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Selwyn River

The Selwyn River (Waikirikiri, officially gazetted as Selwyn River / Waikirikiri) flows through the Selwyn District of Canterbury in the South Island of New Zealand.

Description
The river has its source in the Southern Alps and flows east for 80 km before emptying into Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora, south of Banks Peninsula. Terrace cliffs above the river's upper reaches gave the town of Whitecliffs its name.

For much of its course the river flows through wide shingle channels. In drought years, the river can disappear beneath this bed and seem to dry up completely. This frequently occurs where State Highway 1 crosses the river at the settlement of Selwyn, about 20 km upstream from its outflow into Lake Ellesmere.

In the foothills, the Selwyn flows year-round. On the plains, the riverbed is highly permeable, and the river overlays a deep and porous aquifer. As soon as the river reaches the plains, water begins leaking down through the bed and into the aquifer. In most months, all river-water disappears within 5 km of leaving the foothills. The next 35 km of the river remains dry for most of the year, apart from a small section around the confluence with the permanently flowing Hororata River. About 15 km upstream from Lake Ellesmere shallow groundwater rises back to the surface, and the Selwyn becomes permanent again.

Bridges
There are six bridges that cross the Selwyn River. These are at: Whitecliffs (Whitecliffs Road), Glentunnel (SH 77), Coalgate (Hororata Road), Hororata (Bealey Road), Selwyn (SH 1) and Irwell (Leeston Road). It is also possible to cross at Coes Ford when the river is not in flood. Chamberlains Ford is no longer a ford. The nearby Irwell bridge provides access to the other side of the river.

Ecology
Disappearing river flows have significant ecological effects: when the river’s surface water disappears, so does the habitat for many aquatic plants and animals. In response to loss of surface water, aquatic invertebrates and fish must disperse, seek refuge in remnant aquatic habitats, or die. Aquatic plants, algae, and bacteria must form resting stages or die. The dry central reaches of the Selwyn River also constitute a significant barrier for dispersal of invertebrates and for fish migrating between Lake Ellesmere and the headwaters.

Fishing
The Selwyn river was viewed historically as one of New Zealand’s best trout fisheries. In the 1960s a trout trap at Coes Ford was reported to count up to 14,000 returning spawning trout. In 2017, the numbers have declined to the stage that only dozens of trout could be counted when returning to spawn. The fish in the river have been described as low in number and the majority of the fish are quite small.

Pollution
The Canterbury Regional Council (ECan) has permitted intensive dairy farming around Selwyn and it has been suggested that this has led to a deterioration in the water quality of the Selwyn river. In May 2021, it was reported that Nitrate levels in the Selwyn River has increased by 50%.

It is no longer recommended that people go swimming in the Selwyn River. Coes Ford was once a well known swimming spot in Canterbury. The water at Coes Ford was reported to be in the worst 25% in New Zealand for total nitrate levels in 2020. The pollution at Coes Ford is thought to come from Silverstream creek, which used surrounded by many of the dairy farms in the area.

Chamberlain's Ford which crosses the Selwyn RIver had an algal bloom health warning issued in December 2020. There were benthic cyanobacteria found in the river. Algal Blooms of benthic cyanobacteria have also been reported at in the Selwyn river at Whitecliffs Domain and Whitecliffs Road in March 2021.

Greenpeace placed billboards in the Selwyn River to protest the degree of pollution in it in February 2020.

Naming
The Selwyn River and its gorge were named in 1849 by the chief surveyor of the Canterbury Association, Joseph Thomas, for Bishop Selwyn. The name was later adopted for the township, the district, and an electorate.

The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "gravelly stream" for Waikirikiri.

title: Selwyn River


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Ian Woods

Ian Woods
This article is associated with an unsuccessful candidate whose attempt is documented in the associated election results article. The article seems to be non-notable and was flagged for cleanup.

 * Keep. As a general rule, I'd suggest that anyone who campaigns the Canadian House of Commons is eligible for an entry on Wikipedia (and, besides which, Woods seems to have the potential for an interesting bio.)  This page needs a cleanup; it doesn't need to be deleted.  CJCurrie 00:20, 29 Sep 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep. I presume if this person had run for office on a Star Trek episode it would be fine to keep them. The Recycling Troll 04:47, 29 Sep 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. In this year's election, he received 145 votes (0.27%). Not remotely notable on those grounds. Average Earthman 10:11, 29 Sep 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. Agree with Average Earthman. --Improv 12:33, 29 Sep 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep it - this person was on the ballot in a real election. That's notable enough. Intrigue 19:45, 29 Sep 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep. Wiki is the only place you'll find this info. Kevintoronto 20:53, 29 Sep 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. I once ran for class president, can I have a page? Get real!! Not notable Awolf002 21:00, 29 Sep 2004 (UTC)
 * Ummm... I don't want to pass judgement on your school, but I feel pretty comfortable saying that the Canadian Parliament is more notable than your high school class. What's next? Are you going to put up a VfD for Canada?Kevintoronto
 * I knew somebody would read my comment that way! No, I'm saying that being on a ballot does not make you notable just by itself, you must be notable for other reasons, in my oppinion.Awolf002 18:07, 30 Sep 2004 (UTC)

 * keep running for the Canadian House of Commons is a bit more notable than running for class president. This guy has run before and will likely run again which means it'll be an empty link from a future election page if deleted. Add some more info (such as ridings run in).AndyL 23:00, 29 Sep 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete for reasons given for deleting other non notable losers of Canadian elections. Also a comment that a lot of the 'keeps' for these non-entities come from CJCurrie and people he's paged to get to support him. Jongarrettuk 23:10, 29 Sep 2004 (UTC)
 * Your second reason isn't sound. It's perfectly acceptable practice on wikipedia for editors to contact other editors and ask them to intervene in a discussion. That is one aspect of WIkipedia being a "community" rather than some sort of atomised environment. AndyL 00:27, 30 Sep 2004 (UTC)

 * The guy's notable beyond simply being a failed electoral candidate; he's the publisher and editor of a small but internationally recognized political magazine. I've added some context to the article, so I guess my vote is to keep. Bearcat 23:29, 29 Sep 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep for Bearcat's reasons, even though winning an election for class president is more notable than failing to win in a federal election. You don't need to be notable to fail at that. Anyone can get their name on the ballot. Jallan 00:57, 30 Sep 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. Mikkalai 04:56, 30 Sep 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete until they achieve something. GWO 18:26, 30 Sep 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep - you're just jealous u didnt get as far as ian woods did...get over it guitar 01
 * keep there are tons of articles just like this one. And this guy has ran on more than one occaison. If you run in more than one election, I say it warrants an article. Earl Andrew 21:10, 1 Oct 2004 (UTC)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


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Fred Craig

Fred Craig may refer to:

 * F. W. S. Craig (1929–1989), Scottish psephologist
 * Fred Craig, designer of the .22 TCM pistol cartridge
 * Fred Craig (footballer) (born 1893), Scottish football goalkeeper

title: Fred Craig


text:
Kingdom of Cochin

The Kingdom of Cochin, also known as the Kingdom of Kochi or later as Cochin State, named after its capital in the city of Kochi (Cochin), was an Indian Hindu kingdom in the central part of present-day Kerala state. It commenced at the early part of the 12th century and continued to rule until its accession to the Dominion of India in 1949.

Historically, the capital of Cochin was in Kodungallur (Cranganore), but in 1341, the capital was moved to Cochin to remedy a disastrous flood. By the early 15th century, Cochin lost its ability to fully defend itself. By the late 15th century, the kingdom had shrunk to its minimal extent as a result of invasions by the Zamorin of Calicut.

When Portuguese armadas arrived in India, the Kingdom of Cochin had lost its vassals to the Zamorins, including Edapalli and Cranganore, the later of which had even been at the centre of the kingdom historically. Cochin was looking for an opportunity to preserve its independence, which was at risk. King Unni Goda Varma warmly welcomed Pedro Álvares Cabral on 24 December 1500 and negotiated a treaty of alliance between Portugal and the Cochin kingdom, directed against the Zamorin of Calicut. A number of forts were built in the area and controlled by the Portuguese East Indies, the most important of which was Fort Manuel. Cochin became a long-term Portuguese protectorate (1503–1663) providing assistance against native and foreign powers in India. After the Luso-Dutch War, the Dutch East India Company (1663–1795) was an ally of Cochin. That was followed by the British East India Company (1795–1858, confirmed on 6 May 1809) after the Anglo-Dutch War, with British paramountcy over the Cochin state.

The Kingdom of Travancore merged with the Kingdom of Cochin to form the state of Travancore-Cochin in 1950. The five Tamil-majority taluks of Vilavancode, Kalkulam, Thovalai, Agastheeswaram, and Sengottai were transferred from Travancore-Cochin to Madras State in 1956. The Malayalam-speaking regions of Travancore-Cochin merged with the Malabar District (excluding Laccadive and Minicoy Islands) and the Kasaragod taluk of South Canara district in Madras State to form the modern Malayalam-state of Kerala on 1 November 1956, according to the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 of the Government of India.

The Kingdom of Cochin, originally known as Perumpadappu Swarupam, was under the rule of the Later Cheras in the Middle Ages. After the fall of the Mahodayapuram Cheras in the 12th century, along with numerous other provinces Perumpadappu Swarupam became a free political entity. However, it was only after the arrival of Portuguese on the Malabar Coast that the Perumpadappu Swarupam acquires any political importance. Perumpadappu rulers had family relationships with the Nambudiri rulers of Edappally. After the transfer of Kochi and Vypin from the Edappally rulers to the Perumpadappu rulers, the latter came to be known as kings of Kochi.

Territories

During 1800 to 1947, the Kingdom of Cochin included much of modern-day Thrissur district excluding Chavakkad taluk, a few areas of Alathur taluk and the whole of Chittur taluk of the Palakkad district and Kochi taluk (excluding Fort Kochi), most of Kanayannur taluk (excluding Edappally), parts of Aluva taluk (Karukutty, Angamaly, Kalady, Chowwara, Kanjoor, Sreemoolanagaram, Malayattoor, Manjapra), parts of Kunnathunad taluk and parts of Paravur Taluk (Chendamangalam) of the Ernakulam district which are now the part of Kerala.

Origin
There is no extant written evidence about the emergence of the Kingdom of Cochin or of the Cochin royal family, also known as Perumpadapu Swaroopam. All that is recorded are folk tales and stories, and a somewhat blurred historical picture about the origins of the ruling dynasty.

The surviving manuscripts, such as Keralolpathi, Keralamahatmyam, and Perumpadapu Grandavari, are collections of myths and legends that are less than reliable as conventional historical sources.

The Perumpadapu Grandavari contains an additional account of the dynastic origins: "The last Thavazhi of Perumpadapu Swaroopam came into existence on the Kaliyuga day shodashangamsurajyam. Cheraman Perumal divided the land in half, 17 'amsa' north of Neelaeswaram and 17 amsa south, totaling 34 amsa, and gave his powers to his nephews and sons. Thirty-four kingdoms between Kanyakumari and Gokarna (now in Karnataka) were given to the 'thampuran' who was the daughter of the last niece of Cheraman Perumal."

Keralolpathi recorded the division of his kingdom in 345 Common Era, Perumpadapu Grandavari in 385 Common Era, William Logan in 825 Common Era. There are no written records on these earlier divisions of Kerala, but according to some historians the division might have occurred during the Second Chera Kingdom at the beginning of the 12th century.

Early history
The original headquarters of the kingdom was at Perumpadappu near Ponnani in present-day Malappuram district. The ruler of Perumpadappu (near Ponnani) fled to Kodungallur (Cranganore) in the early medieval period, when the Zamorin of Calicut annexed Ponnani region, after Tirunavaya war.

Calicut (Porlathiri kingdom) was conquered by Zamorin of Eranad, who then conquered parts of Perumpadappu kingdom, and tried to assert his suzerainty over it.

Although losing their northern homeland and original capital, the Perumpadappu dynasty maintained a kingdom over a vast area in central Kerala (still formally referred to as "Perumpadappu Swaroopam"). Their state stretched from Pukkaitha in the north, Aanamala in the east, to Purakkad in the south.

Royal dynasty and succession
The Perumpadappu dynasty eventually produced five branches (Mutts, Elaya, Pallurutti, Madattumkil and Chaliyur), each with its own family seat, retainers and military of Nairs. But the five branches (tavali) came together under a common ruling king (raja), which was the oldest male member of all five branches together.

The Perumpadappu (and future Cochin) royal dynasty followed matriarchal rules of succession common in Kerala (similar to Travancore). Succession went via the female line – that is, not to the king's sons, but to his uterine brothers and then to his sisters' sons (i.e. nephews). In theory, the successor should be the next oldest in age among potential candidates. This was later relaxed, and in practice kingship became elective, to ensure the successor was not too old or incompetent. The overlooked true elder was compensated with symbolic or ceremonial dignities (notably the religiously significant title Muppustanam). Retirement was also forced – it was customary and expected for a king to retire upon reaching a certain old age or military inability, withdrawing to take up a religious life. Power was passed over to his successor, or to a regent until the successor came of age.

Succession often led to quarrels among the five branches. The Zamorin of Calicut exploited these family quarrels, sometimes in the role of arbitrator, allowing him to increase his influence in the southern kingdom.

Transition to Cochin
The future city of Cochin was originally just a small village along a long embankment. Violent floods and overflows of the Periyar River in 1341 forced the opening of the outlet between the Vembanad lagoon and the Arabian Sea at the juncture where Cochin now sits, separating the long Cochinese peninsula (karapuram) from what is now Vypin island.

As the waterways connecting Cranganore to the sea were silting up, commercial traffic began re-directing away from Cranganore to the new break at Cochin, and merchant families began to relocate and set up warehouses and eventually homes there. The once-great old port city of Kodungallur (Cranganore) declined as the new port-city of Kochi (Cochin) rose in wealth and importance. The urban center of the early city developed on relatively high ground in the village of Mattancherry (now a district in Kochi city, once called "Cochim de Cima").

The original owners of the territory of what later became Cochin city was the Ellangallur royal family of the Rajas of Edapalli (Repelim) (on the east side of the lagoon). Drawn from the Brahmin class, the Edapalli royal family followed different rules of succession. In the early 1400s, the king of Edapalli had married a sister of the Elaya branch of Perumpadappu, and so their son was doubly royal heir to two houses – via father to Edapalli, via mother to Perumpadappu. But he was apparently not first in the line of succession to Perumpadappu.

In the early 1400s, the King of Edapalli granted part of his lands, specifically southern Vypin island and northern part of Karapuram peninsula around the new break, as an appanage fief for his prince son. It was originally not supposed to be a permanent cession, but rather to serve as a training ground, to allow the heir to cultivate his governing skills. Upon succession to his father, he was expected to move across the lagoon to Edapalli, and cede Cochin as a seat to the next heir. As the ruler was always a prince in training, he was addressed as "Kocchu Thampuran" (meaning 'junior lord' or 'junior king'), thus the fief became known as "Kochi/Cochin" after him. So the original "kingdom of Cochin" (Kochi rajyam) started off as a small Edapalli offshoot, distinct and separate from the much larger Perumpadappu state.

The growing wealth of Cochin gave the junior prince in Cochin power and ascendancy, eventually enabling him to assert himself as king over senior relatives from other branches of the Perumpadappu dynasty, as well as allowing him to detach Cochin from Edapalli, and chart his own separate course.

As a result of this transition, the large "Kingdom of Perumpadappu" (Perumpadappu Swaroopam) came to be referred to as the "Kingdom of Cochin", and the capital of the kingdom shifted from Kodungallur to Vypin in present-day Kochi. During the new kingdom, rules were changed to confine succession within the Elaya branch of Cochin, rather across all branches of Perumpadappu (much to the chagrin of the branches).

Ming dynasty alliance (1411–1433)
The port at Kozhikode, also known as Calicut, held superior economic and political position on the medieval Kerala coast, while Kannur, Kollam, and Kochi, were commercially important secondary ports, where the traders from various parts of the world would gather. On the Malabar coast during the early 15th century, Calicut and Cochin were in an intense rivalry, so the Ming dynasty of China decided to intervene by granting special status to Cochin and its ruler, known as Keyili (可亦里) to the Chinese. Calicut had been the dominant port-city in the region, but Cochin was emerging as its main rival. For the fifth Ming treasure voyage, Admiral Zheng He was instructed to confer a seal upon Keyili of Cochin and designate a mountain in his kingdom as the Zhenguo Zhi Shan (鎮國之山, Mountain Which Protects the Country). Zheng He delivered a stone tablet, inscribed with a proclamation composed by the Yongle Emperor himself, to Cochin. As long as Cochin remained under the protection of Ming China, the Zamorin of Calicut was unable to invade Cochin and a military conflict was averted. The cessation of the Ming treasure voyages consequently had negative results for Cochin, as the Zamorin of Calicut later launched an invasion against Cochin. In the late 15th century, the Zamorin occupied Cochin and installed his representative as the king.

Vassal of Calicut
The conflict between the upstart king of Cochin and his relatives of Perumpadappu branches (eager to recover their role) and Edapalli (eager to recover its land), drew in the interference of the Zamorin of Calicut, who attacked Cochin in the name of justice for the relatives. The Zamorin's armies were eventually successful and imposed a settlement, which confined the king of Cochin to his domains, and extracted an oath of vassalage to Calicut. The kingdom of Cochin was required to obtain the Zamorin's consent during succession, and obliged to provide annual tribute and troops to the Zamorin's campaigns.

This was roughly the situation when the Portuguese arrived in 1500. The kingdom of Cochin was half-in-vassalage, half-at-war with the Zamorin of Calicut. The king of Cochin, Unni Goda Varda (referred to as "Trimumpara Raja" in Portuguese chronicles) was grating at the settlement. He perceived an alliance with Portuguese arms as way to overthrow the Zamorin's power, recover Cochin's independence and impose his ascendancy over his relatives.

Portuguese alliance (1500–1663)

The Portuguese arrived at Kappad, Kozhikode in 1498 during the Age of Discovery, thus opening a direct sea route from Europe to India. Cochin was the scene of the first European settlement in India. In the year 1500, the Portuguese Admiral Pedro Álvares Cabral landed at Cochin after being repelled from Calicut. The Raja of Cochin welcomed the Portuguese and a treaty of friendship was signed. The raja allowed them to build a factory at Cochin (and upon Cabral's departure Cochin allowed thirty Portuguese and four Franciscan friars to stay in the kingdom). Assured by the offer of support, the raja declared war on his enemy, the Zamorins of Calicut.

In 1502, a new expedition under the command of Vasco da Gama arrived at Cochin, and the friendship was renewed. Vasco da Gama later bombarded Calicut and destroyed the Arab factories there. This enraged the Zamorin, the ruler of Calicut, and he attacked Cochin after the departure of Vasco da Gama and destroyed the Portuguese factory. The raja of Cochin and his Portuguese allies were forced to withdraw to Vypin Island. However, the arrival of a small reinforcement Portuguese fleet and, some days later of Duarte Pacheco Pereira and the oncoming monsoons alarmed the Zamorin. Calicut recalled the army and abandoned the siege.

After securing the throne for the Raja of Cochin, the Portuguese got permission to build a fort – Fort Emmanuel (at Fort Kochi, named after the king of Portugal) – surrounding the Portuguese factory, in order to protect it from any further attacks from Calicut and on 27 September 1503 the foundations of a timber fort, the first fort erected by the Portuguese in India, were laid. The entire work of construction was commissioned by the local raja, who supplied workers and material. In 1505, the stone fortress replaced the wooden fort. Later, for a better defence of the town, a fort called "Castelo de Cima" was built on Vypeen Island. At the departure of the Portuguese fleet, only Duarte Pacheco Pereira and a small fleet were left in Cochin. Meanwhile, the Zamorin of Calicut formed a massive force and attacked them. For five months, Cochin kingdom was able to drive back Calicut's assaults, with the help of Pacheco Pereira and his men.

The ruler of the Kingdom of Tanur, who was a vassal to the Zamorin of Calicut, sided with the Portuguese against his overlord at Kozhikode. As a result, the Kingdom of Tanur (Vettathunadu) became one of the earliest Portuguese colonies in India. The ruler of Tanur also sided with Cochin. Many of the members of the royal family of Cochin in 16th and 17th centuries were selected from Vettom. However, the Tanur forces under the king fought for the Zamorin of Calicut in the Battle of Cochin (1504). However, the allegiance of the Muslim Mappila merchants in Tanur region stayed with the Zamorin of Calicut.

The raja of Cochin continued to rule with the help of the Portuguese. Meanwhile, the Portuguese secretly tried to enter into an alliance with the Zamorin. A few later attempts by the Zamorin to conquer the Cochin port were thwarted by the raja of Cochin with the help of the Portuguese. Slowly, the Portuguese armoury at Cochin was increased, presumably to help the king protect Cochin. And for a long a time, right after Goa, Cochin situated in the center of East Indies, was the best place Portugal had in India. From there the Portuguese exported large volumes of spices, particularly pepper.

In 1530, Saint Francis Xavier arrived and founded a Latin Christian mission. Cochin hosted the grave of Vasco da Gama, the Portuguese viceroy, who was buried at St. Francis Church until his remains were returned to Portugal in 1539. Soon after the time of Afonso de Albuquerque, Portuguese influence in Kerala declined.

Dutch alliance (1663–1766)

Portuguese alliance was followed by that of the Dutch, who had by then conquered Quilon after various encounters with the Portuguese and their allies. Discontented members of the Cochin Royal family called on the assistance of the Dutch for help in overthrowing the Cochin Raja. The Dutch successfully landed at Njarakal and went on to capture the fort at Pallippuram, which they handed over to the Zamorin.

Mysorean invasion (1766–1799)
Mysorian ruler Hyder Ali conquered Cochin. After his conquest of Bednur reached Ali Rajah of Cannanore in 1763, he promptly asked Ali to invade Kerala and help him deal with the Zamorin of Calicut. The Muslim chieftain of Cannanore, an old rival of the neighbouring powerful Kolathiri, was an active ally of Mysore under the occupation.

Ali Raja seized and set fire to the palace of Kolathiri Raja. The latter escaped with his followers to the then-British settlement at Tellicherry. After the victory, Ali entered the Kingdom of Kottayam in present-day North Malabar and occupied it, with assistance from native Muslims, after some resistance by the Kottayam army.

After taking Calicut in a bloody battle, Ali, with a large amount of money, marched south-east towards Coimbatore through Palghat. Mysore appointed Raja as military governor and Madonna (a former revenue officer) as civil governor of the newly acquired province of Malabar.

British princely state (1814–1947)

In 1814, according to the Anglo-Dutch Treaty, the islands of Kochi, including Fort Kochi and its territory, were ceded to the United Kingdom in exchange for the island of Banca. Even prior to the signing of the treaty, there is evidence of English residents in Kochi. During the British Raj, the Princely State of Cochin was surrounded by British Malabar District to three sides (i.e., To north, west, and east), and by Travancore to the south. Towards the early 20th century, trade at the port had increased substantially and the king wanted to develop the port even further. The king brought a harbour engineer Robert Bristow to Cochin in 1920, with the help of Lord Willingdon, then Governor of Madras. Over a span of 21 years he helped the king of Cochin to transform Cochin into the safest harbour in south Asia, where ships berthed alongside the newly reclaimed inner harbour, which was equipped with a long array of steam cranes.

Meanwhile, Fort Cochin, which was a part of Malabar District until 1956, was made a municipality on 1 November 1866, along with Kannur, Thalassery, Kozhikode, and Palakkad, according to the Madras Act 10 of 1865 (Amendment of the Improvements in Towns act 1850) of the British Indian Empire, and its first Municipal Council election with a board of 18 members was conducted in 1883. The Maharajah of Cochin initiated local administration in 1896 by forming town councils in Mattancherry and Ernakulam. In 1925, a Kochi legislative assembly was also constituted to help the public participate in the administration. The assembly consisted of 45 members, 10 were officially nominated. Thottakkattu Madhaviamma was the first woman to be a member of any legislature in India.

Cochin was the first princely state to willingly join the new Dominion of India in 1947. India became a republic on 26 January 1950. Travancore merged with Cochin to create Travancore-Cochin, which was in turn unified with the Malabar district of Madras Presidency. Kasaragod was merged into it and Kanyakumari was removed from it. On 1 November 1956, the Indian state of Kerala was formed.

Administration
For administrative purposes, Cochin was divided into seven taluks.(from 1860 to 1905 AD) Chittur, Cochin, Cranganore, Kanayannur, Mukundapuram, Trichur and Talapilly.

Capitals
The capital of Perumpadapu Swaroopam was located at Chitrakooda in the Perumpadapu village of Vanneri from the beginning of the 12th century to the end of the 13th century. Even though the capital of Perumpadapu Swaroopam was in Vanneri, the Perumpadapu king had a palace in Mahodayapuram.

When the Zamorins attacked Vanneri in the later part of the 13th century, Perumpadapu Swaroopam shifted their capital from Vanneri to Mahodayapuram. In 1405, Perumpadapu Swaroopam changed their capital from Mahodayapuram to Cochin. By the end of the 14th century the Zamorin conquered Thrikkanamathilakam and it became a threat for Mahodayapuram (Thiruvanchikulam), which may be the reason that Perumpadapu Swaroopam changed their capital to Cochin from Mahodayapuram. Moreover, in the year 1341 a flood created an island, Puthuvippu (Vypin), and Cochin became a noted natural harbour for the Indian Ocean trade. The old Kodungallore (Cranganore) port lost its importance, which may also be a cause for the shift of the capital. From there on Perumpadapu Swaroopam used the name Cochin Royal Family.

Finally, the arrival of the Portuguese on the Indian subcontinent in the sixteenth century likely influenced Cochin politics. The Kingdom of Cochin was among the first Indian nations to sign a formal treaty with a European power, negotiating trade terms with Pedro Álvares Cabral in 1500.

The palace at Kalvathhi was originally the residence of the kings. In 1555, though, the royal palace moved to Mattancherry, and later relocated to Thrissur. At that time Penvazithampuran (Female Thampuran) and the other Kochuthampurans (other Thampurans except the Valliathampuran (King)) stayed at a palace in Vellarapilly.

In the beginning of the 18th century Thripunithura started gaining prominence. The kingdom was ruled from Thrissur, Cochin and Thripunithura. Around 1755 Penvazithampuran (Female Thampuran) and the other Kochuthampurans (other Thampurans) left Vellarapalli and started to live in Thripunithura. Thus Thripunithura became the capital of the Cochin Royal Family.

List of Maharajas of Cochin
Veerakerala Varma, nephew of Cheraman Perumal, is the person traditionally believed to be the first Maharaja of Cochin. The written records of the dynasty, however, date from 1503 CE. The Maharaja of Cochin was also called Gangadhara Kovil Adhikaarikal, meaning Head of all Temples.

As a Portuguese ally

 * 1) Unniraman Koyikal II (1503 to 1537)
 * 2) Veera Kerala Varma I (1537–1565)
 * 3) Keshava Rama Varma (1565–1601)
 * 4) Veera Kerala Varma II (1601–1615)
 * 5) Ravi Varma I (1615–1624)
 * 6) Veera Kerala Varma III (1624–1637)
 * 7) Goda Varma I (1637–1645)
 * 8) Veerarayira Varma (1645–1646)
 * 9) Veera Kerala Varma IV (1646–1650)
 * 10) Rama Varma I (1650–1656)
 * 11) Rani Gangadharalakshmi (1656–1658, regency )
 * 12) Rama Varma II (1658–1662)
 * 13) Goda Varma II (1662–1663)

As a Dutch ally

 * 1) Veera Kerala Varma V (1663–1687)
 * 2) Rama Varma III (1687–1693)
 * 3) Ravi Varma II (1693–1697)
 * 4) Rama Varma IV (1697–1701)
 * 5) Rama Varma V (1701–1721)
 * 6) Ravi Varma III (1721–1731)
 * 7) Rama Varma VI (1731–1746)
 * 8) Kerala Varma I (1746–1749)
 * 9) Rama Varma VII (1749–1760)
 * 10) Kerala Varma II (1760–1775)
 * 11) Rama Varma VIII (1775–1790)
 * 12) Rama Varma IX (Shaktan Thampuran) (1790–1805)

As a British princely state

 * 1) Rama Varma X (1805–1809) – Vellarapalli-yil Theepetta Thampuran (King who died in "Vellarapali")
 * 2) Kerala Varma III (Veera Kerala Varma) (1809–1828) – Karkidaka Maasathil Theepetta Thampuran (King who died in "karkidaka" month(ME))
 * 3) Rama Varma XI (1828–1837) – Thulam-Maasathil Theepetta Thampuran (King who died in "Thulam" month (ME))
 * 4) Rama Varma XII (1837–1844) – Edava-Maasathil Theepetta Thampuran (King who died in "Edavam" month (ME))
 * 5) Rama Varma XIII (1844–1851) – Thrishur-il Theepetta Thampuran (King who died in "Thrishivaperoor" or Thrishur)
 * 6) Kerala Varma IV (Veera Kerala Varma) (1851–1853) – Kashi-yil Theepetta Thampuran (King who died in "Kashi" or Varanasi)
 * 7) Ravi Varma IV (1853–1864) – Makara Maasathil Theepetta Thampuran (King who died in "Makaram" month (ME))
 * 8) Rama Varma XIV (1864–1888) – Mithuna Maasathil Theepetta Thampuran (King who died in "Mithunam" month (ME))
 * 9) Kerala Varma V (1888–1895) – Chingam Maasathil Theepetta Thampuran (King who died in "Chingam" month (ME))
 * 10) Rama Varma XV (Sir Sri Rama Varma) (1895–1914) – aka Rajarshi, Abdicated Highness (died in 1932)
 * 11) Rama Varma XVI (1914–1932) – Madrasil Theepetta Thampuran (King who died in Madras or Chennai)
 * 12) Rama Varma XVII (1932–1941) – Dhaarmika Chakravarthi (King of Dharma), Chowara-yil Theepetta Thampuran (King who died in "Chowara")
 * 13) Kerala Varma VI (1941–1943) – Midukkan Thampuran
 * 14) Ravi Varma V (Ravi Varma Kunjappan Thampuran) (1943–1946) – Kunjappan Thampuran (Brother of Midukkan Thampuran)
 * 15) Kerala Varma VII (1946–1948) – Aikya Keralam Thampuran (The King who unified Kerala)
 * 16) Rama Varma XVIII (1948–1964) was known by the name of Parikshith Thampuran. He was the last official ruler of the princely state of Cochin. He had signed, in 1949, the accession agreement to Indian Union. The integration was completed in another year.

Post-independence (Titular only)

 * 1) Rama Varma XVIII (1948–1964) was known by the name of Parikshith Thampuran.
 * 2) Rama Varma XIX (1964–1975) – Lalan Thampuran – stripped of official recognition in 1971 under the 26th Amendment by Indira Gandhi's Government.
 * 3) Rama Varma XX (1975–2004) – Anyian Kochunni Thampuran
 * 4) Kerala Varma VIII (2004–2011) – Kochunni Thampuran
 * 5) Rama Varma XXI (2011–2014) – Kochaniyan Thampuran
 * 6) Ravi Varma VI (2014–2020) – Kochaniyan Thampuran
 * 7) Ravi Varma VII (2020–present) – Mrinalini Thampuran

Chiefs of Cochin
The Paliath Achan of the Paliam family of Chendamangalam, played an important part in the politics of Cochin State since the early seventeenth century, and held hereditary rights to the ministership of Cochin. The Paliath Achan was the most powerful person after the king, and he sometimes exerted more power than the king. The Paliyam swaroopam, was second to the Perumpadappu swaroopam in terms of power but much larger in terms of wealth and land owned.

Other powerful lords around these areas were Cheranellore Karthavu who was the head of the Anchi Kaimals, Muriyanatt (Mukundapuram-Nadavarambu) Nambiar who was the head of Arunattil Prabhus, Kodassery Kartha Mappranam Prabhu-Vellose Nair, Changaramponnath Kartha, Chengazhi Nambiar (Chengazhinad Naduvazhi), and Edappali Nampiyathiri.

KP Padmanabha Menon in his History of Kerala, Vol 2 mentions the Anji Kaimals whose Chief was the Cheranellur Kartha as owning all of Eranakulam. In fact, Eranakulam is known as Anji Kaimal in the early maps of Kerala. See Dutch in Malabar (Dutch Records No 13), 1910 shows a map from Common Era1740 that shows the area of AnjiKaimal as almost twice as large as the Cochin State. The other chiefs he mentions quoting Gollennesse (Dutch East India Company) is the 1) Moorianatt Nambiar 2) Paliath Achan (mentioned above), 3)Codacherry (Kotasseri) Kaimal, 4) Caimalieone (female Kaimal) of Corretty, 5) Changera Codda Kaimal, and 6) Panamoocattu Kaimal (Panambakadu Kaimal). The last four Kaimals are known as the Kaimals of Nandietter Nadu. The Kaimals of Nandietter Nadu had Nayar troops of 43,000 according to Heer Van Reede of the Dutch East India Company from 1694.

Matrilineal inheritance
The Cochin royal family followed the system of matrilineal succession known as Marumakkatayam. Traditionally the female members of the family marry (Sambandham) with Namboodiri Brahmins while male members marry women of the Nair/Menon class. These wives of the male members are not Ranis or Queens as per the matrilineal system but instead get the title of Nethyar Amma.

Traditional rituals
The term "Shodasakriyakal" refers to sixteen rites to be performed by all members, as structured through "Smruthi".

 * 1) Sekom (Garbhaadhaanam): A rite to be performed just before the first sexual intercourse after marriage.
 * 2) Pumsavanom: To be performed just after conception.
 * 3) Seemantham: Performed after Pumsavanom.
 * 4) Jathakarmam: Performed just after birth.
 * 5) Naamakaranam: Naming ceremony of the child.
 * 6) (Upa)nishkramanam (Vaathilpurappadu): Involves taking the child out of the house for the first time.
 * 7) Choroonu: The first ceremonial intake of rice by the child.
 * 8) Choulam: The first haircut ceremony of the boy/ girl.
 * 9) Upanayanam: The wearing of sacred thread, known as poonool in Malayalam (only for boys).
 * 10) Mahaanamneevrutham (Aanduvrutham):
 * 11) Mahaavrutham
 * 12) Upanishadvrutham
 * 13) Godaanam: Rites as part of thanks-giving to the Aacharyan (priest or teacher), which includes giving cows.
 * 14) Samaavarthanam: A long ritual for the completion of the above said Vedic education.
 * 15) Marriage
 * 16) Agniadhaanam: A rite performed as an extension of Oupaasanam and introduction to Sroutha rites, after the death.

Deities

 * Paradevatha (goddess): Vannery Chitrakoodam, Pazhayannur Bhagavathy, Chazhur Pazhayannur Bhagavathy
 * Paradevan (god): Vishnu (Sree Poornathrayeesa), Tiruvanchikulathappan (Lord Shiva of Thiruvanchikulam between North Paravur and Kodungallore)
 * Other deities: Chottanikkara Bhagavathy, Pulpalli Thevar and many more

Naming practice of male Thampuran
In the Cochin royal family all the male Thampurans were named according to the following convention.
 * Eldest son – Goda Varma
 * Second son – Rama Varma
 * Third son – Kerala Varma
 * Fourth son – Ravi Varma.

Naming practice of female Thampuran
In the Cochin royal family the female Thampurans were named according to the following convention.
 * First daughter – Amba
 * Second daughter – Subhadra

This naming convention is followed again to the third daughter and fourth etc.

Both the female and male members are called by the name "Thampuran" and have same last name (Thampuran).

Parukutty Nethyar Amma
Maharaja Rama Varma (popularly known as Madrassil Theepetta Thampuran), who reigned from 1914 to 1932, was assisted by a particularly able consort named Parukutty Nethyar Amma. She was a member of the famous Thrissur Vadakke Kurupath family which was an aristocratic Nair/Menon family. Her father Kuroor Narayanan Namboothirippad, belonged to a family that traditionally had the honour of anointing the Kings of Palakkad. She married the Maharaja, then fourth in line to the succession when she was fourteen years old in 1888. Her husband ascended the throne as a result of the abdication of his predecessor. Since the Maharaja was a scholar and had other interests, she took over the finances of the state. Under her guidance salaries were quadrupled and the increased revenue earned her a 17-gun salute. Parukutty Nethyar Amma was awarded the Kaiser-i-Hind Medal by King George V in 1919 for public work and came to be known as Lady Rama Varma of Cochin.

Cochin royal family today
Members of the dynasty are spread all over the world. The family is one of the world's largest royal families, numbering more than 1000 people, and many members of the family still live in and around Thripunithura, Thrissur (Chazhur), and other parts of Kochi. The current head of the Royal Family of Cochin is Smt. Mrinalini Thampuran (b. 1925) who is 97 years old and resides in Tripunithura.

title: Kingdom of Cochin


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Mohlabi Tsekoa

Mohlabi Kenneth Tsekoa (born 13 August 1945 ) is a Lesotho politician who was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lesotho from 2007 to 2015. He served in the Cabinet beginning in July 2001, first as Minister of Finance, then as Foreign Minister, Minister of Education, and starting in March 2007 as Foreign Minister again.

Life and career
Tsekoa served in the Ministry of Education as Deputy Principal Secretary from 1984 to 1986 and as Principal Secretary from 1986 to 1989. In 1989, he became High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Ambassador to Ireland, Spain, and Portugal. He left these posts in 1996, when he became Government Secretary and Head of the Public Service.

After serving as Government Secretary for five years, Tsekoa was appointed to the Senate and sworn in on June 14, 2001. He was then named Minister of Finance on July 5, 2001 and sworn in on July 6. As the LCD candidate for Senqu constituency, in Mokhotlong District, in the May 2002 parliamentary election, he won with 55.8% of the vote; this was Tsekoa's first election. He was moved from his position as Finance Minister to that of Minister of Foreign Affairs in June 2002. He became Minister of Education in November 2004 and served in that position until March 2, 2007, when he became Foreign Minister again.

title: Mohlabi Tsekoa


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Virtual Air Traffic Simulation Network

Virtual Air Traffic Simulation Network (VATSIM) is a nonprofit organization that operates an online flight-simulation network noted for its active membership and realism. Users are able to connect to VATSIM and fly aircraft as a pilot, or direct traffic as an air traffic controller in what has been described as a close approximation of real-life aviation procedures.

Overview
Communications between pilots and controllers are carried out using integrated VoIP or in-game text messages. Users are required to use custom software, designated as approved clients, in order to connect to the simulation.

The main organs of the network consist of the Board of Governors, three of whom are responsible for one of the three geographic regions—namely, the Europe, the Middle East and Africa region, the Asia-Pacific region, and the Americas region, referred to as VATEMEA, VATAPAC and VATAMAS respectively. These regions are further subdivided into divisions, some of which further divide into virtual area control centers, and virtual air route traffic control centers. Operating procedures within each area reflect local standards.

The network also has a volunteer team of supervisors that help those who may need assistance in flying on the network and also help resolve reports of other fellow users breaking the VATSIM Code of Conduct. Upon registering for the VATSIM network, new users have to undertake an entry-level test about basic piloting skills and about the rules of the network. This was introduced on September 1, 2020, alongside a further restructuring of the pilot rating system to teach VATSIM users how to properly use the network and reduce the number of cases of pilots connecting without knowing what to do in busy airspace, causing disruption and frustration for some controllers.

Because the simulation adheres as closely as possible to real-life aviation procedures and radio phraseology, VATSIM can function as a training aid for student pilots lacking experience and private and commercial pilots looking to enhance their skills in radio communications. Events in the simulation are not hard coded on the network but rather emerge through human interaction and error. Consequently, the network has been described as bringing immersion to what was historically a solitary exercise and credited with playing a key role in the commodification of flight-simulation software.

Formation of VATSIM
Spearheaded by Harvey Stein, the founding of VATSIM was announced on July 12, 2001, following the dissolution of the Simulated Air Traffic Controllers Organization (SATCO). This occurred after the founding of another network, IVAO, which was more European-oriented, unlike SATCO, which was more American-oriented. The board drew up terms of agreement with Randy Whistler, the then President of SATCO, declaring VATSIM the official successor of SATCO.

In 2020, VATSIM announced it had achieved 100,000 active users for the first time, an increase of 20,000 users in two years.

SquawkBox and ProController
The advent of the Internet in the mid-1990s enabled users of modern flight simulators to fly together using multiplayer functionality. In 1997, SquawkBox was created by Jason Grooms as an add-on for Microsoft Flight Simulator 95, enhancing the built-in multiplayer features to allow large numbers of players to connect to the game. ProController, a radar-simulation program also developed by Jason Grooms, was created in the same year to connect virtual pilots with virtual controllers. The FSD Server was created by Marty Bochane to provide the signaling infrastructure and logic required to integrate ProController and Squawkbox, enabling users to fly in real-world weather conditions. ProController was retired as an approved ATC client on March 13, 2004.

ASRC and Roger Wilco
Sometime in 2002, ProController was slowly being phased out in favour of ASRC (Advanced Simulated Radar Client), created by Mike Evans and David Hendleman, and was released to the public in early 2003. Alongside that, Roger Wilco (software) was used to facilitate voice communications between pilots and ATC, with ATC denoting that voice communications were available with them with the callsign format, alongside putting their voice server IP and voice room name in their ATIS. Later, however, Roger Wilco was phased out in favour of the Advanced Voice Client, which required VATSIM authentication to prevent any non-VATSIM users from logging into the voice servers.

The ASRC software was retired as an ATC client on April 1, 2021, due to its not being in active development, which will make it incompatible with fast position updates that will be brought with VATSIM Velocity.

On March 27, 2005, an alternative add-on to FS2002/FS2004 and FSX called FSInn was approved for use on the VATSIM network alongside SquawkBox.

Air Traffic Controller clients
On April 17, 2006, the Virtual Radar Client (VRC) was approved for use on the VATSIM network. Created by Ross Carlson, it was mainly used in the American and Oceanic regions, due to its easy setup, but comes with a lack of customizability. Discontinued as of October 9th 2023, besides the Network Supervisors VRC isn't used by anyone.

On September 15, 2007, the EuroScope ATC client was approved for use on the VATSIM network. Created by Gergely Csernák, the client is reported to be the most used ATC client on VATSIM, due to its custom plugin support, realistic radar screens, and automatic controller coordination. It is designed to integrate with other ATC clients like VRC, vSTARS, and vERAM, however. It is generally used mostly in the Europe, Asia and South American regions.

On January 14, 2012, the vSTARS ATC client was approved for use on the VATSIM network. Also created by Ross Carlson, the client aims to replicate the real-world STARS system used in many US TRACON facilities.

On February 27, 2016, the vERAM ATC client was approved for use on the VATSIM network. Also created by Ross Carlson, the client aims to replicate the real-world ERAM system used in many US ARTCC facilities.

On July 18, 2020, the vatSys ATC client was approved for use on the VATSIM network. Created by Jake Saw, the client aimed to replicate the real-word TAAATS system used in Australia, but is now modelled off the Eurocat/TopSky systems. It features an advanced profiling system which "means that the look and feel of the client can be adjusted with a simple few clicks".

As of October 9, 2023, VRC, vSTARS, and vERAM are being deprecated and replaced by the Virtual National Airspace System (vNAS) suite of products. This software is being actively developed and utilized by all ARTCCs in VATUSA. CRC includes has several modes (STARS, ERAM, ASDE-X and Tower Cab) included within single client and it is highly customizable unlike it's predecessor VRC.

 Pilot Clients

VATSIM has 3 approved pilot clients as of July 2024

Swift pilot client is a multi-platform (Windows, MacOs, Linux) and multi-flight simulator (X-Plane 11, MSFS (FS2020), P3D, FSX, FS9, FlightGear), this pilot client isn't as popular among pilots anymore due to it's old GUI, nevertheless it's still being actively developed.

vPilot created by Ross Carlson is still being actively developed and used by majority of MSFS, P3D and FSX users.

xPilot developed by Justin Shannon is a pilot client for X-Plane, as of August 2020 this project was moved to be an open-source to help with development

Audio for VATSIM
From its inception, VATSIM employed a system consisting of voice 'rooms', in which, by using custom-written TeamSpeak 2 servers as a backbone, each virtual 'frequency' functioned similarly to a VoIP conference call, and any pilot(s) can transmit on a frequency and talk to each other on any frequency, but it is prohibited to use the frequencies for any non-operational reasons.

In October 2019, VATSIM had finished a complete overhaul of its voice system and called it Audio for VATSIM, a key feature of which is simulation of the entire VHF radio range, thus eliminating the need for voice rooms. The system realistically simulates signal degradation, audio quality, transceiver operation, frequency cross-coupling, and altitude effects.

Microsoft partnership
On July 23, 2020, VATSIM, alongside announcing a complete overhaul of their branding, announced that they had entered into a partnership with Microsoft, to ensure that the desktop PC version of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 would be compatible with VATSIM upon launch. However, VATSIM does not and likely never will support the Xbox version of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020.

VATSIM Velocity
On March 13, 2021, VATSIM announced a closed-beta initiative to test low latency position updates on the network, named VATSIM Velocity. With this update, position updates increased from 0.2 Hz (5 seconds) to 5 Hz (0.2 seconds) within a 10-mile range.

The SquawkBox and FSInn pilot clients were retired for use on the network on April 1, 2021, due to them not being in active development, which made them incompatible with the fast position updates that were brought with VATSIM Velocity.

VATSIM announced that the long-awaited update would be released on January 31, 2022 at 22:00 UTC. Preparations for its launch included major updates to pilot clients, as well as the retirement of Squawkbox, which became incompatible with the network. However, Velocity had no effect on the functionality of controller clients.

VATSIM Inc.
On January 16, 2023 VATSIM announced the creation of a new 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, VATSIM Inc. and said it would start accepting donations. VATSIM also stated that it would be transferring ownership to a new board of directors.

Reception
Considered the largest online flight simulation network in the world, VATSIM has attracted mainstream media attention. Commentators have praised VATSIM for its realism and quality, describing the network as giving flight simulation an interest and depth it would otherwise lack and lauding its friendly atmosphere.

Coverage, although mostly positive, has focused on what is perceived to be the peculiar nature of a hobby so complex that it can closely approximate work and cost thousands of dollars. The experience has been described as more strict, for both air traffic controllers and pilots, than some participants might like.

Membership and training
VATSIM has over 176,000 registered users as of July 2024. Joining is free, and there are no usage fees associated with connecting to the network.

Pilots must successfully complete a new user orientation program, including a simple exam that helps reinforce the material about basic piloting skills and the rules of the network as of September 1, 2020. They may also undertake optional training to learn how to fly certain procedures on the network. Pilots may also transfer their real world license into a VATSIM rating as many real world pilots fly on the VATSIM network.

The current pilot ratings are:

Pilots are able to file their own flight plans either through their flight plan dialog in their pilot client or "pre-filing" by using the myVATSIM ICAO flight planning form, also used by flight planning sites and flight tracking tools such as projectFLY, SimBrief, SimToolkitPro, and Volanta. Air Traffic Controllers are required to undertake mandatory training before they are permitted to direct traffic. Global Controller Administration Policy defines the requirements for each ATC rating, preceding local division restrictions. The ratings are as follows:
 * P0 - Basic VATSIM User (awarded after completion of the New User Orientation Program since September 1, 2020)
 * P1 - Private Pilot License (PPL)
 * P2 - Instrument Rating (IR)
 * P3 - Commercial Multi-Engine Licence (CMEL)
 * P4 - Airline Transport License (ATPL)

 * S1 - Tower Trainee - no particular competencies, validated to control some aerodrome positions (defined locally)
 * S2 - Tower Controller - validated to control Delivery (DEL), Ground (GND) and Tower (TWR) facilities except procedural tower (subject to training)
 * S3 - TMA Controller - validated to control all facilities up to Approach (APP/DEP) level
 * C1 - Enroute Controller - validated to control all available facilities, including Center (CTR)
 * C3 - Senior Controller - a special rating awarded to users at the discretion of their local region/division for seniority/recognition, giving unrestricted access to all ATC in their division

 * I1 - Instructor - validated to train and instruct all virtual Air Traffic Controllers, they have the ability to control the same positions as an enroute controller
 * I3 - Senior Instructor - a special rating awarded to instructors at the discretion of their local region/division for seniority/recognition, it is also used for Chief Instructors within a region/division

Events
The network creates and sponsors regular events to encourage interaction between pilots and controllers, during which traffic can approximate real-life levels.

Worldflight
Worldflight Australia is an annual virtual round-the-world charity event that has been run continuously since 2001, where 11 teams from different countries in their own fixed-base aircraft simulators fly to over 40 destinations around the world on VATSIM to raise money for the Australian Royal Flying Doctor Service. VATSIM air traffic controllers provide service throughout this event. In 2006, fifteen enthusiasts conducted a 130-hour flight in a full-sized Boeing 747-400 simulator, for which Qantas provided food.

Cross the Pond

Cross the Pond is a biannual event during which pilots complete transatlantic flights across "The Pond" between Europe and Northern America. The event alternates between westbound and eastbound every 6 months. Certain airports are selected a few months prior for which pilots can book slots to fly for, and VATSIM air traffic controllers provide full service for each of these airports throughout the event. The event is meticulously planned and coordinated by all major VATSIM staff members, to make sure that pilots enjoy their service. During the Spring 2024 event, VATSIM surpassed its record of most unique connections to the network with 3,120, also making it the biggest online flight simulation network to date.

Regional events
In addition to the global/international events that VATSIM sponsors and advertises, regional events can be found daily throughout the network. These events can range from small in size, including only a few airports or facilities, to very large in size, spanning across multiple regions and facilities. Although they don't typically attract record-breaking traffic, these events have been known to draw enough pilots to simulate, (and often surpass) real-world operations at the selected facilities.

title: Virtual Air Traffic Simulation Network


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Tom Thabane

Thomas Motsoahae Thabane (born 28 May 1939) is a Mosotho politician who was the fifth prime minister of Lesotho from 2012 to 2015 and from 2017 to 2020. He founded the All Basotho Convention (ABC) in 2006 and led the party until 2022.

Thabane served in the government of Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili from 1998 to 2006 as a member of the ruling Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD), but in 2006 he split from the LCD and launched the All Basotho Convention (ABC). After more than five years in opposition, he built a coalition of 12 parties in the wake of the 2012 Lesotho parliamentary election and was appointed Prime Minister.

In the 2015 Lesotho parliamentary election, the ABC was democratically removed from power by a seven-party coalition led by Mosisili, though the ABC did win the most constituencies. Two months later, Thabane fled to South Africa with two other opposition leaders, claiming that their lives were in danger. They returned to Lesotho on 12 February 2017 to participate in a parliamentary vote of no confidence that unseated Mosisili. Thabane went on to win a plurality of seats in the subsequent parliamentary election and returned as prime minister.

In 2020, Thabane faced pressure to resign as prime minister due to his alleged involvement in his ex-spouse's murder. He announced on 18 May that he would resign the following day.

Political career
Thabane served as Principal Secretary for Health under Leabua Jonathan, the second Prime Minister of Lesotho, until the military overthrew Jonathan in 1986. Thabane then served with the military regime under General Justin Lekhanya until 1991. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1990 to 1991.

Thabane became an advisor to Prime Minister Ntsu Mokhehle in early 1995. He subsequently served again as Foreign Minister in Mosisili's LCD government from June 1998 to June 2002, when he was appointed as Minister of Home Affairs and Public Safety. In November 2004 he was appointed Minister of Communications, Science and Technology.

In opposition
Thabane resigned from the government on 9 October 2006, and formed a new party, the All Basotho Convention (ABC). He claimed that his goal was to unite all Basotho, not only those from the Congress party or National Party. Some believed the ABC could lead Lesotho to economic development.

18 MPs crossed the floor to join the ABC in opposition on 13 October 2006; 17 of these (including Thabane) had been LCD members, and one had been an independent. Thabane's party thus became the third-largest party in Parliament. The ruling party was left with 61 of the 120 parliamentary seats; with such a precarious majority, Mosisili requested the dissolution of Parliament, and an early election was called for February 2007. In the election, the ABC took 17 out of 80 constituency seats, while the LCD took 61. Thabane said that the vote was free but not fair.

An extended dispute followed the 2007 election regarding the allocation of seats based on proportional representation. Five opposition parties called for the Speaker of Parliament to designate Thabane as Leader of the Opposition in March 2007, but the Speaker rejected this on the grounds that the agreement made by the opposition parties was not legitimate. National Independent Party leader Dominic Motikoe was instead designated the Leader of the Opposition, despite leading a party that was allied with the LCD.

On 14 June 2007, an assassination attempt on Thabane allegedly occurred, with gunmen firing outside his home. Several other incidents of political violence occurred around the same time, and an indefinite curfew was imposed; it was lifted later in the month. Thabane was critical of the curfew and accused the police of excessively harsh enforcement of it.

The LCD's reluctance to engage in talks regarding the political situation prompted Thabane on 18 October 2007 to threaten street protests to pressure the government into holding a new election "if they continue to fail to cooperate".

After a 22 April 2009 assault on Mosisili's residence, which was believed to have been a failed attempt to kill him, police said that retired officer Makotoko Lerotholi, a bodyguard of Thabane, was suspected of involvement in the attack. Thabane condemned the government for placing blame on the opposition, describing it as "treachery".

Prime Minister
After more than five years in opposition, Thabane formed a coalition with other parties in the wake of the 2012 Lesotho parliamentary election and was appointed Prime Minister. Thabane fled to South Africa on 30 August 2014, alleging that the military was attempting to take power and wanted to kill him. He said that he would go back to Lesotho only if he felt his life was not in danger. The military denied the allegations. He returned to Lesotho on 3 September 2014 under the protection of South African police.

Post-premiership
Thabane's party failed to attain a majority in the 2015 snap election and was unsuccessful in forming a coalition government. In an interview on the South African Broadcasting Corporation, Thabane said this would be his last term in parliament. He cited Nelson Mandela as an example of a leader who voluntarily left office.

Following the opposition's June 2015 boycott of parliament to protest the government's alleged disinterest in investigating circumstances surrounding Brigadier-General Maaparankoe Mahao's death, Thabane and two other opposition party leaders left for South Africa and did not attend any parliamentary sittings, citing security issues and instability in the country. On 12 February 2017, they returned to Lesotho, declaring that Mosisili no longer commanded a parliamentary majority and vowing to oust him in a vote of no confidence. Thabane claimed that he was risking his life by returning.

Prime Minister (2017–2020)
Mosisili was defeated in the vote of no confidence, leading to a new election in June 2017. The ABC won the most seats, and with its allies was able to command a majority. Thabane was sworn in as Prime Minister on 16 June 2017.

In October 2017 rumours that Thabane had been hospitalised in South Africa were dismissed by a spokesperson as propaganda intended to destabilise Lesotho.

In 2020, Thabane faced pressure to resign due to allegations of murdering his ex-wife. On 11 May 2020, his coalition government collapsed after his coalition partners withdrew their support. National Assembly Speaker Sephiri Motanyane said that Thabane would have to step down by 22 May as he was now leading a caretaker government. Thabane announced on 18 May that he would effectively resign the following day. Finance minister Moeketsi Majoro was designated as his successor.

Thabane initially resisted calls from ABC members to step down as leader. He announced his intention to relinquish the party leadership in January 2022, citing poor health and his advanced age. The party then elected Nkaku Kabi to succeed Thabane.

Personal life
Thabane's first wife was Matoka Judith Thabane (maiden name Mamotapanyane Yayi Fobo), with whom he had four children. She retained her married name after they divorced and died of natural causes on 26 August 2017 at the age of 79.

Thabane was next married to Lipolelo Thabane, who filed for divorce from him in 2012. On 14 June 2017, Lipolelo Thabane was shot dead in Ha-'Masana, outside Maseru.

On 27 August 2017, Thabane married Maesiah Thabane at a Catholic ceremony in Setsoto Stadium in Maseru. In the first week of January 2020, the ruling All Basotho Convention (ABC) party asked him to resign over his suspension of the police commissioner Holomo Molibeli, who had linked him to Lipolelo's murder.

Murder allegations
On 10 January 2020, an arrest warrant was issued for Maesiah Thabane, who is wanted in connection with the 2017 murder of Lipolelo Thabane. Maesiah Thabane went into hiding and Prime Minister Thabane announced his intent to resign from office shortly after her arrest warrant was issued.

On 20 February 2020, police announced that Thabane would also be charged with murder in the case. On 21 February 2020, Thabane failed to appear in court for the case, with his son saying he had traveled to South Africa to see a doctor. Police warned that if he does not return to the country, an arrest warrant will be issued. Both his son and press secretary said that he had "not fled the country" and that he would return to the country as soon as his doctor in Johannesburg releases him. They also said that "he is willing to appear before the court of a law and hear the charges against him." The murder charges levied against him made him to be the first prime minister of Lesotho to announce his resignation.

On 22 February 2020, Thabane was granted a sick leave until 27 February when he is due to appear in court to hear the charges, the country's deputy police commissioner said. Members of his party, also, have urged him to step down sooner than the end of July as he has planned.

On 24 February 2020, while on sick leave, Thabane appeared in a Maseru court for a pre-trial hearing. The charges against him were not read as his lawyers requested the case be referred to the high court to answer for a possible immunity.

On 30 November 2021, he was charged with the murder of his wife.

Foreign honours

 * 🇮🇹 Italy
 * Two Sicilian Royal Family: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Francis I

title: Tom Thabane


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Talk:Maqta'

The page Ghazal explains it somewhat. Its about poetry in the Urdu language, but you'd never guess that from the page. This page and the one below were made by 159.134.102.251. Taken by themselves, they're highly confusing and the context gives almost no idea as to what its talking about.

Not sure where this goes "Phir usi baywafaa per martay hain phir wahi zindgi humari hain" in the article, so am removing it from the See also area. Import007 07:25, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

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Talk:Derivative algebra (abstract algebra)

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Keep the more general definition with xDD ≤ x + xD. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 168.209.97.34 (talk) 23:34, 28 September 2004 (UTC)


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User:Ian Pugh

Intentionally blanked, baby - I've left the Wikipedia community for time constraints.

-- Ian

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Talk:Drum & bugle corps

Please see Talk:Drum and bugle corps before doing anything with this page. While there are some valuable points to be made on both sides of the story, I think the current reading of both pages is right on the edge of NPOV against the modern drum corps. Please see the "other" talk page for my plan to resolve this tomorrow. Thanks! MattJ 23:35, 28 Sep 2004 (UTC)

I don't think there's any doubt about the lack of neutrality in this or the other article; I've added the NPOV disclaimer to the top of both.

The content of this article needs to be combined into the Drum and bugle corps article and then become a redirect. I'd rather not be the one to do that as I am not particularly knowledgeable about drum corps history, but I will if these articles and discussion pages remain idle. I'm fidgety and I hate to see the Drum and bugle corps article in such horrible disarray. If nothing else, I will try to give the article some structure, but it will be impossible for me to resist the urge to delete a bunch of stuff and rewrite some of it.

Lazytiger 13:33, 21 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Catherine Burr responds
Interesting misspelling of the link with my name on the "other" talk page - not alleging a conspiracy (unless the shoe fits) because it doesn't matter.

What does matter is what is becoming more and more of an intelligent setting-forth of the differences between DCIA corps and drum & bugle corps (which is the same thing as "drum and bugle corps" - I just like the ampersand). BTW, it's a fair attempt, Matt - but attempting to make the distinction between camps by varying and/& puts too much to chance. Most people will read the main page, and IMO not all will read this discussion page. Thus, I've referenced both pages at the top - along with the DCA and DCI links on BOTH pages (nice try there, Lazytiger).

As to alleging that DCIA opinions are somehow "factual" and classic alumni opinions are not (or dead or stuck-in-the-past or whatever), puh-leeeze. Drum & bugle corps people were drummers and buglers FIRST. It's our opinions that matter and are deserving of respect - such is yet another drum & bugle corps value which DCIA has got rid of for the "latest and greatest" - and the unbiased observer can easily see the political implications and the feeding of divisions on both sides, of young against old.

I feel sorry for corps rookies today who cannot feel as we did - and do - a continuous part of a glorious past activity that will be passed on intact. In two years, what you have spent so much money on and so much sweat on will be "old" and "outdated" and no one will care. The only thing left will be the resume credit and you'll get to say you marched. You'll also have a DVD. Whoopie. I'll take being a part of a proud tradition, of drum & bugle corps at large, and being one of the many, some of whom I first marched with 34 years ago who are still my drum corps brothers. We earned what we did, and still own it, intact, while with all of DCIA's money and politics (stolen from us, whom they never credit other than to market themselves) you have to beg to even be recognized as a genuine drum & bugle corps - by alumni who love drum & bugle corps most. That's really sad. That so many people (who are becoming fewer and fewer) I know actually encourage young people in this is something I find abominable.

Let what DCIA does - and whom they really are - stand on their own merits, such as they are. I checked your page Lazytiger - you're 25 years old and haven't lived through the changes I have. That's not to say that I'm smarter because I am older than you. I will rest my arguments on the merits. It's up to you to neglect my experiences or not - many do.

I have marched in pre-DCI corps (including Velvet Knights), DCI corps (Velvet Knights first making associate membership - against a total of 46 "Class A" corps, when there were 46 or so Class A junior corps who would make the trek), to Blue Devils (my first real experience with what I call a DCIA corps, and an experience I can't recommend to anyone), to DCA in Minnesota Brass and Kilties, and now I am FIRMLY committed to the classic alumni camp.

I was never interested in marching band. Concert band, YES (have recently done this in a brass band). Orchestra, YES (which I did as a violinist). Choir, YES. But no one is really interested in marching band other than people in marching band - or in a parade or band shell. And no one is really interested in drum & bugle corps other than drum & bugle corps people - or in a parade, for military honors or on a football field doing a genuine drum corps show, which TAKES THE FIELD, from end zone to end zone. Morphing mutated sperm just doesn't do it, and dancing on a football field is ridiculous except at a half-time - where the band ISN'T the main event, but a diversion.

Such is what it always has been, is and always will be - not because I say so, but because of the nature of the genres and their settings. Anything else is an experiment - good at best, but also sterile and incapable of healthy, wholesome growth.

And remember - Gore Vidal points out that conspiracies are the human condition, except when geniuses are involved. And DCIA got rid of their geniuses (or they died off) a looooong time ago...

Fortunately, drum & bugle corps still has 'em.

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Radif

In Persian, Turkic, and Urdu ghazals, the radīf (from Arabic رديف; ; rədif; redif; ردیف; radif) is the word which must end each line of the first couplet and the second line of all the following couplets. It is preceded by a qafiya, which is the actual rhyme of the ghazal.

The following is an example of an Urdu ghazal by Daagh Dehlvi, where the radif is " mein " while the qafiya is in -aah: nigaah, jalwa-gaah, nigaah, raah, haal-e-tabaah and aah.

آفت کی شوخیاں ہیں تمھاری نگاہ میں محشر کے فتنے کھلاتی ہیں جلوہ گاہ میں aafat kii shoKhiyaa.N hai.n tumhaarii nigaah mein mehashar ke fitane khelate hai.n jalwa-gaah mein

وہ دشمنی سے دیکھتے ہیں دیکھتے تو ہیں میں شاد ہوں کہ ہوں تو کسی کی نگاہ میں wo dushmanii se dekhate hai.n dekhate to hain mai.n shaad huu.N ke huu.N to kisii kii nigaah mein

آتی ہے بات بات مجھے بار بار یاد کہتا ہوں دوڑ دوڑ کے قاصد سے راہ میں aatii he baat baat mujhe yaad baar baar kahataa huu.N dau.D dau.D ke qaasid se raah mein

اس توبہ پر ہے ناز مجھے زاہد اس قدر جو ٹوٹ کر شریک ہوں حالِ تباہ میں is taubaah par hai naaz mujhe zaahid is qadar jo TuuT kar shariik huu.N haal-e-tabaah mein

مشتاق اس ادا کے بہت درد مند تھے اے داغ تم تو بیٹھ گئے ایک آہ میں mushtaaq is adaa ke bahot dard-ma.nd the ae DaaG tum to baiTh gaye ek aah mein

In Urdu, a ghazal which has no radif is known as ghair muraddaf ghazal; if it contains radif, it is called a muraddaf ghazal.

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