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Roger Hodgson

Charles Roger Pomfret Hodgson (born 21 March 1950) is an English singer, musician and songwriter, best known as the former co-frontman and founding member of the progressive rock band Supertramp. Hodgson composed and sang the majority of the band’s hits, including "Dreamer", "Give a Little Bit", "Take the Long Way Home", "The Logical Song", "It's Raining Again", and "Breakfast in America".

In 1983, Hodgson left Supertramp and moved his family away from Los Angeles to live a simpler lifestyle close to nature. After releasing two solo albums in 1984 and 1987, he took a break from his music career to spend time with his children as they were growing up. He returned to touring in 1997, and released a third solo album in 2000.

Hodgson often writes about spiritual and philosophical topics, and his lyrics have been described as personal and meaningful.

1950–1969: early years
Hodgson was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, on 21 March 1950, the son of Charles and Jill Hodgson (née Pomfret), and grew up in Oxford. He attended the boarding schools Woodcote House near Windlesham, Surrey, where he was the first boy to learn electric guitar, and Stowe School near Buckingham. Hodgson's first guitar, given to him when he was 12, was a parting gift from his father when his parents divorced. He took it to boarding school with him, where his teacher taught him three chords. He began composing his own music and lyrics and within a year gave his first concert at school with nine original songs at the age of 13. Hodgson's first band at school consisted of him on guitar and his friend Roy Hovey playing snare drums. They were dubbed the "H-bombs" because of their last names.

When aged 19, Hodgson made his first appearance in a recording studio as guitarist for People Like Us, a band he joined shortly after leaving boarding school. The group recorded a single, "Duck Pond" and its B-side "Send Me No Flowers", which was never released.

1969: Argosy
After People Like Us disbanded, Hodgson auditioned for Island Records, with Traffic's road manager providing him a foot in the door with the label. Island set him up in a recording studio as vocalist for the one-off "flower power" pop band Argosy, which also included Reginald Dwight (later known as Elton John), Caleb Quaye and Nigel Olsson. Their sole single, "Mr. Boyd" and B-side "Imagine", consisted of two pieces of orchestrated pop (both penned by Hodgson) and was issued in 1969 on the DJM (UK) and Congress (US) record labels. "Mr. Boyd" was covered in 1997 by Jake Shillingford and his band My Life Story on their album The Golden Mile.

1969–1983: Supertramp

After the break-up of Argosy, Hodgson, responding to an advert placed in Melody Maker by Rick Davies, auditioned for the guitarist spot in the progressive rock band Supertramp. Similar to fellow British prog rockers Genesis' search for a new lead vocalist, 93 guitarists auditioned before Hodgson was chosen for the role, but when Richard Palmer arrived the next day to audition for the same spot, Hodgson agreed to learn bass instead.

All the songs on Supertramp's self-titled first album, released in 1970, were composed by Hodgson, Davies, and Palmer. Hodgson and Davies collaborated on the composing while Palmer wrote the lyrics. Palmer left shortly after the album's recording, allowing Hodgson to switch back to guitar (as well as providing keyboards with Davies). From their second album Indelibly Stamped forward, Hodgson and Davies wrote separately with each singing lead vocals on their own compositions. Crime of the Century, released in 1974, was the first of their albums to feature the line-up of Hodgson, Davies and new members Bob Siebenberg (drums), Dougie Thomson (bass) and John Helliwell (saxophone, clarinet, keyboards, backing vocals).

This line-up would remain unchanged for the remainder of Hodgson's tenure in the group. Hodgson's song "Dreamer" became the band's first hit and drove the album to the tops of the charts. It was one of the first keyboard songs Hodgson wrote on his new Wurlitzer piano that he bought when he was 19 years old. "Dreamer" was written after setting the keyboard up at his mother's house, at the first opportunity he had to play it.

At the time, Hodgson had a two-track tape recorder and made a "very magical" demo of the song on the spot with multiple vocal harmonies, using tin cans, lampshades and cardboard boxes for percussion. He has said he loves playing the song in concert because it "just brings out the dreamer in everyone. So often we let go of that side of ourselves and it kind of reminds the audience and reminds me when I'm singing it, too, to keep that place in us alive." The follow-up Crisis? What Crisis?, their first album to be recorded in the US, was released in 1975. The album charted on both the UK Top Twenty and the US Top Fifty.

By their 1977 release Even in the Quietest Moments, the band had permanently relocated to the United States. Hodgson's opening song on the album, "Give a Little Bit", became an international hit single (number 15 US, number 29 UK, number8 in Canada) and was written at 19 or 20 years of age; he introduced it to the band for recording five to six years later. Hodgson has stated the song was inspired by the Beatles' "All You Need Is Love", released during the love and peace movement of the 1960s. Diana, Princess of Wales loved the song, and Hodgson performed it in her honour at the 2007 Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium. Hodgson said of the performance: "It was very wonderful when the audience all stood up, and the princes also, to sing 'Give a Little Bit' with me. That was a magical moment." Hodgson has said it is a wonderful feeling as an artist to close his concerts with the song: "I look out and people just start hugging each other and they start singing with me. It's a very unifying song with a beautiful, simple message that I'm very proud of and really enjoy playing today."

Supertramp released their most successful album, Breakfast in America, in 1979; it has sold over 20 million copies to date. From that same album, "The Logical Song", written by Hodgson, is Supertramp's biggest chart hit in both the US and UK. In 1980, Hodgson was honoured with the Ivor Novello Award from the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters for "The Logical Song" being named the best song both musically and lyrically. To this day, "The Logical Song" also has the distinction of being one of the most quoted lyrics in schools. Hodgson composed the song from an autobiographical point of view, inspired by his experience of being sent away to boarding school for ten years. In recent interviews, Hodgson has said of the song's meaning that it was "born from my questions about what really matters in life. Throughout childhood we are taught all these ways to be and yet we are rarely told anything about our true self. We are taught how to function outwardly, but not guided to who we are inwardly. We go from the innocence and wonder of childhood to the confusion of adolescence that often ends in the cynicism and disillusionment of adulthood. In 'The Logical Song', the burning question that came down to its rawest place was 'please tell me who I am,' and that's basically what the song is about. I think this eternal question continues to hit such a deep chord in people around the world and why it stays so meaningful."

"Breakfast in America" was written by a young Roger before joining Supertramp. An error on a demo copy credits Rick Davies as the writer, but an addendum corrects it prior to the album's release. Hodgson has said that he wrote it during his late teens at a time when he "had a lot of dreams" and that it "still brings a smile to his face" when he sings it on stage. Prior to writing the song, he was driven to find a harmonium (also known as a pump organ); he found one at an elderly woman's house in a village in the English countryside, which he bought for 24 pounds. Hodgson brought it home and proceeded to write many songs on it immediately, "Breakfast in America" being one of them - because the harmonium "had a magical quality to it and still does". He had the lyrics written in about an hour in a "stream-of-consciousness" fashion, expressed from a "real joyful, playful place he was in at the time", while "dreaming of having kippers for breakfast to flying to America and seeing the girls in California, among other things". Hodgson still has the instrument today. The sound on the record is the original harmonium and a grand piano.

The live album Paris was released in 1980. ...Famous Last Words..., released in 1982, included Hodgson's compositions "It's Raining Again", "Don't Leave Me Now", "C'est le Bon", "Know Who You Are" and "Crazy".

Hodgson wrote hits such as "Give a Little Bit", "It's Raining Again", "Take the Long Way Home", "Dreamer", and "Fool's Overture".

In 1981, Hodgson moved his family from Los Angeles to northern California, where he built a home studio and began contemplating solo recordings. The rest of Supertramp remained in Los Angeles and the geographic separation created a rift between them and Hodgson; feuding was virtually non-existent, but the group harmony was lost. Hodgson felt increasingly constrained in the group context, and during the tour for ...Famous Last Words... he made the decision to leave Supertramp. He has stated that there were not any real problems in his relationship with Davies, as was speculated.

1984–present: solo career
Roger Hodgson recorded three solo albums at his new home studio, the first before his departure from Supertramp. Titled Sleeping With the Enemy, it was cut in the months between the release of ...Famous Last Words... and its supporting tour, and mixed during Supertramp rehearsals for the tour in hopes of fitting in some solo promotion while on the road. However, at the last minute Hodgson had second thoughts about the album's quality and decided to scrap it, planning to record a new and better album after his last tour with Supertramp.

In the Eye of the Storm, released in late September 1984, would prove to be Hodgson's biggest success without the group. The album became an international hit, selling over two million copies. The single "Had a Dream (Sleeping With the Enemy)" peaked at number 48 on Billboard's Hot 100 charts and number 11 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and the follow-up single "In Jeopardy" peaked at number 30.

Hodgson's second album was Hai Hai (1987). However, just prior to the album's release, Hodgson fell from a loft in his home and broke both wrists, which disabled him from promoting the album. Doctors told Hodgson that he would never play music again, but he was doing so within a year and a half. He decided to take a long break from both touring and recording in order to spend more time with his children.

In 1990, Hodgson was approached by Yes to join them as lead vocalist, but he declined the offer. One of the songs he co-wrote with Trevor Rabin, "Walls", appears on Yes's 1994 Talk album, with lyrics revised by Jon Anderson. A version of "Walls" with only Hodgson and Rabin on vocals was released on Rabin's 2003 archival release 90124.

After a long break, Hodgson launched into his first tour in over ten years, and released 1997's Rites of Passage to document the tour. The live album was recorded at the Miners Foundry in Nevada City, California. He performed with a full band that included his son Andrew and Supertramp sax player John Helliwell. The album did not chart in the UK or the US, though it did reach number 34 in Germany.

Hodgson played King Arthur in the rock opera Excalibur: La Legende Des Celtes, and appeared on the album for two songs: "The Elements", and "The Will of God". The project was headed by Alan Simon and released in 1999. In 2000, Hodgson contributed vocals on a track titled "The Moon Says Hello" by Carlos Núñez, on the CD Mayo Longo.

Hodgson's fourth solo effort, Open the Door, was released in 2000 and continued in the vein of his previous work. He collaborated again with Alan Simon on the album. AllMusic stated of the album: "Fans will be delighted to hear Hodgson returning to the craft of writing high-quality songs"... "Open the Door is the closest thing to Supertramp since ...Famous Last Words...." In August 2000, Hodgson guested with Fairport Convention at that year's Cropredy Festival. He performed "Breakfast in America", "The Logical Song", "Open the Door" and "Give A Little Bit".

In 2001, Hodgson toured as a member of Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band playing guitar and singing, and has since collaborated with Trevor Rabin (who appears on the track "The More I Look" on Open the Door).

Hodgson continued touring, often playing alone, and frequently joined by his band or a full orchestra. He took part in the Night of the Proms concert series in Belgium and Germany in late 2004, as well as the rock festival Bospop in 2005 with return performances in 2011, 2013 and 2017. On 30 November 2005, he held his first concert in England for over twenty years, at Shepherd's Bush, London. While the performance was filmed and scheduled for a DVD release, the plan was scrapped. Instead, the concert recorded at the Place Des Arts in Montreal, Canada on 6June 2006 was his first DVD, released on 22 August 2006, entitled Take the Long Way Home—Live in Montreal. In October 2006, the DVD was certified multi-platinum by the CRIA (Canadian Recording Industry Association).

In May 2006, Hodgson was honoured by ASCAP in recognition of his song "Give A Little Bit" being one of the most played songs in the ASCAP repertoire in 2005. He received another ASCAP award on 9April 2008 for the Gym Class Heroes' song "Cupid's Chokehold", a remake of Hodgson's "Breakfast in America", recognised as one of the most played songs in ASCAP's repertoire in 2007.

Hodgson participated as a mentor on Canadian Idol along with Dennis DeYoung. He continued mentoring several of the finalists during his 2006 Canadian tour.

Hodgson performed at the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium, on 1July 2007. He sang a medley of his most popular songs: "Dreamer", "The Logical Song", "Breakfast in America" and "Give A Little Bit".

On 18 September 2007, the DVD Take the Long Way Home—Live in Montreal was released worldwide, achieving Platinum status in just seven weeks, reaching No.1 in all Canada, and multi-Platinum and Gold in France and Germany.

Hodgson toured the US, Australia, New Zealand, South America, Europe, and Canada in 2010. Though Hodgson's former bandmates in Supertramp announced a 40th Anniversary reunion tour, he was not invited to join them. Hodgson's Classics Live is a collection of recordings taken from solo, band, and orchestra shows from his 2010 world tour. In May 2012, Hodgson was honoured by France as a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters. This prestigious decoration was established in 1957 by the French Minister of Culture to recognise significant contributions to the arts.

Hodgson continued to tour worldwide from 2011 to 2016, including two concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, and in 2017 with dates in Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, the UK, Netherlands, France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, Monaco and Canada. In December 2017, Hodgson toured with Night of the Proms for 17 shows in Germany and Luxembourg. He was accompanied by saxophonist Michael Ghegan; Emily Bear performed "School" with him. As related by Subba-Cultcha magazine about Hodgson's concerts: "Alternating between electric keys, a grand piano and several guitars, Hodgson effortlessly weaves the music around his audience giving an almost cathartic emotional release in some cases"... "His instantly recognisable voice and pulsating keys are in as fine a form as you will hear, and the genuine friendliness and personality of Hodgson, comes across in waves from stage to audience." During his concerts, Hodgson often shares stories with the audience of how his songs were written and "connects deeply with the fans in a way few stars of his stature do".

In 2018, Hodgson kicked off his Breakfast in America world tour, in honour of the 40th anniversary of Supertramp's Breakfast in America album. Rolling Stone reviewed the tour favourably.

On 4 June 2019, he was decorated with the Order of Arts and Letters by Franck Riester, French minister of Culture, in Paris during a tour at the Olympia.

Tours

 * Breakfast in America Tour (2012–2017)
 * Breakfast in America 40th Anniversary World Tour (2019–2020)

Solo studio albums

 * In the Eye of the Storm (1984)
 * Hai Hai (1987)
 * Open the Door (2000)

Live albums

 * Rites of Passage (1997)
 * Classics Live (2010)

With Supertramp

 * Supertramp (1970)
 * Indelibly Stamped (1971)
 * Crime of the Century (1974)
 * Crisis? What Crisis? (1975)
 * Even in the Quietest Moments... (1977)
 * Breakfast in America (1979)
 * Paris (1980)
 * ...Famous Last Words... (1982)

title: Roger Hodgson


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Flower bouquet

A flower bouquet is a collection of flowers in a creative arrangement. Flower bouquets can be arranged for the decor of homes or public buildings or may be handheld. Several popular shapes and styles classify handheld bouquets, including nosegay, crescent, and cascading bouquets. Flower bouquets are often given for special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries or funerals. They are also used extensively in weddings and at the Olympic Medal Ceremonies. Bouquets arranged in vases or planters for home decor can be placed in traditional or modern styles. According to the culture, symbolism may be attached to the types of flowers used.

History
The arrangement of flowers for home or building decor has a long history worldwide. The oldest evidence of formal arranging of bouquets in vases comes from ancient Egypt, and depictions of flower arrangements date to the Old Kingdom (~2500 BCE). The sacred lotus, as were herbs, palms, irises, anemones, and narcissus, were often used.

In some cultures, ancient practises still survive today; for example, in ikebana, the art of flower-arranging arranging comes from Japan. The oldest known book on flower arranging is Japanese and dates from 1445. Simplicity and linear form are core features of ikebana, which has had a significant influence on Western flower arranging since the late 19th century

Flower arranging as an art form was brought to Japan by Buddhist monks who learned it while in China. In ancient China, flower arranging developed into a highly refined art form based on the principle that life is sacred, including the life of plants. Therefore, cut flowers were used sparingly in carefully planned arrangements. Flowers were a traditional ritual offering among Buddhists, however, and remain so. In Europe, flower arranging as a formal art was first documented among the Dutch, who "in particular, painted wonderful informal arrangements of flowers. In the 18th century, arrangements were used to decorate the houses of the wealthy families and the aristocracy."

Flower symbolism is common in many cultures and can be complex. In China, certain flowers symbolize seasons: white plum blossoms represent winter, peach and cherry blossoms represent spring, lotus represent summer, and chrysanthemums the fall.

Nosegay
The term "tussie-mussie" is sometimes used interchangeably with nosegay. A nosegay was also known as a "talking bouquet" or "flower poesy" during the Victorian era when they became a popular gift. Traditionally, brides will also carry a small nosegay. Tussie mussies were introduced to England in the early 18th century and were a fashionable accessory for young women by the early 19th century. A tussie mussie is a small circular bouquet like a nosegay but carries symbolic meaning based upon the language of flowers, where particular flowers represent specific sentiments. They were commonly exchanged by lovers, who sent messages to one another based on the flowers used in the bouquet. Traditionally, tussie mussies are arranged in a cone- or cornucopia-shaped container made of tin or silver, with a chain attached for carrying the bouquet.

Language of Flowers
Flower symbolism originated in Asia and the Middle East, where certain flowers, such as the lotus, were considered sacred or at least to be associated with spiritual themes. This was often reflected in artwork, for example, the use of bamboo in Chinese art to represent longevity and eternity. The language of flowers was introduced to England in the early 18th century by Mary Wortley, Lady Montague, whose husband was Ambassador to Turkey. By the Victorian era, almost every flower had a specific meaning. Small nosegay or "tussie mussie" bouquets might include chamomile flowers, which a woman might send to a romantic interest to tell him "Patience"; goldenrod represented indecision.

Wedding Bouquets
Traditionally, the bride holds the bouquet, and the maid of honor holds it during the ceremony. After the wedding, the bride tosses it over her shoulder, and it is believed that whoever catches the bouquet is the next in line to be married. This practice may be related to the myth of the Golden Apple of Discord.

Wedding Bouquet Shapes
There are many different bridal bouquet styles from which to select. Brides typically choose the shape of their bouquets according to popular trends at the time of their wedding; however, some choose bouquets which evoke another period. While the language of flowers can contribute to a message about the couple, the shapes are a personal preference.

The Posy bouquet is typically round and is thought of as modern due to the small size and relative simplicity of the arrangement. It is also popular for the ease of carrying and passing off during the ceremony. It can be composed of an expensive flower, such as a rose, or a sampling of country flowers.

The Cascading bouquet is usually a large arrangement which tapers near the bottom. It was popularized as the arrangement of choice for the 1980s at the wedding of Lady Diana Spencer and the Prince of Wales at Westminster Abbey. It can, and is often, made up of many kind of flowers and is enhanced with Baby's Breath and different types of greenery, such as ivy. This bouquet became less popular as bridal trends shifted towards simplicity; however, it has found a resurgence in recent years.

The Presentation bouquet grew in popularity at the turn of the twentieth century. It is most frequently composed of a long-stemmed bud, such as the Calla Lily, and is cradled in the bride's arms rather than carried by the stems.

There is a new trend of Ramo Buchon for bridal bouquets. Ramo Buchon is a rose bouquet that is dome-shaped, tightly packed, decorated, and wrapped in fancy paper. This bouquet is the perfect blend of style and substance.

The following gallery shows popular bride's bouquet shapes, including cascading, hand-tied, nosegay, pomander, flower spray and Biedermeier.

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

title: Flower bouquet


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Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Dorothy Dudley

 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. R e  dwolf24  (talk) 00:59, 29 August 2005 (UTC)

Dorothy Dudley
Wife to a 17th century settler. Article lists her children and says nothing much else; WP:NOT a genealogy database. Radiant_ >|< 10:05, August 22, 2005 (UTC)
 * And while Thomas Dudley appears to be a notable magistrate, Samuel Dudley seems to be as non-notable as Dorothy. Delete as non-notable. - Mgm|(talk) 10:49, August 22, 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete as per MacGyverMagic, I really can't think of a reason to keep it. Alf 14:42, 22 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete per nominator. --GraemeL (talk) 18:50, 22 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete per nominator. --Sliggy 17:17, August 23, 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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Gordon Bremer

Sir James John Gordon Bremer (26 September 1786 – 14 February 1850) was a British Royal Navy officer. He served in the Napoleonic Wars against France, the First Anglo-Burmese War in Burma, and the First Opium War in China.

Born in Portsea, Portsmouth, Bremer joined the Royal Naval College as a student in 1797. He became a midshipman in 1802, serving in the North Sea, then qualified as a lieutenant in 1805. The first ship he commanded was HMS Rattlesnake (1791) in 1807, stationed in the East Indies. He was promoted to post captain in 1814. After becoming commander of HMS Tamar, in 1824 he was sent to Melville Island, Australia, to establish a colony. Under his leadership, the north coast of Australia from 129° to 135° longitude was claimed as British territory. The colony was abandoned in 1828. He led British forces at the Battle of Berbera in 1827, a successful raid against tribes in the Horn of Africa.

As a commodore, Bremer was the temporary commander-in-chief of British forces in the First Opium War, for two periods between 1839 and 1841. In 1841, he took possession of Hong Kong Island for the United Kingdom. From 1846 to 1848, he was joint commander (with Francis Augustus Collier) of the Channel Squadron and superintendent of Woolwich Dockyard. He retired in 1848, with the rank of rear admiral, and died in 1850.

Early career
Bremer was born on 26 September 1786 in Portsea, Hampshire, England. He was the only son of Royal Navy Lieutenant James Bremer (who went missing in the East Indiaman Halswell off the coast of Dorset, England, on 6 January 1786) and his wife Ann, daughter of Captain James Norman. In 1794 at around 12 years old he joined the Royal Navy as a first-class volunteer on board HMS Sandwich, the flagship of Rear-Admiral Skeffington Lutwidge, at the Nore, from which he was discharged in June 1795. On 8 October 1797, he became a student of the Royal Naval College in Portsmouth, and re-embarked on 2 April 1802 as a midshipman on board HMS Endymion under Captain Philip Durham. Until July 1805, Bremer served in the flagship of Vice-Admiral James Gambier and Rear-Admiral Edward Thornbrough, HMS Isis, on the Newfoundland and North Sea stations. Shortly after passing his examination, he was appointed sub-lieutenant of the gun-brig HMS Rapid. On 3 August 1805, he became a lieutenant on board HMS Captain as part of William Cornwallis' force pursuing a French fleet at Brest.

On 9 May 1806, Bremer was appointed to HMS Diana commanded by Captain Thomas James Maling in the Mediterranean Station, from where he proceeded to the Davis Strait. On 6 October, he served on board HMS Imogen, commanded by Captain Thomas Garth in the Mediterranean. On 28 May 1807, he was appointed to HMS Psyché commanded by Captain William Wooldridge in the East Indies, where he became commander of HMS Rattlesnake on 13 October. He became a post captain on 7 June 1814. On 4 June 1815, he was nominated a Companion of the Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath (CB).

Australia
On 18 September 1823, just before his 37th birthday, Bremer was appointed commander of HMS Tamar. In February 1824, he was sent to Melville Island, Australia, to establish a colony. The site was intended as a military settlement to secure British trade in the region. It was hoped that a market would open to British merchants in the Malay Archipelago. In June 1824, Bremer arrived in Sydney where he spent a month collecting troops and stores. On 24 August 1824, he left Port Jackson, Sydney, on board Tamar, accompanied by Countess of Harcourt and Lady Nelson. The ships transported Royal Marines and 44 convicts guarded by the 3rd Regiment. After sailing through the Torres Strait, he arrived in Port Essington on 20 September. The north coast of Australia from 129° to 135° longitude was declared British territory. Bremer rejected Port Essington as a settlement due to its lack of fresh drinking water. On 26 September, the party landed at King Cove in Melville Island to build a settlement, which was named Fort Dundas on 21 October. However, the site was unhealthy, expensive to maintain, and did not develop into an advantageous commercial trading post. In November 1828, orders were given to abandon the post.

In November 1824, Bremer sailed for India where he served in the First Anglo-Burmese War. On 25 January 1836, he was made a Knight Commander of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order (KCH). In 1837, Port Essington was again selected as a possible trading station by Baron Glenelg. Bremer, who commanded the Alligator and Britomart, was again given charge of the expedition. He established a new post in October 1838, calling it Port Victoria. The port was active until 1843 and by 1849, Port Essington was abandoned after it had no commercial or military value. Under the encouragement of New South Wales Governor George Gipps, Bremer left Port Essington for China in June 1839, with the ships under his command, after news of trouble in the Chinese city of Canton.

China
Rear-Admiral Frederick Maitland, commander of the East Indies and China Station, died in November 1839. As the senior naval officer, Bremer took over as commander-in-chief of British forces in the First Anglo-Chinese War as commodore. He was replaced by Rear-Admiral George Elliot in July 1840, but after Elliot's return home in November 1840, Bremer again assumed the post until the arrival of Sir William Parker in August 1841. Bremer commanded the capture of Chusan (5–6 July 1840), Second Battle of Chuenpi (7 January 1841), Battle of the Bogue (23–26 February), Battle of First Bar (27 February), Battle of Whampoa (2 March), and Battle of Canton (18 March).

After Plenipotentiary Charles Elliot declared the cession of Hong Kong Island to the United Kingdom on 20 January 1841, Bremer reported on 26 January that he "proceeded to Hong Kong, and took formal possession of the island in Her Majesty's name, and hoisted the colours on it, with the usual salutes and ceremonies." This area became known as Possession Point, and this date is considered as the modern foundation of Hong Kong.

On 1 February, he issued a joint proclamation with Elliot to the inhabitants, declaring the island British territory. On 24 August, he left China aboard the Atlanta with Elliot. For his services, Bremer received a vote of thanks from both houses of parliament, and on 29 July, he was made a Knight Commander of the Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath (KCB).

Later career
On 30 April 1846, Bremer was appointed, jointly with Sir Francis Augustus Collier, to the command of the Channel Squadron, with his broad pennant on board HMS Queen. In November 1842, he became commodore-superintendent of the Woolwich Dockyard, where he commanded the yacht William and Mary. He retired from the dockyard on 13 November 1848. On 15 September 1849, Bremer was appointed to Rear-Admiral of the Blue. He served as a magistrate in Devonshire. He died of diabetes mellitus on 14 February 1850 at Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England.

Family
On 27 March 1811, Bremer married Harriet, daughter of Royal Marines officer Thomas Wheeler and widow of Reverend George Glasse. They had two sons and four daughters:
 * Emma Margaret (c. 1815 – 19 July 1877 ); married Royal Navy officer Augustus Kuper on 20 June 1837
 * Isabel Harriet Ann (c. 1816 – 13 April 1866 ); married British Army officer Henry Sabine Browne on 26 February 1840
 * Emily (c. 1817 – 21 December 1869 ); married Alfred Howard on 5 April 1838
 * Ellen Susan (born c. 1818); married British Army officer Collingwood Fenwick at Plymouth on 15 October 1844
 * Edward Gordon (18 September 1819 – 7 April 1847 ); Royal Navy officer
 * John de Courcy (17 February 1822 – 6 January 1891 in Rose Bay, Sydney, Australia )

After Harriet's death in 1846, Bremer married Jemima Mary Harriet (1801–1879), the eldest daughter of Royal Navy officer James Brisbane, on 8 February 1848 at Tunbridge Wells.

Namesakes

 * Bremer River, Queensland, Australia; first named Bremer's Creek by explorer John Oxley in 1828
 * Bremer River, South Australia; originally the Hindmarsh River, renamed the Bremer River in 1839
 * Bremer Bay, Western Australia; named by explorer John Septimus Roe, who served under Bremer on board the Tamar from 1824 to 1827
 * Bremer Range and its highest peak, Mount Gordon, Western Australia; named by Roe
 * Bremer Island, Northern Territory, Australia
 * Bremer Street, Griffith, Canberra, Australia
 * Mount Bremer; renamed Braemar Hill, Hong Kong

title: Gordon Bremer


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Margiana

Margiana (Μαργιανή Margianḗ, Old Persian: Marguš, Middle Persian: Marv ) is a historical region centred on the oasis of Merv and was a minor satrapy within the Achaemenid satrapy of Bactria, and a province within its successors, the Seleucid, Parthian and Sasanian empires.

It was located in the valley of the Murghab River which has its sources in the mountains of Afghanistan, and passes through Murghab District in modern Afghanistan, and then reaches the oasis of Merv in modern Turkmenistan. Margiana bordered Parthia to the south-west, Aria in the south, Bactria in the east and Sogdia in the north.

Ancient period
Historians currently disagree as to the exact history of Margiana prior to the Achaemenid conquest. It is considered part of a Bronze Age civilisation, the Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex (short BMAC), also known as the Oxus civilisation. Some historians have argued that a kingdom was established and an urban society had begun to develop surrounding the oasis. It has also been postulated the region existed as part of a major Iranian state centred in Chorasmia that controlled Aria, Sogdia, Parthia and Margiana. Other historians have noted that whilst advanced irrigation had begun in the 7th century BC, the existence of such a state is unlikely. It has been also suggested that Margiana was part of the satrapy of Bactria under the Median Empire.

Achaemenid period
Margiana was conquered by the Persian king Cyrus the Great between 545 and 539 BC and remained as part of the satrapy of Bactria. Cyrus also founded the city of Merv. After Darius the Great's victory over the Magian usurper, Gaumata, in September 522 BC, revolts spread throughout the empire. The revolt in Margiana, led by a certain Frâda (Phraates), was suppressed almost immediately, in December 521 BC by Dadarsi, the Satrap of Bactria. In the Aramaic version of the Behistun Inscription, it is claimed that 55,423 Margians were killed and 6,972 taken captive in the aftermath of the revolt. Margiana was separated from the satrapy of Bactria and joined to the satrapy of Aria at some point after the rule of Darius the Great.

Following the Battle of Gaugamela in 331 BC, in which Alexander the Great defeated Darius III, Darius III began his retreat to Bactria, but was overthrown by the Satrap of Bactria, Bessus, who continued the retreat eastward through Aria and Margiana. Bessus, who had expected an attack from Alexander along the Silk Road, was surprised when Alexander had advanced through Gedrosia and Arachosia and crossed the Hindu Kush mountains in 329 BC to invade Bactria. Bessus fled north to Sogdia where he too was betrayed and was handed over to Alexander by his courtiers, Spitamenes and Datames.

In July 329 BC, as Alexander founded the city of Alexandria Eschate on the northern border of Sogdia, Spitamenes led a revolt and besieged the Sogdian capital of Maracanda. A Scythian incursion into Sogdia prevented Alexander from responding personally, however, once he had defeated the Scythians in the Battle of Jaxartes, he marched south to relieve Maracanda causing Spitamenes to move south and attack Balkh in the winter of 329 BC. In the spring of 328 BC, Alexander sent his general Craterus to fortify Margiana, where he established a garrison in Merv and re-founded the city as Alexandria in Margiana. Alexander's general Coenus defeated Spitamenes in the Battle of Gabai in December 328 BC, and subsequently in the following year Sogdia was merged with Bactria to form a single satrapy under the rule of Philip.

Hellenistic Period
Upon Alexander's death in 323 BC, the empire was partitioned between his generals at the Partition of Babylon and according to some historians, Philip remained as satrap of Bactria, however, it has also been suggested that he was in fact only satrap of Sogdia. Disagreements between the generals led to another meeting and in the Partition of Triparadisus in 321 BC, Philip was replaced as satrap of Bactria and Sogdia by Stasanor. During the Wars of the Diadochi, Stasanor remained neutral, however after the Babylonian War of 311–309 BC, Margiana came under the control of Seleucus I Nicator. In c. 280 BC, Margiana was devastated by the nomadic Parni tribes and several cities were destroyed. Seleucus responded by sending his general Demodamas to repel the nomads. Under Seleucus' successor, Antiochus I Soter, the oasis of Alexandria in Margiana was surrounded by a wall over 300 km long and the city was re-built and re-founded as Antiochia in Margiana as the capital of a separate satrapy of Margiana in an effort to secure communications and trade routes from Antiochus' capital in Mesopotamia to the far east. Margiana was successfully defended by Diodotus, the satrap of Bactria, against an invasion by the Parni in c. 239/238 BC. The invasion demonstrated that Seleucus II Callinicus was unable to respond to threats in the East and therefore Diodotus, who had begun pushing for his independence in c. 245 BC, abandoned hopes of remaining part of the Seleucid Empire and declared himself king, thus establishing what is now known as the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom.

Margiana was conquered by the Parthians under Mithridates I of Parthia in c. 170 BC. The defeat of the Yuezhi people in 175 BC caused many Yuezhi to flee westwards, displacing the Saka as a result, leading to a mass movement of Saka and Yuezhi towards Sogdia and Bactria. Around 140 BC the Saka invaded Parthian territory through Margiana, venturing as far as Media in central Iran and continuing to harass the Parthians until 124 BC, in the course of which they defeated and killed two successive Parthian kings. The Yuezhi, who had settled in Sogdia along the Oxus, controlled Margiana until 115 BC when Mithridates II of Parthia re-established control over the east, forcing the Yuezhi to move south into Bactria. In 53 BC, 10,000 Roman prisoners captured by the Parthians after the Battle of Carrhae in Upper Mesopotamia were settled in Antiochia in Margiana. The Yuezhi went on to conquer the remaining Greek territories in Paropamisadae and establish the Kushan Empire.

Post-Hellenistic period
The Kushans returned to Margiana in the 1st century AD and helped the satrap Sanabares declare himself king who ruled from ca. 50 AD to 65 AD. At the onset of the 3rd century AD, Margiana had been restored as a vassal of the Parthian Empire, but continued to exist as a "virtually independent state". After Ardashir I's victory over the last Parthian king, Artabanus V, at the Battle of Hormozdgān in 224 AD, Margiana, ruled by a certain king Ardashir, submitted to Ardashir I and accepted vassalage. The vassal kingdom was permitted to continue minting its own coinage until it was formally annexed by Shapur I in c. 260 AD who granted control of Margiana to his son, Narseh, as part of the province of Hind, Sagistan and Turan. In the fifth century, during the reign of the Sasanian king Bahram V, Margiana and the northern territories were invaded and plundered by the Hephthalites, also known as the White Huns. Bahram, after initially sending an offer of peace, led a surprise attack on the Hepthalites and massacred them whilst they camped and then pursued them as they attempted to flee back to their own territory. Bahram himself pursued the Hepthalites to the river Oxus in Margiana and sent one of his generals beyond the river who crippled them greatly. Despite this, the Hepthalites returned in around 480 AD and occupied Margiana until 565 AD.

In 642 AD, after the Sasanian disaster at the hands of the Rashidun Caliphate at the Battle of Nihawand, much like Darius III, the last Sasanian king, Yazdegerd III, fled eastward and arrived in Margiana in 651 AD. Yazdegerd was well received by Mahoe Suri, the marzban of Merv, however, upon arrival Yazdegerd appointed his courtier Farrukhzad as marzban and ordered that Mahoe give absolute control of the city over to him. Mahoe refused and Farrukhzad advised the king to retreat to Tabaristan, which he ignored. Farrukhzad then left for Tabaristan, where he would later become king himself. As the Muslim army approached, Mahoe plotted with the Hepthalite ruler Nezak Tarkan to overthrow Yazdegerd who later discovered the plot and retreated to Marwir-Rawdh in southern Margiana. Mahoe agreed to pay tribute to the Rashidun general Ahnaf ibn Qais who began to consolidate Islam in Margiana and awaited reinforcements.

Ahnaf captured Merw i-Rud, forcing Yazdegerd to flee to Balkh with his remaining supporters. Ahnaf was ordered by the Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab to remain at Merv and not pursue Yazdegerd. However, upon learning that Yazdegerd had formed an alliance with Hepthalites beyond Margiana and was approaching Merv, Ahnaf rallied his forces and defeated Yazdegerd at the Battle of Oxus River. After his defeat, the Sasanian king attempted to hide in a mill where he was killed by a Margian miller, bringing the Sasanian Empire to an end.

Religion
Margiana's position along the Silk Road led to the development of a diverse religious demography in the period prior to the Islamic Conquest. Although most of the population in Margiana practised Zoroastrianism, Buddhist, Christian, Manichaean and Jewish communities also existed and thrived in Margiana. Buddhist monasteries are known to have existed in Margiana, and the city of Merv acted as a major centre of Buddhist learning. A Manichaean community is known to have existed from the mid 3rd century AD.

According to Al-Biruni, Christianity had spread to Margiana within 200 years of the birth of Christ. In the 3rd century AD, at least one Christian monastery was founded and a reference to a diocese based in Merv is first mentioned in 334. A Nestorian diocese, based in the city of Merv, is known to have existed from 424 AD, and it later became a metropolitan province in 554. The uncommon name of the first recorded bishop of Merv, Bar Shaba, which means "son of the deportation", would suggest that the Christian community in Margiana may have been deported from Roman territory. A diocese of Merw i-Rud in southern Margiana also existed in 554.

title: Margiana


text:
User:Cdyson37

My Sandbox

Search user languages

title: User:Cdyson37


text:
James Brisbane

Captain Sir James Brisbane, CB (1774 – 19 December 1826) was a British Royal Navy officer of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Although never engaged in any major actions, Brisbane served under both Lord Howe and Horatio Nelson and performed important work at the Cape of Good Hope, prior to the Battle of Copenhagen and in the Adriatic campaign of 1807–1814. In later life Brisbane became commander-in-chief in the East Indies. He contracted dysentery in Burma and arrived in Port Jackson in Sydney aboard HMS Warspite (1807), where he died on 19 December 1826. He was a cousin of General Sir Thomas Brisbane who had earlier been governor of New South Wales.

Career
James Brisbane was born in 1774, the fifth son of Admiral John Brisbane and the younger brother of future Admiral Charles Brisbane. In 1787, Brisbane went to sea aboard HMS Culloden (1783) and by 1794 he was signal midshipman aboard Lord Howe's flagship HMS Queen Charlotte (1790). Brisbane served in this capacity at the Glorious First of June, where Queen Charlotte was heavily engaged and badly damaged. In the aftermath of the battle, Brisbane was promoted to lieutenant and was sent to the Cape of Good Hope, later joining George Elphinstone's flagship HMS Monarch (1765) and being present at the surrender of a Dutch squadron in Saldanha Bay.

Brisbane was promoted to commander and given command of one of the captured Dutch ships, the sloop DUTCH SLOOP Sireene, which the Royal Navy renamed Daphne. When she reached Plymouth in September 1797 the Navy paid off Daphne and Brisbane was put on half-pay. Brisbane remained on half-pay until 1800; he married Jemima Ann Ventham shortly before he returned to sea in command of HMS Cruizer (1797). Cruizer was attached to Sir Hyde Parker's Baltic fleet on commissioning and Brisbane came under the direct command of Admiral Horatio Nelson, who used Cruizer to take soundings and make charts of the approaches to Copenhagen prior to the British attack on the city at the Battle of Copenhagen. Brisbane impressed his superiors in this duty and in 1801 was made a post-captain and commanded HMS Saturn under Admiral Thomas Totty until the admiral's death.

Between 1803 and 1805, Brisbane commanded the Kent sea fencibles and in 1807 took command of HMS Alcmene (1794) off Ireland. In 1809, he moved to HMS Belle Poule (1806), and commanded her in the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea in the early stages of the Adriatic campaign of 1807–1814. There Brisbane captured the FRENCH FRIGATE Var off Valona. He later participated in the capture of several of the Ionian Islands and remained in the region until 1811, becoming an expert in coastal operations.

In late 1811, Brisbane took command of HMS Vengeur (1810), and stayed with her for a year. He then transferred to the command of the newly built HMS Pembroke (1812) in the Channel Fleet. In 1813 he returned to the Mediterranean Sea, where he remained for the rest of the war.

A squadron under his command, composed of Pembroke in company with Alcmene and HMS Aigle (1801) on 11 April 1814 captured Fortune, Notre Dame de Leusainte, and a settee of unknown name, at Fort Maurigio, in the Gulf of Genoa, near Monaco. The squadron silenced the fort's guns, and attacked 20 vessels; 4 were captured, and the cargoes of another 15 taken off ships whose crews scuttled them.

He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath on 16 September 1815. In 1816, Pembroke was attached to the force under Lord Exmouth that bombarded Algiers and on his return home, as captain of HMS Queen Charlotte (1810), Brisbane was knighted.

In 1825, Brisbane was made commander-in-chief of the East Indies Station and sailed there as commodore, arriving in 1826 and taking part in the latter stages of the First Anglo-Burmese War, in which he had some success in riverine operations. During the campaign however he contracted a fatal illness and died from it aboard HMS Warspite (1807) in Sydney in 1826.

Brisbane is remembered as a popular and capable commander whose expertise was focused on coastal and riverine operations, which he conducted with success throughout his career.

Memorial
A memorial to Sir James Brisbane was erected in St James' Church, Sydney in 1830.

title: James Brisbane


text:
Nyika Plateau

The Nyika Plateau lies in northern Malawi, with a small portion in north eastern Zambia. Most of it lies at elevations of between 2100 and 2200 m, the highest point being 2605 m at Nganda Peak. It is roughly a diamond in shape, with a long north–south axis of about 90 km, and an east–west axis of about 50 km. It towers above Lake Malawi (elevation 475 m), and the towns of Livingstonia and Chilumba. Its well-defined north-west escarpment rises about 700 m above the north-eastern extremity of the Luangwa Valley, and its similarly prominent south-east escarpment rises about 1000 m above the South Rukuru River valley. It is very different in scenery from other parts of Malawi, consisting of rolling hills with little streams in broad valleys, and rough grassland with clumps of pine trees.

Wildlife and human settlement
It is known for its wildlife; mammals in the park include Crawshay's zebras, bushbucks, reedbucks, roan antelopes, elands, klipspringers, duikers, and warthogs. Also present are carnivores including jackals, hyenas and leopards. There are also many birds and endemic butterflies, chameleons, frogs and toads (e.g., Nyika dwarf toad ), and also for its orchids. All of the plateau is protected, by Malawi's large Nyika National Park and the much smaller Nyika National Park, Zambia. The only settlement on the plateau is Chelinda, the headquarters and accommodation site for the Malawian park.

Flora
A large area of the Nyika Plateau, around 3000 km2, makes up the Nyika National Park. Owing to its protected status, endemic flora continue to flourish in this part of the plateau. The flora of the plateau include gladioli, delphiniums, lobelia, and 'red hot pokers'. The plateau is also home to around 200 species of orchids. Groves of montane forests also dot the plateau.

title: Nyika Plateau


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Push-Over (video game)

Push-Over is a puzzle-platform game developed by Red Rat Software and published by Ocean Software in 1992 for the Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS, and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was sponsored by Smiths' British snack Quavers (now owned by Walkers), and the plot revolves around the then Quavers mascot Colin Curly losing his Quavers packets down a giant ant hill. The player is tasked with controlling G.I. Ant, a large soldier ant, to recover the Quavers by solving a series of puzzles. The Super NES version lacks the Quavers branding, and instead the aim is to recover bundles of cash dropped down the ant hill by Captain Rat.

Gameplay
The game consists of 100 levels of increasing complexity over nine different themed worlds. Each level features several interconnected platforms holding a number of "dominoes". The aim is to rearrange the dominoes, such that with a single push, all of the dominoes are toppled, thus opening the exit to the next level. There are 11 different types of domino, identified by red and yellow patterns, each with different actions. The player controls G.I. Ant, who can move certain dominoes by carrying them one at a time.

Various factors can result in failure to complete a level. As well as toppling all of the dominoes, the player must be able to access the exit door once the dominoes have fallen. For instance, the player will be unable to reach the exit if a ledge leading to the exit has been destroyed, or if a gap leading to the exit has not been bridged, or if a line of dominoes lie across the exit. G.I. Ant may die by falling from a large height, by falling off the bottom of the screen, or by being crushed under a falling domino. The player is then greeted with the message "You Failed, You Died" and has to restart the level. Also, the level will be failed if any dominoes are destroyed by landing one domino on top of another.

Each level has a time limit during which it must be completed. However, if the time runs out the player is still able to continue with the puzzle if they wish. By pausing the game once the time has run out, a small hint will be displayed, giving advice on how to complete the level. As a side note, the hint for level 98 informs the player that the game's designer cannot remember how to complete the level without trickery ("Use a drop! There is a way to make it work with a push, but I can't find it!").

The themed worlds, in order, are an industrial complex, an Aztec world, a space station, an electronic world, a Greek temple, a Medieval castle, a Meccano-inspired world, a dungeon and a Japanese temple. Each world has 11 levels, making a total of 99 regular levels. A packet of Colin's Quavers is retrieved after each world, with nine packets in all to be collected. Many of the early levels are tutorials demonstrating how each type of domino will act. Often there is only a single solution to each level, though some levels have multiple solutions. The final level, level 100, must be completed using dominoes with hidden markings.

A password system allows the player to continue an earlier game, without having to restart from the first level. Additionally, upon completing a level the player gains a token, which once a level has been failed, allows the player to return to the point before the domino push, rather than having to return to the initial state of the level.

Development
Creative differences between RedRat Software and Ocean Software around branding and graphical changes overshadowed this title and a breakdown between both parties occurred once legal action was taken by RedRat to regain creative control/claim a breach of contract. The legal battle led to the downfall of RedRat Software, who were unable to fund continual legal costs vs the much deeper pockets of Ocean Software.

Reception
The game was reviewed in 1993 in Dragon #193 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in the "Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 5 out of 5 stars.

Entertainment Weekly gave the game a B− and wrote that "The theme of Pushover (Ocean of America, for Super NES) is ingenious — players have to line up 10 kinds of dominoes, then get them all to fall with a single push — but the static execution will have small kids dozing off way before their bedtime."

Reviews

 * Amiga User International (Nov, 1992)
 * ST Format (Oct, 1992)
 * Amiga Action (Jul, 1992)
 * ST Action (Mar, 1993)
 * Amiga Format (Sep, 1992)
 * The One Amiga (Jun, 1992)
 * Power Play (Aug, 1992)
 * Zero (Jul, 1992)
 * Amiga Power (Jun, 1992)
 * Amiga Joker (Sep, 1992)
 * ST Format (Jan, 1994)

title: Push-Over (video game)


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F. W. Olin Foundation

The Franklin W. Olin Foundation, founded as the Olin Foundation in 1938 by Franklin W. Olin, was an independent grantmaking foundation from its founding in 1938 until it spent down its corpus and closed down in 2005.

History

Olin used the foundation for personal giving, including gifts for a chemical engineering building in the Engineering Quadrangle at Cornell University and a vocational high school in Alton, Illinois. In creating the foundation, Olin passed control of what would become the Olin Corporation to his sons, Spencer and John, while donating controlling shares to the foundation. "The old man then took his marbles out of the game," as Fortune described the transaction. "He plunked his stock into a charitable foundation.... If the boys did not want control of the company to pass to the foundation on his death, they'd jolly well have to hustle up the money to buy back the shares." The Olin sons did that, which left $50 million in the foundation's corpus, making it one of the largest foundations in the country.

After Olin died in 1951, his three trustees—Charles L. Horn, an Olin business associate; tax attorney James O. Wynn; and financial consultant Ralph Clark —continued Olin's grant program under the same principles as his Cornell gift: funding academic buildings while paying the full cost, including equipment and furnishings. They hired no staff and administered the program at the trustee level. Grants to vocational schools in the segregated South required that schools be racially integrated.

In the 1970s, new board members were elected: business executive Carlton T. Helming, lawyer Lawrence W. Milas, and business executive William B. Horn (son of previous board member Charles). Horn and Helming were later replaced by William Norden and William Schmidt. They continued the previous pattern of grantmaking until 1997. From 1938 to 1997, the Olin Foundation distributed grants for 78 buildings at 58 institutions, briefly listed below. "We always had a bias toward supporting science and engineering schools because Mr. Olin was an engineer," Milas said.

In the 1990s, the foundation decided to wind down philanthropic operations by founding a new college, with the intention of eventually transferring remaining funds from the foundation to the college (discussed below). In 2005, the foundation dissolved itself and transferred remaining assets to Olin College of Engineering. The foundation closed in the same year as the John M. Olin Foundation, which was established by Franklin's son John. The John M. Olin Foundation also shut down for reasons of preserving donor intent, though the organizations are unrelated.

Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering
In the early 1990s, the board of the Olin Foundation began to worry about the perpetuation of donor intent in subsequent generations. "We were concerned about how we were going to find people committed to continue the grant program, who wouldn't come in with their own agenda, their own baggage, and try to change things around," Milas said. "With the escalation of building costs, would we be able to sustain that grant program? We were locked into what we had as a private foundation. Would we remain relevant if we couldn't substantially grow our assets?"

The board evaluated options, and decided to pursue an idea that Olin had suggested in the 1940s: starting a new college. In 1997, they chartered the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering and made an initial gift of $200 million. Milas was president initially, but he soon hired Richard Miller as the college's president and first full-time employee. In 2005, after the college had been operating for several years, the foundation dissolved itself and transferred the balance of its endowment, an additional $250 million, to the college.

Other buildings and schools funded by the foundation
The following is an incomplete list of other schools, programs, or buildings funded by the Franklin W. Olin foundation before its closure:

 * William H. Coleman Hall at Bucknell University
 * F. W. Olin Science Building at Bucknell University
 * Olin Center for Educational Technology, Augustana College (Illinois)
 * F. W. Olin Building, Southwestern University
 * Franklin W. Olin Building Luther College (Iowa)
 * Olin-Rice Science Center, Macalester College
 * F. W. Olin Center, Union College
 * Olin Hall, Ursinus College
 * F. W. Olin Center, Tufts University
 * F. W. Olin Graduate School of Business, Babson College
 * F. W. Olin Hall, University of Denver
 * F. W. Olin Hall, fine arts building at Roanoke College
 * F. W. Olin Hall, residence hall at Cornell College
 * F. W. Olin Hall, residence hall at Weill Cornell Medicine
 * F. W. Olin Library at Mills College
 * F. W. Olin Physical Sciences Center, Florida Institute of Technology
 * F. W. Olin Science Center, Harvey Mudd College
 * F. W. Olin Science Center, containing the Olin Observatory, Connecticut College
 * Franklin W. Olin Jr. Hall, Cornell University
 * Olin Arts Center, Bates College
 * Olin Engineering Building, Hampton University
 * Olin Engineering Center, Marquette University
 * Olin Fine Arts Center, Washington & Jefferson College
 * Olin Hall, housing the physics department of Worcester Polytechnic Institute
 * Olin Hall, housing the departments of biology, psychology, and environmental science and sustainability of Drake University.
 * Olin Hall, Whitman College
 * Olin Hall of Science, Carleton College
 * Olin Library (Rollins College)
 * Olin Science Building, Colby College
 * Franklin W. Olin Hall, Centre College
 * Franklin W. Olin Building, Alfred University
 * Franklin W. Olin Building, Wofford College
 * Olin Hall, Roanoke College
 * Olin Hall, University of San Diego
 * Olin School of Business, Washington University in St. Louis
 * Olin Physical Laboratory, Wake Forest University
 * Olin Arts and Communication Center/Humanities Building, Concordia College (Moorhead, Minnesota)
 * Olin Hall, University of Akron
 * F.W. Olin Science Hall, Denison University
 * F.W. Olin Biological Sciences Building, DePauw University

title: F. W. Olin Foundation


text:
Talk:Jama’at al-Tawhid wa’al-Jihad

The first version of this article was adapted from the U.S. Department of State press release: Foreign Terrorist Organization: Designation of Jama’at al-Tawhid wa’al-Jihad and Aliases, with editing for NPOV. -- Karada 10:13, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

title: Talk:Jama’at al-Tawhid wa’al-Jihad


text:
Called subscriber identification

A called subscriber identification (abbreviated CSID) is a string that identifies a specific fax machine as the recipient of a fax.

This string (typically less than 40 characters) is usually a combination of the fax machine's telephone number and identification of the fax machine's user.

Origins
The CSID (and related TSID) are part of the modern landline fax specification. The CSID is often the same as the same machine's transmitting subscriber identification (TSID). A CSID and TSID are usually programmed into a fax machine when the machine is set up.

How it works
When a fax machine receives a fax, it sends its CSID to the transmitting machine. The CSID is displayed on the sending fax machine and is usually recorded in the transmitting machine's log of sent faxes and printed on a report or confirmation of the fax transmission. This helps to confirm that the fax is being sent to the correct recipient.

Computer software sometimes emulates the functions of a fax machine.

A CSID and TSID are programmed into the software when it is configured. The software uses them when it sends or receives faxes.

title: Called subscriber identification


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Renault Caravelle

The Renault Caravelle is a sports car manufactured and marketed by Renault for model years 1958–1968 in a single generation — as a rear-engine, rear-drive open two/four-seater designed by Pietro Frua of Carrozzeria Ghia, using the floorpan and engine of the Renault Dauphine.

Outside of North America and Britain it was, until 1962, marketed under the nameplate Renault Floride.

Name
Renault was envious of the growing success in North America of the Volkswagen Bug/Beetle and was looking for ways to match the Volkswagen's success with their own Renault Dauphine. At a convention of North American distributors that took place in Florida, Renault's US dealers called for the creation of a Dauphine coupé/cabriolet which would improve Renault's image in the critical US market. Renault's chairman, Pierre Dreyfus, agreed, and since the concept had been born at a convention in Florida the car instantly became known within the company as the "Renault Floride". The "Floride" name was considered unsuitable for 49 of the 50 states of the U.S., however, since it could have implied disrespect to states other than Florida. For this reason an alternative name, "Caravelle", was from the start used for North America and for other major markets (including the UK) where the principal language was English.

The Floride name was revived for the Mégane Coupe Cabriolet Floride, a special edition convertible in ivory with red and ivory two tone interior, intended as a tribute to 1960s chic.

Launch
The Floride was unveiled at the 1958 Paris Motor Show. A small rear-engined design by Pietro Frua at Carrozzeria Ghia, it used the floorpan and engine of the Renault Dauphine sedan.

The Floride was launched in the United States and Canada as the Renault Caravelle a year after its introduction in Europe.

Bodies
The car was offered as a 2+2 coupé, a 2+2 cabriolet and as a convertible, the latter being a cabriolet with a removable hardtop. The 2265 mm wheelbase was shared with the Renault Dauphine but longer overhangs meant that overall the Floride was longer by a significant 320 mm, as well as being slightly lower and very slightly wider.

Engine
At launch the Floride, like the Dauphine on which it was based, came with an 845 cc four-cylinder water-cooled engine mounted at the back of the car. However, the power unit on the Floride was fed using a Solex 32 mm carburetor as against the 28 mm diameter of the Solex carburetor on the Dauphine. The Florides making their French show debut on the stand at the 1958 Paris Motor Show came with a claimed power output of 37 hp SAE. By the time deliveries commenced, in early summer 1959, it was also possible for customers to specify a performance version, engineered by Amédée Gordini, which produced 40 hp SAE by means of various modifications to the inlet manifold and camshaft, and a compression ratio raised from 7.6:1 to 8.0:1.

Transmission
Power was delivered to the rear wheels via a three-speed manual transmission with synchromesh on the upper two ratios. For a supplement of 200 New Francs customers could instead specify a four-speed transmission on the slightly heavier coupé version of the car. Having regard to the car's power-to-weight ratio most customers chose to pay extra for the four speed gear box.

Subcontracted production
Although designed by Frua of Italy, the car's body was constructed locally, by the automobile body maker Société des usines Chausson, based in Asnières-sur-Seine at the northern edge of Paris, and known in France as the producer of many of the school bus bodies used for transporting children in country areas.

Following the rapid economic growth experienced by France during the 1950s, and despite the fall-off in demand for the 4CV and the lacklustre market performance of the Frégate, thanks to the success of the recently launched Dauphine Renault still found themselves, in the second half of the decade, seriously short of production capacity. The main Billancourt plant, built on the Seguin island in the middle of the River Seine, was particularly ill-suited to further expansion. A new plant had been opened at Flins in 1952 and a second would follow near Le Havre in 1964, but neither of these addressed the challenge of finding somewhere to assemble the Floride in 1958.

The heavy engineering company of Brissonneau and Lotz, better known as a manufacturer of rolling stock for the railways, had launched a small cabriolet sports car in 1956. Based on the mechanical underpinnings of the Renault 4CV, the Brissonneau coupé had been a tentative project and only around 200 cars were sold. Renault now persuaded Brissonneau to abandon their own automobile project and adapt their facilities for assembly of the Floride. Brissonneau's long standing experience with railway locomotives provided abundant relevant experience at operational and workforce level, and Renault contributed much of the investment which during 1958 and 1959 saw the main Creil plant of Brissonneau, comprising 190,000 m2 of which 41,280 m2 were covered, transformed into a production facility for the Floride: the Floride would continue to be assembled by Brissonneau and Lotz until it was withdrawn in 1968.

Upgrades
In October 1959, ready for the 1960 model year, the Floride, along with the Renault Dauphine, appeared with significant suspension improvements. The new suspension was conceived by the by now almost legendary automotive engineer Jean-Albert Grégoire and baptised by Renault "Suspension Aérostable", being intended to improve the car's ride and road holding. The addition of extra rubber springs at the front reduced roll and auxiliary air spring units (mounted inboard of the conventional coils) at the rear gave the rear wheels a small degree of negative camber and increased cornering grip.

In March 1962, the Caravelle received a new 956 cc engine that would be also used by the new Renault 8 from June. Although the new "Sierra" series five-bearing engine shared no components with the existing 845 cc Dauphine engine, it was conceptually very similar: the engine size was chosen in order to come in (slightly) below the top of the 5CV car tax band in France. It had a sealed cooling system as well as a new front suspension, new rear geometry, new steering, and a new gear linkage. Moving the radiator behind the engine also freed up an extra 12 cm of space behind the front seat. Maximum power output increased to 48 hp. Four-speed transmission, already included in the price at no extra cost on some export markets, now came as part of the standard with the new engine even for French buyers, although bottom gear still made do without synchromesh. The upgraded cars, first presented at the 1962 Geneva Motor Show, now featured disc brakes on all four wheels: the Floride was the first French volume car to benefit from this enhancement which also reduced unsprung weight by approximately 6 kg. The Caravelle name also replaced the Floride name in all markets from 1962 onwards.

In 1964, another R8-derived engine of 1108 cc was introduced to the Caravelle, producing 55 hp. This model was tested by the British "Autocar" magazine in November 1965. The car had a top speed of 89 mph and accelerated from 0-60 mph in 17.8 seconds. An "overall" fuel consumption of 30.2 mpgimp was recorded. The Caravelle's performance closely matched that of the contemporary Triumph Spitfire 4 under most headings, though the Spitfire was a couple of mph ahead on top speed. The British car market was still protected by tariffs at this time, but even allowing for that the Renault looks expensive in this company: The Caravelle came with a UK recommended price of £1039 as against £666 for the Spitfire 4.

Commercial
Production got under way slowly, with only 3,777 cars completed in 1959. However, in 1960, following the important "Aérostable" suspension upgrades, Renault produced 36,156 Florides.

By the mid-1960s, the Caravelle, which had been fashionably styled at launch, was looking dated, while the reduction and elimination of internal tariffs within the Common Market led to intensified competition in France for buyers of inexpensive sports cars, notably from Italy. Between 1966 and 1967, annual production tumbled from 4,880 to 2,991. During 1968, only 1,438 were produced, and it was during the summer of that year that Renault withdrew the Caravelle.

title: Renault Caravelle


text:
Nyiri Desert

Nyiri Desert, also called The Nyika, Taru Desert, Taru desert, is a desert in southern Kenya. It is located east of Lake Magadi and between Amboseli, Tsavo West and Nairobi National Parks. A high proportion of Kajiado County's land area is covered by the Nyiri Desert. Its aridity is caused by the rain shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro.

title: Nyiri Desert


text:
Pushover

Pushover or Push Over may refer to:
 * Pushover strategy, a kind of strategic voting
 * Pushover EP, by Australian singer Lisa Miller
 * Pushover (film), a 1954 film noir starring Fred MacMurray
 * Pushover (video game), a 1992 game from Ocean
 * Pushover analysis, a type of seismic analysis
 * "Push Over", a segment game from The Price Is Right
 * "Pushover", a song by Etta James from the 1963 album Etta James Top Ten
 * "Pushover", a song by The Long Winters from the 2006 album Putting the Days to Bed
 * Pushover try, a try scored from a set-piece scrum in rugby union; see Scrum (rugby union)
 * Push Over (band), an American post-hardcore band

title: Pushover


text: User talk:220.245.178.134

title: User talk:220.245.178.134


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Miikka Kuisma

 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 speedy delete as blatant vanity per CSD #A7. - Mgm|(talk) 10:52, August 22, 2005 (UTC)

Miikka Kuisma
Obvious vanity. About as notable as my left foot. — J I P | Talk 10:16, 22 August 2005 (UTC)
 * I've speedied it under the blatant vanity provision (without asserted notability) in the speedy deletion criteria. BTW I'm sure your right foot is far more notable, JIP. - Mgm|(talk) 10:52, August 22, 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:
Talk:Joan Osborne

year of birth
the [|IMDB] says 1962. What's right?

--afri 10:17, 22 August 2005 (UTC)
 * They seem to agree now. --Lenoxus 20:28, 26 June 2006 (UTC)

I remember back in the 90s there was a small amount of controversy about her age…she had been promoted as another young female singer/songwriter like Alanis Morissette and she refused to talk about how old she was for a while, then I remember reading an article from later where she said she regretted being secretive about her age and that it was due to pressure from the record label. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.107.186.18 (talk) 22:52, 13 February 2014 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Joan osbourne1.jpg
Image:Joan osbourne1.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 insure 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 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 01:41, 1 August 2007 (UTC)

WikiProject class rating
This article was automatically assessed because at least one article was rated and this bot brought all the other ratings up to at least that level. BetacommandBot 17:16, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

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Sexuality
exactly why is her sexualiy an issue worthy of discussion here? Because Philwelch will be on here soon nominating her to be a gay icon.--72.154.193.191 (talk) 17:07, 14 February 2009 (UTC)

 * I agree. I am going to remove this section since I can hardly see the relevance to her career. --Jsderwin (talk) 16:34, 21 February 2009 (UTC)

Really? Her sexuality is considerably more relevant to this singer's career than the fact she's had a child...which is included here. Seems the 'de-gaying' of wikipedia continues. Vauxhall1964 (talk) 18:46, 31 December 2009 (UTC)

I think it's worth keeping because it contains a quote and not just speculation or a third-party comment. it's really one of the few facts on her personal life in the entry. I would sooner suggest changing the heading to "Personal Life." 12.162.122.6 (talk) 19:21, 31 March 2009 (UTC)

Interview that could be used
http://www.philzone.com/interviews/joan/index2.html is an interview of Joan Osborne that could provide information on her. It confirms the birth of her daughter as well.  Fridae'§Doom |  Talk to me  10:56, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

External links modified
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Discrepancy in album numbering
There is a discrepancy in the way Osborne's studio albums are counted. For example, her 2002 covers album How Sweet It Is is not counted as a studio album, based on the fact that even though it is her third studio-recorded album, her subsequent one, Christmas Means Love, is counted as her fourth (this is not clear, however, as that album doesn't have a separate page), and the next one, Pretty Little Stranger, as her fifth. I realize this could also mean that it is in fact her Christmas album that isn't counted as a studio album, and this would actually make more sense, given that her subsequent covers albums (Breakfast in Bed and Bring It on Home) are categorized as studio albums. In either case, why would either How Sweet It Is or Christmas Means Love not be considered a studio album, since they are neither live albums nor compilations? I'd like to fix this by re-numbering the albums in order to remove the discrepancy. Revirvlkodlaku (talk) 00:52, 20 March 2021 (UTC)

title: Talk:Joan Osborne


text:
Groupe Casino

Casino Group or Casino Guichard-Perrachon is a French mass-market retail group. It was founded on 2 August 1898 by Geoffroy Guichard under the corporate name Guichard-Perrachon & Co.

Casino Group is the source of many innovations, such as the first distributor's brand in 1901, the first self-service store in 1948, or even the display of a sell-by date on consumer products in 1959.

As a historical player in mass-market retail in France, the group also started to grow internationally at the end of the 90s. It acquired GPA and Grupo Éxito in 1999, major companies in mass-market retail in Brazil and in Colombia.

Casino Group operates across all food and non-food formats: hypermarkets, supermarkets, convenience stores, discount stores, and wholesale stores. Other than the eponymous "Géant Casino" and "Casino Supermarchés", Casino Group owns other brands such as Monoprix, Franprix, Leader Price, Cdiscount, Vival, Spar, Sherpa, and Le Petit Casino.

As of 2017 Casino Group, managed by Jean-Charles Naouri, was quoted on the Paris Stock Exchange and had total revenue of €37.8 billion. As of November 2021, the group has a market capitalization of approximately €2.35 billion.

From 2024 a consortium lead by Daniel Kretinsky will own and control 53.7% of Casino's share capital.

Casino's genesis (1892–1898)
Geoffroy Guichard was born on 27 July 1867 in Feurs, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. His parents were the owners of a retail grocery business in Saint-Étienne. In 1889, he married Antonia Perrachon and became a partner with Paul Perrachon, his cousin-in-law, who had been the owner of a shop in the region for around ten years. Geoffroy Guichard became the sole business owner in 1892. The store, located rue des Jardins, was originally the Lyrical Casino of Saint-Étienne. Closed in the 1850s, the Lyrical Casino was transformed into a retail grocery store in the 1860s. Geoffroy Guichard grew the grocery store to turn it into a general food store, based on the Felix Potin model. In April 1898, due to the success of the concept, Geoffroy Guichard opened the first branch in Veauche, in Loire.

The beginnings of Casino (1898–1904)
On 2 August 1898, Geoffroy Guichard founded with his father-in-law « la Société des Magasins du Casino » and « Établissements économiques d’alimentation under the corporate name Guichard-Perrachon & Co. In total, 77 people subscribed to the capital of the new company. The Guichard spouses owned 35% of the company's capital (limited by shares). As from 1898, warehouses and factories were built in Saint-Étienne. Damaged by a fire in 1900, they were rebuilt reaching a total surface of 16 000 m². In the factories, Casino baked bread, produced oil and chocolate, roasted coffee, distilled and produced homemade liquors. An important wine business was also developed. Nearly 40 branches were opened in 1899. In September 1904, the 100th branch was opened in Lamastre in Ardèche and in July 1905, the 21st concession.

The development of social action (1904–1923)
In the first quarter of the 20th century, the company developed a social action plan dedicated to its employees, with, in 1904, the launch of an insurance fund, the creation of a health service in 1905, benefits for large families and a birth premium in 1910 or even child benefits and profit sharing for all employees as from 1916. In 1912, Casino created the Sports branch Casino employees’ Social Club, a sports organization in accordance with its sports corporatism policy. The Social club opened its football section in July 1919 alongside other disciplines such as athletics or basketball. More commonly referred to as AS Casino, the Social club became "l’Association Sportive Stéphanoise" in 1927 then "l’Association Sportive de Saint-Étienne" in 1933. In 1923, in celebration of its 25th anniversary, Casino put in place a pension fund which ensured the security of employees leaving the company. The Casino share was quoted on the Stock Exchange as from 1910.

Industrial development after WWI (1920–1940)
As from 1920, Casino continued to grow by creating factories and warehouses. In 1929, the company counted nearly 1000 branches and over 500 outlets. At that time, Casino was present across 28 districts. In 1923, Geoffroy Guichard became administrator of « L’Épargne de Toulouse », which had similar operations to Casino's with around 300 branches located in the South-West of France. Geoffroy Guichard took permanent control of the company in 1925. Geoffroy Guichard announced the transfer of the company to his children during the general meeting of October 1929. At that time, Casino counted around 2000 employees. After the death of Geoffroy Guichard in May 1940, Mario Guichard became President of the executive board. He was surrounded by his brothers Jean, Georges, Paul et Pierre Guichard, and his brother-in-law François Kemlin.

In June 1941, François Kemlin created a network of clandestine activities. It benefited from important material resources made available by the company. These actions ranged from making packages/parcels and sending letters to creating files to enable the escape of War prisoners. Bombings during the War damaged many factories, warehouses and offices. Some even had to close down.

The Great innovations (1940–1950)
In 1947, Pierre Guichard took a trip to North America to observe growing trends. He discovered the self-service store concept. A year later, Casino opened its first self-service store in Saint-Étienne. Over a period of 10 years, 500 branches adopted this new sales principle. In 1950, one of the first cooling systems was put in place in distribution. There again, it was a type of innovation observed in the US. Gradually, warehouses were equipped with cooling chambers and refrigerated coolers. In 1959, Casino was the first distributor to display a sell-by date on its products. This was made compulsory in December 1984 with the use-by date. Already in 1928, the Group had put in place "calendar displays" on product packaging, as a quality guarantee.

The development of new formats (1950–1990)
In 1957, Casino opened its first supermarket in Nice, under the brand Nica. The store, which was totally self-service, offered both food and non-food products. The first supermarket with the Casino name opened in May 1960 in Grenoble. A few months later, four new stores opened in Nice, Saint-Étienne, Firminy and Lyon. The first two Paris supermarkets opened in 1970 in Saint-Denis and Bagneux. In March 1970, the first Géant Casino hypermarket opened its doors in Marseille. It was then the biggest store in France with a surface of 16000 m2. The shopping mall was made of 41 independent businesses and a Casino cafeteria. The SOMABRI company (SOciété des Magasins de BRIcolage/the company of DIY stores) was created in 1978 to enable Casino Group to be present on the DIY market. It opened its first two stores in 1978 in Toulouse Fenouillet and in Clermont le Brézet. Casino transferred its majority ownership to Castorama in October 1989.

The Internationalization of Casino Group (1976–1999)
In 1976, the internationalization of Casino Group started in the United States with the creation of Casino USA to operate French cafeterias in the USA. Restaurants were opened in Phoenix, Arizona, then in Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Westwood Village, Costa Mesa, and Seattle in California. Many convenience businesses also opened their doors under the name Le Petit Casino. The Group took over the chain Thriftymart Inc stores which then became Smart & Final Iris. Back then, the company owned around 90 retail outlets, all self-service, and implanted mainly in California. The internationalization of Casino Group then accelerated until the end of the 1990s with its development across South America. In March 1996, Casino Group signed a partnership agreement with Dairy Farm International, one of the biggest groups of supermarkets in Asia. A joint company was then created for the development of hypermarkets in the Asian South-East and particularly in Taïwan where a first hypermarket opened in 1998. In 1999, Casino Group bought into the capital of Distribution Groups GPA and Grupo Éxito in Brazil and in Colombia.

The Merger between Casino Group and Rallye Group (1985–1991)
In April 1985, Casino Group purchased the Company Cedis of Besançon, which helped the Group develop in the East of France. In April 1990, Casino took over the Compagnie Française d’Afrique Occidentale, La Ruche Méridionale d’Agen and SODIM and strengthened its implantation in the South of France. In October 1992, Casino Group, then managed by Antoine Guichard (grandson of Geoffroy Guichard), merged with the Rallye Group owned by Jean-Charles Naouri. Rallye brought Casino all of its distribution and catering activities. The Group was then present all over the French territory. At the end of this operation, Rallye owned 29% of the total capital of Casino Group. Antoine Guichard, the last family manager of Casino Group, did not want to give up the presidency of the company. The Rallye company was founded in 1945 by Jean Cam. Threatened by serious cash flow problems, it was bought back in 1991 by Jean-Charles Naouri and his investment company, Euris.

Growth in France: affiliates and partnerships (1992–1997)
To increase its presence in France, Casino Group continued its wave of acquisitions by signing many agreements with national distributors. Corse Distribution Group became affiliated with Casino in 1992. Many hypermarkets and supermarkets then became Casino stores. Between 1995 and 1996, Casino took majority ownership in the different companies of Corse Distribution, enabling the development of many new franchise names. In December 1996, Casino Group and Monoprix, branch of Galeries Lafayette, signed a partnership agreement for purchasing and logistics. Less than a year later, Casino supported Monoprix financially in the total acquisition of Prisunic's capital and became therefore, shareholder at 21.6% of the capital of this new Group. In September 1997, Casino Group took majority ownership in the Franprix and Leader Price brands and their network of 650 stores.

Major changes in Casino Group's shareholding (1997–1998)
In 1997, after many months of stock-market battle, Jean-Charles Naouri, the Guichard family and employees of the Group rejected a hostile tender offer made by the Promodès distributor. Following a counter-bid, Jean-Charles Naouri became the majority shareholder of Casino Group in 1998.

Acceleration of the investment strategy (1999–2014)
Under the aegis of Jean-Charles Naouri, Casino Group developed its assets in France and internationally. In March 1997, Casino Group signed an affiliate agreement with the Uruguayan Brand Disco for the construction of a Géant Casino in Montevideo. The store opened its doors in 1999. In February 1998, Casino Group took over the Argentine Group Libertad operating 7 hypermarkets across the country. Libertad was then the third company of hypermarkets in Argentine. In 1999, Casino subscribed to the capital of leading distribution companies in their respective countries, GPA in Brazil and Grupo Éxito in Colombia. After having strengthened its position in 2005, Casino Group became in July 2012 the sole controlling shareholder of GPA, no 1 in distribution and no 2 in e-business in Brazil. In 2000, Casino Group acquired Monoprix (50% of it), Franprix, Leader Price and Cdiscount. Activities grew again with the creation of Banque Casino in 2001 as well as property management company Mercialys, managing all the shopping malls owned by Casino. These assets represented 150 shopping malls on hypermarket and supermarket sites, as well as the premises of cafeterias owned by the Group.

In 2005, Jean-Charles Naouri was appointed CEO of Casino Group. Casino inaugurated its new Head Office in Saint-Étienne, its historical stronghold, in 2007. In the same year, the Group created GreenYellow, its energy-specialised branch. Its first photovoltaic plant was connected to the electric network in 2010. In that year, Casino Group continued its growth in Asia by acquiring Thai participations in the Carrefour Group with its Big C branch. In 2011, the Charle brothers sold their shares in the Cdiscount capital. Casino then held 99.6% of shares. In the same year, Casino Group and La Poste signed a partnership agreement. With a length of 5 years, it aimed at creating convenience food businesses in available premises, next to Post offices, in villages of under 12,000 inhabitants. In July 2012, the Group acquired 50% of shares held by Galeries Lafayette Group in Monoprix. Jean-Charles Naouri was named CEO by the Board of Directors of the Brand. The Group purchased the majority of Le Mutant stores and renamed them "Leader Price". In parallel, the Group reduced its shares in Mercialys, by around 40.2%. On 8 October 2014, the Group and Intermarché announced an agreement as regards purchases for big brand products in France. This agreement meant that the 2 Groups were purchasing leaders in France with a market share of 25.8%.

Activity refocusing (since 2015)
In February 2016, the Group announced the sale of 59% of its shares in its Big C Thai activities for 3.1 billion Euros. In April, the company announced the sale of Big C Vietnam to Central Group for 1 Billion dollars. In December 2017, Casino Group signed an agreement with Ocado to develop a technological platform with an automated warehouse in France. Announced a business partnership aiming at selling Monoprix food products to Amazon Prime Now customers.

On 23 May 2019, Casino's parent company Rallye S.A., declared bankruptcy protection in an effort to maintain its high debt costs. Casino later announced that same day that they are not involved in the bankruptcy and it will not affect its operations and employees.

In 2023, Casino announced that they have completed a deal to avoid bankruptcy. This restructuring procedure would allow for the company to cut high debt and improve recent losses to other rival supermarket corporations. In 2024, Casino USA filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy.

Activities of the Group
Unlike its main French competitors, Casino Group made the bet of developing a multi-brand strategy in the 1990s under the management of Jean-Charles Naouri. Therefore, aside from its eponymous brands Casino Supermarkets and Géant Casino, the Group developed Monoprix, Franprix or even Leader Price in France, but also Pao de Açúcar and Extra in Brazil or even Exito and Carulla in Colombia.

In France
Firstly, Casino oriented its multi-format and multi-brand structure towards the development of convenience and discount stores. The model developed by Casino is founded on the network of brands with differentiated and complementary positioning. In Metropolitan France, the Group operates the brands Géant Casino (hypermarkets), Casino Supermarkets, Monoprix, Franprix, Leader Price, Spar, Vival, Le Petit Casino, Casino Restauration. In Réunion Island, the brands are mainly Score and Jumbo Score.

Internationally
The Group directs its development towards countries with a strong growth and profitability potential, where its branches have strong local roots. South America has therefore become its priority area for development.

The Group is leader on the market in Latin America, and more particularly in Brazil and in Colombia.

E-business
Casino Group concentrates its e-business activity within the company Cnova, created in June 2014.

Cdiscount, branch of Casino Group, became over a few years a major e-business actor over the Internet in France.

In November 2023, Casino Group acquired a 34% stake in Cnova for €10 million. Stakes in the company increased to 98.8% following the deal.

Real estate
The real estate activity of Casino Group is driven in France by l’Immobilière Casino (which owns the walls of its stores) and its old brand Mercialys.

Sponsorship
Casino Group created a Company Foundation which supports childhood development by fighting against the cultural exclusion of the under-privileged. The Casino Corporate Foundation contributes to their education by funding theatre projects.

Founded in 2009, the Casino Foundation complements the other foundations of Casino Group present in France and in Latin America: the Exito Foundation in Colombia created in 1985, mainly engaged against child malnutrition, the GPA Institute which fosters youth education and their professional insertion and the Monoprix Foundation which fights against isolation in cities.

Casino and sport association
Casino Group is the origin of the AS Saint-Étienne football Club, which was created in 1919. The Sports Social Club of Saint-Étienne was born more precisely as a sports section of the «Employees' Social Club of the Casino store company,» the organization created in 1912 by Casino to support its sports corporatism policy. The Social Club logically takes on board the green color of the grocery chain.

A few months after the creation of the French Football Association-Federation (FFAF), the Social Club, more commonly named « AS Casino » (ASC), opened its football section in 1919, as well as other disciplines such as athletics and basketball. On 29 March 1920, under the initiative of Albert Jacquet, general secretary of the company, AS Casino became « the Social Sports Club » to respect the rules adopted by the Federation prohibiting the use of brands in the names of clubs, as well as keeping the initials. The club was then reserved for Casino employees, and the training center was located on the « Pont de l'âne » field, the property of the Group.

Seven years later, under the initiative of Pierre Guichard, son of Geoffroy Guichard who had become president of the club after MM. Godot and Jean Moulin, the Social Sports Club merged with the University Forez Stadium within the « Stéphanoise Sports Association » (SSA), which kept of course the green colour of the ASC.

In 1930, the French Federation voted for the adoption of professionalism in France. It became necessary for the SSA, whose managers were ambitious, to have its own stadium. The founder of Casino Group purchased a large field and gave it to the club. A membership offered to « friends » of the club helped gather the necessary funds to build the first facilities, later named Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.

Cyclism
In 1996, Casino Group became the main sponsor of the Chazal cycling team (currently AG2R Citroën Team). The team, therefore, took the name « Petit Casino – C'est votre équipe ». In the following year, Casino increased its funding and AG2R Provident Insurance became the second sponsor. The team doubled its budget, which went to 25 million Francs, and took the name "Casino-AG2R Prévoyance" from 1997 to 1999.

Casino's commitment finished at the end of the 1999 season. Over 3 years, the team also won 3 stages of the Tour de France, one stage of the Tour of Spain, 3 major classics and many national championships. It counted athletes such as Alexandre Vinokourov, Benoît Salmon or even Jaan Kirsipuu. The Casino Green is the traditional colour of Casino Group. It was the colour of the blinds in the former lyrical Casino, which was situated rue des Jardins in Saint-Etienne.

Shareholding
Jean-Charles Naouri was the majority shareholder of Casino Group since 1992 via his Rallye SA company.

From 2024 a consortium lead by Daniel Kretinsky will own and control 53.7% of Casino's share capital.

Brands
Groupe Casino's brands a range of retail formats:
 * France

 * Casino Supermarchés, a supermarket chain
 * Monoprix, a city-centre variety chain selling food, personal and beauty care products, household products and apparel
 * Franprix, a city convenience store chain
 * Superettes:
 * Petit Casino
 * Casino Shop
 * Casino Shopping
 * SPAR
 * Vival
 * Hypermarkets
 * Hyper Casino: Small hypermarkets chain.
 * Géant Casino: Hypermarket chain. Brand created in 1970, it is doomed to disappear in favour of Casino Supermarchés and Casino #hyperFrais.
 * Casino #hyperFrais: Brand created in 2022 to replace Géant Casino.
 * Online stores
 * Cdiscount
 * Property management
 * GreenYellow

In the world
 * Brazil: Grupo Pão de Açúcar – Extra – Pão de Açúcar – Assaí
 * Colombia: Grupo Éxito – Carulla – Surtimax – Cdiscount
 * Argentina: Libertad – Mini Libertad
 * Uruguay: Devoto – Disco
 * Indian Ocean: Jumbo – Score – Spar – Vival

Financial highlights
Net business volume includes all revenue from consolidated companies, associates and franchisees, on a 100% basis.

Share information
ISIN: FR0000125585
 * Groupe Casino shares are listed on the NYSE Euronext Paris market (Compartment A)
 * Par value: €1.53 per share
 * Majority shareholders at end-2012 (voting rights): Free float: 38.6%; Groupe Rallye 59.3%; employees 2.1%.

Kepler Cheuvreux
In August 2020, following anonymous threats and intimidations in Germany, the analyst stock, responsible for monitoring food retail trade from Kepler Cheuvreux, was forced to stop following Casino group and the German distribution brand Metro. The analyst had advised Kepler Cheuvreux's client investors to "hold" Metro's stock and to "reduce" their positions on Casino. Both groups have the Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky as a minority shareholder. He, along with the Casino group, condemned the threats addressed to the analyst. Neither Kepler Cheuvreux nor the analyst have commented on this matter. An investigation is currently underway by the German police, while the Financial Markets Authority (AMF) has declared to "regret" this situation. The financial watchdog also indicated having informed the public prosecutor.

Duty of Vigilance Law
In March 2020, eleven NGOs filed a lawsuit against the Casino group in French courts due to its sales in South America of products based on beef, allegedly from farms linked to illegal deforestation in the Amazon. The NGOs claim to base their case on the duty of vigilance law.

title: Groupe Casino