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Aura Battler Dunbine

Aura Battler Dunbine (聖戦士ダンバイン) is an anime television series created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and produced by Sotsu and Sunrise. Forty-nine episodes aired on Nagoya TV from February 5, 1983, to January 21, 1984. A three-episode anime OVA sequel entitled New Story of Aura Battler Dunbine (also known as The Tale of Neo Byston Well) was released in 1988. The series was later dubbed by ADV Films and was released to DVD in North America, along with the original Japanese version in 2003. It soon went out of print, and until 2018, was only available as a digital purchase from the now-defunct Daisuki site, then Sentai Filmworks licensed the series.

Premise
The story is set in Byston Well, a parallel world that resembles the countryside of medieval Europe with kingdoms ruled by monarchs in castles, armies of unicorn-riding cavalry armed with swords and crossbows, and little winged creatures called Ferario, flying about offering help or hindrance depending on their mood. The main draw to the series were the insect-like Aura Battlers, used by the population of Byston Well to fight their wars. These fighting suits are powered by a powerful energy called "aura" or "life energy." Certain people are strong enough with the aura-energy to act as power-supply to these mecha, making them Aura Warriors.

Plot
The series followed Shō Zama, as he finds himself pulled into the world of Byston Well during a vehicular incident with one of his rivals. Byston Well is located in another dimension located between the sea and the land, and is populated with dragons, castles, knights, and powerful robots known as Aura Battlers. Once Shō is discovered to possess a formidable "aura", he is drafted into the Byston Well conflict as the pilot of the lavender-colored Dunbine.

As in other of Tomino's works, a young man is caught in the midst of an ongoing war that threatens to destabilize the world. There are romances that cut across battle lines, and the non-stop battles between elaborate fighting craft on land and on the air. Most of the cast pilot Aura Battlers, although there are many standard airships, smaller fighters, and large warships as well. Also, in typical Tomino style, a large number of named characters die tragically throughout the series.

Characters

 * Shō Zama (ショウ・ザマ)
 * Shō is the young protagonist of the series. Before coming to Byston Well, he lived in Tokyo and enjoyed motocross racing. One night, as he was riding his motorcycle through the city, he was yanked to Byston Well in order to serve as a mecha pilot under the command of regional overlord Drake Luft. He soon discovers Luft's evil motives and switches sides, joining Nie Givun and his freedom fighters in their resistance to Luft's military advances. Over time (and through experience in battle,) Shō's Aura Power increases to near infinite levels, while control over his power correspondingly weakens. Also, during the series, he returns to Earth twice, but his already strained and dysfunctional relationship with his estranged parents (one of whom may be American) crumbles completely when they refuse to believe that he is not an impostor (he was believed dead during the 'accident' where he and his motorcycle disappeared—drawn to Byston Well). To further complicate matters, he comes to harbor intimate feelings for Marvel. However, the stresses of war prevent them from actively pursuing their relationship.
 * Shō is the young protagonist of the series. Before coming to Byston Well, he lived in Tokyo and enjoyed motocross racing. One night, as he was riding his motorcycle through the city, he was yanked to Byston Well in order to serve as a mecha pilot under the command of regional overlord Drake Luft. He soon discovers Luft's evil motives and switches sides, joining Nie Givun and his freedom fighters in their resistance to Luft's military advances. Over time (and through experience in battle,) Shō's Aura Power increases to near infinite levels, while control over his power correspondingly weakens. Also, during the series, he returns to Earth twice, but his already strained and dysfunctional relationship with his estranged parents (one of whom may be American) crumbles completely when they refuse to believe that he is not an impostor (he was believed dead during the 'accident' where he and his motorcycle disappeared—drawn to Byston Well). To further complicate matters, he comes to harbor intimate feelings for Marvel. However, the stresses of war prevent them from actively pursuing their relationship.

 * Marvel Frozen (マーベル・フローズン)
 * An attractive young woman whose wealthy parents own a large ranch near Dallas, Texas, Marvel was also brought to Byston Well to fight on the side of Drake Luft, but now works with Nie Givun to overthrow Luft. She and Shō Zama first meet as enemies, but, between her getting him to question his allegiance, and his guilt when House Luft attacks House Givun and kills Nie's mother, he soon allies with her. Her fighting abilities are on par with Shō, but she lags far behind him in Aura Power. When the battling armies of Byston Well are sent to Upper Earth by the Ferario, Marvel takes time to reconcile with her parents, and also to spend a few days visiting Hawaii with Shō. Though, early on, she seems to have some interest in Nie, Marvel falls deeply in love with Shō, and wishes that he would admit the feelings she knows he has for her.
 * An attractive young woman whose wealthy parents own a large ranch near Dallas, Texas, Marvel was also brought to Byston Well to fight on the side of Drake Luft, but now works with Nie Givun to overthrow Luft. She and Shō Zama first meet as enemies, but, between her getting him to question his allegiance, and his guilt when House Luft attacks House Givun and kills Nie's mother, he soon allies with her. Her fighting abilities are on par with Shō, but she lags far behind him in Aura Power. When the battling armies of Byston Well are sent to Upper Earth by the Ferario, Marvel takes time to reconcile with her parents, and also to spend a few days visiting Hawaii with Shō. Though, early on, she seems to have some interest in Nie, Marvel falls deeply in love with Shō, and wishes that he would admit the feelings she knows he has for her.

 * Cham Huau (チャム・ファウ)
 * A faerie companion of Shō's. Cham provides the emotional barometer to the group, and often finds herself more sensitive to the tensions in a situation. She is Shō's cheerleader, and vigorously defends him from enemies and naysayers alike.
 * A faerie companion of Shō's. Cham provides the emotional barometer to the group, and often finds herself more sensitive to the tensions in a situation. She is Shō's cheerleader, and vigorously defends him from enemies and naysayers alike.

 * Nie Givun (ニー・ギブン)
 * A somewhat embittered freedom fighter, Nie leads a small faction that opposes the military objectives of Drake Luft. Both of his parents are killed early in the war by Drake's forces, leaving him the sole survivor of the Givun family name. He commands the Aura ship, Zelana, and is harsh but dedicated to his crew. He also finds himself faced with a conflict during the war as he carries on a romance with Rimul Luft, Drake's daughter.
 * A somewhat embittered freedom fighter, Nie leads a small faction that opposes the military objectives of Drake Luft. Both of his parents are killed early in the war by Drake's forces, leaving him the sole survivor of the Givun family name. He commands the Aura ship, Zelana, and is harsh but dedicated to his crew. He also finds himself faced with a conflict during the war as he carries on a romance with Rimul Luft, Drake's daughter.

 * Keen Kiss (キーン・キッス)
 * The daughter of a noble house, Keen spends much of the earlier part of the series trying to prove herself. Her father, choosing to serve Drake to uphold the family name, is killed in combat against Nie's forces (Keen herself has to fight him.) Keen is a loyal, if not exactly skilled fighter, and is able to hold her own well enough until the final battle, even if she sometimes lets her want to prove herself get the better of her. While versed in the use of Aura Battlers, more often than not Keen serves as a support pilot, sortieing in the Fou fighter unit. She has feelings for Nie, but he does not seem to notice them.
 * The daughter of a noble house, Keen spends much of the earlier part of the series trying to prove herself. Her father, choosing to serve Drake to uphold the family name, is killed in combat against Nie's forces (Keen herself has to fight him.) Keen is a loyal, if not exactly skilled fighter, and is able to hold her own well enough until the final battle, even if she sometimes lets her want to prove herself get the better of her. While versed in the use of Aura Battlers, more often than not Keen serves as a support pilot, sortieing in the Fou fighter unit. She has feelings for Nie, but he does not seem to notice them.

 * Rimul Luft (リムル・ルフト)
 * Daughter of Drake Luft. While she does not seem to hate her father as a person, she shares no love for his actions and makes several efforts to aid Nie Givun's resistance forces. While her father does care about her, and, to that end, wishes to engage her to Burne, he fails to notice she is in love with Nie. She tries to escape her father to aid the resistance multiple times, but is repeatedly recaptured. Eventually, she escapes and joins Nie's group. Here, however, she's met with distrust by many, even after she proves herself in battle. A decent pilot, she does not get many chances to actively fight before she's taken back into custody. While she still seems to care for her father, she has no love for her mother, Luza. Unlike her father, she can see through her mother's schemes.
 * Daughter of Drake Luft. While she does not seem to hate her father as a person, she shares no love for his actions and makes several efforts to aid Nie Givun's resistance forces. While her father does care about her, and, to that end, wishes to engage her to Burne, he fails to notice she is in love with Nie. She tries to escape her father to aid the resistance multiple times, but is repeatedly recaptured. Eventually, she escapes and joins Nie's group. Here, however, she's met with distrust by many, even after she proves herself in battle. A decent pilot, she does not get many chances to actively fight before she's taken back into custody. While she still seems to care for her father, she has no love for her mother, Luza. Unlike her father, she can see through her mother's schemes.

 * Todd Guinness (トッド・ギネス)
 * Brought to Byston Well along with Shō, Todd means well enough but has the misfortune of making many poor decisions. Unlike Shō, who knows what he wants to fight for, Todd finds his motives changing throughout his time in the war. Initially believing Byston Well to be only a dream, he takes a very lax attitude to his new role, enticed by the prospect he could very well become a king in Byston Well. It is only after several defeats, and being faced with the prospect of being replaced by Drake, that he starts to become serious, now fighting for his pride. During one of these battles, he is taken down by Shō and left bed-ridden for some time. When he returns and finds he's been cast aside by Drake, he eagerly accepts an offer from one of Drake's compatriots, Bishot, as he sees an opportunity to get revenge on Shō for his disgrace. It is only when the armies are sent to Upper Earth that he finally finds a cause worth fighting for, believing if he can defeat Shō, Drake will not attack America, and thus he can protect his mother.
 * Brought to Byston Well along with Shō, Todd means well enough but has the misfortune of making many poor decisions. Unlike Shō, who knows what he wants to fight for, Todd finds his motives changing throughout his time in the war. Initially believing Byston Well to be only a dream, he takes a very lax attitude to his new role, enticed by the prospect he could very well become a king in Byston Well. It is only after several defeats, and being faced with the prospect of being replaced by Drake, that he starts to become serious, now fighting for his pride. During one of these battles, he is taken down by Shō and left bed-ridden for some time. When he returns and finds he's been cast aside by Drake, he eagerly accepts an offer from one of Drake's compatriots, Bishot, as he sees an opportunity to get revenge on Shō for his disgrace. It is only when the armies are sent to Upper Earth that he finally finds a cause worth fighting for, believing if he can defeat Shō, Drake will not attack America, and thus he can protect his mother.

 * Burne Bannings (バーン・バニングス)
 * Shō Zama's former commander. Throughout most of the series, he serves Shō's main rival. Commands extreme respect from his underlings, and grudging respect from his superiors. Burne oversees Drake's armies for a better part of the war. During the latter half of the series, however, he is defeated by Shō and left for dead. He then returns to Drake's army under the moniker of Black Knight. He is, for a time, engaged to Rimul, even though she does not hold mutual feelings for him.
 * Shō Zama's former commander. Throughout most of the series, he serves Shō's main rival. Commands extreme respect from his underlings, and grudging respect from his superiors. Burne oversees Drake's armies for a better part of the war. During the latter half of the series, however, he is defeated by Shō and left for dead. He then returns to Drake's army under the moniker of Black Knight. He is, for a time, engaged to Rimul, even though she does not hold mutual feelings for him.

 * Ciela Lapana (シーラ・ラパーナ)
 * The queen of the land of Na. She is rescued by Shō and encourages him to fight for not only the crew of the Zelana, but for all people of Byston Well. Later she rallies her army (including the powerful battleship Gran-Garan) and joins Shō's group in the fight against Luft. When the Dunbine is defeated in battle, it is her forces that provide Shō with the powerful new Billbine battler.
 * The queen of the land of Na. She is rescued by Shō and encourages him to fight for not only the crew of the Zelana, but for all people of Byston Well. Later she rallies her army (including the powerful battleship Gran-Garan) and joins Shō's group in the fight against Luft. When the Dunbine is defeated in battle, it is her forces that provide Shō with the powerful new Billbine battler.

 * Drake Luft (ドレイク・ルフト)
 * The main antagonist of the series, Drake is the lord who initially orders Shō (and others) drawn into Byston Well. An ambitious man, Drake believes he is doing the right thing by forcefully uniting the people of Byston Well under his banner. His personal life is not much better, as, while he holds love for his daughter, Rimul, he fails to realize that she's been working against him. Similarly, he also remains oblivious to his wife's plotting behind his back with Bishot to have him eliminated. During the final battle, he commands the battleship Will-Wips.
 * The main antagonist of the series, Drake is the lord who initially orders Shō (and others) drawn into Byston Well. An ambitious man, Drake believes he is doing the right thing by forcefully uniting the people of Byston Well under his banner. His personal life is not much better, as, while he holds love for his daughter, Rimul, he fails to realize that she's been working against him. Similarly, he also remains oblivious to his wife's plotting behind his back with Bishot to have him eliminated. During the final battle, he commands the battleship Will-Wips.

 * Shott Weapon (ショット・ウェポン)
 * A brilliant, but shady man. Shott is responsible for inventing the Aura Battlers. Originally believed to be from Silicon Valley, the later episodes of the anime suggest there's more to his past than he's willing to let on. Nevertheless, along with being a skilled inventor, he proves a fierce opponent as he brings his own contributions into the final battle, including the battleship Spriggan.
 * A brilliant, but shady man. Shott is responsible for inventing the Aura Battlers. Originally believed to be from Silicon Valley, the later episodes of the anime suggest there's more to his past than he's willing to let on. Nevertheless, along with being a skilled inventor, he proves a fierce opponent as he brings his own contributions into the final battle, including the battleship Spriggan.

 * Bishot Hate (ビショット・ハッタ)
 * One of Drake's comrades and, as far as Drake believes, an ally, Bishot is actually quite the opposite. Throughout much of the series, he and Luza are actually plotting behind Drake's back, presumably planning to seize power from him. He also provides a great deal of the force involved in the final battle, and he's the one who enlists Todd after he's dismissed by Drake. During the final battle, he commands the warship Gyre-Garing.
 * One of Drake's comrades and, as far as Drake believes, an ally, Bishot is actually quite the opposite. Throughout much of the series, he and Luza are actually plotting behind Drake's back, presumably planning to seize power from him. He also provides a great deal of the force involved in the final battle, and he's the one who enlists Todd after he's dismissed by Drake. During the final battle, he commands the warship Gyre-Garing.

 * Elle Humm (エレ・ハンム)
 * Granddaughter of King Phaezon and the third major contributor to the resistance during the final battles. Commanding the armies of her grandfather and the immensely powerful warship Graon, Elle fights for those in her family who have lost their lives to the war. As the series progresses, she also begins to develop tremendous aura powers, even having the ability to influence pilots from a distance.
 * Granddaughter of King Phaezon and the third major contributor to the resistance during the final battles. Commanding the armies of her grandfather and the immensely powerful warship Graon, Elle fights for those in her family who have lost their lives to the war. As the series progresses, she also begins to develop tremendous aura powers, even having the ability to influence pilots from a distance.

 * Jeryll Coochibie (ジェリル・クチビ)
 * After the failure of the trio from Upper Earth that included Shō and Todd, Drake has a second set brought over for his armies. Jeryll is easily the deadliest of these three. Violent, impulsive, and seemingly enjoying the carnage, her immense powers serve as a frightening mirror to what Shō could have become had he continued serving with Drake. She is also the first pilot to bring about 'hyper' mode (when a pilot experiences a great surge of aura power causing their battler to grow several times larger and become devastating as a result.)
 * After the failure of the trio from Upper Earth that included Shō and Todd, Drake has a second set brought over for his armies. Jeryll is easily the deadliest of these three. Violent, impulsive, and seemingly enjoying the carnage, her immense powers serve as a frightening mirror to what Shō could have become had he continued serving with Drake. She is also the first pilot to bring about 'hyper' mode (when a pilot experiences a great surge of aura power causing their battler to grow several times larger and become devastating as a result.)

 * Garalia Nyamhee (ガラリア・ニャムヒー)
 * Burne's follower, wants to fly an Aura Battler.
 * Burne's follower, wants to fly an Aura Battler.

Songs

 * Opening theme: "Dunbine Tobu" (ダンバイン とぶ) performed by MIQ
 * Ending theme: "Mieru Darō Byston Well" (みえるだろうバイストン・ウェル) performed by MIO
 * Insert songs:
 * "Ao no Speech Balloon" (青のスピーチ・バルーン) performed by Hiromi Koide
 * "Mizuiro no Kagayaki" (水色の輝き) performed by Hiromi Koide

Super Robot Wars
The Dunbine characters, mecha, and storyline elements make appearances in quite a few games in the Super Robot Wars series by Banpresto; most notably the "first" series. Banpresto has gone on to make spinoff series taking place in different universes such as the Alpha series and Impact. However, Dunbine has made few appearances in these latter titles, but has recently been making something of a comeback, first returning in UX, followed almost immediately after by Operation Extend and BX. T gives the most recent use of the story.

Another Century's Episode
The Dunbine units have also appeared in the Another Century's Episode series. In the first sequel, Another Century's Episode 2, many more units from the Dunbine series are included compared to the amount in the first game, and they have a very large part in the plot. Shō and Marvel, piloting the Bilbine and Dunbine respectively, also acquire a unique team attack. In Another Century's Episode 3, through the story plot did not involve Dunbine's. But all the player unit continues appear, and Bilbine shares a combination attack with Nanajin from The Wings of Rean, which also having its world set up in Byston Well.

Video games
The first three games were produced by Family Soft for the MSX. The 2000 title was released for the PlayStation by Bandai.
 * Seisenshi Dunbine (1991)
 * Seisenshi Dunbine: Shou (1992)
 * Seisenshi Dunbine: Shita (1992)
 * Aura Battler Dunbine (2000)

New Story of Aura Battler Dunbine
New Story of Aura Battler Dunbine (also known as The Tale of Neo Byston Well), is a three episode anime OVA released in 1988. It is a sequel to the TV Series Dunbine set roughly 700 years after the events of the show. It is also the second show set in the fictional medieval land of Byston Well, and is followed by Garzey's Wing and The Wings of Rean.

It was directed by Toshifumi Takizawa (Samurai 7).

Plot
700 years have passed since the great war involving Aura Machines ended. In his attempt to conquer Byston Well, the Black Knight Rabaan kidnaps the princess of the nation Baran-Baran – a nation said to hold a legendary treasure. Rabaan also captures Shion, a young hunter.

Shion and the princess, Remul, escape from Rabaan's castle and return to their homeland. There, they find out that the Baran-Baran treasure is actually a powerful Aura Battler, Sirbine.

Riding the Sirbine, Shion fights against Rabaan's evil forces.

Characters

 * Shion Zaba (シオン・ザバ)
 * Voiced by Shigeru Nakahara
 * The protagonist of the story, Shion is a young man from Baran-Baran. After being captured by Rabaan, he and Remul escape with the help of a fairy, Silky Mau. He pilots the Sirbine, a powerful Aura Battler, against Rabaan's forces. He is actually the reincarnation of Shō Zama from the original TV series.

 * Remul Jilfird (レムル・ジルフィード)
 * Voiced by Yoshino Takamori
 * Princess of Baran-Baran, Remul's family were tasked with the job of guarding the Sirbine. She is the reincarnation of Rimul Luft.

 * Silky Mau (シルキー・マウ)
 * Voiced by Keiko Yokozawa
 * Silky is a Ferario (faerie) which was captured by Shion at the beginning of the series, but decides to help him after he releases her. Silky was the Ferario captured and used by Drake Luft in the original Dunbine to draw aura warriors from Upper Earth.

 * Rabaan Zaramand (ラバーン・ザラマンド)
 * Voiced by Shō Hayami
 * The self-proclaimed "Black Knight", Rabaan rides the Aura Battler "Zwauth". He leads an army to conquest Byston Well. He is the reincarnation of Burne Bannings.

 * Beraana Gariaha (ベラーナ・ガリアッハ)
 * Voiced by Shinobu Adachi
 * A female warrior, she is a subordinate of Rabaan's. She's the reincarnation of Garalia Nyamhee.

 * Shott Weapon (ショット・ウェポン)
 * Voiced by Masahiko Tanaka
 * A mysterious being who seems to have an ulterior motive. The only "survivor" in Byston Well from the original Dunbine series.

Music

 * "Last No"
 * Performed by Midori Karashima. Used as ending theme for the 1st episode.

 * "Colored Monologue" (モノローグを染めて)
 * Performed by Midori Karashima. Used as ending theme for second and third episodes.

Staff

 * Original Creation - Yoshiyuki Tomino
 * Director - Toshifumi Takizawa
 * Writer - Yoshitake Suzuki
 * Character Designer - Tomonori Kogawa
 * Mecha Designer - Yutaka Izubuchi
 * Animation Director - Moriyasu Tanikuchi
 * Art Director - Eiji Hirakawa
 * Sound Director - Sadayoshi Fujino
 * Composer - Reijiro Koroku

title: Aura Battler Dunbine


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Pokémon 4Ever

Pokémon 4Ever is a 2001 Japanese anime film directed by Kunihiko Yuyama and based on the television series Pokémon. The fourth official Pokémon film, it was released in Japan on July 7, 2001. The film was directed in Japan by Kunihiko Yuyama and written by Hideki Sonoda. It stars the regular television cast of Rica Matsumoto, Ikue Ōtani, Mayumi Iizuka, Yūji Ueda, Megumi Hayashibara and Shin-ichiro Miki. The events of the film take place during Pokémon: Johto League Champions.

The English adaptation of the film was released on October 11, 2002, in the United States, produced by 4Kids Entertainment and distributed by then-Disney subsidiary Miramax Films, which would take over from Warner Bros. starting with this film. The English dub was directed by Jim Malone, and written by Norman J. Grossfeld. The English adaptation stars the regular television cast: Veronica Taylor, Eric Stuart, Rachael Lillis and Maddie Blaustein.

Plot
In a forest in the Johto region, a Pokémon trainer named Sammy is warned by a woman named Towa to be wary of the “Voice of the Forest”, which is Celebi, a Pokémon capable of time travel. Celebi is pursued by a Pokémon hunter and is injured. Sammy protects it from the hunter, but Celebi uses its powers to travel forward in time, taking Sammy with it. Forty years later, the elderly hunter is confronted by the Iron Masked Marauder, a cruel and sinister member of Team Rocket, who seeks to enslave Celebi. The Marauder uses a Dark Ball (a unique poke ball that can capture Pokémon already owned by Trainers, turns them evil, and increases their power to the highest level) on the hunter's Tyranitar and orders it to use its Hyper Beam attack to destroy most of the hunter's possessions.

Meanwhile, Ash Ketchum, Misty and Brock arrive in the neighbourhood of Arborville, spotting the legendary Suicune on a riverbank. Speaking to Professor Oak, the trio learn he encountered Suicune himself many years ago, but they have to depart before he can explain how. The group are taken to the forest by a local named Mr. White, but encounter the elderly Towa and her granddaughter Diana, warned of the Voice of the Forest. Celebi and Sammy appear from the past, but the former hides, while Sammy comes to term with his time displacement. Ash, Sammy, Misty and Brock find the wounded Celebi and decide to take him to the Lake of Life, said to have healing waters.

Team Rocket pursue the children, joining forces with the Marauder. The children are guided to the lake by wild Pokémon, where Celebi is healed. That night, Ash and Sammy bond, hoping the latter can return to his era. The next day, the Marauder confronts the group, using a Dark Ball to capture Celebi and uses its immense powers over nature to encase it in enormous draconian-like armour made from the forest. Jessie is captured; the Marauder admitting he plots to overthrow Team Rocket's leader Giovanni and conquer the world. Ash, his friends, and Suicune battle to rescue Celebi from the Marauder's influence.

Ash, Sammy and Pikachu breach Celebi's armour and convince it to resist the Marauder, regaining his memories and is freed from the Dark Ball's influence. The Marauder and Jessie tumble in the lake as Celebi's armour collapses.

However, upon taking Celebi to the lakeside, it dies in Sammy's arms. The group attempt to revive it when Suicune purifies the lake, but it fails. Just as all hope of reviving Celebi is lost, the Voice of the Forest, which is actually each Celebi from across time, materializes in the sky and magically resurrects their brother. Suddenly, the Marauder appears and kidnaps Celebi, using a jetpack to escape, but Ash and Pikachu rescue Celebi, the Marauder crashing into the forest and is confronted by Towa, Diana, White, and the angry wild Pokémon.

Celebi takes Sammy back to his own time, who promises to reunite with Ash in the future. The Marauder's freed Pokémon go their separate ways, refusing to bail the Marauder out of Giovanni's revenge. Ash, Misty, and Brock speak to Professor Oak of their adventure, Ash saddened by Sammy's departure. However, Professor Oak reassures him that friendships can withstand the test of time and he and Sammy will remain friends. However, upon ending the call, the trio are perplexed about how Professor Oak knew Sammy's name, having never mentioned it. In his laboratory, Oak owns Sammy's sketchbook, revealing he is the same character. During the end credits, Tracey discovers Oak's sketchbook and inserts it into a bookshelf for safekeeping. In the end, Jessie is swimming in the lake when James and Meowth find her on a raft. Soon after the Tyranitar which was caught by the Marauder attacks the raft. Team Rocket, having their raft destroyed, decide to relax in the lake.

Production
The movie was directed by Kunihiko Yuyama and written by Hideki Sonoda. Norman Grossfeld, the producer of the English adaptation, said that the animation quality in the film was the "finest yet" from Oriental Light and Magic. The animators felt "tremendous pressure" that their adaptation, both in the writing and the casting, held up against "this incredible achievement". Grossfeld says they adjusted the casting so that the guest characters did not sound too "cartoony" – "and instead had a larger than life tone to fit in with the epic nature of this story and the craftsmanship of the animation". Jim Malone directed the English dub that was written by Michael Haigney.

Box office
The first three Pokémon films, Pokémon: The First Movie, Pokémon: The Movie 2000, and Pokémon 3: The Movie, were released outside of Japan by Warner Bros., but the distribution rights for Pokémon 4Ever and Pokémon Heroes were given to Miramax on April 2, 2002, by The Pokémon Company. Miramax was rumored to have bought the rights for $1 million and by giving up 75% of the profits. Harvey Weinstein stated that Miramax could "reinvigorate the franchise" and that Pokémon 4Ever would be released in October.

Pokémon 4Ever was successful in Japan, where it grossed US$39 million. The revenue of the films in the United States had fallen from $85.7 million for the first movie to $17 million for the third movie. In the United States, the film had a limited release, opening in only 249 theaters. Comparatively, the previous film had opened in 2,675 theaters. It earned $717,061 in its opening weekend, ranking #18 on the box office for that weekend. The film earned a total of $1,727,447 during its run in North America. The film had a 58-day theatrical run, ending on December 5, 2002. Much like the next film, it was more successful upon its release on video and DVD.

The film also grossed $79,642 in the Netherlands, bringing its overseas gross to US$. The film's total worldwide gross was US$ 2001.

Reception
Pokémon 4Ever received generally negative reviews from television critics. Some critics called it "predictable" and "disappointing", while others stated that "the viewers won't be disappointed". The film received a 14% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with 32 of a total 37 reviews being determined as negative, the lowest of the Pokémon film series (original), with the consensus reading, "Only for diehard Pokemon fans". It received a rating of 25 out of 100 (signifying "generally negative reviews") on Metacritic from 16 reviews. In a review of the film, Dann Gire of the Daily Herald said that "nothing feels more desperate than a movie that tries to extort emotions from young viewers. That happens in the animated Pokémon 4Ever, in which colorful characters stand around crying over the shriveling corpse of a magical creature called Celebi. The movie has emotional warmth of tin foil, mainly because it never establishes connections among the characters, or between the characters and viewers".

Tenley Woodman of the Boston Herald said that "Fans 4Ever would be a more appropriate title for the film because Pokémon enthusiasts likely will be the only ones satisfied by the fourth big-screen installment of this Japanimation craze". He added that "the story line is solid, with Pokémon ' s proxy-fighter premise pieced together for first-time viewers. However, the film lacks the spark needed to make it a must-see flick". Robert Koehler of Variety said that the "script by Hideki Sonoda is thin in terms of levels of action and adventure, and suffers from last minute padding with one ostensible ending following another. A clever notion to pop up in the larger Pokémon epic, however, is the suggestion that The Professor (the Pokémon trainers' long-term, reliable guide to all things Pokémon) is actually Sam, now grown up in the present". He then added: "Yank voices – holdovers all from the past films – remain as irritating and overly emphatic as ever". Tasha Robinson of The A.V. Club criticized the movie's pacing stating that "In the concrete, though, it's deadly dull. There's no point to prolonging the inevitable, except to pad the movie out to its barely feature-length run time". Lawrence Van Gelder of The New York Times stated that when "it comes to entertainment, children deserve better".

Loren King of the Chicago Tribune gave the film a generally positive review, saying: "The latest installment in the Pokémon canon is surprising less moldy and trite than the last two, likely because much of the Japanese anime is set in a scenic forest where Pokémon graze in peace. The backdrop provides a welcome respite from the ear-, eye- and mind-numbing Pokémon action. And the time-travel plot, though less than inspired, is still tolerable enough for adults accompanying kids". He added that "like most Pokémon tales, this one offers lots of exposition and clunky dialogue, but also counters the expected mayhem with a sweet-sided story about friendship and peaceful creatures who prefer to live far from the madding crowd". Angel Cohn of TV Guide said in his review that "the story is a bit predictable and the characters given to restating the obvious (presumably for the benefit of very young viewers), but overall this third Pokémon sequel is surprisingly entertaining, and a mystery surrounding Sammy's identity provides an interesting twist. The film's flat, traditional anime aesthetic is perfectly suited to the look of the bold, cartoon-like creatures, though the animators switch to a more CGI-influenced look for portions of the final battle sequence. While well done, these scenes feel jarring and out of sync with the rest of the film. Quibbles aside, children and adults enamored of all things Pokémon won't be disappointed".

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

title: Pokémon 4Ever


text: User talk:81.178.173.220

title: User talk:81.178.173.220


text:
River Market, Kansas City

The River Market (formerly known as Westport Landing, the City Market, and River Quay) is a riverfront neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri that comprises the first and oldest incorporated district in Kansas City. It stretches north of the downtown Interstate 70 loop to the Missouri River, and is bordered by the Buck O'Neil Bridge on the west and the Heart of America Bridge on the east. , the population was 1,345.

Founding and early development
Starting in 1821, the area was an early French fur trading post operated by François Chouteau of the powerful Chouteau clan. The name "Westport Landing" is derived from having been the dock on the Missouri River for the exchange of goods destined for the community of Westport three miles to the south on higher ground that was operated by John Calvin McCoy. He was to lead a group of settlers to create the Town of Kansas in this location in 1850 which in turn became the City of Kansas in 1853. This made it the first and oldest incorporated district in what is now Kansas City.

In the mid 1800s, the first courthouse, police headquarters, and city hall were all located in what became the southern section of City Market, a large farmers' market and center of commercial activity in the area. Notable locations during this period in River Market history include the Pacific House Hotel, originally erected in 1860. During the Civil War, the hotel was occupied by Union Troops, and from there General Ewing issued General Order No. 11, which forced residents to evacuate key rural areas in Missouri in order to deprive Confederate fighters of material support. Jesse James also resided at the Pacific House hotel, and Wyatt Earp enjoyed vacationing in the area and spending time in the River Market with Thomas Speers, Kansas City's first town marshal.

The first streetcar line in Kansas City, originally launched in 1870 as a horse-drawn carriage line, began at Fourth and Main streets in City Market and ran to Westport. The route was converted to cable rail in 1887. In 1880, the Centropolis Hotel (named after what William Gilpin proposed as the name for Kansas City itself) was built at 5th Street and Grand Avenue in City Market. It was the first hotel in the city to boast electric lighting and became a popular dinner destination for theater-goers in the area.

Kansas City Jazz era and decline
In the 1910s, Tom Pendergast purchased the Jefferson Hotel near the City Market. For a decade, the building served as the headquarters for his "Goats" political faction. With Kansas City rapidly expanding to the east and south, the River Market area began to be referred to as "Old Town" at this time, because it was seen as a remnant of an older time of licentiousness. Under Pendergast's control, it was known for late-night drinking, gambling, cabaret, and prostitution. It was populated by those considered to be on the lowest end of the socio-economic spectrum by more upper-class Kansas Citians, including Italians, Jews, Irish, Native and Black Americans.

Between 1931 and 1939, a row of buildings was erected in the City Market as part of Pendergast's "Ten-Year Plan" to create jobs lost during the Great Depression. Since then, these buildings have supported a Saturday farmer's market, as well as the other restaurants and businesses that comprise City Market. However, as the center of commerce in Kansas City continued to shift south, the River Market area began to decline in importance. The Centropolis Hotel was demolished in 1941, now serving as a parking lot for City Market customers.

1970s River Quay revitalization and mob violence
In 1971, Rockhurst University professor Marion A. Trozzolo began redeveloping historic buildings on the riverfront and nicknamed the area River Quay. In contrast to its long-standing reputation for organized crime and other illicit activity, Trozzolo envisioned the revitalized River Quay as a family-friendly commercial district. With the increase of popular shops, restaurants, and attractions, the city began a marketing campaign for shoppers, with free shuttle bus rides from downtown. In 1972, Fred Bonadonna, son of an organized crime member connected to the operations of Nicholas Civella, was allowed to open a restaurant in the River Quay. Tensions between Bonadonna's desire to follow Trozzolo's family-friendly vision for the River Quay and the mob's desire for adult establishments led to the murder of Bonadonna's father, and a series of bombings that destroyed two bars. This and other mob violence ended Trozzolo's River Quay revitalization project.

Since 2000s
The large riverfront warehouses have become increasingly developed into residential lofts, restaurants, bars, shops, cafes, and ethnic markets. Since its inception in 1857, the City Market has been one of the largest and most enduring public farmers' markets in the Midwest, linking growers and small businesses to the Kansas City community. More than 40 full-time independently owned shops and restaurants are open year-round. The farmers' market features local vendors every weekend. The Arabia Steamboat Museum at 400 Grand Blvd. is a tourist attraction displaying thousands of artifacts from a steamboat and its cargo that had sunk nearby in 1856 and was recovered in 1987–88.

KC Commercial Realty Group manages the market on behalf of the City of Kansas City. The official neighborhood association for the River Market neighborhood is the River Market Community Association.

title: River Market, Kansas City


text:
Talk:5th Dalai Lama/Archive 1

Untitled
I have double checked the spelling of his name in a Tibetan dictionary, and this is correct. --Nathan hill 14:57, 4 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Are there two different autobiographies?
This one: manuscript Secret visions of the 5th Dalai Lama (engl. and german), or as is it called at Amazon Secret Visions of the Fifth Dalai Lama: The Gold Manuscript in the Fournier Collection Musee Guimet, Paris (Paperback) by Samten Gyaltsen Karmay (Author) and this one: Two extracts from the autobiography of the Fifth Dalai Lama called Dukulai Gosang, Volume Kha, Lhasa Publication taken from the Homepage of The 14TH Dalai Lama.

 * Austerlitz -- 88.72.5.166 (talk) 10:53, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

About the second one: , —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.202.60.13 (talk) 10:03, 6 September 2008 (UTC) Information by Googlebooks -- 212.202.60.13 (talk) 10:08, 6 September 2008 (UTC)

"Although rumor had it that Drakpa Gyaltsen and the fifth Dalai Lama were on bad terms, there was no any actual frictions between them, as is evident from the biographies of Penchen Lobsang Choekyi Gyaltsen, the Fifth Dalai Lama and Trulku Drakpa Gyaltsen. In his autobiography, Drakpa Gyaltsen mentions that he received many teachings from the great Fifth Dalai Lama, and also invited him to his residence and had excellent opportunity to attend on him with high reverence and spent the whole day in conversation with him."
 * Austerlitz -- 88.75.72.76 (talk) 10:20, 25 September 2008 (UTC)

Re-incarnations
This informations belongs here, too, I think: Anti-Shugden Page "Due to his connection with political powers, he [Namsey Norbu] manipulated and managed to place his son in the list of candidates for reincarnation of the fourth Dalai Lama, Yonten Gyatso (1589-1616). Nevertheless, his rival candidate, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso (1617-1682), was recognized as the true reincarnation of the fourth Dalai Lama. Drakpa Gyaltsen’s mother Lak Agyal therefore forcibly proclaimed her son to be the reincarnation of the Trulku Gelek Palsang, and he thus got the name Trulku Drakpa Gyaltsen."
 * Austerlitz -- 88.75.205.190 (talk) 11:12, 2 October 2008 (UTC)

The Anti-Shugden Page has vanished.
 * Austerlitz -- 88.75.66.96 (talk) 10:40, 11 October 2008 (UTC)

Sources referring to Shugden

 * The Great 5th Dalai Lama Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso
 * Austerlitz -- 88.75.205.190 (talk) 11:27, 2 October 2008 (UTC)

 * A Brief History Of Opposition To Shugden Tibetan Government in Exile
 * Austerlitz -- 88.75.66.96 (talk) 11:05, 11 October 2008 (UTC)

Another Source

 * DZOGCHEN The Heartessence of the Great Perfection/Dzogchen Teachings given in the West by His Holiness the Dalai Lama with additional informations about the socalled Great Fifth
 * Austerlitz -- 88.72.13.89 (talk) 09:20, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

Title
I don't know where to add this information within the article.
 * Judging from the title of the book the 5th Dalai Lama has been called "Sprul sku gZims Khang gong ma" (meaning the tulku of the upper residence (of Drepung).
 * Austerlitz -- 88.72.28.219 (talk) 09:32, 25 October 2008 (UTC)

Plagiarism
Much of this article is lifted directly from the Samten G. Karmay article it cites. However, quotes are often not in quotation marks.

This article should be based on a broader base of works, and authors should always indicate direct quotes with quotation marks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.206.235.149 (talk) 03:12, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

title: Talk:5th Dalai Lama/Archive 1


text:
Andamooka

Andamooka may refer to:

 * Andamooka, South Australia, a town and locality
 * Andamooka Opal, a gemstone presented to Queen Elizabeth II
 * Andamooka Station, a pastoral lease in South Australia
 * Andamooka Airport, an airport in South Australia

title: Andamooka


text:
Martin Brittain

Martin Brittain (born 29 December 1984) is an English former footballer who played as a winger. A boyhood Newcastle United supporter, Brittain progressed through the club's academy to make his senior debut for Newcastle United under Sir Bobby Robson on 3 March 2004 as a 76th-minute substitute for Michael Bridges in a 3–1 win over Vålerenga in the UEFA Cup third round. Brittain was also awarded the prestigious Jackie Milburn trophy in 2004 as Newcastle United young player of the year.

Newcastle United
Born in Cramlington, Northumberland, Brittain started his career at Newcastle United. Brittain made his debut for Newcastle under Sir Bobby Robson on 3 March 2004 as a 76th-minute substitute for Michael Bridges in a 3–1 win over Vålerenga in the UEFA Cup third round. Having been an unused substitute six days earlier in a 2–1 home win over Chelsea, he made his only Premier League appearance on 1 May in a 1–0 defeat at Manchester City, replacing Laurent Robert for the last 15 minutes.

His first start came on 7 January 2006 against Mansfield Town in the FA Cup third round, starting on the wide right of midfield in the game that Newcastle won 1–0. That game saw club striker Alan Shearer equal Jackie Milburn's goal scoring record, with Shearer grabbing his 200th goal for Newcastle. Brittain was not offered a new contract at Newcastle at the end of the 2005–06 season.

Ipswich Town
Following his release from Newcastle he subsequently trialed with Brighton & Hove Albion and Kilmarnock until having a successful trial with Ipswich Town. On 21 August 2006, he signed a one-year deal with Ipswich. Brittain made his debut for Ipswich in a League Cup game against Peterborough United with Ipswich going on to lose the game 4–2 on penalties. This proved to be his only game for the club as he was then loaned to Yeovil Town. After spending his only season with the club out on loan at Yeovil he was deemed surplus to requirements upon returning and was released in May 2007.

Yeovil Town (Loan)

After signing with Ipswich he then joined Yeovil on loan in league 1 for the 2006/2007 season. Britain made 16 appearances in total with 15 of those in the league but ultimately failed to score before returning to Ipswich at the end of the season.

Later career
Carlisle United

After being released by Ipswich Brittain joined Carlisle United on a week-long trial in July 2007 and after this trial period, Brittain joined the Brunton Park club on a monthly contract. After just one month at Carlisle Brittain was released from his contract having played just twice and only once in the league.

Walsall

After leaving Carlisle Brittain trailed for Scunthorpe United before joining Walsall. Brittain played once in the league and twice in the FA cup throughout the 2007–2008 season but had left by the start of the following season.

Kidderminster Harriers

In March 2008, Brittain joined Major League Soccer side Toronto FC on a trial, scoring a penalty in a 4–3 friendly loss to Houston Dynamo. However, he failed to earn himself a contract with the club. On 5 August 2008, he signed a one-year contract with Conference National side Kidderminster. In his first season at the club he became a regular first team player and impressed, scoring 8 goals in 51 games in all competitions.

Gateshead

On 26 June 2009, Brittain joined Gateshead, making his debut against Histon on 8 August. Brittain scored his first goals for the club against Crawley Town on 22 August. Brittain was seriously injured playing for Gateshead against Hayes & Yeading United on 5 September 2009. Brittain broke both his tibia and fibula. The game was abandoned after a 40-minute delay to treat the injury as Brittain's teammates refused to restart the game due to the shock of seeing the severity of the injury. At the time of the injury, the score was 0–0 with 14 minutes left to play. The Football Conference awarded one point to each team with Gateshead's point deducted for "failing to fulfil an engagement". Brittain returned to action on 8 July 2010, scoring the opening goal in a 3–2 defeat against a Middlesbrough XI in a behind closed doors friendly. Brittain was released by Gateshead on 30 April 2012.

Celtic Nation

In July 2012, Brittain joined Northern League Division One side Celtic Nation, but left before making a competitive appearance.

Blyth Spartans

On 20 September 2012, Brittain signed for Blyth Spartans. He made three appearances before being released on 11 October.

Bedlington Terriers

In November 2012, Brittain joined Bedlington Terriers on a free transfer.

Ashington A.F.C

In December 2013, Brittain joined Northern League Division One club Ashington. Brittain retired from football retired at the age of 31.

Career statistics

 * A. The "League" column constitutes appearances and goals (including those as a substitute) in the Premier League, Football League and Football Conference.
 * B. The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals (including those as a substitute) in the Conference League Cup, FA Trophy, Football League Trophy, and Intertoto Cup.

title: Martin Brittain


text:
Talk:Loyalty Island languages

Untitled
Anyone know how to count to 10 in these languages? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.3.159.196 (talk)

Moving article to Loyalty Islands languages

 * The following discussion is an archived discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the move request was: Move as proposed. Orlady (talk) 02:51, 10 September 2010 (UTC)

Loyalty Island languages → Loyalty Islands languages — Based on a discussion at Admiralty Islands languages, where the majority of editors support moving the article from "Admiralty Island languages" to "Admiralty Islands languages" I looked at the Loyalty Islands literature to see if such a move is appropriate here as well.
 * William Bright, 1992, "Loyalty Islands languages", International Encyclopedia of Linguistics, volume 2
 * John Lynch, Malcolm Ross, & Terry Crowley, 2002, The Oceanic Languages, page 776, "Loyalties subgroup" (in Iaai article), page 888, "Loyalty Islands f[amily]" (in classification)
 * Ian Maddieson & Victoria Anderson, 1994, "Phonetic Structures of Iaai," UCLA Working Papers in Phonetics 87: Fieldwork Studies of Targeted Languages II, page 163, "...its closest linguistic relatives are the other Loyalty Islands languages..."

While the published material I have at hand for the Loyalty Islands group is not as extensive as I have for the Admiralty Islands group, it is evidence that the usage "X Islands languages" is just as prevalent in contemporary linguistics (going back 20 years) for the Loyalty Islands node of New Caledonian as it is for the Admiralty Islands node of Oceanic. --Taivo (talk) 14:57, 15 August 2010 (UTC)
 * For the record, User:Kwamikagami has listed three contemporary references that use "Loyalty Island" in the attributive form at Talk:Admiralty Island languages. The discussion there will probably have ramifications for this move as well.  --Taivo (talk) 20:27, 15 August 2010 (UTC)

 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

title: Talk:Loyalty Island languages


text:
Treasury Tax and Loan

Treasury Tax and Loan Service, or TT&L, is a service offered by the Federal Reserve Banks of the United States that keeps tax receipts in the banking sector by depositing them into select banks that meet certain criteria.

TT&L accounts are Treasury accounts created at commercial banks to accept electronic tax payments and to disburse Treasury funds. This is an alternative to the direct deposit of tax payments into Treasury accounts with Federal Reserve banks.

There are two types of TT&L accounts: 80% of TT&L accounts clear tax payments overnight, the remainder (note option) accounts receive Treasury funds for longer periods of time. TT&L accounts provide stability to the supply of banking reserves within the banking system.

Banking reserves are the interbank "currency" used to settle payments between banks and the government. Management of the supply of reserves within the system is critical to ensuring that interbank payments clear on a daily basis. Because tax payments to the government reduce the amount of reserves in the banking system, the TT&L program provides a buffer for system reserve management, preventing reserve shortfalls on heavy tax payment days which would threaten the ability of banks to settle their payment obligations (ATM transaction and cheque clearing).

Note option banks, which retain TT&L funds for longer periods, are free to use those funds in any way allowed for deposits, which includes investing them. Note option banks are required to pay interest to the Treasury on deposited funds.

title: Treasury Tax and Loan


text:
Dwyer Brothers Stable

Dwyer Brothers Stable was an American thoroughbred horse racing operation owned by Brooklyn businessmen Phil and Mike Dwyer.

The Dwyer brothers hired trainer Evert Snedecker and purchased their first Thoroughbred, Rhadamanthus, in 1874. In October of that same year they acquired Vigil from Col. David McDaniel who to that point had earned $5630. In the ensuing few months of 1876 the colt won another $20,160 and was chosen that year's retrospective American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse.

Other trainers who worked for the Dwyers were James G. Rowe Sr. and Frank McCabe. The Dwyers won the 1881 Kentucky Derby with future U.S. Hall of Fame colt Hindoo and finished second with Runnymede the following year. However, they had their greatest racing success in the Belmont Stakes in their hometown, winning the classic event five times. One of the few major races at tracks in the New York/New Jersey area that they never won was the Brooklyn Handicap.

The brothers, either together or individually, owned a number of prominent horses, including Hindoo, Bramble, Bella B., Luke Blackburn, Bonnie Scotland, George Kinney, Miss Woodford, Barnes, Hanover, Raceland, Tremont, Ben Brush, and Cleophus. Mike Dwyer was a partner in Kingston.

In 1886 they were a key part of the group of investors who formed the Brooklyn Jockey Club and built the Gravesend Race Track at Gravesend on Coney Island. The brothers racing partnership was dissolved in 1890 and Mike Dwyer went on to enjoy further success. He won the Kentucky Derby for the second time in 1896 with Ben Brush, ridden by jockey Willie Simms.

The Brooklyn Derby, founded in 1887, was renamed the Dwyer Stakes in their honor in 1918.

Dwyer Brothers U.S. Champions (retrospective)

 * Horse of the Year: Hanover (1887)
 * Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse: Tremont (1886)
 * Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse: Vigil (1876), Hindoo (1881), Runnymede (1882), Inspector B. (1886), Hanover (1887), Sir Dixon (1888)
 * Champion Three-Year-Old Filly: Bella B. (1888)
 * Champion Older Male Horse: Kingston (1889)

Kentucky Derby

 * 1881 : Hindoo
 * 1896 : Ben Brush

Preakness Stakes

 * 1899 : Half Time

Belmont Stakes

 * 1883 : George Kinney
 * 1884 : Panique
 * 1886 : Inspector B
 * 1887 : Hanover
 * 1888 : Sir Dixon

Travers Stakes

 * 1881 : Hindoo
 * 1883 : Barnes
 * 1886 : Inspector B.
 * 1888 : Sir Dixon
 * 1890 : Sir John

title: Dwyer Brothers Stable


text:
Al-Ma'arri

Abū al-ʿAlāʾ al-Maʿarrī (أبو العلاء المعري), also known by his Latin name Abulola Moarrensis; December 973 – May 1057) was a philosopher, poet, and writer from Ma'arrat al-Nu'man, Syria. Because of his controversially irreligious worldview, he is known as one of the "foremost atheists" of his time according to Nasser Rabbat.

Born in the city of al-Ma'arra (present-day Ma'arrat al-Nu'man, Syria) during the later Abbasid era, he became blind at a young age from smallpox but nonetheless studied in nearby Aleppo, then in Tripoli and Antioch. Producing popular poems in Baghdad, he refused to sell his texts. In 1010, he returned to Syria after his mother began declining in health, and continued writing which gained him local respect.

Described as a "pessimistic freethinker", al-Ma'arri was a controversial rationalist of his time, rejecting superstition and dogmatism. His written works exhibit a fixation on the study of language and its historical development, known as philology. He was pessimistic about life, describing himself as "a double prisoner" of blindness and isolation. He attacked religious dogmas and practices, was equally critical and sarcastic about Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Zoroastrianism,   and became a deist. He advocated social justice and lived a secluded, ascetic lifestyle. He was a vegan, known in his time as a moral vegetarian, entreating: "Do not desire as food the flesh of slaughtered animals / Or the white milk of mothers who intended its pure draught for their young." Al-Ma'arri held an antinatalist outlook, in line with his general pessimism, suggesting that children should not be born to spare them of the pains and suffering of life. Saqt az-Zand, Luzūmiyyāt, and Risalat al-Ghufran are among his main works.

Life
Abu al-'Ala' was born in December 973 in al-Ma'arra (present-day Ma'arrat al-Nu'man, Syria), southwest of Aleppo, whence his nisba ("al-Ma'arri"). At his time, the city was part of the Abbasid Caliphate, the third Islamic caliphate, during the Islamic Golden Age. He was a member of the Banu Sulayman, a notable family of Ma'arra, belonging to the larger Tanukh tribe. One of his ancestors was probably the first qadi of Ma'arra. The Tanukh tribe had formed part of the aristocracy in Syria for hundreds of years and some members of the Banu Sulayman had also been noted as good poets. He lost his eyesight at the age of four due to smallpox. Later in his life he regarded himself as "a double prisoner", which referred to both this blindness and the general isolation that he felt during his life.

He started his career as a poet at an early age, at about 11 or 12 years old. He was educated at first in Ma'arra and Aleppo, then in Antioch and other Syrian cities. Among his teachers in Aleppo were companions from the circle of Ibn Khalawayh. This grammarian and Islamic scholar had died in 980 CE, when al-Ma'arri was still a child. Al-Ma'arri nevertheless laments the loss of Ibn Khalawayh in strong terms in a poem of his Risālat al-Ghufrān. Al-Qifti reports that when on his way to Tripoli, al-Ma'arri visited a Christian monastery near Latakia where he listened to Hellenistic philosophy debates that birthed his secularism, but other historians such as Ibn al-Adim deny that he had been exposed to any theology other than Islamic doctrine.

In 1004–05, al-Ma'arri learned that his father had died and, in reaction, wrote an elegy where he praised his father. Years later he would travel to Baghdad where he became well received in the literary salons of the time, though he was a controversial figure. After the eighteen months in Baghdad, al-Ma'arri returned home for unknown reasons. He may have returned because his mother was ill, or he may have run out of money in Baghdad, as he refused to sell his works. He returned to his native town of Ma'arra in about 1010 and learned that his mother had died before his arrival.

He remained in Ma'arra for the rest of his life, where he opted for an ascetic lifestyle, refusing to sell his poems, living in seclusion and observing a strict moral vegetarian diet. His personal confinement to his house was only broken one time when violence had struck his town. In that incident, al-Ma'arri went to Aleppo to intercede with its Mirdasid emir, Salih ibn Mirdas, to release his brother Abu'l-Majd and several other Muslim notables from Ma'arra who were held responsible for destroying a winehouse whose Christian owner was accused of molesting a Muslim woman. Though he was confined, he lived out his later years continuing his work and collaborating with others. He enjoyed great respect and attracted many students locally, as well as actively holding correspondence with scholars abroad. Despite his intentions of living a secluded lifestyle, in his seventies, he became rich and was the most revered person in his area. Al-Ma'arri never married and died in May 1057 in his home town.

Opposition to religion
Al-Ma'arri was a skeptic who denounced superstition and dogmatism in religion. This, along with his general negative view on life, has made him described as a pessimistic freethinker. Throughout his philosophical works, one of the recurring themes that he expounded upon at length was the idea that reason holds a privileged position over traditions. In his view, relying on the preconceptions and established norms of society can be limiting and prevent individuals from fully exploring their own capabilities. Al-Ma'arri taught that religion was a "fable invented by the ancients", worthless except for those who exploit the credulous masses.

"Do not suppose the statements of the prophets to be true; they are all fabrications. Men lived comfortably till they came and spoiled life. The sacred books are only such a set of idle tales as any age could have and indeed did actually produce."

Al-Ma'arri criticized many of the dogmas of Islam, such as the Hajj, which he called "a pagan's journey". He rejected claims of any divine revelation and his creed was that of a philosopher and ascetic, for whom reason provides a moral guide, and virtue is its own reward. His secularist views included both Judaism and Christianity as well. Al-Ma'arri remarked that monks in their cloisters or devotees in their mosques were blindly following the beliefs of their locality: if they were born among Magians or Sabians they would have become Magians or Sabians. Encapsulating his view on organized religion, he once stated: "The inhabitants of the earth are of two sorts: those with brains, but no religion, and those with religion, but no brains."

Asceticism
Al-Ma'arri was an ascetic, renouncing worldly desires and living secluded from others while producing his works. He opposed all forms of violence. In Baghdad, while being well received, he decided not to sell his texts, which made it difficult for him to live. This ascetic lifestyle has been compared to similar thought in India during his time.

Veganism
In al-Ma'arri's later years he chose to stop consuming meat and all other animal products (i.e., he became a practicing vegan). He wrote:

Antinatalism
Al-Ma'arri's fundamental pessimism is expressed in his antinatalist recommendation that no children should be begotten, so as to spare them the pains of life. In an elegy composed by him over the loss of a relative, he combines his grief with observations on the ephemerality of this life:

Al-Ma'arri's self-composed epitaph, on his tomb, states (in regard to life and being born): "This is my father's crime against me, which I myself committed against none."

Modern views
Al-Ma'arri is controversial even today as he was skeptical of Islam, the dominant religion of the Arab world. In 2013, almost a thousand years after his death, the al-Nusra Front, a branch of al-Qaeda, demolished a statue of al-Ma'arri during the Syrian Civil War. The statue had been crafted by the sculptor Fathi Muhammad. The motive behind the destruction is disputed; theories range from the fact that he was a heretic to the fact that he is believed by some to be related to the Assad family.

Works
An early collection of his poems appeared as The Tinder Spark (Saqṭ az-Zand; سقط الزند). The collection of poems included praise of people of Aleppo and the Hamdanid ruler Sa'd al-Dawla. It gained popularity and established his reputation as a poet. A few poems in the collection were about armour. A second, more original collection appeared under the title Unnecessary Necessity (Luzūm mā lam yalzam لزوم ما لا يلزم), or simply Necessities (Luzūmīyāt اللزوميات). The title refers to how al-Ma'arri saw the business of living and alludes to the unnecessary complexity of the rhyme scheme used.

His third work is a work of prose known as The Epistle of Forgiveness (Risalat al-Ghufran رسالة الغفران). The work was written as a direct response to the Arabic poet Ibn al-Qarih, whom al-Ma'arri mocks for his religious views. In this work, the poet visits paradise and meets the Arab poets of the pagan period. This view is shared by Islamic scholars, who often argued that pre-Islamic Arabs are indeed capable of entering paradise.

Because of the aspect of conversing with the deceased in paradise, the Risalat al-Ghufran has been compared to the Divine Comedy of Dante which came hundreds of years after. The work has also been noted to be similar to Ibn Shuhayd's Risala al-tawabi' wa al-zawabi, though there is no evidence that al-Ma'arri was inspired by Ibn Shuhayd nor is there any evidence that Dante was inspired by al-Ma'arri. Algeria reportedly banned The Epistle of Forgiveness from the International Book Fair held in Algiers in 2007.

Paragraphs and Periods (al-Fuṣūl wa al-Ghāyāt) is a collection of homilies. The work has also been called a parody of the Quran. Al-Ma'arri also composed a significant corpus of verse riddles.

Editions

 * Risalat al-Ghufran, a Divine Comedy. Translated by G. Brackenbury 1943.
 * The Epistle of Forgiveness: Volume One: A Vision of Heaven and Hell. Translated by Geert Jan Van Gelder and Gregor Schoeler. Library of Arabic Literature, New York University Press 2013.
 * The Epistle of Forgiveness: Volume Two: Hypocrites, Heretics, and Other Sinners. Translated by Geert Jan Van Gelder and Gregor Schoeler. Library of Arabic Literature, New York University Press 2014.
 * Those riddles of al-Maʿarrī that are cited in al-Ḥaẓīrī's twelfth-century Kitāb al-Iʿjāz fī l-aḥājī wa-l-alghāz have been edited as Abū l-ʿAlāˀ al-Maʿarrī, Dīwān al-alġāz, riwāyat Abī l-Maʿālī al-Ḥaẓīrī, ed. by Maḥmūd ʿAbdarraḥīm Ṣāliḥ (Riyadh [1990]).

title: Al-Ma'arri


text:
Talk:Gander Lake

Gander Lake is a beutiful spot to go sit on the beach and watch the sun go down. Or, have a picnic even or camping what ever you please!!:)

Needs some rewriting
Can someone with local knowledge rewrite the existing text to use a more encyclopedic approach? See WP:TONE. Thanks! Rupert Clayton (talk) 22:25, 24 May 2011 (UTC)

title: Talk:Gander Lake


text:
Agunah

An agunah or aguna (עגונה \ עֲגוּנָה, aguná, plural:, agunót; plural form: agunot; literally "anchored" or "chained") is a Jewish woman who is stuck in her religious marriage as determined by halakha (Jewish law). The classic case of this is a man who has left on a journey and has not returned, or has gone into battle and is missing in action. It is used as a borrowed term to refer to a woman whose husband refuses, or is unable, to grant her a divorce (which requires a document known as a get).

For a divorce to be effective, halakha requires that a man grant his wife a get of his own free will. Without a get, no new marriage will be recognized, and any child she might have with another man would be considered a mamzer (illegitimate). It is sometimes possible for a woman to receive special dispensation from a posek (halakhic authority), called a heter agunah, based on a complex decision supported by substantial evidence that her husband is presumed dead, but this cannot be applied if the husband is clearly alive.

Because of the difficulty for women in such situations, it has been a task for every generation of halakhic authorities to try to find halakhically acceptable means to permit such women to remarry. In the past it was not uncommon, due to the danger of travel and primitive means of communication, for people leaving home never to be heard of again; consequently rabbis often had had to deal with this issue. Over the past few centuries, thousands of responsa have been written to deal with cases of agunot.

In the past most agunah cases were due to a husband dying without leaving clear evidence of his demise, or becoming mentally ill (insane). Nowadays many agunah cases arise as a result of a husband withholding a get, perhaps seeking a more favorable divorce settlement, or out of vindictiveness. In response agunah groups have organized to support these women and try to find a solution to this problem. Various remedies have been proposed, but as yet, no one solution has common acceptance. Nevertheless, the Jewish prenuptial agreement is one remedy which is in use in Modern Orthodox Jewish communities worldwide and is accepted by moderate halakhic authorities.

Causes
Circumstances leading to a woman being declared an agunah are:
 * The disappearance of the husband without any witnesses declaring that he is dead;
 * The husband succumbing to a physical or mental disease that leaves him in a coma or insane and unable actively to grant a divorce;
 * The husband refusing to grant his wife a get (Jewish divorce document) when she is deemed entitled to one under Jewish law. A woman denied a get by her husband is technically called a mesorevet get, although the term agunah is more commonly used.

A woman who is denied a divorce from her husband is not considered an agunah until her husband refuses an order by a beth din (rabbinic court) to give her a get.

What constitutes a legitimate request for a divorce is based on halakhic considerations and the particular case of the couple. See Mesorevet get below.

In modern and ancient times, warfare has been a major cause of women being declared agunot (plural of agunah), as (especially in ancient times) soldiers are often killed with no one knowing. Many efforts have been made to resolve this problem in accordance with halakhic principles, including issuing a provisional get that only goes into effect if the husband does not return by a specified date. During World War II, some American Jewish and other chaplains provided combat soldiers with a "provisional get", which only goes into effect if the husband is missing in action, leaving his wife an agunah. This practice is based on the Talmudic declaration that King David did not commit adultery when lying with Bathsheba (see II Samuel 11), since all of his soldiers (including Bathsheba's husband) gave a "provisional get" to their wives before leaving for battle. This practice can raise halakhic issues, especially for Kohanim (members of the priestly class). Since they are forbidden from marrying divorcees, were they to end up returning safely after the date the provisional get went into effect they would be unable to remarry their wives.

Ways to resolve an agunah case
Because of the serious nature of adultery in Jewish law, an agunah is forbidden to marry another man, regardless of the circumstances, whether accidental or malicious, that left her an agunah in the first place, or the amount of time that has passed since she first became an agunah. A child born from another man to an agunah is considered a safek mamzer (illegitimate), and may only marry a convert.

Because of the dire situation of the agunah, every effort is made to release her from her marriage. This can be done in three ways:
 * Locating the husband and persuading him to give his wife a get;
 * Providing evidence that the husband is dead;
 * Finding a flaw in the original marriage ceremony, thereby retroactively annulling the marriage.

According to most rabbis, reasonable circumstantial evidence is sufficient to prove the death of the husband, and no direct testimony is required. This is based, among other things, on the talmudic assertion: "The Rabbis taught: 'If he fell into a lion's den, [bring witnesses to] testify [that he is dead], if he fell into a ditch of snakes and scorpions—[there is] no [need] to testify [that he is dead]. In other words, if it is known that the man fell into a ditch of snakes and scorpions and did not come out, it can be assumed that he is dead, and there is no need for further evidence (unlike falling into a lion's den where there is still a slight chance of survival). If, however, it is later discovered that the husband is not dead, the woman will find herself in particularly bad circumstances: her children from her second marriage will be considered mamzerim, and she will be forced to divorce both her first and second husbands, subject to the halakhic ruling that an adulterous woman "is forbidden to her husband and the man with whom she fornicated". While such situations are extremely rare under normal circumstances, they did occur in the aftermath of the Holocaust and also occurred frequently in the wake of pogroms and other forms of persecution.

Finding a flaw in the marriage ceremony is considered to be a last resort in releasing an agunah. It is rarely used as it is typically difficult to find actual cause in most marriages sufficient to invalidate them retroactively. In Jewish law, a marriage must be performed in front of two witnesses. In order to release the agunah, efforts are made to identify reasons why one of the witnesses was ineligible. This is typically unachievable as strong efforts are made at the time of marriage to ensure the validity of the witnesses and the marriage ceremony. Another possibility is to prove that the woman did not consent to the marriage clearly and of her own free will, so that the marriage ceremony is declared invalid. This too is not generally accepted amongst the halakhic authorities as there is generally no method to disprove intent. It is felt that the purpose of this endeavor is solely or primarily to retroactively delegitimize a marriage that was performed and accepted often many years previously. Annulling the marriage has no impact on the status of the woman's children. However, since it is not a generally accepted mechanism, it may leave the wife susceptible to a halakhic ruling that she was still married, and any subsequent relations with another man to be adultery. And it may lead to other halakhic problems, so it is only used as a last resort by the authorities that do accept its use.

Conservative Judaism
At the 1998 Jerusalem Agunot Conference, Mayer Rabinowitz, the Chairman of the Joint Bet Din of the Conservative Movement, explained the four approaches taken by leaders of Conservative Judaism to find remedies for the problem of the agunah.

The first, beginning in the 1950s, was the inclusion of the Lieberman clause in the ketubah (marriage contract). Named for Talmudic scholar and Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) professor Saul Lieberman, the clause requires that a get be granted if a civil divorce is ever issued. While most Orthodox rabbis have rejected the Lieberman clause, leaders of the Conservative movement claim that the original intent was to find a solution that could be used by Orthodox and Conservative rabbis alike, and that leaders of Orthodox Judaism's Rabbinical Council of America, and respected Orthodox rabbis, including Joseph B. Soloveitchik, supposedly recognized the clause as valid. Later, because some civil courts viewed the enforcement of a religious document as a violation of the constitutional principle of the separation of church and state, Conservative rabbis began to require couples to sign a separate letter, stating that the clause had been explained to them as part of pre-marital counseling, and that both parties understood and agreed to its conditions, recognizing that this letter would constitute a separate civil document, enforceable in a civil court. However, many Conservative rabbis, including some on the movement's own law committee, had growing misgivings about the clause for religious reasons.

The second approach fell into the category of conditional marriages, t'nai b'kiddushin, and was based in part on past approaches used by both the French and Turkish rabbinates—but, according to Rabinowitz—had improvements gleaned from lessons learned from those past experiences. The ketubah was not changed, but a separate pre-marital agreement was signed, and in the presence of the rabbinical court, the prospective groom read it, and the prospective bride stated that she agreed to it. The agreement was that the parties understood that if a civil divorce were ever granted, then a get must be delivered within six months of that date. A refusal to abide by that agreement would give the court no choice but to consider the original marriage, and the original declaration of the groom, so flawed that it would be as if that marriage never occurred.

The third approach, using contacts both within Judaism and external to it, was to coerce the recalcitrant husband to grant a get. One example cited at the conference was a case where the civilly-divorced husband planned to remarry, this time to a Catholic woman in a Catholic religious ceremony. The Conservative movement's Bet Din contacted the Catholic Church, which agreed to refuse to have the marriage performed until the previous marriage was religiously dissolved, resulting in the almost immediate granting of the get by the husband.

Finally, in 1968, by a unanimous vote of the law committee, the final approach was initiated, when it was decided that the Joint Bet Din of the Conservative Movement could annul marriages as a last resort, based on the Talmudic principle of hafka'at kiddushin. According to Rabinowitz, just the threat of this action was sometimes enough to compel the former husband to grant a get.

Changes in Orthodox approach
There is a long history of concern for the agunah on the part of Orthodox rabbis, and a number of proposals have been put forth for consideration by religious leaders. So far, no solution has been found that satisfies most orthodox religious leaders.

A number of modern papers and conferences have continued to discuss both issues and possible solutions, including the possibility of a modern takkanah (religious legislative enaction), to empower the Chief Rabbinate of Israel to intervene to annul marriages retroactively, in a way that was possible for some time during the Middle Ages. Such proposals are considered too radical—and not legally permissible (in terms of halakha)—by most orthodox leaders.

However, as studies and discussions continue, a number of modern works and conferences have referenced the work of past Orthodox rabbis, such as Ya'akov Moshe Toledano, who recommended in 1930/31 that every Jewish marriage be made contingent on the "continuing agreement" of the local rabbinic court, so that the court could retroactively annul the marriage as a remedy to the agunah problem; and Mnachem Risikoff, who recommended in 1937 that such consideration be given not to every local court, but at least to the Jerusalem rabbinical court, specifically recognizing that authority in the words recited under the chuppah (wedding canopy). Risikoff, among others, also proposed a discussion of the reinstatement of the Biblical status of the pilegesh, a relationship status between man and woman that does not require a Get upon dissolution, thereby avoiding the category of agunah.

Other approaches that have been discussed by religious leaders, including leading Orthodox rabbis, have included the possibility of prenuptial agreements, not incorporated into the ketubah or mentioned in the words recited by the groom during the ceremony, through which the husband and wife agree to abide by orders of a designated Beth Din, regarding the giving or acceptance of a get. Jechiel Perr discussed such a proposal, and it has been reported that Moshe Feinstein, looked upon this idea with favor, and Australian Chabad rabbi Moshe Gutnick has spoken out strongly in favor of it. Additionally, discussions have considered the possibility of various forms of coercion that could be applied to the husband, to compel him to grant the get.

No proposal has so far met with wide approval on the part of the Orthodox rabbinate, although there have been some cases of individual rabbis taking what has been viewed as "maverick" individual action, including the convening of rabbinic courts to annul marriages, using the Geonic model. Such actions have been widely condemned within the orthodox community.

In 2012 the International Rabbinic Fellowship (IRF), an organization of (as of 2012) 150 Modern Orthodox rabbis, passed a resolution saying that, "IRF Rabbis may not officiate at a wedding unless the couple has signed a halakhic prenuptial agreement. IRF Rabbis are further encouraged to participate ritually only in weddings in which the couple has signed a halakhic prenuptial agreement. Ritual participation includes but is not limited to reading the ketubah, serving as a witness, and making one of the sheva berachot". By 2019, the vast majority of Modern Orthodox rabbis took the same approach.

Zika le-Yibbum
A related case is that of a woman whose husband has died childless: in such a situation, the husband's brother is required by Jewish law to enter into yibbum (a kind of levirate marriage) with the widow so as to have children with her in the name of the deceased. The brother can refuse to do yibbum and instead perform a ceremony known as halizah to release her from her bond to him (in modern times halizah is nearly always performed instead of yibbum). If the brother is missing, or if he is still a child, the woman is required to wait until he is located or has reached adolescence so that he can perform the halizah ceremony. There have been recorded cases of the husband's brother trying to blackmail the widow by delaying the halizah ceremony, effectively leaving her as an agunah.

In Israel
In 1947 David Ben-Gurion acceded that the authority in matters of marriage and divorce would be invested in the hands of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, and an agreement was signed in recognition of this decision (among other matters). This agreement is known as the "status quo letter". In 1953 the Knesset enacted the Rabbinical Courts Jurisdiction (Marriage and Divorce) Law, 5713 – 1953. Section 1 of the Law states, "Matters of marriage and divorce of Jews in Israel, being citizens or residents of the State, shall be under the exclusive jurisdiction of the rabbinical courts." The substantive provision of section 2 of this Law further states: "Marriages and divorces of Jews shall be performed in Israel in accordance with Jewish religious law" (din torah).

In 2007 the Chief Rabbinate found that in Israel men and women were refused divorce in equal numbers, 180 women and 185 men over a two-year period. The Director-General of the Rabbinical Courts said this showed that "the claims by women's organizations of thousands of women whose husbands refuse to give them divorces have no basis in reality". Nevertheless, "A woman suffers more in this situation, as she is Biblically forbidden to marry again; and children she might bear to another man would be considered mamzerim according to halakha. A man is similarly not permitted to marry before being divorced, but the ban is much less severe (because monogamy was instituted by one single overreaching authority in Europe in around the year 1000 CE, and was accepted in Europe among the (Ashkenazim), whereas Sefardic and Mizrahi (Eastern) Jewish communities did not formally accept monogamy only until very recently, after aliyah to Israel in 1950's onward.) This considered, a man's future children will not be considered illegitimate."

In 2015 Tzohar (a religious Zionist rabbinic organization in Israel), along with the Israeli Bar Association, introduced a prenuptial agreement meant to help ensure divorcing wives will receive a get; under the agreement the husband commits to paying a high sum of money daily to his spouse in the event of a separation.

In 2018 the Knesset passed a law, slated to remain in effect for three years, allowing Israel's rabbinical courts to handle certain cases of Jewish women wishing to divorce their Jewish husbands, even if neither the wife nor the husband is an Israeli citizen.

Mesorevet get (Get refusal)
A mesorevet get is a Jewish woman who is a victim of "get refusal", and is known as a modern-day "agunah".

According to halakha, a get is only valid when it is given by a husband to his wife of his own free will. However, under certain circumstances such as intimate partner violence or emotional abuse, especially where such abuse and refusal to grant a get, or ignoring the ruling of a beit din, has been ongoing for a period of several years, certain kinds of pressure may be applied on a husband to force him to grant a divorce to his wife. Where a woman has proven one or more of a list of particular grounds for divorce, the beth din (rabbinical court) may apply pressure on the husband in these situations. There are some halakhic decisors who would act accordingly in the cases of abuse or neglect. Nevertheless, not under all circumstances is a wife entitled to demand a divorce according to halakha. If a wife who is not halakhically entitled to a divorce does demand one, she may not be considered as a mesorevet get by a rabbinical court. However, not any woman who wants to leave an unwanted marriage but is refused by her husband, is considered to be a victim of get refusal. There are opinions that deem a woman's repugnance for her husband as acceptable halakhic grounds for coercion. "It is said: In cases of granting a get to a woman, the man is forced until he says, 'I wish to do so. Nevertheless, in almost all cases, it is required to leave the man some say in the matter, lest the get be considered a "coerced divorce", which is halakhically invalid. As ruled by Rabbeinu Tam, pressures that can be exerted against the man include shunning, denying him communal benefits and honors, and in extreme cases even imprisonment.

Starting in the mid-1980s, the New York divorce coercion gang employed violent tactics such as kidnapping, beating and torture to extort gittin and money from husbands in troubled marriages. They were arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2013, and sentenced to prison. In 2016, another rabbinical team was arrested on suspicion of planning the contract killing of a husband in order to free his wife.

In Israel, rabbinical courts are allowed by law to implement various measures to persuade a man to grant his wife a get (Rabbinical Courts Law [Enforcement of Divorce Rulings] 5755-1995). These sanctions are a modern-day version of the aforementioned, Harchakot D'Rabeinu Tam, which include: revoking of a driver's license, closing of bank accounts, revoking professional licenses such as medical and legal, cancellation of a passport, and incarceration. Practically, one of the most effective of these has turned out to be revoking a recalcitrant husband's driver's license. Even so, neither the laws nor the Israeli Rabbinical Courts' enforcement, or lack thereof, have succeeded in eliminating get refusal in Israel. In the Diaspora, the rabbinical courts have no such powers, and any practical power that they may wield would be the product of a binding arbitration agreement (such as Prenuptial Agreement for the Prevention of Get-Refusal), if signed previously by the combating couple. Within the past decade, both Orthodox rabbinical groups and women's organizations have decried the increasing number of cases of get refusal, as well as establishing task forces to deal with the issue and to help individual victims of get refusal.

Activism
Many women's groups assert that rabbinical courts fail to use all the measures at their disposal to force men to grant their wives a get, thereby allowing a vengeful husband to blackmail his wife for years. Public criticism of the courts, as well as demonstrations, have been attempted to influence particularly notorious cases.

Several solutions have been proposed to help women who are denied a get:
 * Increasing the means available to the rabbinic courts to force husbands to grant their wives a get. In Israel, rabbinic courts can even imprison a husband until he acquiesces and grants a get to his wife. This is not, however, an option for rabbinic courts elsewhere, since they do not have the support of the state.
 * Having couples sign a Jewish prenuptial agreement, which requires the husband to pay high spousal support to his wife if he denies her a get, so as to provide incentive to the couple not to delay the divorce. Halakhic authorities in the United States have validated particular prenuptial agreements for the prevention of get-refusal.
 * Having couples prepare a "provisional get," which will only go into effect under certain predefined circumstances.
 * Having couples agree to a "conditional marriage," which includes a stipulation in the marriage ceremony citing that under certain conditions (such as living apart for an extended period of time), the marriage itself would be nullified with no need for a get.

In 1995 the Israeli parliament gave the rabbinical court expanded legal power to sanction men who refuse to give their wives a get by suspending their driver's licenses, seizing their bank accounts, preventing travel abroad and even imprisoning those who do not comply with an order to grant a divorce; however, women's groups say the 1995 law is not very effective because the court uses sanctions in less than 2% of cases.

In 2004, Justice Menachem HaCohen of the Jerusalem Family Court offered new hope to agunot when he ruled that a man refusing his wife a get must pay her NIS 425,000 in punitive damages, because "[R]efusal to grant a get constitutes a severe infringement on her ability to lead a reasonable, normal life, and can be considered emotional abuse lasting several years." He noted that "[T]his is not another sanction against someone refusing to give a get, intended to speed up the process of granting a get, and this court is not involving itself in any future arrangements for the granting of a get, but rather, it is a direct response to the consequences that stem from not granting a get, and the right of the woman to receive punitive damages." This ruling stemmed from the Public Litigation Project initiated by the advocacy organization Center for Women's Justice as one of a number of successful lawsuits filed in Israeli civil courts claiming financial damages against recalcitrant husbands.

In 2007, the Rabbinical Courts Administration released a report concerning agunot in Israel. The report clarified that various categories of unresolved divorce cases existed and that only a small percentage of cases are deemed as receiving the status of agunah. The report stated that in 2006-07 there were 942 unresolved divorce cases, with 69 receiving the status of agunah. The report selected 346 of the total as a sample for analysis. Referring to a subset of the total cases, the report indicated that 180 cases involved husbands refusing a divorce while 190 cases involved the wife refusing a divorce.

Outside Israel, an agunah could obtain a civil divorce and remarry via civil marriage, as non-Israeli legal systems generally do not recognize the agunah status. Nevertheless, an agunah would not typically pursue a second marriage, since her first marriage is still valid according to halakha, any other sexual relationships would constitute adultery from her first husband. Furthermore, according to halakha, any children born by an agunah are considered mamzerim.

In 2014 the Rabbinate of Uruguay instituted the requirement for all Jewish couples that marry under its auspices to sign a rabbinic prenuptial agreement. The agreement states that in the case of the couple divorcing civilly, the husband is obligated to immediately deliver to his wife a get. The initiative was launched by Sara Winkowski, a director of the Kehila, the Comunidad Israelita del Uruguay (Jewish Community of Uruguay), who is also a Vice President of the World Jewish Congress and longtime activist for the rights of women within Jewish law.

In a 2020 landmark case in London, a woman obtained a get after launching a private criminal prosecution against her husband for "controlling and coercive behaviour in an intimate of family relationship" contrary to section 76 of the Serious Crime Act 2015. This was submitted on the basis that her husband had kept her in an intimate relationship against her will. The criminal prosecution was dropped when the husband relented and provided the get rather than face the prospect of a substantial prison sentence.

Subsequently, in 2022, another suit was successfully pursued resulting in a Manchester businessman pleading guilty to coercive behavior for refusing to give his wife a get. This case marks the first complete application of the 2015 legislative effort to prevent the situation of agunot.

Agunah Day
Agunah Day was established by ICAR—The International Coalition for Agunah Rights—in 1990, to raise public awareness to the plight of the Agunah and galvanize action to solve the problem. It is observed on the Jewish calendar date of the Fast of Esther.

The Fast of Esther was chosen by ICAR as Agunah Day in order to symbolize identification with the Agunah for two contrasting reasons—due to affliction and due to salvation. Like Esther, the agunah of the present era does not want to be in the marriage in which she finds herself. Like Esther, many women who are refused a get live in fear of their spouses and live a double life. Like Esther, the agunah, a victim of get-refusal, finds herself lacking control of her own freedom.

Male "agunim"
The Torah allows a man to have multiple wives, and a child born to a married man with a single woman is not considered to be a mamzer. Thus, while a woman who enters a new relationship while married suffers severe halachic consequences, a man doing the same suffers much lighter consequences. However, in the beginning of the 11th century, Rabbenu Gershom issued a decree prohibiting Jewish men from practising bigamy (though this was not accepted by certain remote Jewish communities such as the Yemenite Jews). To prevent this decree from causing flippant divorces previously unnecessary, Rabbenu Gershom also decreed that "a woman may not be divorced against her will." These decrees made it possible for men to become "agunim" just as women become "agunot", if his wife should disappear or refuse to accept a get.

To resolve the situation of such a man, the heter meah rabbanim (exemption by one hundred rabbis) was established, to permit him to take a second wife (after depositing a get for the first wife with the rabbis). However, due to complexities, costs and other reasons, many husbands do not succeed in obtaining a heter meah rabbanim, and thus remain chained to their wives. In Israel, there are more cases in which women choose not to accept a get when a husband wants to give one, than cases in which the man refuses to grant a get.

There are also cases where the get is offered to protect the wife. For example, if the husband is undertaking a dangerous activity, or is being imprisoned for a lengthy time, he may wish to divorce entirely to help his wife by freeing her. Often, such offers are refused.

Karaite Judaism
Karaite Judaism, which does not recognize the authority of the Talmud, bases its divorce law entirely on the Torah: "A man takes a wife and possesses her. She fails to please him because he finds something obnoxious about her, and he writes her a bill of divorcement, hands it to her, and sends her away from his house." (Deuteronomy 24:1)

Therefore, under Karaite law, it is difficult for a woman to obtain a divorce unless it is explicitly written and delivered by her husband (or an appointed agent) whereas in Rabbinic Judaism there are several rare exceptions and cases where alternatives are available (annulments, forcing the husband to participate)

Section 18 of Mikdash Me'at (an English translation of the Karaite halakhic work Adderet Eliyahu) states:

A writ of divorce is called a sefer keritut. Whether man or wife initiates the divorce, the woman is the one to receive the sefer keritut. The purpose of the sefer keritut is to free a woman from her husband and certify that she may marry another man.

It is preferable for the husband to willingly grant his wife a writ of divorce. The Sages differed, however, regarding cases in which the husband refuses to provide the writ. Some Sages held that the beit din may grant a woman a divorce even without a sefer keritut [the equivalent of the Rabbinic Jewish get] from her (ex-)husband. Other Sages, however, argued that the beit din should coerce the man into writing a bill of divorce. This coercion may be done through gentile authorities.

This text clearly refers to known cases where a sefer keritut was denied, though it has been apparently uncommon:

"Today, Karaite batei-din may grant women divorces even should the husband refuse to provide a writ. But this has occurred very rarely. As discussed, Rav Bashyatzi notes that some of the classical Sages also held this to be permissible. One such Sage is Rav Levi. Another is the 19th century Sage Rav Yitzchak Ben Shlomo."

Given the absence of agunot, it has been said that "the Karaite halakhah introduced a real reinforcement of women’s rights in matters of divorce: divorce by juridical decree."

In the arts

 * Getting Your Man (1996) — A play written and directed by Australian theatre director Margie Fischer for performance by Jewish community members on issues surrounding the Jewish religious divorce and get refusal.

title: Agunah