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Southcourt

Thursday, April 2nd, 2009

The randomwikicast brings you a random wikipedia article with each new episode.  

 

Southcourt

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Southcourt is a housing estate in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England. Building commenced in the early 1920s through to the mid-1930s and only stopped because of the Second World War. It was turned into a post war housing estate during the years of 1946 and 1955. The area is named after the pig farm over which the housing estate was built.

The oldest house in Southcourt is in Cottesloe Road on the junction of Clover Lane. This was the original farmhouse built at the start of the 20th century. The first sod for the rest of the estate was cut in 1922 by The Duke of York: hence one of the first roads of the estate was named York Place in his honour. At the time the housing was publicised as “Homes for Heroes”, and the first houses on the estate were reserved solely for veterans of the First World War.

Until 1967, there used to be a ‘Halt’ at what is now the present pedestrian crossing from Southcourt to Stoke Road. The ‘Aylesbury South Halt’ as it used to be known, was on the ex GWR (originally broad gauge) line to Princes Risborough and High Wycombe, a stop for the train into Aylesbury to pause for any passengers who wanted a short train journey into the centre of town. It comprised a small wooden platform and shelter.

The pre-war part of the estate consists of terraced and semi-detached redbrick and rendered houses, as well as blocks of low rise flats. The post war houses are built at a higher density and of brick, concrete and steel with timber (now plastic) cladding.

The estate gained national notoriety in 2001, when it became one of the areas across the country to be affected by racial riots. This included a stand-off involving armed police, national front supporters, and a 60-strong gang of Asian and black youths.

The secondary school located in Southcourt is Mandeville Upper School. The primary school is Oak Green School, which is a mixed community school that takes approximately 430 pupils from the age of four through to the age of eleven. In the 2001 census the population of Southcourt was 5,849 people.

 

As of the 2001 UK census, the Southcourt electoral ward had a population of 5,849. The ethnicity was 86.2% white, 2.3% mixed race, 9% Asian, 1.9% black and 0.6% other. The place of birth of residents was 90.2% United Kingdom, 1.2% Republic of Ireland, 1.2% other Western European countries, and 7.4% elsewhere. Religion was recorded as 62.9% Christian, 0.1% Buddhist, 0.7% Hindu, 0.3% Sikh, 0.1% Jewish, and 8% Muslim. 19.6% were recorded as having no religion, 0.3% had an alternative religion and 8% did not state their religion.[1]

The economic activity of residents aged 16–74 was 43.9% in full-time employment, 13.3% in part-time employment, 4.8% self-employed, 4.4% unemployed, 2.3% students with jobs, 2.9% students without jobs, 9.9% retired, 8.4% looking after home or family, 6.6% permanently sick or disabled and 3.5% economically inactive for other reasons. The industry of employment of residents was 23.7% retail, 14.3% manufacturing, 7.5% construction, 10.7% real estate, 12.7% health and social work, 5.3% education, 8.1% transport and communications, 3.8% public administration, 4.8% hotels and restaurants, 2.6% finance, 0.9% agriculture and 5.6% other. Compared with national figures, the ward had a relatively high proportion of workers in retail and health and social work. There were a relatively low proportion in agriculture and finance. Of the ward’s residents aged 16–74, 8.9% had a higher education qualification or the equivalent, compared with 19.9% nationwide.[1]

 

Copyright (c) 2008 Dave Holowiski.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document

under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2

or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;

with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.

A copy of the license is included in the section entitled “GNU

Free Documentation License”.

 

The full license can be viewed here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_GNU_Free_Documentation_License#2._VERBATIM_COPYING

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The Raab Collection

Wednesday, April 1st, 2009

The randomwikicast brings you a random wikipedia article with each new episode.  

 

The Raab Collection

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

The Raab Collection is a Philadelphia-based dealer of autographs, historical documents and manuscripts, publisher of the Liberty Bell newsletter [1] and host of The Collector: An Autograph Forum.

Founded in 1989, the firm buys, sells and loans manuscripts both nationally and internationally, and assists private and institutional clients in building historically significant collections.[1] Additionally, it is one of the nation’s principle consultants on authenticity, and is often called upon by colleagues and auction houses to provide definitive opinions.

The Raab Collection also maintains an active grant and lending program with Philadelphia area and national non-profit institutions, including the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.[2]

 

The Raab Collection display at The Rittenhouse Hotel in Philadelphia.

Over the years, the firm has handled some of the most important historical manuscripts to reach the market, including Abraham Lincoln’s signed order to blockade the Confederacy,[3] Theodore Roosevelt’s letter coining the phrase “Speak softly and carry a big stick,”[4] John Brown’s will written the morning of his execution, Napoleon’s order to invade the Iberian peninsula, Meriwether Lewis’ signed pay receipt for the Lewis and Clark Expedition and William McKinley’s order ending the Spanish-American War, among many others. Many descendents and relatives of famous historical figures, among them Thomas Jefferson and Dwight D. Eisenhower, have come to The Raab Collection to sell their family archives.[5]

Steven Raab, founder of The Raab Collection, is a former Penn Ambassador for the Pennsylvania Museum Commission and is presently a member of the Board of Trustees of the Rosenbach Museum & Library [2] in Philadelphia.[6] He was instrumental in establishing, and was for years Executive Vice President, of the Professional Autograph Dealers Association (PADA) [3]. The firm, a two-generation business, is also a member of the Universal Autograph Collectors Club [4] and The Manuscript Society [5].

 

Copyright (c) 2008 Dave Holowiski.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document

under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2

or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;

with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.

A copy of the license is included in the section entitled “GNU

Free Documentation License”.

 

The full license can be viewed here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_GNU_Free_Documentation_License#2._VERBATIM_COPYING

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Woozy (Oz)

Monday, March 30th, 2009

The randomwikicast brings you a random wikipedia article with each new episode.  

Woozy (Oz)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

 

The Woozy is a four-legged fictional creature from the pages of L. Frank Baum’s 1913 Oz book The Patchwork Girl of Oz.[1]

The Woozy was described as being dark blue in color and made up of all squares, flat surfaces and edges. Its head is an exact cube and its body is in the shape of a box twice as long as it is wide and high. All four of the Woozy’s legs are four-sided, as is its stubby tail. The Woozy hears via two openings in the upper corners of its head, has a flat nose and a mouth formed by an opening on lower edge of its head. When the Woozy gets angry, it has the ability to flash fire with its eyes.

The Woozy lived in the Munchkin country in Oz and survived primarily on a diet of honey bees. The Munchkin farmers who raised the honey bees nearby drove the Woozy into the forest and confined it with a fence. Since the Woozy couldn’t climb, he could not escape his prison. (The Woozy does mention in the text that he can jump very high, but also mentions that he has a ferocious roar, which turns out to be completely untrue).

The creature is entirely hairless except for three stiff, stubby hairs on the end of its tail. Those three hairs were one of five required ingredients to the antidote for the Liquid of Petrification that Ojo, Scraps the Patchwork Girl, and Bungle set out to retrieve during the story. In return for some scraps of bread and cheese that Ojo fed him, the Woozy agreed to give his hairs to the party. When it became clear that the hairs could not be removed from his tail, Ojo freed the Woozy and allowed the creature to accompany the group.

 

 

 

Copyright (c) 2008 Dave Holowiski.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document

under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2

or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;

with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.

A copy of the license is included in the section entitled “GNU

Free Documentation License”.

 

The full license can be viewed here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_GNU_Free_Documentation_License#2._VERBATIM_COPYING

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Foreign espionage in New Zealand

Thursday, March 26th, 2009

 

The randomwikicast brings you a random wikipedia article with each new episode.  

Foreign espionage in New Zealand

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Foreign espionage in New Zealand, while likely not as extensive as in many larger countries, has nevertheless taken place. The Security Intelligence Service, which has primary responsibility for counter-intelligence work, states that there are foreign intelligence agents working in New Zealand today.

Potential objectives

New Zealand’s relatively small population, economy, and military mean that espionage against New Zealand is unlikely to be a priority for foreign intelligence agencies. Nevertheless, the New Zealand government asserts that a limited amount of espionage does take place. Former Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer has stated that “it would be wrong to assume New Zealand was free from foreign threats [or] that New Zealand may be too small and unimportant to be of great interest to hostile foreign-intelligence organisations”.[1]

One potential reason for foreign interest in New Zealand might be its close intelligence links with larger Western nations — as part of the UKUSA alliance, New Zealand receives more information than it might otherwise be expected to hold. Foreign intelligence agencies might therefore see New Zealand as a “back door” into the intelligence worlds of the United States or United Kingdom. At times, New Zealand’s allies appear to have been concerned about this point — the United Kingdom in particular voiced concerns about possible Soviet infiltration, such as in the case of Paddy Costello (see below).[2]

Also of potential interest was New Zealand’s nuclear-free legislation, which prompted a rift between New Zealand and the United States. Soviet defector Oleg Gordievsky alleges that the Soviet Union was interested in New Zealand’s policy, and attempted to promote it in Europe[3], perhaps in the hope of weakening the United States’ position in the nuclear arms race. The Soviet Union was frequently accused of encouraging those elements in New Zealand which it saw as beneficial to its interests — the pro-Soviet Socialist Unity Party was one alleged beneficiary, as were certain militant trade unions.

On occasion, foreign spies may be active in New Zealand for reasons not connected with the country itself — the French bombing of the Rainbow Warrior was aimed at Greenpeace rather than New Zealand, and China is sometimes alleged to target New Zealand-based Chinese democracy activists and Falun Gongmembers more often than it targets the New Zealand government. It is also alleged that New Zealand has been used as a “training ground” for other operations — it is a developed, English-speaking country, but was seen as less dangerous than more major targets.[3]

Alleged espionage activity

Soviet Union

Throughout the Cold War, a number of people in New Zealand, both Soviet citizens and New Zealanders, were accused of working for Soviet intelligence agencies. Many were diplomats connected to the Soviet embassy in Wellington. The SIS was active in monitoring the activities of Soviet diplomatic personnel, conducting surveillance of the embassy compound and trailing vehicles which left it. Occasionally, diplomats were expelled on charges of espionage or interference in New Zealand political affairs.

Among the expelled diplomats were Ambassador Vesevelod Sofinsky and embassy officials Sergei Budnik and Dmitri Razgovorov. Sofinsky and Budnik were both accused in the 1980s of giving covert assistance to the Socialist Unity Party, while Razgovorov was accused in 1975 of being an agent handler for local sources (notably Bill Sutch, below). Later, in 1991, Anvar Kadyrov was expelled after illegally attempting to obtain a New Zealand passport. The “Mitrokhin Archive” claims that many Soviet spies were active in New Zealand, possibly using it as a relatively “safe” training ground for activities in other English-speaking countries.

Probably the best known New Zealander accused of being a foreign spy is Bill Sutch, a prominent diplomat and economic advisor. He was observed on several occasions meeting Dmitri Razgovorov, a Soviet diplomat, and in 1974, the SIS accused Sutch of passing information. He was acquitted in court the following year, and died shortly afterwards. The question of his guilt or innocence was, and still continues to be, a matter of considerable public debate. Another New Zealander accused of working for the Soviets was Paddy Costello, a senior diplomat — information from the Mitrokhin papers is the primary source of the allegations. He is sometimes cited as the reason Morris and Lona Cohen, both Soviet spies, were able to obtain New Zealand passports, although others claim the passports could easily have been obtained without assistance. These accusations have been challenged by author James McNeish in The Sixth Man: The Extraordinary Life of Paddy Costello.

Other countries

In 1985, agents of the DGSE, the primary foreign intelligence agency of France, bombed the Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior in Auckland harbour. Most of the crew evacuated, but one person was killed. Two of the agents were captured, pleaded guilty, and were sentenced to prison. This remains the most well known incident of foreign spies working in New Zealand, and the only terrorist attack committed in New Zealand by a foreign government.

In 2004, two Israeli citizens pleaded guilty to an illegal attempt to acquire a New Zealand passport, in a case similar to that of the Soviet Anvar Kadyrov. They were fined, given a short prison sentence, and finally deported. The government has claimed that the men were Mossad agents, although the Israeli government has not officially confirmed this. (A statement in 2005 appeared to contain a confirmation, but the Israeli government later said this was a misunderstanding).

Chen Yonglin and Hao Fengjun, two officials of the People’s Republic of China who defected to Australia, have claimed that China undertakes substantial espionage work in New Zealand. The New Zealand government declined to comment, and the Chinese government denied the claims.

See also

 

Copyright (c) 2008 Dave Holowiski.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document

under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2

or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;

with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.

A copy of the license is included in the section entitled “GNU

Free Documentation License”.

The full license can be viewed here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_GNU_Free_Documentation_License#2._VERBATIM_COPYING

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Clean room design

Sunday, March 22nd, 2009

The randomwikicast brings you a random wikipedia article with each new episode.  The random wikicast is back baby, yeah!

Clean room design

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the manufacturing process setting, used for example in integrated circuit manufacture, see Clean room.
For the meaning of Clean room engineering in software development, see Cleanroom Software Engineering.

Clean room design (also known as the Chinese wall technique) is the method of copying a design by reverse engineering and then recreating it without infringing any of the copyrights and trade secrets associated with the original design. Clean room design is useful as a defense against copyright and trade secret infringement because it relies on independent invention. However, because independent invention is not a defense against patents, clean room designs typically cannot be used to circumvent patent restrictions.

The term implies that the design team works in an environment that is ‘clean’, or demonstrably uncontaminated by any knowledge of the proprietary techniques used by the competitor.

Typically, a clean room design is done by having someone examine the system to be reimplemented and having this person write a specification. This specification is then reviewed by a lawyer to ensure that no copyrighted material is included. The specification is then implemented by a team with no connection to the original examiners.

Contents

 [hide]

Examples

A famous example is that of Columbia Data Products who built the first clone of an IBM computer through a clean room implementation of its BIOS. Another isVTech’s successful clones of the Apple II ROMs for the Laser 128, the only computer model, among dozens of Apple II compatibles, which survived litigationbrought by Apple Computer. ReactOS is an open source operating system made from clean room reverse engineered components of Windows.

Case law

Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. v. Connectix Corporation was a 1999 lawsuit which established an important precedent in regard to reverse engineering. Sonysought damages for copyright infringement over Connectix’s Virtual Game Station emulator, alleging that its proprietary BIOS code had been copied into Connectix’s product without permission. Sony won the initial judgment, but the ruling was overturned on appeal. Sony eventually purchased the rights to Virtual Game Station to prevent its further sale and development. This established a precedent addressing the legal implications of commercial reverse engineering efforts.

During production, Connectix unsuccessfully attempted a Chinese wall approach to reverse engineer the BIOS, so its engineers disassembled the object codedirectly. Connectix’s successful appeal maintained that the direct disassembly and observation of proprietary code was necessary because there was no other way to determine its behavior. From the ruling:

Some works are closer to the core of intended copyright protection than others. Sony’s BIOS lay at a distance from the core because it contains unprotected aspects that cannot be examined without copying. The court of appeal therefore accorded it a lower degree of protection than more traditional literary works.

References

See also

Copyright (c) 2008 Dave Holowiski.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document

under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2

or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;

with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.

A copy of the license is included in the section entitled “GNU

Free Documentation License”.

The full license can be viewed here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_GNU_Free_Documentation_License#2._VERBATIM_COPYING

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024 – Roosevelt Elementary School (Florida)

Monday, February 16th, 2009

The randomwikicast brings you a random wikipedia article with each new episode. 

Roosevelt Elementary School (Florida)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location: Tampa, Florida  United States
Added toNRHP: May 31, 2006
NRHP Reference#: 06000443
Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School
Location
Tampa, Florida
Information
Type Public
Established 1925
School district Hillsborough County Public Schools
Principal Colleen V. Faucett
Color(s) Khaki and Navy
Mascot Rough Riders
Website Roosevelt Elementary School (HCPS)

The Roosevelt Elementary School is a historic U.S. school in Tampa, Florida. It is located at 3205 South Ferdinand Avenue and was constructed in 1925. On May 31, 2006, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

School History

Roosevelt Elementary was constructed in 1925 and officially opened to students in 1926. The original complex comprised of only the main, two-story building and its adjacent wings. The main building included a small cluster of offices, a cafeteria, and the present-day auditorium. There were also 12 classrooms (6 in each wing) within the original campus.

In 1946, as the South Tampa area grew, the original wings were expanded, adding six additional classrooms. Later in the 1950s, Obispo Street between Concordia and Ferdinand Avenues was closed to create parking for teachers and faculty. A few years later, an eight-classroom wing was built alongside Obispo St. In 1961, the current cafeteria building was added at the western end of the original wings.

In 1990, the entire campus was renovated. Among the improvements, the original lower floor of the main building was reconfigured to create offices for school administration. A media center and faculty lounge were also created. Several classrooms were also added, and a computer lab would follow in 1994. The school’s auditorium was dedicated to former US Congressman and Roosevelt alumni Sam Gibbons in 2001.

In 2004, with the population growth in South Tampa continuing, Roosevelt Elementary began making changes for its future. The 1955 wing was expanded to create four more classrooms and entire campus was updated with new technology to thrust the school into the 21st century. Roosevelt was added to National Register of Historic Places in 2006.

In 2007, the school underwent yet another expansion with an eight classroom building on the southwest corner of the campus, bringing the total number of classrooms to 35. A covered pavilion was also built along Concordia Ave.

References

External links

Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roosevelt_Elementary_School_(Florida)“

Copyright (c) 2008 Dave Holowiski.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document

under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2

or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;

with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.

A copy of the license is included in the section entitled “GNU

Free Documentation License”.

The full license can be viewed here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_GNU_Free_Documentation_License#2._VERBATIM_COPYING

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023 – Leader of the Pack (musical)

Sunday, February 15th, 2009

The randomwikicast brings you a random wikipedia article with each new episode. 

Leader of the Pack (musical)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Leader of the Pack
Original Cast Album
Music Ellie Greenwich
Lyrics Ellie Greenwich
Jeff Barry
Phil Spector
Shadow Morton
Jeff Kent
Ellen Foley
Book Anne Beatts
Based upon The life of Ellie Greenwich
Productions 1984 Off-Broadway
1985 Broadway

Leader of the Pack is a musical with liner notes by Anne Beatts and additional material by Jack Heifner, music by Ellie Greenwich, and lyrics by Greenwich, Jeff Barry, Phil Spector, George “Shadow” Morton, Jeff Kent, and Ellen Foley.

Based on an original concept by Melanie Mintzwith, this jukebox musical (created before the term was coined) celebrates the life and times of the Brooklyn-born Greenwich, whose doo-wop sounds skyrocketed to the top of the pop charts in the early to mid-1960s. Beatts’ “liner notes” serve as the book that link the songs and provide a look into the songwriter’s professional triumphs and personal misfortunes.

The initial presentation of Leader of the Pack: The Songs of Ellie Greenwich (as it originally was titled), with a cast of six, had a brief run at Greenwich Village’s Bottom Line in the winter of 1984. After 53 previews, the much-expandedproduction, boasting a cast of nineteen directed and choreographed by Michael Peters, opened on April 8, 1985 at theAmbassador Theatre, where it ran for 120 performances. The cast included Dinah Manoff, Patrick Cassidy, and Jasmine Guy, with Annie Golden and Darlene Love portraying themselves. Greenwich appeared as her contemporary self in the finale.

The production was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Musical but lost to Big River. A 2-LP original cast recordingwas released by Elektra Records. Frank Rich, reviewing the show in the New York Times, called it an “embarrassment” and later wrote that upon closing, the show’s producers engaged each other in litigation that “entertained Broadway for far longer than their show had.” [1]

Leader of the Pack is a popular choice for high school productions.

Synopsis

As a teenage member of the Jivettes during the late 1950s, Ellie dreams of hearing her songs played on the radio, but her plans are put on the back burner by a mother who insists she finish high school and pursue a degree in education so she’ll have a means of supporting herself. While attendingQueens College, she finds work in the music industry’s temple, Manhattan’s Brill Building, where she meets Gus Sharkey (a thinly-veiled caricature of Phil Spector) and fellow aspiring songwriter Jeff Barry. After a whirlwind courtship, the two wed and begin to churn out hits for the Ronettes, the Crystals, the Shangri-Las, Darlene Love,Connie Francis, and Lesley Gore, among others. In 1965, at the pinnacle of their partnership, Jeff wants to start a family, whereas Ellie would rather keep working than settle down as a housewife/mother, so he divorces her. They remain professional partners for another year, but when her ex-husband remarries, Ellie falls into a downward spiral ofdepression and eventually suffers a nervous breakdown. The show then fast-forwards to the mid-1980s, showing off a self-confident and successful Ellie who is in control of her life.

Song list

Act I
  • Be My Baby
  • Wait ’til My Bobby Gets Home
  • A . . . My Name Is Ellie
  • Jivette Boogie Beat
  • Why Do Lovers Break Each Other’s Hearts
  • Today I Met the Boy I’m Gonna Marry
  • I Wanna Love Him So Bad
  • Do Wah Diddy
  • And Then He Kissed Me
  • Hanky Panky
  • Not Too Young To Get Married
  • Chapel Of Love
  • The Songwriter’s Medley
Act II
  • Baby I Love You
  • Leader of the Pack
  • Look of Love
  • Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
  • I Can Hear Music
  • Rock of Rages
  • Keep It Confidential
  • Da Doo Ron Ron
  • What a Guy
  • Maybe I Know
  • River Deep, Mountain High
  • We’re Gonna Make It After All

External links

Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leader_of_the_Pack_(musical)“

Copyright (c) 2008 Dave Holowiski.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document

under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2

or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;

with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.

A copy of the license is included in the section entitled “GNU

Free Documentation License”.

The full license can be viewed here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_GNU_Free_Documentation_License#2._VERBATIM_COPYING

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021 – Myrmica rubra

Friday, February 13th, 2009

The randomwikicast brings you a random wikipedia article with each new episode. 

Myrmica rubra

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Common Red Ant
Two Red Ant (M. Rubra) workers

Two Red Ant (M. Rubra) workers
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Genus: Myrmica
Species: M. rubra
Binomial name
Myrmica rubra
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Myrmica rubra, also known as the European fire ant or common red ant, is a species of ant of the subgenus Myrmica, found all over Europe and in some parts of North America and Asia. [1] They are mainly red in colour, with slightly darker pigmentation on the head. The ants live under stones, fallen trees, and in soil. They are aggressive ants, often attacking rather than running away, and are equipped with a stinger, though lack the ability to spray formic acid like the genus Formica.[2]

Mainly originating from central Europe, this species is currently invading Japan and North America, where they are considered a nuisance as it is an invasive species.

They are polygynous, and can have up to one hundred queens per nest. [3] They are also polydomous, with many nest sites per individual colony.[1] These queens will have gathered together after their nuptial flight and will have formed a nest and laid their eggs in it. The queens can live up to fifteen years. Nuptial flights take place normally in late July to mid-August in Europe. Hundreds of young queens and males take to the air to mate together. Afterwards, the males die and the queens shed their wings to make a new colony. No nuptial flights have been witnessed yet from this species where it is living in North America

They are very common in Europe, and meadows and gardens. They live on a diet of honeydew excreted by aphids, and, being very aggressive like to eat many types of insect and other invertebrates. They will attack any creature that disturbs their nest, but are not as aggressive as the red imported fire ant.

It is very similar to M. ruginodis, and the differences are very hard to tell. However, Myrmica rubra is the commonest of the two.

The Swedish populations of the larvae of the butterfly Maculinea alcon (Alcon Blue) use Myrmica rubra as their primary host.

References

  1. ^ a b ”European fire ant“. UF/IFAS. Retrieved on 2008-06-25.
  2. ^ ”Myrmica rubra (insect)“. issg.org. Retrieved on 2008-06-25.
  3. ^ ”Species of ant“. antnest.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-06-25.

External links

 

This ant–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrmica_rubra“

Copyright (c) 2008 Dave Holowiski.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document

under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2

or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;

with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.

A copy of the license is included in the section entitled “GNU

Free Documentation License”.

The full license can be viewed here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_GNU_Free_Documentation_License#2._VERBATIM_COPYING

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020 – Château de Lusignan

Thursday, February 12th, 2009

The randomwikicast brings you a random wikipedia article with each new episode. 

Château de Lusignan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry, March: the Château de Lusignan

The Château de Lusignan (in Lusignan, Vienne département, France) was the seat of the Lusignan family, PoitevinMarcher Lords, who distinguished themselves in the First Crusade and held the crowns of two Crusader kingdoms, theKingdom of Jerusalem and the Kingdom of Cyprus, and even claimed the title King of Armenia.

Lusignan was constructed in the region of Poitou, occupying a natural strongpoint: a narrow promontory that overlooked steep valleys on either side. It was already so impressive in the 12th century that a legend developed to the effect that its founder had faery aid, in the guise of the water spirit Melusine, who built it and its church through her arts, as a gift for her husband Raymondin.

Lusignan at its height, just as it was in the early 15th century, is illustrated in the Très Riches Heures of Jean, duc de Berri, for whom it was a favorite residence until his death in 1416. It rises in the background of the miniature for the month of March (see illustration), clearly shown in perspective, with its barbican tower at the left, the clock tower — with the exterior chute of the garderobe to its right — and the Tour Poitevine on the right, above which the gilded dragon flies, the protective spirit of Marc Lacombe. After the duc de Berri’s death, Lusignan became briefly the property of John, Dauphin (died May 1417) and then passed to his brother, Charles, the future Charles VII.

First the village, then the town of Lusignan, grew up beneath the castle gates, along the slope; it formed a further enceinte(surrounding fortification) when it too was later enclosed by walls. Lusignan remained a strategically important place in Poitou, in the heart of France: during the French Wars of Religion, about 1574, a plan was made of the castle’s defenses; it is in the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris. In the following century Lusignan was reinforced in the modern manner byLouis XIV’s military architect, Vauban. Thus it was a natural structure to be used as a prison. Later it housed a school.

The château was long used as a local quarry of pre-cut stone before it was razed by the comte de Blossac in the 19th century, to make a pleasure ground for the town of Lusignan. What remains today are largely parts of the foundations, some built into steep hillside, part of the keep, the base of the Tour Poitevine, cisterns and cellars, and remains of a subterranean passage that probably once led to the church.

See also

External links

Coordinates: 46°26?14?N 0°7?40?E

Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_de_Lusignan“

Copyright (c) 2008 Dave Holowiski.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document

under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2

or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;

with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.

A copy of the license is included in the section entitled “GNU

Free Documentation License”.

The full license can be viewed here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_GNU_Free_Documentation_License#2._VERBATIM_COPYING

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019 – The Amazing Transparent Man

Wednesday, February 11th, 2009

The randomwikicast brings you a random wikipedia article with each new episode. 

The Amazing Transparent Man

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Amazing Transparent Man

A promotional lobby card for “The Amazing Transparent Man.”

The Amazing Transparent Man is a 1960 science fiction film starring Marguerite Chapman. It is an American B-moviewhich follows the story of an insane ex U. S. Army major who uses an escaped criminal to steal materials to improve the invisibility machine his scientist prisoner made. It was one of two sci-fi films shot back to back by director Edgar G. Ulmer (the other being Beyond the Time Barrier). The combined filming schedule for both films was only two weeks. The film was later featured in an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

The film has received very poor reviews and suffered in popularity as a result of its low budget. Leading science fiction author David Wingrove commented in his Science Fiction Source Book that “Its cheap-budget origins show throughout.Amazing claims too much for what is essentially a thriller involving an escaped criminal…”

Plot

Former U. S. Army major, Paul Krenner (James Griffith), plans to conquer the world with an army of invisible soldiers and will do anything to achieve that goal. With the help of his hired muscle, Julian (Red Morgan), Krenner forces Dr. Peter Ulof (Ivan Trisault) to perfect the invisibility machine Ulof invented. He keeps Ulof’s daughter, Maria (Carmel Daniel) imprisoned to keep Ulof in line.

The nuclear materials Ulof needs to better his invisibility machine are extremely rare and kept under guard in government facilities. Krenner arranges the prison break of notorious safecracker, Joey Faust (Douglas Kennedy), to steal the materials he needs. Of course Faust will do the jobs invisible. Krenner offers Faust money for the jobs and Faust expresses his grievances against working for him. Faust tells him that he’ll sing like a canary if he’s returned to prison. Krenner tells Faust that he’s wanted alive or dead. Faust reluctantly complies. However, when he meets Faust’s woman, Laura Matson (Marguerite Chapman), he slowly charms her into a double cross.

Faust continues attempting to escape and tries to get one over on Krenner. It looks like he may have the edge on Krenner when Faust attacks Krenner while invisible. However, Dr. Ulof’s guinea pig dies and, during the second time he’s invisible, Faust uncontrollably reverts from invisible to visible and back again. Despite these drawbacks Faust forges ahead intent on breaking free from Krenner’s control.

 

Cast

Actor Role
Marguerite Chapman Laura Matson
Douglas Kennedy Joey Faust
James Griffith Maj. Paul Krenner
Ivan Triesault Dr. Peter Ulof
Boyd ‘Red’ Morgan Julian
Carmel Daniel Maria Ulof
Edward Erwin Drake
Jonathan Ledford Smith
Norman Smith Security guard
Patrick Cranshaw Security guard
Kevin Kelly Woman
Dennis Adams State Police officer
Stacy Morgan State Police officer

References

Bibliography

  • Wingrove, David. Science Fiction Film Source Book (Longman Group Limited, 1985)

External links

Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Amazing_Transparent_Man“

Copyright (c) 2008 Dave Holowiski.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document

under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2

or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;

with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.

A copy of the license is included in the section entitled “GNU

Free Documentation License”.

The full license can be viewed here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_GNU_Free_Documentation_License#2._VERBATIM_COPYING

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