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Talk:Jihad/Archive 4

Talk page is totally useless
This 'talk page' is totally useless. I see little meaningful discussion about the topic of "jihad."

A person can make an argument that Islam is inherently authoritarian, as the first respondent suggests in his -- frankly, incoherent -- post. As he seems to tacitly acknowledge, and then quickly casts to the side, an identical argument -- correction: perhaps a stronger argument -- can be made about Christianity. One must only point to the forced conversion of the European pagans, the Crusades, the Inquisition, the witch hunts, the blood libel, the invasion and conquest of the Americas -- all explicitly in the name of Christianity. And the violence continues. We have massacres in Uganda, carried out in the name of Christianity, violent Phalangists who adhere to Christianity, white supremacists and fundamentalists murdering abortion providers, all in the name of Christ. Even in the West, which has recently turned "secular," despicable policies are often sold to the public with barely concealed allusions to Christianity, or the Judeo-Christian tradition, or whatever.

Anybody who makes claims such as, "Christianity says THIS," or "Islam says THAT," simply doesn't know what they are talking about. There is not one Christianity or one Islam or one Judaism, but a collection of radically different and often contradictory interpretations of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. I find it difficult to believe that a "substantial" percentage of Dutch Muslims support the death penalty for people who criticize Islam. I would agree that, for (actually, quite recent) historical reasons, there is a problem with fundamentalism in the Muslim world; but the problem is with religious fanaticism, not Islam.

But again, this has absolutely nothing to do with "jihad." Until someone can come up with a real discussion that addresses the issue of "jihad," I'm going to delete the "warning." - Joe pythag3@yahoo.de

Yes, remove this talk page. It is filled with useless drivel---Jim, unity_of_one@hotmail.com

fdhfdhf

Reverted vast landscapes of anonymous POV edits
... that reinserted, for instance, the myth that the Qur'an promises 72 virgins, and deleted, for instance, the Qur'an's actual teachings on matters of warfare ... much of this has been debated at length. See the archives. Instead of hijacking the article anonymously, please see talk page or discuss specific edits to specific sections here. BrandonYusufToropov 17:52, 11 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Edits by 165.247.42.41
Most of these edits seem excessively POV and should be reverted. But some of them do add new information. I was going to just mass revert his changes but I have not been working on this article at all so I thought it would be better to point it out and let others debate what to change back. The anonymous author seems to be of the opinion that suicide bombing and terrorism against civilians is much more popular among Muslims than it really is, and even makes the claim that there are no "liberal" Muslims anywhere. I think a lot of it should be reverted. Also the poll he points to should be clarified -- these are Muslim Palestinians on the West Bank being interviewed, not Muslims around the world. I think the article had a lot of POV problems before, but these edits make it a lot worse. --csloat 18:59, 11 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Still more undiscussed anonymous edits
Hi there 80.58.4.42 -- consider this relevant quote, which struck me as appropriate and not, perhaps taken into account in your undiscussed anonymous edit:

'''Jihad, therefore, does not mean every single battle fought by any Middle-Eastern soldier, who may be anything from a Marxist to a member of a private bodyguard, and not a martyr for God. Many battles have nothing whatsoever to do with Islam. The Qur'an is quite clear on the limits that define jihad .... Women children, and the old and the sick are not to be harmed ...'''

There are a lot of interesting names for the phenomenon you're writing about, but Jihad is not one of them, regardless of what Western media sources may have to say about it.

Thanks again for stopping in 80.58.4.42, I hope to hear more from you here on the talk page BrandonYusufToropov 18:18, 12 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Jihad today includes murder of innocent civilians
It would be funny if it wasn't sad to read the apologetic twistings by Torporov, some self-proclaimed Russian Jew who converted to Catholicism and then Islam. As with most late in life converts to any religion, he sees his newfound religion as perfect, and he refuses to acknowledge the ugliness in any of its religious practice, instead falling back repeatedly on the argument that in effect is "No, even though Al Qaeda refers to its Jihad against 'Crusaders and Jews', even though Egyptian Islamic Jihad refers over and over again to Jihad in its murderous attacks against innocent people, and even though Al Qaeda sympathizers repeatedly invoke Jihad when murdering innocent people, Jihad is really only what I Mr. Torporov say it is". That reminds me of Communists who used to say "The Soviet Union was not Communist! Mao's China was not Communist!  There is no need to discuss the Soviet Union and Mao's China when talking about Communism!"

There are many great aspects to Islam, as with most any religion that can survive for hundreds of years. But, it does no good to pretend there are not problems. Just like it is foolish and dangerous for the Catholic Church to deny that there are more than a few priests throughout the world (not just in the USA, but across Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia too) who violate their priestly vows by engaging in sexual abuse of children, so too is it foolish and dangerous to deny that Jihad is invoked by more than a few Muslims today to justify the murder of innocent civilians. No one has argued that most Catholics or most Catholic priests abuse children or condone child abuse. No one has argued that most Muslims condone the murderous self-proclaimed Jihad of Al Qaeda, the many different terror groups that call themselves Islamic Jihad, and similar Islamist terror groups that murder innocent civilians. However, Torporov either wants to pretend these groups and their wide bases of support do not exist (and they are certainly very relevant in any discussion of "Jihad"), or he wants to pretend that since he feels that Islam cannot justify murder that these groups are actually engaging in justifiable defensive moves and not murder, or he wants to pretend that these groups exist but they have not committed any violent acts at all.

No one edited out the detailed description of the history of Jihad. That was left in clear format for all to see. My opinion (which is not directly relevant to this discussion) is that Islam can and will continue to grow and improve in its commonly practiced forms, just as all religions that survive do. The Catholic Church has many ugly episodes in its past, yet in the past century has begun to make apologetic overtures towards many of the people that it wronged in the past, i.e., Orthodox Christians, Jews, and Muslims. I believe that in the decades to come, there will be courageous Muslim leaders with truly mass followings (not state-appointed leaders who the masses ignore or don't take seriously) who express clear condemnation and apologies for the wrong done by too many terror groups in the name of Islam and Jihad. Note that such courageous Muslim leaders would not be under any obligation to issue such apoligies -- only the terrorists and their supporters can be held accountable. But just like there are no Catholics alive who were involved in the brutality of the Crusades, yet the Catholic Church today expresses apologies and regrets of the evil actions of those who acted in its name, I believe courageous Muslim leaders with true mass followings will behave similarly in great gestures of peace, reconciliation, and apology.

 * The above unsigned garbage was written by "Peter chehabi" who I think is the same user as Enviroknot, who I think is also the jerk who was making these changes anonymously. User account "Peter chehabi appears to have been created exclusively to continue vandalizing this page.

 * And, just for the record, many Muslim organizations condemn terrorism.--csloat 22:46, 12 Jun 2005 (UTC)

And just for the record, you obviously didn't read any of the additions to the article. There is no evidence that those Muslim organizations represent large segments of Muslims anywhere. The condemnations out of Egyptian leaders are all state-appointed leaders. If you grew up in the region or follow the region in the news you would be well aware that the man on the street does not give a fig what the government's lackeys say. Also, to be very clear, it seems that you are "jumping the gun". Nowhere in the article does it say that majorities of Muslims support terror against innocents. It seems that you are being close-minded and not reading the article.

Why the whitewashing of Jihad, terror, and murder of innocents?
No one has deleted the lengthy discussion of the history of jihad.

That lengthy discussion is still there. But, what has been added are issues of modern relevance and modern context. It does not say anywhere that most Muslims believe jihad involves violence against innocents or even terrorist murders of innocent civilians. The additions show that this is how the term has been used by Al Qaeda and other terror groups such as the Islamic Jihad groups. Note that these terror groups all have Wikipedia entries.

No one is saying that all Muslims favor murder. No one is saying that any Muslims favor murder of innocents except for those Muslims in groups like Al Qaeda and Islamic Jihad. There are evil Muslims in this world just like there are evil Catholics, evil Hindus, evil Jews, evil atheists, evil Buddhists, evil Protestants, evil Orthodox Christians, etc. No one has said that the evil among any of those groups are a majority. There is plenty of context and information in the article all about the historical derivation of jihad and the way some Muslims condemn the terror attacks of groups like Al Qaeda and Islamic Jihad.

Stop being paranoid, PeterChehabi is not Environot
I don't give a fig who Envirowhatever is.

Ya'ani, ana lubnani. That good enough for you? I think that whoever is making those accusations is the spammer or vandal, since instead of responding on the issue of Jihad and terror in the modern world, the person(s) sidesteps the issue.

 * Well, if you're not Envirowhatever, it's awful curious that you created your user ID just today, specifically to edit this article, and you jump right into an edit war head first and talk smack on a discussion page without signing your posts. You're pretty bold, for your first day on Wikipedia.  --csloat 02:09, 13 Jun 2005 (UTC)

 * I doubt this guy is Enviroknot.Yuber(talk) 22:54, 13 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Read the opening sentence:
"In the Western media and among Islamic fundamentalist movements, the word jihad has gained connotations and meanings that in some cases are narrower and and in some cases different from its original meaning."

That is a pretty fair and balanced sentence. It specifically says that Western media and Islamic fundamentalist movemements have given "connotations and meanings" to Jihad that are narrower or different from its original meaning. It does not say that mainstream Muslims accept these meanings, and in fact the rest of the article still gives a very clear history and discussion of Jihad.

 * I'm willing to stop mass reverting this article and deal with specific edits -- I don't disagree with this particular sentence at all, but many of the edits seem to make exactly the point that you claim is not being said here.--csloat 02:12, 13 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Regarding a supposed "Edit War"
Sorry, no "edit war" here unless Sloat and BrandonYusufToropov are trying to have one. Toropov's POV pushing and rampant deletion of content doesn't stand.

Incidentally, while he's correct above in claiming that the Koran itself doesn't "promise" 72 Virgins, he sidesteps the issue because the Hadith clearly do and because the Koran still promises an unnamed number of either "virgins" or "angels dependent on your translation (along with, of course, a permanent and un-softening erection). linkEnviroknot 00:50, 13 Jun 2005 (UTC)

 * You do realize you quoted an article that talks about Houri not being virgins... not to mention there are other interpretations of it. gren 06:18, 13 Jun 2005 (UTC)

 * Please note that Enviroknot is a SOCKPUPPET of Kainthe Scion, against whom proceedings have been undertaken. BrandonYusufToropov 12:08, 13 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * That kind of pathetic accusation is your usual bad faith, Toropov.Enviroknot 12:52, 13 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Hi, just for my personal information , is there any hadeeth about this un-softening eternal erection , or is it just Syuooti. Farhansher 18:21, 13 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * The reference of the un-softening erection is from the renowned Koranic commentator Al-Suyuti who died in 1505: “the penis of the Elected never softens. The erection is eternal; the sensation that you feel each time you make love is utterly delicious and out of this world, and were you to experience it in this world you would faint.  Each chosen one will marry seventy houris, besides the women he married on earth, and all will have appetizing vaginas.”

 * So its not in Hadeeth....!!! Farhansher 20:08, 13 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Actually, it is. Al-Suyuti read it somewhere in his Koranic studies. Since in 1505 they did not spend much time actually referencing things properly, and because there are multiple versions of Hadith by different authors, knowing which Hadith he is referring to is difficult.

POV tag
Some of the edits are rather troubling. For instance "Even if the death of a martyr in a military operation is certain, many Muslims consider the act martyrdom rather than suicide." changing "Islamic militants" to "many Muslims" is a problem... in fact, neither are good ways... it's true that more than Islamic militants do support such missions but "many Muslims"? Many is an incredibly subjective word. In a class of 26, 15 students is many students... but in the population of about a billion Muslims what is many? Is 2,000,000 or are you trying to imply that maybe 100,000,000 support it? The truth is, we don't know how many support it. It's just conjecture. How about something like "an unknown number of Muslims are supportive"... why? because that's true and isn't misleading. That's just the first problem I have with this article... trying to change size descriptors to suit one's POV is not good. gren 04:16, 13 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Stop the edit war!
I put up a compromise version. If you want to revert those passages then justify the reversions. The claims I deleted are bogus. csloat 05:34, 13 Jun 2005 (UTC)

 * Obviously this page needs to be locked down, and Enviroknot should be banned from editing all pages, as well as the IPs he used to continue vandalizing this page. Anyone know how to go about doing this?  This is absurd.csloat 18:18, 13 Jun 2005 (UTC)

 * Considering that none of us are Enviroknot, that's quite a load of horse shit you're spouting. Besides, Wikipedia policy says remove personal attacks. Knock the vandalism off, Slowt.

 * It's not a personal attack. It's evidence of violation of Wikipedia policy.  It's curious that anonymous IPs keep vandalizing the talk page and the main page, always with the same edits.

 * Look, if you want to make edits please defend them. You have not defended them.  Some of the claims are outrageous; that is why they keep getting erased.  Present support for your points rather than going on an immature little jihad to shape this page to your POV.  You might learn that your fellow wikipedians are actually quite reasonable about making changes that make sense.  But simply calling everyone who disagrees with you an "Islamist vandal" is stupid and immature.  And, if you're not Environot, please sign your damn posts.--csloat 19:07, 13 Jun 2005

 * "None of us"? Careful. Or is that the royal "we," a la Queen Victoria? BrandonYusufToropov 19:19, 13 Jun 2005 (UTC)

 * I also move to protect this page and will support any move that bans user enviroknot and his/her band of anonymous IPs from editing this page. He/she is becoming nothing more than a nuisance to wikipedia editors and also a hypocrit as he/she makes personal attacks against others while saying that they should not make any against him/her. ALSO enviroknot and anon IPs, you do NOT have the right to edit other users messages in the talk page and making personal attacks against BrandonYusufToropov is not solving any disputes. --Anonymous editor 19:38, Jun 13, 2005 (UTC)
 * Ah yes, an Islamist sockpuppet pops up and demands that someone who's barely involved in this be banned. Go home Toropov and take your sockpuppet "Anonymous editor" with you.

Intervention
Ok guys. I've watched this revert war go back and forth even on this talk page. Let's sit down and figure some stuff out. Firstly I'm gonna assume a few things:

 * Everyone has read Civility
 * Everyone has read Assume good faith and understood it
 * Everyone agrees that a continuing revert war is pointless

So what are we gonna do about it? Perhaps we could start by everyone stating what they think is wrong and propose a solution to fix it. If you could be so kind as to fill me in on history if needed, I would really apprechiate it. The mic is yours gentlemen. Inter\Echo 19:35, 13 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * I have taken the liberty to protect the article, as the edit war seems to just continue. Can we have a friendly chat about it gentlemen? Inter\Echo 19:51, 13 Jun 2005 (UTC)

 * Edits of note:
 * 1) - However, there are no liberal Muslim movements that have significant power in any Muslim states, nor is it clear that such liberal Muslim movements have significant followings in any Muslim states. This is a matter of public record, documented and verified. Every Islamic-based state, and even states that are not Islamic but have enough of an Islamic presence that they have significant political power, is currently backsliding or worse on human rights and in the introduction of barbaric Sharia law. Islamists wish to remove this sentence because it presents an accurate picture of the current political situation in regard to Jihad.

 * 1) - A discussion of the military dimensions of jihad within Islam follows below. - the word in question is "below"; I think this merely has been caught up in the reverts, and is irrelevant to the discussion.

 * 1) - They are also likely to emphasize Islamic traditions that endorse tolerance for other religious and social groups. - Islamists seem to object to the "and social" section, because it exposes the fact that the war type of Jihad is as much about societal factors (such as the subjugation of certain tribes by other tribes as Mohammed did in his time) as it is about strictly "defending Dar-Al-Islam"(the domain of Islam) and subduing/converting "Dar Al-Harb (the domain of war).

 * 1) - Self-referencing tags in line 69: assuming these are incidental and not caught up in the discussion.

 * 1) - Notably, the brutal terrorist tactics used by Jihad groups against Israel, the United States, and European Union member states, the Philippines, and non-Muslim persons in Muslims states suh as Egypt and Turkey, has not led to a large outcry against the religious legitimacy of such groups. - Islamists object to the phrasing "brutal terrorist tactics"... I would believe that the word "terrorist" should probably be there, though "brutal" is never likely to pass POV muster.

 * 1) -  Some Muslims believe that a person who dies as a part of struggle against oppression as a shahid (religious martyr) is assured a place in Jannah (Paradise). Accounts in the hadith and the Qur'an of the exceptional rewards specifically awaiting martyrs...  - Islamist insertion is the word "Some"; inarguable as a point, as the Koran specifically states reward for all who fight in wars that are definitively Jihad. The weasel word "some" makes the sentence inaccurate.

 * 1) - The U.S. military's 2003 invasion of Iraq has sparked violent retaliation by a wide variety of opponents, some of who are relatively secular in orientation, others of whom are Islamist. Some of the groups have captured and murdered Iraqis and foreigners, as well as deliberately targeting innocent, non-combatant Iraqi civilians in murderous bombing and shooting attacks that kill/has killed up to several dozen people at a time. The beheading of civilians, even those involved with the United States military, has been denounced by some Islamic religious leaders, although it is often noted that these leaders have tended to be government-appointed leaders and are not necessarily reflective of the mass opinion in their communities or the opinions of popularly supported Islamic religious leaders. For example, in the Muslim world, the killing of Nick Berg was condemned by some. Scholars at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, state-controlled/run university, issued a declaration of condemnation, as did numerous Muslim groups in the West including the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Shiite Islamist group Hezbollah and Palestinian nationalist group Hamas denounced the murder, although at the same time both groups supported and carried out similar acts of violence and murder against innocent, non-combatant civilians. Hezbollah issued a statement calling it a "horrible act that does an immense wrong to Islam and Muslims by a group which falsely pretends to follow the precepts of the religion of pardon." - The Islamist version pretty much amounts to a whitewash here - as above, it is not hard to find rhetorical denunciations of "terrorism" (especially those which quickly add "but the Jews are the real terrorists"), but it is entirely hard to find sincere ones and even harder to find those with which the greater Muslim population actually agrees.

 * 1) - Some Iraqi conservative and fundamentalist religious leaders also denounced the killing, although it is uncertain how wide their following is. Furthermore, the Iraqi religious leaders who supported the execution generally do not preach in Western languages or speak to Western language media. Muthanna al-Dhari, a member of the Board of Muslim Clergy, said the act "does disservice to our religion and our cause. Even if he was military personnel he should be treated as a prisoner who, according to Shari'ah, must not be killed." Iyaad Samarrai of the Islamic Party commented "This is absolutely wrong. Islam does prohibit the killing or the maltreatment of prisoners."  - Questions of how large a following Clerics who produce statements intended for consumption for Western press are entirely valid, as is the point that the most extreme tend NOT to speak in Western languages at all.

 * 1) - === The Western Media === In the Western media and among Islamic fundamentalist movements, the word Jihad has gained connotations and meanings that in some cases are narrower and and in some cases different from its original meaning. Many non-Muslims initial, and in some cases only, exposure to the word Jihad has come from the activities of Al-Qaeda and its affiliates, Abu Sayyaf,Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, the Muslim Brotherhood, and other similar organizations that used the word Jihad in the context of attacks on and murders of non-combatant civilians as well as support for groups engaging in such activities. -- This exists in both versions, but keeps being moved by Islamists to its own section. Not sure why. Assuming it got caught up in the reversions, but I think it doesn't deserve its own section and should be in the main section.

There you have it. Mostly it's a NPOV issue; there are a number of determined Islamists who are determined that they should be able to whitewash this article, by removing factual information. This isn't the first article they have targeted.

 * Thank you. I will read this tomorrow and formulate some thoughts. If anyone else has something to add, I would like to see it. Inter\Echo 21:45, 13 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * A revert war over the talk page? Seeing as I am involved in this case now I will leave the administrative duties to others. Let's hope this calms down a bit tomorrow and perhaps then we can do something constructive. Inter\Echo 22:24, 13 Jun 2005 (UTC)

 * That's because there ARE no "liberal Muslims." I should know. I used to BE a Muslim. My parents came from Saudi Arabia. They tried to sell me in marriage to a 30 year old man when I was 12. I can't ever go home and I have to hide from my family because they will kill me for the "shame" I supposedly brought on the family when I left Islam.
 * This is what Mohammed's mysogynistic religion is all about. Keeping women barefoot and pregnant, nothing more than brood mares. Toropov and "Anonymous" should go rot in hell.

 * I don't think you can generalize your experience to over a billion people. It also has nothing to do with the issue at hand, which is the notion of jihad, not of women's rights; there are other pages to discuss that.  the stuff I removed from the page had to do with such generalizations about Muslims and terrorism.  It also had to do with the popularity of certain viewpoints in Iraq. It had nothing to do with your experience as a 12 year old in Saudi Arabia, which I think everyone here will agree about.  By the way, please sign your posts with a user name.--csloat 03:50, 14 Jun 2005 (UTC)

 * Oh really, Envirokno? You lived in Saudi Arabia and you were a girl?  Then you probably speak Arabic don't you?  Let's see if you understand this:

Kess ummak ya ibn el kalb. Mus zib abook. Please respond asap.Yuber(talk) 03:55, 14 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Wash your mouth out with soap, you mysoginistic Islamist fuck.

 * 38.112.194.37, You have vandalized Mel's page, removed my NPOV label and add POV rants like the above post wishing hell on other users. There are liberal Muslims... I know some, you got owned apparently, too bad, but it doesn't makes your point any more valid gren 04:08, 14 Jun 2005 (UTC)

 * Guys, this anonymous person who posted the Saudi Arabia story is obviously another sockpuppet/anon IP of enviroknot. HE WAS NEVER MUSLIM. I have been following his posts and he has posted this story in so many locations. He is just making up this story about him 'being a muslim' because he wants to insult me (user Anonymous editor) who is a convert to Islam and has been reverting the vandalism that enviroknot has done to Islam-related articles. It is truly sad to see that people are making personal attacks against other editors. I believe admin should step in and stop enviroknot's personal attacks and vandalism edits.
 * Many attacks by enviroknot and his anon IPs/sockpuppets can be seen on his user page, user SlimVirgin's page, prev versions of Anon editor's talk/user page, and in the edit history of the Saudi Arabia article. Peter is also another enviroknot puppet as his posts follow wherever enviroknot goes. How often do you change gender, enviro? -- Anonymous editor

 * Peter is not enviroknot's sockpuppet, please don't label him as one. His tone is totally different and he has given proof that he is a native Lebanese.Yuber(talk) 04:22, 14 Jun 2005 (UTC)

 * Agreed. Peter must realize, I (Anonymous editor) am not whitewashing anything. I was simply separating the article about what the west commonly considers to be Jihad from the 'general rule' because frankly what the west or extremists consider Jihad to be is not the general rule of Islam. Also there are liberals in every religion and thus there are liberals in Islam, the western media just does not give as much attention to them, but rather focuses on some extreme groups. I don't think we need the western media POV to be reflected in the entire article. Anonymous editor

 * No, "Anonymous editor" is just a mysogynistic Islamist fuck like Yuber who tries to whitewash that racist religion.At least Peter has the decency to tell the truth about Islam rather than whitewashing it. It's so hard to find honorable men in a world full of Islamist shits like you.

 * I'll ignore the previous statement because I know that in enviroknot's opinion anything that is factual is considered 'whitewashing'. If it were up to him this entire article would be right-wing christian propaganda. I'll just leave him to his own abnormally large ego and personal attacks. -- Anonymous editor

 * And if it were up to you, the whole of Wikipedia would be one big advertisement saying "convert to Islam it's great, look you get four wives and everything." Fuck that and fuck you, you mysogynistic creep.

 * I am saddened that you find offence that I converted to Islam. Unlike you, I looked through the bigotry and found the real meaning behind Islam which is quite contrary to the personal attacks you are making against it. I don't like extremism in any religion either and you should realize that you are being nothing more than an extremist. -- Anonymous editor

 * Islam is slavery of women. Nothing more and nothing less. I HAVE BEEN THERE AND LEFT, I KNOW MORE ABOUT IT THAN YOU EVER WILL. That you fell for it is an indication that you have a weak mind, that your wife fell for it indicates that she's even worse and needs to be clued in. Go rot in hell with Mohammed.

 * More personal attacks. Hey, enviroknot, maybe you like people running around like prostitutes but in Islam we have rules for life. If that is considered slavery, then that shows how misinformed you are. 4 times as many women convert to Islam then men (as did my wife). The fact that you are telling me to 'go rot in hell' and that lying you were 'once muslim' is further indication of how stupidly pathetic and racist you have become that you would resort to personal attacks and lies. Keep your fingers crossed, truly one day you will indeed 'rot in hell'. -- Anonymous editor
 * Look you Islamist fuck, I left Islam because I wanted to be EQUAL TO ANY MALE. Your wife may have fun being nothing but a stupid brood mare, I wanted more out of life. "4 times as many women convert to Islam then men" is pure bullshit and you know it. You just lost any and all capability to claim ANY moral high ground when you started the usual Islamist line about how any strong woman is a "prostitute." Go rot in hell and I hope your wife comes to her senses and chops your dick off in the middle of the night.

Gals !!!! dont U ever ever chop off your husbands' dick in the middle of the night. Lol...atlast this islamphobe has come down to what he/she/it really is, a racist , illeterate , dum bigot !!! . Btw, being a Saudi , your translation of Yuber's sentence was wrong. That also makes U a liar & hypocrite. So just shut the fuck up & go back to the sewers U belong. Also say hi to your gurus from my side. Farhansher 05:57, 14 Jun 2005 (UTC)

 * Man, enviroknot, let it go. The truth is out and you were never muslim in the first place. This is getting old really fast and your stories about 'leaving Islam' (written through your anon IPs), though hilariously pathetic, are clearly one of your new inventions for your anti-Islamic POV. Perhaps why you so eagerly play various inter-gender roles in your stories is because your wife has already 'chopped off' your thing. Btw, I think you misinterpreted my last message.'strong women'? Please learn to understand english.You keep repeating the same words over and over: hell and islamist, and don't worry maybe by repeating yourself over and over again, you in your mind will find this moral higher ground that you are looking for, I mean it sure makes you sound intelligent (sarcasm). Your repetitive use of profanity clearly shows how pathetic you are. Perhaps what you mean by 'wanting more out of life' is going through Islam-related articles on an encyclopedia and vandalizing them. Surely, you are the only extremist( and racist) here and you still keep saying that I am a so-called "Islamist". If to you that is what I am then so be it, I rather be that then the pathetic mindless, racist vandal that you are. -- Anonymous editor

title: Talk:Jihad/Archive 4


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User:Simontzu~enwiki

http://www.simontzu.org

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

title: User:Simontzu~enwiki


text:
Category:History of West Yorkshire

History of West Yorkshire.

title: Category:History of West Yorkshire


text:
Portal:Trains/Anniversaries/June 16/More

19th century

 * 1867 – The Fonda, Johnstown and Gloversville Railroad is incorporated.

20th century

 * 1938 – The Pike's Peak Cog Railway in Colorado operates gasoline-powered railcar number 7, the first rack railcar in the world, for the first time.
 * 1947 – The last passenger service is operated on the Nickey line.
 * 1950 – Copper Range Railroad's coal unloading dock at Houghton, Michigan, is razed.
 * 1953 – New York Central ends steam locomotive operation on the former Michigan Central Railroad with a train pulled by 4-6-4 number 5434.
 * 1974 – The Milwaukee Road ends operation of its electric locomotives in Montana and Idaho. Trains over the Rocky Mountains are now solely powered by diesels.
 * 1977 – Construction begins on the Minsk Metro.

21st century

 * 2005
 * Former Seibu Railway chairman Yoshiaki Tsutsumi pleads guilty at the opening of his trial in Japan on charges of insider trading and falsifying financial records.
 * 26 of 60 tank cars carrying fuel oil derail near Rzhev, Russia (about 200 km / 125 miles northwest of Moscow), sending a very large amount of oil into the ground contaminating Moscow's water supply and the Volga River after flowing down the Vazuza River from the accident site. The derailment damaged about 400 m (1,312 ft) of track, about half of the damaged track will require complete replacement.  It is not yet known if this incident is related to the bomb that was exploded on June 12 that derailed a passenger train.
 * Members of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen begin a strike at 5:45 AM EDT at about 30 locations on the Norfolk Southern (NS) system; a temporary restraining order issued by a US Federal court in Roanoke, Virginia, ended the strike within an hour. The dispute was over a provision that allowed NS to use nonunion workers on some maintenance contracts.

Births

 * 1804 – Alvin Adams, founder of Adams Express, an LCL package delivery company (d. 1877).
 * 1840 – William F. Nast, president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway September 1868, is born (d. 1893).


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Watut River

The Watut River is a river in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea, a tributary of the Markham River. It is known as rough river full of canyons and over 150 rapids, making it suitable for adventurous white-water rafting.

In May 2005 three Israeli tourists died when attempting to raft down the river. The river had been swollen from heavy rains causing it to be more dangerous than usual. Eight Israelis and the Papua New Guinean guide survived the tragedy.

title: Watut River


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John Robert Gregg

John Robert Gregg (17 June 1867 – 23 February 1948) was an Irish educator, publisher, humanitarian, and the inventor of the eponymous shorthand system Gregg Shorthand.

Childhood
John Robert Gregg was born in Shantonagh, Ireland, as the youngest child of Robert and Margaret Gregg, where they remained until 1872, when they moved to Rockcorry, County Monaghan. Robert Gregg, who was of Scottish ancestry, was station-master at the Bushford railway station in Rockcorry. He and his wife raised their children as strict Presbyterians, and sent their children to the village school in Rockcorry, which John Robert Gregg joined in 1872. On his second day of class, John Robert was caught whispering to a schoolmate, which prompted the schoolmaster to hit the two children's heads together. This incident profoundly damaged Gregg's hearing for the rest of his life, rendering him unable to participate fully in school, unable to understand his teacher. This ultimately led to John Robert unnecessarily being perceived as dull or mentally disabled by his peers, teachers, and family.

In 1877, one of Robert Gregg's friends, a journalist named Annesley, visited the village for a weekend. He was versed in Pitman Shorthand, and took verbatim notes of the sermon at the village church, causing the preacher to sweat and stutter, out of fear that his sermon, which he had plagiarized from a famous preacher, would be made public through Annesley's notes. That day, Robert Gregg saw the shorthand skill as a powerful asset, so he made it mandatory for his children to learn Pitman shorthand, with the exception of John, who was considered by his family too "simple" to learn it. None of the children succeeded in fully learning the system. On his own, John Robert learned a different shorthand system, that of Samuel Taylor, published in a small book by Odell. He taught himself the system fully, since he did not require the ability to hear in order to learn from the book.

Due to hardships on the family, Gregg had to leave school before the age of 13 in order to support his family's income. He worked in a law office, earning five shillings a week.

Career
Gregg said he initially set out to improve the English adaptation by John Matthew Sloan of the French Prévost Duployé Shorthand, while working with one of Sloan's sales agents, Thomas Malone. Malone published a system called Script Phonography, of which Gregg asserted a share in authorship was owed to him. Angered by Malone, Gregg resigned from working with him and, encouraged by his older brother Samuel, published and copyrighted his own system of shorthand in 1888. It was put forth in a brochure entitled Light-Line Phonography: The Phonetic Handwriting which he published in Liverpool, England.

In 1893, he emigrated to the United States. That year he published Gregg Shorthand with great success. Gregg settled in Chicago where he wrote many books for the Gregg Publishing Company on shorthand and business practices.

title: John Robert Gregg


text: User talk:216.49.223.67

title: User talk:216.49.223.67


text:
Flemming Rasmussen

Flemming Rasmussen (born 1 January 1958) is a Danish sound engineer, record producer, and owner and founder of Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen. He is chief sound engineer at Sweet Silence Studios.

Biography
Throughout his career, Rasmussen has worked with many different music genres, but is best known for his work with heavy metal.

Rasmussen began his career as an assistant at the Rosenberg Studios facility run by producer/engineer Freddy Hansson. In 1976, Hansson founded the Sweet Silence Studios and brought Rasmussen with him. In 1980, Rasmussen became co-owner of the studio, and one year later became an engineer, recording the 1981 album Difficult to Cure by Rainbow. This subsequently attracted Metallica, who brought in Rasmussen to work on their album Ride the Lightning (1984). The partnership continued through to the proceeding two studio albums, Master of Puppets (1986) and ...And Justice for All (1988).

He also produced the Morbid Angel album Covenant, Blind Guardian's albums Imaginations from the Other Side, The Forgotten Tales and Nightfall in Middle-Earth, Artillery's By Inheritance and Ensiferum's Iron, amongst others. In 1999 he took over Sweet Silence, which was demolished in 2009 to make way for an apartment complex and a car park. Rasmussen then moved to Winding Road Studios in Copenhagen. He then left in January 2014 to reopen Sweet Silence in Helsingør north of Copenhagen, under the name of Sweet Silence North.

Rasmussen won a Grammy for producing Metallica's "One" in 1989. In 1994, the Danish Grammys recognized him as producer of the year for his work on Sort Sol's Glamourpuss. Flemming also worked with Evile on their debut Enter the Grave in 2007. and Monte Pittman "The Power of Three" in 2014.

As producer

 * Rainbow - Difficult to Cure (1981)
 * Metallica - Ride the Lightning (1984)
 * Metallica - Master of Puppets (1986)
 * Metallica - ...And Justice for All (1988)
 * Artillery - By Inheritance (1990)
 * Pretty Maids - Sin-Decade (1992) (co-producer)
 * Sort Sol - Glamourpuss (1993)
 * Morbid Angel - Covenant (1993)
 * Pretty Maids - Scream (1994) (co-producer)
 * Blind Guardian - Imaginations From the Other Side (1995)
 * Blind Guardian - The Forgotten Tales (1996)
 * Blind Guardian - Nightfall In Middle-Earth (1998)
 * Ensiferum - Iron (2004)
 * Evile - Enter the Grave (2007)
 * Monte Pittman - The Power of Three (2014)

As engineer

 * Rainbow - Bent Out of Shape (1983)
 * Mew - Half the World Is Watching Me (2000)

title: Flemming Rasmussen


text:
Talk:Young Allies (Marvel Comics)

O and K
who were o and k sent by? - 172.212.211.40 (talk · contributions) 00:15, 14 Jun 2005
 * Wasn't said in the Young Allies one-shot, and I don't recall it being explained in Thunderbolts either off the top of my head. - SoM 00:24, 14 Jun 2005 (UTC)

C-Class rated for Comics Project
As this B-Class article has yet to receive a review, it has been rated as C-Class. If you disagree and would like to request an assesment, please visit WikiProject_Comics/Assessment and list the article. Hiding T 14:56, 24 February 2009 (UTC)

 * Assessment up-dated, it is a Start/C so I'll leave it at C. Needs a lot more references though. (Emperor (talk) 03:00, 10 March 2010 (UTC))

Whitewash Jones
Just voicin' out my opinion... I believe that the creator(s) of the Golden Age Young Allies were rather racist... Look at one of the charcters. His name is WHITEwash Jones, but his an African American (black...)! I find the name and the portrayal of Whitewash insulting to African Americans...

--Bonkers The Clown (talk) 10:05, 12 April 2012 (UTC)

 * Kirby and Simon didn't were rather racist-- actually, Kirby created great africanamerican superheroes (with Stan Lee) like Black Panther! But the 40s were a racist time, and people had many prejudices. No Simon and Kirby, but society in general. Will Eisner, C.C. Beck, films in general... africanamerican were comic characters. Hopefully the times changed, but we have to remember that was society in general (people, laws, popular culture, etc.) who was racist. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.122.13.174 (talk) 07:14, 18 July 2012 (UTC)

Proposed merge of Bastards of Evil into Young Allies (Marvel Comics)
Not notable enough to justify a standalone article, and sourced almost exclusively to the comic books themselves. jp×g 02:01, 11 May 2021 (UTC)
 * How about redirecting the information to the List of Marvel Comics teams and organizations page instead. --Rtkat3 (talk) 19:21, 19 May 2021 (UTC)
 * Support the original proposal, perhaps with a merge to the Young Allies (Marvel Comics) section; a merge to [List of Marvel Comics teams and organizations]] isn't unreadonable, but I think that that topic is too broad as a target. Klbrain (talk) 05:05, 11 September 2022 (UTC)
 * ✅ Klbrain (talk) 19:18, 23 October 2022 (UTC)

title: Talk:Young Allies (Marvel Comics)


text: User talk:84.68.62.195

title: User talk:84.68.62.195


text:
The Posies

The Posies were an American power pop group. The band was formed in 1986 in Bellingham, Washington, United States, by primary songwriters Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow.

Their music has its origins in Merseybeat and the Hollies. They are influenced by Hüsker Dü, XTC, Elvis Costello and Squeeze.

The band split up in October 2021, following several allegations of sexual misconduct made against bandmember Ken Stringfellow.

Early years (1986–1988)
Core members Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow, who met as students at Sehome High School in Bellingham, Washington, began writing songs together in late 1986 while Stringfellow was in school at the University of Washington. Their first public performance came as an acoustic duo in 1987 while Stringfellow was home in Bellingham. They recorded twelve songs in Auer's family's home studio. Though intended as demos to attract other members and form a full band, the recordings became the Posies' first self-released album, Failure.

Mike Musburger and Arthur "Rick" Roberts joined soon after, allowing the band to play its first live shows in Seattle and Bellingham. The four members moved into a house in the University District of Seattle, where they developed many of the songs that would appear on later albums. Failure was released on vinyl near the end of 1988 on local indie label PopLlama with one song dropped.

Major label years (1989–1997)
In late 1989 the band signed to new Geffen Records imprint DGC Records. They chose John Leckie to produce their first album for the label and Dear 23 was released in August 1990. "Golden Blunders" reached No. 17 on the U.S. Modern Rock charts. Ringo Starr covered the song for his 1992 album Time Takes Time.

In early 1992, they began recording their third album with Don Fleming. After completing what they thought was their new album with the title Eclipse, Geffen sent them back to the studio in the latter part of the year to record a few "hits". Dave Fox joined to play bass for the last of the "Hit Sessions" and the name then changed to Frosting On The Beater and was released in April 1993. Leadoff track "Dream All Day" enjoyed some success on U.S. MTV and alternative radio, becoming their biggest hit (#4 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart), leading the band to an extensive tour of the U.S., Europe, and Japan. Fox left the band in 1994 to join the Seattle band Flop. Amazing Disgrace was released in May 1996.

The Posies performed with Burt Bacharach on a recording of his song "What the World Needs Now Is Love", which was featured in the 1997 movie Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.

Return to indie label, compilation albums and solo projects (1997–2001)
In late 1997, they came back together to play a small number of live shows. The band returned to the studio with the intent of writing their last chapter by rerecording a dozen unused older songs. Success was released in February 1998, again on the local PopLlama label. A tour followed, including a return to Europe, during which the live album Alive Before the Iceberg was recorded.

The band recorded an album together late in 1999, but Stringfellow later decided to break up the band and re-recorded the album with the help of studio musicians; it was to be released in September 2001. Meanwhile, Auer formed a band of his own, released a pair of EPs, and began work on a full-length album, which was released in 2006 as Songs from the Year of Our Demise.

Auer and Stringfellow reunited in early 2000 for a one-off acoustic show in Seattle, which was recorded and released as In Case You Didn't Feel Like Plugging In. Later that year they toured the U.S., Europe, and Japan. Upon returning from the tour, they filled 2001 with a mix of solo work and a handful of live Posies shows played in support of the Nice Cheekbones and a Ph.D. EP, which was recorded the previous year.

Also released in 2000 was a four-CD box set composed almost entirely of unreleased demos, outtakes, and live tracks from throughout the Posies' career, At Least, At Last. The same year, DGC Records released Dream All Day: The Best of the Posies, a compilation with songs from the band's major label years and some B-sides and covers.

Comeback and Every Kind of Light (2001–2009)
After playing drums in Auer's band, Darius Minwalla took over on drums for the Posies in early 2001. That summer, Matt Harris of Oranger replaced Auer on bass. They wrote and recorded new songs for Every Kind of Light, which was released in June 2005. A tour of the United States and Europe lasted through the end of the year. A brief Japanese tour was scheduled for the summer of 2006. In 2008 Stringfellow and Auer undertook a Posies 20th anniversary tour, playing several shows as a duo in the U.S. and Europe.

From 2008 to 2011, Stringfellow was vocalist in the band The Disciplines, the rest of whose line-up are previous members of the Norwegian band Briskeby. The Disciplines joined R.E.M. on their European tour in 2008 as a warm-up, and their song "Yours For Taking" was included on a CD with songs selected by R.E.M. for the March 2008 issue of Q magazine.

Blood/Candy and Solid States (2010–2017)
The band released their seventh studio album Blood/Candy on September 28, 2010. The album was recorded and mixed in Spain and their hometown of Seattle, with stops in Ecuador, Canada, Paris and Los Angeles. The album release was followed by an extensive European tour in late 2010.

The reformed Big Star, which featured Auer and Stringfellow alongside musicians Jody Stephens and Alex Chilton, came to an end in March 2010 when Chilton died following a heart attack. In late 2013, The Posies played several shows, performing Amazing Disgrace in its entirety with the line-up from that era. In August 2014 the band reunited again, but with Darius Minwalla on drums and Joe Skyward on bass. Minwalla died unexpectedly at his home in Vancouver on May 21, 2015; and on March 26, 2016, Joe Skyward died after a two-year battle with cancer.

On March 3, 2016, the song "Squirrel vs. Snake" was released as a teaser for their forthcoming eighth album, and the band embarked on an extensive month-long European tour on March 29. The album Solid States was released on April 29 by British indie label Lojinx in Europe; the American release on My Music Empire followed on May 20. Drummer Frankie Siragusa, who also contributed to the engineering and mixing of the album, joined the band on tour, where they performed as a trio.

Reunion of Frosting on the Beater lineup (2018–2021)
In 2018, The Posies reunited with the Frosting on the Beater lineup, with drummer Mike Musburger and bassist Dave Fox returning, for a tour of North America and Europe.

In July 2019 interview with Houston Chronicle, Stringfellow revealed that The Posies had been working on new material.

Ken Stringfellow sexual misconduct allegations
Allegations of sexual misconduct against Stringfellow by three former girlfriends from 2015 to 2018 (Holly Muñoz, Kristine Chambers and Kristi Houk) were made public in an October 2021 article by Seattle public radio station KUOW. Stringfellow denied the allegations in a joint statement with his wife Dominique Stringfellow to the station. Auer quit the band in August 2021 after speaking with Kristine Chambers who had accused Stringfellow, and informed Stringfellow that he no longer planned to work with him. Siragusa also resigned from the band via his Facebook page. Following the publication of the allegations, Jody Stephens, lone surviving member of Big Star, published a statement and removed Stringfellow from forthcoming tribute performances.

Musical style and influences
The band has been compared to The Hollies due to their vocal harmonies and Big Star due to their songwriting. Both Auer and Stringfellow have been active in producing other artists in between Posies and solo projects.

Members
Final lineup
 * Jon Auer – guitar, keyboards, vocals (1986–2021), bass (1986–1988, 2001–2013, 2014–2018, 2019–2021)
 * Ken Stringfellow – guitar, keyboards, vocals (1986–2021), bass (1986–1988, 2001–2013, 2014–2018, 2019–2021)
 * Frankie Siragusa – drums (2015–2018, 2019–2021)

Past
 * Rick Roberts (b. Arthur Roberts) – bass (1988–1992)
 * Joe Skyward (b. Joe Howard) – bass (1994–2001; 2013–2014; died 2016)
 * Brian Young – drums (1994–1998)
 * Darius "Take One" Minwalla – drums (2001–2014; died 2015)
 * Matt Harris – bass, guitar (2001–2012; died 2021)
 * Dave Fox – bass (1992–1994; 2018–2019)
 * Mike Musburger – drums (1988–1994; 2018)

Singles and EPs

 * "Golden Blunders" (DGC Records, 1990)
 * "Suddenly Mary" (DGC Records, 1991)
 * "Feel"/"I Am the Cosmos" (PopLlama Records, 1992)
 * "Dream All Day" (DGC Records, 1993)
 * "Solar Sister" (DGC Records, 1993)
 * "Flavor of the Month" (DGC Records, 1993)
 * This Is Not The Posies (Elefant Records, 1993)
 * "Definite Door" (DGC Records, 1994)
 * "Going, Going, Gone" (DGC Records, 1994)
 * "Ontario" (DGC Records, 1996)
 * "Please Return It" (DGC Records, 1996)
 * "Everybody Is a Fucking Liar" (DGC Records, 1996)
 * "Start a Life" (PopLlama Records, 1998)
 * Nice Cheekbones and a Ph.D. (Houston Party Records, 2001)
 * "Second Time Around" (Rykodisc, 2005)
 * "Conversations" (Rykodisc, 2005)
 * "The Glitter Prize" (Rykodisc, 2010)
 * "Licenses to Hide" (Rykodisc, 2010)
 * The Posies Play Big Star (SON Estrella Galicia, 2017)

Compilation albums

 * Dream All Day: The Best of the Posies (DGC Records, 2000)
 * At Least, At Last (box set, Not Lame Recordings, 2000)

Live albums

 * Alive Before the Iceberg (Houston Party Records, 2000)
 * In Case You Didn't Feel Like Plugging In (Casa Recording Co., 2000)

Compilation and soundtrack contributions

 * "Smash It Up" on Another Damned Seattle Compilation (Dashboard Hula Girl Records, 1990).
 * "Going, Going, Gone" on the Reality Bites Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (RCA, 1993).
 * "Open Every Window" on DGC Rarities, Vol. 1 (DGC Records, 1994).
 * "Every Christian Lion Hearted Man Will Show You" on Melody Fair, The Bee Gees tribute album (Eggbert Records, 1994).
 * "Coming Right Along" on Basketball Diaries Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Island Records, 1995).
 * "King Midas In Reverse" on Sing Hollies in Reverse (Eggbert Records, 1995).
 * "Throwaway (Live)" on Hype! The Motion Picture Soundtrack (Sub Pop, 1996).
 * "Richie Dagger's Crime" on A Small Circle of Friends: A Germs Tribute Album (Grass Records, 1996)
 * "Christmas" on Just Say Noël (Geffen Records, 1996)
 * "Limitless Expressions" on Home Alive - The Art of Self Defense (Epic Records, 1996)
 * "Tomorrow We Are Not Alone" on Together We Are Not Alone (Japan Relief Compilation) (Thistime Records, 2011)

title: The Posies


text: User:João Correia/gallery

title: User:João Correia/gallery


text:
Production logo

A production logo, vanity card, vanity plate, or vanity logo is a logo used by movie studios and television production companies to brand what they produce and to determine the production company and the distributor of a television show or film. Production logos are usually seen at the beginning of a theatrical movie or video game (an "opening logo"), and/or at the end of a television program or TV movie (a "closing logo"). Many production logos have become famous over the years, such as the 20th Century Studios' monument and searchlights and MGM's Leo the Lion. Unlike logos for other media, production logos can take advantage of motion and synchronized sound, and almost always do.

Production logos are becoming commonplace in online video platforms such as YouTube, often as "channel" branding. Online channels may have a professional production team, or may be self-produced by an individual or a sole proprietor. The barrier to entry for professional audiovisual production is constantly falling, and the professionalism of self-produced branding now often rivals traditional production modes.

History
In the early days of Hollywood, production logos and brands were simple and very much like their print counterparts, usually appearing on title cards and in the opening credits. The Paramount Pictures mountain logo hails from this era and originally featured no special effects. As the studios grew, more effort was put into their identities, and motion and sound began to be used. MGM and Universal were the first studios to take advantage of the new medium's possibilities, MGM first using Leo the Lion in 1924, adapted from Goldwyn Pictures, and Universal debuting their globe around the same time. RKO Radio Pictures used their rotating globe and radio transmission tower with a Morse code-beeping soundtrack as early as 1929. In the 1930s, Twentieth Century Pictures introduced their futuristic "tower" logo, which had moving searchlights; it was carried over when they merged with Fox Film Corporation in 1935 and became 20th Century-Fox. The first version of Columbia's mascot used a sparkler to represent her torch, and Universal's globes could rotate.

The advent of television in the 1950s also opened the door to cel animation in production logos. Most studios had used cels for their animation departments' logos for some time by this point, but the demand for animation on TV, both as programming and for advertising, made more effects available for less money. TV itself started using logos on its programming: Desilu, Mark VII Productions and Revue Studios all had distinctive logotypes by the end of the decade, and Desilu's and Revue's were animated. By 1976, all of the major studios except Universal had switched their logos over to cel animation, and logos for smaller concerns and broadcasters were beginning to enter the computer age, using machines like Scanimate.

With the 1980s came a return to the older style of logos. Warner Bros., one of the first studios to switch to a cel-animated abstract logo, brought back their WB shield logo as a matte painting in 1984. TV logos began switching from cels and 2D computer graphics to 3D computer graphics around the same time, and by the end of the decade, the quality of 3D animation had improved to the point that cinema quality was possible. Paramount had introduced a digital-looking logo in late 1986, but only the foreground animation in their logo was computerized (the mountain backdrop was originally commissioned as a painting by the company, then a physical model made for the finished version). Universal's 1990 logo, introduced for its 75th anniversary, was pre-visualized with CG, but the actual logo was created using motion-control models. Throughout the 1990s, fully computer-generated logos increased in frequency. Disney and MGM were two of the last major studios to re-design their logos with computer animation; Disney debuted the 3D rendition of its castle logo with the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest in 2006, while MGM touched up its 1957 logo in 2012, before switching to a completely computer-animated rendition by 2021. Photorealistic CGI was also used in production logos, beginning with Warner Bros.' updated logo in 2021, which shows a realistic rendering of its studio lot including the iconic water tower.

By 2007, almost all production logos have become produced (or edited) on computers, and have reached a level of sophistication equivalent to that of the best special effects. There are some exceptions; the Mutant Enemy "grr, argh" ID was shot using a camcorder and paper models, and the producers of South Park even recycled footage from an old Braniff Airlines ad for their "vanity" logo. Producer Chuck Lorre uses his production card to post a long essay or observation in small type which changes each week and requires pausing with a recording device to read.

Video games have taken on production logos as their capabilities have increased, and most modern game consoles have startup logos in their firmware. In addition, games themselves now feature (sometimes elaborate) startup logos of both the companies that produce the games as well as the ones who develop them. Video game startup logos also frequently feature the logos of game engines or other middleware used in the games. As with films, the production logos are also used in trailers and commercials for the video games.

Many automobile manufacturers also use startup logos for their in car entertainment systems.

title: Production logo


text:
Posies

Posies may refer to:

 * Plural of posy
 * Butterflies of the genus Drupadia
 * The Posies, American alternative rock music group

title: Posies


text:
Goethe Tower

The Goethe Tower (Goetheturm) is a 43 m public observation tower built entirely out of wood on the northern edge of Frankfurt City Forest located in Sachsenhausen (Frankfurt am Main). The tower was built in honour of the German writer and poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Apart from some taller wooden radio towers, it is the fifth-tallest wooden construction in Germany after the Jahrtausendturm in Magdeburg, the Eichberg Tower in Emmendingen, the Blumenthal Observation Tower and the Weißtannenturm in Kehl.

History
In 1867, a wooden tower was first built on the site, at that time 22 m tall. After the First World War, this first tower had become so rickety that it had to be pulled down.

In 1931, the Goethe Tower was rebuilt with money donated by the Jewish businessman Gustav Gerst. The opening ceremony took place in November 1931, shortly before the 1932 commemorations of Goethe's death one hundred years before. The city of Frankfurt provided the wood for the tower – altogether more than 170 m3 of pine, beech, and oak timber.

The Goethe Tower remained a popular place for day-trippers, especially families, as a large playground and a café were built at the foot of the tower.

The building was completely destroyed in a fire due to arson on 12 October 2017. It was one of Frankfurt's beloved landmarks, visited by many tourists. In an online survey in 2017, 78 percent of respondents wanted the reconstruction to be true to the original. Citizens donated just under 200,000 euros to support the project. The construction costs amounted to 2.4 million euros, with the majority paid by insurance. The new tower was completely assembled from chestnut and oak wood on 28 July 2020, followed by a topping-out ceremony two days later. The inauguration and opening to the public took place on 12 October 2020.

title: Goethe Tower


text:
Cry of the Banshee

Cry of the Banshee is a 1970 British horror film directed by Gordon Hessler and starring Vincent Price. It was released by American International Pictures. The title credit sequence was animated by Terry Gilliam.

Plot
The film is set in Elizabethan England. Lord Edward Whitman, a wicked magistrate, presides over the trial of a young woman. Ruling that she is a witch, he has her branded, whipped through the streets, then placed in the village stocks. That night, Whitman hosts a feast at his home as his henchmen search the countryside for the killers of a sheep. Two poor teenagers are pulled into the hall. A burst of wolf-like howling from outside the walls warns that they may be "devil-marked". Both are killed in an ensuing struggle. Whitman's wife, Lady Patricia, calls Whitman a murderer for this. When Whitman's oldest son, Sean, rapes Lady Patricia, Whitman decides he wants to "clean up" the witches in the area.

Assisted by Sean, Whitman goes hunting in the hills for witches. His armed posse breaks up what is apparently meant to be a witches' Black Sabbath. He kills several of them and tells the rest to scatter to the hills and never return. This angers the leader of the coven, Oona. To get revenge on the Whitman family, Oona summons a demonic spirit to destroy the family. Unfortunately, the spirit takes possession of the loyal servant, Roderick, who Maureen Whitman has been in love with for years. Roderick begins to systematically kill off members of the Whitman family, including Sean and Lady Patricia.

Eventually, Harry, Whitman's son from Cambridge, and a priest named Father Tom, find Oona and her coven conjuring the death of Maureen. They kill Oona and her coven, and Roderick, who was attacking Maureen, breaks off and leaves her. However, he soon returns and attacks Whitman. Maureen shoots the demon in the head, apparently killing him.

Exhilarated that the curse is over, Whitman plans to leave the house by coach with his remaining children. On the way, he stops at the cemetery so he can reassure himself Roderick is dead. To his horror, he finds the coffin empty. Shocked, Whitman hurries back to the carriage. Once inside, he finds Maureen and Harry dead. It is revealed that his driver, Bully Boy, was killed by Roderick, who is now driving the coach. The film ends with Whitman screeching his driver's name in terror as the coach heads for parts unknown.

Cast

 * Vincent Price as Lord Edward Whitman
 * Hilary Dwyer as Maureen Whitman
 * Essy Persson as Lady Patricia Whitman
 * Hugh Griffith as Mickey
 * Patrick Mower as Roderick
 * Elisabeth Bergner as Oona
 * Carl Rigg as Harry Whitman
 * Sally Geeson as Sarah
 * Stephan Chase as Sean Whitman
 * Marshall Jones as Father Tom
 * Andrew McCulloch as Bully Boy
 * Michael Elphick as Burke
 * Pamela Moiseiwitsch as maid
 * Richard Everrett as Timothy
 * Peter Benson as Brander
 * Robert Hutton as party guest
 * Pamela Farbrother as Margaret
 * Jan Rossini as Bess
 * Quinn O'Hara as Maggie
 * Guy Deghy as party guest
 * Joyce Mandre as party guestt
 * Jane Deady as naked girl

Script
Gordon Hessler did not like Tim Kelly's original script and hired Chris Wicking to rewrite it. Hessler says he would have asked Wicking to change it further and improving the witch characters, but AIP would not let him.

Hessler said "The film was sold and we had to have it finished by a certain time." He and Wicking went to Scotland to make a different picture about witches. They talked to witches and researched their history and made the witches more sympathetic. According to Hessler, "the whole of AIP got so alarmed because we were changing it so much. They came down on us and said that we could alter it 10 percent, but no more than that. So all of our work went down the drain on Cry of the Banshee Out of all the films I did for AIP, I think it's the least interesting."

Wicking says he saw the film as a Jacobean revenge tragedy "but I didn't want to tell anybody that because they'd hate that."

Casting
Elisabeth Bergner made her first appearance in an English film in 30 years. Hessler says AIP's head of British production "Deke" Hayward "would try to find some well known actor to dress up the picture – who at least Americans would be familiar with – which was a good idea." For this film Hayward suggested Hessler cast Elisabeth Bergner. "She was marvelous, out of her depths and aged at the time, and playing a very strange part. But she gave it her everything." Price says Bergner told him she took the part "because she wanted to be seen".

Hessler thought Hilary Dwyer was under contract to AIP. "I don't know what the situation was, but they liked her and they kept pushing you to use certain actors. I guess the management must have thought she was star material or something like that."

Shooting
Filming started November 1969. It took place at Grim's Dyke, the former home of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert in Harrow Weald, London.

"It's becoming harder and harder to scare people," said Price during filming. "We still rely on the basic elements of fear: snake, rats, claustrophobia, but we're adding all the time."

Hessler remembers when they did the film Price "was very upset with AIP" over contractual issues. "When we had the wrap party, he didn't want to come if Arkoff was there. I told him that I wouldn't dream of having the party without him. So he came, and of course he was quite drunk." Hessler says at the party everyone was in costume and a girl jumped out of a cake. "When we were looking for the knife to cut the cake, Vincent said, 'Take the knife that's in my back and use that!' " However, following the making of the film, Price signed a four-picture contract with AIP over two years.

Music
Hessler wanted Bernard Herrmann to do the score but AIP could not afford him. The original music score was composed by Wilfred Josephs but AIP decided not to use it, commissioning a score by Les Baxter instead. Josephs' score was restored in the later uncut DVD releases. Hessler later said "Wilfred Josephs' music held the picture up, it made it more mysterious."

AIP also removed Terry Gilliam's animation credits. Hessler said, "Deke was the one who put that animation in, always being way in advance of everyone else. About the music, I suspect that Les Baxter was a great friend of somebody high up at AIP ... But to have Les Baxter do a kind of period picture where you have minuet dancing and that sort of thing, it's ludicrous. You really have to have somebody who has an idea of that time period."

Release
The US theatrical release featured the GP-rated print which replaced the opening animated credits with still ones, completely altered the music score, and was cut to remove all footage of topless nudity and to tone down assorted whippings and assault scenes. This print was also used for the original UK cinema release in 1970. The film was a commercial success but Hessler was dissatisfied with it and called it the least interesting of the four movies he made for AIP.

Critical reception
In The Monthly Film Bulletin, David Pirie wrote:"Despite a fairly interesting subject – witchcraft versus the Establishment in 16th century England – Cry of the Banshee must go down as one of the weakest offerings yet from the Gordon Hessler–Chris Wicking team. Hessler's camera has the same restless, energetic quality as before, but only seems tiresome in the context of a production as tatty as this one. Where the plot cries out for some telling locations, it gets instead a series of meagre studio sets, and with the atmosphere consequently negligible the action centres mainly on sadistic sexuality as the next best thing to genuine horror. Admittedly, it is gratifying to find a film which for once treats the 'old religion' with sympathy, but one can't help suspecting that the juxtaposition of the Establishment and the witches here becomes just an excuse to pile on the decadence. In any case, the overall skimpiness of the production doesn't allow the theme any room for development, and one is left hoping that AIP's main horror specialists (including that fine cameraman John Coquillon, whose work has so influenced the genre) aren't going to be reduced to this level in future. Elisabeth Bergner's return to the screen, incidentally, is not exactly auspicious."Kine Weekly wrote:"A lot of eerie business and an expert cast make this most acceptable horror entertainment. Setting this story in the darker ages gives it the advantages of being splendidly costumed and, of course, making its general atmosphere of superstition as credible as possible. The satanic cavortings are very effectively staged and the subsequent, horrid 'slaughter of the Wickham family is given an aura of justifiable fate by the really very naughty way in which at least two of the family persecute suspected witchcraft with fire and torture – and obviously enjoy it. The plot is easy to follow moves at a good pace and spaces its horror well. An expert cast plays it for all it is worth. Vincent Price as Lord Edward, is, of course, well in command of his own special cinema territory, and older cinemagoers will be interested to see Elisabeth Bergner's return as the superwitch, Oona. They are very well supported by a cast in which Hugh Griffith supplies the only intended humour as an eccentric grave-digger, who is, incidentally, kept pretty busy."The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 2/5 stars, writing: "The last period horror Vincent Price made finds the flamboyant villain back in Witchfinder General [1968] territory as an obsessed 16th-century witch-hunting magistrate hounded by demonic forces. Veteran actress Elisabeth Bergner (her name was misspelt on the original credits) plays the witch who unleashes werewolf-in-disguise Patrick Mower on the hedonistic patriarch. Director Gordon Hessler's lightweight chiller is a rather coy affair that's neither sexy nor spooky enough."

Leslie Halliwell said: "Modest horror film, which fails to do justice to the interesting plot."

Home video release
In April 1991, Cry of the Banshee was packaged as a Laserdisc double feature (Catalog Number ID7661HB), paired with the first of the Count Yorga movies, Count Yorga, Vampire (1970). Both films were not letterboxed, but employed a full screen, pan-and-scan process.

The 1988 UK Guild video release featured the same heavily edited print as the US and UK cinema ones. All DVD releases, however, have featured the full uncut version, which also restores the original Wilfred Josephs music score.

Trivia
Who spurs the beast the corpse will ride?
 * The titular "cry of the banshee" is a signal that someone will die. This is a Celtic legend about a type of ghost and has nothing to do with Satanism. However, “the cry of the banshee” is repeatedly referenced in the banquet sequence of the film during which the two local juveniles are murdered.
 * The film was played at the first Quentin Tarantino Film Festival in 1997 at the Dobie residence hall near the University of Texas.
 * It is mentioned in the Rob Zombie song "Demonoid Phenomenon," from his 1998 album Hellbilly Deluxe.
 * The title of the film inspired the name of the post-punk band Siouxsie and The Banshees.
 * The film was promoted with a poem, spuriously attributed to Edgar Allan Poe:

Who cries the cry that kills?

When Satan questioned, who replied?

Whence blows this wind that chills?

Who walks amongst these empty graves

And seeks a place to lie?

'Tis something God ne'er had planned,

A thing that ne'er had learned to die

title: Cry of the Banshee


text:
MSFC

MSFC stands for:

Sports

 * Mamelodi Sundowns F.C.
 * Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission
 * Michigan Stars FC
 * Mickleover Sports F.C.
 * Moroka Swallows F.C.
 * Munster Senior Football Championship

Other uses

 * Marshall Space Flight Center, NASA
 * Melbourne Science Fiction Club
 * Multilayer switch Feature Card
 * Maharashtra State Financial Corporation

title: MSFC


text:
Glenn Hughes (American singer)

Glenn Michael Hughes (July 18, 1950 – March 4, 2001) was an American singer who was the original "Leatherman" character in the disco group Village People from 1977 to 1996.

Biography
He graduated in 1968 from Chaminade High School, and then attended Manhattan College, where he was initiated as a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity in 1969. He was interested in motorcycles, and was working as a toll collector at the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel when he responded to an advertisement by composer Jacques Morali seeking "macho" singers and dancers. Hughes and other members of the band were given a crash course in the synchronized dance choreography that later typified the group's live performances.

Hughes sported an extravagant horseshoe moustache and wore his trademark leather outfit on and off stage and became one of the iconic figures of the disco era. According to Jack Fritscher, Jacques Morali drew his inspiration for the character from the gay BDSM leather bar and sex club of the Mineshaft's dress code. Hughes frequented the club. He was a bike fanatic in real life and kept his motorcycle parked inside his house.

In 1996, Hughes retired from the group and launched a successful New York cabaret act until he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He had been a heavy smoker since he was a teenager. He was replaced by Eric Anzalone; however, Hughes continued with management of the band. Hughes was named on People Magazine's 1979 list of 'Most Beautiful People' and appeared in the television special The Playboy Mansion with Hugh Hefner.

Hughes died on March 4, 2001, at his Manhattan apartment from lung cancer, aged 50. He was subsequently interred wearing his leatherman outfit at Saint Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale, New York.

title: Glenn Hughes (American singer)