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One car of the not-so-distant future is powered in part by a battery weighing more than two fully grown men. Another lacks side doors in the interest of reducing drag. And dozens of teams from around the world — both amateur and professional — are racing to build sleek, ultra-fuel efficient cars powered by alternative energy and attractive to cash-conscious consumers.
But what about the cars we already own?
Amid the push toward plug-in electric hybrids, hydrogen fuel cells and biodiesel-friendly roadsters, new research suggests that impressive increases in fuel economy could be obtained by integrating innovative devices into the nation's fleet of gas-guzzling vehicles.
In one recent study, scientists discovered a thermoelectric material that increases fuel efficiency by 10 percent or more. In another, engineers found that a simple electrically charged tube attached to the fuel injector could boost mileage by up to 20 percent.
Although neither device is quite ready for rush hour, both exemplify how a number of small changes could really start to add up.
The search for fuel efficiency heats up
Normally, thermoelectric devices have a cold side and hot side and exploit the temperature difference between the two. A small fraction of the heat is converted into electricity when electrons move from the hot end to cold end, producing positive and negative electrodes and an electrical voltage, while the vast majority of the heat dissipates.
Mercouri G. Kanatzidis, a professor of chemistry at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., and colleagues had been trying to find more efficient materials when they observed a strange phenomenon with a common semiconductor, lead telluride.
When the team added tiny inclusions of the metals lead and antimony and turned up the heat, the material's conductivity doubled, freeing up the movement of the electrons, hence upping the efficiency of converting heat into electricity.
"Normally, when you add nano-inclusions into semi-conductors you tend to mess them up and things get worse," he said. "In this case, things got better."
The only problem is that the researchers don't really understand why. "Nobody has seen anything like this before and we're still struggling to come up with a primitive model for this," said Kanatzidis, who published the results Oct. 27 in the German chemistry journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition.
Kanatzidis believes his team can already demonstrate a doubling of typical thermoelectric efficiency, and a quadrupling may yet be achievable, with financial backing from the U.S. Office of Naval Research.
Once fully deciphered, the phenomenon could give rise to better thermoelectric devices in automobiles and trucks. Collaborators at Michigan State University, in fact, are attaching such devices to the exhaust pipes of trucks, where temperatures approaching 400 to 600 degrees Celsius (750 to 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit) could be tapped for energy.
"It's a place where there is a lot of wasted heat," said Kanatzidis. "Can we do something to minimize that? Because it's an easy type of energy to have. We know where it is."
Currently, about 75 percent of the energy from every gallon of gas sails right out the tailpipe, with only 25 percent actually propelling the car forward. That means even a 5 percent increase in energy harvesting could be significant. Converting some of the tailpipe heat into electricity that is directed back into the engine to increase the torque would yield greater mileage.
Kanatzidis doesn't see the device as more expensive than most other car add-ons, but concedes that far more testing would be needed before anyone dreams of making it a standard feature.
Bringing fuel droplets down to size
Researchers at Temple University have taken several big steps toward the mass production goal with six months of road tests suggesting that another device, an inexpensive electrically charged tube that attaches to the fuel line, can likewise increase fuel efficiency.
The technology is based on reducing the fuel's viscosity, allowing smaller droplets to be injected into the engine. Because of evaporation, combustion in an internal combustion engine must be completed quickly. Small fuel droplets offer an advantage because they burn more completely.
Automotive engineers have been actively exploring how to use very high pressure to reduce the droplet size, but the method would require an expensive engine redesign.
An electrical tube developed by physics professor Rongjia Tao and his collaborators, however, could be easily and inexpensively attached to the fuel line of an older car's existing engine, near the fuel injector.
Within diesel and many other fuels, bigger molecules are held in suspension and possess a higher viscosity than the base liquid. Viscosity means more friction, the sworn enemy of energy. But when polarized in an electric field, those molecules clump together and get even bigger. Friction increases with the cumulative surface area of the suspended particles.
So, if engineers can reduce that surface area by getting many of the particles to aggregate, they can reduce the viscosity and increase the combustion efficiency.
The researchers first tested the device in Milan, Italy, in a diesel engine built by Italian manufacturer Cornaglia Iveco. As documented in the new study, published in the Nov. 19 issue of Energy & Fuels, the add-on yielded a 5 percent improvement in mileage.
Everyone was "very delighted," Tao said — everyone except him. He was convinced he could do better when he realized that diesel fuel stays in the system less than one second.
After changing the design to allow fuel to linger longer, the team installed the device in a Mercedes-Benz and measured the equivalent of a 20 percent improvement in power output.
Building a fuel-efficient car from scratch
Political battles over increasing fuel efficiency standards are nothing new. And neither are attempts to build an ultra fuel-efficient car.
All of Detroit's Big Three automakers created a concept car capable of at least 72 miles per gallon in the 1990s before the U.S. government-led Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles was scrapped in 2001 over cost concerns. The partnership spent $1.5 billion to help U.S. manufacturers develop and produce an affordable family sedan rated at up to 80 miles per gallon,
But the urgency of coming up with less-polluting cars has ramped up interest not only in new technology aimed at reducing emissions, but also in competitions aimed at integrating that technology into a seamless and affordable whole.
Entrants in the $10 million Progressive Automotive X Prize, for example, are hoping to tap a range of innovations to create showroom-worthy cars capable of maintaining 100 miles per gallon over a variety of courses simulating real-life driving patterns.
"Basically it's a race — the fastest car wins," said Trey Riddle, a graduate student in Cornell University's Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and leader of the university's X Prize team. To become an official contender, however, each car must average an equivalent of 100 miles per gallon over the course.
Another entrant, Germany's Loremo, already boasts an eye-popping fuel efficiency of 130 to 150 miles per gallon using concepts like minimal drag (thanks in part to a unique wing door-entry system) and a highly efficient 2-cylinder turbodiesel engine. The Loremo, short for "low-resistance mobile," is slated for a 2009 release in Europe (with a base price of about $22,000), with a North American rollout possible by 2010.
None of Detroit's Big Three automakers have joined the competition. Nevertheless, some industry observers believe the Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in hybrid featuring a 375-pound lithium ion battery, could reach 100 miles per gallon when it arrives in late 2010.
The Cornell 100+ MPG team, one of only two university entrants among more than 60 contenders in the X Prize competition's mainstream auto class, is designing a plug-in hybrid electric car from scratch.
So far, a modified 1991 Geo Metro has allowed them to get their "hands dirty" and try out several new features, Riddle said.
The first qualifying race, slated for September 2009, will include an alternative class where nearly anything goes, and the mainstream class, which requires a car that seats four people, contains 10 cubic feet of storage and can accelerate to 60 miles per hour in 12 seconds. "They're marketed more as a normal car that someone might want to buy," Riddle said.
Which, after all, is the whole point.


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I miss it
I wish someone had screen caps of the old place. I doubt it but be amazing. As the years go by the older crowd drifts more and more away. Like Titanic survivors every year less of us.
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Head Start Disaster Relief Fund
The National Head Start Association (NHSA) Disaster Relief Fund is used to assist NHSA member Head Start and Early Head Start programs and their staff and families who become victims of natural disasters. We define a natural disaster as the following: a major adverse event resulting from natural processes of the Earth; examples include floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, and other geologic processes. A natural disaster can cause loss of life or property damage. The fund provides the following:
How to maximize your participation at our conferences. Each NHSA event presents the Head Start community with unique opportunity to learn from experts, engage in active peer to peer sharing and celebrate our community's achievements.
Scholarship and Awards FAQ
April 2015
Scholarship and Awards Frequently Asked Questions
Scholarship and Awards Submission Directions
April 2015
2019 National Head Start Conference and Expo
April 29 - May 2, 2019
*/ Head Start's Largest Annual Gathering


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Jim the Wonder Dog
This special setter from Marshall was the canine enigma of the 20th century
Henry N. Ferguson
Henry N. Ferguson
Henry N. Ferguson
Editor's Note: Rural Missouri first published this amazing story in April 1979. Since then, we have received countless requests for copies of the story. For this reason, we are reprinting the article here in its entirety.
Jim was just a plain black and white setter, but in all the annals of dogdom there has never been anything his equal. Psychology professors from Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Missouri in Columbia observed the uncanny things he could do. They shook their heads in wonder and had absolutely no explanation for his behavior. Even his master, Sam Van Arsdale, could offer no clue to his remarkable gift.
Jim earned his reputation during the hectic Depression days of the 1930s; the demonstrations he gave hinted of a power beyond the comprehension of mortal man. So unique were this dog's talents that he became known throughout the land as Jim, the Wonder Dog.
My introduction to Jim came one warm summer afternoon in the little west-central Missouri town of Warsaw, when I was just a lad. Noticing a crowd gathering around some sort of commotion on Main Street, I drifted over. The attention was focused on Sam and Jim. They had just driven up in Sam's car and an audience had immediately begun to collect. During the next hour, we were treated to a remarkable and completely puzzling exhibition of the dog's extraordinary cleverness.
"What would I do," Sam asked, "if I had a stomachache?" Jim wagged his tail, apparently in sympathy, then trotted over to where Dr. Savage, the town physician, was standing. He nudged the doctor gently. The crowd gasped its astonishment, for this was Jim's first visit to our town and he had no way of knowing one person from another — no visible way, that is.
Sam patted Jim on the head. "What made Henry Ford rich?" he asked next. The dog walked over and stood looking at a Model-T Ford.
"See if you can find a car," requested Sam, "with license number 132875." Jim promptly crossed the street, looked up and down and placed his paws on the running board of the county tax collector's car. The license corresponded.
Then someone in the crowd spoke a few words in French. Van Arsdale looked puzzled since he did not understand the language. Not so, Jim. He slipped through the crowd to its outer fringe and began nudging an interested spectator. It was our Methodist minister.
Van Arsdale turned to the questioner. "What did you say to Jim?" he asked.
"I asked if there was a Bible in the crowd," replied the French-speaking spectator.
The pastor had a quizzical look on his face as he reached into an inside coat pocket and produced a small Testament.
I learned later that Jim could understand and would carry out orders given to him in Greek, German, Spanish or any other tongue, even though his master could not speak a foreign language and did not understand the question.
Jim accepted the entire proceedings calmly. He did not seek praise for his efforts but ventured out on each mission with a confident air. When it was accomplished, he would return to sit quietly at his master's feet until ordered out again.
Later Van Arsdale and Jim walked over to the drug store. The owner asked Van Arsdale if Jim could find the soda fountain. Van Arsdale ignored the question and went on talking. Five minutes later, he pointed to the druggist and asked Jim: "What was this man talking about?" Jim put his paws on the fountain.
Jim was born in Louisiana, on March 10, 1925, one of a litter of seven pups. When he was a couple of months old, he was sold to Van Arsdale, who lived in West Plains.
Sam placed the young dog in a kennel where he was to be trained as a hunting dog. Jim required little training. He seemed to know instinctively where the quail were and how to make a perfect point.
When Jim was 3, Van Arsdale moved to Sedalia where he bought a hotel. One warm fall day when the two were out in the fields hunting, Van Arsdale said, "Let's sit in the shade of that hickory tree and rest." Jim trotted over to a hickory tree and sat down.
Bemused, Van Arsdale told Jim to show him an oak tree. Jim did. In quick succession then, at his master's suggestion, he found a walnut tree, a cedar, an ordinary stump and even a hazel bush. It was the first real inkling that Jim was something special.
Not long after this, Van Arsdale and his family moved to Marshall where he had acquired another hotel. That fall, I became a student at Missouri Valley College in Marshall and was able to keep up with Jim's remarkable career.
I will never forget the afternoon that Jim was brought out to the college to give a demonstration before a class studying Greek. Van Arsdale asked that a request be written for Jim in Greek. The professor wrote on a piece of paper. Confidently, Van Arsdale placed the paper on the floor in front of the dog. Jim didn't move. Van Arsdale's cheeks began to turn red with embarrassment. He picked up the paper and handed it to a member of the class. "Evidently Jim won't do this one," he apologized. "Will you read it for us, so we will know more about it?"
The student began to smile. "It says nothing," he answered. "It's only the Greek alphabet."
People traveled hundreds of miles to watch Jim perform and to test him themselves. They were always utterly astonished and completely convinced of his ability when they left and just as mystified as before.
Jim was rapidly acquiring a national reputation. Although everyone was amazed, Van Arsdale himself was intensely interested in finding out how or why Jim could perform as he did. Searching for an answer, he arranged for a demonstration at the University of Missouri with the skeptical Dr. A. J. Durant, head of the School of Veterinary Medicine, conducting the proceedings. Durant was assisted by Dr. Sherman Dickinson of the College of Agriculture. The Paramount Motion Picture Corporation was there to film the event.
As a starter, Dr. Durant gave Jim a thorough examination. He could find nothing abnormal or different from any other dog.
The tests, attended by faculty members and students, as well as psychiatrists from Washington University in St. Louis, were held in a large quadrangle on the campus. Van Arsdale began: "Jim, there is a college professor here named Dickinson. Show him to us." Jim did, and then was deluged with a succession of commands.
A professor asked in Italian to be shown an elm tree. Another directed Jim in French to point out a certain license number. One, speaking in German, wanted to be shown a girl dressed in blue. A fourth requested in Spanish that the dog find a man wearing a black mustache. Jim responded promptly and accurately to all requests.
Then someone asked Jim to point out a boy who had just had a permanent wave. It was the dog's only failure that day. Before he could get to him through the crowd, the embarrassed lad had run away.
At the conclusion of the tests, the professors held a conference, then told the crowd they were convinced that Jim possessed an occult power that might never come again to a dog in many generations.
Such were Jim's powers that he could even look into the future and foretell coming events. For seven years in a row, he was shown a list of entries in the Kentucky Derby, and he picked the winner each time in advance of the race. With equal ease he could correctly predict the gender of unborn babies.
In 1936, just before the World Series games were played, Van Arsdale, in the presence of friends, placed before Jim two pieces of paper upon which the names of the teams had been written. He explained, "Jim, I have here the names of the two teams that will be playing in the World Series. Will you show us the one that will win?" Jim placed a paw on the slip bearing the word "Yankees." Later events proved him correct.
Again in 1936, Jim was asked to predict the winner of the U.S. presidential race. The names of Roosevelt and Landon were written on pieces of paper and placed in a hat. The slips were drawn out by two ladies. Then Van Arsdale said, "Now, Jim, one of these ladies holds the name of the next president of the United States. Will you show us who it is?" Jim went immediately to one of the women. She unfolded her paper and read the name "Roosevelt."
Although Jim could apparently predict the outcome of any future event with certainty, Van Arsdale refused to take advantage of any of this knowledge by betting, nor would he permit anyone else to reap a profit from Jim's uncanny ability. At one time, Van Arsdale was offered $665,000 if he and Jim would work in the movies for one year. He turned down the offer with this explanation: "I feel that Jim's powers are beyond my comprehension, and I do not care to commercialize on them in any way."
It seemed that Jim could do everything well. For this reason, he was insured for $100,000 against accident. He was the most famous hunting dog of the 20th century — during his career more than 5,000 birds were shot over him.
On one occasion, he was invited to Jefferson City to demonstrate his powers before a joint session of the Missouri Legislature. He picked out various people from their complexions and from certain types and colors of dress. He obeyed an order given him in shorthand. But the thing that puzzled the lawmakers most was the readiness with which he followed the instructions communicated to him in Morse Code.
Then came the fateful morning of March 18, 1937. Jim lay curled up on his favorite easy chair, his long, deep muzzle nestling on his paws, his eyes seemingly cast in dreamful reverie. His nose would occasionally twitch — the famous nose that in younger days had been uncanny in its swift certainty, a nose that had allowed him to go downwind, running like fire, stiffen in the middle of an effortless bound, twist his leg in the air and light rigidly pointing at a covey of quail 100 feet away.
Van Arsdale stuck his head inside the door and whistled. Instantly alert, Jim bounded from the chair, his eyes bright with anticipation. The two got into Van Arsdale's car and headed for a fishing trip down on Lake of the Ozarks. Parking the car, he opened the door for Jim to jump out. The dog ran down the hill a short distance, then suddenly collapsed on the ground. Van Arsdale rushed frantically to his side only to find his companion near death. He picked him up and sped to a veterinary hospital in Sedalia. The dog breathed only twice after being placed on the table.
Because Van Arsdale considered Jim one of the family, he tried to arrange for his burial in the family plot in the Ridge Park Cemetery in Marshall. The authorities would not permit this, so he was buried, in a specially built casket, just outside the cemetery gate. There was a large gathering of friends at the ceremony. Ironically, the cemetery has since been enlarged and Jim's grave is now within its boundaries. Officials report that more people visit his grave than any other in the cemetery.
How was this fabulous setter able to do all the amazing things with which he is credited? Probably Jim himself did not have the answer. Any logical explanation for the phenomenon lies in a realm beyond the ken of man.
Editor's Note: The Friends of Jim the Wonder Dog have created a Web site dedicated to their favorite pup. Check it out at www.jimthewonderdog.com.
Do you or someone you know have a memory of Jim? Join the discussion on Rural Missouri's Facebook page.


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- Title: Henry V
- Director: Kenneth Branagh
- Date: 1989
- Studio: MGM (DVD release)
- Genre: Action, Drama
- Cast: Christian Bale, Kenneth Branagh, Brian Blessed, Robbie Coltrane, Judi Dench, Richard Easton, Ian Holm, Derek Jacobi, Paul Scofield, John Sessions, Emma Thompson
- Format: Color, Widescreen
- DVD Format: R1, NTSC
Branagh does a very traditional take on Shakespeare's history play, Henry V, and brings it to life on the screen wonderfully. The film features an excellent cast. When watching Shakespeare, either live, or a television or film presentation, I'm always almost distracted by the famous quotes and Henry V is no exception, which goes to show just what an excellent writer Shakespeare really was.
But Henry V is also a history play, meant to instruct the Elizabethan audience on their history, with a favorable nod toward the Tudor line. The film opens with Henry's advisors explaining to him that he has a just claim to the throne of France, through the female line, though France is claiming Sallic law — that is, Royal descent through the male line only. The French Delphin arrives, bearing the message the King has refused Henry's claim — and an insulting present. This pushes Henry into the decision he was leaning towards: he will invade France and pursue his claim militarily.
Henry and company are next in Southampton. Henry is asking his advisors how to deal with a man who has broken the law. They advise harshly. However, the audience knows these advisors are conspiring against Henry and are actually in the employ of France. Henry gives the man accused a light sentence, then he has the three conspirators arrested. They are accused of High Treason. Henry, points out that since they did not advise mercy for a lesser crime, he will show no mercy to them.
The English army heads to France, and into a battle. Henry himself leads the charge, with rousing words of bravery on horseback, "Once more into the breach, dear friends, once more…" — Henry V. They take the castle, but Henry advises his men, they are not to harrass the villagers. Nothing is to be taken, but paid for. The French people are not to be harrassed. Henry even orders the execution of one of his own men who was caught stealing from a church, though the man is an old friend and advisor.
Finally, the English army reaches Avincourt. They are cold, wet, tired, and sick. On the eve of battle, it is plain they are out-numbered five to one. Henry takes another advisor's cloak and wanders through the British camp, getting a feel for how his soldiers really feel about the king. Some support the king, others, fear they are on a fool's errand and the king will only get himself captured and need to be ransomed. Henry swears this will not happen, though he is also worried by the long odds. The next day, Henry gives the rousing St. Crispin's Day speech ("We few, we happy few, we band of brothers…") and the English charge into battle. The battle is extremely well-filmed, showing both chaos and violence, and historic tactics. Again, Henry leads his own men into battle. The English archers fire thousands of arrows into the French army, killing hundreds of men and boys.
At the end, though it looks like the English have one, Henry is unsure. The French envoy arrives and tells him that he has won the day. Later there is an accounting — the French have lost 8000 men, including over 500 newly named knights. The English, about five named men, and an additional twenty-five. Henry gives credit to God for fighting for them.
Henry then goes to the French king. Among his terms, the crown of France and the king's daughter – Katherine. The French king gives all to Henry. Henry, after some courting of Katharine is to marry her. The film shows the two as the new king and queen. However, Chorus reminds the audience that Henry's son is not the man his father was, and he will lose France.
The courting scene between Henry (Kenneth Branagh) and Katharine (Emma Thompson) is wonderful, and the sparks fly — though she speaks only French, and he really only speaks English. He tries speaking in French to her, but only succeeds in making her laugh. Still, the chemistry is palatable.
Christian Bale is extremely young (like eight) in this, playing one of the boy pages, who sets off the flight of arrows at Agincourt, and is also killed. But he's recognizable — and it's surprising to see him. The cast is filled with excellent British talent: Derek Jacobi, Ian Holm, John Sessions, Robbie Coltrane, Brian Blessed and Judi Dench, as well as, of course, Branagh and Thompson.
Recommendation: See it!
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Next Film: Highlander


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There are a few iPad games for pets, but Friskies has taken the production up a notch with three free cat games released today on gamesforcats.com. The games were built with HTML5, enabling your cat to attack your iPad or any Android device. The Friskies scientists claim that their cats haven't scratched the glass of an iPad, but could damage a plastic cover. The boss's cat here is a heavyweight in the ring (pictured here), so I'm still sceptical on letting him take a swing at it. So I figured I'd test it out first before I mention it to second in command. The three games are Cat Fishing, Tasty Treasures and Party Mix-Up. All are pretty addicting from my end, the cat equivalent of Nintendo's classic Duck Hunt, letting the cat swipe the targets instead shooting with a light gun. Now that I think of it, they should remake Duck Hunt for cats, catching the nostalgia market for cats that grew up in the 80s on 8-bit NES. Check out the video below:
I did a little Googling on it and found the game developer, Mondo Studios, which has already released two games for Friskies called Wonderland Quest and Wonderland Quest II. Both designed for humans, the popularity of the first demanding a sequel. I gave the sequel a go, which followed the original by letting you uncover cat treats in a fantasy setting, which was oddly hypnotic. The weirdest part is the developer's press release, which sites a research study, funded by Friskies, which discovered these key findings:
- Wonderland Quest positively influenced the purchase intent of Friskies dry cat food among buyers and non‐buyers of Friskies
- Among Friskies buyers, the game had a positive impact on brand loyalty and influenced the purchase intent of specific varieties of Friskies cat foods
- Among most groups the game also enhanced the Friskies brand perceptions of taste, variety and mealtime experience
So what I gather is they reverse-engineered the new games for cats from their success with cat food-based games for humans. This leads me to the only conclusion that the Friskies scientists are, in fact, cats.
Follow Me:


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Fort Hero (Montauk Point, Long Island, NY) officially joined the roster of the "Harbor Defenses of the North Atlantic" in 1929. The fort was named after Major General Andrew Hero, Jr., who was the Army's Chief of Coast Artillery between March 20, 1926 and March 21, 1930 (Hero died in 1942). The site was originally commissioned by the U.S. Army in 1942 (and was renamed Camp Hero) as part of the coastwide defense system known as the Eastern Shield. The location, at the extreme eastern end of Long Island, was initially chosen because of the fear that a New York invasion might be staged from the nearby sea-lanes. Later, a more tangible threat that of German submarines (or U-Boats) operating in close proximity to New York area points of embarkation was realized. A unique aspect of the coastal defense structures at the camp were that many were disguised as everyday buildings. There were two-story Cape Codstyle homes and other buildings. There was even a church (with fake steeple) that concealed a gymnasium for the artillerymen. The deception was achieved by painting windows and doors on concrete bunkers, and affixing false dormers and other facades to them, so that from the air or sea, viewed through Nazi binoculars, Camp Hero would seem like nothing more than a New England fishing village. The camp was totally self-contained, complete with barracks, stores, and even its own power plant and water supply. The centerpiece of the facility, however, were the five bunkers housing the massive seacoast artillery pieces (see bunker map below).
Camp Hero's location on the Eastern tip of Long Island (map reprinted courtesy New York's Forts).
A full construction program was authorized by Congress in September 1940. The program planned for new defense at some 19 harbors along both coasts of North America. The fortifications were built using two standardized designs, a two-gun 16-inch battery (or in some cases remodeled 12-inch batteries) and a two-gun 6-inch battery (or in some cases 8-inch batteries), along with their supporting command and observing stations. When America entered the war in December 1941, a large number of mobile weapons were rushed to both coasts. A number of other "temporary" seacoast defenses were built using old naval weapons and relocated Army seacoast weapons. The seacoast defense construction program went into high gear in 1942, with priority for the sites along the Pacific coast since fear of a Japanese invasion was at a fever pitch. Batteries of new 90 mm guns were added to the program as anti-motor torpedo boat (AMTB) units. By that year permanent defenses were planned for 33 harbor areas. However, after the Battle of Midway in June of 1942, the possibility of a Japanese attack on the American mainland diminished. As a result, the construction program was curtailed in 1944 and halted altogether by 1948. On the Eastern seaboard, construction went ahead at numerous harbors and harbor approaches to combat the threat of U-Boats, which operated with impunity from Maine to Miami as well as in the Gulf of Mexico. Long Island was no stranger to German incursion during the war, including, in 1942, the landing of spies by submarine at Amagansett (Operation Pastorius), 11 miles west of Camp Hero. At the time of the Pastorius landings, the East End was in the thick of the war effort. Montauk's location at the end of Long Island, astride the major shipping lanes into New York, made it strategically important. And the Army wasn't the only military service active in wartime Montauk. The largest facility was the Navy's massive new torpedo testing plant. Designed to help develop and test the new generation of torpedoes that would win the war, it was located on Fort Pond Bay, along Navy Road. Montauk was a logical choice. Geographically close to the only torpedo development facility in the country at Newport, Rhode Island, the town was lightly settled, guaranteeing total security, and provided easy access to a body of water deep enough for the biggest Navy ships and wide enough to safely test-fire and retrieve torpedoes (Fort Pond Bay).
A 16-inch gun used in the defense of the Panama Canal.
To defend the approaches to New York Harbor, Camp Hero's main armament was as follows: Battery Dunn (aka Battery No. 113) two 16-inch guns in concrete casemates (1944-1948); Battery No. 112 two 16-inch guns in concrete casemates (1944-1948); and Battery No. 216 two 6-inch guns on surface mounts (1944-1947). The 16-inch guns were capable of hurling 2,000-pound shells 20 miles out to sea, with pin-point accuracy. Ever vigilant, the four guns were never fired at a hostile enemy, and in 1947 the guns were dismantled by the Army and the metal salvaged for scrap.
A fire-control tower adjacent to the Montauk Point lighthouse was completed in 1942 as part of the extensive Eastern Coastal Defense Shield. Spotters high in the tower could coordinate artillery fire for the crew of the 16-inch cannons located at Battery 112 on a bluff 500 meters to the west of the tower on the camp grounds. Additional fire-control positions were located in the Shadmoor area, just east of Montauk village. All the towers were part of the communications and defense network that coordinated the large guns located at Camp Hero. From these wooden towers, which survive in situ today, coast artillery observers could report on the accuracy of the gunners firing from their positions five miles away at the camp.
Wooden fire-control stations at Shadmoor, near Montauk, Summer 2002.
View of Atlantic Ocean from Shadmoor fire-control station, Summer 2002.
Contemporary view of the famous lighthouse at Montauk Point; the
fire-control/sub-spotting tower is the tall white structure with the
horizontal slit-like windows just to the left of the lighthouse itself.
Standard 16-inch gun casemates at Ft. Story, Virginia, like those at Camp Hero. This is how the entire bunker
would look before landscaping and addition of camouflage.
The empty, overgrown 16-inch gun casemates at Camp Hero, Summer 2001.
A wide shot of a battery similar to those at Camp Hero, showing both guns in their casemates.
Close-up of a 16-inch gun at Ft. Story, Virginia.
One of Montauk's 16-inch guns in its casemate. Note this version of the gun is shielded.
A casemate as it appears today.
Another current view of a casemate.
On the opposite side of each gun opening are these massive access doors; trucks containing
shells, powder, and other supplies could easily be driven inside the bunker.
The dark circles mark the locations of the five Camp Hero bunkers. The Montauk Point lighthouse is just off
the right border of the map where the roads converge. (Alternate map?)
Aerial photo of Camp Hero, courtesy Terraserver. Dominating the loop at the extreme right
are the parking lots for the Montauk Lighthouse. The camp occupies the entire southeastern
quadrant of this image, bounded on the north by Route 27 and on the south by the Atlantic
Ocean. The camp's extensive road system is easily discernible.


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Desperate Love
倾城绝恋, The Allure Juelian, Allure Love Story, Qing Juelian, Griefing Over Qing Palace2013PG-13JSTV
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It was love at first sight. When Mongolian Princess Mei Li (Li Sheng) arrives in Beijing with her father, a Mongolian Prince, Prince Jing Yuan (Mickey He) of the Qing Dynasty saves her from falling. They part ways without learning each other's names. Mei Li and her father visit the Grand Empress Dowager (Pan Ying Zi) in the palace, and the Grand Empress Dowager takes an immediate liking to Mei Li. She has her grandson, Emperor Kangxi (Wang Xin), bestow the title of "GeGe" (Princess of First Rank) on Mei Li. But when the Mongolian Prince is assassinated one night, Mei Li becomes an orphan with no money and protector. Mei Li is suddenly vulnerable to those who want to get rid of her out of jealousy of the Grand Empress Dowager's preferential treatment. When Prince Jing Yuan, who happens to be the Emperor's cousin and an important general, meets up again with Mei Li inside the palace, the two fall in love all over again. But Jing Yuan is already betrothed by royal decree to another woman and Mei Li finds solace in her best friend, Yong He (Tian Jia Da), who has always loved her. What will become of Mei Li as she is torn between the love of two men? "Desperate Love" is a 2012 Chinese drama series.


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115 Evesboro-Medford Road
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Phone: 856-983-8090
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Date(s) - 07/31/20
7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Congregation Beth Tikvah
We come together on Shabbat evening to welcome the Sabbath as a community, light the candles and make Kiddush together. We sing familiar tunes, led by Cantor Lebovic and visit with friends during the Oneg as we share dessert and coffee after the service.
Often our services are enhanced as each elementary class in our Hebrew School leads a service, as do Men's Club and Sisterhood. Our B'nai Mitzvah help to lead service as part of their Bar/Bat Mitzvah Day. We also welcome outside speakers.
Each Friday night, Rabbi Nathan presents his "sermon dialogue" in order to engage the congregants in discussion of a timely event or classic Torah topic.


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The week in review
Worst spate of females allegedly deliberately running down people: A Louisa teen is in custody after allegedly driving her car into a crowd outside a party just after midnight May 22. According to NBC29, the 17-year-old girl was in an argument, went to her car, and plowed into partygoers outside the Pine Ridge Apartments in Louisa, injuring four people. Her family says it was an accident. And Crozetian Janice Highlander, 28, is arrested on two counts of felonious assault May 21 for allegedly hitting two people in her car in the 400 block of Franklin Avenue.
Most gruesome discovery: A VDOT worker mowing May 23 finds a decomposing body off U.S. 29 in Nelson County. State Police later ID him as Sean P. Daly, 42, of Lovingston. Not seen since last Tuesday, May 17; his mom reported him missing.
Most troubled waters: Last week's heavy rains overwhelm the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority's sewer system, dumping 5.3 million gallons of sewage in Moores Creek, according to Charlottesville Tomorrow, which cites an email from RWSA director Tom Frederick.
Least funded roads: The Charlottesville Albemarle metropolitan region ranks last among the 14 areas in the state in per capita roads funding from VDOT, according to Albemarle Supervisor Dennis Rooker. The state average is $548 per capita; this area gets about $41. Charlottesville Tomorrow has the story.
Biggest rebound: UVA's endowment, which lost $1.5 billion during the Great Recession and sank from $5.25 billion to $3.76 billion, has almost returned to its May 2009 peak with University Investment Management Company reporting holdings of $5.24 billion, Ted Strong reports in the Progress.
Biggest layoffs: Northrop Grumman axes 60 employees, who will be out of a job May 31 at its Sperry Marine plant in Albemarle, the Daily Progress reports.
Latest for Scottsville tire plant: Developer Charles W. Hurt plans to buy the former Hyosong property near downtown and build small homes, Bryan McKenzie reports in the DP. Once a major employer in Scottsville, Uniroyal sold the 1944-built plant in 2004 to Hyosong, which closed it in 2009 and laid off 100 people.
Latest batch of candidates I: Augusta-based Delegate Steve Landes, whose newly drawn district now includes Ivy and Jack Jouett precincts in Albemarle, as well as Crozet, announces he'll seek a ninth term representing the 25th District.
Latest batch of candidates 2: Albemarle School Board member Barbara Massie Moulie is running again for the White Hall seat. And newcomer Cindi Burket seeks the Albemarle at-large School Board seat.
Latest batch of candidates 3: Charlottesville School Board member Kathy Galvin wants a seat on City Council. So does Peter McIntosh, who seeks the Democratic nomination, according to WINA.
Longest running incumbent to step down: Delegate Watkins Abbitt, the former Dem-turned-independent whose district includes southern Albemarle, says he won't seek a 14th term in the General Assembly, the Washington Post reports.
Oddest candidate announcement: Albemarle Republicans say Jim Norwood will seek the Scottville Board of Supervisors seat opened by Lindsay Dorrier's retirement, then say the May 24 announcement has been postponed.
Worst crash: Emergency crews find a Ford Ranger truck engulfed in flame when they're dispatched to the 3200-block of Burnley Station Road at 1:35am May 22, according to a release. Police believe the driver, traveling east, goes off the right side of the road, overcorrects, and slams into a tree. The driver's name is being withheld pending positive identification by the medical examiner.
Best get for the Paramount: Supporter Mary Helen Jessup donates her former home in Glenmore, which will be sold to help retire the theater's renovation mortgage.
Best weekend to get out of town: The University of Virginia holds its 182nd Final Exercises May 21-22 and awards 6,248 degrees. Between 30,000 and 35,000 people may have come to Grounds, and Governor Bob McDonnell delivers the commencement address.


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As a change of pace from our Disney trips, we got passes to Sea World for the year and went for the first time at the end of January. The weather was perfect and we can't wait until Heidi comes so we can take her with us and enjoy all the things we didn't have time for the first trip!
The first thing we did was watch the Dolphin and Bird show, which I think was everyone's favorite part of the day. The girls loved it, especially Naomi who joined in clapping when everyone else in the crowd did.
Charlotte was mesmerized!
I realize I look ridiculous, but the last time I was at Sea World was in 10th grade with a group from our church for leadership training, and some of the girls and I were being barnacles on the dolphin aquarium wall. I didn't feel as ridiculous 10 years ago when I did this with my friends! I tweeted a picture for Shannon, who I knew would remember!
Charlotte rode on some of the big kid rides and loved it! Since I'm all knocked up and whatnot, Daddy got to ride them all with her. He said her face when they went down the first drop of the kiddie roller coaster was priceless. It was part "I can't believe you didn't tell me it did this!" and part enjoyment. But mostly "I can't believe you didn't tell me it did this!". But after that one part she was all smiles and ate it up!
While Charlotte rode on the big kid rides, Naomi snoozed in the stroller.
Once she did wake up, Naomi was quite eager to ride some of the rides with her cousins. She maintained this same stoic expression the entire ride. Jared kept telling her to "Wave to Mommy!", so she started waving, but it was quite obvious she couldn't really see where or who she was waving to.
Playing in the sprinklers
Riding the train with her cousins
Naomi, removing the shades, to get a better look at something
Note to self: Jolly Rancher Push Pops are not a good idea for a two year old and four year old!
A family picture at the end of the day
Naomi was asleep before we got out of the parking lot. She was wiped out!
It didn't take Charlotte much longer to pass out!
We had a great time at Sea World and I think we'll really enjoy our year of trips there. For a significantly cheaper price, we were able to get passes good for the whole week, with no black out dates, as opposed to the weekday Disney passes we had that had blackout dates in the summer, Christmas, and Spring Break. It is nice being able to park and walk right up to the entrance of the park, as opposed to parking, taking the tram, then the monorail, and then finally getting to the entrance of the park, especially with a double stroller! They have a great kiddie area with lots of rides for the younger ones and the wait times weren't bad at all.
What I didn't enjoy as much as I remember was the Shamu show. The trainers don't get in the water and swim with the whales anymore, I assume from the drowning of a trainer a while back. And rather than introducing and telling everyone about the whales, they have huge TV screens that move and rotate with all sorts of "Love the earth" images, and hydro-technics with blasts of water shooting from just outside the tank. It was all sort of distracting from the whales, which is what everyone was there to see. But aside from that, we had a great time and are looking forward to our next trip!


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Mixed Relay World Championship title on the line
By Erin Greene on 09/07/14 at 7:51 pm
In addition to the men's and women's elite sprint races and the 10,000 age group athletes that will compete as a part of the World Triathlon Hamburg this weekend, the fifth edition of the Mixed Relay World Championships will be contested on Sunday.
Watch the races live here:
Find the international start times here.
Germany surprised and impressed the hometown crowd last year when it came from behind in the final discipline of the woman-man-woman-man relay for their first-ever World Championship win. Their title made them just the third country to collect gold in the race.
History is on their side for a repeat win, as Mixed Relay titles seem to come in pairs with Switzerland having clenched wins in 2009 and 2010, while Great Britain took over in 2011 and 2012. However, it remains to be seen if Anne Haug or Jan Frodeno will line up for the Germans, meaning it could be difficult to fend off the Brits from a hat trick of titles.
With Olympic medallist brothers Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee on the relay, as well as top ranked Jodie Stimpson and Helen Jenkins, the British team possesses the most depth and experience. While the relay will be fielded by more individual talent at the Olympic distance level than any other team, that doesn't necessarily translate to the speed needed for the 300m swim, 6.6km bike, 1.6km run. But if the Brits can pull off the feat, they'll surpass Switzerland as the most successful team in Mixed Relay history.
Depending on who lines up for each Federation, which won't be revealed until the day of the race, a number of teams could feature on the podium. Amongst those favoured are again New Zealand and the US, as well as the Australians.
For the first time, Spain could be poised to join the nine countries that have garnered a medal in the last four years with Javier Gomez Noya, Mario Mola, Ainhoa Murua and Carolina Routier capable of putting together significant performances over such a short distance.
The race will serve as an important tune-up for those nations competing in Glasgow at the end of the month where Mixed Relay will debut at the Commonwealth Games.
Click here to see the start lists
Find more details about this event - 2014 Hamburg ITU Triathlon Mixed Relay World Championships


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|Ahoy! This here is the 88th Featured Article.
"Roronoa Zoro" has been featured, meaning it was chosen as an article of interest.
- The subject of this article is sometimes called Roronoa Zolo.
Roronoa Zoro,[1] also known as "Pirate Hunter" Zoro,[8] is the combatant of the Straw Hat Pirates and a former bounty hunter.[5]
He was the first member to join the crew,[3] and, to date, is considered one of the largest threats and most dangerous members in it after Luffy. His fame as a master swordsman and his great strength, along with the actions of his captain, sometimes led others to believe he was the true captain of the crew before he obtained his first bounty, while a few people believe him to be the first mate.[20][21]
His dream is to become the greatest swordsman in the world.[22] Zoro is also regarded as one of twelve pirates who are referred to as the "Worst Generation"[23]. He currently has a bounty of 320,000,000.[17]
- Further information: Roronoa Zoro/Gallery
Zoro is a muscular man of average height with lightly tanned skin. He always carries his three swords along with him, bundled up with a green haramaki over his right hip, allowing him to easily draw them with his left hand. Of the three swords he has on his person, he has always been seen carrying the Wado Ichimonji, while his other two swords have varied over time due to them being destroyed and subsequently replaced with progressively better ones. Although his right hand is usually seen resting over them, he can also use this hand to pull his swords out before sitting down. He has three identical gold earrings on his left earlobe. Zoro normally keeps a black bandanna[24] tied around his left bicep and ties it around his head when he is fighting seriously against an opponent.
Zoro's body is covered with scars from his many battles, most notably the massive scar stretching from his left shoulder to his right hip that he acquired during his loss against the world's greatest swordsman, Dracule Mihawk, at Baratie. His other visible scars are the scars he inflicted upon his ankles in a desperate attempt to free himself from Mr. 3's Giant Candle Service Set by trying to cut his feet off at Little Garden. After the timeskip, he gained another scar over his left eye, obtained through unknown means.
Zoro's other remarkable feature is his cropped green hair, which Sanji often teases him about by calling him "marimo" (moss-ball, moss-head in the Viz Manga and FUNimation dub) due to its resemblance to one.
Before the Timeskip
Similar to most of his male crewmates, Zoro has the same outfit throughout most of the series. Before the timeskip, he would consistently wear black trousers[24] tucked inside black boots, a plain white shirt with three undone buttons at the collar and his green haramaki. However, only Zoro's shirt varies from time to time in the arcs. During the Arlong Park Arc, he disembarked Sanji's fishing ship neglecting to put on a shirt. After beating up most of Arlong's crew, he wore an opened, navy blue shirt decorated with light blue whirlpools that he stole from one of the fish-men. Since Zoro received his scar from Mihawk during the Baratie Arc before the Arlong Park Arc, Zoro wore bandages that were visible underneath his shirt.
During the Loguetown Arc, Zoro acquires Sandai Kitetsu and Yubashiri to replace the two conventional katana which were broken by Mihawk in the Baratie Arc.
During the Drum Island Arc, Zoro was bundled up for the winter island, but later stripped down after a foolish choice to swim in the frigid water on the island. He remained shirtless and shoeless in the beginning of the arc after getting lost from the Going Merry and left unable to redress himself, until he stole a parka from a man in Wapol's army, which was a hooded, forest green parka with a light green sash and white fur on the cuffs, hood, and hem, as well as a pair of boots.
During the Alabasta Arc, he wore an orange keffiyeh with a gold chain on his head, a long-sleeved white coat with black lines all over it, and the bottom of his black trousers were torn above his ankles.
During the Skypiea Arc, he wore his usual outfit in the beginning of the arc until he took it off after fighting a skyshark to save Tony Tony Chopper from being eaten. Afterwards, he wore a long, deep blue T-shirt and goggles strapped either on his head or around his neck, which were later broken and discarded.
During the Water 7 Arc, he wore his usual outfit until near the end, where he wore an unzipped, bright yellow jacket with a closed pocket flap on each side. He continued wearing this outfit throughout the Enies Lobby Arc.
During the Post-Enies Lobby Arc, he wore a black shirt with the Galley-La Company emblem on it in white.
At the end of the Thriller Bark Arc, he wore an opened, gray shirt. He also replaced Yubashiri, which was rusted away by Shu in the Enies Lobby Arc, with Shusui, which was entrusted to him by the zombie of Ryuma brought to life by Brook's shadow.
During the Sabaody Archipelago Arc, he wore an opened white shirt with red stripes.
During his time at Kuraigana Island, shortly after being sent there by Bartholomew Kuma, he wore an opened, dark blue shirt. Since Zoro was critically injured when he arrived at the island, Perona patched him up, so bandages were all over his body.
After the Timeskip
During and after the two-year timeskip, Zoro gains a new scar running down over his left eye, which is now implied to be critically injured as it is always closed. His frame gets larger, showing considerable more muscle mass and his hair gets shaggier while slicked back. Zoro now wears a long, open dark-green coat closed on his waist and is held by a red sash, in which his three swords are now tucked into, and his black bandanna is tied around his left forearm. His coat exposes his bare chest, revealing his green haramaki underneath the coat. He has also grown noticeably taller, as he is similar in height to Robin.
During the Punk Hazard Arc, he wore a white furry coat for protection against the cold weather on the frozen side of Punk Hazard, which he took from Brownbeard's Centaur Patrol Unit.
During the Dressrosa Arc, he wore a black suit and a white dress shirt with the top button undone. He also wore black sunglasses and a fake white mustache as a disguise. His sunglasses were destroyed in his clash with Admiral Fujitora. Additionally, he discarded the mustache upon his identity being exposed. After the battle against the Donquixote Pirates, Zoro took off his suit jacket, and unbuttoned his shirt leaving his chest and scar exposed.
During the Zou Arc, Zoro wore a dark-blue t-shirt with his green coat and haramaki over a pair of long, black trousers and boots.
During the Wano Country Arc, Zoro wore a white yukata with black details and a green cloud pattern on its bottom. He wore a dark green jittoku with a mon of a black sun over a khaki gear, and zōri with a black strap. Zoro also styled his hair in the chonmage style.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 1
Chapter 2 (p. 11) and Episode 1, Roronoa is first mentioned by Alvida. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "mentioned" defined multiple times with different content
- ↑ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 1 Chapter 3 and Episode 1, Zoro makes his debut.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 1 Chapter 5 (p. 19) and Episode 3, Zoro decides to join Luffy's crew to survive against the marines' 153rd Branch.
- ↑ One Piece Manga — Vol. 90 Chapter 909, Zoro becomes a rōnin while infiltrating Wano Country.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 5 Chapter 42 (p. 16) and Episode 20, Zoro is revealed to have been a bounty hunter by Yosaku, a current one.
- ↑ Vivre Card - One Piece Visual Dictionary , Zoro-juurou is romanized.
- ↑ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 90 Chapter 909 (p. 14) and Episode 892, Zoro's alias in Wano is revealed.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 1
Chapter 3 (p. 1) and Episode 1, Both Zoro's epithet is seen in the title of the chapter and he is mentioned and recognized by Koby as the Pirate Hunter. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "epithet" defined multiple times with different content
- ↑ SBS One Piece Manga — Vol. 66 (p. 162), Oda explains the blood types of the world and reveals the Straw Hats' blood types.
- ↑ SBS One Piece Manga — Vol. 4 (p. 28), Zoro's age is given.
- ↑ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 61 Chapter 598 and Episode 517, two years pass in the storyline.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 SBS One Piece Manga — Vol. 69 (p. 66), Zoro's profile is given.
- ↑ SBS One Piece Manga — Vol. 15 (p. 90), Zoro's birthday is revealed.
- ↑ SBS One Piece Manga — Vol. 79 (p. 186), Birthday Calendar.
- ↑ SBS One Piece Manga — Vol. 10 (p. 46), Zoro's pre-timeskip height is given.
- ↑ One Piece Blue Deep: Characters World (p. 205) , Zoro's post-timeskip height is given.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 80
Chapter 801 (p. 15-17) and Episode 746, The Straw Hat Pirates are given new bounties after Dressrosa. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "Post-Dressrosa Bounties" defined multiple times with different content
- ↑ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 45 Chapter 435 (p. 16-17) and Episode 320, The crew members' bounties for attacking Enies Lobby are revealed.
- ↑ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 23 Chapter 213 (p. 22) and Episode 128, Luffy's and Zoro's bounties after Alabasta.
- ↑ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 12 Chapter 108 (p. 19) and Episode 65, Zoro is mistaken by Mister 9 for the captain of the crew.
- ↑ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 39 Chapter 371 (p. 11) and Episode 261, Zambai comments on the terrifying strength Zoro possesses despite not being the captain.
- ↑ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 1 Chapter 6 (p. 6) and Episode 3, Zoro says he's going to become the greatest swordsman in the world.
- ↑ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 67 Chapter 664 (p. 10) and Episode 589, Brownbeard explains the Worst Generation.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 (See also Mythbusters) Note: The reason why it is depicted with some green has nothing to do with a color change, if you will notice most of it is still black. The green in the anime is an effect used in cartoons and comics to show shading/highlighting, as the color black is incapable of doing so itself. Light shades of purple, gray or blue are sometimes used instead. White, red and yellow are often too bright to pull off the same effect. Oda does the same effect in color walks.


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It's been suggested several times that there are problems with the current peer review, featured article, and article of the week systems. Hopefully, this forum can find a solution.
Peer reviews
- Over half of all peer reviews result in less than 5 comments
- Peer reviews tend to only be a step to FAs, which isn't the actual idea
I suggest scrapping the entire PR system, and replacing it with this new one:
- A template placed on the article asking for a peer review, either in general, or for a section.
- Instead of a separate page, a section on the article's talk page will be used.
- The template would have parameters to direct the peer review to the section on the talk page and highlight the reason for review.
- A PR can be ended as quickly as input is given. No time frame is necessary since PR will not be tied to FAs.
- The template could be changed to look less like the "problem" message templates as well.
I think this will solve the problem with comments. Currently PR notices are on the talk page, with the review elsewhere. This doesn't really invite comments from readers or contributors, and reviewing the entire article is a daunting task unless there's a reason to get it done quickly. By placing the notice where it can be seen, and allowing for only a section to be reviewed, I think that we'll get more input. This, along with the changes to the FA system below, should also make the peer review system one where you use it to "flag down" readers and editors for particular issues or changes that require more input, instead of simply a relatively unnecessary step to a FA. - Archduk3 19:48, November 17, 2011 (UTC)
- I wouldn't mind this change (independent of what becomes of the changes suggested below), although I wouldn't want to call it scrapping/replacing. It's still the same system of inviting comments, just on a different talk page.
- That said, I'm not sure we should go back to having big fraking signs on our articles, if those signs aren't meant to notify readers of article shortcomings (like the PNA messages). If it only concerns editors, it should stay out of view of readers... -- Cid Highwind 20:38, November 17, 2011 (UTC)
Well then, were updating it to this one. ;) Part of what I was imaging when changing the template was to tone it down overall, something closer to size and colors of the spoiler section template. The reason to make it visible to readers is that we're trying to invite the largest number of people to contribute, and I think a number of our readers would be happy to leave their thoughts on the matter, especially if it's just a section. - Archduk3 21:28, November 17, 2011 (UTC)
- Maybe it could also be noted on the main page the specific PRs that are under evaluation at any given time, so as to invite even more users to participate(?) Just an idea. :) --Defiant 00:59, November 18, 2011 (UTC)
The real problem with placing anything else on the main page is the question of where it should go. There's already a ton of links on there, and cramming in a variable list makes it even worse, since we don't really have control over how many PRs are going at any time. A link to PRs could replace the FA link in the box at the bottom though (new users can't really participate in a FA anyway). That said, we could also stick a link in the nav menu at the top to Memory Alpha:Peer review, where they are listed. - Archduk3 01:14, November 18, 2011 (UTC)
- The main page currently does seem quite jumbled. I'd probably opt for grouping all the site-specific stuff together as well as (separately) all the news-y items that are not directly related to MA ("where to watch", "latest news", etc.), and then position the MA elements at the top. I believe I understand the motive for having the "latest news" at the top, as active content does (demographically-wise) generate interest in the wiki, but I don't see the problem with having the changing aspects be more MA related, rather than news items that might divert newcomers away from this site. The PR could then be one of these active features, directly relevant to MA. --Defiant 01:30, November 18, 2011 (UTC)
You could create a mock up at Portal:Main/temp, since user subpages have wikia crap on them now and aren't full width. We should also continue any discussion on the main page elsewhere. - Archduk3 01:48, November 18, 2011 (UTC)
- I agree, though I did intentionally dovetail my last post back into this discussion. --Defiant 01:51, November 18, 2011 (UTC)
- I support this idea. --31dot 02:27, November 18, 2011 (UTC)
See {{Peer review}} for a mock up of the template, with working links. I know these are the colors of the current template, though when I suggested this I seem to have thought that the red message template was what we were using. I also think a black background with a silver (#AAA) border looks nice as well, if we do want something a bit different. - Archduk3 09:38, November 27, 2011 (UTC)
Switched the default setting to be a section instead of the entire article, and changed the colors to what I suggested above. - Archduk3 19:46, November 28, 2011 (UTC)
Feature articles
- Not all articles are actually featured
- Some FAs are years old
- Significant overlap with PRs
- Resolving objections while maintaining stability tends to be overly difficult or impossible, especially in small articles
- Old nominations are moved to two different locations depending on what happened.
The main change would be to add the current two week stability period at the end of a PR to be a part of the FA nomination by removing the time limit on nominations. This would work like this:
- Article nominated
- Someone makes a good objection, pointing out how the article could be improved
- Article is significantly edited to resolve the objection
- After two weeks without significant changes or objections the article is featured
- A nomination can continue as long as there are timely changes being made to address objections.
- The nominations page will be used for all discussion about the nomination (this is already what we do, though according to the rules we shouldn't be.)
- All closed nominations would be moved to the article's talk page. The archive will be dismantled and replaced with links to the sections on the talk pages.
While these changes would mean that FA nominations would now take at least two weeks to resolve, this shouldn't be that big a problem considering we've already decided with the current PRs that for everyone to participate, two weeks is a good period of time. This should also solve the overlap problem with PRs by internalizing the entire process. The changes to the AotW system below should resolve problems with these actually being "featured" as well. - Archduk3 19:52, November 17, 2011 (UTC)
- Some random thoughts:
- Just to make sure, this is supposed to just be a change to the current process? Especially, necessary minimum of supporting votes will stay a part of the process?
- What does "a good objection" mean? I hope it's just meant informally here, and not supposed to mean that not all objections are considered "valid" any longer. If so, what if I believe that a specific article just isn't "FA-material"?
- There needs to be something that keeps people from "keeping alive" their own nomination by making major changes. Otherwise, we might see some gaming of the system to prevent a nomination from failing due to other reasons (not enough support).
- Similarly, at least some upper time limit should be a part of this new process. If an article gets rewritten again and again for weeks, at some point we need to accept that it probably won't ever leave this process successfully. I don't think it would be sensible to keep an article in this process for longer than, say, 6-8 weeks, and probably even less.
- Also, we should make sure that the number of concurrent nominations is limited somehow. For example, it could be restricted to one nomination per user - or even one overall vote per supporter. The reason is that we don't want to get swarmed by nominations just because they now officially double as a PR.
- Last but not least, the way of discussing and archiving FAs that is suggested as a good thing here is not much different from what has been called "too difficult" for PRs? Why not do both of them the same way, either by having both discussions on the talk page from the start, or by creating something similar to our deletion discussions for both?
- -- Cid Highwind 10:12, November 18, 2011 (UTC)
- Some random thoughts:
The main changes to the policy would be:
"A nomination can be resolved if it has been inactive for fourteen days, meaning that there were no new votes or work done to resolve objections in that time, or after a total of 6 weeks without any indication of resolution. The following results are possible:
- Less than five votes, whether supporting or opposing: The nomination is considered unsuccessful and removed from the list.
- Five or more votes with objections. The article is considered in dispute, therefor the nomination is unsuccessful and removed from the list.
- Five or more votes without objections or with all objections resolved. The nomination is considered successful and removed from the list.
The discussion for nominations should be moved to that article's talk page; and a link placed in the nomination archive.
Re-nominating an article
If a nomination has been unsuccessful for whatever reason, the article may be suggested again after a waiting period of four weeks from the date of the initial rejection. Before re-nominating, any unresolved objections that were made during the initial nomination voting period should be addressed.
The rest of the policy would remain the same except for the removal of the other mentions to a PR. As for a good objection, I assumed it is one that has to do with the FA criteria, or at least that's what I thought when Cleanse wrote it.
The main reason I was trying to avoid a upper time limit is that someone could game the system by waiting to respond until the nomination is almost over. I've tried to work that, and Cid's concern, into the text here, though I'm open to wording changes. The increase in time for a renomination is that any objection that ends a nomination will now most likely take more time to resolve.
My reasoning to archive to the talk page instead of just using it instead is that FA nominations are restricted, and the nominations page is locked to reflect that. The talk page shouldn't be locked like that, since it's also used for other things, and creating another page like the deletion discussions would either require locking every page once it's made or forgoing the lock. Also, one of the points of this is to make the information easier to find from the article while not creating more "clutter". FA nominations also don't suffer from the same problems that PRs do, which is why the solutions are different, if similar. - Archduk3 14:16, November 18, 2011 (UTC)
Updating FAs
As part of this, I would suggest that every so often, FAs would need to be reconfirmed. Currently, the only way to do this is to remove the article from being featured and then renominate it. This is rather silly if the article is still considered one of the best, so essentially every so often we would update which revision we consider to be "the" FA. Currently, the template marks articles older than two years, so every two years a FA would be "voted" upon again (a page could display articles in the hidden cat that need this, and these discussions could be displayed on the recent changes page with the FA nominations). If the majority agrees that the article is still "the best MA has to offer" after two weeks, the revision at that time would replace the original. This would solve the problem of differences in the current revision and the featured revision, since over the course of two years it's expected that images, templates, and other things would change, as well as weed out articles that no longer meet standards. - Archduk3 19:48, November 17, 2011 (UTC)
- "Old FAs" are a problem only if we want to actually do something with articles that have been featured a while ago. Currently, we note what article revision has been the FA revision, and there's a handy link to the diff between this and the current revision. Something we might want to do with "Featured Articles" is to really feature them. As I already stated in the section below, if we can make sure that featuring happens shortly after them becoming FA, this is not a big problem. Only if we feature them again and again without doing anything inbetween, it becomes a problem. I'd rather solve that by not featuring "old FAs"... -- Cid Highwind 20:34, November 17, 2011 (UTC)
The problem as you describe it, and I understand it, with old FAs is one of the word "featured" meaning "featured on the main page" instead of "having the significant characteristic of being one of the best". Both of these things are correct, and since all FAs are available to the public at all times, they should still be "noted" as such because of the latter regardless of former. Reconfirming FAs, by updated the revision that's featured, is suppose to deal with the issue of changes to the article during a long period of time without the article becoming less than one of the best articles. - Archduk3 21:28, November 17, 2011 (UTC)
- Maybe re-evaluating each old FA the week before it's to be featured on the main page might encourage users to participate in the reevaluation process. --Defiant 01:05, November 18, 2011 (UTC)
There are a few problems with that Defiant. First, we would need at least two weeks to discuss and replace one that fails, assuming that the discussion would only last a day, so a month out would be best. Second, the discussion below would make predicting when a FA is on the main page impossible. Third, not all FAs are AotW, so those would be missed. Implementing a date from featured system is the only way to insure we get them all, and this can be done using the category already in place, though if we do this we should stagger updates for the ones currently over two years, so we don't have them all come up again at the same time. - Archduk3 03:25, November 18, 2011 (UTC)
- You're right, Archduk; that suggestion of mine is problematic. I realized that quite soon after posting it. I think we can (and should) retain the idea of the reconfirmation process, though – that's a good one. :) --Defiant 09:39, November 18, 2011 (UTC)
- It's funny that, apparently, reconfirmation of an FA every two years is considered valid, while discussing and generating/featuring a new FA at least semi-weekly (and falling back to exactly this if that process fails in a week) is not. I think that the same scrutiny needs to be put into updating the featured revision than what is put into featuring the first revision - so, in the long run, this will create more work, not less. -- Cid Highwind 10:18, November 18, 2011 (UTC)
I don't think this would take more work compared to creating a new FA, and in fact I'm sure it would take less. The main point with this is to reconfirm our FAs, not create new ones. This process doesn't require five votes and that they be unanimous, instead it has the same requirements as the FA removal process, since that's already an agreed upon way to do one of the functions this does. - Archduk3 14:16, November 18, 2011 (UTC)
- I don't agree with that - one reason for why we're mentioning which article revision was featured is the fact that it is harder to get an FA removed than it is to get an FA nominated: if we wanted both to be equally hard, we'd need 5 or more opposing votes without further support to not get an FA removed. This new suggestion would make it easier to get a new revision "re-featured" without also making it easier to get an FA removed outright. Basically, it imbalances the current situation towards a more easily achieved/kept FA status. -- Cid Highwind 14:41, November 18, 2011 (UTC)
That's simply isn't true Cid. Removal only requires two votes, the nomination requires five. Removal only requires a majority, the nomination requires that all votes be unanimous. It's harder to make a FA than it is to remove it. There's also nothing easier than ignoring our older FAs, which is what we've been doing, so forcing a reconfirmation for it to keep its status is harder than that as well. - Archduk3 15:17, November 18, 2011 (UTC)
- Comparison:
- nomination process - 2 opposing votes, 3 supporting votes: nomination does not happen.
- removal process - 2 votes for removal, 3 against: article stays an FA, although the same result wouldn't have been enough to make it an FA in the first place.
- It may be easier to remove an article in theory - in an ideal wiki world where countless contributors are just waiting to be able to vote on something, and each and every one of them acts totally objective. It is not easier in practice, where we have to deal with just a handful of people willing to discuss/vote, and potentially some of them being a little protective when it comes to their earlier work - especially if that removal now actually means something because of the other changes suggested here. -- Cid Highwind 15:32, November 18, 2011 (UTC)
That makes more sense, though I think adding the notifications that a renewal discussion is going on will solve the problem of not enough participants. While I would rather run though at least two of these with the currently purposed system to see how it works out, would requiring at least three votes be enough to alleviate your fears about this (bearing in mind that unlike the removal process the nomination is automatic)? The argument can be made that "overturning" a five vote unanimous consensus shouldn't be possible with just one vote, and that users voting for removal aren't always objective either. - Archduk3 16:09, November 18, 2011 (UTC)
- A minimum number of votes necessary to stop FA removal sounds good. Alternatively, or in combination, perhaps something like this:
- As long as support during this "update process" is unanimous (independent of the actual number of votes), the new revision becomes the featured revision. Opposition needs to give a reason - but if a reason has been given, the (simple) update process turns into a (proper) FA nomination process of the new revision, meaning that there needs to be five votes with all opposition resolved.
- My line of thinking here is the following: either the new revision is on par (or even better) with the old one: in that case, it should be easy to update it - or the new revision is worse than the old one, in which case it should be possible to remove its status. Obviously, "being different" from the earlier revision should not be a valid opposition in this case. -- Cid Highwind 16:26, November 18, 2011 (UTC)
I would drop the need for a number of votes up front, and add that the oppose vote that triggers the switch to a FA nomination "proper" must be related to the FA criteria. So the full text of the "policy" (which could be added to the nomination policy), and a mock up of the a page (if we don't want it in a new section elsewhere), can be seen here. It should be noted that the list shouldn't ever be that long after we work though them, hopefully at a staggered pace. - Archduk3 23:05, November 18, 2011 (UTC)
Article of the Week
- Not all FAs are a AotW
- Some AotW are years old
Instead of having a FA each week, a FA would be randomly displayed either each week, or on each page load. This way all our FAs are actually featured at some point, and old articles are given just as much notice as new ones. So to clarify, Memory Alpha:Article of the Week would more or less be merged with Memory Alpha:Featured articles. We would still use subpages, but instead of numbers the page title should be used. - Archduk3 19:48, November 17, 2011 (UTC)
- Further problems:
- Not all AotW were FA nominees (I believe, unless that has been changed in the meantime)
- Even for FA AotWs, the article snippet that is displayed on the main page is not the outcome of any community/consensus process, but was just created by whoever added the AotW.
- On top of that, I don't like the idea of "randomizing" articles being displayed - at least not under the current title of "Article of the Week". If we randomize articles, that should be made clear by removing the title "AotW" completely.
- Also, what this suggestion does not achieve is to actually feature articles when they become a "Featured Article" - instead, we still end up with articles that are called "Featured", but actually aren't - and when they eventually are featured on the main page, it may be in an article revision that doesn't resemble the revision that was voted for. -- Cid Highwind 20:29, November 17, 2011 (UTC)
It's my understanding that all AotWs are featured articles now*, and AotW blurbs are open for votes/comments before being added, so there is a community effort, at least as much as the community wants to involve itself. I also didn't mention it outright, but by merging AotW with Featured articles, I meant it to be called "Featured articles" (with the templates and other pages updated to reflect that).
Randomizing the "featured article" template so a new one displays on every page load would mean that a new FA could be potentially be on the main page the day it's blurb is added to the "pool". A weekly system means that it could be as soon as the next week. - Archduk3 21:28, November 17, 2011 (UTC)
*Actually, Klingon (Week 4) and "A Matter of Perspective" (Week 38) aren't, and need to be replaced either way. - Archduk3 21:50, November 17, 2011 (UTC)
Now that I think about it, merging Memory Alpha:Nominations for AotW with Memory Alpha:Nominations for featured articles might be a good idea if this is approved, since the blurb would be required right afterward anyway. - Archduk3 23:31, November 17, 2011 (UTC)
FA merged with AotW
This is mainly a continuation of the the three preceding sections. Since no new comments were posted to either in a week, I considered the lack of opposition to these suggestions as the standard "silent acceptance" of them that allows anything to be done around here and started to merge the two AotW and FAs together as well as make the suggested updates to the FA policies. Most of the way though this, Cid asked me to stop, since he thought there wasn't "enough consensus" to do so without testing the whole thing in temp pages first. Since the merging was to a point that the current system is pretty much what would have been see in any mockup, here are links to the pages and templates involved:
- {{Featured article}} (replacing {{ArticleOfTheWeek}})
- {{Featured article/randomizer}} (where the magic happens)
- {{FA}} and sub-templates (replacing the AotW templates)
- Category:Memory Alpha featured article templates (replacing Category:Memory Alpha article of the week templates)
- Portal:Main (FAs should be more or less randomized now)
- Portal:Main/Panels/Featured Article (replacing the AotW panel)
- Memory Alpha:Reconfirmation of featured articles (the FA "update" system)
- Faupdate (template like fac for reconfirmations)
- Memory Alpha:Nominations for featured articles (changes to require the old AotW "blurb" as part of the nomination)
- Memory Alpha:Featured article policies (changes as outlined in above sections)
Things that were still undone are merging AotW and FA, as well as some cleanup to the remaining AotW stuff, like the redirects I left from the AotW templates, so the old system would still be functional more or less, as seen here. It should also be noted that I've considered a tiered system for randomizing the FAs, since I think that might even the odds between the types/subjects of the FAs we currently have. Assuming we are still for this, we might also want to start dealing with the backlog of old FAs sooner rather than later, starting with FAs that have been suggested for removal and survived within the last year or so, since it seems they're still up to snuff.
With all that said, and since further discussion was requested, I assume that people have things to say. I hope it's mostly good. :) - Archduk3 09:38, November 27, 2011 (UTC)
- Well, you forgot to mention that I, like Cid, also opposed you making all these drastic changes without sufficient approval. So, that was the consensus; that you stop what you're doing. You've clearly ignored that majority opinion, as you're still going at it (as can be evidenced by this thread)! --Defiant 11:43, November 27, 2011 (UTC)
I didn't forget anything Defiant, since you didn't oppose anything in the time frame I'm talking about. I don't see a single opposition comment anywhere on here from you, or from anyone for that matter. Concerns were raised and addressed, that's it. If you have a complaint about these changes, do try to be specific, since there is no precedent, policy, or guideline that even suggests changes without opposition need "enough consensus" or "sufficient approval", while we have several that state the opposite. If you want to go on another rant about how you think I've done something wrong, you're free to do it on my talk page or in another forum, but do try to stay on topic here and not waste everyone's time. - Archduk3 19:42, November 27, 2011 (UTC)
- (@Archduk3) Well, a "policy about how to create policies" is somewhat cyclic, so we should rely on precedent and common sense here. There is precedent for policy changes being discussed in good detail, as well as them being left to mature before being implemented, and common sense seems to suggest (at least to me) that something that will be binding for all contributors should not be installed by a very few, and very quickly. (@Defiant) That said, the outcome of the other page has not been to not further the discussion about this suggested change. That would just be stupid - what should we do with a suggestion that hasn't been "discussed enough", if not further discussing it? I agree with Archduk3, if you want to go meta again, do it on another page, not here. -- Cid Highwind 21:12, November 27, 2011 (UTC)
That's true, but a week is almost always considered enough time to make changes (old FA nominations, old AotW nominations, FA removals, various talk page comments, etc), though these changes have actually changed a good number of those ironically. This was also the product of "time + extended family = do anything else" and the need for an entire day to do it, since 7 hours in there's still things that were undone. That said, I'm all for any further discussion on these, assuming there are things about them that need to be discussed, instead of simply allowing for more silence. :) - Archduk3 21:25, November 27, 2011 (UTC)
- I've personally decided to no longer contribute to discussions regarding policies and guidelines of this wiki, as: (a) I'm frankly too busy nowadays, and (b) I feel like, whenever I do try to add to the discussions, I just get a load of abuse hurled at me (such as terms like "rant" and the implication that I've been "wasting everyone's time"). So, good luck with continuing to maintain the site's policies and guidelines (which the admins seem to do splendidly without my input, anyway). --Defiant 17:14, November 29, 2011 (UTC)
FAs without a FA blurb template
FAs without a FA blurb to be displayed on the main page. I suggest we use this place to create the blurbs for the "New" FAs using the old AotW system (at least a week without opposition), since these articles are "grandfathered in". The ones already in the update queue can be done as these articles are reconfirmed, though the articles in bold should have some blurb in a page history somewhere. - Archduk3 11:22, November 30, 2011 (UTC)
- Support all the blurbs below. And good work. :-) –Cleanse ( talk | contribs ) 00:20, December 1, 2011 (UTC)
In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II
"In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II" was the 19th episode of the fourth season of Star Trek: Enterprise.
On the bridge of the USS Defiant – having just witnessed the destruction of the ISS Enterprise by the Tholians – Commander Archer supervises Chief Engineer Tucker, T'Pol, and Major Reed, as the team desperately try to escape from a Tholian drydock that holds the Defiant. Even though they manage to shake the starship free from the facility's docking clamps, six Tholian ships approach and speedily construct an energy net over the opening of the dock, effectively barring the Defiant's escape.
With T'Pol's assistance, Tucker manages to restore power to the Defiant's weapon systems. The ship then blasts its way out of the dock, destroying half of the Tholian ships in the process and continues maneuvering away, firing photon torpedoes at the Tholian facility while departing. Reed detects escape pods from Enterprise, so Archer orders that they be brought aboard.
As mentioned above, this FA needs a blurb that can be displayed on the main page. - Archduk3 23:22, November 30, 2011 (UTC)
The Best of Both Worlds
"The Best of Both Worlds" was the 26th and final episode of the third season of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Commander Riker, Data, Worf, and Geordi La Forge file into a transporter room. Worf notifies Riker that there has been no contact from the surface of Jouret IV for over twelve hours, nor any signs of life. Immediately after the away team is beamed down by Transporter Chief Miles O'Brien, the team finds not only that the entire colony of New Providence has been completely destroyed but also that the colony's former town-center is now nothing more than a giant crater.
As the Enterprise flies alongside an Excelsior-class transport ship, Hanson and Shelby inform Captain Picard and Riker – in Picard's ready room – that Starfleet is unprepared for a potential Borg incursion, despite having known for over a year that they are coming. The officers discuss whether the colony was destroyed by the Borg and refer to the Enterprise's first contact with them, at System J-25 a year ago. Hanson asserts that Shelby – an expert on the Borg – will lead the investigation.
As mentioned above, this FA needs a blurb that can be displayed on the main page. - Archduk3 23:22, November 30, 2011 (UTC)
"Scorpion" was the 26th and final episode of the third season of Star Trek: Voyager.
In a region of space, two Borg cubes are seen. They are advancing on their next intended targets for assimilation. Their hail is cut off abruptly as energy beams lash out at the cubes, which are instantly destroyed.
On one of the USS Voyager's holodecks, Captain Kathryn Janeway is running a Leonardo da Vinci holo-program, conversing with a Leonardo hologram in a simulation of the historical figure's workshop. She receives an urgent hail from Commander Chakotay, who urges her to go to engineering to take a look at something.
There, Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres explains that the long-range probe they sent out months ago has stopped transmitting. However, she was able to catch the last few seconds of telemetry, which show a Borg drone's face staring into the viewscreen.
As mentioned above, this FA needs a blurb that can be displayed on the main page. - Archduk3 23:22, November 30, 2011 (UTC)
"Melora" was the 6th episode of the second season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Doctor Bashir and Lieutenant Dax are in the infirmary, testing a wheelchair designed for Ensign Melora Pazlar. Dax expresses amazement that the specifications are even in the replicator's database, saying she hasn't seen a wheelchair in over three hundred years. Bashir reveals that they weren't. It was, in fact, Pazlar herself who had sent him the design, due to the fact that her normal anti-grav unit won't work on Deep Space 9, a situation that Bashir likens to the troubles they had with integrating Starfleet cargo lifts. Before they can discuss it further, Major Kira chimes in over the comm system, informing Bashir that the Yellowstone has just docked at airlock 14. The doctor responds, telling her they're on their way, before taking the wheelchair and heading out with Dax.
As mentioned above, this FA needs a blurb that can be displayed on the main page. - Archduk3 23:22, November 30, 2011 (UTC)
Gorkon was the Chancellor of the Klingon High Council in 2293. In this capacity, he notably pursued peaceful relations between the Klingon Empire and the United Federation of Planets. He was murdered just prior to the start of the Khitomer Conference, however. Only a full explanation of a conspiracy behind his murder allowed for successful negotiation of the Khitomer Accords, which eventually normalized relations between the two governments after years of hostility.
In 2293, the destruction of the Klingon moon Praxis forced the Klingon Empire to reassess its position towards the United Federation of Planets, as the Empire simply could no longer afford to maintain its massive military budget and deal with the devastating effects of the explosion on its economy. Gorkon approached the Federation via Captain Spock and opened negotiations that would see the military outposts on both sides of the Klingon Neutral Zone dismantled and a new alliance forged between the two cold war enemies.
As mentioned above, this FA needs a blurb that can be displayed on the main page. - Archduk3 23:22, November 30, 2011 (UTC)