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Gravion

Gravion (超重神グラヴィオン) is a Japanese anime television series produced by Gonzo. It aired in Japan from October 7, 2002 to December 16, 2002 and ran for 13 episodes. In 2004, Gravion Zwei (超重神グラヴィオンZwei) was released and aired from January 8 to March 25 in Japan, running for twelve additional episodes, answering the questions generated from the first series.

Both Gravion and Gravion Zwei were created and directed by Masami Ōbari with mecha designs from Kunio Okawara. Both series were released in North America by ADV Films. After ADV Films lost the rights to the series, the series was re-licensed by Funimation (now Crunchyroll).

Plot
In Gravion, Eiji Shigure is sent a letter from his missing older sister Ayaka Shigure. Responding to its message, his search for her leads him to the mysterious billionaire Klein Sandman, and Eiji secretly infiltrates his enormous Saint-Germain Castle while he is hosting a party for Earth Federation Alliance (EFA) leaders, in order to find her. He ends up piloting the G-Attacker, a vehicle that is one of a group of five, called Gran Divas, that were secretly created by Sandman himself, during a mission of Sandman's Earthgertz team to defeat the invading mechanical extraterrestrials called the Zeravire. Sandman explains to Eiji that his unique G-Factor allows him to pilot machines such as the G-Attacker and his sister, who also had the G-Factor, was secretly part of Earthgertz. When she disappeared on a mission, Sandman was forced to send the letter to Eiji to bring him there in order to recruit him onto the team. Although only interested in finding his sister, Eiji becomes part of Earthgertz, who are the planet's only defensive team able to prevent the Zeravire from destroying humanity, by combining the Gran Divas with the Gran Kaiser mecha to form the titular super robot, Gravion.

In Gravion Zwei, the Zeravire invasion seems to have stopped. However, when it rises back up all of a sudden, the Earthgertz and its trump card Gravion, is needed to defend the Earth again. In the meantime, the EFA creates their own weapons to counter the Zeravire, the Gran Trooper. As they attempt to fend off the Zeravire, the Earthgertz and the EFA must set aside their differences, confront their pasts and unveil the mysteries of the Zeravire, in order to end their impending threat once and for all.

Eiji Shigure
Protagonist of the series, 17-year-old Eiji Shigure (紅 エイジ) is searching for his older sister Ayaka Shigure, after he receives a letter from her. Upon finding information she is last seen in service to billionaire Klein Sandman, Eiji enters Sandman's Saint-Germain Castle to find her, but is unknowingly recruited into the Earthgertz as pilot of the Gran Diva, the G-Attacker. He reluctantly stays with the Earthgertz to assume piloting responsibilities, but above all, will leave once he finds Ayaka in Sandman's castle. In Gravion Zwei, he pilots the Geo Mirage.

Easily angered, Eiji carries a short temper (which makes him quite easy to manipulate) and is annoyed by the carefree and clueless Toga, the other boy in the castle, who has no outside interaction prior to Eiji's arrival, or the feisty Luna, who picks on him for not being more like Toga. Regardless, Eiji is reasonable in his rash decisions and develops a close friendship with the rest of his teammates, knowing firsthand how real the Zeravire threat is, thus willing to see the menacing mechanical beings stopped by helping the Earthgertz in their mission.

Luna Gusuku
An energetic, friendly 14-year-old girl, Luna Gusuku (城 琉菜) teases Eiji for her amusement and befuddles him for not being as straight and decent like Touga. One of two pilots of the G-Driller Gran Diva and born in Okinawa, she came to Klein Sandman's castle at a young age, meeting Toga Tenkuuji first. Her father Isana Gusuku disappears while working for the billionaire, and has since stayed in Sandman's castle, eventually enrolling into the Earthgertz. In Gravion Zwei, she pilots the Geo Javelin.

Touga Tenkuuji
The only other boy in Klein Sandman's castle, 17-year-old Touga Tenkuuji (天空侍 斗牙) is a very kind and gentle person with a smile almost always on his face. Toga claims he has been inside the castle all his life, never knowing any other human interaction besides the Earthgertz and Sandman's countless maids. Extremely athletic and physically strong, he is the pilot of the Gran Kaiser, the robot that combines with the four Gran Divas to form the Gravion.

Touga has one of the highest G-Factors among the Earthgertz, thus is capable of withstanding the pressures of piloting the Gran Kaiser. It is Sandman's wish that Touga's interaction with Eiji Shigure will help him develop his human side, and though Toga learns more of the environment outside the castle, his views are simplistic and childish in nature, such as putting victory over the Zeravire first above conserving human life, something which Eiji does not approve Touga of.

Originally an orphan, Touga was raised at an orphanage sponsored by Sandman. Frequently bullied by some of the other children, another orphan was there to help him through his time at the orphanage, until Sandman adopted him and took him to Saint-Germain Castle.

Eina
One of the many maids working in Klein Sandman's castle, Eina treats all members of Earthgertz and the other maids well. Easily frightened, Eina finds simple arguments harsh and battles against the Zeravire to be unbearable, but does her best in her piloting duties as the second driver of the G-Driller. She has cared and looked after Touga Tenkuuji since his arrival into Klein Sandman's Saint-Germain Castle. In Gravion Zwei, she pilots the Geo Javelin alongside Luna Gusuku.

In Gravion Zwei, Eina reveals herself as one of Sandman's Proto Gran Divas. It took Sandman nearly 50 years to create her current, artificial body. After she is destroyed following a Zeravire attack, her memories are immediately transferred to her original body, located inside the Sol Σ Gravion, stored on the moon.

Mizuki Tachibana
The only female adult member of Earthgertz, the 22-year-old busty Mizuki Tachibana (ミヅキ・立花) is the pilot of the Gran Diva, the G-Striker, who loves her alcohol, but is also the most rational member among her teammates. A skilled hacker, she looks up to Ayaka Shigure when she first arrived at Klein Sandman's castle and claims Ayaka as her best friend, though is still in question at her sudden disappearance. In Gravion Zwei, she pilots the Geo Stinger.

Her name is actually an alias; in Gravion Zwei, she reveals herself as a sleeper agent, working for the EFA intelligence division. Her rank in the EFA is lieutenant. Upon stealing development data on the Gravion, she returns to her superiors, in order to provide them the means to counter the Zeravire threat. For her services, she is given a lush, island estate, but returns to the Earthgertz shortly, citing boredom as her primary reason. Her birthday is revealed to be October 12. Faye Xin Lu refers to her as Big Sister in Episode 6 of the second season.

Leele Zeravire
A shy girl who lives isolated within the castle's south tower, Leele claims her parents died in a fire years ago. She has no memories following the accident, which has left her traumatized and the sight of raging blue flames easily puts Leele into an extremely frightened state. Raised by Klein Sandman, she secludes herself from others, but opens up to her fellow Earthgertz teammates when they realize she is the pilot of the G-Shadow Gran Diva. Leele is occasionally seen with her pet ferret Lolotte. In Gravion Zwei, she pilots the Geo Caliber.

Leele's full name is Leele Zeravire, the daughter of Zieg Zeravire and Lufira Zeravire. Before her home planet of Llambias was destroyed, thus the origin of her lost memories, she was placed in a stasis capsule and sent by her uncle Hugi Zeraire into space, following the signal of her father's vessel. Her escape ship failed to enter warp travel, thus arrived on Earth at a later time, yet her own subjective time was different, thus she only aged a few months. Sandman finds her and takes her into Saint-Germain Castle.

Raven / Ayaka Shigure
An enigmatic, masked man who works for Klein Sandman, Raven is completely loyal to his master, never sharing any personal information about himself. Raven oversees the Earthgertz's training, combat simulations and attack situations against the Zeravire, and occasionally answers to the EFA about Sandman's involvement in the extraterrestrials' invasion, in place of Sandman himself.

In Gravion Zwei, it is revealed the current Raven is actually Ayaka Shigure, Eiji Shigure's sister. The mask holds the memories of the original Raven, a former colleague of Zieg Zeravire on his homeworld of Llambias. The previous holder of Raven's mask was Luna Gusuku's father Isana, before he passed it down to Ayaka.

Ayaka in disguise as Raven often acts overcorrect and strict which leads to many gags in the scenes where Raven appears, so despite Raven's serious attitude 'his' role often comes along with a comical purpose which displeases Raven each time. Another running gag involving Raven is that 'he' secretly desires to get a day off and acts jealously when their teammates are on mission which appear to be more like fooling around like it was their day off such as when the Earthgartz group goes to an amusement park in the third episode of the second season.

As Raven: As Ayaka Shigure:

Klein Sandman
The handsome, billionaire businessman and commander of the Earthgertz, Klein Sandman's knowledge of science and technology allows him to build the Gran Divas and the Gran Kaiser to battle the Zeravire. Sandman selects people with a high tolerance on the effects of gravity, a genetically inherited trait he calls the G-Factor, to become the pilots of his machines. When it seems the Zeravire are too much to handle for Earthgertz, Sandman approves of combining the Gran Divas and the Gran Kaiser into Gravion. In Gravion Zwei, he pilots the Gran Sigma.

Sandman was originally Zieg Zeravire, a scientist from the ecologically devastated planet of Llambias and the husband to Lufira Zeravire. In order to stop further contamination and to prevent an all-out war between the neighboring world of Selias, due to Llambians forcing themselves to immigrate there, Sandman creates the Genesis Machine Gran Sigma, the prototype to the Gran Kaiser, in hopes of restoring Llambias' environment. Unfortunately, his brother-in-law Hugi Zeravire creates the Genocidron System, an automatic, robotic network programmed for extermination. He intended to use it on the Selians, as a means to spare enough Llambians if war was to occur, but Sandman did not wish to see lives sacrificed. Following a brief struggle with Hugi, he accidentally destroys the control device to the Genocidron System, making the machines indiscriminately destroying both worlds.

Upon escaping Llambias, Sandman and Raven flee to Earth. In order to conceal his identity, he takes the name and appearance of the actual Klein Sandman, an 18th-century aristocrat. To provide himself the means to prepare for the Zeravire, Sandman genetically suppresses his own G-Factor, giving him immortality and turning his hair purple from its original blond. Some time before Eiji's arrival at Saint-Germain Castle, a spacecraft lands on Earth that followed his escaping vessel, carrying his daughter, Leele Zeravire. Sandman never knew of her survival until then.

Klein Sandman makes an appearance in Juusou Kikou Dancouga Nova, which is also directed by Masami Obari.

Faye Xin Lu
Appearing in Gravion Zwei, Faye Xin Lu is captain of the G-Soldiers squadron in the EFA military. Very serious and committed to her line of duty, she was an orphan at the same orphanage sponsored by Sandman, meeting Toga Tenkuji for the first time, protecting him from frequent bullies. In fact, Faye was initially selected to be trained as the pilot of the Gran Kaiser, for she had a similar, if not, higher G-Factor than Toga, but Sandman made a last-minute decision and selected him, instead. This last-minute switch leaves Faye feeling embittered towards both Toga and Sandman, causing her to attempt to surpass Toga and even at one point take advantage of his fragile mental state. However, upon being saved by Sol Gravion, she reconsiders and dismisses her grudge. She pilots Grantrooper Unit 1, armed with the Graviton Rang weapon based on God Gravion's Graviton Crescent. It can also draw energy from the other four units for its Graviton Lightning Detonator, based on the Graviton Arc. She refers to Mizuki as Big Sister.

Anime
Gonzo has released three volumes, both on DVD and VHS. Studio Half Eye released a special Ultimate Gravion Toy for the Saishou Henkei line for promoting the series in Japan, while Yamato released GNU-DOU God Gravion and GN-U Gran Kaiser figures in December 2008.

The individual Japanese DVD releases for the first series also had special limited editions. Each volume came with a figure of the respective front cover's character for that DVD for a total of six figures (covering each of the main Gravion pilots in their pilot suits). In addition each figure also had some parts for the God Gravion which could be completed if all the six limited edition DVDs with their corresponding figures were bought by the consumer.

Both Gravion and Gravion Zwei are included as entries in Super Robot Wars Z from the series of video games called Super Robot Wars for the PlayStation 2. Gravion Zwei is also included in the latest two-part game, The 2nd Super Robot Wars Z for the PlayStation Portable, making an appearance in both Hakai-Hen (Break the World Chapter) and Saisei-Hen (Rebirth Chapter).

First Season

 * Opening: "Nageki no Rosario" by JAM Project
 * Combination Insert: "Gasshin! God Gravion!" by JAM Project feat. Masaaki Endo (Japanese); The Singing Maids (Ena (Mai Nakahara / Jessica Boone), Luna Gusuku (Haruna Ikezawa / Luci Christian), Thoria (Haruko Momoi / Tiffany Grant), Brigitta (Rie Kugimiya / Cynthia Martinez), Yumi (Naomi Orikasa / Nancy Novotny), Marinia (Nana Mizuki / Monica Rial) and Tulie (Mikako Takahashi / Tiffany Terrell)) with Klein Sandman (Sho Hayami / Jason Douglas) (Japanese and English; Zwei Episode 3 only)
 * Insert: "KISS ME" by Yuria
 * Ending: "WISH" by Yuria

Second Season

 * Opening: "Kurenai no Kiba" by JAM Project
 * Combination Insert: "Enno Gasshin! Soul Gravion!" by JAM Project feat. Yoshiki Fukuyama
 * Ending: "La♪La♪Bye" by Honey Bee

title: Gravion


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Ayya Vaikundar

Ayya Vaikundar (அய்யா வைகுண்டர்) also known as Siva Narayana or Vaikunda Swami was the founder of the Ayyavazhi faith. The Ayyavazhis believe him to be the first and foremost Purna avatar of Eka-Paran and the god Vishnu (Narayana). As per Ayyavazhi mythology detailed in their scriptures, Ayya Vaikundar incarnated in 1833, when he rose from the sea of Tiruchendur in the mortal shell of Vaikundar.

Ayya Vaikundar is a central character in the narratives and teaching of the Ayyavazhi scripture Akilathirattu Ammanai (Akilam). The Ayyayazhis believe that he will be instrumental in the destruction of Kali and establishment of Dharma Yukam. As per Ayyavazhi scriptures, Ayya Vaikundar is the supreme God in his own right.

Most of the preachings and activities found in Akilam and other texts about the life of Ayya Vaikundar was documented historically and detailed in critical contemporary sources externally as well. Though the prime features of Ayya Vaikundar’s mission is revealed through Akilathirattu, he also teaches orally. His oral teaching are compiled in the Books of Pathiram, Sivakanta Athikara Pathiram and Thingal Patham. Though Akilam is directly against creating any form of organised religion or belief, the teachings of Akilam and especially few books of Arul Nool form the basis of Ayyavazhi belief. The birth anniversary of Ayya Vaikundar is celebrated as Ayya Vaikunda Avataram on the 20th of Masi as per the Tamil Calendar (3 or 4 March C.E).

Background
In 1809, a baby born (lit. "Vishnu with a crown") to Ponnu Madan and Veyilal Amma at Poovandanthope in the Kanyakumari District (part of Travancore then). The baby boy was named Mudisoodum Perumal.

The religious book, Akilam mentions that the child was still-born, and then the soul of the deva Sampooranathevan was placed in the body. He had special interest in the worship of the Vishnu. The holy book Akilam mentions that he had set a pedestal for Vishnu in his house and worshipped the deity devoutly. At the age of seventeen, He came to live with Thirumalammal from the nearby village of Puviyur. Thirumalammal had been previously married, but left her former husband to marry Mudisoodum Perumal.

In his twenty-fourth year, He was struck by a severe illness and suffered for a year. His mother Veyilal Amma took her sick son to the temple at Thiruchendur, during a festival. There, He went into the sea and disappeared. On the Third day on March 2, 1833, Ukara-Pranava, the source of existence, incarnated as Ayya Vaikundar, the son of Narayana from the sea of Tiruchendur. He then camouflaged as Mudisoodum Perumal in order to deceive the all powerful Kaliyan and started walking towards Detchanam. This place became a holy place for the devotees of Ayyavazhi and they erected a temple there named Avatharappathi at Thiruchendur. This event is celebrated during the festival of Ayya vaikundar avataram, on 20th of the Tamil Month of Masi.

Penance and growing following
Upon reaching Poovantanthoppu, (present-day Swamithopu), he undertook a penance. The penance consisted of three stages, each spanning two years. A tradition describes his postures during the six-year tavam as follows: during the first two years, he stood inside a six feet deep pit; during the next two years, he squatted on the ground; and during the last two years, he sat on a raised platform. His appearance was squalid, "long and entangled plait of hair" and frayed clothes. He spoke less and subsisted on frugal meals.

The Akilam speaks of the act of incinerating the evil spirits as an important event in the life of Ayya Vaikundar. It took place when he was performing his penance, which had been announced by him to be the means of destroying the kalimayai – the illusory evil force. He, then, gathered the people around, and caused some of them to get possessed of the evil spirits (peyattam). The possessed ones came and danced in front of the crowd as if the evil spirits had come upon them. Vaikundar, then, ordered these evil spirits to make an oath, in front of the people, to surrender their powers and get burned up in flames. When he had finished his orders, those dancing under the duress of possession got exhausted and fell flat on the ground. Thus the evil spirits were incinerated.

Vaikundar performed another action to 'seize the esoteric evil powers'. The Akilam says that, he took away the powers of those who knew to perform witchcraft, sorcery, and other magical rituals. People living in the hills, called as Kanikkarar, were believed to be powerful shamans or witchdoctors, having powers to contain or to provoke the demons. Vaikundar, in a trance, made some of these Kanikkarar to testify in front of the people that they had surrendered their powers. People grew appreciative of Vaikundar's actions. They began addressing him as Vaikuntacami. This implied an attribution of divinity to Vaikundar.

The fame of Vaikundar had begun to spread in the countries of Travancore and Tirunelveli, and he had been gradually recognised socially as a religious person with extraordinary powers. In the religious parlance of the time, he was addressed as a Pantaram, a religious person hailing from, and serving the ordinary folk. Akilattirattu addresses him as Pantaram.

People came to him to listen to his teachings and instructions, to be cured by him of different diseases, to witness, worship and serve a religious person. Vaikundar encouraged the people to come together around a well to take a ritual bath, irrespective of caste differences. He encouraged them to dine together in his presence.

He gave out a number of teachings and instructions, the central point of which was that he had come to abolish Kali Yukam, and to usher in an age of Dharma Yukam, during the time of which the now-oppressed and suffering people would be liberated and rule the land under his leadership. 'Uplift of the lowly is dharmam’. was a constant refrain in his teachings. People were encouraged to serve as catalysts for the destruction of Kali by transforming themselves to be 'people of Dharma Yukam' and to acquire a new character. The new character would come upon them, he said, if they learned to live with self-respect, social dignity and fearlessness. Underscoring the importance of self-respect and social dignity, he said, ‘if one lives with dignity and self-respect, the kali would destroy itself’. He said when people grew out of kalimayai, Dharma Yukam would unfold itself and in that age, he would rule over the people as Dharma Raja, the king of Dharma Yukam.

Arrest and post-imprisonment
Vaikundar made some controversial statements like mentioning the Travancore king as ‘Devil in Ananthapuri’ and the British rule as ‘Rule of White Devils’. Against the background of the growing popularity of Ayya Vaikundar and the convergence of people around him in multitudes, a complaint was lodged against him with the King of Travancore Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma. The King arrested Ayya Vaikundar in 1838 and imprisoned him at Singarathoppe jail. After 110 days of imprisonment, on 26 March 1839 he was released by Swathithirunal on the advise of Thycaud Ayya who was the Guru of Swathi thirunal Maharaj and a disciple of Ayya Vaikundar as well.

After returning from the prison, Ayya Vaikundar inspired a group of his devotees to undertake a religious exercise called Thuvayal Thavasu. He also performed miracles. He married Saptha Kanniyar as Narayana (see: Marriage with the Seven Virgins), the seven deities in the form of Ekam (see:Marriage with the Deities). He initiated festivities (see: Festivals and Celebrations). The deities were made to 'come upon' some of the female devotees who became their human media and a marriage ceremony was performed. Ceremonial processions were held amidst singing, incantations and shouts of joy by the followers. Several rites and rituals were instituted during these occasions.

Legacy
Later Vaikundar was invited by his devotees to their homes and treated in a grand manner. By way of soliciting his blessings, his devotees carried him to different places. During these occasions, he laid foundations in various places for small shrine-like centres, called Nizhal Thangals. Vaikundar came to recognize five individuals as his disciples Through one of his disciples, Hari Gopalan Citar, he wrote the holy book, called Akilam.

Vaikundar returned to his celestial abode Vaikundam 3 June 1851. His 'Sacred-golden body' was interred in a tomb and a pati (temple) was built around the same later. His devotees revere this site, and performed the rituals as they used to do when Vaikundar was bodily present. His life and works remain the foundation of the Ayyavazhi. The head temple of the Ayyavazhi is the Swamithopepathi and is located in the Village of Swamithope.

Popular culture
The film Ayyavazhi released in 2008 was based on the life of Ayya Vaikundar. The film Oru Kudaikul (2021) also featured the tale of Ayya Vaikundar.

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

title: Ayya Vaikundar


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Dalibor (opera)

Dalibor is a Czech opera in three acts by Bedřich Smetana. The libretto was written in German by Josef Wenzig, and translated into Czech by Ervin Špindler. It was first performed at the New Town Theatre in Prague on 16 May 1868. The opera received criticism at the time for being overly influenced by German opera, including that of Wagner's Lohengrin.

The subject of the opera is Dalibor of Kozojedy (fl. c. 1490), a Czech knight who took part in an uprising in Ploskovice in support of the oppressed people and was sentenced to death in 1498, during the reign of Vladislaus II of Hungary. The plot bears a resemblance to that of Beethoven's Fidelio, in that the central female characters in each opera disguise themselves in male clothing and gain the confidence of a jailor to try to save the imprisoned hero.

Performance history
Smetana had great affection for the opera, but because of the lukewarm reception, died thinking that he had failed with this opera. The revival in 1886, however, two years after the composer's death, was a success. In the 1890s, the opera received productions in Zagreb, Munich, and Hamburg. Gustav Mahler conducted an 1892 production in Vienna.

Synopsis

 * Time: 15th century
 * Place: Prague

Act 1
Dalibor, a Czech Knight is on trial before the king for having murdered the burgrave of Ploskovice in revenge for execution of his friend, the musician Zdeněk. At the trial, the king calls upon the burgrave's sister, Milada, who demands his execution. As Dalibor is brought in, the crowd rises in support of him. When Dalibor tells of his friend's capture and murder the court reduces his sentence from death to lifetime imprisonment. Milada painfully realized that she is falling in love with Dalibor, and in collusion with Jitka, an orphan befriended by the knight, she resolves to set him free.

Act 2
After a scene in a mercenary camp, where Jitka and her lover Vítek plot to free Dalibor, Milada enters the prison disguised as a boy and finds employment with Dalibor's jailer, Beneš. She charms the jailer into allowing her into the dungeon where Dalibor is being held, to give him his friend's violin. The knight is dreaming, and initially thinks Milada is a reincarnation of his beloved Zdeněk. Then in a passionate duet, they sing of their joy in having found each other.

Act 3
In the dungeon, Dalibor looks forward to escape (singing his famous Song to Freedom) but feeling it is a bad omen when one of the strings of Zdeněk's violin breaks. The plot to bribe Beneš fails, and the jailer informs the king of their attempted escape. Taking the advice of his council, the king orders Dalibor's death. Milada, waiting outside the prison, hears the tolling of the bell that signals Dalibor's execution. Accompanied by her followers, she storms the castle, where, after rescuing Dalibor, she is wounded and dies in his arms. Dalibor stabs himself and is united in death with his beloved. An alternative ending has Dalibor executed before Milada can rescue him.

Recordings
In Czech
 * 1950, Jaroslav Krombholc (conductor), Prague National Theatre Chorus and Orchestra; Václav Bednář, Beno Blachut, Teodor Šrubař, Karel Kalaš, Antonín Votava, Marie Podvalová, Štefa Petrová, Jan Hadraba, Jaroslav Kubala, Josef Loskot, Ferdinand Kotas, František Trnka
 * 1967, Jaroslav Krombholc, (conductor), Prague National Theatre Chorus and Orchestra; Jindřich Jindrák, Vilém Přibyl, Antonín Švorc, Jaroslav Horáček, Zdeněk Švehla, Naděžda Kniplová, Svobodová-Janků, Jedlička
 * 1977, Eve Queler, (conductor), Opera Orchestra of New York and New York Choral Society; Allan Monk, Nicolai Gedda, Harlan Foss, Paul Plishka, John Carpenter, Teresa Kubiak, Nadia Šormová, Raymond Gniewek
 * 1995, Zdeněk Košler (conductor), Prague National Theatre Chorus and Orchestra; Eva Urbanová, Jiřina Marková, Leo Marian Vodička, Ivan Kusnjer, Miroslav Kopp, Vratislav Kříž, Jiří Kalendovský, Bohuslav Maršík
 * 1999, Yoram David (conductor), Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Lirico di Cagliari; Eva Urbanová, Valerij Popov, Valeri Alexejev, Dagmar Schellenberger, Jiri Kalendovsky, Damir Basyrov, Valentin Prolat, Carmine Monaco, Alexandr Blagodarnyi, Bruno Pestarino
 * 2015, Jiří Bělohlávek (conductor), BBC Singers, BBC Symphony Orchestra; Dana Burašová, Alžběta Poláčková, Richard Samek, Aleš Voráček, Ivan Kusnjer, Svatopluk Sem, Jan Stava

In German
 * 1969, Josef Krips (conductor), Orchestra and chorus Vienna State Opera; Eberhard Wächter, Ludovico Spiess, Oskar Czerwenka, Walter Kreppel, Adolf Dallapozza, Tugomir Franc, Leonie Rysanek, Lotte Rysanek

In English
 * 1955, Vilém Tauský (conductor), BBC Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus; Joan Hammond (soprano), Richard Lewis (tenor), Suzanne Danco (soprano), Alexander Young (tenor), Dennis Noble (baritone), Ian Blair (baritone), Stanley Clarkson (bass).
 * 1969, Vilém Tauský (conductor), BBC Orchestra and Chorus; Pauline Tinsley (soprano), Robert Jones (tenor), Gwyn Griffiths (baritone), Joseph Ward (tenor).

In Italian
 * 1973, Luigi Toffolo (conductor), Orchestra Sinfonica e coro di Milano della RAI; Radmila Bakočević (soprano); Ludovic Spiess (tenor); Nikola Mitić (baritone); Dora Carral (mezzo-soprano); Piero De Palma (tenor); Giannicola Pigliucci (basso).

title: Dalibor (opera)


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File:Bomberman Max Blue Champion box.jpg

Box art for Bomberman Max: Blue Champion, a video game for the Game Boy Color.


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Axial chirality

In chemistry, axial chirality is a special case of chirality in which a molecule contains two pairs of chemical groups in a non-planar arrangement about an axis of chirality so that the molecule is not superposable on its mirror image. The axis of chirality (or chiral axis) is usually determined by a chemical bond that is constrained against free rotation either by steric hindrance of the groups, as in substituted biaryl compounds such as BINAP, or by torsional stiffness of the bonds, as in the C=C double bonds in allenes such as glutinic acid. Axial chirality is most commonly observed in substituted biaryl compounds wherein the rotation about the aryl–aryl bond is restricted so it results in chiral atropisomers, as in various ortho-substituted biphenyls, and in binaphthyls such as BINAP.

Axial chirality differs from central chirality (point chirality) in that axial chirality does not require a chiral center such as an asymmetric carbon atom, the most common form of chirality in organic compounds. Bonding to asymmetric carbon has the form Cabcd where a, b, c, and d must be distinct groups. Allenes have the form abC\dC\dCcd and the groups need not all be distinct as long as groups in each pair are distinct: abC=C=Cab is sufficient for the compound to be chiral, as in penta-2,3-dienedioic acid. Similarly, chiral atropisomers of the form abC\sCcd may have some identical groups (abC\sCab), as in BINAP.

Nomenclature
The enantiomers of axially chiral compounds are usually given the stereochemical labels (Ra) and (Sa), sometimes abbreviated (R) and (S). The designations are based on the same Cahn–Ingold–Prelog priority rules used for tetrahedral stereocenters. The chiral axis is viewed end-on and the two "near" and two "far" substituents on the axial unit are ranked, but with the additional rule that the two near substituents have higher priority than the far ones.

Helical chirality
The chirality of a molecule that has a helical, propeller, or screw-shaped geometry is called helicity or helical chirality. The screw axis or the Dn, or Cn principle symmetry axis is considered to be the axis of chirality. Some sources consider helical chirality to be a type of axial chirality, and some do not. IUPAC does not refer to helicity as a type of axial chirality.

Enantiomers having helicity may labeled by using the prefix notation (P) ("plus") or Δ (from Latin dexter, "right") for a right-handed helix, and (M) ("minus") or Λ (Latin levo, "left") for a left-handed helix. The P/M or Δ/Λ terminology is used particularly for molecules that actually resemble a helix, such as the helicenes. This notation can also be applied to non-helical structures having axial chirality by considering the helical orientation of the Cahn–Ingold–Prelog group rankings of the "front" groups compared to the "back", when viewed from either direction along the axis.

title: Axial chirality


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Hugh Vyvyan

Hugh Donnithorne Vyvyan (born 8 September 1976 in Guildford) is a former rugby union player who played at lock for Newcastle Falcons, Saracens and England. He stands at 6'6" and weighs around 18 stone.

The former England fullback Jon Callard heavily influenced Vyvyan's early career while at Downside School, moving him from fly-half to number 8. Brother Charlie, was a number 8 for Sale Sharks, and was another big influence on his career. He also plays lock.

Vyvyan is youngest of seven brothers. In 1993 the brothers created rugby history by making up an entire team in the Penryn Invitation Sevens tournament, (played on Easter day each year in Penryn, Cornwall). The Seven Vyvyan brothers (Richard, Jonathan, Charles, Simon, Paul, James and Hugh) went on to win the tournament, defeating the host club 19 – 17 in the final. They returned the following year and defended the title, with Hugh flying back from South Africa to make up the numbers. In all the brothers reached the final five times, winning three times and twice being runners up.

He opted to take a year out after Downside School and played in South Africa for the Villagers club in Cape Town. Back in England he played briefly for Penryn before starting a successful theology degree at University of Newcastle, where he caught the eye of the Newcastle Falcons and eventually made his debut against Moseley, when the club were in National Division Two.

In 2001 he was an important member of Falcons' Powergen Cup winning side at Twickenham (though he was a replacement for the final), a feat he repeated in 2004 but this time starting as captain and scoring a try in the final.

In 2002 he toured with the full England side and was an unused bench replacement against Argentina. Being deemed not good enough for England, in that same 2002–2003 season he played for England A against Scotland A and Ireland A and, in December 2003, also helped an England XV beat the New Zealand Barbarians.

As well as leading both Newcastle Falcons and now Saracens, he has captained the England A squad on two Churchill Cup tours. The first in 2003 saw England A take the cup and the second, in 2004, saw England A losing to the New Zealand Māori in extra time.

He won a deserved first England cap against Canada in the Investec Challenge match in 2004 and scored a try.

In 2004, he joined Saracens where he was made captain before even having played a game.

In May 2009, Vyvyan signed a new two-year deal with Saracens.

In May 2011, during the Aviva Premiership Final, Vyvyan became the most capped player in the Premiership as he came off the bench to make his 238th appearance as Saracens lifted their first Premiership title.

On retirement in 2012, Vyvyan received the Special Merit award from his peers at the Rugby Players Association Awards Dinner.

Vyvyan was the Commercial Director at Saracens from 2012 to 2016.

Vyvyan formed The Leadership Academy in 2016.

Vyvyan became a member of the English Premiership Rugby Hall of Fame in 2016.

title: Hugh Vyvyan


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Michael McCarthy (choirmaster)

Michael McCarthy is Director of Music at Washington National Cathedral. Previously, he was the founding director of the London Oratory School Schola at the London Oratory in London. In addition to liturgical duties, the Schola recorded for the film scores of Sleepy Hollow, The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, and the Harry Potter series. McCarthy also worked with The Sixteen, the Gabrieli Consort, The Cardinall's Musick and the Monteverdi Choir.

As a composer/arranger, his music was featured at the funerals of Presidents Ronald Reagan, Gerald R. Ford, and George H. W. Bush, and the service for the second inauguration of George W. Bush, all events held at Washington National Cathedral. The Cathedral choirs have also recorded some of his music, such as "O Love of God" and "Lord of the Dance" on the CD entitled, "America the Beautiful" (2005).

Positions held

 * Director of Music at Washington National Cathedral, Washington, DC
 * Conductor of the Cathedral Choirs of Men, Boys, and Girls
 * Director of the London Oratory School Schola Cantorum
 * Choirmaster of St Georges RC Church Choir, Sudbury, Middlesex.

title: Michael McCarthy (choirmaster)


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User:Colinoncayuga

Embarking on the self-torturing task of editing my beloved "Nanjing"...

title: User:Colinoncayuga


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Ayyavazhi

Ayyavazhi (அய்யாவழி, അയ്യാവഴി Ayyāvaḻi, lit. 'Path of the Master') is a Hindu denomination that originated in South India during the 19th century.

Ayyavazhi is centered on the life and preachings of Ayya Vaikundar; its ideas and philosophy are based on the holy texts Akilathirattu Ammanai and Arul Nool. Accordingly, Ayya Vaikundar was the Purna avatar of Narayana. Ayyavazhi shares many ideas with Hinduism in its beliefs and practice, but differs considerably in its concepts of good and evil and dharma. Ayyavazhi is classified as a dharmic belief because of its central focus on dharma.

Ayyavazhi first came to public attention in the 19th century as a Hindu sect. Vaikundar's activities and the growing number of followers caused a reformation and revolution in 19th-century Travancorean and Tamil society, surprising the feudal social system of South India. It also triggered a number of reform movements including those of Narayana Guru and Ramalinga Swamigal.

Though Ayyavazhi followers are spread across India, they are primarily present in South India, especially concentrated in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The number of practitioners is estimated to be between 8,000,000 and 10,000,000 although the exact number is unknown, since Ayyavazhis are reported as Hindus during censuses.

Etymology and history

Ayya in Tamil means 'Master' and vazhi, 'way'; the simple translation is "Master's way" or 'Father's way' Due to the diverse synonymous versions for the phrase in Tamil, it also leads to various other theories.

Ayyavazhi began to be noticed initially by the large number of people gathering to worship Vaikundar (known historically as "Mudisoodum Perumal") (c. 1809 – c. 1851 CE) at Poovandanthoppe. The Thuvayal thavasu (washing penance) of 1840 is the origin of Ayyavazhi as an alternative religio-cultural phenomena. The majority of its participants were from marginalised and poor sections of society. They began to function as a distinct and autonomous society, and gradually, they identified their path with the phrase 'Ayya vazhi'. Although the majority of these followers were from the Nadar caste, a large number of people from other castes also follow it. Ayyavazhi's rapid growth throughout its first century of existence was noted by Christian missionary reports from the mid-19th century.

By the middle of 19th century, Ayyavazhi had come to be a recognisable religious phenomenon with deep roots in the regions of South Travancore and South Tirunelveli. The numbers of faithful increased significantly from the 1840s. By the close of the 19th century, Swamithope was considered the religio-cultural epi-center of Ayyavazhi. After the time of Vaikundar, Ayyavazhi was spread through his teachings. The five Seedars, disciples of Vaikundar and their descendants, traveled to several parts of the country bearing the mission of Ayyavazhi. Meanwhile, the Payyan dynasty began administering the Swamithoppe pathi, while other Pathis came under the administration of the followers of Ayya. Following the instructions of Akilattirattu Ammanai (Akilam), the Nizhal Thangals (small pagodas) have been established across the country for worship and the study of scripture. Arul Nool, the first Ayyavazhi work in print was released in 1927, followed by the Akilam in 1933, almost a century after it had been written down. As a result, Ayyavazhi abandoned active oral traditions in favor of literary scriptures. Ayyavazhi headquarter reports that Ayyavazhi spread more rapidly after Indian Independence (1940s) and still more rapidly through the 1990s. Many Ayyavazhi-based social welfare organisations were established in the late 20th century. Several alternative versions of Akilam, including some controversial versions, were released during the same period. The Anbukkodimakkal Thirucchabai, a democratic bureau, was established by the religious headquarters in the early 1990s to organize and govern the religion. Organisational conferences are held in various cities in South India including Mumbai, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram.

Considering the growth of Ayyavazhi, Ayya Vaikunda Avataram, the day of Vaikundar's incarnation, was declared a holiday by the state administration for the district of Kanyakumari in 1994, followed by the districts of Tirunelveli and Tuticorin in 2006. From 2012 C.E Vaikunda Avataram was declared a restricted holiday for the entire Tamil Nadu state. and for the Kerala State from 2015. Currently, Bala Prajapathi Adikalar, heir to the Payyan dynasty, is considered the leader of Ayyavazhi.

Scriptures and holy places
The holy books of Ayyavazhi are the Akilattirattu Ammanai (commonly referred to as  Akilam ) and the Arul Nool, and they are the source of the religion's mythology. The Akilattirattu Ammanai was written by Hari Gopalan Seedar in 1841, as if hearing the contents of Akilam told by Narayana to his consort Lakshmi. In addition to the mythological events Akilam also provides an extensive quantity of historical facts, especially that of mid and late 2nd millennium CE. While the original text is damaged, the daughter versions such as the Swamithope version, the Kottangadu version as well as the Panchalankurichi versions, are the earliest existing palm-leaf versions of Akilam. Other released versions includes the Sentrathisai Ventraperumal, the Vivekanandan, the highly criticised VTV and the earliest and commonly accepted Palaramachandran version. Akilam contains more than 15,000 verses in seventeen sections. It is written in poetic Tamil in a ballad form, and is composed with a unique literal-style with two subgenres, Viruttam and Natai throughout.

The secondary scripture, Arul Nool, includes various books that are believed to be written by Arulalarkal (one possessed by divine power). It contains prayers, hymns and instructions for the way of worship in Ayyavazhi, as well as rituals prophesy and many acts. It also contains many events found in the Akilam pertaining to the life of Vaikundar. Unlike Akilam, there is no definitive history for Arul Nool. All these texts are compiled in Tamil language. To the Ayyavazhi devotees, there are seven holy places, called Pathis, with the Pancha pathis being the most important. The temple of the Swamithope pathi is the headquarters of the Ayyavazhi.

The five Pancha pathi are: 1. the Swamithope Pathi, the venue of the great Tavam and the religion's headquarters. 2. Ambala Pathi, where Vaikundar joined six of the Seven Deities unto himself. 3. Mutta Pathi, the venue of the Second and Third Vinchais. 4. Thamaraikulam Pathi, where the Akilattirattu Ammanai was written down. 5. Poo Pathi, where Ayya unified the Earth goddess Poomadanthai to himself by symbolic marriage.

Vakaippathi, though not included in the Pancha pathis by the headquarters, is still considered as a Pathi but with lesser importance. There is disagreement among followers of Ayyavazhi regarding the holiness of some other Pathis, such as Vaikunda Pathi and Avathara Pathi. The list of Pathis announced by the headquarters of Ayyavazhi does not include these Pathis.

Symbolism
The symbol of Ayyavazhi is a lotus carrying a flame-shaped white Namam. The lotus represents the 1,008-petalled Sahasrara (in Tamil, Ladam), while the Namam represents the Aanma Jyothi or atman. Both of the Ayyavazhi scriptures refer to Thirunamam (the "flame-shaped symbol" present in the top of the Lotus in the Ayyavazhi symbol), but not to the lotus directly. The symbol is the ideological summary of Akilam-based philosophy. This symbol has been in use since the mid-20th century.

The mythical narration in akilam about the eight yugas is often viewed philosophically as a reference to eight chakras. The first, Neetiya Yukam, is Bindu and the final state, Dharma Yukam, is Sahasrara, or absolute bliss. In this series, the energy of consciousness (namam) of oneself is invoked, rising from Bindu (Neetiya Yukam) to the final Sahasrara (Dharma Yukam). This lotus, the highest spiritual center of enlightenment, is for experiencing the absolute "bliss". The reigning power in the final Dharma Yukam (Sahasrara) is Ekam, which is a part of Vaikundar a Trinity conception, or a manifestation of the supreme absolute.

Thus Ayyavazhi's symbol is derived from Akilam. The symbol "Lotus with Thirunamam" shows "Vaikundar's experienced in Sahasrara."

In certain Hindu texts, the Sahasrara chakra has 1000 petals. But in Ayyavazhi symbolism, Saharara has 1008 petals. In Ayyavazhi, there is no scriptural authority indicating the importance of 1000, but the number 1008 is commonly mentioned. Also, the incarnation year of Vaikundar is 1008 M.E. (Malayalam Era). Sahasrara is symbolised as a lotus without a stem.

Ayyavazhi architecture was developed in constructing Nizhal Thangals, where the inverted lotus flower of Sahasrara is used to cover the roof. The lotus may also represent the heart and the flame shape (Thirunamam), the divinity. Ayyavazhi has used other symbols including Vaishnavite ' Triple Namam '(not used currently), and Conch.

Teachings and impact
The majority of Ayyavazhi's key teachings can be found in the book Akilattirattu Ammanai and other teachings are collated from various books written by unknown authors, whose works feature in the Arul Nool. Like Dharma, the other teachings of Ayyavazhi are twofold, sociological and mystical. The mystical teachings are devoted to revealing divine knowledge, while social teachings are primarily concerned with eliminating inequality and discrimination in society. The teachings encourage a positive relationship with God, as opposed to one based on fear. Followers are encouraged to refer to God as Ayya, "father", to strengthen their intimacy and affection towards God.

Ayyavazhi mystics focus on supreme oneness. Among its variations, the theology always maintains this focus on oneness. The evil of Kali blocks the ultimate oneness prevailing between individual souls and the universe, creating among them a false sense of individuality and of extreme pride. This erroneous view causes the apparent sense of separation from the oneness and motivates against it. Ekam —the "over-soul" or the supreme soul—is identified as the whole of existence, changeless in nature and ubiquity. This is "one which undergoes different changes with respect to space and time" because of the evil force maya.

All of creation evolved from this Ekam, the supreme consciousness. All the qualities of Ekam are within each soul, and evolve from it. Each and every individual soul is a reflection or mirror of the absolute Supreme, which provides the textual basis and metaphor for the mirror's role in Ayyavazhi worship. Human and all other souls are restricted and limited by the evil of Kali. This is why individual souls are not able to attain supreme bliss, and so are secondary to Ekam. Once a soul overcomes the influence of maya, it becomes one with Ekam. Its individuality is gone, and thereby it is Ekam. On the other hand, this supreme consciousness is personified as Paramatma (oversoul) by which, God is the "Husband", while all other souls are his "consorts", symbolised by Thirukkalyana Ekanai, where Vaikundar marries the individual souls. Also, the Ayyavazhi philosophy applies a common formula for the creation of human beings and the rest of the universe. Thus whatever exists externally to human beings exists also internally. Ayyavazhi explicitly condemns the caste based inequalities in its social teachings. It denounces the caste discrimination rather than the 'caste system' itself. From its inception, Ayyavazhi has doubly served as an engine of social reform, particularly in the area of Travancore, which was previously noted for its strong caste system. In this context, the mingling of castes in Ayyavazhi centers was a vital element in the transformation of society. Ayya Vaikundar was the first to succeed as a social reformer in launching political struggle, social renaissance   as well as religious reformation in the country. Vaikundar was the pioneer of the social revolutionaries of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Research scholars regard Vaikundar as a teacher, healer and also a miracle worker. He was also said to be the forerunner of all social reformers of India. Akilam displayed sympathy for the laboring classes, and opposed to the often excessive taxes they were forced to pay. From the beginning the followers, fortified by the teachings, have also taken a strong stand against political oppression. This is most clearly seen in Akilam, where the Thiruvithkanur king is identified as Kalineesan, (one who is a captive of Kali) and the British are identified as Venneesan (the white neesan) in the social sense. Ayyavazhi was in the forefront of movements for Human Rights and Social Equality. Ayyavazhi also effected many social changes in southern India, resulting in the emergence of a series of social and self-respect movements such as Upper cloth agitation, Temple entry agitation and other movements including those of Narayana Guru, Chattampi Swamikal, Vallalar and Ayyankali.

Worship centers
The followers of Ayyavazhi established Pathis and Nizhal Thangals, which are centers of worship and religious learning in various parts of the country. They serve as centres for propagation of the beliefs and practices of Ayyavazhi. There are thousands of Nizhal Thangals throughout India,  mostly in South India. There more than 7000 worship centres in South India mainly in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Reports from the London Missionary Society (LMS) of the mid-19th century also speak of Nizhal Thangals. Since Ayyavazhi is not centrally organised, Swamithope pathi serves as the religious headquarters for all. The Pathis earn more importance among the worship centers.

The seven Pathis, obtain their significance from the fact that Vaikundar and his activities were historically associated with these centers of worship. The Swamithope pathi, though considered the religion's headquarters, does not officially control the rest of the religious centers. All Pathis, except itself, are managed by independent committees. The five Pathis known as Pancha pathi are considered foremost among Pathis. Nizhal Thangals, compared with Pathis, are simple small structures built for worship and for learning the teachings of Vaikundar. They also served as centers of school education during the early days. Food and shelter are offered to the needy in these centres. Some of them were established when Vaikundar was alive. Among them Arul Nool, specifies seven Thangals, and these are considered primary over the others. Today, charity is one of the main activities conducted in these centers.

These centers emerged as the abode of Dharma. The Nizhal Thangals form an important institution in the socio-religious life of the people of Ayyavazhi. Panividai may be conducted up to three times daily, but all worship centers provide Panividai at least once daily.

Ethics

The ethics of Ayyavazhi, integrated with the meta-narrative mythology, are found throughout the primary scripture, Akilattirattu Ammanai. Regarding ethics, Arul Nool is an accumulation of the core concepts found in Akilam. In Akilam, the ethical abstracts are pointed out as "told by God" at several places at different situations to lesser devas, saints, etc. whenever asked by them.

Neetham is the primary virtue of Ayyavazhi. This shows how society, its people, the ruling king, etc., lived in absolute harmony with nature, placing the power of Almighty in all their works, deeds and activities during early ages. In return, nature and the divine beings protect the society which follows the Neetham. Chastity and life in ultimate union with nature form the central theme, an ethical form that is to be followed. As in Akilam, Vinchai is the rules and regulations provided by God (Narayana) to Vaikundar. There are three such Vinchais. Acts found there also fit to humans to improve their moral code. The first Vinchai of Tiruchendur forms the largest ethical accumulation found in Akilam.

To an extent, the Dharmic teachings in Ayyavazhi are also considered as ethics. Charity in social ethics and "attempting to realise the ultimate truth of oneness" in spirituality are the ethical codes under the banner of Ayyavazhi dharma. Akilam also gives separate ethics for Devas also. It is notable that the Ayyavazhi ethics undergo a vast deviation from the incarnation of Vaikundar since a universal change took place then. Over all, as the foremost ethical code, people are advocated to overcome the evil force kalimayai with the weapons of love, forbearance and peace, since Kaliyan as maya rules the minds of people.

Arul Nool constitutes the major role in forming the rules and regulations of Ayyavazhi, including ethics. It gives separately the social as well as divine ethics. The Sivakanda Athikara Pathiram here is the section especially dedicated to teach the ethics. The rituals, especially circumambulations, are to be followed to wash-out the sin committed out of immoral thoughts and acts.

Religious studies
It is difficult to give a clear-cut listing to Ayyavazhi concepts because of the relation the Ayyavazhi scriptures maintains with the Hindu scriptures. Akilam primarily says the central themes of the existing scriptures (that of Hindu) had gone awry by the advent of Vaikundar. It also narrates that Akilam was given to mankind as an alternative because Kaliyan destroyed the original Vedas and Shastras, and at the beginning of Kali Yuga, several additions were given to the previous scriptures by him. Both of these view points give the views of Akilam on Hindu scriptures, and place them as reasons for rejecting them.

The philosophy, terms and mythology of the Ayyavazhi scriptures are the basis of religious study on Ayyavazhi theology. But several terms quoted in Akilam couldn't be understood wholly unless by referring to the descriptive details of those terms in Hindu scriptures. For example, if the 96 tatvas are understood, then the Kaliyan is understood. Therefore, theologians and philosophers today turn to Hindu scriptures to further their understanding of the tatvas as properties of the human body, which are not elaborated upon in Akilam. However, to understand Akilam and its philosophy, one should have a basic knowledge over the Hindu ideas and concepts. Since Akilam have no different view in this matter from Hindu scriptures, it was left to be gathered from there.

On mythical studies, Akilam covers almost the entire main mythology of Hinduism, including Mahabharata, Ramayana, Kantha Purana and Vishnu Purana, but with limited details. It includes only the main events that are directly linked to the mainstream story flow. But to undergo a detailed study on each, the appropriate Hindu scriptures that include those events in detail need to be referred. Akilam provides all these collectively in brief with an overall story line, which make it unique. Many philosophical concepts from Hinduism are found in Akilam; some of them are completely accepted, some are regenerated, while others are rejected.

Generally it was considered that once a particular concept is not found well-described in Ayyavazhi scriptures, such as Akilattirattu Ammanai or Arul Nool (as detail as in Hindu scriptures), and instead simply was quoted, then that particular conception is accepted as in Hindu scriptures for religious studies. But once Akilam has different views over something from that of the existing (Hindu) scriptures, then it would be found deeply described in Akilam itself and hence no need for referring other scriptures.

Theology

The theology of Ayyavazhi is complex and differs considerably from other monistic religions. It speaks of Ekam, the Oneness from which all that exists formed, and also an ultimate oneness that exists behind all differences. The Ekam, which is articulated as the supreme divine power itself, is supposed to remain unaffected by maya deep inside every changeable matter as an absolute constant. In theological terms, God is, in the highest sense, formless, infinite, genderless and beyond time and space. The term Ekam in Tamil language give simply the meanings, one, absolute, the whole which exists and the incomparable; all give some sort of direct monistic definition about God from Ayyavazhi theology.

Narrating through mythology, The Sivam and the Sakthi are the first to get evolved from Ekam. The Natham (voice), Trimurthi, other lesser gods and the entire universe further evolved. The Trimurthi are greater among the personified Devas. Siva, one among the Trimurthi, was the supreme power until Kali Yuga. Vishnu is the supreme from the advent of Kali Yuga. Then, from the incarnation of Vaikundar, again the powers of all god-heads, including that of Vishnu, are transformed to Vaikundar. Ekam, the supreme oneness as one among the Trinity takes a place within Vaikundar for the present age. Therefore, Vaikundar is said to be the only worshippable and supreme power. However, a quote from Akilam thirteen says this supreme oneness (Ekam) itself is created by Vaikundar, who is a personified God. In this regard, Ayyavazhi being centered on Vaikundar, is more monotheistic rather than monistic. No other god-heads, even the Father of Vaikundar, Narayana, have gained an equal or greater status than Vaikundar. Vaikundar is a triune power who includes the qualities of the Santror, Narayana and Ekam within himself.

In Ayyavazhi mythology, Kroni, a primordial evil manifestation, was fragmented into six and each fragment took birth and plays an anti-Vishnu role throughout the successive six yugas. He was finally destroyed by a final judgment which is followed by the god-ruled Dharma Yukam. This narration gives some dualistic dimension to Ayyavazhi theology. But since the focus of Arul Nool, the accumulation of Ayyavazhi teachings is extremely monistic and since the final fragment of Kroni itself is called Kalimayai (a conception rather than a physical or material incarnation), it was commonly accepted that the 'Maya' is symbolised in such a way that contrasts the dualistic view on Ayyavazhi. Apart from all these, there are also separate quotes in Ayyavazhi scriptures which give pantheistic and panentheistic definition to Ayyavazhi theology.

Festivals and rituals

There are two yearly festivals for Ayyavazhi. The Ayya Vaikunda Avataram is celebrated on the twentieth day of the Tamil month Masi (Feb – March). This is the only Ayyavazhi festival to be celebrated as per the Solar calendar. The mass procession conducted on this day from Nagercoil to Swamithoppe is a popular one in this part of the country. The Thiru Edu-Vasippu is a festival of seventeen days celebrated in the Tamil month of Karthigai (November–December). This celebration of textual reciting as a festival itself is a unique feature to Ayyavazhi. Apart from this, there is a tri-yearly celebration of Kodiyettru Thirunal in Swamithope. Another unique feature is the celebration of every day as a festival in Swamithope,(exclusive to Swamithope) called as  'Nitham Thirunal' .

In addition to the philosophical concepts and mythology, the rituals of Ayyavazhi evolved in their own way. Most of the rituals have different operational and historical meanings. Historically, the rituals were used or viewed as an attempt to break the caste-based inequalities prevailed in the society of the time, and to strengthen and uplift the sociologically downtrodden and ill-treated. Examples of this include the charity on food as  'Anna Dharmam' , physical as well as spiritual cleanliness through Thuvayal Thavasu, eliminating untouchability through Thottunamam, self-respect and courage through headgear, and unifying various castes through Muthirikkinaru. But they also reveal, however, high philosophical ideas preached in a ritual language. The Muthirikkinaru and Thirunamam are treated religiously as if the Patham and Namam of them have the power to heal all sorts of mental as well as physical illness. Thuvayal thavasu is suggested as a training to reach the ultimate aim of Dharma Yukam. The use of the crown reveals that "all are kings", visualising an ideology similar to advaita. Also, Ayyavazhi scriptures succeeded very much in helping to understand these philosophical ideas to the common mass which is very much unusual. The individual rituals, the ecstatic religiosity and the ritual healing, which are the features of Ayyavazhi worship, contributed to the formation of an idea of emancipation and a social discourse. Rituals attempt to uplift and treat the disenfranchised. Another important thing to be noted is the alternative phrases religiously used in Ayyavazhi universe different from Hinduism, to represent certain practices.

Inclusiveness and exclusivity
The formula of inclusiveness and exclusivity, as applied in the religio-cultural universe of Ayyavazhi, is unique because both the theories are mixed up in Ayyavazhi scriptures. The inclusive theory accepts the views of different religions for a certain period of time, and from then onwards exclusively rejects all of them in its narrative. Ayyavazhi accepts different god-heads of several religions, like the concept of Allah and almost all the god-heads of Hinduism. It also says that the one and the same God incarnates in different parts of the world at different time for rescuing the people from sufferings. But due to the advent of Kaliyan and because of the cruel nature of his boons, for the first time, the supreme power Ekam incarnates in the world as Vaikundar, and so all the lesser god-heads and previous scriptures had lost their substances. So after the time of the Vaikunda Avatar, Vaikundar was said to be the only worshippable God and hence, the theology of Ayyavazhi was channeled towards exclusivism. The manner in which Akilam treats the scriptures of different religions is complicated. For instance, while there is no direct reference to the terms 'Christ' or 'Bible' anywhere in any of the Ayyavazhi texts, there is an indirect reference in Akilam thirteen which is supposed to be an implication that Christ was an incarnation of Narayana, but it was widely thought that it did not recognise the Bible composition. It seems the view of Akilam on Bible is "it was created with the intention of man and not that of God". In common, creation of religions and shaping individualities for them are heavily criticised. The concepts 'God' and 'Religion' are kept poles apart in Akilam, and it seems to maintain an ideology something like  'Accept God; Reject religion' .

Ayyavazhi accepts various incarnations in Hinduism, but necessarily rejects the so-called ' Hindu ' scriptures. It initially accepts Vedas. Later since Kaliyan had bought the Vedas as boon they also lost their substance by the advent of Kaliyan, and so had gone invalid. It also says that he (Kaliyan) had performed several additions and had hidden some of their content. And hence God incarnated as Vaikundar. So for the present age, Akilam is said to be the only  'Book of Perfection' . By this Ayyavazhi rejects all other scriptures and follows only its own. Akilam highly condemns the creation of religions especially exclusivistic religious and theological ideas. It shows them as the foremost Kali mayai (evil of Kali). The scriptures teach sensibly and symbolically that God and his activities are beyond the reach of religions. It also preaches about universal oneness.

Mythology
The mythology of Ayyavazhi narrates that the essence of this vision is an account of a history – a past, a present and a future – meant by weaving together of empirical facts, historical events as well as mythical accounts. It moves around three axiomatic typologies, namely Santror, Kali Yukam and Dharma Yukam, placing their base on the concepts and events of previous yugas that are associated also with Hindu mythology. The basic concepts give a symbolic vision which is at once religious and social.

It is closely linked to that of Hinduism. Akilam talks about the previous yugas and the evolution of Kroni through them. Events, mythical characters, and concepts are shared with Hinduism, though they may be engendered in different form. The number of Yugas and Avatars differs in Ayyavazhi from Hinduism. The personification of the entity of Evil for the current yuga, Kaliyan, is unique to Ayyavazhi. Akilam says that the true concepts were destroyed, so that all previous scriptures had lost their substances due to the advent of Kali.

The book also speaks of God incarnating in the world in the Kali Yukam (the present age) to destroy the evil spirit, the final and the most serious manifestation of Kroni. God incarnates as Vaikundar, and since Vaikundar lived recently, he was well known in history. So in the second part of the mythology many mythical as well as historical facts were woven together. Most of the events such as Muthirikkinaru, Wearing of Headgear during worship, Thuvayal Thavasu all were noted in history.

 * * Chakras: The yugas assumed as chakras are philosophical metaphors respectively and are not mentioned directly so in Akilam.

Though there are quotes in Arul Nool to accredit the ten Avatars of Vishnu, it seems that they are not seen in equal status with these incarnations (as in the table). It was considered secondary to the primary avatars, who are associated with the destructions of the fragments of Kroni. This view is not inconsistent with Hinduism, as only Narasimha, Rama and Krishna are considered the primary avatars who are still worshipped. The other avatars are considered secondary avatars who are not worshipped.

Santror and Dharma yukam

The Santror is the subject of the religious vision of Ayyavazhi. There is both a religious and a social category in its connotation. In the social sense, it is believed that the term Santror fits rightly to the early "Chanars", who were called by the Arabs as "Al Hind", and known in biblical times as the "People of Five Rivers"; they are now scattered with more than 250 branches throughout the world. But in turn, in ideological sense and from the literary meaning of the term "Santror" in Tamil, it represents one who is noble and lives with dignity and supreme knowledge, giving an inclusive character and universal reach. Historians account that in ancient dravidian cultures, zealous devotees of God were called as 'Chanars'. A quote from Akilam also reads, "Chanars (Santror) are those who have the ability to see 'the invisible' constantly."

The Santror are given a historical background in Ayyavazhi mythology as seven boys who were made to be born in the mythical garden Ayodha Amirtha Vanam (supposed to be between present-day Srirangam, Tamil Nadu and Triconamalee, Sri Lanka) by using the seven seeds from seven upper worlds, by Thirumal, to the seven virgins. Theologians interpret that these 'Seven boys' refer to the ancestors of the whole human race, and hence the term "Santror" refers to the entire human race. Their lineage started at the end phase of Dvapara Yukam and continued through the Kali Yukam into the Dharma Yukam. It is believed that Kali is being destroyed continuously by the activities of the Santror in the Path of Vaikundar, and so the Dharma Yukam unfolds eventually. In this sense they have a considerable roll in the destruction of Kali, the foremost evil.

The Ayyavazhi proposes an emancipatory utopia under the banner of Dharma Yukam. The basis of the belief is that Ayya Vaikundar had come to establish and rule as the everlasting king over the Dharma Yukam in the place of Kali Yukam after sentencing Kroni to hell by a final judgment from the Lion-throne of Dwaraka pathi, the rising mythical landmass (which was sunken at the end of Dvapara Yuga by Krishna) located south east of present-day Kanyakumari. The Dharma Yukam is narrated as beyond the limits of time and space. It is often related to Moksha—the personal liberation, and to the state of 'Oneness' too.

Relation with Hinduism

The Hindu and Ayyavazhi ideologies are closely tied to each other. The place where Ayyavazhi and Hinduism depart from each other is at the advent of Kali Yuga. Akilam says that until the advent of Kali Yuga, the Vedas and all other Hindu scriptures remained with Divinity. Each of the gods referred to in the scriptures (Hindu) also remained with all their powers. But from the beginning of Kali Yuga, they and all their virtues collapsed. Kaliyan was a part of the mundane primordial manifestation who spread maya or illusion upon the existing scriptures and Devas. In Kali Yuga, all true scriptures are bound to maya and are unhelpful.

The reason, as stated in Akilam for the disintegration of the entire system is that, towards the end of Dvapara Yuga, there in Mount Kailash, Siva believing the words of devas, created Kaliyan without discussing to Vishnu, who had the responsibility to destroy Kaliyan as per previous deeds. So Vishnu refused to take birth in the world to destroy Kaliyan. So Siva and Brahma surrendered all their powers to Vishnu. Until this event, Siva was the supreme power as per Akilam. It is notable that this is a theological idea something similar to Shaivism, where Siva is supreme to all. Then onwards, however, Vishnu is the supreme power. Here the ideology changes similar to that of Vaishnavism. This supremacy of Vishnu remains like this from the beginning of Kali Yuga until the incarnation of Vaikundar, from where it changes further. During the incarnation, Vishnu himself can not incarnate directly in the world to destroy Kaliyan, since he (Kaliyan) had bought as boon the power of Devas, including Vishnu's, and spread it all over the world as maya. So God needs to be incarnated with a new set of rules and with unique importance. A total universal transformation of the power relation of god-heads, the rules of scriptures, the dharma, etc., took place, and Vaikundar was given birth by taking in the power of Ekam, by Lakshmi and Vishnu conjoining together inside the sea.

And from now onwards all the powers were handled over from Vishnu to Vaikundar inside the sea. Siva, Vishnu and Brahma therefore form a part within Vaikundar. This ideology about Trimurthi (three are equal in power) is similar to that of Smartism. Vishnu alone forms a double role; one, within Vaikundar, and the other, as the father of him, remain inside the sea and regulating Vaikundar through Vinchais. After Vaikundar was given birth to, by assuming the Power of Ekam, Vaikundar was supreme to Vishnu and all other God-heads, though Vishnu playing the role of Father to Vaikundar. However, Vaikundar had to obey the order of Vishnu, since Vaikundar was given birth to perform the duties of Vishnu, which he (Vishnu) could not do. Vaikundar (and scriptures given by him) is the manifestation of the supreme Ekam so, in Ayyavazhi spirituality, he is the only worshippable universal power.

Regarding scriptures, the first part of Akilam is summed-up events of the previous yugas, which are present in Hindu scriptures. The second part says about the universal transformation and the uniqueness of Vaikundar and his incarnational activities. So as a summary, till the beginning of Kali Yuga, what is Hinduism, that is Ayyavazhi. From then onwards for a series of reasons, Akilam says that 'Hindu' scriptures and its ideology had lost its purity and was destroyed, and so the Dharma was re-configured in the name of Akilam and Vaikundar and the 'Hindu' ideas were re-formed.

Phenomenology
Akilam points out its basis as a regeneration of Dharma in the form of an entirely new ideology. But today, most of the followers of Ayyavazhi address Vaikundar merely as the incarnation of Vishnu. Likewise, most of the Nizhal Thangals were called Narayana Swami Pathi or Narayana Swami Temple, similar to Hindu Vaishnavism. Most of the followers also worship Hindu deities such as Kali, Hanuman and other folk deities in spite of the anti-polytheistic ideas based on Ayyavazhi scripture.

Some followers of Ayyavazhi include Vaikundar as part of the ten Avatars of Vishnu as Kalki, while some denominations strongly advocate moksha, the personal liberation, though it is not stated directly in Akilam. Some even reject the Trinity conception in Ayyavazhi and believe Narayana to be the supreme universal power. The unique monotheistic belief which is the central theme of Akilam is completely unknown among most of the followers today. Deviating far away from the strict monotheistic teachings of Akilam, some thangals provides panividais for other lesser gods too.

The spread of Ayyavazhi among the common people was mainly due to the practice of Shamanism. Being similar to Hindus in almost all aspects Ayyavazhi followers are hard to be identified. The only sign to distinguish the practitioners of Ayyavazhi is the fact that they wore the Thirunamam (a sign on their forehead). The Nizhal Thangals are identified among the other temples by the fact that idols are replaced by mirrors in the Palliyarai. Only the recitations of a handful of scholars educated in the Ayyavazhi scriptures point out the real facts and concepts of Akilam and the philosophical and ideological deviation of Ayyavazhi from Hinduism. Not even the Payyans from the headquarters are able to portray the Akilam-based ideology clearly. All these philosophical, ideological and religious variations in the society of Ayyavazhi make them hard to be identified and differentiated as a separate belief and instead taken as a Hindu sect.

There is a common belief that Ayya Vaikundar is a prophet and he had made many prophecies during his earthly years. On the contrary, there are no implications in Akilam or other books of Arul Nool that Vaikundar himself foretold anything, except in Thiruvasagam 4, Akilam:12. The common mis-understanding is because, the Akilam and Arul Nool includes hundreds of Prophecies and the contents of both the books is being divinely revealed to the Seedars by Vaikundar and the Seedars brought them to the written form. So, instead of the prophecies in both the books being considered that of Seedars it is mis-understood that the prophecies is of Vaikundar. Robert Caldwell, one among the very few historians of the contemporary period (whose views are always overwhelmingly negative on Vaikundar, since himself being a LMS Christian missionary), also referred to the then belief that seedars (disciples) profess to foretell events.

Social structure

Ayyavazhi worship was marked by its simplicity. The absence of idol worship and priestly mediation, and inclusion of alternate type of centres of worship, the Pathis and Nizhal Thangals, were other characteristics of Ayyavazhi worship. Rituals of Ayyavazhi are a reform or revolutionary activity, focusing upon social equality, deviating from Hinduism. The rituals are also characterised and bound by religious beliefs that give them an alternative spiritual meaning. Its scriptures cover basic elements and ideas throughout Hinduism. They refer to Shastras, Agamas, Vedas and Puranas. But address them all to be gone awry by the Advent of Vaikundar, from where Ayyavazhi scriptures forms negative ideas over all other traditions. Though Ayyavazhi shares many god-heads with Hinduism, it weaves unique ideology and power assumption for them. Ayyavazhi can be portrayed as a Hindu renaissance. Ayyavazhi is viewed as a reform movement too, as it brought many social changes there in the Tamil and keralite society during the 19th century.

The religious structure evolved in the path of Ayyavazhi scriptures and, as a result, it transfigured itself as an alternative religio-cultural system in the social category. The Ayyavazhis addressed their system as "Path of God" with the phrase "Ayya Vazhi". On one hand, they believe that their tradition had come to replace all old traditions (religions), but on the other hand, they believe that Ayyavazhi is the synopsis of the world's religious knowledge. On one hand, they believe that Vaikundar unified all deities within him; on the other, as all the previous had gone awry by the advent of Vaikundar. Apart from this, Ayyavazhi has separate theology, mythology, holy places, worship centres, and ethics of its own.

Though many new papers, academic researchers and some of its followers consider it as a separate religion, many of the followers are even of the opinion that this is but a Hindu sect rather than an autonomous religion. They indulge in the mystic practices of possessions and divinations similar to the tribal religions of Tamil Nadu. Also, many of its core beliefs are similar to some Hindu sects such as Advaita and Smartism.

Regarding demographics, Ayyavazhi followers are highly concentrated in South India though found across India, comparatively in less numbers. In Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli districts of Tamil Nadu, it is very hard to find a village without a worship centre of Ayyavazhi. Apart from the listings from the religious headquarters (though it is evident that Ayyavazhi followers are spread across the India from university papers) there are no official figures for the number of followers of Ayyavazhi because they are considered Hindus in the census.

title: Ayyavazhi


text:
Talk:Americanist phonetic notation

Euro-American?
the original phrasing of the article was "originally developed by European and Euro-American anthropologists and language scientists" which I changed to "originally developed by European and American anthopologists and language scientists". While the original is technically true, American academia at the time was a province almost exculively of people of European descent, did anthropology and language science stand out in their exclusion of minorities? More so than chemistry or medicine or philosophy? To specify Euro-Americans seems to imply they did. If this is in fact true, feel free to change the article back. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.135.193.109 (talk) 06:59, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

Americanist should not redirect here. The word means ‘a linguist working in the field of the indigenous languages of the Americas’; there should be an article describing the field, perhaps under American languages or Americanist linguisics, and Americanist should redirect there. 89.49.97.70 21:55, 27 September 2007 (UTC)

Nice work! - Mustafaa 21:15, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)

 * I am happy that you like. no telling when it will be finished though... nice day to you — ishwar  (SPEAK)  21:47, 2005 Jun 10 (UTC)

Character Harmony
"Unlike the IPA, Americanist phonetic notation does not require a strict harmony among character styles: letters from the Greek and Roman alphabets are used side-by-side."

I'm not quite sure what's meant by this -- surely "GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA", "GREEK SMALL LETTER THETA", and "GREEK SMALL LETTER CHI" are in the IPA along with "LATIN SMALL LETTER X"? --CRGreathouse 19:23, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

 * The IPA uses variants of Greek letters, where possible, that fit with Latin better. IPA uses and, Americanist uses φ and γ. While in some phonetic transcriptions (I don't know about Americanist) you might see the ϑ variant of theta, it's always  in IPA. --Ptcamn 20:10, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

 * I can't imagine a Greek letter looking more out-of-place in Latin text than a beta, but it's used in the IPA symbols. Still, I see your point.  Perhaps it would be best to explain some of this in the article?  --CRGreathouse 22:23, 10 May 2006 (UTC)
 * Although Unicode doesn't provide separate symbols for Greek beta and IPA beta, if you look in phonetic publications, IPA beta really does look rather different, more like a Latin letter. It looks pretty much like ß with a longer left leg, which (in serif fonts) has a serif at the bottom and which is straight up-and-down. A Greek beta doesn't have a serif and is slightly tilted to the right. Angr (t • c) 07:10, 11 May 2006 (UTC)
 * Ah. In that case I plead ignorance, and thank you for your patience in dealing with me. I'm glad I posted here instead of editing the article. --CRGreathouse 08:20, 11 May 2006 (UTC)

 * hi. See also the following from the IPA's 1949 Principles (the earlier handbook):

 * " (c) The non-roman letters of the International Phonetic Alphabet have been designed as far as possible to harmonise well with the roman letters. The Association does not recognise makeshift letters ; it recognises only letters which have been carefully cut so as to be harmony with the other letters. For instance, the Greek letters included in the International Alphabet are cut in roman adaptations. Thus, since the ordinary shape of the Greek letter β does not harmonize with roman type, in the International Phonetic Alphabet it is given the form β. And of the two form of Greek theta, θ and ϑ, it has been necessary to choose the first (in vertical form), since the second cannot be made to harmonize with roman letters. " (pp. 1-2)

 * The cited Greek forms above are in the usual slanted style, but Unicode does not provide separate symbols, so I cant reproduce the original precisely here. peace – ishwar  (speak)  16:01, 12 May 2006 (UTC)

 * G'day. Is there any reason why Unicode encodes a Latin/IPA form of some letters, like gamma and phi and epsilon, but not others, uniting them with the Greek characters? I initially assumed it was because the IPA beta had exactly the same form as a Greek one (not having much familiarity with the latter), but as Angr and the 1949 Principles points out, the glyphs are quite different. Do they have some justification, or do we just guess? —Felix the Cassowary 11:01, 13 May 2006 (UTC)

 * There's a discussion here, although it doesn't exactly clear up the issue entirely IMO (two serifs beat one? what kind of logic is that?). --Ptcamn 11:17, 13 May 2006 (UTC)

Font specification in the tables
The body of the tables shows up in Gentium font in my browser (Safari), and compared to the sans-serif text in Wikipedia it looks small and crabbed, and out of place. Is it not possible to just add class="IPA" or class="Unicode" attribute to the table for this to work in Windows Explorer, and let all the other browsers just do their thing? I'll give that a try; I'm sure someone will let us know if it doesn't work. —Michael Z. 2006-10-24 01:51 Z

Anecdote moved from article
I was a student of Carl Voegelin's from 1962 to 1975. I never heard him speak of Sapir's attitude, but in the field methods classes he gave us his symbols with the s-wedge and the c-wedge (hachek). I used these in transcribing Mohave at the Arixona field station and in working with Shawnee (my dissertation language). Fred Householder, a classicist, used the same symbols in the Linguistics Department as did the other linguists. I never heard anything disparaging about the IPA nor did I hear anything about the Speech Departments in classes by our professors or by the many linguists who spoke at the Ethnolinguistic Seminar on Monday nights and chatted with us at the Voegelins' home at the wine parties afterwards. I think the tradition began with the work of linguists and anthropologists working out of the Bureau of Indian Affairs where there was, prior to Bloomfield's time (he was a Germanticist), a standardized orthography variations of which were used from the mid-1800s onward by Lewis Henry Morgan and others, and in the 20th century by Frank Speck,Lowie, etc. Our concern was always how to put the symbols on typewriters by making dead keys (for diacritics), adding diacritics for seldom used symbols, and the like. Voegelin once mentioned that he and Mary Haas invented the idea of filing off the period under the question mark to make a glottal stop (which of course looks like the IPA symbol). So I think it is an anthropological and linguistic tradition in America rather than any inherent combat with the IPA. Noel Schutz

—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 61.227.113.120 (talk • contribs).

Odden's "APA symbols guide"
I might be wrong, but I think the "APA symbols guide" that's included in the external links section is an Africanist alphabet, not an Americanist one. See for example the use of "c" for a palatal stop rather than an affricate, the absence of crossed lambda for "tl", and the presence of click symbols. And the fact that it's David Odden's website.

If that link was intended to show an Americanist alphabet, it should probably be removed. If its inclusion was intentional, then we need to at least call it an Africanist symbol guide to avoid confusion from people who will (quite naturally) think that a link to an APA guide on this page must mean an Americanist alphabet. Jiashudiwanjin (talk) 16:39, 4 September 2009 (UTC)

Why is it correct to tag non-IPA symbols as IPA?
Ish ishwar reverted an edit for me for no reason. I untagged symbols which are not used the same way in IPA from the article. (They had other symbols in IPA) They were tagged by IPA, which made them have that title displayed (Representation in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)) if the cursor stopped on them. --Mahmudmasri (talk) 01:02, 15 December 2010 (UTC)

I have sent him a message on his talk page and he ignored it. I'll restore my edit if he continued to ignore me, because he didn't even seem to have read my edit summary nor seen what I changed. --Mahmudmasri (talk) 05:56, 17 December 2010 (UTC)

 * It is silly to do because the code does not suggest that the symbols within it has to be IPA it only tells the browser how to choose a character set. That character set is called IPA but contains both IPA and non IPA symbols. -- 21:26, 5 July 2014 User:Maunus

Abercrombie quote
The long quote contains much which seems to be just one person's individual opinions. Many followers of "Americanist" traditions would claim that symbols like "š" have the advantage of being compositional (i.e. their sound value can be predicted from knowing the sound-value of the base letter plus the nature of the phonetic modification expressed by the diacritic symbol), while "ʃ" is just an arbitrarily unanalyzable symbol (and too many arbitrarily unanalyzable symbols become a burden on the memory)... AnonMoos (talk) 18:08, 11 March 2012 (UTC)

I wonder whether Jones had the same silly, baseless, Anglocentric view of the "illegibility" of Slovak or Hungarian!Linguistatlunch (talk) 18:29, 6 September 2020 (UTC)

Origin and relationship with UPA
It would be nice to learn more about the origin and early history of the system in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Typical of the APA is the use of characters derived from Latin alphabets adapted to Slavic languages, especially Czech (š, č, ž), but also Polish (ś, ć, ł), and in ways which is identical with or at least closely approximates their use there (also of some simple characters such as c). I've wondered for some time now if there is a connection with the Prague School or an older scholarly tradition in the region, or with the transcription of Cyrillic into Latin, which naturally employed characters borrowed from Czech and Polish; officially in the case of Serbian and Belorussian, unofficially in the case of Russian and Bulgarian. APA could have (at least partly) grown organically out of attempts to convert into Latin characters Cyrillic-based transcriptions of Uralic, Caucasian, Altaic, Siberian, North American, and also Semitic and Indo-Iranian languages, first unofficially for the purposes of scholars from the West, and later also officially in the creation of Latin-based orthographies for the languages of the Soviet Union in the Latinisation campaign of the 1920s and 1930s. (Latin-based orthographies for especially African languages, interestingly, are often rather IPA-influenced, apparently because they are more recent creations.) I have the idea that precursors of the notation arose at the German-Russian interface and were exported by scholars (often schooled in German-speaking universities of Central Europe) who immigrated into the US.

Perhaps you could say that APA has its origin in German-speaking Europe, while IPA originated in England at the same time – in the late 19th century. APA is therefore closely connected with the philological tradition, whose data-based approach has been carried over into West Coast linguistics with its descriptive focus, while IPA is more closely associated with the East Coast, looking to England for influence rather than Central Europe. Yeah, I know, linguistics is like hip-hop ... it's a divide that even recalls US politics: empiricism-based vs. theory-based, or reality/fact-based vs. faith-based linguistics if you will; though to be fair, Chomsky is everything but a GOP sympathiser and speech science, like most of applied/experimental linguistics probably, despite a historical connection with theoretical/generative linguistics departments at least in Germany, does not just pretend to be science-y, even if it may well be true that they traditionally tend towards a prescriptive, or perhaps rather standard-language-oriented, approach.

The connections are suggestive to me, but I'm unsure how close this is to the truth. Anyone know the history in more detail?

A related issue, the relationship between the APA and the UPA, should be made explicit. The article currently claims that the APA is used for Uralic languages although there is the Uralic phonetic alphabet, which is similar but considered distinct and also has its own article. Perhaps you could claim, along the lines of what I have just written, that APA and UPA only really became distinct entities in the course of the 20th century, and previously they simply were part of a single pool (at least in the minds of academics). --Florian Blaschke (talk) 00:18, 5 January 2013 (UTC)

 * If there was any Central Europe - "Americanist" connection, it was presumably mediated by Franz Boas and Edward Sapir, but it was probably motivated more by a desire for typewriter / printing practicality than any conscious decision to faithfully reflect Slavic orthographies... AnonMoos (talk) 14:35, 5 January 2013 (UTC)

 * True. I just thought about this as well reading the section above titled "Anecdote moved from article". Unlike many commonly used IPA symbols, most commonly used APA symbols are also used in relatively common written languages such as Czech and Polish (as mentioned above), meaning they're easier to handle especially (but not only) when using typewriters (even if it means you have to add the diacritics manually), or for typesetters. Of course, since the introduction of Unicode, this problem has gradually diminished. Still, entering IPA on a computer is often still quite cumbersome, more so even than entering characters with diacritics as in Czech, Polish etc. Personally, I'm used to both and can see the merits and appeal of APA as well as IPA. --Florian Blaschke (talk) 20:56, 5 July 2014 (UTC)

 * Setälä's 1901 treatise on the transcription of Finno-Ugric languages, which introduces what became known as the UPA, goes into some considerable detail on the history of his system, and among others mentions the Lepsius Standard Alphabet (1849, 1854, 1855, 1863) as an important predecessor – the 1855 and 1863 versions also get a short mention in this article. On the other hand, the IPA ultimately descends from the English Phonotypic Alphabet (1845) and the Palaeotype alphabet (1869), though that one was also influenced by the Lepsius Standard Alphabet. --Florian Blaschke (talk) 21:19, 2 October 2022 (UTC)

 * There's also the Africa Alphabet, which is basically the IPA with the symbol "j" 'not representing the sound [j] (something which English-speakers often dislike about the IPA)... AnonMoos (talk) 23:15, 3 October 2022 (UTC)
 * Though it also has the symbol ⟨j⟩ representing [d͡ʒ] (and I wonder how it represents the rounded front vowel [y]), which is illogical (or at least inconsistent) as long as [t͡ʃ] isn't treated alike. Which (judging from African reference alphabet) is apparently the case in the Africa Alphabet: it's represented by ⟨c⟩. In fact, both characters can stand for either palatal stops or postalveolar affricates, another significant deviation from the IPA. It would be easier and more consistent to use the IPA symbol ⟨ɟ⟩ instead, then (as long as it is done consistently, using the palatal stop symbols for postalveolar affricates in broad, phonemic transcription, while a bit of a hack, is acceptable in my book whenever there's no contrast in a language). Or, of course, you could do the UPA/APA thing and use ⟨c⟩ for IPA [t͡s], ⟨j⟩ or ⟨ʒ⟩ for IPA [d͡z], ⟨č⟩ for IPA [t͡ʃ] and ⟨ǰ⟩ or ⟨ǯ⟩ for IPA [d͡ʒ]. --Florian Blaschke (talk) 17:56, 23 November 2022 (UTC)

Move Anthropos alphabet
The Anthropos alphabet is not an Americanist phonetic notation and doesn’t belong in this article. It really should be in its own article. --Moyogo/ (talk) 08:09, 1 April 2023 (UTC)
 * The relevant sections have been moved to Anthropos phonetic alphabet. --Moyogo/ (talk) 04:02, 17 January 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:Americanist phonetic notation


text: User talk:69.230.90.165

title: User talk:69.230.90.165


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Polish selected anniversaries -- January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December

authors: ಮಲ್ನಾಡಾಚ್ ಕೊಂಕ್ಣೊ

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text: Template talk:SelectedAnnivBarPL

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Viktor Maslov (racing driver)

Viktor Vladimirovich Maslov (Виктор Владимирович Маслов; born on 16 January 1976 in Surgut) is a Russian race car driver. Maslov spent six years in top-level karting, debuting in 1989, before competing in the premiere ice racing event Trophy Andros in 1996. In 1996 Maslov also competed in Russian Formula Three. In 1997 Maslov again competed in both categories, staying with the Daewoo team in Andros, before landing a 1998 seat with Italian Formula Three team Lukoil.

Maslov joined Arden Motorsport in 1999, driving for the team in both Italian Formula 3000 and International Formula 3000. He continued to do the same until 2001, when he drove in Formula 3000 only. He left Arden at the end of 2001.

Complete International Formula 3000 results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

title: Viktor Maslov (racing driver)


text:
Mike Worsley

Mike Worsley (born 1 December 1976 in Warrington) is a former rugby union player who played as a prop.

He started with West Park St Helens, while playing in older age-groups for high-flying rugby school St Ambrose College in Altrincham, then followed by Orrell and Bristol before joining London Irish in September 1998. He started in the 2002 Powergen Cup Final at Twickenham, as London Irish defeated the Northampton Saints.

Worsley represented England Schools 18-Group and England U21s before his form with the exiles propelled him into the England A side. After initially being selected for the England squad to tour New Zealand and Australia in June 2003, Worsley teamed up with the England A squad that won the Churchill Cup in Canada.

He won his first cap as a replacement in the 40–5 victory over Italy in the Six Nations game at Twickenham on 9 March 2003. He then won his second cap in England's 51–15 defeat to Australia on 26 June 2004.

He toured New Zealand with England in summer 2004 before joining the Churchill Cup in Vancouver.

Mike Worsley joined Harlequins from Zurich Premiership rivals London Irish in the summer of 2003 and was part of the Quins side that defeated London Wasps 33–27 on the opening day of the 2003–04 season (13 September 2003).

Injury forced his retirement at the end of the 2005–06 season.

In September 2009, he became a teacher at Cranleigh School teaching Business Studies as well as being a tutor in one of the houses.

title: Mike Worsley


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Pro-genocide group

 This page is an archive of the discussion about the proposed deletion of the article below. This page is no longer live. Further comments should be made on the article's talk page rather than here so that this page is preserved as an historic record. The result of the debate was DELETE. Golbez 07:37, Jun 18, 2005 (UTC)

Pro-genocide group
Neologism. 3 Google hits. Expanding it to anything larger than a dictdef is likely going to have POV problems. --Xcali 21:18, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. As far as I can see there are none to put on the list anyway. David | Talk 22:01, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. The definition is wrong anyway. Genocide is not an act of omitting certain groups, it is the act of wiping them out; therefore a pro-genocide group would be any party that favours genocide (for instance, some of the more radical Hutu parties in Rwanda in 1994).  In any case, all non-notable neologism's go to the wiki-graveyard. --Scimitar 23:02, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Neologism. -- BD2412 talk 01:16, 2005 Jun 11 (UTC)
 * Delete, definition attempt of non-notable neologism. -- Infrogmation 02:10, 11 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete neologism Kaibabsquirrel 01:52, 12 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete neologism. --Ian Pitchford 20:12, 12 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Who would you include here anyway? The old Nazi party? Maybe the janjaweed? Whoever gets put on here, there would be tremendous POV issues. Firebug 03:20, 13 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * This page is now preserved as an archive of the debate and, like some other VfD subpages, is no longer 'live'. Subsequent comments on the issue, the deletion, or the decision-making process should be placed on the relevant 'live' pages.  Please do not edit this page .


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Krzysztof Czerwiński

Krzysztof Czerwinski (born 13 January 1980) is a Polish conductor, organist and voice teacher. Czerwinski studied at Wieniawski School of music (Poznań, Poland), Eastman School of Music (University of Rochester, New York, US) and Birmingham Conservatoire (University of Central England, Birmingham, UK).

He has won many national and international competitions, awards, scholarships and gives performances throughout Europe and the USA.

On the basis of his artistic attainment, he has received prizes from Minister of Culture and Arts, and Ministry of Culture and National Heritage in Poland. Czerwinski is founder, Conductor and Artistic Director of the Polish Baroque Orchestra and Artistic Director of the Komorniki Festival of Organ and Chamber Music in Poland.

He has served as accompanist, Assistant Conductor/Artistic Director and voice teacher for the Poznań Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys (Poznań, Poland).

title: Krzysztof Czerwiński