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Transport in Indonesia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Indonesia's transport system has been shaped over time by th

2009-11-10T17:36:00.000+07:00

Transport in Indonesia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

Indonesia's transport system has been shaped over time by the economic resource base of an archipelago with thousands of islands, and the distribution of its more than 200 million people highly concentrated on a single island which is Java[1].

All transport modes play a role in the country’s transport system and are generally complementary rather than competitive. Road transport is predominant, with a total system length of 370,500 km in 2003. The railway system has four unconnected networks in Java and Sumatra primarily dedicated to transport bulk commodities and long-distance passenger traffic. Sea transport is extremely important for economic integration and for domestic and foreign trade. It is well developed, with each of the major islands having at least one significant port city. The role of inland waterways is relatively minor and is limited to certain areas of Eastern Sumatra and Kalimantan. The function of air transport is significant, particularly where land or water transport is deficient or non-existent. It is based on an extensive domestic airline network where all major cities can be reached by passenger plane.

Common costume features A superhero's costume helps make him or her recognizable to the general public. Costumes are often colorful to enhance the ch

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Common costume features

A superhero's costume helps make him or her recognizable to the general public. Costumes are often colorful to enhance the character's visual appeal and frequently incorporate the superhero's name and theme. For example, Daredevil resembles a red devil, Captain America's costume echoes the American flag, Batman resembles a large bat, and Spider-Man's costume features a spider web pattern. The convention of superheroes wearing masks (frequently without visible pupils) and skintight unitards originated with Lee Falk's comic strip hero The Phantom. Several superheroes such as the Phantom, Superman, Batman and Robin wear breeches over this unitard. This is often satirized as the idea that superheroes wear their underpants on the outside.[citation needed]

Common traits * Extraordinary powers and abilities, relevant skills and/or advanced equipment. Although superhero powers vary widely, superhuman

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Common traits

* Extraordinary powers and abilities, relevant skills and/or advanced equipment. Although superhero powers vary widely, superhuman strength, the ability to fly, enhanced senses, and the projection of energy bolts are all common. Some superheroes, such as Batman, Green Arrow, Hawkeye and the Question possess no superhuman powers but have mastered skills such as martial arts and forensic sciences. Others have special weapons or technology, such as Iron Man's powered armor suits and Green Lantern’s power ring. Many characters supplement their natural powers with a special weapon or device (e.g., Wonder Woman's lasso and bracelets, Spider-Man's webbing, Wolverine's adamantium claws, Daredevil's billy club, or Thor's hammer).
* A strong moral code, including a willingness to risk one's own safety in the service of good without expectation of reward. Such a code often includes a refusal or strong reluctance to kill or wield lethal weapons.
* A motivation, such as a sense of responsibility (e.g. Spider-Man), a formal calling (e.g., Wonder Woman), a personal vendetta against criminals (e.g. Batman), or a strong belief in justice and humanitarian service (e.g. Superman).
* A secret identity that protects the superhero's friends and family from becoming targets of his or her enemies (exceptions such as the Fantastic Four notwithstanding), such as Clark Kent (Superman), although many superheroes have a confidant (usually a friend or relative who has been sworn to secrecy). Most superheroes use a descriptive or metaphoric code name for their public deeds.
* A distinctive costume, often used to conceal the secret identity (see Common costume features).
* An underlying motif or theme that affects the hero's name, costume, personal effects, and other aspects of his or her character (e.g., Batman resembles a large bat, operates at night, calls his specialized automobile, which also appears bat-like, the "Batmobile" and uses several devices given a "bat" prefix, Spider-Man can shoot webs from his hands, has a spider web pattern on his costume, and other spider-like abilities).
* A supporting cast of recurring characters, including the hero's friends, co-workers and/or love interests, who may or may not know of the superhero's secret identity. Often the hero's personal relationships are complicated by this dual life, a common theme in Spider-Man and Batman stories in particular.
* A number of enemies that he/she fights repeatedly. In some cases superheroes begin by fighting run of the mill criminals before super villains surface in their respective story lines. In many cases the hero is in part responsible for the appearance of these super villains (the Scorpion was created as the perfect enemy to defeat Spider-Man, and characters in Batman's comics often accuse him of creating the villains he fights). Often superheroes have an archenemy who is more troubling than the others. Often a nemesis is a superhero's doppelganger or foil (e.g., Sabretooth embraces his savage instincts while Wolverine tries to control his. Batman is grim, while the Joker is flamboyant).
* Independent wealth (e.g., Batman or the X-Men's benefactor Professor X) or an occupation that allows for minimal supervision (e.g., Superman's civilian job as a reporter).
* A headquarters or base of operations, usually kept hidden from the general public (e.g., Superman's Fortress of Solitude or Batman's Batcave).
* A backstory that explains the circumstances by which the character acquired his or her abilities as well as his or her motivation for becoming a superhero. Many origin stories involve tragic elements and/or freak accidents that result in the development of the hero's abilities.

Many superheroes work independently. However, there are also many superhero teams. Some, such as the Fantastic Four and X-Men, have common origins and usually operate as a group. Others, such as DC Comics’s Justice League and Marvel’s Avengers, are "all-star" groups consisting of heroes with separate origins who also operate individually, yet will team up to confront larger threats. The shared setting or "universes" of Marvel, DC and other publishers also allow for regular superhero team-ups.

Some superheroes, especially those introduced in the 1940s, work with a young sidekick (e.g., Batman and Robin, Captain America and Bucky). This has become less common since more sophisticated writing and older audiences have lessened the need for characters who specifically appeal to child readers. Sidekicks are seen as a separate classification of superheroes.

Superheroes most often appear in comic books, and superhero stories are the dominant form of American comic books, to the point that the terms "superhero" and "comic book character" have been used synonymously in North America[citation needed]. With the rise in relative popularity of non-superhero comics, as well as the popularity of Japanese comics (manga), this trend is slowly declining[citation needed]. Superheroes have also been featured in radio serials, novel, TV series, movies, and other media. Most of the superheroes who appear in other media are adapted from comics, but there are exceptions.

Marvel Characters, Inc. and DC Comics share ownership of the United States trademark for the phrases "Super Hero" and "Super Heroes" and these two companies own a majority of the world’s most famous and influential superheroes. Of the "Significant Seven" chosen by The Comic Book in America: An Illustrated History (1989), Marvel owns Spider-Man and Captain America and DC owns Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel and Plastic Man. Like many non-Marvel characters popular during the 1940s, the latter two were acquired by DC from defunct publishers.[4] However, there have been significant heroes owned by others, especially since the 1990s when Image Comics and other companies that allowed creators to maintain trademark and editorial control over their characters developed. Hellboy and Spawn are some of the most successful creator-owned heroes.
Reflective of his time, Charlton Comics' Captain Atom was an astronaut in his civilian identity. Strange Suspense Stories #75 (June 1965). Cover art by Steve Ditko.

Although superhero fiction is considered a form of fantasy/adventure, it crosses into many genres. Many superhero franchises resemble crime fiction (Batman, Punisher), others horror fiction (Spawn, Spectre) and others more standard science fiction (Green Lantern, X-Men). Many of the earliest superheroes, such as The Sandman and The Clock, were rooted in the pulp fiction of their predecessors.

Within their own fictional universes, public perception of superheroes varies greatly. Some, like Superman and the Fantastic Four, are adored and seen as important civic leaders. Others, like Batman and Spider-Man, meet with public skepticism or outright hostility. A few, such as the X-Men and the characters of Watchmen, defend a populace that misunderstands and despises them.

Superhero From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article may contain original research or unverified claims. Please i

2009-11-10T17:33:00.000+07:00

Superhero
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This article may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (September 2009)
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For other uses, see Superhero (disambiguation).

A superhero (sometimes rendered super-hero or super hero) is a fictional character of "extraordinary or superhuman powers"[1] dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes—ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas—have dominated American comic books and crossed over into other media. The word itself dates to at least 1917.[1] A female superhero is sometimes called a superheroine (also rendered super-heroine or super heroine). "Super-heroes" is a trademark co-owned by DC Comics and Marvel Comics.[2] Superheroes are authentically American, spawning from The Great Depression era.

By most definitions, characters do not need actual superhuman powers to be deemed superheroes,[3] although terms such as costumed crime fighters are sometimes used to refer to those such as Batman and Green Arrow without such powers who share other common superhero traits.

Normally, superheroes use their powers to police day-to-day crime while also combating threats against humanity by supervillains, who as their name implies are criminals of "unprecedented powers" in the same way that superheroes are crime fighters with "unprecedented powers." Generally, at least one of these supervillians will be the superhero's archnemesis, though several popular and long-running series, such as Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man have a large rogues gallery of arch-nemesis. Superheroes sometimes will combat irregular threats that also match their powers, such as aliens, magical entities, and so forth.

Critical reception and popularity The character Superman and his various comic series have received various awards over the years. The Reign of the S

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Critical reception and popularity

The character Superman and his various comic series have received various awards over the years. The Reign of the Supermen is one of many storylines or works to have received a Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award, winning the Favorite Comic Book Story category in 1993.[162] Superman came at number 2 in VH1's Top Pop Culture Icons 2004.[163] In the same year British cinemagoers voted Superman as the greatest superhero of all time.[164] Works featuring the character have also garnered six Eisner Awards[165][166] and three Harvey Awards,[167] either for the works themselves or the creators of the works. The Superman films have, as of 2007, received a number of nominations and awards, with Christopher Reeve winning a BAFTA for his performance in Superman.[168] The Smallville television series has garnered Emmys for crew members and various other awards.[169] Superman as a character is still seen as being as relevant now as he has been in the seventy years of his existence.[170]

Literary analysis Superman has been interpreted and discussed in many forms in the years since his debut. The character's status as the first costume

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Literary analysis

Superman has been interpreted and discussed in many forms in the years since his debut. The character's status as the first costumed superhero has allowed him to be used in many studies discussing the genre, Umberto Eco noting that "he can be seen as the representative of all his similars".[150] Writing in Time Magazine in 1971, Gerald Clarke stated: "Superman's enormous popularity might be looked upon as signalling the beginning of the end for the Horatio Alger myth of the self-made man." Clarke viewed the comics characters as having to continuously update in order to maintain relevance, and thus representing the mood of the nation. He regarded Superman's character in the early seventies as a comment on the modern world, which he saw as a place in which "only the man with superpowers can survive and prosper."[151] Andrew Arnold, writing in the early 21st century, has noted Superman's partial role in exploring assimilation, the character's alien status allowing the reader to explore attempts to fit in on a somewhat superficial level.[152]
Clark Kent, argued by Jules Feiffer to be the most innovative feature of Superman

A.C. Grayling, writing in The Spectator, traces Superman's stances through the decades, from his 1930s campaign against crime being relevant to a nation under the influence of Al Capone, through the 1940s and World War II, a period in which Superman helped sell war bonds,[153] and into the 1950s, where Superman explored the new technological threats. Grayling notes the period after the Cold War as being one where "matters become merely personal: the task of pitting his brawn against the brains of Lex Luthor and Brainiac appeared to be independent of bigger questions", and discusses events post 9/11, stating that as a nation "caught between the terrifying George W. Bush and the terrorist Osama bin Laden, America is in earnest need of a Saviour for everything from the minor inconveniences to the major horrors of world catastrophe. And here he is, the down-home clean-cut boy in the blue tights and red cape".[154]

Scott Bukatman has discussed Superman, and the superhero in general, noting the ways in which they humanize large urban areas through their use of the space, especially in Superman's ability to soar over the large skyscrapers of Metropolis. He writes that the character "represented, in 1938, a kind of Corbusierian ideal. Superman has X-ray vision: walls become permeable, transparent. Through his benign, controlled authority, Superman renders the city open, modernist and democratic; he furthers a sense that Le Corbusier described in 1925, namely, that 'Everything is known to us'."[38]

Jules Feiffer has argued that Superman's real innovation lay in the creation of the Clark Kent persona, noting that what "made Superman extraordinary was his point of origin: Clark Kent." Feiffer develops the theme to establish Superman's popularity in simple wish fulfilment,[155] a point Siegel and Shuster themselves supported, Siegel commenting that "If you're interested in what made Superman what it is, here's one of the keys to what made it universally acceptable. Joe and I had certain inhibitions... which led to wish-fulfillment which we expressed through our interest in science fiction and our comic strip. That's where the dual-identity concept came from" and Shuster supporting that as being "why so many people could relate to it".[156]

Superman's immigrant status is a key aspect of his appeal.[157][158][159] Aldo Regalado saw the character as pushing the boundaries of acceptance in America. The extraterrestrial origin was seen by Regalado as challenging the notion that Anglo-Saxon ancestry was the source of all might.[160] Gary Engle saw the "myth of Superman [asserting] with total confidence and a childlike innocence the value of the immigrant in American culture." He argues that Superman allowed the superhero genre to take over from the Western as the expression of immigrant sensibilities. Through the use of a dual identity, Superman allowed immigrants to identify with both their cultures. Clark Kent represents the assimilated individual, allowing Superman to express the immigrants cultural heritage for the greater good.[158] Timothy Aaron Pevey has argued other aspects of the story reinforce the acceptance of the American dream. He notes that "the only thing capable of harming Superman is Kryptonite, a piece of his old home world."[37] David Jenemann has offered a contrasting view. He argues that Superman's early stories portray a threat: "the possibility that the exile would overwhelm the country."[161]

Musical references, parodies, and homages See also: Superman in popular music Superman has also featured as an inspiration for musicians, with songs

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Musical references, parodies, and homages
See also: Superman in popular music

Superman has also featured as an inspiration for musicians, with songs by numerous artists from several generations celebrating the character. Donovan's Billboard Hot 100 topping single "Sunshine Superman" utilised the character in both the title and the lyric, declaring "Superman and Green Lantern ain't got nothing on me".[136] Other tracks to reference the character include Genesis' "Land of Confusion",[137] the video to which featured a Spitting Image puppet of Ronald Reagan dressed as Superman,[138] "(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman" by The Kinks on their 1979 album Low Budget and "Superman" by The Clique, a track later covered by R.E.M. on its 1986 album Lifes Rich Pageant. This cover is referenced by Grant Morrison in Animal Man, in which Superman meets the character, and the track comes on Animal Man's walkman immediately after.[139]

Parodies of Superman did not take long to appear, with Mighty Mouse introduced in "The Mouse of Tomorrow" animated short in 1942.[140] Whilst the character swiftly took on a life of its own, moving beyond parody, other animated characters soon took their turn to parody the character. In 1943 Bugs Bunny was featured in a short, Super-Rabbit, which sees the character gaining powers through eating fortified carrots. This short ends with Bugs stepping into a phone booth to change into a real "Superman", and emerging as a U.S. Marine.[141] In 1956 Daffy Duck assumes the mantle of "Cluck Trent" in the short "Stupor Duck", a role later reprised in various issues of the Looney Tunes comic book.[142][143] In the United Kingdom Monty Python created the character Bicycle Repairman, who fixes bicycles on a world full of Supermen, for a sketch in series of their BBC show.[144] Also on the BBC was the sit-com "My Hero", which presented Thermoman as a slightly dense Superman pastiche, attempting to save the world and pursue romantic aspirations.[145] In the United States, Saturday Night Live has often parodied the figure, with Margot Kidder reprising her role as Lois Lane in a 1979 episode.[146] Jerry Seinfeld, a noted Superman fan, filled his series Seinfeld with references to the character, and in 1997 asked for Superman to co-star with him in a commercial for American Express. The commercial aired during the 1998 NFL Playoffs and Super Bowl, Superman animated in the style of artist Curt Swan, again at the request of Seinfeld.[147]

In PS 238, by Aaron Williams, the character Atlas, from the planet Argon, is basically a parody of Superman.

Superman has also been used as reference point for writers, with Steven T. Seagle's graphic novel Superman: It's a Bird exploring Seagle's feelings on his own mortality as he struggles to develop a story for a Superman tale.[148] Brad Fraser used the character as a reference point for his play Poor Super Man, with The Independent noting the central character, a gay man who has lost many friends to AIDS as someone who "identifies all the more keenly with Superman's alien-amid-deceptive-lookalikes status."[149]

n other media Main article: Superman in other media The 1941 theatrical cartoon Superman, produced by the Fleischer Studios. The character of Superma

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n other media
Main article: Superman in other media
The 1941 theatrical cartoon Superman, produced by the Fleischer Studios.

The character of Superman has appeared in various media aside from comic books. This is in some part seen to be owing to the character's cited standing as an American cultural icon,[124] with the concept's continued popularity also being taken into consideration,[125] but is also seen in part as due to good marketing initially.[120] The character has been developed as a vehicle for serials on radio, television and film, as well as feature length motion pictures, and computer and video games have also been developed featuring the character on multiple occasions.

The first adaptation of Superman was as a daily newspaper comic strip, launching on January 16, 1939. The strip ran until May 1966, and significantly, Siegel and Shuster used the first strips to establish Superman's backstory, adding details such as the planet Krypton and Superman's father, Jor-El, concepts not yet established in the comic books.[70] Following on from the success of this was the first radio series, The Adventures of Superman, which premiered on February 12, 1940 and featured the voice of Bud Collyer as Superman. The series ran until March, 1951. Collyer was also cast as the voice of Superman in a series of Superman animated cartoons produced by Fleischer Studios and Famous Studios for theatrical release. Seventeen shorts were produced between 1941 and 1943. By 1948 Superman was back in the movie theatres, this time in a filmed serial, Superman, with Kirk Alyn becoming the first actor to portray Superman on screen. A second serial, Atom Man vs. Superman, followed in 1950.[126]

In 1951 a television series was commissioned, Adventures of Superman starring George Reeves, with the pilot episode of the series gaining a theatrical release as Superman and the Mole Men. The series ran for a 104 episodes, from 1952–1958. The next adaptation of Superman occurred in 1966, when Superman was adapted for the stage in the Broadway musical It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman. Despite good reviews, the play closed after only 129 performances.[127] The original cast album recording was released and continues to be available.[128] However, in 1975 the play was remade for television. Superman was again animated, this time for television, in the series The New Adventures of Superman. 68 shorts were made and broadcast between 1966 and 1969. Bud Collyer again provided the voice for Superman. Then from 1973 until 1984 ABC broadcast the Super Friends series, this time animated by Hanna-Barbera.[129]

Superman returned to movie theatres in 1978, with director Richard Donner's Superman starring Christopher Reeve. The film spawned three sequels, Superman II (1980), Superman III (1983) and Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (1987).[130] In 1988 Superman returned to television in the Ruby Spears animated series Superman,[131] and also in Superboy, a live-action series which ran from 1988 until 1992.[132] In 1993 Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman premiered on television, starring Dean Cain as Superman and Teri Hatcher as Lois Lane. The series ran until 1997. Superman: The Animated Series was produced by Warner Bros. and ran from 1996 until 2000 on The WB Television Network.[133] In 2001, the Smallville television series launched, focussing on the adventures of Clark Kent as a teenager before he dons the mantle of Superman.[134] In 2006, Bryan Singer directed Superman Returns, starring Brandon Routh as Superman.[135]

Merchandising Superman became popular very quickly, with an additional title, Superman Quarterly rapidly added. In 1940 the character was represented

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Merchandising

Superman became popular very quickly, with an additional title, Superman Quarterly rapidly added. In 1940 the character was represented in the annual Macy's parade for the first time.[118] In fact Superman had become popular to the extent that in 1942, with sales of the character's three titles standing at a combined total of over 1.5 million, Time was reporting that "the Navy Department (had) ruled that Superman comic books should be included among essential supplies destined for the Marine garrison at Midway Islands."[119] The character was soon licensed by companies keen to cash in on this success through merchandising. The earliest paraphernalia appeared in 1939, a button proclaiming membership in the Supermen of America club. By 1940 the amount of merchandise available increased dramatically, with jigsaw puzzles, paper dolls, bubble gum and trading cards available, as well as wooden or metal figures. The popularity of such merchandise increased when Superman was licensed to appear in other media, and Les Daniels has written that this represents "the start of the process that media moguls of later decades would describe as 'synergy.'"[120] By the release of Superman Returns, Warner Bros. had arranged a cross promotion with Burger King,[121] and licensed many other products for sale.

Superman's appeal to licensees rests upon the character's continuing popularity, cross market appeal and the status of the "S" shield, the stylized magenta and gold "S" emblem Superman wears on his chest, as a fashion symbol.[122][123]

The "S" shield by itself is often used in media to symbolize the Superman character. It has been incorporated into the opening and/or closing credits of several films and TV series.

nspiring a market The character's initial success led to similar characters being created.[111][112] Batman was the first to follow, Bob Kane comment

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nspiring a market

The character's initial success led to similar characters being created.[111][112] Batman was the first to follow, Bob Kane commenting to Vin Sullivan that given the "kind of money (Siegel and Shuster were earning) you'll have one on Monday".[113] Victor Fox, an accountant for DC, also noticed the revenue such comics generated, and commissioned Will Eisner to create a deliberately similar character to Superman. Wonder Man was published in May 1939, and although DC successfully sued, claiming plagiarism,[114] Fox had decided to cease publishing the character. Fox later had more success with the Blue Beetle. Fawcett Comics' Captain Marvel, launched in 1940, was Superman's main rival for popularity throughout the 1940s, and was again the subject of a lawsuit, which Fawcett eventually settled in 1953, a settlement which involved the cessation of the publication of the character's adventures.[115] Superhero comics are now established as the dominant genre in American comic book publishing,[116] with many thousands of characters in the tradition having been created in the years since Superman's creation.[117]

Cultural impact Superman has come to be seen as both an American cultural icon[104][105] and the first comic book superhero. His adventures and popul

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Cultural impact

Superman has come to be seen as both an American cultural icon[104][105] and the first comic book superhero. His adventures and popularity have established the character as an inspiring force within the public eye, with the character serving as inspiration for musicians, comedians and writers alike. Kryptonite, Brainiac and Bizarro have become synonymous in popular vernacular with Achilles' heel, extreme intelligence[106] and reversed logic[107] respectively. Similarly, the phrase "I'm not Superman" or alternatively "you're not Superman" is an idiom used to suggest a lack of invincibility.[108][109][110

Supporting cast Main article: Superman character and cast Harold Lloyd, one of the inspirations for Clark Kent Clark Kent, Superman's secret identity

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Supporting cast
Main article: Superman character and cast
Harold Lloyd, one of the inspirations for Clark Kent

Clark Kent, Superman's secret identity, was based partly on Harold Lloyd and named after Clark Gable and Kent Taylor.[13][14] Creators have discussed the idea of whether Superman pretends to be Clark Kent or vice versa, and at differing times in the publication either approach has been adopted.[98][99] Although typically a newspaper reporter, during the 1970s the character left the Daily Planet for a time to work for television,[99] whilst the 1980s revamp by John Byrne saw the character become somewhat more aggressive.[95] This aggressiveness has since faded with subsequent creators restoring the mild mannerisms traditional to the character.

Superman's large cast of supporting characters includes Lois Lane, perhaps the character most commonly associated with Superman, being portrayed at different times as his colleague, competitor, love interest and/or wife. Other main supporting characters include Daily Planet coworkers such as photographer Jimmy Olsen and editor Perry White, Clark Kent's adoptive parents Jonathan and Martha Kent, childhood sweetheart Lana Lang and best friend Pete Ross, and former college love interest Lori Lemaris (a mermaid). Stories making reference to the possibility of Superman siring children have been featured both in and out of mainstream continuity.

Incarnations of Supergirl, Krypto the Superdog, and Superboy have also been major characters in the mythos, as well as the Justice League of America (of which Superman is usually a member). A feature shared by several supporting characters is alliterative names, especially with the initials "LL", including Lex Luthor, Lois Lane, Linda Lee, Lana Lang, Lori Lemaris and Lucy Lane,[100] alliteration being common in early comics.

Team-ups with fellow comics icon Batman are common, inspiring many stories over the years. When paired, they are often referred to as the "World's Finest" in a nod to the name of the comic book series that features many team-up stories. In 2003, DC began to publish a new series featuring the two characters titled Superman/Batman.

Superman also has a rogues gallery of enemies, including his most well-known nemesis, Lex Luthor, who has been envisioned over the years in various forms as both a rogue scientific genius with a personal vendetta against Superman, or a powerful but corrupt CEO of a conglomerate called LexCorp who thinks Superman is somehow hindering human progress by his heroic efforts.[101] In the 2000s, he even becomes President of the United States,[102] and has been depicted occasionally as a former childhood friend of Clark Kent. The alien android (in most incarnations) known as Brainiac is considered by Richard George to be the second most effective enemy of Superman.[103] The enemy that accomplished the most, by actually killing Superman, is the raging monster Doomsday. Darkseid, one of the most powerful beings in the DC Universe, is also a formidable nemesis in most post-Crisis comics. Other important enemies who have featured in various incarnations of the character, from comic books to film and television include the fifth-dimensional imp Mister Mxyzptlk, the reverse Superman known as Bizarro and the Kryptonian criminal General Zod, among many others.

Powers and abilities Main article: Powers and abilities of Superman As an influential archetype of the superhero genre, Superman possesses extraordin

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Powers and abilities
Main article: Powers and abilities of Superman

As an influential archetype of the superhero genre, Superman possesses extraordinary powers, with the character traditionally described as "faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound", a phrase coined by Jay Morton and first used in the Superman radio serials and Max Fleischer animated shorts of the 1940s[90] as well as the TV series of the 1950s. For most of his existence, Superman's famous arsenal of powers has included flight, super-strength, invulnerability to non-magical attacks, super-speed, vision powers (including x-ray, heat-emitting, telescopic, infra-red, and microscopic vision), super-hearing, and super-breath, which enables him to blow out air at freezing temperatures, as well as exert the propulsive force of high-speed winds.[91]

As originally conceived and presented in his early stories, Superman's powers were relatively limited, consisting of superhuman strength that allowed him to lift a car over his head, run at amazing speeds and leap one-eighth of a mile, as well as incredibly tough skin that could be pierced by nothing less than an exploding artillery shell.[91] Siegel and Shuster compared his strength and leaping abilities to an ant and a grasshopper.[92] When making the cartoons, the Fleischer Brothers found it difficult to keep animating him leaping and requested to DC to change his ability to flying.[93] Writers gradually increased his powers to larger extents during the Silver Age, in which Superman could fly to other worlds and galaxies and even across universes with relative ease.[91] He would often fly across the solar system to stop meteors from hitting the Earth, or sometimes just to clear his head. Writers found it increasingly difficult to write Superman stories in which the character was believably challenged,[94] so DC made a series of attempts to rein the character in. The most significant attempt, John Byrne's 1986 rewrite, established several hard limits on his abilities: He barely survives a nuclear blast, and his space flights are limited by how long he can hold his breath.[95] Superman's power levels have again increased since then, with Superman currently possessing enough strength to hurl mountains, withstand nuclear blasts with ease, fly into the sun unharmed, and survive in the vacuum of outer space without oxygen.

The source of Superman's powers has changed subtly over the course of his history. It was originally stated that Superman's abilities derived from his Kryptonian heritage, which made him eons more evolved than humans.[70] This was soon amended, with the source for the powers now based upon the establishment of Krypton's gravity as having been stronger than that of the Earth. This situation mirrors that of Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter. As Superman's powers increased, the implication that all Kryptonians had possessed the same abilities became problematic for writers, making it doubtful that a race of such beings could have been wiped out by something as trifling as an exploding planet. In part to counter this, the Superman writers established that Kryptonians, whose native star Rao had been red, only possessed superpowers under the light of a yellow sun.[96] More recent stories have attempted to find a balance between the two explanations.

Superman is most vulnerable to green Kryptonite, mineral debris from Krypton transformed into radioactive material by the forces that destroyed the planet. Exposure to green Kryptonite radiation nullifies Superman's powers and immobilizes him with pain and nausea; prolonged exposure will eventually kill him. The only mineral on Earth that can protect him from Kryptonite is lead, which blocks the radiation. Lead is also the only known substance that Superman cannot see through with his x-ray vision. Kryptonite was first introduced to the public in 1943 as a plot device to allow the radio serial voice actor, Bud Collyer, to take some time off.[68] Although green Kryptonite is the most commonly seen form, writers have introduced other forms over the years: such as red, gold, blue, white, and black, each with its own effect.[97]

Personality In the original Siegel and Shuster stories, Superman's personality is rough and aggressive. The character was seen stepping in to stop wi

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Personality

In the original Siegel and Shuster stories, Superman's personality is rough and aggressive. The character was seen stepping in to stop wife beaters, profiteers, a lynch mob and gangsters, with rather rough edges and a looser moral code than audiences may be used to today.[33] Later writers have softened the character, and instilled a sense of idealism and moral code of conduct. Although not as cold-blooded as the early Batman, the Superman featured in the comics of the 1930s is unconcerned about the harm his strength may cause, tossing villainous characters in such a manner that fatalities would presumably occur, although these were seldom shown explicitly on the page. This came to an end late in 1940, when new editor Whitney Ellsworth instituted a code of conduct for his characters to follow, banning Superman from ever killing.[70] This change would even be reflected in the stories themselves, in which it would occasionally be pointed out in the narrative or dialogue that Superman had vowed never to take human life – and that if he ever did so, he would hang up his cape and retire.

Today, Superman adheres to a strict moral code, often attributed to the Midwestern values with which he was raised. His commitment to operating within the law has been an example to many other heroes but has stirred resentment among others, who refer to him as the "big blue boy scout." Superman can be rather rigid in this trait, causing tensions in super hero community, notably with Wonder Woman (one of his closest friends) after she killed Maxwell Lord.[78]

Having lost his homeworld of Krypton, Superman is very protective of Earth, and especially of Clark Kent’s family and friends. This same loss, combined with the pressure of using his powers responsibly, has caused Superman to feel lonely on Earth, despite his many friends, his wife and his parents. Previous encounters with people he thought to be fellow Kryptonians, Power Girl[79] (who is, in fact from the Krypton of the Earth-Two universe) and Mon-El,[80] have led to disappointment. The arrival of Supergirl, who has been confirmed to be not only from Krypton, but also is his cousin, has relieved this loneliness somewhat.[81]

In Superman/Batman #3 (December 2003), Batman observes, "It is a remarkable dichotomy. In many ways, Clark is the most human of us all. Then...he shoots fire from the skies, and it is difficult not to think of him as a god. And how fortunate we all are that it does not occur to him."[82] Later, as Infinite Crisis began, Batman admonished him for identifying with humanity too much and failing to provide the strong leadership that superhumans need.[83]

Comic book character Main article: History of Superman See also: Superman (Earth-Two) Superman, given the serial nature of comic publishing and the l

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Comic book character
Main article: History of Superman
See also: Superman (Earth-Two)

Superman, given the serial nature of comic publishing and the length of the character's existence, has evolved as a character as his adventures have increased.[68] The details of Superman's origin, relationships and abilities changed significantly during the course of the character's publication, from what is considered the Golden Age of Comic Books through the Modern Age. The powers and villains were developed through the 1940s, with Superman developing the ability to fly, and costumed villains introduced from 1941.[69] The character was shown as learning of the existence of Krypton in 1949. The concept itself had originally been established to the reader in 1939, in the Superman comic strip.[70]

The 1960s saw the introduction of a second Superman. DC had established a multiverse within the fictional universe its characters shared. This allowed characters published in the 1940s to exist alongside updated counterparts published in the 1960s. This was explained to the reader through the notion that the two groups of characters inhabited parallel Earths. The second Superman was introduced to explain to the reader Superman's membership of both the 1940s superhero team the Justice Society of America and the 1960s superhero team the Justice League of America.[71]
Superman dies in Lois Lane's arms: Superman #75 (vol. 2, Jan. 1993). Art by Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding.

The 1980s saw radical revisions of the character. DC decided to remove the multiverse in a bid to simplify its comics line. This led to the rewriting of the back story of the characters DC published, Superman included. John Byrne rewrote Superman, removing many established conventions and characters from continuity, including Superboy and Supergirl. Byrne also re-established Superman's adoptive parents, The Kents, as characters.[72] In the previous continuity the characters had been written as having died early in Superman's life (about the time of Clark Kent's graduation from high school).

The 1990s saw Superman killed by the villain Doomsday,[73] although the character was soon resurrected.[74] Superman also marries Lois Lane in 1996. His origin is again revisited in 2004.[75] In 2006 Superman is stripped of his powers,[76] although these are restored within a fictional year.[77]

Copyright issues As part of the deal which saw Superman published in Action Comics, Siegel and Shuster sold the rights to the company in return for $

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Copyright issues

As part of the deal which saw Superman published in Action Comics, Siegel and Shuster sold the rights to the company in return for $130 and a contract to supply the publisher with material.[53][54] The Saturday Evening Post reported in 1940 that the pair was each being paid $75,000 a year, a fraction of National Comics Publications' millions in Superman profits.[55] Siegel and Shuster renegotiated their deal, but bad blood lingered and in 1947 Siegel and Shuster sued for their 1938 contract to be made void and the re-establishment of their ownership of the intellectual property rights to Superman. The pair also sued National in the same year over the rights to Superboy, which they claimed was a separate creation that National had published without authorization. National immediately fired them and took their byline off the stories, prompting a legal battle that ended in 1948, when a New York court ruled that the 1938 contract should be upheld. However, a ruling from Justice J. Addison Young awarded them the rights to Superboy. A month after the Superboy judgment the two sides agreed on a settlement. National paid Siegel and Shuster $94,000 for the rights to Superboy. The pair also acknowledged in writing the company's ownership of Superman, attesting that they held rights for "all other forms of reproduction and presentation, whether now in existence or that may hereafter be created",[56] but DC refused to re-hire them.[57]
Jerry Siegel, with wife Joanne and daughter Laura in 1976. Joanne and Laura Siegel filed a termination notice on Jerry Siegel's share of the copyright of Superman in 1999.

In 1973 Siegel and Shuster again launched a suit claiming ownership of Superman, this time basing the claim on the Copyright Act of 1909 which saw copyright granted for 28 years but allowed for a renewal of an extra 28 years. Their argument was that they had granted DC the copyright for only 28 years. The pair again lost this battle, both in a district court ruling of October 18, 1973 and an appeal court ruling of December 5, 1974.[58]

In 1975 after news reports of their pauper-like existences, Warner Communications gave Siegel and Shuster lifetime pensions of $20,000 per year and health care benefits. Jay Emmett, then executive vice president of Warner Bros., was quoted in the New York Times as stating, "There is no legal obligation, but I sure feel there is a moral obligation on our part."[55] Heidi MacDonald, writing for Publisher's Weekly, noted that in addition to this pension "Warner agreed that Siegel and Shuster would henceforth be credited as creators of Superman on all comics, TV shows and films".[54]

The year after this settlement, 1976, saw the copyright term extended again, this time for another 19 years to a total of 75 years. However, this time a clause was inserted into the extension to allow authors to reclaim their work, reflecting the arguments Siegel and Shuster had made in 1973. The new act came into power in 1978 and allowed a reclamation window in a period based on the previous copyright term of 56 years. This meant the copyright on Superman could be reclaimed between 1994 to 1999, based on the initial publication date of 1938. Jerry Siegel having died in January 1996, his wife and daughter filed a copyright termination notice in 1999. Although Joe Shuster died in July 1992, no termination was filed at this time by his estate.[59]

1998 saw copyright extended again, with the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act. This time the copyright term was extended to 95 years, with a further window for reclamation introduced. In January 2004 Mark Peary, nephew and legal heir to Joe Shuster's estate, filed notice of his intent to reclaim Shuster's half of the copyright, the termination effective in 2013.[59] The status of Siegel's share of the copyright is now the subject of a legal battle. Warner Bros. and the Siegels entered into discussions on how to resolve the issues raised by the termination notice, but these discussions were set aside by the Siegels and in October 2004 they filed suit alleging copyright infringement on the part of Warner Bros. Warner Bros. counter sued, alleging the termination notice contains defects amongst other arguments.[60][61] On March 26, 2008, Judge Larson of the United States District Court for the Central District of California ruled that Siegel's estate was entitled to claim a share in the United States copyright. The ruling does not affect the International rights, which Time Warner holds on the character through DC. Issues regarding the amount of monies owed Siegel's estate and whether the claim the estate has extends to derivative works such as movie versions will be settled at trial, although any compensation would only be owed from works published since 1999. Time Warner offered no statement on the ruling, but do have the right to challenge it.[62][63] The case is currently[update] scheduled to be heard in a California federal court in May, 2008.[64]

A similar termination of copyright notice filed in 2002 by Siegel's wife and daughter concerning the Superboy character was ruled in their favor on March 23, 2006.[65] However, on July 27, 2007, the same court issued a ruling [66] reversing the March 23, 2006 ruling. This ruling is currently subject to a legal challenge from Time Warner, with the case as yet[update] unresolved.[62]

A July 9, 2009 verdict on the case denied a claim by Siegel's family that it was owed licensing fees. U.S. District Court judge Stephen G. Larson said Warner Bros. and DC Comics have fulfilled their obligations to the Siegels under a profit-sharing agreement for the 2006 movie Superman Returns and the CW series Smallville. However the court also ruled that if Warner Bros. does not start a new Superman film by 2011, the family will have the right to sue to recover damages.[67]

Publication See also: List of Superman comics Superman making his debut in Action Comics #1 (June 1938). Cover art by Joe Shuster. Superman's first a

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Publication
See also: List of Superman comics
Superman making his debut in Action Comics #1 (June 1938). Cover art by Joe Shuster.

Superman's first appearance was in Action Comics #1, in 1938. In 1939, a self-titled series was launched. The first issue mainly reprinted adventures published in Action Comics, but despite this the book achieved greater sales.[25] 1939 also saw the publication of New York World's Fair Comics, which by summer of 1942 became World's Finest Comics. With issue #7 of All Star Comics, Superman made the first of a number of infrequent appearances, on this occasion appearing in cameo to establish his honorary membership of the Justice Society of America.[26]

Initially Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster would provide the story and art for all the strips published. However, Shuster's eyesight began to deteriorate, and the increasing appearances of the character saw an increase in the workload. This led Shuster to establish a studio to assist in the production of the art,[25] although he insisted on drawing the face of every Superman the studio produced. Outside the studio, Jack Burnley began supplying covers and stories in 1940,[27] and in 1941, artist Fred Ray began contributing a stream of Superman covers, some of which, such as that of Superman #14 (Feb. 1942), became iconic and much-reproduced. Wayne Boring, initially employed in Shuster's studio, began working for DC in his own right in 1942 providing pages for both Superman and Action Comics.[28] Al Plastino was hired initially to copy Wayne Boring but was eventually allowed to create his own style and became one of the most prolific Superman artists during the Gold and Silver Ages of comics.[29]

The scripting duties also became shared. In late 1939 a new editorial team assumed control of the character's adventures. Whitney Ellsworth, Mort Weisinger and Jack Schiff were brought in following Vin Sullivan's departure. This new editorial team brought in Edmond Hamilton, Manly Wade Wellman, and Alfred Bester, established writers of science fiction.[30]

By 1943, Jerry Siegel was drafted into the army in a special celebration, and his duties there saw high contributions drop. Don Cameron and Alvin Schwartz joined the writing team, Schwartz teaming up with Wayne Boring to work on the Superman comic strip which had been launched by Siegel and Shuster in 1939.[28]

In 1945, Superboy made his debut in More Fun Comics #101. The character moved to Adventure Comics in 1946, and his own title, Superboy, launched in 1949. The 1950s saw the launching of Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen (1954) and Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane (1958). By 1974 these titles had merged into Superman Family, although the series was cancelled in 1982. DC Comics Presents was a series published from 1978 to 1986 featuring team-ups between Superman and a wide variety of other characters of the DC Universe.

In 1986, a decision was taken to restructure the universe the Superman character inhabited with other DC characters in the mini-series Crisis on Infinite Earths. This saw the publication of "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow", a two part story written by Alan Moore, with art by Curt Swan, George Pérez and Kurt Schaffenberger.[31] The story was published in Superman #423 and Action Comics #583, and presented what Les Daniels notes as "the sense of loss the fans might have experienced if this had really been the last Superman tale."[32]
Superman's origin is reimagined in The Man of Steel #1 (July 1986), written and drawn by John Byrne.

Superman was relaunched by writer & artist John Byrne, initially in the limited series The Man of Steel (1986). 1986 also saw the cancellation of World's Finest Comics, and the Superman title renamed Adventures of Superman. A second volume of Superman was launched in 1987, running until cancellation in 2006. This cancellation saw Adventures of Superman revert to the Superman title. Superman: The Man of Steel was launched in 1991, running until 2003, whilst the quarterly book Superman: The Man of Tomorrow ran from 1995 to 1999. In 2003 Superman/Batman launched, as well as the Superman: Birthright limited series, with All Star Superman launched in 2005 and Superman Confidential in 2006 (this title was cancelled in 2008). He also appeared in the TV animated series based comic book tie-ins Superman Adventures (1996–2002), Justice League Adventures, Justice League Unlimited (canceled in 2008) and The Legion of Super-Heroes In The 31st Century (canceled in 2008).

Current ongoing publications that feature Superman on a regular basis are Superman, Action Comics, Superman/Batman and Justice League of America. The character often appears as a guest star in other series and is usually a pivotal figure in DC crossover events.

Publication history Creation and conception "The Reign of the Super-Man" in the fanzine Science Fiction, Vol. 1, No.3 (June 1933). Jerry Siegel and J

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Publication history
Creation and conception
"The Reign of the Super-Man" in the fanzine Science Fiction, Vol. 1, No.3 (June 1933).

Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster first created a bald telepathic villain bent on dominating the entire world. He appeared in the short story "The Reign of the Super-Man" from Science Fiction #3, a science fiction fanzine that Siegel published in 1933.[12] Siegel re-wrote the character in 1933 as a hero, bearing little or no resemblance to his villainous namesake, modeling the hero on Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and his bespectacled alter ego, Clark Kent, on Harold Lloyd.[13][14] Siegel and Shuster then began a six-year quest to find a publisher. Titling it The Superman, Siegel and Shuster offered it to Consolidated Book Publishing, who had published a 48-page black-and-white comic book entitled Detective Dan: Secret Operative No. 48. Although the duo received an encouraging letter, Consolidated never again published comic books. Shuster took this to heart and burned all pages of the story, the cover surviving only because Siegel rescued it from the fire. Siegel and Shuster each compared this character to Slam Bradley, an adventurer the pair had created for Detective Comics #1 (May 1939).[15]

Siegel contacted other artists to collaborate on the strip, according to Gerard Jones feeling that "Superman was going nowhere with Joe".[16] Tony Strobl, Mel Graff and Russell Keaton were all contacted as potential collaborators by Siegel.[16] Artwork produced by Keaton based on Siegel's treatment shows the concept evolving. Superman is now sent back in time as a baby by the last man on Earth, where he is found and raised by Sam and Molly Kent.[17] However Keaton did not pursue the collaboration, and soon Siegel and Shuster were back working together on the character again.[16]

The pair re-envisioned the character, who became more of a hero in the mythic tradition, inspired by such characters as Samson and Hercules,[18] who would right the wrongs of Siegel and Shuster's times, fighting for social justice and against tyranny. It was at this stage the costume was introduced, Siegel later recalling that they created a "kind of costume and let's give him a big S on his chest, and a cape, make him as colorful as we can and as distinctive as we can."[5] The design was based in part on the costumes worn by characters in outer space settings published in pulp magazines, as well as comic strips such as Flash Gordon,[19] and also partly suggested by the traditional circus strong-man outfit.[5][20] However, the cape has been noted as being markedly different from the Victorian tradition. Gary Engle described it as without "precedent in popular culture" in Superman at Fifty: The Persistence of a Legend.[21] The circus performer's shorts-over-tights outfit was soon established as the basis for many future superhero outfits. This third version of the character was given extraordinary abilities, although this time of a physical nature as opposed to the mental abilities of the villainous Superman.[5]

The locale and the hero's civilian names were inspired by the movies, Shuster said in 1983. "Jerry created all the names. We were great movie fans, and were inspired a lot by the actors and actresses we saw. As for Clark Kent, he combined the names of Clark Gable and Kent Taylor. And Metropolis, the city in which Superman operated, came from the Fritz Lang movie [Metropolis, 1927], which we both loved".[22]

Although they were by now selling material to comic book publishers, notably Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson's National Allied Publishing, the pair decided to feature this character in a comic strip format, rather than in the longer comic book story format that was establishing itself at this time. They offered it to both Max Gaines, who passed, and to United Feature Syndicate, who expressed interest initially but finally rejected the strip in a letter dated February 18, 1937. However, in what historian Les Daniels describes as "an incredibly convoluted turn of events", Max Gaines ended up positioning the strip as the lead feature in Wheeler-Nicholson's new publication, Action Comics. Vin Sullivan, editor of the new book, wrote to the pair requesting that the comic strips be refashioned to suit the comic book format, requesting "eight panels a page". However Siegel and Shuster ignored this, utilizing their own experience and ideas to create page layouts, with Siegel also identifying the image used for the cover of Action Comics #1 (June 1938), Superman's first appearance.[23]

Siegel may have been inspired to create the Superman character due to the death of his father. Mitchell Siegel was an immigrant who owned a clothing store on New York's Lower East Side. He died during a robbery attempt in 1932, a year before Superman was created. Although Siegel never mentioned the death of his father in interviews, both Gerard Jones and Brad Meltzer believe it must have affected him. "It had to have an effect," says Jones. "There's a connection there: the loss of a dad as a source for Superman." Meltzer states: "Your father dies in a robbery, and you invent a bulletproof man who becomes the world's greatest hero. I'm sorry, but there's a story there."[24]

Superman From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article is about the superhero. For other uses, see Superman (disambig

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Superman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article is about the superhero. For other uses, see Superman (disambiguation).
This article is semi-protected due to vandalism.
Superman
Superman.jpg
Promotional art for
Superman #204 (vol. 2, April 2004)
by Jim Lee and Scott Williams
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
First appearance Action Comics #1
(June 30, 1938)
Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
In-story information
Alter ego Kal-El, adopted as
Clark Joseph Kent
Place of origin Krypton
Team affiliations The Daily Planet
Justice League
Legion of Super-Heroes
Team Superman
Notable aliases Gangbuster, Jordan Elliot, Nightwing, Supernova, Superboy, The Red and Blue Blur, Superman Prime, Commander El
Abilities Superhuman strength, speed, stamina, durability, senses, intelligence, regeneration, and longevity; super breath, heat vision, x-ray vision and flight

Superman is a fictional character, a comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon.[1][2][3][4] Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective Comics, Inc. in 1938, the character first appeared in Action Comics #1 (June 30, 1938) and subsequently appeared in various radio serials, television programs, films, newspaper strips, and video games. With the success of his adventures, Superman helped to create the superhero genre and establish its primacy within the American comic book.[1] The character's appearance is distinctive and iconic: a blue, red and yellow costume, complete with cape, with a stylized "S" shield on his chest.[5][6][7] This shield is now typically used across media to symbolize the character.[8]

The original story of Superman relates that he was born Kal-El on the planet Krypton, before being rocketed to Earth as an infant by his scientist father Jor-El, moments before Krypton's destruction. Discovered and adopted by a Kansas farmer and his wife, the child is raised as Clark Kent and imbued with a strong moral compass. Very early he started to display superhuman abilities, which upon reaching maturity he resolved to use for the benefit of humanity.

While referred to less than flatteringly as "the big blue Boy Scout" by some of his fellow superheroes,[9] Superman is hailed as "The Man of Steel", "The Man of Tomorrow", and "The Last Son of Krypton" by the general public within the comics. As Clark Kent, Superman lives among humans as a "mild-mannered reporter" for the Metropolis newspaper Daily Planet (Daily Star in the earliest stories). There he works alongside reporter Lois Lane, with whom he is romantically linked. This relationship has been consummated by marriage on numerous occasions across various media, and this union is now firmly established within mainstream comics' continuity.

DC Comics/Warner Bros. slowly expanded the character's supporting cast, powers, and trappings throughout the years. Superman's backstory was altered to allow for adventures as Superboy, and other survivors of Krypton were created, including Supergirl and Krypto the Superdog. In addition, Superman has been licensed and adapted into a variety of media, from radio to television and film, perhaps most notably portrayed by Christopher Reeve in both Richard Donner's Superman: The Movie in 1978, and the sequel Superman II in 1981, which garnered critical praise and became Warner Bros.'s most successful feature films of their time. However, the next two sequels, Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, did not perform as well at the box office. The motion picture Superman Returns was released in 2006, which although relatively unsuccessful within the United States, returned a performance at the international box office which exceeded expectations.[10] In the seven decades since Superman's debut, the character has been revamped and updated several times.

Development The original series was partially inspired by the Frank Miller comic Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, the Tim Burton films Batman and Bat

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Development

The original series was partially inspired by the Frank Miller comic Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, the Tim Burton films Batman and Batman Returns and the acclaimed Superman cartoons produced by Fleischer Studios in the 1940s. Timm and Radomski designed the series by closely emulating the Tim Burton films' "otherworldly timelessness," incorporating period features such as black-and-white title cards, police blimps, 40s influenced fashion, 40s influenced car styling and a "vintage" color scheme in a largely film noir-influenced style.[1] The series initially took a variation of music written by Danny Elfman for the Burton films Batman and Batman Returns as its theme; later episodes of the series used a new theme with a similar style by Shirley Walker (who was occasionally Elfman's conductor on the films they worked on). The score of the series was influenced by Elfman and Walker's work on Batman and Batman Returns and the music of 40s film noir.
Batman, as he was depicted in the animated series.

The program was much more adult-oriented than previous typical superhero cartoon series. In their constant quest to make the show darker, the producers pushed the boundaries of action cartoons: it was the first such cartoon in years to depict firearms being fired instead of laser guns (only one person has ever been actually depicted as shot; Commissioner Gordon in the episode "I Am the Night" was seen to have a gunshot wound after the firefight was finished), Batman actually punching and kicking the antagonists, as well as the existence of blood; in addition, many of the series' backgrounds were painted on black paper.[1] The distinctive visual combination of film noir imagery and Art Deco designs with a very dark color scheme was called "Dark Deco" by the producers. First-time producers Timm and Radomski reportedly encountered resistance from studio executives, but the success of Burton's first film allowed the embryonic series to survive long enough to produce a pilot episode, "On Leather Wings", which according to Timm "got a lot of people off our backs."[1]

The series received acclaim for its distinctive animation and mature writing. Fans of a wide age range praised the show's sophisticated, cinematic tone and psychological stories. Voice-actor Kevin Conroy used two distinct voices to portray Bruce Wayne and Batman, as Michael Keaton had done in the films. The series was also notable for its supporting cast that included major actors performing the voices of the various classic villains, most notably Mark Hamill, who defined a whole new career for himself in animation[2] with his cheerfully deranged portrayal of the Joker. The voice recording sessions were recorded with the actors together in a studio, like a radio play, unlike most animated films, in which the principal voice actors record separately and never meet (various interviews have noted that such an arrangement (having the cast record together) was a benefit to the show as a whole, as the actors were able to 'react' to one another, rather than simply 'reading the words').
The Penguin as he was depicted in the animated series.

Key to the series' artistic success is that it managed to redefine classic characters, paying homage to their previous portrayals while giving them new dramatic force. The characterization of villains such as Two-Face and the Riddler and heroes like Robin — who had all appeared in the Joel Schumacher film Batman Forever — demonstrate this. The Penguin is based upon his appearance in Batman Returns, which was being released at the same time as the series. The series also gave new life to nearly forgotten characters like the Clock King. Often noted examples of these dramatic changes are the villains Clayface and Mr. Freeze (whose character in the episode "Heart of Ice" won the show an Emmy for Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program.); Batman: TAS turned Mr. Freeze from a clichéd mad scientist with a gimmick for cold, to a tragic figure whose frigid exterior hides a doomed love and a vindictive fury. Part of the tragedy is mimicked later in the plot of Joel Schumacher's infamous movie Batman & Robin, although much of the drama was lost with the resurrection of the pun-quipping mad scientist image. One of the series' most famous innovations is the Joker's hapless assistant/love interest, Harley Quinn, who became so popular that DC Comics later added her to the mainstream Batman comics continuity.

This series became a cornerstone of the Warner Bros.' animation department, which became one of the top producers of television animation. For years, Warner Bros. Animation had been known only for doing Looney Tunes and their offshoots such as Tiny Toon Adventures. This was Warner's first attempt at doing a serious animated cartoon and it was an unexpected success for the animation department. It also sparked a large franchise of similar TV adaptations of DC Comics characters. Despite the marketing decision by Warner Bros. of making the series a Saturday morning cartoon, producer Bruce Timm and the crew have often stated that the series is not a children's program but merely includes children in its audience. The same has been said for most of the other series in the DCAU.

Batman: The Animated Series From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's qu

2009-11-10T17:14:00.000+07:00

Batman: The Animated Series
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (August 2009)
Batman: The Animated Series
Batman the Animated Series logo.jpg
Format Animated series, Action, Adventure, Mystery, Crime fiction
Starring Kevin Conroy
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.
Bob Hastings
Loren Lester
Mark Hamill
Theme music composer Danny Elfman
Composer(s) Shirley Walker
Lolita Ritmanis
Michael McCuistion
Stuart Balcomb
Richard Bronskill
Carl Johnson
Kristopher Carter
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes 85 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Jean MacCurdy
Tom Ruegger
Producer(s) Alan Burnett
Paul Dini
Eric Radomski
Bruce Timm
Running time 22 Minutes
Broadcast
Original channel FOX (Fox Kids)
Original run September 5, 1992 – September 15, 1995
Chronology
Followed by The New Batman Adventures
Superman: The Animated Series

Batman: The Animated Series (often shortened Batman: TAS) is an American childrens' animated series adaptation of the comic book series starring the DC Comics superhero, Batman. The series is noted for being the first to take place in the DC Animated Universe. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation.

The visual style of the series is based on the artwork of producer Bruce Timm. The original series aired on FOX from September 5, 1992 to September 15, 1995. When the first season of the series aired on weekday afternoons, it lacked an on-screen title but was officially titled Batman: The Animated Series, as evidenced in promotional advertisements for the series. When its timeslot was moved to weekends (on some Fox channels) for the second season, it was re-named The Adventures of Batman & Robin.

Metro TV From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Metro TV Metrotv.jpg Launched November 25, 2000 Owned by PT Media Televis

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Metro TV
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Metro TV
Metrotv.jpg
Launched November 25, 2000
Owned by PT Media Televisi Indonesia
Country Indonesia
Broadcast area Free To Air/Cable/Satellite
Website www.metrotvnews.com
Availability
Satellite
Indovision Channel 83
Astro Coming soon
Astro Nusantara Channel 8
Cable
First Media Channel 7
TelkomVision Channel ??
StarHub Cable TV Coming soon
Internet television
MIVO.TV www.mivo.tv
Question book-new.svg
This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2008)

Metro TV is Indonesia's first 24-hour news channel based in West Jakarta. The station was established on November 25, 2000 and now has over 53 transmission sites all over the country. It is owned by Surya Paloh who also owns the Media Indonesia daily. These two, along with other newspapers distributed in different parts of Indonesia, are part of the Media Group, also owned by Paloh.

It is the only TV station to offer Mandarin news and no sinetron (soap opera) programs in Indonesia, although lately the station has also begun to broadcast entertainment programs such as a talk show called "e-Lifestyle", and the satirical news and current affairs show called "Republik Mimpi" (The Dream Republic).

Metro TV also offers one of its top programs called Indonesia Now. The program, which is broadcast worldwide, primarily gives information about Indonesia to the world.

Fugitive trail On 21 July 2005, Irun Hidayat was convicted of being an accessory by providing a house to Azahari Husin and Noordin Top. After the Oc

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Fugitive trail

On 21 July 2005, Irun Hidayat was convicted of being an accessory by providing a house to Azahari Husin and Noordin Top.

After the October 2005 attack, a Philippine security official said that for months intelligence officials in Southeast Asia had received information that the al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah group was orchestrating a major strike, possibly in the Philippines or Indonesia, but were unable to uncover the plot's details in time to prevent it.[14]

Mbai identified the chief suspect in the 2005 attack as Azahari Husin, who was thought to collaborate with the second suspect, Noordin, whose wife was sentenced to three years in prison for harbouring him.[15] Azahari Husin was later killed in a raid in November 2005.

On 24 February 2006, the FBI added Noordin among three names to the Seeking Information – War on Terrorism list.[16]

On 29 April 2006, he narrowly escaped capture after his safe-house was raided by heavily armed Indonesian police in Binangun, Central Java. In the altercation, Abdul Hadi and Jabir were killed.[17]

In June 2006, it was reported that Noordin was threatening more attacks in video tapes recovered by Indonesian authorities, and police believe that he may have formed his own organisation outside JI.[18]

On 8 August 2009, there were media reports that he had been killed during a shootout with police near Temanggung, a village in Central Java. Forensic testing conducted by Indonesian police, however, disproved this speculation. A body recovered from the ambush site was instead found to be Ibrohim, a key organiser of the 2009 Jakarta bombings.[19]

Bombings It is thought that Noordin may have assisted in planning the 2002 Bali Bombings, in which 202 people were killed.[6] On 5 August 2003, a su

2009-11-10T17:12:00.001+07:00

Bombings

It is thought that Noordin may have assisted in planning the 2002 Bali Bombings, in which 202 people were killed.[6]

On 5 August 2003, a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb outside the lobby of the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta, killing 12 people and injuring 150. Jemaah Islamiyah was suspected of responsibility for the bombing.[10]

In July 2004, a car bomb was exploded outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta, killing several people including the suicide bomber, and wounding over 140 others.[11] Jemaah Islamiyah with Azahari Husin, and Noordin M. Top were suspected of being behind the bombing.[12]

On 1 October 2005, bombs were detonated in Jimbaran and Kuta in Bali. The bombings killed 23 people, including three bombers trained by Noordin.[9][13]

In July 2009, two suicide bombers killed seven people at the Ritz Carlton and JW Marriott hotels in Jakarta. Local anti-terrorism officials said that there were "strong indications" that Noordin Top was behind the attacks.[4]

Noordin Mohammad Top From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Noordin M Top) Jump to: navigation, search This is a Malay name; th

2009-11-10T17:11:00.000+07:00

Noordin Mohammad Top
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Noordin M Top)
Jump to: navigation, search

This is a Malay name; the name "Mohammad Top" is a patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be referred to by the given name, "Noordin".

Noordin Mohammad Top
Born 11 August 1968(1968-08-11)
Kluang, Johor, Malaysia
Died 17 September 2009 (aged 41)
Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia
Status Deceased
Occupation Financier, alleged trainer of the splinter group of Jemaah Islamiyah

Noordin Mohammad Top (11 August 1968 – 17 September 2009), also referred to as (Noordin) Din Moch Top, Muh Top, or Mat Top, was Indonesia's most wanted Islamist militant.[1][2] Born in Kluang, Johor, Malaysia, he is thought to have been a key bomb maker and/or financier for Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and to have left JI and set up a more violent splinter group Tanzim Qaedat al-Jihad.[3] Noordin was reported by the FBI to be "an explosives expert". The FBI also has reported him to be "an officer, recruiter, bombmaker, and trainer for the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) group."[4]

Noordin and Azahari Husin were thought to have masterminded the 2003 JW Marriott hotel bombing in Jakarta, the 2004 Australian embassy bombing in Jakarta, the 2005 Bali bombings and the 2009 JW Marriott - Ritz-Carlton bombings,[5] and Noordin may have assisted in the 2002 Bali Bombings.[6]

Noordin, nicknamed "Moneyman", was an indoctrinator who was specialized in recruiting militants into becoming suicide bombers and collecting funds for militant activities.[7]

Having long since been wanted by Malaysian and Indonesian authorities, in 2006, he also became listed on the FBI's third major "wanted" list, the FBI Seeking Information - War on Terrorism list.[8]

He was killed during a police raid in Solo, Central Java, on 17 September 2009.[9]

Merdeka Palace From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search The Istana Merdeka Merdeka Palace (Indonesian: Istana Merdeka) is a

2009-11-10T17:10:00.002+07:00

Merdeka Palace
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The Istana Merdeka

Merdeka Palace (Indonesian: Istana Merdeka) is a palace complex in Central Jakarta, Indonesia. At first there was only one building in this complex, the State Palace. The State Palace was started in 1796, when Pieter Gerardus van Overstraten became Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies, and was finished in Johannes Siberg's era in 1804. The Istana was actually built for the Dutch businessman, J. A. van Braam, as his retreat residence. At that time the location of the Istana, which now known as Harmoni, was the most exclusive location in New Batavia, (Jakarta).

In 1820, this mansion was rented and then in 1821, sold to the Dutch Colonial Government. The government used this building as the center of all its activities and as the official residence of the Governor-General when they had business in Batavia. The Governors at that time preferred to live in Bogor Palace in Bogor, because the weather was not as hot as in Batavia. But sometimes they had to go to Batavia, especially to attend the Hindia Council Meeting, every Wednesday.

The Van Braam’s mansion was chosen because Istana Daendels or Daendels Palace (now Treasury Department) in Lapangan Banteng (formerly known as Waterloo Square) was not finished yet. But after the Daendels Palace was finished, that building was used for government offices.

In the Colonial era, a few important events happened in this building that has the official name, Hotel van den Gouverneur-Generaal. For example, this building witnessed the Governor Graaf van den Bosch declare the cultuur stelsel system. And then, the ratification ceremony of the Lingarjati Treaty on March 25, 1947.

In the beginning, this 3.375 m² Greek architecture building had two stories. But in 1848, the upper floor was demolished, and the lower floor was made bigger for making a more formal impression. Now the building is still the same.

Because this palace started to feel too crowded, with the instruction of J.W. van Lansberge in 1873, a new palace was built in the complex, which known as Istana Gambir. The new palace, in the beginning of Republic Indonesia’s independence, witnessed the ratification ceremony of claiming of declaration of Independence of Indonesia from the Dutch in 1949.

In that sentimental ceremony the Dutch Royal flag was substitutes with Indonesian Red and White flag. Hundred thousands of people were in tears when the flag rose into the sky. When the flag reached the top, all the tears became new spirit. They all yelled “Merdeka! Merdeka!”. From that moment, Istana Gambir has been known as Istana Merdeka.

One day after the ceremony, President Sukarno and his family arrived from Yogyakarta and for the first time stay at Istana Merdeka. The first Independence Day annual ceremony was held in the Istana Meredeka in 1950.

Since the Dutch Colonial rule, Japanese Invasion and Indonesian Republic, more than 20 heads of state and governments have already used the Istana Merdeka as the official residence and central of government activities.

As the central of the state’s activities, now the Istana Negara is the venue for official state events, such as the Independence Day ceremony, welcoming the state’s guests, receiving the Letter of Credence from foreign ambassadors, installation of ministers, ambassadors, the opening of national meetings, national and international congress and official state banquet.

The Istana Merdeka has a several rooms such as, First Chamber, Residential Chamber, Guest Room, Banquet Room, Reception Hall, Regalia Room, Office, Bed Chamber, Living Room, and Kitchen.

After Soekarno, the presidents no longer use the Istana as the official residence but only used the office until President Abdurrahman Wahid and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Organisation The internal organisation of OPM is difficult to determine. In 1996 OPM's 'Supreme Commander' was Mathias Wenda.[9] An OPM spokesperson

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Organisation

The internal organisation of OPM is difficult to determine. In 1996 OPM's 'Supreme Commander' was Mathias Wenda.[9] An OPM spokesperson in Sydney, John Otto Ondawame, says it has nine more or less independent commands.[9] Australian freelance journalist, Ben Bohane, says it has seven independent commands.[9] Tentara Nasional Indonesia (TNI), Indonesia's army, says the OPM has two main wings, the 'Victoria Headquarters' and 'Defenders of Truth'. The former is small, and was led by M L Prawar until he was shot dead in 1991. The latter is much larger and operates all over West Papua. [9]

The larger organisation, or 'Defender of the Truth' or Pembela Kebenaran (henceforth PEMKA), chaired by Mr. Jacob Prai, and Seth Roemkorem was the leader of Victoria Faction. During the killing of Prawar, Roemkorem was his commander.

Prior to this separation, TPN/OPM was one, under the leadership of Seth Roemkorem as the Commander of OPM, then the President of West Papua Provisional Government, while Jacob Prai as the Head of Senate. OPM reached its peak in organisation and management (in modern terms) as it as structurally well organised. During this time, Senegal Government recognised the presence of OPM and allowed OPM to open its Embassy in Dakhar, with Mr. Tanggahma as the Ambassador.

During this time, an undercover operation went on to split the OPM, and resulted in the separation as mentioned above.

Due to the rivalry, Roemkorem left his base and went to the Netherlands. During this time, Prai took over the leadership. John Otto Ondawame (a that time he left his law school in Jayapura because of being followed and threatened to be killed by the Indonesian ABRI day and night) became the right-hand man of Jacob Prai. It was Prai's initiative to establish OPM Regional Commanders. He appointed and ordered nine Regional Commanders. Most of them were members of his own troops at the PEMKA headquarter, Skotiau, Vanimo-West Papua border.

Of those regional Commanders, Mathias Wenda was the commander for region II (Jayapura - Wamena), Kelly Kwalik for Nemangkawi (Fakfak regency), Tadeus Yogi (For Paniai Regency), Bernardus Mawen for Maroke region and others. These commanders have been active ever since.

In 2009, an OPM command group led by General Goliath Tabuni (Puncak Jaya Regency) was featured on an undercover BBC report about the West Papuan independence movement[10].

History Free Papua Movement graffiti in Sentani, Papua During World War II Netherlands East Indies (to become Indonesia) fell under Japanese Occupati

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History
Free Papua Movement graffiti in Sentani, Papua

During World War II Netherlands East Indies (to become Indonesia) fell under Japanese Occupation and subsequently gained its independence during the Indonesian National Revolution from 1945 to 1950. Netherlands New Guinea (Western New Guinea), on the other hand, was only partially occupied by Japanese forces (along the north coast) and was not part of the Dutch-Indonesian agreement on Indonesian independence in December 1949.

Its pre-war colonial relationship with the Netherlands was continued including the development of independent civil services[2] and the election of a national New Guinea Council in January 1961 which was inaugurated in April 1961. White House advisors McGeorge Bundy and Robert Komer from April 1961 lobbied US President John F. Kennedy to negotiate for Indonesia the trade of West New Guinea to Indonesian control[3]; the resulting New York Agreement was drafted by Robert Kennedy and signed by the Netherlands, Indonesia and United Nations in August 1962.

Although the Netherlands had insisted the West New Guinea people be allowed self-determination in accord with the United Nations charter and General Assembly Resolution 1514 (XV) which was to be called the "Act of Free Choice"; the New York Agreement instead provided a seven year delay and gave the United Nations no authority to supervise the act.[4] The legitimacy of this transfer was not recognized by the Papuan population, the majority of whom have continued civil disobedience by raising the West Papua Morning Star flag each year on the 1 December although this action is illegal under Indonesian law and may result in imprisonment of seven to twenty years if caught and handed over to the police for prosecution.[5]

In October 1968 Mr Nicolaas Jouwe, member of the New Guinea Council and of the National Committee elected by the Council in 1962, lobbied the United Nations claiming 30,000 Indonesian troops and thousands of Indonesian civil servants were repressing the Papuan population.[6] According to US Ambassador Galbraith, the Indonesian Foreign Minister Adam Malik also believed the Indonesian military was the cause of problems in the territory and the number of troops should be reduced by at least one half. Ambassador Galbraith further described the OPM to "represent an amorphous mass of anti-Indonesia sentiment" with "possibly 85 to 90 percent [of Papuans], are in sympathy with the Free Papua cause or at least intensely dislike Indonesians".[7]

Brigadier General Sarwo Edhie oversaw the design and conduct of the "Act of Free Choice" which took place from 14 July to 2 August 1969. The United Nations representative Ambassador Oritiz Sanz arrived on 22 August 1968 and made repeated requests for to the Brigadier-General for Indonesia to allow a one-man one-vote system (a process known as a referendum or plebiscite) but these requests were refused on the grounds that such activity was not specified nor requested by the 1962 New York Agreement.[8] One thousand and twenty five Papuans were selected from and instructed on the required procedure as specified by the article 1962 New York Agreement. The resulting vote was unanimous for integration, but by many Papuans and representatives of foreign governments, claim the result was rigged by the Indonesian Government.

In response, Oom Nicolas Jouwe and two OPM commanders, Seth Jafeth Roemkorem and Jacob Hendrik Prai, planned to announce Papuan Independence in 1971. On 1 July 1971 Roemkorem and Prai declared a Republic of West Papua, and drafted a constitution.

Conflicts over strategy between Roemkorem and Prai soon initiated a split of the OPM into two factions; the PEMKA led by Prai, and TPN led by Roemkorem. This greatly weakened OPM's ability as a centralized combat force. It remains widely used, however, invoked by both contemporary fighters and domestic and expatriate political activists.

In 1982 a OPM Revolutionary Council (OPMRC) was established, and under the chairmanship of Moses Werror the OPMRC has sought independence through an International Diplomacy campaign. OPMRC aims to obtain international recognition for West Papuan independence through international forums such as the United Nations, The Non-Aligned Movement of Nations, The South Pacific Forum, and The Association of South East Asian Nations.

In 1984 OPM staged an attack on Jayapura, the provincial capital and a city dominated by non-Melanesian Indonesians. The attack was quickly repelled by the Indonesian military, who followed it with broader counter-insurgency activity. This triggered an exodus of Papuan refugees, apparently supported by the OPM, into camps across the border in Papua New Guinea.

In the mid-1990s, the organization gained renewed prominence and greater support among indigenous Papuans. This was fueled in large part by anger over the actions of the gold mining corporation Freeport-McMoRan, which is accused of environmental damage and of supporting alleged human rights abuses by the Indonesian military. In separate incidents in January and August 1996, OPM captured European and Indonesian hostages; first from a research group and later from a logging camp. Two hostages from the former group were killed and the rest were released.

In July 1998 the OPM raised their independence flag at the Kota Biak water tower on the island of Biak. They stayed there for the following few days before the Indonesian Military broke the group up using force. Reports of a massacre have since surfaced.

Legal Status OPM is classified as a terrorist organization under Indonesian law. Providing any form of substantial aid to OPM is a ruled an act of tr

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Legal Status

OPM is classified as a terrorist organization under Indonesian law. Providing any form of substantial aid to OPM is a ruled an act of treason. Recognition of the movement is a lesser offence treason and it is a crime to display the alleged flag of Independent Papua in public.[1] Since its inception the OPM has attempted diplomatic dialogue, conducted West Papuan flag raising ceremonies, and undertaken militant actions as part of the Papua Conflict.

While the organization, and in turn Papuan independence, is not supported by the significant immigrant Javanese population, it is supported by some Papuans, though not the Biak and Kai majority ethnicities, as they consider themselves to have no cultural or historical ties with Austronesian Indonesians. According to OPM supporters, Indonesian administration of West Papua is a military occupation.

2009-11-10T17:04:00.002+07:00

Free Papua Movement
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
The flag of the Free Papua Movement, the Morning Star.

The Free Papua Movement (Indonesian: Organisasi Papua Merdeka, abbreviated OPM) is a separatist organization (classified as a terrorist organisation under Indonesian law) established in 1965 to seek independence for Western New Guinea from Indonesia. The territory is currently administered by Indonesia as the provinces of Papua and West Papua.

National People's Party (Indonesia) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search National People's Party Partai Rakyat Nasional C

2009-11-10T17:04:00.001+07:00

National People's Party (Indonesia)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
National People's Party
Partai Rakyat Nasional
Chairman Dr. Djody Gondokusomo
Founded July 1950
Ideology Nationalism

The National People's Party (Indonesian: Partai Rakyat Nasional, PRN) was a nationalist political party in Indonesia.[1] The party was initially called Indonesian National Party - Merdeka ('Freedom'), and was formed in July 1950 after a split within the Indonesian National Party (PNI). The divisions with the PNI had appeared at the party congress in May the same year, when Sidik Djojosukarto's followers (whom the founders of PNI-Merdeka/PRN opposed) had emerged victorious (after the split the PNI labelled the PRN as 'right-wing' and 'capitalistic').[2] Dr. Djody Gondokusomo was the chairman of the party.[3]

PRN had 10 seats in the People's Representative Council, five from the Republic of the United States of Indonesia and five from BFO. Abdullah Aidit, one of the PRN parliamentarians, was the father of the Communist Party leader D.N. Aidit.[4] In October 1950, a vote of confidence was held in the DPR towards the Natsir cabinet. PRN supported the Natsir cabinet in the confidence vote, the sole parliamentary group not represented in the government to do so.[5] Later in the same month, the party adopted the name PRN.[2]

As of 1951 the party claimed to have two million members, although that figure was probably highly inflated.[6]

In March 1951 the party joined the Consultative Body of Political Parties, a broad coalition that soon became non-functional.[1]

When the first Ali Sastroamidjojo cabinet was formed in 1953, the PRN leader Dr. Djody Gondokusomo was named Minister of Justice. In November 1953 he was joined the PRN politician I Gusti Gde Rake, who became Minister of Agrarian Affairs.[7]

In the 1955 parliamentary election, PRN got 242,125 votes (0.6% of the national vote), and got two seats in the DPR (down from 13 that the party had before the dissolution of the Council).[8] After the election the PRN joined the National Progressive Fraction, a body of ten MPs from Java.[9]

In 1956 the party suffered a split, as there was a division between the Javanese leadership (loyal to Dr. Gondokusomo) and a group of non-Javanese leaders (a headed by Bebasa Daeng Lalo). The Bebasa Daeng Lalo-faction counted on the support of two PRN ministers in the Burhanuddin Harahap cabinet, F. Laoh and Gunawan.[3]

In late 1956 the PRN supported President Sukarno's konsepsi, introduction of Guided Democracy in Indonesia.[10]

Controversy In September 2003, Rakyat Merdeka’s former chief editor Karim Paputungan was sentenced by the Central Jakarta District Court to five mont

2009-11-10T17:03:00.000+07:00

Controversy

In September 2003, Rakyat Merdeka’s former chief editor Karim Paputungan was sentenced by the Central Jakarta District Court to five months in jail, suspended for 10 months, for insulting the speaker of the DPR, Akbar Tandjung. In a separate case, Suparatkam, another editor, was given a suspended six-month jail sentence and a one-year probation, after being found guilty by a Jakarta court for "spreading hatred" after he published headlines critical of the Indonesian government and then President Megawati Sukarnoputri [2].

On 27 March 2006, the newspaper published a front page editorial cartoon depicting the Australian Prime and Foreign Ministers as dingos.

Rakyat Merdeka From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Rakyat Merdeka ("Free People") is an Indonesian daily tabloid newspa

2009-11-10T17:02:00.000+07:00

Rakyat Merdeka
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

Rakyat Merdeka ("Free People") is an Indonesian daily tabloid newspaper, owned by the country’s largest media group Jawa Pos. The newspaper has gained prominence as a result of its controversial headlines and its "gritty, often abrasive, style" [1], with articles and caricatures that frequently strongly criticize the political establishment.

Meetings [edit] ASEAN Summit The organisation holds meetings, known as the ASEAN Summit, where heads of government of each member meet to discuss and

2009-11-10T17:01:00.002+07:00

Meetings
[edit] ASEAN Summit

The organisation holds meetings, known as the ASEAN Summit, where heads of government of each member meet to discuss and resolve regional issues, as well as to conduct other meetings with other countries outside of the bloc with the intention of promoting external relations.

The ASEAN Leaders' Formal Summit was first held in Bali, Indonesia in 1976. Its third meeting was held in Manila in 1987 and during this meeting, it was decided that the leaders would meet every five years.[41] Consequently, the fourth meeting was held in Singapore in 1992 where the leaders again agreed to meet more frequently, deciding to hold the summit every three years.[41] In 2001, it was decided to meet annually to address urgent issues affecting the region. Member nations were assigned to be the summit host in alphabetical order except in the case of Myanmar which dropped its 2006 hosting rights in 2004 due to pressure from the United States and the European Union.[42]

By December 2008, the ASEAN Charter came into force and with it, the ASEAN Summit will be held twice in a year.

The formal summit meets for three days. The usual itinerary is as follows:

* Leaders of member states would hold an internal organisation meeting.
* Leaders of member states would hold a conference together with foreign ministers of the ASEAN Regional Forum.
* A meeting, known as ASEAN Plus Three, is set for leaders of three Dialogue Partners (People's Republic of China, Japan, South Korea)
* A separate meeting, known as ASEAN-CER, is set for another set of leaders of two Dialogue Partners (Australia, New Zealand).[citation needed]

Policies Question book-new.svg This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable

2009-11-10T17:01:00.001+07:00

Policies
Question book-new.svg
This section does not cite any references or sources.
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2008)
Leaders of ASEAN and Yasuo Fukuda (Singapore, November 21, 2007)

Apart from consultations and consensus, ASEAN’s agenda-setting and decision-making processes can be usefully understood in terms of the so-called Track I and Track II. Track I refers to the practice of diplomacy among government channels. The participants stand as representatives of their respective states and reflect the official positions of their governments during negotiations and discussions. All official decisions are made in Track I. Therefore, "Track I refers to intergovernmental processes".[37] Track II differs slightly from Track I, involving civil society groups and other individuals with various links who work alongside governments.[38] This track enables governments to discuss controversial issues and test new ideas without making official statements or binding commitments, and, if necessary, backtrack on positions.

Although Track II dialogues are sometimes cited as examples of the involvement of civil society in regional decision-making process by governments and other second track actors, NGOs have rarely got access to this track, meanwhile participants from the academic community are a dozen think-tanks. However, these think-tanks are, in most cases, very much linked to their respective governments, and dependent on government funding for their academic and policy-relevant activities, and many working in Track II have previous bureaucratic experience.[37] Their recommendations, especially in economic integration, are often closer to ASEAN’s decisions than the rest of civil society’s positions.

The track that acts as a forum for civil society in Southeast Asia is called Track III. Track III participants are generally civil society groups who represent a particular idea or brand.[39] Track III networks claim to represent communities and people who are largely marginalised from political power centres and unable to achieve positive change without outside assistance. This track tries to influence government policies indirectly by lobbying, generating pressure through the media. Third-track actors also organise and/or attend meetings as well as conferences to get access to Track I officials.

While Track II meetings and interactions with Track I actors have increased and intensified, rarely has the rest of civil society had the opportunity to interface with Track II. Those with Track I have been even rarer.

Looking at the three tracks, it is clear that until now, ASEAN has been run by government officials who, as far as ASEAN matters are concerned, are accountable only to their governments and not the people. In a lecture on the occasion of ASEAN’s 38th anniversary, the incumbent Indonesian President Dr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono admitted:

“All the decisions about treaties and free trade areas, about declarations and plans of action, are made by Heads of Government, ministers and senior officials. And the fact that among the masses, there is little knowledge, let alone appreciation, of the large initiatives that ASEAN is taking on their behalf.” [40]

The ASEAN way Question book-new.svg This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to rel

2009-11-10T17:00:00.002+07:00

The ASEAN way
Question book-new.svg
This section does not cite any references or sources.
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2008)

In the 1960s, the push for decolonisation promoted the sovereignty of Indonesia and Malaysia among others. Since nation building is often messy and vulnerable to foreign intervention, the governing elite wanted to be free to implement independent policies with the knowledge that neighbours would refrain from interfering in their domestic affairs. Territorially small members such as Singapore and Brunei were consciously fearful of force and coercive measures from much bigger neighbours like Indonesia and Malaysia. "Through political dialogue and confidence building, no tension has escalated into armed confrontation among ASEAN member countries since its establishment more than three decades ago".[34]

The ASEAN way can be traced back to the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in South East Asian. "Fundamental principles adopted from this included: mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, and national identity of all nations;

the right of every State to lead its national existence free from external interference, subversion or coercion;

non-interference in the internal affairs of one another;

settlement of differences or disputes by peaceful manner;

renunciation of the threat or use of force; and

effective cooperation among themselves".[35]

On the surface, the process of consultations and consensus is supposed to be a democratic approach to decision making, but the ASEAN process has been managed through close interpersonal contacts among the top leaders only, who often share a reluctance to institutionalise and legalise co-operation which can undermine their regime's control over the conduct of regional co-operation. Thus, the organisation is chaired by the secretariat.[36]

All of these features, namely non-interference, informality, minimal institutionalisation, consultation and consensus, non-use of force and non-confrontation have constituted what is called the ASEAN Way.

Since the late 1990s, many scholars have argued that the principle of non-interference has blunted ASEAN efforts in handling the problem of Myanmar, human rights abuses and haze pollution in the region. Meanwhile, with the consensus-based approach, every member in fact has a veto and decisions are usually reduced to the lowest common denominator. There has been a widespread belief that ASEAN members should have a less rigid view on these two cardinal principles when they wish to be seen as a cohesive and relevant community.

History See also: List of ASEAN member states ASEAN was preceded by an organisation called the Association of Southeast Asia, commonly called ASA, an

2009-11-10T17:00:00.001+07:00

History
See also: List of ASEAN member states

ASEAN was preceded by an organisation called the Association of Southeast Asia, commonly called ASA, an alliance consisting of the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand that was formed in 1961. The bloc itself, however, was established on 8 August 1967, when foreign ministers of five countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand – met at the Thai Department of Foreign Affairs building in Bangkok and signed the ASEAN Declaration, more commonly known as the Bangkok Declaration. The five foreign ministers – Adam Malik of Indonesia, Narciso Ramos of the Philippines, Abdul Razak of Malaysia, S. Rajaratnam of Singapore, and Thanat Khoman of Thailand – are considered as the organisation's Founding Fathers.[8]

The motivations for the birth of ASEAN were so that its members’ governing elite could concentrate on nation building), the common fear of communism, reduced faith in or mistrust of external powers in the 1960s, as well as a desire for economic development; not to mention Indonesia’s ambition to become a regional hegemon through regional cooperation and the hope on the part of Malaysia and Singapore to constrain Indonesia and bring it into a more cooperative framework. Unlike the European Union, ASEAN was designed to serve nationalism.[9]

In 1976, the Melanesian state of Papua New Guinea was accorded observer status.[10] Throughout the 1970s, the organisation embarked on a program of economic cooperation, following the Bali Summit of 1976. This floundered in the mid-1980s and was only revived around 1991 due to a Thai proposal for a regional free trade area. The bloc then grew when Brunei Darussalam became the sixth member after it joined on 8 January 1984, barely a week after the country became independent on 1 January.[11]

On 28 July 1995, Vietnam became the seventh member.[12] Laos and Burma (Myanmar) joined two years later in 23 July 1997.[13] Cambodia was to have joined together with Laos and Myanmar, but was deferred due to the country's internal political struggle. The country later joined on 30 April 1999, following the stabilisation of its government.[13][14]

During the 1990s, the bloc experienced an increase in both membership as well as in the drive for further integration. In 1990, Malaysia proposed the creation of an East Asia Economic Caucus[15] composing the then-members of ASEAN as well as the People's Republic of China, Japan, and South Korea, with the intention of counterbalancing the growing influence of the United States in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) as well as in the Asian region as a whole.[16][17] This proposal, however, failed since it faced heavy opposition from Japan and the United States.[16][18] Despite this failure, member states continued to work for further integration. In 1992, the Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT) scheme was signed as a schedule for phasing tariffs and as a goal to increase the region’s competitive advantage as a production base geared for the world market. This law would act as the framework for the ASEAN Free Trade Area. After the East Asian Financial Crisis of 1997, a revival of the Malaysian proposal was established in Chiang Mai, known as the Chiang Mai Initiative, which calls for better integration between the economies of ASEAN as well as the ASEAN Plus Three countries (China, Japan, and South Korea).[19]

Aside from improving each member state's economies, the bloc also focused on peace and stability in the region. On 15 December 1995, the Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty was signed with the intention of turning Southeast Asia into a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone. The treaty took effect on 28 March 1997 after all but one of the member states have ratified it. It became fully effective on 21 June 2001, after the Philippines ratified it, effectively banning all nuclear weapons in the region.[20]
Satellite image of the 2006 haze over Borneo

At the turn of the 21st century, issues shifted to involve a more environmental perspective. The organisation started to discuss environmental agreements. These included the signing of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution in 2002 as an attempt to control haze pollution in Southeast Asia.[21] Unfortunately, this was unsuccessful due to the outbreaks of the 2005 Malaysian haze and the 2006 Southeast Asian haze. Other environmental treaties introduced by the organisation include the Cebu Declaration on East Asian Energy Security,[22] the ASEAN-Wildlife Enforcement Network in 2005,[23] and the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, both of which are responses to the potential effects of climate change. Climate change is of current interest.

Through the Bali Concord II in 2003, ASEAN has subscribed to the notion of democratic peace, which means all member countries believe democratic processes will promote regional peace and stability. Also, the non-democratic members all agreed that it was something all member states should aspire to.[24]

The leaders of each country, particularly Mahathir Mohamad of Malaysia, also felt the need to further integrate the region. Beginning in 1997, the bloc began creating organisations within its framework with the intention of achieving this goal. ASEAN Plus Three was the first of these and was created to improve existing ties with the People's Republic of China, Japan, and South Korea. This was followed by the even larger East Asia Summit, which included these countries as well as India, Australia, and New Zealand. This new grouping acted as a prerequisite for the planned East Asia Community, which was supposedly patterned after the now-defunct European Community. The ASEAN Eminent Persons Group was created to study the possible successes and failures of this policy as well as the possibility of drafting an ASEAN Charter.

In 2006, ASEAN was given observer status at the United Nations General Assembly.[25] As a response, the organisation awarded the status of "dialogue partner" to the United Nations.[26] Furthermore, on 23 July that year, José Ramos-Horta, then Prime Minister of East Timor, signed a formal request for membership and expected the accession process to last at least five years before the then-observer state became a full member.[27][28]

In 2007, ASEAN celebrated its 40th anniversary since its inception, and 30 years of diplomatic relations with the United States.[29] On 26 August 2007, ASEAN stated that it aims to complete all its free trade agreements with China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand by 2013, in line with the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community by 2015.[30][31] In November 2007 the ASEAN members signed the ASEAN Charter, a constitution governing relations among the ASEAN members and establishing ASEAN itself as an international legal entity.[citation needed] During the same year, the Cebu Declaration on East Asian Energy Security in Cebu on 15 January 2007, by ASEAN and the other members of the EAS (Australia, People's Republic of China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea), which promotes energy security by finding energy alternatives to conventional fuels.[citation needed]

On February 27, 2009 a Free Trade Agreement with the ASEAN regional block of 10 countries and New Zealand and its close partner Australia was signed, it is estimated that this FTA would boost aggregate GDP across the 12 countries by more than US$48 billion over the period 2000-2020.[32][33]

ASEAN From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASEAN [show] အရှေ့တောင်အာရှနိုင်ငံများအ

2009-11-10T16:59:00.000+07:00

ASEAN
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
ASEAN
[show]
အရှေ့တောင်အာရှနိုင်ငံများအသင်း (Burmese)
东南亚国家联盟 / 東南亞國家聯盟 (Chinese)
Perhimpunan Bangsa-bangsa Asia Tenggara (Indonesian)
សមាគមន៏ប្រជាជាតិអាស៊ីអាគ្នេយ (Khmer)
ສະມາຄົມປະຊາຊາດແຫ່ງອາຊີຕະເວັນອອກສຽງໃຕ້ (Lao)
Persatuan Negara-negara Asia Tenggara (Malay)
Kapisanan ng mga Bansa ng Timog-Silangang Asya (Tagalog)
தென்கிழக்காசிய நாடுகளின் கூட்டமைப்பு (Tamil)
สมาคมประชาชาติแห่งเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้ (Thai)
Hiệp hội các quốc gia Đông Nam Á (Vietnamese)

Flag
Motto: "One Vision, One Identity, One Community"
"10 countries, 1 identity"
Anthem: "The ASEAN Way"
Seat of Secretariat Indonesia Jakarta
Largest city Indonesia Jakarta
Working language
English[show]
Philippines Singapore English
Brunei Malaysia Singapore Malay
Burma Burmese
Singapore Chinese (Mandarin)
Philippines Filipino
Indonesia Indonesian
Cambodia Khmer
Laos Lao
Singapore Tamil
Thailand Thai
Vietnam Vietnamese
Demonym Southeast Asian
Member states
10[show]
Brunei
Burma (Myanmar)
Cambodia
Indonesia
Laos
Malaysia
Philippines
Singapore
Thailand
Vietnam
Government Regional organisation
- Secretary General Thailand Surin Pitsuwan
Formation
- Bangkok Declaration 8 August 1967
- Charter 16 December 2008
Area
- Total 4,464,322 km2
2,772,344 sq mi
Population
- 2008 estimate 577 million
- Density 129/km2
208/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2007 estimate
- Total US$ 3,431.2 billion
- Per capita US$ 5,962
GDP (nominal) 2008 estimate
- Total US$ 1,505.7 billion
- Per capita $2,609
HDI (2007) ▲ 0.742 (medium) (100th¹)
Currency
10[show]
Brunei Brunei dollar
Cambodia Cambodian riel
Indonesia Indonesian rupiah
Laos Lao kip
Malaysia Malaysian ringgit
Myanmar Myanma kyat
Philippines Philippine peso
Singapore Singaporean dollar
Thailand Thai baht
Vietnam Vietnamese dong
Time zone ASEAN (UTC+9 to +6:30)
Internet TLD
10[show]
Brunei .bn
Cambodia .kh
Indonesia .id
Laos .la
Malaysia .my
Myanmar .mm
Philippines .ph
Singapore .sg
Thailand .th
Vietnam .vn
Website
http://www.asean.org/
Calling code
10[show]
Brunei +673
Cambodia +855
Indonesia +62
Laos +856
Malaysia +60
Myanmar +95
Philippines +63
Singapore +65
Thailand +66
Vietnam +84
1 If considered as a single entity.
2 Selected key basic ASEAN indicators
3 Annual growth 1.6%
Search Wikisource Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Bangkok Declaration

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations,[1] commonly abbreviated ASEAN (generally pronounced /ˈɑːsi.ɑːn/ AH-see-ahn,[2] occasionally /ˈɑːzi.ɑːn/ AH-zee-ahn[3] in English, the official language of the bloc),[4] is a geo-political and economic organisation of 10 countries located in Southeast Asia, which was formed on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.[5] Since then, membership has expanded to include Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Its aims include the acceleration of economic growth, social progress, cultural development among its members, the protection of the peace and stability of the region, and to provide opportunities for member countries to discuss differences peacefully.[6]

In 2005, the bloc spanned over an area of 4.46 million km2 with a combined GDP (Nominal/PPP) of about USD$896.5 billion/$2,728 billion growing at an average rate of around 5.6% per annum. In 2008, its combined GDP had grown to more than USD $1.5 trillion with a population of approximately 580 million people (8.7% of the world population) [7]

United Kingdom From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search "UK" redirects here. For other uses, see UK (disambiguation). This ar

2009-11-10T16:57:00.000+07:00

United Kingdom
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
"UK" redirects here. For other uses, see UK (disambiguation).
This article is about the sovereign state. For other uses, see United Kingdom (disambiguation).
This article is semi-protected.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Flag Royal coat of arms
Anthem: "God Save the Queen"[1]
Location of United Kingdom (dark green)

– on the European continent (light green & dark grey)
– in the European Union (light green) — [Legend]
Capital
(and largest city) London
51°30′N 0°7′W / 51.5°N 0.117°W / 51.5; -0.117
Official languages English (de facto)[2]
Recognised regional languages Irish, Ulster Scots, Scottish Gaelic , Scots, Welsh, Cornish[3]
Ethnic groups (2001
See: UK ethnic groups list[4]) 92.1% White (mainly of British Isles descent, with minorities of other descent)
4.0% South Asian
2.0% Black
1.2% Mixed
0.4% Chinese
0.4% Other
Demonym British, Briton
Government Parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy
- Monarch Queen Elizabeth II
- Prime Minister Gordon Brown MP
Legislature Parliament
- Upper House House of Lords
- Lower House House of Commons
Formation
- Acts of Union 1707 1 May 1707
- Act of Union 1800 1 January 1801
- Anglo-Irish Treaty 12 April 1922
EU accession 1 January 1973
Area
- Total 244,820 km2 (79th)
94,526 sq mi
- Water (%) 1.34
Population
- 2009 estimate 61,113,205[5] (22nd)
- 2001 census 58,789,194[6]
- Density 246/km2 (48th)
637/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2008 estimate
- Total $2.228 trillion[7] (7th)
- Per capita $36,357[7] (18th)
GDP (nominal) 2008 estimate
- Total $2.680 trillion[7] (6th)
- Per capita $43,733[7] (20th)
Gini (2005) 34[8]
HDI (2007) 0.947[9] (very high) (21st)
Currency Pound sterling[10] (GBP)
Time zone GMT (UTC+0)
- Summer (DST) BST (UTC+1)
Drives on the left[11]
Internet TLD .uk[12]
Calling code 44

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland[13] (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or as Britain) is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country,[14][15] spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK with a land border, sharing it with the Republic of Ireland.[16][17] Apart from this land border, the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea. The largest island, Great Britain, is linked to France by the Channel Tunnel.

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy and unitary state consisting of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.[18] It is governed by a parliamentary system with its seat of government in London, the capital, but with three devolved national administrations in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh, the capitals of Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland respectively. The Channel Island bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey, and the Isle of Man are Crown Dependencies and are often not considered part of the UK,[19] though they are treated as part of it for many purposes including nationality.[20] The UK has fourteen overseas territories,[21] all remnants of the British Empire, which at its height in 1922 encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land surface, the largest empire in history. British influence can continue to be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies.

The UK is a developed country, with the world's sixth largest economy by nominal GDP and the seventh largest by purchasing power parity.[7] It was the world's first industrialised country[22] and the world's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th centuries,[23] but the economic cost of two world wars and the decline of its empire in the latter half of the 20th century diminished its leading role in global affairs. The UK nevertheless remains a major power with strong economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence. It is a nuclear weapons state and has the third highest defence spending in the world. It is a Member State of the European Union, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, and is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, G8, G20, OECD, NATO, and the World Trade Organization.

History When Singapore was ceded to the British in 1819, Temenggong Abdul Rahman, the island's chief, and Sultan Hussain Shah of Johore, under whose

2009-11-10T16:54:00.002+07:00

History

When Singapore was ceded to the British in 1819, Temenggong Abdul Rahman, the island's chief, and Sultan Hussain Shah of Johore, under whose jurisdiction Singapore fell, acquired small fortunes in exchange for their power. Sir Stamford Raffles also granted the Temenggong and the Sultan an annual stipend and the use of Kampong Glam for their residence.

The area around Kampong Glam was also allocated for Malays and other Muslims. Hussain built a palace there and brought his family and a complete entourage from the Riau islands. Many of the Sultan's and Temenggong's followers came to Kampong Glam from the Riau Islands, Malacca and Sumatra.

Sultan Hussain then decided to build a mosque befitting his status. He constructed a mosque next to his palace from 1824 to 1826 with funds solicited from the East India Company. With a two-tiered pyramidal roof, it was of a typical design. The original building was replaced with a new mosque.

The management of the mosque was headed by Alauddin Shah, the Sultan's grandson, until 1879, when he passed the torch in to five community leaders. In 1914, the lease was extended by the government for a further 999 years and a new board of trustees was appointed, with two representatives from each faction of the Muslim community.

By the early 1900s, Singapore had become a centre for Islamic commerce, culture and art. Sultan Mosque soon became too small for this burgeoning community. In 1924, the year of the mosque's centenary, the trustees approved a plan to erect a new mosque. The old mosque had by then also fallen into a state of disrepair.

Architect Denis Santry of Swan and Maclaren adopted a Saracenic style, incorporating minarets and balustrades. The mosque was completed after four years in 1928.

Sultan Mosque has stayed essentially unchanged since it was built, with only repairs carried out to the main hall in the 1960s and an annex added in 1993. It was gazetted as a national monument on 14 March 1975.

Today the mosque is owned by Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS).

Masjid Sultan From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Coordinates: 1°18′07.7″N 103°51′32.8″E / 1.302139°N 103.859111°E /

2009-11-10T16:54:00.001+07:00

Masjid Sultan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

Coordinates: 1°18′07.7″N 103°51′32.8″E / 1.302139°N 103.859111°E / 1.302139; 103.859111
Masjid Sultan at Muscat Street in Kampong Glam
Masjid Sultan Sign

Masjid Sultan (Malay for Sultan Mosque; is located at Muscat Street and North Bridge Road within the Kampong Glam district of Rochor Planning Area in Singapore. The mosque is considered one of the most important mosques in Singapore. The prayer hall and domes highlight the mosque's star features.

United States Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Not to be confused with United State

2009-11-10T16:52:00.002+07:00

United States Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Not to be confused with United States Marine Corps Reconnaissance Battalions.
Main article: United States Marine Air-Ground Task Force Reconnaissance
Marine Force Reconnaissance
FORECON.png
The blazon of 'Force Recon'.
Active June 19, 1957– present
Country United States United States of America
Branch Marine corps flag.svg United States Marine Corps
Type Special Operations Capable
Role Supported arms for Marine Air-Ground Task Force

* Deep reconnaissance
* Direct action

Part of Fleet Marine Force (FMF)

* FMFLANT.png Atlantic (FMFLant)
* FMFPAC.png Pacific (FMFPac)

Nickname Force Recon, FORECON
Patron Dion Williams
James L. Jones, Sr.
Bruce F. Meyers
Motto Celer, Silens, Mortalis
("Swift, Silent, Deadly")
Engagements Vietnam War
Operation Urgent Fury
Operation Just Cause
Operation Desert Storm
Operation Restore Hope
Operation Enduring Freedom
Operation Iraqi Freedom

The Force Reconnaissance Companies (abbreviated as either 'Force Recon' or FORECON), are one of the United States Marine Corps's special operations "capable" forces that provide pertinent military intelligence to the combined combat elements of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF); either supporting the subordinate infantry units of the Fleet Marine Force (FMF), on the west coast, Pacific (FMFPac) and east coast, Atlantic (FMFLant).[1]

They are fully capable of operating independently behind enemy lines conducting deep reconnaissance, direct action (DA), and other supportive arms deemed necessary to the Fleet Marine Force. Using combined methods of heliborne and waterborne insertions and extractions in cohesion of conventional warfare, they are capable of performing unconventional special operations similar, or to the extent, to those of the United States special operations forces of USSOCOM (e.g. Navy SEALs, Army Special Forces and Rangers, or Air Force Combat Controllers), although Force Recon's missions and tasks do differ by a margin.[2]

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) often looks to MARSOC and specifically Force Reconnaissance to recruit operators into their elite Special Activities Division (SAD). SAD is the home of the storied Special Operations Group (SOG) which conducts covert action paramilitary operations.[3] The history of joint Force Recon and CIA operations is substantial and long standing. It includes a unique lashup with the highly secretive Military Assistance Command, Vietnam - Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG) during the Vietnam War.[4][5]

Model history [edit] 2002 2002 Yamaha Nouvo with top box at the rear 2006 Yamaha Nouvo MX The Nouvo was developed under the model code "AT115" and in

2009-11-10T16:52:00.001+07:00

Model history
[edit] 2002
2002 Yamaha Nouvo with top box at the rear
2006 Yamaha Nouvo MX

The Nouvo was developed under the model code "AT115" and in April 2002, and marketed in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and other ASEAN countries.[1]

Yamaha engineers intended to develop the frame with the same or higher level of rigidity as a moped bike in order to achieve a moped-like ride and good handling performance but also have the same level of comfort as a scooter. This vehicle is powered by a 4-stroke, SOHC 2-valve single-cylinder engine, giving it strong torque in the mid-to low-speed range.[citation needed]
[edit] 2004

In 2004, the Nouvo has been given a facelift by he Yamaha team. Part of the facelift includes headlights similar to the Yamaha YZF-R1 sport bike. For safety, the taillight also has been designed with the addition of a retroreflector device. In order to improve stability, the front suspension is also given new settings. Other cosmetic changes include the body panels and passenger footrest.[2]

Yamaha Motor Company Vietnam has release a special edition model for their market in 2007, the Yamaha Nouvo Limited.[3] It features a newly designed V-shape headlight and new body stripes, but the engine specifications are the same with all Nouvo series available (except for Nouvo Elegance). This model only comes in two colors, black or white.

As of 2008, Nouvo is still the best selling moped-like motorcycle in the Southeast Asia region especially in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.[citation needed]
[edit] 2008
2008 Yamaha Nouvo LX-RC

On February 2008[4] the Yamaha Motor Company in Thailand and Vietnam launched an all new version, the Yamaha Nouvo Elegance (LX in Vietnam) for their markets under the model code "AT135." Major changes in this motorcycle are the engine, with the displacement increased from 115 cc to 135 cc. In addition, the engine cylinder and forged piston are now made from DiASil (die-cast aluminum cylinder), making it more lightweight and giving it a better power-to-weight ratio, to reduce engine overheating. The new model is also water-cooled, indicated by the addition of a radiator, installed at the right side of the engine. Cosmetic changes includes the body cover: sharper edges were added with larger seat. The Nouvo Elegance was also launched in Malaysia on August 2008 as the Yamaha Nouvo LC[5]. The Nouvo Elegance model will also be released in Brazil in 2009 according to Yamaha.

Yamaha Nouvo From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Yamaha Nouvo Nouvo s 2006.JPG Yamaha Nouvo S Manufacturer Yamaha Motor

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Yamaha Nouvo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Yamaha Nouvo Nouvo s 2006.JPG Yamaha Nouvo S
Manufacturer Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.
Also called Yamaha Nouvo S in Malaysia
Yamaha Nouvo MX in Thailand
Yamaha Nouvo RC in Vietnam
Yamaha Nouvo Z in Indonesia and Philippines
Yamaha Neo in Brazil
Production 2002-present
Successor Yamaha Nouvo Elegance
Yamaha Nouvo LX
Yamaha Nouvo LC
Class Moped CVT, Underbone
Transmission Automatic
Related Yamaha Mio

The Yamaha Nouvo is a small CVT underbone bodied motorcycle manufactured by Yamaha Motor. It was introduced in April 2002 for Southeast Asia markets and In 2004, Brazil, where it was renamed the Yamaha Neo. Nouvo is from the French word Nouveau, which means new or fashionable.

Yamaha Vino 125 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Yamaha YJ125[1] Yamaha Vino 125 2006.jpg Manufacturer Yamaha Motor

2009-11-10T16:50:00.002+07:00

Yamaha Vino 125
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Yamaha YJ125[1] Yamaha Vino 125 2006.jpg
Manufacturer Yamaha Motor Company
Also called YJ125S, Vino 125, Fino 125
Parent company Yamaha Corporation
Model year 2004 - present
Predecessor Yamaha XC125 Riva 125
Class Scooter
Engine 124 cm³ (7.56 in³) 124cc air-cooled 4-stroke single; SOHC; 51.5 mm ∅ x 60 mm stroke; compression 9.8:1
Top speed 65 mph
Transmission Centrifugal clutch; V-belt automatic CVT
Suspension front telescopic coil spring/oil damper; rear swingarm coil spring/oil dampener
Brakes front single disc 180mm ∅; rear drum 110 mm ∅
Tires tubeless Cheng Shin 3.50-10 51J
Rake, Trail 32° / 75 mm
Wheelbase 1229.4 mm (48.4 in)
Dimensions L 1752.6 mm (69.0 in) W 698.5 mm (27.5 in) H 75.9 cm (29.8 in)
Seat height 76.0 cm (29.9 in)
Weight 103.9 kg (229 lb) (dry), 109 kg (240 lb) (wet)
Fuel capacity 4.5 L (1.19 US gal; 0.99 imp gal)
Oil capacity 1.2 L (0.32 US gal; 0.26 imp gal)
Fuel consumption 75 mpg
Related Yamaha Mio

The Yamaha Vino 125 is a scooter introduced by Yamaha Motor Company in 2004 as a larger brother to the 49cc Yamaha Vino/Vino Classic, replacing the Yamaha Riva 125 (XC125) scooter. Little has changed since the 2004 introduction of the Vino 125 with the exception of color choices. Because of the engine size and top speed, in many US States, the Vino 125 requires a motorcycle license to legally operate. The Vino 125 has a relatively low seat height, making it popular among smaller riders.

The Vino 125 has an air-cooled 124cc single cylinder 4-stroke SOHC engine for propulsion. The engine has a fan for supplemental cooling. A Mikuni BS carburetor handles fuel delivery, and an auto-choke and carburetor heat device are standard. The Vino 125 includes a catalyzed muffler, AIR Injection system, and an evaporative fuel canister to control emissions.

Top speed after break-in period ranges from 45-65 MPH on flat land depending on wind and the weight of the operator and cargo according to user reports[1]. A 180mm single disc front brake and a 110mm drum rear brake handle stopping. 3.50x10 tires are standard.

Fuel mileage reported from operators ranges from 65 mpg-US (3.6 L/100 km; 78 mpg-imp) to 90 mpg-US (2.6 L/100 km; 110 mpg-imp)[2] MSRP for a 2008 model is $2649 USD [3]. Black is a new color for 2008, Team Yamaha Blue remains from previous years, and Silver is dropped from the color line up for 2008.

Popular modifications for the Vino 125 include Asian Market taillights and the addition of a rear basket or case hinged to allow access to the fuel tank. Other popular modifications include chrome front fender and side trims.

The Vino has a very similar counterpart in Thailand, called Fino, which looks almost identical.

Model history [edit] 2003 Based on sales performance and also technical studies of the successor Yamaha Nouvo by Yamaha's R&D team, in 2003 Yamaha Mo

2009-11-10T16:50:00.001+07:00

Model history
[edit] 2003

Based on sales performance and also technical studies of the successor Yamaha Nouvo by Yamaha's R&D team, in 2003 Yamaha Motor has successfully developed and marketed Yamaha Mio in Southeast Asia countries and on March 2004, Hong Leong Yamaha (HLY) has introduced this model in Malaysia and rename it as Yamaha Ego[1].

Yamaha Mio From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Yamaha Mio Yamaha Mio Ultimo 01.jpg Yamaha Mio Ultimo Manufacturer Yamah

2009-11-10T16:49:00.000+07:00

Yamaha Mio
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Yamaha Mio Yamaha Mio Ultimo 01.jpg Yamaha Mio Ultimo
Manufacturer Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.
Also called Yamaha Ego in Malaysia
Production 2003-present
Successor Yamaha Mio Soul
Yamaha Mio Ultimo
Yamaha Ego S
Class Moped CVT, Underbone
Engine 113.7 cc, 4-stroke, SOHC, 2 Valve, Air Cooled
Power 5.98kW @ 8,000 rpm
Torque 7.53Nm @ 6,500 rpm
Transmission Automatic
Related Yamaha Nouvo
Yamaha Vino 125

The Yamaha Mio is a small underbone/moped with CVT technology made by Yamaha Motor. It was introduced for Southeast Asia market in 2003 after the successor of Yamaha Nouvo. In Malaysia, this model known as Yamaha Ego.

Orange County Choppers bikes From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Orange County Choppers (OCC) is best known for the bik

2009-11-10T16:48:00.002+07:00

Orange County Choppers bikes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

Orange County Choppers (OCC) is best known for the bikes featured on American Chopper where bikes are built around a theme or, for specific corporate or celebrity customers. Theme bikes are motorcycles in which the concept of the motorcycle takes priority over everything else, influencing the frame dimensions, paint scheme, and overall 'feel' of the motorcycle. The function of motorcycle usually takes a backseat to the presentation of the theme, and these motorcycles attract attention solely on the premise of the theme itself. Customer bikes are built for and generally to the specifications of a particular customer. Although the customers typically give OCC creative freedom to do what they will, some clients have a specific idea in mind and expect OCC to reproduce their mental picture literally. Customers use the bikes for promotional purposes at tradeshows or auction them off as a charity fundraiser.

Technique Naga (Dragon) Naga,uses its serpentine movements of twisting, diving, coiling and straightening to generate enormous power through its body

2009-11-10T16:48:00.001+07:00

Technique Naga (Dragon)

Naga,uses its serpentine movements of twisting, diving, coiling and straightening to generate enormous power through its body. Also through this action it is able to escape (slip out of) seemingly impossible situations, like locks, holds and grappling attacks. Naga uses these same movements for countering, with lifts, throws, breaks and chokes.The main strikes in Naga technique are: - Downward striking elbows and forearms, aimed at the opponent’s neck, collar bones and spine. -Upward and forward strikes, with fingers thumbs and concave palms. The thumbs and fingers are used by spearing into an opponents, eyes or throat and the palms striking to the nose, chin and collar bones. The Naga technique is also the source of Perisai Diri’s ground sweeps, large circular sweeps both inside and out side, used as a take down, by attacking the legs of an opponent.

Technique Harimau (Tiger) Harimau technique is ferocious and powerful. Utilizing the momentum behind full body movements, the practitioner uses palms

2009-11-10T16:47:00.001+07:00

Technique Harimau (Tiger)

Harimau technique is ferocious and powerful. Utilizing the momentum behind full body movements, the practitioner uses palms and fingers to deliver knock out, bone crushing blows and gouge at eyes, throat and groin. This technique uses a claw-formed hand, which through training gives a vice like grip that is used in many of the grappling techniques in the Harimau style. In this technique, pouncing and jumping moves are used to attack with surprising speed and power, overwhelming the assailant quickly and efficiently.

Technique Burung Garuda (Bird Technique #3) Garuda - Eagle. The great wings of this powerful bird are used to deflect attacks and to deliver powerful

2009-11-10T16:46:00.004+07:00

Technique Burung Garuda (Bird Technique #3)

Garuda - Eagle. The great wings of this powerful bird are used to deflect attacks and to deliver powerful counter attacks. The forearms are adapted as the wings of Garuda and are used in long powerful chopping/cutting actions, the agility is maintained as the garuda fights in the air circling around the opponent delivering blows from behind.

Through the training of Garuda the exponent develops powerful forearms that are used like batons against the opponents neck, throat and collar bones.The elbows are also used in this close quarters technique, in all directions - inside, outside, up and down. The garuda is adept at attacking someone behind them, along with the outside forearm and elbow strikes the garuda uses a heel kick to the groin - Pacul- which hooks straight up to the groin from behind.

Technique Minangkabau Technique Minangkabau originated in the Minangkabau region. According to Minang folklore a war broke out between the West Sumat

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Technique Minangkabau

Technique Minangkabau originated in the Minangkabau region. According to Minang folklore a war broke out between the West Sumatrans and the Javanese. In order to decide the war a battle between each side's water buffaloes was conducted. The Javanese produces the most largest, vicious and angry buffalo. The West Sumatrans simply supplied a young calf with razors upon its young horns. The large buffalo not seeing the threat allowed the young calf close as it came to suckle milk. Upon it trying to suckle it sliced the large buffalo's stomach, making the young buffalo the victor.

The technique is much like the point of this story. Seemingly harmless yet brutal in its application.

Technique Minangkabau is very useful to be used in ground fighting.

Techniques of Perisai Diri Perisai Diri was created with many different styles in mind. Pak Dirdjo studied several Pencak Silat styles before spendin

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Techniques of Perisai Diri

Perisai Diri was created with many different styles in mind. Pak Dirdjo studied several Pencak Silat styles before spending fourteen years studying a Chinese martial art with a Chinese Sifu called Yap Kie San, in Parakan, Banyumas Regency. Probably he studied a wushu style from South China, and this could explain some of the characteristics of Perisai Diri such as the avoidance of high kicks, straight-line moves (unlike other silat styles), the emphasis on "movements that respect the natural anatomy", the absence of flying useless show-off techniques, thrust-kicking with the heel, use of the chien. The late Donn F. Draeger also mentioned the Chinese technical influence in PD in his book The Weapons and Fighting Arts of Indonesia (p.69-70). The practitioners explain the different levels in the style this way: With the quick and elusive bird techniques and the vicious overwhelming power of the tiger and dragon technique. Also incorporated into Perisai Diri is the human techniques such as the warrior, monk and princess. The Princess and monk form are reserved for the higher levels as the require a higher understanding of the technique, however this does not mean lower levels cannot learn or use them.

Perisai Diri From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Question book-new.svg This article needs references that appear in rel

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Perisai Diri
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Perisai Diri is a martial art originating from Indonesia. Pencak Silat is an Indonesian term given to the combatitive arts. "Perisai Diri" is practical and non sportative. The term "Perisai Diri" literally mean shield of oneself.

Perisai Diri was founded by the Pendekar Raden Mas Soebandiman Dirdjoatmodjo with the assistance of the Pendekar Imam Ramelan in Surabaya, Indonesia, on July 2, 1955. Dirdjoatmodjo or more popular with his nick-name Pak De, was born in the Paku Alaman Palace, Yogyakarta, on January 8, 1913. Perisai Diri was created by Pak De based on a combination of various silat styles such as East Javanese Silat (silat from East Java), Minangkabau (West Sumateran Silat), Betawi Silat (original Jakarta Silat), Cimande and Kuningan (West Java Silat), Wushu (Chinese martial arts), and other war styles of many tribes across Indonesia.

Pak De died in Surabaya in 1983. In order to honor his contributions to the development of silat, the Government of the Republic of Indonesia granted him with the title of "Pendekar Purna Utama".

Today, beside those in Indonesia, Perisai Diri schools can be found in Australia, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Japan, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

The Major Signs Question book-new.svg This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable r

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The Major Signs
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The major signs are those that will occur closer to the Day of Judgment, and they are said to be very extraordinary.These are the seven major signs of this day.

1)The Appearance of Al-Maseeh-ud-Dajjal, the False Messiah. Ad-Dajjal is said to be a beast who will come claiming to be God holding heaven and hell. His sole purpose is to deceive people and lead them away from the remembrance of Allah, and the unbelievers will follow him. He will have only one good eye and he will be blind in the other eye. On his forehead there will be a sign saying "Kafir," or disbeliever. He will perform some miracles which will serve to deceive some people.

The prophet Muhammed warned,

Whoever hears about the coming of Ad-Dajjal should stay away from him because by Allah, a man could come to him thinking of himself a strong believer but then he will follow Ad-Dajjal because of the doubts he will spread[7]

There are many deceiving miracles Ad-Dajjal will perform to mislead the people on earth. He will appear between the cities of Iraq and Syria and will create disaster left and right. He will command the sky to rain and it will rain. He will command the earth, and it will produce crops. After grazing on these crops, their animals will return with their udders full of milk and their flanks stretched. When he will call people to come to a false region with him and they reject his call, he will leave them and they will suffer famine and will possess no form of wealth. Then lastly he will call a young man brimming with youth; he will strike him with a sword and cut him in two, then place the two pieces at a distance between an archer and his target. Then he will call to him, and the young man will come to him running and laughing.

At that point, Allah will send Isa, Jesus. He will search for the Ad-Dajjal and will find him at the Gate of Ludd (a city in Israel). They will engage in fierce battle and Isa will win. Then the Ad-Dajjal will be no more.

2)The Appearance of Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj: Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj are two hidden tribes of people.These tribes were disbelieving descendants of prophet Adam. They will come in enormous numbers and will outnumber all the believers of the world. They will break through a barrier that Allah created to hold them back and ravage the earth. They will drink all the water, destroy plants and animals and kill people. This will occur roughly around the time of the second coming of Prophet Isa, Jesus. Finally, Allah will send a type of worm or insect that will wipe them out.

3)The appearance of the Dabbah(the strange beast): The Dabbah is a strange beast who will have the Rod of Moses and the seal of Solomon. He will call people back to Islam. Some will heed to the call while others will reject it. The believers will then have a sign that says: "Believer" while the disbelievers will have a "Disbeliever" sign. The exact description of the animal is unknown.

4)Three Huge Earthquakes: Three major earthquakes will occur on the day of judgment and they will damage a great deal of the earth. One earthquake will occur in the east, another in the west, and the third will be in the Arabian Peninsula.

5)The Smoke: Smoke will appear all over the earth that will cause believers to catch something similar to the common cold, whereas disbelivers will be hit harder by it. Finally, a cool wind will cause all the believers to die. This all the unbelievers left on earth to experience the last hour of the day of judgment.

7)The Sun will Rise from the West: This will be a major sign indicating that the world has reached its end. Allah has created the sun and He always made it rise in the East, however, at the end of time He will reverse this process by making it rise from the West. Once this happens, Allah will not accept the repentance of the disbelievers, it will be too late for them.

Judgment Main article: Barzakh During judgment, a man's or a woman's own book of deeds will be opened, and will be apprised of every action one did a

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Judgment
Main article: Barzakh

During judgment, a man's or a woman's own book of deeds will be opened, and will be apprised of every action one did and every word one spoke (Qur'an 54.52-53). Actions taken during childhood are not judged. The account of deeds is so detailed that the man or woman will be in awe at how comprehensive the account is, such that even lesser and trivial deeds are included. Throughout judgment, however, the underlying principle is that of a complete and perfect justice administered by Allah. The accounts of judgment are also replete with the emphasis that Allah is merciful and forgiving, and that mercy and forgiveness will be granted on that day insofar as it is merited.

While appearing similar to certain parts of the Bible (Ezekiel 18:27, James 2:14-17, 1 Peter 1:17, Revelation 2:23), this is dissimilar to some protestant branches of Christianity, where salvation is by the grace of Yahweh (Titus 2:11) through sharing with Jesus Christ the experience of crucifixion, death, and resurrection (Romans 6:4, Galatians 2:20, Romans 6:9-11), and salvation is not by deeds (Galatians 2:16, 2:21, 3:6-14). Islam, however, emphasizes that grace does not conflict with perfect justice.

The age of the hereafter or rest of eternity is the final stage commencing after the Day of Judgment and all of humanity has received their judgment from Allah. If they were righteous and did good deeds based on their own circumstances, then if Allah wills, by his mercy they go to Jannat (heaven) a state of bliss and if they have attained little in life, and were unrighteous in their actions—or were despite all evidence shown to them bent on denying the truth of life once it was presented to them—based on their own circumstances they shall go to Jahannam (a spiritual state of suffering). This stage of life commences officially after the embodiment of Death is brought up and is slain, thus Death dies literally, and no one will ever experience or behold the concept of Death everafter. Based on the verdict received which is brought upon by each person's individual deeds actions and circumstances in life the Day of Judgment which everyone is judged with the utmost sense of justice, each human will spend this stage of life in Heaven or Hell (which will be a place for purification of the soul so that one realizes the wrongs each has committed in life) . However, those in hell are eligible to go to the state heaven after being purified by the state described as hell at a later time if they "had an atom's worth of faith in them" and the soul is repentful. It is believed by many Muslims that a Muslim will end up in Jannah once their sins have been punished.[citation needed]

Overview The Qur'an states that even the smallest acts of the believers will not be wasted. [A]nyone who has an atom's worth of goodness will se

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Overview

The Qur'an states that even the smallest acts of the believers will not be wasted.

[A]nyone who has an atom's worth of goodness will see it and anyone who has done an atom's worth of evil will also see it.[Qur'an 99:7]

Those whose belief in God shaped their correct perception on life, and who did good deeds and are faithful will be tested in this world but will be rewarded in the hereafter if their deeds are deemed acceptable by Allah and vice versa.[Qur'an 2:62][5]

There are some translations of the Qur’an in which we read statements like these:

Surely Allah does not do injustice to the weight of an atom, and if it is a good deed He multiplies it and gives from Himself a great reward. S. 4:40 Shakir

Surely, ALLAH wrongs not anyone even so much as the weight of an atom. And if there be a good deed, HE multiplies it and gives from Himself a great reward. S. 4:40 Sher Ali

And you are not (engaged) in any affair, nor do you recite concerning it any portion of the Quran, nor do you do any work but We are witnesses over you when you enter into it, and there does not lie concealed from your Lord the weight of an atom in the earth or in the heaven, nor any thing less than that nor greater, but it is in a clear book. S. 10:61 Shakir

The Unbelievers say, "Never to us will come the Hour": Say, "Nay! but most surely, by my Lord, it will come upon you; - by Him Who knows the unseen, - from Whom is not hidden the least little atom in the heavens or on earth: Nor is there anything less than that, or greater, but is in the Record Perspicuous: S. 34:3 Yusuf Ali

Importance and Terminology Belief in al-Qiyāmah is considered a fundamental tenet of faith by all Muslims.[4] The trials and tribulations associated

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Importance and Terminology

Belief in al-Qiyāmah is considered a fundamental tenet of faith by all Muslims.[4] The trials and tribulations associated with it are detailed in both the Qur'an and the hadith, as well as in the commentaries of the Islamic expositors and scholarly authorities such as al-Ghazali, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Majah, Muhammad al-Bukhari, and Ibn Khuzaimah who explain them in detail. Every human, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, is held accountable for his or her deeds and are judged by God accordingly.[Qur'an 74:38].

The importance of the Last Judgement is underlined by the many references to it in the Qur'an and its many names. For example, it is also called "the Day of Reckoning",[Qur'an 71:18] "the Hour"[Qur'an 31:34][Qur'an 74:47], "Day of the Account"[Qur'an 72:130], "Day of the Gathering", "Day of the Reckoning", and the "Great Announcement".

Islamic view of the Last Judgment From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Kiamat) Jump to: navigation, search This article or secti

2009-11-10T16:38:00.000+07:00

Islamic view of the Last Judgment
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Part of a series on the Islamic creed:
Aqidah

Mosque02.svg
Five Pillars (Sunni)

Shahādah - Profession of faith
Ṣalāt - Prayers
Zakāh - Paying of alms (giving to the poor)
Ṣawm - Fasting during Ramadan
Hajj - Pilgrimage to Mecca
Six articles of belief (Sunni)

Tawhīd - Oneness
Prophets and Messengers in Islam
Islamic holy books
Angels
The Last Judgment
Predestination
Principles of the Religion (Twelver)

Tawhīd - Oneness
‘Adalah - Justice
Nubuwwah - Prophethood
Imāmah - Leadership
Qiyamah - Day of Judgement
Practices of the Religion (Twelver)

Ṣalāt - Prayers
Ṣawm - Fasting during Ramadan
Hajj - Pilgrimage to Mecca
Zakāh - Tithes
Khums - One-fifth tax
Jihad - Struggle
Commanding what is just
Forbidding what is evil
Tawallā' - Loving the Ahl al-Bayt
Tabarrá - Disassociating Ahl al-Bayt's enemies
Seven Pillars (Ismaili)

Walāyah - Guardianship
Ṭawhid - Oneness of God
Ṣalāt - Prayers
Zakāh - Purifying religious dues
Ṣawm - Fasting during Ramadan
Hajj - Pilgrimage to Mecca
Jihad - Struggle
Others

Kharijite Sixth Pillar of Islam.
This box: view • talk • edit

In Islam, Yawm al-Qiyāmah "the Day of Resurrection" (Arabic: يوم القيامة‎) or Yawm ad-Din "the Day of Judgement" (Arabic: يوم الدين‎) is God's final assessment of humanity. al-Qiyāmah is also the name of the 75th surah of the Qur'an.

The sequence of events according to the most common understanding is the annihilation of all creatures, resurrection of the body and the judgment of all sentient creatures. The time of the Hour is not known however there are Major.[1] and Minor Signs[2] which will occur near the time of Qiyamah (Doomsday) and these have been documented. Final judgment forms one of the main themes of the Qur'an. Many Qur'anic verses, especially the earliest ones, are dominated by the idea of the nearing Day of Resurrection.[3][4]

Babad Tanah Jawi ("History of the land of Java") In the Babad Tanah Jawi, a chronicle of large Javanese manuscripts, there are no formal signs of Sun

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Babad Tanah Jawi ("History of the land of Java")

In the Babad Tanah Jawi, a chronicle of large Javanese manuscripts, there are no formal signs of Sunan Kalijaga's conversion to Islam so it is not clear if Kalijaga is already Muslim at the time of his "conversion". In this legend, he is said to be the son of Tumenggung Wilatikta, and in the service of the Majapahit empire, and Kalijaga whose religion is unspecified but has the Arabic name "Said". Following gambling losses, Said resorts to highway robbery on the north coast of Java. Sunan Bonang one day passes and is pulled up by Said. Bonang suggests it would be better for Said to rob a person who will later pass dressed in blue with a red hibiscus behind his ear. Three days later, this person passes, and is Bonang in disguise. Said attacks, but Bonang turns himself into four persons, traumatising Bonang such that he becomes an ascetic. He takes the name "Kalijaga", becomes a wali and marries the sister of Sunan Gunungjati.[2]

Sunan Kalijaga From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Sunan Kalijaga (1460–?), born as Raden Mas Said son of a Regent of T

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Sunan Kalijaga
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Sunan Kalijaga (1460–?), born as Raden Mas Said son of a Regent of Tuban in East Java, Indonesia, was one of the "nine saints" of Islam (Wali Sanga). Initially a grass salesman,[1] the "Kalijaga" title was derived from an orchard known as "Kalijaga" in Cirebon. Other accounts suggest the name derives from his hobby of submerging himself in Kali ("river" in Javanese). Others note that the name Kalijaga derived its nature from the Arabic notion of qadli dzaqa which means "holy leader" in the sultanate.

He was a close friend of Sunan Gunungjati, and is said to have lived to the age of one hundred. He witnessed the downfall of Majapahit, the kingdoms of Demak, Cirebon, Banten, and Pajang which in 1546 A.D.[citation needed]

Among his missionary activities (dawah), he built two mosques, Masjid Agung Cirebon and Masjid Agung Demak. His main mentor was Sunan Bonang, another of the Wali Sanga. Kalijaga's beliefs and teaching are more sufistic than salaf, applying arts and culture as medium for his dawah. He was also tolerant to local tradition. His exegesis from the Quranic perspective led him to believe that people will keep away from dakwah if their personality is questioned. In this premise one should consider a step by step approach to his people by the principle of following yet influencing. To him, if Islam is truly/fully understood, then people will gradually give up their old habits.

This method can be seen in Indonesian artworks, particularly in carvings, shadow puppets (wayang kulit), gamelan (javanese traditional musical performance), and singing. From this idea he popularized Baju Takwa (a traditional dress custom for Indonesian Moslem), Sekatenan (a festivity), and Grebeg Maulud, amongst others.

Sunan Kalijaga was buried in Kadilangu south of Demak.

Masjid Agung Demak From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Front view. Masjid Agung Demak (or the Great Demak Mosque) is on

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Masjid Agung Demak
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Front view.

Masjid Agung Demak (or the Great Demak Mosque) is one of the oldest mosques in Indonesia, located in the center town of Demak, Central Java Indonesia. The mosque is believed to be built by Sunan Kalijaga, one of the Wali Songo (nine Muslim saints) during the first Demak Sultanate ruler, Raden Patah during the 15th century.[citation needed]

This mosque is the proof of glory achieved by the Demak Bintoro kingdom as the first Islamic kingdom in Java island.

Mosque Features

Masjid Agung Demak is the classic example of a traditional Javanese mosque. Unlike mosques in the Middle East it is built from timber. The tiered roof is supported by four enormous teak pillars. This means that the mosque is rather small when compared to many modern Indonesian mosques. The tiered roof shows many similarities with wooden religious structures from the Hindu-Buddhist civilizations of Java and Bali. The main entrance of Masjid Agung Demak consists of two doors carved with motifs of plants, vases, crowns and an animal head with an open wide-toothed mouth. It is said that picture depicts the manifested thunder caught by Ki Ageng Selo, hence their name “Lawang Bledheg” (the doors of thunder).

The Carving and Historical Relics of Masjid Agung Demak

The carvings at Lawang Bledheg are also interpreted according to chronogram based on lunar calculation as “Naga mulat salira wani” which means Saka Year 1388 or A.D. 1466 as the year in which Masjid Agung Demak existed.

The front wall of the mosuqe is inset with sixty-six porcelain tiles. These exquisite blue and white tiles are believed to derive from Champa in modern-day Vietnam, a kingdom with which Demak's former rival Majapahit had extensive trade contacts. According to some reports, these tiles were stolen from the palace of the Sultan of Majapahit and later added to the mosque.

Masjid Agung Demak has many historical remainders and unique things, such as Saka Tatal; Maksurah; Dhampar Kencana/pulpit; Saka Majapahit; etc. Besides that in the environment of Masjid Agung Demak there are also graves of the sultans of Demak and a museum.

Kaaba Question book-new.svg This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable so

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Kaaba
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Main article: Kaaba

Literally, Kaaba in Arabic means square house. The word Kaaba may also be derivative of a word meaning a cube. Some of these other names include:

* Al-Bait ul Ateeq which, according to one interpretation, means the earliest and ancient. According to another interpretation, it means independent and liberating.
* Al-Bayt ul Haram which may be translated as the honorable or holy house.

The whole building is constructed out of the layers of gray blue stone from the hills surrounding Mecca. The four corners roughly face the four points of the compass. In the eastern corner is the Hajr-al-Aswad (the Black Stone), at the northern corner lies the Rukn-al-Iraqi (The Iraqi corner), at the west lies Rukn-al-Shami (The Syrian corner) and at the south Rukn-al-Yamani (The Yemeni corner). The four walls are covered with a curtain (Kiswah). The kiswa is usually of black brocade with the Shahada outlined in the weave of the fabric. About three quarters of the way up runs a gold embroidered band covered with Qur'anic text.

Pilgrimage Main articles: Hajj and Umrah Pilgrims circumambulating the Kaaba. The Haram is the focal point of the hajj and umrah pilgrimages[2] that

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Pilgrimage
Main articles: Hajj and Umrah
Pilgrims circumambulating the Kaaba.

The Haram is the focal point of the hajj and umrah pilgrimages[2] that occur in the month of Dhu al-Hijjah in the Islamic calendar and at any time of the year, respectively. The Hajj pilgrimage is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, required of all able-bodied Muslims who can afford the trip. In recent times, about 3 million Muslims perform the hajj every year.

Some of the rituals performed by pilgrims are symbolic of historical incidents. For example, the episode of Hagar's search for water is emulated by Muslims as they run between the two hills of Safa and Marwah whenever they visit Mecca.

Qibla Question book-new.svg This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable so

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Qibla
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Main article: Qibla

The qibla—the direction that Muslims turn to in their prayers (salah)—is toward the Kaaba and symbolizes unity in worshipping one God. At one point the direction of the qibla was toward Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) (and is therefore called the First of the Two Qiblas),[citation needed] however, this only lasted for seventeen months, after which the qibla became oriented towards the Kaaba in Mecca. According to accounts from Muhammad's companions, the change happened very suddenly during the noon prayer at Medina in the Masjid al-Qiblatain.

Saudi Development Pilgrims around Kaaba at Masjid Al Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The most significant architectural and structural changes came, an

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Saudi Development
Pilgrims around Kaaba at Masjid Al Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

The most significant architectural and structural changes came, and continue to come, from the Saudi status of Guardian of the Holy Places and the honorific title of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques (the other being the Mosque of the Prophet in Medina) been afforded to King Abdul Aziz. Many of the previously mentioned features, particularly the support columns, were destroyed in spite of their historical value. In their place came artificial stone and marble, the ceiling was refurnished and the floor was replaced. The Al-Safa and Al-Marwah, an important part of both Hajj and Umrah, came to be included in the Mosque itself during this time via roofing and enclosement. Also during this first Saudi renovation four minarets were added.

The second Saudi renovations, this time under King Fahd, added a new wing and an outdoor prayer area to the Mosque. The new wing which is also for prayers is accessed through the King Fahd Gate. This extension is considered to have been from 1982-1988.

The third Saudi extension (1988-2005) saw the building of further minarets, the erecting of a King's residence overlooking the Mosque and further prayer area in and around the mosque itself. These developments have taken place simaltenously with those in Arafat, Mina and Muzdalifah. This third extension has also resulted in 18 more gates been built, three domes corresponding in position to each gate and the installation of nearly 500 marble columns.

Modern but essentially non-architectural developments have been the addition of heated floors, air conditioning, escalators and a drainage system.

The death of King Fahd means that the Mosque is now undergoing a fourth extension which began in 2007 and is projected to last until 2020. King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz plans to increase the capacity of the mosque by 35% from its current maximum capacity of 800,000 with 1,120,000 outside the Mosque itself.

History This section contains weasel words, vague phrasing that often accompanies biased or unverifiable information. Such statements should be clari

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History
This section contains weasel words, vague phrasing that often accompanies biased or unverifiable information. Such statements should be clarified or removed. (April 2008)

Islamic tradition holds that the Mosque was first built by the angels before the creation of mankind, when God ordained a place of worship on Earth to reflect the house in heaven called al-Baytu l-Maˤmur (Arabic: البيت المعمور, "The Worship Place of Angels"). From time to time, the Mosque was destroyed and rebuilt anew. According to Islamic belief it was built by Ibrahim (Abraham), with the help of his son Ishmael. They were ordered by Allah to build the mosque, and the Kaaba. The Black Stone is situated near the eastern corner of the Kaaba. Some believe it is to start the circumambulation around the Kaaba, while some believe it to be the only remnant of the original structure made by Abraham.[who?] The Kaaba is the direction for all the Muslims to pray across the globe thus signifying unity among all. The Islamic teaching specifically mentions that nothing is magical about the Grand Mosque except for the oasis Zamzam which has never dried ever since it was revealed.

And when We assigned to Abraham the place of the House (Kaaba), saying: Do not associate with Me aught, and purify My House for those who make the circuit and stand to pray and bow and prostrate themselves.
—Qur'an, [Qur'an 22:26]

And when We made the House a resort for men and a place of security. And: Take ye the place of Abraham for a place of prayer. And We enjoined Abraham and Ishmael, saying: Purify my house for those who visit it and those who abide in it for devotion and those who bow down and those who prostrate themselves.
—Qur'an, [Qur'an 2:125]

And when Abraham and Ishmael raised the foundations of the House (Kaaba): Our Lord! accept from us; surely Thou art the Hearing, the Knowing.
—Qur'an, [Qur'an 2:127]

Muslim belief places the story of Ishmael and his mother's search for water in the general vicinity of the mosque. In the story, Hagar runs between the hills of Safa and Marwah looking for water for her son, until God eventually reveals to her the Zamzam Well, from where water continues to flow non-stop to this day.

After the Hijra, upon Muhammed's victorious return to Mecca, the people of Mecca themselves removed all the idols in and around the Kaaba and cleansed it. This began the Islamic rule over the Kaaba, and the building of a mosque around it.

The first major renovation to the Mosque took place in 692. Before this renovation, which included the mosque's outer walls been risen and decoration to the ceiling, the Mosque was a small open area with the Kaaba at the centre. By the end of the 700s, the Mosque's old wooden columns had been replaced with marble columns and the wings of the prayer hall had been extended on both sides along with the addition of a minaret. The spread of Islam in the Middle East and the influx of pilgrims required an almost complete rebuilding of the site which came to include more marble and three further minarets.

In 1399, the Mosque caught fire and what was not destroyed in the fire (very little) was damaged by unseasonable heavy rain. Again the mosque was rebuilt over six years using marble and wood sourced from nearby mountains in the Hejaz region of current day Saudi Arabia. When the mosque was renovated again in 1570 by Sultan Selim II's private architect it resulted in the replacement of the flat roof with domes decorated with calligraphy internally and the placement of new support columns. These features (still present at the Mosque) are the oldest surviving parts of the building and in fact older than the Kaaba itself (discounting the black stone itself) which is currently in its fourth incarnation made in 1629. The Saudi government acknowledges 1570 as the earliest date for architectural features of the present Mosque.

Masjid al-Haram From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Question book-new.svg This article needs additional citations for v

2009-11-08T15:40:00.002+07:00

Masjid al-Haram
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Al-Masjid al-Ḥarām
The Sacred Mosque
Coordinates: 21°25′19″N 39°49′34″E / 21.422°N 39.826°E / 21.422; 39.826Coordinates: 21°25′19″N 39°49′34″E / 21.422°N 39.826°E / 21.422; 39.826
Location Saudi Arabia Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Established 638
Administration Saudi Arabian government
Leadership Imam(s):
Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais
Saud Al-Shuraim (& others)
Architectural information
Capacity 900,000 (increased to 4,000,000 during the hajj period)
Minaret(s) 9
Minaret height 89 meters (292 ft)

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Al-Masjid al-Ḥarām (Arabic: المسجد الحرام‎, pronounced [ʔælˈmæsdʒɪd ælħɑˈrɑːm], "The Sacred Mosque") is the largest mosque in the world. Located in the city of Mecca, it surrounds the Kaaba, the place which Muslims turn towards while offering daily prayers and is considered the holiest place on Earth by Muslims. The mosque is also known as the Grand Mosque.[1]

The current structure covers an area of 400,800 square metres (99.0 acres) including the outdoor and indoor praying spaces and can accommodate up to four million worshippers during the Hajj period, the largest annual gatherings of people in the world.

Structure The mihrab and minbar of Istiqlal mosque The rectangular main prayer hall building is covered by a 45 meter diameter central spherical dome

2009-11-08T15:40:00.001+07:00

Structure
The mihrab and minbar of Istiqlal mosque

The rectangular main prayer hall building is covered by a 45 meter diameter central spherical dome. The dome is supported by twelve round columns and the prayer hall is surrounded by rectangular piers carrying four levels of balcony. Staircases at the corners of the building give access to all floors. The main hall is reached through an entrance covered by a dome 10 meters in diameter. The interior design is minimalist, simple and clean cut, with minimal adornment of aluminium geometric ornaments. The 12 columns are covered with aluminium plates. On the main wall on qibla there is a mihrab and minbar in the center. On the main wall, there is a large metalwork of Arabic calligraphy spelling the name of Allah on the right side and Muhammad on the left side, and also the calligraphy of Surah Thaha 14th verse in the center.
The interior of Istiqlal mosque; the grand domed prayer hall supported by 12 columns

The latter structure is directly connected to the arcades which run around the large courtyard. The mosque also provides facilities for social and cultural activities, including lectures, exhibitions, seminars, conferences, bazaars and programmes for women, young people and children.

Some Muslims in Indonesia said Istiqlal's dome and minaret structure was too Arabic in style. They regarded the architecture as being out of harmony with the Islamic culture and architecture in Indonesia. In response, former president Suharto began an initiative to construct more mosques of the Javanese triple-roofed design.[4]

History Istiqlal Mosque After the Indonesian National Revolution 1945-1949, followed by the acknowledgement of the independence Indonesia from The Ne

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History
Istiqlal Mosque

After the Indonesian National Revolution 1945-1949, followed by the acknowledgement of the independence Indonesia from The Netherlands in 1949, there was a growing idea to build a national mosque for this new republic, befitting for a country with the largest Muslim population in the world. The idea of constructing a grand Indonesian national mosque was launched by KH. Wahid Hasyim, Indonesia's first minister for religions affairs,and Anwar Cokroaminoto, later appointed as the chairman of the Masjid Istiqlal Foundation. The committee for the construction of the Istiqlal Mosque, led by Anwar Cokroaminoto, was founded in 1953. Anwar proposed the idea of a national mosque to Indonesian President Sukarno, who welcomed the idea and later helped to supervise the construction of the mosque. In 1954, the committee appointed Sukarno technical chief supervisor.

Sukarno actively followed the planning and construction of the mosque, including acting as the chairman of the jury for the mosque design competition held in 1955. The design submitted by Frederich Silaban, a Christian architect, with the theme: "Ketuhanan" (Indonesian: Divinity) was chosen as the winner. The foundation stone was laid by Sukarno on 24 August 1961[2] and the construction took 17 years. Indonesian president Suharto inaugurated the Indonesian national mosque on 22 February 1978.[3] It is still the largest mosque in the region: more than 120,000 people can congregate at the mosque at the same time.

Istiqlal Mosque From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Masjid Istiqlal) Jump to: navigation, search Istiqlal Mosque The alabaster m

2009-11-08T15:38:00.000+07:00

Istiqlal Mosque
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Masjid Istiqlal)
Jump to: navigation, search
Istiqlal Mosque

The alabaster marbled Istiqlal Mosque, the largest in Southeast Asia
Basic information
Location Jakarta, Indonesia
Geographic coordinates 6°10′11.40″S 106°49′51.40″E / 6.169833°S 106.830944°E / -6.169833; 106.830944
Affiliation Islam
Website http://www.masjidistiqlal.com
Architectural description
Architect(s) Frederich Silaban
Architectural type Mosque
Year completed 22 February 1978
Construction cost 7 billion rupiah (USD 12 million)
Specifications
Capacity > 120,000
Dome(s) 2
Dome dia. (outer) 45 m
Minaret(s) 1
Minaret height 90 m

Istiqlal Mosque, or Masjid Istiqlal, (Independence Mosque) in Jakarta, Indonesia is the largest mosque in Southeast Asia[1] in term of capacity to accommodate people. However in term of building structure and land coverage, Istiqlal is the largest in Southeast Asia. This national mosque of Indonesia was build to commemorate Indonesian independence, as nation's gratitude for God's blessings; the independence of Indonesia. Therefore the national mosque of Indonesia was named "Istiqlal", an Arabic word for "Independence".

Parma Wallaby From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Parma Wallaby Conservation status Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)[1] Scien

2009-11-08T15:37:00.000+07:00

Parma Wallaby
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Parma Wallaby
Conservation status

Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Diprotodontia
Family: Macropodidae
Genus: Macropus
Species: M. parma
Binomial name
Macropus parma
Waterhouse, 1846

The Parma Wallaby (Macropus parma) was first described by British naturalist John Gould in about 1840. A shy, cryptic creature of the wet sclerophyll forests of southern New South Wales, it was never common and, even before the end of the 19th century, it was believed to be extinct.
Parma Wallaby.jpg
Macropus parma, Berlin zoo.

In 1965 workers on Kawau Island (near Auckland) attempting to control a plague of introduced Tammar Wallabies (a widespread and fairly common species in Australia) were astonished to discover that some of the pests were not Tammar Wallabies at all, but a miraculously surviving population of Parma Wallabies—a species long thought extinct. The extermination effort was put on hold while individuals were captured and sent to institutions in Australia and around the world in the hope that they would breed in captivity and could eventually be reintroduced to their native habitat.

The renewed interest in the Parma Wallaby soon produced another surprise: in 1967 it was found that they still existed in the forests near Gosford, New South Wales. Further investigation demonstrated that the Parma Wallaby was alive and well, and although not common, was to be found in forests along the Great Dividing Range from near Gosford almost as far north as the Queensland border.

Interestingly, the offspring of the Kawau Island population are smaller than their fully wild relatives, even when provided with ample food: it appears that competition for limited food resources on the island selected for smaller individuals.

The Parma Wallaby is the smallest member of the genus Macropus, at between 3.2 and 5.8 kg, less than one tenth the size of the largest surviving member, the Red Kangaroo. It is about a half metre in length, with a sparsely furred, blackish tail about the same length again. The fur is a reddish or greyish brown above, greyer about the head, and fading to pale grey underneath. Presumably, individuals had been sighted many times during the years when it was "extinct", but mistaken for an especially slender and long-tailed example of the otherwise similar Red-legged or Red-necked Pademelon.

Like the pademelons, it prefers to occupy wet sclerophyll forest with thick undergrowth, and grassy patches, although Parma Wallabies are also found occasionally in dry eucalypt forest and even rainforest. It is mainly nocturnal and usually shelters in thick scrub during the day, through which it can travel at speed along the runways it makes. It emerges from cover shortly before dusk to feed on grasses and herbs in forest clearings. The Parma Wallaby is largely solitary, with two or at most three animals sometimes coming together to feed in favourable circumstances.

Although the Parma Wallaby remains rare, there seems to be no immediate threat to it provided that more habitat destruction does not take place, and the population is thought to be slowly increasing

History [edit] 2000-2004: Foundation and initial success in Formula Three Piquet Sports was created primarily for Nelson Piquet Jr. to race in single-

2009-11-08T15:33:00.001+07:00

History
[edit] 2000-2004: Foundation and initial success in Formula Three
Piquet Sports was created primarily for Nelson Piquet Jr. to race in single-seater Formulae.

Piquet Sports was founded in 2000 by Brazilian Nelson Piquet, a triple Formula One World Drivers' Champion, for his son Nelson Piquet Jr. with Filipe Vargas, the team manager, setting up the operation.[1] The team's first competition was the South American Formula Three Championship where Piquet Jr. took second in his first race and won four races later in Cascavel. The young Brazilian finished 5th in the championship with 77 points, while Piquet Sports finished fourth in the team's championship, also scoring 77 points.
"One day Nelson said, 'The first time Nelsinho sits in a race car, it'll be run by you'"
—Felipe Vargas[1]

The team stuck with competing in the South American championship the following year, which they took a majority thirteen of a possible eighteen wins scoring a total of 296 points as Piquet Jr. and Piquet Sports took the Drivers' and Teams' titles respectively, with the Brazilian having a margin of over a hundred points from his nearest rival Danilo Dirani. The team's racing interest went across the Atlantic for 2003 as the team entered the British Formula Three Championship. The team performed well in their début season, with Piquet Jr. taking six wins over the year with a further five podiums brought his points tally to 231 points, putting him third in the final standings for the Drivers' Championship behind Alan van der Merwe and Jamie Green.

The team's racing involvement was split in 2004 with the team entering Piquet Jr. for a second season in the British championship while bringing their attention back to the South American championship, entering fellow Brazilian Alexandre Sarnes Negrão. Both Piquet and Negrão took their respective championship crowns, taking a total of sixteen wins between them.

Piquet GP From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Piquet Sports, formerly known as Minardi Piquet Sports or Minardi by Piqu

2009-11-08T15:32:00.000+07:00

Piquet GP
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

Piquet Sports, formerly known as Minardi Piquet Sports or Minardi by Piquet Sports, is a Brazil–Italian motor racing team. The team was created in 2000 by triple world champion Nelson Piquet. In 2007, the team were rebranded as "Minardi Piquet Sports" after merging with the "GP Racing" team. In 2008, the team dropped "Minardi" from their name and are now known as "Piquet Sports".[1] In 2009, the team again changed its entry name to Piquet GP.

Saudi expansion of the Mosque Question book-new.svg This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by add

2009-11-08T15:21:00.002+07:00

Saudi expansion of the Mosque
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Prophet's Mosque at sunset

The original mosque was not very large, and today the original exists only as a small portion of the larger mosque. From 1925, after Medina surrendered to Ibn Sa'ud, the mosque was gradually expanded until 1955 when extensive renovations were carried out.[1] The latest renovations took place under King Fahd and have greatly increased the size of the mosque, allowing it to hold a large number of worshippers and pilgrims. It is also completely air conditioned and decorated with marble.

The newer and older sections of the mosque are quite distinct. The older section has many colorful decorations and numerous small pillars.

The mosque is located in what was traditionally the center of Medina, with many hotels and old markets nearby. It is a major pilgrimage site and many people who perform the Hajj go on to Medina before or after Hajj to visit the mosque.

Ar-Rawdah an-Nabawiyah Question book-new.svg This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citatio

2009-11-08T15:21:00.001+07:00

Ar-Rawdah an-Nabawiyah
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This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2008)
Rawda (Garden) and Muhammad's pulpit

The heart of the mosque houses a very special but small area named ar-Rawdah an-Nabawiyah, which extends from Muhammad's tomb to his pulpit. Pilgrims attempt to visit and pray in ar-Rawdah, for there is a tradition that supplications and prayers uttered here are never rejected. Entrance into ar-Rawdah is not always possible (especially during the Hajj season), as the tiny area can accommodate only a few hundred people. Ar-Rawdah has two small gateways manned by Saudi police officers. The current marble pulpit was constructed by the Ottomans. The original pulpit was much smaller than the current one, and constructed of palm tree wood, not marble. Ar-Rawdah an-Nabawiyah is considered part of Jannah (Heaven or Paradise)[citation needed].

It is prescribed for the one who visits the mosque to pray two rak’ahs in the Rawdah or whatever he wants of naafil prayers, because it is proven that there is virtue in doing so. It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that Muhammad said: “The area between my house and my minbar is one of the gardens ( riyaad, sing. rawdah) of Paradise, and my minbar is on my cistern (hawd)” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1196; Muslim, 1391.

And it was narrated that Yazeed ibn Abi ‘Ubayd said: “I used to come with Salamah ibn al-Akwa’ and he would pray by the pillar which was by the mus-haf, i.e. in the Rawdah. I said, ‘O Abu Muslim, I see that you are keen to pray by this pillar!’ He said, ‘I saw that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was keen to pray here.’” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 502; Muslim, 509.

Description Question book-new.svg This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable refer

2009-11-08T15:20:00.002+07:00

Description
Question book-new.svg
This section needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2008)
Tomb of Umar

As it stands today, the mosque has a rectangular plan on two floors with the Ottoman prayer hall projecting to the south. The main prayer hall occupies the entire first floor. The mosque enclosure is 100 times bigger than the first mosque built by Muhammad and can accommodate more than half a million worshippers.

The mosque has a flat paved roof topped with 24 domes on square bases. Holes pierced into the base of each dome illuminate the interior. The roof is also used for prayer during peak times, when the 24 domes slide out on metal tracks to shade areas of the roof, creating light wells for the prayer hall. At these times, the courtyard of the Ottoman mosque is also shaded with umbrellas affixed to freestanding columns. The roof is accessed by stairs and escalators. The paved area around the mosque is also used for prayer, equipped with umbrella tents.

The north facade has three evenly spaced porticos, while the east, west and south facades have two. The walls are composed of a series of windows topped by pointed arches with black and white voussoirs. There are six peripheral minarets attached to the new extension, and four others frame the Ottoman structure. The mosque is lavishly decorated with polychrome marble and stones. The columns are of white marble with brass capitals supporting slightly pointed arches, built of black and white stones. The column pedestals have ventilation grills that regulate the temperature inside the prayer hall.

This new mosque contains the older mosque within it. The two sections can be easily distinguished: the older section has many colorful decorations and numerous small pillars; the new section is in gleaming white marble and is completely air-conditioned.

The open courtyard of the mosque can be shaded by folded, umbrella-like canopies, designed by Bodo Rash and Buro Happold.[3]

History Question book-new.svg This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable reference

2009-11-08T15:20:00.001+07:00

History
Question book-new.svg
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The original mosque was built by Muhammad, next to the house where he settled after his journey to Medina in 622 AD. The original mosque was an open-air building with a raised platform for the reading of the Qur'an. It was a rectangular enclosure of 30 m × 35 m (98 ft × 110 ft), built with palm trunks and mud walls, and accessed through three doors: Bab Rahmah to the south, Bab Jibril to the west and Bab al-Nisa' to the east. The basic plan of the building has since been adopted in the building of other mosques throughout the world.

Inside, Muhammad created a shaded area to the south called the suffah and aligned the prayer space facing north towards Jerusalem. When the qibla (prayer direction) was changed to face the Kaaba in Mecca, the mosque was re-oriented to the south. The mosque also served as a community center, a court, and a religious school. Seven years later (629 AD/7 AH), the mosque was doubled in size to accommodate the increasing number of Muslims.

Subsequent Islamic rulers continued to enlarge and embellish the mosque over the centuries. In 707, Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik (705-715) replaced the old structure and built a larger one in its place, incorporating the tomb of Muhammad. This mosque was 84 by 100 m (280 by 330 ft) in size, with stone foundations and a teak roof supported on stone columns. The mosque walls were decorated with mosaics by Coptic and Greek craftsmen, similar to those seen in the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem (built by the same caliph). The courtyard was surrounded by a gallery on four sides, with four minarets on its corners. A mihrab topped by a small dome was built on the qibla wall.

Abbasid Caliph al-Mahdi (775-785) replaced the northern section of Al-Walid's mosque between 778 and 781 to enlarge it further. He also added 20 doors to the mosque: eight on each of the east and west walls, and four on the north wall.
Green Dome above the tomb of Muhammad

During the reign of the Mamluk Sultan Qalawun, a dome was erected above the tomb of Muhammad and an ablution fountain was built outside of Bab al-Salam. Sultan Al-Nasir Muhammad rebuilt the fourth minaret that had been destroyed earlier. After a lightning strike destroyed much of the mosque in 1481, Sultan Qaitbay rebuilt the east, west and qibla walls.

The Ottoman sultans who controlled Medina from 1517 until World War I also made their mark. Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (1520-1566) rebuilt the western and eastern walls of the mosque and built the northeastern minaret known as al-Suleymaniyya. He added a new mihrab (al-Ahnaf) next to Muhammad's mihrab (al-Shafi'iyyah) and placed a new dome covered in lead sheets and painted green above Muhammad's house and tomb.

During the reign of Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid (1839-1861), the mosque was entirely remodeled with the exception of Muhammad's Tomb, the three mihrabs, the minbar and the Suleymaniyya minaret. The precinct was enlarged to include an ablution area to the north. The prayer hall to the south was doubled in width and covered with small domes equal in size except for domes covering the mihrab area, Bab al-Salam and Muhammad's Tomb. The domes were decorated with Qur'anic verses and lines from Qaṣīda al-Burda (Poem of the Mantle), the famous poem by 13th century Arabic poet Busiri. The qibla wall was covered with glazed tiles featuring Qur'anic calligraphy. The floors of the prayer hall and the courtyard were paved with marble and red stones and a fifth minaret (al-Majidiyya), was built to the west of the enclosure.

After the foundation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932, the mosque underwent several major modifications. In 1951 King Ibn Saud (1932-1953) ordered demolitions around the mosque to make way for new wings to the east and west of the prayer hall, which consisted of concrete columns with pointed arches. Older columns were reinforced with concrete and braced with copper rings at the top. The Suleymaniyya and Majidiyya minarets were replaced by two minarets in Mamluk revival style. Two additional minarets were erected to the northeast and northwest of the mosque. A library was built along the western wall to house historic Qur'ans and other religious texts.

In 1973 Saudi King Faisal bin Abdul Aziz ordered the construction of temporary shelters to the west of the mosque to accommodate the growing number of worshippers in 1981, the old mosque was surrounded by new prayer areas on these sides, enlarging five times its size.

The latest renovations took place under King Fahd and have greatly increased the size of the mosque, allowing it to hold a large number of worshippers and pilgrims and adding modern comforts like air conditioning. He also installed twenty seven moving domes at the roof of Masjid Nabawi.[2]

History Question book-new.svg This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable reference

2009-11-08T15:18:00.000+07:00

Al-Masjid al-Nabawi From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Masjid al-Nabawi) Jump to: navigation, search Al-Masjid al-Nabawi Mosque

2009-11-08T15:16:00.000+07:00

Al-Masjid al-Nabawi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Al-Masjid al-Nabawi
Mosque of the Prophet
Coordinates: 24°28′06″N 39°36′39″E / 24.468333°N 39.610833°E / 24.468333; 39.610833Coordinates: 24°28′06″N 39°36′39″E / 24.468333°N 39.610833°E / 24.468333; 39.610833
Location Saudi Arabia Medina, Saudi Arabia
Established c. 622
Administration Saudi Arabian government
Leadership Imam(s):
Ali ibn Abdurrahman al-Hudhaifi (see below for more)
Architectural information
Style Classical and contemporary Islamic; Ottoman; Mamluk revivalist
Capacity 600,000 (increased to 1,000,000 during the hajj period)
Minaret(s) 10
Minaret height 105 meters (344 ft)
TajMahalbyAmalMongia.jpg

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Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (Arabic: المسجد النبوي‎ [IPA /mæsʤıd ænːæbæwiː] "Mosque of the Prophet"), often called the Prophet's Mosque, is a mosque situated in the city of Medina. As the final resting place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, it is considered the second holiest site in Islam by both Shia and Sunni Muslims (the first being the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca) and is the second largest mosque in the world.

One of the most notable features of the site is the Green Dome over the center of the mosque, where the tomb of Muhammad is located. It is not exactly known when the green dome was constructed but manuscripts dating to the early 12th century describe the dome. It is known as the Dome of the Prophet or the Green Dome.[1] Subsequent Islamic rulers greatly expanded and decorated it. Early Muslim leaders Abu Bakr and Umar are buried in an adjacent area in the mosque.

The site was originally Muhammad's house; he settled there after his Hijra (emigration) to Medina, later building a mosque on the grounds. He himself shared in the heavy work of construction. The original mosque was an open-air building. The basic plan of the building has been adopted in the building of other mosques throughout the world.

The mosque also served as a community center, a court, and a religious school. There was a raised platform for the people who taught the Qur'an.

Corruption Eradication Commission From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from KPK) Jump to: navigation, search Unbalanced scales.svg The

2009-11-08T15:14:00.000+07:00

Corruption Eradication Commission
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Jump to: navigation, search
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The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. (September 2008)
The KPK head office in Jakarta

Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (Indonesian: Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi) (abbreviated KPK) is a government agency fighting corruption.

Created by a 2002 law, the Commission has "confronted head-on the endemic corruption that remains as a legacy of President Suharto’s 32-year-long kleptocracy. Since it started operating in late 2003, the commission has investigated, prosecuted and achieved a 100-percent conviction rate in 86 cases of bribery and graft related to government procurements and budgets."[1]

KPK public education division official Budiono Prakoso said in December 2008 that because of its limited manpower and resources, of some 16,200 cases reported to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), only a small number had been dealt with.[2] A large number of the solid reports informed the KPK of alleged cases of corruption and misuse of budget funds by government agencies at national and regional levels. "The main problem is the political will of the government at regional and national levels. Political will remains low. Everything is still at a lip-service level," he said.

Bali Corruption Watch (BCW) head Putu Wirata Dwikora asked the KPK to investigate corruption cases in Bali, directly. He lamented the commission's practice of handing over corruption cases in Bali to the local prosecutors office for further investigation. "The KPK should be directly involved in investigations to create a deterrent effect," Putu said. [2]

The success of the KPK using controversial tools like warrantless wiretaps, and its focus on high-level targets like "businessmen, bureaucrats, bankers, governors, diplomats, lawmakers, prosecutors, police officials and other previously untouchable members of Indonesian society," have led to a backlash and attempts to undermine the Commission in Parliament.[3]

2009-11-08T14:42:00.000+07:00

Volkswagen in the 21st century
2006 Volkswagen Phaeton

Volkswagen began introducing an array of new models after Bernd Pischetsrieder became Volkswagen Group CEO (responsible for all Group brands) in 2002. The fifth-generation VW Golf was launched in 2004, came runner-up to the Fiat Panda in the 2004 European Car of the Year, and has spawned several cousins: VW Bora, SEAT León, SEAT Toledo, Škoda Octavia and Audi A3 hatchback ranges, as well as a new mini-MPV, the SEAT Altea. The GTI, a "hot hatchback" performance version of the Golf, boasts a 2.0 L Turbocharged Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI) direct injection engine. VW began marketing the Golf under the Rabbit name once again in the U.S. and Canada in June 2006. (The GTI had arrived to North America four months earlier). The fifth-generation Jetta, and the performance version, the GLI, are also available in the United States and Canada. The sixth-generation Passat and the fifth-generation Jetta both debuted in 2005, and VW has announced plans to expand its lineup further by bringing back the Scirocco by 2008. Other models in Wolfgang Bernhard's (Volkswagen brand CEO) "product offensive" include the Tiguan mid-sized SUV in 2008 and a Passat Coupé. In November 2006 Bernd Pischetsrieder announced his resignation as Volkswagen Group CEO, and was replaced by Audi worldwide CEO Martin Winterkorn at the beginning of 2007. Winterkorn is credited with making Audi a challenger to the dominance of BMW and Mercedes, and his design-led strategy has led to Audi being considered one of the most important brands in the world. It remains to be seen how Winterkorn's focus on design shapes the Volkswagen brand's future. Nevertheless, Volkswagen continues to have complicated relations with both unions and shareholders. The German state of Lower Saxony owns significant stock in VW, as does sportscar manufacturer Porsche.
The B5.5 fifth-generation Passat facelift

In North America, VW faced many challenges. After rising significantly between 1998 and 2001, VW's North American sales began to fall sharply leading to a 2005 loss of roughly US$1 billion for its operations in the U.S. and Canada. Profitability has not been strong, and the lack of reliability of the company's cars appears to bear some of the responsibility for this situation. By 2005, its models sat near the bottom of Consumer Reports reliability ratings, and J.D. Power and Associates ranked VW 35th out of 37 bands in its initial quality survey. Attempts to enter a new market segment also compromised Volkswagen's standing in North America. In 2002, Volkswagen announced the debut of its Phaeton luxury car, which was critically acclaimed but not well received in the marketplace. VW announced its discontinuance in the U.S. market for the 2007 model year due to the disappointing sales.

Volkswagen from 1991 to 2000 The 2000 Volkswagen Golf GL, in North American form In 1991, Volkswagen launched the third-generation Golf, which was Eu

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Volkswagen from 1991 to 2000
The 2000 Volkswagen Golf GL, in North American form

In 1991, Volkswagen launched the third-generation Golf, which was European Car of the Year for 1992 (the previous two generations were nominated but lost to the Citroën CX in 1975 and the Fiat Uno in 1984). The Golf Mk3 and Jetta arrived in North America just before the start of 1994 model year, first appearing in southern California in the late spring of 1993. The sedan version of the Golf was badged Vento in Europe (but remained Jetta in the USA, where its popularity eventually outstripped the Golf).

The late 1990s saw a gradual change in perception of the company's products - with Audi having elevated itself into same league as BMW and Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen moved upmarket to fill the void left by Audi; with SEAT and the further addition of the Czech car maker Škoda being acquired in the late 1990s, now occupying what was once VW's core market. The first tangible evidence of this was the fifth-generation Passat in 1996 with its high-quality interior trim and standards of build quality which were demonstrably a cut above the run-of-the-mill Ford Mondeo, Opel Vectra and Peugeot 406.

This move upmarket was continued with the Golf Mk4, introduced at the end of 1997 (and in North America in 1999), its chassis spawned a host of other cars within the Volkswagen group — the Volkswagen Bora (the sedan, still called Jetta in the USA), New Beetle, SEAT Toledo, SEAT León, Audi A3, Audi TT and Škoda Octavia. However, it was beaten into third place for the 1998 European Car of the Year award by the winning Alfa Romeo 156 and runner-up Audi A6.

The other main models have been the Polo, a smaller car than the Golf, and the larger Passat for the segment above the Golf. The Scirocco and the later Corrado were both Golf-based coupés.

By the early 1990s, Volkswagen's annual sales in the United States were below 100,000, and many car buyers found the company's products to be lacking in value. Some automotive journalists believed that Volkswagen would have to quit the North American market altogether. VW eventually realized that the Beetle was the heart and soul of the brand in North America, and the firm quickly set about creating a new Beetle for American and Canadian showrooms.
The Volkswagen New Beetle proved to be a popular concept, especially in North America.

In 1994, Volkswagen unveiled the J Mays-designed Concept One, a "retro"-themed car with a resemblance to the original Beetle but based on the Polo platform. Its genesis was secret and in opposition to VW management, who felt it was too backward-looking. Management could not deny the positive public response to the concept car and gave the green light to its development as the New Beetle. The production car would be based on the Golf rather than the Polo, because the Polo frame was too small for the car to pass crash test standards in the U.S. It has been quite popular in the North America and is now gaining in the European Union.

Volkswagen's fortunes in North America improved once the third-generation Golf and Jetta models became available there. Sharp advertising and clever promotional stunts, like including Trek bicycles, and accompanying bicycle racks with a limited edition of the 1996 Jetta sedan, were credited for the firm's recovery in the U.S. and Canada, but the introductions of the New Beetle and the fifth-generation Passat were a major boost to the brand.

In the UK, Volkswagen's market share grew throughout the 1990s. In 1990, the Golf was Britain's 12th most popular car with nearly 50,000 units sold. The Mk3 Polo achieved similar success in the mid 1990s, but in 1999 the Mk4 Golf was Volkswagen's first ever entrant in Britain's top 10 list of most popular new cars. Its success continued into the 2000s, while the Polo and Passat were never far outside the top 10. Bad news for Volkswagen during this era was a dip in customer satisfaction. A brand which had built its reputation on reliability was now being overtaken by marques whose reputations had been damaged by quality problems. This bad press took several years to eradicate.

In the late 1990s Volkswagen acquired the three luxury brands Lamborghini (through Audi), Bentley and Bugatti which were mainly due to Ferdinand Piëch and added to the group portfolio. Audi's plans for Lamborghini included a small supercar later to be named the Gallardo, and a new halo vehicle, the Murciélago, and later the Reventon limited edition halo car. In late 2008 the idea of a 4-door saloon for the Lamborghini brand was shown in the form of the Lamborghini Estoque concept.

For Bentley, its future within the Volkswagen group seemed bright as the launch of the Bentley Continental range helped Bentley post record-breaking sales of 10,000. Bentley is in 2009 going to launch a new Arnage-replacing car codenamed Project Kimberly, the car being named the 'New Grand Bentley.' The name is uncertain.

Bugatti, after Volkswagen purchased the rights to use the name, showed three concept cars, the Bugatti EB110 (coupe and saloon) and the Bugatti Chiron. Bugatti then launched the Veyron hypercar, with a top speed of 252 mph (407 km/h). Although Bugatti makes a huge loss on every Veyron, Volkswagen is still going to keep the brand and maybe will launch a new Rolls Royce Phantom-rivaling saloon rumoured to be called Royale.
[edit] Volkswagen in the 21st century

Volkswagen from 1974 to 1990 Volkswagen Polo, 1990 While Volkswagen's range of cars soon became similar to that of other large European automakers, t

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Volkswagen from 1974 to 1990
Volkswagen Polo, 1990

While Volkswagen's range of cars soon became similar to that of other large European automakers, the Golf has been the mainstay of the Volkswagen lineup since its introduction, and the mechanical basis for several other cars of the company. There have been six generations of the Volkswagen Golf, the first of which was produced from the summer of 1974 until the end of 1983 (sold as the Rabbit in the United States and Canada and as the Caribe in Latin America). Its chassis also spawned the Volkswagen Scirocco sport coupe, Volkswagen Jetta saloon/sedan, Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet convertible, and Volkswagen Caddy pickup. North American production of the Rabbit commenced at a factory in New Stanton, Pennsylvania in 1978. It would be produced in the United States as the Rabbit until the spring of 1984. The second-generation Golf hatchback/Jetta sedan ran from late 1983 to late 1991, and a North American version produced in Pennsylvania went on sale at the start of the 1985 model year. The production numbers of the first-generation Golf has continued to grow annually in South Africa as the Citi Golf, with only minor modifications to the interior, engine and chassis, using tooling relocated from the New Stanton, Pennsylvania plant when that site began to build the Second Generation car.

In the 1980s, Volkswagen's sales in the United States and Canada fell dramatically, despite the success of models like the Golf elsewhere. The Japanese and the Americans were able to compete with similar products at lower prices. Sales in the United States were 293,595 in 1980, but by 1984 they were down to 177,709.[9] The introduction of the second-generation Golf, GTI and Jetta models helped Volkswagen briefly in North America. Motor Trend named the GTI its Car of the Year for 1985, and Volkswagen rose in the J.D. Power buyer satisfaction ratings to eighth place in 1985, up from 22nd a year earlier.[10] VW's American sales broke 200,000 in 1985 and 1986 before resuming the downward trend from earlier in the decade. Chairman Carl Hahn decided to expand the company elsewhere, and the New Stanton, Pennsylvania factory closed on 14 July 1988.[11] Meanwhile, four years after signing a cooperation agreement with the Spanish car maker SEAT in 1982, Hahn expanded the company by purchasing a majority share of SEAT up to 75% by the end of 1986, which VW bought outright in 1990.[12]

Volkswagen had entered the supermini market in 1976 with the Volkswagen Polo, a stylish and spacious three-door hatchback designed by Bertone. It was a strong seller in West Germany and most of the rest of Western Europe, being one of the first foreign small cars to prove popular in Britain. The second-generation model, launched in 1981 and sold as a hatchback and "coupe" (with the hatchback resembling a small estate car and the coupe being similar to a conventional hatchback), was an even greater success for Volkswagen. It was facelifted in 1990 and was still selling well after 13 years, when it was replaced by the third-generation Polo in 1994.

1974: from Beetle to Golf/Rabbit Volkswagen was in serious trouble by 1973.[8] The Type 3 and Type 4 models had sold in much smaller numbers than the

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1974: from Beetle to Golf/Rabbit

Volkswagen was in serious trouble by 1973.[8] The Type 3 and Type 4 models had sold in much smaller numbers than the Beetle and the NSU-based K70 also failed to woo buyers. Beetle sales had started to decline rapidly in European and North American markets. The company knew that Beetle production had to end one day, but the conundrum of replacing it had been a never-ending nightmare. VW's ownership of Audi / Auto Union proved to be the key to the problem - with its expertise in front-wheel drive, and water-cooled engines which Volkswagen so desperately needed to produce a credible Beetle successor. Audi influences paved the way for this new generation of Volkswagens, known as the Polo, Golf and Passat.

The Volkswagen Polo was in fact simply a re-badging of the short-lived Audi 50, which had been hastily developed from a sedan design, the Audi 60. However, VW produced it shortly after the introduction of the Polo as the Volkswagen Derby. In the rear of the car can plainly be seen that panels are added to the Polo structure to make a "three-box" design of saloon (sedan), or saloon with a boot or trunk.

The Volkswagen Passat (Dasher in the U.S.), introduced in 1973, was again simply a fastback (available as either a hatchback or with separate boot) version of the Audi 80, using identical body and mechanical parts, and the Audi 80 was later produced on the same line in Wolfsburg as the Passat. Estate/wagon versions were offered for overseas markets, however, for two years, if British and South African customers wanted an estate/wagon version, they had to go considerably upmarket and buy the Audi 80 GL estate.

However, the pivotal model which would turn Volkswagen's fortunes emerged as the Volkswagen Golf in 1974, marketed in the United States and Canada as the Rabbit for the 1st generation (1975-1985) and 5th generation (2006-2009). This was a car unlike its predecessor in most significant ways, both mechanically as well as visually (its angular styling was designed by the Italian Giorgetto Giugiaro). Its design followed trends for small family cars set by the 1959 Mini — the Golf had a transversely mounted, water-cooled engine in the front, driving the front wheels, and had a hatchback, a format that has dominated the market segment ever since. Beetle production at Wolfsburg ended upon the Golf's introduction, but continued in smaller numbers at other German factories (Hanover and Emden) until 1978, but mainstream production shifted to Brazil and Mexico.

Product line expansion An original and unmodified 1963 VW Type 3 Notchback. VW expanded its product line in 1961 with the introduction of several Typ

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Product line expansion
An original and unmodified 1963 VW Type 3 Notchback.

VW expanded its product line in 1961 with the introduction of several Type 3 models, which were essentially body style variations (Fastback, Notchback, Squareback) based on Type 1 mechanical underpinnings, and again in 1969 with the larger Type 4 (also known as the 411 and 412) models. These differed substantially from previous vehicles, with the notable introduction of monocoque/unibody construction, the option of a fully automatic transmission, electronic fuel injection, and a sturdier powerplant. Volkswagen added a "Super Beetle"[7] (the Type 113) to its lineup in 1971. The Type 113 differed from the standard Beetle in its use of a MacPherson strut front suspension instead of the usual torsion bars. Also the nose of the car was stretched 2 inches (51 mm) to allow the spare tyre to lie flat, and the combination of these two features significantly increased the usable front luggage space. Despite the Super Beetle's (marketed outside North America as the VW 1302, later 1303) popularity with Volkswagen customers, purists preferred the standard Beetle with its less pronounced nose and its original torsion bar suspension. In 1973, Volkswagen introduced the military-themed Type 181, or "Trekker" in Europe and the UK, "Thing" in America, recalling the wartime Type 81. The military version was produced for the NATO-era German Army during the Cold War years of 1970 to 1979. The US Thing version only sold for two years, 1973 and 1974, thanks at least in part to Ralph Nader's automobile safety campaigns.

In 1964, Volkswagen succeeded in purchasing Auto Union, and in 1969, NSU Motorenwerke AG (NSU). The former company owned the historic Audi brand, which had disappeared after the Second World War. VW ultimately merged Auto Union and NSU to create the modern day Audi company, and would go on to develop it as its luxury vehicle marque. However, the purchase of Auto Union and NSU proved to be a pivotal point in Volkswagen's history, as both companies yielded the technological expertise that proved necessary for VW to survive when demand for its air-cooled models went into terminal decline as the 1970s dawned.

1948–1974: icon for the West German regeneration Volkswagen Type 4 assembly line in Wolfsburg as of 1973 1949 Volkswagen Sedan 1958 Volkswagen Pickup

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1948–1974: icon for the West German regeneration
Volkswagen Type 4 assembly line in Wolfsburg as of 1973
1949 Volkswagen Sedan
1958 Volkswagen Pickup truck
An original 1300 Deluxe, circa 1966.
Rear, restored 1967 VW Beetle in Sri Lanka.
Volkswagen Beetle found in Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico

From 1948, Volkswagen became a very important element, symbolically and economically, of West German regeneration. Heinrich Nordhoff (1899–1968), a former senior manager at Opel who had overseen civilian and military vehicle production in the 1930s and 1940s, was recruited to run the factory in 1948. In 1949 Major Hirst left association with the company, as it had now been re-formed as a trust, controlled by the West German government, and the government of the State of Lower Saxony. Apart from the introduction of the Volkswagen Type 2 commercial vehicle (van, pickup and camper), and the VW Karmann Ghia sports car, Nordhoff pursued the one-model policy until shortly before his death in 1968.

Volkswagens were first exhibited and sold in the United States in 1949, but only sold two units in America that first year. On its entry to the U.S. market, the VW was briefly sold as a "Victory Wagon". Volkswagen of America was formed in April 1955 to standardize sales and service in the United States. Production of the Type 1 Volkswagen Beetle increased dramatically over the years, the total reaching one million in 1955.

Sales soared — thanks in part to the famous advertising campaigns by New York advertising agency Doyle, Dane Bernbach. Led by art director Helmut Krone, and copywriters Julian Koenig and Bob Levinson, Volkswagen advertisements became as popular as the car, using crisp layouts and witty copy to lure the younger, sophisticated consumers with whom the car became associated. Even though it was almost universally known as the Beetle (or the Bug), it was never officially labeled as such by the manufacturer, instead referred to as the Type 1. The first reference to the name Beetle occurred in U.S. advertising in 1968, but not until 1998 and the Golf-based New Beetle would the name be adopted by Volkswagen.

Although the car was becoming outdated, during the 1960s and early 1970s, American exports, innovative advertising, and a growing reputation for reliability helped production figures surpass the levels of the previous record holder, the Ford Model T. On February 17, 1972 the 15,007,034th Beetle was sold. Volkswagen could now claim the world production record for the most-produced, single make of car in history. By 1973, total production was over 16 million.

To commemorate its passing the Ford Model T's record sales mark and its victories in the Baja 1000 Mexican races from 1967 to 1971, Volkswagen produced its first limited-edition Beetle. It was marketed as the "Baja Champion SE"[6] in the United States and the "Marathon" Superbeetle in the rest of the world. It featured unique "Marathon Blau" metallic blue paint, steel-pressed 10-spoke 15-inch (38 cm) magnesium-alloy wheels, a commemorative metal plate mounted on the glovebox and a certificate of authenticity presented to the original purchaser. Dealer-installed options for this limited-edition Superbeetle included the following: white stripes running the length of the rocker-panel, a special shifter knob, bumper overriders, tapered exhaust tips, fake walnut inserts in the dashboard (behind the steering wheel and the glovebox cover) as well as Bosch fog lights mounted on the front bumper.

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Survival in Allied occupied Germany

In Occupied Germany, the Allies followed the Morgenthau Plan, to remove all German war potential, by complete or partial pastoralisation. As part of this, in the Industrial plans for Germany, the rules for which industry Germany was to be allowed to retain were set out. German car production was set at a maximum of 10% of the 1936 car production numbers.[3]

As mentioned above, the Volkswagen factory at Wolfsburg came under British control in 1945; it was to be dismantled and shipped to Britain. Thankfully for Volkswagen, no British car manufacturer was interested in the factory; "the vehicle does not meet the fundamental technical requirement of a motor-car … it is quite unattractive to the average buyer … To build the car commercially would be a completely uneconomic enterprise".[4] The factory survived by producing cars for the British Army instead. Allied dismantling policy changed in late 1946 to mid 1947, although heavy industry continued to be dismantled until 1951. In March 1947 Herbert Hoover helped change policy by stating: "There is the illusion that the New Germany left after the annexations can be reduced to a 'pastoral state'. It cannot be done unless we exterminate or move 25,000,000 people out of it".[5] Thanks to the protection of British Army Major Ivan Hirst, Volkswagen survived the perilous times, and became part of the German economic recovery.

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1945: British Army, Major Ivan Hirst, unclear future

The company owes its post-war existence largely to one man, British Army officer Major Ivan Hirst, REME. In April 1945, KdF-Stadt, and its heavily bombed factory were captured by the Americans, and subsequently handed over to the British, within whose occupation zone the town and factory fell. The factories were placed under the control of Oldham-born Hirst. At first, the plan was to use it for military vehicle maintenance. Since it had been used for military production, and had been in Hirst's words a "political animal" rather than a commercial enterprise, the equipment was in time intended to be salvaged as war reparations. Hirst painted one of the factory's cars green and demonstrated it to British Army headquarters. Short of light transport, in September 1945 the British Army was persuaded to place a vital order for 20,000. The first few hundred cars went to personnel from the occupying forces, and to the German Post Office.

Some British Service personnel were allowed to take their VW Beetles back to the United Kingdom when they were demobilized, and one of the very first Beetles brought back in that way (UK registration number JLT 420) is still owned by Peter Colborne-Baber, the son of the original proprietor of the UK's first official Volkswagen Importer, Colborne Garages of Ripley, Surrey.[2]

By 1946 the factory was producing 1,000 cars a month, a remarkable feat considering it was still in disrepair. Owing to roof and window damage, rain stopped production and new vehicles were bartered for steel required for more production.

The car, and its town changed their Second World War-era names to "Volkswagen", and "Wolfsburg" respectively, and production was increasing. It was still unclear what was to become of the factory. It was offered to representatives from the British, American and French motor industries. Famously, all rejected it. After an inspection of the plant, Sir William Rootes, head of the British Rootes Group, told Hirst the project would fail within two years, and that the car "is quite unattractive to the average motorcar buyer, is too ugly and too noisy … If you think you're going to build cars in this place, you're a bloody fool, young man".[citation needed] In an ironic twist of fate, Volkswagen would manufacture a locally built version of Rootes's Hillman Avenger in Argentina in the 1980s, long after Rootes had gone bankrupt at the hands of Chrysler in 1978—the Beetle outliving the Avenger by over 30 years.

Ford representatives were equally critical: the car was "not worth a damn," according to Henry Ford II, the son of Edsel Ford, although he did reportedly look at the possibility of taking over the VW factory, but dismissed the idea as soon as he looked up Wolfsburg on the map and found it to be too close for comfort to the East German border.

In France, Citroën started the 2CV on a similar marketing concept. Meanwhile, in Italy, the Fiat 500 "Topolino" was developed.

History For vehicle time line tables, see: Volkswagen (timeline) Model of Porsche Type 12, Museum of Industrial Culture, Nuremberg In 1933, sho

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History

For vehicle time line tables, see: Volkswagen (timeline)

Model of Porsche Type 12, Museum of Industrial Culture, Nuremberg

In 1933, shortly after taking over as leader of Germany, Adolf Hitler teamed up with Ferdinand Porsche to make changes to Porsche's original 1931 design to make it more suited for the working man. (Béla Barényi is credited with having conceived the basic design five years earlier.) Hans Ledwinka discussed his ideas with Ferdinand Porsche, who used many Tatra design features in the 1938 "KdF-Wagen", later known as the VW Käfer—or Volkswagen Beetle. When Chrysler brought out the 1934 DeSoto Airflow coupe, its design enabled Mr. Porsche to finalize his design of the Beetle. On 22 June 1934, Dr. Ferdinand Porsche agreed to create the "People's Car" for Hitler.

Changes included better fuel efficiency, reliability, ease of use, and economically efficient repairs and parts. The intention was that ordinary Europeans would buy the car by means of a savings scheme ("Fünf Mark die Woche musst Du sparen, willst Du im eigenen Wagen fahren" — "Save five Marks a week, if you want to drive your own car"), which around 336,000 people eventually paid into. Volkswagen honoured its savings agreements in West Germany (but not in East Germany) after World War II[citation needed]. Prototypes of the car called the "KdF-Wagen" (German: Kraft durch Freude — "strength through joy"), appeared from 1936 onwards (the first cars had been produced in Stuttgart). The car already had its distinctive round shape and air-cooled, flat-four, rear-mounted engine. The VW car was just one of many KdF programmes which included things such as tours and outings. The prefix Volks— ("People's") was not just applied to cars, but also to other products in Europe; the "Volksempfänger" radio receiver for instance. On 28 May 1937, the Gesellschaft zur Vorbereitung des Deutschen Volkswagens mbH was established by the Deutsche Arbeitsfront. It was later renamed "Volkswagenwerk GmbH" on 16 September 1938. [1]
VW Type 82E

Erwin Komenda, the longstanding Auto Union chief designer, developed the car body of the prototype, which was recognizably the Beetle known today. It was one of the first to be evolved with the aid of a wind tunnel; unlike the Chrysler Airflow, it would be a success.

The building of the new factory started 26 May 1938 in the new town of KdF-Stadt, now called Wolfsburg, which had been purpose-built for the factory workers. This factory had only produced a handful of cars by the time war started in 1939. None was actually delivered to any holder of the completed saving stamp books, though one Type 1 Cabriolet was presented to Hitler on 20 April 1938 (his 49th birthday).

War meant production changed to military vehicles, the Type 82 Kübelwagen ("Tub car") utility vehicle (VW's most common wartime model), and the amphibious Schwimmwagen which were used to equip the German forces.

Volkswagen From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search "VW" redirects here. For the airline using IATA designator VW, see Aeroma

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Volkswagen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
"VW" redirects here. For the airline using IATA designator VW, see Aeromar.
This article is about the Volkswagen Passenger Cars . For specific information on Volkswagen vans, trucks and buses, see Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.
This article may be too long to read and navigate comfortably. Please consider splitting content into sub-articles and using this article for a summary of the key points of the subject. (September 2009)
Volkswagen VW-Logo.png
Type Subsidiary of Volkswagen Group
Founded May 28, 1937
Founder(s) Ferdinand Porsche, Adolf Hitler, Robert Ley
Headquarters Wolfsburg, Germany
Area served Worldwide
Key people Martin Winterkorn:
Chairman of the Board of Management,
Christian Klingler:
Board of Management of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars Ferdinand Piëch : Chairman of Volkswagen Supervisory Board
Industry Automotive
Products Cars
Website Volkswagen.com (international) and VW.com (US)

The Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft (VAG), also known as Volkswagen Group or as VW, is an automobile manufacturer and mobility organisation based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany and is the pioneer brand within the Volkswagen Group, which contains the car brands Audi AG, Bentley Motors Limited, Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S., Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A, SEAT, Škoda Auto and heavy goods vehicle manufacturer Scania AB. The Supervisory Board of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft (VAG) has endorsed the creation of an integrated automotive group with Porsche under the leadership of Volkswagen.

Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, in which it is pronounced [ˈfɔlksˌvaːɡən]. Its current tagline or slogan is Das Auto (in English The Car). Its previous German tagline was Aus Liebe zum Automobil, which translates to: Out of Love for the Car, or, For Love of the Automobile, as translated by VW in other languages.

Gaira Caffeine Gaira First game Samurai Shodown III Voiced by Kōji Suizu (水津浩志) (III) Takeshi Watanabe (voice actor) (渡辺健) (IV-V) Takumi Satō (佐藤

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Gaira Caffeine
Gaira
First game Samurai Shodown III
Voiced by Kōji Suizu (水津浩志) (III)
Takeshi Watanabe (voice actor) (渡辺健) (IV-V)
Takumi Satō (佐藤巧) (VI)
Information
Birthplace Japan, Hida Province (飛騨?)
Blood type O
Fighting style None
Weapon Namu Abi Dabi (南無阿弥陀仏?), a huge Buddhist rosary

Gaira Caffeine (花諷院骸羅, Kafūin Gaira?) is a recurring character and is one of the few characters introduced in Samurai Shodown III.

He is the grandson of Nicotine Caffeine and a monk in training. In his ending to Samurai Shodown V, he is comically shaved bald at the whim of several other hairless characters.[8] Years later, with his hair grown back, he and his grandfather have an argument, causing Gaira to leave his home and venture out on his own. During his travels, he witnesses Zankuro Minazuki slaughtering an entire village but is too afraid to stop him. Ashamed by his cowardice, he decides to defeat the "demon",[9] but finds Zankuro already slain. He takes the body, buries and then enshrines it.[10] His later appearances in the series continue to have Gaira exorcise demons as training.[11]

Samurai Shodown III showed the departure of giant and muscular characters (such as Earthquake, Sieger, and Wan-fu) from the cast. Gaira, however, became the "giant" in their place as he boosts incredible strength for close-ranged fighting. He attacks his enemies with a belt of gigantic prayer beads and his fists. With this combination of weaponry, he can grapple and rush into people in his range. He technically may not cut anyone but has the power to rival several bosses in strength. Also, he may "seal" certain actions or "dizzy" his foe, similar to his grandfather.

Gaira has also appeared as a playable character in Samurai Shodown IV, Samurai Shodown V, and Samurai Shodown VI. He also has an EX form in Samurai Shodown VI under his Korean name.[12] His role in Samurai Shodown RPG was an occasional guest member and he was unplayable.

Shiro Tokisada Amakusa Amakusa First game Samurai Shodown Voiced by (English) Marcy Rae (1994 anime) Voiced by (Japanese) Eiji Yano (や乃えいじ) (I-IV)

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Shiro Tokisada Amakusa
Amakusa
First game Samurai Shodown
Voiced by (English) Marcy Rae (1994 anime)
Voiced by (Japanese) Eiji Yano (や乃えいじ) (I-IV)
Mitsuaki Madono (真殿光昭) (RPG)
Takashi Ōhara (大原崇) (V Special)
Junji Majima (間島淳司) (VI)
Yū Daiki (大輝ゆう) (1994 anime)
Information
Birthplace Japan, Higo Province
Blood type Unknown
Fighting style Unknown
Weapon Gadamer Gem (ガダマーの宝珠?), a magical orb

Shiro Tokisada Amakusa (天草四郎時貞, Amakusa Shirō Tokisada?) is a recurring boss and playable character in the Samurai Showdown series.[1] He is based on the historical Amakusa Shirō, who led a Christian rebellion in the Shimabara region of Japan where the bakufu army crushed his revolt and executed him.

Prior to the events of Samurai Shodown, Amakusa is resurrected by the dark goddess Ambrosia; he uses the body of Shinzo Hattori (one of Hanzo's sons).[2] His main plot involves him stealing the Palenke stone, with which he intended to bring Ambrosia to the mortal world. The player prevents this from happening by defeating him.[3] Upon his resurrection in Samurai Shodown IV, his spirit splits into two halves: one good and one evil. His evil counterpart is slain by Zankuro in the same game but his good side lives on thanks to Shinzo. During the events in Samurai Shodown II, he saves certain characters from Mizuki's wrath but is defeated, leaving only Shinzo's body for Hanzo to claim.

Amakusa fights his opponents by attacking them with a levitating gem. He can direct the gem with an impressive range, able to smash his enemies from the air and ground level from nearly any distance easily. At times, his gem may not compensate for opponents close to him so he also has a multi-hitting slap attack when he is close. To confuse his adversaries, he may also teleport and hover above them before diving upon them with a damaging attack. He also projects fiery projectiles in the image of demons to his foes, making him a formidable long-distance fighter.

In Samurai Shodown III, Samurai Shodown IV, Samurai Shodown V Special, and Samurai Shodown VI Amakusa is a playable character.[1] He returns in Samurai Shodown RPG as one of the game's main antagonists.[4] According to Gamest Mook (a Japanese mook created separate from its main publication), he was a possible candidate for the Samurai Shodown 64 lineup but was taken out due to time constraints.[5]

Gameplay The game is set in the late 18th century and all the characters wield weapons. The game uses comparatively authentic music from the time per

2009-11-08T14:34:00.001+07:00

Gameplay

The game is set in the late 18th century and all the characters wield weapons. The game uses comparatively authentic music from the time period, rife with sounds of traditional Japanese instruments, such as the shakuhachi and shamisen, and a refined version of the camera zoom first found in Art of Fighting. True to its use of bladed weapons, the game also included copious amounts of blood.

The game quickly became renowned for its fast pace, focused more on quick, powerful strikes than the combos. As to emphasize the distinction of this gameplay system, slow motion was added to intensify damage dealt from hard hits. Also during a match, a referee held flags representing each player (player 1 was white; player 2 red). When a player landed a successful hit, the referee would lift the corresponding flag, letting everyone watching know who dealt the blow. To lessen the repetition of fights, a delivery man running in the background threw items such as chicken (that healed) or bombs, which could significantly change the outcome of a

Samurai Shodown From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article is specifically about the original Samurai Shodown

2009-11-08T14:33:00.002+07:00

Samurai Shodown
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

This article is specifically about the original Samurai Shodown game. For information on the series as a whole, see Samurai Shodown (series).

Samurai Shodown
Cover artwork of Samurai Shodown
Cover art of the Neo Geo version of Samurai Shodown by Shinkiro.
Developer(s) SNK
Publisher(s) SNK
Designer(s) Galapagos Team
Platform(s) Arcade, 3DO, Game Gear, Game Boy, Sega Master System, Sega Mega Drive, Game Gear, Neo Geo, Neo Geo CD, Sega Mega-CD, Super Nintendo, Virtual Console, Xbox 360 (XBLA), PlayStation 2, Wii
Release date(s) August 11, 1993
Genre(s) 2D Weapon Based Versus fighting
Mode(s) Up to 2 players simultaneously
Media (118 Mbit cartridge)
Input methods 8-way Joystick, 4 Buttons
Cabinet Upright
Arcade system Neo Geo
Display Raster, 304 x 224 pixels (Horizontal), 4096 colors

Samurai Shodown, known as Samurai Spirits (サムライスピリッツ, Samurai Supirittsu?, Samu Supi in short) in Japan, is a 1993 competitive fighting game produced by SNK for their Neo Geo arcade and home platform. In contrast to other fighting games at the time which were set in modern times and focused primarily on hand-to-hand combat, Samurai Shodown is set in feudal-era Japan and was one of the first fighting games to focus primarily on weapon-based combat.

Commissioned ships In the Republic of Korea Navy, there are some 170 commissioned ships (total displacement of approx. 153,000 tons) including about

2009-11-08T14:33:00.001+07:00

Commissioned ships

In the Republic of Korea Navy, there are some 170 commissioned ships (total displacement of approx. 153,000 tons) including about 10 submarines, 80 patrol craft and 20 auxiliaries as of October 2007. The names of ships are that of the historical figures, provinces, cities, counties, peaks, lakes, islands, and birds. The Chief of Naval Operations selects the names of ships

List of Republic of Korea Navy ships From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This is a list of major Republic of Korea Navy

2009-11-08T14:30:00.000+07:00

List of Republic of Korea Navy ships
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

This is a list of major Republic of Korea Navy ships.

The South Korean navy employs the US Navy-style letter based hull classification symbols to designate the types of its ships and hull numbers to uniquely identify its vessels (e.g. DDH 975). The ship prefix for the ROK Navy ship is ROKS (Republic of Korea Ship) when the names of ships are written in English.

Trans Studio Makassar From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Trans Studio Trans Studio Theme Park.jpg This file is a candi

2009-11-06T17:48:00.000+07:00

Trans Studio Makassar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Trans Studio
Trans Studio Theme Park.jpg

This file is a candidate for speedy deletion. It may be deleted after Sunday, 8 November 2009.
Location Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia
Address Jl. Metro Tanjung Bunga
Website http://www.transstudioworld.com[1]
Owner PT. Trans Kalla
Opened May 20, 2009
Operating season Year-round
Area 31.4 acres (12.7 ha)
Rides 21 rides total

Trans Studio is the world's largest indoor theme park (as of 2009), located in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The 20,000 m2 wide and 20 meters high indoor theme park beats Disneyland in the United States and Lotte World in South Korea, which spans around 1.7 hectares indoor [2][3]. Trans Studio is built on the area of 12.7 hectares with investment up to IDR 1 trillion (approximately USD 104 million). The indoor theme park was inaugurated by the Vice President of Indonesia, Jusuf Kalla, exactly on September 9, 2009 (09-09-09)[3]. Trans Studio itself is a part of The Trans Studio World project, which will include Trans Walk and Rodeo Drive, Trans Studio, Trans hotels, and offices of Mega Bank[4]. Under the management of PT. Trans Kalla, the Mega Development Project will provide an integrated development, comprising not only an indoor theme park, but also shopping mall, supermarket, hotel, office area, recreational beach area, and residential area. The 22 rides and attractions for the theme park are designed by John Stevenson, the director of the animation movie Kung Fu Panda. The whole project is scheduled to be completed sometime in 2010[4].

Racing In the 1950s and early 1960s, Vespa and Lambretta scooters were raced competitively against motorcycles, often winning the races. In the mid 1

2009-11-06T17:47:00.000+07:00

Racing

In the 1950s and early 1960s, Vespa and Lambretta scooters were raced competitively against motorcycles, often winning the races. In the mid 1960s, motorcycle engines became larger and faster, and a gap was created—along with varying cc classifications. Since the 1980s, Vespa and Lambretta racing has grown into a serious sport in the United States. There are various classes in the United States, depending on the racing association. They are generally:

* Small Frame Class: Open class up to 152 cc's
* Automatics Class
* Specials Class
* Stock Class: Large-frame Vespa and Lambretta 180 & 200 cc scooters.

bLoG-LaThiF-GuanTeNk

Transport in Indonesia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Indonesia's transport system has been shaped over time by th

Common costume features A superhero's costume helps make him or her recognizable to the general public. Costumes are often colorful to enhance the ch

Common traits * Extraordinary powers and abilities, relevant skills and/or advanced equipment. Although superhero powers vary widely, superhuman

Superhero From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article may contain original research or unverified claims. Please i

Critical reception and popularity The character Superman and his various comic series have received various awards over the years. The Reign of the S

Literary analysis Superman has been interpreted and discussed in many forms in the years since his debut. The character's status as the first costume

Musical references, parodies, and homages See also: Superman in popular music Superman has also featured as an inspiration for musicians, with songs

n other media Main article: Superman in other media The 1941 theatrical cartoon Superman, produced by the Fleischer Studios. The character of Superma

Merchandising Superman became popular very quickly, with an additional title, Superman Quarterly rapidly added. In 1940 the character was represented

nspiring a market The character's initial success led to similar characters being created.[111][112] Batman was the first to follow, Bob Kane comment

Cultural impact Superman has come to be seen as both an American cultural icon[104][105] and the first comic book superhero. His adventures and popul

Supporting cast Main article: Superman character and cast Harold Lloyd, one of the inspirations for Clark Kent Clark Kent, Superman's secret identity

Powers and abilities Main article: Powers and abilities of Superman As an influential archetype of the superhero genre, Superman possesses extraordin

Other versions Main article: Alternate versions of Superman Both the multiverse established by the publishers in the 1960s and the Elseworlds line of

Personality In the original Siegel and Shuster stories, Superman's personality is rough and aggressive. The character was seen stepping in to stop wi

Comic book character Main article: History of Superman See also: Superman (Earth-Two) Superman, given the serial nature of comic publishing and the l

Copyright issues As part of the deal which saw Superman published in Action Comics, Siegel and Shuster sold the rights to the company in return for $

Publication See also: List of Superman comics Superman making his debut in Action Comics #1 (June 1938). Cover art by Joe Shuster. Superman's first a

Publication history Creation and conception "The Reign of the Super-Man" in the fanzine Science Fiction, Vol. 1, No.3 (June 1933). Jerry Siegel and J

Superman From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article is about the superhero. For other uses, see Superman (disambig

Development The original series was partially inspired by the Frank Miller comic Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, the Tim Burton films Batman and Bat

Batman: The Animated Series From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's qu

Metro TV From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Metro TV Metrotv.jpg Launched November 25, 2000 Owned by PT Media Televis

Fugitive trail On 21 July 2005, Irun Hidayat was convicted of being an accessory by providing a house to Azahari Husin and Noordin Top. After the Oc

Bombings It is thought that Noordin may have assisted in planning the 2002 Bali Bombings, in which 202 people were killed.[6] On 5 August 2003, a su

Noordin Mohammad Top From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Noordin M Top) Jump to: navigation, search This is a Malay name; th

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Organisation The internal organisation of OPM is difficult to determine. In 1996 OPM's 'Supreme Commander' was Mathias Wenda.[9] An OPM spokesperson

History Free Papua Movement graffiti in Sentani, Papua During World War II Netherlands East Indies (to become Indonesia) fell under Japanese Occupati

Legal Status OPM is classified as a terrorist organization under Indonesian law. Providing any form of substantial aid to OPM is a ruled an act of tr

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Controversy In September 2003, Rakyat Merdeka’s former chief editor Karim Paputungan was sentenced by the Central Jakarta District Court to five mont

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Meetings [edit] ASEAN Summit The organisation holds meetings, known as the ASEAN Summit, where heads of government of each member meet to discuss and

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History See also: List of ASEAN member states ASEAN was preceded by an organisation called the Association of Southeast Asia, commonly called ASA, an

ASEAN From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASEAN [show] အရှေ့တောင်အာရှနိုင်ငံများအ

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History When Singapore was ceded to the British in 1819, Temenggong Abdul Rahman, the island's chief, and Sultan Hussain Shah of Johore, under whose

Masjid Sultan From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Coordinates: 1°18′07.7″N 103°51′32.8″E﻿ / ﻿1.302139°N 103.859111°E﻿ /

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Model history [edit] 2002 2002 Yamaha Nouvo with top box at the rear 2006 Yamaha Nouvo MX The Nouvo was developed under the model code "AT115" and in

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Model history [edit] 2003 Based on sales performance and also technical studies of the successor Yamaha Nouvo by Yamaha's R&D team, in 2003 Yamaha Mo

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Orange County Choppers bikes From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Orange County Choppers (OCC) is best known for the bik

Technique Naga (Dragon) Naga,uses its serpentine movements of twisting, diving, coiling and straightening to generate enormous power through its body

Technique Harimau (Tiger) Harimau technique is ferocious and powerful. Utilizing the momentum behind full body movements, the practitioner uses palms

Technique Burung Garuda (Bird Technique #3) Garuda - Eagle. The great wings of this powerful bird are used to deflect attacks and to deliver powerful

Technique Minangkabau Technique Minangkabau originated in the Minangkabau region. According to Minang folklore a war broke out between the West Sumat

Techniques of Perisai Diri Perisai Diri was created with many different styles in mind. Pak Dirdjo studied several Pencak Silat styles before spendin

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The Major Signs Question book-new.svg This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable r

Judgment Main article: Barzakh During judgment, a man's or a woman's own book of deeds will be opened, and will be apprised of every action one did a

Overview The Qur'an states that even the smallest acts of the believers will not be wasted. [A]nyone who has an atom's worth of goodness will se

Importance and Terminology Belief in al-Qiyāmah is considered a fundamental tenet of faith by all Muslims.[4] The trials and tribulations associated

Islamic view of the Last Judgment From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Kiamat) Jump to: navigation, search This article or secti

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Kaaba Question book-new.svg This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable so

Pilgrimage Main articles: Hajj and Umrah Pilgrims circumambulating the Kaaba. The Haram is the focal point of the hajj and umrah pilgrimages[2] that

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Saudi Development Pilgrims around Kaaba at Masjid Al Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The most significant architectural and structural changes came, an

History This section contains weasel words, vague phrasing that often accompanies biased or unverifiable information. Such statements should be clari

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Structure The mihrab and minbar of Istiqlal mosque The rectangular main prayer hall building is covered by a 45 meter diameter central spherical dome

History Istiqlal Mosque After the Indonesian National Revolution 1945-1949, followed by the acknowledgement of the independence Indonesia from The Ne

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History [edit] 2000-2004: Foundation and initial success in Formula Three Piquet Sports was created primarily for Nelson Piquet Jr. to race in single-

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Masjid Sultan From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Coordinates: 1°18′07.7″N 103°51′32.8″E / 1.302139°N 103.859111°E /

Gaira Caffeine Gaira First game Samurai Shodown III Voiced by Kōji Suizu (水津浩志) (III) Takeshi Watanabe (voice actor) (渡辺健) (IV-V) Takumi Satō (佐藤

Shiro Tokisada Amakusa Amakusa First game Samurai Shodown Voiced by (English) Marcy Rae (1994 anime) Voiced by (Japanese) Eiji Yano (や乃えいじ) (I-IV)