mars) air sentry, Racal Decca RM1290 navigation and Racal Decca RM1290 landing radars along with ARBG-1A Saïgon communications intercept, CSF ARBR 16A radar intercept electronic surveillance systems and two Dagaie decoy systems.

The frigate is equipped with a 30 by helicopter landing pad located on the stern and a 10 by hangar. The ship is capable of operating the embarked Eurocopter AS565 Panther up to sea state 5. Floréal is capable of operating helicopters up to the size of the Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma. Based out of Réunion, she most commonly operates the AS565 Panther. The ship has a complement of 90 including the aircrew and officers and 24 marines with capacity for a further 13 personnel.

Construction and career

Floréal was ordered as part of the first pair on 20 January 1989 from Chantiers de l'Atlantique for construction at their yard in Saint-Nazaire, France, and the keel was laid down on 2 April 1990. The frigate was built using modular construction methods, which reduced the vessel's construction time. Floréal was launched on 6 October 1990 and commissioned into the French Navy on 27 May 1992. Following sea trials, Floréal sailed for Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient where the weapons and sensors were installed and underwent further trials.

After entering service, Floréal was assigned to the French Pacific territories, based at Réunion, monitoring of the exclusive economic zone in the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. In October 1995, one week after Bob Denard overthrew the government of the Comoros in late September, French commandos using the frigate as a base of operations, landed in the island and arrested Denard. In 2002, Floréal's helicopter drove off pirates that were attacking the Lebanese vessel Princess Sarah off Somalia. In 2003, Floréal underwent a major overhaul at Papeete, Tahiti.

On 17 March 2009, Floréal contacted the private yacht Tanit, which was sailing for Kenya, about entering the Gulf of Aden and the dangers of piracy. The owners of the yacht, Florent and Chloë Lemaçon, decided to continue on their journey. The frigate escorted the yacht until 20 March, when the frigate was not allowed to go any farther. On 4 April, Tanit was seized by pirates off the coast of Ras Hafun, Somalia and those aboard taken hostage. Floréal took part in the action that led to the release of Tanit during which one of the hostages and two of the pirates were killed. On 5 December 2014, the frigate searched three vessels illegally fishing near Juan de Nova Island. Shark fins without carcasses were found and as a result 2.4 t of fishery products were destroyed.

On 10 October 2017, while at the port of Durban, South Africa, Floréal was struck by a container ship that had broken its hawsers during a storm and drifted into the frigate. The frigate was seriously damaged. The ship was repaired at Mauritius.

In 2018, the frigate was assigned to Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150), intercepting drug smuggling in the Indian Ocean. Floréal seized 7.4 t of cannabis after searching two dhows off Oman. In 2019, the vessel joined CTF 150 again and intercepted 5.45 t of cannabis. On 28 May 2019, the frigate moved to inspect an un-flagged dhow in the Indian Ocean. During the inspection, 520 kg of heroin was found and seized.

title: French frigate Floréal