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The Thirteen-Gun Salute

The Thirteen-Gun Salute is the thirteenth historical novel in the Aubrey–Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian, first published in 1989. The story is set during the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812.

This novel constitutes the first of a five-novel circumnavigation of the globe; other novels in this voyage include The Nutmeg of Consolation, Clarissa Oakes/The Truelove, The Wine-Dark Sea, and  The Commodore.

Spain hears that England may be supporting the independence of its colonies in South America, while an envoy is needed in the Malay states to gain an ally for England. These two changes alter Aubrey's mission from his private man-of-war, Surprise en route to South America. They learn this at Lisbon, where Surprise parts company under Tom Pullings. Aubrey is reinstated on the Navy List in London and gains command of HMS Diane, carrying the envoy to negotiate a treaty with Pulo Prabang and Maturin gains a stay in a naturalist's paradise. Then the Diane is en route to a rendezvous with Surprise, when shoals and a typhoon challenge the Diane and her crew.

Reviews of this novel follow the plot but are more properly reviews of the series to date, as W W Norton began publishing the series of novels in the US. Richard Snow, writing in The New York Times, said they were "the best historical novels ever written." Many in the US took note of his article and sought out the novels. Writing about this novel, comments include that "the ultimate appeal of the Aubrey/Maturin adventures lies in O'Brian's delicious old-fashioned prose" that is "sketching with apparent accuracy and truth the early 19th-century world." Another reviewer finds "There is a recklessness with plot that is intentionally subversive of the genre", while showing "a dazzling receptiveness to language, an understanding of period speech so entire". O'Brian's style has been compared to that of Jane Austen. As to this novel's plot, "the most charming segment is Maturin's idyllic stay in a remote valley, where he blissfully encounters and studies a variety of tame exotic beasts." and "twists of plot are swift, drastic, on occasion comic," and sometimes grotesque.

Plot summary
On land after ceasing his use of laudanum, Stephen Maturin finds he has changed; his naturally "ardent" temperament returns and alters his relationship with his wife Diana, who is now pregnant with their child. Maturin looks forward to the arrival of the child he is certain is a daughter. As the high level traitor in British intelligence is not yet identified, the time on land raises risks to his friend Jack Aubrey, who agrees to sail immediately. Aubrey, Maturin, and their shipmates prepare for a mission to sail the letter of marque Surprise on a mission to South America. Upon reaching Lisbon, Sir Joseph Blaine intercepts Maturin with news that he and Aubrey are required to carry a diplomat to the Sultan of Pulo Prabang, a piratical Malay state in the South China Sea. Edward Fox is the envoy leading the mission to persuade the Sultan to become an English rather than French ally. The French mission includes the same English traitors - Ledward and Wray - who were responsible for Aubrey's former disgrace. With the Surprise under the command of Captain Pullings, Aubrey and Maturin return with Blaine to England, where Lord Melville, First Lord of the Admiralty, reinstates Aubrey as a Post-Captain in the Royal Navy and gives him command of the recently captured French ship Diane. The voyage south forms the crew, with frequent training on the guns; by the luck of a timely breeze and much hard rowing in the ship's boats, Diane escapes the inshore currents of Inaccessible Island. Sailing through the high forties (south latitude), she first touches land at Java, meeting Lieutenant Governor Raffles near Batavia, where they hear the first word of bank failures in England.

Arriving in Pulo Prabang, Maturin meets fellow natural philosopher van Buren and helps the arrogant envoy Fox plot against the French mission. During the leisurely negotiations with the Sultan, Maturin climbs the "Thousand Steps" to Kumai, a protected valley in the crater of a volcano and home to the orangutans he has been longing to see. Returning to town, he learns that Abdul, the Sultan's cupbearer and catamite has been caught in a compromising position with both Ledward and Wray. Abdul is executed and Ledward and Wray are banished from the court for their indiscretions, effectively ending the French mission. Wray and Ledward are eventually assassinated and Maturin and van Buren dissect their bodies.

After a feast to celebrate the treaty, at which Fox and his retinue behave without discretion, the Diane makes for Batavia and to rendezvous with the Surprise. Fox behaves with increasing arrogance during the return voyage, the success of the treaty having gone to his head. After missing their rendezvous, the Diane sails toward Batavia, so Fox can sail to England on another ship. The frigate strikes a hidden reef and the ship cannot be floated again. They set up camp on a small island, but Fox insists on sailing in Diane's pinnace, rather than waiting until the ship is again afloat. He leaves Edwards aboard with an official duplicate of the treaty. A typhoon destroys the marooned Diane and Aubrey believes that the pinnace, if caught in the same storm, likely did not survive. With the situation growing desperate, Aubrey directs the men to build a vessel to get them to Batavia.

Title
The title refers to the honour, a thirteen-gun salute from the ship's guns, that is due to Fox as an official envoy and representative of the King.

Cover art
The cover art depicts HMS Diane and one of her boats working to escape the tides and the towering cliff of Inaccessible Island in the South Atlantic Ocean.

Characters
See also Recurring characters in the Aubrey–Maturin series

 * In England
 * Jack Aubrey: Captain of the letter of marque Surprise; MP; he is restored to the Navy List and appointed captain of HMS Diane because he is needed for the mission.
 * Stephen Maturin: Ship's surgeon, natural philosopher, friend to Jack and an intelligence officer. Aboard HMS Diane, he sails as the Captain's guest, then acts as surgeon, allowing him to mess with the gunroom.
 * Sophia Aubrey: Jack's wife and mother of their three children. She was introduced in Post Captain.
 * Mrs Williams: Mother to Sophia and aunt to Diana; poverty and old age are softening her spleen. She was introduced in Post Captain.
 * Diana Villiers: First cousin to Sophia, and Stephen's wife who is now with child. She was introduced in Post Captain.
 * Tom Smith: Banker to whom Aubrey is shifting some of his funds, and brother to Henry, captain of HMS Revenge and Edward, captain of HMS Tremendous.
 * The unknown: The man in a high government position who aided Ledward and Wray, who is not yet identified by Sir Joseph Blaine; his existence is clear by his exercise of power by gossip against Aubrey ashore while Surprise is fitting out, and informing Spain of Surprise's mission.
 * Padeen Colman: Irishman, once servant to Maturin, who ran from Surprise while Maturin was injured (The Letter of Marque) to steal laudanum, to which he was addicted. Aubrey intervenes as an MP to alter the sentence of death to that of transportation to Botany Bay. Introduced in The Far Side of the World.
 * Sam Panda: Natural son of Aubrey; Maturin speaks with the Patriarch of Lisbon in his favor and he writes from Brazil that he is ordained. He was introduced in The Reverse of the Medal.
 * Lord Melville: First Lord of the Admiralty.
 * Sir Joseph Blaine: Head of Intelligence at the Admiralty, entomologist and good friend to Maturin. He was introduced in Post Captain.

 * Aboard Surprise
 * Captain Tom Pullings: a volunteer and First Lieutenant on the Surprise, who later takes over as captain for the South American mission. He was introduced in Master and Commander.
 * Barret Bonden: Coxswain to Aubrey since his first command, who follows Aubrey to HMS Diane. He was introduced in Master and Commander.
 * Preserved Killick: Steward cum butler to Aubrey, also aids Maturin, who follows Aubrey to HMS Diane. He was introduced in Master and Commander.
 * Mr Nathaniel Martin: Unbeneficed clergyman and natural philosopher; surgeon's mate to Maturin aboard Surprise. Introduced in The Ionian Mission.
 * Mr Standish: Purser new to the sea and new to the Surprise, violin player and a friend of Martin from Oxford university days. Seasickness overwhelms him, so he leaves the ship in Santiago to become Colonel Lumley's secretary.
 * Orkney men: Group of seamen picked up sailing back from the Baltic Sea aboard Surprise, who do not yet meld with the rest of the ship's crew. They have a unique cadence to their singing.
 * Awkward Davies: able seaman aboard Surprise; a brute of a man whom Aubrey saved from drowning often.
 * Robert Gough: Member of the United Irishmen, known to Maturin but differing in some key views. Maturin sees him aboard a snow which the Surprise chases in the Irish Sea. The snow is abandoned, to Maturin's relief, as Gough would be hanged if taken.

 * Aboard HMS Diane
 * Edward Fox: Foreign Office envoy to Pulo Prabang, carried on HMS Diane, always insistent on his privileges.
 * Mr David Edwards: Fox's secretary, a man of pleasant personality.
 * Loder: Member of Fox's retinue, joining the ship at Batavia.
 * Johnstone: A Judge and a member of Fox's retinue, joining the ship at Batavia.
 * Mr James Fielding: First Lieutenant aboard HMS Diane, who has long sea experience but none in battle.
 * Mr Bampfylde Elliott: Second Lieutenant aboard HMS Diane. This voyage is his first sea service as an officer. Aubrey judges him "no seaman" but likes the young man. He volunteers to captain the pinnace when Fox insists on sailing to Java with the treaty.
 * Dick Richardson: Third Lieutenant in the Diane, selected by Aubrey (called Spotted Dick as midshipman when introduced in The Mauritius Command aboard HMS Boadicea).
 * Graham: Surgeon aboard HMS Diane, who is left behind when ship is windbound in Plymouth, not responding to the blue peter.
 * Macmillan: Surgeon's mate, who took Graham's place despite his three months at sea, taking advice from Maturin.
 * William Reade: Midshipman on HMS Diane, one of the two youngest in midshipman's berth.
 * Fleming: Midshipman and son of an eminent natural philosopher and member of the Royal Society.
 * Clerke: Midshipman.
 * Greene: Midshipman.
 * Harper: Midshipman on HMS Diane, other of the two youngest in midshipman's berth.
 * Seymour: Masters mate, planning to take examination for lieutenant, one of two eldest in midshipman's berth.
 * Bennett: Masters mate, also readying for the examination, other of the eldest pair in midshipman's berth.
 * Elijah Butcher: Captain's clerk, who aids Aubrey in his regular records for Humboldt of the temperature and salinity of the sea on this voyage.
 * Welby: Lieutenant of the Marines on HMS Diane.
 * Hadley: Carpenter on HMS Diane.
 * Ahmed: Malay servant to Maturin who aids him in learning the language during the voyage.

 * In Pulo Prabang or Java
 * Stamford Raffles: Governor of Java, residing at Buitenzorg.
 * Duplessis: The French envoy in Pulo Prabang.
 * Edward Ledward, once of the Treasury and Andrew Wray, once of the Admiralty: Two English traitors and both active enemies to Aubrey and Maturin; part of the French delegation. Both characters were introduced in Desolation Island.
 * Sultan of Pulo Prabang: Ruler sought as an ally by Fox, for Britain, and Duplessis, for France.
 * Sultana Hafsa: Wife of the Sultan, who is with child, and is of a powerful and jealous family.
 * Abdul: Attractive boy who is a lover to the Sultan, and also to Ledward and Wray, his downfall.
 * Cornelius van Buren: Well known biologist and anatomist with a special interest in the spleen, who lives at Pulo Batang, despite the Dutch having lost the lands. He married here, and keeps up a lively correspondence with natural philosophers in Europe and is a good colleague to Maturin.
 * Lesueur: Clerk for the French who becomes a contact for Maturin, until the French uncover the dual role and kill Lesueur.
 * Ananda: Buddhist monk at Kumai crater who offered food to Maturin, and had hand raised the orangutan named Muong.
 * Pierrot Dumesnil: Lieutenant of the French ship Cornélie; nephew of Christy-Pallière, both first met by Aubrey in Master and Commander.

Ships

 * British
 * Surprise - a private man-of-war or letter of marque
 * HMS Diane - 32-gun French-built frigate bought into British service after capture
 * HMS Briseis - passed in port at Lisbon
 * HMS Nimble - a two-hundred ton cutter
 * French
 * Cornélie - frigate
 * A snow (bearing Robert Gough, a United Irishman and former acquaintance of Maturin)

Series chronology
This novel references actual events with accurate historical detail, like all in this series. In respect to the internal chronology of the series, it is the seventh of eleven novels (beginning with The Surgeon's Mate) that might take five or six years to happen but are all pegged to an extended 1812, or as Patrick O'Brian says it, 1812a and 1812b (introduction to The Far Side of the World, the tenth novel in this series). The events of The Yellow Admiral again match up with the historical years of the Napoleonic wars in sequence, as the first six novels did.

Continuity
This story starts a few months after The Letter of Marque ends, with the Surprise ready for the South American voyage imagined at the time of her letter of marque. The crew aboard Surprise is unchanged, save for those men who use their prize money from the first cruise of the Surprise to set up inns or pubs, collectively called Aubrey's Arms. All but one of the high level spies appear in this novel, specifically Ledward and Wray, who had fled to France in The Letter of Marque and are now arrived in Pulo Prabang as part of Duplessis's mission, as Ledward can translate for Duplessis. After seeing Gough in the French privateer, Maturin reflects on his life since the rising in 1798, rereading old diaries that tell when he began his work with intelligence to the purposes of defeating Napoleon, supporting Irish independence and freeing Catalonia, after meeting Aubrey.

Reviews
The uneven pace of re-issues in the US is noted by Kirkus Reviews, who listed this thirteenth novel in the Aubrey-Maturin series after their own reviews of two books much earlier in the series (HMS Surprise and The Mauritius Command, third and fourth in the series respectively). Dr Stephen Maturin is described as "an intellectual counterpoint to Jack's more physical presence." After a nod to the story, they conclude that "the ultimate appeal of the Aubrey/Maturin adventures lies in O'Brian's delicious old-fashioned prose, the wonderfully complex sentences that capture the feel of the sea and the culture of the great warships, all the while sketching with apparent accuracy and truth the early 19th-century world."

Publishers Weekly notes that Aubrey is once again a captain in the Royal Navy and "even a rotten-borough M.P." Maturin's stay in the valley "where he blissfully encounters and studies a variety of tame exotic beasts" is called "charming". They mention that the author's writing style has been compared to that of Jane Austen, and praise the wit of guests at "the dinners (in country house, London, ship's mess, sultan's palace, Buddhist monastery)". Thomas Flanagan, writing in the New York Times Books was pleased to have discovered the series of novels by virtue of an essay by Richard Snow, "who roundly and with polemical extravagance declared them to be "the best historical novels ever written." Not quite, perhaps." adding that delayed appreciation of the series of novels "is not exclusively American. The British critic Peter Wishart has described the neglect of Patrick O'Brian as a literary wonder of the age, "as baffling as the Inca inability to invent the wheel." Why all the fuss?" The writing style, structure, and plot are remarked favorably, including many incidents of The Thirteen Gun Salute: "The novels display a dazzling receptiveness to language, an understanding of period speech so entire that it never needs to preen itself -- although here and there it does. There is a recklessness with plot that is intentionally subversive of the genre. Climactic scenes are deliberately thrown away, revealed in casual conversation. The narrative pauses to digress on orangutans in Borneo, the cuisine of Portugal, a Mozart quartet. The twists of plot are swift, drastic, on occasion comic, on occasion grotesque: in this novel, Maturin's way of dealing with two English traitors at the Malay court of Pulo Prabang draws casually and lethally on his knowledge of zoology and his skill as an anatomist." Flanagan concludes that "It is a pleasure to read a contemporary historical novel written not by machine but by hand.

Regarding the re-issue of the entire series after publisher W W Norton became interested for the US market, Richard Snow wrote in 1991 that he had read the novels from Master and Commander to Desolation Island from American publishers twenty years earlier. O'Brian's "portrayal of life aboard a sailing ship is vivid and authoritative" and O'Brian presented "the lost arcana of that hard-pressed, cruel, courageous world with an immediacy that makes its workings both comprehensible and fascinating." He noted too that "behind the humor, behind the storms and the broadside duels . . . loomed something larger: the shape and texture of a whole era." As strong as the historical detail was, Snow remarked that "in the end it is the serious exploration of human character that gives the books their greatest power", and he also referred to the poetry of the writing, saying that O'Brian "manages to express, with the grace and economy of poetry, familiar things that somehow never get written down, as when he carefully details the rueful steps by which Stephen Maturin falls out of love." At this time of the re-issues of the novels by W W Norton in the US, Snow recommended that a reader start with the first and keep reading to the last one, then "You will have read what I continue to believe are the best historical novels ever written."

Allusions to science and history
On the voyage to Java, Jack has with him a chart showing Alexander von Humboldt's maximum and minimum sea-temperatures over a vast stretch of ocean. He sets out to carry on Humboldt's programme of measuring temperatures at various depths, salinity, atmospheric pressure etc. - as he says to Stephen, to have 'A chain right round to the Pacific'.

For instruments, he takes on board the Surprise:
 * an improved dipping-needle
 * a very delicate hygrometer of Jack's own invention
 * an improved azimuth compass
 * a Geneva cyanograph
 * thermometers graduated by Ramsden

Captain Aubrey's orders to HMS Diane are mentioned as occurring in the "fifty-third year" of the reign of King George III, thus fixing the year about 1813. The years of his reign began in October, and the story mentions the months of May, June and being in the austral winter after crossing the equator when sailing around Africa on HMS Diane; the author, as promised in the preface to the first book in the series, takes liberties with times of events. May of the 53rd year of the reign of George III might well be May 1814. O'Brian refers to these novels with no precise connection to actual years as 1812a, 1812b (see section above on series chronology). Due to the mental illness of the king, the 53rd year of George III's reign was also the third or fourth year of the Regency, which began in February 1811.

The wreck of HMS Diane on an uncharted reef and the subsequent events may be based actual events surrounding the loss of the HMS Alceste. Under command of Capt Murray Maxwell, the ship wrecked on an uncharted reef in the Gaspar Straight in 1817. The crew abandoned the ship and made camp on a nearby island. Murray sent Ambassador Amherst on to Batavia in one of the ship's boats. While awaiting rescue, the crew repulsed an attack by a large group of what sources refer to as "Malay pirates" or "savages".

Allusions to other literature
Lois Montbertrand published an article concerning O'Brian's use of A. E. Housman's poem "Bells in the Tower" in this novel. She explains how O'Brian uses the fragment of the poem in the plot, as one character wants to get closer to Stephen Maturin, while Stephen Maturin would rather not.

Publication history

 * 1989 Collins hardback first UK edition ISBN 0-00-223460-2
 * 1991 Collins paperback UK edition ISBN 0-00-617885-5
 * 1991, June W W Norton hardback USA edition ISBN 0-393-02974-3
 * 1992, August W W Norton paperback USA edition ISBN 0-393-30907-X
 * 1995 Recorded Books, LLC Audio cassette USA edition narrated by Patrick Tull ISBN 1-4193-1987-6
 * 1998, November HarperCollins hardback UK edition ISBN 0-00-223460-2
 * 2002, January Thorndike Press hardback USA edition ISBN 0-7862-1937-8
 * 2003 Chivers Large print hardback UK edition ISBN 0-7540-1821-0
 * 2004, March Chivers Large Print paperback UK edition ISBN 0-7540-9200-3
 * 2008, May Blackstone Audio Audio Cassette USA edition narrated by Simon Vance ISBN 0-7861-4592-7
 * 2011 W W Norton & Company, e-book edition, 2011, ISBN 9780393063660

The process of reissuing the novels prior to this novel was in full swing in 1991, as the whole series gained a new and wider audience, as Mark Howowitz describes at the time of publication of the fourteenth novel in the series, following The Thirteen Gun Salute. The US reviews were all written in 1991, based on the W. W. Norton re-issue, rather than the prior Collins 1989 first publication of this novel. Master and Commander was published in the US in 1969; Horowitz refers to the first UK edition of that novel.

Two of my favorite friends are fictitious characters; they live in more than a dozen volumes always near at hand. Their names are Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, and their creator is a 77-year-old novelist named Patrick O'Brian, whose 14 books about them have been continuously in print in England since the first, Master and Commander, was published in 1970.

O'Brian's British fans include T. J. Binyon, Iris Murdoch, A. S. Byatt, Timothy Mo and Mary Renault, but, until recently, this splendid saga of two serving officers in the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars was unavailable in this country, apart from the first few installments which went immediately out of print. Last year, however, W. W. Norton decided to reissue the series in its entirety,.

title: The Thirteen-Gun Salute


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Hans Blokland (politician)

Johannes (Hans) Blokland (born 5 March 1943 in Oegstgeest, South Holland) is a former Dutch politician and former Member of the European Parliament. He is a member of the ChristianUnion, former treasurer of the Independence and Democracy group, and former vice-chair of the European Parliament's Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety.

He is also a former member of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, a former substitute for the Committee on Transport and Tourism, a former member of the delegation to the EU–Armenia, EU–Azerbaijan and EU–Georgia Parliamentary Cooperation Committees, a former member of the delegation to the EU–Kazakhstan, EU–Kyrgyzstan and EU–Uzbekistan Parliamentary Cooperation Committees, and for relations with Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Mongolia, and a former substitute for the delegation for relations with the People's Republic of China.

Career

 * Higher degree in economics (1970)
 * Doctorate in economics (1976)
 * Researcher, Netherlands Economic Institute (1969–1976)
 * Lecturer, Erasmus University (1971–1988)
 * Head of the planning department, National Land Use Planning Agency (1976–1980)
 * Head of the research department, Central Statistical Office (1980–1982)
 * Member of the Advisory Committee on Foreigners, Ministry of Justice (1987–2000)
 * Vice-Chairman of the GPV local party (1973–1974)
 * Member of the executive, GPV provincial party (1976–1977)
 * provincial chairman, GPV (1977–1981)
 * Member of the GPV administrative committee (1978–1984)
 * Chairman of the GPV (1984–1994)
 * Member of the Capelle aan den IJssel Municipal Council (1974–1994)
 * Alderman of Capelle aan den IJssel (1982–1986)
 * Member of the South Holland Provincial Council (1982–1995)
 * Member of the European Parliament (1994–2009)
 * Co-Chairman of the EDN Group (1997–1999)
 * Co-Chairman of the EDD Group (1999–2004)
 * Vice-Chairman and Treasurer of the IND/DEM Group (?–2009)

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

title: Hans Blokland (politician)


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Hans Blokland

Hans Blokland may refer to:

 * Hans Blokland (politician) (born 1943), Dutch former Member of the European Parliament
 * Hans T. Blokland (born 1960), Dutch social and political theorist

title: Hans Blokland


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User talk:Kezzie

oh look, you have you own user page! :-)))

DarkSkywise 12:58, 24 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Eeeeeeeeeek!!!! and I don't even know how to use it! :o --Kezzie 15:33, 24 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Well, you talked back all right, didn't you?

DarkSkywise 04:07, 25 Apr 2005 (UTC)

title: User talk:Kezzie


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Brother's Little Helper

"Brother's Little Helper" is the second episode of the eleventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 3, 1999. In the episode, Bart floods the school gymnasium and the schoolyard, which prompts the school's principal Seymour Skinner to diagnose Bart with ADHD. Bart is prescribed a psychostimulant drug called Focusyn (a parody of (Ritalin) and which sounds similar to the related drug Focalin, a drug released six years after the episode aired), and initially starts paying more attention to his studies. After a while however, Bart starts turning psychotic and is convinced that Major League Baseball is watching over the people of Springfield.

The episode was directed by director Mark Kirkland and was the first episode staff writer George Meyer received a sole writing credit for since the season 5 episode "Bart's Inner Child". Meyer, who was facing some psychological difficulties while writing the episode, felt so dissatisfied with the episode's first draft that he turned it in with a pseudonym. The episode satirizes the perceived misdiagnosis of behavioral disorders in children, which was a controversial topic at the time the episode was written.

The episode features former Major League Baseball player Mark McGwire as himself. Following its broadcast, the episode was positively received by critics.

Plot
Bart is behaving wildly: he teases and exasperates Principal Skinner, and floods the gymnasium and the schoolyard (coincidentally saving Ned Flanders, who had caught fire). Skinner has Homer and Marge come to the school, and tells them Bart has attention deficit disorder (ADD). He will be expelled unless he takes "a radical, untested, potentially dangerous" new drug called Focusyn.

Taking the drug, Bart becomes an eager and diligent student. His parents think they can safely go out for an intimate evening together, but when they come home Bart is in his room wrapped in aluminum foil, with a garbage can lid on his head, and numerous coat hangers dangling from the ceiling. He claims that Major League Baseball is spying on the town using a satellite. The doctors recommend that Bart be weaned off Focusyn, but he refuses, swallows several handfuls of the pills and runs away.

Bart enters a U.S. Army base and manages to steal a tank. He cuts a swath of destruction through the town and eventually stops at the school. There, persuaded not to destroy the school or any other building, he points the tank's cannon into the sky and shoots down a Major League Baseball satellite; inside are detailed documents on everybody's behavior. Mark McGwire appears, distracts the citizens with a long home run, and hides all the evidence under his cap. Marge takes Bart off Focusyn for good and puts him back on Ritalin. Major League Baseball, however, is still spying on the Simpson family: the autographed bat that McGwire gave Bart has a hidden camera.

Production
"Brother's Little Helper", which was originally called "Bart a Go Go", was written by staff writer George Meyer and directed by director Mark Kirkland. It was first broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on October 3, 1999. After the season 5 episode "Bart's Inner Child", Meyer got "a little burned out on writing scripts", so he wrote "Brother's Little Helper" in order to "try [his] hand again". While writing the episode, Meyer was going through "some psychological problems" and found the episode very difficult to write. He was initially so dissatisfied with the first draft that he turned it in with a pseudonym; Vance Jericho. Co-producer Tim Long jokingly commented that the script was "literally moist with contempt" but went on to say that it was in fact "an amazing draft". The writers discussed what sort of rampage Bart would go on during the second act, and writer Matt Selman suggested that Bart obtain a tank. In the DVD audio commentary for the episode, Selman stated that he got the idea from watching a news report about "a guy" who had died while "[going] nuts with a tank".

To show the side effects Focusyn had on Bart, the animators made slight changes to his face as the episode progressed. It is first seen in the scene where Bart is reading "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Pre-teens": a cheek line is added just under his eyes to suggest that he is starting to change. In another scene, Bart can be seen speed reading and later on, the animators drew him with "mini-pupils". The staff discussed whether Bart's pupils would be bigger or smaller than normal while he is on the drug. The writers settled on smaller pupils and, according to Kirkland, "several model sheets were going back and forth over the fax machines" until the staff were satisfied with the size of Bart's pupils while influenced by the drug. In fact, psychostimulants used to treat ADHD are more likely to cause pupils to become bigger (dilated). In the scene where he escapes the laboratory, Bart can be seen swallowing a handful of pills on his way out. Originally, Bart was supposed to "upend" an entire jar of Focusyn, but, according to Meyer, the censors wouldn't allow it. The scientists who prescribe Focusyn to Bart are based on one of The Simpsons ' staff members and his wife. They were voiced by Hank Azaria and Tress MacNeille, respectively. Azaria also voiced Sir Widebottom, one of the clowns in Krusty's car, as well as one of the marine soldiers. Then Major League Baseball player Mark McGwire guest starred as himself in the episode. Mike Scully, an executive producer and the show runner for the episode, commented that McGwire was "probably the biggest man [he'd] ever seen" and that he "did a great job for [them]".

Themes and cultural references
According to Genevieve Koski, Josh Modell, Noel Murray, Sean O'Neal, Kyle Ryan, and Scott Tobias of The A.V. Club, the '90s saw a "dramatic increase" in diagnoses of behavioral disorders, such as ADHD, in children, and debates over whether or not to medicate children with concentration difficulties were heated. Meyer, inspired by the debates, decided to write the episode to be about the subject. The episode criticizes how children with school issues are being misdiagnosed as having ADHD, as well as the prescription of psychostimulants to children in general. This in particular is shown in a scene in the Springfield Elementary schoolyard. In the scene, it is revealed that the general populace of the school is medicated for various misdiagnosed behavior disorders. Meyer himself was not entirely sure about his stance on the issue, however. He stated that "for all I know, the drugs help [the children] and help the world." However, he went on to say that "I just have a feeling they're gonna be a disaster. Down the line."

Focusyn, the fictional psychoactive drug that is prominently featured throughout the episode, is based on the real-life medicine Ritalin, which is used to treat disorders such as ADHD. Hosey the Bear, which can be seen in the beginning of the episode, is a reference to the United States Forest Service's mascot Smokey Bear. After Bart has flooded the school gym, Skinner can be seen wiping mud off his eyes in an homage to American actor Oliver Hardy. The sequence of Bart stealing an army tank and destroying half of Springfield under the influence of mind-altering substances is likely a reference to Shawn Nelson, a man infamous for a similar, albeit serious, incident. A scene in the episode shows Marge standing in front of the tank Bart has stolen. The scene is a reference to Tank Man, the anonymous man who stood in the way of a column of tanks the morning after the Chinese military forcibly removed pro-democracy protesters from Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

Other things referenced include the film Showgirls (1995), which Homer and Marge go to see. Homer says that, since taking Focusyn, Bart has gone "from Goofus to Gallant", a reference to the characters Goofus and Gallant from the children's magazine Highlights. When Lou sketches Bart based on Homer and Marge's description he ends up drawing Dennis from the American comic strip Dennis the Menace. A shirt at the military base Fort Fragg reads "I Went to the Persian Gulf and All I Got Was This Lousy Syndrome", a reference to Gulf War syndrome. During Bart's rampage through the town in a tank, he sings the chorus of "Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac.

Reception
In its original American broadcast on October 3, 1999, "Brother's Little Helper" finished at no. 51 in the ratings, according to Nielsen Media Research, making it the most watched television program on Fox that night. Despite being the most watched program of the network, the ratings were considered disappointing by the Deseret News. On October 7, 2008, the episode was released as part of The Simpsons - The Complete Eleventh Season DVD box set. Mike Scully, George Meyer, Mark Kirkland, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Matt Selman and Tim Long participated in the DVD audio commentary of the episode.

Following its broadcast, "Brother's Little Helper" received positive reviews from critics.

About nine years after its original broadcast, Robert Canning of IGN posted a "flashback review" of "Brother's Little Helper". Canning, calling the episode "funny" and "a standout episode in this later season", was particularly fond of the episode's opening. However, he was less impressed with the third act of the episode, calling it "lackluster". He felt that the part involving Mark McGwire was "a silly cop out" and that it wasn't as funny as what was leading up to it. He also stated that he was put off by the writers wanting to come across a message. "It's not that I necessarily disagreed with this sentiment", Canning wrote, "but at the time, I didn't think I needed to be taught a lesson while I watched The Simpsons. I still don't." He did, however, "love" the "tag back" to the volunteer fire department seen in the beginning of the episode, and "the fact that they can't find how to fight a satellite fire in their handbook".

In his review of The Simpsons - The Complete Eleventh Season, Brian Tallerico of The Deadbolt considered "Brother's Little Helper" to be one of the season's best episodes.

Colin Jacobsson of DVD Movie Guide was favorable as well, calling the episode "pretty good" and that it "provides some good laughs". He especially liked seeing Bart well-behaved. He also appreciated the episode's message, writing that "the show offers a clever spotlight on [the] issue". He did, however, dislike the characterization of Bart. He wrote that Bart is normally "not particularly overactive or distractible", and that the writers "trie[d] to make [Bart] seem more hyper than normal". He concluded by saying that "Bart's a behavior problem but not ADHD."

Five months after the episode aired, Bill Clinton, who served as president of the United States at the time, held the first ever White House conference on Mental Health. Scripps Howard News Service columnist Deroy Murdock mentioned the timeliness of the conference in connection with the episode as being an instance of The Simpsons "clairvoyantly predict[ing] the news".

In 2007, the fictional word "exorcism tongs" appeared in Cracked.com's list "From Cromulent to Craptacular: The Top 12 Simpsons Created Words", ranking in at number 10. The word is used in a scene in which Homer eats a mixture of taffy and Focusyn, which puts him in a "mildly hallucinogenic state". Seeing this, Todd Flanders asks his father, Ned, "Does Mr. Simpson have a demon, daddy?" To which Ned replies, "Looks like it. Run and get daddy's exorcism tongs." About the word, Mark Peters and Daniel O' Brien of Cracked.com wrote "We'd be lying if we said we didn't go out to every Christian-themed general store in the country hoping to acquire our very own set of exorcism tongs the day this episode aired."

title: Brother's Little Helper


text:
User:Equinox137

I'm an occasional Wikipedia editor. I'm fascinated by a lot of the articles on science and technology in Wikipedia, although a lot of the political and/or historical articles are biased garbage and need a lot of de-POVing.

Adminship
I've been nominated for an adminship at Wikipedia. Feel free to visit Requests for adminship/Equinox 137 and give your thoughts on my nomination.

Articles I've Authored

 * BNSF Police Department
 * Omaha Police Department
 * Omaha Tornado of 1975 (as an anon)
 * Railroad police
 * Tiffany Taylor (Playboy Playmate)
 * Union Pacific Police Department

Articles that have hopeless NPOV issues

 * Air America (liberal talk radio network)
 * Homophobia
 * Michael Savage
 * Port Militarization Resistance (this article is written by the same people participating in the activity, some of which are criminal)
 * Sean Hannity (Conservative Talk Radio Host)

Articles I've Contributed To

 * 2004 Washington Gubernatorial Election
 * 82nd Airborne Division
 * Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden guitarist)
 * Air America (liberal talk radio network)
 * Alliance Defense Fund
 * Ann Coulter
 * Blowback (intelligence)
 * CNN
 * Dave Murray (Iron Maiden guitarist)
 * Drudge Report
 * Ernie Chambers (Nebraska State Senator)
 * George W. Bush
 * Gulf of Tonkin Incident
 * Harvey Milk
 * The Incredible Hulk (TV Series)
 * Iron Maiden (Influential heavy metal Band)
 * Joint Terrorism Task Force
 * Kent State Shootings
 * Michael Savage (Conservative Talk Radio Host)
 * Liberal Bias (in the press)
 * List of Best Selling Music Artists
 * List of massacres (The list is mostly garbage, but as Knulclunk pointed out, people use it)
 * List of People in Playboy 1990-1999
 * Metallica
 * National Rifle Association
 * North Omaha, Nebraska
 * Omaha
 * Omaha Race Riot of 1919
 * The Punisher
 * Push Poll
 * Randi Rhodes (Liberal Talk Radio Host)
 * Sarpy County Sheriff's Department (Nebraska)
 * Sean Hannity (Conservative Talk Radio Host)
 * South Omaha, Nebraska
 * Standing Bear, A Ponca Indian Chief
 * Stop loss policy
 * Terri Schaivo
 * Transit police
 * Union Pacific Railroad
 * Vince Neil (Motley Crue vocalist)

title: User:Equinox137


text:
Talk:Get Born

Oddly-worded accusation
"There were also claims that ... riffs and melodies ... from other artists made their way onto songs from Get Born. These included ... The Beatles' "Sexy Sadie" (which also contained lyrical content from this song)..." I'm not sure which Jet song is being referred to here, but the way it's worded in the above sentence makes it seem as if the Beatles song contains some lyrics from the Jet song, as opposed to the other way around. I know the Beatles got up to a lot of high-jinks in their time, but I'm pretty sure they never used a time-machine to steal ideas. I've removed the parenthesised phrase for the moment: perhaps someone who is more conversant with the works of both artists can find a way to reincorporate this particular nugget Dom Kaos (talk) 22:23, 11 April 2009 (UTC)

External links modified
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 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20091020160333/http://www.uptownmag.com:80/2009-10-15/page4696.aspx to http://www.uptownmag.com/2009-10-15/page4696.aspx

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External links modified
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Title from Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues"?
I don't necessarily doubt that the title comes from Dylan's lyric, but I can't find a decent reference to back it up. Plenty of articles mention "Subterranean Homesick Blues" (or an unnamed Dylan song) as the title's source, but I'm concerned that they're using Wikipedia as their source. By the way, according to the edit history, the claim dates to 2004 when the article was first added so finding an earlier source is gonna be tough given that the album came out in 2003. Some will argue that's not our problem, but I think it is in that people are able to add things without providing citations despite "the rules". Allreet (talk) 03:52, 11 April 2019 (UTC)

title: Talk:Get Born


text:
John Sheepshanks (art collector)

John Sheepshanks (1787–1863), British manufacturer and art collector, was born in Leeds, and became a partner in his father's business as a cloth manufacturer.

Sheepshanks collected pictures, mainly by British artists, and in 1857 presented his notable collection to the nation. These are at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, which no longer observes all the conditions which he attached to the gift. He retired from business in 1833 and died a bachelor in 1863. His sister and brother were Anne Sheepshanks and Richard Sheepshanks.

title: John Sheepshanks (art collector)


text:
Talk:Ada Wong

Change Lead Image... Again
https://twitter.com/MissTiffanyL/status/1070005780038868992?s=20 I know Twitter isn't the best source, but this image of Ada is the best current picture of her I could find. I feel like her image should be up-to-date, but it's not necessary. I just wanted to put out the option. Also, I can't find the official copy of that photo, so if anyone finds it feel free to replace the one I found! Meredithgp (talk) 06:55, 10 January 2020 (UTC)Meredithgp

Concept and design
The section does a good job of discussing Ada's origins and how she was created for her role in Resident Evil 2, and what changes were made to her in the remake. However, the section makes zero references to her role in RE4; such as when during development she was added to the story, or a discussion of her role. Admittedly, such information might not exist or is difficult to find, but at the very least, her visual design should be brought up. Primarily because the section includes a few sentences discussing her design in the RE4 Remake, which comes off as a bit sudden without any references to the original RE4.

Also, would it be more appropriate to include the reference to her cut role from Village in this section, rather than the "In the Resident Evil series" one? PanagiotisZois (talk) 12:19, 22 March 2024 (UTC)

 * Done. It is indeed hard to find any dev info for the character on old games like RE4.  Greenish Pickle!   (🔔) 12:23, 22 March 2024 (UTC)
 * Also, done adding some info about RE4, nothing else can be found.  Greenish Pickle!   (🔔) 12:39, 22 March 2024 (UTC)

Incorrect pronouns when referencing Jade King
When referencing Jade King, the article as is refers to her with he/him pronouns—Jade's correct pronouns are she/they. MelodyJettWerner (talk) 12:43, 15 April 2024 (UTC)

 * ✅ changing it.   Greenish Pickle!   (🔔) 12:47, 15 April 2024 (UTC)

Sources for Ada's face models.
Other articles for Resident Evil characters mention the models that their facial features were based on. The Resident Evil Wiki cites Ty Brenneman and Adriana as the face models for Resident Evil 6 and the remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 4, respectively. Would the following be considered reliable sources for this article?:

https://app.castingnetworks.com/talent/public-profile/45610128-9158-11ea-9bfa-0291f623b406

https://www.vjgamer.com.hk/articles/2019/02/20/50768 JokEobard (talk) 07:22, 18 June 2024 (UTC)

 * doesn't look reliable. If you want further info, see WP:VG/RS. 🍕  Boneless Pizza! 🍕 (🔔) 07:35, 18 June 2024 (UTC)

Source for a claim "Antihero"
Just in case this is needed. 🍕 Boneless Pizza! 🍕 (🔔) 11:25, 12 July 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:Ada Wong


text:
User talk:Queentumi

QueenTumi is the nickname for the Vampire Character Queen Tu en Mi Anton from the fictional Novel Exodus From the Den of Demons by Saint Louis Author: Libby Hodges which is based loosely on some Mid Western Voodoo, Hoodoo,and Witchcraft blood,  spell work,  Historical, traditions. Queentumi is also the nickname for Libby Hodges. For more information about real vampires or Queen Tu En Mi Anton,  copy and paste the address listed below into your browser.

http://groups.google.com/group/houseofsheol Click here.

title: User talk:Queentumi


text:
Ulva (disambiguation)

Ulva is an island in the Inner Hebrides, Scotland.

Ulva may also refer to:

 * Ulva Belsham (1921–2011), New Zealand telegraphist and radio operator
 * Ulva Island (New Zealand)
 * New Ulva, on Island of Danna, in the Inner Hebrides, Scotland
 * Ulva, a genus of green algae, the sea lettuces
 * Ulva, a taxonomic synonym of a genus of sedges, Carex

title: Ulva (disambiguation)


text:
Von Braun Center

The Von Braun Center (known as Von Braun Civic Center until 1997) is an entertainment complex, with a maximum arena seating capacity of 9,000, located in Huntsville, Alabama. The original facility debuted in 1975 and has undergone several significant expansions since its opening. In addition to the arena, the VBC complex features multiple exhibit halls, a concert hall, a playhouse, a music venue, and several additional facilities for meetings and exhibitions.

History
It is named in honor of Wernher von Braun, the German-American rocket scientist. After von Braun’s work for Nazi Germany in World War II, he was brought to the United States Army's Redstone Arsenal along with many colleagues via Operation Paperclip. Their work laid the foundation for the United States space program. Planning for the facility began in 1965. The original construction included the sports arena, an exhibit hall space now known as East Hall, a concert hall, a playhouse, and museum space for the Huntsville Museum of Art. The arena as originally built seated about 8,000 for concerts, and included scoreboards and a refrigerated floor for ice events. The concert hall included an orchestra rehearsal room, dressing space for performers, and a lounge for patrons. The facility, originally referred to as the "Von Braun Civic Center", opened on March 14, 1975.

The VBC's first expansion was a west-side addition to the exhibit hall, opened in 1980 and originally referred to as West Hall (the combined space is now called simply East Hall). Expanded kitchen facilities for catering were added in 1983. Originally this was a standalone building, but it became incorporated into the construction of North Hall in 1987. North Hall was constructed as a high-end exhibit and ballroom space, with carpeting and decorative lighting. A second-floor gallery can be opened to the main space or closed off, and it has a variety of meeting rooms and salons attached.

In 1993 the city was bidding to host a meeting of the American Bowling Congress, which would require space for bowling lanes and exhibits for six months. In order to supply the space, the city agreed to the construction of South Hall, which opened in 1997. Around that same time, the word "Civic" was dropped from the facility's name. South Hall is the VBC's largest exhibit space at 100800 sqft; it includes a large lobby area, a partitionable ballroom, and an underground parking garage. Its construction involved eliminating a portion of Williams Avenue and re-routing part of Monroe Street. A sky walk connecting South Hall to a newly constructed adjacent hotel was added in 2006.

The oldest portions of the facility underwent renovation in 2011. The improvements included new seating for the arena, reconstruction of the arena and concert hall lobbies, and a new exterior facade.

Another expansion in 2020 created Mars Music Hall and Rhythm on Monroe. Mars Music Hall can be figured with pit-style standing area for about 1,100 with additional night-club style seating on a mezzanine level or can be configured with seats on the floor for about 800. Across the hall, Rhythm on Monroe offers a variety of selections from pub grub to upscale dining and features a rooftop bar overlooking Huntsville.

Major renovations to the high-end exhibit space, North Hall were completed in 2023.

Elvis Presley
According to The Von Braun Center website, Elvis Presley appeared May 30 through June 1, 1975 for an unprecedented five performances. It was the first time Elvis had played that many consecutive performances in a venue outside of Las Vegas or Stateline, Nevada.

Sports
The VBC is the home of the Huntsville Havoc of the SPHL. Former sports teams at the VBC include the Huntsville Lasers and Huntsville Flight basketball teams, the Huntsville Blast, Huntsville Tornado and Huntsville Channel Cats ice hockey teams, the Huntsville Fire (EISL) soccer team, the Alabama Vipers arena football team, the UAH Chargers ice hockey team, and the Alabama Hammers of the Professional Indoor Football League. The arena at one time hosted public ice skating, and youth hockey and figure skating programs, but those activities have since been moved to another facility.

On February 10, 2007, the Huntsville Havoc beat the Knoxville Ice Bears 7-6, in front of the largest crowd for a sporting event in the VBC's history, with 7,083 fans.

It was the site of the first-ever Total Nonstop Action Wrestling card, which featured in-ring cameos by Toby Keith and Sterling Marlin.

All Elite Wrestling (AEW) held its February 5, 2020 and February 28, 2024 episodes of AEW Dynamite at the arena.

In 2024, the VBC began hosting the conference tournament for Men’s and Women’s basketball for Conference USA.

Entertainment and culture
The arena has hosted numerous rock, pop, and country music concerts. Three music videos for the band, Kansas promoting the Monolith Album - featuring a Sci-Fi Native American: On the Other Side, Away from you, and People of the South Wind were film in and on the Von Braun Center. The VBC Concert Hall has been the home venue for the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra since the facility opened in 1975. The concert hall also hosts the productions of the Broadway Theater League. The playhouse hosts the productions of Theatre Huntsville, the Fantasy Playhouse Children's Theater, and the Jim Parker Songwriters Series, as well as numerous community events. The yearly Panoply of the Arts outdoor festival takes place in Big Spring Park adjacent to the VBC.

The VBC provided space for the Huntsville Museum of Art from its opening until 1998, when the museum moved to a nearby facility. The former museum is now used as office space for VBC staff.

This place is also hosting to FRC (First Robotics Competition) Rocket City Regional event.

Expansion
On October 23, 2008, it was announced that the VBC Arena would undergo a massive $15M renovation and would be renamed the Propst Arena, after the family that donated $5M to the city for the expansion. On Friday, February 5, 2010 a groundbreaking ceremony was held marking further renovations to what is now known as the Mark C. Smith Concert Hall.

title: Von Braun Center


text:
Eisbären Berlin

Eisbären Berlin (English: Berlin Polar Bears) is a professional ice hockey team based in Berlin, Germany. The team competes in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL), the highest level of play in professional German ice hockey, and is also one of the league's founding members. The Eisbären have won the DEL championship more often than any other team, with ten DEL championships as of the 2023–24 season. They won the German ice hockey cup in 2008 as well as the European Trophy in 2010. Before reunification the team won the East German ice hockey championship 15 times as SC Dynamo Berlin.

The club's origins go back to 1954. It was the ice hockey department of sports club SC Dynamo Berlin. Following incorporation into the West German 1. Bundesliga in 1990, the ice hockey department became the independent ice hockey club EHC Dynamo Berlin, and then in 1992 renamed EHC Eisbären Berlin. The home games are played at the Uber Arena.

The Eisbären Berlin are owned by the Anschutz Entertainment Group. The official logo of the team is the polar bear, a reference to the bear appearing on Berlin's coat of arms.

1954–1994: GDR and 1. Bundesliga years
The sports club SC Dynamo Berlin was part of the SV Dynamo sports association. The SV Dynamo was the nationwide sports association of the Stasi, Volkspolizei, and customs. The sports club offered a wide spectrum of competitive athletic activities, including track and field, football, swimming, gymnastics, fencing, rowing, boxing and ice skating. SC Dynamo Berlin created an ice hockey section in 1954. The hockey section had originally begun as an ice hockey section of the SV Deutsche Volkspolizei Berlin sports community in 1950.

SC Dynamo Berlin trained and played its matches in the large Werner-Seelenbinder-Halle in Prenzlauer Berg during its first years. The team won their first East German title in 1966. The league was reduced to just two teams, SC Dynamo Berlin and SG Dynamo Weißwasser, in 1971, which made up the smallest ice hockey league in the world. Altogether, SC Dynamo Berlin won the East German championship 15 times, the last title coming in 1988. In 1984, SC Dynamo Berlin competed at the European Cup of Champions and came in third place.

In 1990, the year of German reunification, both former East German ice hockey clubs, SC Dynamo Berlin and SG Dynamo Weißwasser, which had been renamed PEV Weißwasser, were assigned to the 1. Bundesliga, at the time the highest level of play in German ice hockey. The ice hockey department of SC Dynamo Berlin became independent ice hockey club EHC Dynamo Berlin in the same year. However, Berlin was unable to compete successfully and was consequently relegated to the lower 2. Bundesliga at the end of the season. The club was promoted back to the 1. Bundesliga following the 1991–92 season. It was known that the president of SV Dynamo and the head of the Stasi Erich Mielke had been a warm supporter of ice hockey. EHC Dynamo Berlin had been financed by the East German Ministry of the Interior until the end of 1990. The club tried to distance itself from its East German image, under the leadership of Günter Haake and manager Lorenz Funk. In 1992 the club was renamed again, this time to "EHC Eisbären Berlin" and also introduced the polar bear logo. However, due to severe financial difficulties, the club had to rely heavily on its junior and other low-tier players and thus regularly finished at the bottom of the standings and struggled to avoid relegation to the 2. Bundeliga.

1994–present: DEL years
The German Eishockey Bundesliga was abolished following the 1993–94 season and a new league – Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) – was created. The Eisbären are one of the league's 18 founding members. Following the Bosman ruling of 1995, the club replaced almost the entire roster with veteran European players in 1996–97. The team finished the regular season in third place and reached the DEL play-offs for the first time. In 1997 the club was renamed EHC neue Eisbären Berlin gegr. 1997 e.V. The following season, 1997–98, the Eisbären advanced to the final round of the DEL play-offs and finished the season as runner up. The team also participated in the 1998 IIHF Continental Cup in Tampere, Finland, and finished in second place. In 1998–99, Eisbären participated in the European Hockey League and finished in third place.

The Anschutz Entertainment Group acquired sole ownership of the Eisbären in 1999, ensuring financial stability. The team finished in second place at the 2000 IIHF Continental Cup. In 2002–03 and 2003–04 the team finished the DEL regular season in first place, but fell short of capturing the title. At that time, the team had already become hugely popular, selling out 28 of 31 home games during the 2003–04 season In 2005–06 and 2006–07, the Eisbären were the German representative at the Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland.

In 2004–05, a season marked by the 2004–05 NHL lockout, saw the Eisbären capture their first DEL championship. With the help of NHL veterans such as Erik Cole, Nathan Dempsey, and Olaf Kölzig, Berlin beat Mannheim in three games. The title was defended successfully in 2006 against the DEG Metro Stars. Their third DEL championship was captured in 2008, when the Eisbären beat Kölner Haie in the final round of the play-offs. In 2008, the Eisbären hosted the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning in a pre-season game, which the Lightning won 4:1. The fourth DEL title followed in 2009, when the DEG Metro Stars were beaten 3:1 in a best-of-five final play-off round. In 2010, the team won the European Trophy, continuing its success on an international scale. A fifth DEL title was won in 2011, when the Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg were swept in the final round of the play-offs. A sixth title was won in 2012, after a full-length best-of-five final against Adler Mannheim, with a seventh coming the next year after a 3:1 series victory over Kölner Haie. With their 2013 title, the Eisbären Berlin had won 7 DEL titles, including three straight, making them the DEL championship record holder for several years; Adler Mannheim later tied the record in 2019.

In the 2016–17 league season, the Eisbären Berlin drew an average home attendance of 12,052.

Eisbären ultimately won their eighth DEL championship in 2021, defeating Grizzlys Wolfsburg 2:1 in a best-of-three, and in the process reclaiming the record for most DEL championships.

Home arena
SC Dynamo Berlin played its home matches in the Werner-Seelenbinder-Halle in Prenzlauer Berg during the first years.

The team then moved to the large sports complex Dynamo-Sportforum in Hohenschönhausen in 1964. The team played in the ice hockey facility of the Sportforum Hohenschönhausen until the 2007–08 season. The corrugated roof of the ice hockey facility gave rise to its popular name ”The Corrugated Palace" (Wellblechpalast). The capacity of the facility is 4,695 spectators.

Eisbären Berlin was one of the few former East German ice hockey clubs who managed to establish itself against the competition from clubs from former West Germany. The team beceame popular in areas such as Hohenschönhausen, Marzahn and Hellersdorf. Supporters of Eisbären Berlin chanted "East, East, East Berlin" and "Dynamo, Dynamo" well into the 2000s.

Eisbären Berlin moved its home matches to the new Uber Arena (then known as O2 World) in the 2008–09 season. The Uber Arena is a multi-functional arena located in Friedrichshain near the Spree river. It has a seating-capacity of 14,200. However, the team still uses the Wellblechpalast as a training facility. The youth teams of Eisbären Berlin are also based in the Sportforum Hohenschönhausen.

The northern curved end of the Uber Arena, with terracing for active supporters of Eisbären Berlin, was officially named "Hartmut Nickel curve" (Hartmut Nickel Kurve) in 2019, after the passing of legendary SC Dynamo Berlin forward Hartmut Nickel. Nickel was popularly known as "Father Polarbear" (Papa Eisbär) in the club.

Team anthem
The official team anthem of the Eisbären Berlin is "Hey, wir wollen die Eisbären seh'n" (approximately "Hey, We Want to See The Polar Bears"), recorded by veteran East German band the Puhdys in 1997. The song became a popular tune in German mountain resorts during après-ski parties, and went on to appear on several winter-themed music compilations. Dutch team Geleen Eaters have also used a lyrically altered cover of the song as their victory anthem.

The Eisbären goal song consists of a sequence of four separate elements. The line "Berlin, Halleluja Berlin", from the song "Brandenburg" by Rainald Grebe is followed by the can-can from Jacques Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld and the line "Ach du meine Nase" by the East German puppet character Pittiplatsch. The sequence is completed by the children's rhyme "Ene mene miste" from the popular children's TV programme Rappelkiste.

Honors
Deutsche Eishockey Liga Championship: 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2021, 2022, 2024 East German Ice Hockey Championship: 1966, 1967, 1968, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988 European Trophy: 2010 Deutscher Eishockey-Pokal: 2008 IIHF Continental Cup: 1998, 2000 European Hockey League (EHL): 1999

Honored members

 * 7 Frank Hördler
 * 11 Sven Felski
 * 14 Stefan Ustorf
 * 19 Mark Beaufait
 * 20 Denis Pederson
 * 24 André Rankel
 * 26 Florian Busch
 * 27 Steve Walker
 * 72 Rob Zepp

Season-by-season record
Note: GP= Games, W = Win, L = Loss, T = Tie, OTL = Overtime Loss, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against

Point System: Win = 2 points, T = 1 point, OTL = 1 point

Note: W = Win, SOW – Shoot-out Win; L = Losses, SOL' – Shoot-out Losses

Point System: As of the 1998/99 season a new point scoring system was introduced: Win = 3 points; OT/SO Win = 2 points, OTL/SOL = 1point

Note: GP = Games, W = Wins, OTW = Overtime Wins, SOW = Shoot-out Wins, L = Losses, OTL – Overtime Losses, SOL = Shoot-out Losses, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against

Point System: Win = 3 points; OT/SO Win = 2 points, OTL/SOL = 1point

Club statistics
Note: this section includes only statistics accumulated between 1990 and the end of the 2011/12 season.

Sponsors

 * Berliner Rundfunk
 * Berliner Volksbank
 * Bito AG
 * Galeria Kaufhof
 * Gasag
 * Hasseröder
 * Hornbach
 * Ramada

title: Eisbären Berlin


text:
John Baker Holroyd, 1st Earl of Sheffield

John Baker Holroyd, 1st Earl of Sheffield, (21 December 1735 – 30 May 1821) was an Anglo-Irish politician and soldier. He was a leading authority on agriculture and commerce and appointed President of the Board of Agriculture in 1803. He is also remembered as the close friend and patron of eminent historian Edward Gibbon, to whom he acted as literary executor and editor.

Biography
Holroyd was the eldest son of Isaac Holroyd (1708–1778), Esq. of Dunamore, County Meath, and Dorothy Baker (1708–1777). His grandfather was Isaac Holroyd (1643–1706), merchant, belonging to an old Yorkshire family which settled in Ireland after the Restoration. He first took the name of Baker on inheriting the estates of his uncle, Rev. James Baker, in 1768 and added Holroyd on the death of his own father in 1778.

In 1760, upon entering the Army, he led a mounted light infantry regiment called the Royal Foresters under the command of John Manners, Marquess of Granby. After the war, he was promoted to the rank of captain. It took almost 20 years before his service was called again, into war among several European powers. He started as a major and rose to the ranks of colonel when put up his own cavalry, the 22nd Regiment of Light Dragoons, during the Anglo-France War.

In 1763 he travelled for a while on the Continent and in 1764 at Lausanne, Switzerland he became close friends with the writer and historian Edward Gibbon, later the author of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. On his return he used his inherited wealth to buy in 1769 the country house of Sheffield Hall in Sussex for £31,000 from Lord De La Warr. In 1780 he was elected to represent Coventry in the House of Commons, where he was prominent against the anti-Catholic Lord George Gordon and the Gordon rioters.

In 1781 he was created a Peer of Ireland as Baron Sheffield, of Dunamore in the County of Meath, and in 1783 was further created Baron Sheffield, of Roscommon in the County of Roscommon, with a special remainder in favour of his daughters. As Irish peerages they did not interrupt his Parliamentary career and he was re-elected for Coventry in 1781 and for Bristol in 1790. His Parliamentary career did end however in 1802, when he was created a Peer of the United Kingdom as Baron Sheffield, of Sheffield in the County of York. In 1816, he was also created Viscount Pevensey and Earl of Sheffield in the Peerage of Ireland.

In 1783 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.

He married Abigail Way, daughter of Lewis Way of Richmond, Surrey with whom he had a son and two daughters. Abigail died in 1793. In 1795 he married The Hon. Lucy Pelham (22 February 1763 – 18 January 1797), daughter of Thomas Pelham, 1st Earl of Chichester. His third marriage was to Lady Anne North (16 February 1760 – 18 January 1832), the daughter of the former Prime Minister Lord North on 20 January 1798. Lord Sheffield died in 1821 and was buried in the Sheffield family mausoleum attached to the north transept of the Church of St Mary and St Andrew, Fletching, East Sussex. When Edward Gibbon died in 1794 while visiting Lord Sheffield, he too had been buried in the same mausoleum as a mark of respect. The Holroyd family are commemorated in the surrounding panels. The Earl's son and grandson succeeded in turn as second and third Earls of Sheffield, the latter being a well-known patron of cricket and on whose death the earldom became extinct.

The Earl of Sheffield's daughter Maria Josepha married John Stanley, 1st Baron Stanley of Alderley on 11 October 1796, and therefore the Irish barony, under the special remainder, later passed to Edward Stanley, 4th Baron Stanley of Alderley, who thus became the fourth Baron Sheffield.

Works and publications
In 1783, he wrote his opinions on the state of trade and commerce between Great Britain and its former subject America. The pamphlet Observations on the Commerce of the American States (Dublin, 1783), which ran six editions, made a comparative analysis of export and import calendar between two countries. It chronicled the amount of traded staple commodities during the prosperous year of 1773 and its disastrous year a decade later, the fluctuations in exports and imports during peacetime and war, and all the imports and exports to West Indies among many others. The Observations was written in opposition to the bill introduced by William Pitt in 1783, proposing to relax the navigation laws in favour of the United States. Pitt abandoned the proposal after it received considerable opposition. Edward Gibbon later said that in the Observations, "[t]he Navigation act, the Palladium of Britain, was defended, and perhaps saved, by his pen; and he proves, by the weight of fact and argument, that the mother-country may survive and flourish after the loss of America".

In 1790, he published Observations on the Project for Abolishing the Slave Trade, in which he took a conservative position on the debate over abolitionism, condemning the "inconsiderate and impracticable manner in which a great proportion of the community profess a disposition to relieve Negroes from slavery." Fearful of interfering with the right of enslavers to their human "property", he claimed that "nothing is more vain and empty than the idea that the British Legislature could immediately abolish slavery", and commended what he perceived as the "disposition shewn by the West-Indian assemblies to do everything that might be suggested for the advantage of the Negroes."

In Observations on the Manufactures, Trade, and Present State of Ireland (London, 1785), he also talked about the free trade and why Ireland and Great Britain should not proceed with its tariff war on their respective products like wool, woolens, cattle produce, fisheries, and variety of manufactures.

But in terms of agriculture, he maintained a more protectionist stance. He supported discussions on the agriculture to be of paramount importance as it tends to the true greatness and stability of a nation.

He opposed the kingdom's reliance on importation of corn, wheat, and other grains. He then published a series of pamphlet that tackles how the parliament should take care of its food production. On Observations on the Corn Bill (London, 1791), he advocated in higher yet stable price of corn, cultivate inferior land instead of using it for pasture, and emphasized that higher corn price is beneficial for manufactures.

He continued with Remarks on the Deficiency of the Grain; on the means of Present Relief, and of Future Plenty (London, 1800) where he expressed his displease on attacks against farmers on the suspicions that they are keeping the finest flour for themselves. He also asserted in his pamphlet that having rich farmers is of an utmost benefit to the society because they improve agriculture and keep the stocks of grain without too much stress to the public.

At a speech delivered in the House of Commons on 30 July 1801 he criticised the large sum they paid for importation of grain from foreign countries that arose from scarcity of grain and might result to creating a "dangerous policy of feeding the people at the public expense" (The Annual Biography and Obituary, Volume 6, 1822)

In 1803 he served as the President of the Board of Agriculture and, as a farmer himself, was considered as an authority in matters of land cultivation.

He also showed interest in maintaining the wool export. He published a volume on the topic of wool and woolen trading. First, he opposed restraining the exportation of the raw material in his Observations on the Objections made to the Exportation of Wool from Great Britain to Ireland in 1800. And in the next decade, he released a series of pamphlet from 1809 to 1812 On the Trade in Wool and Woollens where he noticed the weakening export to the American states. He then advocated for the importation of sheep from Spain to be bred. The same sentiments re-appeared after a decade in his Report at the Meeting at Lewes Wool Fair between 1818 and 1820.

His passion for local economy is also present in maritime industry. In his Strictures on the necessity of inviolably maintaining the Navigation and Colonial System of Great Britain (London, 1804), he pointed out that the suspension of Navigation Laws that rendered England as a free port injures every branch of the British marine. Opening up the port is deemed disadvantageous and discouraging to the seamen, shipbuilders and shipbuilding trade, and in contrary to the interest of their naval force.

Despite his opinions being heralded as abreast with time, his views sometimes were considered as short-sighted and insular (Dictionary of Political Economy Volume 3, Palgrave, p. 390). An example is his conservative stance on the abolition of slavery, where he commented on slave trade reformers that "not one of them had the candour to come forward and say, that those whose property was to be sacrificed in this pursuit should have any compensation whatever for their losses."


text:
Fidelis of Sigmaringen

Fidelis of Sigmaringen, OFM Cap. (1577 - 1622) was a German Capuchin friar who was involved in the Catholic Counter-Reformation. He was martyred by his opponents at Seewis im Prättigau, now part of Switzerland. Fidelis was canonized in 1746.

Early life
He was born Mark Roy or Rey in 1577, in Sigmaringen, a town in modern-day Germany, then under the Principality of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. His father's name was John Rey, a spaniard. He studied law and philosophy at the University of Freiburg.

Roy subsequently taught philosophy at this university, ultimately earning the degree of Doctor of Law. During his time as a student he did not drink wine, and wore a hair-shirt. He was known for his modesty, meekness and chastity.

In 1604, Rey accompanied, as preceptor (teacher-mentor), three young Swabian gentlemen on their travels through the principal parts of Europe. During six years of travel, he attended Mass very frequently. In every town they came to, he visited the hospitals and churches, passed several hours on his knees in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, and was generous to the poor, sometimes giving them the very clothes off his back.

Upon his return, he practiced law as a counselor or advocate, at Colmar in Alsace, France, where he came to be known as the 'poor man's lawyer'. He scrupulously forbore all invectives, detractions, and whatever might affect the reputation of any adversary. Disenchanted with the evils associated with his profession, he determined to join his brother George as a member of the Capuchin friars.

Life as a friar
Upon entering the Capuchin order, the guardian gave him the religious name Fidelis, the Latin word for "faithful", alluding to that text from the Book of Revelation which promises a crown of life to him who shall continue faithful to the end. He finished his novitiate and studies for the priesthood, saying his first Mass at the Capuchin friary in Freiburg on 4 October 1612 (the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, founder of the order).

As soon as Fidelis finished his course of theology, he was immediately employed in preaching and in hearing confessions. He became guardian of the Capuchin friary in Weltkirchen, Feldkirch, (in present-day Austria). During a severe epidemic in a city, Fidelis cared for and cured many sick soldiers. Many residents of the town and neighboring places were reformed by his zealous labors, and several Calvinists were converted. The Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith commissioned Fidelis to preach in the Graubünden, now a canton of eastern Switzerland. Eight other Capuchin friars were to be his assistants, and they labored in this mission under his direction.

The Calvinists of that territory, being incensed at his success in converting their brethren, loudly threatened Fidelis' life, and he prepared himself for martyrdom. Ralph de Salis and another Calvinist gentleman were both converted by his missionary efforts. Fidelis and his companions entered into Prättigau, a small district of Graubünden, in 1622, on the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6. The effects of his ardent zeal, about which the Bishop of Coire sent a lengthy and full account to the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, enraged the Calvinists in that province.

On 24 April 1622, Fidelis made his confession, celebrated Mass and then preached at Grüsch. At the end of his sermon, which he had delivered with more than ordinary zeal, he stood silent all of a sudden, with his eyes fixed upon Heaven, in ecstasy. He foretold his death to several persons in the clearest terms, and began signing his letters, P. Fidelis, prope diem esca vermium ("Father Fidelis, in days ahead to become food for worms"). After the service at Grüsch he and several companions traveled to Seewis. His companions noted that he was particularly cheerful.

Death
On 24 April, in a campaign organized by the Habsburgs, Fidelis was preaching under protection of some Austrian imperial soldiers in the Church at Seewis with the aim of reconverting the people of Seewis to Catholicism. During the sermon, his listeners were called "to arms" by the Calvinist agitators outside. Some of the people went to face the Austrian troops outside the church. Fidelis had been persuaded by the remaining Catholics to immediately flee with the Austrian troops out of Seewis, which he did, but then returned alone to Grüsch. On his way back he was confronted by 20 Calvinist soldiers who demanded unsuccessfully that he renounce the Catholic faith, and when he refused, they subsequently murdered him.

A local account:

"From Grüsch he went to preach at Seewis, where, with great energy, he exhorted the Catholics to constancy in the faith. After a Calvinist had discharged his musket at him in the Church, the Catholics entreated him to leave the place. He answered that death was his gain and his joy, and that he was ready to lay down his life in God's cause. On his road back to Grüsch, he met twenty Calvinist soldiers with a minister at their head. They called him a false prophet, and urged him to embrace their sect. He answered: 'I am sent to you to confute, not to embrace your heresy. The Catholic religion is the faith of all ages, I fear not death.' One of them beat him down to the ground by a stroke on the head with his backsword. Fidelis rose again on his knees, and stretching forth his arms in the form of a cross, said with a feeble voice 'Pardon my enemies, O Lord: blinded by passion they know not what they do. Lord Jesus, have mercy on me. Mary, Mother of God, succor me!.' Another sword stroke clove his skull, and he fell to the ground and lay in a pool of his own blood. The soldiers, not content with this, added many stab wounds to his body with their long knives, and hacked-off his left leg, as they said, to punish him for his many journeys into those parts to preach to them."

Veneration
It is said that a Catholic woman lay concealed near the place of Fidelis' martyrdom as the saint was slain. After the soldiers had left, she came out to assess the incident and found the martyr's eyes open, fixed on the heavens. He was buried by Catholics the next day.

The rebels were soon after defeated by the imperial troops, an event which the martyr had foretold. The Protestant minister who had participated in Fidelis' martyrdom was converted by this circumstance, made a public abjuration of Calvinism and was received into the Catholic Church.

After six months, the martyr's body was found to be incorrupt, but his head and left arm were separated from his body. The body parts were then placed into two reliquaries, one sent to the Cathedral of Coire, at the behest of the bishop, and laid under the High Altar; the other was placed in the Capuchin church at Weltkirchen, Feldkirch, Austria.

Saint Fidelis' feast day in the Catholic Church is celebrated on 24 April.

title: Fidelis of Sigmaringen


text:
Template talk:Portal

Template-protected edit request on 22 February 2024
Please change the image of the Islam portal to this image according to the discussion on WikiProject Islam ☆SuperNinja2☆ 06:36, 22 February 2024 (UTC)
 * ✅ ... but that is not a consensus as no one else responded, and it was only open for three days. Therefore I will revert this change on request — Martin (MSGJ · talk) 13:07, 22 February 2024 (UTC)
 * As there is no consensus, it should be reverted. Zsohl (Talk)  12:21, 23 February 2024 (UTC)
 * @MSGJ It was stated that this change would be reverted upon request, Why is it not reverted? We don't reach a consensus and it is being opposed. Zsohl (Talk)  01:37, 28 February 2024 (UTC)
 * --- it looks like the discussion for change did not reach a consensus. If MSGJ wants to revert my reversion, I will defer to them. — hike395 (talk) 05:48, 28 February 2024 (UTC)
 * That's fine. I just didn't notice your post Zsohl until you pinged me — Martin (MSGJ · talk) 08:52, 28 February 2024 (UTC)

Edit request 23 February 2024
Description of suggested change: replace File:Psi2.svg -> File:Greek uc psi icon.svg --Mrmw (talk) 13:33, 23 February 2024 (UTC)

Diff: Mrmw (talk) 13:33, 23 February 2024 (UTC)
 * Is there a consensus for this change? Here's the difference:

 Psychology (current image) Psychology (proposed image)
 * Please link to a discussion, if any. I see that you have added this image to many pages without using edit summaries. Please use edit summaries, especially when editing template pages. – Jonesey95 (talk) 14:40, 23 February 2024 (UTC)

 * this file is part of new series, they are optmized and harmonized, please have a look at template on commons (see: c:Template:Other versions/Greek letters) --Mrmw (talk) 15:06, 23 February 2024 (UTC)
 * So no discussion, no consensus, no edit summaries? How is a template editor to know whether this is a reasonable change to make? – Jonesey95 (talk) 16:53, 24 February 2024 (UTC)
 * of course its resonable - i told you this file is part of new series of greek letters - do you have any questions? you can see these files at template on commons (see link above) --Mrmw (talk) 17:03, 24 February 2024 (UTC)
 * I looked at the link you provided, and then I asked a question that you have not yet answered. You have not provided any links showing that this is anything other than a personal project on Commons with no support beyond your own ideas about what looks better aesthetically. Another template editor may be willing to make this change on good faith, and I would not object, but I don't see a good reason to do so using my own template editor rights. Also, you continue to make edits without providing edit summaries, even after I posted a gentle warning message on your talk page. Sorry if that is frustrating. – Jonesey95 (talk) 03:23, 25 February 2024 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done for now: please establish a consensus for this alteration before using the template. —andrybak (talk) 00:55, 27 February 2024 (UTC)

Image edit request on 3 May 2024
Add  to Module:Portal/images/a to show up as the portal's icon in the WikiProject's banner and template. Assem Khidhr (talk) 01:20, 3 May 2024 (UTC)
 * ✅, except icon requires a link because it is CC licensed. — hike395 (talk) 11:42, 3 May 2024 (UTC)

Image edit request on 4 May 2024
Please add the following: Thanks! (talk | contribs) 07:55, 4 May 2024 (UTC)

 * .  P.I. Ellsworth  , ed.  put'er there 08:53, 4 May 2024 (UTC)

Template-protected edit request on 9 May 2024
Please change the icon for Portal:Psychiatry from File:American Lady Against The Sky.jpg to File:Psi and Caduceus.svg. Jeaucques Quœure (talk) 06:03, 9 May 2024 (UTC)
 * ✅ — hike395 (talk) 08:46, 9 May 2024 (UTC)

title: Template talk:Portal


text:
Saint Fidelis

Saint Fidelis may refer to:

 * Fidelis of Como (San Fedele) (died ca. 304 AD), Italian soldier-saint
 * Fidelis of Sigmaringen (1577-1622), Capuchin friar martyred in the Counter-Reformation
 * Basilica of St. Fidelis, the Cathedral of the Plains

title: Saint Fidelis


text:
Byzantine (band)

Byzantine is an American heavy metal band from Charleston, West Virginia, that was formed in 2000. As of March 2016, the band consists of frontman and co-founder Chris "OJ" Ojeda (guitar, vocals), Brian Henderson (guitar), Matt Bowles (drums) and Ryan Postlethwait (bass). The band has released three studio albums on Prosthetic Records along with two independent albums. Byzantine is known for its unique sound and modern, "forward thinking" musical style which explores different musical territories and song structures.

The band split on January 26, 2008, one day after the release of their third album, due to various circumstances, but reunited in 2010. In March 2016, Metal Blade Records announced that they had signed the band to a worldwide deal and that they would be releasing a new album in July 2017.

History
Byzantine was formed in the spring of 2000 by bassist Chris "Cid" Adams, lead guitarist Tony Rohrbough, drummer Jeremy Freeman, and vocalist/rhythm guitarist Chris "OJ" Ojeda after their former bands, New Family and Temper, disbanded. Byzantine wrote four songs, then seven more songs were written, and 2000–2001 Demos was recorded and self-released in 2001. Soon after, Byzantine became a part of the local West Virginian heavy metal scene.

Subsequently, the band recruited local musician Matt Wolfe as a drummer. Ten songs featuring Wolfe were recorded in 2003 at Broadmoor Studios in Huntington, West Virginia and were released as The Broadmoor Demo, arousing the interest of Lamb of God's drummer Chris Adler. Byzantine then had a short East Coast tour with Lamb of God. This tour helped them obtain new fans and a deal with Prosthetic Records.

Soon after Byzantine released their debut album The Fundamental Component in February 2004, which introduced the band's trademark sound. Subsequently, Byzantine toured with Lamb of God and Shadows Fall as well as playing the main stage of New England Metal and Hardcore Festival in 2004 (and later in 2006). Chris "Cid" Adams was soon fired, and Byzantine returned to the studio to record their second album in 2005: ...And They Shall Take Up Serpents, with Tony Rohrbough taking over bass duties in the studio. The album received high praise both abroad and domestically.

A 2007 fan-oriented DVD titled Salvation, featuring exclusive material, scenes, in-studio clips, interviews, the uncut version of the "Jeremiad" music video and the performance of the never-before released "Cradle Song", increased the band's popularity. On January 22, 2008, the band's third studio album Oblivion Beckons was released. The band announced its break up one day after the release.

In March 2010, the band reunited and played local shows around West Virginia. The band members insisted that they had returned with the intention of carrying on Byzantine. However, it was announced on August 17, 2010, that original guitarist and founding member Tony Rohrbough would leave with the group. Brian Henderson then filled his role.

On January 26, 2012, it was announced the band was reunited with original lead guitarist Tony Rohrbough and had plans to record another album, which was to be self-funded. On February 26, 2013, their self-titled album was released. Bassist Michael "Skip" Cromer left the band due to finding religion.

On May 29, 2014, it was publicized that Byzantine would be recording their fifth album that September when producer Jay Hannon returned to West Virginia with new guitarist Brian Henderson and new bassist Sean Sydnor. On April 7, 2015, the studio album To Release Is to Resolve was released independently by Byzantine for the second time.

In March 2016, the band announced on media that they had signed a four-record contract with metal powerhouse label Metal Blade Records. It was announced that the band would begin recording in late summer 2016 for a spring 2017 release. The band finally entered the studio, once again working with Producer Jay Hannon. Byzantine recorded at Byzantine Studios and 7 over 8 Studios. The release date of The Cicada Tree was pushed from spring to June 2 and ultimately was released on July 28, 2017. Byzantine then set out on their 1st true North American tour from mid September to October 2017, in support of thrash metal band Sacred Reich. Byzantine also introduced a new level of crowd interaction as a Tier on their Pledge Music drive. They gave 1 fan the option to buy a tier that allowed them to pick 75% of that night's set list. The Byz Boss was well received by concert goers.

Musical style, influences and lyrical themes
Byzantine plays progressive thrash, which was compared by Decibel Magazine to Testament and Megadeth, with power groove moves comparable to Meshuggah or Lamb of God, and occasional clean vocals. The band's former record label, Prosthetic Records, has also compared them to Pantera. Byzantine plays technical metal and retro-minded Bay Area thrash. Their music has been described as simultaneously melodic and aggressive. Byzantine also occasionally incorporates instrumental parts in their songs and spoken word vocals. The guitar solos alone move from fast parts to progressive to jazz. The band also uses acoustic guitar and tribal-esque drum beats.

Byzantine plays very modern metal, exploring different musical territories or song structures, and has been labeled as a "forward-thinking" band. Growing up in West Virginia has helped Byzantine develop a unique sound. "We are quite alienated from any big scene", explains Ojeda. "Therefore, we tend to think for ourselves a lot more when writing material."

The Gauntlet states "The Fundamental Component is characterized by long songs, melodic thrash and Tony Rohrbough's scathing guitar solos while still embracing technical chaos and the violent groove of bassist Chris Adams and drummer Matt Wolfe." Byzantine singer/guitarist Chris Ojeda says "I think we have a knack for achieving a good balance of chaos and melody". Liz Ciavarella from Metal Maniacs magazine uses formulations such as "Scrupulous time-shifts and strategically- [sic]placed off-beats; forever infectious grooves, breakdowns (Thrashdowns?) and ceaseless experimentation that end in intricate catchy Metal mantras" to describe Byzantine's style.

Byzantine frontman Chris Ojeda, who plays guitar while singing, is considered to be in the tradition of James Hetfield, Dave Mustaine, Max Cavalera, Mikael Akerfeldt, and Chuck Schuldiner.

Lyrically the band is influenced by such bands as Meshuggah, Carcass and Opeth and focuses on problems indigenous to their home, such as religion in American society.

Current members

 * Chris "OJ" Ojeda – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (2000–present)
 * Tony Rohrbough – lead guitar (2000–2013, 2024 - present)
 * Brian Henderson – lead guitar (2010, 2013–present), backing vocals (2013–present)
 * Matt Bowles – drums (2016–present)
 * Ryan Postlethwait – bass (2018–present)

Former members

 * Jeremy Freeman – drums (2000–2002)
 * Matt Wolfe – drums (2002–2015) (died 2021)
 * Chris "Cid" Adams – bass (2000–2004)
 * Michael "Skip" Cromer – bass (2004–2013)
 * Sean Sydnor – bass (2013–2018)

Studio albums

 * The Fundamental Component – (2004, Prosthetic Records)
 * ...And They Shall Take Up Serpents – (2005, Prosthetic Records)
 * Oblivion Beckons – (2008, Prosthetic Records)
 * Byzantine – (2013, self-released)
 * To Release Is to Resolve – (2015, self-released)
 * The Cicada Tree – (2017, Metal Blade Records)

Extended plays

 * Black Sea Codex – (2022, WV Snakepit)

Demos

 * 2000–2001 Demos – (2001, Caustic Eye Productions)
 * Broadmoor – (2003, full-length demo, also known as European Sampler, DK Entertainment/KMS)

Other
The band was featured on two tribute albums in which they recorded an exclusive cover song for each.

 * On Your Knees: The Tribute To Judas Priest – (2007, Crimson Mask Records)
 * For the Sick, a tribute to Eyehategod – (2007, Emetic Records)
 * The Broadmoor Demo – (2009, originally as a bootleg recording of The Fundamental Component by Crash Music Inc., later officially released )

Videography

 * Jeremiad: A Video by Donnie Searls – (2006, Mini-DVD, Atma)
 * Salvation – (2007, DVD, Prosthetic Records)
 * "Soul Eraser" – (2013)
 * The Agonies – (2015, Screaming Butterfly Entertainment, directed by Holly Siders, MA, MFA)
 * You Sleep, We Wake (Lyric Video) – (2015, Screaming Butterfly Entertainment, directed and animated by Holly Siders, MA, MFA)
 * Justinian Code – (2016, Screaming Butterfly Entertainment, directed by Holly Siders, MA, MFA)
 * New Ways to Bear Witness – (2017, Screaming Butterfly Entertainment)

title: Byzantine (band)