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Daizee Haze

Emily Sharp (born May 11, 1983) is an American former professional wrestler known under the ring name Daizee Haze. She is best known for her time on the independent circuit, where she performed for numerous promotions such as Chikara, Ring of Honor and Shimmer Women Athletes, where she was a one-time Shimmer Tag Team Champion.

Debut and Gateway Championship Wrestling (2002)
Sharp was trained by Kid Kash and Delirious. She honors her mentors, especially Delirious, in the ring by imitating some of their mannerisms, particularly Delirious' incoherent speech and performing some of their trademark wrestling moves. In March 2002 she made her professional debut for Gateway Championship Wrestling based out of Missouri using a hippie stoner gimmick. The gimmick is a tribute to her father, who was a hippie, and died when she was fifteen, and the ring name Daizee Haze is the product of her sister's imagination, after she wanted to change her name legally to Daisy Hayes after Savage Garden singer Darren Hayes. Around the same time MsChif began working for the same promotion and the two began to work together inside the ring. Haze also began working for IWA Mid-South as the valet of Matt Sydal, and then went on to compete in the women's division.

Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South (2003–2008)
Haze made her IWA Mid-South debut in 2003, as the manager of Matt Sydal, but was soon wrestling in the newly created women's division. Her first match was against Mickie Knuckles at the Revenge Served Cold event on October 23. In May 2004 the NWA Midwest Women's Championship was introduced, and a tournament was set up at the Volcano Girls show to determine the inaugural champion. Haze defeated Sumie Sakai in the first round and Rain in the second, but lost in a three-way final, when Lacey beat her and Mercedes Martinez.

The NWA Midwest Women's Championship and IWA Mid-South Women's Championship were merged early in 2005, and Haze won the Championship from Ariel in a six-pack challenge at the Givin Em Da Bizness event on February 12, 2005. After three months, however, Haze dropped the championship to MsChif on May 7. Haze continued making sporadic appearances in IWA Mid-South, at one point donning Delirious style attire and dubbing herself Shelirious in a match against Mickie Knuckles on July 9, 2005. On May 2, 2008, Haze captured the Championship for a second time after defeating the defending champion Knuckles and Sara Del Rey in a three-way match. Haze competed in the Volcano Girls 2 tournament but was eliminated in the semi-finals by Knuckles. The winner of the tournament, Rachel Summerlyn, earned a title shot against Haze at King of the Deathmatches. Summerlyn did not get her championship match, however, and at the end of 2008 the championship was deactivated.

Ring of Honor (2004–2011)
Around the same time as her debut in IWA Mid-South, Haze and Sydal debuted in Ring of Honor (ROH) in early 2004. At the time women's wrestling was not common practice for the promotion, but Haze engaged in an in-ring program with Allison Danger, who was spending time away from The Prophecy. Soon after Haze became a member of Generation Next when Sydal joined the faction. In November 2005 at ROH's Vendetta show she managed Generation Next and A.J. Styles (who replaced Roderick Strong) in an eight-man war against The Embassy. Haze was joined by Jade Chung who had broken free of the mental abuse at the hands of The Embassy since becoming the kayfabe girlfriend of Strong. During the eight-man war Prince Nana, of The Embassy, dragged Haze into the ring by her hair. Austin Aries and Sydal made the save only to have Haze turn on them as she low-blowed both men and proceeded to deliver a Mind Trip to Jade Chung before siding with Prince Nana. She remained with the stable until it was disbanded in September 2006, after which she turned into a fan favorite and aligned herself with B. J. Whitmer and Colt Cabana in their war with Lacey, Jimmy Jacobs and Brent Albright.

Outside of the promotion Haze had an ongoing rivalry with Lacey which was carried over into Ring of Honor. At the Dedicated show in January 2007, Haze teamed with Whitmer and Cabana in six-person tag match against Lacey, Jacobs and Albright. Jacobs, Lacey and Albright won the match after Jacobs put Haze through a table. The feud continued on over the course of Ring of Honor's Fifth Year Festival. In a re-match from the Dedicated show, except with Adam Pearce replacing Albright, Haze and her team won a street fight. Six days later, however, Haze was beaten in a singles match by Lacey, after Jacobs interfered.

In the summer of 2007 Haze began feuding with Sara Del Rey who was the reigning Shimmer Champion. The two fought on many occasions, typically with the Championship not on the line. Haze's first Championship match came in 2008 at the Ring of Honor's 6th Anniversary Show, where Del Rey retained the championship. The feud with Del Rey expanded to include Sweet and Sour, Inc, the faction of which Del Rey was a member, and as a result, Delirious came to aid Haze. Haze's rivalry with Lacey, who had become part of The Age of the Fall, reignited. Delirious began revealing romantic intentions towards Haze, but she rejected him, prompting Rhett Titus to claim that he had slept with Haze, who denied it. After seeing footage of Haze and Tius together, however, Delirious joined The Age of the Fall, although he left shortly afterwards when Jacobs attempted to spike Haze, but Delirious turned on his stablemates and saved Haze.

In 2009, ROH signed a television deal with HDNet for a weekly episodic wrestling show Ring of Honor Wrestling, beginning on March 21, 2009. Haze wrestled on the second show, which aired on March 28, where she lost to Del Rey after a Royal Butterfly. On the fourth show, which aired on April 11, she teamed up with Nevaeh to defeat Del Rey and Sassy Stephie. On the 8th episode of ROH on HDNet, which aired on May 9, Daizee Haze teamed with Delirious to take on the Shimmer Champion MsChif and her tag team partner Jimmy Jacobs in a match where Haze pinned the Shimmer Champion with a Mind Trip. As part of the 11th episode, which aired on May 30, she took part in a 3-way match against the former SHIMMER Champion Sara Del Rey and the current Shimmer Champion MsChif. This match was eventually won by MsChif who pinned Haze with the Desecrator. She came back in the 17th episode, which aired on July 11, in which she teamed once again with Nevaeh losing to the team of MsChif and Sara Del Rey. Since 2009, she is one of the two head trainers of the ROH Wrestling Academy, the other head trainer being Delirious. She has not made an appearance for ROH since April 2, 2011.

Chikara (2005–2011)
Haze began wrestling for the Philadelphia–based Chikara in 2005. In November 2009 she was placed in her first major storyline in the company, when she aligned herself with Claudio Castagnoli, Ares, Pinkie Sanchez, Sara Del Rey, Tim Donst and Tursas to form the heel stable Bruderschaft des Kreuzes (BDK). The stable has since been joined by Lince Dorado and Delirious. While in BDK Haze began regularly teaming with Del Rey and together the two of them picked up victories over tag teams such as The Osirian Portal (Amasis and Ophidian), Los Ice Creams (El Hijo del Ice Cream and Ice Cream, Jr.), The Throwbacks (Dasher Hatfield and Sugar Dunkerton), Amazing Kong and Raisha Saeed, and Mike Quackenbush and Jigsaw. On September 18, 2010, Haze wrestled Japanese joshi legend Manami Toyota in her first match on American soil, in a losing effort. On October 23 Haze represented BDK in the torneo cibernetico match, where they faced a team composed of Chikara originals. She was eliminated from the match by Eddie Kingston. The following day Haze and Del Rey defeated the Super Smash Bros. (Player Uno and Player Dos) in a tag team match to pick up their third straight victory and, as the first all–female tag team, earn the right to challenge for the Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas (tag team championship), at the time held by their stablemates Ares and Claudio Castagnoli. However, Haze and Del Rey never got to cash in their points as Ares and Castagnoli ordered them to defend them in a four–way elimination match on November 21, where they ended up being eliminated by Mike Quackenbush and Jigsaw and losing all of their points. On July 31, 2011, Castagnoli turned first on Del Rey, after losing to her in a singles match, and then Haze, as she was standing up for her regular tag team partner. The following week, Del Rey quit BDK, while Chikara announced that Haze would be taking a leave of absence from the promotion after suffering a storyline injury at the hands of Castagnoli.

Shimmer Women Athletes (2005–2011)
Daizee also wrestles regularly in ROH's sister promotion, Shimmer Women Athletes, an all-female wrestling promotion based out of Chicago. Haze was in the main event of their first four shows, which are released on DVD as "volumes". At the Volume 1 taping on November 5, 2005, Haze defeated Lacey with the Mind Trip in a twenty-five-minute match. On Volume 2, Del Rey pinned Haze with the Royal Butterfly to win a four-way elimination main event which also involved Lacey and Mercedes Martinez. Haze lost to Del Rey again on Volume 3, and on Volume 4 Haze defeated Rebecca Knox.

Haze's first real feud in Shimmer was against Knox, who was angry after her loss on Volume 4, leading to a two out of three falls match being booked for Volume 5, which Haze ended up losing, two falls to one. On Volume 6, however, Haze gained a victory over Nikita. Haze and Knox were set to end their feud in a 60-minute Ironwoman match on Volume 7 on October 22, 2006, but the idea was scrapped after Knox suffered an injury while wrestling in Europe.

Instead, Haze faced Cheerleader Melissa in the main event where Melissa came out victorious. On Volume 8 Haze regained some momentum when she defeated Tiana Ringer, and on Volume 9 she continued her winning streak by pinning Amber O'Neal, although she lost to Awesome Kong at the Volume 10 tapings.

A two-day tournament, taped June 1 and 2, 2007, was held to crown the first Shimmer Champion over the course of Volumes 11 and 12. Haze made it to semi-finals, defeating Portia Perez and Malia Hosaka en route, but lost to Lacey. Volume 13 was also taped which allowed Haze to have her first match against Sarah Stock, which Haze ultimately lost. On Volume 14, Haze and MsChif had their first match against each other for Shimmer (though the two had wrestled in a "bonus Shimmer attraction match" before in AAW ) which Haze was able to win. Haze wrestled Stock in a number one contender's match on Volume 15, but lost after she was pinned with a Victory roll. On the last Volume of 2007, Volume 16, taped on October 15, Haze joined forces with MsChif and Eden Black to face The International Home Wrecking Crew, consisting of Jetta, Lacey and Rain. Haze pinned Jetta to pick up the win for her team.

Haze defeated Cindy Rogers on Volume 17 and Jetta on Volume 18 respectively, both taped on April 26, 2008. Due to a back injury, Haze did not compete on Volumes 19 or 20, although she was interviewed by Rebecca Bayless on Volume 19.

On September 8, 2008, Haze was named as the trainer of Shimmer wrestling school's first training course which started on October 27, 2008. Haze made her return to in-ring action at the October 19, 2008 tapings of Volume 21 where she was defeated by the Shimmer champion MsChif in a title match. On Volume 22, taped that same night, she defeated Miss Natural.

On May 2, 2009, at the tapings of Volume 23 she fought Nicole Matthews to a 20-minute time limit draw, the second ever after the one between Mercedes Martinez and Sara Del Rey as part of Volume 1. On Volume 24, taped that same night, Haze defeated Matthews in a "no time limit" rematch with the Mind Trip. The following night on Volume 25 Haze teamed with Allison Danger to defeat Matthews and Portia Perez in a tag team match and on Volume 26 she defeated her student and the first graduate of the Shimmer Wrestling School Rayna Von Tash in a singles match.

On November 8, 2009, at the tapings of Volumes 27 and 28 Haze, due to an injury, assumed the role of a referee for matches between Cat Power and Ariel, Amazing Kong and LuFisto and Nicole Matthews and Allison Danger. Haze returned to a wrestling role on April 10 at the tapings of Volumes 29 and 30. On Volume 29 she was defeated by Misaki Ohata and afterwards turned heel and attacked her. On Volume 30 Haze and Tomoka Nakagawa defeated Ohata and Jamilia Craft, another one of Haze's students from the Shimmer Wrestling School, in a tag team match. The following day at the tapings of Volumes 31 and 32, Haze lost to Ayako Hamada and defeated Ayumi Kurihara via countout in singles matches. On September 11, 2010, at the tapings of Volume 33 Haze was defeated by Kurihara in a rematch. Later that day in a match taped for Volume 34, Haze suffered an upset loss against Tenille. The following day Haze re–formed her team with Tomoka Nakagawa, when the two of them defeated Pretty Bitchin' (Nikki Roxx and Ariel) in a match taped for Volume 35. On Volume 36 Haze took part in an eight-woman elimination tag team match, where she, Nakagawa, Sara Del Rey and Madison Eagles were defeated by Ayako Hamada, Ayumi Kurihara, Cheerleader Melissa and Serena Deeb. On March 26, 2011, Haze was defeated by Serena Deeb on Volume 37 and defeated Courtney Rush as part of the tapings of Volume 38, before reaffirming her partnership with Tomoka Nakagawa by pointing out that they were undefeated in tag team matches. The following day, at the tapings of Volume 40, Haze and Nakagawa defeated the Seven Star Sisters (Hiroyo Matsumoto and Misaki Ohata) to win the Shimmer Tag Team Championship. Haze and Nakagawa lost the title to Ayako Hamada and Ayumi Kurihara on October 1 at Volume 41. After the loss, Haze announced that she was quitting the promotion. On October 11, 2015, Haze made a one-night return to wrestling during Shimmer's tenth anniversary weekend, when she took part in Portia Perez's retirement match, where she, Kellie Skater, Lexie Fyfe and Madison Eagles defeated Perez, Kimber Lee, Lacey and Nicole Matthews.

Other promotions (2003–2011)
When Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) appeared on weekly pay-per-view Haze was booked to make several appearances. Her first came on February 22, 2003, for syndicated television show Xplosion where she wrestled MsChif. Haze continued making appearances as the valet and occasional tag team partner of Matt Sydal. On the July 2, 2003 episode of Xplosion, Haze and Sydal were defeated in a mixed tag team match by Julio Dinero and Alexis Laree, and on the February 4, 2004, episode Haze was defeated by Trinity in a singles match. She also lost a match to Nurse Veronica, which saw Veronica humiliate Haze by diapering her after securing the victory.

Haze participated in two ChickFight tournaments. Her first came in September 2006 at ChickFight VI in 2006 in which Haze faced the defending champion Cheerleader Melissa in the first round. The two wrestled to a thirty-five-minute draw, which mean that they both advanced to the second round, where they had a three-way match, also involving Allison Danger. Haze won the match, and then defeated KAORU in the finals to win the ChickFight VI tournament. The following year, Haze was in the tournament again, and defeated Skye in the first round, before losing to Eden Black in the semi-finals.

On the May 1, 2008, episode of TNA Impact! Haze made her return to TNA, using the alternate spelling of "Daisy Haze", in a losing effort to Cheerleader Melissa. Haze was also interviewed by Jeremy Borash on the May 1, 2008 edition of TNA Today.

In early 2009 Haze, under the ring name Marley Sebastian, took part in the tapings of the new all women wrestling show Wrestlicious, which premiered on MavTV and BiteTV on March 1, 2010. Her ring name was shortened to just Marley upon her debut on the fourth episode on March 24, in which she was defeated by Sierra Sheraton.

On June 21, 2009, Haze defeated Portia Perez, Jessica James and Sara Del Rey to win Anarchy Championship Wrestling's first annual American Joshi Queen of Queens tournament.

Haze appeared on Dragon Gate USA's first pay-per-view Enter the Dragon, which was taped on July 25, 2009, and aired on September 4, accompanying BxB Hulk to the ring.

Retirement
Following her loss of the Shimmer Tag Team Championship on October 1, 2011, Haze retired from professional wrestling. On November 29, 2012, Haze made a one-night return as she accompanied MsChif for her match against Sean Vincent at a Dynamo Pro Wrestling event.

Personal life
Sharp studied Exercise Science in college. She also designs and sews wrestling apparel.

Championships and accomplishments

 * All Pro Wrestling
 * APW Future Legend Championship (1 time)
 * American Joshi Queen of Queens (2009)
 * ChickFight
 * ChickFight VI
 * Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South
 * IWA Mid-South Women's Championship (2 times)
 * NWA Midwest
 * NWA Midwest Women's Championship (2 times)
 * Pro Wrestling Illustrated
 * Ranked No. 15 of the top 50 female wrestlers in the PWI Female 50 in 2008
 * Shimmer Women Athletes
 * Shimmer Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Tomoka Nakagawa

title: Daizee Haze


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HKK Široki

Hrvatski košarkaški klub Široki, commonly referred to as HKK Široki or simply Široki, is a men's professional basketball club based in Široki Brijeg, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The team currently competes in the Basketball Championship of Bosnia and Herzegovina. With eleven Bosnia and Herzegovina Championship and nine Cups of Bosnia and Herzegovina won Široki is the most successful basketball team in the country.

History
Founded in 1974, the club became the basketball center in the south-west of SR Bosnia and Herzegovina but never played in the Yugoslavian elite league in the past.

First being registered under the name KK Mladost the club participated in lower leagues for years but had to stop its activities for two years in 1992 due to War in Bosnia. Afterwards the club was renamed HKK Široki and got a place in the newly established Bosnian national league and in 1998 took the double crown, in the national championship and in the national cup. Moving to the Pecara Sports Hall, with a capacity of 4,500 seats, the richest period in the club's history was still to come. Široki Hercegtisak received the invitation to the ABA League in the first years of its existence and was unbeatable in both domestic championships between 2002 and 2004. It was the club's decision to also participate in the FIBA European competitions for years, but as it is located in the Croatian part of the country the club became more orientated toward the neighboring country of Croatia after the war in the 90's.

Home arena
Široki plays their home games at the Pecara Sports Hall. It has a seating capacity of 4,500.

Sponsorship naming
The club has had several denominations through the years due to its sponsorship:
 * Feal Široki (2001–2003)
 * Široki Hercegtisak (2003–2004)
 * Široki HT Eronet (2005–2008)
 * Široki Prima pivo (2008–2009)
 * Široki TT Kabeli (2009–2011)
 * Široki WWin (2011–2012)
 * Široki Primorka (2013–2014)

Trophies and awards
Source

Notable players

 * Stipe Šarlija
 * Darko Planinić
 * Stanko Barać
 * Fran Pilepić
 * Željko Šakić
 * Ivan Ramljak
 * Gordan Zadravec
 * Domagoj Bošnjak
 * Josip Vranković
 * Josip Sesar
 * Ivan Buva
 * Boris Barać
 * Mladen Erjavec
 * Davor Pejčinović
 * Mateo Drežnjak
 * Ivan Novačić
 * Ivan Grgat
 * Šime Špralja
 * Martin Vanjak
 * Josip Bilinovac
 * 🇧🇦 Dalibor Peršić
 * 🇧🇦 Marko Šutalo
 * 🇺🇸 Richard Dumas

 * 🇺🇸 Chester Mason
 * 🇺🇸 Johnathon Jones

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

title: HKK Široki


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Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Dark Canuck

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

The result of the debate was delete. Woohookitty 09:52, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

Dark Canuck

 * Delete Paul 00:07, 18 August 2005 (UTC)
 * This nomination was malformed and never made it to the main VfD page until now. no vote.  JYolkowski // talk 15:06, 3 September 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete vanity. Mindmatrix 14:21, 5 September 2005 (UTC)
 * One of plenty on 3rd September that need more participation for a useful decision. -Splash 00:01, 12 September 2005 (UTC)

 * Speedy Dlyons493 05:08, 12 September 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Nonsense. Voice of All  (talk)  06:56, September 12, 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete, combine an internet nickname with website advertising and you have a very deletable article. - Mgm|(talk) 09:00, September 12, 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. It's not even an original nickname; dollars to donuts he took it from the Tragically Hip song. (Note that I already thought this before visiting his webpage to discover that the first words in the site intro were "Welcome to the All Canadian Surf Club," which proves my point. I'm psychic, I tell you, psychic! And no, the Hip song was not a notable single, so I'm not proposing that the title be repurposed as an article about the song.) Bearcat 22:52, 13 September 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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Mary Prankster

Mary Prankster is the moniker for an American singer-songwriter. She is primarily associated with Baltimore (but now residing in New England ), and played a blend of alternative/indie music with frank lyrics. The name is a reference to Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters. After over 1,000 live performances, the Mary Prankster character was retired over "Pranksgiving Weekend" (November 25–28, 2005); the woman behind Mary continues to work on other creative projects.

The musicians who have played in her band include Phil "The Machine" Tang, Jon "E. Cakes" Seidman, Dave "E. Rocket" Vergauwen, Mike Lackey, Cord Neal, Matt Collorafice, Terry Klawth, Andy Mabe, Cliff Retallick, Sam McCall and Michael Smith.

Life and career
Her first radio single was "Tits and Whiskey" from the album Blue Skies Over Dundalk (produced by Steve Wright of Wright Way Studios in Baltimore), a 1:40 song which she called "my attempt at writing the most obnoxious song ever", and which contained the word "fuck" thirteen times. This did not stop local radio station WHFS from playing the song daily for several weeks. WHFS also arranged for her to play a free roadside show on the Baltimore–Washington Parkway that was quickly shut down by the police due to the traffic back-ups that it created and landed her a spot opening for They Might Be Giants at a sold-out show in Washington, DC, the singer having been banned from playing clubs in her hometown of Annapolis due to controversial lyrics.

Following the release of Roulette Girl (produced by Rennie Grant and recorded by Steve Wright), she left Fowl Records to create Palace Coup Records (PCR). Roulette Girl was re-released by PCR, while Blue Skies Over Dundalk was combined with the Mata Hari EP and a bonus track to create the album Blue Skies Forever in 2001.

That same year she recorded the "Love Has a Rumble" single with Baltimore rock-reggae band Colouring Lesson. The single was released to international and domestic radio stations.

In 2002 she recorded Tell Your Friends with producer Mitch Easter (R.E.M., Pavement) at The Fidelitorium in Kernersville, North Carolina. The album was mixed by Shelly Yakus (Tom Petty, U2) and made the CMJ charts due to extensive nationwide college radio play. Prankster recruited North Carolina musicians Andy Mabe (Neko Case, Clare Fader) and Terry Klawth (Jodie Foster's Army, Mighty Sphincter) for the Tell Your Friends tour which culminated in a recorded performance at Washington, DC's 9:30 Club that became the 2004 release Lemonade: LIVE.

In 2004 the entire Mary Prankster catalog, including singles, became available on iTunes and other digital music sites.

In 2005, she retired the name Mary Prankster, moved to New York and did voice-over work for TV commercials. She went back to school and moved to New England.

In 2016, she reconnected with Baltimore producer Steve Wright, and they agreed to work on a new album, Thickly Settled, released in November 2019.

In 2017 she made her live return by playing two live shows for Pranksgiving weekend.

Comedy Dynamics acquired and will release Mary Prankster's musical comedy special, Mary Prankster: LIVE at the Ottobar, recorded in November 2017 in Baltimore.

The Washington Area Music Association (WAMA) has nominated her for nine Wammies, two of which she won – Best Alternative Female Vocalist in 1999 and Best Alternative Rock Female Vocalist in 2000. Blue Skies Forever also won second place in the Just Plain Folks 2006 Music Awards Punk Album category. Her music has been promoted by Dr. Demento, and she has also enjoyed heavy rotation on the Red Peters show on Sirius Satellite Radio.

Her logo is based on that of National Bohemian, a Maryland beer. The cover of Blue Skies Over Dundalk is based on can designs of "Natty Boh", and Roulette Girl contains a track named "Rational Bohemian". The cover of Roulette Girl features a plate-spinning performer from the People's Circus of China, the cover of Tell Your Friends is a vintage image of a telephone operator licensed from the Seattle Historical Society, and the cover of Lemonade: LIVE is an homage to Country Time lemonade.

Albums

 * Blue Skies Over Dundalk, Fowl Records (May 1998)
 * Roulette Girl, Fowl Records (November 24, 1999) — re-released by Palace Coup Records (2001)
 * Tell Your Friends, Palace Coup Records (September 7, 2002)
 * Lemonade: Live, Palace Coup Records (April 1, 2004)
 * Thickly Settled, Palace Coup Records (2019)

Others

 * Mata Hari EP, self-released cassette (1996)
 * "Angel", as "Neoverse featuring Mary Prankster" (c. 1998)
 * "Love Has a Rumble", Palace Coup Records (April 14, 2001)
 * Blue Skies Forever, Palace Coup Records (July 31, 2002)

title: Mary Prankster


text: User:Piratesswoop

title: User:Piratesswoop


text:
Category:First Nations governments

This category is for first Nations governments, political entities, and associations of First Nations governments in Canada, including bands and Tribal councils.

title: Category:First Nations governments


text:
Lamar Hunt Trophy

Trophies named the Lamar Hunt Trophy are given to the winners of the following American football games:

 * AFC Championship Game in the National Football League
 * Border War (Kansas–Missouri rivalry) college football game

title: Lamar Hunt Trophy


text:
User talk:Phatcat68/Archive Evercat

Amy Lee
Her fruits? Evercat 12:49, 13 August 2005 (UTC)

BTW Phatcat68's favorite Wikipedia subjects' articles shouldn't live in the main namespace, as we call it. You should really move it to e.g. User:Phatcat68/favorite Wikipedia subjects' articles or something like that... Evercat 13:48, 13 August 2005 (UTC)

title: User talk:Phatcat68/Archive Evercat


text:
Forced molting

Forced molting, sometimes known as induced molting, is the practice by some poultry industries of artificially provoking a flock to molt simultaneously, typically by withdrawing food for 7–14 days and sometimes also withdrawing water for an extended period. Forced molting is usually implemented when egg-production is naturally decreasing toward the end of the first egg-laying phase. During the forced molt, the birds cease producing eggs for at least two weeks, which allows the bird's reproductive tracts to regress and rejuvenate. After the molt, the hen's egg production rate usually peaks slightly lower than the previous peak, but egg quality is improved. The purpose of forced molting is therefore to increase egg production, egg quality, and profitability of flocks in their second or subsequent laying phases, by not allowing the hen's body the necessary time to rejuvenate during the natural cycle of feather replenishment.

The practice is controversial. While it is widespread in the US, it is prohibited in the EU.

Background
Commercial hens usually begin laying eggs at 16–20 weeks of age, although production gradually declines soon after from approximately 25 weeks of age. This means that in many countries, by approximately 72 weeks of age, flocks are considered economically unviable and are slaughtered after approximately 12 months of egg production, although chickens will naturally live for 6 or more years. However, in some countries, rather than being slaughtered, the hens are force molted to re-invigorate egg-laying for a second, and sometimes subsequent, laying phase.

Forced molting simulates the natural process where chickens grow a new set of feathers in the Autumn, a process generally accompanied by a sharp reduction or cessation of egg production. Natural molting is stimulated by shortening day lengths combined with stress (of any kind). Before confinement housing with artificial lights was the norm, the Autumn molt caused a seasonal scarcity of eggs and high market prices. Farmers attempted to pamper their flocks to prevent the molt as long as possible, to take advantage of the high prices. Modern controlled-environment confinement housing has the opposite problem; the hens are not normally presented with sufficient stress or cues to go into molt naturally. However, after laying almost daily for nearly a year, their rate of egg production declines, as does the quality of the eggshell and the egg contents. In addition, the hens are overweight.

It is sometimes claimed that forced molting is an artifact of modern intensive farming, but the practice predates the vertical integration of the poultry industry by decades; former Head of the Poultry Science Department at the University of Maryland, Morley A. Jull prescribes a precise molting program in his 1938 book, Poultry Husbandry.

Methods
For a complete recovery of the reproductive tract, the hen's body weight must drop by 30 to 35 percent during the forced molt. This is typically achieved by withdrawing the hen's feed for 7–14 days, sometimes up to 28 days. This induces the birds to lose their feathers, cease to lay eggs and lose body-weight. Some programs combine feed withdrawal with a period of water withdrawal. Most programs also restrict the amount of lighting to provide a daylight period that is too short to stimulate egg production, providing a simulated autumn, the natural time of molt and minimum egg production.

Forced molting programs sometimes follow other variations. Some do not eliminate feed altogether, but may induce a molt by providing a low-density diet (e.g. grape pomace, cotton seed meal, alfalfa meal) or dietary manipulation to create an imbalance of a particular nutrient(s). The most important among these include manipulation of minerals including sodium, calcium, iodine and zinc, with full or partially reduced dietary intakes. These alternative methods of forced molting have not been widely used by the egg industries.

In 2003, more than 75% of all flocks in the US were molted.

Mortality
Some birds die during forced molting and it has been recommended that the flock must be managed so that mortality does not exceed 1.25% over the 1–2 weeks of (nearly complete) feed withdrawal, compared to a 0.5% to 1.0% monthly mortality in a well-managed flock under low-stress conditions. Alternative methods of forced molting which do not use total food withdrawal, e.g. creating a dietary mineral imbalance, generally result in lower mortality rates.

Controversy
Temporary starvation of the hens is considered by many to be inhumane as well as a form of animal cruelty, and is the main objection of critics and opponents of the practice.

While forced molting is widespread in the US, it is prohibited in the EU. In the UK, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) states In no circumstances may birds be induced to moult by withholding feed and water. Forced molting is not a common practice in Canada, where the animal welfare issues associated with it have rendered it basically obsolete.

Forced molting increases plasma corticosterone which, along with related hormones, decreases the levels of circulating lymphocytes and other leukocytes, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the bird's immune system. This means that birds being force molted become susceptible to disease, particularly Salmonella infections, and may produce contaminated eggs thereby compromising public health.

title: Forced molting


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User talk:Inequity

Please stop removing content from Wikipedia. It is considered vandalism. If you want to experiment, please use the sandbox. Thank you.

title: User talk:Inequity


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Origins of World War II (game)

Origins of World War II is a board game published by Avalon Hill in 1971 that combines a wargame with international diplomacy to simulate the diplomatic conditions that led to the outbreak of World War II.

Description
Origins of War War II is a game for 2–5 players, in which each player takes on the role of one of five world powers in the mid-1930s (USA, France, UK, Russia, Germany). Each attempts to promote the diplomatic objectives of their country while preventing the other players from achieving theirs.

Gameplay
The game starts in 1933, and each turn represents one year. The game ends in 1939, at the end of the sixth turn.

Objectives
Each player has a particular set of objectives, each of which provides a set number of victory points. These will differ from player to player — one player may earn 2 victory points for establishing an understanding with Italy, another player may earn no victory points or more victory points for the same thing.

Political Factors and Understandings
Each player goes in a particular order, the United States first, Germany last. Each receives a number of Political Factors each turn, which can be placed on any country where the player can score victory points, or the player's home country. Once a player has placed five Political Factors in a country, the player can place an Understanding in that country. Several players can simultaneously have Understandings with the same country.

Control
Once a player has placed more than five Political Factors in a country, and no other player has any Political Factors in that country, the player may place a Control on that country if it would earn that player victory points. Once a Control is in place, it cannot be removed.

In order to remove another player's Political Factors from a country, a player can attack an opponent's Political Factors with their Political Factors. The ratio of attackers to defenders is calculated, a die is thrown and a result gained from the Diplomatic Result Table. There are four possible results: the attacking player removes all their Political Factors from that country; the defending player removes all their Political Factors; the Defending player removes all their Political Factors and the Attacker removes the same number; and No Effect.

For example, France has 3 Political Factors in the Rhineland, and Germany has 6. Germany attacks France's Political Factors at a ratio of 2:1. The German player rolls a 2, meaning France must remove all 3 Political Factors, but Germany must also remove 3, leaving only 3 in the Rhineland, not enough to establish Control. If Germany had rolled a 1, only France would have had to remove Political Factors, leaving Germany with 6 and able to place a Control on the Rhineland.

Diplomacy
Germany is the most powerful player, receiving the greatest number of Political Factors each turn, and having the advantage of going last. To counteract an easy German victory, the other players must find some way of cooperating in order to limit Germany's power while still advancing their own agendas.

Victory conditions
At the end of the sixth turn (1939), victory points are awarded according to each country's national objectives. For example, if the French player has an Understanding in Austria, they gain 1 victory point. If Germany has Control of the Rhineland, they gain 5 victory points. The player with the most points wins. If Germany or the Soviet Union win with 15 points or more, then World War II has started. If any other player wins, war has been averted.

Scenarios
In addition to the "historical" scenario, four other "what if" scenarios are included: Aggressive French Policy Game, Aggressive French-British Policy Game, British-U.S. Alliance Game, and Anti-Bolshevik Crusade Game.

Publication history
Game designer Jim Dunnigan had designed a couple of games for Avalon Hill, Jutland in 1967 and 1914 in 1969. Dunnigan had also designed a game, Origins of World War I, which was included in the 1969 book A Gamut of Games. Shortly afterwards, Dunnigan left Avalon Hill to form his own games company, Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI). While he was starting up SPI, Dunnigan designed another game for Avalon Hill based on his Origins of World I game but updated to the Second World War.

The game was play-tested with secondary school students at the Benjamin Franklin High School, in East Harlem, New York City (now the Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics), by Albert Nofi, then a teacher at the school.

Origins of World War II was published by Avalon Hill in 1971, with royalties being paid directly to SPI. and was not a bestseller. In Avalon Hill's company history, published in 1980, Origins of World War II was described as "A good, simple little game which never really caught on with hard core gamers; it remains in the line primarily for its value in the school supply market where it remains an excellent classroom game." An article in Boys' Life published around the same time also noted that Origins was used in college classrooms. A set of guidelines to help teachers use the game in the classroom was published in SPI's house magazine Moves.

Reception
In Issue 4 of the UK magazine Games & Puzzles, (August 1972), John Turner noted the game's simplicity, saying, "The rules are few in number and very easy to understand; they have obviously been written with a moron in mind, since they explain each point in laborious detail and with considerable repetition." He thought that "Play is rapid and holds the interest throughout; every move made by every player influences the position of every other player." He concluded by rating the physical quality of the components, the playing quality and the value for money as excellent, saying, "if you are at all interested in games, this one must be added to your collection."

In his 1977 book The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming, Nicholas Palmer called the game an "Unhappy attempt to marry wargames with multi-player diplomacy." Although he agreed the game was "often tense, and easy to learn", Palmer felt the game was fatally and heavily unbalanced in favor of Germany and the USSR, noting that "no American victory [has ever] been recorded to my knowledge, although the rules claim it can be done."

In A Player's Guide to Table Games, John Jackson thought the rules, "a masterpiece of redundancy [that] obscure the issue." He also noted that "Conflict is not just inevitable; it is the crux of the game and is clearly intended to induce the frenzied negotiations and double-dealing that make Diplomacy so fascinating. In this, however, it is only partially successful." Jackson thought the major flaw in this game was that it "is not at all balanced. Germany is the overwhelming favorite, not only because it has nearly twice as many Political Factors as the next most powerful country, Britain [...] but also because it plays last; it can pick up cheap Controls in places the other players have missed, and it can frustrate an attack by the placement of a single PF."

In The Playboy Winner's Guide to Board Games, game designer Jon Freeman called this "basically a fairly simple game [that] can be played in an hour." However, Freeman found the game fatally unbalanced in favor of Germany, commenting "Germany is the overwhelming favorite, not only because it has nearly twice as many Political Factors as the next most powerful country, Britain, but also because it plays last; it can pick up cheap Controls in places the other players have missed, and it can frustrate an attack by the placement of a single Political Factor." Freeman suggested the only way to improve the game was to use hidden simultaneous moves akin to the system used in Diplomacy

Other reviews and commentary

 * Fire & Movement #73

Other recognition
A copy of Origins of World War II is held in the collection of the Strong National Museum of Play (object 112.6191).

title: Origins of World War II (game)