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USS Overton

USS Overton (DD-239/APD–23) was a United States Navy Clemson-class destroyer and high-speed transport that saw service during World War II.

Namesake
Macon C. Overton was born on 18 August 1890 in Union Point, Georgia. Captain Overton served in the United States Marine Corps in World War I and was awarded the Croix de Guerre with silver star and palm for action in the Bois de Belleau (13 June 1918) and the Distinguished Service Cross for action near Mont Blanc (2–10 October 1918). He was mortally wounded on 1 November 1918 while guiding a tank against an enemy position at St. George. He was posthumously awarded an oak leaf cluster to his Distinguished Service Cross.

Construction and commissioning
Overton was laid down 30 October 1918 by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation. She was named prior to Ceremonial ship launching, and was launched on 10 July 1919, sponsored by Mrs. Margaret C. Overton, mother of Captain Overton. She was commissioned on 30 June 1920.

Interwar period
Writing to his wife Effie on 5 July 1920, just five days after Overton was commissioned, Murray declared that he was "training a new crew of only three of which have ever been on a destroyer before". Murray reported that he had lost 14 lb in the previous three weeks and stated, "this is the only ship that has gone in with only one officer - the rest have from four to eight - but I expect more officers any day... so you see it took me only a little over three years to get a battle ship [sic] of my own."

Following shakedown, Overton operated with the 3rd Destroyer Squadron and later with the 5th Destroyer Squadron off the East Coast of the United States. While with the 5th Destroyer Squadron in early September 1920, she assisted in the rescue of the crew of the submarine USS S-5 (SS-110). She then was assigned to the 2nd Destroyer Squadron and ordered to European waters. Departing New York City on 14 September 1920, she joined the Black Sea Detachment at Constantinople in the Ottoman Empire on 5 October 1920. For the next year and a half she performed quasi-diplomatic and humanitarian roles necessitated by the aftermath of World War I. Cruising regularly to Caucasian, Romanian, and Ottoman Black Sea ports, she also steamed into the Mediterranean to visit Levantine cities. She distributed relief supplies, provided transportation and communication services, and relocated refugees. Much of the latter was accomplished following the capitulation of General Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel's White Army to Bolshevik forces in the Crimea in November 1920 during the Russian Civil War. In July 1922, Overton returned to the United States for abbreviated exercises with the Scouting Fleet and, then, in October 1922, as Ottoman-Greek hostilities flared at Smyrna, rejoined the Turkish Waters Detachment for another six-month tour.

In mid-May 1923, Overton steamed west to Italy, from where she returned to New York City, arriving on 12 June 1923. Independent, squadron, and fleet exercises over the next eight years kept her in the Atlantic, interrupted only by two deployments, in 1925 and 1926, to the Pacific for fleet problems.

On 3 February 1931, Overton was placed out of commission in reserve. In 1932 she was placed in rotating reserve commission, and served in that capacity until again decommissioned, in reserve, on 20 November 1937.

Destroyer
With the outbreak of hostilities in Europe in at the beginning of September 1939, Overton recommissioned on 26 September 1939 and was assigned to the Neutrality Patrol. Moored at Boston, Massachusetts on 7 December 1941, when the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought the United States into World War II, her assignments changed little with American entry into the war. Escort of convoys and antisubmarine warfare (ASW) patrols continued, at first to Iceland and then in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. Between July 1942 and February 1943, she performed similar missions along the United States East Coast. Then, from 7 February until 26 May 1943, she escorted convoys between New York and Casablanca in French Morocco. Overhaul followed and toward the end of June 1943 Overton joined one of the first escort carrier groups, Task Group 21.11 centered on the escort carrier USS Santee (CVE-29). With that group, she covered the Norfolk, Virginia-to-Casablanca convoy route. On 14 and 30 July 1943, planes from her group were credited with sinking the German submarines GERMAN SUBMARINE U-160 and GERMAN SUBMARINE U-43, respectively.

High-speed transport
Overton returned to Norfolk, Virginia, on 6 August 1943 and emerged from refit as a high-speed transport, redesignated APD-23 effective 21 August 1943. On 22 October 1943, she departed Norfolk for the Pacific. She arrived at Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, on 12 November 1943, underwent further training, and, on 22 January 1944, headed west with the Advance Southern Transport Group bound for Kwajalein to take part in the Battle of Kwajalein, part of the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign. Before dawn on 31 January 1944, she put reconnaissance troops ashore at Gehh (from where they moved to Ninni) and at Gea to control the Gea Pass into the southern end of Kwajalein Lagoon. She then took up bombardment, fire support, and reconnaissance duties off Kwajalein. On the 4 February 1944, she covered the capture of Bigej and, on 8 February 1944, departed for Pearl Harbor and then the West Coast of the United States. By 29 May 1944, however, she was back in the Pacific Theater, en route to Saipan with United States Marines embarked to take part in the Battle of Saipan. Until 24 June 1944, she screened the transport area and patrolled off Tinian, then retired to Eniwetok to escort convoys to Saipan. In July 1944 she resumed patrol and bombardment duties off Tinian during the Battle of Tinian, then covered tank landing craft (LCTs) bound for Guam, and, at the end of July 1944, escorted tank landing ships (LSTs) to Pearl Harbor.

Overton steamed west again on 15 September 1944, this time to Manus, and from there, on 12 October 1944, to the Philippines to cover Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) personnel put ashore prior to the landings on Leyte. Supply convoy assignments preceded her next amphibious operation, the invasion of Lingayen Gulf. On 27 December 1944, she departed Humboldt Bay on the coast of New Guinea. On 6 January 1945, she entered Lingayen Gulf and on 7 January 1945 once again covered UDT personnel ashore. Throughout the landings and until 12 January 1945, Overton screened heavy units and transports, then retired to Leyte.

From Leyte, Overton steamed to Ulithi Atoll, from where she screened the Fast Carrier Task Force′s logistics support group to underway replenishment areas until early March 1945. She next patrolled off Iwo Jima during the Battle of Iwo Jima, and, on 10 March 1945, resumed escort assignments. A run to Leyte was followed by convoy duty to Okinawa. She arrived at Okinawa on 11 April 1945 during the Battle of Okinawa and patrolled on radar picket station until 15 April 1945, then headed for Saipan. From there, she proceeded to the United States.

Decommissioning and disposal
Overton arrived at San Francisco, California, on 15 May 1945 and was ordered on to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for inactivation. Decommissioned on 30 July 1945, she was struck from the Navy List, 13 August 1945. She was sold for scrapping on 30 November 1945 to the Boston Metals Company of Baltimore, Maryland.

Awards
Overton earned eight battle stars during World War II.

title: USS Overton


text:
Jetronic

Jetronic is a trade name of a manifold injection technology for automotive petrol engines, developed and marketed by Robert Bosch GmbH from the 1960s onwards. Bosch licensed the concept to many automobile manufacturers. There are several variations of the technology offering technological development and refinement.

D-Jetronic (1967–1979)
Analogue fuel injection, 'D' is from "Druck" meaning pressure. Inlet manifold vacuum is measured using a pressure sensor located in, or connected to the intake manifold, in order to calculate the duration of fuel injection pulses. Originally, this system was called Jetronic, but the name D-Jetronic was later created as a retronym to distinguish it from subsequent Jetronic iterations.

D-Jetronic was essentially a further refinement of the Electrojector fuel delivery system developed by the Bendix Corporation in the late 1950s. Rather than choosing to eradicate the various reliability issues with the Electrojector system, Bendix instead licensed the design to Bosch. With the role of the Bendix system being largely forgotten D-Jetronic became known as the first widely successful precursor of modern electronic common rail systems; it had constant pressure fuel delivery to the injectors and pulsed injections, albeit grouped (2 groups of injectors pulsed together) rather than sequential (individual injector pulses) as on later systems.

As in the Electrojector system, D-Jetronic used analogue circuitry, with no microprocessor nor digital logic, the ECU used about 25 transistors to perform all of the processing. Two important factors that led to the ultimate failure of the Electrojector system: the use of paper-wrapped capacitors unsuited to heat-cycling and amplitude modulation (tv/ham radio) signals to control the injectors were superseded. The still present lack of processing power and the unavailability of solid-state sensors meant that the vacuum sensor was a rather expensive precision instrument, rather like a barometer, with brass bellows inside to measure the manifold pressure.

Although conceptually similar to most later systems with individual electrically controlled injectors per cylinder, and pulse-width modulated fuel delivery, the fuel pressure was not modulated by manifold pressure, and the injectors were fired only once per 2 revolutions on the engine (with half of the injectors being fired each revolution).

The system was last used (with a Lucas designed timing mechanism and Lucas labels super-imposed on some components) on the Jaguar V12 engine (XJ12 and XJ-S) from 1975 until 1979.

K-Jetronic (1973–1994)
Mechanical fuel injection, 'K' stands for "Kontinuierlich", meaning continuous. Commonly called 'Continuous Injection System (CIS) in the USA. K-Jetronic is different from pulsed injection systems in that the fuel flows continuously from all injectors, while the fuel pump pressurises the fuel up to approximately 5 bar (73.5 psi). The volume of air taken in by the engine is measured to determine the amount of fuel to inject. This system has no lambda loop or lambda control. K-Jetronic debuted in the 1973.5 Porsche 911T in January 1973, and was later installed into a number of Porsche, Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Lotus, Ferrari, Peugeot, Nissan, Renault, Volvo, Saab, TVR and Ford automobiles. The final car to use K-Jetronic was the 1994 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.6.

Fuel is pumped from the tank to a large control valve called a fuel distributor, which divides the single fuel supply line from the tank into smaller lines, one for each injector. The fuel distributor is mounted atop a control vane through which all intake air must pass, and the system works by varying fuel volume supplied to the injectors based on the angle of a moving vane in the air flow meter, which in turn is determined by the volume of air passing the vane, and by the control pressure. The control pressure is regulated with a mechanical device called the control pressure regulator (CPR) or the warm-up regulator (WUR). Depending on the model, the CPR may be used to compensate for altitude, full load, and/or a cold engine. The injectors are simple spring-loaded check valves with nozzles; once fuel system pressure becomes high enough to overcome the counterspring, the injectors begin spraying.

K-Jetronic (Lambda)
First introduced in the Volvo 265 in 1976 and later used in the DMC DeLorean in 1981. A variant of K-Jetronic with closed-loop lambda control, also named Ku-Jetronic, the letter u denominating USA. The system was developed to comply with U.S.A. state of California's California Air Resources Board exhaust emission regulations, and later replaced by KE-Jetronic.

KE-Jetronic (1985–1993)
Electronically controlled mechanical fuel injection. The engine control unit (ECU) may be either analog or digital, and the system may or may not have closed-loop lambda control. The system is based on the K-Jetronic mechanical system, with the addition of an electro-hydraulic actuator, essentially a fuel injector inline with the fuel return. Instead of injecting fuel into the intake, this injector allows fuel to bypass the fuel distributor, which varies the fuel pressure supplied to the mechanical injection components based on several inputs (engine speed, air pressure, coolant temperature, throttle position, lambda etc.) via the ECU. With the electronics disconnected, this system will operate as a K-Jetronic system.

Commonly known as 'CIS-E' in the USA. The later KE3 (CIS-E III) variant features knock sensing capabilities.

L-Jetronic (1974–1989)
Analog fuel injection. L-Jetronic was often called Air-Flow Controlled (AFC) injection to further separate it from the pressure-controlled D-Jetronic — with the 'L' in its name derived from luft, meaning 'air'. In the system, air flow into the engine is measured by a moving vane (indicating engine load) known as the volume air flow sensor (VAF) — referred to in German documentation as the LuftMengenMesser or LMM. L-Jetronic used custom-designed integrated circuits, resulting in a simpler and more reliable engine control unit (ECU) than the D-Jetronic's.

L-Jetronic was used heavily in 1980s-era European cars, as well as BMW K-Series motorcycles. Licensing some of Bosch's L-Jetronic concepts and technologies, Lucas, Hitachi Automotive Products, NipponDenso, and others produced similar fuel injection systems for Asian car manufacturers. L-Jetronic manufactured under license by Japan Electronic Control Systems was fitted to the 1980 Kawasaki Z1000-H1, the world's first production fuel injected motorcycle. Despite physical similarity between L-Jetronic components and those produced under license by other manufacturers, the non-Bosch systems should not be called L-Jetronic, and the parts are usually incompatible.

LE1-Jetronic, LE2-Jetronic, LE3-Jetronic (1981–1991)
This is a simplified and more modern variant of L-Jetronic. The ECU was much cheaper to produce due to more modern components, and was more standardised than the L-Jetronic ECUs. As per L-Jetronic, a vane-type airflow sensor is used. Compared with L-Jetronic, the fuel injectors used by LE-Jetronic have a higher impedance. Three variants of LE-Jetronic exist: LE1, the initial version. LE2 (1984–), featured cold start functionality integrated in the ECU, which does not require the cold start injector and thermo time switch used by older systems. LE3 (1989–), featuring miniaturised ECU with hybrid technology, integrated into the junction box of the mass airflow meter.

LU1-Jetronic, LU2-Jetronic (1983–1991)
The same as LE1-Jetronic and LE2-Jetronic respectively, but with closed-loop lambda control. Initially designed for the US market.

LH-Jetronic (1982–1998)
Digital fuel injection, introduced for California bound 1982 Volvo 240 models. The 'LH' stands for "Luftmasse-Hitzdraht" - the hotwire anemometer technology used to determine the mass of air into the engine. This air mass meter is called HLM2 (Hitzdrahtluftmassenmesser 2) by Bosch. The LH-Jetronic was mostly used by Scandinavian car manufacturers, and by sports and luxury cars produced in small quantities, such as Porsche 928. The most common variants are LH 2.2, which uses an Intel 8049 (MCS-48) microcontroller, and usually a 4 kB programme memory, and LH 2.4, which uses a Siemens 80535 microcontroller (a variant of Intel's 8051/MCS-51 architecture) and 32 kB programme memory based on the 27C256 chip. LH-Jetronic 2.4 has adaptive lambda control, and support for a variety of advanced features; including fuel enrichment based on exhaust gas temperature (ex. Volvo B204GT/B204FT engines). Some later (post-1995) versions contain hardware support for first generation diagnostics according to ISO 9141 (a.k.a. OBD-II) and immobiliser functions.

Mono-Jetronic (1988–1995)
Digital fuel injection. This system features one centrally positioned fuel injection nozzle. In the US, this kind of single-point injection was marketed as 'throttle body injection' (TBI, by GM), or 'central fuel injection' (CFI, by Ford).

Mono-Jetronic is different from all other known single-point systems, in that it only relies on a throttle position sensor for judging the engine load. There are no sensors for air flow, or intake manifold vacuum. Mono-Jetronic always had adaptive closed-loop lambda control, and due to the simple engine load sensing, it is heavily dependent on the lambda sensor for correct functioning.

The ECU uses an Intel 8051 microcontroller, usually with 16 KB of programme memory and without advanced on-board diagnostics (OBD-II became a requirement in model-year 1996.)

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

title: Jetronic


text:
Buchaechum

Buchaechum is a Korean fan dance originating from various traditional and religious Korean dances. It is usually performed by groups of female dancers.

History
Buchaechum was created in 1954 by dancer Kim Baek-bong, who drew influences from both Korean shamanic ritual dances and traditional Joseon court and folk dances. It is said that Baek-bong was inspired by the graceful movements of butterflies and wished to incorporate this beauty into traditional Korean dance.

Koreans embrace Korean heritage and culture through the arts, specifically through dance. The Buchaechum, which can also be referred to as Korean fan dancing, is a traditional, beautiful way to represent Korean culture while embracing minority empowerment, (Lim, 2015). As Buchaechums display beautiful traditional Korean clothing, and colorful Korean fans, at the same time, Buchaechums also represent family, school, and Korean communities being able to come together as well as appreciating minority empowerment.

In 1993, the Korea Dance Association designated Buchaechum as a masterpiece, while in October of 2014, Buchaechum was designated as a cultural asset.

The Korean fan dance may used to have a more traditional setting; there has been an increase in change of the setting, performers, and audience of a traditional Buchaechum, (Kim, Crump, 1993).

Since 2006, the Korean Cultural Center has opened Korean Cultural Centers all over the world. These cultural centers are normally opened in major cities around the world. The events at these cultural centers have brought Buchaechum to many people who might otherwise have never experienced this part of the Korean culture. While many people will also find Buchaechum through the ingestion of other media, such as K-pop and Korean Drama, also known as K-drama, these cultural centers will sometimes hold events that can introduce attendees to other cultural aspects of the Korean people.

Performances
This dance is performed at many celebrations and events in Korea, and has become popular worldwide. Dancers use large fans painted with pink peony blossoms to create various formations that represent images such as birds, flowers, butterflies, dragons and waves. The dancers wear brightly coloured hanbok, the Korean traditional dress. The outfit itself is considered an essential element in the overall performance. This includes a traditional Korean hanbok that includes the Chima (skirt) and Jeogori (jacket). The accessories includes various hair accessories such as ornamental hairpins or ribbons. There is also the Buchae (fans) that are large and colorful which adds an eye-catching dynamic to the overall flow of the dance. Buchaechum is usually performed with minyo (folk song) or sanjo (instrumental solo) accompaniment, though court and ritual music is often used as well. The dance is known for showcasing the elegant and graceful aspects of classical technique in a format suitable for modern audiences.

Not only does performing Buchaechum show true Korean elegance, it also allows the audience to appreciate Korean culture, especially Korean fan dancing. This allows audiences to visually remember and take in how beautiful and calming the fan dance is, all with remembering sounds of the Korean drums played as well. Buchaechum allows individuals of other countries to celebrate Korean culture, and to celebrate multiculturalism. Not only are Buchaechums performed in Korean culture, but are celebrated in other countries such as Japan and the importance of dance in expressing identity. The Buchaechum shows grace and elegance while helping others understand the importance of being viewed to more of a modern audience. Various countries have been appreciating and understanding the importance of the Buchaechum, much more than in the past.

Outside Korea
It is possible to experience Buchaechum outside of Korea in Asia and globally.

China
According to a Hallyuism blog entry, Buchaechum is also popular in China. It is sometimes performed as a part of other spring celebrations as the movement "represents the blooming of flowers."

Japan
In Japan, many Korean cultural events took place to show their respect and allow Korean arts to stand out to others. In Japan, special events such as fairs or Korean festivals were created to help express diversity not only within the Asian community, but specifically the Korean culture. Buchaechums were one of many Korean events which took place in public areas, such as parks, schools, or community recreation centers. Participants in the Korean fan dance, which included mainly girls, hold bright colored fans as they dance to drums being played in the background. Japanese schools helped create these events to show more appreciation of traditional Korean arts. While the country of Japan housed many Korean students, schools in Japan acknowledged the lack of funding in the Korean community education system. Japanese schools also did this to show how Japanese educators who may not respect or acknowledge Korean culture appreciate Korean dance more, especially when a lot of their students participate in the Buchaechum, (Lim, 2015). The performance of the Buchaechum of Koreans living in Japan helps Korean students’ parents also realize the importance of their own culture. Korean adults who have lived in Japan with children may lose touch of their Korean culture, as they adapted to Japanese culture and customs.

Beyond Asia
Since the beginning of Hallyu or the Korean Wave, Buchaechum has gained in both recognition and popularity outside of Asia. Buchaechum is often showcased as part of Korean cultural performances at international events, festivals, and cultural exchanges. Korean embassies, cultural centers, and performing arts groups frequently present Buchaechum in various countries to promote Korean culture and foster cultural understanding. The dance's captivating beauty, graceful movements, and vibrant costumes have resonated with audiences worldwide, leading to its popularity in countries with diverse cultural backgrounds. Buchaechum's inclusion in international cultural festivals and events has helped to raise awareness of this traditional Korean dance and its significance in Korean heritage. In cities and towns with a large presence of Korean immigrants, Buchaechum may be seen at yearly celebrations which may take place at a local church, temple, or cultural center. Not being tied to a specific religious tradition, the dance can be seen in many places as it is more of an expression of the Korean people.

Moreover, the accessibility of digital and social media platforms has enabled the wider dissemination of Buchaechum performances, allowing people from different parts of the world to experience and appreciate the art form. This is normally through wide-reaching platforms such as YouTube.

While Buchaechum's popularity might not be as pervasive as modern K-pop music or Korean dramas, its presence in the global cultural scene continues to grow, contributing to the appreciation and understanding of Korean traditional arts beyond Korea's borders. Some areas it could be experienced include cultural festivals, mixed celebrations and events, multicultural events that include Asian cultures, Korean-specific cultural showcases, along with religious and non-religious gatherings.

title: Buchaechum


text:
CCJ

CCJ may stand for:

 * Chenab College Jhang, Institute in Pakistan
 * Cadet College Jhelum, Institute in Pakistan
 * Calicut International Airport's IATA code
 * Conseil consultatif sur la jeunesse, a non-governmental decision-making body in the Council of Europe.
 * Caribbean Court of Justice – also "CCtJ"
 * Conference of Chief Justices
 * Cornway College a private, co-educational, day and boarding school in Zimbabwe.
 * Council of Christians and Jews
 * County Court judgment
 * Cameco's NYSE symbol
 * Callum Coleman-Jones, Australian rules footballer
 * The Johnson–Corey–Chaykovsky reaction

title: CCJ


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Komiža

Komiža (Comisa) is a Croatian coastal town lying on the western coast of the island of Vis in the central part of the Adriatic Sea.

Komiža is located at the foot of the Hum hill (587 m). Town has a Mediterranean climate. The economy is based on farming, winemaking, fishing and fish processing, seafaring, and, in recent times, tourism. The fishermen are noted for their Falkuša vessels.

Komiža has two roads that connect it with the town of Vis, the only town being connected with Split by ferry line — they are the D117 state road and a county road.

General information
Situated in a deep bay, whose eastern shore abounds with large pebble beaches (Kamenica, Gusarica, Nova Pošta, Velo Žalo), Komiža offers excellent visitor opportunities: quality accommodations (hotels and apartments), and a number of cultural and historic sites, monasteries and fortresses. It is known for its fishermen.

Sports and recreational facilities include three boccia courts, as well as various playgrounds for basketball, handball and football. Water sports and diving are part of the towns summer activities. Additionally, Komiža is well-known for its wines.

Geography
Komiža is located on the island of Vis, which is the most distant large island in the Central Dalmatian coast. Vis is centered on 90.3 square kilometers of land. Its widest point spans 17 kilometers and from north to south its maximum length is 8 kilometers. It is approximately 45-55 kilometers from the Dalmatian coastline to the island of Vis. The coastline of Vis measures 76.7 kilometers long and is marked by bays, coves and natural ports.

Climate
Komiža experiences warm and temperate winters with warm to hot summers with the landward breeze making it the most moderate climate in the Republic of Croatia. The climate allows for Tropical and Mediterranean vegetation, including palms, carobs, olives, grapes and lemons. The average rainfall is about 750 mm per square meter. The island of Vis has a number of natural sources of drinking water from the natural spring water reservoirs. The island is also home to twelve distinct types of island vegetation. Vis has been marked as one of the ten most environmentally preserved islands in the Mediterranean by the World Organization for Environmental Protection.

Population
In the 2021 census, the municipality had a total of 1,394 residents, in the following settlements:
 * Biševo, population 23
 * Borovik, population 7
 * Duboka, population 10
 * Komiža, population 1,261
 * Oključna, no population
 * Palagruža, no population
 * Podhumlje, population 44
 * Podšpilje, population 10
 * Sveti Andrija, population 2
 * Žena Glava, population 37

Landmarks
The settlement of Komiža was first mentioned in the 12th century. In the 13th century, the Benedictines established the St. Nicholas Monastery on elevated ground above the settlement. The oldest part of the monastery is a single-naved Romanesque church with a semi-circular apse dating from the 13th century.

In the period between the 14th and 17th century a large five-naved church was built; its central nave dates back to the beginning of the 16th century and the large Baroque sanctuary to 1652. Two high square towers in Romanesque style are what is left from the original monastery fortifications; the tower above the church facade was converted into a bell tower in 1770. The citadel in the port was built in 1585.

The church of Our Lady of Pirates consists of three single-naved churches connected via internal arches. The oldest of the three is the middle church (16th century), while the side churches were built in the 17th and the 18th centuries. The church features Baroque altars, an organ from 1670 and a 17th-century silver relief of Our Lady of the Rosary.

The fortified church of St. Roch (Rocco) was erected in 1763, and the church of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows (the New Church) dates back to 1756.

The Art Nouveau building of the Community Centre from the beginning of the 20th century is a work by the architect A. Bezic; the Memorial Centre was designed by S. Planic, and the author of the reliefs and mosaics is B. Mardesic. The Gallery of Duro Tiljak has been open in Komiža since 1966, and since 1984 also the Gallery of Boris Mardesic.

Komiža is well known for its close proximity to the island of Biševo, which is visited by 10,000 tourists each year who come to see the unique Blue Grotto. Biševo, in the early 1900s with a population of about 200 residents, was noted for bee-keeping and wild honey production. Popular sights also include the St. Nicholas' Convent monastery from the 13th century, the Kastel (Venetian Tower) in the harbor from the 16th century and the Baroque sanctuary from the 16th century.

There is also the annual celebration of Komiža's fishing heritage, Ribarska Noć (Fisherman's Night). The festival features fireworks, many types of traditional food, souvenir shops, ice cream stands, and a children's kayak race.

Winemaking
Today winemaking is done mostly for personal consumption. The money generated by winemaking is not enough for a commercial industry. The grape harvest is performed in mid-September, with the grapes being field crushed and then fermented for 3–10 days. This is then pressed once and barrel aged for about 2–4 months. The pressed mash is reconstituted with water and allowed to ferment for a few more days and is pressed again, with this pressing being distilled and used to make the famous "grappa". Generally the vines are sprayed once with insecticide and then blue stoned (copper sulfate) about four times during the growing season.

The distillation of rosemary oil results in the production of up to 24,000 pounds oil per year.

Fishing tradition
In the early 20th century many Komižini fishermen emigrated to America and settled in Washington state. They were among the first to introduce modern fishing methods and helped pioneer the North Pacific salmon fishing industry. In the earliest days of the 20th century these intrepid men fished the fertile waters of Puget Sound. By 1920 they were voyaging from their home ports of Everett, Seattle, Bellingham, Gig Harbor and Anacortes, on wooden vessels typically of no more than 60'. Equipped with only a compass and often highly inaccurate charts to navigate by, they traveled to the abundant Alaskan salmon fishing grounds of Prince William Sound, Southeast Alaska and False Pass, on the edge of the Bering Sea. This perilous journey covered thousand miles, often taking weeks, and from which countless men did not return. Descendants of these men still fish the same waters and take the same perilous journeys today.

Komiižni fishermen also emigrated to California's San Pedro / Long Beach area and Monterey California's Cannery Row (immortalized in Steinbeck's novel of the same name) and were highly successful in the then thriving California sardine fisheries of the first half of the 20th century.

Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana is home to another group descended from Komižini fishermen who left Dalmatia over a century ago. As a result of this influence it is still local custom to serve at least one meal every day that includes seafood. Traditionally these fishermen used the falkuša, a unique wooden sailboat that is tapered narrowly on both ends.

Notable residents

 * Ranko Marinković (1913–2001), an acclaimed Croatian novelist and dramatist born in Komiža. The public library in Komiža bears his name, and the most prominent literary prize in Croatia was named after his famous novel (Cyclops - Nagrada Kiklop).

title: Komiža


text:
Talk:George Enescu

Too subjective
I think, some of the additions from Jan 2007, have to be overworked. Though most of it is great, some contributions are driven by personal taste. This includes the selection of works in the appendix, the attribution of Enescu's music as being "neo-classical", "neo-baroque", or "late romantic" (that indeed has been discussed in books and articles, but not agreed upon), the overestimated influence of Romanian folk music and of the doina (there are in fact very few doinas in his works), and so on. Describing the "the special character" of some of his works as "childlike sense of immediacy and intimacy" is too subjective for a Wikipedia article.

Perhaps there are some opinions?

Thanks, Varatec

Varatec, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

 * There are opinions, indeed, and the opinions in this material you cite all belong to Noel Malcolm, and were cited verbatim from his article on Enescu in the New Grove. I have removed all six paragraphs on grounds of copyvio, in conformity with Wikipedia copyright policy.--Jerome Kohl 22:57, 1 September 2007 (UTC)

Linkspam
09/24/06 - Linkspam (cf. Schissel's remark in 08/27/06). Does the Wikipedia article really need three external links to CD reviews? And the Enescu Festival and Competition in Bucharest is a general music festival, not particularly devoted to Enescu. We should have a separate article about the festival, but not a link there from a George Enescu biographical article. What do you think?

Greatest interprets
What does 'one of the greatest interprets of his time' mean? I didn't want to just go in and change it to 'interpreters' in case it should be something else, but if someone is more confident of what the original writer meant they should go for it...

I think it should be changed into 'one of the greatest performers'. The Romanian word 'interpret' translates into English 'performer', so probably the author of this page made a confusion.

Overlooked genius
One of the greatest composers of all times. Greatly overlooked: a situation reminiscent to that of Timo K. Mukka in literature. A situation, however, which Gidon Kremer has done somewhat to correct. RCSB 20:25, 19 July 2006 (UTC)
 * Perfect example of WP:FORUM - no discussion of the article whatsoever.

Third Romanian Rhapsody?
Musicologist Sigmund Spaeth, in his book A Guide to Great Orchestral Music, mentions a third Romanian Rhapsody in g minor. I also once heard one of WQXR's anouncers introduce what he said was "the first of Georges Enesco's three Rumanian Rhapsodies." I have never found any recordings of it or any other references to it. Are these people mistaken or does it in fact exist?

Kostaki mou 02:23, 20 January 2007 (UTC)

There is no 3rd rhapsody. Sometimes the Ouverture on Romanian Folk Themes from 1948 is called a "third rhapsody", though, of course, it is not.

Recordings
I really can't figure out how come this section is missing. He made some of the most important recordings of the last century. It would be a shame not to even mention a couple of them. Also, a short biography (a real one, not just a mere time-table) wouldn't hurt.

Monitort (talk) 11:26, 21 December 2007 (UTC)

Romanian money
FYI... here's an image that can be added to the article if anyone is interested. Also, it would be nice if one of the images of Enescu was chosen to the the main image at the top-right of the article. DavidRF (talk) 04:14, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

Low importance???
I do not understand wikipedia. This article is rated as of low importance. Such an extraordinary violinist and teacher of great violinistis of the XX century (Menuhin just as an example)...

Composer project review
I've reviewed this article as part of the Composers project review of its B-class articles. This is a Start-class article; it is missing significant sections of musicology that a composer article should have. My detailed review is on the comments page; questions and comments should be left here or on my talk page.  Magic ♪piano 01:18, 31 January 2009 (UTC)

Harvard
Our article on Leroy Anderson states that "In 1925 Anderson entered Harvard University, where he studied … harmony with George Enesco"; yet this article makes no mention of Harvard, nor indeed of Enescu visiting the USA at all. Should it? Andy Mabbett (User: Pigsonthewing ); Andy's talk; Andy's edits 16:36, 28 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Interesting. I have checked the New Grove articles on both Enescu and Anderson. The former does not mention Harvard, while the latter does not confirm that Anderson studied harmony with Enescu but, rather, says "He also worked with Spalding (theory), Ballantine (counterpoint), Heilman (fugue), and Piston and Enescu (composition) at Harvard where, from 1930 to 1934, he pursued studies in German and Scandinavian languages." While the New Grove is not necessarily the last word, it would appear to at least partially contradict the Wikipedia article on Leroy Anderson. On the other hand, the New Grove article on Enescu does mention his frequent visits to the US starting in 1923 (so the time-frame is plausible for Enescu, at least, though Anderson was only 17 years old in 1925—unusually young to matriculate at Harvard), and "it was there, in the 1920s, that Enescu was first persuaded to make a small number of recordings as a violinist. American orchestras also offered him frequent opportunities to conduct (in 1936 he was one of the candidates considered to replace Toscanini as permanent conductor of the New York Philharmonic). A performance by Enescu in San Francisco in 1925 inspired the young Yehudi Menuhin, who came to Europe and studied under him from 1927 onwards."—Jerome Kohl (talk) 18:37, 28 September 2009 (UTC)
 * I'm indebted. Would you care to add something of that to the article, or shall I? Andy Mabbett (User: Pigsonthewing ); Andy's talk; Andy's edits 19:15, 28 September 2009 (UTC)
 * I'll be happy to add this material to the Enescu article. I think someone needs to double-check the date, at least, for the Anderson article. Perhaps a "fact" tag needs placing there (unless there is already a cited source—I haven't looked to see).—Jerome Kohl (talk) 20:30, 28 September 2009 (UTC)

 * on a simil;ar note, the article on the mannes school lists him as having been faculty. does that warrant inclusion here, or is it one of those ridiculous claims made in wp by the alumni of schools to include every famous person who ever walked across the campus?Toyokuni3 (talk) 14:54, 3 April 2013 (UTC)

Elisabeth of Wied in photo with Enescu
I have changed the name in the caption of the photo from Elisabeth of Wied to Queen Elisabeth of Romania, since that is what it says on the photo (in Romanian). I don't expect any objection. P0mbal (talk)

good start - needs work - especially befitting the 'most important' of Rumanian composers
However - there may be a paucity of sources in English. The Grove, of course, is there. It's a sticky business using sleevenotes and reviews as Reliable Sources for Wiki. I've recently begun to "dig in" to this composer, and the more info on him here, the better. Do we have any Rumanian or European classical fans here that are fluent in the Rumanian language that could utilize non-English sources for the article? The local university here is very scant on any info on this man, so I imagine the "best" or at least the most exhaustive sources are from Rumanian musicologists. HammerFilmFan (talk) 20:43, 19 July 2011 (UTC) HammerFilmFan
 * I am neither a native speaker nor even what you could call fluent, but I do read enough Romanian to get by. I have been lurking on the sidelines so far as this article is concerned, but could be convinced to become more active, in the absence of any more fluent speakers of the language. The two most important Romanian-language sources currently listed are Voicana et al. 1971, and Axente and Ratiu 1998. I own a copy of the former, and have access to the latter in my university library. What exactly did you have in mind? Beef up the biography section first, or concentrate more on the music?—Jerome Kohl (talk) 21:05, 19 July 2011 (UTC)
 * Hello, thanks for a quick response! I would think the biography first, as descriptions of the music exist for many of his individual pieces in English.  But one thing I'd like to see for the composer's article that would be of interest to readers, is how much truly Rumanian folk song or style is used in his music; I know he used "Gypsy" themes/techniques, but just like in Listz's rhapsodies (Bartok came along to accurately capture Hungarian folk music), these are not truly 'native' - I am completely ignorant of Vlach folksong, unless it has been used in a movie that I have seen.  I've seen "sampler" or "demo" LP's before of things like "Instruments of the Dacians" but, of course, that stuff is entirely speculative and today we have no idea whatsoever of what Dacians or the Getae had for music.  I haven't caught up on when Vlach folk music came into its own - I would think by the 1300's something substantial would have existed so that by the time of Enescu's composing, he'd have a body of tunes/style to utilize in his music other than the folk music of the Romani?  A brief overview of this, if it exists in the Sources, would be a great addition, IMHO. HammerFilmFan (talk) 13:52, 20 July 2011 (UTC) HammerFilmFan
 * Sounds like a plan! As for the extant descriptions of individual pieces, I've just been editing the article on his very best-known compositions, the two Romanian Rhapsodies and, if the state in which I found it is anything to go by, sources in English aren't worth much. (You might like to take a look at the edit history there.) For the rest, Enescu was not an ethnomusicologist (as Bartók and Kodlály were), and so it would be unreasonable to expect from him a deep knowledge of the rural folk music music of his country. It is also frequently observed that he "absorbed" folk elements into his compositional style, rather than actually quoting folksongs—with a few exceptions, mainly the two Romanian Rhapsodies. Consequently, I wouldn't get my hopes up about any great revelations about the presence of actual non-gypsy Romanian folk music in Enescu's compositions.—Jerome Kohl (talk) 15:56, 20 July 2011 (UTC)

 * Is the online New Grove article on the composer significantly more detailed than the ç1980'ish print copy? Newer does not necessarily mean better, especially with the Grove at times .... HammerFilmFan (talk) 14:20, 21 July 2011 (UTC) HammerFilmFan
 * I haven't seen the 1980 New Grove article, so I don't know. In fact, I have rarely consulted the "Old New" Grove since it was superseded in 2001 by the "New New" Grove (that is, the second edition, which is the basis of the online Grove). You are correct, though, that sometimes the replacement article is not as good as the previous model, though this is the exception rather than the rule. Very occasionally, I have come across an article in the 2001 second edition that proves to have been carried forward not just from the 1980 edition, but even goes back all the way to the original "Old" Grove of 1880 (though edited to bring the language up to date). In the present case, though, I doubt that any version of the New Grove article is likely to yield information that cannot be found in the (very numerous) Romanian-language sources. The bibliography in Voicana et al. 1971 runs to 64 pages, with the majority of entries in Romanian—and that book is now forty years out of date.—Jerome Kohl (talk) 15:33, 21 July 2011 (UTC)

 * I'm going to take a look at the 2001 edition later today at the unitversity. The 1980 edition only had a couple of pages on Enescu (the article on Max Bruch was even worse.) HammerFilmFan (talk) 10:29, 5 August 2011 (UTC) HammerFilmFan

Article's Section 3.4.4 Piano music
Streaming in on the Klara Continuo music service from Belgium, I just heard: George Enescu: Prelude en Fuga in C: [Movement #] 1.Prelude - Luiza Borac; piano - AVIE AV-2081 [08:55]

Looking up the AVIE recording, there are a few piano pieces that are not included in the article. Feel free to remove my comment before or after the additional pieces are added to the article. Thanks for your help.

Best luck, Nei1 (talk) 14:34, 17 December 2011 (UTC)
 * Do please keep in mind that this article includes only a selection of the composer's most important works. There is a complete list (or at least, complete by intention), at List of compositions by George Enescu, which included 22 piano works without opus number, for example.—Jerome Kohl (talk) 01:21, 18 December 2011 (UTC)

Assessment comment
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title: Talk:George Enescu


text:
46 defense

The 46 defense is an American football defensive formation, an eight men in the box defense, with six players along the line of scrimmage. There are two players at linebacker depth playing linebacker technique, and then three defensive backs. The 46 defense was originally developed and popularized with the Chicago Bears by their defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, who later became head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals.

Unlike most defensive formations that take their names from the number of defensive linemen and linebackers on the field (i.e. the 4–3 defense has 4 linemen and 3 linebackers), the name "46" originally came from the jersey number of Doug Plank, who was a starting strong safety for the Bears when Ryan developed the defense, a role typically played in the formation as a surrogate linebacker.

The 46 defense is most effective against the two back, two wide receiver sets that many teams commonly used in the 1980s. However, the defensive formation has been rarely used in professional and college football since then as offenses have adapted to use multiple receiver and spread formations to counteract the 46.

Description
"To stop a passing game, you can't stop it unless you put pressure on it. Now some people are good enough to put it on with a three-man rush; well, we're not. In fact, I don't know whether we're good enough to put it on with a four-man rush. If we have to send eight, we'll send eight, but we're not going to let you sit back there and pick us apart."

- Buddy Ryan

"I had to use every bit of knowledge and experience and wisdom I had to come up with game plans to attack this defense. It's really the most singular innovation in defensive football in the last twenty years."

- Bill Walsh

The 46 defense was an innovative defense with a unique defensive front, designed to confuse and put pressure on the opposing offense, especially their quarterback. Compared to a 4–3 base defense, the 46 dramatically shifts the defensive line to the weak side (the opposite end from the offense's tight end), with both guards and the center "covered" by the left defensive end and both defensive tackles. This front forced offenses to immediately account for the defenders lined up directly in front of them, making it considerably harder to execute blocking assignments such as pulling, trapping and pass protection in general. Moreover, the weak side defensive end would be aligned one to two yards outside the left offensive tackle, leaving the opposing tackle man-on-man when trying to block the pass rush.

Another key feature of the 46 is that both outside linebackers tend to play on the strong side of the formation. To avoid confusion, the strong and weak side linebackers (who are no longer lined up on opposite sides) are often renamed the 'Jack' and 'Charlie' linebackers, respectively. The linebackers line up behind the linemen somewhere between one and three yards from the line of scrimmage. The primary tactic is to rush between five and eight players on each play, either to get to the quarterback quickly or disrupt running plays, although dropping some players back into pass coverage after seemingly indicating that they will blitz (see zone blitzing) is another method of creating confusion. Ryan would use all of these rushers to out-man and overwhelm the offense. Another major key to the 46 is the ability of the cornerbacks to play man free and bump and run coverage. Bump and run can allow the defense to take away the quarterback's immediate decision-making ability, by disrupting the timing of short routes needed to make a quick throw to beat the 46 defense.

The formation was very effective in the 1980s NFL because it often negated a team's running game and forced them to throw the ball. This was difficult for many teams at the time because most offensive passing games centered on the play-action pass, a situation that often favored the defense even further with the quarterback lined up to receive the snap from directly behind the center.

Currently, the 46 is rarely used in professional and college football. This is largely because of multiple receiver and spread formations. The eight man line that the 46 presented was most effective against the two back, two wide receiver sets common in the 1980s.

A weakness of the 46 defense is that with eight defensive players lining up near the line of scrimmage and only three in the secondary, it leaves areas open for receivers to catch passes. Also, timed passes can be thrown before the players blitzing have a chance to reach the quarterback. When the Miami Dolphins gave the Bears their only loss of the 1985 season, Miami exploited these weaknesses with quarterback Dan Marino's quick release of the ball, and their receivers' ability to beat the one-on-one coverage of Chicago's cornerbacks.

Another problem with the 46 defense is that most teams do not have enough impact players to run the 46 as effectively as the Bears and Ryan's other two major successes, the late 1980s Philadelphia Eagles for which he was head coach and the 1993 Houston Oilers for whom he was defensive coordinator, did. Those teams fielded some of the best front-seven defenses ever, and included such players as Jerome Brown, Mike Singletary, Steve McMichael, Richard Dent, Dan Hampton, Clyde Simmons, Reggie White, Otis Wilson, Seth Joyner, William Fuller, and Wilber Marshall.

In today's game, the 46 defense is often simplified to its main component of walking the strong safety up to the line of scrimmage as an eighth man in the box to help contain the run. Defenses today may also run safety blitzes and corner blitzes at crucial moments without committing wholly to the "46" defense. Up front, teams still use the concept of the "T-N-T" alignment, where two defensive ends are covering (lined up directly across from) the guards, and a nose tackle is covering the center. In the case of a zone-blocking scheme, this makes it difficult for the offensive linemen to reach any of the linebackers on the second level.

Lining up
This is where defensive players would line up against a normal Pro Set offense.

 * Defensive ends: The weak side defensive end lines up one to two yards outside the weak side offensive tackle. During run plays, his objective is to protect against reverses and counters. Otherwise, on pass plays, he goes after the quarterback. The strong side defensive end lines up on the outside shoulder of the strong side guard. His objective is to make sure that the offensive guard in front of him does not push him inside and does not get released to block the linebacker.
 * Defensive tackles: The weak side defensive tackle lines up on the outside shoulder of the guard. His main objective is the same as the strong side defensive end – to avoid being pinched inside or letting the guard release to block the linebacker. The other defensive tackle essentially becomes a nose guard and lines up in front of the center.
 * Linebackers: The jack linebacker lines up on the outside shoulder of the strong tight end and just slightly behind the line of scrimmage. This allows him to contain runs on the outside, to blitz, or to drop into multiple coverages on the pass.  The charley linebacker also lines up slightly behind the line of scrimmage, but on the inside (rather than outside) shoulder of the tight end. This allows him to cover the tight end and make it difficult for the tight end to achieve a quick release.  The middle linebacker lines up about four to four and a half yards behind the line of scrimmage and directly in front of the strong offensive tackle.
 * Safeties: The strong safety lines up four to four and a half yards off the line of scrimmage and stands directly in front of the weak side tackle. The free safety lines up about ten to twelve yards away from the line of scrimmage and will stand directly in front of the weak side guard.
 * Cornerbacks: The corners will line up on the line of scrimmage in bump and run coverage, or at times will line up seven to eight yards off of the line in front of their receivers in man-free coverage.

When three or more receivers are used by the offense, the defense makes what is called a jayhawk adjustment. The charlie linebacker will step back to where the middle linebacker was in the normal alignment, the middle linebacker will move to where the strong safety was aligned and the strong safety will move out to cover the third receiver. If the offense uses a fourth receiver, the middle linebacker lines up in front of the center and the charlie linebacker would cover the fourth receiver.

To note, there is nothing particularly innovative about this particular set of assignments. For example, the strong safety could assume either the charley or the jack linebacker role. The linebacker displaced would line up over the weak side offensive tackle, where the strong safety is normally found.

title: 46 defense


text:
Nancy Soderberg

Nancy Elisabeth Soderberg (born March 13, 1958) is an American foreign policy strategist who currently serves as Resident Director for National Democratic Institute in Kosovo. Soderberg served as the third-ranking official on the Clinton Administration's National Security Council from 1993 to 1997 and as an Alternate Representative to the United Nations as a Presidential Appointee, with the rank of Ambassador, from 1997 to 2001. She has also held positions at the International Crisis Group, Connect U.S. Fund, and the Public Interest Declassification Board. In 2012 she ran unsuccessfully for Florida Senate District 4. Soderberg ran for Congress as a Democrat in the 2018 midterm elections in Florida's 6th congressional district.

Education and early career
Soderberg was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, where her father, a civil engineer, was working on a project, and grew up in Baltimore and Tulsa. She attended Vanderbilt University, spent her junior year in Paris, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and Economics. She spoke fluent French and "wanted to do something international but wasn’t sure what" so she ended up taking a "boring" job at a bank. From 1982 to 1984, she worked as a Budget Analyst at the Bank of New England in Boston, where she prepared its budget and made regular reports to the Board of Directors regarding loan portfolios.

She was accepted to Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service in Washington, D.C., where she took a class with Madeleine Albright (who later became Bill Clinton's secretary of state), who told her to get into politics. She graduated in 1984 with a Master of Science degree, where she concentrated on international economics and political risk analysis.

Early career
Albright got her a job counting delegates for Walter Mondale's campaign from 1983 to 1984 ahead of the 1984 presidential election, which he lost. She served as foreign policy advisor to Senator Edward M. Kennedy in the U.S. Senate from 1985 to 1988 and 1989 to 1992. (She took a small break to work as the deputy issues director for foreign policy for the Dukakis campaign ahead of the 1988 presidential election.)

Clinton administration
In 1992, George Stephanopoulos, the Clinton campaign's communications director, asked Soderberg to join Clinton’s campaign in the 1992 presidential election. She accepted and moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, for eight months to manage foreign policy.

After Clinton won the election, she was the Staff Director at the National Security Council. From 1993 to 1997, she was the Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, the third-ranking NSC official at the White House. She is the first woman in the position, and was responsible for day-to-day crisis management, briefing the President, developing U.S. national security policy at the highest levels of government, and handling issues regarding the press and U.S. Congress. She engaged the IRA and helped negotiate ceasefire in Northern Ireland in 1994, which she pointed to as her proudest achievement in diplomacy.

In 1997, Clinton nominated her to be the Alternate Representative to the United Nations as a Presidential Appointee, with the rank of Ambassador. Her responsibilities included representing the United States at the UN Security Council, participated in missions to key conflict areas, and promoted U.S. national security policy. Soderberg participated in a UN mission to Indonesia and East Timor in November 2000. She also negotiated key United Nations' resolutions regarding the Middle East and Africa, conducted shuttle diplomacy in Latin America, assisted in the development of the Administration's policies toward political and economic normalization with Vietnam, and advised on policies toward China, Japan, Russia, Angola, the Balkans, and Haiti.

Later career
Soderberg currently serves as NDI’s Senior Resident Director for Kosovo, President and CEO of Soderberg Global Solutions and Director of the Public Service Leadership Program at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.

From 2001 to she was Vice President for Multilateral Affairs of the International Crisis Group, where she advocated conflict prevention at the United Nations and other multilateral institutions. Although she had moved to Jacksonville, Florida, in 2004, she served as President of Connect U.S. Fund, a Washington, D.C.-based foundation that promoted responsible global engagement, from 2009 to 2013. In that capacity, she advocated conflict prevention at the United Nations and other multilateral institutions. She also served as President of the Sister Cities Program of the City of New York from 2002 to 2006. She is also Director of the Public Service Leadership Program at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, which encourages students, who are often first-generation students and refugees, to pursue careers in public service, including in government and at nonprofit organizations. She also teaches two courses in American foreign policy.

Soderberg was a foreign-policy adviser to Michael Bloomberg during his second mayoral term, when he was receiving regular briefings on foreign policy from Soderberg, Henry Kissinger, and other experts. One source called her "Bloomberg's Condi" and spurred rumors that he was contemplating a 2008 presidential campaign.

In 2011, Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown appointed Soderberg to the Jacksonville International Business Coalition, and in 2013, he appointed her to the Board of the Jacksonville Port Authority. After Lenny Curry defeated Alvin Brown in the 2015 mayoral election, the new mayor requested she resign, which she did "with deep regret" with two years remaining on her four-year term.

In 2011, she was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as Chair of the Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB), an advisory committee established by the U.S. Congress to promote public access to U.S. national security decisions. In 2012 PIDB published a report calling for an overhaul of the U.S. government classification system. Soderberg wrote that the system was "outdated and incapable of dealing adequately with the large volumes of classified information generated in an era of digital communications and information systems".

She was formerly on the Board of Advisors to the President of the Naval Postgraduate School and Naval War College. She is Vice Chairman of the Board of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy.

Florida politics
Soderberg was a candidate for Florida Senate District 4 in the 2012 elections. She ran against Aaron Bean, former Florida State House Representative, in the newly open district. She ultimately lost but outperformed traditional voting patterns by 6 points.

On July 12, 2017, Soderberg filed to run for Congress as a Democrat in the 2018 midterm elections in Florida's 6th Congressional District. The then-current incumbent Ron DeSantis officially announced his candidacy for Governor on January 5, 2018. On August 28, 2018, Soderberg won the Democratic primary, defeating two challengers with 55.6% of the vote, but in the November 6, 2018, general election she was defeated by Republican Michael Waltz 56% to 43%.

Personal life
Soderberg was visiting London at the time of the 2017 London Bridge attack. She then traveled on to Paris with her 16-year-old niece. There, the two were locked down inside the cathedral during the 2017 Notre Dame attack.

Media
Soderberg publishes and speaks regularly on national security policy. Her second book, The Prosperity Agenda What the World Wants from America—and What We Need in Return, written with Brian Katulis, was published in July 2008. It argues for American leadership in tackling the world’s challenges in exchange for the world assisting us with our threat. Her 2005 book, The Superpower Myth: The Use and Misuse of American Might, analyzes the use of force and diplomacy over the last decade. She is a regular commentator on national and international television and radio, having appeared on NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, BBC, Fox, National Public Radio, the Lehrer News Hour, CNN Crossfire, and The Daily Show. Her articles have been published in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Huffington Post, the Financial Times, and other national and international publications.

 * The Superpower Myth: The Use and Misuse of American Might, Wiley, 2005, ISBN 9780471656838.
 * With Brian Katulis, The Prosperity Agenda: What the World Wants from America--and What We Need in Return, Wiley, 2008, ISBN 9780470105290

title: Nancy Soderberg


text:
Talk:Amtrack

Misspelling
"Amtrack" is a common misspelling of "Amtrak", so this redirect should be kept for people searching for Amtrak information. I have corrected all the links that point to this page today. If others appear in the future, please correct them too. slambo 15:11, Apr 21, 2005 (UTC)

title: Talk:Amtrack


text:
Mexican presidential expenses controversy

The Mexican presidential expenses controversy, widely dubbed Toallagate ("towelgate"), was a political scandal that occurred in Mexico in 2001 involving expenditures on the residence of President Vicente Fox. The affair caused severe embarrassment to the Fox administration and resulted in the resignations of Carlos Rojas, the head of the presidential acquisitions committee, and at least three members of Rojas' staff.

Background
In June 2001, the Mexican newspaper Milenio reported that the president's office had spent around US $440,000 to redecorate two cabins in the presidential compound, Los Pinos. Among the items bought were embroidered towels at $400 apiece and a set of sheets costing at least $1,500. The spending came to light after Milenio reporters utilised Compranet, a Mexican government website established to make government procurement more transparent, to scrutinise the expenditure of the presidential office.

Milenio's report caused immediate controversy, as Fox had promised during his election campaign to run an austere government and rein in excessive spending. Fox responded by instructing Francisco Barrio, the chief government auditor, to investigate the expenditures. Barrio reported that he had found irregularities including overpricing, purchases of items that had not been ordered and improper down-payments. Journalists carrying out follow-up investigations found that business addresses listed on expenses reports were false, and that the telephone numbers of suppliers used by the government had been disconnected.

Fox acknowledged that the expenditures were of importance to all Mexicans and promised that those found responsible would be fired. He accepted the resignation of Carlos Rojas, the head of the presidential acquisitions committee and a longtime friend of the president. Three members of Rojas' staff also resigned and three more were suspended. The president sought to turn the expenses controversy to his advantage by saying the fact that his own government had put the expenditures into the public domain proved that it was committed to transparency.


text:
Farseer trilogy

The Farseer trilogy is a series of fantasy novels by American author Robin Hobb, published from 1995 to 1997. It is often described as epic fantasy, and as a character-driven and introspective work. Set in and around the fictional realm of the Six Duchies, it tells the story of FitzChivalry Farseer (known as Fitz), an illegitimate son of a prince who is trained as an assassin. Political machinations within the royal family threaten his life, and the kingdom is beset by naval raids. Fitz possesses two forms of magic: the telepathic Skill that runs in the royal line, and the socially despised Wit that enables bonding with animals. The series follows his life as he seeks to restore stability to the kingdom.

The story contains motifs from Arthurian legend and is structured as a quest, but focuses on a stereotypically minor character in Fitz: barred by birth from becoming king, he nonetheless embraces a quest without the reward of the throne. It is narrated as a first-person retrospective. Through her portrayal of the Wit, a form of magic Fitz uses to bond with the wolf Nighteyes, Hobb examines otherness and ecological themes. Societal prejudice against the ability causes Fitz to experience persecution and shame, and he leads a closeted life as a Wit user, which scholars see as an allegory for queerness. Hobb also explores queer themes through the Fool, the gender-fluid court jester, and his dynamic with Fitz.

The Farseer trilogy was Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden's first work under the pen name Robin Hobb and met with critical and commercial success. Hobb received particular praise for her characterization of Fitz: the Los Angeles Review of Books wrote that the story offered "complete immersion in Fitz's complicated personality", and novelist Steven Erikson described its first-person narrative as a "quiet seduction". The Farseer trilogy is the first of five series set in the Realm of the Elderlings: it is followed by the Liveship Traders trilogy, the Tawny Man trilogy, the Rain Wild chronicles, and the Fitz and the Fool trilogy, which the series concluded with in 2017.

Writing and publication
In the 1980s, American author Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden began publishing under the name Megan Lindholm in a variety of genres, including high fantasy, prehistoric fiction, urban fantasy and science fiction. Her work was critically well-received, and her short fiction was nominated for the Hugo and Nebula Awards, but was commercially unsuccessful. In 1993, she started writing the Farseer trilogy, an epic fantasy that was in a new style and subgenre compared to her earlier work. Feeling that her shifts across genres had prevented her from building a consistent readership, and also that "the drama of adopting a 'secret identity' was irresistible", Lindholm took up a new byline, Robin Hobb, to brand her Farseer work. She continued to write short fiction as Lindholm.

Hobb felt her new pseudonym freed her from reader expectations of a Lindholm book, and she "wrote with a depth of feeling that I didn't usually indulge". The name Robin Hobb was intentionally androgynous and chosen to match the Fitz novels, which were written in a first-person male narrative voice. Hobb explained in an interview that she chose the pseudonym because many readers expected a male narrator to have been written by a male author. She continued concealing her identity after publishing the books, avoiding public readings or signings of the novels for multiple years, and eventually revealed her pseudonym in an interview with Locus, in 1998.

Hobb has said that the core idea for the Farseer series was: "What if magic were addictive? And what if the addiction was destructive or degenerative?" She said she had mulled over that notion for many years before writing. The first book was initially titled Chivalry's Bastard before becoming Assassin's Apprentice. Hobb conceived Fitz's narrative as a trilogy, feeling that his story was too complex to fit in a single book and naturally broke into three parts. A half-wolf called Bruno that moved into her Alaskan home in the 1950s inspired the relationship between Fitz and the wolf Nighteyes. The enigmatic Fool was initially not a big part of the series outline, but grew into a major character as she wrote the novels.

The first volume of the trilogy, Assassin's Apprentice, was published in May 1995 in the US, as a trade paperback by Bantam Spectra. Three months later, a hardcover edition was released in the UK by Voyager, a newly launched science fiction and fantasy imprint of HarperCollins. The second book, Royal Assassin, followed in 1996, first as a UK hardcover in March by Voyager, and then as a Bantam US paperback in May. The trilogy was completed in 1997 with the release of Assassin's Quest as a hardcover by both publishers, in March in the UK and in April in the US. Bantam stylized the US titles in the form of The Farseer I: Assassin's Apprentice; Voyager marketed the UK editions as part of the Farseer trilogy, and also as The Farseer Trilogy. The Bantam covers of the first two books were created by Michael Whelan, and the third by Stephen Youll. John Howe illustrated the Voyager editions of all three books.

Setting
The geography of the Six Duchies resembles the US state of Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, where Hobb lived for several years. Hobb's initial sketches of the setting were inspired by the panhandle of Alaska, and the Six Duchies resembled Kodiak Island, her residence following her marriage, but the final commissioned maps bore a greater similarity to an upside-down Alaska than she had intended. Hobb would write four other series using the same setting, referred to along with the Farseer trilogy as the Realm of the Elderlings.

The society of the fictional universe is comparable to Western feudalism, with nobility owing allegiance to a monarch, and with distinct social stratification, although commoners retain some basic rights. The ruling Farseer line were once raiders, who chose to settle in the kingdom of Six Duchies; the royal family has a tradition of taking allegorical names. The novels' primary society resembles medieval Europe in its technology, following a Tolkienian tradition, but departing from it in depicting far greater gender equality. A few other kingdoms exist that resemble non-Western societies. As the series begins, the Six Duchies is under assault from the "Red-ship Raiders", whose raids bear resemblance to Viking invasions. Two magical powers exist: the Skill, which allows humans to communicate at great distances and for one person to impose their will on another; and the Wit, which allows a bonding without dominance between humans and animals. The former is passed on through the royal bloodline of the Six Duchies; the latter is viewed with revulsion and its practitioners are persecuted.

Assassin's Apprentice
The narrative begins with the protagonist, aged six, being brought from his mother to the royal family of the Six Duchies. He is given the name Fitz, meaning an illegitimate son; he learns that his father is Prince Chivalry Farseer, heir to the throne. The shame of fathering a bastard leads Chivalry to relinquish his position and retreat to the countryside: he dies a few years later, without ever meeting Fitz. Chivalry's brother Prince Verity becomes heir to the throne.

Fitz swears loyalty to King Shrewd and is trained in secret as a royal assassin and diplomat by master Chade. His bloodline grants him access to a form of telepathic magic called the Skill, which he begins to train in under Skillmaster Galen. Galen proceeds to telepathically torture Fitz and blunt his ability to use the Skill; his actions are later revealed to have been at the behest of Fitz's uncle Prince Regal.

Fitz gradually grows aware of his ability to use the Wit, which lets him communicate and bond with animals, but the societal prejudice against this ability leads his guardian Burrich to discourage his early attempts to use it. Fitz's first Wit bond, with a dog named Nosy, ends when the dog is sent away by Burrich. Fitz later adopts another dog, Smithy, and bonds with him in secret, but Smithy is killed defending Burrich.

Regal negotiates a marriage for Verity with Princess Kettricken of the neighboring Mountain Kingdom to strengthen the Six Duchies against the threat of the Red-Ship Raiders. Fitz is sent to the mountains to assassinate Kettricken's brother. He finds Regal plotting to kill Verity and marry Kettricken himself but is able to thwart the attempt.

Royal Assassin
Returning to Buckkeep, the capital of the Six Duchies, Fitz develops a Wit bond with a wolf named Nighteyes, after buying him as a cub from a trapper. He also develops a romantic relationship with a maid, Molly, and a friendship with the enigmatic court jester, who is known as the Fool. Fitz attempts to keep both his Wit and obligations as an assassin a secret from Molly, but their relationship later ends as the result of conflict over Fitz's duties.

The kingdom continues to be harassed by the Red-Ship raiders of the Out Islands. The raiders are able to turn any captives into "Forged ones"; they are rendered emotionless and behave like feral animals. Prince Verity attempts to wage war on the Red-Ship Raiders through his use of the Skill, and recruits Fitz as an apprentice, creating a Skill link between them. Fitz also hunts the Forged with Nighteyes, relying on their Wit link.

Verity and Fitz are unable to turn the tide of the war, and so Verity departs on a journey in search of Elderlings, beings from myth who may be able to help his people. In Verity's absence, Regal plots to kill his father, King Shrewd, and the pregnant Kettricken. Shrewd dies despite Fitz's efforts, and Fitz is accused of his murder. Regal has him tortured, trying to wrest a confession; on the brink of death, he retreats to Nighteyes' body at the wolf's plea. His seemingly dead body is buried. Burrich and Chade later exhume the body and persuade Fitz to return to it, which he does with regret.

Assassin's Quest
Fitz spends several months fighting trauma and seizures but is nursed back to health by Burrich. He learns that Regal has taken the throne, and moved the capital inland; taking on a new identity, Fitz travels west, intending to kill Regal. He encounters a community of Witted practitioners known as the Old Blood, whom he learns from but refuses to stay with for long.

Sneaking into Regal's palace, Fitz is captured by Regal's Skilled coterie. He narrowly escapes with the help of Prince Verity, who uses the Skill from afar through their link. Fitz learns that Molly is pregnant with their child and that both Molly and Burrich believe him dead. Wishing to return to them, he is instead compelled to find Verity due to a Skill-summons. Traveling toward the Mountain Kingdom, he is hunted and twice captured by Regal's forces, but escapes. Pursued over the border and severely injured, he is found and tended to by the Fool, and later meets Kettricken, who fled from the Six Duchies after Shrewd's death.

The group follows in Verity's footsteps, seeking to aid him. Journeying out of the Mountain Kingdom on a road wrought with the Skill, they find Verity in a quarry of magical stone, surrounded by inanimate stone dragons. Verity is attempting to carve a dragon himself and awaken it by Skilling his memories, thoughts, and feelings into the stone. With the group's aid, he is successful but loses his humanity to become the stone dragon.

Verity, as a dragon, flies to Buckkeep carrying the rest of the group to combat the raiders. Fitz remains behind with Nighteyes and manages to awaken the other stone dragons, who follow Verity. Fitz battles Regal with the Skill and defeats him, and slays his coterie. Having seen in a Skill vision that Molly and Burrich have fallen in love, he chooses to mask his identity and remain an outcast, living with Nighteyes at the edge of society. Verity destroys the Raiders, and Kettricken assumes the throne.

Style
The Farseer novels are often described as epic fantasies, and as introspective works that center around the characters' internal conflicts. The series is structured as a quest fantasy; the main character is barred from the throne by his birth, but nonetheless embraces a quest without the reward of the throne. In Fitz's case, the quest is to restore the rightful king and bring stability to the kingdom. A review in Asimov's Science Fiction placed his narrative in the tradition of a "young misfit coming of age". While Fitz's quest has a significant impact on the Six Duchies, his roles as assassin and illegitimate royal force his actions to stay unseen and uncredited, and he is thus portrayed both as a leading and marginal character.

The trilogy is described as drawing from Arthurian legend in its characters and narrative motifs: Shrewd's decline recalls the legend of the Fisher King, and Regal bears similarities to Mordred, and Chade to Merlin. Fitz has been termed a melancholy hero, and been discussed as a liminal being, or one who "exists at the threshold of two states". Critics have noted parallels to the character of Hamlet, to Frodo Baggins, and to Severian, the protagonist of Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun. Scholar Geoffrey Elliot describes the setting of the Elderlings books as following in the "Tolkienian tradition", resembling the society of medieval England, but drawing also from the indigenous societies of the Pacific Northwest.

Hobb uses a style within the fantasy genre that casts the fantastic as an unquestioned, familiar aspect of the setting: this creates an "illusion of familiarity" for the reader, according to scholar Susan Mandala. When Fitz first shares a dream with a dog, the narration matches how he experiences the dream – as a perfectly natural, as opposed to fantastic, event – through language that is "lexically coherent" across the human and animal segments, in Mandala's view. Similarly, when Fitz first mentions the telepathic Skill, the narrative does not address the term directly, assuming that its meaning is known in-world, but instead focuses on the Skill's potential effect on Fitz's memory, and its addictive qualities.

The story is narrated as a first-person retrospective, with an adult protagonist reflecting on his childhood memories: this has been described as an unusual style in fantasy, and critic John Clute termed it a "painfully confessional memoir". Fitz finds some of his recollections painful and imagines "the hurt of a boy" spilling into the ink; along with this self-commentary, the story is "rich" with implicit clues that "most effectively" uncover Fitz's character, according to Mandala. For instance, Fitz describes his immediate family in the same terms as the strangers he meets: his grandfather becomes "the tall man", and his mother is "a voice" that is distant and unfamiliar, signifying his emotional distance from them. Fitz is on occasion an unreliable narrator who distrusts his own memories. The novels contain short memoirs prefacing each chapter that narrate a fictional history of the setting: these excerpts are also unreliable narratives, relaying "recollection and gossip".

Themes
Through its fantasy elements, the Farseer trilogy explores themes of otherness. As a practitioner of the Wit, a form of magic described as a connection to all living things, Fitz bonds and shares senses with the wolf Nighteyes. Their relationship is shaped by their contrasting perceptions of the world: the wolf lives "in the now" and unlike Fitz, lingers less on memories and on plans for the distant future. More broadly, the wolf symbolizes nature in Western literature, and the werewolf denotes "slippages between" nature and culture, according to scholar Lenise Prater. The Wit also makes Fitz aware of an interconnectedness between living creatures; by severing such connections, the Raiders turn people into the animalistic Forged. Thereby, Prater argues, Hobb is suggesting that the self is entirely dependent on others, and cannot live autonomously. Scholar Mariah Larsson similarly writes that the depiction of the Wit contains an ecocritical element, highlighting the relevance of non-human life forms and thereby challenging anthropocentrism.

Fitz's internal conflicts in the series – in particular, the sense of shame and trauma that result from his being Witted – have been described by scholars as an allegory for queerness. In the world of the Six Duchies, the Wit is seen as an unnatural inclination and its practitioners are persecuted and may be publicly hanged or forced into hiding. Early in the series, Fitz's guardian Burrich punishes him when he tries to use the Wit, viewing it as emasculating and shameful; this is despite Burrich being Witted himself. Burrich rarely speaks of his Wit, having suppressed it for most of his life; he sees the Witted as worse even than the Forged, who have lost their humanity. Scholars regard this as akin to internalized homophobia: Burrich has repudiated a piece of his own identity and seeks to eradicate it in others. Fitz thus develops an "identity in shame", according to scholar Peter Melville, and withdraws into the closet, even as he continues to explore the ability.

Fitz's feeling of shame toward the Wit leads him to keep it hidden even from those he cares for, including his beloved Molly. The secret is one of many of Fitz's "multiple closeted lives" that eventually drives Molly away from him. Toward the end of Royal Assassin, Fitz's Witted identity is revealed to the public and he is tortured. After he shifts to the wolf's body and returns, he more openly participates in his Wit-bond and finds a community of the Witted at the edge of society. Comparing the Old Blood to a queer support group, Melville views the sense of connection Fitz experiences in their midst as essential to his self-acceptance. The series then transitions from Fitz's personal struggle to the larger struggle for equal rights for the Witted, which is explored in The Tawny Man trilogy. Speaking of her motivation behind the Skill and the Wit, Hobb commented that "I think we can see that in almost any society, something that is accepted and OK in one society makes you a member of a despised group in another society."

Queer themes are also portrayed through the Fool, a character whose subversive aspect is hinted at in Assassin's Quest, when the minstrel Starling states to Fitz: "The Fool is a woman. And she is in love with you." The Fool alternates between masculine and feminine identities through the many Elderlings series; this blurring of gender boundaries is explored further in the Liveship Traders, Tawny Man and Fitz and the Fool trilogies. The dynamic between Fitz and the Fool, described in the Farseer trilogy as "two halves of a whole, sundered and come together again" when they connect via the Skill, is also developed further in later trilogies.

Hobb sharply contrasts the two forms of magic in the series, the Skill and the Wit: though addiction is portrayed as a negative consequence of both, according to Larsson, the Skill is "more insidious". The Skill is practiced by the ruling class, but the Wit is relegated to lower classes; the Skill is also a stereotypically masculine magic, since it functions as a weapon, and the Wit, used to bond with animals, is more feminine. According to Prater, the series deconstructs these stereotypical expectations through Fitz: he possesses both forms of magic and is simultaneously an outcast and a subject of the throne. The gendered attributes are blurred in later Elderlings novels, where the Skill is shown to heal and create melodies, while the Wit can be used to manipulate humans. Larsson argues that the narrative "very cleverly" portrays the two abilities such that the reader arrives at a very different impression than the society of the story.

Reception
Assassin's Apprentice was viewed as the debut work of a new author, though a reviewer for Asimov's Science Fiction noted her use of a pseudonym and remarked that the first two books appeared to be the "work of a seasoned professional". Publishers Weekly described the book as a "gleaming debut" in a crowded fantasy market, praising Hobb's portrayal of political machinations within royalty. A similar review from Kirkus termed it "a remarkably assured debut". The sequels Royal Assassin and Assassin's Quest received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly. The first book was a finalist for the British Fantasy Award in 1997; the second and third volumes were nominees for the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel in 1997 and 1998. The series as a whole was commercially successful: worldwide the Elderlings sold more than a million copies by 2003, and UK sales alone had exceeded 1.25 million copies by 2017.

The characters Hobb created received acclaim from several reviewers,  and the Farseer novels have been praised as works of character-driven fantasy. Writing in The Times in 2005, critic Amanda Craig praised Hobb's depiction of Fitz and stated that his bond with the wolf Nighteyes was as "passionate as the deepest romantic love". In 2014, the Los Angeles Review of Books reviewer Ilana Teitelbaum described the novels as offering "complete immersion in Fitz's complicated personality", and remarked on the psychological complexity of Fitz's characterization, as well as Hobb's depiction of trauma. Teitelbaum praised the portrayal of Fitz's internal conflicts, noting that his emotional scars shape his perspective and that Fitz isn't ever able to escape them completely. An Interzone review of the first book drew attention to the "wonderfully enigmatic" character of the Fool, whose riddles and predictions were only gifted to others similarly lonely. However, the reviewer criticized Galen, the Skillmaster, as "too manic to be credible". The novels' prose and fictional setting also drew praise. Scholar Darren Harris-Fain felt that Hobb's "skill" at worldbuilding and characters set the trilogy above most fantasy. David Langford similarly remarked on her construction of a "convincingly textured society" with strong characters, including women, and added that "Hobb writes achingly well". Publishers Weekly described the wolf Nighteyes as her best creation, and Teitelbaum wrote that Hobb's "generosity with detail" allowed the castle of Buckkeep to become a "memorable setting". Publishers Weekly also praised Hobb's "shimmering language", and Fantasy & Science Fiction called her prose in the first volume "skillful", and Library Journal considered it "gracefully written". Interzone noted that Hobb's had avoided the "more obvious clichés", and that the book was "very occasionally brilliant", but found it "stylistically patchy". Fellow novelist Steven Erikson has remarked on Hobb's writing of Fitz's perspective, describing it as a "quiet seduction" and "handled with consummate control, precision and intent". He uses chapters from the trilogy as reading material in his workshops for writers.

The plot of the trilogy, according to Harris-Fain, was an "effectively balance[d]" blend of dark occurrences and warm moments between characters. In a review of Assassin's Apprentice, Booklist felt the plot was traditional but praised its execution. The second book contained plot twists that drew praise from reviewers including Kirkus, though the reviewer found "ominous signs" of the narrative losing control. A year later, Kirkus termed the sequel an "enthralling conclusion". The length of the third book was criticized by Booklist and Langford, although both critics praised other facets of Hobb's writing. Booklist felt the extra pages delivered in terms of "emotionally compelling scenes of both magic and battle". A review for Locus praised the pacing of the third volume, adding that its "lively dialog" and divergence from a typical quest narrative made it a "great read".

The Farseer novels led to Hobb receiving broader recognition as an exemplar of fantasy writing. The trilogy, as well as its sequels, were viewed by Library Journal as "masterworks of character-based epic fantasy". Comparing the first nine Elderlings novels with the works of Le Guin and Tolkien, The Times described Hobb as "one of the great modern fantasy writers", and stated that her novels were "grown-up fantasy". The Telegraph held that "Hobb is acknowledged – not least by her colleague, George RR Martin – as one of the pre-eminent writers of modern fantasy fiction", and The Guardian described her as "the writer to press on those who turn up their noses at fantasy".

In a discussion of the fantasy canon, medieval scholar Patrick Moran commented that the Elderlings series "undermines the heterosexual norms of traditional high fantasy" through the relationship between Fitz and the genderfluid Fool. While agreeing that Hobb promotes queer themes, Prater voiced disappointment at "conservative impulses" in the series due to a focus on monogamy and romance, which she sees as heteronormative and limiting its message. A more positive view was expressed by Melville, who contended that the concluding Fitz and the Fool trilogy "confirms the series' place within the larger history of queerness in the fantasy genre".

Sequels and adaptations
The Farseer trilogy is followed by four series set in the Realm of the Elderlings, the last volume of which was published in 2017. The second trilogy is the Liveship Traders, which is written in the third person and set in a different part of the Elderlings world, but with a recurring character. Hobb then returns to Fitz's first-person narration in the Tawny Man trilogy. Next in chronology are the four novels of the Rain Wild chronicles and the Fitz and the Fool trilogy, which concludes the series.

The series was adapted as a comic book in French under the title L'Assassin Royal. Spanning ten volumes, it was published from 2008 to 2016 by Soleil Productions. An English-language comic adaptation of Assassin's Apprentice is slated for release in December 2022. Co-written by Hobb and Jody Houser, the series is planned to comprise six issues and features artist Ryan Kelly, colorist Jordie Bellaire, letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou and publisher Dark Horse Comics. In a 2018 interview, Hobb stated she had not sold television or film rights to the series.

title: Farseer trilogy