title: The Secret of the Rosary

abstract: The Secret of the Rosary is a book about the Holy Rosary written by Louis de Montfort, a French priest and Catholic saint who died in 1716. The English translation of the book bears the Imprimatur of Archbishop Thomas E. Molloy of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn. It is said to be the earliest extant book describing the modern way in which the Rosary is prayed. The book revolves around the views of the rosary and the power of the rosary and consists of a number of short sections called Roses each being about one or two pages long. Each Rose discusses a separate viewpoint about the Rosary and may be addressed to a different cross section of the audience, e.g. priests versus lay people. This book discusses two different methods of praying the rosary, while three additional methods are listed in the book God Alone, based on the collected writings of St. Louis. The book consists of an introduction, plus two main parts. Part I: “What the Rosary is” and Part II: “How to Recite it”. The book is structured in terms of 53 Roses, i.e. sections. The introduction consists of three Roses, Part I embodies the First Rose to the Fortieth Rose and Part II includes the Fiftieth Rose. The introduction has three Roses: The White Rose for priests, the Red Rose for sinners, and the Mystical Rose Tree for devout souls. These three Roses epitomize the multi-view approach taken by the book. The advice to priests about using the Rosary to save sinners directly relates to the advice given to sinners on how to use the Rosary for salvation. This theme continues throughout the book, each Rose gently leading to another, in the process gradually revealing various “secrets” on how to approach the Rosary, how to recite and how to use it for optimal spiritual benefits. An example of the multi-perspective, yet pragmatic, method with which the book deals with the Rosary is the way the concepts of focus and respect are conveyed through a set of Roses. This starts with the Forty First Rose called “Purity of Intention”. This Rose points out that it is not the length of a prayer that matters, but the fervor, purity and respect with which it is said, e.g. a single properly said Hail Mary is worth many that are badly said. This Rose is followed by the two Roses “Attention” and “Fighting Distractions”. These provide advice for achieving the proper mindset for saying the Rosary. The topic then concludes with the Rose “With Reverence” which returns to respect. Although each of these is a separate Rose, they are cleverly inter-related to present multiple dimensions for focus and respect. Hence, although the book is highly readable and unassuming on the surface, it is based on a well structured “multi-perspective analysis” of the Rosary. The fifty three sections are intricately connected and clearly thought out. Hence the term “secret” is quite becoming, for the book reveals these interconnections in terms of a coherent theme. But the typical reader need not be concerned with the analyses because the flow of the text is natural, pure and pious and appeals to laymen as well as priests. The book has been read by Catholics worldwide for over two centuries and continues to be a great spiritual resource.

text:
# The Secret of the Rosary

***The Secret of the Rosary*** is a book about the Holy Rosary written by Louis de Montfort, a French priest and Catholic saint who died in 1716. The English translation of the book bears the Imprimatur of Archbishop Thomas E. Molloy of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn. It is said to be the earliest extant book describing the modern way in which the Rosary is prayed.

The book revolves around the views of the rosary and the power of the rosary and consists of a number of short sections called Roses each being about one or two pages long. Each Rose discusses a separate viewpoint about the Rosary and may be addressed to a different cross section of the audience, e.g. priests versus lay people.

This book discusses two different methods of praying the rosary, while three additional methods (i.e. five altogether) are listed in the book *God Alone*, based on the collected writings of St. Louis.

The book consists of an introduction, plus two main parts. Part I: “What the Rosary is” and Part II: “How to Recite it”. The book is structured in terms of 53 Roses, i.e. sections. The introduction consists of three Roses, Part I embodies the First Rose to the Fortieth Rose and Part II includes the Fiftieth Rose.

The introduction has three Roses: The White Rose for priests, the Red Rose for sinners, and the Mystical Rose Tree for devout souls. These three Roses epitomize the multi-view approach taken by the book. The advice to priests about using the Rosary to save sinners directly relates to the advice given to sinners on how to use the Rosary for salvation. This theme continues throughout the book, each Rose gently leading to another, in the process gradually revealing various “secrets” on how to approach the Rosary, how to recite and how to use it for optimal spiritual benefits.

An example of the multi-perspective, yet pragmatic, method with which the book deals with the Rosary is the way the concepts of focus and respect are conveyed through a set of Roses. This starts with the Forty First Rose called “Purity of Intention”. This Rose points out that it is not the length of a prayer that matters, but the fervor, purity and respect with which it is said, e.g. a single properly said Hail Mary is worth many that are badly said. This Rose is followed by the two Roses “Attention” and “Fighting Distractions”. These provide advice for achieving the proper mindset for saying the Rosary. The topic then concludes with the Rose “With Reverence” which returns to respect. Although each of these is a separate Rose, they are cleverly inter-related to present multiple dimensions for focus and respect.

Hence, although the book is highly readable and unassuming on the surface, it is based on a well structured “multi-perspective analysis” of the Rosary. The fifty three sections are intricately connected and clearly thought out. Hence the term “secret” is quite becoming, for the book reveals these interconnections in terms of a coherent theme. But the typical reader need not be concerned with the analyses because the flow of the text is natural, pure and pious and appeals to laymen as well as priests. The book has been read by Catholics worldwide for over two centuries and continues to be a great spiritual resource.

Saint Louis de Montfort, *The Secret of the Rosary* Tan Books & Publisher, 1976. ISBN 978-0-89555-056-9.

Saint Louis de Montfort, *God Alone: The Collected Writings of St. Louis Marie De Montfort* Montfort Publications, 1995 ISBN 0-910984-55-7


abstract: Phoenix Chinese News and Entertainment or Phoenix CNE Channel is one of the six channels that Phoenix Television operates. It was launched in August 1999 in order to serve Chinese viewers in Europe. This channel is a 24-hour free-to-air channel based in London and broadcast via the Astra 2G satellite across the continent. The channel broadcasts its Chinese programmes to 91 countries and regions in Europe and Africa, and reach more than 56 million households and 80% of European Chinese penetration. Phoenix CNE dedicates to promote cultural exchanges and closer economic partnerships between China, Europe and Africa creates waves for Chinese enterprises and provinces in their efforts to open up new trade and investment opportunities in these continents.

text:
# Phoenix Chinese News and Entertainment Channel

| Phoenix Chinese News and Entertainment Channel | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
| Traditional Chinese | 鳳凰衛視歐洲台 |
| Simplified Chinese | 凤凰卫视欧洲台 |
|  | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Fènghuáng Wèishì Ōuzhōu Tái |
|  | |
| Transcriptions  Standard Mandarin  Hanyu Pinyin Fènghuáng Wèishì Ōuzhōu Tái | |
|  | |

**Phoenix Chinese News and Entertainment** or **Phoenix CNE Channel** is one of the six channels that Phoenix Television operates. It was launched in August 1999 in order to serve Chinese viewers in Europe. This channel is a 24-hour free-to-air channel based in London and broadcast via the Astra 2G satellite across the continent. The channel broadcasts its Chinese programmes to 91 countries and regions in Europe and Africa, and reach more than 56 million households and 80% of European Chinese penetration.

Phoenix CNE dedicates to promote cultural exchanges and closer economic partnerships between China, Europe and Africa creates waves for Chinese enterprises and provinces in their efforts to open up new trade and investment opportunities in these continents.

## InfoBox

Phoenix Chinese News and Entertainment Channel
|  | |
| --- | --- |
| Country | China |
| Broadcast area | Europe
Africa
Japan
Australia |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Phoenix Television |
| Sister channels | Phoenix InfoNews Channel |
| History | |
| Launched | August 1, 1999 |
| Links | |
| Website | www.pcne.tv |


title: Viera Ellong

abstract: Viera Ellong Doualla is a footballer who plays as a midfielder for Equatorial Guinean Liga Nacional club Futuro Kings FC. Born and raised in Cameron, he was a member of the Equatorial Guinea national team at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

text:
# Viera Ellong

**Viera Ellong Doualla** (born 14 June 1987) is a footballer who plays as a midfielder for Equatorial Guinean Liga Nacional club Futuro Kings FC. Born and raised in Cameron, he was a member of the Equatorial Guinea national team at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

## International career

Among the frameworks of Equatorial Guinea national football team players, is certainly Viera Ellong Doualla, born to Cameroonian parents, this 27-year-old midfielder was the first Cameroonian to seek his professional career in the Equatorial Guinea neighbor. Even if he lived five years in the country of adoption as required by FIFA's change of sport nationality procedure, it was not necessarily the case in his debut in the Equatorial Guinea national football team.

He was part of the squad at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

### International goals

*Scores and results list Equatorial Guinea's goal tally first.*

| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1. | 11 October 2011 | Estadio de Malabo, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea | Cameroon | **1**–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 2. | 15 November 2011 | Mahamasina Municipal Stadium, Antananarivo, Madagascar | Madagascar | **1**–0 | 1–2 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |

## InfoBox

Viera Ellong
| Personal information | | | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Full name | Viera Ellong Doualla | | |
| Date of birth | (1987-06-17) 17 June 1987 | | |
| Place of birth | Douala, Cameroon | | |
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | | |
| Position(s) | Midfielder | | |
| Team information | | | |
| Current team | Futuro Kings | | |
| Number | TBA | | |
| Senior career\* | | | |
| Years | **Team** | **Apps** | **(Gls)** |
| 2005 | Mount Cameroun |  |  |
| 2005 | Caiman |  |  |
| 2006–2009 | Akonangui |  |  |
| 2010–2011 | Sony de Elá Nguema |  |  |
| 2012–2013 | Cercle Mbéri Sportif |  |  |
| 2013–2015 | The Panthers |  |  |
| 2015–2017 | Kerkyra | 47 | (11) |
| 2017–2018 | Platanias | 9 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | Diagoras | 0 | (0) |
| 2019 | Poros |  |  |
| 2020 | Leones Vegetarianos | 1+ | (1+) |
| 2020– | Futuro Kings | 0 | (0) |
| International career | | | |
| 2011–2017 | Equatorial Guinea | 31 | (2) |
| \*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15 January 2020<br>‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18 February 2018 | | | |


title: Tyson Foods, Inc. v. Bouaphakeo

abstract: Tyson Foods, Inc. v. Bouaphakeo, 577 U.S. 442 (2016), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court affirmed the decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, which held that representative evidence could be used to support the claims of the class. The case arose as a class action lawsuit against Tyson Foods. The Supreme Court affirmed the Eighth Circuit's judgment that the class satisfied the predominance requirement of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure's Rule 23 and that the use of representative evidence was allowable in this case. It has been cited by lower courts and has spawned significant academic discussion.

text:
# Tyson Foods, Inc. v. Bouaphakeo

***Tyson Foods, Inc. v. Bouaphakeo***, 577 U.S. 442 (2016), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court affirmed the decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, which held that representative evidence could be used to support the claims of the class. The case arose as a class action lawsuit against Tyson Foods. The Supreme Court affirmed the Eighth Circuit's judgment that the class satisfied the predominance requirement of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure's Rule 23 and that the use of representative evidence was allowable in this case. It has been cited by lower courts and has spawned significant academic discussion.

## Background

Employees brought suit in federal district court against Tyson Foods for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Iowa Wage Payment Collection Law. The employees worked in an Iowa pork processing plant in the cut and retrim and kill departments. As part of their work, the employees needed to wear protective gear, and the FLSA required for them to be compensated for time spent doing things "integral and indispensable" to their work. The employees claimed that the time spent putting on and taking off their protective gear, "donning and doffing," met the standard and that Tyson Foods should have been paying them for the time that they did so. Instead, Tyson Foods compensated some employees for four to eight minutes of that activity and others for none at all.

The employees sought to certify their class under Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Tyson Foods argued that the class should not be certified because of the individual variance in the employees' protective gear.

The district court held that there were sufficiently-common questions to certify the class, such as whether the donning and doffing qualified as work under the FLSA. The case was tried and went to a jury, which had to decide whether the donning and doffing qualified as work and how much time that took but was not paid for by Tyson Foods. The claims were based on overtime work and so only employees who, after including donning and doffing time, worked more than forty hours per week would be able to recover.

However, Tyson Foods did not keep records of the time that employees spent to put on and take off their protective gear. The employees, therefore, relied on their statements, videos of people putting on and taking off protective gear, and a research study. The study had people put on and take off gear and averaged how long it took, which was considered "representative evidence."

Tyson Foods asked the judge to bifurcate proceedings so that the jury would first answer whether the FLSA covered time taken to put on and take off protective gear and how long the donning and doffing took, and the jury would then determine which employees would be eligible to recover.

However, Tyson Foods did not question the representative evidence used, such as by moving for a *Daubert* hearing, and instead emphasized that there was too much individual variance for the issues to be resolved in a class.

The representative evidence presented would have supported an award of $6.7 million. The jury found that donning and doffing was compensable under the FLSA but awarded only $2.9 million to the class.

Tyson moved to set aside the jury verdict by alleging improper class certification. The Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit disagreed, affirmed the judgment, and held that the use of representative evidence was appropriate in this case.

## Decision

The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the Eighth Circuit. The parties were in dispute over whether the class met the predominance inquiry required by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(b)(3), which requires the district court to ask whether common questions predominate over individual ones. That examination is meant to ensure that it makes sense to adjudicate the claims as a class. The predominance inquiry is different from the commonality inquiry in class actions since it asks not only whether there are common questions but also whether the common, class-wide issues are more important or arise more frequently than the individual ones.

Tyson Foods maintained that the common questions did not predominate because it was the questions of each individual's work time that predominated. The employees, by contrast, argued that the representative evidence could replace individual inquiries. The permissibility of the representative evidence, therefore, was central to the case.

The Supreme Court looked to the practical need for representative evidence and recognized that in some cases, it is the only evidence available. Since Tyson Foods had failed to keep records on employee time, representative evidence was necessary. The key inquiry, according to the Supreme Court, was whether the employees would have similarly used the representative evidence in individual lawsuits if they had brought individual suits instead of a class action.

It was on that point that the Court distinguished *Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes*, 564 U.S. 338 (2011). In *Wal-Mart*, the class had failed to meet the more basic commonality requirement of class actions. The plaintiffs wanted to use representative evidence to show that there was a common policy of discretion in employment. However, in that case, since the employees were not similarly situated, they would not have been able to use the representative evidence even if they had brought individual lawsuits.

In *Tyson Foods*, however, the representative evidence could be used to support a finding for individual plaintiffs. The Court noted that Tyson Foods did not challenge the expert testimony or the study on which the plaintiffs relied. Also, Tyson Foods argued that because not all class members would be found to be injured and receive compensation, the employees had to show a clear mechanism by which the district court could identify the class members who were not injured and so should not recover. That question was not presented in the lower courts, and the record was not developed on that point, however, so the Supreme Court remanded for further proceedings on that matter.

### Concurrence

Chief Justice Roberts concurred, joined by Justice Alito in Part II. Part I suggested that the Court was not relaxing rules for representative evidence in this case but had found that the study met the required standard of proof. Part II expressed concern that there is no clear way to determine how much time the jury thought should be compensated for donning and doffing since it awarded a sum lower than the study suggested to be appropriate. To be compensated, each employee must have gone uncompensated for some of the donning and doffing time and must have worked overtime once that time was factored in. However, since the jury did not report how much time they found should be compensated for the different departments, it is unclear how the district court would be able to award damages only to employees who were found by the jury found to be injured.

### Dissent

Justice Thomas dissented, joined by Justice Alito. The dissent believed the district court was wrong in finding that the class satisfied Rule 23's predominance requirement because it did not recognize that whether each employee worked overtime was a critical individual issue. Because the district court did not appropriately analyze the class certification requirements, according to the dissent, Tyson Foods could be held liable to a large group without proof that each individual within the class was injured. The dissent also suggested that the majority opinion improperly construed the predominance inquiry, relaxed the rule for representative evidence, and failed to adhere to prior precedent.

## Implications

*Tyson Foods* made headlines when it reached the Supreme Court. Legal commentators also blogged about the case.

Though relatively recent, it has already been cited in other cases and been a popular topic of legal scholarship. Experts continue to discuss *Tyson*’s legacy, particular how the case will impact the predominance inquiry and whether the use of representative evidence will expand.

### Selected Supreme Court and Federal Courts of Appeals Cases

### Selected Scholarship

### Selected Treatises and Manuals

* ANNOTATED MANUAL FOR COMPLEX LITIGATION § 21.28 (4th ed., May 2018) (noting that in *Tyson Foods*, the Court held that representative evidence could be used to satisfy the class certification predominance inquiry).
* NEWBERG ON CLASS ACTIONS § 4:50 (5th ed., Dec. 2017) (citing *Tyson Foods* for the definition of an individual question).
* 5 FED. PROC. FORMS § 11:32 (citing *Tyson Foods* for a description of the predominance inquiry).

1. *Tyson Foods, Inc. v. Bouaphakeo*, No. 14-1146, 577 U.S. \___, 136 S. Ct. 1036, 1044-45 (2016).
2. *Tyson Foods*, 136 S. Ct. at 1042.
3. *Tyson Foods*, 136 S. Ct. at 1042-43.
4. *Tyson Foods*, 136 S. Ct. at 1043.
5. *Tyson Foods*, 136 S. Ct. at 1043-44.
6. *Tyson Foods*, 136 S. Ct. at 1044.
7. *Bouaphakeo v. Tyson Foods, Inc.*, 765 F.3d 791 (8th Cir. 2014).
8. *Tyson Foods*, 136 S. Ct. at 1045.
9. *Tyson Foods*, 136 S. Ct. at 1045-46.
10. *Tyson Foods*, 136 S. Ct. at 1046.
11. *Tyson Foods*, 136 S. Ct. at 1046-47.
12. *Tyson Foods*, 136 S. Ct. at 1047.
13. *Tyson Foods*, 136 S. Ct. at 1048.
14. *Tyson Foods*, 136 S. Ct. at 1049.
15. *Tyson Foods*, 136 S. Ct. at 1049-50.
16. *Tyson Foods*, 136 S. Ct. at 1050.
17. *Tyson Foods*, 136 S. Ct. at 1050 (Roberts, C.J., concurring in part).
18. *Tyson Foods*, 136 S. Ct. at 1051 (Roberts, C.J., concurring in part).
19. *Tyson Foods*, 136 S. Ct. at 1051-52 (Roberts, C.J., concurring in part).
20. *Tyson Foods*, 136 S. Ct. at 1052-53 (Roberts, C.J., concurring in part).
21. *Tyson Foods*, 136 S. Ct. at 1053 (Thomas, J., dissenting).
22. *Tyson Foods*, 136 S. Ct. at 1054 (Thomas, J., dissenting).
23. *Tyson Foods*, 136 S. Ct. at 1056 (Thomas, J., dissenting).
24. Adam Liptak, *Supreme Court Hears Case for Tyson Foods Class-Action Lawsuit*, THE N.Y. TIMES (Nov. 10, 2015), https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/11/business/supreme-court-hears-tyson-foods-class-action-labor-case.html; Adam Liptak, *Supreme Court Upholds Worker Class-Action Suit Against Tyson*, THE N.Y. TIMES (Mar. 22, 2016), https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/23/business/supreme-court-upholds-worker-class-action-suit-against-tyson.html.
25. Dan Kohrman et al., *Supreme Court Allows Class Action to Proceed Based on “Representative” Proof*, AARP FOUND., https://www.aarp.org/aarp-foundation/our-work/legal-advocacy/info-2016/Tyson-Foods-v-Bouaphakeo.html (last visited May 27, 2018); Lyle Denniston, *Argument Preview: New Woe for Class-Action Lawsuits?*, SCOTUSBLOG (Nov. 7, 2015, 12:33 AM), http://www.scotusblog.com/2015/11/argument-preview-new-woe-for-class-action-lawsuits/; Lyle Denniston, *Argument Analysis: Big Test of Class Action—Maybe Not so Big*, SCOTUSBLOG (Nov. 10, 2015, 1:48 PM), http://www.scotusblog.com/2015/11/argument-analysis-big-test-of-class-action-maybe-not-so-big/; Lyle Denniston, *Opinion Analysis: Group Lawsuits get a (Modest?) Boost*, SCOTUSBLOG (Mar. 22, 2016, 7:07 PM), http://www.scotusblog.com/2016/03/opinion-analysis-group-lawsuits-get-a-modest-boost/.

## InfoBox

| Tyson Foods, Inc. v. Bouaphakeo | |
| --- | --- |
| Supreme Court of the United States | |
| Argued November 10, 2015
Decided March 22, 2016 | |
| Full case name | *Tyson Foods, Inc., Petitioner v. Peg Bouaphakeo, et al., Individually and on Behalf of All Others Similarly Situated* |
| Docket no. | 14-1146 |
| Citations | 577 U.S. 442 (*more*)136 S. Ct. 1036; 194 L. Ed. 2d 124; 2016 U.S. LEXIS 2134 |
| Argument | Oral argument |
| Case history | |
| Prior | *Bouaphakeo v. Tyson Foods, Inc.*, 765 F.3d 791 (8th Cir. 2014); cert. granted, 135 S. Ct. 2806 (2015). |
| Holding | |
| The district court did not err in certifying and maintaining a class of employees who allege that the employer’s failure to pay them for donning and doffing protective gear violate the Fair Labor Standards Act, notwithstanding the employees’ reliance on “representative evidence” to determine the number of additional hours that each employee worked, when the employer had failed to keep adequate records. | |
| Court membership | |
| Chief Justice John Roberts  Associate Justices Anthony Kennedy **·**  Clarence Thomas
Ruth Bader Ginsburg **·**  Stephen Breyer
Samuel Alito **·**  Sonia Sotomayor
Elena Kagan | |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Kennedy, joined by Roberts, Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, Kagan |
| Concurrence | Roberts, joined by Alito (Part II) |
| Dissent | Thomas, joined by Alito |


abstract: "Walk Like a Man" is a song written by Don Brewer and Mark Farner and performed by Grand Funk Railroad. It reached number 16 in Canada and number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974. It was featured on their 1973 album, We're an American Band. The song and album were produced by Todd Rundgren. Rundgren recorded his own version of the song for his 2011 release, (re)Production, a compilation of re-recordings of songs he had produced for other bands. Cash Box said that "the rock energy is high and perfectly carries the spirit of the group."

text:
# Walk Like a Man (Grand Funk Railroad song)

"**Walk Like a Man**" is a song written by Don Brewer and Mark Farner and performed by Grand Funk Railroad. It reached number 16 in Canada and number 19 on the *Billboard* Hot 100 in 1974. It was featured on their 1973 album, *We're an American Band*.

The song and album were produced by Todd Rundgren. Rundgren recorded his own version of the song for his 2011 release, *(re)Production*, a compilation of re-recordings of songs he had produced for other bands.

*Cash Box* said that "the rock energy is high and perfectly carries the spirit of the group."

## InfoBox

| "Walk Like a Man" | |
| --- | --- |
| Single by Grand Funk Railroad | |
| from the album  *We're an American Band* | |
| B-side | "The Railroad" |
| Released | October 29, 1973 |
| Genre | Rock |
| Length | 4:03 |
| Label | Capitol |
| Songwriter(s) | Don Brewer, Mark Farner |
| Producer(s) | Todd Rundgren |
| Grand Funk Railroad singles chronology | |
| "We're an American Band"
(1973) "**Walk Like a Man**"
(1973) "The Loco-Motion"
(1974) | |


title: Wingecarribee Swamp

abstract: Wingecarribee Swamp is a heritage-listed wetland at Illawarra Highway, Robertson, Wingecarribee Shire, New South Wales, Australia. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. It is also listed on the Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia and the former Register of the National Estate.

text:
# Wingecarribee Swamp

**Wingecarribee Swamp** is a heritage-listed wetland at Illawarra Highway, Robertson, Wingecarribee Shire, New South Wales, Australia. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. It is also listed on the Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia and the former Register of the National Estate.

## History

A natural site, Wingecarribee Swamp is a remnant of a late glacial swamp overlying the Triassic sandstone and Wianamatta Shale of the Southern Highlands. The wetlands' peat deposits provide a rare resource for scientific study but are also sought after as a mining resource.

The Wingecarribee Swamp covers 340 ha (840 acres) and is over 5000 years old. It is listed as an Endangered Ecological Community at both State and Federal levels and contains four threatened species: the plants *Lysimachia vulgaris* var. *davurica* (yellow loosestrife); *Gentiana wingecarribiensis* (Wingecarribee gentian) and *Prasophyllum uroglossum* (leek orchid) and one insect, *Petalura gigantea* (giant dragonfly). The adjacent Wingecarribee Reservoir plays a pivotal role in the water supply system as water from Tallowa Dam is pumped up to Wingecarribee Reservoir and then can be diverted to Warragamba Dam or Nepean Dam.

The swamp has a history of disturbance with a portion being partly inundated with the construction of the Wingecarribee Reservoir in 1974. It was grazed for many years and had been burned frequently to provide green pick for cattle. It was also mined for peat.

In August 1998 the swamp partially collapsed into the reservoir. The collapse cannot be attributed to any one factor but a high rainfall event coupled with instability, as a result of peat mining, and low reservoir levels at the time of the collapse, may have contributed. Spontaneous bog bursts have been documented from time to time in the Northern Hemisphere.

Following the swamp's collapse, its geomorphology changed dramatically, the peat fractured and a major channel was formed on its northern side. The vegetation was highly disturbed and bare peat was exposed. Turbidity (cloudiness) in the adjoining reservoir was over 300 NTU. A few months later willows (*Salix* sp.) growing on the margin of the swamp seeded and there was an explosion of willow seedlings germinating in the nutrient-rich bare peat.

The level of disturbance suffered by the swamp is too great to consider restoration as a feasible option for action, however management is focused on the values the swamp still retains.

The swamp is now referred to by its post-collapse landform units: the intact, drying fissured channel and delta areas. The fissured areas have had a great deal of damage, while the delta - the mass of peat expelled into the reservoir - seems to be developing an ecological value in its own right. The delta area closest to the swamp is fairly stable, whereas the front rises and falls with the reservoir level but does not move laterally.

## Description

The swamp is in the Southern Highlands, backing on the Wingecarribee Reservoir (to its west) and forming the headwaters of the Wingecarribee River.

Wingecarribee Swamp forms the main headwaters of the Wingecarribee River which is a tributary of the Wollondilly River. It exists now as a remnant of what was probably a larger late glacial swamp overlying the Permian sandstone and wianamatta shale, and now mostly removed by the combined rejuvenation of the Wollondilly, Nepean and lower Shoalhaven catchments resulting from the last uplift of the sandstone plateau. Only Wingecarribee Swamp has survived intact, by reason of an unusual combination of geomorphic phenomena: it is surrounded on the north, east and south by low basalt hills which protect it from capture by tributaries of the Nepean River and Shoalhaven River, leaving a small outlet to the west into the gently west-dipping Wollondilly catchment. The swamp contains a rich assemblage of water and bog plants. Perched water table and impeded drainage has resulted in the development of a deep acid peat swamp of late glacial age.

The swamp is the largest peatland in montane Mainland Australia with an area of about 7 square kilometres (2.7 sq mi), an average depth of fibrous and humic peat of around 3 m (9.8 ft), and up to 10 m (33 ft) of peat in some areas. Peatlands of this kind are rare in Australia and have developed in isolation from each other and related ecosystems. The accumulation of peat in the swamp is very rapid with most of the peat being formed in the past 25,000 years with up to 6 m (20 ft) of very fresh peat preserved. This is a very rapid accumulation rate, especially for temperate Australia.

Wingecarribee Swamp has a number of plant communities represented including *Eucalyptus ovata* open woodland, *Poa australis* closed tussock grassland, *Leptospermum ovatum* tall shrubland, *Sphagnum christatum* mossland, *Carex gaudichaudiana* closed sedgeland, *Phragmites communis* tall closed grassland, *Eleocharis dulcis typha muelleri* open sedgeland, *Triglochin procerum-carex* sp. aquatic sedgeland and *Lepyrodia anarthria* open rushland which is the dominant community. The *lepyrodia* community found here is the richest and most extensive of this type known. There is an extension of higher altitude taxa at this site and it might be inferred that the swamp has acted as a refuge for flora and possibly invertebrate fauna since the last cool period. One endangered plant species, Wingecarribee gentian, (*Gentiana wingecarribiensis*), is an endemic noted only from Wingecarribee Swamp. The nearest relative species is the alpine gentian. Botanical and palaeoenvironmental research has been carried out by several workers with studies continuing.

The peat deposits act as repositories for information about ecosystem history and environmental change in the locality. Fossil wood more than 35,000 years old has been recovered from the north-western margin of the swamp indicating that the swamp may be of this age. Studies of carbonised particles from cores taken from the swamp have inferred a regime of fire events over the 150,000 years prior to European settlement. It is possible that Indigenous values of National Estate significance may exist in this area. As yet these have not been identified, documented or assessed.

A reservoir floods the north west third of the swamp, which is not included in the listing. The dam does not detract from the ecological or palaeoecological values of the section of the swamp listed. Fibrous peat has been extracted from the swamp over twenty years from two mining leases with a total area of about 10 ha (25 acres) so far effected removing the top 3 m (9.8 ft) of peat. This only affects a small area of the swamp. The whole of the swamp is affected by human disturbance. Longitudinal drains about 40 cm (16 in) deep run parallel to the water flow and remove some of the surface water allowing about sixty percent of the surface to be used as rough pasture. Evidence for burning of the swamp is seen as scorched shrubs and burnt fenceposts. Invasions by European weeds is at a remarkably low level except around the margins. Thus although the swamp has probably changed from its pre-European vegetational structure, it still preserves natural communities with the peatland still actively growing.

The adjacent Wingecarribee Swamp covers 340 hectares (840 acres) and is over 5000 years old. It is listed as an Endangered Ecological Community at both State and Federal levels and contains four threatened species: the plants *Lyscimachia vulgaris* var. *davurica* (yellow loosestrife); *Gentiana wingecarribiensis* (Wingecarribee gentian) and *Prasophyllum uroglossum* (leek orchid) and one insect, *Petalura gigantea* (giant dragonfly).

## Heritage listing

Wingecarribee Swamp is a remnant of a late glacial swamp. It is one of the oldest montane mires known in south-east Australia. Analyses of sediments dated from 15,000 BP (before the present) have provided valuable information about climatic and vegetation changes in Australia since the Pleistocene era.

Wingecarribee Swamp was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999 having satisfied the following criteria.

**The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales.**

Wingecarribee swamp provides a rare example of a peatland in south-east Australia. Peatlands are rare in this region and Wingecarribee because of its large size is classed as outstanding. The swamp is biogeographically significant. It has acted as a refugia for alpine flora and possibly invertebrate fauna since the last cool time approximately 10,000 years ago. An endangered species, *gentiana wingecarribeinsis*, is known only from this swamp. Its closest relative is the alpine gentian which now occurs only in the Alps.

This swamp is the best example of a montane peatland at comparatively low altitude in Australia. It is also the northernmost significant peatland known in New South Wales. The dominant *lepyrodia anarthria* open rushland community is the richest and most extensive community of this type known in Australia. The swamp also provides an outstanding example of vegetation dynamics as well as providing some of the best known stands of the swamp vegetation types represented.

Wingecarribee Swamp has the oldest basal date of any montane mire known in Australia. Palaeobotanical and geomorphological analysis of sediments dated from 15,000 BP have provided valuable information about climatic and vegetation changes in Australia since the Pleistocene. Peatlands such as this which accumulate over a long period of time have high research value. Their sediments act as repositories for valuable information about ecosystem history and environmental changes in the locality. Carbonised particles from cores taken from the swamp have provided important evidence of the impact of humans on the vegetation and landscape of the region since the beginning of the Holocene.

### Bibliography

* Australian Heritage Commission. *Register of the National Estate*.
* Knowles, Mary (2008). *Brief History of the Swamp, in WSSAPoM Intergovernmental Working Group - Inaugural Meeting Minutes*.
* Sydney Catchment Authority (2007). *Wingecarribee Swamp and Special Area - Plan of Management (summary)*.

### Attribution

Media related to Wingecarribee Swamp at Wikimedia Commons

## InfoBox

| Wingecarribee Swamp | |
| --- | --- |
| Wingecarribee Swamp and Fitzroy Reservoir | |
| Location | Illawarra Highway, Robertson, Wingecarribee Shire, New South Wales, Australia |
| Coordinates | 34°34′34″S 150°31′42″E / 34.5760°S 150.5284°E / -34.5760; 150.5284 |
| Owner | Water NSW |
|  | |
| New South Wales Heritage Register | |
| Official name | Wingecarribee Swamp |
| Type | state heritage (landscape) |
| Designated | 2 April 1999 |
| Reference no. | 784 |
| Type | Wetland or river |
| Category | Landscape - Natural |
|  | |
|  | |
| Location of Wingecarribee Swamp in New South Wales | |


title: Thomas Boston

abstract: Thomas Boston was a Scottish Presbyterian church leader, theologian and philosopher. Boston was successively schoolmaster at Glencairn, and minister of Simprin in Berwickshire, and Ettrick in Selkirkshire. In addition to his best-known work, Human Nature in Its Fourfold State, one of the religious classics of Scotland, he wrote an original little book, The Crook in the Lot, and a learned treatise on the Hebrew points. He also took a leading part in the Courts of the Church in what was known as the "Marrow Controversy," regarding the merits of an English work, The Marrow of Modern Divinity, which he defended against the attacks of the "Moderate" party in the Church. Boston, if unduly introspective, was a man of singular piety and amiability. His autobiography is an interesting record of Scottish life, full of sincerity and tenderness, and not devoid of humorous touches, intentional and otherwise.

text:
# Thomas Boston

**Thomas Boston** (17 March 1676  20 May 1732) was a Scottish Presbyterian church leader, theologian and philosopher. Boston was successively schoolmaster at Glencairn, and minister of Simprin in Berwickshire, and Ettrick in Selkirkshire. In addition to his best-known work, *Human Nature in Its Fourfold State*, one of the religious classics of Scotland, he wrote an original little book, *The Crook in the Lot*, and a learned treatise on the Hebrew points. He also took a leading part in the Courts of the Church in what was known as the "Marrow Controversy," regarding the merits of an English work, *The Marrow of Modern Divinity*, which he defended against the attacks of the "Moderate" party in the Church. Boston, if unduly introspective, was a man of singular piety and amiability. His autobiography is an interesting record of Scottish life, full of sincerity and tenderness, and not devoid of humorous touches, intentional and otherwise.

## Life

He was born at Duns. His father, John Boston, and his mother, Alison Trotter, were both Covenanters. He was educated at Edinburgh, and licensed in 1697 by the presbytery of Chirnside. In 1699 he became minister of the small parish of Simprin, where there were only 90 examinable persons; previously, he was a schoolmaster in Glencairn. In 1704 he found, while visiting a member of his flock, a book brought into Scotland by a commonwealth soldier, the *Marrow of Modern Divinity*, by Edward Fisher, a compendium of the opinions of leading Reformation divines on the doctrine of grace and the offer of the Gospel, which set off the Marrow Controversy.

Its object was to demonstrate the unconditional freeness of the Gospel. It cleared away such conditions as repentance, or some degree of outward or inward reformation, and argued that where Christ is heartily received, full repentance and a new life follow. On Boston's recommendation, James Hog of Carnock reprinted *The Marrow* in 1718; and Boston also published an edition with notes of his own. The book, attacked from the standpoint of high Calvinism, became the standard of a far-reaching movement in Scottish Presbyterianism.

The *Marrow* men were marked by the zeal of their service and the effect of their preaching. As they remained Calvinists they could not preach a universal atonement; rather they were particular redemptionists.

In 1707 Boston was translated to Ettrick, Scotland. He was the only member of the assembly who entered a protest against the lightness of the sentence passed on John Simson, Professor of Divinity at Glasgow, who was accused of heterodox teaching on the Incarnation.

He was born in Duns on 17 March 1676, son of John Boston (who suffered imprisonment in the cause of nonconformity) and Alison Trotter. He was educated at the Grammar School of Duns and was later employed by Alexander Cockburn, notary. He graduated with an M.A. (Edinburgh, 9 July 1694), his whole expenses at college being £10, 14s. 7fd. sterling. He then became schoolmaster of Glencairn in 1695; res. 8 February 1696; was thereafter tutor to young Andrew Fletcher of Aberlady, and chaplain to his stepfather, Colonel James Bruce of Kennet; licen. by Presb. of Duns and Chirnside 15 June 1697; officiated in vacant parishes in the Presb. of Stirling in 1698; ord. to Simprin 21 September 1699; clerk of Synod in 1701; called by the Presb. jure devoluto 24 January 1706; adm. to Ettrick 1 May 1707, the day of the Union of Scotland and England; died 20 May 1732.

He and eleven others gave in a Representation and Petition to the General Assembly of 1721 against an Act passed in the previous year condemning The Marrow of Modern Divinity. The Assembly of 1722 directed that the ministers who had signed the Representation should be rebuked by the Moderator. That was done, and a protest prepared by Boston was not received, but was subsequently printed by the protesters. Boston's own writings, together with his devout life and exemplary pastoral labours, contributed greatly to the popularity of the doctrines contained in the Marrow. His communions were attended by crowds from all parts, and he was one of the most influential figures in the Church life of his time. His theology was essentially Calvinistic. A literalism dominated his interpretation of the Scriptures, and he regarded even the Hebrew accents as divinely inspired.

## Family life

He married on 17 July 1700, Katherine (died 4 March 1737), fifth daughter of Robert Brown of Barhill, Culross, a medical practitioner, and had children

* Katharine, born 24 May 1701, died in 1702
* John, chamberlain to the Duke of Buccleuch at Langholm, born 29 April 1702, died in 1757 \[his son became an admiral of the British Navy; for an interesting notice of him, vide Memoir of Caroline Herschel\]
* Robert, born 21 March 1704, died 26 January 1705
* Jane, born 1 November 1705 (married 2 December 1736, James Russell of Ashiestiel), died in 1765
* Ebenezer, born 23 April 1707, died 8 September 1707
* Ebenezer, born 4 August 1708, died 10 October 1708
* Thomas, born 9 February 1710, died 30 April 1712
* Alison, born 8 June 1711 (married James Anderson, farmer, Altrive), died in 1765
* Thomas, his successor in the parish
* Katharine, born 15 July 1715, died 12 March 1716.

## Works

Boston's autobiography is a record of Scottish life. His other books include *Human Nature in Its Fourfold State*, one of the religious classics of Scotland; *The Crook in the Lot*, a short book noted for its originality; and his *Body of Divinity* and *Miscellanies*. These works had a major influence over the Scottish peasantry. Among his works is a learned treatise on Hebrew points. His *Memoirs* were published in 1776 (ed. George D. Low, 1908). An edition of his works in 12 volumes appeared in 1849.

### List of works

DNB list:

* 'Sermon' (Hos. ii. 19, preached 24 Aug. 1714), 1715, reprinted 1732.
* 'Reasons for refusing the Oath of Abjuration,' 1719.
* 'Human Nature in its Four-fold Estate,' &c. Edinburgh, 1720, 8vo (often reprinted; transl. into Welsh 1767; into Gaelic 1837, reprinted 1845; edition revised by Rev. Michael Boston, the author's grandson, Falkirk, 1784, 8vo; abridged, with, title 'Submission to the Righteousness of Christ,' Birmingham, 1809)
* 'Queries to the Friendly Adviser, to which is prefixed a Letter to a Friend, concerning the affair of the Marrow,' &c., 1722, 8vo.
* 'Notes to the Marrow of Modern Divinity,' 1726.
* 'The Mystery of Christ in the form of a Servant,' &c. (sacrament sermon, Phil. ii. 7), Edinburgh, 1727, 8vo.
* 'A View of the Covenant of Grace,' 1734, 8vo.
* 'Thomæ Boston, ecclesiæ Atricensis apud Scotos pastoris, Tractatus Stigmologicus, Hebræo-Biblicus. Quo Accentuum Hebræorum doctrina traditur, variusque eorum, in explananda S. Scripture, usus exponitur. Cum præfatione viri reverendi & clarissimi Davidis Millii,' Amstelædami, 1738, 4to (a handsome volume, with many copper-plates; dedicated by Boston's son, Thomas, to Sir Richard Ellys, bart.; Mill's preface is dated from Utrecht, 6 February 1738; he does not endorse Boston's view, that the Hebrew accents are of divine origin. Boston's work shows very thorough and wide scholarship; he was acquainted with French and Dutch, in addition to the tongues necessary for his purpose. He had prepared for the press 'An Essay on the first twenty-three chapters of the Book of Genesis; in a two-fold version of the original text,' with notes, theological and philological; in this work he showed the utility of his theory of the Hebrew accents, and made use of the elaborate system of punctuation which he had framed to represent them in English).
* 'Sermons and Discourses … never before printed,' Edin. 1753, 2 vols. 8vo.
* 'Explication of the First Part of the Assembly's Shorter Catechism,' 1755, 8vo.
* 'A Collection of Sermons,' Edin. 1772, 12mo.
* 'A View of the Covenant of Works, from the Sacred Records, &c., and several Sermons,' Edin. 1772, 12mo.
* 'The Distinguishing Characters of true Believers … to which is prefixed a soliloquy on the art of man-fishing,' Edin. 1773, 12mo.
* 'An Illustration of the Doctrines of the Christian Religion … upon the plan of the Assembly's Shorter Catechism,' &c. Edin. 1773, 3 vols. 8vo.
* 'Ten Fast Sermons,' 1773, 8vo; 'Worm Jacob threshing the Mountains' (sacrament sermon, Is. xli. 14, 15), Falkirk, 1775, 8vo.
* 'The Christian Life delineated,' Edin. 1775, 2 vols. 12mo.
* 'Sermons,' 1775, 3 vols. 8vo,
* 'A View of this and the other World' (eight sermons), Edin. 1775, 8vo.
* 'Sermons on the Nature of Church Communion,' Berwick, 1785, 12mo.
* 'A Memorial concerning personal and family Fasting and Humiliation,' Edin. 1849, 12mo. 3rd ed., pref, and app. by Alex. Moody Stuart, A.M.
* 'The Crook in the Lot,' Glasgow, 1863, 12mo (with biographical sketch).
* 'Whole Works,' edited by Rev. Samuel McMillin, with the 'Marrow of Modern Divinity illustrated,' 1854, 12 vols. 8vo (several of the above collections overlap; the famous sermon on the 'Crook in the Lot' has often been reprinted).
* The Crook in The Lot
* Human Nature in its fourfold state
* *A view of the covenant of grace* (reprinted by Focus Christian Ministries Trust, ISBN 1-870223-21-7)
* *Hell* (reprinted by Diggory Press, ISBN 978-1-84685-748-5)
* *The Art of Man-Fishing* (reprinted by Christian Focus Publications Ltd., ISBN 978-1-85792-106-9)
* *Memoirs*
* *Body of Divinity*
* *Miscellanies*

## Biography

* *Life of the Rev Thomas Boston, Edinburgh: Wm Oliphant,1827*
* *Thomas Boston: His Life & Times,* Andrew Thomson, 2004 reprint, Christian Focus Publications'
* Memoirs
* Acts of Ass., 1720, 1722
* Scots Mag., xviii.
* Brown's Gospel Truth
* Middleton's Biographia Evangelica, iv., 254
* Irving's Scot. Writers, ii.
* Jean L. Watson's The Pastor of Ettrick
* Dr Andrew Thomson's Thomas Boston
* Barnett's Makers of the Kirk
* Henderson's Religious Controversies of Scotland
* Morrison's Introduction
* Dict. Nat. Biog.
* A General Account of My Life, by Thomas Boston, A.M., Minister at Simprin, and at Ettrick (London, 1908), edited by George D. Low, M.A., has a lengthy bibliography of Boston's writings, and of works on the Marrow controversy

## In literature

* Boston is referenced in one of Robert Burns' poems ("Letter to James Tail of Glenconner", lines 19–22.):

For now I'm grown sae cursed douce, I pray an' ponder butt the house; My shins, my lane, I there sit roastin' Perusing Bunyan, Brown, an' Boston. * In Alice Munro's short story "No Advantages" (*The View from Castle Rock*, 2006), Boston is described briefly. Munro writes, "In his autobiography he speaks of his own recurring miseries, his dry spells, his sense of unworthiness and dullness even in the act of preaching the Gospel, or while praying in his study..." (pp. 14–15).
* Boston is also quoted by Reverend McBain in Munro's short story "A Wilderness Station" (1992).

### Sources

## InfoBox

| ReverendThomas Boston | |
| --- | --- |
| from *A general account of my life* | |
| Born | 17 March 1676 (1676-03-17)
Duns, Berwickshire |
| Died | 20 May 1732 (1732-05-21) (aged 56)
Ettrick, Scottish Borders |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Occupation(s) | Schoolmaster, church leader, philosopher |
| Notable work | *Human Nature in Its Fourfold State* |
| **Theological work** | |
| Tradition or movement | Marrow Brethren |
| Notable ideas | Free offer of the gospel, Assurance, Republication of the Covenant of Works |
|  | |


title: Merima Njegomir

abstract: Merima Kurtiš, known professionally as Merima Njegomir, was a Serbian folk and sevdah singer.

text:
# Merima Njegomir

**Merima Kurtiš** (Serbian Cyrillic: Мерима Куртиш; 9 November 1953 – 20 November 2021), known professionally as **Merima Njegomir** (Serbian Cyrillic: Мерима Његомир), was a Serbian folk and sevdah singer.

## Life

She began her career singing many interpretations of popular Bosnian folk songs, such as "Moj dilbere" and "Sejdefu majka buđaše", which gained her popularity across Serbia and former Yugoslavia. Her career, spanning over four decades, includes 24 albums, and songs in over 20 languages, such as Hungarian, Hebrew, Italian, Greek and Turkish. Her father Adem was a Macedonian Turk from Ohrid, while her mother Fatima was a Bosniak from Bijeljina.

Njegomir is best known for her distinct mezzo-soprano vocal range, and folk songs with influences from her native Zemun. She remains one of the most prominent names in Serbian music, with many songs achieving popularity in Eastern Europe, from Slovenia to Russia. One of her more notable songs is "Ivanova korita", which, as a 2005 release, was covered by numerous artists, including the Croatian music act Fijakeri. The single was published yet again in 2012, as a rendition, which included various elements of modern turbo-folk. Its third release was as a part of the album *Pjesme iz Crne Gore* (*Songs from Montenegro*).

Although Njegomir is most famous for providing vocals for Serbian folk songs, her music style includes jazz, classical, pop, and Romani music.

Njegomir died of pancreatic cancer on 20 November 2021.

## InfoBox

| Merima NjegomirМерима Његомир | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Merima Kurtiš |
| Born | (1953-11-09)9 November 1953
Zemun, PR Serbia, FPR Yugoslavia |
| Died | 20 November 2021(2021-11-20) (aged 68)
Belgrade, Serbia |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 1975–2021 |


title: William Baker Pitt

abstract: Reverend William Baker Pitt was an English clergyman who was the founder of Swindon Town Football Club and also curate of Christ Church, Swindon until 1881 and rector of Liddington from then on.

text:
# William Baker Pitt

Reverend **William Baker Pitt** (18 January 1856 – 21 November 1936) was an English clergyman who was the founder of Swindon Town Football Club and also curate of Christ Church, Swindon until 1881 and rector of Liddington from then on.

## Early life

Pitt was born in Exeter. His father, Thomas, was a grocer of some standing in his local community. In 1861 the family employed a servant and also a governess for William, who was five years old at the time. He chose to become an Anglican clergyman, rather than a grocer as his father had suggested, and attended the London College of Divinity in 1879. He was ordained as a deacon of the Church of England in 1879, with his first post as curate of Christchurch, Swindon. Lodgings in the town were provided in Bellevue Road by Frederick Osman, a grocer and business associate of his father.

Now 23 years old, Pitt moved into a parish in turbulent times, with the *Swindon Advertiser* reporting on 29 March 1879 "The circumstances attending the leaving of curate after curate are too vividly remembered in the town to need recapitulation". In the same article, Charles Ellicott, the Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol, regarded Christ Church as "the one black spot" in his diocese. The vicar of Christ Church, Henry Bailly, was outspoken and frequently denounced powerful figures in the community. Amongst the vicar's enemies were Member of Parliament and Lord of the Manor Ambrose Lethbridge Goddard, and the editor of the *Swindon Advertiser*, William Morris.

Pitt settled into his new parish. He established a working relationship with Bailly and became a popular figure in the town, especially amongst younger members of the church through his involvement with the YMCA.

## Football

After the arrival of the Great Western Railway in Swindon in the 1830s, Swindon's population soared from 1,200 to 19,000. This was divided between the communities of Old and New Swindon, with the majority in New Swindon where the GWR Works were. Pitt used the formation of a football team to attempt to unite the communities.

Whilst curate of Christ Church, the high church of Swindon, he was recorded as being the captain of Swindon Association Football Club in 1879. Pitt had formed this club to provide recreation for the young men of his parish, which was a theme for the creation of many football clubs founded in this period with 'muscular Christianity' being the vogue. The team played their only recorded match on 29 November 1879 against Rovers F.C.

Pitt recalled the foundation of this club in speech given in September 1911:

> "He thought he might venture to say that he was the father of the Swindon Football Club. It was in the autumn of 1879 that some young fellows belonging to the Swindon factory met with him in the King William Street school to organise a club \[...\] They decided to call it the Swindon Association Football Club, but they found the name rather a mouthful to shout out, so they \[later\] changed the name to the Spartans. They played the first game on a field not far away, it being kindly lent by Mr Hooper Deacon, who was always a friend of sport."

Pitt was still a member of the Spartans F.C. team when they played St. Mark's Young Men's Friendly Society on 12 November 1881, after which the two teams merged under the name Swindon Football Club.

Appointed in 1881 as the rector and prebendary of Liddington, several miles from Swindon, Pitt ceased his active involvement in the club, relating in 1911: "his removal from Swindon caused his severance with the club".

The team was renamed Swindon Town Football Club in 1883, but confusion as to the official date of establishment remained until 2007. The current club used the date of the 1881 match with St Marks, whilst some fans and researchers prefer 1879. This led to the club's researcher and retail manager Paul Plowman integrating an "Est. 1879" tag onto the team's kit in 1995, which was removed in 1996. The club officially recognised the 1879 establishment in 2007 and integrated the date onto the team's badge.

## Liddington

Pitt left Swindon in 1882 to become rector of All Saints' Church in Liddington. He married Alice Mary Kinneir in 1882 in Christ Church; she was the daughter of a solicitor and churchwarden, Henry Kinneir.

Pitt was to remain at Liddington for the next 54 years; the only time he lived elsewhere was during 1916–1917, when he served with the Church Army in France.

William and Alice had five children, Alice born in 1884, William in 1886, Edith in 1887, Clifford in 1889 and Audrey in 1892.

Clifford died on 1 February 1915 in Baumu, British East Africa. An Oxford graduate, he had embarked on a career in Colonial Administration and died aged 26 of acute sunstroke. His parents placed a memorial window for him in Liddington Church.

Alice died in mysterious circumstances on 23 June 1928; she was found dead at the bottom of a well amongst the farm buildings close to the rectory. The coroner's report stated "found drowned in a Well, there being no evidence of her state of mind".

## Death

Pitt resigned as rector in 1935 due to severe bronchial disorders and moved with his wife to Bournemouth in the hope that the sea air of the South Coast might alleviate his symptoms. His condition gradually worsened and he suffered long periods of unconsciousness. He contracted pneumonia and died at the age of 80 on 21 November 1936.

Four choristers from Liddington travelled to Bournemouth to bring his body home for burial, with the funeral taking place on 25 November 1936 and conducted by the Bishop of Malmesbury.

He was buried in Liddington churchyard next to his daughter Alice. His wife died seven years later on 17 November 1943 in Braintree, Essex, where she lived with the youngest daughter Audrey. Her body was transported back to Liddington, where she was buried alongside her husband. They lie facing the west door of the church in a grave marked by a large stone cross.

1. Lupson, Peter (2007). *Thank God for Football!*. London: Ashford Colour Press. ISBN 978-1-902694-30-6.
2. "Mythbusters". swindon-town-fc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 June 2008. Retrieved 14 January 2007.
3. Mattick, Dick (1989). *The Robins - The Story of Swindon Town Football Club*. Buckingham: Sporting and Leisure press. ISBN 0-86023-460-6.
4. Conn, David (20 December 2006). "Football's forgotten mission for the poor". *The Guardian*. London. Retrieved 10 February 2007.
5. "In the beginning..." swindon-town-fc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 January 2007.

## InfoBox

| William Pitt | |
| --- | --- |
| Born | William Baker Pitt
(1856-01-18)18 January 1856
Exeter, England |
| Died | 21 November 1936(1936-11-21) (aged 80)
Bournemouth, England |
| Occupation | Vicar |
| Spouse | Alice Mary Kinneir |
| Children | 5 |


title: Stary Sokołów

abstract: Stary Sokołów is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Końskie, within Końskie County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in south-central Poland. It lies approximately 11 kilometres (7 mi) south-west of Końskie and 36 km (22 mi) north-west of the regional capital Kielce.

text:
# Stary Sokołów

**Stary Sokołów** \[ˈstarɨ sɔˈkɔwuf\] is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Końskie, within Końskie County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in south-central Poland. It lies approximately 11 kilometres (7 mi) south-west of Końskie and 36 km (22 mi) north-west of the regional capital Kielce.

## InfoBox

| Stary Sokołów | |
| --- | --- |
| Village | |
| Stary Sokołów | |
| Coordinates: 51°8′28″N 20°18′19″E / 51.14111°N 20.30528°E / 51.14111; 20.30528 | |
| Country | Poland |
| Voivodeship | Świętokrzyskie |
| County | Końskie |
| Gmina | Końskie |
| Population | 350 |


title: Stardom New Blood 13

abstract: Stardom New Blood 13 was a professional wrestling event promoted by World Wonder Ring Stardom. The event taook place on June 21, 2024, in Tokyo, Japan, at the Tokyo New Pier Hall. Five matches were contested at the event. The main event saw wing★gori defeat Cosmic Angels to retain the New Blood Tag Team Championship.

text:
# Stardom New Blood 13

**Stardom New Blood 13** (スターダム ニュー ブラッド 13, *Sutādamu nyū Buraddo 13*) was a professional wrestling event promoted by World Wonder Ring Stardom. The event taook place on June 21, 2024, in Tokyo, Japan, at the Tokyo New Pier Hall.

Five matches were contested at the event. The main event saw wing★gori (Hanan and Saya Iida) defeat Cosmic Angels (Sakura Aya and Kurara Sayaka) to retain the New Blood Tag Team Championship.

## Production

### Background

*"New Blood"* is a series of events that mainly focus on matches where rookie wrestlers, usually with three or fewer years of in-ring experience, evolve. Besides wrestlers from Stardom, various superstars from multiple promotions of the Japanese independent scene are invited to compete in bouts that are usually going under the stipulation of singles or tag team matches.

The show featured five professional wrestling matches that result from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portray villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches.

### Event

The entire event was broadcast live on Stardom's YouTube channel. It started with the singles confrontation between Rian and Mei Seira solded with the victory of the latter. Next up, Tomoka Inaba picked up a victory over God's Eye stablemate Ranna Yagami. The third bout saw Hanako and Ice Ribbon's Saran going into a time-limit draw. In the fourth bout, Future of Stardom Champion Rina and Professional Wrestling Just Tap Out's Azusa Inaba defeated Miyu Amasaki and Hina. After the bout concluded, Ranna Yagami stepped up to challenge Rina for the future title.

In the main event, Hanan and Saya Iida defeated Sakura Aya and Kurara Sayaka to secure the fourth consecutive defense of the New Blood Tag Team Championship in that respective reign. After the bout concluded, Hanan and Iida received a challenge from Rina and Azusa Inaba.

## Results

| No. | Results | Stipulations | Times |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Mei Seira defeated Rian by pinfall | Singles match | 9:07 |
| 2 | Tomoka Inaba defeated Ranna Yagami by pinfall | Singles match | 7:46 |
| 3 | Hanako vs. Saran ended in a time-limit draw | Singles match | 15:00 |
| 4 | Rina and Azusa Inaba defeated Queen's Quest (Miyu Amasaki and Hina) by pinfall | Tag team match | 15:20 |
| 5 | wing★gori (Hanan and Saya Iida) (c) defeated Sakurara (Sakura Aya and Kurara Sayaka) by pinfall | Tag team match for the New Blood Tag Team Championship | 12:39 |
| (c)  – the champion(s) heading into the match | | | |

## InfoBox

| New Blood 13 | |
| --- | --- |
| Promotional artwork of the event | |
| Promotion | World Wonder Ring Stardom |
| Date | June 21, 2024 |
| City | Tokyo, Japan |
| Venue | Tokyo New Pier Hall |
| Attendance | 224 |
| Event chronology | |
| **Previous**
Flashing Champions **Next**
The Conversion | |
| New Blood chronology | |
| **Previous**
New Blood 12 **Next**
New Blood 14 | |


abstract: State Strategic Touring Routes (SSTR) are road routes in Queensland, Australia, which have been identified as significant to motoring tourists. These are the primary routes used by tourists as they provide the connections between popular tourist locations, and consequently have high volumes of tourist traffic. Standardised road signage is used to identify the route itself, with "Welcome to" signage at towns and districts of interest to tourists, as well as "turn off" signage to natural attractions. SSTRs must meet criteria as to road quality and safety to be included. Roads used in SSTRs may be closed in some seasons, provided this information is made available to SSTRs users. Information for tourists travelling the route must be available either through Visitor/Tourist Information Centres or by signage at rest stops and points of interests. The identification of a route as an SSTR does not affect the naming and gazettal of the roads that make up the route.

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# State Strategic Touring Routes in Queensland

**State Strategic Touring Routes** (SSTR) are road routes in Queensland, Australia, which have been identified as significant to motoring tourists. These are the primary routes used by tourists as they provide the connections between popular tourist locations, and consequently have high volumes of tourist traffic. Standardised road signage is used to identify the route itself, with "Welcome to" signage at towns and districts of interest to tourists, as well as "turn off" signage to natural attractions.

SSTRs must meet criteria as to road quality and safety to be included. Roads used in SSTRs may be closed in some seasons, provided this information is made available to SSTRs users. Information for tourists travelling the route must be available either through Visitor/Tourist Information Centres or by signage at rest stops and points of interests.

The identification of a route as an SSTR does not affect the naming and gazettal of the roads that make up the route.

## Routes

The following routes have been identified as SSTRs:


title: Steal (song)

abstract: "Steal" is a song by English new wave band Spandau Ballet, released as the second single from their 2014 compilation album The Story: The Very Best of Spandau Ballet.

text:
# Steal (song)

"**Steal**" is a song by English new wave band Spandau Ballet, released as the second single from their 2014 compilation album *The Story: The Very Best of Spandau Ballet*.

## Commercial performance

In the US "Steal" spent its sole week on *Billboard* magazine's Adult Contemporary chart at number 30.

## Critical reception

In his review of *The Story* Timothy Monger of AllMusic wrote that all three of the new songs were "of surprisingly good craftsmanship, showing that both the group and Horn are still capable of producing vital material." In a 2015 concert review, John Reed of noise11.com wrote, "If not for the sad state of modern Top 40 radio, 'Steal' might have become a huge comeback single." He also described the song as "an outstanding soulful tune".

## Charts

Weekly chart performance for "Steal"
| Chart (2015) | Peak
position |
| --- | --- |
| US Adult Contemporary (*Billboard*) | 30 |

## InfoBox

| "Steal" | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
| Single by Spandau Ballet | |
| from the album  *The Story: The Very Best of Spandau Ballet* | |
| Released | 2014 |
| Recorded | 2014 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 4:28 |
| Label |  |
| Songwriter(s) | Gary Kemp |
| Producer(s) | Trevor Horn |
| Spandau Ballet singles chronology | |
| "This Is the Love"
(2014) "**Steal**"
(2014) "Soul Boy"
(2015) | |


title: Star Maze

abstract: Star Maze is a space-themed shooter taking place in a multidirectional scrolling maze published by Sir-Tech in 1982. It was written by Canadian programmer Gordon Eastman for the Apple II, based on a design by Robert Woodhead. Versions for the Atari 8-bit computers and Commodore 64 followed in 1983.

text:
# Star Maze

***Star Maze*** is a space-themed shooter taking place in a multidirectional scrolling maze published by Sir-Tech in 1982. It was written by Canadian programmer Gordon Eastman for the Apple II, based on a design by Robert Woodhead. Versions for the Atari 8-bit computers and Commodore 64 followed in 1983.

## Gameplay

The object of *Star Maze* is to collect the nine jewels in a large, randomly generated, maze-like structure.

The player flies through the maze in a spaceship that looks and controls like the ship from Atari, Inc.'s *Asteroids* arcade game. One button applies thrust, the other button shoots in the direction the ship is pointing. The joystick orients the ship. A hyperspace key drops the ship in a random location in the maze, and a finite number of antimatter bombs destroy all visible enemies. Unlike *Asteroids*, the ship has limited fuel, and the hyperspace option uses a significant amount of it. A jewel can only be collected it the ship's speed is below a certain threshold, then the jewel can be flown to the mothership in exchange for additional fuel.

Completing a maze gives a bonus based on how much time it took. There are 16 levels.

## Development

According to a 1983 article in *TODAY* magazine, *Star Maze* took ten months of weekends to create.

## Reception

Russell Sipe reviewed the game for *Computer Gaming World*, and stated that "*Star Maze* is a well-designed game that should provide you with many hours of enjoyable game playing." Apple magazine *Peelings II* gave an "A" grade, but noted that the mazes all feel similar and sometimes a new ship is destroyed by an enemy or rock immediately after starting out.

*Electronic Games* was impressed with the visuals and called *Star Maze*, "a totally fascinating space epic worthy of every Apple-gamer's attention." *Arcade Express* pointed out the difficulty of the control scheme, but called it "so fascinating and varied in its play-action that it overcomes any such learning difficulties with ease," giving a 10/10 score. *Computer and Video Games* scored *Star Maze* a 10 for playability, with the reviewer writing, "Once I mastered the controls the game became more and more fascinating and I can confidently recommend it as one of the best games now on sale for the Apple."

The reviewer for *Creative Computing* found the controls difficult to manage:

> In keyboard mode, ten keys are in use, although only six are used regularly. That's too many for my uncoordinated fingers. Regular joystick mode is somewhat easier, although you still need the keyboard to detonate antimatter bombs or enter hyperspace. But perhaps I am just being petulant because I was never able even to come close to mastering the game.

* *Bolo*, another Apple II multidirectional shooter in a large maze

## InfoBox

| Star Maze | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
| Developer(s) | Eastman Computing |
| Publisher(s) | Sir-Tech |
| Designer(s) | Robert Woodhead |
| Programmer(s) | Gordon Eastman |
| Platform(s) | Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64 |
| Release | **1982:** Apple<br>**1983:** Atari, C64 |
| Genre(s) | Multidirectional shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |


title: Stefan Collini

abstract: Stefan Collini is an English literary critic and academic who is Emeritus Professor of English Literature and Intellectual History at the University of Cambridge and an Emeritus Fellow of Clare Hall. He has contributed essays to such publications as The Times Literary Supplement, The Nation and the London Review of Books. He attended St Joseph's College in Beulah Hill, south London, and received his undergraduate BA degree and PhD at Jesus College, Cambridge, as well as completing a master's degree at Yale University.

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# Stefan Collini

**Stefan Collini** (born 6 September 1947) is an English literary critic and academic who is Emeritus Professor of English Literature and Intellectual History at the University of Cambridge and an Emeritus Fellow of Clare Hall. He has contributed essays to such publications as *The Times Literary Supplement*, *The Nation* and the *London Review of Books*. He attended St Joseph's College in Beulah Hill, south London, and received his undergraduate BA degree and PhD at Jesus College, Cambridge, as well as completing a master's degree at Yale University.

## Bibliography

* *That Noble Science of Politics: A Study in Nineteenth-Century Intellectual History* (1983) with J. W. Burrow and Donald Winch
* *Public Moralists: Political Thought and Intellectual Life in Britain 1850–1930* (1991)
* *The Two Cultures*, by C. P. Snow, introduction by Stefan Collini (1993)
* *Matthew Arnold: A Critical Portrait* (1994)
* *English Pasts: Essays in History and Culture* (1999)
* "'No Bullshit' Bullshit." *London Review of Books*. 23 January 2003. (accessed 29 October 2009).
* *Absent Minds: Intellectuals in Britain* (2006)
* *Common Reading: Critics, Historians, Publics* (2009)
* "Modernism and the little magazines." *The Times Literary Supplement*. 7 October 2009. (accessed 8 October 2009).
* *That's Offensive!: Criticism, Identity, Respect*, Seagull Books (15 February 2011).
* *What Are Universities For?*, Penguin (23 February 2012)
* *Common Writing: Essays on Literary Culture and Public Debate*, Oxford (2016)
* Collini, Stefan (2017). *Speaking of Universities*. London: Verso.
* *The Nostalgic Imagination. History in English Criticism*. Oxford University Press (2020)

### Critical studies and reviews of Collini's work

* Reitter, Paul (22 February 2018). "The Business of Learning". *The New York Review of Books*. **65** (3): 30, 32–33. Review of *Speaking of Universities*.


title: Stempfferia staudingeri

abstract: Stempfferia staudingeri, the black-square epitola, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and Ghana. The habitat consists of forests.

text:
# Stempfferia staudingeri

***Stempfferia staudingeri***, the **black-square epitola**, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and Ghana. The habitat consists of forests.

## Etymology

The specific name honours Otto Staudinger.

## InfoBox

| *Stempfferia staudingeri* | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Lycaenidae |
| Genus: | *Stempfferia* |
| Species: | ***S. staudingeri*** |
| Binomial name | |
| ***Stempfferia staudingeri***<br>(Kirby, 1890) | |
|
| Synonyms | |
| * *Epitola staudingeri* Kirby, 1890 * *Stempfferia (Cercenia) staudingeri* | |


title: Stephan Balkenhol

abstract: Stephan Balkenhol is a German artist, famous for his figurative painted wooden sculptures and reliefs. He is currently Professor of Sculpture at the State Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe (Germany). Lives and works in Karlsruhe, Germany and Meisenthal, France.

text:
# Stephan Balkenhol

**Stephan Balkenhol** (born 1957, Fritzlar, Hesse, Germany) is a German artist, famous for his figurative painted wooden sculptures and reliefs. He is currently Professor of Sculpture at the State Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe (Germany). Lives and works in Karlsruhe, Germany and Meisenthal, France.

## Life and career

Balkenhol attended the Hamburg School of Fine Arts from 1976 to 1982, and studied under Ulrich Rückriem with Nam June Paik and Sigmar Polke among his tutors.

Balkenhol began sculptural wood carving in the mid-1980s. His totem-like sculptures of everyday people continue the European tradition of wooden sculpture and reference folk art and medieval and classical Greek sculpture.

As a response to the abstract, minimalist and conceptual approaches of the Hamburg School, Balkenhol decided to concentrate on an everyday persona, instead of an idol or hero. By the 1990s, his repertoire had expanded to include animals and hybrid creatures, as well as architectural motifs and reliefs.

Balkenhol's work is a concatenation of sensuality, vivacity, monumentality and humor. His figures emanate timelessness: simple, plain-colored clothing and the confident yet unassuming poses of familiar yet anonymous men and women who show no subjective feelings or emotions and contain no sociological or socio-critical references.

The artist uses a variety of woods, such as poplar, Douglas fir and wawa wood, and hand carves each piece from a single block using hammers, power saws and chisels, leaving behind shavings and traces visible in the wood, with its knots, grain and cracks. He then uses paint to structure the sculpture and accentuate the anatomy, without in any way heightening the figure's expressiveness. His human figures are never polished to waxy smoothness and artifice. Like humans, they would not be themselves without imperfections. The rough surfaces and cuts create a sense of life force hidden inside seemingly apathetic humans – evidence of the artist's love of and faith in humanity.

Balkenhol's work has been shown in numerous solo exhibitions around the world, including the Lehmbruck Museum (Duisburg, Germany), Museum Jorn (Silkeborg, Denmark), Landes Museum (Linz, Austria), Museum of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles, CA, USA), MKM Museum Küppersmühle für moderne Kunst (Duisburg, Germany), Museum of Grenoble (Grenoble, France) and Staatliche Kunsthalle (Baden-Baden, Germany).

## Artist's public installations

Balkenhol has also completed a significant number of public commissions in his career. Among them are the *“Big Head Column”* for the Peggy Guggenheim Collection (Venice, Italy), *“Big Man with a Little Man”* for Pariser Platz (Berlin, Germany), *“Man and Woman”* for Hamburg Central Library (Hamburg, Germany), *“Everyman”* for the Edinburgh City Council Offices (Edinburgh, Scotland) and *“Man with Tower Block”* (Toronto, Canada).

## Awards

## Public collections

1. "STEPHAN BALKENHOL". *Stiftung für Kunst und Kultur e.V*. Retrieved 2023-08-17.
2. Stonard, John-Paul (2000-10-12). *Balkenhol, Stephan*. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press.

## InfoBox

| Stephan Balkenhol | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
| Born | 1957<br>Fritzlar, Hesse, Germany |
| Nationality | German |
| Education | University of Fine Arts of Hamburg |
| Style | Figurative art |


title: Stella (Swedish magazine)

abstract: Stella was a Swedish science fiction magazine. The magazine was published from April 1886 to August 1888 as a supplement to the Swedish weekly Svenska Familj-Journalen Svea and published translations of short stories by the leading science fiction writers of its time. Though many works about science fiction refer to Stella, finding traces or copies of the magazine has proved difficult and some have concluded that Stella was a practical joke on the part of Swedish critic Sam J. Lundwall.

text:
# Stella (Swedish magazine)

***Stella*** was a Swedish science fiction magazine.

The magazine was published from April 1886 to August 1888 as a supplement to the Swedish weekly *Svenska Familj-Journalen Svea* and published translations of short stories by the leading science fiction writers of its time.

Though many works about science fiction refer to *Stella*, finding traces or copies of the magazine has proved difficult and some have concluded that *Stella* was a practical joke on the part of Swedish critic Sam J. Lundwall.


title: Stella (comedy group)

abstract: Stella is a comedy trio or comedy troupe consisting of Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black, and David Wain. The group formed in 1997 as a weekly nightclub comedy attraction, performing at New York City nightclub Fez from 1997 until the club's closing in February 2005. Stella soon gained a wider cult following after a series of self-produced shorts known as the Stella shorts were released in limited quantities on DVD beginning in 2002. The trio later created and starred in a Stella television series in 2005. Now known for their unique blend of potentially mainstream comedy and surrealist humor, Stella has garnered a small but dedicated fanbase.

text:
# Stella (comedy group)

**Stella** is a comedy trio or comedy troupe consisting of Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black, and David Wain. The group formed in 1997 as a weekly nightclub comedy attraction, performing at New York City nightclub Fez from 1997 until the club's closing in February 2005. Stella soon gained a wider cult following after a series of self-produced shorts known as the Stella shorts were released in limited quantities on DVD beginning in 2002. The trio later created and starred in a Stella television series in 2005. Now known for their unique blend of potentially mainstream comedy and surrealist humor, Stella has garnered a small but dedicated fanbase.

## Beginnings

Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black and David Wain met at New York University where they all participated in the school's improv comedy group, Sterile Yak. Other members of Sterile Yak include Thomas Lennon, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Robert Ben Garant, and Joe Lo Truglio (*Reno 911!*). Those members, along with Showalter, Black, and Wain, broke away to form their own comedy troupe, The New Group, which would go on to become the MTV series, *The State*. The members of Stella started doing comedy shows at a jazz club called Fez in downtown New York City. Stella performed weekly at Fez and were introduced by their house band called Mr. Blue.

## The name

After *The State* ended, Black, Showalter, and Wain decided to join together and form a stand-up comedy troupe. The group originally performed under the name Midnight Expressions. They changed the name to Stella when they got their first gig at the New York City nightclub, Fez, because the manager who hired them was pregnant at the time, and Stella was to be the name of her daughter. (www.davidwain.com), (The History of Stella)

## Short films

From 1998 to 2004 the troupe produced, wrote, and starred in 27 short films, originally intended for screenings at the group's live stage shows. They quickly became popular after being hosted on the internet through CollegeHumor and have since been distributed freely online by fans on video sharing websites such as YouTube and Dailymotion.

Some of the actors to guest star in the shorts include Sam Rockwell, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Julie Bowen, Zach Galifianakis, and Bradley Cooper, as well as several members of Stella's alma mater *The State*, such as Joe Lo Truglio.

On December 15, 2008, Stella premiered "Birthday", their first new short since 2004, on My Damn Channel, the website on which cast member David Wain had achieved much success with his show Wainy Days. Both Michael Ian Black, and Michael Showalter appeared in several episodes of Wainy Days. Michael Ian Black played a waiter in the episodes titled "A Woman's Touch," and "Walking Tour," and Michael Showalter played a character named "Landon" in the episode titled "Molly."

## Television

Before ever appearing on Comedy Central, Stella made a pilot to VH1 called Every Night. It was a late night talk show that included sketch comedy, improv, and material from the shortfilms. The show was not picked up by VH1.

Stella had two brief stints on Comedy Central, the first as a one-time *Comedy Central Presents* adaptation of their stage show in 2004.

In 2005, the network commissioned ten half-hour episodes from the group, as the television series *Stella*. The resulting episodes were a blend of jokes and vignettes from the Stella shorts combined with plenty of new material, with each episode having an actual plot or story arc holding it all together, a change of pace from the short films which would frequently derail themselves entirely from any semblance of a storyline and make little effort to resolve or arc. As well as starring in the series, the troupe wrote every episode, with Wain directing three. Comedy Central released the complete series on DVD in 2006 which included the complete half-hour *Comedy Central Presents* special, *The History of Stella,* and other supplemental features.

Additionally, Showalter and Black returned to Comedy Central in July 2009 in a new show entitled *Michael and Michael Have Issues*, which ran for 7 episodes before being cancelled in 2010.

Shout! Factory released a live DVD of the troupe in 2009 titled *Stella: Live In Boston*.

## Film

Though Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black and David Wain have yet to appear in a feature film as their Stella alter-egos, the three have frequently collaborated on a number of feature films, including:

* *Wet Hot American Summer* (2001) – Directed by Wain, co-written by Showalter and Wain, starring Showalter and Black
* *The Baxter* (2005) – Written, directed by and starring Showalter. Black and Wain both have supporting acting roles.
* *The Ten* (2007) – Directed by Wain, co-written by Wain and Ken Marino, starring Showalter, Black and Wain in supporting roles.
* *Role Models* (2008) – Directed by Wain, co-written by Wain and Marino, starring a wide variety of Stella contributors.
* *Wanderlust* (2012) – Directed by Wain, co-written by Wain and Ken Marino, starring Showalter, Black and Wain in supporting roles.
* *They Came Together* (2014) – Directed by Wain, written by Showalter, starring Black and Wain in supporting roles.

An exception to this is an outtake from *Wet Hot American Summer*, in which the trio can be seen in the background of a scene, wearing their Stella attire and humping the body of a downed turkey hunter played by Zak Orth as a reference to the first Stella short, "Turkey Hunting".

The three have also appeared in the movie *Reno 911!: Miami*. Showalter and Black appeared as tattoo artists, while Wain played a plumber.

The group filmed their December 11, 2008 performance in Boston at the Wilbur Theatre for Shout Factory's *Live In Boston* DVD.

## Comedic style

David Wain once said about Stella's comedy, "We try not to get too analytical or introspective about our material or what we're doing, we just try to continue to do the best, funniest material we can." (Boston Globe 2004) Critics have described Stella's television series as an "off the cuff Marx Brothers-meets-Monty Python." (Rolling Stone) The members of Stella would admit that their short lived T.V. series had to be toned down tremendously, so much so that their brand of comedy was initially an issue for producers at Comedy Central. Before Stella was given the green light on their television series, a producer asked David Wain if they can be funny without dildos. (History of Stella) A noted aspect of Stella's stand-up routine is when the members of Stella begin to argue with each other onstage. Michael Ian Black once referred to it as, "professional bickering," which some have compared to a "postmodern Smothers Brothers." (Boston Globe) Part of the reason why they do this is because it keeps the audience on their toes. Michael Showalter once said of their onstage bickering, "When people aren't sure if what they're watching is real or not, it kind of creates a tension. We have a certain amount of tension that's very ripe comedically." (Boston Globe)

## Frequent contributors

Stella is also known for casting actors they enjoy working with in many of their projects including:

* Elizabeth Banks (*Wet Hot American Summer* film and Netflix series, *The Baxter*, Stella shorts and TV series, *Wainy Days*, *Role Models*)
* Janeane Garofalo (*Wet Hot American Summer* film and series, *The Ten*, Stella shorts and TV series)
* Joe Lo Truglio (*The State*, *Wet Hot American Summer* and series, *The Baxter*, *The Ten*, *Wanderlust*, Stella shorts and TV series, *Wainy Days*, *Role Models*, *Childrens Hospital*)
* Ken Marino (*The State*, *Wet Hot American Summer*, *The Baxter*, *The Ten*, *Wanderlust*, Stella shorts and TV series, *Wainy Days*, *Role Models*, *Childrens Hospital*, *They Came Together*)
* A.D. Miles (*Wet Hot American Summer* and its prequel, *The Baxter*, *The Ten*, Stella shorts and TV Series, *Wainy Days*, *Role Models*, *Childrens Hospital )*
* Zak Orth (*Wet Hot American Summer* and its prequels, *The Baxter*, *The Ten*, Stella shorts and TV series, "Wainy Days", *They Came Together*)
* Andrea Rosen (*The Baxter*, *The Ten*, Stella TV series, *Wainy Days*)
* Paul Rudd (*Wet Hot American Summer*, *The Baxter*, *The Ten*, *Wanderlust*, Stella shorts and TV series, *The Michael Showalter Showalter*, *Wainy Days*)
* Nina Hellman (*Wet Hot American Summer*, *The Ten*, *Wanderlust*, Stella shorts and TV series, *Wainy Days*)
* Justin Theroux (*The Baxter*, *The Ten*, *Wanderlust*)
* Zach Galifianakis (Stella shorts and *The Michael Showalter Showalter*)
* Bradley Cooper (Stella shorts, *Wet Hot American Summer* and its prequel)

|  | *The State*
(1993-1995) | *Wet Hot American Summer*
(2001) | *Stella shorts
(1998-2002)* | *Stella*
(2005) | *The Baxter*
(2005) | *The Ten*
(2007) | *Wainy Days*
(2007-2012) | *The Michael Showalter Showalter*
(2007-2008) | *Role Models*
(2008) | *Childrens Hospital*
(2008-2016) | *Party Down*
(2009-2010) | *Michael and Michael Have Issues*
(2009) | *Wanderlust*
(2012) | *Burning Love*
(2012-2013) | *They Came Together*
(2014) | *Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp*
(2015) | *Another Period*
(2016) | *Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later*
(2017) | *Medical Police*
(2020) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| David Wain | Actor, writer, director, producer | Writer, director | Actor, writer, director | Actor, writer, director, producer | Actor | Actor, writer, director, producer | Actor, writer, director | Guest star | Actor, director, writer | Actor, director, writer | Director |  | Actor, director, writer | Actor | Actor, director, writer | Actor, director, writer, producer | Actor | Actor, director, writer, producer | Director, co-creator, producer |
| Michael Showalter | Actor, writer, director | Actor, writer | Actor, writer, director | Actor, writer, director, producer | Actor, writer, director | Actor | Actor | Host, writer |  | Actor, writer |  | Actor, writer, producer | Actor |  | Writer, producer | Actor, writer, producer |  | Actor, writer, producer |  |
| Michael Ian Black | Actor, writer, director | Actor, writer | Actor, writer, director | Actor, writer, director, producer | Actor | Actor | Actor, writer, director | Guest star |  |  |  | Actor, writer, producer | Actor | Actor | Actor | Actor | Actor | Actor |  |
| Elizabeth Banks |  | Actor | Actor | Actor | Actor |  | Actor |  | Actor |  |  |  |  |  |  | Actor |  | Actor |  |
| Paul Rudd |  | Actor | Actor | Actor | Actor | Actor, producer | Actor | Guest star | Actor, writer |  | Writer, producer |  | Actor, producer | Actor | Actor | Actor |  | Actor |  |
| Janeane Garofalo |  | Actor |  | Actor |  | Actor | Actor |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | Actor |  | Actor |  |
| Joe Lo Truglio | Various | Actor | Actor | Actor | Actor | Actor | Actor |  | Actor | Actor | Actor |  | Actor | Actor |  | Actor |  | Actor |  |
| Ken Marino | Various | Actor |  | Actor |  | Actor, writer, producer | Actor, writer, director |  | Actor, writer | Actor | Actor, director |  | Actor, writer, producer | Actor, writer, producer | Actor | Actor |  | Actor | Actor |
| A.D. Miles |  | Actor | Actor | Actor |  | Actor | Actor, writer, director |  | Actor | Actor | Actor |  |  |  |  | Actor |  | Actor |  |
| Zak Orth |  | Actor | Actor | Actor | Actor |  | Actor |  |  |  |  | Actor |  |  | Actor | Actor |  | Actor |  |
| Andrea Rosen |  |  | Actor | Actor | Actor | Actor |  |  |  |  |  | Actor |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Nina Hellman |  | Actor | Actor | Actor |  | Actor | Actor |  | Actor |  |  |  | Actor |  |  | Actor |  | Actor |  |
| Justin Theroux |  |  |  |  | Actor | Actor |  |  |  |  |  |  | Actor |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Zach Galifianakis |  |  | Actor |  |  |  |  | Guest star |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Bradley Cooper |  | Actor | Actor |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | Actor |  |  |  |
| Julie Bowen |  |  | Actor |  |  |  | Actor |  |  | Actor |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Thomas Lennon | Various |  |  |  |  |  | Actor |  |  | Actor | Actor |  |  | Actor |  |  | Actor |  |  |
| Kerri Kenney-Silver | Various | Actor |  |  |  | Actor | Actor |  | Actor | Actor | Actor |  | Actor | Actor |  | Actor |  |  |  |
| Rashida Jones |  |  |  | Actor |  | Actor, producer | Actor |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Christopher Meloni |  | Actor |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | Actor |  |  | Actor | Actor |  | Actor |  |
| Seth Herzog |  |  | Actor | Actor | Actor | Actor |  |  | Actor |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Peter Salett |  | Actor, soundtrack | Actor |  | Soundtrack | Actor, soundtrack |  |  | Actor, soundtrack |  |  |  | Actor |  |  | Actor |  |  |  |
| Michael Cera |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | Guest star |  | Actor |  |  |  |  |  | Actor |  |  | Actor |
| Jack McBrayer |  |  |  |  | Actor |  |  | Guest star |  | Actor |  |  |  |  | Actor |  |  |  |  |
| H. Jon Benjamin |  | Actor |  |  |  | Actor |  |  |  |  |  | Actor |  |  |  | Actor |  | Actor |  |
| Sam Rockwell |  |  | Actor | Actor |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Samantha Buck |  |  |  | Actor |  |  | Actor |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Megan Mullally |  |  |  |  |  |  | Actor |  |  | Actor | Actor |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Rob Corddry |  |  |  |  |  | Actor | Actor |  |  | Co-creator, actor | Actor |  |  | Actor |  |  |  |  | Co-creator, actor |
| Josh Charles |  |  |  | Actor |  |  | Actor |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | Actor |  | Actor |  |
| Jason Sudeikis |  |  |  |  |  | Actor | Actor |  |  | Actor |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Lake Bell |  |  |  |  |  |  | Actor |  |  | Actor |  |  |  |  |  | Actor |  | Actor | Actor |
| Rob Huebel |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | Actor | Actor | Actor |  | Actor |  | Actor |  | Actor | Actor |
| Mather Zickel |  |  |  | Actor |  | Actor | Actor |  |  | Actor | Actor |  | Actor | Actor |  |  |  |  |  |

1. Sean O'Neal (2008-01-29). "Michael Showalter". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 2008-02-01. Retrieved 2008-02-02.
2. "home page". Stella. 2008-02-01. Archived from the original on 2006-09-04. Retrieved 2006-09-09.

## InfoBox

| Stella | |
| --- | --- |
| Medium | * Television * Stand-up * Web series |
| Nationality | American |
| Years active | 1997-present (though possibly on hiatus) |
| Genres |  |
| Members | Michael Ian Black
Michael Showalter
David Wain |


title: Stella Meghie

abstract: Stella Meghie is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. She is known for her feature films Jean of the Joneses (2016), Everything, Everything (2017), The Weekend (2018), and The Photograph (2020). Meghie has also directed episodes for television series including Grown-ish, Insecure and First Wives Club. For her debut feature, Meghie was nominated for Best First Screenplay at the Independent Spirit Awards. She has also received nominations from the Canadian Screen Awards and NAACP Image Awards.

text:
# Stella Meghie

**Stella Meghie** is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. She is known for her feature films *Jean of the Joneses* (2016), *Everything, Everything* (2017)*, The Weekend* (2018), and *The Photograph* (2020). Meghie has also directed episodes for television series including *Grown-ish, Insecure* and *First Wives Club.*

For her debut feature, Meghie was nominated for Best First Screenplay at the Independent Spirit Awards. She has also received nominations from the Canadian Screen Awards and NAACP Image Awards.

## Early life

Meghie was born in Toronto, Ontario to Jamaican immigrant parents. She pursued a degree in writing at the University of Waterloo, before beginning a career as a public relations agent in New York City's fashion industry. In 2007, she quit her job to return to school and received a degree in screenwriting from the University of Westminster.

## Career

In 2016, Meghie made her feature film debut with the indie comedy-drama *Jean of the Joneses* which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival. The film received a nomination for Best First Screenplay at the Independent Spirit Awards and two Canadian Screen Award nominations at the 5th Canadian Screen Awards in 2017. Meghie was also nominated in the Best Original Screenplay category.

After her first picture, Meghie began work on studio features. She directed the romance film *Everything, Everything* (2017), an adaptation of *the New York Times* best selling novel *Everything, Everything.* The film starred Amandla Stenberg and Nick Robinson and was a commercial success, grossing $61 million worldwide on a production budget of $10 million.

Marking her return to indie features, Meghie's film *The Weekend* premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. The indie film was shot in just under two weeks from a script Meghie had written years prior.

In 2020, Meghie directed her fourth feature film, *The Photograph.* The film was inspired by Meghie's own grandmother who reconnected with a daughter she had not seen in almost thirty years. Starring Issa Rae and Lakeith Stanfield, the film received generally favourable reviews and grossed $20 million.

Meghie was slated to direct a Whitney Houston biopic for Sony Pictures titled *Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody* from a screenplay written by Anthony McCarten and with Naomi Ackie set to star as Houston. Kasi Lemmons ultimately took over directing duties though Meghie remained an executive producer.

Meghie is also set to executive-produce *The Princess and the Frog* spin-off series *Tiana*. She was also originally hired as writer and director, but was replaced in those capacities by Joyce Sherri by October 2023.

On February 22, 2023, it was announced that Meghie would direct multiple episodes of the Disney+ series *Wonder Man*, set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

## Filmography

### Feature films

| Year | Film | Credited as | | | | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| | | Director | Writer | Producer | Other | |
| 2016 | *Jean of the Joneses* | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |  |
| 2017 | *Everything, Everything* | Yes | No | No | No |  |
| 2018 | *The Weekend* | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |  |
| 2020 | *The Photograph* | Yes | Yes | No | No |  |
| 2021 | *Encanto* | No | No | No | Yes | Creative leadership |
| 2022 | *Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody* | No | No | Executive | No |  |
|

### Television

| Year | Title | Credited as | | Episode(s) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| | | Director | Producer | |
| 2018-2019 | *Grown-ish* | Yes | No | "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe", "Fake Love" |
| 2017 | *Insecure* | Yes | No | "Fresh-Like", "Lowkey Movin' On" |
| 2018 | *First Wives Club* | Yes | No | "The Glow Up" |
| 2025 | *Wonder Man* | Yes | No | Post-production |
| TBA | *Tiana* | No | Executive |  |

## InfoBox

| Stella Meghie | |
| --- | --- |
| Meghie in 2020 | |
| Born | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Alma mater |  |
| Occupation(s) | Director, writer, producer |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Known for | *Jean of the Joneses*, *The Weekend*, *The Photograph* |