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Strapping

Strapping, also known as bundling and banding, is the process of applying a strap to an item to combine, stabilize, hold, reinforce, or fasten it. A strap may also be referred to as strapping. Strapping is most commonly used in the packaging industry.

Types of strap
Strap is a flat, flexible material, most commonly made from steel or various types of plastic.

Steel

Steel is the oldest and highest tensile strength strapping. It is available in a variety of widths and thicknesses as well as variations in the grade of steel. Steel is used for heavy duty holding where high strength and minimal stretch are desired. Surface finishes for steel strap include: paint, paint and wax, bluing, or zinc and wax. The wax is used to better transmit the tension around the bundle and for use with certain types of tensioners. Common applications include steel coils, bundles of metal, baling wire, bricks and other pavers, and roll end-binding.

Steel strapping is sold by weight rather than length due to the natural expansion and contraction of steel in the manufacturing process. A 3/4 x .020 steel strapping coil yields approximately 19.6 feet per pound.

Polypropylene
Polypropylene strap (oriented or tensilized) is an economical material designed for light to medium duty unitizing, palletizing, and bundling. It is available in various widths, thicknesses, and polymer variations (e.g., copolymers). Most polypropylene is embossed, and some is also printed. This product offers higher elongation at break, but tends to have irrecoverable dead stretch with constant stress. What is not generally known to end users is that polypropylene strapping will lose about 50% of the applied tension within one hour, and that this tension loss is accelerated with increases in ambient temperature. Consequently, although it is suitable for packs due to a degree of stored energy that will take up any relaxation that occurs in the strap, unacceptable strap slackness may occur after time if used on solid product, such as brick or concrete. Furthermore, polypropylene strapping is susceptible to UV degradation and can degrade quickly if left exposed to the elements. UV degradation can be mitigated by specifying the use of black strap or a UV inhibitor.

Polypropylene strapping can be printed. For the highest quality and precision, printing occurs during production (and pre-embossing). Printing can also occur post-production over the embossing, at the cost of reduced quality. Both options offer security and marketing advantages to the strapped product.

Polyester
Oriented or tensilized polyester and nylon are the strongest plastic strapping products and are used as a viable alternative to steel strapping in some industries. Polyester provides excellent retained tension on rigid loads. Its excellent recovery properties help a load absorb impact without strap breakage.

There are specialized types available for specific applications. For instance, in cold climates a strap bonded in hot melt glue is used because it is weather-proof.

Nylon
Nylon strap has the greatest specific strength of the three plastics, but it is rarely used due to its high price. Nylon strap used to be very popular, but over time polyester strap has almost completely replaced nylon. Nylon strap is still used in cold room applications, however, because it does not creep as much as the other types of plastic.

Corded and woven
Corded and woven strapping are available in several constructions, primarily involving polyester and rayon. Some types are reusable. Because this system uses a buckle for a joint, corded and woven strapping can have a larger system strength than steel banding. Corded polyester strapping also has a higher elongation than other strapping systems, which gives it an ideal memory for sea and rail shipments. Because corded and woven polyester straps are light and soft, they are also a safer alternative to steel banding.

Paper
Paper strap is used to strap paper products between industrial processes. This allows the bundle to be introduced into the process without cutting the straps, which can lead to the product falling apart prematurely.

Composite
Composite strapping has polyester filaments embedded longitudinally down the length of the strap that provides the tensile strength. These polyester yarn fibers are embedded within a polypropylene coating. The polypropylene provides foam to the strap, but also improves the non-slip characteristic when combined with the wire buckle. In the load securing industry, composite is often referred to as "synthetic steel". It is very abrasion-resistant and has the highest joint efficiency when used with a buckle. Both advantages are not affected by climate.

Uses of strapping
Examples include:
 * Bundling items together for handling and shipment: newspapers, pipe, lumber, concrete block, etc.
 * Attaching items to pallets, skids, and crates
 * Attaching items to flatcars, flatbed semi-trailers,
 * Securing a unit load of bricks, packaged glass, metal parts, etc.
 * Closing corrugated boxes and shipping containers
 * Securing coils of steel or paper
 * Holding bales of agricultural products or textiles
 * Load securing items within intermodal containers, boxcars, and semi-trailers

Strapping is most often used in complete horizontal or vertical bands. Edge protectors are used to help distribute the load at corners and reduce damage done to the load by the tensioned strap. Strapping can also be used in loops attached to holding locations on rail cars, skids, etc.

Joining methods
After the strap is tensioned, the strap is often sealed to itself. Steel strap is sealed with a seal and notch joint, a seal and crimp, seal-less joint, or via welding. Seals come in various shapes depending on the application; some can be put on after the strap is tensioned, while others must be installed before tensioning. To create the seal, the seal and strap are notched on both sides; if one set of notches are created then it is called a single notch joint, if two sets of notches are created then it is called a double notch joint. Crimp joints also use a seal, but crimp undulations are used instead of formed notches. These crimps form great frictional forces which keep the joint from seeping. Seal-less joints are created by forming interlocking keys into the middle of the strap.

Plastic strap is most commonly joined by melting the straps together by adding heat to the joint. For lighter gauge strap, usually 16 mm and narrower, heat is introduced with a hot knife system. First, the hot knife moves in between the straps. Then a platen comes up and compresses the straps and hot knife against an anvil on the order of tens of milliseconds. The platen then drops and the hot knife is removed. After the hot knife is completely clear of the straps the platen comes back up and compresses the joint so that the melted portions of the strap mix and harden.

For thicker plastic strap, usually 0.73 mm and thicker, friction is used to create heat within the joint. The process starts with the strap compressed between the platen and the anvil. There is a vibrator built into either the platen or the anvil, which has teeth; there are also teeth on the opposite component, which does not move. The vibrator is quickly vibrated, which creates enough heat to melt the interface between the two strap, because of friction. To complete the weld the vibrator is stopped and the pressure held until the joint has solidified. Polypropylene and Polyester strapping can also be sealed in a similar manner with the heat being produced by sound in the form of Ultrasonic waves passing through the materials and exiting the molecular structure. They are then compressed as in a heat seal. In ultrasonic welding of plastics, high frequency (15 kHz to 40 kHz ) low amplitude vibration is used to create heat by way of friction between the materials to be joined. The interface of the two parts is specially designed to concentrate the energy for the maximum weld strength.

It may also be joined manually by crimping a seal or via a buckle.

The joint is the weakest part of the system, therefore the type of joining method used is very important if strength is an issue. The strength of a joint is defined as the force required to break the strap in uniaxial tension. This is then compared to the uniaxial strength of the strap and recorded as the percent difference (e.g., a sample of steel strap may have a 5000 lb break strength and the seal may fail at 3000 lb, so the seal is said to have a 60% strength). Hot knife welds have a minimum break strength of 55%. Friction welds have a minimum break strength of 65%. Well set up strapping machines or friction weld tools will aim for around 80% of break strength. Metal clips/seals are surprisingly low with about 100 – 120 kg slip resistance.

For pallets strapping based on norm ASTM D3953 Standard Specification, the number of the strapping procedure is around 10 times for a minimal.

Equipment
There are two major types of equipment available for strapping: hand tools, and strapping machines or banding machines. A dispenser is used with both types of equipment to dispense the strap. Some strapping machines have the dispenser built-in; others (typically those on large arch machines) have a separately powered dispenser, which can automatically load or thread new coils. Non-powered separated dispensers have a pulley which releases and activates a brake to stop the inertia of the coil and keep the strap from over-running onto the floor. Typically, dispensers used on large arch strapping machines have multiple pulleys to act as a way to store strap in a way that can be quickly dispensed. Smaller arch machines, such as tabletop machines, will feed strap into a pool box/accumulator instead. In both cases this is required; otherwise, the strapping machine will draw the strap faster than the dispenser can pay off.

Hand tools
There are two types of hand tools: manual, and automatic.

Both manual and automatic tools are available as combination tools, which perform the tensioning, sealing and cutting, or as separate tensioners, sealers, and cutters. Manual and automatic hand sealers for steel can use either a seal or a seal-less joint.

Manual tensioners and crimping systems are available for low-volume applications. Manual sealers for plastic strap always use a seal and a compression (serrated seals) or crimp joint (smooth-faced seals).

Automatic hand tools are used for higher-volume applications. Automatic tools can be powered by an electric battery, or by compressed air. Automatic hand tools for plastic strap use a friction weld.

Strapping machines
Strapping machines, also known as bundlers or banders, are used for higher-volume applications or special applications. They are available in horizontal and vertical orientations (with the vertical orientation being far more common). They are also available in bottom seal, side seal, and top seal orientations, which define where the joint is located on the bundle.

Strapping machines are available in semi-automatic and automatic varieties. The automatic machines can additionally be used inline with conveyor systems. A photocell is used to detect when the bundle is in the correct location, stop the conveyors, and activate the strapping machine. Most, however, will be found in standalone applications. Semi-automatic and fully automatic strapping machines substantially improve efficiency in a warehouse and also the overall presentation of a packaged product. The saved labor can often easily cover the relatively low cost of the strapping machine.

Both semi- and fully-automatic strapping machines can easily be included in a packing production line where packing tables and strapping machines are positioned at workable heights.

Banding machines like strapping machines allow the unitization and securing of products with a variety of different shapes and sizes.

Banding machines, however, are less damaging to the product being strapped, since the larger widths of bands available (20mm - 100mm) allow greater surface area that minimizes the harm on sensitive products. Banding machines can also run on paper straps for a more eco-friendly alternative to plastic strapping.

Operation is by photo-sensor, foot pedal, or a PLC, allowing these machines to be integrated into production lines or for standalone operation.

Automatic strapping machines allow hands-free securing of parcels with automatically tensioned, sealed, and cut polypropylene strapping.

These machines are operated either by foot pedal or parcel sensor, which makes them ideal for volume throughput.

Semi-automatic strapping machines will allow one operator to automatically tension, seal, and cut polypropylene strapping to give neat and secure fastening on any size box.

Adjustable strap tensioning to suit each package prevents strap damage to softer boxes.

Standards

 * ASTM D3953 Standard Specification for Strapping, Flat Steel and Seals
 * ASTM D3950 Standard Specification for Strapping, Nonmetallic (and Joining Methods)
 * ASTM D4675 Standard Guide for Selection and Use of Flat Strapping Materials
 * BS EN13891:2003 Tensional Strapping - Guide to selection and use of tensional strapping
 * BS EN13394:2001 Packaging Specification for non-metallic strapping

title: Strapping


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The Scarlet Citadel

"The Scarlet Citadel" is one of the original short stories starring the fictional sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard and first published in the January, 1933 issue of Weird Tales magazine. In the fictional Hyborian Age, a middle-aged Conan battles rival kingdoms. The wizard Tsotha-lanti ensnares King Conan, who escapes a dungeon with unexpected aid.

The story was republished in the collections King Conan (Gnome Press, 1953) and Conan the Usurper (Lancer Books, 1967). It has more recently been published in the collections The Conan Chronicles Volume 2: The Hour of the Dragon (Gollancz, 2001) and Conan of Cimmeria: Volume One (1932–1933) (Del Rey, 2003).

Plot summary
An older, wiser King Conan of Aquilonia receives a call for help from Amalrus, the ruler of neighbouring Ophir. Amalrus claims that Strabonus, the Emperor of Koth, is threatening his kingdom.

Conan marches into Ophir with an army of five thousand Aquilonian knights. His planned campaign is a trap; the two monarchs are working together to destroy him with the help of a Kothian wizard named Tsotha-lanti. The Aquilonian knights are cut down by the Kothian cavalry, while Conan is imprisoned within a Korshemish dungeon. This dungeon is used by Tsotha-lanti for nefarious experiments, and Conan discovers many bizarre horrors during his escape.

Conan frees Pelias, a former rival wizard of Tsotha-lanti, who helps him escape the dungeon and regain his position as king of Aquilonia. The story climaxes with a gigantic battle, where Tsotha-lanti meets a grisly fate at the hands of Pelias.

Reception
Robert Weinberg described "The Scarlet Citadel" as "Howard at his best", and praised the character of Pelias.

Adaptation
The story was adapted by Roy Thomas and Frank Brunner in Savage Sword of Conan #30 in 1978, then by Tim Truman and Tomas Giorello in 2011 in King Conan: The Scarlet Citadel.

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

title: The Scarlet Citadel


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Queen's metal

Queen's Metal, an alloy of nine parts tin and one each of antimony, lead, and bismuth, is intermediate in hardness between pewter and britannia metal. It was developed by English pewtersmiths in the 16th century; the recipe was initially a secret and was reserved for pieces made for the English royal family.

title: Queen's metal


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User talk:Daizus

Mediation!
A request for mediation has been filed with the Mediation Committee that lists you as a party. The Mediation Committee requires that all parties listed in a mediation must be notified of the mediation. Please review the request at Requests for mediation/Soviet occupation of Romania, and indicate whether you agree or refuse to mediate. If you are unfamiliar with mediation, please refer to Mediation. There are only seven days for everyone to agree, so please check as soon as possible.

Email
Hi Daizus. Would you mind providing an email on wikipedia? Perhaps just one specifically tuned to wikipedia only? Persida Popa, Moldova

Opinion on original research
You can give your opinion here on the original research issues:

Constant personal attacks by Andrei_nacu
Hello,. This message is being sent to inform you that there currently is a discussion at Wikiquette alerts regarding an issue with which you may have been involved. Thank you.

Arbitration request
You are involved in a recently-filed request for arbitration. Please review the request at Arbitration/Requests and, if you wish to do so, enter your statement and any other material you wish to submit to the Arbitration Committee. Additionally, the following resources may be of use—
 * Arbitration/Requests;
 * Arbitration guide.

Marcel Erdal is not notable under our academics Notability and has no signs of improvements to successfully counter deletion here. SwisterTwister  talk  05:09, 27 November 2017 (UTC)

title: User talk:Daizus


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Tetris 2 (1990 video game)

Tetris 2 is a 1990 video game by František Fuka (Fuxoft). It is inspired by a Soviet game Tetris. It is considered to be the most successful game developed by Fuka.

Development
The game was developed in 1990 by František Fuka. Fuka said in his interview for server ZX Spectrum Games that the development took only 14 days but in an interview with Jaroslav Švelch he admitted that it was possibly a little longer thanks to the longevity. Fuka created 90 levels to the game when he lost inspiration so he asked his friend Tomáš Rylek to make them. Rylek made 10 levels but their design was influenced by the fact that Rylek was drunk at that moment. Fuka decided to use all these levels with exception of one containing a rhombus. The game was betatested by Fuka and his friends including Tomáš Rylek and Miroslav Fídler. Fuka later sold rights for all his games to Ultrasoft. Ultrasoft then re-released Tetris 2 for commercial means.

Gameplay
The game features two modes. The first one is a normal Tetris mode and the other one is Tetris 2 mode. The former contains the same gameplay as the original game. The latter contains almost 100 levels. Each of them contains a diagram of some shape. The player must complete a task given them in every level. There are 3 different tasks - "Fulfill Your Quota", "Destroy All Bricks" and "Survive xx Seconds". The player advances to the next level even if they fail but loses one life. In every 5th level is a bonus that allows player to obtain a life. Tetris 2 also offers a multiplayer game.

title: Tetris 2 (1990 video game)


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Gundi

Gundis or comb rats (family Ctenodactylidae) are a group of small, stocky rodents found in Africa. They live in rocky deserts across the northern parts of the continent. The family comprises four living genera and five species (Speke's gundi, Felou gundi, Val's or desert gundi, common or North African gundi and Mzab gundi), as well as numerous extinct genera and species. They are in the superfamily Ctenodactyloidea. Local people in northern Africa have always known about gundis, however they first came to the notice of western naturalists in Tripoli in 1774, and were given the name gundi mice. While they are not regarded as pests, some people hunt gundis for food.

Description
Gundis are from 17 to 18 cm in body length, with compact bodies covered in soft fur, short legs, and large eyes. They have only four toes on all feet and the middle toes of the hind feet carry comb-like bristles, which earned them the name "comb rat". Gundis have short tails, which in some species are covered in a large fan of hair that aids in balancing as they move about their rocky and uneven environments. Their ribcages are flexible, which helps them fit into small crevices.

Gundis are herbivorous, eating almost every type of available plant. Like many other desert animals, they do not drink, obtaining all the moisture they need from their food. Their incisors lack the layer of tough, orange, enamel found in other rodents, and they have a dental formula of:

Females typically give birth to two young at a time, after a gestation period of about two months. Because of the need to preserve moisture, female gundis produce only a small amount of milk, and the young are fully weaned by four weeks of age. On average, female gundis are bigger than males. Gundis live about 3 to 4 years in the wild.

Habitat and behavior
Gundis live in all manner of rocky desert habitats: cliffs, hills, rocky outcrops, scree slopes, and so on. They are found between sea level and 2,500 meters in elevation.

Gundis live in colonies of up to a hundred or more individuals, although this is much less in environments where food is particularly scarce. They shelter in existing rock crevices at night, or during midday when the sun becomes too hot for them to remain active. Most shelters are temporary, but some are occupied for years. Gundis pile onto each other for heat, especially in cold or windy weather. They are not known to hibernate. Gundi colonies have a dunghill that all the members of the colony use.

Gundis are vocal animals, with a range of alarm calls and communication signals for group bonding, greetings, and alerting other gundis of predators. All members of Ctenodactylidae thump their hind feet on the ground when alarmed. Gundis rely on their acute hearing.

If a gundi is threatened, it will run to the nearest rock crevice or play dead. While gundis are generally slow, they can sprint when threatened. Gundis can also climb up almost vertical surfaces.

Evolution
According to a DNA sequence study, the ancestors of the gundis diverged from those of the Laotian rock rat around the Lutetian, some 44 million years ago (Early/Middle Eocene).

Fossils within Ctenodactylidae have been found in Asia, dating back to the mid-Eocene. Gundi fossils from the Pleistocene have been found in Asia, North Africa, and parts of Italy.

Taxonomy

 * Ctenodactylidae
 * Ctenodactylus
 * Common gundi, Ctenodactylus gundi
 * Val's gundi, Ctenodactylus vali
 * Felovia
 * Felou gundi, Felovia vae
 * Massoutiera
 * Mzab gundi, Massoutiera mzabi
 * Pectinator
 * Speke's pectinator, Pectinator spekei

title: Gundi


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User:Sci.notes

about me
I am a Young Australian living in Melbourne.

I joined the Wikipedia community because some friends were using it as a refernce of truth, that I noticed very quickly it was far from.

my plan
I am interested in Australian Politicts and have found some huge mistakes (or holes) in the current information on Australian Orginisations and Movements like:

 * 1) Australian LaRouche Youth Movement - that I am using as a testing ground, what is harder than I thought it would be.
 * 2) Wildlife Foundation
 * 3) Young Labor
 * 4) Young Liberals

And then I intend on cleaning up a lot of the history of Australia on the Wikipedia sites. Or possibly actually get on to editing some of the scientific information:

 * 1) Imaginary numbers
 * 2) Complex Domain
 * 3) Bernhard Riemann
 * 4) Caspar Wessel
 * 5) Vladamir Vernadski

and possibly even
 * 1) Plato
 * 2) Nuclear Power
 * 3) Enviromental Hoaxes

this is harder than I imagined
I have only gotten as far as trying assert a place in the Wikipedia pages for the Australian LaRouche Youth Movement (I have though I think learnt a lot from the experience).

title: User:Sci.notes


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Arifana

Arifana is a type of celebration in Turkish tradition, especially in Artvin. Usually taking place in winter, it is a festival incorporating song, dance, theatre, and feasting. Rams are slaughtered and made into kebabs and roasts and served with sweet pastries. The expenses of the Arifana are paid equally by the participants, although the poor and visitors are not required to pay.

title: Arifana


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Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Life Insurance Corporation of India

 This page is an archive of the proposed deletion of the article below. Further comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or on a Votes for Undeletion nomination). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result of the debate was keep. Sjakkalle (Check!)  09:15, 25 July 2005 (UTC)

Life Insurance Corporation of India
I'm simply questioning the inclusion of this article in Wikipedia. What do you think, as I'm not so sure. Silles Sellis 12:51, 19 July 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete No content other than a website link. KeithD 15:33, 19 July 2005 (UTC) Keep due to changes made below. Good save, guys. KeithD 16:50, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

 * Comments only, no Vote in response to the query by Silles Sellis: this is a corporate entity, which is as of date, fully owned by the Government of India. It is the largest life insurance company of India. Headquartered in Mumbai, which is considered the financial capital of India, the Life Insurance Corporation of India, as of date, has 7 Zonal Offices and 100 divisional offices located in different parts of India, at least 2048 branches located in different cities and towns of India, and has a net work of around one million agents for soliciting life insurance business from the public. I think it is enough for now. I may continue to write a full article, running into at least 12/13 paragraphs, but I would not do that right now, as I want to encourage the creator of this page to incorporate at least these points in the article. --Bhadani 15:42, 19 July 2005 (UTC)
 * Bhadani obviously knows something about this. I will copy this text into the article and vote to keep the resulting article.  Smerdis of Tlön 16:23, 19 July 2005 (UTC)
 * Done. I also deleted the weblink, which linked to a dodgy 95meg.com site; if there's an official site for the corporation it ought to be added.  Quaere, the images from  and  look awful when juxtaposed; is there a magic word that allows the stub links to be added without pictures? Smerdis of Tlön 16:37, 19 July 2005 (UTC)
 * Thank you gentlemen. To-day, I am feeling a bit tired. I shall expand the article suitably very soon. --Bhadani 16:54, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

 * Keep the revised article. Aecis 17:30, 19 July 2005 (UTC)
 * Expanded 4 paras mostly on History, will expand more.--Bhadani 18:42, 19 July 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep the revised article per Bhadani. This company apparently has over 150 million policies in force. --Metropolitan90 23:49, July 19, 2005 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in an undeletion request). No further edits should be made to this page.


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Telfes

Telfes (officially Telfes im Stubai) is a village in the district Innsbruck Land in the Austrian state of Tyrol. It is situated in the Stubaital 11 km south of Innsbruck.

The municipality consists of the districts Telfes, Gagers, Kapfers, Plöven and Luimes. The area is about 27.83 km², and it is situated 987 m above sea level.

The coat of arms shows a lynx.

Neighbor villages
Axams, Birgitz, Fulpmes, Götzens, Grinzens, Mieders, Mutters, Neustift im Stubaital, Schönberg im Stubaital.

Geography
The village of Telfes is located in the front Stubaital, on the sunny left side of the Ruetz river. The municipality lies at an altitude of about 1000 m and has an area of 27.38 square kilometers. The hamlets Gerstbichl, Falschmair, Luimes, the scattered houses Telfer Wiesen and the single vineyards Wiesenhof and Gallhof (already above Schönberg) out of the valley belong to the municipality, as well as the Pfarrachalm at the Nederjoch, and the well-known hiking and skiing area Schlick below the Kalkkögel with the alpine inns Schlick (Schlickeralm) and Zirmach at the bottom of the valley, as well as Froneben and Sennjoch at the ridge (at Kreuzjoch only the cable car station).

History
The place name is derived from an Indo-Germanic language root "*tellevo", which means usable soil. The village was first mentioned in a document in 1133 as Telves. The population of Telfes is called Telfer (not Telfeser). The reason is the Rhaeto-Romanic origin of the place name. This ends with the Latin nominative ending -s, derivations are therefore formed without -s. This was the court seat for the Stubaital before it was moved to Mieders in 1690. The blacksmith's trade has been documented since 1541. Later on, iron production was added to the trade, which furthered the wealth of the village. Even today, numerous representations of iron producers on the old farms of the village bear witness to this tradition, which brought good fortune to the valley.

Personalities

 * Andreas Kofler, Austrian ski jumper

Politics

 * Present Mayor: Georg Viertler
 * His deputy: Peter Lanthaler

title: Telfes


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The Tower of the Elephant

"The Tower of the Elephant" is one of the original short stories starring the fictional sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard. Set in the fictional Hyborian Age, it concerns Conan infiltrating a perilous tower to steal a fabled gem from an evil sorcerer named Yara. Its unique insights into the Hyborian world and atypical science fiction elements have led the story to be considered a classic of Conan lore, and it is often cited by Howard scholars as one of his best tales.

Plot summary
In the Zamorian city of Arenjun, also known as the "City of Thieves,” Conan drinks in a tavern. He overhears a Kothic rogue describe a fabulous jewel known as the "Heart of the Elephant," which is kept in a tower by an evil sorcerer named Yara.

Conan ventures into Yara's garden to steal the jewel and encounters Taurus of Nemedia, known as the "Prince of Thieves,” who has the same agenda. Taurus is wily and fat, but amazingly agile. Impressed by Conan's daring, Taurus agrees to work together. After battling lions in the tower gardens, the thieves ascend Yara's spire. Upon reaching the top, Taurus enters a treasure vault and is killed by the venomous bite of a giant spider. Conan crushes the spider with a chest of gems, then continues his search for the Heart of the Elephant.

He discovers a strange being with the body of a man and the head of an elephant. The creature, Yag-kosha, is a blind and tortured prisoner of Yara.

Yag-kosha reveals to Conan the pre-cataclysmic saga of his people, their arrival on Earth, and how he taught Yara the art of magic only to have his apprentice betray him. At Yag-kosha's request, Conan grabs the fabled jewel, kills the being, extracts the heart from his corpse, and drips its blood over the Heart of the Elephant. When he sets the blood-infused relic in front of Yara in his sleeping-chamber, the gem's magic shrinks and draws the sorcerer into the jewel. Inside, a revived Yag-kosha, limbs and wings restored, pursues the screaming Yara, and the Heart vanishes.

Obeying Yag-kosha's instructions, Conan leaves, emerging empty-handed from the tower at dawn as it collapses behind him. He has nothing after his night's work except for his sword, loin-cloth, and sandals.

Publication history

 * Weird Tales magazine, March 1933
 * Skull-Face and Others (Arkham House, 1946)
 * The Coming of Conan (Gnome Press, 1953)
 * Conan (Lancer, 1967, later reissued by Ace Books)
 * The Tower of the Elephant (Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc., 1975)
 * The Conan Chronicles (Sphere Books, 1989)
 * The Conan Chronicles Volume 1: The People of the Black Circle (Gollancz, 2000)
 * Conan of Cimmeria: Volume One (1932-1933) (Del Rey, 2003)
 * Conan the Barbarian: the Stories that Inspired the Movie (Del Rey, 2011)

Reception
In an overview of Howard's fiction, E. F. Bleiler listed "The Tower of the Elephant" as being "Among the better stories". Bleiler added that "the influence of the Lovecraft circle" can be seen in Howard's conception of the alien Yag-kosha.

Adaptations
An adventure is based on this tale for Conan: The Roleplaying Game.

The Tower of the Elephant has been adapted into comic book form three times: twice by Marvel and once by Dark Horse.

The first adaptation by Marvel appeared in Conan the Barbarian #4. The story was adapted by Roy Thomas and illustrated by Barry Windsor-Smith and Sal Buscema.

The second adaptation by Marvel appeared in the Savage Sword of Conan #24 and was again written by Roy Thomas but this time drawn by John Buscema and Alfredo Alcala.

The newest adaptation, in Dark Horse's Conan issues 20-22, was written by Kurt Busiek and illustrated by Cary Nord, Dave Stewart and Mike Kaluta. Two of these have recently appeared in collections released by Dark Horse: the Conan the Barbarian adaptation in The Conan Chronicles Volume 1: The Tower of the Elephant and other stories, and the Dark Horse adaptation in Conan Volume 3: The Tower of the Elephant and other stories.

Episode 3 of the animated series Conan the Adventurer is adapted from "Tower of the Elephant", although the character of Taurus is replaced with Jezmine who becomes an ongoing character in the series rather than dying.

A variant on this story has been added into the massively multiplayer online role-playing game Wizard101, a dungeon called the "Tower of the Helephant". The thief Taurus is the only name that remains true to the original tale, however the parallels between the stories are evident to anyone that is familiar with the story. The players must scale a tower and descend into it, ultimately freeing the elephant-headed interstellar being by defeating the wizard that bound him and destroying the "Heart of the Helephant".

The story is the inspiration for a sequence in Conan the Barbarian, which includes Conan and his fellow thieves scaling a tower, battling a giant snake, and stealing a jewel.

In the 2011 film Conan the Barbarian a character extols Conan's past accomplishments and mentions his adventure in the Tower of the Elephant.

The story was adapted into a hack and slash video game for IOS by developer Chillingo, which was released as a tie-in for the 2011 film Conan the Barbarian.

title: The Tower of the Elephant


text:
User talk:Wierddreamer213

Welcome!

Hello, and welcome to Wikipedia. Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are a few good links for newcomers: I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! By the way, please be sure to sign your name on Talk and vote pages using four tildes (~~~~) to produce your name and the current date, or three tildes (~~~) for just your name. If you have any questions, see the help pages, add a question to the village pump or ask me on my Talk page. Again, welcome! pamri 12:53, July 19, 2005 (UTC)
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title: User talk:Wierddreamer213


text:
Spite (game theory)

In fair division problems, spite is a phenomenon that occurs when a player's value of an allocation decreases when one or more other players' valuation increases. Thus, other things being equal, a player exhibiting spite will prefer an allocation in which other players receive less than more (if more of the good is desirable).

In this language, spite is difficult to analyze because one has to assess two sets of preferences. For example, in the divide and choose method, a spiteful player would have to make a trade-off between depriving his opponent of cake, and getting more himself.

Within the field of sociobiology, spite is used to describe those social behaviors that have a negative impact on both the actor and recipient(s). Spite can be favored by kin selection when: (a) it leads to an indirect benefit to some third party that is sufficiently related to the actor (Wilsonian spite); or (b) when it is directed primarily at negatively related individuals (Hamiltonian spite). Negative relatedness occurs when two individuals are less related than average.

In game theory
The iterated prisoner's dilemma provides an example where players may "punish" each other for failing to cooperate in previous rounds, even if doing so would cause negative consequences for both players. For example, the simple "tit for tat" strategy has been shown to be effective in round-robin tournaments of iterated prisoner's dilemma.

In industrial relations
There is always difficulty in fairly dividing the proceeds of a business between the business owners and the employees.

When a trade union decides to call a strike, both employer and the union members lose money (and may damage the national economy). The unionists hope that the employer will give in to their demands before such losses have destroyed the business.

In the reverse direction, an employer may terminate the employment of certain productive workers who are agitating for higher wages or organising a trade union. Losing productive workers is a setback to both the business and the employees but this can serve as an example to others and thus maximise employer power.

In behavioral ecology
Polyembryonic wasps, including C. floridanum, exhibit spite through instances of precocious larval development. Spite provides an explanation for how natural selection can favor harmful behaviors that are costly to both the actor and the recipient; spite is typically considered a form of altruism that benefits a secondary recipient. Two criteria demonstrate that spite is truly occurring: (i) the behavior is truly costly to the actor and does not provide a long-term direct benefit; and (ii) harming behaviors are directed toward relatively unrelated individuals.

title: Spite (game theory)


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The Phoenix on the Sword

"The Phoenix on the Sword" is one of the original short stories about Conan the Cimmerian written by American author Robert E. Howard and first published in Weird Tales magazine in December 1932. The tale, in which Howard created the character of Conan, was a rewrite of the unpublished Kull story "By This Axe I Rule!", with long passages being identical. The Conan version of the story was republished in the collections King Conan (Gnome Press, 1953) and Conan the Usurper (Lancer Books, 1967). It has most recently been republished in the collections The Conan Chronicles Volume 2: The Hour of the Dragon (Gollancz, 2001) and Conan of Cimmeria: Volume One (1932–1933) (Del Rey, 2003). It is set in the fictional Hyborian Age and details Conan foiling a plot to unseat him as king of Aquilonia.

Plot summary
A middle-aged Conan of Cimmeria tries to govern the turbulent kingdom of Aquilonia.

Conan has recently seized the crown from King Numedides after strangling the tyrant on his throne, but the Cimmerian is more suited to swinging his broadsword than signing official documents. The Aquilonians who originally welcomed Conan as their liberator have turned against him due to his foreign blood, and construct a statue to Numedides' memory in the temple of Mitra; priests burn incense before their slain king, hailing it as the holy effigy of a saintly monarch who was killed by a red-handed barbarian.

A band known as the Rebel Four forms: Volmana, the dwarfish count of Karaban; Gromel, the giant commander of the Black Legion; Dion, the fat baron of Attalus; and Rinaldo, the hare-brained minstrel. Their goal is to put the crown in the hands of someone with royal blood, and to this end they recruit the services of a southern outlaw named Ascalante. However, Ascalante secretly plans to betray his employers and claim the crown. Ascalante also enslaves Thoth-Amon, a Stygian wizard who has fallen on hard times: A thief had stolen Thoth-Amon's ring and left him defenseless, forcing him to flee from Stygia; while disguised as a camel driver, he was waylaid in Koth by Ascalante's reavers. The rest of his caravan was slaughtered, but Thoth-Amon saved himself by revealing his identity and swearing to serve Ascalante.

The conspirators plan to assassinate King Conan when he is unprepared and defenseless, but two unforeseen events thwart their plan: Conan is warned of the coup by the arrival of a long-dead sage named Epemitreus, who marks Conan's sword with a mystical phoenix representing Mitra, a Hyborian god. Thoth-Amon also murders Dion and recovers his lost ring of power, then summons a fanged ape-like demon to slay Ascalante. Conan slays the three remaining members of the Rebel Four, breaking his sword upon the helm of Gromel and using a battle-axe against the rest of his would-be assassins. Conan hesitates to kill Rinaldo, whose songs once touched the King's heart - this scruple proves costly, as Rinaldo manages to stab him before being killed. Ascalante, his goal in reach, moves to finish off the wounded king, but is killed by Thoth-Amon's demon before he can strike, and the demon is then slain by Conan with the shard of his enchanted sword.

Adaptation
Writer Roy Thomas and artists Vicente Alcázar and Yong Montano adapted the story in Conan the Barbarian Annual #2 (1976).

Writer Timothy Truman and artists  Tomas Giorello and Jose Vilarrubia adapted the story in ''CKing Conan: The Phoenix on the Sword Trade Paperback (2013).

[https://www.amazon.com/King-Conan-Phoenix-Timothy-Truman/dp/1616550295/ref=sr_1_1?crid=UALS1TN85CNY&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.pevUAaptELNTDrBafRKitH-z5ecKMnQN4X3mE8f6R1D8p_vPl8UPyuEMGj7YWjGwpuxqAkvNf52D9pF52CmhSWTvSfbLOhTvr_Xv8P5Qw3nJFkPhcsehpFpuGonS8ikCzW7SCFyl8lAVsQ0lDOYayJhRVj2bRJeiw9dNt9vCS-Q.JnBhMhbk460vzFhNA162h3vdQGmJK9uNzR7jcyc8EMs&dib_tag=se&keywords=King+Conan%3A+The+Phoenix+on+the+Sword&qid=1719281158&sprefix=king+conan+the+phoenix+on+the+sword%2Caps%2C84&sr=8-1>

title: The Phoenix on the Sword


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Tüfekçi

Tüfekçi (Αρσέλα) is a neighbourhood of the municipality and district of Dernekpazarı, Trabzon Province, Turkey. Its population is 156 (2022).

"Tüfekçi" literally means "riflemen" or "gunsmith" in Turkish, evidently referring to the profession of at least some early inhabitants of the village.

Tüfekçi's older name was Arsela. Perhaps coincidentally, a village named Arşela existed on the west coast of the Black Sea.

Arsela is a place that was mentioned in a panegyric text written for the Thracian god Sabazius. It takes the form of Arselenos on another epitaph, which was found in Nova Zagora.

Ivan Duridanov has claimed that the river names Arsio, Arse in Old Prussia, Arsen and Arsia in Latvia and Arsina in Germany are derivation of the root ors-, ers “(for water) flow, damp” in the Indo-European language family (Hindi arşati) and ars- in the Thracian language.

He connected these words to place names such as Arsa, Arsaza, Arsena, Arsila in Dacia (an ancient region in Romania covering territories north and west of Arsela) (Duridanov, 1976).

A more recent use of the name is Arsela Peak in Antarctica, named after the named after the Thracian settlement of Arsela in Southern Bulgaria.

title: Tüfekçi


text: User talk:80.17.234.130

title: User talk:80.17.234.130


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/WikiProject Child safety

 This page is an archive of the proposed deletion of the article below. Further comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or on a Votes for Undeletion nomination). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result of the debate was delete. Woohookitty 15:36, 28 July 2005 (UTC)

WikiProject Child safety
I'm proposing it for deletion since there are no meaningful edits since August 04. Also, it seems somewhat controversial, in that I'm not sure where it fits in with NPOV. Hiding talk 12:54, July 19, 2005 (UTC)
 * Looks like a failed attempt at organized "POV-pushing" (bleh, there has to be a better expression for that). Deletissimo grande. --FOo 01:24, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

 * Delete per FOo. Xoloz 05:22, 20 July 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete inactive project, agree with F0o. JamesBurns 07:45, 20 July 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete per Hiding. Radiant_ >|< 12:12, July 20, 2005 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in an undeletion request). No further edits should be made to this page.


text:
Jewels of Gwahlur

"Jewels of Gwahlur" is one of the original short stories starring the fictional sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard. Set in the fictional Hyborian Age, it concerns several parties, including Conan, fighting over and treasure hunting for the eponymous treasure in Hyborian Africa. The tale was first published in the March, 1935 issue of Weird Tales. Howard's original title for the story was "The Servants of Bit-Yakin".

Plot summary
Robert E. Howard set his story in Hyborian Africa. The Teeth of Gwahlur are legendary jewels, kept within the ancient city of Alkmeenon, in the country of Keshan "which in itself was considered mythical by many northern and western nations".

Conan, following rumors of this treasure, journeys into Keshan and offers his services in training the local army against their rival, Punt. However, Thutmekri, a Stygian thief with similar intentions, and his Shemitish partner, Zargheba, also arrive in the country with an offer for a military alliance with another of Punt's neighbors, Zembabwei, with some of the Teeth to seal their pact. The high priest of Keshan, Gorulga, announces that a decision on the matter can only be made after consulting with Yelaya, the mummified oracle of Alkmeenon. This is all the treasure hunters require. Conan and Zargheba (independently of each other) travel to the city ahead of Gorulga's expedition.

In the abandoned city, an initial atmosphere of the supernatural gives way to intrigue over the oracle. Zargheba has brought along a Corinthian slave girl, Muriela, to play the role of Yelaya and tell the priests to give some of their jewels to Thutmekri (he needed them to prove that the treasure was real, and then planned to invade and take the rest of the jewels). Conan is at first frightened by the living oracle, but quickly discovers the ruse. Intrigue and mystery follows as the imposter and the body of the genuine oracle switch roles. Gorulga, however, is innocent in this, genuinely attempting to consult his oracle.

However, a fourth faction quickly appears. A Pelishti traveller, Bit-Yakin, had visited the valley where Alkmeenon is located centuries ago. When the natives of Keshan visited the site to worship Yelaya as a goddess, Bit-Yakin provided prophecies from a nearby cave. Eventually, he died there; his undying servants buried him as per his instructions and, free of their master's control, brutally slaughtered any priests from Keshan who attempted to visit the city to consult with Yelaya. Bit-Yakin's servants, revealed to be large gray-haired apes, kill Gorulga's party after they attempt to claim the jewels. Conan manages to acquire the chest containing the jewels, but is forced to abandon his prize so he could rescue Muriela. The two escape together and Conan ends his adventure by outlining a new plan.

Characters and places
Several parts of the story highlight Conan's intellect, in particular his grasp of written and spoken languages: "In his roaming about the world the giant adventurer had picked up a wide smattering of knowledge, particularly including the speaking and reading of many alien tongues. Many a sheltered scholar would have been astonished at the Cimmerian's linguistic abilities, for he had experienced many adventures where knowledge of a strange language had meant the difference between life and death." Conan's polyglottery is also a plot point in Robert E. Howard's only Conan novel, The Hour of the Dragon, while his literacy and knowledge were noted in the very first Conan story, "The Phoenix on the Sword".

The ending emphasizes Conan's chivalry and his strong tendency to save damsels in distress. Being able to save either Muriela or the chest of priceless gems which he spent months in seeking, and only seconds to make a choice, Conan without hesitation chooses to save the girl and let the treasure be irrevocably lost.

The original Conan stories are ambiguous with regard to whether the various gods truly exist. In "Black Colossus" Mitra is quite real and unequivocally manifests himself to those who come to his shrine; conversely, in the present story all "manifestations" of the goddess are nothing but cynical frauds.

The Conan stories take place in a fictional past, known as the Hyborian Age, but based on real places. The main country of Keshan takes its name from "Kesh", the Egyptian name for Nubia. Their enemy, the Land of Punt, has a similar Egyptian origin. The other nation, Zembabwei, takes its name from the ruins of Great Zimbabwe (as did the real-world country Zimbabwe 45 years after this story was published).

Reception
Fritz Leiber rated it as one of three of the worst Conan stories, which he said were "repetitious and childish, a self-vitiating brew of pseudo-science, stage illusions, and the 'genuine' supernatural."

Reprint history
The collections King Conan (Gnome Press, 1953) and Conan the Warrior (Lancer Books, 1967) republished the story. It has more recently been published in the collections The Conan Chronicles Volume 2: The Hour of the Dragon (Gollancz, 2001) as "Jewels of Gwalhur" and The Conquering Sword of Conan (2005) under Howard's original title, "The Servants of Bit-Yakin".

Adaptations
Roy Thomas and Dick Giordano adapted the story in Marvel Comic's "Savage Sword of Conan" magazine #25 in 1977. In 2008, that adaptation was reprinted in the trade paperback collection "Savage Sword of Conan" Volume 3.

P. Craig Russell also adapted the story in Dark Horse comics in 2005 as a three issue mini-series and collected in 2006 as a hardcover book.

An audiobook edition was narrated by Phil Chenevert in 2013 and released by LibriVox in the public domain.

Oxford University Press has published a "graded reader" version in their "Dominoes" series.

title: Jewels of Gwahlur


text:
Talk:Robbie Morrison

Grant Morrison?
Is he related to Grant Morrison? Saidi
 * Not as far as I know. Vizjim 13:04, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

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title: Talk:Robbie Morrison


text:
Küssnacht

Küssnacht am Rigi (official name since 2004: Küssnacht) is a village and a district and a municipality in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. The municipality consists of three villages Küssnacht, Immensee, and Merlischachen, the hamlet Haltikon, the industrial area Fänn, and the alp Seeboden. It is situated at the north shore of Lake Lucerne and at the south shore of Lake Zug below mount Rigi (1797 m).

History
Küssnacht is first mentioned around 840 as in Chussenacho though this is from an 11th Century copy of the original document. In 1179 it was mentioned as Chussenacho.

In 1424 Küssnacht became a district of the Canton of Schwyz.

Its etymology comes from the German words Küss and Nacht, meaning Kiss and Night respectively.

According to the legend of Wilhelm Tell, the hero shot the Austrian bailiff Gessler at the Hohle Gasse near the Gesslerburg with his crossbow: "'Here through this deep defile he needs must pass; there leads no other road to Küssnacht.'"

On August 29, 1935, Queen Astrid of the Belgians was killed here in a road accident. A memorial chapel ("Königin-Astrid-Kapelle") was built at the accident scene. On March 4, 1989, the chapel was demolished by youths, to be restored later that year.

The well known Klausjagen ("Nicholas chase") festival takes place in Küssnacht every year on the eve of St. Nicholas Day (December 5). The festival, attended by about 20,000 people, consists of a parade of around 1,000 participants, and lasts far into the night.

Geography
Küssnacht has an area, (as of the 2004/09 survey) of. Of this area, about 55.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while 26.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 16.5% is settled (buildings or roads) and 1.3% is unproductive land. In the 2004/09 survey a total of 270 ha or about 9.2% of the total area was covered with buildings, an increase of 82 ha over the 1982 amount. Over the same time period, the amount of recreational space in the municipality increased by 44 ha and is now about 2.07% of the total area.

Of the agricultural land, 138 ha is used for orchards and vineyards, 1344 ha is fields and grasslands and 200 ha consists of alpine grazing areas. Since 1982 the amount of agricultural land has decreased by 128 ha. Over the same time period the amount of forested land has increased by 7 ha. Rivers and lakes cover 16 ha in the municipality.

The municipality is at the foot the Rigi mountain between the Lake of Lucerne and Lake Zug. It consists of the villages of Küssnacht, Immensee and Merlischachen as well as the hamlets of Haltikon and Seebodenalp.

It is the capital and only municipality of the district of Küssnacht.

Demographics
Küssnacht has a population of. , 21.1% of the population are resident foreign nationals. In 2015 a small minority (642 or 5.2% of the population) was born in Germany. Over the last 5 years (2010–2015) the population has changed at a rate of 1.63%. The birth rate in the municipality, in 2015, was 10.4, while the death rate was 7.9 per thousand residents.

Most of the population speaks German (87.5%), with Albanian and Serbo-Croatian being each spoken by about 2.7% of the population.

, children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 19.6% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) are 62.4% of the population and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 18.0%. In 2015 there were 5,252 single residents, 5,620 people who were married or in a civil partnership, 570 widows or widowers and 981 divorced residents.

In 2015 there were 5,360 private households in Küssnacht with an average household size of 2.27 persons. In 2015 about 40.6% of all buildings in the municipality were single family homes, which is less than the percentage in the canton (50.4%) and much less than the percentage nationally (57.4%). Of the 1,980 inhabited buildings in the municipality, in 2000, about 45.5% were single family homes and 32.0% were multiple family buildings. Additionally, about 16.6% of the buildings were built before 1919, while 15.9% were built between 1991 and 2000. In 2014 the rate of construction of new housing units per 1000 residents was 6.21. The vacancy rate for the municipality,, was 0.82%.

The historical population is given in the following chart:

Heritage sites of national significance
The Gesslerburg Castle and the Hohle Gasse with the Tell Chapel are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance. The village of Küssnacht am Rigi and the hamlet of Merlischachen are part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites.

Politics
In the 2015 federal election the most popular party was the FDP with 32.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP (29.9%), the CVP (20.6%) and the SP (11.0%). In the federal election, a total of 4,700 votes were cast, and the voter turnout was 57.3%. The 2015 election saw a large change in the voting when compared to 2011 with the percentage received for the FDP increasing from 24.2% to 32.9%.

In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP which received 36.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP (25.6%), the FDP (21.6%) and the SPS (12.1%).

Education
In Küssnacht about 72.9% of the population (between age 25–64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule).

Transportation
The municipality has three railway stations: Küssnacht am Rigi, Immensee, and Merlischachen. All three are located on the Lucerne–Immensee line. The ferry terminal at Küssnacht am Rigi (See) is a short distance from the Küssnacht am Rigi railway station and has service to multiple destinations on Lake Lucerne.

Economy
Küssnacht is classed as a regional business center.

, there were a total of 6,849 people employed in the municipality. Of these, a total of 306 people worked in 114 businesses in the primary economic sector. The secondary sector employed 2,659 workers in 191 separate businesses. There were 31 small businesses with a total of 779 employees and 13 mid sized businesses with a total of 1,449 employees. Finally, the tertiary sector provided 3,884 jobs in 821 businesses. There were 64 small businesses with a total of 1,626 employees and two mid sized businesses with a total of 256 employees.

In 2015 a total of 6.2% of the population received social assistance. In 2011 the unemployment rate in the municipality was 1.6%.

In 2015 local hotels had a total of 61,077 overnight stays, of which 55.6% were international visitors.

In 2015 the average cantonal, municipal and church tax rate in the municipality for a couple with two children making CHF80,000 was 3% while the rate for a single person making CHF150,000 was 9%. The canton has a slightly lower than average tax rate for those making CHF80,000 and one of the lowest for those making CHF150,000. In 2013 the average income in the municipality per tax payer was CHF116,269 and the per person average was CHF54,036, which is greater than the cantonal averages of CHF114,716 and CHF51,545 respectively  It is also greater than the national per tax payer average of CHF82,682 and the per person average of CHF35,825.

Religion
From the, 7,891 or 73.7% are Roman Catholic, while 1,152 or 10.8% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. Of the rest of the population, there are less than 5 individuals who belong to the Christian Catholic faith, there are 146 individuals (or about 1.36% of the population) who belong to the Eastern Orthodox Church, and there are 17 individuals (or about 0.16% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There are less than 5 individuals who are Jewish, and 501 (or about 4.68% of the population) who are Islamic. There are 76 individuals (or about 0.71% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 563 (or about 5.26% of the population) belong to no church, are agnostic or atheist, and 354 individuals (or about 3.31% of the population) did not answer the question.

Crime
In 2014 the crime rate, of the over 200 crimes listed in the Swiss Criminal Code (running from murder, robbery and assault to accepting bribes and election fraud), in Küssnacht was 33.6 per thousand residents. This rate is only 52.0% of the average rate in the entire country. During the same period, the rate of drug crimes was 6.5 per thousand residents, which is 65.7% of the national rate. The rate of violations of immigration, visa and work permit laws was 2.8 per thousand residents, which is only 57.1% of the rate for the entire country.

Notable people

 * Hekuran Kryeziu (born 1993), professional footballer
 * César Ritz, hotelier

title: Küssnacht


text:
Maximilian Spinola

Maximilian Spinola (Massimiliano Spinola; July 10, 1780 – November 12, 1857) was an Italian entomologist.

Background
Spinola was born in Pézenas, Hérault, France. The family of Spinola was of very long standing and had great wealth and power in Genoa. Maximilian Spinola was a descendant of the famous Spanish General Ambrogio Spinola, marqués de los Balbases (1569–1630) and much of his wealth derived from land held in Spain and South America. He was linked to Camillo Pallavicini.

Research
He received many insects from his properties in Spain and South America. He also made extensive, and expensive purchases especially of large showy tropical beetles and wasps. His entomological contributions were mainly in the orders Coleoptera, Hymenoptera and Hemiptera.

Spinola made very important contributions to entomology, describing many taxa, especially in Spinola M. M., 1850.''Tavola sinottica dei generi spettanti alla classe degli insetti Arthroidignati, Hemiptera Linn., Latr. - Rhyngota Fab. - Rhynchota Burm.'' Memoria del Socio Attuale signor Marchese Massimiliano Spinola Modena, Dal tipi delle R.D. Camera. ''Soc. Ital. Sci.'', T.25, pt.1: 138 pp.

He is listed, as Count Maximilian Spinola, as an ordinary member of the Entomological Society of London in the Society's first volume of transactions published in 1836. At that time he lived in Genoa.

Spinola's Coleoptera (with types purchased from Dejean), Hymenoptera (with types purchased from Audinet-Serville and Amédée Louis Michel le Peletier, comte de Saint-FargeauLepeletier and specimens from the Pierre André Latreille Collection), Hemiptera collection is in Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali in Turin, Italy. Other specimens are in Museo di storia naturale dell'Università di Pisa. Most of his type specimens are extant and in good condition.

He died in Tassarolo, Alessandria, Italy.

Works
partial list
 * 1806. Insectorum Liguriæ Species Novæ aut Rariores, quas in agro Ligustico nuper detexit, descripsit, et iconibus illustravit. Tom. 1. xvii+159 pp. Genuæ.
 * 1808. Insectorum Liguriae species novae aut rariores, quae in agro Ligustico nuper detexit, descripsit et iconibus illustravit Maximilianus Spinola, adjecto Catalogo spiecierum auctoribus jam enumeratarum, quae in eadam regione occurrunt, Vol. 2. Gravier, Genuae.
 * 1839. Compte rendu des hyménoptères recueillis par M. Fischer pendant son voyage en Égypte, et communiqués par M. le Docteur Waltl a Maximilien. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France 7: 437-546.
 * 1839 Essai sur les Fulgorelles, sous-tribu de la tribu des Cicadaires, ordre des Rhynchotes Ann. Soc. ent. France 8, 133-137, 339-454
 * 1843. Sur quelques Hyménoptères peu connus, recueillis en Espagne, pendant l’année 1842, par M. Victor Ghiliani, voyageur-naturaliste. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France (2)1: 111-144.
 * 1851. Hyménopteros. in Gay, C., Historia Fisica y Politica de Chile. Zoologia. Vol. 6. Casa del author, Paris. pp. 153–569.
 * 1853. Compte rendu des hyménoptères inédits provenants du voyage entomologique de M. Ghiliani dans le Para en 1846. Memoire della Reale Accademia della Scienze di Torino (2)13: 19-94.

title: Maximilian Spinola


text:
GURPS Callahan's Crosstime Saloon

GURPS Callahan's Crosstime Saloon is a sourcebook for GURPS. It is a part of the extensive GURPS "generic" roleplaying system.

Contents
This is a sourcebook for an alternate world-themed role-playing game based in a fictional bar/space nexus that was created by Spider Robinson in his novel Callahan's Crosstime Saloon.

Publication history
GURPS Callahan's Crosstime Saloon was designed by Chris W. McCubbin, and edited by Jeff Koke and Steve Jackson, and published by Steve Jackson Games as a 128-page softcover book. The book features additional material by Spider Robinson, Steve Jackson, and Christian Wagner, and illustrations by Donna Barr, Guy Burcham, Dan Frazier, and Rick Harris with a cover by James Warhola. The GURPS source book was published in 1992.

Reception
Rick Swan reviewed GURPS Callahan's Crosstime Saloon for Dragon magazine #190 (February 1993). According to Swan, Callahan's Crosstime Saloon "works best as a framing device or an interlude in a conventional fantasy or science-fiction campaign, providing the players can tolerate a little whimsy. There are a fair number of new rules, among them guidelines for psi-blocking powers and intoxication effects, but not enough to discourage determined referees from adapting the book to a different game system."

title: GURPS Callahan's Crosstime Saloon


text:
De Arte Combinatoria

The Dissertatio de arte combinatoria ("Dissertation on the Art of Combinations" or "On the Combinatorial Art") is an early work by Gottfried Leibniz published in 1666 in Leipzig. It is an extended version of his first doctoral dissertation, written before the author had seriously undertaken the study of mathematics. The booklet was reissued without Leibniz' consent in 1690, which prompted him to publish a brief explanatory notice in the Acta Eruditorum. During the following years he repeatedly expressed regrets about its being circulated as he considered it immature. Nevertheless it was a very original work and it provided the author the first glimpse of fame among the scholars of his time.

Summary
The main idea behind the text is that of an alphabet of human thought, which is attributed to Descartes. All concepts are nothing but combinations of a relatively small number of simple concepts, just as words are combinations of letters. All truths may be expressed as appropriate combinations of concepts, which can in turn be decomposed into simple ideas, rendering the analysis much easier. Therefore, this alphabet would provide a logic of invention, opposed to that of demonstration which was known so far. Since all sentences are composed of a subject and a predicate, one might

 * Find all the predicates which are appropriate to a given subject, or
 * Find all the subjects which are convenient to a given predicate.

For this, Leibniz was inspired in the Ars Magna of Ramon Llull, although he criticized this author because of the arbitrariness of his categories indexing.

Leibniz discusses in this work some combinatorial concepts. He had read Clavius' comments to Sacrobosco's De sphaera mundi, and some other contemporary works. He introduced the term variationes ordinis for the permutations, combinationes for the combinations of two elements, con3nationes (shorthand for conternationes) for those of three elements, etc. His general term for combinations was complexions. He found the formula

 * $${n \choose r} = {n-1\choose r} + {n-1\choose r-1}$$

which he thought was original.

The first examples of use of his ars combinatoria are taken from law, the musical registry of an organ, and the Aristotelian theory of generation of elements from the four primary qualities. But philosophical applications are of greater importance. He cites the idea of Thomas Hobbes that all reasoning is just a computation.

The most careful example is taken from geometry, from where we shall give some definitions. He introduces the Class I concepts, which are primitive.

 * Class I: 1 point, 2 space, 3 included, [...] 9 parts, 10 total, [...] 14 number, 15 various [...]

Class II contains simple combinations.

 * Class II.1: Quantity is 14 των 9

Where των means "of the" (from τῶν). Thus, "Quantity" is the number of the parts. Class III contains the con3nationes:

 * Class III.1: Interval is 2.3.10

Thus, "Interval" is the space included in total. Of course, concepts deriving from former classes may also be defined.

 * Class IV.1: Line is 1/3 των 2

Where 1/3 means the first concept of class III. Thus, a "line" is the interval of (between) points.

Leibniz compares his system to the Chinese and Egyptian languages, although he did not really understand them at this point. For him, this is a first step towards the Characteristica Universalis, the perfect language which would provide a direct representation of ideas along with a calculus for the philosophical reasoning.

As a preface, the work begins with a proof of the existence of God, cast in geometrical form, and based on the argument from motion.

title: De Arte Combinatoria


text:
Rudi Čajavec

Rudi Čajavec (1 April 1911 – 2 July 1942) was a Yugoslav pilot (from Zgošća, Bosnia and Herzegovina), best known as the first airman of the Partisan air force.

Rudi Čajavec was born in Zgošća, Kakanj municipality, Bosnia to a family that originally came from Hrvatsko Zagorje. Before the war he studied law at University of Belgrade where he participated in various left-wing groups and was arrested. He also finished school for reserve officers and was a trained pilot. After the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia and establishment of the Independent State of Croatia he came to Banja Luka where he joined the resistance movement. As a reserve lieutenant he was drafted into the Croatian Air Force of the NDH.

On 21 May 1942 he flew his Breguet 19 biplane and defected with his gunner Dragutin Mišo Jazbec to Partisans. He landed near Partisan-controlled Prijedor. The date would later be marked as the Day of Yugoslav Air Force.

Partisans immediately started to use their own plane. On 2 July 1942 Čajavec made an air raid on Banja Luka, which included strafing the local airfield, dropping bombs on important city buildings as well as leaflets on city streets. The plane was damaged by anti-aircraft artillery, and Čajavec was forced to crashland on territory controlled by Chetniks. After they surrounded him, Čajavec committed suicide to avoid being captured.

After the war Čajavec received the title of People's Hero of Yugoslavia. Rudi Čajavec, a consumer and military electronics company, was named after him.

The plot of the 1979 film Partizanska eskadrila was partially inspired by his actions.

authors: نوفاك اتشمان

title: Rudi Čajavec