Biel/Bienne
Old Town of Biel
Country Switzerland Canton Bern District Biel/Bienne 47°08′N 7°15′E / 47.133°N 7.25°E / 47.133; 7.25Coordinates: 47°08′N 7°15′E / 47.133°N 7.25°E / 47.133; 7.25
Population	51,203 (Dec 2010)[1]
- Density	2,415 /km2 (6,255 /sq mi)
Area	21.23 km2 (8.20 sq mi)[2]
Elevation	434 m (1,424 ft)
Postal code	2500-2510
SFOS number	0371
Mayor	Erich Fehr (as of 2011) SPS/PSS
Surrounded by	Brügg, Ipsach, Leubringen/Magglingen (Evilard/Macolin), Nidau, Orpund, Orvin, Pieterlen, Port, Safnern, Tüscherz-Alfermée, Vauffelin
Twin towns	Iserlohn (Germany)
Website	www.biel-bienne.ch SFSO statistics
Biel/Bienne
Location of Biel/Bienne

Biel/Bienne is a city in the district of the Biel/Bienne administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.

It is located on the language boundary and is throughout bilingual. Biel is the German name for the town, Bienne its French counterpart. The town is often referred to in both languages simultaneously. Since January 1, 2005, the official name has been "Biel/Bienne", unofficially also "Biel-Bienne". Until then, the city was officially named Biel (BE).^[3]

The city lies at the foot of the first mountain range of the Jura Mountains area, guarding the only practical connection to Jura in the area, on the northeastern shores of Lake Biel (Bielersee, Lac de Bienne), sharing the eastern tip of the lake with its sister city, Nidau, the administrative centre of the District of Nidau. Neuchâtel, Solothurn, and Bern (the capital of Switzerland) lie west, east and southeast of Biel/Bienne. They all can be reached in about 30 minutes, either by train or by car.

The city has about 50,000 inhabitants and the agglomeration near 100,000.

History[link]

Biel in 1642

The origin of the city has been traced to the times when Gaulish Helvetii settled in the region during the late La Tène period. After the Roman conquest, the region was part of Germania Superior. The toponym is derived from the name of Belenus, probably from a Roman era sanctuary of that deity at a sacred spring nearby.^{[citation needed]}

In the 5th century, the area was invaded by the Burgundians, and by the medieval period became part of Upper Burgundy. It was passed to the Bishopric of Basel in the formative period of the Holy Roman Empire. The township itself was built in the 11th century, and in 1275 it was chartered. The toponym is mentioned in 1142 as apud belnam, which is taken as evidence for its derivation from Belenus. In popular etymology, the name has been connected with the German name for axe (Bernese German bieli), reflected in the two crossed axes in the city's coat of arms.

Officially, Biel remained under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Basel throughout the 11th to 18th centuries. But in 1279, the town entered an alliance with Bern which was made permanent in 1352, as Bern itself joined the Old Swiss Confederacy. As a consequence, there have been a number of conflicts between the inhabitants of Biel and the Bishop of Basel during the late medieval and early modern period. Biel was considered an associate of the Swiss Confederacy during the 15th century, and after its participation in the Burgundy Wars even came to be recognized as a full member by 1494.

In 1798 Biel was annexed into the département du Mont-Terrible of the First French Republic. After the collapse of the French Empire, the Congress of Vienna in 1814 passed the territory to the canton of Bern.

On the occasion of the secession of the canton of Jura in 1978, Biel had been asked to become its capital, but it remained with the canton of Bern.

The town was officially named Biel until 2004, even though the bilingual Biel-Bienne was in common use. Since 2005, the official name has been Biel/Bienne, with forward slash.^[4]

At the beginning of the 20th century, the town's population was at 30,000 people. It doubled over the next 60 years, peaking at 65,000 in the mid 1960s. It declined gradually over the 1970s to 1990s, to below 49,000 in 2000, again rising slightly to just over 50,000 during the 2000s. Another 100,000 people live in the immediately surrounding urban agglomeration.

Geography[link]

Biel/Bienne has an area, as of 2009^[update], of 21.23 km² (8.20 sq mi). Of this area, 1.7 km² (0.66 sq mi) or 8.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while 9.63 km² (3.72 sq mi) or 45.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 9.65 km² (3.73 sq mi) or 45.5% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.13 km² (32 acres) or 0.6% is either rivers or lakes and 0.14 km² (35 acres) or 0.7% is unproductive land.^[5]

Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 5.1% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 21.9% and transportation infrastructure made up 12.6%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 1.7% of the area while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 4.1%. 44.8% of the total land area is heavily forested. Of the agricultural land, 4.7% is used for growing crops and 2.0% is pastures. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams.^[5]

Language[link]

Bilingual street signs

Most of the population (as of 2000^[update]) speaks German (55.4%), with French being second most common (28.1%) and Italian being third (6.0%).^[6] The city is officially bilingual (the biggest bilingual city in Switzerland). In addition some 150 nationalities are represented in Biel. In recent years the city has used its linguistic assets as an economic advantage, becoming the Swiss City of Communication. Several call centres have been created in or around Biel, in addition to the traditional businesses established in the city and surrounding area, which have always exported most of their production worldwide.

Demographics[link]

Biel/Bienne has a population (as of 31 December 2010) of 51,203.^[1] As of 2007^[update], 27.2% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the previous 10 years, the population decreased at a rate of -0.9%.

In the 2007 election, the most popular party was the SPS which received 32.2% of the vote, followed by the SVP (20.1%), the Green Party (18.9%) and the FDP (14.5%).

In 2000, the age distribution of the population was children and teenagers (0–19 years old) made up 18.8% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) made up 61.6% and the seniors (over 64 years old) 19.7%. In Biel, about 63.1% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule).^[6]

Tourism[link]

Biel/Bienne is the heart of the Swiss watch-making industry. Trademarks such as Festina, Candino, Perrelet, Leroy, Swatch, Omega, Rolex and many others are closely associated with the city of Biel, The Swatch Group has its worldwide headquarters in the tree lined "Seevorstadt", in the previous building of ASUAG.

The small but beautiful historic centre, with its gothic church (15th century), impressive guild halls and fountains decorated with flowers, entice one to stroll, while restaurants brimming with character wait to greet visitors on their terraces. Leaving the historic centre, the tree-lined "Seevorstadt" takes to the lake and its beautiful shoreline. On the way the visitors pass the Biel "Cultural Quarter" with the Neuhaus and Schwab Museums and the CentrePasquArt.

The Jura mountains are easily reached by funicular railway from Biel, with both the Biel/Bienne–Leubringen/Evilard funicular and the Biel/Bienne–Magglingen/Macolin funicular linking the city with the foothills. It takes just seven minutes to reach Magglingen (where the Federal Sports School is located) and from where numerous walking paths start in every direction. Magglingen, Leubringen, Prêles and the year round resort of Les Prés-d'Orvin offer sensational views of the Alps on a clear day. The highest viewpoint is Chasseral (1607 m a.s.l). The steep gorge of Taubenloch also offers a spectacular scenery.

The port of Biel is the starting point for scenic river and lake cruises, which can take the visitors to the city of Solothurn, St. Peter's Island and the Lakes Neuchâtel and Murten (Three-Lake-Tour). Do not forget to interrupt the lake cruise with a visit to one of the picturesque wine-growing villages to taste their fine products. The experience is at its best during the autumn harvest and when the wine festivals are held against a background of autumn colours. Other culinary specialties of the Biel region include perch and whitefish filets and the famous marc sausage.

Biel also makes the ideal starting point for cycling tours with a wide selection of routes to choose from: sporting cyclists can measure themselves against the Jura foothills or more, while day-trippers can opt for the routes along the waterfront, where restaurants and cafés are on hand to help top up energy reserves. For families a trip to the lakeside Seeland is a must, where kilometres of quiets paths lead through an area of cultivation. The "Vegetable Route" provides information panels along the way on the more than 60 varieties of vegetable cultivated in the area.

With the architecturally impressive Congress Centre, the city of Biel offers excellent facilities for major national and international congresses, meetings and seminars.

World heritage site[link]

It is home to one or more prehistoric pile-dwelling (or stilt house) settlements that are part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps UNESCO World Heritage Site.^[7]

Weather[link]

Business[link]

The city and its neighbourhood thrive on precision and micro mechanics, the conception and manufacture of highly-specialised, production-oriented machinery and tools. The products are exported worldwide, next to Swiss-made watches of the well known and reputed watch brands located in the city and its vicinity.

• Rolex have since the beginning established and run their movement and technical parts production centres in the city, also
• Swatch Group have their Group and several Brands headquarters, especially Omega SA and Swatch here, as well as
• The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH
• Glycine Watch manufacturing and administration.

Biel has an unemployment rate of 2.92%. As of 2005^[update], there were 138 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 20 businesses involved in this sector. 8869 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 471 businesses in this sector. 23688 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 2228 businesses in this sector.^[6]

Culture[link]

National Exposition in 2002

The newspapers Bieler Tagblatt and Journal du Jura as well as the only totally bilingual German/French newspaper Biel-Bienne with its large free distribution within the greater area, are published in Biel.

The domicile of the Theater Biel Solothurn is situated in the old town.

The city is also known for its annual International Chess Festival.

The city of Biel received the Wakker Prize in 2004.

Each June since 1959, Biel has hosted a 100 km Ultramarathon race, which is among the biggest races of its kind worldwide and forms a part of the European Ultramarathon Cup.

Sport[link]

• EHC Biel, the professional ice hockey team
• FC Biel-Bienne, the football club.

Notable people born in Biel/Bienne[link]

• Ernst Thomke (1939) - businessman
• Robert Walser (1878) - writer
• Andréa Zimmermann (1976) - mountaineer

Notable people residing in Biel/Bienne[link]

• Stefanie Vögele, WTA tennis player, currently ranked 97

Honoured Citizen[link]

• Nicolas G. Hayek, promoted to honourable citizenship in 2004, official ceremony held on February 19, 2005.^[9]

International relations[link]

Twin towns — Sister cities[link]

Biel/Bienne is twinned with:

• Iserlohn, Germany since 1959

Gallery[link]

• 

  Lake Biel

• 

  town's park

• 

  the river Suze

• 
• 

  Place du Ring

• 
• 
• 

  Magglingen funicular

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Biel/Bienne

• Official website of Biel/Bienne
• Tourism Biel Seeland
• Biel/Bienne in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
• Biel International Chess Festival
• Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH
• Chamber of economy Biel-Seeland

v t e Municipalities in the Biel/Bienne administrative district, Switzerland Aegerten Bellmund Biel/Bienne Brügg Ipsach Lengnau Evilard/Leubringen Ligerz Meinisberg Mörigen Nidau Orpund Pieterlen Port Safnern Scheuren Schwadernau Sutz-Lattrigen Twann-Tüscherz Canton of Bern Districts of Canton Bern Municipalities of the canton of Bern

Jessica Biel
Jessica Biel
Born	Jessica Claire Biel (1982-03-03) March 3, 1982 (age 30) Ely, Minnesota, United States
Occupation	Actress, model, singer
Years active	1996–present
Partner	Justin Timberlake (2007–present; engaged)

Jessica Claire Biel (born March 3, 1982)^[1] is an American actress, model, and singer. Biel is known for her television role as Mary Camden in the long-running family-drama series 7th Heaven.

Early life[link]

Jessica Claire Biel was born in Ely, Minnesota. Her mother, Kimberly (née Conroe), is a homemaker and spiritual healer. Her father, Jonathan Biel, worked for GE and was also an entrepreneur and business consultant.^[2][3][4] She is of German, French, English, and Choctaw ancestry^[5] and has a younger brother, Justin, born in 1985.^[6][7] Biel's family moved frequently during her childhood, living in Texas, Connecticut, and Woodstock, Illinois, before finally settling in Boulder, Colorado. While growing up, Biel played soccer^[8] and also trained as a gymnast.^[4] From 2000 to 2002, she attended Tufts University.^[9]

Early work[link]

Biel initially trained to be a vocalist. At age nine, she appeared in several musical productions in her hometown, playing lead roles in productions such as Annie, The Sound of Music, and Beauty and the Beast.^[10] Biel auditioned for the a cappella choir the Tufts Amalgamates, but was not accepted.^[9]

At twelve, Biel attended The International Modeling and Talent Association conference in Los Angeles where she was discovered and signed by a talent agency. She began modeling for print advertisements, and appeared in commercials for products such as Dulux Paint and Pringles.^[2]

Biel also played the character Regrettal, a lead role in a low-budget musical short titled It's a Digital World. At fourteen, after auditioning for several television pilots, Biel was cast as Mary Camden, the second oldest child in the family drama 7th Heaven.

Career[link]

1997–2002[link]

Biel on board the USS Abraham Lincoln on June 18, 2004

Biel landed her first feature film role as Peter Fonda's granddaughter in the critically acclaimed drama Ulee's Gold, released in 1997. Her performance earned her a Young Artist Award.^{[citation needed]} In spring 1998, during a break from filming 7th Heaven, she starred in I'll Be Home for Christmas, playing the love interest of Jonathan Taylor Thomas.^[10]

When she posed topless in the March 2000 issue of Gear magazine, Biel sparked considerable controversy, as she was still under 18 at the time of the shoot. Producers of 7th Heaven were outraged, and brought legal action against Gear.^[10] She later stated that she regrets the Gear shoot but considers it a learning experience.^[11]

In 2001, Biel played the love interest of Freddie Prinze, Jr. in the baseball-themed film Summer Catch. The next year, she starred as promiscuous college student Lara in the ensemble film The Rules of Attraction, an adaptation of the Bret Easton Ellis novel.

2003–2005[link]

Biel was cast in her first top-billing role in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.^[12] The film met with negative reviews but it was a commercial success, scoring the number-one spot in its opening week and going on to earn more than $80 million in the U.S.^[12][13] In 2003, Biel began work on the third installment of the Blade film series, Blade: Trinity. Almost immediately after finishing it in 2004, she headed to Australia to shoot the action-thriller Stealth.^[14]

Biel also made a cameo appearance in the 2004 film Cellular.

Biel was cast in the role of Ellen Kishmore in the romantic comedy Elizabethtown. She then played the title character in the indie film London.

2006–present[link]

Biel at the 2005 Stealth premiere

Biel's film career blossomed^{[citation needed]} when she played a turn-of-the-century duchess in the period piece The Illusionist, co-starring Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti.

Biel played an Iraq War veteran in the 2006 film Home of the Brave, a drama about soldiers struggling to readjust to society after facing the hardships of war.

In Next, Biel played alongside Nicolas Cage and Julianne Moore. She then played in the summer comedy, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, co-starring Adam Sandler and Kevin James.

In late 2007, Biel signed on to play a stripper in Powder Blue, alongside Forest Whitaker (who also produced the film), Ray Liotta and Patrick Swayze.

Biel with Josh Lucas on the Stealth set.

At the start of 2008, Biel shot Easy Virtue, an adaptation of the play by Noël Coward. Like the play, the film is set in the 1920s and Biel plays young widow Larita, who impulsively marries John Whittaker in France and must face her disapproving in-laws on returning to England. The film premiered in September 2008 at the Toronto International Film Festival.^[15] Critics praised Biel for her performance, with Todd McCarthy of Variety saying Biel "more than kept up" with veterans Kristin Scott Thomas and Colin Firth and praising her "sparkling" performance.^[16][17] The Hollywood Reporter described her performance as "an irresistible force of nature — a kind, witty, supremely intelligent and beautiful woman who ... is capable of rejoinders that thoroughly undercut her opponent's withering criticism."^[18] Biel also performed two songs on the film's soundtrack, "Mad About the Boy" and "When the Going Gets Tough".

In 2009, Biel lent her voice to the animated science fiction film Planet 51.

In April 2008, Biel began working on the political satire Nailed, with Jake Gyllenhaal. The film centers around a woman who accidentally gets a nail lodged in her head, then travels to Washington D.C. to fight for better health care.

Biel performed the role of "Sarah Brown" with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a fully staged concert production of Guys and Dolls during the 2009 season at the Hollywood Bowl.^[19][20] On the last night, she received a rousing standing ovation from 17,000 people.^[4] She subsequently landed a part in Lincoln Center Theater's two-week-long workshop of the musical version of the Pedro Almodóvar classic Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, along with Salma Hayek.^[4]

Personal life[link]

Relationships[link]

Biel began dating singer and actor Justin Timberlake in January 2007.^[21][22] After four years together, the couple announced their split in March 2011.^[23][24] However, by fall 2011 the couple appeared to have reunited, and in late December 2011, Timberlake proposed to Biel in the mountains of Jackson, Wyoming.^[25][26][27]

Charity work[link]

On July 18, 2006, Biel participated in a charity auction to raise medical funds for Colorado teen Molly Bloom, who was injured in a limousine accident.^[28] John Schiffner of Fergus Falls, Minnesota successfully bid $30,000 to have lunch with Biel. "I promise I'm a cheap date," Biel quipped. Biel and Schiffner lunched at The Palm restaurant in Denver, Colorado^[29] on August 18, 2006.^[30]

In early 2007, Jessica co-founded the Make the Difference Network^[31] with her father and another business partner, Kent McBride.

In 2010, Biel climbed to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro with members of the United Nation Foundation to raise awareness of the global water crisis.^[32] That same year, Biel's humanitarian and charity work (as well as her popularity with young people) earned her a nomination for a Do Something Award.^[33]

Honors[link]

Awards[link]

• 1998: Young Artist Award — Best Performance in a Feature Film – Supporting Young Actress in Ulee's Gold
• 2005: ShoWest Award Female Star of Tomorrow — 2005 ShoWest Convention
• 2007: Rising-Star Award — Palm Springs International Film Festival 2007 Gala Awards

[edit] Rankings

• Ranked No.99 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women In The World" (2002).
• Ranked No.98 on VH1's "100 Hottest Hotties".(2003)
• Esquire magazine named her the "Sexiest Woman Alive" in a 2005 six-part series, with each month revealing a different body part and clue to the woman's identity.^[2]
• Ranked No.1 in Stuff magazine's "100 Sexiest Women" (2007).^[34]
• Ranked as No.5 on Maxim's Hot 100 for 2007^[35] and No.11 on Maxim's Top 100 for 2009.^[36]
• Ranked No.7 by AskMen.com readers in the list "Top 99 Women 2008."^[10]
• Ranked No.4 by FHM US magazine in their 2009 list of "100 Sexiest Women".^[7]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jessica Biel

• Jessica Biel at the Internet Movie Database
• Jessica Biel at AllRovi
• Jessica Biel at People.com
• James Brady (February 15, 2005). "10th Season Pick-Up Earns "7th Heaven" A Place In Television History". Time Warner. http://www.timewarner.com/corp/newsroom/pr/0,20812,1028153,00.html. 

Conan O'Brien
O'Brien in 2006
Birth name	Conan Christopher O'Brien
Born	(1963-04-18) April 18, 1963 (age 49) Brookline, Massachusetts, United States[1]
Medium	Television
Nationality	American
Years active	1985–present
Genres	Improvisational comedy, sketch comedy, physical comedy, surreal humor, self-deprecation
Influences	Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Robert Smigel, Pee-Wee Herman
Spouse	Elizabeth Ann Powel (since 2002; 2 children)
Notable works and roles	The Simpsons (writer, producer, 1991–1993) Late Night with Conan O'Brien (host, 1993–2009) The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien (host, 2009–2010) Conan (host, 2010–present)
Signature
Emmy Awards
Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program 1989 Saturday Night Live 2007 Late Night with Conan O'Brien[2]

Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer and performer. Since November 2010 he has hosted Conan, a late-night talk show that airs on the American cable television station TBS.^[3][4]

O'Brien was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, and raised in an Irish Catholic family. He served as president of the Harvard Lampoon while attending Harvard University, and was a writer for the sketch comedy series Not Necessarily the News. After writing for several comedy shows in Los Angeles, he joined the writing staff of Saturday Night Live, and later of The Simpsons. He hosted Late Night with Conan O'Brien from 1993 to 2009, followed by seven months hosting The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, the only person to serve as the permanent host for both NBC programs.

Early life[link]

O'Brien was born in Brookline, Massachusetts (a suburb of Boston) to Thomas O'Brien, a physician, epidemiologist, and professor of medicine at Harvard,^[5][6][7] and Ruth O'Brien (née Reardon), an attorney and partner at the Boston firm Ropes & Gray.^[8] He is the third of six children. O'Brien's family is Irish Catholic and descends from pre-Civil War era immigrants.^[7] In a Late Night episode, O'Brien paid a visit to County Kerry, Ireland, where his ancestors originated.

O'Brien attended Brookline High School, where he served as the managing editor of the school newspaper.^[7] In his senior year, O'Brien won the National Council of Teachers of English writing contest with his short story, "To Bury the Living".^[9] After graduating as valedictorian in 1981, he entered Harvard University.^[10] At Harvard, O'Brien lived in Holworthy Hall during his freshman year^[11] and Mather House during his three upper-class years. He concentrated in history and literature and graduated magna cum laude^[12] in 1985.^[13] His senior thesis concerned the use of children as symbols in the works of William Faulkner and Flannery O'Connor.^[14] Throughout college, O'Brien was a writer for the Harvard Lampoon humor magazine. He also briefly served as the drummer in a band called "The Bad Clams".^[15] During his sophomore and junior years, he served as the Lampoon's president.^[16] At this time, O'Brien's future boss at NBC, Jeff Zucker, was serving as President of the rival The Harvard Crimson.^[17]

Career[link]

[edit] Saturday Night Live (1987–1991)

O'Brien in the offices of The Simpsons writers, 1992

O'Brien moved to Los Angeles after graduation to join the writing staff of HBO's Not Necessarily the News.^[18] He was also a writer on the short-lived The Wilton North Report.^[18] He spent two years with that show and performed regularly with improvisational groups, including The Groundlings. In January 1988, Saturday Night Live's executive producer, Lorne Michaels, hired O'Brien as a writer. During his three years on Saturday Night Live (SNL), he wrote such recurring sketches as "Mr. Short-Term Memory" and "The Girl Watchers"; the latter was first performed by Tom Hanks and Jon Lovitz.^[19] O'Brien also co-wrote the sketch, "Nude Beach", with Robert Smigel, in which the word "penis" was said or sung at least 42 times. While on a writers' strike from Saturday Night Live following the 1987–88 season, O'Brien put on an improvisational comedy revue in Chicago with fellow SNL writers Bob Odenkirk and Robert Smigel called Happy Happy Good Show.^[20][21] While living in Chicago, O'Brien briefly roomed with Jeff Garlin.^[22] In 1989, O'Brien and his fellow SNL writers received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy or Variety Series.

O'Brien, like many SNL writers, occasionally appeared as an extra in sketches; his most notable appearance was as a doorman in a sketch in which Tom Hanks was inducted into the SNL "Five-Timers Club" for hosting his fifth episode. O'Brien returned to host the show in 2001 during its 26th season. O'Brien and Robert Smigel wrote the television pilot for Lookwell starring Adam West, which aired on NBC in 1991. The pilot never went to series, but it became a cult hit. It was later screened at The Other Network, a festival of unaired TV pilots produced by Un-Cabaret; it featured an extended interview with O'Brien and was rerun in 2002 on the Trio network.

[edit] The Simpsons (1991–1993)

From 1991 to 1993, O'Brien was a writer and producer for The Simpsons^[19] and was credited as writer or co-writer of four episodes.^[23] Of all the episodes he wrote, he considers "Marge vs. the Monorail" to be his favorite.^[19] Along with this episode, he has sole writing credits on "New Kid on the Block," "Homer Goes to College," and "Treehouse of Horror IV," on which he wrote the episode wraparounds. He was an active producer during seasons 4 and 5 as well, meaning he would frequently contribute to scripts from those seasons as well as come up with story ideas, plot points, and jokes.^[24] The style of the show's comedy during this period was also influenced by his sensibilities, with "Marge vs. the Monorail" being cited by several former writers as the turning point in the show's history where more absurd and visual comedy became acceptable.^[25][26] He also developed a reputation as a "room guy," or a writer who performs comedy bits throughout the day to entertain other writers.^[25]