text:
Paris (Jon English musical)

Paris is a rock musical written by Australian rock musician Jon English and David Mackay between 1987 and 1990, based on the myth of the Trojan War. A concept album was released in Australia in 1990 with the first stage production taking place in Sydney in 2003.

According to English, the concept for the musical began in a 1982 prank: he wrote a song called "Oh Paris", about the mythic hero rather than the French capital, just to see how many people actually listened to the words. The musical focuses on the love story between Helen and Paris as it follows his participation in the Trojan War. Paris is about the struggle to maintain some balance between passion and order, law and chaos, head and heart.

Concept album
In 1987 Jon English took on the role of the mad monk Rasputin in the stage musical of the same name. This production, although controversial at the time, served to fire Jon's ambition to write his own show based on the Trojan War. English travelled to England to again work with David Mackay who had produced his album Some People... (1983).

For three years, English and Mackay worked on the musical, with English stopping to star in the Sydney production of the musical Big River in 1988 and to release his studio album, The Busker (1990).

The musical was preceded in 1990 by a 2-CD concept album, called Paris: A Love Story, recorded in London. English sang the role of Hector, and the cast included John Parr as Paris, Sheila Parker as Helen, Terence Donovan as Priam, Sheryl Parker as Cassandra, Doc Neeson as Achilles, John Waters as Agamemnon, Philip Quast as Patroclus, Joe Fagin as Menelaus, Harry Nilsson as Ulysses, as well as Demis Roussos, David Atkins and Barry Humphries, backed by the London Symphony Orchestra and London Philharmonic Choir.

At the ARIA Music Awards of 1991, the album was nominated for two ARIA Awards, winning Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album. It was also nominated for Best Adult Contemporary Album.

Track listing

 * CD1
 * 1) "Overture" - 2:31
 * 2) "Prelude" - 5:38
 * 3) "A Head Without a Heart" - 3:01
 * 4) "Straight Ahead" - 2:56
 * 5) "Perfect Stranger" - 6:47
 * 6) "A Long Time Coming" - 3:35
 * 7) "Business" - 5:13
 * 8) "The Leader" - 3:41
 * 9) "Any Fool Could See" - 5:17
 * 10) "Thief in the Night" - 2:47
 * 11) "Trust in Your Heart" - 1:31
 * 12) "Come Hell or High Water" - 6:06
 * CD2
 * 1) "No Turning Back" - 3:55
 * 2) "For Better or Worse"	- 3:28
 * 3) "Ten Years On" - 3:17
 * 4) "What Price a Friend" - 3:01
 * 5) "Love Has Power" - 3:10
 * 6) "The Beggar" - 1:56
 * 7) "Ulysses Prayer" - 5:44
 * 8) "A Horse With No Rider" - 1:14
 * 9) "Inside Outside" - 4:09
 * 10) "The Balance Shifts" - 6:22
 * 11) "Oh Paris" - 3:50
 * 12) "Finale" - 9:23

Musical
After a decade of lobbying for a professional stage production, English released the amateur rights to the musical. It was first performed in October 2003 by both the Regals Musical Society in Sydney and the Laycock Street Theatre in Gosford. English appeared as the Fisherman in one performance of the Gosford production. The Melbourne premiere was on 29 January 2004 at the National Theatre, with further amateur productions in Auckland in 2005 and Adelaide in 2008. In April 2008, a re-worked version was performed at Laycock Street Theatre with new orchestrations and several new songs by Central Coast musician Andrew Swan and a re-vamped script edited by director Stuart Smith. In this production, English appeared as Menelaus. School groups and other amateur theatre companies have also performed the musical in the years since. Music Theatre Melbourne produced a concert version in July 2017 at the Melbourne Recital Centre.

Characters

 * Homer – The narrator

 * Trojans
 * Paris – Prince of Troy
 * Priam – The King of Troy; father of Hector, Paris and Cassandra
 * Hecuba – The wife of Priam
 * Hector – Heroic commander of the Trojan army
 * Cassandra – Princess of Troy and a prophetess
 * Aeneas – A Trojan noble, second in command to Hector
 * Laocoen – High Priest of Troy; the only one who listens to Cassandra
 * Adromache – Wife of Hector
 * Helmsman

 * Greeks
 * Helen – The wife of Menalaus and Queen of Sparta
 * Agamemnon – Brother of Menelaus; King of Mycenae and leader of all Greek forces, wants war with Troy
 * Menalaus – The King of Sparta; overprotective husband of Helen
 * Achilles – Proud immortal leader of the Greek army
 * Patroclus – Confidant and friend of Achilles
 * Ulysses – The intelligent and cautious King of Ithaca
 * Sinon – An inept Greek soldier
 * Ajax and Diomede – Greek warlords
 * Andruste – Helen's handmaiden and closest friend
 * Fisherman – An old friend of Helen's
 * Thersites and Talthybius – Sinon's inept friends

Synopsis
Paris gave a gift to the goddess Aphrodite in order to be with her. King Priam of Troy prays for guidance from the goddesses Aphrodite and Athena. Cassandra and Laocoen lament over the poor decision that Priam is about to make. She tries to warn her father ("Head Without a Heart"). Priam ignores her and sends Paris to the Greek province of Sparta as an emissary to foster goodwill ("What Could Go Wrong?"). Paris and Aeneas sail to Sparta, but the boat is wrecked in a storm and Paris falls overboard. Helen, the wife of King Menalaus of Sparta, finds Paris washed up on shore and nurses him ("Perfect Stranger"). He mistakes her for Aphrodite, falling in love at first sight. Helen wishes she could leave her life behind. Paris stumbles upon Sinon, Thersites and Talbythius, who escort him to the palace to meet the Greek kings.
 * Act I

Agamemnon and Menelaus try to convince the other Greek kings to invade Troy, but to no avail. Achilles barges in on the meeting and asks how Agamemnon thought it would be possible to take Troy without him leading the army. When Paris arrives, the Greek nobles are fighting about business ("Business"). They make fun of their bedraggled visitor, and Agamemnon thinks up a plan to exploit the Trojan prince for information. Helen tries to convince Paris that he has fallen into a trap, but ends up falling in love with him, and they escape together. They discuss that they can never be together, as they both have duties to their people. However, a guard finds them and tries to kill Paris, but Helen saves his life by stabbing the guard in the back. Helen's old friend, the fisherman, tells them to escape. When Agamemnon appears, he kills both the fisherman and Helen's handmaiden, framing Paris for the crime.

Menelaus reflects on his love for Helen. He will never rest until he has her back. This convinces the other kings to follow him and attack Troy. Paris sings to Helen about how fate has brought them together ("Trust in Your Heart"). Paris and Helen arrive at Troy, facing the judgement of his entire family for provoking the Greek kings and potentially starting a war. Paris stands up to his father, telling him that he will be with Helen, "Come Hell or High Water". This sparks a bad reaction in the crowd, who start hurling insults at the two lovers, and not even the rebuttal of Paris' older brother, the heroic Hector, can stop their anger. A war is imminent.

On the ramparts in Troy, Hector rallies the Trojan army, leading them into battle against the invading Greeks ("No Turning Back"). Paris and Helen sing about their love and commitment as a ten-year war begins, and countless soldiers die around them ("For Better or For Worse").
 * Act II

Achilles confronts Agamemnon about his selfish attitude and how he claims all the spoils of war for himself ("What Price a Friend"). He throws down his armour, saying that he won't continue to fight for Agamemnon. The Trojans launch an assault on the Greek camp, and with Achilles gone it seems all of their hope is lost. Patroclus dons his friend's armour and leading the Greeks under the guise of their immortal champion. Hector slays Patroclus, and Achilles laments the death of his only friend before challenging Hector to a duel.

Against the wishes of his entire family, Hector prepares to face Achilles, believing that he has a chance to end the war once and for all. Hector bids farewell to his family and marches out to fight Achilles. Achilles and Hector engage in an epic duel. Hector is the better swordsman, but he cannot penetrate the armour of the immortal warrior, who relies on brute force. Hector kicks Achilles in his one weak point, his heel, and drives him to the ground, where he frantically slashes at his foe, but is still unable to harm him. Desperately, Achilles, strikes up at Hector, impaling him. As Achilles ties the body of his fallen adversary to his chariot, Paris shoots an arrow at him from the walls of Troy, hitting him in the heel and killing him.

Paris mourns his deceased brother as the two leaders are carried off for their funerals. Ulysses, disguised as a beggar, confronts Helen, asking her if she knows any way to end the war. She has no answers for him. Ulysses prays to Athena, asking her for a way to end the war. He gets a response from the goddess and constructs the legendary Trojan Horse, realising that the only way out is a head without a heart ("The Horse with no Rider"). Agamemnon 'volunteers' Sinon as a stooge in order to convince the Trojans to bring the horse inside the city. The Trojans find the horse and Sinon, who convinces Priam to take it into the city. Cassandra laments that Paris should have known better, as Thersites and Talbythius sneak out of the horse and open the gates of Troy, letting the Greek army in.

A rout ensues. Paris and Aeneas try to gather up the royal family and escape the city, but find that Priam has already been murdered. They gather a small group of survivors and attempt to escape, but Menelaus finds them and shoots an arrow into Paris' back, still believing him to have abducted Helen against her will. However, as Paris dies in his lover's arms ("Oh, Paris"), Menalaus finally realises that Helen truly loved him and attempts to console her amidst the burning wreckage of Troy ("Love Has Power").

Musical numbers
As recorded in 1990, re-released in 2003 with new songs.

 * Act I
 * "Overture
 * "Prelude
 * "Head without a Heart" – Cassandra and Laocoen
 * "Straight Ahead" – Paris
 * "What Could Go Wrong" – Paris and Aeneas
 * "Perfect Stranger" – Helen and Paris
 * "A Long Time Coming" – Helen
 * "Far Too Many Kings" – Sinon, Thersites, Talthybius
 * "Business" – Agamemnon, Menelaus, Ulysses, Patroclus and Ajax
 * "The Leader" – Achilles
 * "Paris in Court" – Paris, Agamemnon, Menelaus, Ulysses, Sinon, Patroclus & Achilles
 * "Any Fool Could See" – Helen, Paris, Menelaus and Agamemnon
 * "The Cliffs" – Helen and Paris
 * "A Thief In The Night" – Menelaus
 * "Thoughts of Love" – Paris
 * "Trust in Your Heart" – Paris
 * "Welcome Home" – Ensemble
 * "Hell or High Water" – Paris and Helen

 * Act II
 * "No Turning Back" – Hector
 * "For Better Or Worse" – Paris and Helen
 * "Ten Years On" – Instrumental
 * "The Greek Camp" – Achilles, Agamemnon, Ulysses, Patroclus & Menelaus
 * "What Price A Friend" – Patroclus
 * "Now I Truly Know" – Hector
 * "Battle Lines" – Hector
 * "Love Has Power" – Hector
 * "Two Titans" – Paris and Achilles
 * "A Royal Trojan Son" – Paris
 * "The Beggar" – Ulysses and Helen
 * "Ulysses Prayer" – Ulysses
 * "Horse With No Rider" – Ulysses and Agamemnon
 * "Inside Outside" – Sinon, Thersites and Talthybius
 * "The Balance Shifts" – Sinon, Priam
 * "Oh Paris" – Helen & Ulysses
 * "Finale" – Company

 * Notes
 * new to 2003 score.
 * new to 2008 score.

title: Paris (Jon English musical)


text:
Talk:Irina Ionesco

Eugène Ionesco

 * Is she related to Eugène Ionesco ? 83.157.233.95 07:47, 6 Jun 2005 (UTC)

WikiProject class rating
This article was automatically assessed because at least one article was rated and this bot brought all the other ratings up to at least that level. BetacommandBot 03:43, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

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

title: Talk:Irina Ionesco


text:
Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2005-06-13/Arbitration report

The Arbitration Committee closed two inactive cases last week, although one may yet be reopened, and appeared set to issue a temporary injunction in a third. Meanwhile, a possible resignation raised the question of how to replace an arbitrator during the course of a term.

As reported last week (see archived story), two cases were closed because the dispute was no longer active. The matters involved Wareware, who had stopped editing, and the dispute around Instantnood's attempts to impose naming conventions dealing with China.

However, arbitrator Ambi had opposed closing the case involving Instantnood, and it was not clear whether this might lead to a reversal. According to stated practice, each vote opposing closure negates one support vote, and four net votes to close are required. Since only four arbitrators total voted to close the case, this would leave three net votes, thus the case may possibly be reopened.

Injunction leads to departure
The arbitrators were voting on a potential injunction against Jguk that would prohibit him from modifying dates that use common era notation, and the injunction appeared to have enough support to pass. The dispute is an extension of a continuing battle over whether to adopt a policy in favor of a particular dating system on Wikipedia (see archived story). Often involved in matters of convention and style, Jguk had also been a party to the Instantnood case.

Jguk maintained that he was simply maintaining the status quo and reverting edits that unilaterally changed the format from BC/AD to BCE/CE. He also objected to the fact that the proposed injunction applied only to him rather than other parties to the dispute. Rather than submit to the injunction, Jguk announced his departure from Wikipedia on Saturday.

Several new requests for arbitration were submitted, of which two so far had enough votes for a case to be opened. One involved a long-running dispute over the Iglesia ni Cristo and related articles, while the second was a case brought by arbitrator Neutrality against OldRight, based on a catalog of disputes over political articles. The remaining requests, including Everyking's attempt to lift his ban on editing articles related to Ashlee Simpson, all stood one vote short of acceptance.

Possibility of arbitrator resignation
Arbitrator Delirium, who has been on leave from participating in the arbitration process, has recently indicated that he "will likely resign once we figure out how that works". The move is not terribly surprising; prior to the Arbitration Committee election last December, he had indicated that he would be inclined to resign except that he lacked the confidence that enough suitable replacements would run as candidates.

Delirium's term expires at the end of this year, at which point his position would be up for election. Similar interim arbitrators were chosen in a special election last August; the possibility of having interim appointments made by Jimbo Wales, or the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees, has also been mentioned.

Since the original group of arbitrators was appointed by Wales, all new arbitrators have been elected. However, some concerns have also been raised about putting candidates through two elections in close succession, and possible overlap with the upcoming Board of Trustees election may also be a consideration. As no procedure has been set in stone, any of these options remains theoretically possible.


text:
Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2005-06-13/Features, removal, admins

Debate over featured article removal policy started out slow but in recent days has intensified, with some users suggesting that the old rules made it too easy for featured articles to be nominated, while others argue that a waiting period between stating concerns and nominating the article is instruction creep.

There were 10 new admins, 3 new featured articles, 1 new featured list, and 2 new featured pictures.

Featured article removal rules
A tighter procedure for delisting featured articles was suggested by Nichalp and initially received little attention. Several users agreed that the old rules were faulty, as they allowed any article to be nominated for removal, without regard for those involved in the article's original featured candidacy. According to the new guidelines, the nominator must post a critique of the article on the article's talk page, and then must wait seven days before nominating it on featured article removal candidates so that any problems can be addressed.

After this discussion, the new rules were added to the process, and several nominations for removal that did not comply with the instructions were themselves removed. However, as more people encountered the change in guidelines, other users expressed renewed concern over the waiting period, suggesting that it is instruction creep and makes the process "too much hassle", as Bishonen put it. A quick poll showed support for eliminating the new requirements, although the level of attention so far has not been significantly higher than the attention paid to implementing them in the first place.

New admins
10 requests for adminship were approved last week: JYolkowski (nom), Mulad (nom), Fawcett5 (nom), Linuxbeak (nom), Zzyzx11 (nom), Ingoolemo (nom), Pjacobi (nom), Radiant! (nom), Eugene van der Pijll (nom), and Zocky (nom).

Featured content
Just three articles were featured last week, but a queue of 25 articles is waiting for approval at Featured article candidates. Sydney Riot of 1879 was the subject of the debate over whether or not two letters ought to be included in the article, even though they are also on Wikisource. In the end, consensus was to keep them, and the article was promoted. In summary, the new featured articles in the last week were Sydney Riot of 1879, Sandy Koufax, and Xiangqi. Articles demoted on featured article removal candidates were Copyright and Computer security.

One more featured list candidate was promoted this week, List of cultural references in The Cantos, after receiving praise from a number of wikipedians. The list complements The Cantos, which is already a featured article.

2 featured picture candidates were promoted, and San Francisco Bay Area Skyline and San Francisco Bay Area Skyline 2 both survived the featured picture removal process.


text:
X-Bomber

X Bomber (Ｘボンバー) (released as Star Fleet in the UK) is a Japanese marionette tokusatsu TV series created by manga artist Go Nagai, and produced by Cosmo Productions and Jin Productions. The show aired on Fuji TV from October 4, 1980 to March 28, 1981, with a total of 25 episodes (including the pre-series pilot episode),  and was billed in Japan as being filmed in "Sūpāmariorama" (スーパーマリオラマ), a puppeteering process similar to Gerry Anderson's Supermarionation works.

Background
This show can be considered somewhat of a cross between the work of Go Nagai and Ken Ishikawa's Getter Robo and Star Wars. As in Getter Robo, the show's protagonists ride three vehicles that combine into a giant robot. Big Dai X, the robot in X-Bomber, is more similar to the kind seen in the popular Super Sentai series than a regular Nagai robot.

The show's opening and ending theme songs ("Soldier in the Space" and "The Drifting Galaxy", respectively) were performed by the Japanese hard rock group Bow Wow, while Kazutaka Tazaki (of The Bach Revolution) and Nakayuki Sakuraba (of Adbaloon) provided additional music for the show.

The puppets of X-Bomber were controlled from below the set using rods, and as a consequence were generally seen only from the waist up. Whereas Gerry Anderson's series were episodic in nature, X-Bomber had an overall story arc, with sub-plots and new characters being introduced as the series progressed, leading to a definite end. Similarly, rod puppets were used in Gerry Anderson's 1967 series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons canned as "under-control" puppets due to their inability to walk-whereas everywhere else they were marionettes. Anderson would later use Rod puppets in Terrahawks.

Star Fleet
X-Bomber was dubbed by English speaking actors and renamed Star Fleet for broadcast in the United Kingdom on ITV. The show was broadcast there on Saturday mornings, first airing on October 23, 1982, the day before Star Wars aired for the first time on British television. Due to its broadcast slot, the advertisements shown before, during and after each episode frequently included children's Public Information Films. The series was also broadcast as such on first-run syndication in the United States.

Drawing heavily on diverse influences such as Star Wars, Japanese Anime and Gerry Anderson's various "Supermarionation" series, the show ran for twenty-four half-hour episodes (twenty-five in Japan - the eighteenth episode, titled Bloody Mary's Promotion, was not included in the English version, as it consisted mainly of flashbacks). The English version's theme song was composed by Paul Bliss, and was later covered by Queen member Brian May and Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen. This was released under the name "Star Fleet Project".

The screenplay was adapted for English by Michael Sloan, who in later years would create the popular TV series The Master and The Equalizer.

Actress Denise Bryer ("Commander Makara") and editor Tony Lenny both went on to collaborate with Gerry Anderson and Christopher Burr making another memorable sci-fi series, Terrahawks.

Plot outline
The year is 2999 and the Earth is at peace following the Space Wars. The safety of the human race is ensured by Earth Defense Force (EDF). Shortly before the turn of the fourth millennium, the peace is broken by the appearance of a gigantic alien battle cruiser. Powerless to defend itself, the EDF's Pluto base is completely destroyed and the evil Commander Makara reveals that the same fate awaits the Earth unless the mysterious F-Zero-One is handed over to her.

Unaware of the nature of F-Zero-One and fearing retribution, the EDF presses into action an untested, incomplete weapon, codenamed X-Project, from its hidden moon-base. The X-Project is revealed to be a powerfully-armed spacecraft named X-Bomber.

The series then follows the adventures of the crew of the X-Bomber, namely Doctor Benn, Shiro Hagen, Barry Hercules and John Lee who are joined by PPA, Lamia and her guardian Kirara. They set off to discover the nature of the F-Zero-One and try to protect it from the increasingly desperate Commander Makara and her menacing overlord, the Imperial Master.

Eventually it is revealed that Lamia herself is the mysterious F-Zero-One, a powerful alien destined to bring peace to the galaxy at the turn of the millennium. The series continues with Lamia gradually discovering her true nature and powers while the Imperial Alliance attempts to capture her and destroy the X-Bomber. The series climaxes with the X-Bomber crew destroying Commander Makara and Lamia finally confronting and defeating the Imperial Master and bringing peace to the universe.

Episodes
Some Episodes for the English version of the series were either renamed to fit the changes made or badly translated from the original titles. Although the episodes weren't officially named during the original series' run, the English DVD release confirms their titles.

Voice cast
The English cast list of Star Fleet was relatively small, with most voice actors doing the extra voices in the series as well. Credits were only made based on the main characters who appeared in the first episode, with the credits being reused each episode afterwards. As a result, Al Matthews was uncredited from his role later in the series.

Crew

 * Planned & Produced by Kimio Ikeda & Keisuke Fujikawa
 * Created by Gou Nagai
 * Serialized in Shogakukan's TV-Kun and Other Learning Magazines
 * Written by Keisuke Fujikawa
 * Music by Bow Wow, Kazutaka Tasaki & Nobuyuki Sakuraba
 * Theme Songs "Soldier in the Space" & "Galaxy Drifting"
 * Lyrics by Keisuke Fujikawa
 * Music Kyoji Yamamoto
 * Arranged by Bach Revolution
 * Performed by Bow Wow
 * Directed by Michio Mikami, Akira Takahashi, Kiyotaka Matsumoto & Noriyasu Ogami

Staff

 * Camera Operator: Ryuji Kawasaki
 * Lighting Cameraman: Yoichi Takahashi
 * Production Designers: Akira Takahashi, Kyoko Heya & Shinichi Noro
 * Puppets Operator: Fumiaki Hayashi
 * Assistant Directors: Kiyotaka Matsumoto, Tetsuhiro Matori & Tadaaki Kozen
 * Audio Director: Sadayoshi Fujino
 * Scripter Girl: Yoshiko Hori
 * Editor: Yoshihiko Yamamoto (Araki Prod.)

Visual effects unit

 * Directors of Visual Effects Kiyotaka Matsumoto & Yasumasa Abe
 * Director of Photography Yasumasa Abe
 * Lighting Masao Tsuchida
 * Art Director Minoru Ohashi
 * Practical Effects GIVS
 * Assistant Director Hitoshi Ueda
 * Compositing by Japan Visual Creation

Post production

 * Sound Effects: Fizz Sound Creation
 * Co-Ordinator: Kunio Kuwahara
 * Recorded at: NEWJAPAN Studio
 * Audio Produced by: Omnibus Promotions
 * Assistant Producer: Masahide Baba
 * Production Manager: Fumio Takahashi
 * In Charge Of Production: Ikubun Cai
 * Film Processing: Tokyo Processing Offices
 * Produced by: Fuji Television, Jin Productions & Cosmo Productions

English dubbing

 * Executive Producer: Kevin Morrison
 * Produced & Directed by: Louis Elsman & Peter Marinker
 * Written by: Michael Sloan
 * Music: Paul Bliss
 * Co-Ordinator: Annie Wallbank
 * Assistant Producer: Nicola Thurgood
 * Supervising Editor: Tony Lenny
 * Dialogue Editor: Roy Taylor
 * Assistant Editing: Roy Helmrich & Bryan Tilling
 * Dialogue Synchronization: Maggie Dickie
 * Sound Recordist: Doug Hurring
 * Recorded at: Anvil Studios
 * Sound Effects: Theatre Three Productions & Cinesound Effects Library
 * Prints: Rank Film Laboratories
 * Titles: G.S.E. Ltd.
 * Produced by: Leah International & ITV 1
 * Distributed by: Itoman And Company

French dubbing (1983)

 * Presented by Intercine TV
 * Written by: Alain Gedovius
 * Music: Shuki Levy and Haim Saban
 * French Version: MPS
 * Recorded at: Auditorium Ltc.

In comics
Two relatively unknown manga were also created in 1980. One was drawn by Naoki Kamohara and published in the magazine Monthly Shōnen Jump by Shueisha from June 1980 to August 1980 and the other was drawn by Makoto Ono in the magazine TV-kun by Shogakukan from November 1980 to April 1981.

British comic magazine Look-In ran strips based on Star Fleet for 32 weeks beginning in January 1983.

Home video
The original Japanese version of the series was released in its entirety in a LaserDisc-box in 1993 and by Pioneer LDC in a DVD-box set in November 29, 2002. Both sets also contained one of two compilation movies created from Star Fleet, in English with Japanese subtitles. Both sets have since gone out of print. On April 24, 2013, Bandai Visual released a Remastered DVD-Box of the series featuring enhanced and remastered scenes.

In Bulgaria The Thalian Space Wars and Space Quest For F-01 tapes were released by Multi Video Center with Bulgarian dub.

In the US, eight video tapes were released which also contained compilations of the series' episodes, albeit in a less-drastically edited format.

In the UK, only three Star Fleet video tapes were ever released. The first and rarest contained episodes 4 and 5 of the series. The other two were compilation movies entitled The Thalian Space Wars and Space Quest For F-01. The series has not been repeated on UK television since the late 1980s.

A DVD set of Star Fleet was released in the UK on February 9, 2009 by Fabulous Films. Included in the DVD set are all 24 episodes, remastered, and restored to their original UK broadcast format. Beyond the episodes, the set also includes stills and a double-sided poster, as well as a comicbook and a comprehensive 'making of' documentary, which includes contributions from series creator Go Nagai, Dr Benn voice artist Peter Marinker, Brian May, Paul Bliss and Gerry Anderson.

Further to the DVD release, Paul Bliss' soundtrack has been released on CD and is available via mail order.

Discotek Media announced in June 2016 that they will release the dubbed series on DVD in the United States on December 20, 2016. It was later delayed for a February 2017 release. They later announced in January 2019 that they will release both that version and the original version on SD Blu-ray in the United States on March 26, 2019.

title: X-Bomber


text:
Talk:Cecil Taylor

Sideman & history
I deleted the mention of the disc with Coltrane as a "sideman" date, because it was Taylor's date: it was only later after Coltrane became more famous that it was repackaged as a Coltrane album.

Also fleshed out the latterday history though there's lots more to add. ND 07:52, 6 Jun 2005 (UTC)

correct -- cecil was the 'leader' of the trane date. i deleted the statement about the date "not being a happy experience" that may have been true for the kenny dorham, but i've never ready anything that says ct or trane were unhappy.

"New York College"?
What is the "New York College" that's referred to? Should that be New York University? Perhaps York College? Someone who knows where he went to undergraduate school should edit this appropriately.

Michael 07:50, 12 Apr 2006 (UTC)

Allmusic.com says that he studied at the New York College of Music which, according to Wiki, merged with the music program of Steinhardt in 1968 (well after Taylor's college years). I'm going to change "New York College" to "New York College of Music".

Loose genre reference
I've amended the lead paragraph to tighten it, I hope, and actually reference the "has been likened". I also deleted the comparison with "modern classical music"; not sure what was meant by this, but it always struck me as a rather loose and unspecific reference. AllyD (talk) 19:04, 6 July 2008 (UTC)

Sexuality
Taylor is not "openly gay". He never mentions it in interviews and it is not something that he puts up front in his work. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.44.18.83 (talk) 01:01, 10 December 2009 (UTC)

i agree. that statement should be omitted. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.232.153.192 (talk) 16:28, 15 August 2010 (UTC)

i removed the "openly" part of the statement. however, the statement as it now sits alone seems out of place and irrelevant. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.232.153.192 (talk) 16:32, 15 August 2010 (UTC)

Edits "from official biographer of Cecil taylor, with Mr. Taylors approval"
I reverted these malformed edits as they had overwritten the wikified, referenced version of this article. Since they are coming from an IP editor, a Talk page message is unlikely to be seen, hence this message. Please do not vandalise this article with a wholesale overwrite. If there is text to be changed then focus on that text: it appears that the "Personal Life" section may be at issue? If so please discuss prospective changes here rather than deleting material carrying 3rd party sources. And please note WP:COI. AllyD (talk) 18:34, 17 February 2011 (UTC)

 * The "Personal life" section was just rendered gibberish, but I am loath to revert as it was previously gossipy and not very well sourced. Unless we have something meaningful to say about his personal life that's based on reliable sources and not rumours and innuendo, we should just remove the section. Fences  &  Windows  00:05, 1 March 2011 (UTC)
 * I've removed it, now perhaps we can work on a personal life section that doesn't just report rumours about his sexuality? Fences  &  Windows  00:07, 1 March 2011 (UTC)
 * I'm all for that -- my attempt to combine the two versions was, on reflection, pretty sucky and deletion was best. -- ArglebargleIV (talk) 00:59, 1 March 2011 (UTC)
 * However, there are two LGBT-related categories on the article page with absolutely nothing in the article to support their inclusion, and of course, the talk page is tagged with the LGBT project. If you are going to delete entire sections of a biographical article, please removed any categories related to the sections, especially when dealing with a BLP. Please finish the cleanup.  Horologium  (talk) 21:35, 2 March 2011 (UTC)
 * Never mind, I went ahead and deleted the two cats myself. Please (and this is not directed at any specific editor), if you ever delete a significant chunk of a BLP, take a look at the categories and make sure that your removals don't affect categorization; nothing that is not explicitly addressed in the text of an article should show up in the categorization of the individual.  Horologium  (talk) 01:15, 3 March 2011 (UTC)

 * And I have removed the related WikiProject template from this page. – ukexpat (talk) 02:22, 3 March 2011 (UTC)
 * Fair enough. I had started looking for sources to support this identification and found a lot speculating and many assuming that he is out, but none with a self-identification. Indeed, in an interview with the NYT he quipped that "Someone once asked me if I was gay. I said, 'Do you think a three-letter word defines the complexity of my humanity?' I avoid the trap of easy definition." We did use that quote previously, but on it's own it doesn't really sit well as a 'personal life' section. Fences  &  Windows  23:09, 3 March 2011 (UTC)

Date of birth
Taylor's d.o.b. (as stated in the first sentence of the lede) doesn't seem to be given in the source quoted at allmusic.com. The article's d.o.b. is at variance with a printed source (D.G. Such, 1993). I have boldly updated the opening sentence and the the infobox with his date (and place) of birth as 15th March (not 25th) 1929, taken from Such's book. >MinorProphet (talk) 16:14, 5 June 2014 (UTC)
 * The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz has the 15th, too. EddieHugh (talk) 18:31, 5 June 2014 (UTC)
 * I've reverted the recent change based on this. Whichever, looks like it needs sourcing in the article. Rothorpe (talk) 14:12, 7 February 2016 (UTC)
 * I learned today that Cecil Taylor had died recently. I had forgotten that I had tried to correct his DoB many moons ago: I have again updated the article, this time with the full refs which EddieHugh and I found back then. >MinorProphet (talk) 11:33, 19 April 2018 (UTC)

Assessment comment
Substituted at 11:06, 29 April 2016 (UTC)

Death
As of April 5th EST, reports are appearing on twitter that Cecil Taylor has died. I have been unable to find a source to verify these reports. Before updating the article regarding Cecil's death, please provide a source. 2607:FCC8:910C:2100:C1E6:CACF:F29D:ECAA (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 03:04, 6 April 2018 (UTC)
 * The article will not be updated to reflect unverified information like this until a reliable source is found that is deemed acceptable. Wikipedia's policy on articles that are biographies of living people is taken very seriously and must be enforced at all times - especially when it comes to changing the article and asserting that a living person is now dead. Hoaxes in the past have caused Wikipedia to be the center of media coverage and internet discussions because this policy was allowed to be violated and unverified edits left unchecked for an extended period of time. We cannot allow this; it's better to be a few days behind any "current information" (Wikipedia is not news) than to risk allowing potentially unverified changes like this to be added.  ~Oshwah~  (talk) (contribs)   08:24, 6 April 2018 (UTC)
 * I'll also note that the two references added to the article were either from a blog or not from a location that's peer-reviewed and where verifiability cannot be established. They do not meet the requirements defined here and here and hence have been removed.  ~Oshwah~  (talk)  (contribs)   08:32, 6 April 2018 (UTC)
 * Confirmed ObakeFIlter (talk) 08:32, 6 April 2018 (UTC)

 * I just reviewed the references supplied next to the death date. Aside from the blog source, the others appear to be reliable upon first glance. I wanted to extend a big "thank you" to those who took the time to locate and add those references. I also appreciate the patience and understanding of editors who may have felt frustrated over the reversion of the article - BLP is a policy that we have to be strict about - especially when it comes to referencing the possible death of a person :-)  ~Oshwah~  (talk) (contribs)   12:42, 6 April 2018 (UTC)

 * The New York Times just released an obit https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/06/obituaries/cecil-taylor-dead.html — Preceding unsigned comment added by Rphunt2002 (talk • contribs) 16:55, 6 April 2018 (UTC)

Španělský sál, Prague recording 1999?
An hour-long video at YouTube called "Cecil Taylor Quartet - Desperado", and uploaded on 31 March 2015, seems to have been published by "Juropa Festival", whatever that is. But it was recorded at Španělský sál, Prague on 3.4.1999. Is anyone able to clarify the copyright status of this recording? Many thanks. Martinevans123 (talk) 20:24, 7 April 2018 (UTC)

Allen Chase's research, and my more casual research doesn't support common Taylor narrative
Caleb Morgan Sat, May 13 at 9:39 AM

I'd suggest reading Chase first, because he's more sympathetic to Taylor than I am, and a lot more knowledgeable.

https://allan-chase.com/2019/10/13/cecil-taylors-education-student-writings-and-some-thoughts-on-his-relationship-to-contemporary-classical-music/

Some years ago I decided to look into Cecil Taylor a little more, by trying to follow up on the footnotes in the Wiki entry. There were a few references to academic articles in classical new-music journals. These seemed to support the idea that there was interest in Taylor in the academic new-music world. What I found was very underwhelming. One article that looked at Coltrane, Taylor, and Ornette Coleman --- three completely different figures -- tried to find evidence for the use of pitch-class sets, or cells, in their music, among other structures. The paper was sketchy, tentative, weak, and uninteresting, unless you're interested to know that there were 012's (C-C#-D, A-Bb-B, etc.) in Taylor's music. There were also tentative remarks by Gunther Schuller, who was famously open-minded and highly interested in combinations of classical and jazz styles.

Since my early teens I've had a keen interest in music theory nuggets, as keen as a rooting bear. If there was something to find, consume, try to internalize, I'd do it. Despite my efforts, I could find nothing substantial about Taylor's music. This was also true of a handful of books about Ornette Coleman and free jazz. These were somewhere between disappointing and appalling in how empty they were. I could find nothing substantial about music theory and how it applied to Coleman's music, or Taylor's music. Considering that it had been over 50 years, this lack was significant. It meant that there was no substantial theory because it wasn't necessary. The music had some meaning as performance in front of a public, and some feeling in the moment, but in Taylor's case, no content, no substance, that could be identified, drawn from it. Coleman is an entirely different case than Taylor, but the lack of connection to music theory, the lack of explanation, was common to both. The intellectual landscape was empty. There was nothing growing there when there should have been by now.*

Coleman can be described as playing a wandering polymodal tonality with some embellishing microtones, with simple elements. He was well supported by Charlie Haden, who had great ears, as did Coleman. Not so with Taylor.

Around this time I also heard from a saxophonist, teacher of a course in the jazz avant-garde at NEC, and former Dean of Faculty at NEC, who commented that although he was undecided about what to make of Taylor, that it seemed from his research that most of what was said about Taylor was wrong. Simple projection and wishful thinking. Allen Chase.

Chase was able to go back into NEC's records, to find that Taylor didn't attend the main school. "He was a student in the mostly-forgotten NEC Popular Music program (at one time called the School of Popular Music, and later informally called the Pop School) and majored in Arranging. Most of his private lessons were in arranging, not piano."

Taylor wasn't required to do anything. If he had been, NEC wasn't that rigorous. In my experience, if you wanted to fuck off at NEC, you could, and it had the worst ear-training program of all the schools I had attended, worst of 4. Records and testimonials from this time seem a little sketchy. It's probable that Taylor simply didn't achieve that much. The school is full of talented hard-working kids, also ineffectual dreamers, and all combinations of the two. I have a master's degree from NEC and also taught there, with well-deserved lack of success, as an adjunct faculty, teaching electronic music composition.

Chase: All: Courtesy of the New England Conservatory Archives Article: Schmieder, Rob, “Caravan: 30 Years of Jazz at NEC,” Notes, v. 26 no. 1 (Winter 2000), Boston: New England Conservatory. (Individual photos are credited in the PDF.) Program: Concert programs, 1950-1951. Boston: New England Conservatory. Courtesy of the New England Conservatory Archives The headlines from this information, for those few who care about such details of jazz history and biography, are: He was a student in the mostly-forgotten NEC Popular Music program (at one time called the School of Popular Music, and later informally called the Pop School) and majored in Arranging. Most of his private lessons were in arranging, not piano. His course work included the sort of core classroom music theory that all music majors’ programs have in common: two years of basic harmony, introduction to counterpoint, survey of music history, etc.; plus courses specific to the Popular Music: Arranging major. Contrary to much (most?) writing about Cecil Taylor’s educational background, he was not admitted to NEC as a classical pianist and did not particularly study classical piano at a high level as a focus of his studies there. Also, he was not particularly engaged in the study of composition, 20th-century literature, or new music academically, although he was interested and probably well-informed, and was friends with Ceely and probably other composers. It seems likely he took one influential course in contemporary music, however, and he would have been aware of Messiaen’s music in particular due to that course and teacher, and an important Boston and NEC visit by Messiaen. On the other hand, similarities between Messiaen’s (or other contemporary composers’) and Taylor’s music have been exaggerated, and if they are significant at all, they are not overwhelming or deep. While self-analysis by artists is not always entirely reliable or complete, I see no reason to doubt Taylor’s own basic account of how he assimilated elements of jazz and contemporary classical music. While he was a student, he co-authored a series of columns called “Pop Notes” in a student publication. His interests were clearly in modern jazz piano. (I’ll share scans of those below, courtesy of the NEC archives.) Likewise, his letters to his classmate, composer Robert Ceely, are also full of discussion of current trends in jazz.

Me: Then there is the date with Coltrane. I've only listened to it a couple of times, because I don't like to listen to awful music. Taylor's playing is just bad. At this point, he is pure artist manque. Pure wannabe. No lines, bad time.

It was only when he began to find his own voice, so to speak, that Taylor's music is notable. He didn't "pay his dues." He wasn't classically "trained". There wasn't much training.

There are all the comments by critics that have been picked to make Taylor sound more impressive than he is. These resemble nothing so much as arbitrary responses to Rorschach pictures, except Rorschach pictures actually look like something, and Taylor's music is mostly anarchy, screaming and mumbling. I'll list some of these, all of them wronger than wrong:

Taylor's chord-playing reminds someone of Duke Ellington. No, only insofar as both of them banged, sometimes. "Like 80 tuned drums". No. Taylor doesn't do rhythms, which is what you do with drums, mainly. "Like an atonal Art Tatum" No. Only insofar as they both played a lot of notes. Tatum, despite being drunk, played *good* notes. (Tatum's problem when drunk is rhythm and coherence.) "Capable of improvising a Charles Ives piano sonata or Stockhausen." God, no. If that were true, I'd love Taylor's music. Either rigor (Stockhausen sometimes) or sentiment with wrong-note tonality (Ives) is entirely absent. Another critic plays students a passage with rumbling and a pedal-tone in the bass that lasts 3 minutes. No. I'd suggest that people can listen to anything for 3 minutes, and anything with a pedal-tone throughout will have that modest degree of coherence. The issue is whether it falls apart under its own weight -- the mark of chaos or disorder -- after 3 minutes. There are intemperate remarks by people like Buell Neidlinger which really shouldn't be taken as accurate testimonials. If Taylor was capable of amazing feats, of creating music with this content that was more subtle than Schoenberg or Carter or Bartok, then, where is it, now that the cocaine dust has settled?

Chase identifies crap like this, from Alex Ross:

“A graduate of the New England Conservatory, he was rigorously trained in classical composition and performance, and could fire off precise references to Webern, Xenakis, and, yes, Ligeti.” – Alex Ross, The New Yorker, April 10, 2018

There is Taylor's own hostile, evasive manner when given the opportunity to talk music theory, in in interview I saw on YouTube. This is proof of nothing, but circumstantial evidence that Taylor wasn't comfortable talking about music theory because, well, he didn't like it that much or wasn't that good at it. I'm a former composer, I can claim, partly because I loved pitches, harmonies, understanding them and whatever principles behind them I could. What I or anyone wouldn't do is become belligerent. Even slightly wild men like Jaco Pastorius were said to be excellent teachers who could articulate in clear language what was going on with the nuts and bolts of the music.

There is the lack of interest in and commentary about individual Taylor pieces, because, frankly, he didn't have much emotional or musical range. If you disagree, try to point to different recordings and whether they are varied or interesting from the point of view of harmony, melody, rhythm, texture, form, or anything else except...performance.

A typical performance begins with noodling around a quasi-motive, which over a few minutes gets chewed on, worried. Then, typically, at around the 3 minute mark, hell breaks loose and Taylor starts to skitter, pound, bang. For all his attempts, he doesn't seem to be particularly good at developing or extending musical ideas. This might be because all you can do in trackless wastes is get lost, and Taylor was no Ubermensch. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:193:8201:F240:BC0E:AC42:89E7:4978 (talk) 09:42, 14 May 2023 (UTC)

It might strike some as fanciful, but to me the person most analogous to Taylor is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_Wilson, the doomed explorer. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:193:8201:F240:BC0E:AC42:89E7:4978 (talk) 12:01, 14 May 2023 (UTC)

I could go on. There is little pleasure in speaking of something that proves to be sort of empty and sad. I'm no conservative, but Taylor's press smacks of liberal boosterism. Some people want him to be better than he was.

All that said, I heard Taylor play in a club in San Francisco in the 80's. With the big city blinking, with my attractive date, his music live was exciting for a set. That meant that Taylor had the moxie, the energy, the balls, to pull off something impossible.

I say impossible because it is impossible to make up stream-of-consciousness poetry in the moment that is any good, over a long period of time. What Taylor was attempting or claiming to do was as impossible as the blood-testing machine of Elizabeth Holmes. The difference is the difference between Art and Silicon Valley startups. No one can sue Taylor for fraud, even though the ideas behind his performances were as substantial as vapor. And, in fact, Taylor deserves credit for getting up there and doing his thing. That took courage and audacity, and even earned him a hug from a Jimmy Carter -- probably expressing his animal gladness that the music was over and he wouldn't have to sit there any more -- a basic mechanism behind a good deal of audience applause.

Taylor got up there and did it. All the praise, all the footnotes, basically liberal wishful thinking, sad to say.

Entirely different case with Coltrane, Albert Ayler, Ornette Coleman, Anthony Braxton. Each a different case.

He was friendly with self-described composer Robert Ceely. I detest Ceely, even though he is dead. I consider it telling that two fake artists would be friends. That's my only bias in this.

Nor is he some kind of "non-western" artist. He was nothing if not an American avant-gardeist. 2601:193:8201:F240:289A:B376:5D6A:76A1 (talk) 13:50, 13 May 2023 (UTC)

in composition and what I call "informed hedonism". If it sounds good, it is good. It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing. When I speak of an intellectual vacuum around free jazz, I mean that I've read only four or five of the books about free jazz in Chase's bulging shelf. To me these books, the ones specifically that Chase highly recommends, are intellectually and musically vacant, and to a surprising degree. I mean the Joe Morris book in particular, and a couple books about Ornette Coleman. To the hungry composer questing for information, these books were empty. And anything trying to conflate music theory and civil rights is hopeless.
 * Edited to Add, by Caleb Morgan: Chase and I have different backgrounds and allegiances. He is fairly devoted to performance and the jazz avant-garde.  I am attached to form, it is said, and believe

Second ETA by Caleb Morgan: Re-reading what I've written, I stand by everything I've said, except the use of the word "liberal" to describe the benefit of the doubt that allows the puffery around Taylor to continue. Whatever causes bland, incurious goodwill, it's not precisely political liberalism. I don't want to give fodder to people who want to dismiss free jazz, NEC, the Third Stream project, or much else. I continue to dislike false claims and self-promotion and artistic woo, and to support the need for composition and rigorous theory. Teaching jazz, including free jazz, is sort of an industry now. That students are learning is a good thing. That bad books that are lies-to-students are being written is part of that industry. I can do little better than to quote Hume on metaphysics: "“If we take in our hand any volume; of divinity or school metaphysics, for instance; let us ask, Does it contain any abstract reasoning concerning quantity or number? No. Does it contain any experimental reasoning concerning matter of fact and existence? No. Commit it then to the flames: for it can contain nothing but sophistry and illusion." Substitute the phrase "free jazz sociology" for "divinity or school metaphysics". — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:193:8201:F240:5D82:37FA:A325:A2EC (talk) 11:19, 16 May 2023 (UTC)

Third ETA by Caleb Morgan: Today I listened, for around two hours, to excerpts from around twenty-five pieces, solo and ensemble, spanning decades. Reaction: even worse than I remembered. That's some sad shit. There are little positive critical blurbs on Qobuz, each more fawning than the last. This is why we don't have nice things. It's very clear to me that faced with something nearly unlistenable in every moment, critics are so afraid and so cowed, or so lacking in standards and deep understanding of music, that they make up this strange praise, while saying that this music is not for everyone. No, *Nietzsche* is not for everyone. As always with Taylor, the implication is wrong. He's perhaps ahead of his time, but mostly in his lack of musicality, lack of substance, lack of beauty, lack of rhythm, lack of finesse. And what's with his complete indifference to common sense when it comes to voicings? Half of what he plays sounds like mud. Narcissistic mother's boys have their place, no one should be disqualified for their background. If it sounds bad, it is bad. Period.

title: Talk:Cecil Taylor


text:
User talk:Shirwac

shirwaca waa inan aad 7 aad u jecel waxaa barashad shirwac is hte best boy he is like  the education

title: User talk:Shirwac


text:
User:Daniel Spencer

Daniel Spencer (born-20th March 1974), Plymounth, 21st century music-artist, who has never released any albums, singles or any other releases, but has sold his music rarely to people on a hard drive usally 80 gigabits, full of his music, that he has made since a teenager. People known for having recieved these hard drives, include Rephlex Record founder Richard D James, Cylob, and John Peel. His music style is unknown but rumors say that it varies from Techno, Acid, IDM, Ambient, and other musical styles known by Braindance listners. 21st century refers to his style of sound, uses of beats and atmopshere that Daniel Spencer produces, also claims that he has produced popular tunes on the radio, in the late 1990s. Claims that he released a record back in 1999 on Rephlex Records, under the name Alex Blackford, and the record, Indigo Red Ink, limited to 3 copies, one copy released in London, one in Plymouth, and one in Edinburgh, by going into a record store and placing his own record into IDM-related sections.

title: User:Daniel Spencer


text:
User:Pustulio

My wiki page is here

title: User:Pustulio


text:
User talk:Pjjp

Welcome
Welcome!

Hello,, and welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are a few good links for newcomers: I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! Please sign your name on talk pages using four tildes (~~); this will automatically produce your name and the date. If you need help, check out Where to ask a question, ask me on my talk page, or place  on your talk page and someone will show up shortly to answer your questions. Again, welcome! -- Hoary 06:26, 2005 Jun 9 (UTC)
 * The five pillars of Wikipedia
 * How to edit a page
 * Help pages
 * Tutorial
 * How to write a great article
 * Manual of Style

English Language Word Count
Hello. You wrote on Talk:English_Language_Word_Count that "I own the copyright to this page and the Wikipedia has explicit permission to use the material in whatever way it sees fit." Please (1) give some evidence that you are the copyright owner of what appears here (it says "Copyright 2005 by GLM, Inc."), and (2) explain how "All Rights Reserved" (which we read at the foot of that page) squares with the GFDL "copyleft" for material on WP. Thank you! -- Hoary 07:56, 2005 Jun 6 (UTC)

Hoary: I think the list of articles that you've worked on is very eclectic and quite interesting!

Anyway, I fixed the Copyright on the page you questioned and eliminated all rights reserved from the said notice. I hope this helps! Therefore, WP does indeed have explicit permission to use the papge in any form or format: Paul Payack.

 * Thank you for the clarification, Paul. I've restored the page accordingly.

 * I'd like to work on more pages, but I'm also expected to spend my valuable time on other, "real world" pursuits. I find this rather frustrating. Please do join in, editing where you think you can either add something new or clear up a mess. -- Hoary 06:26, 2005 Jun 9 (UTC)

title: User talk:Pjjp


text:
Styrax

Styrax (common names storax or snowbell ) is a genus of about 130 species of large shrubs or small trees in the family Styracaceae, mostly native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the majority in eastern and southeastern Asia, but also crossing the equator in South America. The resin obtained from the tree is called benzoin or storax (not to be confused with the Liquidambar storax balsam).

The genus Pamphilia, sometimes regarded as distinct, is now included within Styrax based on analysis of morphological and DNA sequence data. The spicebush (Lindera benzoin) is a different plant, in the family Lauraceae.

Styrax trees grow to 2–14 m tall, and have alternate, deciduous or evergreen simple ovate leaves 1–18 cm long and 2–10 cm broad. The flowers are pendulous, with a white 5–10-lobed corolla, produced 3–30 together on open or dense panicles 5–25 cm long. The fruit is an oblong dry drupe, smooth and lacking ribs or narrow wings, unlike the fruit of the related snowdrop trees (Halesia) and epaulette trees (Pterostyrax).

Uses of resin
Benzoin resin, a dried exudation from pierced bark, is currently produced from various Styrax species native to Sumatra, Java, and Thailand. Commonly traded are the resins of S. tonkinensis (Siam benzoin), S. benzoin (Sumatra benzoin), and S. benzoides. The name benzoin is probably derived from Arabic lubān jāwī (لبان جاوي, "Javan frankincense); compare the obsolete terms gum benjamin and benjoin. This incidentally shows that the Arabs were aware of the origin of these resins, and that by the late Middle Ages at latest international trade in them was probably of major importance.

The chemical benzoin (2-hydroxy-2-phenylacetophenone), despite the apparent similarity of the name, is not contained in benzoin resin in measurable quantities. However, benzoin resin does contain small amounts of the hydrocarbon styrene, named however for Levant storax (from Liquidambar orientalis), from which it was first isolated, and not for the genus Styrax itself; industrially produced styrene is now used to produce polystyrene plastics, including Styrofoam.

History of sources
Since Antiquity, storax resin has been used in perfumes, certain types of incense, and medicines.

There is some degree of uncertainty as to exactly what resin old sources refer to. Turkish sweetgum (Liquidambar orientalis) is a quite unrelated tree in the family Altingiaceae that produces a similar resin traded in modern times as storax or as Levant storax, like the resins of other sweetgums, and a number of confusing variations thereupon. Turkish sweetgum is a relict species that occurs only in a small area in SW Turkey (and not in the Levant at all); presumably, quite some of the "storax resin" of the Ancient Greek and the Ancient Roman sources was from this sweetgum, rather than a Styrax, although at least during the former era genuine Styrax resin, probably from S. officinalis, was imported in quantity from the Near East by Phoenician merchants, and Herodotus of Halicarnassus in the 5th century BC indicates that different kinds of storax were traded.

The nataf (נטף) of the incense sacred to Yahweh, mentioned in the Book of Exodus, is loosely translated by the Greek term staktē (στακτή, AMP: ), or an unspecific "gum resin" or similar term (NIV: ). Nataf may have meant the resin of Styrax officinalis or of some other plant, perhaps Turkish sweetgum, which is unlikely to have been imported in quantity into the Near East.

Since the Middle Ages, Southeast Asian benzoin resins became increasingly available; today there is little international trade in S. officinalis resin and little production of Turkish sweetgum resin due to that species' decline in numbers.

Use as incense
Storax incense is used in the Middle East and adjacent regions as an air freshener. This was adopted in the European Papier d'Arménie. Storax resin from southern Arabian species was burned during frankincense (Boswellia resin) harvesting; it was said to drive away snakes: {{blockquote|text="[The Arabians] gather frankincense by burning that storax which Phoenicians carry to Hellas; they burn this and so get the frankincense; for the spice-bearing trees are guarded by small winged snakes of varied color, many around each tree; these are the snakes that attack Egypt. Nothing except the smoke of storax will drive them away from the trees."

Medical uses
There has been little dedicated research into the medical properties of storax resin, but it has been used for long, and apparently with favorable results. It was important in Islamic medicine; Avicenna (Ibn Sina, ابن سینا) discusses S. officinalis it in his Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb (القانون في الطب, The Law of Medicine). He indicates that storax resin mixed with other antibiotic substances and hardening material gives a good dental restorative material. Benzoin resin is a component of the "Theriaca Andromachi Senioris", a Venice treacle recipe in the 1686 d'Amsterdammer Apotheek.

Tincture of benzoin is benzoin resin dissolved in alcohol. This and its numerous derived versions like lait virginal and friar's balsam were highly esteemed in 19th-century European cosmetics and other household purposes; they apparently had antibacterial properties. Today tincture of benzoin is most often used in first aid for small injuries, as it acts as a disinfectant and local anesthetic and seems to promote healing. Benzoin resin and its derivatives are also used as additives in cigarettes.

The antibiotic activity of benzoin resin seems mostly due to its abundant benzoic acid and benzoic acid esters, which were named after the resin; other less well known secondary compounds such as lignans like pinoresinol are likely significant too.

Horticultural uses
Several species of storax are popular ornamental trees in parks and gardens, especially S. japonicus and its cultivars such as 'Emerald Pagoda', and Styrax obassia.

Uses of wood
The wood of larger species is suitable for fine handicrafts. That of egonoki (エゴノキ, S. japonicus) is used to build kokyū (胡弓), the Japanese bowed instrument.

Ecology and conservation
The resin of Styrax acts to kill wound pathogens and deter herbivores. Consequently, for example, few Lepidoptera caterpillars eat storax compared to other plants. Those of the two-barred flasher (Astraptes fulgerator) were recorded on S. argenteus, but they do not seem to use it on a regular basis.

Some storax species have declined in numbers due to unsustainable logging and habitat degradation. While most of these are classified as vulnerable (VU) by the IUCN, only four trees of the nearly extinct palo de jazmin (S. portoricensis) are known to survive at a single location. Although legally protected, this species could be wiped out by a single hurricane.

Selected species

 * Styrax agrestis – China
 * Styrax americanus – SE USA
 * Styrax argenteus – N & S America
 * Styrax argentifolius – China
 * Styrax bashanensis – China
 * Styrax benzoides – Thailand, S China
 * Styrax benzoin – Sumatra
 * Styrax calvescens – China
 * Styrax camporum – Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay
 * Styrax chinensis – China
 * Styrax chrysocalyx – Brazil
 * Styrax chrysocarpus – China
 * Styrax confusus – China
 * Styrax cordatus – Peru and Ecuador
 * Styrax crotonoides – Malaysia
 * Styrax dasyanthus – central China
 * Styrax faberi – China
 * Styrax ferrugineus – Braxil, Bolivia, Paraguay
 * Styrax formosanus – China
 * Styrax foveolaria – Peru and Ecuador
 * Styrax fraserensis – Malaysia
 * Styrax grandiflorus – China
 * Styrax grandifolius – SE USA
 * Styrax hainanensis – S China
 * Styrax hemsleyanus – China
 * Styrax hookeri – Himalaya
 * Styrax huanus – China
 * Styrax jaliscana – Mexico
 * Styrax japonicus – Japan
 * Styrax limpritchii – SW China (Yunnan)
 * Styrax litseoides – Vietnam
 * Styrax macranthus – China
 * Styrax macrocarpus – China
 * Styrax martii – Brazil
 * Styrax obassia – Japan, China
 * Styrax odoratissimus – China
 * Styrax officinalis – SE Europe, SW Asia
 * Styrax pentlandianus – Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia
 * Styrax perkinsiae – China
 * Styrax peruvianus – Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
 * Styrax philadelphoides – China
 * Styrax platanifolius – Texas, NE Mexico
 * Styrax pohlii – Suriname, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia
 * Styrax portoricensis – Puerto Rico
 * Styrax redivivus – California
 * Styrax roseus – China
 * Styrax rugosus – China
 * Styrax schweliense – W China
 * Styrax serrulatus – Himalaya, SW China
 * Styrax shiraianum – Japan
 * Styrax suberifolius – China
 * Styrax supaii – China
 * Styrax tomentosus – Colombia, Ecuador and Peru
 * Styrax tonkinensis – SE Asia
 * Styrax veitchiorum – China
 * Styrax vilcabambae – Peru
 * Styrax wilsonii – W China
 * Styrax wuyuanensis – China
 * Styrax zhejiangensis – China

title: Styrax


text:
That's Life (2000 TV series)

That's Life is an American comedy-drama television series created by Diane Ruggiero, that was broadcast on CBS from October 1, 2000 to January 26, 2002.

Synopsis
The hour-long series follows the life of a young Italian-American woman (Lydia DeLucca, played by Heather Paige Kent), loosely based on Ms. Ruggiero's life, and her family in suburban New Jersey. The show was set in fictional Bellefield, ostensibly a play on the combination of Belleville and Bloomfield, two adjacent older working class suburbs on the north side of Newark, New Jersey.

In the first season, Frank DeLucca works as a toll collector on the New Jersey Turnpike, while Dolly is a housewife. In the second season, Frank retires after suffering a heart attack on the job, and he and Dolly open a restaurant. Kevin Dillon played Paulie, Lydia's younger brother who was a young officer on the Bellefield Police Department who still lived at home. Debi Mazar played Jackie, Lydia's wise-cracking friend who owned a hair salon. The show mixed family situations with situations focusing on Lydia's life as a young single woman looking for both love and stable career, and for more out of life than simply raising children.

The first season revolved around the fallout from Lydia's breaking off her engagement to Lou (Sonny Marinelli, who was written out after a few episodes), enrolling at Montville State University, a local university somewhat resembling nearby Montclair State University, and moving away from home for the first time. Most of the situations were light-hearted, but plots occasionally delved into darker subjects, including Paulie's struggle to resist the temptation to fall into corruption as a police officer. In the second season, Lydia finally selects a major to pursue a career in sports medicine. Her mother Dolly successfully ran for city council of Bellefield. Paulie started dating Plum (Danielle Harris), a classmate whom Lydia befriends in the first season, and marries her.

The show developed a small fan base and received generally positive critical response, but languished in the ratings, despite the presence of well-known names in its cast, in part because it aired during the Friday night death slot for much of its run. It was cancelled at the end of the second season with numerous unresolved plot lines, including the budding romance between Lydia and one of her professors.

Cast

 * Heather Paige Kent as Lydia DeLucca
 * Debi Mazar as Jackie O'Grady
 * Ellen Burstyn as Dolly DeLucca
 * Paul Sorvino as Frank DeLucca
 * Kevin Dillon as Paulie DeLucca
 * Danielle Harris as Plum Wilkinson (later: DeLucca)
 * Titus Welliver as Eric Hackett (Season 2)
 * Gregory Jbara as Jo Jo Regosi

TV ratings

 * Highest rated: 12.1 million/9.1 household rating [series debut against Summer Olympics Closing Ceremony]
 * 2000 to 2001:
 * 2001 to 2002: 6.9 million viewers

title: That's Life (2000 TV series)


text:
UP Diliman Department of Computer Science

The Department of Computer Science is one of nine departments in the University of the Philippines Diliman College of Engineering.

Academic programs
The Department of Computer Science administers the four-year bachelor of science in computer science program and the master of science in computer science program. As of AY 2009-2010, the department had 553 undergraduate and 89 graduate students mentored by 27 faculty members, seven of whom are PhD degree holders.

Undergraduate
The bachelor of science in computer science program is designed to equip the student with knowledge of the fundamental concepts and a reasonable mastery of the basic tools and techniques in computer science. The undergraduate program incorporates the core material, which is universally accepted as common to computer science undergraduate programs (computer programming, computer organization, computer systems, data structures and algorithms, file processing, and programming languages). Underpinning the software orientation of the program are the subjects on database systems, software engineering, artificial intelligence, computer networks and special problems (primarily, software projects).

Graduate
The master of science in computer science program aims to provide the student with both breadth and depth of knowledge in the concepts and techniques related to the design, programming, and application of computing systems.

The doctor of philosophy in computer science program aims to develop computer scientists who are armed with methods, tools and techniques from both theoretical and systems aspects of computing. They should be able to formulate computing problems and develop new and innovative technology as novel solutions to address those problems. The graduates gain expertise to independently contribute to research and development (R&D) in a specialized area of computer science. The program prepares graduates for professional and research careers in industry, government or academe.

Algorithms and Complexity Laboratory

 * The Algorithms and Complexity Laboratory (ACL) was co-founded by Henry Adorna Ph.D. and Jaime DL Caro, Ph.D.
 * Research areas: models of computation and complexity (automata and formal language theory and applications, natural computing, bioinformatics, riceInformatics, formal models for e-voting), Algorithmics, Designs and Implementations (visualization and implementations, algorithmics for hard problems, algorithmic game theory, scheduling problem), combinatorial networks, information technology in education.

Computer Security Group

 * The Computer Security Group (CSG) was founded by Susan Pancho-Festin, Ph.D.
 * Research areas: cryptographic algorithms, message protocols, and coding techniques to enhance enterprise and mobile applications.

Computer Vision and Machine Intelligence Group

 * The Computer Vision and Machine Intelligence Group (CVMIG), the first formally organized research group of the department was founded by Prospero Naval Jr., Ph.D.
 * Research areas: computation intelligence principles in biological, physical, and social systems; projects include machines that understand the deaf, programs that assist medical doctors in diagnosing poison and infections and robots playing football.

Networks and Distributed Systems Group

 * The Networks and Distributed Systems Group (NDSG) was founded by Cedric Angelo Festin, Ph.D.
 * Research areas: fixed and mobile network protocols for more efficient and effective message exchanges. The NDSG is closely affiliated with the Computer Networks Laboratory of the Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute (EEEI).

Scientific Computing Laboratory

 * The Scientific Computing Laboratory (SCL) is currently headed by Adrian Roy Valdez, Ph.D.
 * The research laboratory is primarily interested in the construction of mathematical models and numerical techniques for optimization, configuration and design of complex systems to better understand scientific, social scientific and engineering problems. It also has five research interest groups, which are Computational Systems Biology and Bioinformatics Group, Intelligent Transport Systems Group, Mathematical Informatics Group, Mathematical and Computational Finance Group, and Data Analytics Group.

Service Science and Software Engineering Laboratory (S3)

 * The Service Science and Software Engineering Laboratory (S3) is a research lab where the designs and implementations of service systems are studied, and ensures the creation of software that provide values to others. Research is not limited to just building the software but may also include studies relating to artificial intelligence, networks, etc., as long as products made are essential to people.

System Modeling and Simulation Laboratory (SMSL)

 * The System Modeling and Simulation Laboratory (SMSL) is a research lab where mathematics and scientific computing meet! Natural hazards like storm surge and landslides are modeled for early warning and risk assessments. We also model the post-disaster regeneration of mangroves. Other recent modeling efforts were on energy functionals for protein-folding, and visible light-driven hydrogen production.

Web Science Group

 * The Web Science Group (WSG) was founded by Rommel Feria, MS.
 * Research areas: linked data, mobile web, web science and the applications of web technologies in different domains.

Department chairs

 * Prof. Evangel P. Quiwa, October 1991 - October 1995
 * Prof. Ma. Veronica M. Tayag, November 1995 - April 1999
 * Dr. Mark J. Encarnacion, May 1996 - March 2000
 * Dr. Jaime D.L. Caro, April 2000 - September 2002
 * Dr. Ronald Tuñgol, October 2002 - May 2005
 * Dr. Cedric Angelo M. Festin, June 2005 - May 2008
 * Dr. Jaime D.L. Caro, June 2008 - March 2011
 * Dr. Adrian Roy L. Valdez, March 2011 – May 2013
 * Dr. Cedric Angelo M. Festin, June 2013 - March 2014
 * Dr. Prospero C. Naval, Jr., April 2014 – March 2017
 * Dr. Jan Michael C. Yap, April 2017 – July 2019
 * Dr. Jaymar B. Soriano, August 2019 – August 2022
 * Dr. John Justine Villar, September 2022 - Present

Java Competency Center
The UP-Mirant Java Education Center and the UP Java Research and Development Center compose the UP Java Competency Center and are part of the ASEAN Java Competency Programme. The UP Java Competency Center is a partnership of the University of the Philippines, Ayala Foundation, Mirant Foundation and Sun Microsystems.

UP CS Network (UP Alliance of Computer Science Organizations)

The UP CS Network is the first student organization alliance of its kind in the UP Diliman College of Engineering. The network is composed of one socio-academic organization (UP CURSOR), one academic organization (UP ACM), two volunteer corps (The UP Parser and DCS Servers), and one service-development organization (UP CSI).

Current members

 * Association for Computing Machinery - UP Diliman Student Chapter, Inc. (UP ACM)
 * The UP Parser (Official Student Publication of the DCS)
 * UP Association of Computer Science Majors (UP CURSOR)
 * UP Center for Student Innovations (UP CSI)
 * UP Department of Computer Science Servers (UP DCSS)

Former Members

 * UP Linux Users' Group (UnPLUG)
 * DCS Student Assistants (DCS SA)
 * Computerized Registration System (CRS)
 * UP Engineering Webteam
 * UP Computer Society (UP CompSoc)


text:
Benzoin (resin)

Benzoin or benjamin (corrupted pronunciation) is a balsamic resin obtained from the bark of several species of trees in the genus Styrax. It is used in perfumes and some kinds of incense and as a flavoring and medicine (see tincture of benzoin). It is distinct from the chemical compound benzoin, which is ultimately derived chemically from benzoin resin; the primary active ingredient of benzoin resin is actually benzoic acid, not benzoin.

Benzoin is sometimes called gum benzoin or gum benjamin, and in India Sambrani or loban, though loban is, via Arabic lubān, a generic term for frankincense-type incense, e.g., fragrant tree resin. The syllable "benz" ultimately derives from the Arabic lubān jāwī (لبان جاوي, "frankincense from Java").

Benzoin is also called storax, not to be confused with the balsam of the same name obtained from the Hamamelidaceae family.

Benzoin is a common ingredient in incense-making and perfumery because of its sweet vanilla-like aroma and fixative properties. Gum benzoin is a major component of the type of church incense used in Russia and some other Eastern Orthodox Christian societies, as well as Latin Catholic churches. Benzoin is used in the Arabian Peninsula and Hindu temples of India, where it is burned on charcoal as an incense. It is also used in the production of Bakhoor (Arabic بخور - scented wood chips) as well as various mixed resin incense in the Arab countries and the Horn of Africa. Benzoin is also used in blended types of Japanese incense, Indian incense, Chinese incense (known as Anxi xiang; 安息香), and Papier d'Arménie as well as incense sticks.

There are two common kinds of benzoin, benzoin Siam and benzoin Sumatra. Benzoin Siam is obtained from Styrax tonkinensis, found across Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Benzoin Sumatra is obtained from Styrax paralleloneurus (syn. Styrax sumatranus) and Styrax benzoin, which grows predominantly on the island of Sumatra. Unlike Siamese benzoin, Sumatran benzoin contains cinnamic acid in addition to benzoic acid. In the United States, Sumatra benzoin is more customarily used in pharmaceutical preparations, Siam benzoin in the flavor and fragrance industries.

In perfumery, benzoin is used as a fixative, slowing the dispersion of essential oils and other fragrance materials into the air. Benzoin is used in cosmetics, veterinary medicine, and scented candles. It is used as a flavoring in alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, baked goods, chewing gum, frozen dairy, gelatins, puddings, and soft candy.

In anesthesia and surgery, it is used as an adhesive to secure wound and catheter dressing and is available as a sterile preparation.

title: Benzoin (resin)


text: User talk:202.7.171.22

title: User talk:202.7.171.22


text:
Tripura Sundari

Tripura Sundari (Sanskrit: त्रिपुरसुन्दरी, IAST: Tripura Sundarī), also known as Rajarajeshvari, Shodashi, Kamakshi, and Lalita, is a Hindu goddess, revered primarily within the Shaktism tradition and recognized as one of the ten Mahavidyas. She embodies the essence of the supreme goddess Mahadevi. Central to the Shakta texts, she is widely praised in the Lalita Sahasranama and Saundarya Lahari. In the Lalitopakhyana of the Brahmanda Purana, she is referred to as Adi Parashakti.

The term "Tripura" conveys the concept of three cities or worlds, while "Sundari" translates to "beautiful woman." She signifies the most beautiful woman across the three realms, with associations to the yoni symbol and the powers of creation, preservation, and destruction.

According to the Srikula tradition in Shaktism, Tripura Sundari is the foremost of the Mahavidyas, the supreme divinity of Hinduism and also the primary goddess of Sri Vidya. The Tripura Upanishad places her as the ultimate Shakti (energy, power) of the universe. She is described as the supreme consciousness, ruling from above Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.

The Lalita Sahasranama narrates the cosmic battle between Lalita Tripura Sundari and the demon Bhandasura, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil. This sacred text offers a detailed portrayal of her divine attributes and qualities. Temples dedicated to her exist across India, with prominent ones in Tripura, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Jharkhand, and Karnataka. Her festivals, including Lalita Jayanti and Lalita Panchami, are celebrated fervently, reflecting devotees' deep spiritual connection to the goddess and her embodiment of the divine feminine energy.

Etymology and nomenclature
The word Tripura (त्रिपुर ) means three cities or three worlds, Sundari (सुन्दरी) means beautiful woman. Tripura Sundari means the most beautiful woman in the three worlds. Tripura could also mean the three cities crafted by Mayasura and destroyed by Tripurantaka, thus meaning “She who is beautiful to the destroyer of the Three Cities.” She is known as Tripura as her mantra has three clusters of letters. She is also called Tripura because she is manifested in Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva as the creator, preserver and destroyer of the universe.

History and paramparas
The Srikula (family of Sri) tradition (sampradaya) focuses worship on Devi in the form of the goddess Lalita-Tripura Sundari. Rooted in first-millennium. Srikula became a force in South India no later than the seventh century, and is today the prevalent form of Shaktism practiced in South Indian regions such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Tamil areas of Sri Lanka.

The Srikula's best-known school is Srividya, "one of Shakta Tantrism's most influential and theologically sophisticated movements." Its central symbol, the Sri Chakra, is probably the most famous visual image in all of Hindu Tantric tradition. Its literature and practice is perhaps more systematic than that of any other Shakta sect.

Srividya largely views the goddess as "benign [saumya] and beautiful [saundarya]" (in contrast to Kalikula's focus on "terrifying [ugra] and horrifying [ghora]" Goddess forms such as Kali or Durga). In Srikula practice, moreover, every aspect of the goddess – whether malignant or gentle – is identified with Lalita.

Srikula adepts most often worship Lalita using the abstract Sri Chakra yantra, which is regarded as her subtle form. The Sri Chakra can be visually rendered either as a two-dimensional diagram (whether drawn temporarily as part of the worship ritual, or permanently engraved in metal) or in the three-dimensional, pyramidal form known as the Sri Meru. It is not uncommon to find a Sri Chakra or Sri Meru installed in South Indian temples, because – as modern practitioners assert – "there is no disputing that this is the highest form of Devi and that some of the practice can be done openly. But what you see in the temples is not the srichakra worship you see when it is done privately."

The Srividya paramparas can be further broadly subdivided into two streams, the Kaula (a vamamarga practice) and the Samaya (a dakshinamarga practice). The Kaula or Kaulachara, first appeared as a coherent ritual system in the 8th century in central India, and its most revered theorist is the 18th-century philosopher Bhaskararaya, widely considered "the best exponent of Shakta philosophy."

The Samaya or Samayachara finds its roots in the work of the 16th-century commentator Lakshmidhara, and is "fiercely puritanical [in its] attempts to reform Tantric practice in ways that bring it in line with high-caste brahmanical norms." Many Samaya practitioners explicitly deny being either Shakta or Tantric, though scholars argue that their cult remains technically both. The Samaya-Kaula division marks "an old dispute within Hindu Tantrism."

Legend
The battle between Lalita Tripura Sundari and the demon Bhandasura is primarily described in the Lalita Sahasranama, a sacred text from Hinduism that consists of a thousand names of Goddess Lalita. The Lalita Sahasranama is a part of the larger scripture called the Brahmanda Purana, specifically in the Uttara Khanda (the concluding section) of the Purana.

In this narrative, Bhandasura is depicted as a powerful demon who has obtained a boon from Shiva that makes him nearly invincible. With his newfound powers, Bhandasura wreaks havoc and establishes his own kingdom, challenging the divine order. In response to the growing threat posed by Bhandasura, the gods, led by Shiva and Vishnu, approach Lalita Tripura Sundari for help.

Lalita Tripura Sundari is a manifestation of the divine feminine energy and is considered the ultimate form of Adi Parashakti. She is often depicted as a beautiful and benevolent goddess, but when faced with the need to restore cosmic balance and protect the universe, she transforms into a fierce and powerful warrior.

The battle between Lalita and Bhandasura is described in the Lalita Sahasranama as a cosmic confrontation that symbolizes the triumph of good over evil, righteousness over tyranny, and divine intervention over malevolent forces. The goddess, adorned with various weapons and symbols of power, engages in a fierce battle with Bhandasura and his army of demons. With her extraordinary prowess and the assistance of her divine companions and manifestations, Lalita defeats Bhandasura and restores cosmic harmony.

The Lalita Sahasranama not only describes the battle itself but also delves into the divine qualities and aspects of Lalita, highlighting her significance as the embodiment of divine love, grace, power, and wisdom. The text is revered by devotees of the goddess and is recited as a form of worship and meditation to invoke her blessings and protection.

Role in creation
According to the Tripura Rahasya, only goddess Tripura Sundari existed before the beginning of the universe. She created the Trimurti and began the creation of the universe.

"Long ago, at the time of creation, Tripura the Universal Consciousness was all alone. There was nothing other than Her. She, the embodiment of Power, who is Self independent wanted to create; the desire developed. From desire, knowledge was born and then action. From Her three glances the three gods were born. Pashupati represented desire, Hari knowledge and Brahma action. They were looked at by Sankari and became naturally powerful and Truth abiding."

"Those who are deluded by my maya, don’t know me completely. I alone, worshipped by all, give the desired fruit. Other than me, there is none who is to be worshipped or who grants the fruits."

Literature
The most important text of Tripura Sundari is the Lalita Sahasranama (from the Brahmanda Purana). Tripura Sundari is most often mentioned in the Lalitopakhyana (the fourth book of the Brahmanda Purana) and Tripura Rahasya. The Lalitopakhyana tells of the epic battle between her forces and the forces of the arch-demon Bhandasura.

The Tripura Upanishad places the goddess Tripura Sundari as the ultimate Shakti (energy, power) of the universe. She is described as the supreme consciousness, above Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The Tripura Upanishad is historically the most complete introduction to Shakta Tantrism, distilling into its 16 verses almost every important topic in Shakta Tantra tradition. Along with the Tripura Upanishad, the Tripuratapini Upanishad has attracted scholarly bhasya (commentary) in the second half of 2nd-millennium, such as the work of Bhaskararaya, and  Ramanand.

The Bahvricha Upanishad is notable for asserting that the Self (soul, Atman) is a Goddess who alone existed before the creation of the universe.

According to the "Patala Khanda" of Padma Purana and the Narada Purana, the god Krishna is the male form of the goddess Lalita.

The Tantraraja Tantra of the Shakta tradition describe that goddess Lalita assumed a male form as Krishna. Krishna has six forms namely Siddha-gopala, Kamaraja-gopala, Manmatha-gopala, Kandarpa-gopala, Makaraketana-gopala and Manobhava-gopaila and goddess Lalita created the last five forms from it.

Lalita Sahasranama
Lalita Sahasranama contains a thousand names of the Hindu mother goddess Lalita. The names are organized in a hymn (stotras). It is the only sahasranama that does not repeat a single name. Further, in order to maintain the meter, other sahasranamas use the artifice of adding suffixes like tu, api, ca, and hi, which are conjunctions that do not necessarily add to the meaning of the name except in cases of interpretation. The Lalita sahasranama does not use any such auxiliary conjunctions and is unique in being an enumeration of holy names that meet the metrical, poetical and mystic requirements of a sahasranama by their order throughout the text.

Lalita Sahasranama begins by calling the goddess Shri Mata (the great mother), Shri Maharajni (the great queen) and Shrimat Simhasaneshwari (the queen sitting on the lion-throne). In verses 2 and 3 of the Sahasranama she is described as a Udayatbhanu Sahasrabha (the one who is as bright as the rays of thousand rising suns), Chaturbahu Samanvita (the one who has four hands) and Ragasvarupa Pashadhya (the one who is holding the rope). Chidagnikunda Sambhuta (one who was born from the altar of the fire of consciousness) and Devakarya samudyata (one who manifested Herself for fulfilling the objects of the devas) are among other names mentioned in the sahasranama.

Composition
The Lalita Sahasranama is said to have been composed by the eight vaag devis (Vasini, Kameshvari, Aruna, Vimala, Jayani, Modini, Sarveshvari, and Kaulini) upon the command of the goddess Lalita herself. The Sahasranama says that "One can worship Lalita only if she wishes us to do so." This stotra occurs in the Brahmanda Purana (history of the universe) in the chapter of discussion between Hayagriva and Sage Agastya in Kanchipuram. Hayagriva is an incarnation of Vishnu with the head of a horse and is held to be the storehouse of knowledge. Agastya is one of the sages of yore and one of the stars of the constellation Saptarishi. At the request of Agastya, Hayagriva is said to have taught him the thousand holiest names of Lalita. The temple at Thirumeyachur, near Kumbakonam, is said to be where Agastya was initiated into this sahasranama. An alternative origin is that the Upanishad Bramham Mutt at Kanchipuram is where this initiation happened.

Tripura Rahasya
Tripura Sundari occupies a very special place in the Tripura Rahasya, a Shakta scripture. "The Power called Tripura is Pure Consciousness. It is beyond speech, senses and mind. She, the Parameshvari exists as Atma in everything. She is beyond codes of conduct, free from conduct and the conductor. She is merely Pure Consciousness supporting all and beyond speech. She is just the soul and consciousness. By virtue of Her freedom She is termed as Maya (illusion). Her glory that encompasses all is beyond logic and questioning. The being gets deluded in many ways by Her who is the pure soul. The creation is said to be the sport of the Devi."

"She rules over three cities, three paths children of the universe. a, ka, and tha, fully present. She is present in these letters. She is ageless, birth less, the greatest and she is the glory of all gods."

Iconography
Her form is described in her Dhyana Stotra as follows.

I imagine of my goddess Bhavani, who has a color of the rising sun. Who has eyes which are waves of mercy, who has bow made of sweet cane, arrows made of soft flowers, and Pasha, Ankusha in her hands, and who is surrounded, by her devotees with powers great, as personification of the concept of “I”.

Also details of her appearance are found in the famous hymn in her praise, the Lalita Sahasranama, where she is said to be,

"seated on a throne like a queen (names 2 and 3), to wear jewels (names 13 and 14), to have the auspicious marks of a married woman (names 16–25), and to have heavy breasts and a thin waist (name 36); the crescent moon adorns her forehead, and her smile overwhelms Kameshwara, the lord of desire (name 28). She has as her throne with its legs being Pancha Brahmas (five Brahmas) (name 249)."

She is often depicted iconographically as a 16-year-old girl (hence the appellation "Shodashi") seated on a lotus that rests on the supine body of Sadashiva, which in turn lies on a throne whose legs are the gods Brahma, Vishnu, Isvara, and Rudra. In some cases, the lotus is growing out of Shiva's navel. In other more common cases, the lotus is grown directly from the Sri Chakra.

In the Jnana Khanda of Tripura Rahasya, goddess herself describes her eternal form.

"In the island of jewels, encircled by the ocean of nectar, beyond the universe, there is a mansion made of Chintamani (wish giving jewel) in the grove Kadamba (Burflower) trees. There is a platform with four legs representing Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesha and Ishwara, and the platform itself represent the back Sadashiva. On it, is installed my non-transcendent form as Tripura Sundari in the form of eternal consciousness."

The Vamakeshvara tantra says that Tripura-sundari dwells on the peaks of the Himalayas; is worshipped by sages and heavenly nymphs; has a body like pure crystal; wears a tiger skin, a snake as a garland around her neck, and her hair tied in a jata; holds a trident and drum; is decorated with jewels, flowers, and ashes; and has a large bull as a vehicle.

The Saundarya Lahari and the Tantrasara describe her in detail from her hair to her feet. The Tantrasara dhyana mantra says that she is illuminated by the jewels of the crowns of Brahma and Visnu, which fell at her feet when they bowed down to worship her. Kinsley also says that "In Saundarya Lahari and Tantrasara she is not associated with Shiva in any obvious way as she is in other depictions".

Vaishnavism traditions have a similar set of complementary parallels between Vishnu and Lakshmi. The Tantric Vaishnava Pancharatra texts associates Lalita with Lakshmi. Author Douglas Renfrew Brooks says, "Lalita, like the Pancharatra conception of Lakshmi, acts independently by taking over the cosmic functions of the male deity; yet she does not defy the god's wishes". Brooks also says, "In contrast to most Vaishnava conceptions of Lakshmi, however, Lalita destabilizes temporarily for the purpose of reasserting order".

Scholar and professor Thomas B. Coburn says, "Sri Vidya, then, can be understood as one of the premier instances of Hindu Shakta Tantrism. Specifically, it is the tradition (sampradaya) which deals with worship of Tripurasundari, 'the most beautiful Tantric form of Sri/Lakshmi, [who is]... the most benign, beautiful and youthful yet motherly manifestation of the Supreme Shakti."

Sri Yantra

The Sri Yantra is a form of mystical diagram (yantra) used in the Shri Vidya school of Hinduism. Comprising nine interlocking triangles, it embodies complex symbolism. Four upward triangles signify Shiva, while five downward triangles represent Shakti, encompassing the cosmic and human realms around a central point called the bindu. This configuration is sometimes termed the Navayoni Chakra.

The Sri Yantra holds great significance in the Shri Vidya school, central to its worship. It symbolizes the union of masculine and feminine divine energies. The triangles, varying in size, form 43 smaller triangles in concentric levels, mirroring the cosmos. The power point (bindu) stands as the cosmic center, encompassed by concentric circles with lotus petal patterns denoting creation and life force. These elements, set within an earth square, depict a temple with doors to different regions of the universe.

In the Shri Vidya tradition, the Sri Yantra represents the core of devotion. Each triangle and level is associated with specific aspects of divinity, culminating in a structure known as the nava chakra. Its projection into three dimensions results in the Maha Meru, symbolizing the philosophy of Kashmir Shaivism. Subhash Kak has drawn parallels between the Sri Yantra and ancient Vedic texts, emphasizing its enduring significance across Hindu spiritual thought.

India
There are several temples dedicated to Tripura Sundari across India. Some of the most significant ones include:

 * Adyar Kamakshi Temple, Tamil Nadu: While the primary deity of this temple is Goddess Kamakshi, she is often associated with Tripura Sundari in the Shakta tradition. The temple is located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
 * Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, Tamil Nadu: also called the Sri Kanchi Matham or the Sri Kanchi Monastery, is a Hindu institution, located in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. It is located near a temple dedicated to Goddess Sri Kamakshi, along with a shrine for the Advaita Vedanta teacher Adi Shankara.
 * Ratneshwari Temple, Jharkhand: Located in Jharkhand, this temple is dedicated to Goddess Tripura Sundari. It is believed to be one of the Shakti Peethas and holds immense importance among devotees.
 * Sri Rajarajeswari Peetham, Karnataka: This peetham (spiritual institution) in Karnataka is dedicated to Goddess Rajarajeswari, a form of Tripura Sundari. It is a well-known center of worship and spiritual activities.
 * Tiruvakkarai Kamakshi Amman Temple, Tamil Nadu: This temple is located in Tiruvakkarai near Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu. It is an important pilgrimage site dedicated to Goddess Tripura Sundari. The temple is known for its intricate architecture and serene surroundings.
 * Tripura Sundari Temple, Tripura:This temple is located in the ancient city of Udaipur in Tripura, India. It is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas, which are considered highly sacred in the Shakta tradition. The temple complex is dedicated to Goddess Tripura Sundari and attracts devotees from all over the country.
 * Rajrajeswari Temple in Tehri district of Uttarakhand. The presiding deity Rajrajeswari is identical with Nanda, the patron goddess of Kumaoni and Garhwali people. She is worshipped by Tantric and Shamanic methods like Jaagar in Uttarakhand.

There is another temple of Tripura Sundari in Chhatrabhog.

Germany
In Hamm in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, there is the Sri Kamadchi Ampal Temple, built in 2002.

Festivals
Festivals dedicated to Tripura Sundari are celebrated with devotion and reverence across various regions in the Shakta tradition. Her main festivals are Lalita Jayanti and Lalita Panchami, but other festivals also hold significance.

Lalita Jayanti
Lalita Jayanthi is celebrated on Magha Purnima, the full moon day of the month of Magha (January–February). It is a very important day in some parts of North India when special offerings and ceremonies are held. It is believed that devotees on this day will be blessed if they worship Goddess Lalita with full devotion and dedication.

Lalita Panchami
Lalita Panchami is a very auspicious tithi, celebrated on the fifth day of the Sharad Navaratri festival. Legend has it that on this auspicious day Goddess Lalita emerged from fire to defeat Bhandasura, a demon created from the ashes of Kamadeva. This day is very important in Gujarat and Maharashtra. On this day, some devotees also hold a fast called Lalita Panchami vrata, which is also called the Upang Lalita Vrat. It is believed to bring wealth, happiness and wisdom. Chanting of Vedic mantras dedicated to Goddess Lalita on this day is very useful. It is a popular belief that doing so will immediately solve all the personal as well as business related problems in life.

Other festivals
Navaratri, a nine-night festival, holds immense significance as devotees engage in elaborate rituals, fasting, prayer, and recitation of sacred texts in honor of the divine feminine. Dussehra, which marks the triumph of good over evil, often includes the worship of Tripura Sundari, emphasizing her role as a protector and nurturer. Shodashi Puja, dedicated to her youthful form, is conducted by initiated devotees. Chaitra Navaratri, observed in March–April, mirrors the autumn Navaratri celebrations. Pournami Pooja, observed during full moon days, involves special prayers and rituals to seek her blessings. Additionally, various regions might organize Shakti Utsav, celebrating the multifaceted forms of the goddess. These festivals collectively showcase the devotion, cultural richness, and spiritual connection that devotees share with Goddess Tripura Sundari.

title: Tripura Sundari


text: Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/Boneyard/Blank page 140