text:
Talk:Big two

the naming of the game
did my character come out as garbage code or something? or unless i am mistaken in some timeline. i distinctively remember how it is called in Taiwan as what i edited. consider it as slang or anything. i just thought it might be something to be taken note of because i believe that many will raise an eyebrow if its said otherwise.

was it wrong to say it that way or something? Mint greentea 04:24, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * did my character come out as garbage code or something?: Yes, exactly. —UTSRelativity 16:46, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC)

regions
the rules on this page is the American style, which is unlike the way a quarter of all human beings play this game, is it ok to change it? 1698 2005 December 12 18:20 UTC

- Now all variations (Hong Kong, Taiwanese, Malaysian, Vietnamese rules) are included. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Kakarukeys (talk • contribs).

 * a quarter of all human beings means all China. we dont play with suits and thus not flushes either. i guess i can just add it as a subsection of the veriations. --1698 2006 February 16 07.10 Zulu

- yes you are most welcome to write down this interesting point. But in my opinion, a big2 game without flushes is quite boring.

Why is the deuce special?
Making the deuce the highest card, but low for straights, seems needlessly confusing to novice players. Is there any particular reason why this card acts this way, or was it some arbitrary idea that happened to catch on? - furrykef (Talk at me) 21:27, 17 December 2005 (UTC)
 * this depends on the rules someone plays by. some ppl play poker w/ 12345 straights and some dont, its the same thing--1698 2005 12 21 19:50 UTC
 * As mentioned by JinFX, it depends on how u wanna play it. If u want the Deuce to be the highest card in straights, by all means. Just remember to agree upon the rules with the people u play with before the start of the gaming session so that everyone knows the ranking system.Kiwi8 07:31, 16 April 2006 (UTC)

Why is the deuce special? Because we are sick of playing Ace as the highest card as in Poker. In most asian rules, straights with Deuce rank high.

The deuce high is part of asian custom for these climbing games. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.72.118.170 (talk) 16:27, 28 July 2008 (UTC)

 * The reason, intuitively, is that a "straight" is a sequence of consecutive rank from low to high. So if you go up to the highest card (deuce) and then immediately go to the lowest card (3), that seems like a break in the progression from low to high. To solve this, we simply order straights by the last card in the low-to-high sequence, regardless of whether there is a deuce or something like that earlier in the sequence. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.80.119.67 (talk) 02:06, 4 June 2011 (UTC)

Uneven numbered players
For games when there are only 3 players, either 17 cards are dealt to each person, with the last card (sometimes displayed) going to the person with the 3 of diamonds, or 13 cards are dealt to each player and the other 13 are just left on the side. 70.111.244.69 14:25, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

 * and the other 13 are just left on the side... and when a player has to pass, s/he draws a card from the 13. 203.218.87.69 12:18, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

Sometimes people play with a full deck, sometimes people play with only 13 cards and uses the remaining cards as a draw pile. There are just too many variations in this game. User:CuffX 03:22, 24 March 2007 (UTC)

Is this true?
* Royal Straight Flush: A composite of A-K-Q-J-10 with the same suit is known as the highest combination in the game (according to the highest suit which is spade) (var. 3).

I always thought that J-Q-K-A-2 was the biggest royal straight flush.

-Depends if your style accepts K-A-2 in straights or not?

Variations
Since there are so many versions of this game, someone should group the variations together by country to clean things up.

 * Also, the Straights explanation in the 5-card hands section is not consistent. (If an A-2-3-4-5 straight is ranked the highest, then a straight flush of the same sequence should be ranked the highest straight flush) One rank should be standard and the other a variant. I'll make the changes if I have time.

References to card counting in the variations section is removed as this terminology is only used for blackjack. Curbing card "tracking" is neither advantageous nor disadvantageous, and just changes the nature of the game where it is less predictable. Momolee 12:11, 12 April 2007 (UTC)

why big two?
Why is it called big two? What is being big? What is two? --Sonjaaa 07:26, 8 June 2007 (UTC) - Because the two is the highest card, hence "Big two"

Glaring mistake?
Have I made an incorrect edit, or am I right in thinking that, given all my years of playing Choh dai di/big 2, that it is in no way a 53 card, but instead a 52 card game? How on Earth has such an egregious mistake persisted on the wiki? If for some reason I have been playing it incorrectly all these years please feel free to revert the change. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.234.4.10 (talk) 21:24, 6 October 2007 (UTC)

who is undoing my edits and why?
I found several similar games in various article and I was attempting to link them to each other with a "See Also" section. Someone named "Can't sleep, clown will eat me" is systematically undoing these edits without explaination. why? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.196.241.47 (talk) 07:49, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

 * These sections are not helpful, please rely on categories and well-cited prose to explain the relationships rather than creating a see also section. Thank you, Can't sleep, clown will eat me 07:52, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

 * This is not the first time I've seen edits arbitrarily deleted by self-righteous content masters. While I appreciate your vigilance against vandals, you and others like you are also removing well-intentioned work and discouraging contributions. It looks like Wikipedia is becoming the place where only the "perfect" may dwell. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.196.241.47 (talk) 08:10, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

Irrelevant Picture
The picture doesn't have anything to do with Big Two, other than it being a scene of people playing card games in China, and that Big Two is also a card game played in China. The filename of the image is "People playing card games in the street" (does not mention Big Two) and there is no evidence that they're playing Big Two. --208.80.119.67 (talk) 02:09, 4 June 2011 (UTC)

Fffffff
Rrrrrrr 203.91.115.52 (talk) 09:13, 29 March 2023 (UTC)

Merge proposal
I propose merging Pusoy dos into Big two. Pusoy dos is a minor variant of Big two and I don't think it merits its own page. There are very few sources for this as a stand-alone game. One of the citations here goes to an archived article that is not a WP:RS; the other goes to John McLeod's page for Big Two at pagat.com where he only gives Pusoy dos a couple of lines as a variant, not even a separate section. The essential differences can be added to Big Two without causing would any article-size or weighting problems.Bermicourt (talk) 08:57, 16 September 2023 (UTC)
 * given the lack of objection and the clear case, I think that it would be fine for you or any other used to merge these. You might have more expertise than me to do this elegantly! Klbrain (talk) 21:13, 11 December 2023 (UTC)

title: Talk:Big two


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/The Crescent 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 KEEP. Postdlf 23:50, 30 Apr 2005 (UTC)

The Crescent School
Non-notable private school. Firebug 04:24, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Tad POV as well, isn't it?  Not only that, they don't say why they're notable or why anyone should care.  To our esteemed inclusionists:  Please judge this article on its encyclopedic merits and not its subject matter.  Thanks. - Lucky 6.9 04:26, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Well if you could just get people to nominate the article on its encyclopedic merits, not its subject... Kappa 11:18, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep The post VfD editing has brought this article up to snuff. Congrats to User:BaronLarf for a nice save. The current version passes the Toowoomba Grammar School test as expected of a school that has frequently topped the list of best private schools in Canada.. Naturally all school's are worthy of inclusion into a truely great encyclopaedia. But you already knew that. Klonimus 06:43, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * If you think all schools should be included, why do you have a test for them? Radiant_* 14:13, Apr 19, 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. School vanity. Jonathunder 06:53, 2005 Apr 19 (UTC)
 * Delete. Minor improvements don't keep this from being anything more than a useless collection of generic facts about an insignificant school. This is not an encyclopedia article. Individual schools are not inherently encyclopedic and there is nothing to distinguish insignificant schools like this one from thousands of nearly identical schools around the world. Gamaliel 07:08, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Extreme keep. Minor improvements improve the quality of the article, IMHO this is a Good Thing (tm). What makes this school both notable and distinguishable from others within the region of Ontario is that it received the highest rating possible from the Fraser Institute, 1st place (out of 568).        These facts are neither generic nor useless.  —RaD Man (talk) 07:27, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Comment: This nomination was made by yet another account created in the past six weeks that immediately gravitated towards VfD (within 3 days of account creation). This is the third one this week.  *sigh*  —RaD Man (talk) 01:13, 20 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Pardon me, the account is only 2 weeks old, not six. —RaD Man (talk) 01:16, 20 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Stop trying to intimidate VFD contributors. Firebug 03:42, 20 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete: Not notable enough. 郵便箱 07:12, Apr 19, 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep. Seems to turn out more than its share of notable people: a bigshot member of parlement, the founding president of a university, a noteworthy author, publisher, and television host, and others. --Carnildo 08:10, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete, not notable, cruft. Megan1967 08:49, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete all schools where there's an abusive attempt to manipulate the vote. —Korath (Talk) 08:57, Apr 19, 2005 (UTC)
 * Comment: So are you going to delete valid school articles too, if someone tries to manipulate the vote? That would be a great way for a deletionist to get something deleted. Please judge the article, not on user actions. Mgm|(talk) 10:05, Apr 19, 2005 (UTC)
 * I would be happy to judge the article on its own merits, if I had any confidence whatsoever that the Schoolwatchers were. I no longer do. —Korath (Talk) 11:50, Apr 19, 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep, tops the Fraser list and has notable alumni. Mgm|(talk) 10:05, Apr 19, 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep, has non-generic and useful information. Kappa 11:20, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep. Notable school. (If the deletionists really want to get rid of all articles about buildings/institutions why not leave the schools alone, and delete some of the non-notable railway stations clogging up Wikipedia?)  P Ingerson 11:30, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep At least this boats some alumni and a reason for notability (Fraser), rather than yet another unencyclopaedic high school. Not all schools are worthy for inclusion... but this one just might be. The JPS 11:47, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * The article is still too short for my tastes, but topping the list of 'best private schools in Canada' does make it notable imho. Can someone BEEFSTEW it please? Keep. Radiant_* 14:13, Apr 19, 2005 (UTC)
 * BEEFSTEW: 5 (A, B, D, F, H). --TenOfAllTrades | Talk 15:11, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Changing vote to keep. Notability established.  In fact a BEEFSTEW of 5 is the highest I can recall seeing. - Lucky 6.9 22:02, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Question: BEEFSTEW of 5 is a reasonable target even for an average school, would you be prepared to vote keep for one? Kappa 22:25, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Excellent question. I try and base my votes on these school articles partially on their encyclopedic content.  In all fairness, a good article on a so-so school should probably be considered as a keeper.  It's the "bored student substubs" I vote against, especially if there's no information online to expand the stub.  However, I think that a so-so school had better represent itself well, avoiding "weasel" words and phrases like their mission statement.  I try and look at some of these from the viewpoint of an advertising copywriter.  One of the biggest no-noes is unsubstantiated claims to greatness.  School articles are usually rife with these.  Hope I answered your question.  Ask anytime.  :) - Lucky 6.9 06:30, 20 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep and continue to expand. Schools should not need to prove notability, even though this one is notable. (I researched school, found and added the alumni, and plan to do more.  This is not a mindless, inclusionist vote)--BaronLarf 22:22, Apr 19, 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep. Being rated as the best private school in Canada by a reputable source and notable alumni establish notability for mine. Capitalistroadster 23:19, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep. Nomination does not conform with deletion policy.--Gene_poole 23:30, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * The problem is that there is no deletion policy for schools. Unless we have a real policy in place for all of these articles, these arguments will erupt whenever a school is put up for VfD. Firebug 03:41, 20 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * So how about WP:BEEFSTEW of 5 gets an article, substubs are deleted, less than 5 gets merged if it isn't growing? Kappa 05:30, 20 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Not in its current form. As mentioned on the BEEFSTEW page, only criteria H, J, and sometimes G would be accepted to show notability for any other subject.  I've had pet fish about which I could write articles that meet criteria A-E. —Korath (Talk) 06:05, Apr 20, 2005 (UTC)
 * Make a mention on Toronto, Ontario and delete - Skysmith 07:52, 20 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep This is notable in Canada, even if isn't notable in the US. Ground Zero 16:01, 20 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Weak keep- the school is probably notable enough. --G Rutter 18:47, 20 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * keep, this does not seem right Yuckfoo 21:12, 20 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep Notability established. N-Mantalk 11:41, 21 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep. Nicely improved and further expandible. Samaritan 11:50, 21 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep. This is not a run-of-the-mill public school; obviously the article needs expansion, but given time it should grow properly. --NormanEinstein 19:55, 21 Apr 2005 (UTC)#
 * Keep Why do people want to delete school articles when it is policy that all railway station articles are kept? Oliver Chettle 02:26, 23 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep award winning schools are certainly notable.  ALKIVAR ™[[Image:Radioactive.svg|18px|]] 09:45, 23 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep. This one actually seems notable, and is almost a hundred years old.  Noisy | Talk 11:07, Apr 23, 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep, though it still seems short to me. --MikeJ9919 00:18, 24 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. --Spinboy 06:15, 24 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete, I'm sorry but I don't see how this needs to be here. Who's ever going to look it up? Master Thief Garrett 01:33, 27 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Maybe someone interested in private schools in Toronto, or the best private schools in Canada. Kappa 01:36, 28 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep, articles on all secondary schools should be included in the encyclopedia. over the years thousands graduate from any one school - to (most of) those alumni plus hundreds others interested in education or the community in which a particular school is located these pages are (theoretically) important. there should be a policy put in place allowing articles on sec schools to exist (and railway stations too!). Mayumashu 16:16, 29 Apr 2005 (UTC)

[A review of the deletion policy confirms my gut reaction. It is clearly implicit by what wiki provides as criteria for deletion that an article on a secondary school is, in and of itself, worthy of having in wiki. firstly, the number of articles that wiki can have is explicitly stated as a non-issue in judging an article's worth. secondly, an article on any school does not fall under any of the categories listed at WP:NOT as what wiki is not. moreover, its worth reiterating that any one school will mean something to literally thousands of people (the majority of which are not present wiki contributors or even users no doubt, but are nonetheless, potential ones). this is a cut and dry case Mayumashu 16:56, 29 Apr 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:
Wilfrid Napier

Wilfrid Fox Napier OFM (born 8 March 1941) is a South African prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Durban from 1992 to 2021 and has been a cardinal since 2001. He served as Bishop of Kokstad from 1981 to 1992.

Biography
Napier was born on 8 March 1941 in Matatiele, South Africa. He joined the Franciscan Novitiate in Killarney before moving to St Anthony s College, Galway, to study at UCG. He graduated from University College Galway in 1964 with a degree in Latin and English. Studying at the Irish Franciscans St Anthony's College, Leuven, he obtained an MA in philosophy and theology from the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium.

He was ordained a priest of the Order of Friars Minor on 25 July 1970. On 15 May 1978 he was appointed apostolic administrator of Kokstad and on 29 November 1980 he was appointed bishop there. He chose as his episcopal motto the phrase pax et bonum which means "peace and goodwill".

On 29 March 1992, he was named to succeed Denis Hurley as Archbishop of Durban.

During the early nineties, he and other church leaders were involved in mediation and negotiation during the unrest leading up to the 1994 election and was present in September 1991 when the Peace Accord was signed. He was president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference in 1987-94 and 1999. He was also apostolic administrator of Umzimkulu from 1 August 1994 to 14 March 2009.

In 1995, he received the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from University College Galway, his alma mater.

Napier is a member of the Episcopal Board of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL).

Pope John Paul II made Napier a Cardinal Priest on 21 February 2001 and assigned the titular church of San Francesco d'Assisi ad Acilia. He was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 papal conclave that selected Pope Benedict XVI. On 21 March 2012, Pope Benedict XVI named him a member of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers.

He was a cardinal elector at the 2013 papal conclave that elected Pope Francis. As the conclave neared he described himself as "very frightened"; he thought there was a "higher likelihood" the next pope would be non-European and said that "The centre of gravity of the church has also shifted from the north to the south."

He has been an occasional contributor to the South African national Catholic weekly "The Southern Cross".

Pope Francis accepted his resignation as archbishop of Durban on 9 June 2021. Napier continues as apostolicae administrator of the archdiocese until his successor is installed.

AIDS
In January 2005, Napier stated, in comments similar to some made by Pope Benedict XVI, that government programmes to distribute condoms were ineffectual in stemming the spread of HIV. Instead, he proposed programmes based upon the principle of abstinence.

Vatican's views on Africa
In October 2003, Cardinal Napier stated that, to some extent, the Vatican lacks a "sufficient sensitivity to African churches." He said the trips Pope John Paul II made to Africa have helped, since every time he comes, Vatican officials are forced to learn something about Africa.

Paedophilia comments controversy
On 17 March 2013, in a BBC interview Napier said that "From my experience paedophilia is actually an illness, it is not a criminal condition, it is an illness." He went on to explain that he did not mean that there was to be not criminal liability. He mentioned two priests he knew who were abused as children and went on to become paedophiles and said: "Now don't tell me that those people are criminally responsible like somebody who chooses to do something like that. I don't think you can really take the position and say that person deserves to be punished. He was himself damaged." Michael Walsh, a biographer of Pope John Paul II, stated that at one time this was the view of many Catholics in the US and UK. Barbara Dorries from Chicago-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests and, herself a victim of sex abuse from a priest when she was a child told the BBC: "If it is a disease that's fine, but it's also a crime and crimes are punished, criminals are held accountable for what they did and what they do."

Napier attacked the BBC after the broadcast for being "sensationalist" and "putting words into my mouth". He added: "I made it quite clear that paedophilia is a crime, and that we as a church have got a whole process in place for dealing with it."

Napier apologised via Twitter for his comments: "I apologise to victims of child abuse offended by my misstatement of what was and still is my concern about all abused, including abused abuser." He went on to say "It's the supreme irony. Because I raised the issue of the abused abuser, I stand accused of insensitivity to the sufferings of the abused."

Climate change
In December 2011 Napier criticised world leaders on their failure to keep climate change commitments. He said "We express our displeasure with local and international political leadership which has failed to take decisive steps to make the changes required for the survival of humanity and life on earth. We as the religious community demand that our political leaders honour previous commitments and move towards ethically responsible positions and policies."

Marriage and family
Cardinal Napier said in 2015 that the recent two Synod of Bishops dedicated to marriage and family life enabled for there to be "a strong focus on the problems and challenges facing the family", calling for the Church to accompany them through times of crisis. Napier further said that it was important to identify concretely what married couples needed to do in order to strengthen their marital bond which in turn would allow them to properly identify how to strengthen their family lives.

Black Lives Matter
On 28 August 2020 Cardinal Napier voiced criticism of Black Lives Matter claiming it had been hijacked due to views the movement had expressed on the family and abortion, which the Cardinal believes undermines the cause of racial justice, tweeting "It’s time to state honestly what BLM really stands for – destroying the traditional Family AND what it actually does – destroying property including religious building and objects!" and "Another crucial test of the authenticity of the Black Lives Matter movement will be its stance vis a vis Planned Parenthood and the Abortion Industry!"

title: Wilfrid Napier


text: Category:150s BC deaths

title: Category:150s BC deaths


text:
Parabolic cylinder function

In mathematics, the parabolic cylinder functions are special functions defined as solutions to the differential equation

This equation is found when the technique of separation of variables is used on Laplace's equation when expressed in parabolic cylindrical coordinates.

The above equation may be brought into two distinct forms (A) and (B) by completing the square and rescaling $$, called H. F. Weber's equations:

and

If $$f(a,z)$$ is a solution, then so are $$f(a,-z), f(-a,iz)\text{ and }f(-a,-iz).$$

If $$f(a,z)\,$$ is a solution of equation ($z$), then $$f(-ia,ze^{(1/4)\pi i})$$ is a solution of ($$), and, by symmetry, $$f(-ia,-ze^{(1/4)\pi i}), f(ia,-ze^{-(1/4)\pi i})\text{ and }f(ia,ze^{-(1/4)\pi i})$$ are also solutions of ($$).

Solutions
There are independent even and odd solutions of the form ($$). These are given by (following the notation of Abramowitz and Stegun (1965)): $$y_1(a;z) = \exp(-z^2/4) \;_1F_1 \left(\tfrac12a+\tfrac14; \; \tfrac12\; ; \; \frac{z^2}{2}\right)\,\,\,\,\,\, (\mathrm{even})$$ and $$y_2(a;z) = z\exp(-z^2/4) \;_1F_1 \left(\tfrac12a+\tfrac34; \; \tfrac32\; ; \; \frac{z^2}{2}\right)\,\,\,\,\,\, (\mathrm{odd})$$ where $$\;_1F_1 (a;b;z)=M(a;b;z)$$ is the confluent hypergeometric function.

Other pairs of independent solutions may be formed from linear combinations of the above solutions. One such pair is based upon their behavior at infinity: $$ U(a,z)=\frac{1}{2^\xi\sqrt{\pi}} \left[ \cos(\xi\pi)\Gamma(1/2-\xi)\,y_1(a,z) -\sqrt{2}\sin(\xi\pi)\Gamma(1-\xi)\,y_2(a,z) \right] $$ $$ V(a,z)=\frac{1}{2^\xi\sqrt{\pi}\Gamma[1/2-a]} \left[ \sin(\xi\pi)\Gamma(1/2-\xi)\,y_1(a,z) +\sqrt{2}\cos(\xi\pi)\Gamma(1-\xi)\,y_2(a,z) \right] $$ where $$ \xi = \frac{1}{2}a+\frac{1}{4} .$$

The function $U(a, z)$ approaches zero for large values of $$ and $|arg(z)| < π/2$, while $V(a, z)$ diverges for large values of positive real $$. $$ \lim_{z\to\infty}U(a,z)/\left(e^{-z^2/4}z^{-a-1/2}\right)=1\,\,\,\,(\text{for}\,\left|\arg(z)\right|<\pi/2) $$ and $$ \lim_{z\to\infty}V(a,z)/\left(\sqrt{\frac{2}{\pi}}e^{z^2/4}z^{a-1/2}\right)=1\,\,\,\,(\text{for}\,\arg(z)=0). $$

For half-integer values of a, these (that is, U and V) can be re-expressed in terms of Hermite polynomials; alternatively, they can also be expressed in terms of Bessel functions.

The functions U and V can also be related to the functions $D_{p}(x)$ (a notation dating back to Whittaker (1902)) that are themselves sometimes called parabolic cylinder functions: $$\begin{align} U(a,x) &= D_{-a-\tfrac12}(x), \\ V(a,x) &= \frac{\Gamma(\tfrac12+a)}{\pi}[\sin( \pi a) D_{-a-\tfrac12}(x)+D_{-a-\tfrac12}(-x)]. \end{align}$$

Function $D_{a}(z)$ was introduced by Whittaker and Watson as a solution of eq.~($$) with $\tilde a=-\frac14, \tilde b=0, \tilde c=a+\frac12$ bounded at $$+\infty$$. It can be expressed in terms of confluent hypergeometric functions as
 * $$D_a(z)=\frac{1}{\sqrt{\pi }}{2^{a/2} e^{-\frac{z^2}{4}} \left(\cos \left(\frac{\pi a}{2}\right) \Gamma \left(\frac{a+1}{2}\right) \, _1F_1\left(-\frac{a}{2};\frac{1}{2};\frac{z^2}{2}\right)+\sqrt{2} z \sin \left(\frac{\pi  a}{2}\right) \Gamma \left(\frac{a}{2}+1\right) \, _1F_1\left(\frac{1}{2}-\frac{a}{2};\frac{3}{2};\frac{z^2}{2}\right)\right)}.$$

Power series for this function have been obtained by Abadir (1993).

title: Parabolic cylinder function


text: Category:170s BC deaths

title: Category:170s BC deaths


text:
Valdy

Paul Valdemar Horsdal, (born 1 September 1945 ), commonly known as Valdy, is a Canadian folk and country musician whose solo career began in the early 1970s. He is known for "Rock and Roll Song", his first mainstream single. Valdy is the winner of two Juno Awards for Folk Singer of the Year and Folk Entertainer of the Year and has received seven additional Juno nominations. His fourteen albums, including four which are certified gold, have achieved sales of nearly half a million copies.

Early life and education
Valdy was born and grew up in Ottawa, Ontario, the third child of Danish portrait photographer Paul Horsdal and Lillian Horsdal (née West), an English nurse and writer. He studied guitar and piano, and attended Lisgar Collegiate Institute.

Early career
Valdy was a member of The London Towne Criers during the 1960s and subsequently joined Montreal band The Prodigal Sons. He then moved to Victoria, where he worked with various rock and country musicians, including Blake Emmons.

When he was 25 Valdy bought several acres of land in Sooke, BC, and began farming. He began performing as a solo artist, and in 1972 recorded his "Rock and Roll Song" on Haida/A&M; it became a hit. His music was featured in the 1972 Steve McQueen film The Getaway. In 1973 he won a Juno Award for Outstanding Folk Performance.

Valdy recorded a live album, Family Gathering, through A&M; it was recorded at Massey Hall in Toronto and released in 1974.

Valdy appeared on the CBC TV show The Beachcombers as the environmental activist "Halibut" Stu. He also secured a part in the reunion production of The New Beachcombers performing a song he wrote, "It's The Water," as part of a jug band.

1980s
In 1986, Valdy made a guest appearance as himself in the popular 1980's Canadian children's television show, Today's Special (episode entitled: "trash"). He also guest appeared as himself on Sharon, Lois & Bram's Elephant Show in the third-season episode titled "Growing Up".

2000s
In 2000, Valdy released the album Contenders with country musician Gary Fjellgaard. He continued to tour with Fjellgaard for many years.

Valdy recorded 2003's Viva Valdy: Live at Last during the Rack-On-Tour. On 21 November 2005, Valdy was awarded the National Achievement Award by SOCAN at the 2005 SOCAN Awards in Toronto.

2010s
Valdy was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in June 2011. In 2012, he released his 18th album, Read Between the Lines, and toured across Canada in support.

In 2013, Valdy toured in Canada with New Zealand guitarist Graham Wardrop. In 2014, he continued to perform at folk festivals, including Kingsville Folk with jazz pianist Karel Roessingh and Nadina Mackie-Jackson on bassoon.

As of 2018, Valdy continues to regularly tour across Canada, including a performance on the main stage at the Mariposa Folk Festival.

Personal life
In 1986, Valdy married Kathleen Fraser Horsdal. Kathleen is a teacher, hospice worker and song co-writer. His daughter with his then partner Lindsay Whalen is actress Chelah Horsdal (b. 1973).

title: Valdy


text:
User:Vatsa

For those who dont know much about the Vatsa, please pay a little attention to the following points for they will help you recognise him:

1. Shaggy like appearance (yes, if he lost weight and became fair then he would resemble Shaggy from Scooby  Doo) 2. Hair, unkempt, uncared for; dont be surprised if you see some prehistoric microbes canoodling around 3. Walks around with a bag, and with a cigarette in the hand. Smokes it in the rickhsaw puller style (some of his friends, including Heavynash postulate that this is an expression of his Rajnikanth worship). 4. Is usually found arguing/discussing with a certain Saksham and making life a living hell for other mortals with the energy radiated from the synergy of the discussion 5. Watches a lot of movies; Heavynash suspects that he derives nourishment from them and therefore just gives his intestines et al some execrise by ingesting large amounts of Pepsi, Coke and the like. 6. Look at his feet. B-L-A-C-K, uniformly B-L-A-C-K. It is him.

title: User:Vatsa


text: Category:180s BC deaths

title: Category:180s BC deaths


text:
User:Veritol

Veritol

title: User:Veritol


text: Template:Associations at the 1998 Commonwealth Games


text:
Free silver

Free silver was a major economic policy issue in the United States in the late 19th century. Its advocates were in favor of an expansionary monetary policy featuring the unlimited coinage of silver into money on-demand, as opposed to strict adherence to the more carefully fixed money supply implicit in the gold standard. Free silver became increasingly associated with populism, unions, and the perceived struggle of ordinary Americans against the bankers, monopolists, and robber barons of the Gilded Age. Hence, it became known as the "People's Money".

Supporters of an important place for silver in a bimetallic money system making use of both silver and gold, called "Silverites", sought coinage of silver dollars at a fixed weight ratio of 16-to-1 against dollar coins made of gold. Because the actual price ratio of the two metals was substantially higher in favor of gold at the time, most economists warned that the less valuable silver coinage would drive the more valuable gold out of circulation.

While all agreed that an expanded money supply would inevitably inflate prices, the issue was whether this inflation would be beneficial or not. The issue peaked from 1893 to 1896, when the economy was suffering from a severe depression characterized by falling prices (deflation), high unemployment in industrial areas, and severe distress for farmers. It ranks as the 11th largest decline in U.S. stock market history.

The "free silver" debate pitted the pro-gold financial establishment of the Northeast, along with railroads, factories, and businessmen, who were creditors deriving benefit from deflation and repayment of loans with valuable gold dollars, against farmers who would benefit from higher prices for their crops and an easing of credit burdens. Free silver was especially popular among farmers in the Wheat Belt (the western Midwest) and the Cotton Belt (the Deep South), as well as silver miners in the West. It had little support among farmers in the Northeast and the Corn Belt (the eastern Midwest).

Free silver was the central issue for Democrats in the presidential elections of 1896 and 1900, under the leadership of William Jennings Bryan, famed for his Cross of Gold speech in favor of free silver. The Populists also endorsed Bryan and free silver in 1896, which marked the effective end of their independence. In major elections, free silver was consistently defeated, and after 1896 the nation moved to the gold standard.

The debate over silver lasted from the passage of the Fourth Coinage Act in 1873, which demonetized silver and was called the "Crime of '73" by opponents, until 1963, when the Silver Purchase Act of 1934, which allowed the President and the Department of the Treasury to regulate US silver, was completely repealed by Public Law 88-36.

Definitions and explanation
Under the gold specie standard, anyone in possession of gold bullion could deposit it at a mint where it would then be processed into gold coins. Less a nominal seigniorage to cover processing costs, the coins would then be paid to the depositor; this was free coinage of gold by definition. The objective of the free silver movement was that the mints should accept and process silver bullion according to the same principle, although the market value of the silver in circulating coins of the United States was substantially less than face value.

As a result, the monetary value of silver coins was based on government fiat rather than on the commodity value of their contents, and this became especially true following the huge silver strikes in the West, which further depressed the silver price. From that time until the early 1960s the silver content in United States dimes, quarters, half-dollars, and silver dollars was worth only a fraction of their face values. Free coinage of silver would have amounted to an increase in the money supply, resulting in inflation.

Response

Many populist organizations favored an inflationary monetary policy because it would enable debtors (often farmers who had mortgages on their land) to pay their debts off with cheaper, more readily available dollars. Those who would suffer under this policy were the creditors such as banks and landlords. The most vocal and best-organized supporters were the silver mine owners (such as William Randolph Hearst) and workers, and the western states and territories generally, as most U.S. silver production was based there and the region had a great number of highly indebted farmers and ranchers.

Outside the mining states of the West, the Republican Party steadfastly opposed free silver, arguing that the best road to national prosperity was "sound money", or gold, which was central to international trade. They argued that inflation meant guaranteed higher prices for everyone, and real gains chiefly for the silver interests. In 1896 Senator Henry M. Teller of Colorado led many western Republicans to bolt and form a third party that supported Democratic presidential nominee William Jennings Bryan, the short-lived Silver Republican Party.

The Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890, while falling short of free silver's goals, required the U.S. government to buy millions of ounces of silver (driving up the price of the metal and pleasing silver miners) for money (pleasing farmers and many others). However, the U.S. government paid for that silver bullion in gold notes—and actually reduced their coinage of silver. The result was a "run" on the U.S. Treasury's gold reserves, which was one of the many reasons for the Panic of 1893 and the onset of the 1890s Depression. Once he regained power, and after the Panic of 1893 had begun, Grover Cleveland engineered the repeal of the act, setting the stage for the key issue of the next presidential election.

Climax
The Populist Party had a strong free-silver element. Its subsequent combination with the Democratic Party moved the latter from the support of the gold standard which had been the hallmark of the Cleveland administration to the free-silver position epitomized by 1896 presidential nominee William Jennings Bryan in his Cross of Gold speech. Bryan's 1896 candidacy was supported by Populists and "silver Republicans" as well as by most Democrats.

The issue was over what would back the US currency. The two options were: gold (wanted by the "Goldbugs" and William McKinley) and silver (wanted by the Silverites and Bryan). Unbacked paper (wanted by the Greenbacks) represented a third option. A fourth option, a currency backed by land value, was advocated by Senator Leland Stanford through several Senate bills introduced in 1890–1892, but was always killed by the Senate Finance Committee.

Silver fraternal orders
Three fraternal organizations rose to prominence during the mid-1890s and supported the silver campaign in 1896. They all disappeared after the failure of the campaign.

List of Silverite fraternal orders

 * Freemen's Protective Silver Federation - Founded in 1894 in Spokane, Washington, it adopted a constitution, bylaws, and a ritual at Pullman, Washington late that year. Their stated goal was "to unite the friends of silver under one banner to battle for the white metal and to wage war against the gold monopoly". It was reportedly an outgrowth of the National Order of Videttes. The order spread through the Pacific Coast states and east to the Missouri River. It claimed as many as 800,000 members in late 1896, though Stevens considered this "extravagant". Nevertheless, there was no doubt about its popularity and influence west of the Rocky Mountains during the 1896 free silver campaign. The obligation of the order was said to be "most emphatic and binding" and lawyers and bankers were barred from membership. The order was apparently defunct by the early 1920s.
 * Silver Knights of America - Founded early in 1895 to campaign for free silver, it was headquartered in Washington, D.C., where it had a literary bureau. The governing body, the Supreme Temple, was incorporated as a stock company with $100,000 capital. Senator W. M. Stewart of Nevada was president, James Pait was vice-president, Oliver Sabin secretary, James A. B. Richard treasurer, and S. S. Yoder was the director-general. Many well-known current and former members of the House of Representatives were members. The organization was "pushed simultaneously" in Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, and Arkansas, from which it invaded the Democratic-leaning areas. There was a female branch, the Silver Ladies of America, which was "intended to strongly develop the social feature of the organization". The order had a ritual, grips, passwords, and a burial service. The order became defunct after 1896.
 * Patriots of America - It was founded in late 1895 by William Harvey to organize for free silver in the 1896 campaign. Officers of the order included First National Patriot William Harvey, National Recorder Charles H. McClure of Michigan, and National Treasurer James F. Adams of Michigan. Each state was also expected to have a First State Patriot and these officers would constitute the Congress of Patriots. Each county was also supposed to have a First Patriot. The "First Patriots" of the national, state, and county level were expected to make an oath refusing to ever serve in elective or appointive offices or to have property over $100,000. There was an auxiliary organization, the Daughters of the Republic, which was tasked with looking after the poor of the Patriots of America. There were no dues and the order was financed through voluntary contributions. The order's object was to swing one of the parties to a free silver platform in 1896 and, if that failed, to launch an independent free silver ticket. The order was expected to hold a ballot every four years to determine what cause and candidate it would support, however, the order appeared to become defunct after 1896. Headquartered in Chicago. The free silver jabberwock - Keppler. LCCN2012648547 (cropped).jpg

Result
The city voters—especially German Americans—overwhelmingly rejected the free-silver cause out of the conviction that it would lead to economic disaster, unemployment, and higher prices. The diversified farmers of the Midwest and East opposed it as well, but the cotton farmers in the South and the wheat farmers in the West were enthusiastic for free silver. Bryan tried again in 1900 to raise the issue but lost by larger margins, and when he dropped the issue it fell out of circulation. Subsequent actions to revive the issue were unsuccessful.

Symbolism
Free silver became increasingly associated with populism, unions, and the fight of ordinary Americans against the bankers, railroad monopolists, and the robber barons of the Gilded Age capitalism era and was referred to as the "People's Money" (as opposed to the gold-based currency, which was portrayed by the Populists as the money of "exploitation" and "oppression"). William H. Harvey's popular pamphlet Coin's Financial School, issued in the aftermath of the Panic of 1893, illustrated the "restorative" properties of silver; through the devaluation of the currency, closed factories would reopen, darkened furnaces would be relit, and the like. But progressive activist Henry Demarest Lloyd held a harshly critical view, writing: "The free silver movement is a fake. Free silver is the cowbird of the reform movement. It waited until the nest had been built by the sacrifices and labor of others, and then it lay its own eggs in it, pushing out the others which lie smashed on the ground."

Silver Purchase Act of 1934
In 1934, the passage of the Silver Purchase Act revived the debate stirred by Grover Cleveland's 1893 repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890. The new law granted the U.S. President and U.S. Secretary of Treasury the authority to purchase silver, issue silver certificates, and also nationalize U.S. mines. The law also included a 50¢ tax on profits from the transfer of silver bullion and financing a "Silver Tax Stamp". After the law was passed, the U.S. Treasury paid rates for silver well over its 1934 value, achieving the hoped-for result, raising the price of silver from 45¢ to 81¢ an ounce. However, overprints on the Silver Stamp Taxes, which ranged from 1¢ to $1,000, also presented a problem for free, nationally owned silver. These were stamps attached to transfer memoranda to indicate payment of the silver tax. In 1943, the overprints were discontinued, and the Silver Purchase Act of 1934 would be fully repealed in 1963.

title: Free silver


text: Category:190s BC deaths

title: Category:190s BC deaths


text:
Royalex

Royalex was a composite material, comprising an outer layer of vinyl and hard acrylonitrile butadiene styrene plastic (ABS) and an inner layer of ABS foam. The layers are bonded by heat treatment. It was used to manufacture durable, mid-priced canoes. Its supplier closed out production of the material in 2014.

Development
Royalex is basically a board comprising a 'sandwich' of standard rigid ABS sheets in the core of which is an ABS layer designed to foam/expand during the heating stage prior to vacuum forming. Thus Royalex can be designed to form virtually any finished thickness to suit the end application. One just adds extra sheets. Since ABS has a poor resistance to UV a thin outer layer of UV resistant vinyl is generally included. This can be self-coloured or painted.

ABS is a copolymer of rubber and thermoplastic: Acrylonitrile, butadiene, styrene. It was developed at US Rubber Co's Chicago plant by Bob Pooley and was simply called Royalite. US Rubber was later renamed Uniroyal - a blanket name to encapsulate their worldwide enterprises, which previously had separate names. Later, Bob Pooley and associates continued work on Royalite to introduce a foaming/expandable element. This was accomplished at the Uniroyal plant in Warsaw, Indiana. The resulting product was named Royalex to recognise the expanding core.

Although extremely versatile as well as being very tough, the material was expensive compared to available alternatives. Even so, many industries were attracted to evaluate Royalex. Items produced included Caravans (vacuum formed in two halves) the top was a mirror image of the base so that only one forming tool was required. White Motors introduced a limited run of tractor cabs. A company was formed to produce a repro of the famous 'Coffin nosed' Cord Deusenberg.

Gene Bordinat, Chief Designer at Ford designed a concept car in Royalex in 1965. This resulted in the 'Ford XP Bordinat Cobra'. The writer brought both of these cars to London, England to show at the International Plastics Exhibition and for exposure to the then extensive automotive producers.

Royalex was extremely tough but if hit hard enough could be dented. If this happened such dents could be recovered by applying a hand held hot air gun which re-expanded the core to blow out the dent. The cost, as well as the need to accost a different build technique when using Royalex, mitigated against its acceptance in large scale production and eventually simple canoe bodies became the main product. An additional reason was that following the breakup of the Uniroyal empire, product specialists were lost and there was no longer a team to drive the concept.

Royalex was developed by Uniroyal in the 1970s. In 2000 the Spartech Corporation took over the Uniroyal Royalex Manufacturing Division and secured the rights to manufacture Royalex at their factory in Warsaw, Indiana. In 2013, plastics company PolyOne, of Avon Lake, Ohio purchased Spartech, and decided to shut down Royalex production due to its low volume. The last sheets of Royalex were shipped from the factory in December, 2013. Production will be shut down in April 2014. If another manufacturer does not emerge, existing Royalex canoes in retail outlets may be sold out by 2015. Equivalent materials for canoemakers do not exist as of January 2014.

T-Formex, an equivalent to Royalex, has been developed and is manufactured by the canoe manufacturer Esquif. Canoes in the material are available from Esquif and several other manufacturers, including Swift and Wenonah.

Uses
The best known use of Royalex is for the manufacture of canoe hulls. Royalex is lighter, more resistant to UV damage from sunlight, more rigid and has greater structural memory than non-composite plastics used for this purpose, such as polyethylene. It is also quieter and more user friendly in cold or hot conditions than aluminium, described by canoeist Kent Ford as "noisy, heavy and hot. "Royalex was soft, quiet and slippery on rocks, and not too heavy if you kept the gunwales light,” according to Kent Ford. " Royalex canoes are, however, more expensive than aluminium canoes or canoes made from traditionally molded or roto-molded polyethylene hulls.

Royalex cannot be made as light as fiber-reinforced composites made with Kevlar or carbon fiber, and therefore less suited for high-performance paddling. However, Royalex is cheaper than Kevlar or carbon fiber, with better durability on rocky rivers.

title: Royalex


text: Category:100s BC deaths

title: Category:100s BC deaths


text:
User:Ceejayoz

 * My user name is incorrect due to technical limitations. My intended username is ceejayoz.

About me
I'm Chris Johnson, a business student and freelance web developer dabbling in PHP and Ruby on Rails. I mainly do content-managed sites for small to medium medical societies, although ericg and I are considering getting into business together.

I was born in Melbourne, Australia (pictured at the top of this page), although I currenly reside in Rochester, New York, USA. I'll be moving back to Australia with my fiancée in a year or two.

My personal website is http://ceejayoz.com/ - a brief perusal should make it fairly obvious that I'm socially liberal and fiscally conservative.

Things I'm working on

 * Recent changes patrol
 * Articles for deletion tagging

Stuff I've started or contributed heavily towards

 * Giant Palouse Earthworm

Handy templates
This is mainly a list for my personal use. I've found these templates handy for some of my more common tasks. A more comprehensive list of templates is here.
 * AfdAnons - for use in WP:AFD when anonymous users are linked and encouraged to vote to keep a page.

Weird articles
Wikipedia has some bizzare articles, which can be fun and scary at the same time.
 * List of OS-tans
 * Antonov A-40 - the Winged Tank

title: User:Ceejayoz


text:
Elf owl

The elf owl (Micrathene whitneyi) is a small grayish-brown owl about the size of a sparrow found in the Southwestern United States, central Mexico, and the Baja California peninsula. It has pale yellow eyes highlighted by thin white "eyebrows" and a gray bill with a horn-colored tip. The elf owl frequently inhabits woodpecker holes in saguaro cacti; it also nests in natural tree cavities. It is nocturnal and feeds primarily on insects.

Taxonomy
The elf owl was formally described in 1861 by the American naturalist James Graham Cooper from a specimen collected near Fort Mohave in Arizona. He coined the binomial name Athene whitneyi, choosing the specific epithet to honour the geologist Josiah Whitney. The owl is now the only species placed in the genus Micrathene that was introduced in 1866 specifically for the elf owl by American ornithologist Elliott Coues. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek mikros meaning "small" and the genus name Athene that had been introduced by Friedrich Boie in 1822.

A molecular phylogenetic study of the owls published in 2019 found that the elf owl is a sister species to the South American long-whiskered owlet (Xenoglaux loweryi) that was first described in 1977.

Four subspecies are recognized: M. w. idonea, the subspecies in southernmost Texas to central Mexico, is resident, as are the isolated M. w. sanfordi of southernmost Baja California and M. w. graysoni (Socorro elf owl) of Socorro Island, southwest from the tip of Baja California. The Socorro elf owl has not been recorded since 1931 and is assumed to be extinct.
 * M. w. whitneyi (Cooper, JG, 1861) – southwest USA and northwest Mexico
 * M. w. idonea (Ridgway, 1914) – south Texas (USA) to central Mexico
 * M. w. sanfordi (Ridgway, 1914) – south Baja California (Mexico)
 * † M. w. graysoni Ridgway, 1886 – Socorro Island (off west Mexico) (extinct)

Description
The elf owl is the world's lightest owl, although the long-whiskered owlet and the Tamaulipas pygmy owl are of a similarly diminutive length. It is also the world's smallest owl. The mean body weight of this species is 40 g. These tiny owls are 12.5 to 14.5 cm long and have a wingspan of about 27 cm. Their primary projection (flight feather) extends nearly past their tail. They have fairly long legs and often appear bow-legged.

They are often found in chaparral, and are easily found during their breeding season. During dusk and just before dawn are the times this owl is most active, when they can often be heard calling to one another in a high-pitched whinny or chuckle. These songs often consist of 5–7 notes that repeat in short duration, similar to the sound of a young puppy. The distinctive vocalizations of elf owls vary according to sex, with males exhibiting a wider repertoire of complex notes as opposed to females of the same species. Males have two primary classifications of songs, each of which share similar characteristics of structure and function. Most avian observers refer to "Class A" songs to describe those that vary in length (generally 5–15 notes), and are used as both territorial proclamation and to herald the arrival of males to females in the area. While Class A tones reflect changes in environmental factors — wind, precipitation, moonlight, and temperature — Class B songs have significantly less variation among individuals. Class B functions as the primary mating call, stimulating females and encouraging them to accept male sexual advances. As the season goes on and mating begins, Class A songs are observed with lower frequency than Class B. There are also a handful of locational, so-called "scolding", and territorial songs belonging to both male and female birds of the elf owl species.

Distribution and habitat
The elf owl is known to migrate in large groups, with patterns of migration varying depending on flock and habitat location. Some broods of elf owl migrate to the southwest United States (California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas) in the spring and summer for breeding. In the winter, it is found in central and southern Mexico. Migrant elf owls return north in mid-April to early May. Resident populations occur in a couple of places in south central Mexico and along the Baja peninsula.

Behaviour and ecology
Elf owls feign death when handled, an adaption that encourages a predator to relax its grip so that the owl can escape. Elf owls are also notoriously territorial. Territories are established by the male and are defended by both the male and the female, and males also tend to view their chosen female mate as a territory to be defended, as well. This defense is often accomplished through the use of song. During the breeding season, elf owls are monogamous and stay in breeding pairs, but can be found in small groups during migration and when mobbing predators. Adults as well as young can be subject to predation by other predatory birds such as jays, hawks, and owls.

Breeding
Elf owls usually choose abandoned, north-facing woodpecker cavities in saguaro cacti, sycamores, cottonwoods, and other hardwood trees, to raise their young. While some cavity nesters utilize vegetation as nesting substrate, elf owls have been observed removing this vegetation and prefer a bare cavity. While elf owls primarily use natural structures for their nesting, they have been known to nest in man-made structures such as telephone poles in urban areas. As populations decrease due to encroachment by urbanization, this may serve elf owls well (for more, see Conservation status).

They generally mate for periods of three months, with male and female birds remaining in close proximity. During this time, females engage in the singing of locational calls (see Description for more information on elf owl vocalizations), and males respond with mating rituals of their own. Males and female forage independently during this time, but the male elf owl will often hunt for the female as she remains in the pairs' chosen habitat for the mating season.

While three eggs is a very common clutch size, females may lay anywhere from one to five eggs in springtime (late March to early May). The eggs are usually round or oval shaped with a white coloration and are from 26.8 x 23.2 to 29.9 x 25.0 mm in size. The eggs are incubated for about 24 days before the chicks hatch. The young owlets fledge at about 10 weeks. Usually, chicks are born in mid-June or early July. By the end of July, they are almost always fledged and ready to set out on their own.

After the young hatch, the female elf owl watches over them in the nesting cavity while the male often hunts for the young and the female herself. The male elf owl does most of the caretaking himself, feeding his brood independent of the female, who resides in the cavity. Generally this period of communal rearing lasts until the brood is 17 to 21 days of age.

Elf owls live 3 to 6 years; in captivity they may live up to 10 years. The most common types of mortality for these owls are predation, exposure, and inter-species as well as intra-species competition.

Food and feeding
Hunting is performed mostly during nocturnal hours. Straight line flight is often deployed for this purpose but they will use an arced flight when in the vicinity of the nest and for flying to and from perches. They live in cacti much like some birds, using the shade and climate the cacti provide.

Elf owls feed mainly on arthropods such as moths, crickets, scorpions, centipedes, and beetles. Agaves and ocotillos are ideal places for foraging, as moths and other insects may be found in their flowers. In urban areas they can be seen utilizing outdoor lights that attract bugs as areas for insect hunting. They are often seen chasing after flying insects, with a flight similar to a tyrant flycatcher's. They also feed on scorpions. Once the owl has killed the scorpion, they can be observed removing the stinger before consumption. The elf owls seem to not be bothered by scorpion stings. They will also feed on small mammals (such as kangaroo rats), reptiles (spiny lizards, earless lizards and blind snakes) and birds, on occasion.

Conservation status
Populations of elf owls have continued to decline in recent years due to a continued loss of native habitats, particularly those in the desert areas of California. Human activities, like increasing water diversion and home construction, have decimated these desert and riparian areas, as well as increasingly abundant invasive species (such as the salt cedar). The destruction of habitat leaves many elf owls unable to nest, hunt, and reproduce in areas like California, Arizona, and elsewhere.

To date, elf owls are not considered a globally threatened species, yet they are listed as "endangered" in California due to a population of fewer than 150,000 individual owls in the United States. California has implemented a captive breeding program in an attempt to increase this number, while numerous environmental and government agencies work to preserve their riparian and desert homes. Some sources report that the elf owl has already been nearly eliminated in California.

In fiction
An elf owl named Gylfie is a major character in the Guardians of Ga'Hoole book series by Kathryn Lasky, and the 2010 film adaptation.

General references

 * Biondo, Sam (2013). The Elf Owl and Imagined Amenities (Kindle ed.)..
 * del Hoyo, Josep (ed.) (2014). Handbook of the Birds of the World Vol. 5: Barn-owls to Hummingbirds. Barcelona: Lynx Ed. ISBN 84-87334-25-3.
 * National Geographic (2002). Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 4th ed. ISBN 0-7922-6877-6.
 * Sibley, David Allen (2014). The Sibley Guide to Birds, 2nd ed. New York: Knopf. ISBN 0-679-45122-6.

title: Elf owl


text:
User:Cupcake

OMG I LOVE CUPCAKES

title: User:Cupcake


text: User talk:142.167.188.210

title: User talk:142.167.188.210


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/NADD

 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 UNANIMOUS DELETE. Postdlf 23:48, 30 Apr 2005 (UTC)

NADD
Neologism, invented by a blog. Neutralitytalk 04:37, Apr 19, 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. --Neutralitytalk 04:37, Apr 19, 2005 (UTC)
 * Strong delete, article even admits it's a neologism in the first line. Mgm|(talk) 10:07, Apr 19, 2005 (UTC)
 * Del per nomination.  —msh210 17:25, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete per nomination.--64.254.131.80 18:51, 20 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete as above. Master Thief Garrett 04:06, 24 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete, neologism. Megan1967 05:34, 24 Apr 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.

title: Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/NADD


text:
1969 National League Championship Series

The 1969 National League Championship Series was a best-of-five match-up between the East Division champion New York Mets and the West Division champion Atlanta Braves. In what was the first ever NLCS, the Mets defeated the Braves three games to none. They did not sweep a playoff series again until 2006 as they swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series in three games.

At that time, the New York Mets became the fastest expansion team to win a National League pennant with only eight years of existence. Twenty-eight years later, in 1997, the Florida Marlins would break that record by reaching and winning the World Series with only five years of existence. Four years after the Marlins, the Arizona Diamondbacks would break that by reaching and winning the World Series in just their fourth year.

Game 3 was Nolan Ryan's first playoff victory of his career.

Background
This was the first year of the two-division format in Major League Baseball, after 99 consecutive years of straight non-divisional play.

This was the year of the "Miracle" Mets. The team had finished only one game better than last the year before, had never finished better than ninth in their seven-year history, were generally picked for third or fourth in the new six-team National League East Division, and were a 100-to-1 longshot to win the World Series. In third place and 10 games behind the division-leading Cubs on August 13, the Mets rallied to win the East Division title by eight games, winning exactly 100 games.

The Braves, led by Hank Aaron, Orlando Cepeda and Phil Niekro, won a tough five-team race in the West Division, and were favored over the Mets as the playoff began, despite the Mets having won seven more games than the Braves. In what was expected to be a pitching-rich series, the teams combined for 42 runs, batted .292, hit 11 home runs, and posted a combined 5.94 ERA in the three games. Hank Aaron hit three home runs for the Braves, while Tommie Agee and Ken Boswell hit two each for the Mets.

The Mets would also go on to beat the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series, four games to one.

It was the first of five NL pennants for the Mets. The first two came in the only two NL series between 1969 and 1980 that did not feature a Pennsylvania team (the other being 1973. ). The Braves would not reach the NLCS again until 1982, and would not win a game in the NLCS until they won the Pennant in 1991. It would be another four years before the Braves captured their first World Series championship as an Atlanta team in 1995.

Game 1
In Game 1, the top 2 Cy Young candidates faced off with the eventual winner Tom Seaver taking the mound for New York, while the Braves sent out Phil Niekro, who was the only other pitcher to receive a Cy Young vote in the NL, behind Seaver. The Mets struck first in the second off Niekro when Jerry Grote singled in a run with two on and Ken Boswell scored on a passed ball by Braves catcher Bob Didier. The Braves cut the lead in half in their half on a sacrifice fly by Clete Boyer with runners on second and third off of Seaver.

The Braves took a 3–2 lead in the third inning scoring twice on three consecutive one-out doubles by Felix Millán, Tony González, and Hank Aaron. The Mets immediately re-took the lead in the fourth inning on a two-run triple by Bud Harrelson after a two-out single and walk.

Gonzalez then tied the game at 4–4 in the fifth inning with the first home run in NLCS play. Hank Aaron gave the Braves the lead with a home run in the seventh.

In the eighth, however, things fell apart for the Braves. Wayne Garrett led off with a double and was singled home by Cleon Jones. Art Shamsky singled and Jones stole third. Ken Boswell then grounded to first, but Braves first baseman Orlando Cepeda threw wildly home in an attempt to retire Jones. Boswell reached first and Al Weis, running for Shamsky, went to second. Ed Kranepool forced Weis at third, and Grote grounded out to first, putting runners on second and third. Harrelson was walked intentionally to load the bases. Then, J.C. Martin, batting for Tom Seaver, drove in two runs with a single to right center. Harrelson came around to score from first when González misplayed the hit. Martin reached second, but was cut down in a rundown. Ron Taylor pitched two shutout innings to close it out as the Mets won the first NLCS game in history.

Game 2
For the second game, the Braves started 25-year-old Ron Reed, making his postseason debut, while the Mets started Jerry Koosman, another young up and coming pitcher behind their ace Tom Seaver. The Mets scored early and often in this one, pounding six Braves pitchers for 13 hits and 11 runs. Ed Kranepool brought in the first run in the top of the first with a bases-loaded single. Tommie Agee's two-run home run after a walk next inning extended the Mets' lead to 3–0. Cleon Jones doubled with two outs and scored on Art Shamsky's single to knock Reed out of the game. Next inning off of Paul Doyle, Jerry Grote reached on an error before scoring on Bud Harrelson's double. After a two-out intentional walk, Wayne Garrett's RBI single made it 6–0 Mets. Ken Boswell's two-run home run off of Milt Pappas made it 8–0 Mets. The Braves got on the board in the bottom half off of Koosman when Rico Carty doubled with one out and scored on Orlando Cepeda's single. In the top of the fifth, Garrett doubled and scored on Jones's single. In the bottom half, Koosman got two outs before allowing a single and walk, then Hank Aaron's three-run home run cut the Mets' lead to 9–4. After a walk and double, Clete Boyer's two-run single brought the Braves within three. However, Ron Taylor, who earned the win, and Tug McGraw held them scoreless for the rest of the game while Jones's two-run home run in the seventh off of Cecil Upshaw extended the Mets' lead to 11–6. They took a 2–0 series lead heading to New York.

Game 3
For the pivotal Game 3, Atlanta started Pat Jarvis, while New York started rookie Gary Gentry (on his 23rd birthday). In what would be his last postseason appearance, Hank Aaron put the Braves up 2–0 in the first inning with a two-run home run, his third of the series, off of Gentry, who only lasted 2 innings.

Once again, the downfall of the Braves was their inability to stave off the hot Met hitters. Tommie Agee homered in the third, and Ken Boswell hit a two-run home run in the fourth to put the Mets on top 3–2 off of starter Pat Jarvis.

Orlando Cepeda gave Braves fans a glimmer of hope by hitting a two-run home run off Nolan Ryan in the fifth after a two-out walk to put the Braves back on top, 4–3. But, in the bottom of the inning Ryan singled with one out and Wayne Garrett then homered to give the Mets a 5–4 lead, which they would not lose. Cleon Jones's double knocked Jarvis out of the game. Boswell added an RBI single off of George Stone, and next inning, Jerry Grote hit a leadoff double off of Stone and Agee singled him home off of Cecil Upshaw. Ryan pitched seven innings in relief of Gentry for the win as the Mets advanced to their first World Series.

Composite box
1969 NLCS (3–0): New York Mets over Atlanta Braves


text: User talk:203.124.160.5

title: User talk:203.124.160.5


text:
Handsome Dan

Handsome Dan is a bulldog who serves as the mascot of Yale University's sports teams. In addition to a person wearing a costume, the position is filled by an actual bulldog, the honor and title being transferred to a successor upon death or retirement.

Handsome Dan I
Active 1889–1897 (retired to England).

Handsome Dan was selected based on his ability to tolerate bands and children, negative reaction to the color crimson and to tigers (the symbols of rival schools Harvard and Princeton respectively), bought by Yale student Andrew Barbey Graves, who cleaned up the dog and named him “Handsome Dan.” Soon, Dan followed Graves everywhere around campus, including sporting events. The students quickly adopted Dan as the Yale mascot. After Graves graduated and returned to England, Dan stayed on campus with his master's brother, William Leon Graves. Before football and baseball games would begin, Handsome Dan founded a tradition and a dynasty by being led across the field. One newspaper reported: "He was a big white bulldog, with one of the greatest faces a dog of that breed (English) ever carried". This was not an exaggeration, as Handsome Dan was one of the finest specimens of his breed in America, and went on to win first prize at the Westminster Dog Show and at least thirty other first prize ribbons in the United States and Canada. According to the Hartford Courant, "In personal appearance, he seemed like a cross between an alligator and a horned frog, and he was called handsome by the metaphysicians under the law of compensation. The title came to him, he never sought it. He was always taken to games on a leash, and the Harvard football team for years owed its continued existence to the fact that the rope held." The Philadelphia Press reported that "a favorite trick was to tell him to 'Speak to Harvard.' He would bark ferociously and work himself into physical contortions of rage never before dreamed of by a dog. Dan was peculiar to himself in one thing – he would never associate with anyone but students. Dan implanted himself more firmly in the hearts of Yale students than any mascot had ever done before." Handsome Dan crossed the Atlantic to join his old master in 1897 and died in 1898. Graves had Dan stuffed and returned him to be displayed at Yale in the old gymnasium. When it was torn down, Dan I was sent to the Peabody Museum for reconstruction. Handsome Dan I now is in a sealed glass case in one of the trophy rooms of Yale's Payne Whitney Gymnasium, where, according to Stanton Ford, "he is the perpetual guardian of the treasures which attest to generations of Yale athletic glory." Andrew Graves died of tuberculosis on February 18, 1948, in Westbury, Long Island.

Handsome Dan II
Active 1933–1937 (died of a broken leg).

After a 35-year interval, Handsome Dan II was purchased with pennies donated by the freshman class, and given to coach Ducky Pond. Handsome Dan II was dognapped by Harvard students the day before the 1934 Harvard-Yale football game, and Yale students were alarmed at photographs of him happily seated at the foot of the statue of John Harvard in Harvard Yard, having a snack. He died of a leg fracture received from a jump. Handsome Dan II now is in a sealed glass case in the Yale University Visitor's centre on Elm Street.

Handsome Dan III
Active 1937–1938 (retired due to emotional instability).

Handsome Dan III was a huge white dog who exhibited morbid fear of crowds and had to be retired.

Handsome Dan IV
Active 1938–1940 (retired due to injury).

Handsome Dan IV had his spine fractured by a car early in his term of office, leaving his hind legs paralyzed. Until he eventually died in 1940, a bulldog named Bull served in his place, becoming Handsome Dan V.

Handsome Dan V
Active 1940–1947 (died of old age).

"Bull", brought in his youth to watch football practices by his owner, high school student Bob Day, who lived near the Yale Bowl, ascended to office when Handsome Dan IV died. A great success, he loved public appearances and the adulation of crowds, was a familiar figure around the locker rooms, and joined the team on a trip to Princeton University.

Handsome Dan VI
Active 1947–1949 (died at age two).

Handsome Dan VI was eight weeks old when he took the role, but died at age two. It was reported that he died from fear of fireworks at the Yale-Harvard game, or of shame from seeing the Yale team lose to both Princeton and Harvard in the same year.

Handsome Dan VII
Active 1949–1952 (retired due to emotional instability).

Handsome Dan VII was donated to football coach Herman Hickman at age 3 but he proved to have a bad temper, which suited him better in his next position as a watchdog on a Florida estate.

Handsome Dan VIII
Active 1952 (retired due to emotional instability).

Up to this point, Handsome Dans had lived at the Yale Boathouse and were cared for in a somewhat haphazard fashion. Handsome Dan VIII, however, was owned by assistant football manager Tom Shutt, ushering in a new era of family membership for the office-holder. Nevertheless, he had to retire after only two games due to intense discomfort with public appearances.

Handsome Dan IX
Active 1953–1959 (died of acute kidney disease).

Notable for falling off the dock at the Yale Boathouse and nearly drowning (confirming the hypothesis that bulldogs cannot swim, due to the peculiarities of their physiques); some contemporary news reports say that he had to be resuscitated after having had his head embedded in the mud. He also appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine in November, 1956. "Danny" was born September 11, 1953, and owned by John E. Sanders, Assistant Professor of Geology, after an earlier custody by physical education instructor Alfred E. Scholz and Varsity Crew Coach Jim Rothschmidt. He made his mascot debut at the age of six weeks and an autopsy at his death revealed that he succumbed to acute nephrotic syndrome.

Handsome Dan X
Active 1959–1969 (retired due to old age).

"Woodie" aka "Boodnick", also owned by John E. Sanders, marked a return to the high standards seen in Handsome Dan V. An impressive 74 pounds, a beloved family pet as well as winner of the best bulldog title at the Cape Cod Kennel Club conformation dog show, he was instrumental in leading Yale's football team to its 9 and 0 season in 1960. He spent several years commuting to New Haven, CT, from Dobbs Ferry, NY, prior to his retirement. His registered AKC kennel name was "Bayside Woodnought." He was sired by Ch. Bonny Boy of Fearnought out of Woodside's Christie Lou, and was a grandson of the famed Kippax Fearnought, the celebrated English import, who went Best in Show in 1955 at Westminster. He died in 1971 of natural causes.

Handsome Dan XI
Active 1969–1974 (retired due to arthritis).

"Oliver", owned by Yale's Pierson College master John Hersey, loved football but had a tendency to doze in the sun during games. He was frequently sighted on Martha's Vineyard during the tourist season.

Handsome Dan XII
Active 1975–1984.

"Bingo", owned by history professor Rollin G. Osterweis, was described by her owner as "pugnacious and stubborn, but lovable." Bingo also had the distinction of being the only female Handsome Dan. Bingo was stolen by four Princeton undergrads posing as Yale cheerleaders. They took Bingo to a friend's apartment in New York City on the run from authorities. The mastermind behind the canine-caper was Rod Shepard. The group of students took Bingo back to her owner and held a press conference for her return.

Handsome Dan XIII
Active 1984–1995; 1996 (retired due to old age).

"Maurice", owned by Chris Getman, was perhaps the most noteworthy of the Handsome Dans. He served in office longer than any other Handsome Dan; he was the only holder of the office to come out of retirement to serve again, due to the death of his successor; and he appeared in Sports Illustrated, in 1989. His patience with the tedium of posing for professional photographers also served him well as he posed for game programs, brochures, and the 1991 Yale Christmas card, wearing a wreath and Santa Claus hat. He also appeared at swim meets, wearing a bathing suit. His love of Yale was evident in many ways: he would sing along with the Yale fight song (at least the "bow wow wow" part); he would "play dead" when asked whether he would rather die or join Harvard; and he lost his normally docile nature around mascots of opposing teams, launching assaults on the Princeton tiger mascot and the Brown University bear mascot. There was also an incident involving a policeman on horseback which resulted in his being ejected from the Harvard-Yale game, and Halloweens were somewhat touchy. He died in 1997, just before turning 14.

Handsome Dan XIV
Active 1995–1996 (died of heart attack).

"Whizzer" aka "Hetherbull", also owned by Chris Getman, was donated by Yale alumnus and bulldog breeder Bob Hetherington and was a descendant of 52-time best-in-show winner Hetherbull Arrogant Frigott. He possessed a temperament so hyperexcitable that he died in office from a heart attack, and was succeeded by his predecessor and housemate.

Handsome Dan XV
Active 1996–2005 (unknown death).

"Louis", also donated by Bob Hetherington and owned by Chris Getman, was named after three people named Louis, including football coach Carm Louis Cozza. He died in office in January 2005 of a possible heart attack.

Handsome Dan XVI
Active 2005–2006 (retired).

Handsome Dan XVI was chosen on 26 April 2005. Magnificent Mugsy Rangoon, a Bulldog from Hamden, Connecticut, was picked by a five-person panel for his gregarious personality, large size (69 pounds), good health, and his ability to deal with the raucous Yale Precision Marching Band. At the auditions, Mugsy gained great favor by focusing on a crimson blanket (representing Harvard) versus the stuffed-toy tiger (representing Princeton University). "We beat Princeton three of four years," said Jeff Mroz, Yale's quarterback. "We want to beat Harvard."

Mugsy is owned by Bob Sansone, a North Haven middle school teacher.

At his first Harvard-Yale Game in 2005, Handsome Dan XVI was briefly stolen by a pair of Harvard undergraduates, in response to a Yale student stealing the Harvard flag and running across the field back to the Yale side with it. The two lured him into the Harvard student section of the Yale Bowl as he chewed a toy depicting a Harvard football player. Yale University Police recovered him, unharmed but without his Yale sweater, a few minutes later.

Handsome Dans traditionally reign for a lifetime, but Mugsy is still living with owner Bob Sansone in Hamden.

Handsome Dan XVII
Active 2006–2016 (died of heart attack).

A new bulldog named Sherman quietly assumed the mascot position as Handsome Dan XVII in late winter 2006.

Bred by Diane Judy of Johnson City, Tenn., Handsome Dan XVII, a 50-pound bulldog, was the half brother of Rambo, owned by former Yale football captain Rory Hennessey. His home name was "Sherman", after the tank and Connecticut icon Roger Sherman. He took over as Handsome Dan XVII with great enthusiasm. He was photographed with former President George H. W. Bush and Sir Paul McCartney. He was very athletic, retrieved with vigor and raised thousands of dollars for charity.

He died on August 11, 2016.

Handsome Dan XVIII
Active 2016–2021 (retired).

Handsome Dan XVIII was announced as mascot on November 17, 2016. He was born September 23, 2016, and came from a breeder in Maine, Jessica and Pete Seiders from Wicked Good Bulldogges. After generations of English Bulldog mascots the university went towards a healthier breed and closer replication of the original Handsome Dan. Handsome Dan XVIII is an Olde English Bulldogge aka Victorian Bulldog, a recreation of the Victorian Era Bulldog bred for health and temperament. His football record is 3–1 against Harvard and 24–7 overall through the 2019 season. The new keeper of the mascot, called Walter at home, is Kevin Discepolo (Yale ’09), a former lacrosse player who is now Yale’s assistant athletic director of facilities, operations and events.

On 5 November 2020, it was announced that Handsome Dan XVIII would retire in early spring 2021 following the October departure of Discepolo, though it is not currently known whether there is a causal link. At the time of his formal retirement, Handsome Dan XIX was expected to be announced.

Handsome Dan XIX
Active 2021–present. Handsome Dan XIX was announced as mascot on March 18, 2021. He was born January 2, 2021, and is a nephew of his predecessor Handsome Dan XVIII. Like his predecessor he is an Olde English Bulldogge aka Victorian Bulldog produced by Jessica and Pete Seiders of Wicked Good Bulldogges from Maine. In addition to being known as Handsome Dan, he was named "Kingman" by his handler, Kassandra “Kassie” Haro, after the late Yale president of the same name.

In popular culture
The Shake Shack location in New Haven, Connecticut, features a menu item named after Handsome Dan, called the Handsome Dog. The Handsome Dog, which features beer-marinated deep-fried onions and two kinds of cheese, debuted at the New Haven location but can now be found at all other Shake Shack locations, albeit as the Dapper Dog.

The TV series Gilmore Girls, which is set in Connecticut, makes several references to the Handsome Dan Statue.

In the TV series Gossip Girl, Blair Waldorf is given a pet bulldog by her father in season 2, episode 16. The bulldog is named Handsome Dan in honor of Blair's aspirations to attend Yale following high school. Blair shortens his name to "Handsome". Blair's scheming results in her losing her acceptance to Yale, and she gives the bulldog away to a homeless man. However, she later orders him back. When her father returns back to France, he forces his daughter to let him take “Handsome” back with him, as he is disappointed with her.

title: Handsome Dan


text: Category:Agents-General for Western Australia


text:
Talk:4-8-4

South African input?
I think a write-up and some pictures of the 25 class (including Condensing and Non-Condensing variants) and the ultra-modern 26NC "Red Devil" class would be a very useful addition to this page, as these locomotives represent an ongoing development of the 4-8-4 type from the 1950s onwards. Could anyone lay their hands on a public domain or 'fair use' image? Zzrbiker 03:27, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

Spain
Copied from a reverted version...
 * You are missed the ten spanish RENFE 2-4-2F 2001-2010 class, named "confederaciones" or (not official) "lagartonas" of 1955-56. I think the only western european 4-8-4 serie with separate tender. She weighed (witouth tender) 142200Kg, have 21000Kg of tractive efort, 1,90m driving wheels and can run at more than 160Km/h.
 * One is preserved (2009) in running order at the National Railway Museum of Madrid-Delicias.
 * Magí Aloguín i Pallach
 * Tarragona,

Catalonia
 * (Spain)

Sounds like a good topic to follow up on and include here... Slambo (Speak) 14:25, 15 September 2007 (UTC)

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
The 4-8-4 "Streamlines" are not mentioned in main article. Here are the details:

 * ACL 1800 - 1812 4-8-4 std gauge 27 x 30 80 Baldwin 62174 - 62179 / 1938

Works numbers for 4-8-4 locomotives
It should be relatively simple job to add works numbers for all 4-8-4´s or 2D2-h2 steam locomotives which have touched the rails all over the world. The Spanish and Russian (Soviet) 2D2-h2 passenger locomotives were built in the 1950´s for 1672 and 1524 mm gauges. The rest for standard (1435 mm) gauge. The Russians seems to have had the largest single fleet with 251 locomotives, all built at Kolomna Locomotive Works near Moscow in 1949, 1953 - 1956. Also a good article of Canadian 4-8-4´s is still missing.

Progression from the 4-6-4
I'm new here, so I just wanted to mention this, wouldn't dream of changing anything: I don't think it's accurate to call the 4-8-4 a progression from the 4-6-4. The Hudson and Northern are best understood as progressions from the 4-6-2 and 4-8-2, respectively, in terms of passenger locomotive lineage. So far as I know, they developed about the same time for the same reason, putting a bigger firebox behind the drivers of a Pacific or Mountain. So it's correct that's the 4-8-2 was the ancestor of the 4-8-4, but the 4-6-4 was not. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.42.194.245 (talk) 23:18, 9 April 2009 (UTC)

 * Feel free to change it, I neither know if this is true or not. If you can reference it, then by all means fix the article. MickMacNee (talk) 01:12, 10 April 2009 (UTC)

N.P.
Since the type was first used by the Northern Pacific, it would be great to have a photo of an N.P. "Northern," of which there were many. Sca (talk) 18:57, 15 December 2009 (UTC)

Longest Run?
"From 1942 they ran through from Los Angeles to Kansas City via Amarillo, a distance of 1,789 miles (2,879 km), setting a new record for through steam locomotive rosters [5], but this is understood to have been exceeded by the NP, which rostered a single Northern for the 1,800-mile (2,900 km) run between St Paul, Minnesota, and Livingston, Montana, on the North Coast Limited."

St Paul to Livingston is of course nowhere near 1800 miles; anybody know what the guy meant to say? Tim Zukas (talk) 21:35, 23 October 2010 (UTC)

Details for loco-specific articles
Some information omitted from the 4-8-4 article during revision, which I believe rather belongs in locomotive-specific articles, stored here for easy retrieval.

Builder details:
 * Brazil
 * DNEF 1001–1027 4-8-4 (2D2-h2) ALCo-S 73767–73778 / 1945–6 for V.F.de Rio Grande do Sul.
 * VFRGS 1028–1042 4-8-4 (2D2-h2) ALCo-M 74873–74887 / 1946 meter gauge.
 * All locomotives—cylinder: 18 by diameter. Wheel diameter 59 in. Grate 57 sqft Evap 2054 sqft Super 652 sqft, Ad. Weight 52 tons Engine Weight 98 tons.

Builder details:
 * 2D2-h2 Batignolles-Chatillon 850–861 / 1951 DNEF 242F1–242F12
 * 2D2-h2 Batignolles-Chatillon 862–873 / 1952 DNEF 242F13–242F24

Note: These Nantes-St.Joseph works plates are not confirmed.

Builder details:
 * France
 * SNCF 242A1 2D2-h3v (1)600×720 (HP) / (2)680×760 (LP) 1950 148 t Marine Homecourt 339 / 1945 (rebuilt from 2D1-h3 Fives Lille 4800 / 1932) Written off from books 10 / 1960.

Builder details:
 * Soviet Union
 * P36-0001 Kolomna Locomotive Works 9000 / 1949 (prototype)
 * P36-0002–P36-0005 Kolomna Locomotive Works ? – ? / 1953
 * P36-0006 Kolomna Locomotive Works ? / 1954
 * P36-0007–P36-0036 Kolomna Locomotive Works 10182–10201 / 1954
 * P36-0037–P36-0161 Kolomna Locomotive Works 10205–10330 / 1955
 * P36-0162–P36-0251 Kolomna Locomotive Works 10331–10420 / 1956

Ten 242F class express passenger 4-8-4 locomotives were designed by the Red Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Españoles (RENFE) in 1955 and were remarkably well-proportioned. Developed from a preceding 4-8-2 Mountain type, they had improved steam passages and developed 30 to 40 per cent more power at medium cut-offs and high speed. These locomotives were built by La Maquinista Terrestre y Maritima SA in Barcelona to burn fuel oil. They had Witte type smoke deflectors and were fitted with a double KylChap (Kylälä-Chapelon) blast-pipe, a Worthington feedwater heater and the Traitement Integral Armand (TIA) water-softening device. The 1+1/4 in thick plate frames were substantially braced by a cast-steel coffer between the cylinders, transverse plates between the cylinders and the first coupled axle, front and back buffer beams and six groups of transverse cross-ties, those joining the lower parts of the frames near the firebox being of heavy design in order to counteract any tendency of the frames to distort. The main journals were 10+1/4 in in diameter and the journals of the coupled axles 9+1/2 in. All axles had SKF roller-bearing axle-boxes and the coupled axles were provided with Franklin automatic wedges. All the rotating weights and 33% of the alternating weights were balanced. The axle load on coupled wheels was reduced to 19 tons, with driving wheels of 74+1/4 in diameter, later replaced with 1900 mm diameter wheels). The spokes of the coupled wheels were U sectioned and both sides of the wheels were braked. The four-wheeled pony truck as well as the tender bogies were provided with Isothermos axle boxes. To increase the comfort of the locomotive crew, the cabs of these oil-fired 4-8-4s had a wooden floor mounted on springs, and the seats of the driver and fireman were also provided with springs, a very welcome improvement for long runs on poor tracks. These locomotives were painted green when turned out from the builder's works at Barcelona. (Note: Part of this paragraph was retained in the 4-8-4 article.)
 * Spain

Builder details: RENFE 242F.2001 was completed in October 1955, 242F.2002 – 242F.2010 in 1956.
 * 242F.2001 2D2-h2 1672 640x710 1900 142.3 tons La Maquinista 695–704 / 1955–1956

André Kritzinger 00:23, 17 November 2012 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the. —Community Tech bot (talk) 18:06, 28 June 2019 (UTC)
 * ATSF 3751 19920000 IL Streator.jpg

title: Talk:4-8-4


text: User talk:65.101.29.142

title: User talk:65.101.29.142


text:
Robin Lakoff

Robin Tolmach Lakoff (born November 27, 1942) is a professor emerita of linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley. Her 1975 book Language and Woman's Place is often credited for making language and gender a major debate in linguistics and other disciplines.

Biography
Lakoff was born in 1942 in Brooklyn, New York. She earned a B.A. at Radcliffe College, a M.A. from Indiana University, and a Ph.D. in linguistics from Harvard University (1967). She was married to linguist George Lakoff. She taught at University of California, Berkeley from 1972 until her retirement.

While an undergraduate at Radcliffe College (in Cambridge, MA), Lakoff audited Noam Chomsky's classes at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and became connected to the MIT Linguistics Department. During this time, as Chomsky and students were creating Transformational Generative Grammar, Lakoff and others explored ways in which outside context entered the structure of language.

Lakoff is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post.

Lakoff received national attention for an opinion piece in TIME titled "Hillary Clinton's Emailgate Is an Attack on Women".

Language and Woman's Place
Lakoff's influential work Language and Woman's Place introduces to the field of sociolinguistics many ideas about women's language that are now often commonplace. It has inspired many different strategies for studying language and gender, across national borders as well as across class and race lines.

Her work is noted for its attention to class, power, and social justice in addition to gender.

Lakoff proposes that women's speech can be distinguished from that of men in a number of ways (part of gender deficit model), including:
 * 1) Hedges: Phrases like "sort of", "kind of", "it seems like"
 * 2) Empty adjectives: "divine", "adorable", "gorgeous"
 * 3) Super-polite forms: "Would you mind..." "...if it's not too much to ask" "Is it okay if...?"
 * 4) Apologize more: "I'm sorry, but I think that..."
 * 5) Speak less frequently
 * 6) Avoid curse language or expletives
 * 7) Tag questions: "You don't mind eating this, do you?".
 * 8) Hyper-correct grammar and pronunciation: Use of prestige grammar and clear articulation
 * 9) Indirect requests: "Wow, I'm so thirsty." – really asking for a drink
 * 10) Speak in italics: Use tone to emphasise certain words, e.g., "so", "very", "quite"

Lakoff developed the "Politeness Principle," in which she devised three maxims that are usually followed in interaction. These are: Don't impose, give the receiver options, and make the receiver feel good. She stated that these are paramount in good interaction. By not adhering to these maxims, a speaker is said to be "flouting the maxims."

The Language War
Lakoff's The Language War (2000) performs a linguistic analysis of discourse on contemporary issues. She covers topics including the Hill–Thomas hearings, the O.J. Simpson trial, the Lewinsky scandal, and the political correctness phenomenon. Lakoff discusses each topic while arguing a general thesis that language itself constitutes a political battleground.

In The Language War, Lakoff introduced the idea that frames create meanings. She quotes that language (either verbal or nonverbal) and experiences is a “body of knowledge that is evoked in order to provide an inferential base for the understanding of an utterance.” (Levinson, 1983)

Frames are ideas that shape expectations and create focuses that are to be seen as truth and common sense. When someone decides to adopt a frame, that person will believe everything within the frame is genuine, and that what she or he learns within the frame becomes what she or he believes is common sense. For example, in the 19th century, people believed women should wear corsets and bind their waists. No one thought about women wearing clothes without a corset underneath because it was common sense that corsets are a must-have fashion item.

However, if someone decides to look at the same situation outside of the frame— which rarely happens because people are always convinced that common sense does not require justification— that person will have a completely different understanding of what is in the frame, and feel that common sense no longer makes sense. Continuing the corset example, in our present time it is common sense that corsets are unhealthy and will do more harm than good to a female body. This is why the majority of women these days don't wear corsets. And when we look back to the old frame from the 19th century, we think that fashion sense of that time is strange. This is the outcome of shifted frames.

Selected works

 * 1972: "Language in Context." Language 48:4 (December 1972): 907–27.
 * 1973: The logic of politeness; or, minding your P's and Q's. In: Papers from the Ninth Regional Meeting of the Chicago Linguistics Society, ed. C. Corum, T. Cedric Smith-Stark, A. Weiser, pp 292–305. Chicago: Department of Linguistics, University of Chicago
 * 1975: Language and Woman's Place. ISBN 0-19-516757-0
 * 1977: What you can do with words: Politeness, pragmatics and performatives. In: Proceedings of the Texas Conference on Performatives, Presuppositions and Implicatures, ed. R. Rogers, R. Wall & J. Murphy, pp. 79–106. Arlington, Va.: Center for Applied Linguistics.
 * 1985: When talk is not cheap. With Mandy Aftel. Warner ISBN 0-446-30070-5
 * 1990: Talking Power. Basic Books. ISBN 0-465-08358-7
 * 1993: Father knows best: the use and abuse of therapy in Freud's case of Dora. With J. Coyne. Teachers College Press. ISBN 0-8077-6266-0
 * 2000: The Language War. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-22296-2
 * 2006: "Identity à la carte: you are what you eat." In: Discourse and Identity, ed. Anna DeFina, Deborah Schiffrin and Michael Bamberg. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.

title: Robin Lakoff