text:
Gary Hocking

Gary Stuart Hocking MBE (30 September 1937 – 21 December 1962) was a Grand Prix motorcycle racing world champion who competed in the late 1950s and early 1960s based in Rhodesia.

Early life
Hocking was born in Caerleon, near Newport, Monmouthshire, in south-east Wales, but grew up in Southern Rhodesia (renamed Zimbabwe in 1980) where he attended Gifford High School. As a teenager, he began racing motorcycles on grass tracks. Before long, he had moved on to road racing circuits.

Motorcycle racing
He left Rhodesia to compete in Europe in 1958 and made an immediate impact, finishing 3rd behind the works MV Agustas at the Nürburgring. He was sponsored by Manchester tuner/dealer Reg Dearden, who provided him with new 350 and 500 cc Manx Norton racing motorcycles. He spent the winter of 1958/1959 with the Costain family at their home in Castletown on the Isle of Man, learning the Mountain Course with George 'Sparrow' Costain, an established rider for the Dearden team, who had won the Senior Manx Grand Prix on a 500 Dearden-tuned Manx in 1954. In the Junior TT of 1959 he finished 12th from 22nd on the grid. In 1959, he was offered a ride by the East German MZ factory and finished second in the 250cc championship. During practice for the 1959 Junior TT, his 350 Manx Norton, and the machines of teammates Terry Shepherd and John Hartle, were fitted with the top-secret works 350 cc Desmodromic engine, but they ran standard engines for the actual race. MV Agusta offered Hocking full factory support for the 1960 season and he repaid their confidence by finishing 2nd in the 125 cc, 250 cc and 350 cc classes.

Following the retirement from motorcycle racing by defending champion, John Surtees in 1961, Hocking became MV Agusta's top rider and went on to claim dual World Championships in the 350 cc and 500 cc classes, in a dominant manner against little factory mounted opposition.

Auto racing
Hocking was deeply affected by the death of his friend, Tom Phillis at the 1962 Isle of Man TT. After winning the Senior TT, he announced his retirement from motorcycle racing and returned to Rhodesia. He felt motorcycle racing was too dangerous and decided a career in auto racing would be safer. Later that year, on 22 December, he was killed during practice for the 1962 Natal Grand Prix at the Westmead circuit. His car, a Rob Walker entered Lotus 24, ran off the edge of the track at the end of the long right hand corner and somersaulted end over end twice. Hocking's head struck the roll hoop and he died some hours later in the Addington hospital in Durban. It is possible that the car suffered a front nearside suspension failure, and it is also possible that incorrectly reassembled steering – Hocking asked for a change on this item – might have been the cause; whatever was the reason, this caused the car to veer sharply to the left and somersault as he was going uphill and was approaching the crest of the rise. It is also likely that he was dehydrated and lost consciousness from that. He was 25 years old. Hocking is buried at Christchurch Cemetery, Newport in Wales.

Motorcycle Grand Prix results
Source:

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key)

Non-championship results
(key)

title: Gary Hocking


text:
File:Avenida Rio Bracno 1919.jpg

Summary
Avenida Rio Branco in 1919, by Harriet Chalmers Adams.

http://eayearbooks.com/rio_images00p.htm

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

title: File:Avenida Rio Bracno 1919.jpg


text:
User talk:Amoore5000

Welcome!

Hello, and welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are a few good links for newcomers: I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! Please sign your name on talk pages using four tildes (~~); this will automatically produce your name and the date. If you have any questions, check out Where to ask a question or ask me on my talk page. Again, welcome! Blank Verse  ∅  14:34, 12 October 2005 (UTC)
 * The five pillars of Wikipedia
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Image copyright problem with Image:Magdeburg_water_bridge.jpg
Thanks for uploading Image:Magdeburg_water_bridge.jpg. However, the image may soon be deleted unless we can determine the copyright holder and copyright status. The Wikimedia Foundation is very careful about the images included in Wikipedia because of copyright law (see Wikipedia's Copyright policy).

The copyright holder is usually the creator, the creator's employer, or the last person who was transferred ownership rights. Copyright information on images on Wikipedia is signified using copyright templates. The three basic license types on Wikipedia are open content, public domain, and fair use. Find the appropriate template in Image copyright tags and place it on the image page like this:.

Please signify the copyright information on any other images you have uploaded or will upload. Remember that images without this important information can be deleted by an administrator. You can get help on image copyright tagging from Wikipedia talk:Image copyright tags. -- Carnildo 12:14, 1 February 2006 (UTC)

Dearly beloved
A template has been added to the article Dearly beloved, suggesting that it be deleted according to the proposed deletion process. All contributions are appreciated, but this article may not satisfy Wikipedia's criteria for inclusion, and the deletion notice explains why (see also "What Wikipedia is not" and Wikipedia's deletion policy). You may contest the proposed deletion by removing the  notice, but please explain why you disagree with the proposed deletion in your edit summary or on its talk page. Also, please consider improving the article to address the issues raised. Even though removing the deletion notice will prevent deletion through the proposed deletion process, the article may still be deleted if it matches any of the speedy deletion criteria or it can be sent to Articles for Deletion, where it may be deleted if consensus to delete is reached. If you endorse deletion of the article, and you are the only person who has made substantial edits to the page, please tag it with db-author. 172.130.15.128 11:56, 23 July 2007 (UTC)

title: User talk:Amoore5000


text:
User talk:WCFrancis/Archive03

  Got something to say? Please click here to go to my talk page.

Archives for User talk:WCFrancis

 * Previous
 * Next

My Standard Archive Disclaimer:

 * Archives may not be in actual date order and may not include all entries, just those I consider notable significant.
 * -WCFrancis 14:34, 12 October 2005 (UTC)

Archive the Third
Begun 14:36, 12 October 2005 (UTC)

Lirs and Leering Liars
Because of iminent deletion for cause, Article Lirs archived here due to my continuing fascination with the stuff people come up with. This is interesting because of the search for verification of what appears to have been a grad school stunt in 1973. WCFrancis 13:16 13 September 2005 (UTC)

Verification research for Liars Lirs
Unverified Searching for LIRS at American Astronomical Society web site returns "Your search - Lirs - did not match any documents." -WCFrancis 03:06, 13 September 2005 (UTC)
 * Interesting tidbit. Dr. Whipple died Aug 30, 2005. What a coincidence.
 * Also interesting is nothing in the 2nd paragraph claims that anything happened from the suggested name; there is no claim that the AAS responded, assuming Dr. Whipple actually forwarded such a letter. Two weeks too late to ask him. Sleight of word switched issue to pronunciation. Should it be pronounced "leers" or "liars"? -WCFrancis 03:25, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

Grad Student Days

Web page found for someone named Scott Alan Langhorst. This individual was at USC in 1973 as grad student assistant in student affairs. Current position is as academic administrator for distance learning and instructional technology at Tidewater Community College in Roanoke VA.

Ladying
I don't think you made a mistake at all by listing this at AfD. Articles that have been deleted via the AfD route that are recreated are eligible for a speedy, but this one didn't fall in that category. Good call. Joyous (talk) 03:00, 15 September 2005 (UTC)
 * Thanks. I usually try to make sure regarding what meets criteria for speedy deletion. After all it's easier to put a speedy tag and go on than to set up on AfD properly. -WCFrancis 03:05, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

To editor of Ladying
It's hard to use your talk page when you do not have an account, because your IP address changes; it is one of a block of addresses used by Earthlink. Whne you first edited the discussion regarding deletion, you were on 207.69.139.193. When you asked the question re: the stub your IP was 207.69.139.150. This makes it hard to communicate using the wiki software's talk page feature. By registering for an account(free) you can be identified by name or handle and it is easier to ask questions and get answers.

What was the stub article you worked on? -WCFrancis 16:33, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

 * PS. Below are my comments on Talk:Ladying from Sept 15, 2005.

As has been noted in the discussion on Articles for deletion/Ladying, deletion of this article, there is a place for it, such as Wikibooks or a humor Wiki, just not here on Wikipedia. Nothing personal, just trying to meet standards and follow guidelines and policy. The the creator and editors that have been working on it, A suggestion. Set up an account (no cost) and login. And whether or not you do that, in talk pages and in discussions like Articles for Deletion, please sign and date your comments. It's easy, when you are finished, type in four tildes at the end like this: ~ and the system automatically does it for you. This makes it easier for everyone to follow the thread. You may find, posting anonymously, that your IP changes; one of the reasons to have an account if you are serious about working with Wikipedia (or any other Wiki project). Here's how it looks: WCFrancis 11:18, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

Social Technology
Dear friend,

“Social Technology” is my first article at Wikipedia. I am new to this world of web publishing. Please pardon me for any errors that I have made and may make due to my ignorance of the norms and rules of the Wikipedia community.

This summer some good ideas occurred to me and I put them down in this article. In the article, I defined the term “Social Technology” and some basic areas to think and work upon.

Then I heard about Wikipedia where any one can contribute and enhance an article. I felt that this was a great place for ideas. I thought that many more ideas would come in and the article would be enhanced.

I posted it from my web log http://neeray.blogspot.com to this site. Unfortunately I forgot to post the copy right notice and a very vigilant member noticed the same article on my web log and marked it for copyright violation. I am very happy that people here are very vigilant. I have now posted the copy right message under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 on the “Social Technology temporary page” and in the article on my web log too.

Then I worked a little on the temporary page and find that now this is marked for deletion for “Rambling”. These are tiny seedlings of ideas. Please do not delete them even before they are seen and flower into something better. Please advise me as to what should I do to improve this article.

I have great faith in the collective wisdom of the people. That is what this article is about. Please do whatever is right according to the rules and norms of the community.

I tried posting this at Articles for Deletion page but it is not showing there. Please tell me what to do.

Best regards, Nirupma Kapoor

neeray 05:46, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

Reply
Hello, Neeray. If you would take a look at Deletion policy it might help you to understand. In the case of "Social Technology" the real reason for deletion that I see is what Wikipedians call "Original Research". By what you say, this meets that criteria. There is also the issue of verifiability, which means finding supporting information in a distinct and unrelated source. (of course, your blog would not qualify for that.) The mission here is to create an encyclopedia, not a set of random articles. This is not to say your work is worthless. It has value, we all have need for original thinkers to lead the way. Unfortunately this is not the place for introducing new ideas.

Now, to save it, you can always put it in part of your user space, for example, right here on this page (ed. note: his talk page). There is much more flexibility on what an editor can put in his own userspace. You can also create subpages (just as you did for the temp page) by creating & editing (for example) "User:Nirupama.Kapoor/temp" and putting your information there. This is allowed - at least I hope it is, since I've done it.

Another suggestion: find another wiki that is less restrictive than Wikipedia - one such is Wikinfo

Hope this is helpful,
 * WCFrancis 06:01, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

Neeray responds
Dea friend,

Thank you.

Best regards, Nirupma Kapoor

neeray 06:10, 25 September 2005 (UTC

Request
Dear friend,

I need to post this message where many people can read it. Can you please tell me how to do this.

Best regards Nirupma Kapoor

neeray 15:25, 18 October 2005 (UTC)

Dear folks,

Please, if you know of any one who has fought against “Poorly differentiated embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma“, or has a child suffering from this disease, request them to mail me at nirupama.kapoor@gmail.com

I know this young teenager who is fighting very bravely against this disease. The original malignant tumors have disappeared. Now there is a follow up every 3 months.

Is there any thing that can be done to prevent recurrence?

I have gone through the material on the net. It is mostly technical, meant for doctors. I need to get in touch with people who have won against this or are fighting against this. We need practical advice.

I hope and pray that no child ever suffers from this disease. If you have children or teenagers around, please ask them to inform you of any unusual growth or lumps. Early detection increases the chance of cure. Growing children may be painfully sensitive and shy. Please encourage them to communicate.

Please pass this message to as many people as possible.

Thanking you, Nirupma Kapoor
 * (Brief response at neeray's talk page) WCFrancis 14:59, 20 October 2005 (UTC)

Dear Sir WCFrancis,

Thank you, I do understand.

He is under proper medical care at one of the best hospitals in India. He has had chemo and radiotherapy for a year. He is fine now and has to go for follow ups every 3 months.

The disease is not very common and the real danger is recurrence. That is why we are trying to get in touch with people who have been through this. I have joined the group that HollyAm had suggested.

He is 16 now, very creative, very brave. He paints and writes very well. He is now preparing for his class 10 National Level examinations.

Please rest assured that we will not take any step without consulting the doctors.

Thanking you, Nirupma Kapoor

220.226.52.151 09:34, 22 October 2005 (UTC)

Thanks (Boosh related)
Thanks for adding the merge tag on the Dixon Bainbridge article, I was tired and missed that step. Alf melmac 07:50, 25 September 2005 (UTC)
 * I'm on a quest to find a way to deal with stuff/cruft that does not involve going to the bogged down AfD whenver possible. Tiny articles that can be merged instead of deleted are in that category. I was not aware of The Mighty Boosh at first and there were some new articles about it without context. When I found something with context I went back replacing sppedy tags with merge tags. Sometime in the midst of that I caught the one on Dixon Bainbridge. WCFrancis 16:02, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

To Talk Page
  Got something to say? Please click here to go to my talk page.

authors: ಮಲ್ನಾಡಾಚ್ ಕೊಂಕ್ಣೊ

title: User talk:WCFrancis/Archive03


text:
Sandy Alomar

Sandy Alomar may refer to:
 * Sandy Alomar Sr. (born 1943), former infielder and coach in Major League Baseball
 * Sandy Alomar Jr. (born 1966), former catcher and coach in Major League Baseball

title: Sandy Alomar


text:
Talk:Teeline Shorthand

Deleted text
I've deleted the following from the article, as it doesn't really belong in a dictionary:
 * In order to acquire and develop this skill you will need to work and practice at it for between 20 and 30 minutes each day. It has to be a daily practice because bunching it all up into 1 day at the end of a week will not be effective.

The Jade Knight 07:36, 16 March 2006 (UTC)

Visual sample
Would it be worth including a sample of Teeline writing? For example, the Lord's Prayer (as seen in the shorthand entry)? When I'm a bit better on Teeline, I could scan it in and upload it.

--Paddles 11:19, 25 April 2006 (UTC)
 * Finally got around to doing it. Paddles TC 11:54, 1 July 2007 (UTC)

Wikipedia userbox
I've also created a couple of Teeline userboxen, for anyone who is interested: Paddles TC 11:54, 1 July 2007 (UTC)
 * In case anyone cares, I've knocked up a scalable vector graphic of the word "Teeline" in Teeline. Handy for Userboxes etc. GeeJo (t)⁄(c) • 17:05, 9 November 2007 (UTC)

Possible copyright violation
I have twice reverted a link to a PDF file at http://dieselrun.com/ceaseless/ contributed by User:F. This file is a full set of course materials for teaching Teeline which is marked as originally created by the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering. Such a link breaches the guidance at WP:COPYVIO. The material is not useful as a reference source as it fails WP:RS and as far as I can see adds no value to the article and would fail WP:EL.—Teahot (talk) 22:06, 15 April 2009 (UTC)
 * It seems we've reached a compromise here: put the link on the talk page and we're both happy. F (talk) 04:55, 16 April 2009 (UTC)
 * I can feel the love ;). You raise an interesting point, in discussing a possible problematic link I may be guilty of reproducing it. To avoid what might be a form of Russell's Paradox I have added a tag to my own text and requested an independent third party takes a look to judge if the materials are copyright as IANAE.—Teahot (talk) 06:30, 16 April 2009 (UTC)
 * I'm opining per 3O. I've never interacted with anyone listed here, or in regard to this article. I'm here because this request for third opinion was simply the next on the list where I didn't fear getting swamped with spam.
 * Of course the linked PDF file is a copyright violation. Frankly, I don't think anyone here is seriously contending otherwise. I've edited the above url cleverly, so no one will ever be able to decipher it.--AuthorityTam (talk) 20:58, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

140 words per minute?
I've read the book cited and nowhere does it claim you can write at up to 140 words per minute.

Is there a page reference? ?? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 163.1.240.40 (talk) 11:39, 1 December 2009 (UTC)

Since there are no takers, I will remove the statement about the 140 words per minute. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 163.1.240.40 (talk) 12:06, 9 December 2009 (UTC)

 * I don't have that book, but in two other books I found statements of possible speeds. Harry Butler's Teeline Shorthand Made Simple (page v in preface): There have been passes at 140 words a minute in Royal Society of Arts examinations and London Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The other is Encyclopedia of language and linguistics, Michael K. C. MacMahon's article about Shorthand (vol. 7, page 3881): On the other hand, the fastest speed attainable (200 words per minute) cannot match the 250 wpm possible with Gregg or the 350 wpm with Pitman New Era. However, I don't know whether these are reliable enough to be used in the article. Ryhanen (talk) 12:20, 12 December 2009 (UTC)
 * This article in the Press Gazette seems to be a reliable alternative source for a record of 150 wpm.—Ash (talk) 13:39, 12 December 2009 (UTC)
 * The original question was posed by me on 163.1.240.40. I'm happy with any number being there, but I thought it best to point out that the book reference makes no mention of a possible words per minute (I've tripled checked). If the editors are happy with the source that Ash gives, I can include it (it even bumps the original number up by 10 wpm :) ) 86.182.57.172 (talk) 13:29, 13 December 2009 (UTC)
 * Added CHYC1984 (talk) 08:53, 16 December 2009 (UTC)

The Table
The table is definitely a very valuable part of the article- but its content is very unclearly expressed. It doesn't need a rewrite from scratch, but every word of it needs a going-over. A regularization of use of capitals would be a good first step, but would run up against confused writing-- some parts are just baffling. For example, "I (singular)" is a puzzler. Is this simply poor wording for, say: "I (the pronoun)"? For "J", we see that the meaning is "None", and "Can be given a meaning". It took me much head scratching to guess that this means that there is no standardized meaning for the letter (and, so, it is available for the user's customization)-- but I might be misunderstanding it-- maybe "J" means the word "none", or the meaning none. More trouble: for "A", «There is also an indicator A for words ending in "Ang", but indicators can be used for word beginnings.» One wonders: what's an indicator, and what's this statement about them in general that's suddenly appearing in a note just about the letter "a"?

I'm actually quite interested in Teeline now. And my professional work in linguistics has made me familiar with the always troublesome problem of having a notation for, say, disambiguating the letter "I" from the pronoun "I", the uppercase form "I" from its corresponding lowercase form "i"... or distinguishing the word "several" from the meaning several and from a note that a symbol/abbreviation/etc might have several meanings. Semanticists often use: ‹the spelling› versus "the word" versus the meaning, but doing it that way for this page would be an eye-bleeder, I think. So I might have a hack at spiffing up the table. I'll try to find an online reference to doublecheck all my changes against (or: limit my changes to what I can doublecheck online, at the moment). And/or I'll have my public library get me a book on the subject, and wait on that. I've already got them chasing some books on a system called "Personal Shorthand", so, yeah, they love me! – Sean M. Burke (talk) 05:43, 17 November 2010 (UTC)

Unclear article
This article is a bit unclear for readers that are not already familiar with the topic and uses some terminology without explaining what it means. 'Word groupings' is mentioned in the lede, but is never explained what that even means. In the final section it talks about 'teeline theory' and 'outlines' but these are not explained either. Finally, it is not clear whether each letter is written separately or somehow joined together to form a cursive script. This should be clarified by someone with knowledge of the subject. Ashmoo (talk) 14:12, 12 July 2018 (UTC)

title: Talk:Teeline Shorthand


text:
Emperor Norton

Joshua Abraham Norton (February 4, 1818 – January 8, 1880) was a resident of San Francisco, California, who in 1859 proclaimed himself "Norton I., Emperor of the United States", commonly known as Emperor Norton. In 1863, after Napoleon III invaded Mexico, he took the secondary title of "Protector of Mexico".

For the first few years after arriving in San Francisco in 1849, Norton made a successful living as a commodities trader and real estate speculator. However, he was financially ruined following a failed bid to corner the rice market during a shortage prompted by a famine in China. He bought a shipload of Peruvian rice at 12 ¢/lb, but more Peruvian ships arrived in port, causing the price to drop sharply to 3 ¢/lb. He then lost a protracted lawsuit in which he tried to void his rice contract, and his local prominence faded.

In September 1859, he proclaimed himself "Emperor of the United States". Norton had no formal political power, but was treated deferentially in San Francisco nevertheless, and currency issued in his name was honored in some of the establishments he frequented. Some considered Norton to be insane or eccentric, but residents of San Francisco and the city's larger Northern California orbit enjoyed his imperial presence and took note of his frequent newspaper proclamations. Though Norton received free ferry and train passage and a variety of favors, such as help with rent and free meals, from well-placed friends and sympathizers, the city's merchants also capitalized on his notoriety by selling souvenirs bearing his image.

On January 8, 1880, Norton collapsed and died before he could be given medical treatment. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, upwards of 10,000 people lined the streets of San Francisco to pay him homage at his funeral. Norton has been immortalized as the basis of characters in the literature of Mark Twain, Robert Louis Stevenson, Christopher Moore, Morris, René Goscinny, Selma Lagerlöf, Neil Gaiman, Mircea Cărtărescu and Charles Bukowski.

Early life
Norton's parents were John Norton (1794-1848) and Sarah Nordon (1796-1846), who were English Jews. John was a farmer and merchant, and Sarah was a daughter of Abraham Norden and a sister of Benjamin Norden, a successful merchant. The family moved to South Africa in early 1820 as part of a government-backed colonial scheme whose participants came to be known as the 1820 Settlers. Most likely, Norton was born in the Kentish town of Deptford, today part of London.

The best available evidence points to February 4, 1818, as the date of Norton's birth. Obituaries published in 1880, following Norton's death, offered conflicting information about his date of birth. The second of two obituaries in the San Francisco Chronicle, "following the best information obtainable," cited the silver plate on his coffin which said he was "aged about 65", suggesting that 1815 could be the year of his birth. However, Norton's biographer, William Drury, points out that "about 65" was based solely on the guess that Norton's landlady offered to the coroner at the inquest following his death. In a 1923 essay published by the California Historical Society, Robert Ernest Cowan claimed that Norton was born on February 4, 1819. However, the passenger lists for the La Belle Alliance, the ship that carried Norton and his family from England to South Africa, list him as having been two years old when the ship set sail in February 1820. This information appears not to have been known until after 1934, the year that Norton's headstone was placed at his grave in Colma, California — when Cowan's account remained prominent. This may help to explain why those who had the stone made used 1819 as the birth year.

The February 4, 1865, edition of The Daily Alta California newspaper included an item in which the Alta wished Emperor Norton a happy 47th birthday, indicating that his birth date was February 4, 1818 (not 1819, as Cowan claimed)—a date that would line up with La Belle Alliances passenger list from 2 years later. Moreover, when Cowan quoted the 1865 Alta item in his essay, he used an altered version in an apparent attempt to advance his claim of an 1819 birth date. Persistent claims for an 1819 birth date are of doubtful provenance, tracing to unsubstantiated assertions made online, during the early years of the internet. The Emperor Norton Trust, a nonprofit organization that engages in Norton research and education, produced a 2018 bicentennial series, Emperor Norton at 200, that took as its starting point a February 4, 1818, birth date for Norton. Supporting and participating in the series were a number of institutions that long have helped to preserve the historical record of Emperor Norton: the California Historical Society, the San Francisco Public Library, the Mechanics' Institute and the Society of California Pioneers.

There are often-repeated historical claims that Joshua Norton arrived in San Francisco on a specific vessel, the Franzeska, on November 23, 1849; that he arrived with $40,000, in whole or in part a bequest from his father's estate; and that he parlayed this into a fortune of $250,000 ($9,865,032.05 in 2023 USD). None of this is substantiated by contemporaneous documentation. What is known is that, after Norton arrived in San Francisco, he enjoyed a good deal of success in commodities markets and in real estate speculation, and that by late 1852, he was one of the more prosperous, respected citizens of the city.

In December 1852, Norton thought he saw a business opportunity when China, facing a severe famine, placed a ban on the export of rice, causing the price of rice in San Francisco to increase from four to thirty-six cents per pound (9 to 79 cents/kg). When he heard the Glyde, which was returning from Peru, was carrying 200000 lb of rice, he bought the entire shipment for $25,000 (or twelve and a half cents per pound), hoping to corner the market. Shortly after he signed the contract, several other shiploads of rice arrived from Peru, causing the price of rice to plummet to three cents a pound. Norton tried to void the contract, stating the dealer had misled him as to the quality of rice to expect.

For nearly two years, from early 1853 to late 1854, Norton and the rice dealers were involved in a protracted litigation. Although Norton prevailed in the lower courts, the case reached the Supreme Court of California, which ruled against him in October 1854. Later, the Lucas Turner and Company bank foreclosed on his real estate holdings in North Beach to pay Norton's debt. He filed for insolvency in August 1856.

Norton continued to run newspaper ads selling various commodities. Although these ads appear to have run their course by mid 1857, there are other public traces of Norton during this period. In September 1857, he served on a jury for a case of a man accused of stealing a bar of gold from Wells, Fargo & Co. and, in August 1858, Norton ran an ad announcing his candidacy for US Congress. By this time, he was living in reduced circumstances at a working-class boarding house.

Declaring himself emperor
By 1859, Norton had become completely discontented with what he considered the inadequacies of the legal and political structures of the United States. In July 1859, he issued a brief manifesto addressed to the "Citizens of the Union". It outlined in the broadest terms the national crisis as Joshua saw it and suggested the imperative for action to address this crisis at the most basic level. The manifesto ran as a paid ad in the San Francisco Daily Evening Bulletin.

Two months later, on September 17, 1859, Norton hand-delivered the following letter declaring himself "Emperor of these United States", to the offices of the Bulletin:

"At the peremptory request and desire of a large majority of the citizens of these United States, I, Joshua Norton, formerly of Algoa Bay, Cape of Good Hope, and now for the last 9 years and 10 months past of San Francisco, California, declare and proclaim myself Emperor of these United States; and in virtue of the authority thereby in me vested, do hereby order and direct the representatives of the different States of the Union to assemble in Musical Hall, of this city, on the 1st day of February next, then and there to make such alterations in the existing laws of the Union as may ameliorate the evils under which the country is laboring, and thereby cause confidence to exist, both at home and abroad, in our stability and integrity."

The paper printed the letter in that evening's edition, for humorous effect, and thus began Norton's whimsical 20-year "reign" over the United States.

Norton issued numerous decrees on matters of state, including a decree on October 12, 1859, to formally abolish the United States Congress. In it, he observed: "fraud and corruption prevent a fair and proper expression of the public voice; that open violation of the laws are constantly occurring, caused by mobs, parties, factions and undue influence of political sects; that the citizen has not that protection of person and property which he is entitled."

In this same decree, Norton repeated his order that all interested parties assemble at Musical Hall in San Francisco in February 1860 to "remedy the evil complained of."

In an imperial decree issued in January 1860, Norton summoned the Army to depose the elected officials of the US Congress: "WHEREAS, a body of men calling themselves the National Congress are now in session in Washington City, in violation of our Imperial edict of the 12th of October last, declaring the said Congress abolished; WHEREAS, it is necessary for the repose of our Empire that the said decree should be strictly complied with; NOW, THEREFORE, we do hereby Order and Direct Major-General Scott, the Commander-in-Chief of our Armies, immediately upon receipt of this, our Decree, to proceed with a suitable force and clear the Halls of Congress."

Norton's orders were ignored by the Army, and Congress likewise continued without any formal acknowledgement of the decree. A decree in July 1860 ordered the dissolution of the republic in favor of a temporary monarchy. Norton issued a mandate in 1862 ordering both the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant churches to publicly ordain him as "Emperor", hoping to resolve the many disputes that had resulted in the Civil War.

Norton then turned his attention to other matters, both political and social. In a proclamation dated August 12, 1869, and published in the San Francisco Daily Herald, he declared the abolition of the Democratic and Republican parties, explaining that he was "desirous of allaying the dissensions of party strife now existing within our realm."

The failure to treat Norton's adopted home city with appropriate respect was the subject of a particularly stern edict that often is cited as having been written by Norton in 1872, although evidence is elusive for the authorship, date, or source of this decree: "Whoever after due and proper warning shall be heard to utter the abominable word 'Frisco', which has no linguistic or other warrant, shall be deemed guilty of a High Misdemeanor, and shall pay into the Imperial Treasury as penalty the sum of twenty-five dollars."

Norton was occasionally a visionary, and some of his imperial decrees exhibited profound foresight. He is said to have issued instructions to form a League of Nations, he explicitly forbade any form of conflict between religions or their sects, and he issued several decrees calling for the construction of a suspension bridge or tunnel connecting Oakland and San Francisco—with the last of these decrees showing his irritation at the lack of prompt obedience by the authorities: "WHEREAS, we issued our decree ordering the citizens of San Francisco and Oakland to appropriate funds for the survey of a suspension bridge from Oakland Point via Goat Island; also for a tunnel; and to ascertain which is the best project; and whereas the said citizens have hitherto neglected to notice our said decree; and whereas we are determined our authority shall be fully respected; now, therefore, we do hereby command the arrest by the army of both the Boards of City Fathers if they persist in neglecting our decrees. Given under our royal hand and seal at San Francisco, this 17th day of September, 1872."

Long after his death, similar structures were built in the form of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge and the Transbay Tube, and there have been efforts since the 1930s to name the Bay Bridge after Emperor Norton or at least to add "Emperor Norton Bridge" as an honorary name for the bridge.

Norton's imperial acts

Norton spent most of his daylight hours inspecting the streets, spending time in parks and libraries, and paying visits to newspaper offices and old friends in San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley. In the evenings, he often was seen at political gatherings or at theatrical or musical performances.

He wore an elaborate blue uniform with gold-plated epaulettes, at some time given to him secondhand by officers of the United States Army post at the Presidio of San Francisco. He embellished that with a variety of accoutrements, including a beaver hat decorated with a peacock or ostrich feathers and a rosette, a walking stick and an umbrella. In the course of his rounds, he took note of the condition of the sidewalks and cable cars, the state of repair of public property, and the appearance of police officers. He also often had conversations on the issues of the day with those he encountered.

Norton caricaturist, Edward Jump, started a rumor that two noted stray dogs, named Bummer and Lazarus, were Norton's pets. Norton ate at free-lunch counters where he shared his meals with the dogs, although he did not, in fact, own them.

Special officer Armand Barbier was part of a local auxiliary force whose members were called "policemen", although they were private security guards paid by neighborhood residents and business owners. He arrested Norton in 1867 to commit him to involuntary treatment for a mental disorder. The arrest outraged many citizens and sparked scathing editorials in the newspapers, including the Daily Alta, which wrote "that he had shed no blood; robbed no one; and despoiled no country; which is more than can be said of his fellows in that line". Police Chief Patrick Crowley ordered Norton released and issued a formal apology on behalf of the police force, and Norton granted an Imperial Pardon to Barbier. Police officers of San Francisco thereafter saluted him as he passed in the street.

Norton did receive some tokens of recognition for his position. The 1870 US census lists Joshua Norton as 50 years old and residing at 624 Commercial Street, with his occupation listed as "Emperor". It also notes that he was insane. (However, the US Census instructions state "The fact of idiocy will be better determined by the common consent of the neighborhood, than by attempting to apply any scientific measure to the weakness of the mind or will." )

During the 1860s and 1870s, there were occasional anti-Chinese demonstrations in the poorer districts of San Francisco, and riots took place, sometimes resulting in fatalities. Starting in the late 1870s, those riots were fomented at rallies on Sunday afternoons at the sandlots across from City Hall. The rallies were led by Denis Kearney, a leader of the anti-Chinese Workingmen's Party of California. At a sandlot rally held on April 28, 1878, Emperor Norton appeared just before the start of proceedings, stood on a small box and challenged Kearney directly, telling him and the assembled crowd to disperse and go home. Norton was unsuccessful, but the incident was widely reported in local papers over the next couple of days.

Norton issued his own money in the form of scrip, or promissory notes, which were accepted from him by some restaurants in San Francisco. The notes came in denominations between fifty cents and ten dollars, and the few surviving ones are collector's items that routinely sell for more than $10,000 at auction.

Foreign diplomacy
Throughout his reign, Norton commented on the policies and actions of foreign governments, issuing proclamations and sending letters to foreign leaders in attempts to establish congenial and fruitful relations with them and their countries and, if he felt it necessary, to cajole better behavior.

In 1862, Mexico was invaded by French Emperor Napoleon III after not being able to pay war reparations following the disastrous Reform War. Napoleon installed the Habsburg Maximilian I as his puppet ruler. That news quickly reached the United States and a man in San Francisco suggested that Emperor Norton take the title "Protector of Mexico", both because no-one had been appointed protector, and because of a popular legend stating Norton was the son of Napoleon III. Norton happily obliged, adding the title to many of his proclamations, but he later would revoke the title, stating, "It is impossible to protect such an unsettled nation".

Norton wrote many letters to Queen Victoria, including a suggestion that they marry to strengthen ties between their nations. That proved futile because the queen never responded.

Norton also sent a number of letters to Kamehameha V, the King of Hawaii at the time, regarding an estate in the Kingdom of Hawaii. Near the end of his reign, Kamehameha would refuse to recognize the democratic US government, instead opting to only recognize Norton as sole leader of the United States.

Later years and death
Norton was the subject of many tales. One popular story suggested that he was the son of Emperor Napoleon III and that his claim of coming from South Africa was a ruse to prevent persecution. Rumours also circulated that Norton was supremely wealthy and was feigning poverty because he was miserly.

Starting a few years after Norton declared himself emperor, local newspapers, notably the Daily Alta California, began to print fictitious decrees. It is believed that newspaper editors themselves drafted the fake proclamations to suit their own agendas. Weary of that, in January 1871 Norton named the black-owned and -operated Pacific Appeal as his "imperial organ." Between September 1870 and May 1875, the Appeal published some 250 proclamations over the signature of Norton I. Historians and researchers who have studied Norton closely generally regard those proclamations as being authentic.

On the evening of January 8, 1880, Norton collapsed on the corner of California Street and Dupont Street (now Grant Avenue), across the street from Old Saint Mary's Cathedral, while on his way to a debate at the California Academy of Sciences. His collapse was immediately noticed, and "the police officer on the beat hastened for a carriage to convey him to the City Receiving Hospital", according to the next day's obituary in the San Francisco Morning Call. Norton died before a carriage could arrive. The Call reported: "On the reeking pavement, in the darkness of a moonless night, under the dripping rain... Norton I, by the grace of God, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico, departed this life". Two days later, the San Francisco Chronicle led its article on Norton's funeral with the headline "Le Roi Est Mort." (lit. "The King is dead", and the first half of the traditional proclamation of a new king)

It quickly became evident that Norton had died in complete poverty, contrary to rumours of wealth. Five or six dollars in small change was found on his person, and a search of his room at the boarding house on Commercial Street turned up a single gold sovereign, worth around $2.50. His possessions included his collection of walking sticks, his rather battered sabre, a variety of headgear, including a stovepipe, a derby, a red-laced Army cap, and another cap suited to a martial band-master. There was an 1828 French franc and a handful of the Imperial bonds that he sold to tourists at a fictitious 7% interest. Also found were fake telegrams, purporting to be from Tsar Alexander II of Russia, congratulating Norton on his forthcoming marriage to Queen Victoria, and from the President of France, predicting that such a union would be disastrous to world peace. Also found were his letters to Queen Victoria and 98 shares of stock in a defunct gold mine.

Initial funeral arrangements were for a pauper's coffin of simple redwood. However, members of a San Francisco businessmen's association, the Pacific Club, established a funeral fund that provided for a handsome rosewood casket and arranged a dignified farewell. Norton's funeral on Sunday, January 10, was solemn, mournful, and large. Paying their respects were members of "all classes from capitalists to the pauper, the clergyman to the pickpocket, well-dressed ladies and those whose garb and bearing hinted of the social outcast". The next day, the San Francisco Chronicle reported, under the headline "Le Roi Est Mort," that some 10,000 people had come to view the emperor's body in advance of the 2 p.m. funeral. Notwithstanding the later legend of a "two-mile-long cortege," the Chronicle reported in the same article that people lined the streets for only the first block or two. The emperor's casket was attended by "only three carriages," with no mourners on foot, and there were "about thirty people" at the burial service in the Masonic Cemetery.

In 1934, Norton's remains were transferred to a grave site at Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Colma, California.

In popular culture

Details of Norton's life story may have been forgotten, but he has been immortalized in literature. Mark Twain resided in San Francisco during part of Emperor Norton's public life, and modeled the character of the King in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn on him. Robert Louis Stevenson made Norton a character in his 1892 novel, The Wrecker. Stevenson's stepdaughter Isobel Osbourne mentioned Norton in her autobiography, This Life I've Loved, stating that he "was a gentle and kindly man, and fortunately found himself in the friendliest and most sentimental city in the world, the idea being 'let him be emperor if he wants to.' San Francisco played the game with him."

In more modern times, the life of Emperor Norton is the inspiration for L'Empereur Smith, a Lucky Luke comic book adventure published in 1976. Norton also appears as a character in the comic book The Sandman, Vol. 2, No. 31, "Three Septembers and a January", by Neil Gaiman and Shawn McManus, and is voiced by John Lithgow in the audio book version of the comic. He appeared briefly in Captain America Comics #11.

There have been a number of television adaptations of the Norton story. In the June 15, 1956, episode of the western anthology series Death Valley Days, titled "Emperor Norton", Parker Garvie played the title character. In the February 27, 1966, episode of the western television series Bonanza, titled "The Emperor Norton", Sam Jaffe played the title role. The episode also featured William Challee as Sam Clemens a.k.a. Mark Twain. In the December 18, 1956, episode of Broken Arrow season 1, episode 11, titled "The Conspirators", Florenz Ames played the "Emperor Norton".

Since 1974, the Imperial Council of San Francisco has been conducting an annual pilgrimage to Norton's grave in Colma, California, just outside San Francisco. In January 1980, ceremonies were conducted in San Francisco to honor the 100th anniversary of the death of "the one and only Emperor of the United States".

The Emperor Norton Trust, founded and based in San Francisco from 2013 to 2019, and originally known as The Emperor's Bridge Campaign, is a non-profit that engages in research, education, and advocacy to advance the legacy of Emperor Norton.

Emperor Norton is considered a patron saint of Discordianism, and a park in the micronation Molossia is named after him.

Public tributes
There have been perennial efforts to name major public San Francisco landmarks after Emperor Norton or to enact other permanent local tributes to him.

"Emperor Norton Place" — Honorary naming of 600 block of Commercial Street
The most recent of those efforts has been the most successful.

In February 2023, San Francisco Board of Supervisors president Aaron Peskin introduced a resolution to add "Emperor Norton Place" as a commemorative name for the 600 block of Commercial Street. The resolution was adopted by the Supervisors, and approved by Mayor London Breed in April 2023, with signage installed in early May.

Clock tower of the San Francisco Ferry Building
In October 2022, The Emperor Norton Trust announced a new effort to have the San Francisco Ferry Building clock tower named "The Emperor Norton Tower" in 2023, the 125th anniversary of the opening of the building in 1898.

San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge
In 1939, the group E Clampus Vitus commissioned and dedicated a plaque commemorating Emperor Norton's call for the construction of a suspension bridge between San Francisco and Oakland. The group intended to place the plaque on the recently opened San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge or, failing that, the new Transbay Terminal. However, that was not approved by the bridge authorities and the plaque was installed at the Cliff House in 1955. It was moved to the Transbay Terminal in 1986, in connection with the 50th anniversary of the bridge. The Terminal was closed and demolished in 2010 as part of the project to construct a new Transbay Transit Center, and the plaque was placed in storage. After being restored in late 2018, it was rededicated and reinstalled at the new transit center in September 2019 but, after being vandalized in 2020, was moved to Molloy's Tavern, in Colma, California, in 2021.

There have been two 21st-century campaigns to name all or parts of the Bay Bridge after Emperor Norton. In November 2004, San Francisco District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin introduced a resolution to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, after a campaign by San Francisco Chronicle cartoonist Phil Frank calling for the entire bridge to be named for Norton. On December 14, 2004, the Board approved a modified version of this resolution, calling for only "new additions," i.e., the planned replacement for the bridge's eastern section, to be named "The Emperor Norton Bridge". Neither the City of Oakland nor Alameda County passed any similar resolution, so the effort went no further.

In June 2013, eight members of the California Assembly, and two members of the California Senate, introduced a resolution to name the western section of the bridge after former California state Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown. In response, there were public efforts seeking to revive the earlier Emperor Norton effort. An online petition, launched in August 2013, called for the entire bridge system to be named after him. The petition was the impetus for the creation of "The Emperor's Bridge Campaign", now known as "The Emperor Norton Trust", which continued the bridge-naming effort until 2022, citing the precedent of 30 California bridges for which the state had authorized multiple names. The Trust called on the legislature simply to make "Emperor Norton Bridge" an honorary name for the Bay Bridge, leaving in place all existing names. Most recently, the organization hoped to sponsor a legislative resolution that would take effect in 2022, the 150th anniversary of Emperor Norton's proclamations of 1872, setting out the original vision for the bridge. The legislature did not take up the issue in 2022, and the Trust suspended its bridge-naming effort.

title: Emperor Norton


text:
Harecastle Tunnel

Harecastle Tunnel is a canal tunnel on the Trent and Mersey Canal in Staffordshire between Kidsgrove and Tunstall. The tunnel, which is 1.6 mi long, was once one of the longest in the country. Its industrial purpose was for the transport of coal to the kilns in the Staffordshire Potteries. The canal runs under the 195 m Harecastle Hill near Goldenhill, the highest district in Stoke-on-Trent.

Although described singularly as a tunnel, Harecastle is actually two separate but parallel tunnels built almost 50 years apart. The first was constructed by James Brindley in the late 18th century and the second larger tunnel was designed by Thomas Telford, and opened in the late 1820s.

Only the Telford tunnel remains navigable after a partial collapse closed the Brindley tunnel shortly before the First World War. As the Telford tunnel is only wide enough for a single boat, canal traffic is managed by sending alternating northbound and southbound groups of boats through the tunnel. Ventilation is provided by large electric fans at the south portal.

Brindley Tunnel
The first tunnel through Harecastle Hill was designed by canal engineer, James Brindley. Construction began in 1770 when the surveyed route of the tunnel was marked over the hill. Fifteen vertical shafts were then sunk into the ground from which navvies mined outwards from the bottom of the shafts to create the canal line. However, changes in rock type which ranged from soft earth to Millstone Grit caused engineering problems.

The tunnel sites also flooded regularly until Watt steam engines were introduced to operate pumps. Stoves were installed at the bottom of upcast pipes to overcome the problem of ventilation. Despite the death of Brindley in 1772, the first tunnel – which measured 2,880 yards long – was completed in 1777. On opening, it overtook Norwood Tunnel on the Chesterfield Canal (also bored by Brindley) as the longest tunnel on Britain's canal network.

As the tunnel had no towpath, boatsmen had to leg their way through the tunnel. Legging was done by lying on the roof of a boat and using the feet to push forward against the tunnel walls. It was slow hard work. Travel times through the tunnel averaged three hours. While the narrowboats went via the tunnel, boat horses were led over Harecastle Hill via "Boathorse Road". A lodgekeeper (now Bourne Cottage at 53.08257°N, -2.24326°W) monitored the movement of the tow-horses, who were often led by boat children, as they crossed the high ground between Kidsgrove and Tunstall.

Within years of the Brindley tunnel opening, its limitation in design soon became evident. The industrial revolution had resulted in rapid growth and increased demand for coal and other raw materials in the Potteries. However, as the canal tunnel was only 12 ft high at its tallest point and had a maximum width of 9 ft, its limited capacity had become a major problem. In the early 19th century, it was decided that a second tunnel should be built by Thomas Telford. Brindley tunnel was used for the rest of the 19th century until it began to suffer an increase in subsidence in the early 20th century. In 1914 it was closed permanently after a partial collapse.

Regular engineering inspections of the disused Brindley tunnel ceased in the 1960s. Since then, no further exploration of the interior has been made beyond any significant distance from the north or south portals. Both entrances are gated and are no longer reachable by boat. Water entering the canal from the Brindley tunnel has been blamed for much of the prominent iron ore leaching into the canal (responsible for the rusty colour of the water). Installation of reed beds at the northern portal to filter the water has been proposed.

Telford Tunnel
Due to the amount of traffic and the slow process of legging, Brindley's Harecastle Tunnel had become a major bottleneck on the Trent and Mersey Canal by the start of the 19th century. By the early 1820s, a commission decided that a second tunnel was required. The esteemed Scottish civil engineer, Thomas Telford, was contracted to carry out the work. Construction started on Tuesday 13 April 1824 when the first clod was cut on the Pottery side. Due to advances in civil engineering, the larger tunnel was completed after only three years of work, and at a cost of £113,000 (equivalent to £ million in ). The principal works were completed on 24 November 1826 when James Caldwell, chairman of the company, laid the last brick. It was opened for navigation on 30 April 1827.

As it had a towpath, horses could now pull boats through the 2926 yards tunnel greatly shortening journey times. The towpath was built on a series of arches which allowed for circulation of water as boats were hauled through the tunnel. The boats using the tunnel had a beam of 7 ft and their maximum load was 30 tons. The time occupied in a single journey with a boat hauled by a horse was about 90 minutes.

It was used in conjunction with the Brindley tunnel, with each tunnel taking boat traffic in opposite directions.

Inside the Telford tunnel are the remains of a series of smaller canal tunnels that connected to coal mines around Goldenhill. As the tunnels led directly to the underground workings of the collieries, coal could be loaded straight into boats avoiding the need for it to be hauled to the surface. The tunnels also helped provide much-needed drainage for the mines. Only small narrowboats with 10 tonne capacity could use these side tunnels.

Settlement in the tunnel lowered the headroom, and the towpath subsided between the water in places. As a result, an electric tug was introduced in 1914 at a cost of £1,563. A generating station and gas producer house were erected at the southern end of the tunnel with two sets of Campbell producer plant for 77 b.h.p. engines, two 77 b.h.p. Campbell gas engines, two 45 Kw direct current “Witton” dynamos and switchboard equipment. This charged a set of accumulators which were fitted in two accumulator boats built by Bullivant and Co. of Millwall, one being in use whilst the other was being charged. The tug fitted with electric motors was fed by the accumulators. The tug hauled itself through the tunnel by means of winding a cable which lay on the bottom of the canal and was secured at each end of the tunnel. The tug was capable of hauling a train of 17 boats through the tunnel in about 40 minutes at a charge of 6d a boat.

A second tug was added in 1931. The tug operated until 1954 when system of 3×38 inch fans was constructed at the south portal to improve ventilation for diesel-powered craft. While boats are within the tunnel an airtight door is shut so fresh air is constantly drawn through the tunnel. The fans protect boaters from the harmful build-up of diesel fumes. Modern journey times are now about 30–40 minutes.

In the latter part of the 20th century, the Telford tunnel suffered further subsidence resulting in its temporary closure in 1973. It was reopened on 2 April 1977 by Sir Frank Price, chairman of the British Waterways Board. During this time, the long-disused towpath was removed to increase the width of the tunnel and improve air capacity in the tunnel.

title: Harecastle Tunnel


text:
Teen Power Inc.

Teen Power Inc., now known as Raven Hill Mysteries is a series of books created by notable Australian author Emily Rodda, even though many of the books are actually penned by other authors who receive credit on the inside title page. The series, originally published in the mid-1990s was reprinted under the name Raven Hill Mysteries. As of 2006, the first six titles have been reissued.

Premise
The series revolves around six teenagers who have set up a part-time job agency, Teen Power Inc. (changed to Help-for-Hire in the American republished editions) to work for cash before and after school. Usually, their jobs end up getting them into trouble and each book in the series generally revolves around one main mystery for the gang to go through; with the narrator being the crime-solver. The squad consists of: Richelle Brinkley, Sunny Chan, Liz Free, Nick Kontellis, Tom Moysten and Elmo Zimmer.

Structure
Each novel in the series is narrated by a different person. For the first fourteen books, the narration followed the cycle order of Liz-Tom-Richelle-Elmo-Sunny-Nick. However, after book 14 (Tom), book 15 was narrated by Sunny instead of Richelle. The series reverted to the original order for the fourth cycle (books 19–24) but then scrambled again for the fifth and last cycle (books 25–30), with Richelle starting the narration instead of Liz. However, each cycle of six books without exception has one contribution from every member of the Teen Power Inc group.

The Raven Hill Mysteries reprint
The Teen Power Inc books were relaunched in the US in 2006 under the name Raven Hill Mysteries. In the reprints, the name of the job agency is changed to "Help-for-hire" and certain book titles were also changed (such as St Elmo's Fire becoming Deep Secrets). Further, the order of the reprints has been scrambled, causing major continuity problems given that the final book in the original series (Dead End) which dealt with a criminal from Teen Power's past coming back to seek revenge on the gang which put him in jail, has been published sixth in the new series and prior to the book which first introduced this criminal.

Books

 * #1 - The Ghost of Raven Hill - Narrated by Liz
 * #2 - The Sorcerer's Apprentice - Narrated by Tom (co-author John St Claire)
 * #3 - The Disappearing TV Star - Narrated by Richelle (co-author Mary Forrest)
 * #4 - Cry of the Cat - Narrated by Elmo (co-author Mary Forrest)
 * #5 - Beware the Gingerbread House - Narrated by Sunny
 * #6 - Green for Danger - Narrated by Nick (co-author John St Clair)
 * #7 - Breaking Point - Narrated by Liz
 * #8 - The Secret of Banyan Bay - Narrated by Tom (co-author John St Clair)
 * #9 - The Bad Dog Mystery - Narrated by Richelle (co-author Mary Forrest)
 * #10 - Poison Pen - Narrated by Elmo (co-author Mary Forrest)
 * #11 - The Missing Millionaire - Narrated by Sunny
 * #12 - Crime in the Picture - Narrated by Nick (co-author John St Clair)
 * #13 - Nowhere to Run - Narrated by Liz
 * #14 - Dangerous Game - Narrated by Tom (co-author Robert Sexton)
 * #15 - Haunted House - Narrated by Sunny
 * #16 - The Case of Crazy Claude - Narrated by Nick (co-author Robert Sexton)
 * #17 - Fear in Fashion - Narrated by Richelle (co-author Mary Forrest)
 * #18 - Danger in Rhyme - Narrated by Elmo (co-author Mary Forrest)
 * #19 - Cry Wolf - Narrated by Liz
 * #20 - Photo Finish - Narrated by Tom (co-author Robert Sexton)
 * #21 - Stage Fright - Narrated by Richelle (co-author Sam Kester)
 * #22 - Saint Elmo's Fire - Narrated by Elmo (co-author Robert Sexton)
 * #23 - Bad Apples - Narrated by Sunny
 * #24 - The War of the Work Demons - Narrated by Nick (co-author Robert Sexton)
 * #25 - Dirty Tricks - Narrated by Richelle (co-author Kate Rowe)
 * #26 - Hot Pursuit - Narrated by Elmo (co-author Kate Rowe)
 * #27 - Hit or Miss - Narrated by Liz (co-author Kate Rowe)
 * #28 - Deep Freeze - Narrated by Tom (co-author Kate Rowe)
 * #29 - The Secret Enemy - Narrated by Sunny
 * #30 - Dead End - Narrated by Nick

Main characters

 * Liz (Elizabeth) Free - Liz is the de facto leader of the gang. It was originally her idea to set up Teen Power Inc., and she is very protective of it. She is the most sentimental out of the group, and genuinely cares a lot about others. Liz Free describes herself as "plain" - average height, average  weight and shoulder-length brown hair. She enjoys op shopping and making her own clothes to wear. The daughter of a real estate father and bank teller mother, she has one younger brother Pete (although a continuity error in Breaking Point sees her brother renamed Danny) and a large shaggy dog Christo. Every Friday, she goes to the retirement home, 'Craigend', to visit Pearl Plummer and do her shopping for her.
 * Tom (Thomas) Moysten - Tom is the typical class clown who likes to tell jokes and muck around in class. Despite this, he is a very talented artist and this is one of his key characteristics in the series, along with his fondness for eating. Tom is very tall and lanky. He has gangly arms and legs, and braces on his teeth. He is a messy dresser, which reflects his messy personality. His parents are divorced and he lives with his mother Grace and her new husband Brian, an ancient history teacher at Raven Hill High, and his two half-brothers Adam and Jonathan. There is high tension between Brian and Tom, although this eases towards the later books as each begins to understand the other a little more. Tom's biological father, Mel, is a painter who lives in Banyan Bay with his new wife Faye (Banyan Bay and Mel Moysten are both featured prominently in the book The Secret of Banyan Bay). He cannot swim. Tom and Sunny get on well because they both know what it is like to have divorced parents.
 * Richelle Brinkley - Richelle is the frequently vague and rather vain member. She has known Liz since kindergarten, and they are still friends, although they have little in common. Richelle is tall with blue eyes and blonde hair. She dreams of being a model or a movie star. She often surprises her friends with perspicacious remarks. Richelle lives with her mum Delia and timberyard manager dad John, and her older sister Tiffany and younger brother Jason.
 * Elmo Zimmer III - Elmo is the only member of the gang who was not part of the original grouping in the first book, The Ghost of Raven Hill, even though he appears as a character almost from the beginning when he joins Teen Power Inc. to deliver the local paper The Pen. His father, also Elmo Zimmer, is the editor of The Pen, and the first book traces the history of the Zimmer family through to Elmo's grandfather (also Elmo Zimmer and the original editor of The Pen) and the survival of the local paper against the rival Star. Elmo's mother Sarah died when Elmo was very young, and Elmo, following his father and his grandfather before him, dreams of running The Pen when he grows up. Elmo is a quiet and keen boy who is interested in local news.
 * Sunny (Alice) Chan - Sunny is Liz's best friend. She is the most athletic out of the gang and is active in gymnastics, yoga and Tae-kwon-do. She lives with her mother and her three sisters Sarah, Amy and Penny. Her eldest sister Cathie, with whom she used to share a room, married her boyfriend Lindsay Shearer in book #29 (The Secret Enemy). Her father Roy Chan is a famous tennis player in America, and divorced Sunny's mother when Sunny was aged four. This forms the basis of much of the storyline in book #5 (Beware the Gingerbread House). Sunny is a calm and practical girl who knows how to get out of tight situations.
 * Nick (Nicholas) Kontellis - Nick is the slicked-back cool guy of the group and often acts sarcastic and superior. His father Demetrios, originally from Greece, is a well-off importer-exporter and the Kontellis family live in the wealthier parts of Raven Hill. His mother Toula is very protective of him, as her only child. Nick likes computer games and business, and is usually the member most concerned with the money aspect of each job. He is the brains of the group. He and Tom frequently clash due to their different personalities though they are the best of friends.

Other frequent characters

 * Elmo Zimmer II - Also known as Zim, Elmo Zimmer II is the father of Elmo Zimmer III and owns the local newspaper, The Pen. He is always willing to help Teen Power Inc. out. He was first introduced in the first book, The Ghost of Raven Hill, where he is described as a 'small man with a round face' and 'odd'. After the death of his wife, he bought a Burmese cat, Shadow, for his son Elmo.
 * Miss Moss - Christened 'Mossy' by Elmo Zimmer (Elmo Zimmer II's Father/Elmo Zimmer III's Grandfather), she is introduced in The Ghost of Raven Hill as the crabby receptionist at The Pen. After she plays a pivotal role in ensuring The Pens continued survival, she and the gang get along much better. She is a very efficient receptionist and organizer, and as the series progresses, almost becomes a mother figure to Elmo.
 * Constable Greta Vortek - Stationed at Raven Hill, Greta is the police officer who appears most throughout the series (although other police officers such as Detective-Constable Crispin and Detective Angela Maroni are mentioned in a couple of books, they do not appear to have much continuity as characters). A great believer in the Teen Power gang, she is reluctant to believe that they have turned to crime in book #30 Dead End, but is forced to face what she thinks is clear evidence.
 * Stephen Spiers - Another victim of continuity issues, Stephen is the senior reporter at The Pen throughout the whole series despite taking a job with a rival paper in the first book. He is usually used as a way to introduce information to the reader.
 * Ms Adair - An English teacher at Raven Hill High, she first appears in book #10 Poison Pen and again in book #13 Nowhere to Run. She is one of the more popular teachers at the school and has great respect for the Teen Power gang.
 * Mrs Fenelli - First making her appearance in book #13 Nowhere to Run as a crabby teacher leading a school camp, she makes her second and final showing in book #30 Dead End as the teacher who accuses Teen Power Inc. of spray-painting graffiti onto a building. Particularly in book #30, she is portrayed as a mean, vindictive and unreasonable teacher who refuses to listen to any other person's point of view.
 * The Work Demons - A gang of six boys who have copied Teen Power Inc.'s idea of setting up a job agency, they are often used as a source of conflict with the gang. They particularly hate Tom, and the later books narrated by Tom show him frequently scrapping with the Work Demons; a plot point which is also used to some degree of success in book #24 The War of the Work Demons. Led by Bradley Henshaw (who in Beware the Gingerbread house was called Darren Henshaw; this was a continuity error in the original series, although the reprints have Darren and Bradley as separate characters, and brothers), the Demons often leave jobs half finished and incomplete, earning them the nicknames of the "Worst Demons" and the "Work Dumbos" by most of Raven Hill. They often stir up trouble for the Teen Power gang, including an occasion where they once broke into a shop after Teen Power had finished cleaning it to make it dirty and to make it seem like Teen Power had done a bad job.
 * The Wolf - A big-time criminal who resides in Raven Hill during the summer. he is a huge, fat man. He causes trouble for the gang for the first time in Beware of the Gingerbread House and reappears numerous times, most notably in Dead End.
 * Mrs Drisk-Haskell - A wealthy, middle-aged widow from one of the oldest and most distinguished families in Raven Hill. She first hires the Teen Power gang in book #10 Poison Pen to clean her house after firing her former cleaning lady, Mrs Flower, for suspected pilfering. She is impressed by Liz, Elmo, Tom, Sunny and Richelle because they all come from old Raven Hill families, but she is dismissive of Nick, probably because of his nouveau riche background.

Locations

 * The Glen - A piece of bushland in Raven Hill Park, this is where the gang hang out and discuss future jobs and mysteries around Raven Hill. It has historical value, as it existed at the time of Elmo's grandfather, but was threatened to be demolished in The Ghost of Raven Hill and Photo Finish.
 * The Pen - Raven Hill's local newspaper, The Pen, is owned by Elmo's father. The office provides resources for the gang to work out mysteries and to carry out research, and is sometimes a quiet place for the gang to relax.
 * Raven Hill High - Raven Hill's local high school is the place to be for Teen Power Inc., on normal days. The school provides a social setting in which the gang can catch gossip or as a place where the Work Demons get to catch up with the gang.
 * Raven Hill Primary - Raven Hill's local primary school. Tom's brothers Jonathon and Adam and Liz's brother Pete attend this school.
 * Raven Hill Mall - The local shopping mall provides many employment opportunities (for example, in the books: Fear in Fashion and Beware the Gingerbread House, where the gang are hired by local businesses) as well as a hangout in which the gang can talk or relax.
 * The Black Cat Cafe - A café where Teen Power Inc. occasionally meet and have breakfast every Thursday after delivering the Pen.

title: Teen Power Inc.


text:
User talk:203.115.128.69

Nomination of Shirley Siaton for deletion
A discussion is taking place as to whether the article Shirley Siaton is suitable for inclusion in Wikipedia according to Wikipedia's policies and guidelines or whether it should be deleted.

The article will be discussed at Articles for deletion/Shirley Siaton until a consensus is reached, and anyone, including you, is welcome to contribute to the discussion. The nomination will explain the policies and guidelines which are of concern. The discussion focuses on high-quality evidence and our policies and guidelines.

Users may edit the article during the discussion, including to improve the article to address concerns raised in the discussion. However, do not remove the article-for-deletion notice from the top of the article until the discussion has finished. UtherSRG (talk) 11:32, 3 July 2023 (UTC)

title: User talk:203.115.128.69


text:
Argenton-sur-Creuse

Argenton-sur-Creuse is a commune in the Indre department in central France.

Geography
Argenton-sur-Creuse lies on the river Creuse, about 28 km southwest of Châteauroux. Argenton-sur-Creuse station has rail connections to Vierzon, Limoges and Paris. The A20 autoroute (Vierzon–Limoges–Montauban) passes west of the town. The village of Saint-Benoît-du-Sault is 20 minutes away by road. South of Argenton is the valley of the river Creuse. The village of Gargilesse is nearby; there the home of the writer George Sand may be visited.

History
The modern city is built close to the site of the Gallo-Roman city of Argentomagus which lies a little to the north. The site has been developed as a museum visitor attraction. The name of the ancient town probably derives from the Latin word for "silver", as the town was a center of silver work.

The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1911) described the city as follows: "The river is crossed by two bridges, and its banks are bordered by picturesque old houses. There are numerous tanneries, and the manufacture of boots, shoes and linen goods is carried on". Since then, one of the riverside mills has been converted into the "Museum of the Shirt and Masculine Elegance".

Notable people

 * Antoine Berman (1942-1991), translator and philosopher
 * Gilles Clément (born 1943), botanist and writer
 * Raymond Rollinat (1859-1931), naturalist
 * Germaine Rouillard (1881–1946)
 * Michel Sapin (born 1952), politician

title: Argenton-sur-Creuse


text:
Giewont

Giewont is a mountain massif in the Tatra Mountains of Poland. Its highest peak, Great Giewont (Wielki Giewont), is 1894 m1,894 metres (6,217 ft) above sea level and the highest peak of the Western Tatras (Polish: Tatry Zachodnie) located entirely within Poland's borders. The mountain is regarded as the symbol of Zakopane, the Polish Tatras and Podhale, which throughout history has been the subject of many legends, poems and works of art.

Geography
Giewont lies in the area of the Polish Tatra National Park (Tatrzański Park Narodowy). It encompasses three peaks: Small Giewont (Polish: Mały Giewont, 1728 m), Great Giewont (Wielki Giewont, 1894 m) and Long Giewont (Długi Giewont, 1867 m). There is a mountain pass located between Great and Long Giewont, known as Szczerba (1823 m). It is located between the valleys of Kondratowa, Małej Łąki and Strążyska. The 600 m high northern face of Great Giewont is clearly visible from the nearby town of Zakopane and remains one of the most characteristic features of the panorama of the Polish Tatras. Geologically, Giewont is composed of dolomite and limestone caves, as well as gneiss and granite in the southern section. Giewont's caves include Juhaska Cave, Sleeping Knights' Cave (Polish: Jaskinia Śpiących Rycerzy), Kozia Grota Cave and Ruda Nyża Cave.

Fauna and flora
A number of Poland's rare species of plants have been recorded in the area including field locoweed, Hoppe's cudweed, halberd willow, leathery grapefern, false orchid, Pedicularis hacqueti, Cerastium latifolium L and Senecio aurantiacus Less. Among notable animal species is Tatra chamois. Giewont is one of few places in Poland where these animals can survive winter.

History
The earliest document mentioning the mountain dates back to the 16th century and mentions a copper mine located in the Gyewant Mountain. The origin of the name remains unclear. It might originate from the German word Gewand (rock formation); however, according to Mariusz Zaruski, the name has its roots like many other names in the Tatras in a family name of Goral people considering the fact that families bearing this name, which, however, could also derive from the German word, still lived in the area

The first recorded ascent to Giewont's summit was undertaken in 1830 by Franciszek Herbich and Aleksander Zawadzki. Mariusz Zaruski completed the first recorded winter ascent in 1905. Nowadays, hiking trails lead to the peak of the mountain, making it a popular hiking destination.

In 1901, a 15 m tall steel cross was erected on the summit of Great Giewont and quickly became a site of religious pilgrimages as well as a national symbol. It also became a place for many to manifest their political views as was the case in 1982 during the Martial law in Poland when a banner with the logo of the Solidarity appeared on the cross. In 2007, the cross was inscribed on the register of historical monuments of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship.

2019 thunderstorm
The area frequently experiences thunderstorms. On 22 August 2019, four people were killed and over 100 were injured during an unexpected severe thunderstorm. Most of the victims were on Giewont, where lightning struck the metal cross atop the mountain as well as a metal chain near the summit, according to local media. Four people died in Poland, including two children, and one person died in Slovakia. It was the worst disaster on the mountain since 1937.

Cultural significance
In Polish folklore, the mountain is associated with several legends about sleeping knights who will awake when Poland is in danger. The profile of the mountain resembles a lying knight, wherein the Long Giewont is the knight's torso, and the Great Giewont is the knight's face as viewed from the side (the three 'peaks' representing the chin, the nose, and the eyebrow). The image of Giewont as viewed from the north makes the profile easy to discern. This image of the mountain was further ingrained in the collective consciousness of the nation thanks to an 1880 poem by Adam Asnyk. It proved to be a source of inspiration for many other renowned artists and writers, including Leon Wyczółkowski and Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz. In 1875, it officially appeared for the first time on the seal of the city of Zakopane.

In 1880, painter and photographer Walery Eljasz Radzikowski described the mountain in the following words: "Giewont is visible from every cottage, therefore it deservedly holds the title of the King of Zakopane".

title: Giewont


text:
Newport-class tank landing ship

Newport-class tank landing ships were an improved class of tank landing ship (LST) designed for and employed by the United States Navy from 1969 to 2002. The ships were intended to provide substantial advantages over their World War II-era predecessors. Larger and faster than any previous LST design, they carried a ramp over the bow that allowed them to surpass 20 kn, a goal of the United States amphibious forces. 27 were planned of which twenty were completed, the high number due to the demands of US force projection estimates. However, the arrival of the air-cushioned landing craft which allowed for over-the-horizon attacks made the class obsolete in the eyes of the United States Navy. Placed in reserve, twelve were eventually sold to foreign navies, while the remaining eight have since been decommissioned.

Design and description
The Newport class were designed under project SCB 247 to meet the goal put forward by the United States amphibious forces to have a tank landing ship (LST) capable of over 20 kn. However, the traditional bow door form for LSTs would not be capable of such speed. Therefore, the designers of the Newport class came up with a design of a traditional ship hull with a 112 ft aluminum ramp slung over the bow supported by two derrick arms. The 34 LT ramp was capable of sustaining loads up to 75 LT. This made the Newport class the first to depart from the standard LST design that had been developed in early World War II.

LSTs of the Newport class had a displacement of 4,793 LT when light and 8342 LT at full load. They were 522 ft long overall and 562 ft over the derrick arms which protruded past the bow. They had a beam of 69 ft, a draft forward of 11 ft and 17 ft at the stern at full load.

The first three ships of the class were fitted with six General Motors 16-645-ES diesel engines, while the remainder of the class were fitted with six ALCO 16-251 diesel engines turning two shafts, three to each shaft. The system was rated at 16500 bhp and gave the ships a maximum speed of 22 kn for short periods and could only sustain 20 kn for an extended length of time. The LSTs carried 1750 LT of diesel fuel for a range of 2500 nmi at the cruising speed of 14 kn. The ships were also equipped with a bow thruster to allow for better maneuvering near causeways and to hold position while offshore during the unloading of amphibious vehicles.

The Newport class were larger and faster than previous LSTs and were able to transport tanks, heavy vehicles and engineer groups and supplies that were too large for helicopters or smaller landing craft to carry. The LSTs have a ramp forward of the superstructure that connects the lower tank deck with the main deck and a passage large enough to allow access to the parking area amidships. The vessels are also equipped with a stern gate to allow the unloading of amphibious vehicles directly into the water or to unload onto a utility landing craft (LCU) or pier. At either end of the tank deck there is a 30 ft turntable that permits vehicles to turn around without having to reverse. The Newport class has the capacity for 500 LT of vehicles, 19000 ft2 of cargo area and could carry up to 431 troops. The vessels also have davits for four vehicle and personnel landing craft (LCVPs) and could carry four pontoon causeway sections along the sides of the hull.

The Newport class were initially armed with four Mark 33 3 in/50 caliber guns in two twin turrets. They were equipped with two Mk 63 gun control fire systems (GCFS) for the 3-inch guns, but these were removed in 1977–1978. They also had SPS-10 surface search radar. Atop the stern gate, the vessels mounted a helicopter deck. They had a maximum complement of 213 including 11 officers.

Construction and career
The first vessel of the class, Newport was ordered as part of Fiscal Year (FY) 1965. The next eight were authorized in FY 1966, followed by eleven in 1967. The first three LSTs were constructed by Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the remaining seventeen by National Steel and Shipbuilding of San Diego, California. Seven more were ordered in FY 1971, but these were later deferred, then canceled. Beginning in FY 1981, ships of the class were transferred to the Naval Reserve Force.

By 1994, the 3-inch guns had been removed as a weight saving measure. The 1987 introduction of Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCACs) — which allowed the United States Navy to launch over-the-horizon amphibious landings — made the Newport class obsolete, but they remained with the fleet for another decade because they were the only means by which the hundreds of thousands of gallons of motor vehicle fuel needed by a Marine Expeditionary Force could be landed. Only the development of tankers with the Offshore Petroleum Discharge System (OPDS) and the later development of special fuel bladders which gave the LCACs a tanker capability allowed for their retirement.

Australia

Two LSTs were acquired by the Royal Australian Navy in 1994; Sagainaw on 25 August and Fairfax County on 27 September. Renamed Kanimbla and Manoora, the two vessels underwent conversion in May 1995 at Forgacs Shipbuilding, Newcastle, New South Wales. The LSTs were significantly modified by removing their bow ramps and adding another deck over the bow of the ship, allowing for a third landing spot and increased aviation fuel capacity. Over the new deck two LCM-8 landing craft are carried when the third landing spot is not used, handled by a 70-ton crane. Improved medical facilities were constructed. A hangar was installed aft, allowing for the stowage of four Seahawk helicopters. Both ships were based at Sydney, Australia. The two vessels were taken out of service in 2011 and replaced by HMAS Choules and the Canberra-class landing helicopter docks.

Brazil
The Brazilian Navy leased one Newport-class LST from the United States on 26 August 1994. Cayuga was renamed Mattoso Maia and arrived in October. The vessel was acquired outright on 19 September 2000. Negotiations for a second vessel, Peoria, were unsuccessfully ended in 2001.

Chile
The Chilean Navy leased one vessel of the class from the US. A second was offered, but the ship's poor condition led to it being rejected. San Bernardino was leased on 30 September 1995 and renamed Valdivia. In 1997, the LST ran aground and was damaged. Valdivia was refloated and repaired. Due to the age of the vessel, Valdivia was taken out of service on 14 January 2011.

Malaysia
The Royal Malaysian Navy acquired one Newport-class LST from the United States on 16 December 1994. A second was to be leased in 1998, but the option was not taken up. Spartanburg County arrived in Malaysia in June 1995 and was renamed KD Sri Inderapura. The vessel was refit between 1995 and 1998 at Johore. On 15 December 2002, the ship was damaged by fire. On 8 October 2009, while berthed at the Lumut Naval Base, Sri Inderapura caught fire and sank. The vessel was later raised. Sri Inderapura was officially decommissioned by the Royal Malaysian Navy on 21 January 2010.

Mexico
Mexico acquired two ships from the United States. Newport was purchased on 18 January 2001 and renamed Sonora by the Mexican Navy, before becoming Rio Papaloapan. Frederick was purchased on 9 December 2002 and renamed Usumacinta. Rio Papaloapan is based at Tampico and Usumacinta at Manzanillo.

Morocco
The Royal Moroccan Navy acquired one ship from the United States as a grant transfer on 16 August 1994. Bristol County was renamed Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah upon entering Moroccan service. The LST was acquired to replace the aging MOROCCAN TRANSPORT Arrafiq. By late 1995, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah was considered non-operational but was later returned to service.

Spain
Two ships were leased by the Spanish Navy from the United States. The first, Barnstable County was recommissioned into the Spanish Navy on 26 August 1994 and renamed Hernán Cortés. The second, Harlan County, recommissioned on 14 April 1995 and was renamed Pizarro. Both ships were based at Rota, Spain. Hernán Cortés was initially to be decommissioned in 2006, but continued until 2009, when the vessel was taken out of service. The LST was scrapped at Arinaga, Gran Canaria, Spain in 2014. Pizarro was decommissioned in December 2012 and sold for scrap in February 2016 and was broken up in El Puerto de Santa Maria beginning in March.

Taiwan
Two ships were leased by the Republic of China Navy (ROCN) from the United States on 1 July 1995. Manitowoc and Sumter were taken to Newport News Shipbuilding and refitted before being recommissioned into the ROCN on 8 May 1997 and renamed Chung Ho and Chung Ping respectively. The two ships were purchased on 29 September 2000.

title: Newport-class tank landing ship


text: Talk:RhythmOne

title: Talk:RhythmOne


text:
Talk:Rootes Arrow

Title of this page within context of Rootes group pages
I've got to this page due to working on Sunbeam Alpine and Sunbeam Rapier pages. It was a surprise to see Sunbeam Rapier redirecting straight here since various other non-Hunter Rapiers were produced.

Also there were various facts missing - like 2-door models and 1500cc engines. Perhaps these weren't available in the country of origin of the original author? I've entered these details and expanded on the brand-positioning of the models in the UK and overseas.

Fundamentally, I think this page is really the "Rootes Arrow" page which I want to link to from the Sunbeam articles. Admittedly the Hunter is the "parent" vehicle, but since some of the other models (the Sunbeams and the Hillman Minx) have their own pages already, I strongly feel that the Hunter page should be reduced in scope and much of this content should be moved to the Arrow page. If nobody disagrees I propose to go ahead and do this in the future. Kierant 14:43, 12 October 2005 (UTC)

 * Whew, finally bit the bullet and did this. I've tried to track down the resultant double redirects, and have made notes in the Rapier and Alpine articles. They're actually the biggest remaining concern because the Rapier one in particular has quite a lot of engine info, and I didn't want to generate duplicates of data which could get out of synch. Hopefully the internal links I've put in will suffice to get the readers to all they may want. – Kieran T  (' talk ') 12:51, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

 * It all has a nice internal consistency, Kieran.  Needed doing.   Are you .. um .. planning to do something similar for the previous generation?   The Hillman Super Minx seems to have retained its own page, but the Singer Vogue and Humber Sceptre labels are currently redirecting to The Hunter based designs.   Which gives the impression that the names hadn't been used for their direct predecessors.   Sorry to carp and please resist the temptation to shoot the messenger, but having noticed, I felt constrained to ... share ....
 * Regards Charles01 (talk) 13:26, 13 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Of course, it's possible that it's all there already, but I've just been clicking the wrong links or entering the wrong names...)

 * Desperately needed for the Audax Minx and Super Minx, you're not wrong! I've actually been shocked to find the Singer Gazelle, Singer Vogue, and Humber Sceptre pre-Arrow models had practically been airbrushed out of history! There are more complications with the older cars because of the timing of corporate integration (relative to Rootes becoming a badge-engineering expert!) and also to be honest because the Sunbeam Rapier page is much more established. But I'll try to use Graham Robson's excellent "Cars of the Rootes Group" as a source to put together a general Audax (and Super Minx / Singer Vogue) article to give an overview of the range. Soon. My current excuse shall be that the book is several hundred miles away from where I am now! – Kieran T  (' talk ') 13:43, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Reversion explanation
http://www.rootes-chrysler.co.uk/ quotes the Humber Sceptre power as 79bhp, not 85bhp (c.f. 76bhp for the similarly engined Sunbeam Rapier).

Also the changes to the page talking about Iranian Peugeots will be much more appropriate on the Iranian manufacturer's entry (there is one, linked from this article.)

Finally, the mention of the Audax models isn't clearly worded, and anyway might be better on a Humber page. Also, see above for the idea that this should be named an Arrow article, when or if that happens, such historical data might fit better. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.229.66.163 (talk • contribs) 22:33, 26 October 2005

Photos
It's a bit sad (and surprising!) that there isn't a good photo of the front of a Hunter, which would probably be better as the lead photo for the whole range than the current rear-view that we have.

I've got some of our old GLS but to be honest they're sort of family heirlooms so I don't want to license them appropriately to use here. Anybody feeling more generous!? ;-) – Kieran T  (' talk ') 13:50, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Hillman GT
Was the Hillman GT an Imp or an Arrow? According to the Hillman Imp page say the Hillman GT was based on the Imp, this page says it was an Arrow. --Falcadore (talk) 01:33, 1 April 2021 (UTC)

 * Seems to be a regional variation. In the "home" market of the UK, the Hillman GT was very definitely an Arrow. The Imp article refers to the Hillman GT as an Australian variant of the Imp, built from CKD kits based on either (the article mentions both) the Sunbeam Imp Sport or the Singer Chamois Sport. – Kieran T  (' talk ') 09:54, 16 April 2021 (UTC)

title: Talk:Rootes Arrow


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Marcvs2

 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or on a Votes for Undeletion nomination).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result of the debate was speedy del: vandalism page move. mikka (t) 22:47, 12 October 2005 (UTC)

User talk:Marcvs2
Delete. This page was created by a user going by the name Guillermo en las ruedas, probably a sockpuppet of Willy on Wheels. It was an unexplained move from my talk page to that one. Marcus2 14:39, 12 Oct 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Could this be speedied under CSD:G3 vandalism, since it was originally just a wholesale copy of Marcus2's userpage? (Just askin'.) PacknCanes 16:57, 12 October 2005 (UTC)
 * Speedy, vandalism. the wub  "?!"  19:44, 12 October 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.

title: Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Marcvs2


text:
Ivy and the Big Apples

Ivy and the Big Apples is the third studio album by Australian rock band Spiderbait. It became a double platinum-selling record that reached the top 10 of the albums chart in Australia and won the 1997 ARIA Award for Best Alternative Release. It features the single "Buy Me a Pony", which was voted in at number one on the Triple J Hottest 100, 1996. The third single "Calypso" peaked at number 13 on the Australian singles chart and was notably featured in the movie 10 Things I Hate About You, despite not being included on the soundtrack. Speaking to Double J in 2016, English explained that the group's success was as surprising as it was improbable. In an interview with Rolling Stone Australia, English remarked, "We were a pretty unlikely hit band," and "[We had] two singers and this genre spread where people couldn't quite pin down what we were doing."

Recording
The album was both recorded at Studios 301 in Sydney and Rockinghorse Studios in Byron Bay. The album's title was named after a lady named Ivy who lived in Finley, New South Wales and sold big apples. Tracks 1 to 6 and 12 to 16 were recorded at Studio 301 in Sydney by Phil McKellar, assisted by Aaron Pratley and produced by Phil and Spiderbait. At Studio 301 the Neve desk and many of the old microphones remained from the studios origins. The room itself was big and beautifully designed. Thus the sounds had more presence and clarity than in previous recordings. A good example of this is the track "Goin Off" where Janet's vocals were done with an old German AKG mike that dated back to the 1950s. Kram's drum sounds and Whit's guitar in "Chest Hair" and "Driving Up the Ceiling" not only reflects the warm ambience of the room but also illustrates how the studio's equipment and Phil's production improved the overall sound of the record. Tracks 7 to 11 tell a different story.

Recorded at Rockinghorse Studios in Byron Bay by Paul McKercher and produced by Paul and Spiderbait. The band wanted to provide the record with more dynamics. A rawer more abrasive sound was achieved from Rockinghorse Studios. Paul's production on "Don't Kill Nipper" and "Conjunctivitis" show the trashy side of the band. Also, from these sessions came Whit's looped-based tracks "Horschack Army" and "Joyce's Hut". In between the recordings, the band embarked on their first overseas tour through Canada and the U.S.

Legacy
Ivy was definitely a turning point for the group. Ivy and the Big Apples became Spiderbait's most successful album, selling almost 250,000 copies. The album's first single Buy Me a Pony was voted Triple J's Hottest 100 and received over 300,000 votes in December 1996. It was the first ever Australian release to be voted #1 song of the year. The album peaked at #2 on the national charts, and the third single Calypso became the band's largest seller, going gold in 1997.

The record also won Spiderbait's first ARIA award in October 1997 for Best Alternative Release. Radio airplay became more prominent than ever before, even commercial rock stations like Triple M picked up on the singles.

In 2021, Rolling Stone Australia called the album the 72nd greatest Australian album on their 200 Greatest Australian Albums list. In 2016, the band announced the first vinyl issue of the album, along with this, they announced a national tour celebrating 20 years of Ivy & The Big Apples. In 2021, in celebration of the album's 25th anniversary, the album was reissued on red vinyl.

title: Ivy and the Big Apples