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Duress in English law

Duress in English law is a complete common law defence, operating in favour of those who commit crimes because they are forced or compelled to do so by the circumstances, or the threats of another. The doctrine arises not only in criminal law but also in civil law, where it is relevant to contract law and trusts law.

Contract law
Duress involves illegitimate threats. The common law long allowed a claim if duress was of a physical nature. So long as a threat is just one of the reasons a person enters an agreement, even if not the main reason, the agreement may be avoided. In Barton v Armstrong Mr Armstrong tried to "strong-arm" Mr Barton into paying him a large golden parachute to exit a business by getting his goons to make death threats to Barton's family. Even though Barton was tough, and would have probably done the payout regardless, he could avoid the agreement.

Only late in the 20th century was escape allowed if the threat involved illegitimate economic harm. A threat is always "illegitimate" if it is to do an unlawful act, such as breaking a contract knowing non-payment may push someone out of business. However, threatening to do a lawful act will usually not be illegitimate. In Pao On v Lau Yiu Long the Pao family threatened to not complete a share swap deal aimed at purchasing their company's building unless the Lau family agreed to change a guarantee agreement assuring the Paos would receive the rise in the swapped shares' prices when repurchased. The Privy Council advised that the Laus signing the guarantee agreement after the threat of non-completion of the main agreement was only a result of "commercial pressure", not economic duress. Just by observing the Laus' behaviour, and consideration of the situation before signing, there was no coercion amounting to a vitiation of consent. However, contrasting to cases involving business parties, the threat to do a lawful act will probably be duress if used against a vulnerable person.

An obvious case involving "lawful act duress" is blackmail. The blackmailer does not have to defend the lawful act they threaten (for example, revealing a secret), but they must defend the demand of money from a person highly vulnerable to them.

Criminal law
This is an exception to the general principle of criminal law that those who choose to break the law are held responsible for the crimes that they commit. The rationale of the exception is that the choice is not wholly voluntary. The Law Commission (1977 at paras 2.44–2.46) recognised the logic that, if the defence was going to be allowed at all, it should be applied to all offences. But this recommendation has not been adopted because it is felt that, in the case of the most serious crimes such as murder, no threat to the defendant, however extreme, should excuse commission of the crime (Elliott; 1989). The defence is also open to abuse. Smith (1994 at p584) commented:

... duress is a unique defence in that it is so much more likely than any other to depend on assertions which are peculiarly difficult for the prosecution to investigate or subsequently to disprove.

This approach has been adopted by the judiciary, most notably by the House of Lords in R v H [2004] 2 WLR 335:

Defences that the accused has been set up and allegations of duress, which used to at one time to be rare, have multiplied. We wish to alert judges to the need to scrutinise applications for disclosure of details about informants with very great care.

The prosecution's difficulty was at one time the greater when the issue of duress had not been raised by the defence until the trial was under way. To counter these problems, the Law Commission (1993 at paras 33–34) recommended that the burden of proof be shifted to the defendant to establish duress on the balance of probabilities. Since then there has been no specific enactment relating to duress but Section 5 of the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996, c.25, provides that the defence must serve on the Court and the prosecution the nature of the accused's defence in general terms, and the matters in issue. This would seem to apply to the defence of duress, and in R v Tyrell and others 2004 EWCA Crim 3279, there had been a specific, although late, reliance upon the defence.

A rigorous analysis of the doctrine of duress is difficult because it is invariably reliant upon the particular facts in a given case, and there is usually an overlap between duress and the defence of necessity. See, for example, comments by Lord Woolf CJ in R v Shayler at Para. 42.

History and reasoning
Duress as a defence has existed for many centuries and originates in common law—its extension to cover duress by circumstances did not occur until the 1990s, specifically the case of R v Pommell.

The defence of duress (by threat), according to Lord Bingham in R v Hasan, "excuses what would otherwise be criminal conduct" rather than justifies it. Bingham draws a distinction here with self-defence regarding between the moral status of the victim: in a case of self-defence, the victim has themselves made an aggressive or criminal act towards the defendant. In a duress case, there is no such relationship of prior aggression. Bingham notes at paragraph 19:

"The victim of a crime committed under duress may be assumed to be morally innocent, having shown no hostility or aggression towards the defendant."

The threat
The law limits the nature of the threat that has to be placed on a person for them to qualify as being under duress. The threat must be one of death or serious personal injury, either to the defendant or to his immediate family or someone close to him. In R v Singh, the Court of Appeal held that a threat to expose the defendant's adultery would not be sufficient threat to overbear the will of an ordinary person.

The defendant must have a reasonable and genuinely held fear of death or serious harm, usually in the form of specific threats directed at the defendant, his immediate family or someone for whom he feels responsible. In R v Graham, the threat was immediately and directly made to the defendant. In the Australian case of R v Hurley & Murray escaped criminals compelled H to dispose of two corpses by holding his wife hostage, such that the threats to her "would have been operative during the entire period of his absence" and "his only concern must have been for the safety of the woman".

Following R v Conway and R v Wright, (where the threat related in part to the defendant's boyfriend) the specimen direction of the Judicial Studies Board suggests that the threat must be directed, if not to the defendant or a member of his immediate family, to a person for whose safety the defendant would reasonably regard himself as responsible which, if strictly applied, would be consistent with the rationale of the duress exception.

Causal link
As seen in R v Cole 1994 Crim. LR 582, there must be a direct causal link between these threats and the defendant's decision to break the law. Thus, the defendant's normal inhibitions must be overwhelmed by their belief in the efficacy of the threat. Following R v Safi (2003) it is held that the defendant need only prove he reasonably and genuinely believed there was a threat, i.e. the test is both subjective and objective in that the defendant's will must actually have been overwhelmed by the threat, and a reasonable person of average courage may also have felt compelled to act the same way under direction.

Immediacy
The circumstances in which the threats were made must also have offered no reasonable opportunity for evasive action. But, taken together, the questions of causation and immediacy have created a weakness in the limitations placed on the defence. In R v Hudson and Taylor 1971 2 QB 202, two young women who had witnessed a serious assault were intimidated and refused to identify the attacker in court. They were charged with perjury but allowed a conditional discharge. The court was prepared to allow leniency because these women lived in a community where physical retaliation for co-operating with the police was routine, and they had no reasonable means, given their age, experience, and lack of physical strength, of avoiding the implementation of the threat. This weakened the requirement that the threat's implementation must be so imminent that the defendant had to decide in that moment whether to break the law, and it has given rise to cases such as R v Cole 1994 Crim. LR 582 in which a man robbed several building societies to avoid the threats of a debt collector. Simon Brown LJ. at p583 held that the peril relied on to support the plea of necessity lacked imminence, and the degree of directness and immediacy required of a sufficient nexus between the suggested peril and the offence charged. The one making the threats had not nominated the crimes to be committed by the defendant. He had simply indicated that he wanted the defendant to repay the debt which would not necessarily involve the commission of an offence.

The characteristics of the reasonable person
In R v Bowen [1996] 2 Cr. App. R. 157, the Court of Appeal held person with a low IQ, short of mental impairment or mental defectiveness, was not necessarily less courageous or less able to withstand threats and pressure than an ordinary person. The relevant test (laid down in R v Graham 1982 1 AER 801) had two elements:

1. Was the defendant impelled to act as he did because he feared death or serious physical injury?

2. If so, did he respond as a sober person of reasonable firmness sharing the characteristics of the defendant would have done?

Stuart-Smith LJ gave comprehensive guidance as to which characteristics might be relevant in the jury's consideration: age, sex, physical disability or recognised mental illness might limit a person's ability to act in self-defence, but the fact that the defendant was more vulnerable, timid or susceptible to threats than a normal person were not characteristics of the reasonable person. Also excluded would be self-induced incapacity due to drunkenness or drug-taking (R v Flatt 1996 Crim LR 576).

Duress by circumstances
There have been an increasing number of cases pleading duress arising from the general pressure of circumstances, whether arising directly from human action or not. To that extent, this subset of duress seeks to borrow some of the language of necessity. In R v Conway (1988) 3 AER 1025, the Court of Appeal dealt with a charge of reckless driving where the defendant had fled from police officers. His passenger had recently been attacked by a man with a shotgun, and screamed at the defendant to "drive off" when he saw the plain-clothed officers running toward the car. The court held that to establish "duress of circumstances", it was necessary for him to drive as he did believing it necessary to avoid death or serious bodily injury to himself or another person. As evidence, the accused must be able to point to an "objective danger" or at least satisfy the requirement of reasonable belief. As a gloss, Woolf LJ. noted that

"Whether 'duress of circumstances' is called 'duress' or 'necessity' does not matter. What is important is that, whatever it is called, it is subject to the same limitations as the 'do this or else' species of duress."

In R v Martin (1989) 1 AER 652 the defendant who drove while disqualified claimed that it was necessary for him to drive his son to work, because he feared that his mentally ill wife might commit suicide if her son did not arrive at work on time. Simon Brown J. defined the defence as pressure on the accused's will arising either from the wrongful threats or violence of another, or from other objective dangers threatening the accused or others. The requirements were that

1. "from an objective standpoint, the accused can be said to be acting reasonably and proportionately in order to avoid a threat of death or serious injury";

2. a jury should determine whether the accused was "impelled to act as he did because of a result of what he reasonably believed to be the situation, he had good cause to fear ... death or serious physical injury"; and

3. a jury should also determine whether "a sober person of reasonable firmness, sharing the characteristics of the accused, [would] have responded to that situation" in the same manner.

Thus, in DPP v Bell (1992) Crim LR 176 the accused successfully pleaded duress of circumstances to driving with excess alcohol because, following an incident in a pub which caused him to fear for his physical safety, he escaped in his car, only driving a short distance to safety and then abandoning the criminal activity as soon as reasonably possible. While in R v Baker and Wilkins (1997) Crim LR 497 (CA) a child's mother and another broke down the door to the father's house to recover the child from his possession. The action was being taken to defend the child so three defences were raised:
 * s5(2)(b) Criminal Damage Act 1971 which allows a reasonable excuse as a defence to the damage of property. It was held that a child is not property capable of being defended for the purposes of the section.
 * self-defence which includes the defence of others both inherently and through the use of reasonable force to prevent the commission of a crime under s3 Criminal Law Act 1967.
 * duress of circumstances. The court held that duress did not include threats or the fear of long-term psychological injury even though that might be serious psychological injury. Since there were other lawful remedies other than immediate self-help, duress was denied.

The danger must be such that the accused cannot reasonably, taking into account any of their relevant characteristics, be expected to act otherwise. In R v Pommell (1995) 2 Cr. App. R. 607 the defendant was charged with possession of an illegal firearm, a sub-machine gun, which he claimed to have taken from another person in order to prevent that other from using it and to hand it to the police. There was some doubt as to how long the weapon had been in his possession, which resulted in his conviction because the jury decided that he had not acted as soon as was reasonable in the circumstances. R v Abdul Hussain and others (1999) Crim LR 570 considered the requirement that the threat be imminent and operative even though its execution is not immediate. The defendants hijacked a plane in order to escape death at the hands of the Iraqi authorities. The court held that the defence was available as long as the crime was a reasonable and proportionate response to an imminent peril of death or serious injury. The threat need not be immediate, only imminent.

Gang membership
The most recent cases have involved situations where the defendant

1. failed to escape from the threats when they could have done so, and/or

2. put themself in a position in which they were likely to be subjected to threats.

In R v Hasan [2005] UKHL 22 the defendant was the driver for a group that organised prostitution and had connections with a second organisation of violent drug dealers. He was charged with burglary in circumstances where he and his family had been threatened, and he had been accompanied to the scene of the crime by an armed man. In the earlier case of R v Fitzpatrick (1977) NI 20, involving the IRA, Lowry LCJ, said at p 33:

"A person may become associated with a sinister group of men with criminal objectives and coercive methods of ensuring that their lawless enterprises are carried out and thereby voluntarily expose himself to illegal compulsion, whether or not the group is or becomes a proscribed organisation ... if a person voluntarily exposes and submits himself, as the appellant did, to illegal compulsion, he cannot rely on the duress to which he has voluntarily exposed himself as an excuse either in respect of the crimes he commits against his will or in respect of his continued but unwilling association with those capable of exercising upon him the duress which he calls in aid."

In cases involving less serious criminality, R v Sharp (1987) QB 853 involved a gang of robbers, while R v Shepherd (1987) 86 Cr. App R 47 involved a group of shoplifters, the court held:

"... but in my judgment the defence of duress is not available to an accused who voluntarily exposes and submits himself to illegal compulsion. It is not merely a matter of joining in a criminal enterprise; it is a matter of joining in a criminal enterprise of such a nature that the defendant appreciated the nature of the enterprise itself and the attitudes of those in charge of it, so that when he was in fact subjected to compulsion he could fairly be said by a jury to have voluntarily exposed himself and submitted himself to such compulsion."

Thus, if the defendant knows what the group does and that some violent people are involved, they cannot rely on the violence threatened as duress. But in R v Baker and Ward (1999) 2 Cr. App. R. 335 this was slightly modified at p344: "What a defendant has to be aware of is the risk that the group might try to coerce him into committing criminal offences of the type for which he is being tried by the use of violence or threats of violence." (On whether this is a subjective or objective test, see Ashworth: 2003.) The Lords in Hasan clearly stated at para 37:

"Nothing should turn on foresight of the manner in which, in the event, the dominant party chooses to exploit the defendant's subservience. There need not be foresight of coercion to commit crimes, although it is not easy to envisage circumstances in which a party might be coerced to act lawfully. In holding that there must be foresight of coercion to commit crimes of the kind with which the defendant is charged, R v Baker and Ward mis-stated the law."

Exceptions
Duress is no defence to murder, attempted murder, or, seemingly, treason involving the death of the sovereign. In general, courts do not accept a defence of duress when harm done by the defendant is greater than the court's perception of the harm threatened. This is a test of proportionality. In Howe (1987) AC 417 the court held that the jury should consider:

 * 1) Whether the defendant acted as he did because he honestly believed that his life was in immediate danger (a subjective test)
 * 2) Would a reasonable person of ordinary courage sharing the defendant's characteristics have responded in the same way to the threats? (an objective test)

Howe was a member of a gang that tortured and strangled a man. On a second occasion, Howe strangled the victim. He claimed to have acted out of fear for one Murray who, through threatened and actual violence, had gained control of the group. Previously, in Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland v Lynch (1975) AC 653, the Lords had held by a majority that duress was available to an accomplice. On this occasion, the Lords held that one of the relevant public policies underpinning the criminal law must be to protect innocent lives and to set a standard of behaviour which ordinary people are expected to observe if they are to avoid criminal responsibility. In cases where the choice is between the threat of death or serious injury and deliberately taking an innocent life, a reasonable person might reflect that one innocent human life is at least as valuable as their own or that of their loved one. In such a case a person cannot claim that they are choosing the lesser of two evils. Rather they are adopting the understandable but morally dubious principle that the end justifies the means. Similarly, R v Gotts (1992) 2 AC 412 held that duress is not a defence to attempted murder.

Mental health
The courts have held that the duress must come from an extraneous source, rather than internal thought processes. The case of R v Rodger & Rose [1998] 1 Cr App R 143 involved two prison inmates who had escaped. They sought to utilise the defence of duress of circumstances on the grounds that they were compelled to escape after becoming depressed whilst in prison, and fearing that unless they escaped they would become suicidal. The court decided that as a matter of public policy, the source of the duress must be from an external source and not from the internal thought processes associated with mental illness.

This decision may well have been reached to prevent such an absurdity from passing into law however as in Shayler [2002] 2 WLR 754 (House of Lords); Lord Woolf remarked in obiter that the defence should be extended to include acts designed to protect a person's mental, as well as physical health, from serious injury.

title: Duress in English law


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Talk:Beagle Aircraft Company

The company was Beagle Aircraft Limited not the Beagle Aircraft Company - I have updated the Beagle Aircraft page and suggest that this page is re-directed to it MilborneOne 22:38, 20 March 2006 (UTC)

source: wikimedia

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

title: Talk:Beagle Aircraft Company


text:
Talk:Chrysander Botha

External links modified
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title: Talk:Chrysander Botha


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VUHL

VUHL is a manufacturer of high performance automobiles, headquartered in Mexico. The company was founded by brothers Guillermo and Iker Echeverria.

Products
The company's only product to date is the VUHL 05, a road-legal lightweight supercar. The cars can be purchased in the U.K. through the dealer Bespoke Performance.

According to the company's website, VUHL stands for "Vehicles of Ultra-Lightweight and High Performance".

title: VUHL


text:
Cookbook:Fudge

Fudge is a type of confection. It is traditionally made by heating a mixture of sugar, butter, and milk to the soft ball stage, before beating the mixture as it cools. This beating encourages the formation of specific crystals that give it a smooth and creamy texture. Sometimes the term "fudge" is used to describe a ganache-like confection made with chocolate and sweetened condensed milk, though this is not technically a true fudge.

Traditional Fudges

 * Chocolate Fudge
 * Vanilla Fudge
 * Peanut Butter Fudge
 * Choc-Orange Fudge

Easy Fudges

 * Red Cross Fudge

title: Cookbook:Fudge


text:
Close Up the Honky Tonks

Close Up the Honky-Tonks is a compilation double-LP by country rock band The Flying Burrito Brothers, which was released in 1974. By this time, the Flying Burrito Brothers no longer existed, having been dissolved by Rick Roberts in 1973.

This compilation was released after Gram Parsons' death in 1973, presumably to capitalize on posthumous interest in Parsons' music, though the compilation does include cuts from the Chris Hillman-led post-Parsons era as well (on Side Four). This compilation still holds relevance into modern times as some of these songs have yet to be released anywhere else.

Side One
(all tracks from The Gilded Palace of Sin; also available on Hot Burritos! The Flying Burrito Bros Anthology 1969-1972)
 * 1) "Hot Burrito #2"
 * 2) "Do Right Woman"
 * 3) "Wheels"
 * 4) "Sin City"
 * 5) "Christine's Tune"
 * 6) "Hot Burrito #1"

Side Two
(tracks 1-5 from Burrito Deluxe, track 6 from non-LP single; also available on Hot Burritos! The Flying Burrito Bros Anthology 1969-1972)
 * 1) "God's Own Singer"
 * 2) "If You Gotta Go"
 * 3) "High Fashion Queen"
 * 4) "Cody, Cody"
 * 5) "Wild Horses"
 * 6) "The Train Song"

Side Three
(tracks 1-5 from Honky Tonk Heaven, Parsons-era tracks; 1, 2, 4 & 5 also available on Hot Burritos! The Flying Burrito Bros Anthology 1969-1972)
 * 1) "Close Up the Honky-Tonks"
 * 2) "Sing Me Back Home"
 * 3) "Bony Moronie"
 * 4) "To Love Somebody"
 * 5) "Break My Mind"

Side Four
(tracks 1-6: unreleased post-Parsons-era tracks)
 * 1) "Beat the Heat"
 * 2) "Did You See"
 * 3) "Here Tonight"
 * 4) "Money Honey"
 * 5) "Roll Over Beethoven"
 * 6) "Wake Up Little Susie"

title: Close Up the Honky Tonks


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User:KATW Flyer/sandbox

Appleton International Airport, formerly Outagamie County Regional Airport, is an airport located in Outagamie County, Wisconsin, United States, just west of Appleton in the town of Greenville. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a non-hub primary commercial service facility. It is the fourth-busiest commercial airport in Wisconsin in terms of passengers served. In 2016 the airport contributed $676 million dollars to the Northeastrn Wisconsin economy.

It is the main base of privately owned regional airline Air Wisconsin and was the original home of Midwest Airlines. Midwest Airlines grew out of Kimberly-Clark subsidiary K-C Aviation, which was sold in 1998 to Gulfstream Aerospace, which retains a major facility at the airport, focusing on maintenance and interior completions.

The airport attracts people heading back and forth between the EAA's AirVenture, Air Academy and other programs in nearby Oshkosh. Starting in 2017, the airport began to offer camping for AirVenture. Appleton International is also used for people heading to events at Lambeau Field in nearby Green Bay, most popularly Green Bay Packers games. The airport often offers flights to Northeastern Wisconsin during Packer game weekends at a cheaper fare than Green Bay-Austin Straubel International Airport, the main airport for Green Bay.

History
The airport opened with the 5200 ft runway 12/30 around 1965.

In 1933, Appleton's airport was George A. Whiting Field, three miles (5 km) south of town; by 1936 the municipal airport had opened northeast of town on the south side of US 41, southeast of the intersection (44.2874°N, -88.3749°W). At its closing, it had a 3750 ft paved runway; North Central DC-3s landed there after 1958–59.

Renaming
The Outagamie County Board rejected a proposal in 1983 to change the name to "Fox Cities Metro Airport," and three more name change efforts failed between 2003 and 2011.

In February 2014, the county board voted to rename the airport "Appleton International Airport." The new name was officially implemented in 2015 on August 21, during the golden anniversary celebration of the airport.

Facilities
The airport covers 1638 acre at an elevation of 918 ft above sea level. It has 2 concrete runways:
 * Runway 3/21: 8,002 x 150 ft (2,439 x 46 m.), Surface: Concrete, ILS/DME equipped, with approved GPS and VOR/DME approaches.
 * Runway 12/30: 6,501 x 150 ft (1,982 x 46 m.), Surface: Concrete, ILS/DME equipped, with approved GPS approaches.

In 2015, the airport had 33,679 aircraft operations, an average of 92 per day: 63% general aviation, 23% air taxi, 13% commercial airline and 1% military. In September 2017, there were 71 aircraft based at this airport: 50 single-engine, 17 multi-engine and 4 jet.

Terminal
The airport added a new ground level seven-gate concourse in 2000 and renovated the existing passenger terminal, which was designed by architect Paul W. Powers. The architectural theme was representative of the river flowing through the historic paper manufacturing region.

The terminal was built in 1974, with expansions in 1983, 1990, and 1998. The terminal underwent its most extensive renovation and expansion to date in 2001. The new 30,000 sqft gate area included more spacious seating areas with natural lighting, in floor heating, new passenger paging system, and five aircraft boarding bridges; a 6th bridge for larger planes was added later. It cost $10.7 million and was designed by Mead & Hunt, Inc.

The terminal has 7 gates; numbered 2-8; the layout can best be explained by looking at the Terminal map

The global headquarters for Air Wisconsin are located on the second floor of the terminal.

Renovation projects
On 22 June 2016, the airport broke ground on a new car rental facility to house the 5 car rental companies serving the airport. The new facility officially opened in January 2017.

In 2018, work will begin in the terminal with the addition of a third baggage claim belt, meeting rooms, a brand new restaurant with airfield views, and remodeled security area.

Energy efficiency
In response to Earth Day, airport administration announced a project to build one or two solar carports (covered parking structure with solar panels on the roof) in the short-term parking lot. This would be an addition to the solar panels installed on the roof of the terminal building. The airport is one of ten nationwide airports in an FAA sustainability project with a goal to make the airport 70% more energy efficient than in 2010.

International Operations
As suggested by the name, the airport is an international port of entry. In 2016, the airport processed 58 international flights, 17 under the original goal. Of the 58 flights, 57% were Appleton-based planes and 43% planes from elsewhere.

On April 27, 2016, the airport unveiled a brand new U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility. The facility is capable of processing planes of 20 or fewer people as well as cargo planes. About 75-100 aircraft are expected to use the facility in the first year with the number gradually climbing in future years. The airport currently does not have scheduled international airline service.

Aircraft Usage

 * Allegiant Air uses MD-80 family and A319/A320 aircraft.
 * American Eagle uses the Embraer ERJ 145 aircraft.
 * Delta Air Lines uses Boeing 717 and A319/A320 aircraft.
 * Delta Connection uses Bombardier CRJ200, CRJ700 and CRJ900 aircraft.
 * United Express uses Bombardier CRJ200, Embraer ERJ 135/145, and Embraer E170/175 aircraft.

Cargo operations
FedEx Express uses A300-600F aircraft; FedEx Feeder uses a variety of aircraft.

Old Glory Honor Flights
ATW holds the Old Glory Honor Flights for the Northeast Wisconsin area. The Old Glory Honor Flights have been bringing veterans from World War II and the Korean war to see their memorials in Washington. The airport has hosted many community events to raise money for these flights including a plane pull event in September 2017.

NFL use
The airport is the official airport used for visiting teams playing the Green Bay Packers. The teams then stay in nearby downtown Appleton at the Paper Valley Hotel.

Wings for Autism
The airport along with Allegiant Air hosts a bi-annual event called "Wings for Autism". The event allows children with a disability on the Autism spectrum along with their parents to go through a rehearsal flight in which they practice checking in for their flight, going through airport security, flight boarding, and collecting checked baggage. The event is sponsored by many local organizations and companies. It is one of the largest versions of the event held nationally.

Every year in April the airport celebrates autism awareness month by lighting up the terminal blue.

Civil Air Patrol
The airport is home to the Fox Cities Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol which houses a fleet of Cessna 182's at the airport.

Incidents and accidents

 * On 1972-06-29, Air Wisconsin Flight 671, a DHC-6 Twin Otter, collided over Lake Winnebago with North Central Airlines Flight 290 while on approach to the airport; both planes crashed into the lake and sank resulting in 13 fatalities.
 * On 2016-12-23, a chartered Delta Airlines Airbus A330 (N802NW) carrying the Minnesota Vikings slid off a taxiway after landing stranding the team on board for four hours before they were rescused using fire ladders.

title: User:KATW Flyer/sandbox


text:
User:Saidkassem~enwikiversity

Hello. I am a Master's degree student in the department of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

As a researcher of 'the Wiki', I am most interested in how it may impact discursive regimesof knowledge production around the planet, in or outside of academia. You may find an introductory chapter-in-progress to my Master's thesis on, of all places, my Myspace profile. I am currently residing in New York City where I collaborate with two Computer Science Ph.D students at Columbia University. We are devising ways for computers to visualize and read discursive patterns (such as discursive coherence and dissonance).

In 2007, I also plan on spending more time with the "Collaboratively Building Concepts" Wikiversity learning project I've started.

saidkassem at gmail dot com

title: User:Saidkassem~enwikiversity


text:
BASIC Programming/Beginning BASIC/Your First Program

Introduction
Many texts written about programming languages show you a sample program at the beginning of the lesson to help get your feet wet. That is, to become familiar with the syntax and layout of that language. This book is no exception. This sample program will display the text "Hello, world!" to your screen.

Program Examples
Example One (FreeBASIC)

.

Explanation

 * 1) CLS stands for 'Clear Screen' and erases everything in the Command Prompt.
 * 2) PRINT displays everything in between the quotations.
 * 3) INPUT gives input and tell what to do.
 * 4) END marks the end of the program (explained later in functions.)


text:
User:Has00031

3rd year journalism/sport studies student. did absolute wonders to be at this class since I have tonsillitis just now! Sheffield United are the best team in the world even if we are stuck mid-table in league one, we will come right however and another visit to Wembley for the play-off final in May is on the horizon!

title: User:Has00031


text:
Wikiversity talk:Consensus/Archive 1

consensus

 * It may be useful to give here only the wikiversity definition of consensus, which is often somewhat vague, and discuss the policy on consensus elsewhere. Recently in zh:wp I got into an argument over what consensus is.  As I understand it, consensus is "after thorough discussion, what is the community thinking", and any super-majority in the poll is only an indicator of the consensus, and not the consensus itself.  The operational details in a policy page may confuse editors in this simple point.  -- Hillgentleman|Talk 14:28, 10 May 2007 (UTC)

The page seems to be the natural place for the development of a Wikiversity Consensus Policy; and it has come to be clear to this participant that Wikiversity needs to develop such a policy; so, in the absence of strong contrary opinion being expressed, he will run the risk of "an argument over what consensus is" also taking place here. His view is that the Wikipedia Article on Consensus Decision Making could provide us with some guidance; so he has already added an etymology section to the page from there and made some other edits based on the Wikipedia Consensus Policy; and, in the absence of strong contrary opinion being hereinafter expressed, he will continue to edit the page and, eventually, when the page begins to look like a policy, will add the "Proposed policy" template to the page. Perhaps those interested will work together to develop a Wikiversity Consensus policy reflecting our shared understanding of Consensus. -- Dionysios  (talk), a Participant in the Wikiversity School of Advanced General Studies, Date: 2007-09-14 (September 14, 2007) Time:  1829 UTC

 * Consensus implies debate, and debate can sometimes be argumentative. :-) The point, I think, is to make that debate/argument/conflict productive - so it's less about "risking" argument, than facilitating the ongoing expression of ideas, thoughts, and feelings, in order to come to shared understandings, and construct a foundation and framework for further activity. Cormaggio talk 17:17, 15 September 2007 (UTC)

 * Agreed; and thank you for the excellent link. You have made a fine contribution to the conversation. --  D  (talk), 2007-09-16 (September 16, 2007) Time:  1928 UTC

when?
What kind of consensus do we need? What are we debating? Kind of hard to work "in theory" without knowning where this is going to be applied.--Rayc 22:42, 16 September 2007 (UTC)
 * I agree that it would be useful to make a list of situations in which the Wikiversity community has found it useful to attempt to measure consensus. Specific examples are useful. Towards starting such a list:

 * decisions about selecting "functionaries" such as custodians are made by a process that involves community discussion and consensus.
 * Policies are proposed and adopted by a process that involves community discussion and consensus.
 * The proposed deletion policy calls for decisions based on consensus.
 * The Motto contest.--JWSchmidt 23:38, 16 September 2007 (UTC)
 * Pulling class notes or a panel discussion together into an NPOV summary or chapter in a text a class is creating might call for consensus. Mirwin 06:33, 17 September 2007 (UTC)
 * A difficult quantum mechanics problem might call for agreement on the likelilest or most correct answer while documenting two or three other possibilities for further research as unlikely but possibly correct pending access to further specific expertise that can authoritatively state a "correct" answer or interpretation. Mirwin 06:33, 17 September 2007 (UTC)

inclusiveness
I propose that "As many stakeholders as possible should be involved in the consensus decision-making process." be changed to "all voices be heard". For wiki is not a democracy, voice is a more accurate unit of opinion. And "all" means all. Wikiversiters with opposing opinions must have listened to each other before a consensus appears. Hillgentleman|Talk 18:26, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

The definition of "consensus" and the organization of the page
I propose that the page opens with the defintion.

It is not appropriate to start this policy page with a wikipedia definition of consensus - that would mean, in principle, that the policy is unstable.Hillgentleman|Talk 18:26, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

 * Your servant agrees that in order to keep the Policy stable, the definition of consensus will need to be incorporated into the Consensus page; and your servant suggests that the following be that definition:
 * Consensus is a specific method of decision making at Wikiversity; in those situations in which Consensus is needed, the consent by all parties is required.
 * (s) Dionysios  (talk), 2007-09-21 (September 21, 2007) Time:  2038 UTC

 * I disagree strongly that "the consent by all parties is required." Perhaps there should be no "consensus policy" at Wikiversity.  It is easy enough for disagreeing parties to retire to different pages or schools and encounter each other only at formalized discussions or debates considering opposing views.   The importance of "consensus" at Wikipedia arose from the community's desire that there be no redundant or multiple treatment of the same material in the Encyclopedia articles.  It was felt that forcing people to cooperate on building NPOV material for each article was a better way to concisely introduce/produce information for the anticipated readership.   It is not clear to me that this approach is best or appropriate for a learning institution where the goal is participation in learning processes rather than publishing a consolidated summary of human knowledge.  Certainly writing policy such that a single anonymous voice can deadlock any process is asking for a non functional community.  Mirwin 15:44, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

 * Greetings Mirwin and thank you for your comment on the proposed definition of "consensus" by your servant, disagreeing strongly that "the consent by all parties is required." In proposing such a definition for "those situations in which Consensus is needed", your servant does not mean to send disagreeing parties off to different pages or schools to then encounter each other only at formalized discussions and debates to consider opposing views; but, instead, your servant hopes to propose a procedure for those limited circumstances in which Consensus needs to be obtained to resolve difficulties.  When your servant comes in contact with those with whom he disagrees, he is inclined to seek to become closer to them, not more distant; and he knows that disagreement can often be a prelude to growth and understanding.  In his humble opinion, there is most certainly a need to define "consensus" at Wikiversity and to establish a Wikiversity Consensus Policy.  It is true that your servant has good and sufficient reason to believe that Wikiversity Community does experience and will tend to experience differences of opinion about the appropriateness of maintaining certain pages at all at Wikiversity; and it is true that your servant knows that seemingly redundant or multiple treatments of similar material often is and may very well always be appropriate at Wikiversity.  As subscribers to the proposed Policy on Scholarly Ethics, you, as one, and your servant, as another, display the "Scholarly Ethics Template" on our user pages and are therefore eligible to edit pages that exist outside of the confines of the Wikiversity NPOV Policy.  So, it is not to to destroy work that your servant offers an exacting definition of Consensus.  Rather instead, his goal seems to him to be in harmony with yours: to facilitate an academic environment in which "the goal is participation in learning processes".  The idea of your servant is that a very strong agreement, such as that outlined in the Wikipedia article on "Consensus Decision Making" should develop before a regular Wikiversity Participant is impeded in the exercise of a Right.  There is no intention that the Participant so far removed from being a regular Wikiversity Participant as to be "a single anonymous voice" should be included within "all parties" in such a way as to permit the single anonymous voice to block Consensus; and your servant thanks you for demonstrating this defect in his definition. If we are to move along the lines suggested by your servant, we will need to amend "all parties" to add language such as to make that part read "all registered Wikiversity account holder parties", thus making it clear that for the purpose of any Wikiversity Consensus Policy, while Wikiversity welcomes the contributions of anonymous users, for the purpose of the Wikiversity Consensus Process, participation in Decision Making would be limited to a close Community: Registered Participants.  But, you suggest that "Perhaps there should be no 'consensus policy' at Wikiversity."  Your servant inquires: In the absence of a Wikiversity Consensus Policy, how will Wikiversity address some issues, including some pending issues, in which the proposed Wikiversity Policy is that the matter should be "decided by consensus"?  --  Dionysios  (talk), 2007-09-22 (September 22, 2007) Time:  2117 UTC
 * Rather than "consensus" we might consider ways to close a conversation with a decision applicable until the next major community discussion.  Perhaps a super majority of 75% could be enough to declare a decision as having arrived and implemented for a minimum of 3 months.  Mirwin 21:37, 22 September 2007 (UTC)
 * A discussion should never be closed. A discussion has arrived at a result when the various voices have reached consensus. Hillgentleman|Talk 01:53, 1 October 2007 (UTC)

 * "Certainly writing policy such that a single anonymous voice can deadlock any process" - No. In wikimedia, consensus is different from unanimity.  Hillgentleman|Talk 02:25, 6 October 2007 (UTC)

 * And, if the one objection comes with good reason, there are all the more reasons to digest it before taking any action.Hillgentleman|Talk 02:28, 6 October 2007 (UTC)

Consensus is not Majority Rule
"Consensus usually means that a large majority of community members who have discussed a proposal have provided good reasons for either adopting or rejecting a given proposal - however, any majority of opinions in a discussion or poll is only an indicator of consensus, and not the consensus itself. Evaluating consensus, therefore, is a complex process of ascertaining what the 'mood' of the community is, attempting to reflect the mood of the community as a whole, and not simply a majority within the community." This statement is nonsense and should be replaced by a clear quantitative definition of super majority rule. The idea that some individuals are more equal than others and are empowered to consider the mission statement of Wikiversity and mandate decisions at odds with a simple majority of the participants at Wikiversity should be developed very carefully, if it is pursued at all, and clearly articulated in our community charter .... not weasal worded into individual policies one concept at a time. Personally I trust simple majority rule. If others feel better about super majority rule or custodian rule then it should be articulated clearly not embedded or enshrined in mystical magical traditions such as "consensus" and fuzzy "concensus evaluation" non criteria. Clearly as long as the Wikimedia Foundation controls our servers the Wikiversity community is subject to override by the Foundation's staff and Board. Thus there is an external guarantee that Wikiversity will remain true to its approved proposal, no need for local oversight and override capability as well. Mirwin 16:01, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

 * " This statement is nonsense and should be replaced by a clear quantitative definition of super majority rule" <--- of course not. Definition of supermajorityrule should go to supermajority rule. Consensus is beyond any simple definition.  One may give examples but it is almost impossible to give a clear cut defintion.  In short, the definition is intentionally vague, and it should be so. Hillgentleman|Talk 06:35, 28 September 2007 (UTC)

 * For want of a better explanation, consensus is arrived only through thorough communication amongst the participants who may begin with different view points. Simple-majority rule, in principle, requires no communication between opposing views. If somebody's views get more weight, it is not because he is a custodian or a board member, but because the views are good. Hillgentleman|Talk 06:39, 28 September 2007 (UTC)
 * In practice, how do you demonstrate some views are given more weight because they are better? Generating confusion and then doing as one pleases is a well known political ploy of political power structures throughout history.  What will make "consensus building" with no formal quantitative way of measuring "consensus" work better at Wikiversity than it has worked elsewhere? Mirwin 00:54, 6 October 2007 (UTC)

 * Before replying to your questions, let me point out that it might be better to seperate the page describing what consensus is on wikiversity may better from how to implement consensus decision making on wikiversity. Yet since the two are related. So let it be. Hillgentleman|Talk 01:52, 6 October 2007 (UTC)
 * Your questions are on the implementation. So here are my answers.  "In practice, how do you demonstrate some views are given more weight because they are better? "<---There is no other way than to discuss in good faith.  We discuss until we understand each other. Hillgentleman|Talk 02:07, 6 October 2007 (UTC)
 * "What will make "consensus building" with no formal quantitative way of measuring "consensus" work better at Wikiversity than it has worked elsewhere? " <--- I do not know what you mean. What has worked elsewhere? Hillgentleman|Talk 02:02, 6 October 2007 (UTC)

 * A wiki is by its nature a meritocracy; one who can reason better has a stronger voice. Any attempt to Generating confusion and then doing as one pleases will not pass the many watchful eyes.  Hillgentleman|Talk 02:07, 6 October 2007 (UTC)

Consensus can be described only in cases, but it is hard to define in general. Attempts to "quantify" it do not work; however you define it one may easily find a counter-example. Hillgentleman|Talk 02:02, 6 October 2007 (UTC)

The consensus in the traditional sense means unanimity. It cannot work on a wiki. So its accepted meaning in wikimedia has shifted to allow some who strongly disgree but acknowledge that a decision has to be made. However, it has never meant supermajority. For example, if someone holds a poll on a proposed policy, forbids discussions, and receives 99% support, consensus has not been reached. The degree of supermajority gauges consensus, but supermajority is not consensus.Hillgentleman|Talk 02:08, 6 October 2007 (UTC)

"Large majority" discussion
"Consensus usually means that a large majority of community members who have discussed a proposal have provided good reasons for either adopting or rejecting a given proposal"

Hillgentleman|Talk 20:24, 5 October 2007 (UTC)
 * Proposed change: Consensus appears when the significant voices in the community converge, for example, in adopting or rejecting a proposal.

 * The undersigned approves of the proposed change. It is congruent with the notion that consensus  is not a supermajoritarian concept, but a convergence concept.  --  Dionysios  (talk), Date: 2007-10-05 (October 5, 2007) Time:  2109 UTC

 * Lovely. Who decides, and how, who is "significant" in the community? Mirwin 00:49, 6 October 2007 (UTC)
 * As above. It is discussed in every individual case. In the same way that the NPOV policy does not define exactly what are significant view points, we can give examples.Hillgentleman|Talk 02:10, 6 October 2007 (UTC)

 * "the significant voices in the community" <-- I'm not sure that it is constructive to try to define consensus. The reason for using the term "consensus" within wiki communities is that its conventional meaning roughly matches the kind of decision making process that often arises when a group of wiki editors collaborate to achieve the mission of a wiki. We can discuss how to make use of consensus without having to define it: all we need to do is keep in mind "conventional" and "every day" meaning of the term. In a wiki-based project, having a policy about consensus serves to remind wiki editors about the importance of using discussion and cooperation to find ways to work towards the wiki project's mission. A policy for consensus can usefully include a record of the community's past experience and collective wisdom with respect to when and how to rely on consensus. In some cases, such as responding to a vandalism attack or making a conventional page edit, we NEVER want to delay action by taking time to seek consensus. For some collaborative decisions, we set up mechanisms that automatically trigger a search for consensus every time before the decision is made. For example, when making decisions about selecting functionaries, we automatically try to attract the attention of a wide range of community members, get a wide range of inputs, and we seek reasoned objections to possible future courses of action. We count on the power of multiple points of views and perspectives to produce a better decision making process. In other cases, a search for consensus may become part of a decision making process as a last resort. In such cases, discussions and collaborations can have recognizable "stages" or "phases" leading up to the use of consensus as a way to guide decision making. Often there is an initial stage during which differences of opinion are expressed and discovered; this might start with just two individuals. In many cases, it is a waste of time to immediately call for community discussion and decision by consensus. If a small number of people take the time to state their positions then it is often possible for them to discover a reasonable course of action without calling in additional participants to the discussion. However, if discussion and negotiation among members of a small group of editors fails to find an acceptable course of action, then it might be time to call in additional members of the community and try to work towards a broad consensus. In my view, this is best done within a formalized "request for comments" system in which the problem (editing dispute) is clearly described, differing positions are explicitly stated, and a call is made to the broader community for additional ideas and suggestions for how to resolve the conflict and make a decision that best promotes the interests of the entire project. In summary, I suggest that we not get bogged down with definitions of "consensus". I suggest that the Wikiversity policy on consensus first state the general principle that consensus seeking naturally arises within wiki project decision making then list the specific situations for which consensus is always sought and then list any special purpose mechanisms for seeking consensus (such as "request for comments" systems) that the Wikiversity community decides it needs to have available for "emergencies". I say "emergencies" in reference to disputes that normally can be resolved by simple discussion and negotiation between a few editors.....sometimes a small group of editors reaches a deadlock that can only be resolved by seeking consensus among a wider group of interested parties from the wiki community. Seeking consensus in such situations really should be a "last resort" because consensus seeking often wastes a lot of time and just ends up back at the same conclusion that should have been decided upon by the original parties in the dispute, and would have been reached originally if there had been good faith editing in support of the mission of the project. In general, any "request for comments" system requires that the parties in the dispute explain how they have tried to resolve the dispute before seeking a broader community consensus. If the parties in the dispute cannot point to a past discussion where they tried to resolve the dispute through reasoned negotiation then it is probably not yet time to seek a wide consensus. For most editing disputes, community consensus seeking should be a last resort. I think the Wikiversity policy on consensus should make this clear. --JWSchmidt 04:13, 6 October 2007 (UTC)
 *  We can discuss how to make use of consensus without having to define it <-- As I know it, the meaing of the word consensus in wikimedia (consensus) is different from what most people have in their minds.  And it is adventageous to have in mind the difference between consensus and unanimity.    As a practical matter, it is convenient to have in hand the explanations of "consensus decision making on wikiversity", and how it works.  And yes examples are very useful.
 * As described in the flowchart Image:Consensus_new_and_old.svg, the common editing process is itself a way of forming consensus.  It is usually unneccesary to  explicitly call for community-wide discussion to reach consensus.  Hillgentleman|Talk 01:40, 8 October 2007 (UTC)
 * In general, policies exist to deal with situations where there is possible confusion and conflict. Policies formalize strategies for avoiding and resolving conflicts. For the most part, "the common editing process" at Wikiversity does not involve conflict....editors just make use of wiki technology as a tool that facilitates collaboration and the building of learning resources. Within wiki communities there are dynamic groups of editors, some small, some larger. Small groups of wiki editors (often just two editors) can come into conflict and they might fail to reach agreement about how to edit a page. Many wiki websites have established processes by which small groups of editors can call upon additional members of the wider wiki community to look at disputes and help resolve them. Such community-based, consensus-seeking decision making processes are what I think could be usefully defined by the Wikiversity policy on consensus. Rather than seek a general definition of consensus, I think we should identify specific types of problems that Wikiversity can seek to deal with by "requests for comment" procedures. --JWSchmidt 19:58, 8 October 2007 (UTC)

Notes on a proposed addition to this proposed policy
Custodianship should be no big deal in theory. What can cause it to become a big deal?

For major changes that affect pages or items on the wiki that have substantial traffic (this could be operationally defined in theory i.e. a certain percentage of total page views of the wiki) and that only custodians can modify, then it is mandatory that discussion be offered for a period of time to come to explicit consensus. Otherwise the stage is potentially set for wheel warring between custodians. Emesee 06:18, 14 July 2008 (UTC)

Merger
Jade Knight, I am doubtful about this proposal of merging. Consensus is a learning resource for a general idea, and it may not have much to do wikiversity. Even if it has little content at the moment, it would benefit from the freedom to develop further. Consensus more about what we mean by "consensus" (since this word has multiple meanings) on wikiversity and how we may apply it. In time, these two pages may become complementary. Hillgentleman | //\\ |Talk 00:45, 21 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Okay. Someone should put a fork notice up at the top then; I can see the reason for having two separate projects on it, though the fact that "Consensus" is currently not much more than a collection of links made me think a merge might be appropriate.  The Jade Knight (d'viser) 05:41, 21 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Sure! I see you point. Hillgentleman | //\\ |Talk 12:11, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

FYI, there is also a suggestion at Think tank to create a project on Developing consensus in a wiki environment. --mikeu talk 12:15, 21 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Which would leave us with 3+ consensus projects. The Jade Knight (d'viser) 19:16, 21 October 2008 (UTC)
 * The think tank page has now been renamed to: Consensus in a wiki environment. They are not really the same.  WV:CON is a proposed policy, while Consensus looks like more a generic learning page on the topic.  There can be more than one project on different aspects of the subject.  --mikeu talk 00:11, 24 October 2008 (UTC)
 * I removed the merge template and applied the guideline template. We have to start somewhere. --CQ 15:13, 3 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Was any voting done? Or even a discussion about making this a guideline?  I'm somewhat wary of unilateral action, even though I agree that this should be a guideline.  Perhaps even a policy.  The Jade Knight (d'viser) 02:05, 4 September 2009 (UTC)
 * I tend to agree that Consensus meets the definition of a guideline, though I wonder how many people would have a different idea of what that means. I would like to see this become a policy, and I agree that there should be some discussion on how to classify these pages before they are tagged.  Or at least some general agreement about when to use the guideline tag.  --mikeu talk 19:03, 4 September 2009 (UTC)

Community Review
This guideline is the subject of a Community Review. --JWSchmidt 15:51, 30 July 2010 (UTC)

title: Wikiversity talk:Consensus/Archive 1


text:
User:STrefzer/sandbox

Ana Carcani Rold is a publisher and trailblazer from the Washington D.C Metro area. She is the Founder and CEO of the Diplomatic Courier, which is a global affairs media network as well as Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of the Learning Economy Foundation. Ana serves as adjunct faculty at Northeastern University teaching comparative politics. In 2012, Ana Founded the Think Tank World in 2050 to bring together business and policy leaders with innovators and solutionists working on the tough challenges facing humanity's future.

Current Focus
Under Ana's leadership;

1) The Diplomatic Courier delivers thoughtful and insight-driven opinion pieces, researched articles and special topical editions to policy makers and business leaders in both, print and online formats.

2) The World in 2050 virtual think tank convenes multi-stakeholders in the private and public sectors through a series of global summits and forums, research papers and reports, and digital and print media. In 2020, faced with the COVID-19 pandemic leaving no part of the world untouched, the World in 2050 is turning its focus to delivering its entire range of offerings virtually.

3) The Olympics of Innovation brings together innovation-makers solving tough problems for humanity and from regions that don't get a lot of limelight with those in a position to champion and support their journey to make a real impact.

4) The Learning Economy is using exponential technologies like blockchain to shape a learner-centric Internet of Education.

Education
Ana received a Master’s in International Peace and Conflict Resolution, with a focus on Alternative Dispute Resolution at American University and a Bachelor’s Degree in International Affairs at Northeastern University. She speaks five languages.

Philosophy
For fifteen years, through her work at the Diplomatic Courier, the World in 2050 and most recently, through the Learning Economy, Ana has written, taught, and spoken about the big trends of our century. Her advocacy and mentorship on behalf of women and women's global issues extends around the globe. During 2012's inaugural cohort of women fellows of First Lady Mrs. Laura Bush's Women's Initiative, Ana was invited to serve as a mentor. Since 2011, she has served as a member of the Women's Democracy Network (WDN) Advisory Council where she convened the Pakistan-Afghan Women's Forum for Peace and Democracy. Ana's investment into inclusion and a thriving future for all is reflected in the Diplomatic Courier's philosophy which states-

1) Always ACCESSIBLE no matter where the readers are and their means of accessing content. Publish original articles, blogs, and videos on a daily basis across multiple platforms.

2) INTERGENERATIONAL platform committed to global dialogue providing a platform and forum for voices young and old and everywhere in between in international affairs, to facilitate a truly open exchange of ideas.

3) An unwavering GLOBAL focus achieved through attracting over 200 contributors from all over the world to write and report the stories behind the news on the ground.

Creating impact for a thriving future
Ana's work is helping create a thriving future for all by fostering a truly and inclusively GLOBAL voice and perspective, by directing global insights to the leaders in policy and business who are in a position to act upon those insights, by securing exponential technologies to power the future of education, work, and the values ascribed to skills, by bringing innovation-makers together with leaders and global publics and championing their solutions, connecting fragmented ecosystems of stakeholders into a unified hub of innovation and action and more.

Thought Leadership
Some of Ana's latest articles and publications can be found in the Diplomatic Courier's publications and on her blog. Provocative and evocative articles with titles like, When Companies Act Like Governments, The End of Privacy, Global Action Report feature among her extensive works. Since 2009, Ana has served as the Editor-in-Chief of the annual leadership publications of the G7 Summit (formerly the G8), the G20 and B20 Summits, and APEC Summit. She has led the editorial production of these publications for the summits in Italy, Canada, South Korea, the United States, France, Germany as well as NATO in the United States, the G20 in Mexico, and the APEC Summit in Vietnam, Philippines, the United States and Russia. Ana is the recipient of the 2018 American Women for International Understanding (AWIU’s) Internationalism Award for her exceptional work as an advocate for women’s global issues and a mentor to women leaders at home and abroad. She is a member of the National Press Club (NPC), an Advisory Board Member of the Center for Education Diplomacy, and an Advisory Board Member of the Council of Women’s Democracy Network (WDN) in Washington, DC.

Additionally, she serves on the following initiatives:

 * 1) Steering Committee Member, World Web Forum
 * 2) Senior Advisor, Center for Education Diplomacy
 * 3) Fellow of Salzburg Global Seminar
 * 4) Mentor, Women's Initiative of the George W. Bush Presidential Center

title: User:STrefzer/sandbox


text:
God Nisanov

God Semenovich Nisanov (Qod Semyonoviç Nisanov, ; born 24 April 1972) is a Russian-Azerbaijani billionaire property developer and co-owner of the Kievskaya Ploshchad. In 2023, Forbes ranked Nisanov as the 1027th wealthiest person globally, with a net worth of $2.9 billion, placing him 43rd in the Russian ranking.

In 2014, God Nisanov was elected Vice President of the World Jewish Congress. However, he lost his position in the summer of 2022 after the U.S. placed him on the sanctions list. As of March 2024, God Nisanov is also a member of the Bureau of the Presidium of the Russian Jewish Congress.

In 1992, God Nisanov and his compatriot Zarakh Iliev founded the Kievskaya Ploshchad Group of Companies. As of 2024, Kievskaya Ploshchad owns commercial, office, warehouse, and hotel real estate in Moscow, and Flotilla Radisson Royal on the Moskva River. Among its largest assets are the Sadovod market, the agricultural cluster Food City, Hotel Ukraina, the food court Depo, and the Olympic Stadium. According to Forbes and RBK, Kievskaya Ploshchad ranks among Russia's 100 largest private companies. It is also the most significant player in the Russian commercial property market.

God Nisanov is known for his close connections with the Russian and Azerbaijani political elite. Ilham Rahimov, a former fellow student of Vladimir Putin, holds shares in many of Kievskaya Ploshchad's projects. Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Canada, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand placed Nisanov on the sanction lists.

Early life and education

God Nisanov was born on 24 April 1972 in Gyrmyzy Gasaba (Krasnaya Sloboda), Azerbaijan SSR. His family hails from the mountain Jewish community. His father, Semyon Nisanov, was the director of Shahdag, the largest cannery in the Quba district. In addition to God, his parents had three other children.

After school, God Nisanov pursued his education at the Baku Finance and Credit College, specializing in "lending and jurisprudence in the social security system." Afterward, Nisanov served in the social security service while holding a part-time position at his father's cannery. Later, Nisanov also opened a small consignment shop in his native village Krasnaya Sloboda.

In the early 1990s, Nisanov moved to Moscow. In 1992, along with his compatriot Zarakh Iliev, he founded the Kievskaya Ploshchad. Nisanov's father, Semyon Nisanov, also became one of the founders. Initially focused on real estate development, the company later expanded its portfolio to include the hotel and restaurant business.

Kievskaya Ploshchad
Among Kievskaya Ploshchad's first projects were the shopping centers Elektronny Ray, Panorama, Grand, and the auto center Moskva. In 2005, the company made a significant acquisition by obtaining one of the Stalinist skyscrapers known as the Hotel Ukraina, which was later renamed Radisson Collection after undergoing reconstruction.

2009 marked the closure of the Cherkizovsky Market, where Iliev and Nisanov were junior partners of Telman Ismailov. However, their business only flourished since they began actively developing their project — the largest goods market in Moscow, Sadovod, which Nisanov and Iliev have owned since 2003. In 2009 also, Kievskaya Ploshchad opened the 8-story shopping and entertainment center Evropeyskiy, located near with the Moscow Kiyevsky railway station. Additionally, Nisanov and Iliev launched the Radisson Royal flotilla on the Moskva River.

In 2014, the agrocluster Food City, covering more than 120 hectares, was opened. In 2015, the Moskvarium, an Oceanography and Marine Biology Center, was opened at the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy, becoming the largest educational center with an aquarium in Europe.

In 2017, the company purchased the Olympic Stadium from the Alliance Group. In the spring of 2019, Kievskaya Ploshchad opened the food court Depo near the Belorusskaya metro station.

In September 2021, Kievskaya Ploshchad acquired a 9.8% stake in Samolet, one of the largest mass housing developers in Russia. In 2023, Samolet announced it would develop 28.4 hectares of residential and commercial real estate in the Vostochnoe Biryulevo area. That land previously belonged to the Emeral market, also owned by Kievskaya Ploshchad.

Kievskaya Ploshchad is among the top hundred in Forbes' ranking of the "200 largest private companies in Russia," ranking 65th in the latest 2021 list. It reported a revenue of 160 billion rubles (more than $2 billion). In 2024, Kievskaya Ploshchad claimed the top position in the Forbes ranking of "Kings of Russian Real Estate," with a reported rental income of $1.7 billion.

The Sadovod market and the agrocluster Food City are widely known for their large-scale illegal cash turnover. Sadovod has long been the most significant center in Moscow for cryptocurrency transactions. The stability of Kievskaya Ploshchad's business is manifested through a complex ownership scheme. While a significant portion of the business is not registered to Nisanov himself, it belongs to his numerous relatives, friends, and associates. What also contributes to the success of Kievskaya Ploshchad is Nisanov and Iliev's close ties with high-ranking Russian officials, including Sergey Naryshkin, the director of the Foreign Intelligence Service, Dmitry Rogozin, the former head of Roscosmos, and Sergey Sobyanin, the Mayor of Moscow. Iliev and Nisanov's key partner is Ilham Rahimov, who is also Vladimir Putin's former classmate.

Fortune
For many years, God Nisanov has consistently ranked among the wealthiest individuals in Russia. According to Forbes, in 2015 his fortune peaked at an estimated $4.3 billion. By 2023, he was ranked 1027th among the wealthiest individuals worldwide and 43rd in Russia, with a net worth of $2.9 billion. As of early March 2024, global Forbes valued his fortune at $3.3 billion.

Sanctions
On 2 June 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Nisanov was added to the U.S. sanctions list. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called him "one of the wealthiest people in Europe" and an "associate of high-ranking Russian officials."

On 26 September 2022, Nisanov was added to the U.K. sanctions list, as "Putin continues to rely on a clique of oligarchs and selected elite representatives to finance his war."

On 19 October 2022, Ukraine included Nisanov in its sanctions list, as the businessman "provides a significant source of income for the Russian government, which initiated military actions and the genocide of the civilian population in Ukraine.

On 24 February 2023, on the anniversary of the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, Nisanov was included in Canada's sanctions list of "elites and close associates of the regime."

For similar reasons, Nisanov has been under sanctions by Japan since 5 June 2022, Australia (since 1 June 2022) and New Zealand (since 12 October 2022).

Consequences
The U.S. sanctions affected Kievskaya Ploshchad and all the affiliated organizations in which the parent structure, Nisanov, or Iliev directly or indirectly own a stake of 50% or more.

In June 2022, Nisanov decided to step down as chairman of the Board of Directors of the JSC Olympic Sports Complex (Olympic Stadium) and to relinquish all management responsibilities within the project. He was also forced to resign from his position as a Vice President of the World Jewish Congress.

Scandals
Media reports highlight the close ties existing between Nisanov and Sergey Naryshkin, the Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation. According to an investigation conducted by the media outlet Proekt, following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Naryshkin regularly used Nisanov's private swimming pool at the Evropeyskiy center. Furthermore, their connection is implicated in controversial real estate transactions. For example, in 2011, Naryshkin's daughter, Veronika, acquired ownership of a 180-square-meter luxury apartment valued at over 100 million rubles. Veronika was only 23 years old at the time of the purchase, while the previous apartment owner was affiliated with God Nisanov. Additionally, Naryshkin and his daughter regularly used Nisanov's private business jet. Veronika Naryshkina flew to Baku using Nisanov's  Gulfstream G650, and the entire Naryshkin family made multiple trips to Austria for skiing. Shortly thereafter, the Russian government blacklisted Proekt.media.

In 2019, entrepreneur Ilgar Gadzhiev alleged that God Nisanov compelled him to exit their joint construction holding, SDI Group. Gadzhiev claimed that Nisanov utilized law enforcement agencies and the private security company "Vityaz," controlled by Kievskaya Ploshchad, to achieve this. The Russian and Azerbaijani authorities initiated criminal cases against Gadzhiev. Additionally, Azerbaijan attempted to have him declared wanted through Interpol. Gadzhiev first fled to Europe and then to the United States. In January 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice recognized Ilgar Gadzhiev as a possible victim of a crime. This proposed legal protection may be linked to a possible attempted murder of Gadzhiev, orchestrated by God Nisanov.

Philanthropy and public activities
In 2014, God Nisanov was elected Vice President of the World Jewish Congress. However, he lost his position in the summer of 2022 when he was added to the U.S. sanctions list. He is also a member of the Bureau of the Presidium of the Russian Jewish Congress. In 2015, together with Zarakh Iliev, Nisanov opened the Jewish school Cheder Menahem in Moscow. Moreover, in 2019, they initiated the opening of the Community Center for the Association of Mountain Jews of Moscow. Nisanov and Iliev also assist their native village of Krasnaya Sloboda. In 2020, they contributed to the opening of the world's first Museum of Mountain Jews in the village.

Nisanov donated to several charity organizations, including Liniya Zhizni (Линия Жизни), Podari Zhizn (Подари Жизнь), Bumagniy Guravlik (Бумажный Журавлик), Kray Dobra (Край Добра), and others. Together with Iliev, Nisanov provided financial assistance to the NGO Natsionalnaya Meditsynskaya Palata and the Dynamo Sports Club. In 2013, Nisanov sponsored the restoration of the Kronstadt Naval Cathedral. He also funded the construction of a sports complex for students of the Saint Petersburg State Marine Technical University. Later, Nisanov donated 100 million rubles for the creation of the Rzhev Memorial to the Soviet Soldier. He was also one of the sponsors of the Sergei Ursuliak's movie Pravednik.

Personal life
God Nisanov is married and has four children: sons Saul, Mair, and Alexander, and a daughter, Margarita. He lives in Moscow.

The businessman actively engages in sports. He is particularly passionate about underwater diving and horse riding. In addition, Nisanov speaks six languages, including Turkish, Persian, and Arabic.

It is known that Nisanov's relatives are also actively involved in business. For example, God Nisanov's nephew, Ervin Nisanov, has invested in the development of the Pims tea cafes in Moscow. In December 2023, God Nisanov's father, Semyon Nisanov, passed away in a mansion on the Sparrow Hills.

Citizenships
In 2007, God Nisanov ran for a seat in the 5th State Duma from the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia. However, the Central Election Commission filed a lawsuit against Nisanov because his Russian citizenship was invalid. The Supreme Court of Russia satisfied the lawsuit.

In July 2022, Nisanov applied for Portuguese citizenship based on being a descendant of Sephardic Jews. However, given the extensive media attention, the Portuguese Ministry of Justice soon stated that it would "scrutinize" Nisanov's citizenship application. The joint investigation by Proekt and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project revealed that in 2017, Nisanov purchased a "golden passport" from the Dominican Republic to circumvent Western sanctions. All of Nisanov's children also obtained Dominican passports. God Nisanov's brother Ilyagu, as well as his sons Ervin and Leon, obtained Caribbean passports.

Awards

 * Taraggi Medal (4 July 2011, Azerbaijan) — for contributions to strengthening friendship between peoples and the development of the Azerbaijani diaspora.
 * Russian Federation Presidential Certificate of Honour (18 April 2012) — for a significant contribution to the implementation of measures for the restoration of the Kronstadt Naval Cathedral in the name of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker.
 * Order of Friendship (14 January 2014) — for labor achievements and many years of fruitful work.
 * The Award for Leadership (2014).
 * Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia's' Skripach na kryshe Award (2015).
 * Commemorative Medal "70 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" (2015) — for active participation in the patriotic education of citizens and addressing the socio-economic problems of veterans of the Great Patriotic War.
 * For Service to the Fatherland Order (3rd degree) (1 June 2016, Azerbaijan) — for contributions to strengthening friendship between peoples and the development of the Azerbaijani diaspora.
 * Decoration "For Beneficence" (12 February 2021) — for contributing to the implementation of the project to create the Rzhev Memorial to the Soviet Soldier.
 * Elected Person of the Decade by the Mountain Jewish Community — for significant contributions to the development of the communal life of Mountain Jews in all countries and cities around the world.
 * Dostlug Order (21 April 2022, Azerbaijan) — for contributions to strengthening friendship between peoples and the development of the Azerbaijani diaspora.

title: God Nisanov


text:
тыква

Etymology
, from.

Noun

 * 1) pumpkin, cucurbit
 * 2) gourd
 * 3)  head

Etymology
.

Noun

 * 1) pumpkin

Usage notes
Although pumpkins are technically fruits, they, like tomatoes, are often thought of as vegetables, and are here categorized as both for the reader's convenience.

title: тыква


text:
Talk:Texas Charge

Player pages
Hi, I am interested in creating a new Wikipedia page for Taylor Thom, a former University of Texas softball player who now plays for Team USA and a new professional team out of the Dallas, TX area, Dallas Charge. As fastpitch softball is growing to be a very popular sport I believe that it is important that these professional athletes' information is available to those who are interested in it. I would greatly appreciate feedback on this. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jaylinclevenger (talk • contribs) 22:45, 29 October 2015 (UTC)
 * I think that's a great idea. With the recent expansion teams and television deals (and a likely return to the Olympics), I think the NPF could be on an upswing.  I saw Taylor on national TV several times this year.  If a minor leaguer who only gets one at-bat in MLB deserves a wikipedia page, the pros in NPF certainly do too.  I'd love to see more pages for college and pro (NPF and international) softball players. Jjwyatt (talk) 10:26, 31 October 2015 (UTC)
 * Jjwyatt, I completely agree! If I post an outline of my current work on this talk page would you be willing to critique it and discuss what should be omitted and what you find necessary to be on the page that I may be overlooking? - Preceding unsigned comment added by Jaylinclevenger (talk • contribs) 02:18, 05 November 2015 (UTC)

 * Outline: My page would begin with a section entitled Early Life which would include Taylor Thom's birthday, her hometown and where she grew up, an introduction to her family, her other involvements in school, and a description of when and where she first started playing softball. The next section would include things that help her succeed in the game of softball such as her height, weight, bat preference, and whether she throws and hits left handed or right handed. My next few sections would be broken down into the teams she has played on in chronological order starting with her high school, then the University of Texas, NPF Dallas Charge, and Team USA. Each section will include her statistics on these teams and things like her signing/graduation dates, major/minor at UT, major team and individual accomplishments, and her contracts. I also plan on including some of the opinions of her previous coaches seeing as it appears to be a trend that she is a well respected player by many of them. All of these thoughts would be organized into a table of contents at the beginning of the page with each section having its own bullet and then broken down into smaller subsections (possibly years?). Feel free to contribute any thoughts.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jaylinclevenger (talk • contribs) 02:50, 6 November 2015 (UTC)

 * These are the sources I have found to be most helpful in acquiring my current research on Taylor:

 * http://dallascharge.com/taylor-thom-press-release/
 * http://www.texassports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=4818
 * http://www.teamusa.org/usa-softball/athletes/Taylor-Thom#news
 * http://www.dailytexanonline.com/sports/2013/03/20/consistency-raises-taylor-thom-to-softball-legend
 * http://www.big12sports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10410&ATCLID=209461089
 * http://www.statesman.com/news/sports/high-school/faces-off-the-field-taylor-thom-senior-vista-rid-1/nRs9r/
 * http://www.hillcountrynews.com/news/sports/article_f22f7f91-0627-5fd3-8aa8-bb728181c0ba.html
 * http://www.hookem.com/2015/06/05/ex-longhorn-taylor-thom-hits-historic-hr-for-dallas-charge/
 * http://www.dailytexanonline.com/sports/2014/01/30/first-pitch-veteran-thom-ready-to-finish-strong
 * http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/more-sports/headlines/20150602-dallas-charge-pro-fastpitch-softball-players-love-the-sport-but-can-t-afford-to-quit-their-day-jobs-1.ece — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jaylinclevenger (talk • contribs) 03:08, 6 November 2015 (UTC)

Great start Jaylinclevenger! Seems like you have a ton of information on Taylor Thom already! I was wondering how much does she make when playing pro softball and for Team USA? How long has she played softball? Has she led any teams to the World Series or whatever it 's called in softball haha! Also, does she do interviews? You could possibly get some information from those too if she does. These are just some things to consider when writing you new page. Sources look great! Tsangdouglas (talk) 04:38, 7 November 2015 (UTC)

Awesome start Jay! We are both doings famous people in the softball world, just not in the real world, I've been having trouble finding information about their childhood. Have you been able to find things and if not, what are you going to do to fill in that space in time? I agree with Tsangdouglas about the interviews and see her social image. Sources look like there cover a lot though and you seem to be on a good track for your article. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Lauren mara (talk • contribs) 21:41, 7 November 2015 (UTC)

Thanks so much for the great feedback Doug and Lauren! I agree that moments she has lead her teams to major games should be included along with her salaries. I could add the major games into the appropriate section based on which school or team she was on at the time and the salaries could go in the sections where I discuss her contract terms. I have found one interview but it is not very detailed. Lauren, this one interview is where I found the small amount of information about her early personal life. This has been a difficult aspect of her life to find. Hopefully I will be able to find some more interviews, possibly on YouTube or other video sources. Jaylinclevenger (talk) 22:55, 7 November 2015 (UTC)

Coach Page

 * Hi, I am interested in editing and contributing to the Jennifer McFalls page. She is the Head Coach of the Dallas charge and has also been apart of the Olympic softball team. I think that Jennifer McFalls page should be contributed to because she has had a big impact on softball over the years and her page should show all that she has done for softball. I would appreciate has any comments or feedback. Thank You!!! - Preceding unsigned comment added by Rvara14 (talk • contribs) 19:16, 04 November 2015 (UTC)
 * Rvara14, I think it'd be awesome for you to do a page on the head coach! What kind of things would you put on her page, like what's the outline of your page going to look like. I think it's really influential to learn about players who have great success in their careers and end up being coaches, who in turn influence others to be successful. --Frivera14 (talk) 20:48, 5 November 2015 (UTC)
 * I would like to incorporate some personal life information but mostly her statistics from being a player as well as a coach. I would also include personal facts about her that do not involve softball.--Rvara14 (talk) 22:00, 5 November 2015 (UTC)

 * Sounds like a good start! Including imformation about her past and life outside softball is a great idea! including things such as Family, where she went to college/college major, charity work, or even what she likes to do in her free time.Lauren mara (talk) 23:04, 8 November 2015 (UTC)

Sounds like a good start! I would add how she has influenced her players and the success they have had from her coaching them! No one really focuses on the coach's anymore and only on the players so this will be a nice touch! ( Chrissy333 (talk) 17:42, 8 November 2015 (UTC) )

 * Make sure there are enough credible/ and large variety of sources about Jennifer McFalls. My fear is that you will be too focused on a single source which will make the information very narrow minded and doesn't contain enough information. If these issues can be addressed, then a new page on her will work smoothly. Nickmccune12 (talk) 22:11, 8 November 2015 (UTC)

Lauren Haeger Page
Hey Dallas Charge fans, I am planning on making Lauren Haeger her own page. Here is a rough outline and list of some potential sources. Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciate.

Outline My new page on Lauren Haeger
 * Early Life-birthday, parents, siblings, Etc.
 * Early Softball Life-travel ball team and high school experiences/statistics
 * College Life-Major/Minor and other groups or organizations participating in
 * College Softball Life/World Series Experience/States- States, Stories/Interviews, Records, Etc.
 * Dallas Charge Time- States, Stories/Interviews, Records, Etc.
 * Team USA Experience- States, Stories/Interviews, Records, Etc.
 * What she doing now- Star Image, Charity work, Etc.

Here are some of the sources I was planning on using, if you have any problems or want to help in anyway it will be greatly appreciated!
 * http://www.gatorzone.com/softball/bios.php?year=2015&player_id=57
 * http://www.teamusa.org/Athletes/HA/Lauren-Haeger.aspx
 * http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-commentary/article/13007754/most-outstanding-player-lauren-haeger-leaves-lasting-legacy-wcws-finale
 * http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/2015/07/14/deer-valley-grad-lauren-haeger-nominated-for-two-espys/30160725/
 * http://www.alligatorarmy.com/2015/9/8/9275489/lauren-haeger-sunflower-tattoo-heather-braswell
 * http://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/lauren-haeger.html
 * http://www.gatorcountry.com/feature/lauren-haeger-sets-the-home-run-record/
 * http://www.alligatorarmy.com/2015/5/31/8694341/lauren-haeger-babe-ruth-florida-gators-college-softball
 * http://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/lauren-haeger/owiTLfTuEeKZ5AAmVebBJg/default.htm
 * http://www.gatorzone.com/story.php?id=25611

Lauren mara (talk) 23:02, 8 November 2015 (UTC)

title: Talk:Texas Charge


text:
Simone Schröder

Simone Schröder (born 1964) is a German contralto in opera and concert, and an academic teacher. She has been associated with the Bayreuth Festival from her student days in 1992, performing in three different productions of Parsifal. She has appeared regularly at the Staatsoper Berlin and the Semperoper, and appeared as a guest at opera houses including La Scala in Milan, New National Theatre Tokyo and Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires.

Life and career
Born in Altdöbern, Schröder completed her vocal training at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin as well as with Elsbeth Plehn at the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber in Dresden, and with Irmgard Hartmann-Dressler in Berlin. She won prizes of singing competitions, including the Franceso Vinas Competition in Barcelona and the Salzburg International Mozart Competition.

She sang at the Staatsoper Berlin first in the 1997/98 season, as the Page in Salome by Richard Strauss, conducted by Daniel Barenboim. As a regular guest singer there, she appeared as Mrs. Quickly in Verdi's Falstaff and Suzuki in Puccini's Madama Butterfly, among others. In April 2013, she took over the role of Mary in Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer at the Berlin State Opera under the musical direction of Daniel Harding.

Schröder's association with the Bayreuth Festival began already during her student years when she appeared as the Third Boy in Tannhäuser from 1992. In 1996, she performed as one of the Flower Maidens in Parsifal. She went on to appear in the Ring Erda, Grimgerde, Schweitleite and the First Norn, and more small roles in three Bayreuth productions of Parsifal, in 1999 by Wolfgang Wagner, in 2004 by Christoph Schlingensief and conducted by Pierre Boulez, and in 2008 by Stefan Herheim and conducted by Daniele Gatti.

Schröder appeared as a guest at La Scala in Milan, the Washington National Opera, the Oper Leipzig, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, to Japan, Singapore and Denmark as well as to the Canary Islands Music Festival, among others. The conductor Dan Ettinger engaged her as Erda for his Ring cycle at the New National Theatre Tokyo (2008/09) and for Das Rheingold at the Nationaltheater Mannheim (2011/12). In 2012/13, she made her role debut as Fricka in the Ring des Nibelungen at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires conducted by Roberto Paternostro. At the Semperoper in Dresden, she performed as Wigelis in Feuersnot by Richard Strauss in June 2014, with Stefan Klingele conducting.

Schröder has worked with conductors including Michael Boder, Ivor Bolton, Christoph Eschenbach, Ádám Fischer, Michael Gielen, Fabio Luisi, Kent Nagano, Giuseppe Sinopoli and Christian Thielemann.

In concert, she has performed in choral-orchestral works and in concert performances of operas, in a repertoire including Bach's oratorios, Verdi's Requiem and major works from the early 20th century.

Schröder taught voice at the Cottbus Conservatory from 1988. Since 2001, she has been professor for voice at the Fachhochschule Lausitz, where she lectured from 1995.

Recordings

 * Mahler: Symphony No. 8. Alto solo and Mater Aegyptica, conductor: Pierre Boulez (Deutsche Grammophon 2007)
 * Schumann: Der Königssohn and Mendelssohn: Die erste Walpurgisnacht, Bayerisches Staatsorchester, conductor: Kent Nagano (FARAO 2010)
 * Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer (first Paris version of 1841): Terje Stensvold (Holländer), Astrid Weber (Senta), Franz-Josef Selig (Donald), Jörg Dürmüller (Georg), Simone Schröder (Mary), Kobie van Rensburg (Steuermann), WDR Rundfunkchor Köln, Prague Chamber Choir, Cappella Coloniensis, conductor: Bruno Weil (DHM 2004)

title: Simone Schröder


text:
User:Jakeattica

Jake Attica born Jacob Sandoval on February 14th 1990. Is a musician for the local Los Angeles band "Paint me in Lights". Members include Vocals Danii Fox, Guitarist Micheal Ingram, Guitarist Dean Santos and bass player Jay. Jake might be know most from the Toy Attica with founding member Paula "Astro" Feelings. He currently lives in Long Beach California

title: User:Jakeattica


text:
Talk:Donald MacRae (astronomer)

External links modified
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title: Talk:Donald MacRae (astronomer)


text:
Introduction to Art/What is Art?

There are many definitions of art, rising and falling in popularity at different points in human history. The loosest definition of fine art today is artifice: the creation of a thing, not by nature itself, but by the will of a person or group. It can be visual, meant to be seen; it can be music or poetry, meant to be heard; it can be a novel to read, a play to watch or a dance to take part in; it can be buildings or clothing; digital or virtual; it can be the disciplined training of plants or animals. So broad is the possible definition of "art" that some say one can make an art out of living life itself. This definition, however, is not complete, because it includes many things people do and objects created that we do not consider art. So, what separates painting from a carburettor? Here again, people try to make a distinction through over-simplification: art is anything made, lacking useful purpose. This is also a fallacy, as fine art also serves many purposes, crucial to society. In more familiar terms, art is usually defined as that which was made in order to express feelings, communicate information, make a philosophical point, entertain someone, or beautify one's surroundings.

Art is differentiated from science in two ways. First, the definition of science and its branches are not widely debated, whereas art is. Second, scientific study relies on observation, experimentation, and peer revue, with one overarching goal - to increase human understanding of the universe. It's assumed that this will lead to a better way of life through better health, increased life span, more leisure time, etc. The effects of the scientific method are directly cumulative, with advances in different branches often coming together to form new insights and technology. While art also incorporates many of these same tenets and principles, it's much more chaotic, taking as many steps back as it does forward. While scientists look for puzzles to solve concretely, artists search for a way to leave a mark on the world, to comment on it, basing their work as much on intuition (or more so) as on fact. Artists often look to solve puzzles that can't be answered with science. Often times, the purpose of art-making is less akin to problem-solving than to a gut reaction of the artist to his/her environment, compelling one to create. In addition, while scientists share their findings in a wider community, working together to build consensus, artists often find themselves alone, ignoring vast amounts of art history and theory they find objectionable. Even so, the two may overlap: scientists sometimes feel that their work approaches the aesthetic dimension of art; artists sometimes feel that they have explored their subject matter with scientific precision.

Throughout time, art has not always been made by individual artists, or even by people who would dare to identify themselves as artists. Some of the most ancient and profound art is "folk art," created by anonymous people under unknown circumstances. Folk art may be religious in nature - perhaps even an attempt to create a magical object. It may have been made by itinerant or untrained artists. It may not have been considered art at all at the time of its creation. Art, as we know it today, is a fairly modern concept.

In the twenty-first century, the question "what is art?" has been debated for so long that, in terms of creating an art survey text, we now tend to accept Marcel Duchamp's inclusive definition, "Art is whatever an artist says it is."

Today, we also accept that industrial and graphic design are forms of art. These forms, like the old folk art mentioned above, were once not considered art at all. But now they have taken their place alongside painting and poetry; the artisan, or skilled worker practising a trade or handicraft, is an artist if he calls himself one. And that means art can be everywhere--from the shoes on your feet to the car you drive to the teacup you sip from. We have functional art (objects you use) and art pour l'art (art for its own sake). We have "high" art and "low" art (whatever you wish those divisions to signify), high street fashion and Haute Couture, "real" art and "kitsch".

Today's world is a world of possibility and freedom. Although it is (and perhaps has always been) fashionable to groan that "true art is dying out", such a thing can never happen. As long as there are people who want to create, there will be artists. If you look carefully around you, you will see that almost every tradition and genre of art-making, ever begun, is still going strong today.

title: Introduction to Art/What is Art?


text:
Cookbook:Feijoa

The feijoa or pineapple guava  is a fruit native to South America but now commercially grown in New Zealand and California.

Characteristics
The fruit is egg-shaped, with a thin lime-green skin. The flesh inside is cream-colored and encases a jelly-like center with small seeds. The texture is gritty, close to that of a pear. The flesh tastes like a combination of several other fruits, usually described as pineapple, guava, and strawberry, with hints of mint or eucalyptus. Some people report a taste similar to that of a quince or lemon.

Seasonality
Feijoa season begins in the fall—this means around September in the northern hemisphere and around March in the southern.

Selection and storage
Because the fruits don't significantly change color to indicate ripeness, go by touch: choose fruit that is fragrant and gives slightly to gentle pressure. It should come off the plant easily. You'll know the fruit is ripe when it is slightly soft and the jellied inner section is clear—if clear, it's underripe, and excessive browning means it's past its prime. Ripe feijoas are delicate, so take caution not to bruise the fruit. In some regions, feijoas are gaining in popularity and are becoming easier to find in supermarkets. They are already easy to find in specialty markets and can often be ordered out-of-season through several online merchants.

Ripe feijoas may be refrigerated, but they don’t have to be. Ripen feijoas in a paper bag at room temperature; to ripen more quickly, add an apple to the bag. Ripe feijoas normally last about 3–5 days. Feijoas may be frozen, but only after peeling and cooking into a purée.

Preparation
Feijoas are pretty easy to prepare. Start by slicing or tearing the fruit in half, then scoop out the inner flesh. You can also peel off the bitter outer skin, though it is technically edible.

Use
The most common use for feijoas is simply eating raw, either plain or as a salad or garnish. However, they can also be cooked into creams, jams, and cakes.

title: Cookbook:Feijoa