Wednesday, April 30, 2008

California Proposition 98 (1988)
California Proposition 98 requires a minimum percentage of the state budget to be spent on K-14 education. Prop 98 guarantees an annual increase in education in the California budget.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008


The Carry On films were a long-running series of British low-budget comedy films, directed by Gerald Thomas and produced by Peter Rogers. An energetic mix of parody, farce, slapstick and double entendres, they are seen as classic examples of how to do British humour.
Twenty-nine original films and one compilation film were made between 1958 and 1978 at Pinewood Studios, with an additional film made in 1992. The films relied on a repertoire of comedy actors which changed gradually over the years. The mainstays of the series were Kenneth Williams (26 films), Joan Sims (24), Charles Hawtrey (23), Sid James (19), Kenneth Connor (17), Hattie Jacques (14) and Bernard Bresslaw (14). One of the most iconic Carry On stars was Barbara Windsor, although she appeared in only ten of the films. Comedy legend Frankie Howerd is also associated with the Carry On films, but only appeared in two of them (Doctor and Up The Jungle)
The films' humour was in the British comic tradition of the music hall and seaside postcards. Many of them parodied more serious films - in the case of Carry On Cleo (1964), the Burton and Taylor film Cleopatra (1963).
The mainstay of Carry On humour was innuendo and the sending-up of British institutions and customs, such as the National Health Service (Nurse, Doctor, Again Doctor, Matron), the monarchy (Henry), the Empire (Up the Khyber) and the trade unions (At Your Convenience) as well as the Hammer horror film (Screaming), camping (Camping), foreigners (Abroad), the seaside (Girls), and caravanning holidays (Behind) among others. Although the films were very often slated by the critics, they were popular.
The series began with Carry On Sergeant (1958), about a group of recruits on National Service, and was sufficiently successful that others followed. A film had appeared the previous year under the title Carry On Admiral; although this was a comedy in a similar vein (with Joan Sims in the cast) it has no connection to the series. There was also an unrelated 1937 film Carry On London, starring future Carry On performer Eric Barker.
The characters and comedy style of the Carry On film series later moved into shows in other media. There was a television series titled Carry On Laughing, and several Carry On Christmas specials. There were also three stage shows: Carry On London, Carry On Laughing and Wot a Carry On In Blackpool.

Carry On films Early films
In 1963 Talbot Rothwell took over the role of screenwriter. The settings became more ambitious, often parodying well-known films or genres. Coinciding with the sexual revolution, they featured more explicit sexual jokes and situations. The films made in colour in the '60s remain among the most popular of the series.
At one point, Talbot Rothwell sought and received permission to borrow several one-liners and quotes that Frank Muir and Denis Norden had written for the successful radio comedy series Take It From Here. Rothwell was a friend and colleague of Muir and Norden.


Back to black-and-white; originally scripted as a non-Carry On film called Call Me a Cab


In colour again; not considered a successful film in the canon


In black-and-white as a deliberate spoof of Film Noir in some sequences


In full colour again (as were all the rest), using costumes and sets left standing from filming portions of Cleopatra; contains the line voted as the funniest comedy movie line ever: "Infamy! Infamy! they've all got it in for me!" (Kenneth Williams)


A spoof horror film, with the Gothic atmosphere of a Hammer production. In 2000, readers of Total Film magazine voted this the 40th greatest comedy film of all time. Harry H. Corbett guest-starred in the Sid James role. Most famous line is a lustily-delivered "Frying tonight!" from Kenneth Williams.


A Scarlet Pimpernel spoof.


A Foreign Legion parody, and an unsuccessful attempt to break into the American market by casting Phil Silvers as the lead — in a role written for Sid James, who had suffered his first heart-attack just before the film went into production.


The highest grossing film that year in the UK
The loss of the Carry On prefix from the titles of 'Don't Lose Your Head' and 'Follow That Camel' was due to the change of distributor from Anglo-Amalgamated to Rank. Both films were later re-issued with a Carry On... prefix.

Carry On Cabby (1963)
Carry On Jack (1963)
Carry On Spying (1964)
Carry On Cleo (1964)
Carry On Cowboy (1965)
Carry On Screaming (1966)
Don't Lose Your Head (1966)
Follow That Camel (1967)
Carry On Doctor (1967)
Carry On up the Khyber (1968)
Carry On Camping (1969)
Carry On Again Doctor (1969) Classic Carry On
Although the series continued to be popular in the early 1970s, there was a growing feeling among the cast and critics that the quality of the films was declining. British society was becoming more accustomed to seeing sexual content on screen, and the innuendos of the series no longer had the impact they did before, although they became noticeably stronger. Rothwell continued as writer.


The Wedded Bliss agency, run by Sidney and Sophie Bliss, is a picture of domestic happiness, until the customers walk out the door! This film tried to introduce younger stars into the mix, incorporating such newcomers as Jacki Piper, Imogen Hassall and Richard O'Callaghan in key roles.


This was the first box office failure in the series, something attributed to the film's attempt at exploring the political themes of the trade union movement — with, crucially, the unionists portrayed as buffoons. This apparently alienated the traditional working-class Carry On core audience, and the film did not return full production costs until 1976 after several international and television sales. This film is considered by many Carry On fans to be one of the best of the series. Richard O'Callaghan, Jacki Piper and Kenneth Cope play key roles along side the Carry On regulars.


After the problems caused by the topical and political nature of the previous film's story, this was a lightweight farce that returned to the familiar Carry On... setting of a large hospital. Matron featured all the main regular cast of the period with the exception of Peter Butterworth, and was the final Carry On for recurring players Terry Scott and Jacki Piper. The first appearance for Jack Douglas.


This film, about a disastrous package holiday where anything that could possibly go wrong did go wrong, was Charles Hawtrey's last Carry On.


The story of a struggling seaside resort's attempt to organise a beauty contest, and the efforts of militant feminists, to oppose it. This was the first film where key regulars Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey were both absent. The sexual humour in this film is notably less subtle than its predecessors. Robin Askwith was cast as a sexually naïve young man; a similar role to that which he would play in the later Confessions films.


The last Rothwell film, and the last to feature Sid James, Hattie Jacques, and Barbara Windsor. It is often seen as the last "true" Carry On.

Carry On Up the Jungle (1970)
Carry On Loving (1970)
Carry On Henry (1971) (with Sid James as Henry VIII)
Carry On at Your Convenience (1971)
Carry On Matron (1972)
Carry On Abroad (1972)
Carry On Girls (1973)
Carry On Dick (1974) (a Dick Turpin spoof) Into the 1970s
After Rothwell ended his run as writer in 1974, the already variable quality of the series took a sharp downturn. British society had changed significantly and Carry On humour now seemed dated and innocent. Moreover fewer and fewer of the established cast were now appearing in the films; Abroad had been the last Carry On film appearance for Charles Hawtrey and Dick the last for Sid James (who died in 1976), Hattie Jacques and Barbara Windsor. Owing to the withdrawal of American funding from British films, with a few exceptions, many of the most profitable British films during the 1970s were those adapted from television series (such as Steptoe and Son), or erotic comedies. The influence of these genres is keenly felt in the Carry On series' output of this period, with an increased sexual content and more television stars (such as Windsor Davies) appearing in place of regulars.


Basically a remake of Carry On Camping with several established Carry On regulars along with an influx of new actors in main roles including Windsor Davies, Ian Lavender, and headlining guest star Elke Sommer. This was the final Carry On film appearance for Bernard Bresslaw.


This film featured an almost entirely new cast. Although Carry On regular Kenneth Connor had a leading role the only other regulars present, Joan Sims and Peter Butterworth, had only small roles in the film. Windsor Davies who had joined the series with the preceding film again plays a major role. Other key roles are taken by established and recognisable actors Judy Geeson and Patrick Mower. A major commercial failure, this film was withdrawn from some cinemas after just three days .


A compilation of clips with specially filmed linking footage presented by Kenneth Williams and Barbara Windsor.


An attempt to revive the series by increasing the sexual content. This film is notable in that Jack Douglas plays a character other than his stuttering Alf Ippititimus-type persona, in this case a snooty butler.

Carry On Behind (1975)
Carry On England (1976)
That's Carry On! (1977)
Carry On Emmannuelle (1978) Decline


The next film after Carry on Regardless, What A Carry On was to have been set around an Amateur Dramatics group putting on a production of Romeo and Juliet but Hudis couldn't work it into a full feature script and it was incorporated into Teacher.


Conflicting reports state that the script for this film would have been written by Michael Pertwee or Norman Hudis (Hudis sounds more likely), had it gone ahead. The story revolved around a fire station, under the command of Sid James, and various attempts to train a bungling group of new recruits. Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey were to have played the supporting roles. The idea was abandoned because Gerald Thomas was afraid the film might suffer if a major disaster occurred at the time of its release.


Scripted by Norman Hudis, this story revolved around a group of RAF recruits. It got as far as pre-production, but was abandoned. This is probably what inspired the making of the failed Carry On England which had a similar plot.


See main article for more information.


During the Second World War, Talbot Rothwell and Peter Butterworth spent time interred in the same prisoner of war camp. Carry On Escaping was inspired by their experiences there and progressed as far in pre-production as a near-final script.


See main article for more information.


A planned spoof of the then popular US soap, Carry on Dallas. A full script was written and casting offers made - including Kenny Williams, Kenny Connor, Jack Douglas, Suzanne Danielle, Joan Sims, Charlie Hawtrey (in a guest role) and Jim Dale. The script centred around the Ramming family (and not screwing which was dropped in an early draft as this could have endangered the A certificate). When the 'Who Shot JR' thing happened and Dallas became the most watched TV programme in the world at that time. Lorrimar then wanted a royalty about 20 times the size of the total budget to use the programme as a base - so the production dried up.


Carry On Down Under was loosely to have been based on the Neighbours series and its ilk. Location scouting had been carried out by Gerald Thomas, in Australia, but eventually the finance fell through. Essentially, Peter always liked the script for Carry On Dallas, and so a couple of years later the oil tycoons became sewage farmers and the whole thing shifted to Australia. Gerry Thomas had seen some locations there whilst on holiday and spoke to the Australian film commission who welcomed the idea with open arms. The scripts for Carry On Dallas and Carry On Down Under were identical!


See main article for more information.

What a Carry On... (1961)
Carry On Smoking (1961)
Carry On Flying (1962)
Carry On Spaceman (1962)
Carry On Escaping (60's or 70's)
Carry On Again Nurse (1979)
Carry on Dallas (AKA Carry on Texas) (1987)
Carry on Down Under (1988)
Carry On Again Nurse (1988) Unmade Carry On's
During the 1980s the Carry On films were viewed by many as representing the worst side of British attitudes to women and to sex. However, they were still very popular and were regularly broadcast on television.
In 1992, an attempt was made to revive the series with Carry On Columbus, co-inciding with the production of two serious movies on the subject and the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' first landing in the Americas. The producers managed to persuade a number of alternative comedians such as Rik Mayall, Alexei Sayle, Peter Richardson, and Julian Clary to appear in the film as well as the comic actress Maureen Lipman, but it did not achieve any great commercial success and was panned by some critics.
Of all the original Carry On stars, only Jim Dale (playing the title role) and Jack Douglas appeared in the film – many of the others had died. Barbara Windsor, however, refused to appear after reading the script. A handful of other actors who had played a few roles in the original films, such as Peter Gilmore, Bernard Cribbins, Jon Pertwee, June Whitfield, and Leslie Phillips also appeared. Frankie Howerd had originally agreed to appear, but he passed away before filming, and the role was adapted to be played by Julian Clary.
The script, by Dave Freeman, was more polished than those he wrote for the Carry On films during the 1970s, including comment on colonialism as well as the obligatory innuendo and slapstick.

Regular actors

Sunday, April 27, 2008


Coat of arms of Trier
Coat of arms
The Bishopric and Archbishopric of Trier was one of the important ecclesiastical principalities of the Holy Roman Empire. Unlike the other Rhenish archbishoprics — Mainz and CologneTrier, as the important Roman provincial capital of Augusta Treverorum, had been the seat of a bishop since Roman times. It was raised to archiepiscopal status during the reign of Charlemagne, whose will mentions the bishoprics of Metz, Toul and Verdun as its suffragans.

History
The early bishops in this list are strictly legendary. The earliest authenticated bishop, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia (1908), was Agricius, who took part in the Council of Arles in 314, but who does not appear among the traditional list.
Bishops and Archbishops

Eucherius c. 50–73
Valerius of Trèves, c.73–88 Archbishops of Trier, 791–1189

John I 1189–1212
Theodoric II 1212–42
Arnold II von Isenburg 1242–59
Heinrich I von Finstingen 126086
Bohemond I von Warnesberg 1286–99
Diether von Nassau 130007
Heinrich III von Virneburg 1300–06 (in opposition)
Baldwin von Luxemburg 1307–54
Bohemond II von Saarbrücken 1354–61
Kuno II von Falkenstein 136288
Werner von Falkenstein 1388–1418
Otto von Ziegenhain 1418–30
Rhaban von Helmstadt 1430–38
Jakob von Sierk 143956
Johann II of Baden 1456–1503
Jakob II of Baden 1503–11
Richard Greiffenklau zu Vollraths 1511–31
Johann III von Metzenhausen 1531–40
Johann Ludwig von Hagen 1540–47
Johann IV von Isenburg 1547–56
Johann V von der Leyen 1556–67
Jakob III von Eltz 1567–81
Johann VI von Schonenberg 1581–99
Lothar von Metternich 1599–1623
Philipp Christoph von Sotern 1623–52
Karl Kaspar von der Leyen 1652–76
Johann Hugo von Orsbeck 1676–1711
Charles Joseph of Lorraine 1711–15
Franz Ludwig of Palatinate-Neuburg 171629
Franz Georg von Schönborn-Buchheim 1729–56
Johann Philipp von Walderdorf 1756–68
Clemens Wenzel of Saxony 1768–1803 Archbishop-Electors of Trier, 1189–1803

Charles Mannay 180216
Josef von Hommer 182436
Wilhelm Arnoldi 184264
Leopold Pelldram 1864–67
Matthias Eberhard 1867–76
Michael Felix Korum 18811921
Franz Rudolf Bornewasser 192251
Matthias Wehr 1951–66
Bernhard Stein 196780
Hermann Josef Spital 19812001
Reinhard Marx 2001present Saint Auspicius Notes

History of Trier

Saturday, April 26, 2008

History
The National Express Group, operators of long-distance coach services in the United Kingdom under the National Express brand, has a fleet of twelve Neoplan Skyliners. On the evening of 3 January 2007, one overturned and crashed on a slip road near Heathrow Airport, killing two passengers. The other sixty-five passengers and two staff members were all taken to hospital. National Express Group temporarily withdrew all twelve Skyliners from service on 5 January 2007, pending investigations only reinstating them in late May 2007.

Accidents

Products

NeoplanNeoplan Current

Cityliner
Skyliner
Starliner
Tourliner
Trendliner Coaches

Centroliner
Electroliner
Airliner Buses

Hamburg
Megaliner
Jumbocruiser
Jetliner
Spaceliner
Metroliner
Transliner
Euroliner
Megashuttle
Apron See also

Alexander Dennis
Ayats
Berkhof
Bova
Irizar
Jonckheere
Marcopolo
Plaxton
Setra
TEMSA
Van Hool
Wrightbus

Friday, April 25, 2008


BG Group Plc (LSEBG.) is an energy production and distribution company which has its headquarters in Reading outside London, England. The company was created in 1997 when British Gas plc divested Centrica plc and became BG plc, which was reorganised in 1999 as BG Group plc. BG Group has use of the trading name "British Gas" outside the United Kingdom; Centrica owns the rights to use it within the UK.

BG Group Activities

Board of Directors

Thursday, April 24, 2008


Carl Thomas Rowan (August 11, 1925 - September 23, 2000), was an African American public servant, journalist and author. Rowan was a nationally-syndicated op-ed columnist for the Washington Post and the Chicago Sun-Times. He was one of the most prominent black journalists of the 20th century.

Carl Rowan Controversy

South of Freedom (1952)
The Pitiful and the Proud (1956)
Go South to Sorrow (1957)
Wait till Next Year: The Life Story of Jackie Robinson (1960)
Just Between Us Blacks (1974)
Breaking Barriers: A Memoir (1991)
Growing up Black: From The Slave Days to the Present - 25 African-Americans Reveal the Trials and Triumphs of Their Childhoods (contributor, 1992)
Dream Makers, Dream Breakers: The World of Justice Thurgood Marshall (1993)
The Coming Race War in America: A Wake-Up Call (1996)

Wednesday, April 23, 2008


Duncan Fegredo is a comic book artist born in Leicester in 1968.

Duncan FegredoDuncan Fegredo Biography

New Statesmen (with John Smith):

  • "Where the railroad meets the sea" (in Crisis #7, 1988)
    "Memories on Ice" (in Crisis #8, 1988)
    Third World War (with Pat Mills):

    • "Liats law" (in Crisis #19, 1989)
      "Liats law II" (in Crisis #26, 1989)
      Kid Eternity (with Grant Morrison, Vertigo, 3-issue mini-series, 1991, tpb, 2006 ISBN 1-4012-0933-5)
      Enigma (with Peter Milligan, DC, 1993, tpb, 1995)
      Judge Dredd (with John Wagner):

      • "Dead Ringer" (in Judge Dredd Megazine #3.64, 2000)
        "The Bad Juve (in 2000 AD #1227, 2001)
        "The Runner" (in 2000 AD #1240. 2001)
        Hellboy "Darkness Calls" (upcoming)

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must)
How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must) is a 2004 book by author Ann Coulter.

Description
The book is a collection of columns written by Coulter between September 12, 2001 and March 9, 2005 on liberalism, the war on terror, and the media.
In it, Coulter offers advice gleaned from her experience as a political pundit. She attacks the New York Times and the Democratic Party, and sums up her opinion of liberals in two sentences: "Want to make liberals angry? Defend the United States." In arguing with liberals, she advises, "don't be defensive", "always outrage the enemy", and "never apologize to, compliment, or show graciousness to a Democrat".
The book was on the New York Times Bestseller list for 17 weeks.

Monday, April 21, 2008


For the United States Department of Agriculture's nutritional program with a similar name, see Child and Adult Care Food Program.
Childcare (also written child care and babycare) is the act of caring for and supervising minor children. (In Australia, daycare is referred to as "childcare"—cf.)

Childcare The childcare debate
In many families (and almost exclusively so in some communities), the childcare role is taken on by the extended family. One of the challenges for parents who choose to use other sources of childcare is finding and affording qualified providers.
Some jurisdictions require licensing or certification. Parents may also turn to independent rating services, or rely on recommendations and referrals. Some places develop voluntary quality networks, for example in Australia most childcare services are part of the national Quality Assurance system which ensures they provide good developmental programs.
Many organizations (in the developed world) campaign for free or subsidized childcare for all. Others campaign for tax breaks or allowances to allow parents a non-finance driven choice. Many of the free or subsidized childcare programs in the United States are also Child Development programs, or after school programs which hire certified teachers to teach the children while they are in their care.
Most countries have laws relating to childcare, which seek to prevent and punish child abuse. Such laws may add cost and complexity to childcare provision and may provide tools to help ensure quality childcare.

The challenge of childcare
The Internet has become a tool for parents and childcare providers to connect.
Online classified ads allow parents to post job offers and childcare providers to post resumes in hopes of connecting with each other via cyberspace. Such postings allow anyone to post almost anything at any time with little monitoring. Services dedicated to matching parents and childcare providers have evolved from for-profit, nonprofit and governmental organizations. Such services generally offer greater screening, than general listing services.

Notes

Babysitter
Daycare
Care and feeding of an infant
Wood kindergarten

Sunday, April 20, 2008


The Ohio Turnpike (officially the James W. Shocknessy Ohio Turnpike) is a 241.26 mi (388.27 km)-long, limited-access toll highway in the U.S. state of Ohio, serving as a primary corridor to Chicago and Pittsburgh. The road runs east-west in the northern section of the state, from the Indiana Toll Road (at the Indiana-Ohio border near Montpelier) to the Pennsylvania Turnpike (at the Ohio-Pennsylvania border near Petersburg).
Built from 1949 to 1955, construction for the roadway was completed a year prior to the Interstate Highway System. The modern Ohio Turnpike is signed as three interstate numbers: I-76, I-80, and I-90.
The road is owned and maintained by the Ohio Turnpike Commission, headquartered in Berea.

History
The Ohio Turnpike has had service plazas since its inception. Service plazas differ from typical freeway rest areas in that they offer amenities such as 24-hour food and fuel service, which means motorists do not have to pay the toll to exit, then re-enter when they have to re-fuel or stop to eat.
Beginning in 1998, The Ohio Turnpike Commission began modernizing its service plazas, first demolishing the original plazas and then reconstructing them from the ground-up. In addition to modern restrooms, the new plazas offer several fast food choices, which vary between the plazas. They also include ATMs, gift shops, travel information counters, Wi-Fi internet access, and facilities for truck drivers, including shower facilities, lounge, and laundry areas. A fueling station is provided at each plaza. Facilities for overnight RV campers are provided at the service plazas located at mile markers 76, 139, and 197.

Service Plazas
Since the turnpike opened, the Ohio Turnpike Commission has contracted with the Ohio State Highway Patrol (District 10) to provide law enforcement, as well as assistance to disabled or stranded motorists. The Patrol is the only law enforcement agency with jurisdiction on the turnpike. It monitors Citizen's Band channel 9 for distress calls.

Law enforcement
In September 2004, the speed limit for heavy trucks was raised to 65 mph (105 km/h), creating a uniform speed limit for all traffic. For years, trucks had avoided the turnpike due to large toll increases in the 1990s, and because they could travel for free at the same speed on parallel highways such as State Route 2 and US 20. Truck traffic clogged the downtown shopping areas of US 20 towns such as Bellevue, Clyde, and Fremont, essentially driving away customers who didn't want to deal with the truck traffic; shopkeepers begged the state for relief for years.
Eventually, after prodding by Governor Bob Taft, the Ohio Turnpike Commission lowered truck tolls and implemented the uniform 65-mph speed limit on September 8, 2004. Truck traffic levels on the turnpike are estimated to be 20% higher since the change was made. The turnpike's 65-mph truck speed limit is unique in Ohio, as a 55-mph statutory speed limit applies to trucks on every other highway in the state.

Proposed leasing
Tolls are based upon the distance traveled, as well as the type and weight of vehicle driven. As of January 2007, the toll for a typical non-commercial passenger vehicle to travel the entire turnpike is $10.25. The system is expected to be fully functional by 2009.

Ohio Turnpike Exit list

Interstate 76 in Ohio
Interstate 80 in Ohio
Interstate 90 in Ohio

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Livingston County, Michigan
Livingston County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan, and is part of the Detroit-Warren-Livonia Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the population was 156,951, with a 2003 Census estimate placing the population at 181,517. The county seat and most populous incorporated city is Howell. As one of Michigan's "Cabinet counties", a group of counties whose names honor members of President Andrew Jackson's Cabinet, it is named after former U.S. Secretary of State Edward Livingston.

Geography

Genesee County (northeast)
Shiawassee County (northwest)
Washtenaw County (south)
Oakland County (east)
Ingham County (west)
Jackson County (southwest) Livingston County, Michigan Adjacent counties
As of the census² of 2000, there were 156,951 people, 55,384 households, and 43,531 families residing in the county. The population density was 107/km² (276/mi²). There were 58,919 housing units at an average density of 40/km² (104/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.13% White, 0.46% Black or African American, 0.43% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. 1.24% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 96.8% spoke English and 1.1% Spanish as their first language.
There were 55,384 households out of which 39.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.50% were married couples living together, 6.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.40% were non-families. 17.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the county the population was spread out with 28.80% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 31.70% from 25 to 44, 24.60% from 45 to 64, and 8.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 102.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.70 males.
With a median household income of $67,400, and a median family income of $75,284, Livingston county is one of the Highest-income counties in the United States. Males had a median income of $54,358 versus $32,073 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,069. About 2.40% of families and 3.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.60% of those under age 18 and 4.50% of those age 65 or over.
Livingston County has been the fastest growing county in the state for the past decade and also through the 1970s. More than 50% of all the population of Livingston County is located in the southeastern communities of Brighton Township, Genoa Township, Hamburg Township, Green Oak Township, the Village of Pinckney, Putnam Township and the City of Brighton.
The US Census Bureau in 2000 identified Brighton, Howell, and the nearby city of South Lyon to be a contiguous, urbanized area, one of the newest such areas in the United States.
By 2006 the county population had grown 17.6% to 184,511. Livingston County is the fastest-growing county in Michigan.
In 2006, non-Hispanic whites made up 95.7% of the county population; African-Americans made up 0.7%; Asians 0.8%; and Native Americans 0.4%. Hispanics were 1.6% of the population.

Location
There are two local newspapers, The Livingston Community News, a relatively new free weekly that is part of the Booth newspaper chain (which also owns The Ann Arbor News), and the The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus. Published Sunday through Friday, the "Daily Press & Argus" was launched in 2000 through the combination of two weekly newspapers -- The Livingston County Press and The Brighton Argus -- which served the communities for many decades. The Web site for the "Daily Press & Argus" was launched in 2005 and is located at www.livingstondaily.com.
Other media in the county includes WHMI-FM, a Classic Hits radio station that has local news on the hour. Local news and other station information is located at www.whmi.com

Media
The county government operates the jail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, keeps files of deeds and mortgages, maintains vital records, administers public health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of welfare and other social services. The county board of commissioners controls the budget but has only limited authority to make laws or ordinances. In Michigan, most local government functions — police and fire, building and zoning, tax assessment, street maintenance, etc. — are the responsibility of individual cities and townships.

Government
(information as of September 2005)

Prosecuting Attorney: David L. Morse
Sheriff: Robert J. Bezotte
County Clerk: Margaret M. Dunleavy
County Treasurer: Dianne H. Hardy
Register of Deeds: Sally Reynolds
Drain Commissioner: Brian Jonckheere Livingston County elected officials

Cities, villages, and townships

Brighton
Howell Cities

Pinckney
Fowlerville Villages

Brighton Township
Cohoctah Township
Conway Township
Deerfield Township
Genoa Township
Green Oak Township
Hamburg Township
Handy Township
Hartland Township
Howell Township
Iosco Township
Marion Township
Oceola Township
Putnam Township
Tyrone Township
Unadilla Township Census Designated Places (CDP)

Hell, unincorporated community
Parshallville
Hartland

Friday, April 18, 2008

Wilfrid Pelletier
Wilfrid Pelletier (June 20, 1896April 9, 1982) was a Canadian orchestra conductor.
In 1937, Pelletier married American opera singer Rose Bampton. In 1967, he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada.
Place des Arts' Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, the largest multi-purpose concert hall in Canada, was named in his honour in 1966.
In 2002, Wilfrid Pelletier became a MasterWorks honouree for the Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Bishops' Wars
The Bishops' WarsBellum Episcopale — refers to two armed encounters between Charles I and the Scottish Covenanters in 1639 and 1640, which helped to set the stage for the English Civil War and the subsequent Wars of the Three Kingdoms

Rise of the Bishops
For Charles, war with the Scots was a risky strategy. In England he had ruled without Parliament for eleven years and simply did not have the resources for a sustained campaign. Calling a new Parliament was potentially dangerous because of past opposition and current hostility to official policy. Instead the king tried to conjure up a coalition of forces against the Covenanters, to include such armed units he was able to gather in England from his existing resources, the domestic opposition to the Covenanters in Scotland, concentrated in the Highlands and the territory of the Gordons of Huntly in Aberdeenshire, as well as troops from Ireland. Scotland was to be enveloped in attacks from without and within.
Charles' strategy was bold but amateurish: he would advance to the borders of Berwickshire with the royal army, while James, Marquess of Hamilton. led an amphibious force into the Firth of Forth, and Randal Macdonnell, Earl of Antrim, advanced from Ireland against Archibald Campbell, Earl of Argyll, a leading Covenanter. Hamilton was given the supplementary aim of aiding the Marquess of Huntly.
But like all such grand strategies the whole scheme fell apart when confronted by the detailed logistical problems that real soldiers always have to face: the men were badly trained and equipped; transport, especially shipping, was a serious problem; there were few secure bases and insufficient stores; and there was no detailed plan of campaign. Thomas Wentworth, Charles' Lord Deputy in Ireland, did little to disguise his contempt for the mercurial Antrim, and refused to extend the necessary support for the planned invasion of Scotland. The Covenanters, though little better prepared than the king, at least had the advantage of superior morale, defending a cause they believed to be just. All internal resistance to the Covenanters was swept aside in June 1639 when the Gordons were defeated by Montrose at the Battle of the Bridge of Dee, the only serious clash of the whole war.
Charles arrived at Berwick at the end of May, camping with the rest of his army a few miles to the west at a place called Birks on the English side of the River Tweed. Things were far from good. Most of the troops were badly prepared, food was scarce, and disease had broken out. All were tormented by lice, known in the grim humour of the camp as "Covenanters." When the weather turned bad few had any shelter, and for miles there were no trees from which to build huts. Smallpox was an ever present hazard; desertions were frequent. Thomas Windebank, son of the king's Secretary of State, carried his own frustrations to an explosive extent. The only thing that kept out the cold and the wet, he wrote,
…was the hope of; Rubbing, fubbing and scrubbing those scurvy, filthy, dirty, nasty, lousy, itchy, scabby, shitten, stinking, slovenly, snotty-nosed, logger-headed, foolish, insolent, proud, beggarly, impertinent, absurd, grout-headed, villainous, barbarous, bestial, false, lying, rougish, devlish, long-eared, short-haired, damnable, atheistic, puritanical crew of the Scottish Covenant.
On the other side of the border the army of the Scots, commanded by Alexander Leslie were little better off than their English opponents. As Archibald Johnston of Warriston relates, Leslie was short of money, horses and provisions. The stand-off could not last indefinitely, but the Scots were unwilling to cross the border. Even if they defeated the king in battle, their position would not be secure, as English national passions would be aroused. With neither side willing to advance or retreat, the only alternative was to open negotiations.

First Bishops' War (1639)
At Birks, Charles had reached a dead end. His last hope disappeared when he received a letter from Wentworth, saying he could expect no help from Ireland and urging him to delay his campaign for a year. The Earl of Bristol and several other noblemen told him frankly that he would have to summon Parliament if he wished to proceed with his war against the Scots. Realising that his whole strategy was falling to pieces he decided to accept the Scots proposal for negotiations.
Talks began in the Earl of Arundel's tent on 11 June, with six Scottish commissioners—headed by John Leslie, earl of Rothes, Johnston of Warriston and Alexander Henderson—facing a similar number of Englishmen. Soon after they began the King appeared in person, frosty at first, then becoming more relaxed. After Charles promised a new Assembly and Parliament to settle the church question, Warriston responded, by accusing him of playing for time. Although Charles expostulated that "The Devil himself could not make a more uncharitable construction," it is unlikely that anyone believed the peace would be permanent. Both sides agreed to disband their armies, however, and Charles, while refusing to accept the decisions of the "pretended" Glasgow Assembly, agreed to summon a new gathering to meet in Edinburgh on 20 August, followed shortly after by a Parliament. On this basis, the Pacification of Berwick was signed on 18 June. It was only to be a short breathing space.

Peace of Berwick
As expected, the Edinburgh Assembly confirmed all the acts passed at Glasgow, without mentioning its predecessor by name. But it went even further, uncovering the real causes of the contest with the King. It was no longer only a struggle over confessional differences and church government; it was over secular political power as well. Not only was Episcopacy abolished, but churchmen were also declared incapable of holding civil office. Worse, from the King's point of view, the appointment of bishops was declared not only wrong in practice but also contrary to the law of God. (Charles had accepted the argument that Episcopacy might be set aside in the Scottish church as a temporary expedient. However, to declare it contrary to scripture meant that its rejection could not be limited by time or space. If Episcopacy was universally unlawful, how could it be maintained in England and Ireland?) Parliament, which met soon after the Assembly, in effect confirmed a revolution: in Scotland royal power, absolute royal power, was dead.
It was an impossible situation for Charles to accept: he could not rule as a constitutional monarch in one kingdom and hope to retain the powers of an absolute monarch in the other two. For England, the situation was particularly invidious because of its more advanced tradition of constitutional law. For Charles to summon a new Westminster assembly any time before the outbreak of the First Bishops' war would have been a risky enterprise; after the Edinburgh Assembly and Parliament it was a step fraught with suicidal implications.

Primary

Donald, P., An Uncounselled King. Charles I and the Scottish Troubles, 1637–1641, 1990.
Fissel, M. C., The Bishops' Wars. Charles I's Campaigns against Scotland, 1638–1640, 1994.
Lee, M., The Road to Revolution. Scotland under Charles I, 1985.
McCoy, F. N., Robert Baillie and the Second Scots Reformation, 1974.
MacInnes, A. I., Charles I and the Making of the Covenanting Movement, 1991.
Russel, C, The Fall of the British Monarchies, 1637–1642, 1991.
Stevenson, D., The Scottish Revolution, 1637–1644, 1973

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Great Crosby History
Most residents commute to Liverpool to work either by car, bus or on the electric train service from Blundellsands & Crosby and Hall Road stations.

Amenities
Famous residents of the town have included:
Coordinates: 53°29′N, 3°01′W

Cherie Booth, the wife of Tony Blair
the composer Simon Rattle
footballer Kenny Dalglish
footballer Steve McManaman
writer Helen Forrester
broadcaster Anne Robinson

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Telluride Association History
Telluride Association seeks out young people with the desire and the ability to contribute to society, and helps them develop intellectually and as community members. Telluride Association promotes no particular political or religious viewpoint.
Telluride Houses, or Branches, have operated at Cornell University since 1911 and at the University of Michigan since 1999. Each house is populated by a diverse group of graduate students and undergraduates who share an interest in self-government and intellectual community. Students participate in a year-round public speaking program and plan academic seminars. The houses are largely self-governed, with somewhat different focuses: residents of Cornell Branch take on such responsibilities such as hiring employees and maintaining and renovating the house, while residents of Michigan Branch plan and execute an annual project linking practical work in the community with theoretical and academic inquiry. A handful of faculty also live at the houses for limited terms. Distinguished faculty guests of the Cornell Branch have included Michel Foucault, Richard Feynman, Frances Perkins, Linus Pauling, and Allan Bloom.
Telluride Houses have formerly existed in Pasadena, California, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Chicago.
Telluride Association Summer Programs, or TASPs, are six-week educational experiences for rising high school seniors offering intellectual challenges rarely found in secondary school or even in college. They are designed to bring together young people from around the world who share a passion for learning. Telluride students, or TASPers, attend an intensive seminar led by college and university faculty members and participate in many other educational and social activities outside the classroom. Like the Telluride houses, each TASP receives a discretionary budget, whose use is democratically distributed via weekly house meetings
Admission to TASP is based on an application that includes six essay prompts and for some, an interview. Out of approximately 950 applicants, about 180 are given an interview with members of the Telluride Association or TASP alumni. Admission is very competitive; in recent years, fewer than 10 percent of TASP applicants have been admitted. A total of 86 students are admitted to the five TASPs. Many students are invited to apply based on strong standardized test scores or the nomination of educators who are familiar with TASP. However, any high school junior may request an application, and acceptance largely ignores standardized test scores and graded academic performance. Like other Telluride programs, TASPs are free.
Since the first TASP was held in 1954, TASPs have been held at college and university campuses across the United States. Nationally known faculty who have taught TASP include: John Schaar (UC Santa Cruz), Hanna Pitkin (UC Berkeley), Donald Kagan (Yale), Kurt Heinzelman and Sue Heinzelman (University of Texas), Herbert Storing (University of Chicago), Robert Nozick (Harvard), Leon Kass (University of Chicago), and Thomas Palaima (University of Texas). Alumni of TASPs and Telluride Houses include political economist Francis Fukuyama, literary critic Gayatri Spivak, political theorist William Galston, former Stanford Law dean Kathleen Sullivan, Nobel laureate in physics Steven Weinberg, literary critic Paul Wang, and former World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz.
Telluride Association Sophomore Seminars, or TASSes, are also six-week summer programs. TASSes, which are offered to high school sophomores, have an academic focus on African American studies and related fields. Their basic plan is similar to that of the TASPs, and some TASS alumni choose to attend a TASP the following summer.
TASSes have been held at Indiana University since 1993 and at the University of Michigan since 2002.

Awards
Telluride Association consists of about 100 volunteer members. Members are elected to membership, usually while in their early twenties, on the basis of demonstrated leadership and commitment to Telluride's educational goals. The Association's membership is comprised mainly of current and former participants of its programs and a few who are alumni of Deep Springs College, a separate two-year college founded by Nunn in 1917.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Zygmunt Krasiński
Count Napoleon Stanisław Adam Ludwik Zygmunt Krasiński (Paris, France, February 19, 1812February 23, 1859) is traditionally ranked with Mickiewicz and Słowacki as one of Poland's trio of great Romantic poets.

Life and work
Krasiński was the son of Wincenty Krasiński, of the aristocratic Krasiński family. He studied law in Warsaw (Warsaw University) and in Geneva, where he met Adam Mickiewicz.
Krasiński was more sociopolitically conservative than the other two poets. He is best known for his philosophical Messianist ideas. His drama, Nie-boska Komedia (The Un-Divine Comedy, 1835), portrays the tragedy of an old-world aristocracy defeated by a new order of communism and democracy, and is a poetic prophecy of class conflict and of Russia's October Revolution (see also Okopy Świętej Trójcy); and his drama, Irydion (1836), deals, in the context of Christian ethics, with the struggle of a subjugated nation against its oppressor.
Krasiński's Agaj-Han (1834) is also well known in Poland. Later (1844-1848) he wrote Psalmy Przyszłości (Psalms of the Future).
He published much of his work anonymously.
Krasiński was married to Polish noblewoman and Countess Eliza Branicka (1820-1876). He married her on 26 July 1843.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

John Drummond (arts administrator)
Sir John Richard Gray Drummond CBE (25 November 1934, London - 6 September 2006) was an English arts administrator who spent most of his career at the BBC. He was the son of a master mariner in the British India line and an Australian lieder singer.
He was educated at Canford School and, after his National Service in the Navy, read History at Trinity College, Cambridge. At Cambridge he was a member of the Marlowe Society, performing in Christopher Marlowe's Edward II, which was broadcast on the Third Programme in 1958 with Derek Jacobi in the title role. At the time he had already gained a BBC general traineeship (Carpenter p316).
His early career at the BBC was as a foreign correspondent (Drummond spoke fluent French and Russian) and then director/producer of arts programmes for BBC Television; ultimately he became Assistant Head of Music and Arts before becaming director of the Edinburgh International Festival at the end of 1977. Drummond's period at the Festival was particularly successful, and Norman Lebrecht commended him in a tribute for his multi-disciplinary approach in a celebration of 'fin de siècle' Vienna in 1983.[1]
After leaving his post in Edinburgh in 1983, he returned to the BBC and was appointed Controller, Music (in tandem with his predecessor Robert Ponsonby for a year as Controller, Designate) in 1985 and then Controller of Radio 3 (1987-92) when the two posts were merged. He was succeeded by Nicholas Kenyon as Controller of Radio 3, but Drummond continued to be responsible for the Proms until his last season in 1995. While Controller of Radio 3, Drummond introduced the co-ordination of interval talks with the evening concert, doubled the length of the Saturday morning Record Review programme and scheduled the first Jazz concert at the Proms with Loose Tubes in 1987. Drummond had a low opinion of the Radio 3 audience, which he saw as consisting of "thirty minority tastes, each of which is characterised by its intense dislike of the other twenty-nine" (Carpenter p335).
Drummond attacked Nigel Kennedy in 1991 for wearing a black cloak while performing Berg's Violin Concerto,[2] and comparing Kennedy's usual punk clothing to the vulgarity of Liberace (Carpenter p335). Most opinion in the media sided with Kennedy.
Having chosen not to renew his contract as Radio 3 Controller for a second five-year term in 1992, he became openly critical of the Birt regime at the BBC, for its managerial and populist instincts. For Drummond, the BBC "has been an organisation which has seen itself as leading society, not following taste. If it no longer wishes to be that, I can't see any reason for its existence."[3] At about the same time, he called Tony Blair a "professional philistine" and attacked the Blair government for destroying "the national sense of culture".[4]
John Drummond was chairman of the Theatres Trust near the end of his life (1998-2001). He had also been on the Council of Management of the early music group, the Fires of London.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

History
h2g2 is really two separate but complementary Guides, one Edited and one Unedited. The Unedited Guide is described in a separate section below. The Edited Guide consists of articles (usually called 'Entries') which have passed through a peer review process, and then been checked and tidied up first by a volunteer sub-editor and then, more briefly, by an in-house editor. The 7,000th entry was added to the Edited Guide on April 8, 2005. [3]

Editing process
On h2g2, entries are peer reviewed by any members of the community who feel like spending a little time reading and commenting. Some of these may be specialists on the topic, but generally most are not, and it soon becomes obvious, therefore, whether the average Researcher can understand an Entry. While this has the advantage that Entries are generally written in terms that the layman can understand, it also means that mistakes can occasionally slip into the Edited Guide [4].
Once an entry has been picked by a Scout (see later) and leaves Peer Review, a copy is made and editing rights are handed to a Sub-editor. After the Entry has its day on the Front Page of h2g2 and becomes part of the Edited Guide it can only be modified or updated by its author either by requesting minor changes through the Editorial Feedback section of h2g2, or by submitting it to the Update Forum if larger changes or a rewrite are needed. However, the author can still update the unedited version, which remains in the wider unedited guide. Many authors choose to delete the original (unedited) version, so that it does not show up in search results.

Peer Review
Sub-editors, likewise, are not generally experts on the material they are editing, which is assigned on a more or less random basis. Sub-editing is mainly limited to ensuring readability and conformity to the h2g2 house style, though the amount of changes made varies from one Entry to another.
Some sub-editors tend to discuss changes with the Researcher who wrote the Entry to make sure that they are correct in their information and written in the right way. However, this is entirely at the individual sub-editor's discretion. h2g2 lacks an effective change control system, and this often leads to errors creeping in at this stage.

Sub-editing
After years of discussion, h2g2 has now adopted a formal update system. This consists of an Update Forum, which works in the same way as Peer Review, allowing a new version of an existing entry to be submitted for full review.
Smaller changes to Edited Entries can be made by posting to the Editorial Feedback page. The Editors and the Curators (a volunteer group) will attend to them. This can include typos, minor errors, and other small changes.[5] [6] It can also include the addition of extra information:
If the information is more than a few paragraphs, but less than a full reworking, the information can be submitted via Editorial Feedback. For us to accept the update, however, it must be presented with explicit directions as to why the update is required, as well as directions as to what goes where/replaces what and it should be in full GuideML, including links.[7]

Updating
If an article is not yet ready for submission to Peer Review, there exists an Edited Guide Writing Workshop, where other researchers can post suggestions and corrections, so that the author can improve their work, and bring it up to the standard required of the Edited Guide. There is another review forum, the Flea Market, where abandoned Entries from Peer Review are moved, so that other researchers can adopt them. An Entry might be moved to the Flea Market if, for example, its author leaves h2g2 (called 'Elvising').
There is also an Alternative Writing Workshop, where entries that don't adhere to the Writing Guidelines can be worked on. Entries from this workshop are candidates for the UnderGuide (see below).

The workshops
The Edited Guide forms only a small part of h2g2 as a whole. Most of the site's 'cultural life' takes place in the far larger Unedited Guide, which contains, amongst other things, various clubs and societies, discussion areas, Researchers' h2g2 homepages (known as their 'personal spaces'), and writing workshops. The Unedited Guide can also contain fiction, although this cannot be submitted for inclusion to the Edited Guide, which only contains factual information.
If an article does not make it through the Peer Review process, the original (unedited) entry can still be viewed, as before, in the Unedited Guide. It can, of course, also be rewritten by the author(s) and submitted again at a later date.

The Unedited Guide
The UnderGuide is h2g2's most ambitious attempt to bring the attention of the community to the best entries that fall outside of the Edited Guide's Guidelines. The UnderGuide and its volunteers have a similar structure to the Edited Guide's volunteers. They have scouts, but call them Miners. They have sub editors, but their name is Gem Polishers. Miners inhabit the Alternative Writing Workshop to comment on entries and pick them for the UG.

The UnderGuide
The bulk of site activity takes place in the United Kingdom (GMT/BST) daytime, which is when the in-house London based team (known as 'The Italics', see below), is there. But at other times, the US, Canadian and Australian researchers are also very active.

The community
The Italics (technically 'the Editors'), the inhouse editors of h2g2, are the only people on the site who get paid (by the BBC) for what they do. They monitor the content of the Edited Guide and oversee the general development of community life. They are named for the way their names appear in conversations, in bold italics, to keep people from impersonating them. There are informal nicknames for the editors such as 'The Powers That Be', 'The Towers', 'The Powers in the Towers' and 'Pisa People'.
The core personnel have changed considerably since h2g2 started in 1999. Of the original TDV team, only Technical Lead Jim Lynn remains working on the site, although most of his time is spent developing the DNA software base for other uses within the BBC. The first full-time editor, Mark Moxon, left in 2002, and with the exception of Community Editor Peta Haigh, all other Italics have moved on.

The Italics
There are seven different kinds of volunteer on the site, with varying responsibilities. Any researcher can apply to become a volunteer; if accepted, they gain a badge for their Personal Space, advertising their status as a member of that particular group:

Aces (the name is an acronym for Assistant Community Editor) are responsible for welcoming new users and assisting them in becoming active and experienced members of h2g2. No statistics are publicly available, but this approach ensures that a large proportion of initially active Researchers continue to contribute. Aces are also expected to take a responsible role within the community, encouraging discussion and debate.
Gurus help Researchers later on with technical issues, such as with GuideML, a custom markup language designed to allow additional features (such as formatting for headings and subheadings, and graphical emoticons), whilst removing unwanted HTML tags (such as JavaScript and embedded images and sounds).
Scouts are responsible for making sure that quality work does not languish in Peer Review for too long. They keep an eye open for entries that have received a favourable response from other Researchers, and pick a few each month to recommend for inclusion in the Edited Guide. The picks are reviewed by the 'Italics' and then forwarded to a sub-editor.
Sub-editors check and edit Entries to be added to the Edited Guide. After that is done, the new Edited Entry is posted to the front page for a day and one in three articles is awarded its own professionally drawn picture. Once Edited, the original authors cannot change the articles anymore, although there is a small team of Curators who continuously trawl old edited entries repairing broken links, making updates, and so forth. These were the first volunteers, originally hand picked, who used to do the jobs of scouts as well prior to the creation of Peer Review.
Community Artists contribute the art that illustrates many of the entries. The volunteer group provides graphics frequently, in order to meet the one-in-three requirement mentioned above. They are always credited on the pages they have illustrated. Everyone on h2g2 has some respect for the artists.
University Field Researchers write groups of entries based around a common theme, aiming to provide a comprehensive guide to a specific subject. These projects often become quite involved and take several months to complete. Once finished, they are usually featured on the h2g2 home page for a week. This scheme was discontinued on June 25, 2003, though previous Field Researchers retained their badges. [8] In late 2005, the scheme was reinstated and projects began to be featured on the Front Page again.
Curators are long-term responsible Researchers who have demonstrated a commitment to the Edited Guide. They have been granted the power to edit Entries in the Edited Guide. They work with the Italics to keep the Edited Guide tidy and up-to-date. Their duties include correcting typos which have slipped through the editing process, cross-linking newer Entries to older ones and removing broken links, and taking care of requests for minor changes which have been posted to the Editorial Feedback forum. Volunteers
h2g2 is large enough to have many unofficial clubs and societies, set up and maintained by researchers. Examples include:

The Musicians' Guild - self explanatory; this is a place for musicians to gather and discuss musical topics.
The Zaphodistas - Loosely based on Mexico's Zapatista rebels, the Zaphodistas campaign for researcher rights, for example, to include external images on h2g2 pages.
The Freedom from Faith Foundation - An organization of free-thinkers, the FFFF is a forum for non-dogmatic discussion of philosophical and religious issues.
The Society for the Addition of a Towel Smiley - This is a group that campaigned (successfully) to have a graphic representing a towel added to the extensive list of h2g2 smileys.
The Thingites - This is a group that campaigns (not yet successfully) to have the days of the week renamed (chiefly to rename 'Thursday' as 'Thing'). The group is also attempting (as yet also unsuccessfully) to have one of their threads ('No no no!!') recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as the longest thread in any chat community in the world. (As of April 2007, that particular thread had over 90,000 posts, so maybe they have a point.)
The Thursdayites - This group campaigns to have the days of the week as they are now
The Terranic Army - This virtual army used to have online battles on their own World War battlefield. The army is now in general disuse, although many copycat societies have emerged.
United Friends of h2g2space - One of the largest clubs at the site, United Friends is simply a celebration of the friendliness of h2g2. Membership is open to any researcher. Clubs and societies
Among the most popular Talk Forums on the site are:

Ask the h2g2 Community - usually abbreviated to Ask. This is a general forum where Researchers can ask members of the community questions on various subjects. It also contains long-running conversations such as "My penis and I - what do women think of penises?", "What Films have you seen recently?" and "(The Return of) What book are you reading at this time?".
The Forum - The Forum contains many similar conversations to Ask, but they tend to be of a more serious nature.
SEx - Science Explained Forum - an area for Researchers to discuss all things scientific. Many of the Researchers are experts in particular fields, and so are able to provide explanations on a broad range of subjects.
Miscellaneous Chat - an area devoted to conversations about anything and everything
Talking heads of h2g2 - A place for general chatting. Talk forums
The Post is h2g2's own virtual broadsheet newspaper, published weekly by a team of community members. It includes cartoons, regular columns, fiction, poetry and feature stories written and submitted by the h2g2 Researchers. It is edited by a few dedicated h2g2 Researchers, not paid in-house editors. The Post provides an outlet for comment and for sharing experiences, and often features content that is not intended to form a part of the Edited Guide.
The h2g2 community also investigates its own progress at times, for example in the h2g2 Reports, written by a varied group of Researchers on a relatively infrequent basis.

The Post
In order to contribute to the site, it is necessary to register and to agree to the h2g2 "House Rules" and the general BBC Terms and Conditions. Registered users are called Researchers. Researchers retain the copyright to their articles, but grant the BBC a non-exclusive license to do pretty much whatever it likes with them.
The House Rules prohibit various things, including racism, "hard-core" swearing, spamming, flooding, languages other than English, and "otherwise objectionable" material. The Terms and Conditions are more legalistic, and prohibit material that is not the submitter's own and original work, defamatory material, etc.
When the site became part of BBCi, the BBC insisted on moderating all contributions to the site soon after they were made. However, they were eventually persuaded that the h2g2 Community could be trusted to a system of "Reactive Moderation", in which posts are not checked by moderators unless a complaint is made. Individual user accounts are sometimes put on "pre-moderation", meaning that any posts they make are not displayed until they have been reviewed by a moderator.
Occasionally, there has been an issue that is particularly contentious and discussion of this issue may be moderated differently. For example:
Additionally, several of the more contentious Entries submitted for review have had to be hidden pending moderation for fear of litigation, with two articles about the Nestlé boycott having been pulled in the past.

Political Discussions during any Elections in the United Kingdom are restricted to specific forums. These forums have all posts read by moderators to ensure that the BBC cannot be seen to break the tight rules that govern the UK media during such elections.
During the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, extra rules were put in place and, for example, the username OBL was deemed unacceptable.
On 17 March 2003, h2g2 issued guidelines for discussions during the 2003 Iraq war, including saying that "Postings and Entries on the subject of the conflict posted to h2g2 will be removed".
In February 2006, various posts linking to the Muhammad cartoons were removed. H2g2 Terms and conditions
The software for h2g2 - and all of its related 'sister' communities in the BBC, such as "606", "Film Network", "Action Network", "Comedy Soup", "British Film" and "collective" – is affectionately known as DNA, after the initials of author and site founder Douglas Noel Adams. The DNA technology was introduced a few months after the BBC takeover. Before this technology, there was "Ripley", which was named after the character from the film Aliens, in homage to the quote "I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure." Before that there was a technology with no particular name, which subsequently gained the retronym Llama, due to the code holding the site together being written mostly in Perl.
All of the BBC message boards moved onto the DNA engine in 2005.
Adams himself was rather involved in the website in its early days. His account name (of course) was DNA, and his user number was 42, a reference to the famous joke in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy that the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything is 42. When Adams died, in May 2001, his personal space was the focus for a huge reaction from the community. Tributes and messages poured in at a rate of about one every two minutes.
Adams' legacy is still felt on h2g2, and naturally the site is peppered with references to the Hitchhiker books; it is, however, not a fan site, and was never intended as such.

DNA
h2g2 has four different skins which are different ways of viewing the site. Users can set their options menu to view the site in one or other of the skins when they are logged in. Some skins are more popular than others; some even have fanclubs. It is possible to switch between skins while not logged in by altering the URL, for example changing http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/classic/A352487 to http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A352487 would alter the skin from Classic Goo to Alabaster.

Classic Goo was the first skin. It has large white text on a blue background. The first programmers of h2g2 nicknamed it 'Goo' but it appears as /classic in the URL.
Alabaster was the second skin. Its layout is most like the rest of the internet, featuring small black text on a white background with chunks of orange and green. Originally called 'the corporate skin', its design was considered necessary to increase registrations from visitors who might previously have been intimidated by Goo. Launch editor Tim Browse suggested the name Alabaster to the development team, who were immediately delighted by the concept and suggested further possibilies along the lines of Porcelain, Ivory and China. It wasn't mentioned at the time that the suggestions, whilst reflecting the change to a white design from the classic blue, were also associated with toilets.
Brunel is the newest official skin, and consequently it is the default format for visitors who are not logged in. It has black text on white backgrounds, and was designed to look more like the rest of the BBC. The border colours vary depending on what type of Entry is being viewed, and can be determined by creators of Entries by using special GuideML tags; the h2g2 Front Page changes its colour scheme with its content. This skin is generally considered as having the best layout, as it has several useful buttons that are not on the other skins.
Plain was designed for Digibox, Palm and Pocket PC users who can't load the more graphic alabaster, brunel or classic. The Plain skin is not officially supported on the site, so it has not undergone the same level of testing as the other skins and has a few small problems. Unlike the other site skins, plain allows registered site users to define and use their own Style Sheet if they so wish.
pda for mobile phones. Contains Edited Guide only. Articles are cut into sections at headers. Does not contain conversation fora. Notes

Internet encyclopedia project - for similar online projects
Collective
Science humour