text:
- Introduction to Semantic MediaWiki
- Editing
- Browsing interfaces
- Semantic search
- Using the API modules
- Semantic Web
Selecting pages
The most important part of the Semantic search features in Semantic MediaWiki is a simple format for describing which pages should be displayed as the search result. Queries select wiki pages based on the information that has been specified for them using Categories, Properties, and maybe some other MediaWiki features such as a page's namespace. The following paragraphs introduce the main query features in SMW.
- 1 Categories and property values
- 2 Distance queries
- 3 Property values
- 4 Properties starting with certain symbols
- 5 Unions of query results: disjunctions
- 6 Describing single pages
- 7 Describing ranges of pages
- 8 Restricting results to a namespace
- 9 Subqueries and property chains
- 10 Using templates and variables
- 11 Sorting results
- 12 Linking to Semantic Search Results
- 13 Things that are not possible
- 14 See also
Categories and property values
In the introductory example, we gave the single condition [[Located in::Germany]] to describe which pages we were interested in. The markup text is exactly what you would otherwise write to assert that some page has this property and value. Putting it in a semantic query makes SMW return all such pages. This is a general scheme: The syntax for asking for pages that satisfy some condition is exactly the syntax for explicitly asserting that this condition holds.
The following queries show what this means:
- [[Category:Actor]] gives all pages directly or indirectly (through a sub-, subsub-, etc. category) in the category.
- [[born in::Boston]] gives all pages annotated as being about someone born in Boston.
- [[height::180cm]] gives all pages annotated as being about someone having a height of 180cm.
By using other categories or properties than above, we can already ask for pages which have certain annotations. Next let us combine those requirements:
[[Category:Actor]] [[born in::Boston]] [[height::180cm]]
asks for everybody who is an actor and was born in Boston and is 180cm tall. In other words: when many conditions are written into one query, the result is narrowed down to those pages that meet all the requirements. Thus we have a logical AND. By the way: queries can also include line breaks in order to make them more readable. So we could as well write:
[[Category:Actor]] [[born in::Boston]] [[height::180cm]]
to get the same result as above. Note that queries only return the articles that are positively known to satisfy the required properties: if there is no property for the height of some actor, that actor will not be selected.
When specifying property values, SMW will usually ignore any initial and trailing whitespace, so the two conditions [[height::180cm]] and [[height:: 180cm ]] have the same meaning. Datatypes such as datatype number may have additional features such as ignoring commas that might be used to separate the thousands. SMW will also treat synonymous page names the same, just like MediaWiki would usually consider Semantic wiki, Semantic_wiki, and semantic wiki to refer to the same page.
If you are using certain condition patterns frequently, you might create a Concept as a shorthand. Concepts form some kind of virtual category and can thus be used similar to category conditions.
Distance queries
A special case of the syntax can be used for finding all pages with a value of type Geographic coordinate within a certain distance of a set location, if one has the Maps (formerly Semantic Maps) extension installed - see the distance query page within the Semantic Maps documentation for more information. Note. Distance queries are currently broken with Maps v2.x. See this bugzilla report.
Property values
In the examples above, we gave very concrete property conditions, using «Boston» and «180cm» as values for properties. In many cases, one does not look for only one particular values, but for a whole range of values, such as all actors that are taller than 180cm. In some cases one may even just look for all pages that have any values for a given property at all. For example, the deceased people could be those which have a value for the property «date of death». Such general conditions are possible with the help of comparators and wildcards.
Wildcards are written as "+" and allow any value for a given condition. For example, [[born in::+]] returns all pages that have any value for the property «born in». Please note that "+" can only be used by itself. See the section Like, not like for the wildcards "*" and "?".
Comparators are special symbols like < or >. They are placed after :: in property conditions.
- >> and <<: "greater than" and "less than"
- > and <: "greater than or equal" and "less than or equal" by default, but "greater than" and "less than" if configuration parameter
$smwStrictComparatorsSets whether the ">" and "<" comparators should be strict is set to
- ≥ and ≤: "greater than or equal" and "less than or equal"
- !: "not" ("unequal")
- ~: «like» comparison for strings
- !~: «not like» comparison for strings
Comparators work only for property values and not for conditions on categories. A wiki installation can limit which comparators are available, which is done by the administrator by modifying the value of $smwgQComparators as explained.
Depending on the value of $smwStrictComparators, interpretation of > and < can differ; the different behaviours are documented on the page about strict comparators.
When applying comparators to pages, then the title of the page (without namespace prefix) is used. However, this can be changed by setting another MediaWiki sortkey for that page, e.g. {{DEFAULTSORTKEY:custom key}}. Please mark that this applies to all comparators, including ! and ~. It is not possible to have multiple sortkeys for one page. In particular, redirect pages are not taken into account when applying comparators.
Not equal
You can select pages that have a property value which is unequal to a given value. For example,
[[Area code::!415]]
will select pages that have an area code which is not «415». Note that this query description does not look for pages which do not have an area code 415. Rather, it looks for all pages that (also) have a code unequal to 415. In particular, pages that have no area code at all cannot be the result of the above query.
As with the (default) equality comparator, the use of custom units may require rounding in numeric conversions that can lead to unexpected results. For example, [[height::!6.00 ft]] may still select someone whose height displays as «6.00 feet» simply because the exact numeric value is not really 6. In such situations, it might be more useful to query for pages that have a property value outside a certain range, expressed by taking a disjunction (see below) of conditions with < and >.
Greater than or equal, less than or equal
With numeric values, you often want to select pages with property values within a certain range. For example
[[Category:Actor]] [[height::>6 ft]] [[height::<7 ft]]
asks for all actors that are between 6 feet and and 7 feet tall. Note that this takes advantage of the automatic unit conversion: even if the height of the actor was set with [[height::195cm]] it would be recognized as a correct answer (provided that the datatype for height understands both units, see Help:custom units). Note that the comparator means greater/less than or equal – the equality symbol = is not needed.
Such range conditions on property values are mostly relevant if values can be ordered in a natural way. For example, it makes sense to ask [[start date::>May 6 2006]] but it is not really helpful to say [[homepage URL::>http://www.somewhere.org]].
If a datatype has no natural linear ordering, Semantic MediaWiki will just apply the alphabetical order to the normalised datavalues as they are used in the RDF export. You can thus use greater than and less than to select alphabetic ranges of a string property. For example, you could ask [[surname::>Do]] [[surname::<G]] to select surnames between «Do» and up to «G». For wiki pages, the comparator refers to the name of the given page (without the namespace prefix).
Here and in all other uses of comparators, it might happen that a searched for value really starts with a symbol like <. In this case, SMW can be prevented from interpreting the symbol as a comparator if a space is inserted after ::. For example, [[property::
]] really searches for pages with the value «
» for the given property.
Greater than, less than
At times you might want to exclude the precise value from the result itself, e.g. to find an actor taller than Hugh Laurie (1.89m), you can query using a combination of the > comparator and the ! comparator:
[[Category:Actor]] [[height::>1.89m]] [[height::!1.89m]]
Like, not like
The comparators
~ and
!~ work only for properties of datatype "String" and "Page" (SMW ≤ 1.7.x) or "Text" and "Page" (SMW ≥ 1.8.x) and since Semantic MediaWiki 1.3.0 also for "Email"1, "Telephone number"1 and "Date"2. In a like condition, one uses '
*' wildcards to match any sequence of characters and '
?' to match any single character. For example, one could ask
[[Address::~*Park Place*]] to select addresses containing the string "Park Place", or
[[Honorific::~M?.]] to select both "Mr." and "Ms.".
Note that in case of datatype "String" (SMW ≤ 1.7.x) all 255 storable characters are searchable, in case of datatype "Text" (SMW ≥ 1.8.x) only the first 40 characters (if more than 72 characters were stored as property value) or all 72 characters (if a maximum of 72 characters were stored as property value) are searchable as explained.[1]. For datatype "Page" all 255 characters are searchable (all SMW versions).
Also note that some special characters need masking when used in combination with '
- Example
Property "Path" of datatype "Text" holds something like "n:\path\morepath" as data value. To query for all pages that contain "n:\path\..." in property "Path" you need to mask the backslashes "
\" to your query like this:
{{#ask: [[Path::~n:\\path\\+]] ... }}
Strict comparators
The default behaviour of SMW, where comparators < and > mean "less than or equal" and "greater than or equal", can be somewhat confusing for people that are familiar with the mathematical meaning of < and >. Thus you can choose to have SMW interpret < and > "strict", as explained here.
Case insensitivity
Starting with Semantic MediaWiki 3.0.034 it is possible to enable case insensitive matching for properties of e.g. datatype "Page", datatype "Text", datatype "Code" and datatype "URL" (blob types, i.e. strings or text) using the
SMW_FIELDT_CHAR_NOCASE option to configuration parameter
$smwgFieldTypeFeaturesSets relational database specific field type features.
The following four examples will provide an overview of the general differences between having this feature enabled or not:
- Example 1
Property "Has text" of datatype "Text" holds "CAseInSensitiveSearch" as data value on page "Example". If enabled queries No. 1 to 3 and if not (default) queries No. 1 to 3 will also select page "Example":
{{#ask: [[Has text::~CASEIN*]] |?Has text }}
{{#ask: [[Has text::~casein*]] |?Has text }}
{{#ask: [[Has text::~CAseIn*]] |?Has text }}
- Example 2
Property "Has page" of datatype "Page" holds "CAseInSensitiveSearch" as data value on page "Example". If enabled queries No. 1 and 2 and if not (default) query No. 3 will select page "Example":
{{#ask: [[Has page::~CASEIN*]] |?Has page }}
{{#ask: [[Has page::~casein*]] |?Has page }}
{{#ask: [[Has page::~CAseIn*]] |?Has page }}
- Example 3
Property "Has text" of datatype "Text" holds "CAseIn" as data value on page "Example". If enabled queries No. 1 to 3 and if not (default) query No. 3 will select page "Example":
{{#ask: [[Has text::CASEIN]] |?Has text }}
{{#ask: [[Has text::casein]] |?Has text }}
{{#ask: [[Has text::CAseIn]] |?Has text }}
- Example 4
Property "Has page" of datatype "Page" holds "CAseIn" as data value on page "Example". If enabled query No. 3 and if not (default) query No. 3 will select page "Example":
{{#ask: [[Has page::CASEIN]] |?Has page }}
{{#ask: [[Has page::casein]] |?Has page }}
{{#ask: [[Has page::CAseIn]] |?Has page }}
Properties starting with certain symbols
Cases may occur where the value of a given property starts with one of the following symbols: <, ≤, >, ≥, =, ! and ~. SMW confuses these symbols with the build in comparators. To assure that this does not happen properties are white-space sensitive. To avoid confusion a space is inserted after ::. For example, [[property::
]] really searches for pages with the value "
" for the given property.
Unions of query results: disjunctions
Disjunctions are OR-conditions that admit several alternative conditions on query results. A disjunction requires that at least one (but maybe more than one) of the possible alternatives is satisfied (logical OR).
SMW has two ways of writing disjunctions in queries:
- The operator OR is used for taking the union of two queries.
- The operator || is used for disjunctions in property values, page names and category names.
For example, a query that describes pages of actors in
[[Category:Musical actor]] or
[[Category:Theatre actor]], or in both of them, can be written as:
[[Category:Musical actor]] OR [[Category:Theatre actor]]
- or more concisely,
[[Category:Musical actor||Theatre actor]]
Similarly, a query that describes all pages of people born in Boston or New York can be written using one of these operators:
[[born in::Boston]] OR [[born in::New York]]
- or again more concisely,
[[born in::Boston||New York]]
Note that || does not always offer an alternative to OR. For example,
[[born in::Boston]] OR [[Category:Actor]]
- cannot be expressed with ||.
OR operates on the query, not on a single element of the query. Thus in the following query, which is intended to list actors born in Boston or in New York, the category name needs to be repeated:
[[Category:Actor]] [[born in::Boston]] OR [[Category:Actor]] [[born in::New York]]
To combine multiple queries, you can also use the extension Semantic Compound Queries.
Describing single pages
So far, all conditions depended on some or the other annotation given within an page. But there are also conditions to directly select some pages, or pages from a given namespace.
Directly giving some page title (possibly including a namespace prefix), or a list of such page titles separated by ||, selects the pages with those names. An example is the query
[[Brazil||France||User:John Doe]]
which has three results (at least if the pages exist). Note that the result does not display any namespace prefixes; see the hover box or status bar of the browser, or follow the links to determine the namespace. Restricting the set based on an attribute value one could ask, e.g., «Who of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson is taller than 6ft?». But direct selection of articles is most useful if further properties of those articles are asked for, e.g. to simply print the height of Bill Murray.
To select a category in this way, a : must be put before the category name. This avoids confusing
[[Category:Actor]] (return all actors) and
[[:Category:Actor]] (return the category «Actor»).
Starting with Semantic MediaWiki 2.4.0 it is possible to use the like "
~" and not like "
!~" comparators to describe single pages.5 An example is the following query
which would return all pages starting with "John" like, e. g. "John Doe", "John Lackland", etc. See <sandbox.semantic-mediawiki.org> for a live example.
Describing ranges of pages
Semantic MediaWiki 2.4.0 introduced the support of range queries to describe a range of pages.6 An example is the following query
[[>Example page 1]] [[<Example page 3]]
which would return "Example page 2". See <sandbox.semantic-mediawiki.org> for a live example.
Restricting results to a namespace
A less strict way of selecting given pages is via namespaces. The default is to return pages in every namespace. To return pages in a particular namespace, specify the namespace with a «wildcard», e.g. write
[[Help:+]] to return every page in the «Help» namespace. Since the main namespace usually has no prefix, write
[[:+]] to select only pages in the main namespace.
Disjunctions work again with the || syntax as above. For example, to return pages in either the main or «User» namespace, write
[[:+||User:+]]. To return pages in the «Category» namespace, a : is again needed in front of the namespace label to prevent confusion, e.g.
Subqueries and property chains
Enumerating multiple pages for a property is cumbersome and hard to maintain. For instance, to select all actors that are born in an Italian city one could write:
[[Category:Actor]] [[born in::Rome||Milan||Turin||Florence||...]]
To generate a list of all these Italian cities one could run another query
[[Category:City]] [[located in::Italy]]
and copy and paste the results into the first query. What one would like to do is to use the city query as a subquery within the actor query to obtain the desired result directly. Instead of a fixed list of page names for the property's value, a new query enclosed in <q> and </q> is inserted within the property condition. In this example, one can thus write:
[[Category:Actor]] [[born in::<q>[[Category:City]] [[located in::Italy]]</q>]]
(limitation: you cannot add more than one category between <q> and </q>, except in the case of disjunctions)
Arbitrary levels of nesting are possible, though nesting might be restricted for a particular site to ensure performance. For another example, to select all cities of the European Union you could write:
[[Category:Cities]] [[located in::<q>[[member of::European Union]]</q>]]
In the above example, we essentially have constructed a chain of properties «located in» and «member of» to find things that are located in something which is a member of the EU. Queries can be written in a shorter form for this common case:
[[Category:Cities]] [[located in.member of::European Union]]
This query has the same meaning as above, but with much less special symbols required. In general, chains of properties are created by listing all properties separated by dots. In the rare case that a property should contain a dot in its name, one may start the query with a space to prevent SMW from interpreting this dot in a special way.
NOTE: It is not possible to use a subquery to obtain a list of properties that is then used in a query. See #Subqueries for properties below.
Using templates and variables
Arbitrary templates and variables can be used in a query. An example is a selection criteria that displays all future events based on the current date:
[[Category:Event]] [[end date::>{{CURRENTYEAR}}-{{CURRENTMONTH}}-{{CURRENTDAY}}]]
Another particularly useful variable for inline queries is
{{FULLPAGENAME}} for the current page with namespace, which allows you to reuse a generic query on many pages. For an example of this, see Property:Population.
Read about inline queries for more information.
Sorting results
- See also Help:Sorting
It is often helpful to present query results in a suitable order, for example to present a list of cities ordered by population. Special page "Ask" has a simple interface to add one or more sorting conditions to a query. The name of the property to sort by is entered into a text input, and ascending or descending order can be selected. SMW will usually attempt to sort results by the natural order that the values of the selected property may have: "numbers" are sorted numerically, "text" is sorted alphabetically and "dates" are sorted chronologically. The order therefore is the same as in the case of the < and > comparators in queries. If no specific sorting condition is provided, results will be ordered by their page name.
It is possible to provide more than one sorting condition. If multiple results turn out to be equal regarding the first sorting condition, the next condition is used to order them and so on. For example we could get a list of cities by their average number of rainy days per year, but grouped by the country they are in, with the following query:
{{#ask: [[Category:City]] |?Located in=Country |?Average rainy days |sort=Located in,Average rainy days |order=asc,desc }}resulting in
Sorting a query also influences the result of a query, because it is only possible to sort by property values that a page actually has. Therefore, if a query is ordered by a property (say «Population») then SMW will usually restrict the query results to those pages that have at least one value for this property (i.e. only pages with specified population appear). Therefore, if the query does not require yet that the property is present in each query result, then SMW will silently add this condition. But SMW will always try to find the ordering property within the given query first, and it is even possible to order query results by subproperties. Some examples should illustrate this:
[[Category:City]] [[Population::+]]ordered by "Population" will present the cities with population in ascending order. The query result is the same as without the sorting.
[[Category:City]]ordered by "Population" will again present the cities with population in ascending order. The query result may be modified due to the sorting condition: if there are cities without a population provided, then these will no longer appear in the result.
[[Category:City]] [[has location country.population::+]]ordered by "Population" will present the cities ordered by the population of the countries they are located in. The query result is not changed, but "population" now refers to a property used in a subquery. Again the population must be annotated for the countries to avoid it being omitted due to the sorting condition.
If a property that is used for sorting has more than one value for some page, then this page will still appear only once in the result list. The position that the page takes in this case is not defined by SMW and may correspond to either of the property values. In the above examples, this would occur if one city would have multiple population numbers specified, or if one city is located in multiple countries each of which has a population. It is suggested to avoid such situations.
Linking to Semantic Search Results
Links to semantic query results on Special:Ask can be created by means of the inline query feature in SMW as explained in its documentation. It is not recommended to create links directly, since they are very lengthy and use a specific encoding. Developers who create extensions that link to Special:Ask should also use SMW's internal functions for building links. Understanding the details of SMW's encoding of queries in links is therefore not required for using SMW.
Things that are not possible
Subqueries for properties
It is not possible to use a subquery to obtain a list of properties that is then used in a query. One can, however, use a query that returns a list of properties, and copy and paste the result into another query. Alternatively, one can use the template results format to pass properties directly to another query.
Querying for the absence of a property
It is not possible to query for the absence of a property. (talk)
Queries with special properties
SMW currently does not support queries for the values of any of SMW's built-in special properties such as "Has type", "Allows value" or "Equivalent URI".
Filtering Categories and Concepts
It is not possible to ask for all pages of a query that are not in a specific category or concept. For example, the query
{{#ask: [[Category:!City]] }} will query every page in category "!City" instead of every page that is not in category "City". (talk)
See also
- FAQ:Selecting pages user questions on "How to select pages"
- Notes
Help:Selecting pages en 1.5.3


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American Tycoons
Tycoon. The word comes from Japan, where it means the equivalent of shogun. But long ago America confiscated the title. It was in the U.S. that tycoons became paragons of power and influence. American tycoons swung deals, not swords, and changed the
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No income tax sapped personal wealth. Men were free to form trusts and build great monuments with their riches. To be sure, tycoons had already existed, but new technology created a boomtown. The courts and taxes did their best to remove tycoons from the playing field, breaking up the great trusts and making it harder to pass wealth through generations. What arose was an age of managers. Corporate power was consolidated by the likes of General Motors' Alfred Sloane--great businessmen but not really tycoons. F. Scott Fitzgerald seemed to think that the tycoon phenomenon had run its course when he wrote about a movie mogul in The Last Tycoon. Not by a long shot. The Electronics Age has ushered in a new round of tycoons itching to take over computer and communications markets.
Herewith, we've assembled a list of the nation's great tycoons. What do they have in common? It isn't higher education. Most of our choices never graduated from college, although five have their names on universities. The two who went to Harvard dropped out. It isn't technical preeminence. Astor never set a fur trap. Rockefeller never dug an oil well. Gates didn't design his operating system. Tycoons are set apart by their ability to change the world and their belief that the world should be theirs. Add a ravenous work ethic and you have a fair description of the men who follow.
When Andrew Carnegie was a boy in Dunfermline, Scotland, his mother impressed upon him a favorite credo: "Look after the pennies, and the pounds will look after themselves." That tenet would guide Carnegie throughout his life. In 1848 Carnegie's father, a skilled weaver, lost his career to the power loom, and the family sought opportunity in America, settling near Pittsburgh. The 12-year-old Andrew started as a bobbin boy in a textile mill, then ran telegraph messages. Pennsylvania Railroad superintendent Thomas Scott hired 17-year-old Carnegie as an assistant. The young apprentice repaid his boss by boosting the railroad's profits with cost-cutting measures that would become his hallmarks: he increased the flow of freight on the lines, lowered costs with revolutionary cost-accounting techniques, and cut wages.
By 24, Carnegie was running the western branch and investing his own money in oil, iron and other companies. (During the panic of 1873, Scott would ask Carnegie for financial help. Carnegie turned him down.) By his mid-30s, Carnegie was a wealthy man with an affinity for iron and the metal of the future, steel. He built his own steel mills using the latest technology and hiring the best employees. He secured every facet needed for steelmaking, from iron deposits and coal mines to railroads and ore ships. He plowed his profits back into the business and continued to cut costs. Extremely competitive, the diminutive (5-foot-2-inch) Steel King was soon outproducing, underbidding and crushing rivals, while supplying low-priced rails and bridges to burgeoning America.
Carnegie Steel became the largest steelmaker in the world. Carnegie's business techniques belied his public persona. Son and nephew of social reformers, Carnegie portrayed himself as a friend of the working class, publicly supporting eight-hour workdays (the standard was 12) and union labor. Yet his workers labored at blast furnaces 12 hours a day, seven days a week for a Carnegie-reduced wage of 14 cents an hour. In 1892, Carnegie's partner, Henry Clay Frick, crushed Carnegie Steel's last union in bloody clashes at its Homestead steel plant outside Pittsburgh. The public was horrified, and Carnegie tried to blame Frick.
In 1901, Carnegie sold out to financier J. P. Morgan for a stunning $480 million, with Carnegie's $250 million cut making him one of the richest men in the world. Whether it was his relatives' reformist influence or a Presbyterian regard for the Final Judgment, Carnegie embarked on philanthropy with the same zeal he had brought to building his empire. Declaring that "the man who dies rich dies disgraced," Carnegie disbursed $350 million of his $400 million fortune, building more than 2,500 libraries and other institutions before his death in 1919.--Terrence Fagan
In 1855, a devout young Cleveland Baptist took a bookkeeping job with a local merchant and found it so fulfilling to pore over the minutiae of accounts that he thereafter celebrated the anniversary of his first payday as joyfully as his own birthday. John D. Rockefeller was so convinced that it was his providence to become rich through figures that he would later say, "God gave me my money."
Rockefeller soon embarked on a produce business, which boomed during the Civil War and must have further convinced him of his destiny. Young Rockefeller had strong antislavery sentiments, but believed so fervently in his fate to be wealthy that he paid a substitute to serve for him. His eye for opportunity was drawn to the nascent oil industry in the wilds of Pennsylvania.
Rockefeller and his partners built a business refining crude into kerosene. He brought to the venture a talent for watching the books and scrupulously securing every economy in a boomtown business full of imprudent wildcatters. His other genius was for spotting failings as well as abilities in his partners; when associates displayed weaknesses he eliminated them and replaced them with colleagues, such as Henry Flagler, Oliver Payne and John Archbold, who offered strengths.
The fledgling industry was rife with problems, not the least of which was the cost of transporting oil to market. Rockefeller solved that by securing clandestine contracts with the railroads that afforded huge rebates. With that edge, he was able to squeeze out the competition, which he usually then enveloped. With fewer bidders, he could pinch suppliers and regulate wildly fluctuating prices.
Industrial espionage and close association with politicos (his son married the daughter of trust-friendly Sen. Nelson Aldrich) smoothed out other snags for the tycoon. Another problem was retaining control of the empire while amassing the capital it would take to run it. With Flagler's aid Rockefeller incorporated. Later, Samuel Dodd helped him create a byzantine holding company, or trust, to circumvent laws that blocked businesses from owning property out of state.
Called Standard Oil, the company would come to control every facet of the business, from production and refining to shipping and barrel making. The trust garnered not only a worldwide monopoly, but the lasting enmity of ruined competitors and a horrified public. The lightning rod for disdain was the work of muckraking journalist Ida Tarbell. Rockefeller would argue that his business methods, common practice at the time, had slashed oil prices. Nevertheless, antitrust suits dissolved Standard Oil into dozens of smaller companies in 1911.
The ironic upshot was that his holdings gained so much on the open market that Rockefeller, already retired, became the country's first billionaire as a result.--Jack Bettridge
When Washington Duke returned from the Civil War to his farm near Durham, North Carolina, he had 50 cents, two blind mules and some cured tobacco. Seeing the success of the Bull Durham brand of chewing tobacco, Duke determined that selling rather than growing tobacco held a better future.
It was Washington's irrepressible son James Buchanan "Buck" Duke who saw that prerolled cigarettes represented a market segment not controlled by Bull Durham. When Duke was 33, he met with his four largest competitors in a lower Manhattan hotel on April 23, 1889 as the rough-hewn thorn in the side of the cigarette-making industry. He would emerge with an agreement that he would head the American Tobacco Co., the newly minted cigarette trust that would come to control the market for most tobacco products in the United States and gobble up more than 250 companies in its wake.
It was a combination of keen foresight, unmatched negotiating ability and cutthroat competitiveness that had put the young tobacco farmer in the position to rule his world. He attacked with a vengeance with marketing schemes such as brand names, in-store displays, trading cards, athletic endorsements, coupons and innovative packaging. Determining early on that sex sells, he even procured the endorsement of a comely actress. It was his introduction of the cigarette-making machine that allowed him the economies to go toe-to-toe with the serious competition in New York City.
Undersold at the store counter and outspent on promotions, his enemies had little choice but to join his tobacco trust. Manufacturing more than 90 percent of the country's cigarettes, Duke's trust squeezed farmers, distributors and even the manufacturer of the cigarette-making machine. Soon American Tobacco was able to corner the plug, snuff and pipe tobacco, as well as cheroots markets and start a British subsidiary. The steamroller could be stopped only when the government stepped in to divide it, in 1911. Duke groused that "in England, if a fellow had built up a whale of a business, he'd be knighted. Here, they want to put him in jail." Undeterred, Buck sought fortune in another business--electricity.
The Duke utility controlled most of the Carolina region before his death. After his will made his daughter, Doris, the country's richest woman, enough was left to fund the hastily renamed Duke University and the Duke Endowment, which is hailed as a model charity in philanthropy circles. He also left his daughter a lifelong distrust of others, and she died heirless in 1993, her affairs in as much disarray as her father's were organized.--JB
Throughout his life, automotive pioneer Henry Ford had a love-hate relationship with reporters. In 1943, after columnist Drew Pearson dared to suggest that the government take control of the Ford Motor Co. because its chief was too old and frail, the 80-year-old Detroit industrialist and exercise fanatic responded, "I can lick him in any contest he suggests." Ford's adept handling of the press resulted in his being one of the best-known, best-loved and most-publicized figures of his time, despite his famous obstinacy and anti-Semitic writings. Although he didn't invent the automobile, he reinvented it, making it accessible to the public and spurring the American auto industry.
The eldest child of Irish immigrant farmers who settled near Dearborn, Michigan, Ford loved machinery and loathed farm work. He dropped out of school at age 15 and became an engineer. Ford struggled for many years to create a gas-powered car, succeeding in 1896, at age 32, when he drove his first gas-powered car, the Quadricycle, amidst little fanfare through downtown Detroit. Three years later, he built his second car, which caught the attention of several local businessmen. With their financial backing, Ford Motor Co. was launched in June 1903. Named vice president and chief engineer, Ford received a quarter interest in the firm. He publicized his cars through racing and advertising. But it wasn't until he built the now-famous Model T, in 1908, that he changed history.
At the time, cars were priced for the affluent. The Model T, the firm's ninth model, was sold at a more accessible $850, and was met with great enthusiasm. Introducing the first moving assembly line and other economies, Ford continued to reduce the price (it cost only $360 by 1916), and demand increased, with sales reaching more than 472,000 by the First World War. For the next 18 years, Ford was the preeminent automaker, producing more than half the cars sold (a whopping 15.5 million).
Profits soared and so did Ford's reputation as a man with a formidable business acumen. Workers revered him because he believed in paying them well, reducing their work hours and sharing profits. Not content with building cars, Ford made several forays into politics, embarking on an ill-fated 1915 peace campaign to Norway to end the First World War. He ran for the U.S. Senate three years later but was defeated by less than 4,400 votes.
He would never seek public office again but was politically active, vehemently opposing U.S. involvement in foreign wars and the formation of labor unions. Groomed to run the business, Ford's son, Edsel died before his father, then was commemorated by the hapless car model named for him. A grandson, Henry Ford II, eventually took over the reins to the company.--Shandana Durrani
In 1897, when renewed hostilities between Spanish colonialists and Cuban rebels seeking independence threatened, publisher William Randolph Hearst wanted lavish headlines with which to sell newspapers. He dispatched the artist Frederic Remington to Havana to supply images. Remington cabled him: "Everything is quiet. There is no trouble here. There will be no war. I want to return."
Hearst's alleged reply was in keeping with the tone of "yellow journalism," a style he helped create: "Please remain. You furnish the pictures and I'll furnish the war." The son of a millionaire gold miner turned senator, Hearst wasn't your average silver-spooned brat content to take over daddy's business. At 23, Hearst begged his father to let him run the San Francisco Examiner, which the elder Hearst had won as a gambling debt. Spending lavishly for writers, the son built circulation with sensational reportage on scandal and corruption. The newspaper became the cornerstone of an influential media juggernaut.
During the Spanish-American War, Hearst blurred the line between reporting the news and creating it. A Hearst reporter aided the escape of a Cuban political prisoner, and his New York Journal implied that the Maine, an American warship, had been sunk by Spain. A skilled editor, Hearst put his stamp on the empire. In memos, he dispensed helpful hints that became editorial guidelines. Among his dictums: "Don't print a lot of dull stuff that people are supposed to like and don't." Hearst's free spending built and ultimately endangered his empire, which at its height included more than 20 newspapers, nine magazines, telegraphic news facilities, radio stations and motion picture production syndicates. But projects such as San Simeon, his opulent modern-day castle, drained cash.
The Depression hit Hearst's empire hard, and he was forced to borrow money and sell holdings. Like his father, Hearst pursued political ambitions, serving as a U.S. representative from New York and losing gubernatorial and mayoralty races. His wife bore him five sons, before their relationship fell apart. Never bothering to divorce, Hearst lived his final 30 years with film actress Marion Davies. This and other peccadilloes were exposed in the 1941 Orson Welles film Citizen Kane, loosely based on the publisher's life. When he couldn't quash the film's release, Hearst instructed his media empire not to acknowledge it. The film was roundly hailed, but it is also credited with ruining Welles's promising career by tweaking the vindictive Hearst. Hearst passed his still-vital empire onto his sons. His granddaughter Patty became sensationalized in her own right when kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army in the 1970s.--Jason Sheftell
On April 15, 1912, when the Titanic plunged to the depths of the north Atlantic, David Sarnoff was a young telegraph operator manning the wireless machine atop the Wanamaker Department Store in Manhattan. Sarnoff glued himself to the wireless for a reported 72 hours, relaying news of the tragedy to newspapers and the families of the survivors.
"The Titanic disaster brought radio to the front, and also me," he would later say. Sarnoff would use his genius for self-promotion and sense of emerging technology to become the electronic media visionary who popularized radio and television. He created a multinational communication's powerhouse by turning the wireless radio into a mass device of entertainment and news.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Car out of GasSituation puzzles (sometimes called lateral thinking puzzles) are ones where you need to ask lots of yes or no questions to figure out what happened in the situation. These are good puzzles for groups where one person knows the puzzle and answers the questions.
Mr. Browning is glad the car ran out of gas. Why?
AnswerMr. and Mrs. Browning had just gotten married. Mrs. Browning was subject to fits of depression. They had their first fight soon after they were married; Mr. Browning stormed out of the house, and Mrs. Browning went into the garage and started up the car, intending to kill herself by filling the garage with car exhaust. But the car ran out of gas quickly, and Mr. Browning, returning home to apologize, found Mrs. Browning in time to summon help and restore her to health.
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text:
Here's the official press release for my new book, out next week. At the bottom is a list of talks and readings I'm giving over the next six weeks or so. Amazon is already shipping the book. It's also available on Kindle, but you miss out on some seriously beautiful design work - just ask the first reviewer...
Dickens, Chaucer, Scoundrels, Scallywags, Sugababes and a lock-in involving Princess Margaret: the astonishing history of one legendary pub.
Pete Brown, author of three best-selling social histories based around beer, returns to the pub with his latest book Shakespeare's Local, which hits the shelves on 8th November. It has also been selected as BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week in the week before Christmas, guaranteeing its place in the stockings of book-lovers around the country.
Shakespeare's Local: Six Centuries of History Seen Through One Extraordinary Pub is the story of the George Inn, Southwark, the last surviving galleried coaching inn in London. It reveals how the pub, as well as playing a key role in the development of Elizabethan theatre, was also close to the birth of English literature (Geoffrey Chaucer's Tabard stood just next door) and has its own dubious poetic claim, having been immortalised by the leading (possibly only) exponent of Stuart-era Fart Poetry. The George also counted Charles Dickens among its many fans.
"At a time when pubs are getting shafted from all sides, I wanted to write a perfect case study of how important pubs have been throughout our history," says Brown. "This was helped by the fundamental truth that a good boozer always has a few interesting characters propping up the bar. Take a look at five or six hundred years in the history of one pub, and the characters you discover pretty much do the job for you."
However, it's a small miracle the book got finished at all. In a stroke of supreme irony, Brown was nine months into the project, with 25,000 words written (but not backed up) on his laptop when it got stolen – in his local pub. "I had to start again from scratch with four months left before my deadline," says Brown. "People ask me if having to rewrite every word to that point has made it a better book. Being chosen as Book of the Week suggests it has, but I still wouldn't recommend leaving your laptop unattended in a busy pub for four hours as a technique for any aspiring writer."
About the book
Sit down for a pint with Chaucer, Shakespeare and Dickens in the most extraordinary pub in British history with 'the beer drinkers' Bill Bryson'.
Welcome to the George Inn near London Bridge; a cosy, wood-panelled, galleried coaching house a few minutes' walk from the Thames. And consider this: who else has stopped to drink, gossip, do business and relax here over the last 600 years?
Chaucer and his fellow pilgrims probably drank in the George on their way out of London to Canterbury. Shakespeare will have popped in from the nearby Globe for a pint, and Dickens was a regular. Mail carriers changed their horses here, before heading to all four corners of Britain -- while sailors drank here before visiting all four corners of the world...
The pub is the 'primordial cell of British life' and The George is the perfect case study. This pub has seen it all, from murderers, highwaymen and ladies of the night to gossiping pedlars and hard-working clerks. Pete Brown takes us on a revealing historical tour as buildings and the capital's fortunes rise and fall around this one extraordinary local and its colourful cast of regulars.
About the author
Pete Brown is an influential drinks writer and commentator, with columns for London Loves Business, the Publican's Morning Advertiser and Just-Drinks.com. In 2009 Pete was named Beer Writer of the Year by the British Guild of Beer Writers. He has recently been a judge for the BBC Food & Farming Awards and the Great Taste Awards, and this year has appeared on a number of high profile radio and TV programmes including Great Train Journeys with Michael Portillo, Radio 4's Food Programme, Sky News and BBC4's Timeshift. He's the author of Man Walks into a Pub: A Sociable History of Beer; Three Sheets to the Wind and Hops and Glory, which saw him dubbed 'The Beer Drinker's Bill Bryson' by both the TLS and The Independent. Pete's award-winning blog is at http://petebrown.blogspot.com.
For further information please contact Dusty Miller on 020 7014 6188 or email firstname.lastname@example.com
Tour dates confirmed so far: more to follow
Monday 5th November - Windsor & Eton Brewery
As part of the Thames Valley History Festival, in association with Waterstone's, we're doing an event in this excellent brewery, which I'm sure will be offering some of their brilliant ales and lagers to taste.
7.30pm. Tickets £6
Tuesday 6th November - Stoke Newington Bookshop
My N16 launch at my local bookshop. Hope to see the crowd from the Jolly Butchers and White Hart at this one! There may be beer. And we'll carry on afterwards in a local hostelry.
6.30pm. Free admission.
Sunday 11th November - The Free Trade Inn, Newcastle
A late Sunday afternoon gathering in one of Newcastle's best pubs.
Final details TBC
Monday 12th November - The Rat Inn, Anick
A chat in this beautiful pub near Hexham, Northumberland, with New Writing North.
7pm. £5, fully redeemable against book purchase.
Tuesday 13th November - The Portico Library, Manchester
In association with the Urmston Bookshop, I'm told this is a stunning venue. And I love Manchester.
6.30pm. Tickets £7
Wednesday 14th November - Caught by the River at Rough Trade East
I love Caught by the River and everything they stand for. Ditto Rough Trade East. Thrilled to be doing an event with them in this amazing music shop just off Brick Lane.
7pm. Free admission
Thursday 15th November - Big Green Bookshop
Delighted to be finally doing an event with one of London's coolest independent bookshops.
Final details TBC.
Wednesday 21st November - Richmond Literary Festival
An event in a beer shop. And not just any beer shop - realeale.com's HQ is beer paradise. Very proud to be doing this as part of the Richmond Literary Festival.
7.30pm. £10 (includes beer tasting)
Thursday 22nd November - Exmouth Arms with Clerkenwell Tales
Another great pub in conjunction with another wonderful, inspiring independent bookshop.
Final details TBC
Monday 26th November - Institute of Historical Research, Senate House, University of London
Proud to be asked to be part of a series of lecture's on people's history. I think mine may be a little more frivolous than some of the others.
5.30pm. Free admission
Thursday 29th November - Literary Death Match!
This is not a normal reading. This is authors fighting to the death. Literally! Well, literarily.
Final details TBC
Tuesday 4th December - The George!
And finally, I bring the book home. This one will be special - talking about the book inside the pub itself, with a somewhat Dickensian Christmassy theme
Free admission on the door
Wednesday 12th December - Romford Library
Only just confirmed so no details as yet, but this library is passionate about author events and has hosted some great people - more info asap.


text:
by T.W. Budig
ECM Capitol reporter
The first debate between Republican 6th District Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and her Democratic challenger, hotel magnate Jim Graves, made up in feistiness what it lacked in timeliness.
In a debate coming just a week before the election, Graves said: "Michele, could you read my lips please," arguing the congresswoman was ignoring his position on the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.
Graves summed up one his opponent's comments about another matter as "a bunch of markley."
The crowd, too, at the St. Cloud Civic Center today (Tuesday, Oct. 30) showed its vivid partisan colors during another exchange when Bachmann said it was insulting that her opponent called her comments "political speak."
"Because that's one thing I do not do," Bachmann said.
The crowd burst into laughter.
Bachmann throughout the debate repeatedly described herself as a listener — one who delivers for the district.
Bachmann pointed to passage of long-delayed St. Croix bridge legislation — she even got former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to vote for it, Bachmann quipped — and St. Cloud Airport funding as examples of her skill at addressing the needs of the district.
But Graves, while giving Bachmann some credit for the bridge, slammed it as costing too much, of being a Rolls Royce when a functional Chevy would do.
"This is not the time to be frivolous," Graves said, adding that replacing the collapsed I-35W bridge in Minneapolis cost only about $234 million while the proposed St. Croix bridge costs more than twice the amount.
Bachmann didn't dispute Graves' numbers, but argued bridge costs had been driven up by delays caused by lawsuits filed by "radical environmental groups."
"I'm extremely proud of this project," Bachmann said of the bridge, adding construction would create hundreds of new jobs but, more importantly, answers the needs of district residents.
But Graves' edginess surfaced again during an exchange on entitlements — Social Security, Medicare, others.
Graves argued that to ensure Social Security solvency, two things could be done. One would be to change the retirement age, something Graves indicated he did not support.
Rather, Graves spoke of removing the cap on the Social Security payroll tax, meaning wealthier people would pay more into the system.
Bachmann, indicating that considering age could be part of the discussion, also explained that she did not favor removing the cap.
But Graves argued Bachmann hadn't offered specifics.
"I just want to say one thing — she didn't answer the question again," he said.
Bachmann insisted House Republicans have plans for addressing entitlements.
On the Affordable Care Act, Graves said there are some good things contained in Obamacare but that he considers the "heavy lifting" on health care reform as just beginning.
Graves faulted the landmark legislation as insufficiently redirecting the health care from a focus on medical procedures to one of medical outcomes.
Bachmann, a fierce critic of Obamacare, warned of IRS involvement in health care and a job-killing tax on medical devices.
Indeed, Bachmann depicted Graves as a Johnny-come-lately to criticisms of Obamacare, insisting she knew well in advance what a terrible piece of legislation the act was.
"You can't have it two ways," Bachmann said to Graves.
But Graves at times dismissed his opponent's criticisms, quipping that they seem to be based on the idea that he had already served in Congress rather than seeking the office for the first time.
Graves described Bachmann as passionate for her issues, a legendary fund raiser, a headline generator, but failing to represent the district.
He heralded his business savvy and ability to create jobs.
"I've been there. I've done that," Graves said.
Bachmann insisted she represents the district skillfully: listening, delivering.
Local people considered it virtually a "miracle" that a solution to the St. Croix bridge impasse had been found, Bachmann explained.
"This is the moral issue of our time," Bachmann said of addressing federal deficit.


text:
A woman arrested in a Novato robbery and kidnapping case Thursday has been identified as the purse-snatcher who was thwarted by the intended victim last weekend at the Northgate mall in Terra Linda, police said Friday.
Myia Katheren Simmons, 23, was arrested with three men and another woman early Thursday morning after what police said was a failed abduction at the America's Best Value Inn in Novato. Simmons and the other four suspects were arrested minutes later in a van carrying drugs, suspected stolen property, personal documents and burglary tools, police said.
Investigators noted that Simmons, who had a bruised eye, matched the description of a woman who grabbed a purse from a chair Saturday afternoon at the Northgate mall food court.
The owner of the purse, 23-year-old Lindsay Lara of San Anselmo, chased the thief to the mall parking lot, where the suspect got into the passenger seat of green Subaru Outback containing three men. As the driver tried to get the car in gear, Lara began punching the thief in the face through the open window.
A friend of Lara's, 20-year-old Heather Weinmann of San Anselmo, jumped on the hood of the getaway car to block the driver's view. Numerous witnesses saw the chaotic scene before the thief relinquished the purse and the car took off.
Investigators then confirmed Simmons as the suspect in the purse theft. On Friday, authorities added counts of robbery and burglary to her jail file and raised her bail from $100,000 to $175,000.
Meanwhile, police are still investigating whether the occupants of the Subaru Outback are the same people arrested after the alleged kidnapping attempted at the Novato hotel. The other suspects arrested in the hotel incident — Indugo Williams, 35; James Ahrenholz, 23; Randy Martin, 24; and Karen Lynn Greer, 48 — remained in custody Friday.
The district attorney's office was still reviewing the case for potential charges, said Chief Deputy District Attorney Barry Borden. Initial court appearances are expected on Monday.
Lara, who is a clerk in Marin Superior Court, said it is "scary" to think that the people involved in her case could be the same people involved in a robbery and abduction case.
"I just thought they were a bunch of punk kids," she said.
The suspected getaway car in the Northgate mall incident has been recovered in Berkeley, said San Rafael police spokeswoman Margo Rohrbacher. The vehicle was reported stolen in Petaluma last Saturday, the same day as the purse theft.
Novato police were still investigating the alleged kidnapping attempt and have not released additional details.
Simmons was free on bail in a different case until her arrest in Novato. On Jan. 14, she was arraigned on theft- and burglary-related charges and pleaded not guilty.
In 2009, Ahrenholz was sentenced to eight months in jail for two separate crimes — burglarizing Terra Linda High School and stealing his former teacher's cell phone, and bringing a stolen 9mm handgun on a Golden Gate Transit bus in San Rafael. He also has a prior theft-related conviction in San Mateo County.
Williams is a paroled sex offender listed in the California Department of Justice database. He pleaded guilty to molestation charges in 2000, and he also has a 1999 assault conviction, according to court documents.
Contact Gary Klien via email at firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Authorities investigating apparent Severance home explosion
November 7, 2013
Severance — Authorities are continuing their investigation into an apparent home explosion and fire that on Tuesday night blackened walls and blew out windows in a small house.
Windsor Severance Fire Rescue responded at around 8:06 p.m. Tuesday to investigate a smoke alarm report at 161 W. 4th Ave. in Severance, fire spokesman Todd Vess said Wednesday. While investigating the exterior of the house, crews did not see any active fire, and no smoke was coming from the structure.
But upon further investigation, Vess said crews noticed the windows and walls appeared to have been blown out.
"It was clear that the house had been on fire at some point," he said, adding that nobody was home when crews arrived. "There had been some type of explosion in the house is what it looked like."
Numerous vehicles including an old AirStream Trailer, a boat and several older model vehicles sat in the driveway beyond the police line. Throughout the morning, fire investigators inspected vehicles and a large chunk of the property, which had been roped off.
Nobody was injured during the incident, which occurred just down the street from Bruce's Bar in downtown Severance and minutes away from the fire station.
Recommended Stories For You
An investigator was seen entering the home in a protective suit, and authorities continued searching areas of the home well into the afternoon. Additional details were not available Wednesday evening about why someone was wearing a protective suit and whether the apparent explosion was the result of drug manufacturing or something else.
A spokesman for the Weld County Sheriff's Office said the investigation is ongoing.


text:
There were some amazing performances in District 10 Friday, including two in one game — the North East-Fairview showdown.
Remember, the winner of the poll in the upper right will be featured Friday on the new "spadea wrap" on the front of the sports section.
Here are some nominees. As always, let us know if we forgot someone, and we'll add them to the poll. Players from Saturday's games also are eligible.
Peter Jackson, Fairview: 36 rushes, 238 yards, TD runs of 60, 18 and 2 yards
Jimmy Bailey, North East: 22 rushes 115 yards, 3 TDs, including game-winner in overtime. Also had 68-yard punt return for TD.
Aaron Horton, Mercyhurst Prep: 17 rushes 241 yards, TD runs of 16, 56, 84 and 9 yards
Zach Greenawalt, McDowell: 4 rushes 89 yards, including 83-yard TD run; also went 2-for-2 passing for 54 yards, including 39-yard TD pass
Cory Lee, General McLane: 15 rushes, 125 yards, TD runs of 14 and 19 yards
Trevor Litwiler, Linesville: 12 rushes, 128 yards; 7-of-8 passing, 111 yards, TD
Jared Burger, Union City: 36 rushes, 182 yards, 2 TDs
Dallas Williams, Oil City: Game-winning 94-yard fumble return for TD on final play; also had 6 receptions for 75 yards, including a touchdown
From Thursday:
Kevin Green, Strong Vincent: 9 rushes, 100 yards, TD; also had 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown


text: Vallery Jean, FilmMagic [ Bow Wow, Porn Star Lawsuit: Rapper Ordered to Pay Katsuni $80,000 By Paul Cantor March 18, 2013 Doing business with porn stars isn't cheap. Bow Wow is finding that out the hard way. According to TMZ, a federal judge has ordered him to pay French adult film actress Celine Tran AKA Katsuni $79,346... Read More Category: Hip-Hop Tags: Bow Wow, BowWow, conspiracy strip club, ConspiracyStripClub, electronic conspiracy, ElectronicConspiracy, katsuni, lil bow wow, LilBowWow, rap lawsuit, RapLawsuit, rapper lawsuit, rapper sued, RapperLawsuit, RapperSued EMAIL SHARE TWEET Pin it! REDDIT Share on Tumblr!


text:
SUNDAY'S Avon Open on the Bristol Avon at Melksham went to Andy Pratten, of Somerford Keynes, with 25 lb 11 oz of bream, roach and skimmers.
Tony Scott, from Swindon, twas next with 9 lb 14 oz of roach, followed by Ricky Tomala, of Melksham, with 9 lb 10 oz of roach.
Other placings: 4. Alan Brown Swindon 8 lb 5 oz; 5. Nigel Russell Swindon 7 lb 14 oz; 6. Pete Mills Melksham 6 lb 15 oz.
COMPETITORS in the Lavington match at Ellis Lake on Sunday battled the cold weather and struggled to catch fish.
Dave York, from Trowbridge, carried off top prize with 14lb 12 oz of carp, followed by Don Keates, from Hilperton, with 13 lb 12 oz.
Mark Easey, from West Lavington, was third with 9 lb 12 oz.
Other placings: 4. Jon Painter Devizes 4 lb 8 oz; 5. Gordon Heywood Great Cheverell 3 lb 12 oz; 6. Kevin Morris Devizes 8 oz.
WEIGHTS were reasonable in the cold conditions at Sunday's Calne Open at Hazeland as Richard Faithful, from Newbury, won with 10 lb 12 oz of chub.
Simon Fear, from Calne, was next with 8 lb 10 oz of chub, followed by Kim Carr, from Calne, with 8 lb 2 oz of chub.
Other placings: 4. Kevin Williams Chippenham 7m lb 14m oz; 5. Trevor Payne Corsham & Pat Samuel Newbury 5 lb 2 oz.
THE cold weather also affected catches in the Wilts Angling Open match at Leech Pool on Sunday as Holt's Pete Neate reeled in 47 lb 4 oz of carp for an easy victory.
Matt Skyrme, from Trowbridge, was runner up with 29 lb 12 oz of carp, followed by John Garner, from Chippenham, with 25 lb 4m oz of carp.
Other placings: 4. Richard Brimble Westbury 10 lb 4 oz; 5. Mark Lloyd Trowbridge 7m lb 0 oz; 6. Chris Deerman Westbury 12 oz.
Future events
Sunday Mar 3: Lavington match at Baldham Mill; Ridgeway match at Swineford; Calne Open match at Hazeland.
Thursday Mar 7: Bathampton Silvers Championship match at Bridge Pool.


text:
It's Fairly Simple: Buy Fair. Be Fair
October is Fair Trade Month
Ahh… breathe in the smell of Fall. It's the first of October – time to trade in sandals for boots, swap beach bonfires for cozy nights indoors and start sipping your favorite seasonal beverage. But October also marks the tenth annual Fair Trade Month! This is the perfect time to Be Fair and celebrate the global impact of Fair Trade. Throughout the month, check out BeFair.org to learn about educational events, giveaways and to raise awareness, promote Fair Trade and make your community the fairest of them all!
Buy Fair. Be Fair
This year's campaign is Buy Fair. Be Fair. Just as we teach our children to be fair and treat our family and friends likewise, we can practice fairness through our purchases. At a young age we learn not to cut in line, to turn off the light when leaving a room, to share. So why not extend that same fairness to the farmers and workers who produce the quality goods we love so much by buying Fair Trade Certified products? From the 2013 Be Fair survey results, we discovered that Americans overwhelmingly demonstrate fairness in their everyday lives. Check out the survey and see how you measure up.
The majority of Americans aspire to include fairness in their shopping habits, but only 18% of Americans regularly buy Fair Trade products –so much more can be done! When you purchase a Fair Trade certified product, you are investing in the growth of local economies, protecting the environment and ensuring the workers responsible received fair compensation for their hard work.
Show Your Support
A simple way to show your support, is to swap out one item in your daily routine – like trading in your cup of coffee or that banana for the Fair Trade version. Exchanging your usual cup of joe for a delicious, steaming mug of Fair Trade certified coffee can also get your creative juices flowing, so you'll have more energy to tackle the day!
Wondering how else you can show your support? Here are a few other ideas:
- Take the Fairness Survey to see how your fairness measures up against friends and family.Turn the quiz into a friendly competition and have the loser buy fair trade chocolate for the group.
- Read, watch and share information about the impact you can make when you Buy Fair.
- Join the #BeFair social media community for daily Fair Trade giveaways.
- Start or join a Fair Trade Campaign in your town or school. These local groups provide a great opportunity to meet other Fair Traders in your area and connect your community to those in the developing world.
- Donating to Fair Trade USA can have a huge impact for farming communities around the world. Show your fairness by making a donation today.
- Look for the Fair Trade Certified label and Buy Fair. If you are unsure if a product is Fair Trade certified, use Fair Trade USA's database to check.
How Fair is your Town?
If you thrive off of friendly competition, check out the 2013 Be Fair Survey rankings. Philadelphia reigns champion followed by Boston and Dallas, Ft. Worth. If your city didn't make the rankings, Fair Trade Month is the perfect time to raise awareness and rally your hometown to take the lead next year.
- Philadelphia
- Boston
- Dallas Ft. Worth
- Atlanta
- Washington D.C.
- San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose
- Los Angeles
- Chicago
- Houston
- New York
Whether you are looking to kickstart your Fair Trade involvement, continue your avid support or are looking to learn more about the benefits of Fair Trade, October is the perfect month to celebrate. Turn October into your fairest month of all and Buy fair, Be fair!
For more information and resources visit BeFair.org.
- Written by Kelsie Axelrod


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Advocate Staff
Authorities have identified a 58-year-old woman who died after being hit by a car on Highway 1 and Fern Creek Road, Caspar as Harriet Louise Crowell, of Fort Bragg. According to California Highway Patrol reports, the incident occurred just after 8 p.m. on Monday night under clear skies.
The driver, Ezequil Sanchez, 20, of Fort Bragg, and a passenger in his 80s model Mazda RX7 were unhurt.
Investigating CHP officers determined that Sanchez was driving northbound at about 55 mph and did not see the Crowell, who was reportedly dressed in dark clothing, crossing the northbound lane. Officers did not believe drugs or alcohol were a factor in the collision, which is still under investigation.


text:
David McDonough
Personal Trainer
Age: 51
Height: 5'10" Weight: 320 lbs.
Dubuque, IA
As a powerlifter, certified trainer and former "Mr. Iowa," I rely on many supplements to help me reach my goals. For protein I use Nitro-Tech Hardcore by MuscleTech and Hot Stuff by Hot Stuff Nutritionals.
I also rely on Cell-Tech Hardcore by MuscleTech as a creatine supplement, and I take multi-vitamins every day.
I hold a world record for the shoulder press at 580 pounds for 6 reps. In this picture I'm doing a lat pulldown at 500 pounds for 6 reps.


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the-journal.com ("The Journal") owns and/or operates the website www.the-journal.com ("Website"). By accessing or using the Website, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use and Privacy Policy ("Agreement"), as The Journal may amend them at any time. All amendments automatically go into effect on the day after they are posted on the Website. Use of the Website subsequent to such posting shall constitute your agreement to all such amendments.
Please read this Agreement in its entirety. The Journal encourages an open exchange of information and ideas and believes it is absolutely possible for people with varied of points of view to discuss issues in a civil manner. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, YOU MAY NOT ACCESS OR USE THE WEBSITE. The Journal MAY TERMINATE YOUR ACCESS THE WEBSITE AT ANY TIME, FOR ANY REASON, WITHOUT NOTICE TO YOU.
Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, all materials displayed on the Website, including but not limited to text, photographs, images, illustrations, data, graphics or other content ("Materials") are owned by The Journal or its licensors or other affiliates, and are protected by copyright, trademark and other laws. When you view or use these Materials, they are provided to you by The Journal under a revocable license. The Journal retains full right and title in and to the Materials. You may not copy, publish, redistribute or sell any of the Materials, nor may you reverse engineer, disassemble or otherwise convert such Materials to any other form. You acquire no rights or license whatsoever in the Materials.
To gain access to any non-public areas of the Website and/or to use certain social networking tools available on the Website, you must register for an account ("Account") and obtain a user name ("User Name"). You agree to register only a single User Name in connection with the Website.
Once The Journal has issued a User Name for your Account, you may, to the extent allowed on the Website, set up a member profile ("Profile"). User Names and Profiles may not contain inappropriate or obscene words, phrases, or combinations of graphics, or any other content that reasonably would be construed as offensive, vulgar, obscene, hateful, racist, inappropriate or objectionable. The Journal is the sole judge of whether a User Name or Profile information is inappropriate or objectionable. "Inappropriate" and "objectionable" language includes, but is not limited to obscene, defamatory, racial or profane words, phrases or combinations of characters. Your User Name and Profile may not contain words, phrases, or combinations of characters that are likely to confuse or mislead others into believing that you are affiliated with any third party with which you are not, in fact, affiliated. Although your User Name need not reveal your identity, you are required to provide truthful and complete disclosure of your name, the entity you represent (if applicable) and the address and phone number where you can be reached, if requested. Failure to provide this information or providing false information will result in termination of your Account and right to access the non-public areas of the Website.
You must use a password in conjunction with your User Name to access the non-public areas of the Website, including your Account, and to use certain social networking tools available on the Website. You may select the password yourself. You must provide accurate identification to retrieve a password you have forgotten. The Journal will not be responsible or liable for any damage caused by disclosure of your password or your inability to remember your password.
You hereby grant to The Journal an irrevocable license to reproduce, distribute, display, publish, use and prepare derivatives of all remarks, comments, blog posts, suggestions, ideas or other information that you communicate through or on the Website ("User Generated Content"). The Journal and its designees will be free to copy, publish, disclose, distribute, incorporate and otherwise use your User Generated Content for any and all commercial or noncommercial purposes, without any obligation to compensate you or others for the User Generated Content. If you delete your User Generated Content, you understand that it may still exist in backup copies. When you publish User Generated Content on the Website, you understand that such User Generated Content may be publicly available on the Internet and that The Journal has no responsibility for or control over any use or further dissemination thereof.
For all User Generated Content that you supply, you represent and warrant that: (i) you have all rights necessary to distribute and publish such User Generated Content; (ii) that if your employer has rights to intellectual property you create, that you have either (a) received permission from your employer to post or make available the content, or (b) secured from your employer a waiver as to all rights in or to the content; (iii) you have fully complied with any third-party licenses relating to the content; (iv) that it does not contain or install any viruses, worms, Trojan horses or any other harmful or destructive code; (v) that it is not and does not contain spam, is not machine- or randomly-generated and does not contain unethical or unwanted commercial content designed to drive traffic to third party sites or boost the search engine rankings of third party sites, or to further unlawful acts (such as phishing) or mislead recipients as to the source of the material (such as spoofing); and (vi) that it is not libelous or defamatory, does not contain threats or incite violence towards individuals or entities, and does not violate the privacy or publicity rights of any third party. You agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless The Journal from any liability that it may incur as a result of your User Generated Content.
Any user who believes that any User Generated Content is in violation of this Agreement is encouraged to click the "Suggest Removal" for the relevant post or posts. The Journal has the ability to remove objectionable User Generated Content and will make reasonable efforts to do so.
Other than as expressly allowed herein, you may not modify, copy, distribute, reproduce, publish, license, create derivative works from, transfer, or sell any information, User Generated Content (other than User Generated Content supplied by you) or Materials obtained from the Website. Provided that you do not modify or delete any copyright or other proprietary notices, you may display and electronically copy, download and print hard copy portions of the Materials and User Generated Content contained on the Website, but only for your own noncommercial use. Any other use is strictly prohibited.
Except for your own User Generated Content, you acknowledge that all intellectual property rights and other legal means of ownership in the Materials and User Generated Content residing on the Website remain with The Journal, its licensors, affiliates, other Website users and third party developers. The trademarks, logos, and service marks displayed on the Website, including but not limited to the marks "The Journal" and the-journal.com (collectively, "Marks"), are owed by The Journal or its affiliates. Nothing contained on the Website shall be construed as granting, by implication, estoppel, or otherwise, any license or right to use any Marks displayed on the Website without the express written permission of The Journal. The misuse of Marks displayed on the Website, or any other content on the Website, is strictly prohibited.
Although The Journal may from time to time monitor or review any User Generated Content, The Journal is under no obligation to do so and assumes no responsibility or liability arising from the posting of any User Generated Content, nor for any error, defamation, libel, slander, omission, falsehood, obscenity, pornography, profanity, danger or inaccuracy contained in any information contained within any User Generated Content. The Journal does, however, reserve the right to remove any User Generated Content if a user brings to The Journal's attention the possibility that such User Generated Content may result in The Journal's liability, is an infringement of the rights of a third party, or is offensive to any third party. In addition, The Journal reserves the right to suspend or terminate any Account, including your Account, if The Journal learns that the person responsible for the Account has engaged in more than one act of infringement in connection with the Website. You can report violations here.
From time to time, The Journal may make available to Website users different email and short messaging service ("SMS") alerts ("Alerts"). The Journal makes no warranty about the accuracy or completeness of Alerts and users should treat Alerts only as a secondary source of information in any severe weather or similar situation.
By accessing The Journal's RSS feeds, you also agree to the following additional terms and conditions. If you do not agree to all of the following terms and conditions, do not access The Journal's RSS feeds.
The RSS feeds are provided solely for the purpose of allowing users to view headlines from the Website within news readers, blogs and the like for their personal, noncommercial use. Any other use of the RSS feeds is strictly prohibited. The Journal reserves the right to terminate your access to the RSS feeds, cease its distribution of any or all of the RSS feeds and/or change RSS feed content and formatting at any time, in its sole discretion, and without notice to you.
The Journal retains all rights in the RSS feeds, including all rights under copyright. You may not edit or modify the text, content, or links supplied in the RSS feeds. You may not display the RSS feeds in any manner that does not permit direct linking to, redirection to or delivery of the applicable Website page. You may not frame or otherwise control the browser window, if any, in which the Website page opens, nor may you insert any links, jump pages or other intermediate pages between the RSS link and the applicable Website page. You may not add any content, including any advertisements or other promotional content, to the RSS feeds.
The Journal operates certain websites that allow users to upload an avatar image to their Profile. The user must hold the copyright or have the express permission of the copyright holder to use the relevant avatar image. Avatar images must not contain any graphic images and or otherwise be objectionable. If the avatar image does not meet those standards or is otherwise a violation of copyright or any term of this Agreement, as determined solely by The Journal, The Journal may remove such avatar image without notice to the user. Further, if a user wishes to upload a new avatar image after such an image has been removed, the user must contact The Journal and request that avatar privileges be restored. For more information, visit our banned accounts information page here.
DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES AND LIABILITY The Journal MAKES NO WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE WEBSITE'S CONTENT, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ABOUT ANY USER GENERATED CONTENT, ALERTS, RSS FEEDS, PRODUCTS OR SERVICES OF The Journal OR ITS VENDORS, AFFILIATES, LICENSORS OR USERS. THE WEBSITE AND THE MATERIALS, USER GENERATED CONTENT, ALERTS, RSS FEEDS, INFORMATION, SERVICES AND PRODUCTS ON THE WEBSITE, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DATA, TEXT, GRAPHICS AND LINKS, ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMISSIBLE PURSUANT TO APPLICABLE LAW, The Journal DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, FREEDOM FROM COMPUTER VIRUS, AND WARRANTIES ARISING FROM COURSE OF DEALING OR COURSE OF PERFORMANCE. The Journal DOES NOT REPRESENT OR WARRANT THAT THE FUNCTIONS CONTAINED ON THE WEBSITE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE, THAT DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED, OR THAT THE WEBSITE OR THE SERVERS THAT MAKE THE WEBSITE AVAILABLE ARE FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS. The Journal DOES NOT MAKE ANY WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS REGARDING THE USE OF THE MATERIALS, USER GENERATED CONTENT, ALERTS, RSS FEEDS ON THE WEBSITE IN TERMS OF THEIR COMPLETENESS, CORRECTNESS, ACCURACY, ADEQUACY, USEFULNESS, TIMELINESS, RELIABILITY OR OTHERWISE. IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE, YOU (AND NOT The Journal) ASSUME THE ENTIRE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION. IN CERTAIN STATES, THE LAW MAY NOT PERMIT THE DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES, SO THE ABOVE DISCLAIMER MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
IN NO EVENT SHALL The Journal BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL, EXEMPLARY OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER, EVEN IF The Journal HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, WHETHER IN AN ACTION UNDER CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE, OR ANY OTHER THEORY, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE, INABILITY TO USE, OR PERFORMANCE OF THE WEBSITE AND ANY INFORMATION, SERVICES, PRODUCTS, MATERIALS, USER GENERATED CONTENT, ALERTS OR RSS FEEDS AVAILABLE FROM THE WEBSITE. THESE LIMITATIONS SHALL APPLY NOTWITHSTANDING ANY FAILURE OF ESSENTIAL PURPOSE OF ANY LIMITED REMEDY. BECAUSE SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON HOW LONG AN IMPLIED WARRANTY LASTS, OR THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless The Journal, its officers, directors, employees, agents, licensors and suppliers from and against all losses, expenses, damages and costs, including reasonable attorneys' fees and court costs, resulting from any violation of this Agreement, your User Generated Content or any activity related to your Account or your use of the Website (including, but not limited to, negligent or wrongful conduct), by you or any other person accessing the Website using your Account.
The Website may provide access to other websites. The Journal does not control any such websites, and you access them solely at your own risk. The Journal also does not endorse or approve any products or information offered at sites you reach through the Website. Check the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) address provided in your Internet browser to determine if you are still in The Journal Website or have moved to another website.
The Journal controls and operates the Website from its headquarters in Cortez, Colorado. The Journal does not warrant that the Website is appropriate for use outside of the United States. You may not export the Materials or services on the Website in violation of U.S. export laws. Any claim relating to the Website shall be governed by the substantive laws of the State of Colorado, without regard to its conflict of laws provisions, and you agree that jurisdiction and venue in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to any of the foregoing shall be exclusive in the state court located in La Plata County, Colorado or the United States District Court.
By providing Materials on the Website, The Journal does not promise that the Materials will remain available to you. The Journal is entitled to terminate all or any portion of the Website at any time, without notice to you. The Journal also reserves the right to change the terms under which the Website is offered, and your use of the Website following any such changes shall be deemed to constitute your consent to this Agreement and its modifications.
Any communication or material you transmit to the Website by electronic mail or otherwise, including any User Generated Content, is and will be treated as non-confidential and non-proprietary. Anything you transmit or post on the Website may be used by The Journal or its affiliates for any purpose, including but not limited to reproduction, disclosure, transmission, publication and posting. Furthermore, The Journal is free to use any ideas, concepts or techniques contained in any communication you send to the Website for any purpose whatsoever.
The Journal makes commercially reasonable efforts to safeguard individual Website users' personal information. Nevertheless, The Journal cannot ensure that these measures will provide perfect security. The Journal will not be responsible or liable for damage, pecuniary or otherwise, caused by a third party's unauthorized access to or use of your information.
You will not use the Website in any manner, or in connection with any User Generated Content provided by or on behalf of you or any person accessing a Website under your authority, that (1) infringes or violates any patent, copyright, trade secret, trademark, or other intellectual property right of any third party, or (2) violates any applicable international, federal, state or local law, rule, legislation, regulation of ordinance, including, without limitation, the Communications Decency Act of 1996, as amended.
Your use of the Website constitutes your agreement to respect other users' privacy. You may not, under any circumstances, release personal information of others to third parties, including to your employees, without the written consent of both The Journal and the person or persons whose personal information you intend to share. You may not, under any circumstances, use personal information obtained from the Website to send unsolicited email, facsimile transmissions, chain letters, spam or any other communication or messages, even if the recipient has communicated with you in the past. You agree to immediately notify The Journal of any release or breach of any third party's personal information (including name, address, phone numbers, email addresses, account numbers or social security number) that occurs as a result of use of a Website under your Account.
You may not do anything to interfere or attempt to interfere with any function of the Website. You may not take any action that overloads, places an unreasonable burden on or otherwise diminishes the functionality or responsiveness of the Website, which The Journal shall solely determine. Any attempt to alter information posted on a Website or to interfere with the Website will result in immediate termination of your right to access the Website and may also render you liable for civil and/or criminal penalties.
The Journal gathers identifying information about Website users ("Information") only when a user provides that information on a voluntary basis such as by registering for or using an Account, Alerts, RSS feeds, by posting User Generated Content, by using social networking tools and the like. The Journal does not sell, rent or lease user information to third parties. The Journal occasionally may share Information with its affiliates and related companies. If you choose to use social networking tools available on the Website, your favorites or other profile information may be shared with other Website users who also use those social networking tools.
The Journal periodically collects and analyzes log files, including IP addresses, from its servers. These files give a general picture of who is visiting the Website and which pages are being viewed most often. This information is collected to assist The Journal in the maintenance and administration of the Website. The Journal may share log file information with advertisers, but will refer only to general, aggregate usage data, not user specific identifying information.
The Website will disclose your personal information, without notice, only if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to: (a) conform to the edicts of the law or comply with legal process served on The Journal or the Website; (b) protect and defend the rights or property of The Journal; or (c) act under exigent circumstances to protect the personal safety of users of the Website, or the public. Except as noted above, The Journal does not share any of the personal information you provide to us with any third party other than our service providers who assist us in providing information and/or services to you.
The Journal also uses "cookie" technology that allows its servers to deposit codes on a user's computer. This information helps determine the number of visitors to the Website on an ongoing basis and the types of Internet browsers and operating systems used by the Website's users. This information is used to enhance your Website experience.
The Journal offers to Website users social networking tools that may include "befriending" other users, updating Profile information, posting comments on other users' Profiles and identifying Website content or User Generated Content as something of interest to a particular user. When a user takes advantage of the social networking tools, the user agrees to share personal information with other users. The Journal provides privacy tools within its social networking framework to enable users to control the types of this personal information that is shared with other users. If you post User Generated Content to the Website that includes your User Name, email address or any other personally identifying information, you understand that that information can be read by any third party and may result in unsolicited messages from other posters or third parties.
Most of The Journal's services include information on how to remove your information, and/or and cancel a particular The Journal service. We do not generally delete or remove accounts. Alternatively, you may send an email to firstname.lastname@example.com to request the services and information you would like removed. Your request should include the specific reasons why The Journal should remove identified content. The Journal reserves the right to decline requests for removal of information based on maintaining the historical and archival nature of the Website.