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Optical computing

Optical computing or photonic computing uses light waves produced by lasers or incoherent sources for data processing, data storage or data communication for computing. For decades, photons have shown promise to enable a higher bandwidth than the electrons used in conventional computers (see optical fibers).

Most research projects focus on replacing current computer components with optical equivalents, resulting in an optical digital computer system processing binary data. This approach appears to offer the best short-term prospects for commercial optical computing, since optical components could be integrated into traditional computers to produce an optical-electronic hybrid. However, optoelectronic devices consume 30% of their energy converting electronic energy into photons and back; this conversion also slows the transmission of messages. All-optical computers eliminate the need for optical-electrical-optical (OEO) conversions, thus reducing electrical power consumption.

Application-specific devices, such as synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) and optical correlators, have been designed to use the principles of optical computing. Correlators can be used, for example, to detect and track objects, and to classify serial time-domain optical data.

Optical components for binary digital computer
The fundamental building block of modern electronic computers is the transistor. To replace electronic components with optical ones, an equivalent optical transistor is required. This is achieved by crystal optics (using materials with a non-linear refractive index). In particular, materials exist where the intensity of incoming light affects the intensity of the light transmitted through the material in a similar manner to the current response of a bipolar transistor. Such an optical transistor can be used to create optical logic gates, which in turn are assembled into the higher level components of the computer's central processing unit (CPU). These will be nonlinear optical crystals used to manipulate light beams into controlling other light beams.

Like any computing system, an optical computing system needs four things to function well:
 * 1) optical processor
 * 2) optical data transfer, e.g. fiber-optic cable
 * 3) optical storage,
 * 4) optical power source (light source)

Substituting electrical components will need data format conversion from photons to electrons, which will make the system slower.

Controversy
There are some disagreements between researchers about the future capabilities of optical computers; whether or not they may be able to compete with semiconductor-based electronic computers in terms of speed, power consumption, cost, and size is an open question. Critics note that real-world logic systems require "logic-level restoration, cascadability, fan-out and input–output isolation", all of which are currently provided by electronic transistors at low cost, low power, and high speed. For optical logic to be competitive beyond a few niche applications, major breakthroughs in non-linear optical device technology would be required, or perhaps a change in the nature of computing itself.

Misconceptions, challenges, and prospects
A significant challenge to optical computing is that computation is a nonlinear process in which multiple signals must interact. Light, which is an electromagnetic wave, can only interact with another electromagnetic wave in the presence of electrons in a material, and the strength of this interaction is much weaker for electromagnetic waves, such as light, than for the electronic signals in a conventional computer. This may result in the processing elements for an optical computer requiring more power and larger dimensions than those for a conventional electronic computer using transistors.

A further misconception is that since light can travel much faster than the drift velocity of electrons, and at frequencies measured in THz, optical transistors should be capable of extremely high frequencies. However, any electromagnetic wave must obey the transform limit, and therefore the rate at which an optical transistor can respond to a signal is still limited by its spectral bandwidth. In fiber-optic communications, practical limits such as dispersion often constrain channels to bandwidths of tens of GHz, only slightly better than many silicon transistors. Obtaining dramatically faster operation than electronic transistors would therefore require practical methods of transmitting ultrashort pulses down highly dispersive waveguides.

Photonic logic

Photonic logic is the use of photons (light) in logic gates (NOT, AND, OR, NAND, NOR, XOR, XNOR). Switching is obtained using nonlinear optical effects when two or more signals are combined.

Resonators are especially useful in photonic logic, since they allow a build-up of energy from constructive interference, thus enhancing optical nonlinear effects.

Other approaches that have been investigated include photonic logic at a molecular level, using photoluminescent chemicals. In a demonstration, Witlicki et al. performed logical operations using molecules and SERS.

Time delays optical computing
The basic idea is to delay light (or any other signal) in order to perform useful computations. Of interest would be to solve NP-complete problems as those are difficult problems for the conventional computers.

There are two basic properties of light that are actually used in this approach:

 * The light can be delayed by passing it through an optical fiber of a certain length.
 * The light can be split into multiple (sub)rays. This property is also essential because we can evaluate multiple solutions in the same time.

When solving a problem with time-delays the following steps must be followed:

 * The first step is to create a graph-like structure made from optical cables and splitters. Each graph has a start node and a destination node.
 * The light enters through the start node and traverses the graph until it reaches the destination. It is delayed when passing through arcs and divided inside nodes.
 * The light is marked when passing through an arc or through a node so that we can easily identify that fact at the destination node.
 * At the destination node we will wait for a signal (fluctuation in the intensity of the signal) which arrives at a particular moment(s) in time. If there is no signal arriving at that moment, it means that we have no solution for our problem. Otherwise the problem has a solution. Fluctuations can be read with a photodetector and an oscilloscope.

The first problem attacked in this way was the Hamiltonian path problem.

The simplest one is the subset sum problem. An optical device solving an instance with four numbers {a1, a2, a3, a4} is depicted below:

The light will enter in Start node. It will be divided into two (sub)rays of smaller intensity. These two rays will arrive into the second node at moments a1 and 0. Each of them will be divided into two subrays which will arrive in the third node at moments 0, a1, a2 and a1 + a2. These represents the all subsets of the set {a1, a2}. We expect fluctuations in the intensity of the signal at no more than four different moments. In the destination node we expect fluctuations at no more than 16 different moments (which are all the subsets of the given). If we have a fluctuation in the target moment B, it means that we have a solution of the problem, otherwise there is no subset whose sum of elements equals B. For the practical implementation we cannot have zero-length cables, thus all cables are increased with a small (fixed for all) value ''k'. In this case the solution is expected at moment B+n×k.

On-Chip Photonic Tensor Cores
With increasing demands on graphical processing unit-based accelerator technologies, in the second decade of the 21st century, there has been a huge emphasis on the use of on-chip integrated optics to create photonics-based processors. The emergence of both deep learning neural networks based on phase modulation, and more recently amplitude modulation using photonic memories have created a new area of photonic technologies for neuromorphic computing, leading to new photonic computing technologies, all on a chip such as the photonic tensor core.

Wavelength-based computing
Wavelength-based computing can be used to solve the 3-SAT problem with n variables, m clauses and with no more than three variables per clause. Each wavelength, contained in a light ray, is considered as possible value-assignments to n variables. The optical device contains prisms and mirrors are used to discriminate proper wavelengths which satisfy the formula.

Computing by xeroxing on transparencies
This approach uses a photocopier and transparent sheets for performing computations. k-SAT problem with n variables, m clauses and at most k variables per clause has been solved in three steps:

 * Firstly all 2n possible assignments of n variables have been generated by performing n photocopies.
 * Using at most 2k copies of the truth table, each clause is evaluated at every row of the truth table simultaneously.
 * The solution is obtained by making a single copy operation of the overlapped transparencies of all m clauses.

Masking optical beams
The travelling salesman problem has been solved by Shaked et al. (2007) by using an optical approach. All possible TSP paths have been generated and stored in a binary matrix which was multiplied with another gray-scale vector containing the distances between cities. The multiplication is performed optically by using an optical correlator.

Optical Fourier co-processors
Many computations, particularly in scientific applications, require frequent use of the 2D discrete Fourier transform (DFT) – for example in solving differential equations describing propagation of waves or transfer of heat. Though modern GPU technologies typically enable high-speed computation of large 2D DFTs, techniques have been developed that can perform continuous Fourier transform optically by utilising the natural Fourier transforming property of lenses. The input is encoded using a liquid crystal spatial light modulator and the result is measured using a conventional CMOS or CCD image sensor. Such optical architectures can offer superior scaling of computational complexity due to the inherently highly interconnected nature of optical propagation, and have been used to solve 2D heat equations.

Ising machines
Physical computers whose design was inspired by the theoretical Ising model are called Ising machines.

Yoshihisa Yamamoto's lab at Stanford pioneered building Ising machines using photons. Initially Yamamoto and his colleagues built an Ising machine using lasers, mirrors, and other optical components commonly found on an optical table.

Later a team at Hewlett Packard Labs developed photonic chip design tools and used them to build an Ising machine on a single chip, integrating 1,052 optical components on that single chip.

Industry
Some additional companies involved with optical computing development include IBM, Microsoft, Procyon Photonics, Lightelligence, Lightmatter, Optalysys, Xanadu Quantum Technologies, QuiX Quantum, ORCA Computing, PsiQuantum,, and TundraSystems Global.

title: Optical computing


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User:Anthony DiTrollo

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Talk:Collapse of Hotel New World

Thomas Mulleary
Can anyone actually verify the existence and involvement of Thomas Mulleary in the rescue and the resulting purported nomination of an OBE? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2607:FEA8:C320:B6B0:E4A1:512D:8AF0:EBE0 (talk) 17:39, 20 June 2022 (UTC)

Untitled
The National Geographic Channel program on this "Seconds from Disaster" http://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/watch/program_details.aspx?id_program=7798 says the cause was a miscalculation by the architects who failed to build the building to support the "Dead load" -- the building itself, and only built it to support the "Live Load" -- its contents and additions to the building.

The first two columns to fail were near the nightclub on a low floor of the building. Personally, I wonder if the bass vibrations from the music amplification system could have been a factor.

The official sites from Singapore state that "shoddy workmanship and corner cutting by the contractors were responsible for the sudden collapse of the building." This seems to run contrary to the National Geographic program's conclusion which concludes that the materials and construction were sound.

What is the truth?? 71.131.47.66 23:49, 10 October 2005

 * According to Seconds From Disaster tv series, a range of potential causes were tested-for by investigators after the collapse. Generally shoddy workmanship was tested-for early on as rescuers has reported that the concrete was very weak and crumbly as they tunnelled through the ruins and drilled though concrete slabs. Tests showed the concrete was to proper world standards and contruction was also fine. The concrete crumbled as it had been so heavily fractured during the collapse itself.  Your comments re "live load" are correct. The architect accounted for the "live load" (weight of people, furniture, fixtures and fittings), while forgetting to factor in the "dead load" (weight of the building itself). For its entire 15 year life the building could not support itself. Nothing to do with nightclub basslines though. Collapse was only a matter of time. OK, edits to now go in the main page!  Asa01 20:58, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

There was a documentary shown on Mediacorp Channel 5 about the Hotel New World Collapse.It states that a victim told the rescuers to rescue her friend before rescuing her.It also stated that her friend survived but the victim died.Is that the truth? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 218.186.13.2 (talk) 11:07, 18 November 2008 (UTC)

Media section
I'm not sure on Wikipedia policy on this, but surely it's not 'standard' to say clips of the show featuring an event have been uploaded onto YouTube and to 'publicise' it in an article? Despite the uploading of the show being useful to those wishing to see a dramatisation, surely it brings about copyright issues and should maybe be removed from the article? 94.192.52.244 (talk) 15:36, 14 April 2009 (UTC)

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User:Crwfrd

I'm Randy Crawford. I work in High Performance Computing at Rice University.

My professional web page is: http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~rand.

Randy

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Will Lee

William Lee (born William Lubovsky; August 6, 1908 – December 7, 1982) was an American actor who appeared in numerous television and film roles, but was best known for playing Mr. Hooper, the original store proprietor of the eponymous Hooper's Store. He was one of the four original human characters on Sesame Street, from the show's debut in November 1969 until his death on December 7, 1982, at the age of 74.

Early career
Lee was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York. His father, a bookbinder, lost his job due to economic changes. Will Lee came to adulthood during the Great Depression. He worked odd jobs in New York City and absorbed the intellectual atmosphere of Greenwich Village, an enclave of avant-garde culture where small presses, art galleries, and experimental theater thrived. He began his career as a character actor on stage. He was a member of the Group Theater in the 1930s and appeared in Johnny Johnson, Night Music, Boy Meets Girl, The Time of Your Life (as Willie the pinball machine addict) and other Broadway plays. He succeeded John Garfield as the lead in Golden Boy. He also was involved in the Workers Lab Theatre, by presenting plays that supported the labor movement and social justice.

Lee was co-founder of the Theater of Action and a member of the Federal Theatre Project. During World War II, he served in Army Special Services in Australia and Manila and was cited twice for directing and staging shows for troops overseas, as well as teaching acting classes. After the war, he appeared Off Broadway in Norman Mailer's The Deer Park (as movie mogul Teppis) and on Broadway in The Shrike, Once Upon a Mattress, Carnival!, Incident At Vichy, and The World of Sholom Aleichem.

Blacklist and teaching
Lee also began appearing in movies, including bit parts in Casbah, A Song Is Born, Little Fugitive, and Saboteur. He was blacklisted as an alleged communist and barred from movies and TV for five years during the era of McCarthyism, according to members of his family. He had been active in the Actor's Workshop and had been an unfriendly witness before the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings in 1950 investigating Communist elements in show business. At the end of that period, in 1956, he landed the role of Grandpa Hughes in As the World Turns; however, the role was later recast with Santos Ortega.

He taught at the American Theatre Wing for nine years (including among his students James Earl Jones), as well as at the New School for Social Research, Boston University, and the Uta Hagen-Herbert Berghof Studio. In addition, he conducted his own acting classes. Outside of Sesame Street, later roles included TV movies and a supporting role as the judge in the 1983 movie Daniel. Lee also worked in commercials, including a spot for Atari, as a grandfather learning to play Pac-Man from his granddaughter and spots for Ocean Spray juice.

Impact of Mr. Hooper
In 1969, he pursued the role of Mr. Hooper on the popular children's show Sesame Street. "He gave millions of children the message that the old and the young have a lot to say to each other," said Joan Ganz Cooney, president of the Children's Television Workshop (later known as Sesame Workshop). The New York Times reported that on Sesame Street, Lee's Mr. Hooper ranked ahead of all live cast members in recognition by young audiences, according to a survey. His bowtie and horn-rimmed reading glasses became his trademark.

In a November 1970 TIME article, following the show's first season, Lee recalled his feelings about the show: "I was delighted to take the role of Mr. Hooper, the gruff grocer with the warm heart. It's a big part, and it allows a lot of latitude. But the show has something extra, that sense you sometimes get from great theater, the feeling that its influence never stops."

In addition to being a staple of Sesame Street for more than 10 years, Lee played Mr. Hooper in TV specials (Christmas Eve on Sesame Street and A Special Sesame Street Christmas), guest appearances (Evening at Pops: 1971), stage appearances, countless record albums, and parades, including the 1982 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 25, 1982. It was revealed in Christmas Eve on Sesame Street that Mr. Hooper is Jewish, as was Lee himself. Lee taped his final segments as Mr. Hooper on Wednesday November 24, 1982, two weeks prior to his death. This would become the focal point of Episode 1839, which aired a year later to the date, in which Mr. Hooper's death is explained by the adults to Big Bird, who had a particularly close relationship with Mr. Hooper.

According to his obituary in The New York Times, as he became known on Sesame Street, children would approach him on the street and ask, "How did you get out of the television set?" or whisper, "I love you." "Apart from the joy of knowing that you are helping so many kids, the recognition is heartwarming," Lee was quoted as saying in 1981.

Death of Mr. Hooper
Following Lee's death, the producers of Sesame Street faced the challenge of how to address the absence of one of the series' most prominent characters. After deliberating various approaches, such as recasting Mr. Hooper or having him move interstate or retire, they decided to have the character of Mr. Hooper die as well and air an episode to addressing the difficult topic of death.

Episode 1839, colloquially known as "Farewell, Mr. Hooper," aired on November 24, 1983 (Thanksgiving Day) and was quickly selected by the Daytime Emmys as being one of the 10 most influential moments in daytime television. Before the broadcast ended, a picture of Lee was shown, along with the dates of his birth and death and the writing "In Loving Memory of Will Lee" before fading out.

The cast of Sesame Street were saddened by Lee's death, as over the time Lee had played his signature character on TV, he had befriended most of the cast. The cast said that their characters' sad faces were real but they went through with their performance, remembering they were doing it for a good outcome. Caroll Spinney (Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch) said that the last time he saw Lee alive was during the taping of the last episode involving Mr. Hooper in November 1982. Lee felt ill that day and barely spoke to the cast. Spinney (who was wearing Big Bird's feet at the time) placed his arm around Lee's shoulder and said "I love you, Mr. Hooper." Lee replied, "And I love you, Caroll." Lee died a few days later.

In an interview a few years later, Loretta Long, who played Susan, said of the episode's legacy: "People come up to us and say 'Thank you. Now we can explain what happened to Grandma, what happened to Grandpa.'"

Death
Lee died on December 7, 1982, at the age of 74, from a heart attack at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. Lee was never married and had no children. According to his obituary, he was survived by his sister Sophie Lee Lubov, who lived in Florida. The Sesame Street episode "Farewell, Mr. Hooper", episode 1839, was released 11 months later and is dedicated to Lee.

title: Will Lee


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Brent Sopel

Brent Bernard Sopel (born January 7, 1977) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played the majority of his career in the National Hockey League (NHL). Sopel was originally selected 144th overall at the 1995 NHL Entry Draft by the Vancouver Canucks. He has also played for the New York Islanders, Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Blackhawks, Atlanta Thrashers and Montreal Canadiens, winning the Stanley Cup in 2010 with Chicago.

In addition to his NHL career, Sopel has also played in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) with Metallurg Novokuznetsk and Salavat Yulaev Ufa, also briefly playing for the American Hockey League (AHL)'s Chicago Wolves before retiring from professional hockey in 2015.

Vancouver Canucks
On April 3, 1996, just under a year after being drafted, Sopel signed his first professional contract with his draft team, the Vancouver Canucks. He was told by Coach Marc Crawford that he would never play in the NHL, but Sopel scored his first NHL goal on April 10, 1999, against the Edmonton Oilers' Tommy Salo. In 2002, Sopel won the Fred J. Hume Award for Unsung Hero voted by the Vancouver Canucks Booster Club. On December 31, 2001, and January 21, 2002, Sopel won USA Today's NHL Player of the Week award.

Sopel was traded back to the Canucks during their 2006–07 season on February 1, 2007, the NHL trade deadline day. He missed the first game of the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs against the Dallas Stars after he injured his back while picking up a cracker that was dropped by his daughter. The Canucks beat the Stars in quadruple overtime, in the sixth longest game in NHL history.

New York Islanders
On August 3, 2005, the Canucks traded Sopel to the New York Islanders in exchange for a conditional draft pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. On August 16, just under a week after being traded, Sopel signed a two-year, $4.8 million contract with the Islanders.

Chicago Blackhawks
Heading into the 2007–08 season with no contract, Sopel was invited to the Detroit Red Wings' training camp. However, on September 28, 2007, Sopel left Detroit's camp, instead signing a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Chicago Blackhawks after the Red Wings had only offered a one-year, $500,000 contract. On January 10, 2008, Sopel signed a three-year, $7 million contract extension with the Blackhawks, keeping him in Chicago through to the 2010–11 season.

On June 9, 2010, Brent Sopel won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks. On June 22, Sopel brought the team's recently-won Stanley Cup to the 2010 Chicago Gay Pride Parade. Sopel brought the Cup to the parade in honour of the late Brendan Burke, son of his former general manager while playing for Vancouver, Brian Burke, to display it in the Chicago Gay Pride Parade, stating to the press that honouring Burke's legacy and his father's example of familial support and tolerance was one of his reasons for marching in the parade.

Atlanta Thrashers
On June 23, 2010, Sopel was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers, along with Dustin Byfuglien, Ben Eager and Akim Aliu, in exchange for the 24th (Kevin Hayes) and 54th overall picks (Justin Holl) in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Marty Reasoner, Joey Crabb and Jeremy Morin.

Montreal Canadiens
After playing 59 games for Atlanta, registering two goals and seven points, Sopel was then traded to the Montreal Canadiens, along with Nigel Dawes, in exchange for Ben Maxwell and a fourth-round draft pick in 2011 on February 24, 2011.

Kontinental Hockey League
On July 29, 2011, Sopel announced that he had signed a two-year contract with Metallurg Novokuznetsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). During the 2012–13 season, his second with Novokuznetsk, Sopel was traded to Salavat Yulaev Ufa for their playoff campaign on January 31, 2013. During the subsequent summer, he signed a two-year contract extension with Salavat Yulaev.

Chicago Wolves
On October 10, 2014, the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League (AHL) announced that they had signed Sopel to a standard player contract for the 2014–15 season. On February 27, 2015, however, after 29 games played, Sopel announced his retirement from professional hockey.

Personal life
After his daughter was diagnosed with dyslexia, Sopel was also diagnosed with the learning disability after the symptoms sounded similar to his struggles. This inspired him to create the Brent Sopel Foundation to help promote and raise funds for youth with dyslexia.

Awards

 * 2001 – Player of the Week (December 31, 2001 – January 6, 2002)
 * 2002 – NHL Player of the Week (January 21–27)
 * 2010 – Won Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks

title: Brent Sopel


text: User talk:81.151.218.4

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Hurricane Wilma

Hurricane Wilma was the most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Atlantic basin, and the second-most intense tropical cyclone recorded in the Western Hemisphere, after Hurricane Patricia in 2015. Part of the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, which included three of the ten most intense Atlantic hurricanes in terms of barometric pressure (along with #4 Rita and #7 Katrina), Wilma was the twenty-second storm, thirteenth hurricane, sixth major hurricane, fourth Category 5 hurricane, and the second-most destructive hurricane of the 2005 season. Its origins came from a tropical depression that formed in the Caribbean Sea near Jamaica on October 15, headed westward, and intensified into a tropical storm two days later, which abruptly turned southward and was named Wilma. Wilma continued to strengthen, and eventually became a hurricane on October 18. Shortly thereafter, explosive intensification occurred, and in only 24 hours, Wilma became a Category 5 hurricane with wind speeds of 185 mph.

Wilma's intensity slowly leveled off after becoming a Category 5 hurricane, and winds had decreased to 150 mph before it reached the Yucatán Peninsula on October 20 and 21. After crossing the Yucatán, Wilma emerged into the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 2 hurricane. As it began accelerating to the northeast, gradual re-intensification occurred, and the hurricane was upgraded to Category 3 status on October 24. Shortly thereafter, Wilma made landfall in Cape Romano, Florida, with winds of 120 mph. As Wilma was crossing Florida, it briefly weakened back to a Category 2 hurricane, but again re-intensified as it reached the Atlantic Ocean. The hurricane intensified into a Category 3 hurricane for the last time, before weakening while accelerating northeastward. By October 26, Wilma transitioned into an extratropical cyclone southeast of Nova Scotia.

Wilma made several landfalls, with the most destructive effects felt in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, Cuba, and the U.S. state of Florida. At least 52 deaths were reported and damage totaled to $26.5 billion, most of which occurred in the United States.

Meteorological history
During mid-October 2005, a large monsoon-like system developed in the Caribbean Sea. A broad low pressure area formed on October 13 to the southeast of Jamaica, which slowly became more defined. On October 15, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) classified the system as Tropical Depression Twenty-Four while located about 220 mi east-southeast of Grand Cayman. The depression drifted southwestward through a favorable environment, including warm sea surface temperatures. The depression strengthened into a tropical storm on October 17, whereupon the NHC designated it Wilma. Initial intensification was slow, due to Wilma's large size and a flat pressure gradient, although the associated convection gradually organized.

On October 18, Wilma intensified into a hurricane, and subsequently underwent explosive deepening over the open waters of the Caribbean Sea. In a 30–hour period through October 19, Wilma's barometric pressure dropped from 982 to 882 mbar; this made Wilma the most intense Atlantic hurricane on record, based on pressure. During the same intensification period, the winds increased to a peak intensity of 185 mph, making Wilma a Category 5 on the Saffir–Simpson scale. An eyewall replacement cycle caused Wilma to weaken below Category 5 status on October 20, as it drifted northwestward toward Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. Late on October 21, Wilma made landfall on the island of Cozumel, Quintana Roo, with sustained winds of 150 mph. About six hours later, Wilma made a second landfall on the Mexican mainland near Puerto Morelos.

The hurricane weakened over land, but re-intensified once it reached the Gulf of Mexico. Wilma accelerated to the northeast, steered by a powerful trough. After passing northwest of the Florida Keys, the hurricane struck southwestern Florida near Cape Romano on October 24 with winds of 120 mph. Wilma rapidly crossed the state and weakened, emerging into the Atlantic Ocean near Jupiter, Florida. The hurricane briefly re-intensified while passing north of the Bahamas, absorbing the smaller Tropical Storm Alpha to the east. The hurricane passed west of Bermuda on October 25. After cold air and wind shear penetrated the core of convection, Wilma transitioned into an extratropical cyclone on October 26 to the south of Nova Scotia before it was absorbed by another extratropical storm a day later over Atlantic Canada.

Records
At 18:01 UTC on October 19, a Hurricane Hunters dropsonde measured a barometric pressure of 884 mbar in the eye of Wilma, along with sustained winds of 23 mph; the wind value suggested that the central pressure was slightly lower, estimated at 882 mbar. This is the lowest central pressure on record for any Atlantic hurricane, breaking the previous record of 888 mbar set by Hurricane Gilbert in 1988. Wilma's intensification rate broke all records in the basin, with a 24–hour pressure drop of 97 mbar; this also broke the record set by Gilbert. At the hurricane's peak intensity, the Hurricane Hunters estimated the eye of Wilma contracted to a record minimum diameter of 2.3 mi.

While striking Mexico, it dropped torrential rainfall on the offshore Isla Mujeres. Over 24 hours, a rain gauge recorded 1633.98 mm of precipitation, which set a record in Mexico for the nation's highest 24–hour rainfall total, as well as the highest 24 hour rainfall total in the western hemisphere.

When Tropical Storm Wilma formed on October 17, it became the 21st named storm of 2005 season, which broke record for most tropical cyclones in a single season, 20, set in 1933. An additional unnamed subtropical storm was added to 2005’s tally after the season was over, making Wilma actually the 22nd storm of the season. With Wilma, an entire alphabetic 21 name list was fully used up for the first time, necessitating the naming of subsequent storms in that season by letters of the greek alphabet. No season would again have 22 storms or make use of the Greek alphabet for storm names until 2020.

Preparations
The various governments of the nations threatened by Wilma issued many tropical cyclone warnings and watches. At 09:00 UTC on October 16, a hurricane watch and tropical storm warning were posted for the Cayman Islands; these were dropped three days later. A tropical storm warning was issued in Honduras from the border with Nicaragua westward to Cabo Camaron at 15:00 UTC on October 17. In Belize, another tropical storm warning became in effect at 15:00 UTC on October 19 from the border with Mexico to Belize City. On October 21, the tropical storm warning in Honduras was discontinued at 03:00 UTC, while the other in Belize was canceled twelve hours later.

The Mexican government issued hurricane warnings from Chetumal near Belize to San Felipe, Yucatán; a tropical storm warning was extended westward to Celestún. Officials declared a state of emergency in 23 municipalities across the Yucatán, and placed Quintana Roo and Yucatán under a red alert, the highest on its color-coded alert system. About 75,000 people evacuated in northeastern Mexico, including about 45,000 people who rode out the storm in 200 emergency shelters, many of them tourists. Schools were canceled in Quintana Roo, Yucatán, and Campeche, up to 15 days in some areas. Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica – the MTV Video Music Awards Latinoamérica – were canceled due to the hurricane, originally scheduled to occur in Playa del Carmen on October 20. The Cuban government issued several watches and warnings in relation to Wilma. By October 22, a hurricane warning was in place for the city of Havana, as well as the provinces of La Habana and Pinar del Río. A tropical storm warning was also issued for Isla de la Juventud, and a hurricane watch was issued for Matanzas Province. The Cuban government mobilized 93,154 workers to help evacuate 760,168 people across western of the island's western provinces. The evacuees generally stayed with family, friends, or in storm shelters. Officials closed all schools nationwide during the passage of Wilma and later Tropical Storm Alpha. During Wilma's passage, 41 hotels closed, of which five remained closed for two weeks after the storm. Many businesses, banks, and government institutions were closed for several days due to the storm. Along the coast, 554 boats were moved to protect them during the storm. Farmers moved 246,631 livestock, more than half of them cattle, to avoid the expected high waters. Passenger travel was halted for all trains nationwide, as well as ferry service between Batabanó and Isla de la Juventud. Poor weather conditions forced three airports to briefly close – José Martí International in Havana, Juan Gualberto Gómez in Varadero and Jardines del Rey in Cayo Coco.

The NHC issued tropical cyclone warnings and watches across much of southern Florida, with a hurricane warning ultimately covering all of South Florida from Longboat Key on the west coast to Titusville, including Lake Okeechobee and the Florida Keys. A tropical storm watch extended northward on the west coast to Steinhatchee River. On Florida's east coast, a tropical storm warning stretched northward from Titusville to St. Augustine, with a tropical storm watch extending north to Fernandina Beach. Florida governor Jeb Bush declared a state of emergency on October 19, allowing the deployment of the Florida National Guard and strategic placement of emergency supplies. A mandatory evacuation of residents was ordered for the Florida Keys in Monroe County and those in Collier County living west or south of U.S. Route 41. County offices, schools and courts were closed October 24. At least 400 Florida Keys evacuated stayed at the Monroe County shelter at Florida International University in Miami-Dade County. All Collier County public schools closed on October 21 and remained closed on October 24, as the hurricane made landfall. Schools around Fort Myers and Tampa, as well as Sumter, Marion, Osceola, Pasco, and Polk counties, were closed on October 24. In other areas of Central Florida, schools were closed in Flagler, Lake, Orange, and Volusia counties. Schools in Broward and Palm Beach counties were closed for two weeks because of extended power outages and some damage to school buildings. Wilma's passage through Florida disrupted many festival and sporting matches. Key West postponed Fantasy Fest, often held annually around Halloween, until December, resulting in only about one-third of the usual attendance figures and a loss of millions of dollars in revenue for hotels, restaurants, and stores. The NFL moved the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Miami Dolphins game at Dolphins Stadium from October 23 to October 21, while the NHL postponed the Florida Panthers vs. Ottawa Senators match at the BankAtlantic Center from October 22 to December 5. The NCAA rescheduled three college football games originally set to occur on October 22, with the Georgia Tech vs. Miami match moved to November 19, the West Virginia vs. South Florida game moved to December 3, and the Central Florida vs. Tulane game played on October 21, one day earlier.

The government of The Bahamas issued a hurricane warning for the northwestern Bahamas at 12:00 UTC on October 23, about 24 hours before Wilma made its closest approach to the archipelago. Officials ordered evacuations for the eastern and western portion of Grand Bahama island, with an estimated 300–1,000 people who ultimately evacuated. The hurricane halted production of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, forcing the cast and crew to evacuate.

The Bermuda Weather Service issued a gale warning for the island early on October 24, due to uncertainty whether Wilma would be tropical or not. After consulting with the NHC, the agency maintained the gale warning rather than changing it to a tropical storm warning to reduce confusion.

Caribbean
For several days in its formative stages, Wilma's outer rainbands dropped heavy rainfall in Haiti and as far east as the Dominican Republic. The rains triggered river flooding and landslides in Haiti, killing 12 people, and forcing 300 residents into shelters. The storm cut communications between Les Cayes and Tiburon. Less than a week after Wilma formed, Tropical Storm Alpha struck Hispaniola and caused additional deadly floods in Haiti. Damage in the country totaled around $500,000.

Wilma caused one death in Jamaica as a tropical depression on October 16. It pounded the island for three days ending on October 18, flooding several low-lying communities and triggering mudslides that blocked roads and damaged several homes. Almost 250 people were in emergency shelters on the island. Damage on the island totaled $93.5 million.

While Wilma was moving northeast in the Gulf of Mexico, the hurricane produced high tides and gusty winds across western Cuba. The highest recorded gusts was 84 mph at Casablanca near Havana. For several days, the storm spread rainfall across 11 of Cuba's 14 provinces, with a peak rainfall of 223 mm in Pinar del Río province. The Cuban government tabulated the hurricane's economic cost at US$704.2 million, which included the expenses for preparations and lost production from factories. Nationwide, Wilma destroyed 446 houses and damaged another 7,149 to varying degree, mostly roofing damage. Due to high floodwaters, nearly 250 people required rescue from their homes in Havana, using inflatable rafts and amphibious vehicles to reach the most severely flooded areas. The hurricane wrecked 167 ha worth of agriculture products in Pinar del Río and Havana provinces, which included damaged fruit trees, bee colonies, and tobacco houses. High floodwaters inundated parts of Havana and along Cuba's northwest coast, damaging roads and rail lines. Landslides blocked two bridges and five roads in eastern Cuba. The hurricane also damaged 364 schools and three hospitals. Officials cut electricity in Havana after winds reached 45 mph; after the storm, there were power and water outages in the city, nearby neighborhoods, and in Pinar del Río province. The storm downed 146 power poles and 12.9 km worth of electric lines.

Mexico
Across the Yucatán peninsula, Hurricane Wilma dropped torrential rainfall, inundated coastlines with a significant storm surge, and produced an extended period of strong winds. The hurricane lashed parts of the Yucatán peninsula with hurricane-force winds gusts for nearly 50 hours. On the Mexican mainland, a station in Cancún recorded 10–minute sustained winds of 100 mph, with gusts to 132 mph before the anemometer failed; gusts were estimated at 230 km/h. The prolonged period of high waves eroded beaches and damaged coastal reefs.

Across Mexico, Wilma killed eight people – seven in Quintana Roo, and one in Yucatán. Throughout Mexico, Wilma's total damage was estimated at $50 billion (MXN, US$4.6 billion), mostly in Quintana Roo, where it was the state's costliest natural disaster. At the time, this made Wilma the costliest hurricane on record in Mexico, until it was surpassed by Hurricane Otis in 2023. Wilma damaged 28,980 houses in Mexico, and destroyed or severely damaged 110 hotels in Cancún alone. In the city, about 300,000 people were left homeless. The water level in Cancún reached the third story of some buildings due to 5 to 8 m waves, in addition to the storm surge. About 300 people who were from Great Britain had to be evacuated when their shelter flooded in Cancún, while the Americans were left there by the United States. The hurricane also caused significant damage in Cozumel and Isla Mujeres. About 300,000 people lost power in Mexico. The storm also damaged 473 schools.

Flooding damaged houses in low-lying areas of eastern Yucatán state. The primary highway connecting Cancún and Mérida, Yucatán was impassible after the storm due to floods. Across Mexico, Wilma damaged 490 km2 worth of crops, most of which was in Yucatán state. Across the Yucatán peninsula, the hurricane downed about 1000000 acre of trees.

Florida
In Florida, Wilma's swift movement across the state resulted in mostly light precipitation totals of 3 to 7 in, while some areas recorded only 1 to 2 in of rainfall or less. However, precipitation in Florida peaked at 13.26 in at the Kennedy Space Center. The highest observed sustained wind speed at surface-height was a 15-minute average of 92 mph at a South Florida Water Management District observation site located in Lake Okeechobee, corresponding to a 1-minute average of 104 mph. Storm surge heights in the Florida Keys generally ranged from 4 to 8 ft and peaked at nearly 9 ft in Marathon. Collier County measured the highest storm surge on the mainland, reaching 4 to 8 ft. Wilma also spawned 12 tornadoes in Florida.

Wind damage accounted for much of the storm's overall damage. The very large eye of Wilma moved across all of or portions of six counties – Broward, Collier, Hendry, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach. This resulted in widespread hurricane-force sustained winds and gusts, with Category 2 conditions likely occurring in southeastern Florida from Palm Beach County to northern Miami-Dade County. Strong winds left widespread power outages; Florida Power & Light reported more than 3,241,000 customers had lost power. At the time, this represented the largest power failure in the history of Florida. The outages affected approximately 2.5 million subscribers in the Miami metropolitan area – roughly 98% of electrical customers in that area. Florida's agricultural industry reported around $1.3 billion in damage. Nurseries and sugarcane crops were particularly hard hit – the former suffered damage totaling nearly $554 million and the latter experienced damages around $400 million. Overall, Wilma left about $19 billion in damage and 30 deaths in Florida, 5 from direct causes.

In Monroe County, storm surge from Wilma impacted the Florida Keys twice, with the second event causing the worst coastal flooding in the island chain since Hurricane Betsy in 1965. At Dry Tortugas National Park, storm surge and winds damaged boats, destroyed docking facilities, and flooded the park office and livings quarters, but Fort Jefferson saw no major damage. Water submerged roughly 60% of Key West and left approximately 690 apartment units, homes, and mobile homes uninhabitable. Wilma damaged more than 4,100 single-family residences, 20 of which sustained major damage, and 6 experienced complete destruction. The hurricane also damaged roughly 2,500 mobile homes, with 257 suffering substantial impact and 15 being destroyed. About 90 apartment and condominium units received some degree of impact. As many as 20,000 cars suffered damage, prompting the Key West Citizen to refer to the lower Florida Keys as a "car graveyard." The storm ran hundreds of vessels aground, including 223 boats between Key West and Islamorada. Damage in Monroe County reached at least $200 million, with approximately half the total occurring in Key West, though the figure did not include incorporated areas.

Storm surge in Collier County mostly impacted Chokoloskee, Everglades City, and Plantation Island. Surge destroyed around 200 recreational vehicles in Chokoloskee and covered Everglades City with about 4 ft of water, flooding structures including the Old Collier County Courthouse. The hurricane also caused major impact in Naples, especially to 90 high-rise condos. Buildings in the city suffered $150 million in damage. Additionally, high winds severely damaged 100 hangars at Naples Airport. Wilma damaged 16,000 businesses and homes to some degree in Collier County, with 394 buildings suffering damage to at least 50 percent of their structure. The hurricane destroyed 2 dwellings, 8 workplaces, and 615 mobile homes, about one-third in Immokalee. In total, the county reported $1.2 billion in damage, along with a death toll of 7. Hurricane-force wind gusts extended northward into Lee County. Bonita Springs experienced the worst impact in Lee County, with 972 homes reporting minor to major damage. In Cape Coral, Wilma impacted 511 residences; 490 dwellings suffered minor damage, 20 others experienced extensive damage, and 1 mobile home was destroyed. The storm also inflicted moderate to major damage to 78 businesses and demolished 1 other workplace. Insured and uninsured damage in the county totaled $101 million and one fatality occurred.

Wilma inflicted a multi-billion dollar disaster in the Miami metropolitan area, including $2.9 billion in damage in Palm Beach County, $2 billion in Miami-Dade County, and $1.2 billion in Broward County. Numerous homes and businesses experienced some degree of impact, with over 55,000 dwellings and 3,600 workplaces damaged in Palm Beach County alone. Furthermore, officials declared 5,111 residences in Broward County and at least 2,059 others in Miami-Dade County as uninhabitable. An aerial survey in Broward County indicated that 70% of homes and businesses in Coconut Creek, Davie, Margate, North Lauderdale, Plantation, and Sunrise experienced some degree of impact. High winds also damaged skyscrapers and high-rises, including the Colonial Bank Building, the JW Marriott Miami, Espirito Santo Plaza, and the Four Seasons Hotel Miami in Greater Downtown Miami, as well as the One Financial Plaza, AutoNation Tower, Broward Financial Center, the Broward County Administration Building, the 14-floor Broward County School Board building, and the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale.

In Hendry County, high winds damaged around 90 percent of buildings and homes in Clewiston and other eastern sections of the county. The county suffered a loss of about half of orange and sugar crops. Overall, Wilma substantially damaged 250 homes and destroyed 550 other homes in Hendry County. Damage totaled at least $567 million, with $300 million to agriculture and $267 million in structures. Hurricane-force wind gusts in Glades County left approximately 3,000 people without electricity. Wilma destroyed more than 60 homes. Seventeen school district buildings suffered roof damage. Approximately 800 residences sustained damage in Okeechobee County, with 114 receiving major damage and 29 others being destroyed. In Martin County, which recorded a wind gust as high as 108 mph in Hobe Sound, the storm extensively damaged 120 dwellings and destroyed 48 others. The county tallied $95.7 million in damage. Neighboring St. Lucie County reported damage totaling $43.4 million. Rainfall totals ranging from 10 to 13 in in parts of Brevard County left freshwater flooding; about 200 homes in Cocoa suffered water damage. Six tornadoes in the county also damaged or destroyed some apartments, cars, fences, power lines, restaurants, and trees. In the Florida Panhandle, abnormal high tides generated by Wilma washed the Cape St. George Lighthouse into the Gulf of Mexico. Damage elsewhere in the state was generally minor.

Other states
Rainfall from Hurricane Wilma extended up the east coast of the United States from Florida to Virginia. Precipitation reached 3 in along the Outer Banks of North Carolina. As Wilma was moving out to sea, a nor'easter developed near Cape Hatteras; the two systems produced high waves, coastal flooding, and beach erosion from Delaware to Maine, resulting in some road closures. The nor'easter drew moisture and energy from Wilma to produce heavy rainfall, snowfall in higher elevations, and gusty winds, with a peak wind gust of 66 mph recorded at Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory in Milton. The high winds resulting in downed trees and scattered power outages, with traffic blocked on parts of Interstate 95 in Rhode Island and the Green Line train in Newton, Massachusetts. Snowfall reached 20 in in Vermont. In Maine, the snowfall left about 25,000 people without power.

Bahamas and Bermuda
After exiting Florida, Wilma passed just north of the northwestern Bahamas. A buoy just off West End on Grand Bahama recorded sustained winds of 95 mph, along with gusts of 114 mph. The hurricane also produced high waves and a 12 ft storm surge, which washed about 1000 ft in some areas. The sudden rush of water destroyed about 250 homes and damaged another 400, mostly on the western portion of Grand Bahama. At one home in Eight Mile Rock, the waters swept away and killed a 15-month-old infant. The flooding unearthed 54 bodies from five cemeteries. Central and eastern Grand Bahama received little to no damage from the hurricane. The undersecretary to the prime minister, Carnard Bethell, estimated monetary damage at "just maybe under $100 million". However, the country estimated a damage total of about US$6.5 million in their report to the WMO. Damage in the Bahamas mostly consisted of torn roofs and uprooted trees.

On Bermuda, Hurricane Wilma produced wind gusts of 51 mph. The strongest winds on the island were short-lived due to the hurricane's fast forward motion at the time. The hurricane disrupted the flight path of migratory birds, resulting in an unusual increase in frigatebird sightings around the island.

Mexico
In Mexico, residents and tourists staying in shelters faced food shortages in Wilma's immediate aftermath. There were 10 community kitchens set up across Cancún, each capable of feeding 1,500 people every day. Local and federal troops quelled looting and rioting in Cancún. While Cancún's airport was closed to the public, stranded visitors filled taxis and buses to Mérida, Yucatán. Located 320 km from Cancún, Mérida was the region's closest functioning airport. Most hotels in Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, and the Riviera Maya were largely reopened by early January 2006. The resorts in Cancún took longer to reopen, but most were operational by Wilma's one-year anniversary.

On November 28, Mexico declared a disaster area for 9 of Quintana Roo's 11 municipalities – Benito Juárez, Cozumel, Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Isla Mujeres, Lázaro Cárdenas, Othon P. Blanco, and Solidaridad. Mexico's development bank – Nacional Financiera – provided financial assistance for businesses affected by Wilma and Stan through a $400 million fund (MXN, US$38 million). Quintana Roo's state government began a temporary work program for residents whose jobs were impacted by the hurricane. The Mexican Red Cross provided food, water, and health care to residents affected by the hurricane. The agency also distributed emergency supplies, such as mosquito nets, plastic sheeting, and hygiene supplies.

Cuba
Within a few days of Wilma's passage by Cuba, workers restored power and water access to impacted residents. The Revolutionary Armed Forces cleared and repaired roads around Havana that were flooded. The capital city was reopened and largely returned to normal within six days of the storm. On October 25, the government of the United States offered emergency assistance to Cuba, which the Cuban government accepted a day later. This acceptance of aid broke from previous practice; many times in the past, including during Hurricane Dennis, the United States offered aid, but the Cuban government declined. The United States provided US$100,000 to non-governmental organizations in the country.

United States
On October 24, 2005, the same day Wilma made landfall in Florida, President George W. Bush approved a disaster declaration for Brevard, Broward, Collier, Glades, Hendry, Indian River, Lee, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okeechobee, Palm Beach, and St. Lucie counties. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) expended $342.5 million to the 227,321 approved applicants. The agency paid out $150.8 million for housing and $191.5 million for other significant disaster-related needs, including loss of personal property, moving and storage, and medical or funeral expenses relating to the hurricane. Additionally, public assistance from FEMA totaled over $1.4 billion and grants for hazard mitigation projects exceeded $141.5 million.

Florida governor Jeb Bush activated an emergency bridge loan program in early November 2005, allowing small businesses damaged by Wilma to apply for interest-free loans up to $25,000. The Florida legislature took several actions in the 2006 session in relation to Wilma. These included allocating $66.7 million to improving shelters, mandating that high-rise buildings have at least one elevator capable of operating by generator, and requiring gas stations and convenience stores to possess a back-up electrical supply in the event that they have fuel but no power.

Florida's sugar industry was greatly affected; the cropping had already started and had to be halted indefinitely. Damage to sugarcane crops was critical and widespread. Citrus canker spread rapidly throughout southern Florida following Hurricane Wilma, creating further hardships on an already stressed citrus economy due to damage from Wilma and previous years' hurricanes. Citrus production estimates fell to a low of 158 million boxes for the 2005–2006 production seasons from a high of 240 million for 2003–2004. Forecasts projected a decrease of 28 million boxes of oranges, the smallest crop since the 1989-1990 growing season, caused by a severe freeze.

By late-September 2010, roughly $9.2 billion had been paid for more than 1 million insurance claims that had been filed throughout Florida in relation to Hurricane Wilma.

Retirement
Due to the hurricane's widespread damage, the World Meteorological Organization retired the name "Wilma" from the Atlantic hurricane naming lists in April 2006. It was replaced with "Whitney" for the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season.

title: Hurricane Wilma


text:
Talk:Politics of the European Union

Politics of the USA
Why is this link incuded at bottom of the page? It has nothing to do with the subject matter - as do so many references to the USA in so many other articles.
 * I'm not sure I understand. I don't see a link to USA Politics at the bottom (perhaps it was removed already). Though I disagree with your point; the article is entitled Politics of the European Union. Having links to politics of XXX organization seems to have enough relevance to have a link-to. But that's simply my opinion. --Novaprospekt 19:26, 18 June 2006 (UTC)

Dispute
Before anybody tries to expand this article (there is a request for expansion), what is this article intended to be about ?

It is either one of two things:

 * The politics of the EU (i.e. the article title), in which case, the article needs expansion in respect of European Council politics between EU member states and discussions on the inherant faultlines in the EU - those between a "social Europe" and economic liberalism, and the fault lines between those favouring a deepening of supranationalism versus those in favour of more intergovernmentalism.

or

 * The politics of the European Parliament. This seems to be the content of the article at the moment.

Therefore, either there is significant room for expansion on other matters (option 1), or the article needs a change of title.

Personally, have no preference except a wish not to have the politics of the EU described only in terms of politics at the European Parliament.--jrleighton 00:44, 9 March 2006 (UTC)

Have a look at the German Wikipedia article: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politisches_System_der_Europ%C3%A4ischen_Union Well structured just anything you need to know. --195.93.60.71 16:18, 15 March 2006 (UTC)

Just to point out that this was originally a redirect page. (Unless someone translates from the German article). 213.202.155.91 20:21, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

-- I can't see why this article should focus on either the Commission's, the Council's or whosoever policies. Like the user before me, I like the German article for it simply decribes the process of European politics with respect to the institutions involved. Isn't this what the article should be about? Since I am a native speaker of German, I could translate this article in English but then someone would have to make it more idiomatic. C.U.

I'm a student of EU law, politics, and European political economy; and I am a native English speaker. If you are willing to translate the German version, I can clean it up and add my own information and sources. I just don't have the time to write a whole article from scratch. Invidus 22:03, 21 February 2007 (UTC)

Rename article
Given the content of this article so far, I propose that either:

- the article be renamed to either of: Politics within the European Union, or             Politics of European Union institutions

- or

- the article be bulked out with other politics concerning the EU, such as the pro and anti EU debates and all the rest of it

--jrleighton 14:22, 24 May 2007 (UTC)

 * Sorry, but come on! Look at the others, most of the deal with less than what is in here. Are we supposed to rename Politics of Sweden "Politics within Sweden" because it doesn't discuss anti-Sweden debates? "Within" seems even broader anyway. This is a starter, it's meant to be bulked out to discuss other issues. Better than leaving it with the rather limp information that was there before. I've already put a bit on foreign affairs and the constitution but was trying to avoid repeating what is elsewhere.
 * "Politics of European Union institutions" would be misnaming (the institutions do not live in a bubble of politics separate from the wide environment, just as Westminster doesn't) and would restrict further development of the article (perhaps you might like to provide some examples??).
 * Sorry but the idea that the name should be changed from a standard used by all others because of some trivial definition of what EU politics should be is preposterous. We should stick with the normal title and instead concentrate on expanding it. -JLogan 15:56, 24 May 2007 (UTC)
 * I agree with JLogan, it's rather ridiculous. — Nightst a  llion  (?) 19:16, 24 May 2007 (UTC)
 * It's not ridiculous - the point is being missed here. This isn't an issue of semantics, it's an issue of whether or not the whole gambit of EU political issues concerning the 'pro EU' and 'anti EU' is to be included here. As it stands, this article looks as though it's missing a hefty portion of what should be its content.--jrleighton 00:12, 26 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Then include it. Because an article is thin on the ground doesn't mean you rename it, you expand it. That's the point of Wikipedia! -  J Logan t/c: 07:56, 26 May 2007 (UTC)
 * So it seems to be acknowledged that the current title suggests inclusion of a lot more than the current content ? Then I go back to my original proposal to rename this article so as to clarify that that content isn't within the scope of the article - those issues are listed elsewhere.  Any more comers on the rename issue ?--jrleighton 03:23, 27 May 2007 (UTC)
 * It talks about the politics of the European Union, similar articles talk about the same issues here, some times more. And you still haven't clarified exactly what it is that is missing, vaguely stating pro and anti does not help matters and how many other articles talk about pro anti of that country? This idea is insane, just talk about the issues, there is no reason to lose the a main politics article just because you want to pick at something you haven't even talked about. -  J Logan t/c: 18:01, 27 May 2007 (UTC)
 * "insane" is it ? Well, J Logan - I suggest you read the articles concerning 'pro European' and 'Eurosceptic' views. Those are political issues relating to the EU. If an article concerns EU politics, there should be at least some reference to these issues. Can I make myself clearer ?   Maybe not if I am insane though. Yours in insanity...--jrleighton 15:03, 5 June 2007 (UTC)
 * Pro and anti views on it are not vital to EU politics, yes it plays an important role but if it isn't in there it doesn't mean it is no longer EU politics and you should get rid of the article. If you really want it in there then write it in there. What I find insane is that you want to change the name of an article because it is missing a small element rather than simply adding that element. Nothing more. So please, go ahead and write about it, that is the point of an encyclopaedia. -  J Logan t/c: 16:29, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

Oddness from the intro
I have removed this paragraph from the intro:

"In contrast to nations such as the United States, the European Union tends to follow a more socialist approach at home and a liberal approach abroad, although it has tended more towards more economic liberalisation in recent history. Its history of war and integration framing its political scene: a scene dominated by multiple figures from national leaders to the numerous EU leaders and their CFSP chief."

It looks like it was written by someone with a poor understanding of the European Union. Kagan is a mid-ranking US conservative; why his interpretations should take such prominence in the article is a mystery.-- Nydas (Talk) 19:51, 9 December 2007 (UTC)

 * Yes the paragraph is a mess, but on Kagan: the info state is generic, Kagan is just to give some backing to it - hence it is not necessarily him which is taking precedence but the contrast with the US. And Paradise and Power is a major theoretical book on comparisons between the US and EU, even if it has had some holes poked in it.- J Logan t: 20:04, 9 December 2007 (UTC)

 * Kagan's book was about Europe, rather than the EU. Subtle but important difference.-- Nydas (Talk) 15:50, 10 December 2007 (UTC)
 * Not about the EU! Joking, the principle of it was about the EU.- J Logan t: 16:35, 10 December 2007 (UTC)
 * Not at all; EU states practice socialism at home, and liberalism abroad ("abroad" being other EU states), but the EU as an institution is a big promoter of liberalism at home. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 136.152.170.253 (talk) 13:26, 18 March 2009 (UTC)

Orphaned references in Politics of the European Union
I check pages listed in Category:Pages with incorrect ref formatting to try to fix reference errors. One of the things I do is look for content for orphaned references in wikilinked articles. I have found content for some of Politics of the European Union's orphans, the problem is that I found more than one version. I can't determine which (if any) is correct for this article, so I am asking for a sentient editor to look it over and copy the correct ref content into this article.

Reference named "Parliament's powers": From Council of the European Union:  From Institutions of the European Union:

I apologize if any of the above are effectively identical; I am just a simple computer program, so I can't determine whether minor differences are significant or not. AnomieBOT ⚡ 21:23, 4 February 2010 (UTC)

Competencies?
Has legislation granted 'competencies' to the EU or is it just some buzz word which has taken on new meaning. It reads like something out of a school exam and seems a strange word to use in this context. Why not 'authority' or 'responsibility' or some other less jarring word. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.187.233.172 (talk) 08:25, 7 June 2012 (UTC)

European Council = Council of the European Union?
Unless I am terribly mistaken, the "European Council" in the diagram of the institutions should be the "Council of the European Union", not to be confused with what is called the "European Council". 2604:2000:6A90:3000:BC2F:C827:A1DB:A519 (talk) 14:06, 25 June 2016 (UTC)

 * I believe you are mistaken. The Council of Ministers is the Council of the EU. --Boson (talk) 00:22, 26 June 2016 (UTC)

title: Talk:Politics of the European Union