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Ajith Kumar

Ajith Kumar (born 1 May 1971) is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. To date, he has starred in over 61 films, and won four Vijay Awards, three Cinema Express Awards, three Filmfare Awards South and three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards. In addition to his acting career, Ajith is also a sports car racer and participated in the MRF Racing series (2010). He became a race car driver, competing in circuits around India in places such as Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi. He is one among very few Indians to race in the International arena and in Formula championships. Based on the annual earnings of Indian celebrities, he was included in the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list three times.

Ajith began his career with a small role in the 1990 Tamil romantic drama En Veedu En Kanavar. After his first major breakthrough Aasai (1995), Ajith established himself as a romantic hero with Kadhal Kottai (1996), Kaadhal Mannan (1998) and Aval Varuvala (1998), and established himself as an action hero starting with the film Amarkalam (1999). Ajith's dual portrayal of twin brothers—where one is deaf-mute—in S. J. Suryah's Vaali (1999) won him his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil. He earned critical acclaim for his dual roles in the vigilante film Citizen (2001). He was also praised for his dual role performance in K. S. Ravikumar’s Villain (2002) where he won his second Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Tamil. In 2006, he starred in K. S. Ravikumar's Varalaru, in which he played three different roles including one of a classical Bharatanatyam dancer. It became the highest-grossing Tamil film of 2006, and earned him another Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil. The following year he starred in two remakes—Kireedam (2007) and Billa (2007), both of which earned him critical acclaim. Ajith played an antagonist in his 50th film Mankatha (2011), which became one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of all time. His next release, Billa II (2012), was Tamil cinema's first prequel.

Ajith has also been abroad for various races, including Germany and Malaysia. He drove in the 2003 Formula Asia BMW Championships. He raced in the 2010 Formula 2 Championship along with two Indians, Armaan Ebrahim and Parthiva Sureshwaren.

Early life
Ajith Kumar was born on 1 May 1971. His father, P. Subramaniam (died 2023 ), was born in Thanjavur with roots in Palakkad, Kerala and his mother, Mohini, is Sindhi from Kolkata, West Bengal. Ajith was the middle son out of three brothers, the others being Anup Kumar, an investor, and Anil Kumar, an IIT Madras graduate-turned-entrepreneur.

Ajith dropped out of Asan Memorial Senior Secondary School during his tenth grade, before he had completed his higher secondary schooling. Through a family friend who worked with the Enfield company, Ajith was able to get a job as an apprentice and spent six months training to be a mechanic. He later quit the role at the insistence of his father, who wanted Ajith to have a white-collar job, and joined another family friend's garment exporting company as an apprentice. He eventually progressed to become a business developer and regularly travelled throughout the country on sales assignments, improving his English-speaking skills. After resigning from the role, Ajith set up a textiles business distributing fabric alongside three other partners. The business venture underperformed prompting Ajith to take up another job in the garments industry. During the period, Ajith also began working on modelling assignments alongside his work. He was notably scouted by P. C. Sreeram during the making of a commercial for Hercules Cycle and Motor Company, who felt he had the appearance to become an actor.

1990–1998
Ajith began his acting career through a one-scene appearance as a school child in En Veedu En Kanavar (1990). Through the recommendation of S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, whose son was a classmate of Ajith, he was cast in his first lead role in the Telugu romantic drama Prema Pusthakam (1993), which remains his only Telugu film to date. However, the shoot of the film was stalled soon after production began, following the death of the film's director Gollapudi Srinivas. As a result, his first major theatrical release was the Tamil romantic drama Amaravathi (1993), which Ajith had signed after being recommended to director Selva by Balasubrahmanyam, who had seen parts of Prema Pusthakam prior to its delay. As the film went into post-production, Ajith was bed-ridden due to a racing injury while training for an amateur motor race. He underwent three major surgeries resulting in bed rest for one and a half years. As a result, his voice in the film was dubbed by actor Vikram. Following the injury, Ajith was keen to make up for lost time and signed on to play supporting roles. In the following years, he played character roles in the Arvind Swami-starrer Paasamalargal (1994) and Vijay-starrer Rajavin Parvaiyile (1995). He was also seen in the family drama Pavithra (1994), which featured him as an ailing patient shown maternal affection by Radhika's character.

Ajith's first commercially successful film as a lead actor was the romantic thriller Aasai (1995). The film, directed by Vasanth and produced by Mani Ratnam featured him in the lead role opposite Suvalakshmi, whose brother-in-law lusts for her. It performed well at the box office and established Ajith as an upcoming actor in the Tamil film industry. Aasai also earned him his first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil. He later played the lead in Kalloori Vaasal, co-starring Prashanth and Pooja Bhatt. Ajith's second successful film came in the form of National Award winning Kadhal Kottai, in which Ajith reunited with Agathiyan, the director of the earlier project Vaanmathi. The film paired him opposite Devayani, with Heera Rajgopal playing a supporting role.

In 1997, Ajith appeared in five films with none of the projects doing well commercially. During the same period, he had entered into the film distribution business and had experienced losses as a result. Describing the period as a "cruel time", Ajith also continued to have chronic back injuries and several of his other film commitments had become delayed. A notable project among the five films was Amitabh Bachchan's Tamil production Ullaasam (1997), in which he was paid a high salary of inr 2000000 for the first time.

Ajith returned in 1998 with another big, successful project in Saran's Kaadhal Mannan, an action romantic comedy, setting the foundation for an expanding fan base. He also began acting in Vasanth's Nerukku Ner, and was later replaced by Suriya. His next films Aval Varuvala and Unnidathil Ennai Koduthen also became successes, with the latter featuring Ajith in a guest role alongside Karthik. Except for Uyirodu Uyiraga, which performed poorly, his other three films released in 1998 were box office hits.

1999–2008
Ramesh Khanna's Thodarum and Sundar C's romantic drama Unnaithedi opposite Malavika set the tone for a series of big successes. S. J. Suryah's thriller Vaali, which portrayed Ajith in dual roles for the first time opposite Simran, became one of his biggest hits at that time. The film told the story of a deaf-mute brother setting his eyes on his younger brother's wife, with Ajith's portrayal of the two brothers winning him his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil. Furthermore, Ajith's portrayal of the brothers was also praised, with critics claiming that the film was an "instant classic", with Ajith showing that he is a "talented actor". The two following roles in the drama films Anandha Poongatre and Nee Varuvai Ena also brought Ajith plaudits for his portrayals. His 25th and final film before the new millennium was Amarkalam, directed by Saran and featuring Shalini, whom he married shortly after the film. Amarkalam told the story of a neglected child who grew up and failed to show feelings of love or affection, becoming a gangster in the process, with Ajith's depiction of his rogue character appreciated by critics.

His first film of the new millenium, Mugavaree, won him commercial and critical praise. The film revolved around the life of a struggling music composer who faces sacrifices to proceed in his career. The film featured dual endings, one with Ajith succeeding in his career, the other with Ajith dejected. Ajith's performance was yet again praised with critics from Rediff, claiming that "Ajith is the real winner", drawing an allusion with the film's script, whilst adding that "it is amazing to see how Ajith has grown as an actor. He brilliantly portrays the vulnerable and sad Sridhar". He also appeared in A. R. Rahman's 2000 multi-starrer Kandukondain Kandukondain, directed by Rajiv Menon. The film featured Ajith alongside prominent actors Mammooty and Abbas and actresses Aishwarya Rai, Tabu and Srividya. In a similar role to his previous film, Ajith played a struggling film director facing an oscillating relationship with Tabu, with the pair being unanimously praised for their roles. After giving six straight hits in 1999, and having had Mugavaree and Kandukondain Kandukondain in 2000 as successes, Ajith had an unsuccessful film, Unnai Kodu Ennai Tharuven, co-starring Simran.

In 2001, Ajith appeared in three commercially successful Tamil films. Dheena co-starring Laila and Suresh Gopi, released at Pongal and marked the beginning of a new image of Ajith as an action hero who would appeal to the masses. He earned the nickname, "Thala" (Leader), from this film. In the same year, he was offered a role in Nandha, which he rejected and was replaced by Suriya, the eldest son of actor Sivakumar. His next was the much-hyped thriller Citizen, portraying him in ten different get-ups and it became a commercial success at the box office. A role in the family drama Poovellam Un Vasam followed opposite Jyothika and was a critical and commercial success, earning him the Tamil Nadu State Film Special Award and his third nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil. The year ended off with a brief appearance in Santosh Sivan's Hindi project Asoka, in which Ajith played as one of the antagonist against Shah Rukh Khan, which did not perform well. In 2002, Ajith appeared in three films, the first two, Red and Raja being box office disappointments, the former further building up his image as an action hero. The third film Villain, directed by K. S. Ravikumar, portrayed Ajith in dual roles, one as a mentally disabled person and another as a caring brother. The film emerged as a commercial successf and earned him his second Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil.

From 2003 through 2005, Ajith appeared in fewer films due to his career in motor racing becoming more prominent. 2003 saw the release of his long-delayed Ennai Thalatta Varuvala and the police drama Anjaneya, both failing commercially. In that period, three successful films, namely Saamy, Kaakha Kaakha and Ghajini, were turned away by the actor due to various reasons.

His next film, Jana with Sneha, also became a big failure, with the Saran film Attagasam, being his only hit in the period. The film saw Ajith portray dual roles, with a song "Thala Deepavali", penned to promote his action image. In 2005, the failure of the Linguswamy film Ji, despite garnering positive reviews and taking a strong opening, saw Ajith take a sabbatical from acting to re-work his image. Of the five films released between 2003 and 2005, his only box office hit was Attagasam.

During 2006, Ajith returned from his hiatus by appearing in P. Vasu's Paramasivan for which he had lost twenty kilograms to portray the lead role. The film enjoyed a moderate success, scoring over Vijay's Aathi, which also released in the same week, at the box office. Critics from The Hindu stated that Ajith looked "trim and taut" in the film with "only his eyes seeming to have lost some of its sparkle", following the major weight loss. Furthermore, for Paramasivan and his two other projects in 2006, Ajith sported long hair, which was being grown for Bala's project Naan Kadavul, which Ajith eventually opted out of. Similarly, his next film, AVM Productions's, Thirupathi, directed by Perarasu performed above average business at the box office, despite garnering poor reviews, with Rediff critics citing that the film is "anything but sensible", but that Ajith "salvages the situation with a spirited performance". Ajith summed up a successful comeback by the release of his long-delayed action drama Varalaru, which went on to become his first biggest success. The K. S. Ravikumar film co-starring Asin, portrayed Ajith in three roles, including that of a classical dancer, with his portrayals being critically praised. Moreover, the film earned Ajith his third Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil. In 2007, media reports hinted that the actor would do a project with Shankar. Ajith's first release in 2007, Aalwar, became a debacle at the box office, with his previous film still continuing to run in theatres even after Aalwar had stopped its brief theatrical run. Kireedam, a remake of the 1989 National Award-winning Malayalam film of the same name, was released to positive reviews, with the film also becoming a moderate success. During the shooting of the film, Ajith developed a further spinal injury, a recurrence of his problem earlier in his career.

Ajith then starred in Billa, a remake of the 1980 Rajinikanth-starrer of the same name. The Vishnuvardhan-directorial fetched critical praise for Ajith, becoming a trend-setter for stylish art direction and cinematography in India. Billa, yet again, featured Ajith in dual roles, one of a notorious don whilst the other played an innocent person who had to act as the don, following the former's death. Billa also earned him his sixth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil. After Billa, Ajith appeared in the film, Ayngaran International's production Aegan, directed by the choreographer turned director Raju Sundaram. The film, a remake of the 2004 Hindi comedy Main Hoon Na, received mixed reviews and was a failure at the box office.

2010–2019
Following a year of production, Ajith's Aasal, released in February 2010, taking a grand opening at the box office. The film, which also featured Ajith in dual roles, also failed at the box office despite bigger expectations.

After a second foray into motor racing, Ajith signed a film directed by Venkat Prabhu, titled Mankatha, which notably became his 50th project. The film featured him in a full-length negative role as Vinayak Mahadevan, a suspended police officer with a lust for money. His performance and his decision to portray a character with negative shade, breaking the stereotype hero image in Tamil cinema, were lauded by critics, with reviewers from Sify and Rediff terming the film as an "out and out Ajith film" that worked "only because of Ajith". Heaping praise on the actor's performance, the former noted that he "rocks as the man with ice in his veins as the mean and diabolic cop" and that he played "the emotionless bad man, to perfection", while the latter wrote that practically "he carried the whole film on his capable shoulders". Mankatha emerged as a commercial success and earned him his seventh nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil.

Ajith then starred in Billa II, a sequel to his 2007 film Billa, which released on 13 July 2012. Reviewers appreciated Ajith's on-screen presence and stunts but blamed him for the choice of story and the director. Eventually, the film performed poorly at the box office. He starred in Vishnuvardhan's Arrambam, alongside Arya, Nayantara and Taapsee Pannu, which was released on 31 October, and earned positive reviews from both critics and audience. Arrambam earned him his eighth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil. His next film was Veeram, directed by Siva and co-starring Tamannaah, which was released on Pongal 2014, which also earned positive reviews from critics. Ajith's next film was Yennai Arindhaal, with Gautham Vasudev Menon as director. Ajith's performance as a cop was widely praised with a critic calling it "Ajith's best since Kandukondain Kandukondain". Both Veeram and Yennai Arindhaal earned him his ninth and tenth nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil. Ajith worked with Siva again in Vedalam (2015), in which critics praised his performance. His latest project is Vivegam which received mixed-to-negative reviews with critics citing illogical scenes and average screenplay. His next release, Viswasam, was released on Pongal festival of 2019. Ajith later starred in Nerkonda Paarvai, remake of the Hindi film, Pink (2016), which was released in the same year.

2022-present
In 2022, Ajith collaborated with Vinoth, again, for Valimai. It was written and directed by Vinoth. It released on 24 February to mixed reviews from both the critics and audience, alike. The following year in 2023, they collaborated again for the bank heist thriller, Thunivu. It was produced by Boney Kapoor and it was the third collaboration of the team consisting of Ajith, Boney Kapoor, H. Vinoth, and Nirav Shah. Ghibran composed the music and background score for the film.

Other works
In the late 1990s, Ajith began his own film distribution company called Circuit 9000. In 1998, he announced that he would close the business and refrain from producing, distributing or directing films in the future.

Ajith created the non-profit organisation "Mohini-Mani Foundation", named after his parents, in order to promote self-hygiene and civic consciousness and to help ease the problems of urban sprawl.

In 2004, Ajith was signed as Nescafe's brand ambassador in Tamil Nadu. He has since limited his appearance to the silver screen by not appearing in or promoting any commercials. Ajith is passionate about UAVs and drones. Recently he was appointed as the test pilot and UAV system advisor by Madras Institute of Technology for Medical Express-2018 UAV Challenge.

Racing career
Ajith became a racing driver, competing in circuits around India in places such as Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi. He is one among very few Indians to race in the International arena and in FIA championships. He has also been abroad for various races, including Germany and Malaysia. He drove in the 2003 Formula Asia BMW Championships. He raced in the 2010 Formula 2 Championship along with two other Indians, Armaan Ebrahim and Parthiva Sureshwaren.

Formula BMW Asia (2003)
After a one-off race during the Formula Maruti Indian Championships in 2002, where he finished in fourth place, Ajith signed a contract with manager Akbar Ebrahim, confirming his participation in the inaugural Formula BMW Asia championship. Despite spinning out in the first lap of his first race, Ajith successfully completed the season by finishing twelfth.

Formula 2 (2010)
After a six-year sabbatical, Ajith signed up for his third season of car racing by participating in the 2010 season of the FIA Formula Two Championship. The decision to be involved in the sport was made after Ajith's film directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon was delayed, allowing him to participate in the whole season. Prior to signing up, he competed in the final round of the MRF racing series in Chennai in February 2010, but failed to finish the race due to mechanical problems. Further trials in Sepang, Malaysia followed suit as he practised for the season's beginning in April 2010 in his Formula Renault V6 car with Eurasian Racing, shedding 11 kilograms during training.

Personal life
Ajith dated actress Heera Rajagopal in the mid-1990s, but ended the relationship in 1998.

In 1999, during the shoot of Saran's Amarkalam, Ajith started dating his co-star Shalini. At that time, their involvement made them a regular subject of tabloid gossip. Despite the fact actor Ramesh Khanna advised Ajith not to marry an actress, Ajith proposed to Shalini in June 1999 and they were married in April 2000 in Chennai. They have two children: a daughter (born 2008) and a son (born 2015). Through his marriage to Shalini, he became brother-in-law to actor Richard Rishi and actress Shamili, who appeared as his sister-in-law in Rajiv Menon's Kandukondain Kandukondain.

title: Ajith Kumar


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Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Shahrooz

 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 userfy --cesarb 13:47, 4 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Shahrooz
I originally speedied this as it only consisted on a single line, but now the author has added more info. However, it is still vanity. I suggest a deletion or userfy. Sarg 08:57, 4 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Userfy is a good solution, since the user doesn't currently have a user page. Quale 09:41, 4 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * If User:Shahrooz wants to userfy, that's ideal. otherwise delete. Nateji77 09:49, 4 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Userfy or delete, unless they've done something remarkable, students usually don't get encyclopedia articles. Mgm|(talk) 11:53, Jun 4, 2005 (UTC)
 * Userified. Speedy Delete now. utcursch | talk 13:02, Jun 4, 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.

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


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Rutana Province

Rutana Province is one of the 18 provinces of Burundi.

It contains the Kagera waterfalls, and the Nyakazu Fault.

Location
Rutana Province is in the southeast of Burundi and borders Tanzania to the east. Makamba Province is to the south, Bururi Province and Gitega Province to the west and Ruyigi Province to the north. The west of the province is in the Buragane natural region, the northwest in the Buyogoma natural region and the east in the Kumoso natural region.

History
Rutana Province was originally created on 26 September 1960 as part of national political and administrative reforms initiated by the Belgian colonial administration in Ruanda-Urundi. In 1962 Burundi became independent. The new constitution reduced the number of provinces and Rutana was merged into Bururi Province and Ruyigi Province.

Communes
It is divided administratively into the following communes:

 * Commune of Bukemba
 * Commune of Giharo
 * Commune of Gitanga
 * Commune of Mpinga-Kayove
 * Commune of Musongati
 * Commune of Rutana

title: Rutana Province


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Luis Arroyo

Luis Enrique "Tite" Arroyo, (February 18, 1927 – January 13, 2016) was a Major League Baseball pitcher from 1955 to 1963. Arroyo was the first Puerto Rican player to appear for the New York Yankees and was a key part of their pennant winning seasons in and.

Baseball career
Arroyo, from Peñuelas, Puerto Rico, made his MLB debut on April 20, 1955. A stocky left-hander, he spent one season primarily as a starter with the St. Louis Cardinals. Though he was a member of the National League All-Star team that year, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates the next spring, where he was moved to the bullpen. Struggling to establish himself in the role, he went from the Pirates to the Cincinnati Redlegs, then the New York Yankees. Arroyo was the first to play for the Yankees, and despite his earlier struggles, he quickly became an important contributor to the club.

American League hitters had little success against Arroyo's screwball, and after a solid contribution at the back of their bullpen in 1960, he enjoyed the best season of his career in 1961. That year, Arroyo pitched 119 innings with a 2.19 ERA, while winning 15 games as the team's relief ace. His totals of 65 games pitched and 29 saves both led the league; he surrendered only five home runs in a season where league-wide offensive totals were very high by historical standards and was named to his second All-Star team while finishing sixth in AL MVP voting.

Arroyo's glory was, however, short-lived. He injured his arm the following spring; while he pitched for two more seasons, he never regained his prior effectiveness. Arroyo retired after appearing in only six innings in the 1963 season. Over the course of his MLB career, he pitched 531$1⁄3$ innings with a 3.93 ERA, collecting 40 wins, 32 losses, and 44 saves.

Following his retirement as a player, Arroyo became a scout and pitching coach for the Yankees.

Later life and death
On July 16, 2010, Arroyo was hospitalized after suffering a "mild heart attack"; he fell ill at an event leading up to the Yankees' July 17 Old-Timers' Day celebration, an annual event where Arroyo was a popular figure.

Arroyo died on January 13, 2016, in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The Yankees announced his death saying that Arroyo's daughter said he had been diagnosed with cancer in December 2015.

title: Luis Arroyo


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Mosaic.wav

Mosaic.wav (モザイクウェブ) (stylized MOSAIC.WAV) is a Japanese moe-pop band from Akihabara, widely known for doing theme songs to eroge, they eventually began to produce their own original work in 2004. In an interview with JaME, Kayamori stated their name was chosen in connection to church windows, and that they believe that the name really represents colour and different passions. The band is named after the digital sound file format WAV. Their songs have also been used as opening songs for Sumomomo Momomo and Kyouran Kazoku Nikki.

MOSAIC.WAV is fronted by vocalist MI-KO, with keyboardist Susumu Kayamori and guitarist Masaya Koike backing her up.

They dubbed their own music as Akiba-Pop, J-pop covered by numerous Akihabara cultural references, this including fantasy anime and video game themes.

MOSAIC.WAV is currently active as a band.

In 2015, MOSAIC.WAV composed the soundtrack for the anime adaptation of School-Live!.

Singles

 * Magical Hacker☆Kurukuru Risk (Magical Hacker☆くるくるリスク) (May 14, 2004)
 * Kimi wa Nan Terabyte? (キミは何テラバイト?) (October 28, 2005)
 * Megane de ne! (めがねでねっ！) (September 8, 2006)
 * Kyun Kyun Panic (キュン・キュン・パニック) (August 23, 2006) (Mamotte! Lollipop ED Theme)
 * Saikyou○×Keikaku (最強○×計画) (October 25, 2006) (Sumomo mo Momo mo OP1 Theme)
 * Girigiri Kagaku Shoujo Falsie (ギリギリ科学少女ふぉるしぃ) (December 29, 2006)
 * Setsujou! Hyakka Ryouran (切情！佰火繚乱) (January 24, 2007) (Sumomo mo Momo mo OP2 Theme)
 * Katamichi Catchball (片道きゃっちぼーる) (July 25, 2007) (Potemayo OP Theme)
 * Denou Kassen×Uju no Jin! (電脳合戦×うじゅの陣！) (October 20, 2007)
 * Last Battle! Akibattler "μ" (ラストバトル！アキバトラー"μ") (February 1, 2008)
 * Chousai Kenbo Sengen (超妻賢母宣言) (Kyouran Kazoku Nikki OP Theme) (April 23, 2008)
 * SPAM Mailing Girl (迷惑メーリングGIRL) (August 15, 2008)
 * Kodomosaic・Yamimosaic (こどもざいく・やみもざいく) (December 27, 2008)
 * Otoko no Musume no Tobira (おとこの娘のトビラ) (December 29, 2009)
 * Zen Sekai Teki Touchpanel (全世界的タッチパネル) (August 13, 2009)
 * Nou・Nai・Sai・Sei ～ecphoric dance～ (脳・内・再・醒 ～ecphoric dance～) (September 15, 2010)
 * H na Kuni no Kyouiku Jijou (Hな国の教育事情) (August 12, 2011)

Albums

 * We Love "AKIBA-POP"!! (October 29, 2004)
 * SPACE AKIBA-POP (January 20, 2006)
 * Future-Fiction:AKIBA-POP!! (August 31, 2007)
 * Amusement Pack (March 26, 2008)
 * Superluminal Ж AKIBA-POP (April 15, 2009)
 * Heartsnative (October 21, 2009)
 * Ginyuu Planet ☆ AKIBA-POP (吟遊Planet☆AKIBA-POP) (March 3, 2011)
 * AKIBA-POP√RECOLLECTION (November 23, 2011)
 * Minna Miku Miku ni Shite Ageru ♪ ~Heartsnative2~ (みんなみくみくにしてあげる♪~Heartsnative2~) (November 7, 2012)
 * Astronomical Φ AKIBA-POP!! (December 11, 2013)
 * Transistor no Doukedan ~Heartsnative3~ (トランジスタの道化団～Heartsnative3～) (December 11, 2013)
 * MOSAIC.lassic ~Futari no Happy☆Island~ (MOSAIC.lassic~ふたりのはっぴー☆あいらんど~) (January 30, 2015)
 * Miracleluminal Mosaic.Live!! MOSAIC.WAV 15th Anniv. (October 18, 2018)
 * MiracleluminalΣAKIBA-POP (October 18, 2018)
 * AKIBA-POP И SCRIPTER ~MOSAIC.WAV GAME SONG COLLECTION~ (December 23, 2020)
 * Quiet MOSAIC.LIVE ~Keep on the AKIBA-POP~ (2Discs) (October 31, 2021)
 * Gacha Gacha Cute ・ Figu@Hensoukyoku [Variation] ~Figu@15th Anniv.~ (ガチャガチャきゅ〜と・ふぃぎゅ@変奏曲[ヴァリエーション]〜Figu@15th Anniv.〜 ) (January 28, 2022)

title: Mosaic.wav


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User talk:CyberSkull/Images

So, wha'dya think? CyberSkull 09:00, 2005 Jun 4 (UTC)

 * That R1 Nausicaa dvd cover is horrid, scrawled all over by drooling disney employees. I need to get my R2j copy back from a friend, so can't scan it as a replacement... Trigun images are good though :) --zippedmartin 00:09, 11 August 2005 (UTC)

Gajim logo
Thanks for adding our logo in Gajim wikipedia page. Thanks a lot--Nkour 16:25, 8 December 2005 (UTC)

title: User talk:CyberSkull/Images


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Poppea

Poppea is a genus of central and South American treehopper bugs in the subfamily Smiliinae and tribe Ceresini, erected by Carl Stål in 1867.

title: Poppea


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Robe, South Australia

Robe is a town and fishing port located in the Limestone Coast of South Australia. The town's distinctive combination of historical buildings, ocean, fishing fleets, lakes and dense bush attracts many tourists. Robe lies on the southern shore of Guichen Bay, just off the Princes Highway. At the, Robe had a population of 1252. Robe is the main town in the District Council of Robe local government area. It is in the state electorate of MacKillop and the federal Division of Barker.

History
Robe is situated on the ancestral lands of the Buandig and Ngarrindjeri people.

Europeans founded the town of Robe in 1846, ten years after the Province of South Australia was established, as a seaport, administrative centre and township.

Robe was named after the fourth Governor of South Australia, Major Frederick Robe, who chose the site as a port in 1845. The town was proclaimed as a port in 1847. It became South Australia's second-busiest international port, after Port Adelaide, in the 1850s. Robe's trade was drawn from a large hinterland that extended into western Victoria, and many roadside inns were built to cater for the bullock teamsters bringing down the wool, including the Bush Inn still standing on the outskirts of Robe. Exports included horses, sheep skins and wool. The Customs House has been listed on the South Australian Heritage Register since 1980. A stone obelisk was built on Cape Dombey in 1852 to help ships navigate safely into the bay. Even so, there have been a number of shipwrecks along the coast in the area. An automatic lighthouse was built on higher ground in 1973.

During the Victorian gold rushes about 1857, the Victorian government introduced a landing tax of £10 per person to deter Chinese immigrants – more than the cost of their voyage. To bypass the tax, more than 16,000 Chinese people landed at Robe to walk overland for 320 km to the goldfields, mainly at Ballarat and Bendigo.

Robe's importance decreased with the building of railways in the 19th century to Kingston and Beachport, about 40 km respectively to its north and south. It continues as a service centre for the surrounding rural areas and home to a fishing fleet: especially important in the local economy is the rocklobster fishery.

Heritage listings
Robe has many heritage-listed places, including the following:

 * Burr Street: Robe Cemetery
 * Cape Dombey: Cape Dombey Obelisk
 * 1A Hagen Street: Robe House
 * 2 Hagen Street: The Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Chapel and Schoolroom
 * 7 Karatta Road: Karatta House
 * Main Road: Lakeside
 * Main Road: Lakeside Stables and Coach House
 * Main South Eastern Road: Richmond Park Homestead
 * Millicent Road: Bush Inn
 * 2 Mundy Terrace: Robe Post Office and Telegraph Station
 * Nora Creina Road: The Hermitage
 * Nora Creina Road: CSIRO Field Research Station
 * Nora Creina Road: Dingley Dell (dwelling)
 * Nora Creina Road: Bellevue Homestead
 * Obelisk Road: Robe Gaol Ruins
 * Royal Circus: Royal Circus and Slipwall
 * 1 Royal Circus: Robe Customs House
 * Smillie Street: Robe Institute
 * Smillie Street: Criterion Hotel
 * 8 Smillie Street: Robe Courthouse, Police Station, Old Cells and Stables
 * 10 Smillie Street: Ormerod Cottages
 * 24 Smillie Street: Bank of South Australia Building
 * 26 Smillie Street: Campbell's Shop
 * 32 Smillie Street: Davison's Shop and Residence
 * 38 Smillie Street: Graymasts
 * 4-8 Sturt Street: Moorakyne House
 * 15 Sturt Street: Granny Banks' Cottage
 * 1 Victoria Street: Caledonian Inn
 * 5 Victoria Street: Wilson's Saddlery
 * 18 Victoria Street: Attic House

Climate
Robe experiences a temperate mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csb, Trewartha: Csbl), with mild, dry summers and cool, wet winters.

title: Robe, South Australia


text: Category:Dutch physical chemists

title: Category:Dutch physical chemists


text:
Niccolò de' Conti

Niccolò de' Conti (c. 1395 – 1469) was a Venetian merchant, explorer, and writer. Born in Chioggia, he traveled to India and Southeast Asia, and possibly to Southern China, during the early 15th century. He was one of the sources used to create the 1450 Fra Mauro map, which indicated that there was a sea route from Europe around Africa to India.

De' Conti departed from Venice around 1419 and established himself in Damascus, Syria, where he studied Arabic. Over a period of 25 years, his familiarity with the languages and cultures of the Islamic world enabled him to travel to many places on ships owned by Islamic merchants.

De' Conti's travels followed the period of Timurid relations with Europe. They also occurred around the same time and in the same places as the Chinese expeditions of Admiral Zheng He. His accounts are contemporary, and fairly consistent with those of the Chinese writers who were on Zheng He's ships, such as Ma Huan (writing in 1433) and Fei Xin (writing in about 1436).

Travels
After the return of Marco Polo in 1295, there is no record of Italian traders returning from China until the return of de' Conti by sea in 1439. The only exception are the travel accounts by Franciscan friar Odoricus Mattiuzzi (1286-1331) from Friuli, who in 1310 visited Armenia, Mesopotamia, Persia, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Sumatra, Java, Cambodia, Champa and China.

De' Conti first crossed the desert to reach Baghdad and from there sailed down the Tigris to Basra. He then sailed through the Persian Gulf and went to Iran where he learnt Persian.

He then crossed the Arabian sea to Cambay, in Gujarat. He travelled in India to "Pacamuria", "Helly" and Vijayanagar, capital of the Deccan before 1420. It was in India that he coined the phrase 'Italian of the East' to refer to the Telugu language, which he found had words ending with vowels, similar to Italian. He went to "Maliapur" on the east coast of India (probably modern-day Mylapore, in Chennai), where he visited the tomb of St. Thomas, who in Christian tradition is recorded to have founded a Christian community there.

Around 1421, de' Conti crossed to "Pedir" in northern Sumatra, where he spent a year, gaining local knowledge, particularly on the gold and spice trade. (This was the period of fairly intensive contact between Sumatra and China, thanks in particular to the voyages of Zheng He.) He then continued after sailing 16 days to Tenasserim on the Malay Peninsula. He then sailed to the mouth of the Ganges, visited Sonargaon and Chittagong (in modern Bangladesh) and then went overland to Arakan (now Rakhine State, Burma). After traveling through Burma, he left for Java where he spent nine months, before going to Champa (in modern Vietnam).

De' Conti described South-East Asia as "exceeding all other regions in wealth, culture and magnificence, and abreast of Italy in civilization".

In the 1430s he sailed back to India (Quilon, Kochi, Calicut, Cambay) and then to the Middle-East (Socotra, Aden, Berbera in Somalia, Jidda in the Hejaz), from where he travelled overland via Mount Sinai, where the Spanish traveller Pedro Tafur encountered him in 1436 and reported some of Niccolò's marvels, including detailed accounts of Prester John, and thence, in company with Pedro, to Cairo.

Throughout his travels, he was accompanied by his family. However his wife, whom he had met in India, and two of his four children died in Egypt during an epidemic. He continued to Italy with his remaining children. de' Conti returned to Venice in 1444, where he remained as a respected merchant.

Account of voyages
Poggio Bracciolini's record of de' Conti's account, made in 1444, constitutes one of the best accounts of the East by a 15th-century traveler. It was included in the Book IV of his "De varietate fortunae" ("On the Vicissitudes of Fortune").

Accounts of Niccolò de' Conti's travels, which first circulated in manuscript form, are said to have profoundly influenced the European geographical understanding of the areas around the Indian Ocean during the middle of the 15th century. They were the first accounts to detail the Sunda Islands and Spice Islands since the accounts of Marco Polo. His accounts probably encouraged the European travels of exploration of the end of the century.

de' Conti also influenced 15th century cartography, as can be seen on the Genoese map (1447–1457). And there is reason to believe that some of the new information on mapmaker Fra Mauro's map was gleaned from conversation with Niccolò. The influential Fra Mauro map (1450) offered one of the clearest depiction of the Old World. In these two maps, many new location names, and several verbatim descriptions, were taken directly from de Conti's account. The "trustworthy source" whom Fra Mauro quoted in writing is thought to have been de' Conti himself. Mauro's map discusses the travels of a Zoncho de India, a "junk from India" (likely referring to China or kingdoms in the Nusantara archipelago, as both was often referred to as India during this period), beyond the Cape of Good Hope into the Atlantic Ocean around 1420, confirming that it was possible to sail around Africa through the south. In his descriptions of East Asia, de' Conti describes huge junks of about 1,000 tons (some translations have 2,000 tons*), larger than the typical 16th century Western galleons and equal to the large Manila galleons:

"They build some ships much larger than ours, capable of containing 2,000 butts in size, with five sails and as many masts. The lower part is constructed of three planks, in order to withstand the force of the tempests to which they are much exposed. But some ships are built in compartments, that should one part be shattered, the other portion remains intact to accomplish the voyage."

Some translations have 2000 butts (Hakluyt Society), which is around 1,000 tons, while other translations of de' Conti have 2,000 tons (Needham). The translation above is from the Hakluyt Society's translation. A butt was unit of volume that was half a ton.

The man "from Cathay" whom Paolo Toscanelli, in a 1474 letter to Christopher Columbus, described as visiting Pope Eugenius IV (1431–1447) might have been de' Conti, who, after returning from the east, did meet Pope Eugenius in 1444:

"Also in the time of Eugenius one of them [of Cathay] came to Eugenius, who affirmed their great kindness towards Christians, and I had a long conversation with him on many subjects, about the magnitude of their rivers in length and breath, and on the multitude of cities on the banks of rivers. He said that on one river there were near 200 cities with marble bridges great in length and breadth, and everywhere adorned with columns. This country is worth seeking by the Latins, not only because great wealth may be obtained from it, gold and silver, all sorts of gems, and spices, which never reach us; but also on account of its learned men, philosophers, and expert astrologers, and by what skill and art so powerful and magnificent a province is governed, as well as how their wars are conducted."

De' Conti's book was used by several explorers and travel writers, such as Ludovico di Varthema (1510), and Antonio Pigafetta, who travelled around the world with Magellan's expedition. Alfred Russel Wallace cited de' Conti's account of the peoples of Java and Sumatra in his 1869 book The Malay Archipelago.

Editions
The first printed edition of de' Conti's account was made in 1492 in the original Latin by Cristoforo da Bollate and dedicated to Pietro Cara, who was going on a journey to India. Various translations followed, into Portuguese (1502) and Spanish (1503). The first Italian-language edition appears to have been translated from the Portuguese edition, and was made a part of the collection of travellers' accounts published in 1550 by Giovanni Battista Ramusio. The first English edition was translated from the Spanish, and printed in 1579 by John Frampton, using a combination of Marco Polo's and de Conti's narrations.

title: Niccolò de' Conti


text:
Talk:Stephen Spender's sexuality

Most of the text on this page was removed from the article on Stephen Spender by an editor that thought that there was too much emphasis on his sexuality (see: Talk:Stephen Spender). In trying to compromise, I will be incorporating summary of this article in the Steven Spender article and linking the summary to this article. -- Samuel Wantman 09:05, 4 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Merge discussion
See Talk:Stephen Spender. Chick Bowen 18:09, 22 November 2005 (UTC)

title: Talk:Stephen Spender's sexuality