text:
Proffitt's

Proffitt's was a department store chain based in Alcoa, Tennessee. The chain was founded in 1919 by David W. Proffitt and James Ellis. In 2006, the Proffitt's and McRae's stores were converted into Belk after Belk had acquired the two chains in July 2005 from Saks, Inc. At the time of their demise they operated 47 Proffitts & McRae's stores.

Beginnings
Jeweler David W. Proffitt and James Ellis founded the Ellis-Proffitt Co. on Main Street in downtown Maryville, Tennessee, in 1919. The first store had seven departments: ladies ready-to-wear, ladies accessories, millinery, men's shoes, dry goods, and bargain basement. Ellis sold his share of the company to Proffitt in 1921 due to illness. The company expanded by opening its second store in Athens, Tennessee in 1936. In the 1960s, the Maryville store moved from downtown to Midland Plaza in Alcoa.

In 1982 the store relocated again to Foothills Mall in Maryville where two stores remained until the Belk acquisition, one for Women and the other for Men, Kids, and Home. A warehouse and distribution center opened in Maryville in 1970. A location in Knoxville opened in 1972 in West Town Mall with an Oak Ridge store following in 1974. A second Knoxville store was added in 1984 at East Towne Mall (now Knoxville Center). In 1984, the company had four stores and annual sales of $40 million (~$ in ).

For the first 65 years of its existence, the company was a family-owned business, but in 1984 it was acquired by RBM Acquisition Co., led by R. Brad Martin.

Going public
Proffitt's Inc. went public on July 3, 1987, on the NASDAQ market under the symbol PRFT. The West Town Mall location in Knoxville was expanded to 122000 sqft later that year making it the largest store in the chain. Proffitt's purchased the Chattanooga based Loveman's Department Store in 1986, adding four Chattanooga stores and one in Dalton, Georgia, its first location outside of Tennessee.

In 1989, a new 80000 sqft store opened in Biltmore Square Mall in Asheville, North Carolina, bringing the total stores to eleven. The years 1992 and 1993 saw a number of acquisitions, making Proffitt's one of the fastest growing retailers in the US. During that time, the company purchased 18 Hess's locations in Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and Georgia. Some of these locations were formerly Miller's of Tennessee stores. This added new stores in Rome, Georgia; Elizabethtown and Ashland, Kentucky; Bristol, Virginia; and Kingsport and Johnson City, Tennessee. In fall 1992, shortly before the Hess's purchase was completed, a new Proffitt's store opened in The Mall at Johnson City in the company's entry into the Tri-Cities market. The Hess's purchase led to a dual-store format in the mall, similar to the one in the Foothills Mall in Maryville. In Johnson City, once the Hess's store was vacated and renovated, the Men's and Home Stores were moved to that building, leaving Women's and Children's in the newly constructed Proffitt's building.

Acquisitions of McRae's and Parks-Belk
Proffitt's purchased the Jackson, Mississippi based McRae's chain in 1994. The McRae's stores, unlike the previous acquisitions, continued to operate separately and under their nameplate. In 1995, Proffitt's purchased Parks-Belk, an independently owned affiliate of Charlotte, North Carolina based Belk, Inc. This purchase gave Proffitt's a presence for the first time in Greeneville, Tennessee, and gave the company an additional store in each mall in Kingsport and Johnson City. A Parks-Belk location in Morristown, Tennessee was part of the deal, but the store was closed instead of being converted to a Proffitt's. The Johnson City Proffitt's was already operating under the dual-location concept and this gave the company three stores in the same mall. The former Hess's store (now home to Forever 21, formerly Goody's Family Clothing) which housed the Men's and Home Store was vacated and relocated to the former Belk site along with the Children's department. This move created the largest Proffitt's Men's Store in the company and allowed the Women's department its own store. The former Hess store in the Fort Henry Mall in Kingsport was transformed into the largest Proffitt's Home Store, with all other departments remaining in the former Parks-Belk location. Proffitt's would later open stores in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Morgantown and Parkersburg, WV, and they would eventually build a new store at College Square Mall in Morristown, Tennessee.

Acquisitions of the Parisian, Younkers, Herberger's, and Carson Pirie Scott chains, and stores from Dillard's
Birmingham, Alabama, based Parisian and Younkers of Des Moines, Iowa, were both acquired in 1996 and retained their names and operating units. Herberger's was purchased in 1997 and kept its nameplate. In the same year the company moved from the NASDAQ to the New York Stock Exchange and began trading under the PFT symbol. The company purchased the Carson Pirie Scott chain in 1998 which also consisted of Boston Store and Bergner's and they continued to operate those stores under their respective names. Later in 1998, the company purchased North Carolina based Brody's and those stores were converted to the Proffitt's name. 1998 also saw Proffitt's acquire a group of 15 stores from Dillard's after its buyout of Mercantile Stores. Five former Castner Knott store in Nashville, Tennessee were renamed Proffitt's, but sold in 2001 to May Department Stores (operated as Hecht's until 2006, now Macy's) after proving marginally profitable under Proffitt's management. The former Brody's stores were sold to Belk in 2004. Also, in 2004, Proffitt's opened a store in Alabama at the Riverchase Galleria in the Birmingham suburb of Hoover in the location vacated by Macy's which now houses a Von Maur store. The Carson Pirie Scott, Bergner's, Boston Store, Herberger's, and Younkers names were eventually sold to Bon-Ton Stores on March 6, 2006.

Merger with Saks Fifth Avenue
Late 1998 would see the biggest name change when Proffitt's purchased Saks Holdings Inc, the holding company for luxury retailer Saks Fifth Avenue. Upon closing of the acquisition the company name changed to Saks, Inc. and its NYSE ticker symbol changed to SKS.

Sale to Belk
The McRae's operations would ultimately be consolidated into the Proffitt's division's Alcoa, Tennessee, based offices. They would however, continue to operate under the McRae's name. The year 2005 would signal the end of the Proffitt's and McRae's names with the purchase of those stores by Belk. On March 8, 2006, all McRae's and Proffitt's stores were downgraded into Belk stores. The conversion ended two of the most well-known retailing names in the southern United States. The only exceptions were two Alabama McRae's stores in Tuscaloosa and Gadsden, which were retained to convert into Parisian locations. On October 2, 2006, the Parisian unit was sold to Belk and these two locations were downgraded as Belk stores almost a year after the purchase.

title: Proffitt's


text:
McRae's

McRae's was a mid-range regional department store chain founded and based in Jackson, Mississippi, with locations in Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and Florida. The nameplate was in existence for more than a century.

History
Samuel P. McRae founded the store in Jackson, Mississippi in 1902 as a dry goods store. It remained a family-owned business through the ensuing decades, while continuing to grow. Sales increased from only $1 million in 1955 to $10 million in 1970. The first location outside Mississippi opened in University Mall (now University Town Plaza) in Pensacola, Florida in 1974. In 1987, McRae's acquired 13 stores in Alabama from Pizitz. With strengths in home furnishings, men's apparel, and cosmetics, the chain was considered one of the most successful family-owned businesses in the country.

McRae's was acquired by Tennessee-based Proffitt's in 1994 in a transaction that The New York Times called "a case of a little fish swallowing a bigger one." McRae's had 28 stores with combined annual sales of $419 million and Proffitt's had 25 stores with annual sales of only $201 million. After the sale, McRae's stores retained their name and were operated as a separate subsidiary.

Proffitt's merged with Saks Holdings, owner of Saks Fifth Avenue, in 1998. The merged company changed its name to Saks Incorporated. Proffitt's and McRae's became part of Saks Incorporated's Southern Department Store Group.

Foley's acquired one McRae's in Louisiana at The Mall at Cortana, ran by Mike Herndon. As Saks sought repositioning as a more luxury retail-oriented operation, its mid-range chains became targets for sale. McRae's and Proffitt's were among the first to be sold. Charlotte-based Belk, the nation's largest privately owned department store chain, bought Proffitt's/McRae's in a deal that closed in July 2005.

On March 8, 2006, most McRae's stores were downgraded into Belk stores, with three stores excluded. Locations in Tuscaloosa and Gadsden, Alabama were retained by Saks to convert to its Parisian chain, though both stores eventually would be among the Parisian locations also sold to Belk. In addition, the Mall of Louisiana store in Baton Rouge became a Dillard's location.

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

title: McRae's


text:
First Earth Battalion

The First Earth Battalion was the name proposed by Lieutenant Colonel Jim Channon, a U.S. soldier who had served in Vietnam, for his idea of a new military of supersoldiers to be organized along New Age lines. A book of the same name was published in 1982.

The Men Who Stare at Goats
According to the book The Men Who Stare at Goats by journalist Jon Ronson, Channon spent time in the 1970s with many of the people in California credited with starting the Human Potential Movement, and subsequently wrote an operations manual for a First Earth Battalion. The manual was a 125-page mixture of drawings, graphs, maps, polemical essays, and point-by-point redesigns of every aspect of military life. Channon imagined a new battlefield uniform that would include pouches for ginseng regulators, divining tools, foodstuffs to enhance night vision, and a loudspeaker that would automatically emit "indigenous music and words of peace." A movie based on the book—released in Autumn 2009—starring George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey, fictionalized the First Earth Battalion as the New Earth Army.

Beliefs
Channon believed the Army could be the principal moral and ethical basis on which politics could harmonize in the name of the Earth. He declared that the First Earth Battalion's primary allegiance was to the planet Earth. Channon envisioned that the First Earth Battalion would organize itself informally: uniforms without uniformity, structure without status, and unity powered by diversity, and members would be multicultural, with each race contributing to "rainbow power". He also proposed as a guiding principle that members of the First Earth Battalion seek nondestructive methods of conflict resolution because their first loyalty is to the planet.

Warrior Monk
Channon adopted the term "warrior monk" for potential members of the First Earth Battalion.

Credo
According to the book Mind Wars by Ronald McRae, each member of the First Earth Battalion would be sworn to uphold a credo of "high commandos and guerrilla gurus":
 * I have the capacity and therefore the duty to contribute to the development of myself, my associates, and our planet, simultaneously, now!
 * I will organize a self-supporting high commando group that will create and perform evolutionary breakthrough actions on behalf of people and planet. One people, one planet.
 * I will then pass on this concept to others who are capable of generating further self-organizing commando teams.
 * I will await the time when my group can connect naturally with others at higher and higher levels of awareness and performance — the Natural Guard.

title: First Earth Battalion


text:
Talk:America (band)

Peek
"The band survived the loss of one of its original members near the peak of its success..." Was this intended to be a pun? I had to ask. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.149.203.252 (talk) 23:06, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

View From The Ground and naming conventions
Although a number of websites claim that America's 1982 album is called A View From The Ground (such as allmusic.com), the very cover of the album (see below) does not feature any article before the name. The large "A" within the ellipse is part of America's traditional logo, and the spine of the album confirms this is not part of the title. No subsequent re-release of the album has ever included an article before the main title. Consequently, the correct name of the album is View From The Ground.

With regard to whether the "the" in the album title should be capitalized, it is worth noting that the Wikipedia naming conventions for music albums does not reflect the standard practice of perhaps the definitive bibles of pop music charts and history, Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Hits and Top Pop Albums books. Whitburn's books, as well as most discography books of that ilk, tend to capitalize all words of an album title. (unsigned comment)

Phil Hartman
Don't forget that comedian Phil Hartman provided cover art for several of America's albums. That factoid even shows up on the Hartman page (with pics, no less). And a mention of the "H"-oriented superstition about America's album titles might be appropriate. (unsigned comment)

English-American band?
I don't see why it's necessary to describe the band as "English-American." They are just American. If Peek, Bunnell and Beckley have English mothers, then say so. If the band was formed in England, say so. It doesn't make them "English."

Tennis legend John McEnroe was born in West Germany. Should we start calling him German-American?

 * I agree :) Shadow007 07:08, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

 * When they speak, do they have accents that be characterized as American or British? They did attend public high schools in England.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.149.203.252 (talk) 05:55, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

They actually grew up in England
This is enough to provide them of double nationality of course, but not only... None of the members of America grew up in the States, they kept on moving from country to country until they finally settled in London during their teens...so we shouldn't even call them "Americans", am I wrong? The fact is that they're Anglo-American, and that's a fact.

Gianmaria Framarin 03:24, 5 November 2006

 * Their music was/is undoubtedly American. There is very little English/British influence. The best that they could be described in "English-born, American rock and roll band...". Shadow007 01:48, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

 * They were military brats, period, this "English-American" crap is just p.c. nonsense. 71.193.251.168 (talk) 19:16, 18 January 2009 (UTC)
 * You are absolutely right. Gerry Buckley's father was the base Commander at South Ruislip Air Station. My older sister was in his graduating senior class at Central High School. I was a junior there. We were Air force brats. The band played at the base teen club. Owen701 (talk) 23:00, 13 April 2023 (UTC)

Dan Peek
I pruned some of the Dan Peek info from the article yesterday - it has since been re-added. I'm not going to revert or anything, but just wanted to say that I think a lot of the particulars of his post-America recording activities belongs in the Dan Peek article itself (and not here, at least not to the detail it's been added). The info about him vis a vis the band (ie, rumors about reuniting with the others) would belong here. NickBurns 15:27, 16 January 2007 (UTC)

I agree with you that Dan Peek's subsequent career is best discussed in detail on his own page. But I do think at least a few cursory lines about his solo releases are worth having in the America bio because so many America fans do follow his solo material as closely as they do Gerry's. I refrained from anything more than listing Electro Voice and Crossover, and briefly mentioned his resurgence with PEACE and then as a soloist in 1999. But I haven't spent any time on the details of any of those projects, as that would be best expanded upon in the Dan Peek article. Thoughts? Zevonsky 02:24, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:America album.jpg
Image:America album.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in Wikipedia articles constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale.

If there is other other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.BetacommandBot 17:33, 31 May 2007 (UTC)

Fair use criteria
The use of images not in compliance with our fair-use criteria or our policy on nonfree content is not appropriate, and the images have been removed. Please do not restore them. — M o e   ε  00:04, 3 July 2007 (UTC)

Citations & References
See Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the  tags Nhl4hamilton (talk) 08:42, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Holiday album cover.jpg
Image:Holiday album cover.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to ensure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images lacking such an explanation can be deleted one week after being tagged, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

BetacommandBot (talk) 23:06, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

Unsourced material
The following is unsourced information:

While this is all interesting, we can't use it unless you provide a source. Also, none of this is really trivia, as trivia by its definition is "unimportant information" - it therefore shouldn't be in a trivia section but instead the information should be incorporated into the main article. - Tbsdy lives (talk) 05:01, 14 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Contrary to popular belief, the choice of the name "America" had no political overtones, and the group has consistently avoided political or patriotic use of its name.
 * Bunnell has remarked that the setting for "A Horse with No Name" was inspired by the area around Vandenberg Air Force Base, where he spent some time as a child.
 * "A Horse with No Name" has been used more than once for gags in episodes of the "The Simpsons."
 * "I Need You" is supposedly the first song Beckley ever wrote.
 * America recorded Homecoming in the studio next to Stevie Wonder, who was then recording his classic album, Innervisions.
 * Bunnell has suggested that the "alligator lizards in the air" in "Ventura Highway" are references to cloud shapes.
 * The legendary rock photographer Henry Diltz is also a skilled banjo player, and was featured on the America tracks "Don't Cross The River" and "Submarine Ladies."
 * When played backwards, the lyrics on "Moon Song" from Homecoming say, "All good men come to the aid of their country."
 * Another track from Homecoming, "Till The Sun Comes Up Again," became a musical inspiration to Gerry Beckley when played backwards over twenty years later, leading to the song "Now Sue" on his solo album Van Go Gan. A backwards version of the original Homecoming track was included as a bonus track on the 2000 domestic release of Van Go Gan.
 * A then-obscure comedian named Jay Leno was the opening act for a number of America shows in the early 1970s.
 * Dan Peek re-recorded "Lonely People" for his 1986 solo album, Electro Voice. He reworked the lyrics in a more overtly Christian vein, claiming that this better reflected the original inspiration for the song.
 * "Lonely People" was covered by the popular Christian band Jars of Clay in 2003.
 * The cover artwork on the album History: America's Greatest Hits was the work of Phil Hartmann, who later became famous as a comedian on Saturday Night Live. Hartmann later dropped an "n" off his last name prior to achieving fame.  His brother John was America's manager for many years.
 * Around 1976, the Soviet Union expressed interest in having the trio perform in that country, but the deal collapsed before it could come to fruition.
 * Despite the presence of other heavyweight acts like James Taylor and Rod Stewart on their roster, America was Warner Bros. Records' biggest selling act of the 1970s.
 * In 1978, America performed a song live in concert called "Norman." The song, written by Beckley (who once considered becoming an architect), was an homage to industrial designer Norman Bel Geddes.  Although contemporary interviews suggested the track would be recorded for an upcoming album, the song was never released by America.  Years later, singer-songwriter Jeff Larson recorded it for his 2002 album, Fragile Sunrise, with Beckley producing the track.
 * The title of America's 1979 album, Silent Letter, refers to their previous tendency to name all their albums with names starting with "H". In 1994, the group returned to this practice with the release of Hourglass.
 * Bunnell has claimed that America's label toyed with the idea of the group going country during the late 1970s, and that he and Beckley soundly rejected the idea.
 * America and their label could not agree on which side of the Alibi LP should be considered Side One, so they came to a unique compromise. The sides would be labelled "Our Side" and "Their Side."  The album's unusual cover photo, featuring a severed doll's head, does not have any special meaning.  Bunnell recalled that he and Beckley simply stumbled upon it while looking through music photographer Henry Diltz's photo collection and decided to use it.
 * America was briefly caught up in controversy in 1981 when they broke the anti-apartheid international cultural boycott against South Africa and played several concerts in that country. However, America was not alone, as black artists such as Tina Turner and Curtis Mayfield did the same.  It has been rumored that the group suffered from a low-key industry backlash for several years after the incident.
 * The building behind Bunnell and Beckley on the cover of Perspective is 100 Wilshire in Santa Monica, California. The building, tallest in the city, was completed in 1971, and was originally known as Lawrence Welk Plaza.  It can also be seen in the background of the opening credits of the hit television sitcom Three's Company during the 1979–1980 and 1980-1981 seasons.
 * Hourglass is the last America album to use a contemporary photograph of Beckley and Bunnell's faces on the cover. Human Nature featured the duo on the cover, but with their faces covered by a cloud.  This design flourish was supposedly inspired by the work of René Magritte.
 * A group of country music all-stars (Vince Gill, Faith Hill, Terri Clark, Trisha Yearwood, and Tim McGraw) recording under the name of "Project Hope" covered Beckley's "Hope" for a charity single in 1996. Many of them later performed the song live for that year's Academy of Country Music awards telecast.
 * The album Human Nature takes its name from Beckley's home recording studio in addition to the fact it begins with the traditional letter "H".
 * When Garth Brooks covered "Don't Cross The River" on his Scarecrow album, he apparently wasn't aware that it was an America song. His version was based upon a bluegrass cover of the song by Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver from the late 1970s.
 * Janet Jackson's 2001 hit "Someone to Call My Lover" was focused around the guitar riff from "Ventura Highway". The riff itself was re-recorded for the sample to reduce royalty fees.  One of her earlier hits, "Let's Wait Awhile", was supposedly inspired by "Daisy Jane" and has often been compared to it.
 * America recorded a track for the Watership Down film soundtrack. It was titled "Watership Down" and was not used in the film, along with a few other songs recorded by different artists.
 * In the '90's, the band appeared on the Howard Stern Radio Show, performing a parody of the song, rephrased to be about Stern show producer Gary "Baba booey" Dell'Abate. The song was called "A Boy with Horse Teeth"
 * Since there is no real "Ventura Highway", the song was written about the Pacific Coast Hwy, from Los Angeles to Ventura, CA.
 * When initially released, "A Horse with No Name" was often mistaken for a Neil Young song, due to the similarity of Bunnell's vocals to Young's. "Horse" replaced Young's single "Heart of Gold" at US #1 in 1972.

Tour dates..?
Chrisdus (talk) 11:31, 13 January 2009 (UTC) Hi, would it be a nice addition to the America page to start including a tour dates section? Not only past concerts, but also future ones?

Fancruft
This article is wildly overstuffed and should be condensed by at least three-quarters. It remains full of unsourced statements and includes large amounts of material of interest only to obsessive fans. (The lineup of acts at the band's first concert? Chart position of a "Greatest Hits" album released 30 years after the group's heyday?) Moreover, breathless prose like "However, a fateful connection would provide a sudden and unexpected change in fortune ..." or "While America remained a hot ticket on the touring circuit..." does not belong in an encyclopedia. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.117.107.100 (talk) 18:04, 1 March 2009 (UTC)

Biased?
The introduction, saying how many people wanted a clone, sounds extremely biased. Is this possibly cited somewhere or should this be changed? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.231.195.129 (talk) 05:22, 3 April 2010 (UTC)

Why isn't there a wikipedia article devoted to Dewey Bunnell?
Just thought I'd ask Christian Roess (talk) 22:57, 27 November 2010 (UTC)
 * There was, but it was back-door deleted when it was changed to a REDIRECT to America (band) by TenPoundHammer. See the page history here  -- hulmem (talk) 00:50, 29 November 2010 (UTC)
 * Oh that's absolutely ridiculous. The article on Bunnell needs to be restored. Christian Roess (talk) 01:19, 29 November 2010 (UTC)
 * As you can see from the page history, on 2010-11-01 TenPoundHammer proposed the article for deletion in accordance with WP:PROD with the rationale, "No notability outside the band". But rather than waiting for the seven-day period to expire, on 2010-11-04 he replaced the content with the redirect.  I suggest you either restore the article yourself or post a remark on TenPoundHammer's talk page.  -- hulmem (talk) 04:19, 29 November 2010 (UTC)
 * Yes, I'll see what I can do. The article on Bunnell will be restored eventually. Christian Roess (talk) 13:50, 12 December 2010 (UTC)
 * If and when someone provides significant coverage in third party sources, that does more than reiterate his involvement in the band. Active Banana    (bananaphone  21:42, 20 December 2010 (UTC)

 * Another fine example of the idiocy that is Wikipedia. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.20.251.75 (talk) 04:07, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

Well, I got some more information about how to handle the loss of the Dewey Bunnell article (as a stand-alone rather than as a REDIRECT). (And thanks again for your insight User:Hulmem and your help with the process of organizing my appeal).

And I did make an appeal. I made an appeal over at the WP:BLPN and you can access that over here. User:Active Banana contibuted over there at the BLP noticeboard and commented above. Will have to follow those suggestions. Also, another editor made some very friendly and useful comments on my talk page about what can be done.on my talk page here. So let me get hold of some resources and citations that will (hopefully) justify the restoration of the Dewey Bunnell page & get it back up so that it stays up. And FYI to any possible editors: Those comments on my talk page that I just mentioned and linked to are especially helpful. I'll see what I can do in the coming days (weeks) on my end to restore the article. Christian Roess (talk) 00:06, 23 December 2010 (UTC)
 * It's been more than eight months since the last post, so I'm guessing you've already figured this out yourself, but for Dewey Bunnell to have even a prayer of maintaining an article of his own, he has to have done something notable outside of the context of America. Otherwise, all the searching for resources and citations is a waste of time, because you aren't going to find anything that doesn't belong in the article America (band). So if the goal is to create an article on Dewey Bunnell, the first step has to be identifying something notable he's done independently of America. Then you can find resources and citations substantiating that something.
 * Mind you, I think looking for something notable about a subject just so you create an article about him is fairly misguided to begin with; the purpose of an article should be the betterment of Wikipedia, not the glorification of the subject. But if the latter is what you want to do, the above paragraph is the way to go about it.--NukeofEarl (talk) 14:53, 6 September 2011 (UTC)

 * Bunnell's entry at Allmusic indicates he has composed songs for many other artists. Perhaps an article on Bunnell might focus on being a notable composer rather than a notable solo performer? WWGB (talk) 03:05, 7 September 2011 (UTC)

 * Has he actually composed songs for other artists, or is it just that his songs with America have been covered by a lot of other artists? If it's the latter, I don't think that'll work as a claim for independent notability.--NukeofEarl (talk) 17:32, 12 September 2011 (UTC)

Band Members
The Band Members section needs to be fixed. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.169.151.249 (talk) 19:38, 3 March 2011 (UTC)
 * Done. Don't forget you are welcome to be bold and make the edits yourself.--Nick Moss (talk) 21:05, 4 March 2011 (UTC)

Assessment comment
Substituted at 07:32, 29 April 2016 (UTC)

Chicago
The article doesn't mention under the recent activity section that America was featured on Chicago's [|O Christmas Three] album in 2011. The link provided gives info from that album. Don't know if that's important enough to mention in the article or not, so I'm not going to edit it in myself. Rather I'll let others decide if it's worth mentioning rather than editing it in and having someone else decide to edit it out as too trivial. -anonymous 5/23/2016 12:24 EST — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:18B:0:9141:9022:E028:5F:FB4A (talk) 04:24, 23 May 2016 (UTC)

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British-American
What reason are the band categorised as " British-American" when all three are American ?

I understand that Lee Merton "Dewey" Bunnell was born in England to an English mum, but has he got British citizenship? Is the mere formality of having it enough to make a band that's called "America" and famous for it's American country sound even slightly British?

Montalban (talk) 05:13, 25 March 2023 (UTC)

Odd word
"During the summer/fall of 1974, bassist Calvin "Fuzzy" Samuels (formerly of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Manassas) was called to fill in for Dickey, who had come to Europe but then flown home inadvertently."

He flew home without meaning to? What is this meant to say? Normally, I'd just fix it when I find a wildly incorrect use of a word, but I don't understand the context. Perhaps it means what it says, but then it should have more context. 128.151.71.7 (talk) 12:16, 28 March 2023 (UTC)

title: Talk:America (band)


text: Category:Bomberman

title: Category:Bomberman


text:
The White Company

The White Company is a historical adventure novel by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle, set during the Hundred Years' War. The story is set in England, France and Spain, in the years 1366 and 1367, against the background of the campaign of Edward the Black Prince, to restore Peter of Castile to the throne of the Kingdom of Castile. The climax of the book occurs before the Battle of Nájera. Doyle became inspired to write the novel after attending a lecture on the Middle Ages in 1889. After extensive research, The White Company was published in serialised form in 1891 in The Cornhill Magazine. Additionally, the book is considered a companion to Doyle's 1905–06 Sir Nigel, which explores the early campaigns of Sir Nigel Loring and Samkin Aylward.

The novel is relatively unknown today, though it was very popular up through the Second World War. In fact, Doyle himself regarded this and his other historical novels more highly than the Sherlock Holmes adventures for which he is mainly remembered.

The "White Company" of the title is a free company of archers, led by one of the main characters. The name is taken from a real-life 14th-century Italian mercenary company, led by John Hawkwood.

Plot
At the age of twenty, young Alleyne, son of Edric, leaves the Catholic abbey where he has been raised—intelligent, skilled and well liked, though sheltered and naive—and goes out to see the world, in accordance with the terms of his father's will. The same day, the abbot banishes John of Hordle for worldly behaviour: great appetite, teasing and flirting. They meet at the Pied Merlin inn as they each rest for the night. There, they make friends with veteran archer Sam Aylward who has returned to England from France to recruit for the White Company of mercenaries. Aylward has brought a request for Sir Nigel Loring of Christchurch to take command of the company. Aylward and John continue to Christchurch, while Alleyne detours to visit his older brother, the socman or landlord of Minstead, whose fierce reputation has grown to wickedness.

The brothers meet for the first time since Alleyne was an infant and Alleyne finds that his brother is still furious their father gave three hides of land (80–120 acres) to the monastery for the boy's support. The socman threatens a lovely maiden, Maude, who escapes with Alleyne's aid and they flee on foot to find her horse. Maude makes a striking impression on the abbey-raised young man. When she hears that Alleyne intends to rejoin his friends to approach Sir Nigel Loring, Maude laughs and leaves him. Alleyne meets up again with Aylward and Hordle John, and the three friends meet Sir Nigel and his formidable wife Mary. There, he learns that Maude is Sir Nigel's daughter. Alleyne is taken on as squire to Sir Nigel and as tutor to Maude. When the men eventually depart for France, the young couple admit their love, but only to each other. En route to Gascony, our heroes destroy pirates, then report to the court of the Prince of Wales in Bordeaux.

After adventures fearful and funny, the valiant fighters lead the White Company to join the Prince. A letter arrives to Sir Nigel declaring that Alleyne's brother, the Socman of Minstead, had attacked Sir Nigel's castle. During the siege, the socman died. This news means that Alleyne is the new socman and emboldens him to declare his love for Maude to Sir Nigel. Sir Nigel is startled by the news and Alleyne's declaration, but indicates that he prefers that Alleyne should be a full knight before he approaches Maude again with talk of love. The Spanish and French attack them in a narrow ravine, where the mighty warriors are almost all destroyed and the Company must disband—only seven bowmen remain, including John. Alleyne was badly wounded when Sir Nigel sent him to alert the Prince to their plight. Sir Nigel and Aylward are missing and presumed dead. The English go on to win the Battle of Nájera, fulfilling the mission. The Prince knights Alleyne in his sick bed. Alleyne returns to England victorious with John as his squire, only to learn from a lady on the road that Maude and her mother had news that none of the White Company had survived. The lady said that love of a "golden-haired squire", who was presumed dead with the fighters, had caused Maude to decide to join a nunnery. The lady had left just before Maude was to take the veil. Alleyne rushes to the doors of the nunnery and he and Maude embrace. They marry. Alleyn and John prepare to return to find out what happened to Sir Nigel and Aylward. As Alleyne rides to see if the boat is ready to take them, he meets Aylward and Sir Nigel. They have a tale of adventure describing what occurred after they were captured by the Spanish, but eventually escaped to return to England. And everyone lives happily ever after.

Main characters

 * Alleyne Edricson: through the wishes of his father, he has been raised by monks of Beaulieu. Upon reaching the age of twenty he leaves the Abbey and goes into the world. During the next two years, Alleyne becomes a squire to Sir Nigel Loring, and travels to France to join the White Company, a band of archers. When Alleyne performs a great feat of valour, he himself becomes a knight. Upon returning to England, he weds Sir Nigel's daughter.
 * Sir Nigel Loring: based loosely on the real-life figure Sir Neil Loring, he is a valiant but baldheaded little knight, known and admired by every lord and soldier on both sides of the English Channel. He constantly hopes to engage in jousts and sword fights for honor and glory. He is famed for his deeds at several battles including those of Crécy and Poitiers. He is the Constable of Twynham Castle.
 * Lady Maude: Sir Nigel's daughter and Alleyne's love. She has a mind of her own and is a fairly modern character. Sir Nigel knows better than to thwart her when her mind is set on something, such as loving Alleyne. He merely indicates that Alleyne should be a full knight before Alleyne proposes.
 * Samkin Aylward: An elite archer who has spent most of his life as a soldier. His excellent shooting skills, hardy constitution, sense of humour and good luck have seen him through many battles, allowing him to pursue his chief pastime—wooing and flirting with women. His valour saves Sir Nigel's life on numerous occasions.
 * John of Hordle, or Hordle John: Was briefly a novice at Beaulieu before being expelled from the monastery for unfitting behaviour. A huge man of great strength and sarcastic wit, he also saves the day several times, and is Alleyne's squire at the end of the novel.

Other characters

 * Abbot Berghersh
 * Sir Oliver Buttesthorn
 * Simon Edricson, Socman of Minstead
 * Walter Ford, esquire
 * Goodwin Hawtayne
 * Sir Claude Latour
 * Lady Mary Loring
 * Black Simon of Norwich
 * Peter Terlake, esquire
 * John Tranter

Historical figures who appear as characters in the novel

 * James Audley
 * Bernard Brocas
 * Hugh Calveley
 * Henry II of Castile
 * Peter of Castile
 * John Chandos
 * Olivier de Clisson
 * Edward III of England
 * Edward the Black Prince
 * Thomas Felton
 * William Felton
 * John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster
 * Jean III de Grailly, captal de Buch
 * Bertrand du Guesclin
 * Robert Knolles
 * James IV of Majorca
 * Charles II of Navarre
 * Thomas Percy, 1st Earl of Worcester
 * Sir Simon de Burley

While there was a real knight named Sir Nigel Loring at the time when the novel is set, the historical record supplied few details and his role in the book is largely Doyle's invention. He is known to have been an original member of the Order of the Garter, and to have been in the Black Prince's bodyguard, particularly at the Battle of Poitiers on 19 September 1356. He was also a member of the Prince's war council and his chamberlain, and was part of the delegation that negotiated a truce at Bordeaux. As a reward for his role in that battle, he was granted 83 pounds per annum by the Prince.

Background
Conan Doyle had grown up with his mother telling him stories of chivalry, much of which fed into The White Company. He was also inspired by a visit he took in April 1889 to the New Forest, particularly to Castle Malwood in Lyndhurst. He wrote the entire novel in solitude in a small New Forest cottage, chiefly in an attempt to capture the history and splendour of the region. The novel was finished in the Summer of 1890, and it was published in instalments in The Cornhill Magazine between January and December 1891. The book was very successful, selling out rapidly; it also met with positive reviews.

Influence

 * Amory Blaine, the protagonist in F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1920 novel This Side of Paradise, reads The White Company early in the book.
 * Several of the characters in S. M. Stirling's Emberverse novels share names with characters from this book and are apparently descendants or reincarnations of the characters, and Stirling has acknowledged its influence on his own writing.
 * Two minor character names appear in the American film A Knight's Tale (2001), specifically "Delves of Dodgington" (Delves of Doddington in the novel) and "Fowlehurst of Crewe" as fake names for the characters Roland and Wat, respectively. Delves and Fowlehurst were both historic characters being squires of Sir James Audley at the Battle of Poitiers.

title: The White Company


text: User talk:172.159.14.253

title: User talk:172.159.14.253


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Talk:Lithuania District

Name
Shouldn't this article be moved to either Wilna Gebiet (its official name at the time) or Wilna Area (as the translation would suggest)? Halibutt 05:59, Jun 10, 2005 (UTC)

This is the direct translation of Lithuanian name "Valdžios nuovada" (government precinct), which is written on the original map together with German name (and as I don't speak German, I couldn't have translated it directly). I thought at first werether to leave untranslated German names such as Litauen Sud but later decided just to make redirects from these names and translate to English as this is English Wikipedia. Is Wilna Gebiet the same thing BTW? In the German translation of map there is no such written thing as Gebiet anywhere. The boundaries are explained as "Grenzen der Verwaltungberzike Kowno, Wilna und Litauen-Sud" in German. Maybe it was formed only after Lithuanian Province was formed and Wilna Gebiet was previously? DeirYassin 06:55, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)

 * No idea, really. As a matter of fact it's the first time I hear of such entities. Were they parts of Ober-Ost, of Lithuania, or were they just proposals of administrative reform in the German-occupied eastern Europe? The article series yoiu created so far does not give a hint...

 * As to the name - the Wilna Gebiet was the name of the administrative area of the Ober-Ost formed in late 1915. The following year a census was held there and the name was used there. Was the Verwaltungberzik Wilna any different in terms of borders or was it simply a name change? Also, "Wilna Gebiet" should be translated as "Wilna Area" or "Area of Wilna" while the "Verwaltungberzik Wilna" should rather be translated as "Wilna Administrative Area" (Verwaltung is administration in English). The German name you give does not mention any government, contrary to the current name of this article. Halibutt 09:15, Jun 10, 2005 (UTC)

 * I am unable to find any map of Wilna Gebiet so I could not compare. I myself did not hear much about these entities, but seen them in a few maps of this time and such, so I created articles and written what I know and left the else to be completed by someone who knows more. Unfortunately, not much is available on Lithuanian history online, maybe I'll try to search for some book about WW1 in Lithuania later (however, WW1 is kinda neglected as for books, there are way more books on interwar period, WW2 in Lithuania, partisan war and such). At the map I used to draw the map on Southern Lithuania and such, the explaination given is: "During the World War 1 the German-occupied Lithuania belonged to Ober Ost: administrational-territorial unit, established in 1915 in lands occuppied by German army in Eastern front. The administrational division of Ober Ost was constantly changing. In July of 1918 the government/administration (same word can mean both in Lithuanian) of German Eastern front established the Lithuanian province" (Lithuanian: Lietuvos sritis). However in the map you previously linked me to, at www.lietuva.lt, Vilnius is named as "Center of Lithuanian province since 1917 03 15, Capital - since 1918 02 16".

 * In the map I have a copy of (which is from a book with copies of various original historical maps of Lithuania) there is also mentioned in the legend of the map the borders of "Provinzialverwaltung Kurland" (which is outside Lithuanian Province), "der Gouvernments in Polen und der Regierungsberzike Ost-preuBen" (there should be that German s instead of B). Also, "Kreisverwaltung Suwalki", which is art of Lithuanian province, but seems to be outside all three government precincts as it is separately mentioned. The wide borders, called "Landegrenzen", separates the Lithuanian province, East Prussia, Kurland, Poland, Ukraine and Russia; names for all these countries are written (Deutsches Reich as for East Prussia). The eastern border with Russia (of both Lithuanian province and Courland) goes along the line of the separational peace treaty between Germany and Russia. Courland by the way seems to include more areas than Courland and Semigallia duchy did, probably it encompasses Latvia in general, although it is not clear from the map as only Lithuanian province is shown as a whole and north of Courland is not. So maybe this was a German attempt to establish permanent entities in the area based on local nationalities... Anyways, maybe User:Zivinbudas or User:Dirgela could tell more as they seems to know more about history of Lithuania than I do.DeirYassin 10:15, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)

textbook
My textbook "History of Lithuanian state and law" (Lietuvos valstybės ir teisės istorija, Vilnius, 1997) and article in German wikipedia on Ober Ost says following:
 * Lithuania was occupied in Autumn 1915.
 * In 15 June 1915 Feldmarscahl Hindenburg in Tilsit has created Zivilverwaltung (civil administration) for Army Memel, which included parts of former Kaunas and Suwalki governorships. In 1916 6 districts (Verwaltungsbezirke) were created: Lithuanian, Vilnius, Suwalki, Bialystok, Grodno and Kurland. These deistricts were divided into subdistricts (Kreise). Administrations of districts were acting in the name of senior commander for East front. In 1916 in Kaunas-Suwalki military adminstration (Militaerverwaltung) was created. In March 15, 1917 Lithuanian military administration (Verwaltungsbezirk der Militaerverwaltung Litauen) was created by uniting former smaller military adminsitrations. It was subdivided into smaller units (Kreis - 31 in total). To find out German names for these divisions in 1917-8 I used map created in 1918 by G.Schultze printed in collection of maps "Lietuva žemėlapiuose" (1999).

I am probably not good in English, but I've never heard the combination of words "government precinct" before and I think it is completely inapropriate here. As it is clear from what I was writing above, all these divisions had nothing to do with self-government which was not existing until the end of  1918. Dirgela 17:15, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)

 * btw. both Vilnius government precinct and Kaunas government precinct seem to me a complete nonsense, as these articles are inacurate in facts and written based on accidental sources and guesses. Dirgela 17:19, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Lithuanian is "Valdžios nuovada", I translated directly ("Valdžia" - "government", "nuovada" - "precinct"). So Lithuanian province established in 1918 July is not true also? Strange, as I have information indicaing that it is. Or do you mean self government by that Lithuanian province? ("Lietuvos sritis" in Lithuanian). Those are subdivisions of that Lietuvos sritis (government precincts I mean). I guess you have same book as I do if so than these units as well as explainations are in 164th page. (hough mine is probably rerease, it's also called "Lietuva Žemėlapiuose" but is released in 2002)DeirYassin 17:42, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)

 * It is a genious idea to translate the name of administrative area into Lithuanian and then translate it to English. The final result - complete nonsense ;) "Nuovada" means "police-office" in English. What it has to do with any kind of administrative division of Lithuania during WWI? And valdžia is not "government", it's "(state) power" in English. So what we've got? "State power police-office"? Where have you got this "valdžios nuovada"? Do you understand what does it mean in Lithuanian? "Lietuva žemėlapiuose" has only 151 page, sorry. Dirgela 21:28, 11 Jun 2005 (UTC)

 * As I said, in that book I have, also called Lietuva Žemėlapiuose, there is a map of Lithuanian province with explaination near it whcih I already translated in this discussion. That map is bilingual in both Lithuanian and German, both legend of it and city/town names are bilingual; it is a real map released at the said time. The Verwaltungberzike in Lithuanian is written as "Valdžios nuovada" on the map. The translation is not mine, it is written taht way on the map. Actually, the excerpts from the legend of map: "Kauno, Vilniaus, pietinės Lietuvos valdžios nuovadų ribos, Sąvalkų apskričio valdžios siena, Kuršo provincialinės valdžios Lenkijos gubernijos ir Rytprūsių valdymo nuovadų ribos.", "Valdžios nuovadų buveinė Lietuvoje, provincialinės valdžios Kurše, Lenkijos gubernijų ir Rytprūsių nuovadų valdymo buveinės". As for authors of map, Friederichsen and Keller are mentioned. And nuovada also means precinct BTW (precinct is also used for police office). DeirYassin 22:37, 11 Jun 2005 (UTC)

 * Do not use litteral translations. If you would look closer to this map you will find translation Landesgrenzen - Valdijų ribos. In contemporary Lithuanian we would translate that as "Žemių sienos". The same with "Landesbezirk - nuovada", in contemporary Lithuanian it should be translated as "apskritis".Dirgela 19:38, 14 December 2005 (UTC)

 * As I indicated earlier in this talk, the correct translation of the German terms quoted by DeirYassin should be either Administrative Area or simply Area (depending on whether we accept the "Wilna Gebiet" or "Wilna Verwaltungberzik". Halibutt 19:58, Jun 10, 2005 (UTC)

Demographics
What is the ground of the claims of nationality of the people ? What about their ethnicity ? --Lysy (talk) 22:46, 14 December 2005 (UTC)

title: Talk:Lithuania District


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Jack Dangermond

 This page is an archive of the discussion about the proposed deletion of the article below. This page is no longer live. Further comments should be made on the article's talk page rather than here so that this page is preserved as an historic record. The result of the debate was REDIRECT to ESRI   — Gwalla | Talk 21:29, 17 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Jack Dangermond
Marked for speedy but isn't a candidate. Substub on president of ESRI; not sure how notable that would make him. Nominator abstains from voting.  — Gwalla | Talk 05:59, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)

 * Comment: international company, been around since 1969 . Do we have a precedent for company presidents? --bainer (talk) 08:23, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Redirect to ESRI. Proto 10:09, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * A redirect to ESRI would be better than this substub. He is Mr. ESRI - any bio of him would probably duplicate a good corporate history, so I'd say they're better merged. He's the best-known name in the geographic information systems field, but that's perhaps not saying much. CDC   (talk)  19:05, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * This page is now preserved as an archive of the debate and, like some other VfD subpages, is no longer 'live'. Subsequent comments on the issue, the deletion, or the decision-making process should be placed on the relevant 'live' pages.  Please do not edit this page .


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Talk:Tweel

Other uses
In May, 1983, Road and Track magazine ran an article titled "The (Spring) Wheel of Fortune" about a similar invention dating to before WWII, which used steel springs between the tread and wheel. --Triskele Jim (talk) 19:48, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

 * The Mars Exploration Rovers have all-aluminum tweels...perhaps a see-also is warranted?--Joel 06:01, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)

 * See also [] - Arthur Clarke used the idea in 2001. Which was written in 1968. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Number774 (talk • contribs) 22:37, 18 February 2018 (UTC)

 * The link is http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/content.asp?Bnum=1681
 * That is a Pedrail wheel, not a Tweel. Clarke was a well-read sci-fi writer and brilliant engineer. It is very likely that he had read H.G. Wells earlier book describing the Pedrail.  Stepho  talk 23:00, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

More possible adds…
Just some notes for now. Need to decide the merits and find proper citations.

--Charles Gaudette 20:20, 18 November 2006 (UTC)
 * 1) 10-15 year before seeing it in the market place.
 * 2) Time Magazine "One Of Most Amazing Inventions Of 2005", 21 Nov 2005.
 * 3) Wins a Popular Science magazine "Innovation Honor", 2005.
 * 4) Use on TWIKE and Segway products?
 * 5) Use on forklifts and other "brake-turn" vehicles, (besides the existing mention of wheelchairs and construction vehicles)?

Tweel illustration ≠ tweel photos
The tweel in the illustration is not the same design as the tweels in the photos. Not only that, the Design section seems to describe the illustration but not the photos. The photo shows a tweel with what looks like an alloy hub. Clearly, not a deformable plastic. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Radbasa (talk • contribs) 18:38, 23 April 2007 (UTC).

TWEEL vs TWHEEL
Is the correct name TWEEL or TWHEEL? I have seen both on Michelin's website, always in upper case. In either case, I've added some redirections for 'Michelin TWHEEL', 'Michelin Tweel' and 'TWHEEL' to this article. Stepho-wrs (talk) 09:42, 11 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Either way it should not be all capitalized per MOS:TM. - Epson291 (talk) 19:18, 15 March 2009 (UTC)

A photo of a Tweel
... would be nice. Maybe one from NASA? --Bcjordan (talk) 15:10, 6 September 2009 (UTC)

Plagiarized content
The paragraph on the drawbacks associated with tweels has been directly plagiarized from Reference 1 (the howstuffworks.com article written by Ed Grabianowski). Other content is also eerily similar to what appears in Mr. Grabianowski's article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.88.150.78 (talk) 00:45, 8 October 2009 (UTC)

Variations
I see that YouTube has videos purporting to be improvements over the Michelin design: "Real Tweel" and "Super Tweel" ( There's also a professionally done video with "Super Tweel" in the title . That last one is narrated by one Brian Russell, who describes himself as the inventor of the wheel shown in the video, an "energy return wheel" (the video mentions http://www.energyreturnwheel.com/). That mentioned URL turns out to be the corporate website for Britek Tire and Rubber. On the site, BriTek offers to license the technology (Apparently now called "The BriTek Wheel"). A report on that website characterizes the BriTek Wheel as a competitor to the Michelin Tweel. I'm not sure how much of this info fits into this article or how it ought to be presented, so I'll just mention it here. Perhaps someone more informed about all this than I can go forward with this. Wtmitchell (talk) (earlier Boracay Bill) 05:08, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

(added) There's some more info in a magazine article (Robert Andrew Powell, Keep Running: A Company in Search of the Finish Line, August 1, 2008, inc.com). That article describes Brian Russell as the inventor of a running shoe called the Bri-Tek (mentioned briefly in a video linked above) and the founder of a running-shoe company named Newton Running (the website credits Isaac Newton as being the inspiration for what it calls "Active Membrane Technology", apparently the technology behind both the running shoes and the BriTek Wheel). Wtmitchell (talk) (earlier Boracay Bill) 05:29, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

Spelling of tire
Per the official Tweel press release: The name “Tweel”’ is the contraction in English of “tire” and “wheel”. Ng.j (talk) 06:37, 29 November 2010 (UTC)

The original spelling was tire until this anonymous editor rewrote it. Before rewrite - After rewrite. Ng.j (talk) 10:22, 29 November 2010 (UTC)

Per Talk:Tire: "We have had a long (and often acrymonious) debate about the naming of this article - followed by consensus voting. The conclusion was that per the Wikipedia Manual of Style, we will follow the rule that when an article is started in one English variant (US English in this case), it should be kept in that variant unless there are overwhelming reasons not to." Ng.j (talk) 10:33, 29 November 2010 (UTC)

 * Since I've only been watching this article since Jan 2010, the rule of keeping to the style of the first editor appeared to be in my favour (hence my constant reversions of your changes). Now that you have pointed out the original spelling, I remove my objections.
 * But since I'm in a grumpy mood, I'm going to mention a few points anyway.
 * Acrimonious debates about spelling usually come down to two sides both saying 'this is how I have always spelt it, and damn it, that's how everyone else had better spell it!' The rule of following the first editor is often the only way to choose and I follow it as often as I can - even if it means occasionally changing from my own Australian English to that horrible atrocity called American English :)
 * If you feel a change is so contentious that it needs an entry on the talk page, then reach a consensus on the talk page first, and then make whatever changes the consensus agreed to. Much better to have a weeks worth of discussion on the talkpage rather than a weeks worth of reversion on the main page. But I need to apologise for not answering on the talk page earlier (been quite busy lately).
 * The consensus reached at tire is irrelevant here. It was solved by keeping to the first editors style - which was more or less a random occurrence. There was no great, supreior reason foudn for following the American spelling and it was strictly relevant to only the tire article. If you want to make 'tire' the only acceptable spelling for all car articles then you will have to raise it at  Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Automobiles, where it will either cause a very heated but useless debate or be laughed out of court.
 * Best regards.  Stepho   (talk) 22:58, 29 November 2010 (UTC)

User TweelTech
User:TweelTech made some changes to the article. The user name strongly suggests that the user is actually an employee or paid contractor for the company. This isn't bad in itself but of course we need to monitor if they bias it by removing criticism and only adding positive reviews. I did revert them though for the following reasons: Most of the changes to the technical description wasn't bad. I probably would have let the changes stay but I reverted it due to the serious wiki markup problems. Would TweelTech or others like to comment?  Stepho  talk 22:41, 18 December 2013 (UTC)
 * 1) Added references by tacking [1] into the code instead of proper markup tags.
 * 2) Counted criticism by adding a reference to a positive review by Grass Roots magazine which requires a paid subscription (meaning that I can't verify it). The citation markup had serious problems.
 * 3) A change from 'shear band' to 'shear beam'. I would think that a circular tyre would have a band rather than a beam but this may be a misunderstanding on my part.

User:TweelTech: We know it is an airless tyre. We know it is made by Michelin. Mention it once and then use the short form in the rest of the article. Using the long forms of "Michelin X Tweel airless radial tire" and "MICHELIN® 12N16.5 X® TWEEL® SSL" every single time makes it tedious to read. Also, Wikipedia does not use symbols such as ®. All names are assumed to be trademarks of which ever company is being discussed. See WP:Trademarks. Links to page away from Wikipedia should be in references or the 'External links' section. Such links should not be in the main article text where they could take an unsuspecting reader away from Wikipedia. Lastly, beware of how you use square brackets - they can have a disastrous effect that breaks the display of the page.  Stepho  talk 01:29, 1 February 2014 (UTC)

Uptis
Michelin have a new variation called 'Uptis' for passenger cars. Due for sale circa 2024.  Stepho  talk 13:15, 10 June 2019 (UTC)
 * Added to article. -- Otr500 (talk) 11:47, 22 May 2022 (UTC)

External links Comment

 * The "External links" section was trimmed as being excessive. Some (as suggested below) may be incorporated into the article as sources.

 * Michelin Tweel press releases
 * Radical new wheel technology
 * Rubber Spokes Give Bounce to Airless Safety Tires (May, 1938)
 * Amerityre Zero Pressure Spare Tyre

title: Talk:Tweel


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Coco Bump

 This page is an archive of the discussion about the proposed deletion of the article below. This page is no longer live. Further comments should be made on the article's talk page rather than here so that this page is preserved as an historic record. The result of the debate was DELETE   — Gwalla | Talk 17:58, 17 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Coco Bump
Marked for speedy but isn't a candidate. Supposed sexual practice, but with no relevant Google hits (hits were for a setting in a play about Anansi, and a pro wrestler's finisher)—either this is the only sex-related topic not talked about elsewhere on the Internet, or it doesn't exist.  — Gwalla | Talk 06:01, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete unverifiable. JamesBurns 06:44, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Somebody's private slang term. Delete, candidate for speedy deletion as nonsense. - Mike Rosoft 12:16, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete unverifiable. -Snorre/Antwelm 14:02, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Hoax, probably. If not, then not notable. -- BD2412 talk 19:55, 2005 Jun 10 (UTC)
 * This page is now preserved as an archive of the debate and, like some other VfD subpages, is no longer 'live'. Subsequent comments on the issue, the deletion, or the decision-making process should be placed on the relevant 'live' pages.  Please do not edit this page .


text: Category:Opera excerpts

title: Category:Opera excerpts


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Orion foeller

 This page is an archive of the discussion about the proposed deletion of the article below. This page is no longer live. Further comments should be made on the article's talk page rather than here so that this page is preserved as an historic record. The result of the debate was DELETE. Golbez 07:34, Jun 18, 2005 (UTC)

Orion foeller
Vanity. Nice kid, but vanity. FCYTravis 06:02, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete vanity. JamesBurns 06:43, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete as vanity. Jamyskis 10:12, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. If you're going to write about yourself, capitalisation and punctuation would be nice. jglc | t | c 16:01, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete per above. -- BD2412 talk 19:53, 2005 Jun 10 (UTC)
 * Delete. Keep up the good work, young Orion, and soon enough you may get your place in an encyclopedia.-- Poli 18:27, 14 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * This page is now preserved as an archive of the debate and, like some other VfD subpages, is no longer 'live'. Subsequent comments on the issue, the deletion, or the decision-making process should be placed on the relevant 'live' pages.  Please do not edit this page .


text:
Music as a Weapon

Music as a Weapon is a series of concert tours created by the American heavy metal band Disturbed. There have been seven editions of the tour, five in North America and two in Australasia. The name of the tour is from the lyrics of "Droppin' Plates" on Disturbed's first album, The Sickness.

Music as a Weapon (2001)

 * Disturbed
 * Drowning Pool
 * Adema
 * Stereomud
 * Systematic

Music as a Weapon II (2003)

 * Disturbed
 * Chevelle
 * Taproot
 * Ünloco

Music as a Weapon III (2006)

 * Disturbed
 * Stone Sour
 * Flyleaf
 * Nonpoint

Music as a Weapon: Australia and New Zealand (2008)
For a list of tour dates, see Indestructible Tour.
 * Disturbed
 * P.O.D.
 * Alter Bridge
 * Redline
 * Behind Crimson Eyes

Music as a Weapon IV (2009)
For a list of tour dates, see Indestructible Tour.
 * Disturbed
 * Killswitch Engage
 * Lacuna Coil
 * Chimaira
 * Suicide Silence
 * Spineshank
 * Crooked X
 * Bury Your Dead
 * Born of Osiris
 * After the Burial

Music as a Weapon V (2011)
For a list of tour dates, see Asylum Tour. This was the first time Music as a Weapon had co-headliners, Disturbed and Korn.
 * Disturbed
 * Korn
 * Sevendust
 * In This Moment
 * StillWell (second leg only)

Music as a Weapon: Australia and New Zealand (2011)
For a list of tour dates, see Asylum Tour.
 * Disturbed
 * Trivium
 * As I Lay Dying
 * Forgiven Rival (Australian dates only)
 * These Four Walls (NZ dates only)

Music as a Weapon II
Music as a Weapon II was recorded as a live album and DVD, created by Disturbed. It was recorded at The Aragon in Chicago in 2003, and released in 2004. It contains Disturbed's cover of Metallica's "Fade to Black" and the previously unreleased song "Dehumanized". The DVD also contains Disturbed's video for their single "Liberate". This was Disturbed's last release with bass guitarist Steve Kmak. It was also Ünloco's final release before splitting up.

title: Music as a Weapon


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Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Danny Cockroach

 This page is an archive of the discussion about the proposed deletion of the article below. This page is no longer live. Further comments should be made on the article's talk page rather than here so that this page is preserved as an historic record. The result of the debate was delete. There are a few userfy votes, but, as it has been pointed out, User:Danny Cockroach appears to have retired from Wikipedia. Sjakkalle (Check!)  09:00, 18 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Danny Cockroach
Marked for speedy but isn't a candidate. Reason given was "Vanity. <100 Google hits, most from the author or his own site.  Suggest userfy to User:Danny Cockroach". Pretty clearly band vanity.  — Gwalla | Talk 06:03, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete vanity. JamesBurns 06:45, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. The website linked to in the article shows that this band is still competing in 'unsigned band' competitions. The tour dates are not exactly wide spread and major. Average Earthman 06:46, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Non-notable band. Maybe when they get signed, tour, and get, you know, fans, then re-add. jglc | t | c 16:00, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Userfy or delete. Niteowlneils 16:30, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Userfy --Xcali 19:08, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Userfy You 20:21, Jun 11, 2005 (UTC)
 * Changing my vote to delete. User's only edits are to this article, and to add a link to it to other articles; user was only active for one day (9 June 2005) and has not been back sense. No real point in userfying except to preserve the advertisement.   — Gwalla | Talk 20:11, 17 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * This page is now preserved as an archive of the debate and, like some other VfD subpages, is no longer 'live'. Subsequent comments on the issue, the deletion, or the decision-making process should be placed on the relevant 'live' pages.  Please do not edit this page .


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Talk:Assault and battery

--CopyToWiktionaryBot 23:21, 31 January 2007 (UTC)

Should be article for assault and battery as the crime
By default, a search for "assault and battery" should not bring up this disambig page. The other uses as song titles are not notable enough. As this is likely a frequently searched term, we do not want to confuse and disappoint users with a lousy disambig page. In other words, the current disambig page degrades the quality of Wikipedia. The solution is to have "assault and battery" be a page about the crime but that includes a "see also" at the top that the user can click to see the current disambig page. I'll wait for a week or so for further comment and then make the changes myself if necessary. Jason Quinn (talk) 14:25, 7 July 2008 (UTC)
 * Agree with above. "Assault and battery" seems like a notable topic deserving of its own article and is certainly the WP:PRIMARYTOPIC for this term. Woodshed (talk) 11:39, 10 April 2011 (UTC)

title: Talk:Assault and battery


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Smuts

Smuts is an Afrikaans surname most commonly associated with Jan Smuts (1870–1950), a South African statesman, military leader and prime minister of the Union of South Africa. Other notable people with the surname include:

 * Barbara Smuts (born 1950), American anthropologist
 * Dave Smuts (David, flor. 1980–2023..), Namibian Supreme Court judge
 * Dene Smuts (1949–2016), South African politician
 * JJ Smuts (Jon-Jon Trevor, born 1988), South African cricketer
 * J. J. L. Smuts (Johannes Joachim Lodewyk, 1785–1869), South African public official
 * John Christopher Smuts (1910–1979), known as Christopher Smuts, South African-born British politician
 * Kelly Smuts (born 1990), South African cricketer
 * Lulama Smuts Ngonyama (born 1952), known as Smuts Ngonyama, South African politician
 * Neil Smuts (1898–?), South African aviator
 * Olive Smuts-Kennedy (1925–2013), New Zealand politician
 * Tobias Smuts (1861-1916), Boer war Boer general

title: Smuts


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Dick's Sporting Goods

Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. is an American chain of sporting goods stores founded in 1948 by Richard "Dick" Stack. It is the largest sporting goods retailer in the United States, and is listed on the Fortune 500.

Company overview
Dick's is the largest sporting goods retail company in the United States, with over 800 stores as of 2023. The public company is based in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania and is physically located in Findlay Township, Pennsylvania outside Pittsburgh, and has approximately 53,000 employees as of August 2023. The company's subsidiaries include Golf Galaxy, Public Lands, and House of Sport. In 2017, there were 690 Dick's stores and close to 100 Golf Galaxy locations. The company acquired Affinity Sports, Blue Sombrero, and GameChanger.

Edward W. Stack is currently executive chairman. Lauren Hobart is president and chief executive officer of the company and Navdeep Gupta is chief financial officer,. Hobart succeeded Edward W. Stack as CEO on February 1, 2021, becoming the company's first female CEO.

History
Richard "Dick" Stack started the company as a fishing tackle store in Binghamton, New York, in 1948. He began with a $300 loan from his grandmother.

Edward W. Stack and his siblings purchased Dick's from their father in the early 1980s, when the company had two locations in Upstate New York. Stack established a board of directors, opened additional stores, and relocated the company's headquarters to Pittsburgh in 1994. He became chairman and chief executive officer following his father's retirement in 1984, and led the company during its initial public offering in 2002.

Dick's operated primarily throughout the Eastern United States until 2009, and has since expanded across the country. There are more than 800 Dick's stores in 47 states, as of 2023.

In 2012, the company opened three True Runner stores targeting runners in Boston, the St. Louis suburb Brentwood, and Pittsburgh's Shadyside neighborhood. The stores closed in early 2017.

Dick's launched the women's athleisure, fitness, and lifestyle store Chelsea Collective in 2015, opening two stores in Pittsburgh and Tysons, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C. metro area. The shops closed in 2017.

The company launched Dick's Team Sports HQ in early 2016, offering youth sports teams websites, uniforms, and sponsorship options.

Dick's opened its first Field & Stream store in Cranberry Township, a suburb of Pittsburgh, in 2013. Thirty-five Field & Stream stores were open across the country as of 2018. In 2023, Dick's shuttered its Field & Stream brand by converting its remaining Field & Stream stores to its House of Sport concept or large format DICK'S stores.

Following the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in February 2018, Dick's stopped selling assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and increased the minimum age for purchasing guns to 21. Dick's-branded stores had suspended assault-style weapon sales following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, but the guns were still available for purchase at Field & Stream locations. Dick's has never carried bump stocks.

The company currently operates five distribution centers. The most recent, in Conklin in Southern Tier, New York opened in January 2018, and was further expanded to fulfill online sales a few months later.

In 2019, Dick's launched its private-label clothing line called DSG. The company's other brands include the women's line Calia, and their menswear brand VRST.

Dick's opened its first "House of Sport" concept stores in Victor, New York and Knoxville, Tennessee in 2021. The stores are larger than Dick's flagship locations, sell higher-end gear and include features such as an outdoor turf field and track, climbing wall, batting cages, and a digital golf range. Dick's also launched Public Lands in 2021, a chain of stores that focuses on outdoor recreation including camping, hiking, and biking.

In 2021, Dick's opened its first Public Lands store. Public Lands donates 1% of sales to the Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation's Public Lands Fund, which promotes conservation and outdoor activities.

In 2022, Dick's Sporting Goods launched DSG Ventures, an investment fund worth $50 million.

Acquisitions
Dick's acquired Galyan's in July 2004. The company agreed to purchase Golf Galaxy for $225 million in November 2006. Dick's confirmed plans to close Golf Galaxy's headquarters in Eden Prairie, Minnesota in mid 2008.

Dick's acquired Chick's Sporting Goods in November 2007 for $71 million. At the time, Chicks' operated 15 specialty sporting goods stores in Southern California.

Dick's purchased the San Diego-based sports management technology company Affinity Sports for an undisclosed amount in mid 2016. In September, Dick's acquired Sports Authority's brand name and intellectual property. There were 450 Sports Authority locations at the time.

Dick's acquired Golfsmith, the largest golf retailer in the United States, at a bankruptcy auction in October 2016. Dick's bid approximately $70 million for all of Golfsmith's intellectual property and inventory. The company planned to retain around 30 of Golfsmith's more than 100 locations, as well as 500 employees. Dick's rebranded 36–38 Golfsmith stores in 16 U.S. states as Golf Galaxy in 2017. This increased the number of Golf Galaxy stores to 98, located in 33 states.

In 2016, Dick’s Sporting Goods also acquired GameChanger, a mobile scoring app company.

In February 2023, Dick’s Sporting Goods purchased Moosejaw from Walmart for an undisclosed amount.

Lawsuits and legal proceedings

 * In July 1971, Dick's was told of infringing a patent owned by Furnace Brook, LLC, in a lawsuit filed in the Northern District of Illinois.
 * On March 31, 2005, the company restated the first three fiscal quarters of 2004 as well as full-year figures due to adjustments to its accounting for leases and tenant or construction allowances.
 * In June 2009, Dick's was accused of infringing a patent owned by The Donkey Company, Inc., in a lawsuit filed in District Court for the District of New Jersey.
 * In February 2014, Dick's brought a lawsuit against Modell's Sporting Goods CEO, Mitchell Modell (who featured on an episode of Undercover Boss in 2012), for going undercover into one of their stores to gain access to retail secrets. The lawsuit was settled out of court by April for undisclosed terms. Independent analysts suggested that Modell visited the store on a whim, rather than as part of some plot to steal information.
 * In 2018, Dick's was sued for age discrimination by at least two people for no longer selling long guns to 18-20 year olds where legal. One case was settled in November 2018; details of the settlement are confidential, but it did not directly result in any changes to the retailer's policies. The second case was reported as "resolved" by an attorney for the plaintiff in late 2018 without disclosing details of any settlement.

Partnerships and sponsorships
The company signed a 20-year naming rights agreement for Dick's Sporting Goods Park, a soccer-specific stadium for the Colorado Rapids team in Commerce City, Colorado, in 2006. Dick's has sponsored the Pittsburgh Penguins and the team's home arena, PPG Paints Arena (formerly Consol Energy Center).

Sporting events sponsored by Dick's have included the Dick's Sporting Goods Open and the Pittsburgh Marathon. Dick's began sponsoring ESPN's college football kickoff week in 2009.

In 2015, the company sponsored Olympic and Paralympic athletes and hopefuls, and became the "official sporting goods retailer" for Team USA for the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. Dick's and Team USA established the Ambassador Program and Contender's Program in partnership with the United States Olympic Committee, employing Olympians and prospective Olympic athletes. Dick's employed approximately 200 Team USA athletes competing in 35 different Olympic and Paralympic sports, as of March–July 2016. The athletes worked in 89 stores in 32 states.

Dick's partnered with Carrie Underwood in 2015 to launch Calia, a fitness lifestyle line.

In 2017, Dick's entered a multiyear partnership with the United States Youth Soccer Association to provide team management technology and sponsor the US Youth Soccer National Championships.

Since September 2021, Dick’s has been in a multi-year agreement to be the official retail partner of the WNBA.

In 2021, Dick's collaborated with Nike and DeVonta Smith. In 2023, the company worked with the Boston Athletic Association, making Dick's the official sponsor of all of the association's events, including the 2023 Boston Marathon and associated events. They also became the official sporting-goods retailer of the NCAA. That same year, Dick's subsidiary GameChanger signed a deal with Major League Baseball to promote youth sports.

Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation
In 2014, the Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation committed up to $2 million annually to fund youth sports via its Sports Matter program. The Sports Matter program was initiated in 2014 to provide grants, equipment, and sponsorships to underserved youth sports programs. Since its inception, Sports Matter has pledged more than $100 million.

In 2023, Dick’s Sporting Goods launched the ‘Sports Change Lives’ campaign to encourage participation in sports. The campaign partnered with Nike, Inc., to feature athletes such as Mike Trout, A'ja Wilson, and Carmelo Anthony. Participating athletes each nominate a youth sports organization to receive a $75,000 grant. As of 2023, Dick’s Sporting Goods and its foundation has pledged $170 million USD for youth sports initiatives.

title: Dick's Sporting Goods