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Translating Genesis 11: 1-9 is a common translation exercise used by conlangers to “test drive” their conlangs. This is known as the “Babel Text” since it recounts the story of the Tower of Babel and the creation of the world’s numerous languages, an appropriate text for conlangers. The concept of using these verses for comparisons across conlangs was initiated by Jeffrey Henning, creator of the Langmaker web site (http://www.langmaker.com) and one of the pivotal figures in modern conlanging. For detailed information on any one translation, you are encouraged to take a look at the accompanying source web site. And now, for a sampling of Babel Texts...
9.B. Text:
For comparison, here is the Babel Text in English from the New International Version:
1.Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.
2.As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
3.They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.
4.Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."
5.But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building.
6.The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.
7.Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other."
8.So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.
9.That is why it was called Babel -- because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
9.C. Text:
The Babel Text in Sen:esepera
In honor of Jeffrey Henning, we begin with one of his personal creations: his attempt at reforming Esperanto.
1.O tutan tera eseti codo unin lingifa, o codo unin parola.
2.O tina ocasi, caim:tempo hu foiagi delo orienta, demo hu terofi pelatan loca eno loca codo Sinara [Shinar]; o hu domi dem:loca.
3.O hu paroli unin alo omin:una, "Feni, imu posete cusi berica, o pele beruli hu." O hu hafi berica contero setona, o cota hafi hu contero unigi berica.
4.O hu paroli, "Feni, imu posete conseteri imu ureba, o tura, caim:unon supera ebele atingi alo paradisa; o imu posete cusi imu enoma, ro imu ebele pere:emeti foran supero:eno fisaga codo tutan tera."
5.O Dia feni im:supere o fidi ureba o tura, caimo dimin:homa codo homa conseteri.
6.O Dia paroli, "Fidi, homa eseti unin, o hu hafi tutan unin lingifa; o tino hu comenci o fari: o ene hu ebele inhibici delo an:obica, caimo hu ebele emagi o fari.
7.Feni, imu posete iri im:supere, o dem:loca sangi hun lingifa, demo hu im:ebele compereni unin omin:unan parola."
8.Dia posete pere:emeti hu foron pano fisaga codo tutan tera: o hu cesige conseteri ureba.
9.Hun enoma eseti Babela [Babel]; cuso Dia dem:loca sangi lingifa codo tutan tera: o delo dem:loca Dia pere:emeti hu foran supero:eno fisaga codo tutan tera.
Translated by Jeffrey Henning
(http://www.langmaker.com/babel/senesper.htm)
9.D. Text:
The Babel Text in Lojban
Lojban began development in 1987 by the Logical Language Group. Derived from the much older Loglan, it is specifically designed to be culturally neutral, logic-based, grammatically unambiguous, and easily learned. More information can be found at www.lojban.org.
1..i piro le munje cu se bangu pada gi'e selkau le ka tavla fo makau
2..i ca le nu litru fa'a le stuna kei lei remna cu penmi lo foldi la cinar .i co'a xabju fy
3..i ry simsku lu .e'u mi'o loi kitybli cu zbasu gi'e mo'u seltokygau li'u .i ry pilno loi kitybli pe seba'i loi rokci .i loi tarla peseba'i loi rokpu'o
4..i ry cusku lu .e'u mi'o zmadu lo tcadu .e lo galdi'u poi le cpana be ke'a cu lamji le tsani .ija'ebo mi'o misno gi'enai pulce fi le terdi sefta li'u
5..i ku'i le nolcei cu dzikla tezu'e le nu catlu le tcadu .e le galdi'u poi lei remna ke'a ca'o zmadu
6..i le nolcei cu cusku lu za'a lei remna noi se bangu pa da cu ba'oco'a zmadu ti .ija'o no selpla ba nalselka'e ry
7..i .ai mi dzikla gi'e fi'urgau le bangu ry ja'e le nu na simjmi li'u
8..i le nolcei fairgau ry piro le terdi .i ry de'a zmadu le tcadu
9..i ki'u la'e di'u ty se cmene zo babel .i ki'u le nu bu'u ty le nolcei pu fi'urgau le bangu be le munje .i fe'eco'a ty le nolcei fairgau ry le pirosi'e terdi sefta
(http://www.omniglot.com/babel/lojban.htm)
9.E. Text:
The Babel Text in Elasin
Elasin, created as the language of a fictional race of beings, was intended to give the flavor of a cross between Zulu and Finnish.
1.Huana! Yevopa (Yeneva votelor pali) fathieneth avute vesotham dofa li mabienen sotheram thoshi.
2.Uitukieneth vuanana maku'ii hadarova mi'iamem Shinaroth li panamiene parshoth ka.
3.Vasieneth. Ti Fana. Sathitudison mosuanoram li kathitudison pivani ti. Sathitiene avu mosuanorsa hau kivashersa le'i ratemsa hau molesa le'i.
4.Vasieneth. Ti Fana. Sathitudisoth maram hapamef ludanu'ii kalathem shasta sathitudisoth manalam ebas ko. Hau kanitudiso lafonesa le ti.
5.Palakieta somara uhanin panamesh. Fanieta shasta faruthuditu tashemun avu marami hapamemi ko.
6.Vasieta takaleba. Ti Shemath. Iene vuanana dofa li mabuaneth vesotham dofa. Uatu sathitu ka uamuineth nekuare shipa dofani. Faruthudito shado avunash aben.
7.Fana. Shibaludisoth nivesotham ko hau wevakudinen le ko ti.
8.Kanitietan somara uhanin li sathitievinen avu nimarami nihapamemi.
9.Mabietoth mar manalam Shibalu'in kashko shibalietan parshoth ka somara uhanin vesotharam uhanin ko.
Translated by Don Boozer
(http://www.geocities.com/donaldboozer/elasin_trans.html)
9.F.1. Image: zhyler_babel.jpg
9.F.2. Text:
The Babel Text in Zhyler
“Zhyler is an SOV language with fifty-seven noun cases (in honor of the ketchup co.), all suffixing, and a robust vowel harmony system. In addition, there are seventeen noun classes, à la Swahili, which do much of the derivational footwork.” ~ David J. Peterson
(transliteration)
1.al erwi ymM ergajajan las MlDaja.
2.kedemiT dZarm2sleraz, urDar MlDaz Sinaraja Dejler, ras vMnase eZZanlar.
3.kaja n2nzerler, "zin! rymSuj kenlymeje, ame dZimMSSMja." ame rymSuj tSurjujkMjat mekler, ame kenelwi solwMxMja mekler.
4.ame n2nlerkaja, "zin! majaS tajdZar, enedwizM dZ2f deJdZeje ulbolarnam valzamaja, ras l2Za majaS ZenDer levzemeje, volanaz meJjaf ketSlerjes noGenzerneswimej."
5.ame ziliryf meSkajaja valdZajalara tajdZa, ulbolnamuf mataljatSot valar.
6.ame n2nler, "mat! al MlDa, je al erwi laskaS bel, ame ledZer edZZaNkaja. je manarDawMxMja r2zDe kajas Zarreznezze.
7.zin! tSot zixM erwixMf SirkMjar matkMNwMriz, vazamaja, ame erwixMjMr vMnase ugdazamaj.
8.ame meJjaf ketSlerjes vMnaseT noGenzerkajalar, ras kaja tajdZar valzMklar.
9.ras "babelet" Zennesler, tSot meJjaf erwijes vMnase ugdalar, ame meJjaf ketSlerjes vMnaseT noGenzerkajalar.
Translated by David J. Peterson
(http://dedalvs.free.fr/zhyler/babel.html)
9.G. Text:
The Babel Text in Alurhsa
Alurhsa is the creation of Anthony Harris of Vermont and is only a small part of his imaginary world. For much more on the language and culture of Aluria, visit Anthony's site at alurhsa.org.
1.Ná, ttòsnë zh'óñen ñeveláynû dwi sùlën hályen, ddá vìgeláynû dwi sùlë ¿óv ñevóznáyëná.
2.Ddá vëzhelû, shthálázályën ghel máçisáç, dyárán ghílâ ddeksánthán tye tirá Shínár, ddá geveláynun vá.
3.Ddá dívelùnyun áyáshénÿ, ráyv, ersháyá vóçón, ddá túgròsháyá dyárán. Ddá vóçón kúweláynun kólf senéfón ddá móllán kólf jóttem.
4.Ddá dívelun, ká, vreleksáyá íthlánán vùn tárháyá, teyá beren yáqánô Kálrÿíszán, ddá ersháyá kìvá ólvínÿ fárshán eleván, spé ághálsárrenelyá ás ttòsnënÿ zh'óñenyánÿ.
5.Ddá qíëdelû Áxván pólef sperrâ zh'íthlánán vùn zhë tárháyá ten vrelekseláyná káyár bóyená.
6.Ddá dívelû Áxván, ráyv, lhôñ dwensá zhë ¿áms ddá xónyá dwi sùlën hályen, ddá úmázhën fakályónyá. Kólfe ñeyësán dyáráç feñené ten ïnáqánónyá kályâ.
7.Ká, ándzáláyá ddá vezénáyá dyárs-hályen pólef el ñe vùzùnùnyá ñevësán áyáshéyá.
8.Eref dyárán ághálsárrelô Áxván ghel váç ás ttòsnënÿ zh'óñenyánÿ, ddá lepelun vreleksâ zh'íthlánán.
9.Ddá eref zhë shthevá sódlô Bábel, kálÿ vá vezénelû Áxván hályen ttòsná zh'óñenyá, ddá ghel váç ághálsárrelû Áxván dyárán ás ttòsnënÿ zh'óñenyánÿ.
Translated by Anthony Harris
(http://alurhsa.org/)
9.H. Text:
The Babel Text in Kimva
Kimva was part of the ConlangEvolutionExperiment (http://talideon.com/concultures/wiki/?doc=ConlangEvolutionExperiment).
1.shes gu mitp fok yi kimva ka fi loffaloffa.
2.shes liyley gÿif fontshixka, nashumva i mitsa, kalepfing kasinrasing, ka napische.
3.liyley fish, kalinzrak, gÿidachighng pekxutpekxut ka tugngoxorzeko gÿidapevma. nafok pekxutpekxut, ka natugngona ngu ngindu, ka mwech, ka natugngofa ngu lunggo.
4.nafish, gÿidafing i kex kayifok, ka i xaxsulofsa kafafok sich kakusxasing, ka gÿidachighng ngu kagÿifok, ka xiy ufefpagÿi gu kamitpfing.
5.ka YEF kom fombmogÿika fingghiche ka fesombi kex ka xaxsulofsa, liyley fingna.
6.ka YEF fish, desombi, na-s yi pum, ka gu nafok yi kimva, ngong xiÿghey nasek, yu vakepchina, ka nafuvmviy, nahumikxekxa.
7.kom fombmogÿika ayidafinghiche ka ayidapoy kimva kenofak, kumash nahumwitpu vaf kalimvok.
8.va-s muy YEF fepfeno kamitpfing gu, ka nachimving kex.
9.vaxkup kefofak nga si pabwu, kumash kangugÿising YEF poy kimva kenofak, ka YEF fepfeno fombjika gu kamitpfing.
Translated by Alex Fink
(http://talideon.com/concultures/wiki/?doc=kimva)
[ADDENDUM: From an email from Alex Fink to Don Boozer on the misattribution of this Babel Text: "I've spotted a misattribution, in the case of Babel texts. Kimva is not in fact my creation, but that of Pete Bleackley. I presume the misattribution came about because of the "Descendents" listing on talideon.com/concultures/wiki/?doc=kimva attributing the daughter language kimwa lilyeho to me; the attribution proper to kimva itself is the line saying "PeteBleackley" below that." Please check out the web source for this Babel Text for further information - DB]
9.I. Text:
The Babel Text in Itlani
Itlani is the creation of James E. Hopkins who speaks and writes the language fluently. James holds a B.A. in French and a Master's degree in Philosophy and has a wide range of interests including writing, dancing, poetry, and linguistics. His recently self-published book, Eden's Day, includes poetry in English and Itlani.
1.Shukhrám tá kúlit untár mú sholóva véy mú eypotóva lafiyáva.
2.Véy brinkiyáva ú mashrá tá pirénay dzevyáven, brenduóva díni tá skáan Shinár zhanyáven, véy izá paleyáven.
3.Véy marruvyáven, "Kadimyátay, shevedzovó korunyáti véy vutóva iküirunchyáti." Véy tá shevedzovó résh chendjeynúey lafiyáven véy tá khalmasóva résh indisíey lafiyáven.
4.Véy ruvyáren, "Kadimyátay, mogése shatardjaóva sitagyáti, véy kitsanóva, tá móyto kiína díni tá fridádjan onyázha: komshayóva mogése vataranyáti reshú véyla tá vísan tá kúlit untára rá-kreyifyáti.
5.Rúzay Uramún stinatyávad reshú tá shatardjaóva véy tá kitsanóva shunyátad, kiinovó tá peshsuú sitagávit onyáven.
6.Véy Uramún ruvyávad, "Tá ebón mú onyára khaá véy shéy vút mú sholóva lafiyáren, véy iíd onyára idá kiinóva korúnya mabugyáren; tsórni rahá kiinóva harvolyázhen vútay inutebyízha."
7.Kadimyátay, stinatyáti véy izá vútit sholóva ubikeyyáti, reshú tá eypotóva mutatamág dayáten rá.
8.Chalí, Uramún vutóva izáay véyla tá vísan tá kúlit untára kreyafyávad, véy tá shatardjaóva sitágya spranichyáven.
9.Idakín Babél mishtaratyíra, vár izá Uramún tá sholóva tá kúlit untára ubikeyyávad; véy izáay Uramún vutóva véyla tá vísan tá untára kreyafyávad.
Translated by James E. Hopkins
(http://www.langmaker.com/db/Itlani_Babel_Text)
9.J. Text
The Babel Text in Interlingua
Interlingua is an international auxiliary language (like Esperanto) that began development in 1924 by the International Auxiliary Language Association (IALA) and was published in 1951. Alice Vanderbilt Morris was the primary founder and funder of the project which was headed by Alexander Gode and William E. Collinson. Interlingua was sometimes referred to as “Standard Average European” by Dr. Gode.
1.Nunc le tote mundo habeva un lingua e un parola comun.
2.Como homines moveva se al est, illes trovava un plana in Shinar e establiva se illac.
3.Illes deciva a le un, "Veni, lassa nos facer briccas e cocer los minutosemente." Illes usava bricca in vice de petra, e catran pro mortero.
4.Tun illes deciva, "Veni, lassa nos construer nos un citate, con un turre que arriva a le celoes, a fin que nos pote facer un nomine pro nos e non esser dispersate trans le facie del tote mundo."
5.Ma le Senior veniva a basso vidar le citate e le turre que le homines construeva.
6.Le Senior deciva, "Si como un gente que parla le mesme lingua illes ha comenciate facer isto, tun nil que illes plana facer essera impossibile pro illes.
7.Veni, lassa nos descender e confunde lor lingua dunque illes non comprendera a le un."
8.Assi le Senior dispersava les de illac trans tote le mundo, e illes cessava construente le citate.
9.Que es proque il esseva appellate Babel -- proque illac le Senior confundeva le lingua del tote mundo. De illac le Senior dispersava les trans le facie del tote mundo.
Submitted to Langmaker by Dan Dawes
(http://www.langmaker.com/babel/interlingua.htm)
9.K. Text
The Babel Text in Talossan
Talossan was created by R. Ben Madison to be the official language of his micronation Talossa (which is entirely surrounded by the city of Milwaukee, WI). Madison has said “The Talossan language was created not as an amorphous conlang project for the world. It is not Esperanto. It was created for one purpose and one purpose only: to give a linguistic identity to the Kingdom of Talossa." For more information on Talossa and its language and culture, check out the official site at www.kingdomoftalossa.net.
1.És toct i tzarâ tigñhova viens glheþ és 'n parlançeu común.
2.Quând që os voiatxevent da l'est, os trovevent 'n azaçhár în Shinar, és os loc þavitevent.
3.Si zireva à sieu amíc, "Vetz! Láßetz që noi ládariçadrent ládarâs és lor baqadrent cumplätsmînt." És las ládarâs füvent els cräpsilor për lor, és la cretâ füt la muôltâ për lor.
4.És os zirevent, "Vetz! Láßetz që noi fraicadrent për üns 'n cità és 'n turmeu cün ça moláirâ în el çéu, és láßetz që noi façadrent 'n nôminâ për noi, da cráintschâ që noi estadrent spaperseschti sür la façâ da toct la tzarâ."
5.És Iáhave descendeva për vidarë la cità és el turmeu që els vürs tigñhovent fraichescù.
6.És Iáhave zireva, "Eiceâ, véiçi viens naziun, qi tent viens glhetg, és os en tienent auspicat. Nun niþil serà catxantat da lhor që os cunceptarhent à façarë.
7.Vetz! Láßetz që noi descendradent és loc cunfundadrent lor glhetg, svo að si non auscultarha el glhetg da sieu amic."
8.Aglhôrc Iáhave lor spaperseva dalà sür la façâ da toct la tzarâ, és os ceßevent à fraicar la cità.
9.Për aceastâ raziun a isch nominadâ Babel, cáir Iáhave loc cunfundeva el glhetg da toct la tzarâ, és c'è dalà që Iáhave lor spaperseva sür la façâ da toct la tzarâ.
Translated by C.M. Siervicül
(http://www.langmaker.com/db/Talossan_Babel_Text)
9.L. Text:
The Babel Text in Tepa
Tepa, created by Dirk Elzinga, is an attempt at "constructing" a plausible, vanished Native American language. Traces of the Tepa, Dirk says, vanished with the creation of Lake Powell.
1.huisi leqa sukuuqu, huisi tepa.
2.hukahekahee metapu sinaa kenipa eaqa kitile. hukate yu.
3.huyakkee, hawananpaqana.
4.huhawaqakkassa hanima etiqe ukaiqu kupine. huwaweletii pewalilkatta metasewe.
5.husahu qamana epite hanimaa akasa tukua.
6.huyakee qamana, hasua! isi tukua huisi leqa nequ. huqanani humuqappulpa eqana eamine.
7.wasahu huhawanulu leqane numuhuyu eteppa.
8.hulika metasewe tukua qamana huapupa ekasa hanimaa.
9.huten papele, anulu yu leqa tukua qamana elika yule metasewe.
Translated by Dirk Elzinga
(http://www.langmaker.com/featured/tepababel.htm)
9.M. Text:
The Babel Text in Konya
Konya is an international auxiliary language created by Larry Sulky designed to be easily learned.
1.posen-wi xoxe yo, telaxi tote tenu sile tokun-moti mune.
2.lawa, suki xoxe xon-ken-yu faisi ye tufu xon-xemapi lun-yo Xinarya ye kepu son-wi.
3.lawa, kusi toku tun-yo failen-sefi kayu "min-min-wi tepu fetu ketaten-peti ye sexen-kusu fine xon-wi" wo. lawa, kusi lilu lone ketaten-peti lono peti ye tauli lono petin-tauli.
4.lawa, kusi toku kayu "min-min-wi tepu fetu xiti wa ten-yo kaipasi, yo lelen-toxu saili wo, leso min-min-wi tepu lan-kenu suki tote ye tepu lan-pefu nin-ye tun-yo telaxi tote" wo.
5.naye, Sailin-punin-ya xain-yu saili leso sinu xiti ye kaipasa, yo suki fetu son-wi.
6.lawa, Sailin-punin-ya toku kayu "suki tote wa sukin-seti, yo toku lilo tokun-moti mune wo, taye kusi kaimu fuxu fetun-wi tise, ye taye fetun-wi tole, yo kusi sepu wo, pan-male wa nolo kusi" wo.
7.kayu min-wi sepu ken-yu telaxi ye pan-fun-pimen-yu tokun-moti yu kusi leso kusi pimen-lolu nin-ye failen-sefi wo.
8.taye Sailin-punin-ya pefu kusi xain-yo lun-tisen-wi tun-yo tote yu telaxi ye kusi kailu fetu xiti.
9.taye noli nemu xiti tuso Bebalya xemo Sailin-punin-ya pan-fun-pimen-yu lun-yo lun-tisen-wi tokun-moti yu telaxi tote. lawa, Sailin-punin-ya pefu kusi xain-yo lun-tisen-wi tun-yo telaxi tote.
Translated by Larry Sulky
(http://ca.geocities.com/handydad/konya/konya-babel.html)
9.N. Text:
Babel Text in Kēlen
Kēlen is the language of the Kēleni, inhabitants of Sylvia Sotomayor's conworld Tērjemar. The language is an attempt at constructing a language with no verbs, thus violating one of Greenberg's Universals. The conlang was the topic of Sylvia's talk at the second Language Creation Conference.
1.ielte la anmārwi pa antaxōni ān tēna;
2.il ñatta jarēþa rūānnie il ñatta jamāes japōññe sū jekiēn xīnār il aþ ñatta āke jamāramma;
3.ē teteñ ien hēja ñanna jacālmi jajūti nā aþ ōrra ñatta ancālmi to ankīþi aþ ōrra ñatta ancērri to anhērmi;
4.ē teteñ ien hēja ñanna jamāonre pa jakōnōr ja ñi jōl rā anīstīli; ē teteñ ien hēja ñanna lewēra tō tūaþ wā ñi ñēim makkepōlien rā anmārwi āñ pēxa;
5.il aþ ñi rā āke ā λi ārōn tō sema mo sarōña jamāonre pa jakōnōr ja ñatta ōrra;
6.il tamma ien ē ñi mēli mānīki ī la sāim antaxōni ān tēna ī la jāo jānne jakāe ja ñatta;
7.il tamma ien rēha ñatta janahan ja ñi jaþēŋŋe cēja lā;
8.il tamma ien ē ñi liēn rā āke tā aþ ñalla anwaxāon tō tūaþ ñi anxiēna ankewōra nīkamma sāim cī;
9.ē ñamma jāo ā λi ārōn ī ñamma sāim makkepōlien rā anmārwi āñ pēxa ī ñamma jamāonre anlāīke ankewōra; tō jāo sete sawēra λi waxāon tō ōrra ñamma anwaxāon antaxōni tēna sū āke ā λi ārōn;
Translated by Sylvia Sotomayor
(The Kēlen Babel Text can be accessed by typing cache:www.terjemar.net/babeltext.php into the Google search box.)
9.O. Text:
The Babel Text in Wasabi
Wasabi was a collaborative conlang venture undertaken by a class taught by David J. Peterson that examined the creation of pidgins. For a detailed look at the development of Wasabi, check out dedalvs.free.fr/wasabi.html.
1.Yasa ukali saya anu alima nala.
2.Si lamu amasu sami ala si siya numa niki isana kunayu si Shinar, aki wima isu.
3.Yasa alima anu si ika, "Wani kana nusika puma samapu aki si kusasi." Puma yumu nusika puma, alasa ukali yumu liwika.
4.Aki alima: "Niki! Wani pila amasu wima kunayu wa pika kunayu, ikala nali, wani ana wani amasu sami, unu lusa yumu wani unu liwika si yasa ukali."
5.Sika si nali niki ukali yata amasu wima kunayu wa pika kunayu malika sika pila.
6.Sika si nali alima: "Yata! Anu liwika kunayu yasa wa anu alima nala, ya aki pila wa unu yumu numa.
7.Niki! Wani niki si ukali, wani sunati nala, si yumu aki unu kisa ika sami alima.
8.Sika si nali unu liwika aki si yasa ukali, aki numa unatu si amasu wima kunayu.
9.Si ya yumu aki tasi ana Babel, yumu isu sika si nali sunati nala si yasa ukali, si isu sika si nali unu liwika aki si yasa ukali.
Translated by Mari Bandoma, Deise Benítez, Allison Buckley, Pablo Cabrera, Marc Callado, Patrick Chan, Charles Chang, Sarah Choi, Lizzy Ghedi-Ehrlich, Julie Gutiérrez, Norma Guzmán, Helen Khlystova, Jason Lin, Tom Nosewicz, Miriam Ochoa, David J. Peterson, Chris Ramiro, Michael Rivera, Adam Simpson, Amy Soong.
(http://www.langmaker.com/db/Bbl_wasabi.htm)
Title in other languages:
Deutsch: Der Kanal "Haagse Trekvliet" nahe des Bahnhofs "Hollands Spoor" in Den Haag, Niederlande
English: Channel "Haagse Trekvliet" close to the station "Hollands Spoor" in The Hague, The Netherlands
English:
Welcome and thank you for being here! This image forms part of a collection of photographs of moments on Planet Earth.
If you enjoy this work and want to support me financially, I’m glad to receive your donation via Paypal: paypal.me/jankohoener
If you intend to use this picture for your own purposes, please credit me with the following attribution line: Janko Hoener / CC-BY-SA-4.0. This is required by the license terms. A link back to this page and informing me about your usage via FlickrMail is appreciated.
Deutsch:
Willkommen und vielen Dank, dass Sie hier sind! Dieses Bild stellt Teil einer Sammlung von Fotografien von Augenblicken auf dem Planet Erde dar.
Wenn Ihnen diese Arbeit zusagt und Sie mich finanziell dabei unterstützen möchten, so freue ich mich über Ihre Spende via Paypal: paypal.me/jankohoener
Wenn Sie dieses Foto für eigene Zwecke nutzen möchten, geben Sie bitte Janko Hoener / CC-BY-SA-4.0 in der Bildunterschrift an. Dies ist per Lizenz gefordert. Über einen Link auf diese Seite und eine Benachrichtigung über die Nutzung via FlickrMail freue ich mich.
Ladli — which in Indian languages (Hindi and Urdu) means ‘beloved daughter.’
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LADLI - The loved one! campaign by SOCIAL GEOGRAPHIC
Photo: Firoz Ahmad Firoz
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"Worst of all, violence against women and girls continues unabated in every continent, country and culture. It takes a devastating toll on women’s lives, on their families and on society as a whole. Most societies prohibit such violence -- yet the reality is that, too often, it is covered up or tacitly condoned." (UN SECRETARY-GENERAL in International Women’s Day 2007 Message.)
“Almost every country in the world still has laws that discriminate against women, and promises to remedy this have not been kept.” (UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on the eve of International Women's Day 2008)
According to one United Nations estimate, 113 to 200 million women are “demographically missing” from the world today. That is to say, there should be 113 to 200 million more women walking the earth, who aren’t. By that same estimate, 1.5 to 3 million women and girls lose their lives every year because of gender-based neglect or gender-based violence and Sexual Violence in Conflict.
In addition to torture, sexual violence and rape by occupation forces, a great number of women and girls are kept locked up in their homes by a very real fear of abduction and criminal abuse. In war and conflicts, girls and women have been denied their human right, including the right to health, education and employment. “Sexual violence in conflict zones is indeed a security concern. We affirm that sexual violence profoundly affects not only the health and safety of women, but the economic and social stability of their nations” –US Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice, 19 June 2008 (Read more about UN Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict www.stoprapenow.org/ ).
Millions of young women disappear in their native land every year. Many of them are found later being held against their will in other places and forced into prostitution. According to the UNICEF ( www.unicef.org/gender/index_factsandfigures.html ),Girls between 13 and 18 years of age constitute the largest group in the sex industry. It is estimated that around 500,000 girls below 18 are victims of trafficking each year. The victims of trafficking and female migrants are sometimes unfairly blamed for spreading HIV when the reality is that they are often the victims.
According to the UNAIDS around 17.3 million, women (almost half of the total number of HIV-positive) living with HIV ( www.unaids.org ). While HIV is often driven by poverty, it is also associated with inequality, gender-based abuses and economic transition. The relationship between abuses of women's rights and their vulnerability to AIDS is alarming. Violence and discrimination prevents women from freely accessing HIV/AIDS information, from negotiating condom use, and from resisting unprotected sex with an HIV-positive partner, yet most of the governments have failed to take any meaningful steps to prevent and punish such abuse.
United Nations agencies estimated that every year 3 million girls are at risk of undergoing the procedure – which involves the partial or total removal of external female genital organs – that some 140 million women, mostly in Asia, the Middle East and in Africa, have already endured.
We can point a finger at poverty. But poverty alone does not result in these girls and women’s deaths and suffering; the blame also falls on the social system and attitudes of the societies.
India alone accounts for more than 50 million of the women who are “missing” due to female foeticide - the sex-selective abortion of girls, dowry death, gender-based neglect and all forms of violence against women.
Since the late 1970s when the technology for sex determination first came into being, sex selective abortion has unleashed a saga of horror in India. Experts are calling it "sanitized barbarism”. The 2001 Census conducted by Government of India, showed a sharp decline in the child sex ratio in 80% districts of India. In some parts of the country, the sex ratio of girls to boys has dropped to less than 800:1,000.
It's alarming that even liberal states like those in the northeast have taken to disposing of girls. Worryingly, the trend is far stronger in urban rather than rural areas, and among literate rather than illiterate women, exploding the myth that growing affluence and spread of basic education alone will result in the erosion of gender bias. The United Nations has expressed serious concern about the situation.
Over the years, laws have been made stricter and the punishment too is more stringent now. But since many people manage to evade punishment, others too feel inclined to take the risk. Just look at the way sex-determination tests go on despite a stiff ban on them. Only if the message goes out loud and clear that nobody who dares to snuff out the life of a female foetus would escape effective legal system would the practice end. It is only by a combination of monitoring, education, socio-cultural campaigns, and effective legal implementation that the deep-seated attitudes and practices against women and girls can be eroded.
The decline in the sex ratio and the millions of Missing Women are indicators of the feudal patriarchal resurgence. Violence against women has gone public – whether it is dowry murders, the practice of female genital mutilation, honour killings, sex selective abortions or death sentences awarded to young lovers from different communities by caste councils, rapes and killings in communal and caste violence, it is only women’s and human rights groups who are protesting – the public and institutional response to these trends is very minimal.
Millions of women suffer from discrimination in the world of work. This not only violates a most basic human right, but has wider social and economic consequences. Most of the governments turn a blind eye to illegal practices and enact and enforce discriminatory laws. Corporations and private individuals engage in abusive and sexist practices without fear of legal system.
More women are working now than ever before, but they are also more likely than men to get low-productivity, low-paid and vulnerable jobs, with no social protection, basic rights nor voice at work according to a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) issued for International Women’s Day 2008. Are we even half way to meeting the eight Millennium Development Goals?
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Unite To End Violence Against Women!
Say No To Sex Selection and Female Foeticide!!
Say No To Female Genital Mutilation!!!
Say No To Dowry and Discrimination Against Women!!!!
Say Yes To Women’s Resistance !!!!!
Educate & Empowered Women for a Happy Future !!!!!!
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1. The spiritual entity Qalb
Prophecy and knowledge relating to this was granted to the Prophet Adam
In the Urdu language the fleshy meat, (the heart) is known as dil, and in Arabic it is called fawad. The spiritual entity that is next to the heart is the Qalb and according to a Prophetic statement the heart and the Qalb are two separate entities.
Our solar system is the physical human sphere. There are other realms and spheres, for example the realm of the angels, the realm of the throne of God, the realm of the soul, the realm of the secrets, the realm of unification and the realm of the essence of God. These spheres and life forms inhabiting these spheres have existed before the eruption of the ball of fire, our Sun, which created our solar system. Ordinary angels were created alongside the creation of the souls when God commanded "Be" but the Archangels and the spiritual entities (which are placed inside the human body at birth) have existed in these realms before the formation of our solar system.
Many planets in our solar system were inhabited but subsequently these life forms became extinct. The remaining planets and their inhabitants are awaiting their destruction. The Archangels and the spiritual entities (of the human body) were created seventy thousand years before the command "Be."
Of these spiritual entities God placed the Qalb in the realm of love. It is with this that a human being is able to become connected with God. The Qalb acts like a telephone operator between God and the human being. A human being receives guidance and inspiration through it. Whereas the worship and the meditation done by the spiritual entities themselves can reach the highest realm, the Throne of God, with the aid of the Qalb. The Qalb itself, however cannot travel beyond the realm of the angels, as its place of origin is the Khuld, the lowest heaven in the realm of the angels.
The Qalb’s meditation is from within and its vibrating rosary is within the human skeleton (the heartbeat). People that failed to achieve this meditation of the Qalb in this lifetime will be regretful, even though they may be in paradise. As God has stated regarding those who will go to paradise, that do they, the inhabitants of paradise think that they will be equal to those who are elevated (reached higher realms by practicing the spiritual disciplines and becoming illuminated). As those that have achieved the meditation of the Qalb, they will enjoy its pleasures even in paradise when their Qalb will be vibrating with the Name of God.
After death physical worship ceases to exist and the people whose Qalb and spiritual entities are not strengthened and illuminated with the light of God are afflicted and distressed in their graves and their spiritual entities waste away. Whereas the illuminated and strengthened spiritual entities will go to the realm where the righteous will wait before the final judgement.
After the day of judgement a second body will be given, the illuminated spiritual entities along with the human soul will enter that body. The people that taught their spiritual entities, meditation, whereby the entities chanted the Name of God Allah in this life time will find that the spiritual entities will continue with this meditation even in the hereafter. Such people will continue to be elevated and exalted in the hereafter.
Those that were “blind of heart” (not illuminated) in this life time will be in darkness in that realm also, as this world was the place of action and effort. Those in the latter category will become quiescent.
Besides the Christians and the Jews the Hindu faith also holds a belief in these spiritual entities. The Hindu faith refers to them as Shaktian and the Muslims know them as Lata’if.
The Qalb is two inches, to the left of the heart. This spiritual entity is yellow in colour. When it is illuminated in a person, that person sees the colour yellow in their eyes. Not only this but there are many practitioners of alternative medicine who use the colours of these spiritual entities to heal people.
Most people regard their heart’s word, “inner feeling” to be truthful. If the hearts of people were indeed truthful, then why are all the people of the heart not united?
The Qalb of an ordinary person is in the sleeping or unconscious state and it does not possess any appreciation or awareness. Due to the dominance of the spirit of the self, the ego, and the Khannas, or due to the individual’s own simple- mindedness the heart can make judgements in error. Placing trust in a sleeping Qalb is foolish.
Only when the Name of God Allah, does vibrate in the heart does an appreciation of right and wrong and wisdom follow. At this stage the Qalb is known as the awakened Qalb. Thereafter due to the increase in the meditation by the Qalb, of the Name of God Allah, it is then known as the God-seeking Qalb. At this stage the heart is capable of preventing the person from doing wrong but it is still incapable of making a right or just decision. Thereafter and only when the Light and the rays of the Grace of God (theophany) start to descend upon that heart, is it known as the purified and illuminated Qalb that stands in the presence of God (witnessing Qalb).
A Prophetic statement:
“The mercy of God descends upon a broken heart and an afflicted grave.”
Thereafter when the heart reaches this stage then one must accept whatever it dictates, quietly without question because due to the rays of the Light and the Grace of God the spirit of the self, (ego) becomes completely illuminated, purified and at peace. God is then closer to that individual than that person’s jugular vein.
God then says, “I become his tongue with which he speaks and I become his hands with which he holds.”
2. The Human Soul
Prophecy and knowledge relating to this was granted to the Prophet Abraham
This is on the right side of the chest. This is awakened and illuminated by the meditation and one-pointed concentration on it. Once it becomes illuminated, a vibration similar to the heartbeat is felt on the right side of the chest. Then the Name of God, Ya Allah is matched with the vibrating pulse. The meditation of the soul is done in this way. At this point, there are now two spiritual entities meditating inside the human body, this is an advancement in rank and status and is better than the Qalb. The soul is a light red in colour and when it is awakened, it is able to travel to the realm of the souls (the station of the Archangel Gabriel). Anger and rage are attached to it that burn and turn into majesty.
3. The spiritual entity Sirri
Prophecy and knowledge relating to this was granted to the Prophet Moses
This spiritual entity is to the left of the centre of the chest. This is also awakened and illuminated by the meditation and one-pointed concentration on it with the Name of God, Ya Hayy, Ya Qayyum. Its colour is white and in the dream state or by spiritual separation from the physical body “transcendental meditation” it can journey to the realm of the secrets. Now there are three spiritual entities meditating within a person and its status is higher than the other two.
4. The spiritual entity Khaffi
Prophecy and knowledge relating to this was granted to the Prophet Jesus
This is to the right of the centre of the chest. It too is taught the Name of God Ya Wahid by meditation. It is green in colour and it can reach the realm of unification. Due to the meditation of four entities one's status is further increased.
5. The spiritual entity Akhfa
Prophecy and knowledge relating to this was granted to the Prophet Mohammed
This is situated at the centre of the chest. It is awakened by meditating on the Name of God, Ya Ahad. It is purple in colour and it too, is connected to that veil in the realm of unification behind which is the throne of God.
The hidden spiritual knowledge relating to these five spiritual entities was granted to the Prophets, one by one and half of the knowledge of every spiritual entity was granted from the Prophets to the Saints of their time. In this way there became ten parts of this knowledge. The Saints in turn passed this knowledge on to the spiritually favoured (Godly) who then had the benefit of the sacred knowledge.
The apparent knowledge of the seen is connected to the physical body, the spoken word, the human realm and the spirit of the self, this is for the ordinary mortals. This knowledge is contained in a book that has thirty parts. Spiritual knowledge was also given to the Prophets by revelation brought by Gabriel and for this reason it is known as the spiritual Holy Scripture.
Many of the verses of the Qur’an would sometimes be abolished, since the Prophet Mohammed would sometimes mention matters relating to this “hidden spiritual knowledge” before ordinary people, which was only meant for the special and Godly. Later this knowledge passed on spiritually from the chest of one Saint to another, and now it has become widespread by its publication in books.
6. The spiritual entity Anna
This spiritual entity is inside the head and is colourless. It is by the meditation on the Name of God Ya Hu that this spiritual entity reaches its pinnacle. It is this spiritual entity that when it becomes illuminated and powerful it can stand in the Presence of God, face to face, and communicate with God unobstructed. Only the extreme lovers of God reach this realm and station. Besides this there are a few and extremely exalted people who are granted additional spiritual entities, for example the spiritual entity Tifl-e-Nuri or a spiritual entity of the Godhead, Jussa-e-Tofiq-e-Ilahi, the spiritual status of such people is beyond understanding.
With the spiritual entity, Anna, God is seen in the dream state.
With the spiritual entity of the Godhead, God is seen in the “physical meditating state” when the spiritual entity itself leaves the human body and transcends to the essence of God.
Those possessing the spiritual entity, the Tifl-e-Nuri, see God whilst they are fully conscious.
It is these people who are the majesty and power of God in the world. They can either occupy the people by prescribing worship and austerities or by their spiritual grace send a person straight to the realm of God’s love. In their sight, concerning dispensing spiritual grace the believers and the non-believers, the dead and the living are all the same. Just as a thief became a Saint, in an instant, by the passing glimpse of the Saint Sheikh Abdul-Qadir al-Jilani, similarly, Abu-Bakr Havari and Manga the thief, became instant Saints by the passing glimpses of such Saints.
The five major Messengers were given knowledge of the five spiritual entities separately and in order of their appearance, as a result of which spirituality continued to prosper. With whichever spiritual entity you practice meditation you will be connected to the corresponding Messenger and become worthy of receiving spiritual grace (from that Messenger).
Whichever spiritual entity receives the rays of the Grace of God (favour), the Sainthood granted to that spiritual entity will be connected to the corresponding Prophet’s spiritual grace.
Access to seven realms and gaining elevated spiritual status in the seven heavens is obtained through these spiritual entities.
The functions of the spiritual entities inside the human body
Akhfa: Due to the spiritual entity, Akhfa a person is able to speak. In its absence a person may have a normal tongue but will be dumb. The difference between human beings and animals lies in the presence or the absence of these spiritual entities. At birth, if the entity, Akhfa was unable to enter the body for whatever reason, then a Prophet appointed for the rectification of this ailment would be called to treat the condition as a result of which the dumb would start to speak.
Sirri: A person is able to see due to the spiritual entity, Sirri. If it does not enter the body the person is blind from birth. An appointed Prophet had the duty to find and place the spiritual entity into the body, as a result of which the blind would start to see again.
Qalb: Without the spiritual entity of the Qalb, in the body, a person is like the animals, unacquainted, far from God, miserable and without purpose. Returning this entity into the body was the task of the Prophets also.
The miracles of the Prophets were also granted to the saints, in the form marvels and mystical wonders as a result of which even the impious and liberal became close to God. When a spiritual entity is returned by any allocated Saint or Prophet, the deaf, dumb and the blind are healed.
Anna: When the spiritual entity, Anna, fails to enter the body, a person is regarded as insane even though the brain may be functioning normally.
Khaffi: In the absence of the spiritual entity, Khafi, a person is deaf, even if the ears are opened wide.
These conditions can be caused by other defects in the body, and can be treated. There is no cure in the case, where the defect is caused by the absence of the associated spiritual entity except where a Prophet or a Saint intervenes and cures the defect.
Nafs, self: As a result of the spiritual entity of the self (ego) a persons mind is occupied with the material world and it is because of the spiritual entity Qalb that a persons direction turns towards God. For more detail visit www.goharshahi.org or visit asipk.com and for videos visit HH rags
PRESIDIO OF MONTEREY, Calif. -- The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center Joint Service Color Guard and marching units representing the four military services helped Monterey residents and visitors celebrate Independence Day by participating in the City of Monterey's 4th of July parade in downtown Monterey on July 4.
Official Presidio of Monterey Web site
Official Presidio of Monterey Facebook
PHOTO by Steven L. Shepard, Presidio of Monterey Public Affairs.
This mural was painted by Bill Weber billwebermuralist.com/ On the right side, over ther group of people, you can see the flying books of an art installation, The Language of Birds www.metaphorm.org/works/language-of-the-birds/
(Top)Meet the Conlangers: The World-wide Community of Language Creators
8.A. Text: Introductory paragraph
Conlanging transcends national boundaries and enjoys a global community of enthusiasts. A “census” of the Zompist Bulletin Board reveals members from the USA, Finland, France, New Zealand, Germany, UK, Hungary, Scandinavia, and South America. Conlanging is also multigenerational with ages of language creators and enthusiasts ranging from teens to senior citizens. Take a look at the attendees of the Language Creation Conference in this exhibit case. So, without further ado, may we introduce...
(Top left) David J. Peterson
Conlanger Extraordinaire
California
One of the most active conlangers on the web is David J. Peterson. He wrote the "Conlanger's Manifesto," was one of the speakers at both Language Creation Conferences so far (2006 and 2007), has been a vocal member of the CONLANG listserv for well over five years, has one of the finest web sites (http://dedalvs.free.fr) on the Internet devoted to conlanging (and his other various pursuits), and was President of the Society of Linguistics Undergraduates (SLUG) at UC Berkeley. In addition to creating languages like Kamakawi, Zhyler, Wasabi, Megdevi, and many others, David also created SLIPA (Sign Language International Phonetic Alphabet), a detailed system for representing all possible gestures in any signed language which can also be used to create a constructed sign language. Currently, David is also a member of the Board of Directors, as well as Treasurer and Secretary of the Language Creation Society (http://www.conlang.org) and is a contributor to The Speculative Grammarian (http://specgram.com), an online journal of linguistics humor.
David is a University of California (UC), Berkeley, alumnus (where he majored in English and linguistics); his Master's degree in Linguistics is from UC San Diego. David is currently adjunct professor of English at Fullerton College in California: the "Writing Guide" section of his web site is humorous as well as highly informative. He was also engaged last year to a fellow UCSD graduate, Erin McPherson. In his 2-man band, Number 6, David plays guitar, bass, and ukulele, and he sings. David is a devoted Mac user when it comes to computers: "I very use a Mac (try to make sense of that one, Chomsky!)."
Several Babel Texts translated by David are included throughout this exhibit, as well as the "Conlanger's Manifesto," (Exhibit Case #2) and his Amazon.com review of Describing Morphosyntax (Exhibit Case #3).
The Babel Text in Kamakawi (transliteration)
1.Ka peka i ape kalaka oi oalala poi.
2.Kau imawawakaiu upea a ie ku neva'a i ava ae peka Tinala pe, ku hepale ae pe.
3.Ku hekala i ika ti, "He'ea, he lama ue i timitiú u kava i uamo." Kae timitiú i leya ka iele i i'iele poupea.
4.Ku hekala poiu ti, "He paki ue i paleumi oi penute i ue a kopu ono o penute iu kawi, au atau ue, heoku u kawakawa'u heva e ave o peka."
5.Ka kau Takepolilao ele mata ie paleumi oie penute kau paki mali tiemi i.
6.Ke hekala poiu ti, "He! Ape peka, a ape kalaka i upea uila, au hepaka upea i iko. Oku li'u eleumi au takepo'u upea i hoa liwi'u upea a.
7.Ima! He kau ei e mimile ie kalaka o upea pe, aupe kala upea ioku ika.
8.Ke kawakawa Takepolilao i upeape heva e ave o peka, kau pu'uke upea ie paleumi.
9.Ape tomi'u amo ti "Imimile", ale mimile Takepolilao ie kalaka o inotu uila pe, e kawakawa i upeape heva e ave o peka.
Translated by David J. Peterson
(http://dedalvs.free.fr/kamakawi/babel.html)
(Top right) Mark Rosenfelder
"The Zompist"
Illinois
Mark Rosenfelder, a.k.a. “The Zompist” or “The Zomp”, has been creating languages and worlds since he was in grade school. One of The Zomp’s major gifts to the conlanging community is his Language Construction Kit (http://www.zompist.com/kit.html), often the first stop for beginning conlangers. The Kit provides a step-by-step approach to creating one’s own language compiled from resources gathered by Mark while attempting to learn linguistics on his own. Topics as diverse as what sounds to use in a conlang to how to construct language families and dialects are covered. The Zompist Bulletin Board, one of the Internet’s main forums for conlangers and con-worlders, is yet another of Mark’s contributions and is available at www.spinnoff.com/zbb.
Mark’s monumental online work, Virtual Verduria (http://www.zompist.com/virtuver.htm), began as a Dungeons & Dragons setting in his college days. It is the result of over twenty years of tinkering with concepts as diverse as language, history, chemistry, biology, and mythology. Virtual Verduria provides myriad details of Mark’s fantasy world of Almea, from the creation of its planetary system to the evolution of its indigenous inhabitants, and includes comprehensive maps, native stories, and myths of the various nations. There are a dozen individual languages or language families with grammars, vocabulary, and text samples. Mark has succinctly explained how he does all this by saying, “I have no kids and I don’t watch TV.”
Although The Zomp’s day job may be as a programmer, he has assured himself a spot in the Pantheon of Conlangers with his selfless activities in support of the art.
(Photo courtesy of Mark Rosenfelder)
(Bottom left) The Official Conlang Flag
The idea of a “conlang flag” was proposed by David J. Peterson on the CONLANG listserv in a message on Aug. 29, 2004. The next day, Adrian Morgan responded by saying: “Right, it's time to take this seriously,” and a rough sketch was submitted. Discussion on the topic was brisk, over twenty designs and revisions were submitted, and the results were announced on September 23, 2004. The basic layout was suggested by Leland Paul, but the winning flag’s final design was created by Christian Thalmann. Paul’s posting provides some of the symbolism: “Against a purple sky, signifying creativity, an orange sun rises, orange signifying energy, imagination, and communication. It sheds its light over a dark, not-yet-seen world. Silhouetted against the sun is the Tower of Babel, proclaiming the noble nature of the linguistic diversity.” The Tower of Babel also brings to mind the ubiquitous Babel Text often used as a translation exercise. The Conlang Flag has been displayed prominently at the Language Creation Conferences and can be seen on numerous conlangers’ web pages.
(Bottom Middle) Andrew Smith
Creator of Brithenig
New Zealand
Born in Invercargill, New Zealand, in 1965, Andrew currently lives in Dunedin, New Zealand. He is an Archives Assistant for the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand Archives. His native language is English, and, although he speaks several languages, Andrew admits that none are to "conversational level." Brithenig is the result of Andrew's attempt to create an alternative Romance language akin to French and Spanish: namely what would have happened to Latin if it had become established in the Celtic areas of Britain and evolved accordingly. "The earliest known record of Brithenig dates back to 1997," Andrew states. "It was inspired earlier by a reference to a Celtic-influenced romance language I discovered in a book on Celtic languages in 1990, my last year of study at the University of Otago. It would take me another four years before I returned to Dunedin to re-read the reference and create the language. The rest is history. Ill Bethisad is legacy." Ill Bethisad is the imaginary country where Bethisad is spoken. The extensive site dedicated to the imaginary nation and language can be found at www.bethisad.com. With maps, history, grammars, and more, Andrew's site rivals that of Mark Rosenfelder's Virtual Verduria.
Andrew continues: "As well as Brithenig I keep a journal in a conlang based on Old English. In recent years I have started on an eclectic language based on my collection of Teach Yourself Language books. I have about 40 of them. They are getting harder to find."
"Apart from creating languages I have created imaginary worlds, attempted writing, been involved in Mediaeval Re-enactment, work out at the gym for cardio, and practise religion. I have never travelled outside my country. I collect books, CDs, RSS-feeds, and occasionally hats."
(Photo courtesy of Andrew Smith. Quotes taken from an email to Don Boozer.)
The Babel Text in Brithenig
1.Hures il munn inter hav yn linghedig e yn cant commyn.
2.Sig il pobol summoden di'l est, ysses ligavan yn luin in Sennar e lâs'ysteblivan.
3.Ysses digevan il yn a'l altr, "Gwenitz, gwans a fager brics e cogher les interevent." Ysses ysavan brics in log di bedr, e arill per chelcin.
4.Afos ysses digevan, "Gwenitz, gwans a eddifigar per nos yn giwdad, cun yn tyr che tang a'ls cels, sig nos fagians yn novn per nos e no scians ysparied pas syss la fag di la der inter."
5.Mais il Tiern gweniv a vas a widder la giwdad e'l tyr che'l pobol eddifig.
6.Il Tiern digev, "Ec'h, altresi yn pobol che barol il linghedig medissiv, ysses yst han gyvnidiad a fager. Hures ys lâ no haverai negarad ren a les che ysses provassen a fager.
7.Gwenitz, gwans a vas a ystyrddir sew linghedig di les sig ysses no c'hompruinnessen ren di'l yn a'l altr."
8.Sig il Tiern yspariav di lâ syss tud la der, e ysses calvavan a eddifigar la giwdad.
9.Ho es perc'he sa afell Babel -- perc'he lâ il Tiern ystyrddiv il linghedig di'l munn inter. Di lâ il Tiern les yspariav syss la fag di la der inter.
Translated by Andrew Smith
(http://hobbit.griffler.co.nz/babeltext.html)
(Bottom right) Dr. Sarah L. Higley
a.k.a. Sally Caves
Academic Conlanger
New York
Earning her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, Dr. Sarah L. Higley is currently Associate Professor of English at the University of Rochester and a teacher of medieval languages and literature. She is also known by her alias, Sally Caves, which is the name you'll see on her website (http://www.frontiernet.net/~scaves/teonaht.html) outlining her conlang Teonaht. According to her site, Sally began documenting her language creation in 1962 at the age of nine. Dr. Higley goes on to say that in "the Fall of 2000, she co-taught an independent study with linguistics Professor Jeffrey Runner, wherein then freshman (and linguistics major) Douglas Ball was allowed to develop grammar and text for his invented language Skerre." Sally was a presenter at the first Language Creation Conference, has been interviewed by her local NPR radio station about conlanging, wrote an article entitled "Audience, Uglossia, and CONLANG" for M/C Journal (available online at journal.media-culture.org.au/0003/languages.php), and, in December 2007, published the definitive study of St. Hildegard of Bingen and her Lingua Ignota entitled Hildegard of Bingen's Unknown Language: An Edition, Translation, and Discussion. (For more information on St. Hildegard, see Exhibit Case #4). Dr. Higley is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Language Creation Society (http://www.conlang.org).
The Babel Text in Teonaht
1.Send tand potom takrem tefye uõnim kalalya, uõnim mongwyf.
2.Send seawim il plevvysta elai renek, he twe esteratwe armmandy; rilua-il twe nrinarem celil hea Hsinnarid, send eldwav hovar endõ.
3.Send euab ouarje eldwa jane: "Mantets! Nittaopra uents, uo ad õ potemaht flehhtyzmats." Send nittaopra eldwav uen to mimmivua uo nerik to cicya.
4.Send eldwav ebra: "Mantets! Tesa-ilz lirifel-jo hadhhamats ta mehuen aid kempa ar Erahenahil, send rõ tyr aittearmats, ta vera listsõ hyny il takrem ro ssosyarem.
5.Send Le Hrel elo hsommante sa lõ kerem il tesa liriffel-jo hadhhama-uarrel ihhain le plevvysta.
6.Send Le Hrel elo ebra, "Keyts, il plevvysta somad, uo uõnim kalalya twavhha; aibba estwa mippa: to vokraikarem, send vawem dihhai twav kare deytwav dal ai sebrarem esai lis.
7."Hsobmmantets; send twe kalalya vilvviglats ta vera pre-twav twe mongav rin euab ouarjo."
8.Le Hrel ad hyny il takrem elo toaaiba sossya, send il tesa eldwa beg hadha.
9.Evvaiba Bavel li'aittear ilid lirifel, uanner Le Hrel il uõm kalalya ilid potom takrem elo vilvvigla, send il plevvystan eldwa hovvandy sossyab.
Translation by Sally Caves
(http://www.frontiernet.net/~scaves/babel.html)
A pagoda is the general term in the English language for a tiered tower with multiple eaves common in China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Nepal and other parts of Asia. Some pagodas are used as Taoist houses of worship. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most commonly Buddhist, and were often located in or near temples. This term may refer to other religious structures in some countries. In Vietnam, pagoda is a more generic term referring to a place of worship, although pagoda is not an accurate word to describe a Buddhist temple. The modern pagoda is an evolution of the Ancient Indian stupa, a tomb-like structure where sacred relics could be kept safe and venerated.[1] The architectural structure of the stupa has spread across Asia, taking on many diverse forms as details specific to different regions are incorporated into the overall design. Arniko, the famed architect of Nepal, is widely believed to have taken this architectural form to other parts of Asia, leading to the development of the pagoda design unique to China, Japan and the rest of the continent.
Source: Wikipedia
Open Letter to Jana Sena Party Pawan Kalyan
A guy named Praveen from Andhra Pradesh state Tullur village has written an Open letter to Power star Pawan Kalyan on Facebook. Its all about Chiranjeevi, Pawan Kalyan family business, their properties and expenses on useless parties.
Dear Mr. Pawan...
www.solutionzoom.com/trending-viral/open-letter-to-pawan-...
Body language can be so revealing sometimes.... don't you think?
I wonder if he had lost his faith and hope and was about to leave the place, or if on the contrary he was there trying to find some...
14th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues,
New York
Taken with a 3G iPhone
Historic Town of Sukhothai and Associated Historic Towns
Sukhothai, Si Satchanalai and Kamphaeng Phet all shared a common language and alphabet, a common administrative and legal system, and other features which leave no doubt as to their unity as a single political entity. All three towns also boasted a number of fine monuments and works of monumental sculpture, illustrating the beginning of Thai architecture and art known as the “Sukhothai style.”
Wat Chedi Chet Thaeo
Wat Chedi Chet Thaeo (Thai: วัดเจดีย์เจ็ดแถว) means the temple of seven rows of stupa. The temple is one of the most important historic sights inside the town wall of Si Satchanalai. The temple is located in front of Wat Chang Lom and is considered unique than other temples in Sukhothai Kingdom, because the temple consists of 32 stupas of different sizes in different styles. The gigantic size of the temple in the town center indicating that this temple was built for the royal family. Vajiravudh wrote in his Phra Ruang City Journey that a local claimed that the temple was once called Wat Kalayanimit and was built by a daughter of Lithai. Damrong Rajanubhab believed that the temple was the burial place for the ruler family of Si Satchanalai. Pattern of Stupas at Wat Chedi Chet Thaeo are influenced from various arts such as Sri Lanka, Lanna and Bagan stupa which has unique square tower base with spherical top and arched hall facade stucco for standing Buddha image in beautiful Sukhothai style. Inside the temple, there were vihara, ordination hall, five mandapas and sacred pond. There was also a defensive wall around the temple which was originally surrounded by a moat.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Si_Satchanalai_Historical_Park
The Si Satchanalai Historical Park (Thai: อุทยานประวัติศาสตร์ศรีสัชนาลัย) is a historical park in Si Satchanalai district, Sukhothai Province, northern Thailand. The park covers the ruins of Si Satchanalai and Chaliang. Si Satchanalai, which literally means "City of good people", was founded in 1250 as the second center of Sukhothai Kingdom and a residence of the crown prince in the 13th and 14th centuries.
The city was rectangular in shape. In the 16th century, a 5-metre high wall with an upstream moat was built to fend off the growing Burmese attacks. The location of the town was facilitated by two the neighborhood dominant hill. The park is maintained by the Fine Arts Department of Thailand with help from UNESCO, which has declared it a World Heritage Site together with the associated historic parks in Kamphaengphet and Sukhothai. Similar to Sukhothai Historical Park, Si Satchanalai Historical Park attracts thousands of visitors each year, who marvel at the ancient Buddha figures, palace buildings and ruined temples. The park is easily toured by bicycle or even on foot.
Title:
Schools - Secondary - Auckland
Publicity Caption:
Language Laboratory at Auckland Grammar School.
Photographer:
G. Riethmaier (R24768339)
collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search#/?q=R24768339
June 1970, Auckland
Reference: 24768339 AAQT 6539 W3537 104 / A93774
Title in other languages:
English: At the southern edge of Sürther Leinpfad in Köln-Godorf, Germany
Nederlands: Aan de zuideinde van Sürther Leinpfad in Köln-Godorf (Duitsland)
English:
Welcome and thank you for being here! This image forms part of a collection of photographs of moments on Planet Earth.
If you enjoy this work and want to support me financially, I’m glad to receive your donation via Paypal: paypal.me/jankohoener
If you intend to use this picture for your own purposes, please credit me with the following attribution line: Janko Hoener / CC-BY-SA-4.0. This is required by the license terms. A link back to this page and informing me about your usage via FlickrMail is appreciated.
Deutsch:
Willkommen und vielen Dank, dass Sie hier sind! Dieses Bild stellt Teil einer Sammlung von Fotografien von Augenblicken auf dem Planet Erde dar.
Wenn Ihnen diese Arbeit zusagt und Sie mich finanziell dabei unterstützen möchten, so freue ich mich über Ihre Spende via Paypal: paypal.me/jankohoener
Wenn Sie dieses Foto für eigene Zwecke nutzen möchten, geben Sie bitte Janko Hoener / CC-BY-SA-4.0 in der Bildunterschrift an. Dies ist per Lizenz gefordert. Über einen Link auf diese Seite und eine Benachrichtigung über die Nutzung via FlickrMail freue ich mich.
The 2011 Census included questions for the first time on English language proficiency for those who had a main language other than English. For residents who lived in Wales, the English category included those whose main language was Welsh.
The latest analysis from ONS has looked at how proficiency in English varied across the different main languages spoken, how health related to proficiency in English and looked at the proficiency of 3-15 year olds across local authorities in England and Wales.
www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/2011-census/detailed-charac...
ATTENTION: There is very strong adult themes such as rape (I am trying to make people more aware family and child rape ), guts, language, and everything else under the rainbow. So here, don't say I didn't warn you. Also this is in its editing stage so point out any grammar mistakes.***
It is normal to think your life is insanity; even if it is not. It is normal to feel alone, but there is always somebody with you. It is not normal to break away from everything else when you get sucked into a portal-monster-thingy, and then travel thousand years into the future in a weird land. I learned that my home, Eve City, was destroyed a thousand years ago by a thing called Envy. Basically, I got sucked into this thing and now I am a thousand years into the future. Oh great. Now I have to learn about these new people and their new beliefs. I just want to go home.
Well, I’ve been stuck in this little town named Basil for two entire boring days. I got to know everybody here expect that derfecter girl, I thought her name was Yuko or Yuki or something like that, who was always inside the temple. She was all of the people’s hopes. They say if we hear her prayer song thing when outside the temple she could continue her journey to become a dumbldorian and then dumbldorians can defeat the evil monster Envy. “Tyler, come on you sleepy head get up!”
“Fine,” I responded to Wilden’s request. Wilden was a player on the local basketball team in Basil, and his team always won. But, I figured out that his younger brother just died a couple months ago because he was attacked by Envy because he was one of the warriors who protected South America with all his might. Yet, I did not know what the warriors were called.
“You aren’t up yet!” I hated that he kept annoying me to get up when it was only 6:30 in the morning, and I usually woke up at 1:00 in the afternoon. So, I always told that to Wilden before this, but he would never listen to me.
“I’m getting up, gosh!” Then I just forced myself to jump out of my comfy bed and my feet touched the ice cold ground. It felt kind of good, but now I was freezing my butt off.
“Get ready because...well because you need to because it is daytime.” He really didn’t need to tell me that because I already knew that. Well I was already because I didn’t have time to pack anything before I got stucked into Envy. “And, here is a new outfit because you were wearing that outfit for a really long time.” Wilden gave me a new outfit, and it was hideous, and he was also wearing it because it was his team uniform for basketball. Yellow jacket shirt thing and black skin tight shorts with a wacky design on it.
“Okay, can I be alone to change?”
“Alright,” he said while he left the room. Right then I just wanted to go back home to Eve City, back home. Back home I was a semi-famous actor in a t.v show named UnDead, and my character’s name was Mack. Now I knew that would be pointless in my new life. So, I changed after I was thinking a while about my old home and Mack McDonald.
“I need to get back soon or who knows what will happen...” After that, I opened the door to go outside. Who knew what awaited outside the door of density. But, it made my life change forever. It made me think about things more.
“Yuni, it’s her prayer hear it! HEAR IT!” A little girl pulled on my shorts signaling me to come with her to see the derfecter. The thoughts in my head said that this girl would be just a geek that would be dead in the first episode of UnDead. The girl was looking at me with such innocence.
“Alright, alright, I hear it.” She started to pull me over to the Town Square. I wondered where were her parents at this time. Of course I knew her because her name was Suki and she was the youngest of five children. Which that was weird because I was also the youngest of five children. But, my eldest sister, Jenna, disappeared ten years ago, and nobody knows what happened to her. I hated her. Then my father disappeared, Jack, five years later. I hated him also. Now I was missing, but the city was destroyed and the rest of my family probably was dead. Crybaby, that what them two always called me. They were right.
“Come on, Tyler!” Suki started pulling on my shorts again, so I decided to go with her. She was smiling. She was so happy that it made me happy inside. But, I still wasn’t that excited because I still thought this girl would be a stupid geek that was also an attention whore who wanted a boyfriend that had a weird bowl hair cut. Turns out I was wrong. Never judge something until you know what it is or you would be sorry; I learned that lesson the hard way, the very, very hard way that was well very hard.
We finally made it to Town Square where the derfecter was supposed to be. I didn’t see anything but a bunch of townsfolk standing there watching something that I couldn’t see. “I am proud to finally reach the name of dumbldorian. I will follow my mother’s path to defeat Envy and make this world peaceful once again!” I still couldn’t see Yuni’s face because of the big crowd of people.
“Oh, my god! This is so awesome, Tyler! I can’t believe this is actually happening. happening right now. We’re listening to Yuni give a freaking speech!” Suki yelled. This girl seemed to overreact to hearing Yuni--she did hear her talk everyday besides the last two days.
“I know, kid, I k-”
“The world will experience peace once again, and everybody will be happy. Envy will be defeated once again!” The crowd proudly clapped, and I still couldn’t see her face. I still thought she was just another attention whore, still.
“Now thou shall bring’st fourth a dumbldorian magician. An apprentice of Gandalia himself. A Renaissance Woman. Thee art thy best in all of the town. All of the land. All of the universe and life as we knowest ith. Thy is..... the one and only magista unicron...Yuni!!!! Now she shall perform thy traditional spell dance of Yunidfgkgc, thy first person to defeat Envy.” Now I thought was she, and was about to do one of those weird ballet dances only geeks did when they were forced to by their geeky parents. But, I was once again wrong. I always seemed to be wrong about everything then, but I was also naive back then.
“Alright Sir Hootsalot,” she responded. I still couldn’t see her face or clothes or anything. “Oh Madame Andrea you came!”
“Of course, I am one of your protectors. I was also your dad and mom’s protector. You know that I will never leave your side or the side of anybody else in your family. Elder Kirami is also here but you know he is way too shy to show his face here. I believe Commander Luka is in the crowd with her husband Captain Wilden.” Gosh, this Andera girl sure loved to talk. Then I heard footsteps, and a women I didn’t know exited Town Square, Andera. Her hair was red and short and her face was covered by her black cloth.
“Cool! Andera came! She is so cool but she will NEVER show her face to anybody!” Suki tried to run to Andrea, but I stopped her. Now I just wanted to know how Yuni looked like, but, once again, I couldn’t see her. So, I forced my way to the front with Suki. Then that was when I saw her face for the first time. Her hair was a color of a raven and so were her eyes and lips, unicron have naturally black lips, and her skin was like snow. The outfit she was wearing was a navy blue dress with glitter splattered all over it.
“Wow,” I whispered to myself.
“Ain’t she pretty, Tyler, I always thought was pretty.” The girl’s lips and eyes were big because she was a combination of a person and a unicorn, and all unicorns have big lips and eyes for some reason unknown. But, then she started dancing.
“Oh my god.” Everybody was in wow when Yuni started to float, and when magical balls started to surround her creating every color of the rainbow. She then created water out of thin air, so she put it in the ocean which was nearby. This dance took hours, but every moment I was in awe. It wasn’t because of the things Yuni was doing, but it was because of her beauty.
“I love it when I see this.” Suki told me that when I was staring at Yuni’s performance. “I knew you would like it too. It is just pretty looking at Yuni do this.”
“Yes, it is.”
“This is why I love it when people become powerful because I get to see them do this.” Yuni was still dancing in the beautiful afternoon sky, and it was 1:00. When things were normal this was when I would wake up to start my day because filming always started at 6:00 for UnDead. It was near the season finale I remember, and it was getting epic, which was a bummer because I would never figure out how it ended.
Hours later:
The show stopped, but I didn’t want it to stop. But, it was starting to get dark out, and that was when people were scared and hid in their homes. When Yuni got off the stage me and Suki ran to talk to her. “YUNI, THAT WAS AMAZING!”
“Well, thank you Suki,” she answered with a voice of a perfect angel. I loved her voice, her everything.
“You’re welcome! I am so sorry Rikku couldn’t come because she would enjoyed it. But, she joined the Ali Vran with dad and Andru.”
“I’m sure she-” A plane then landed in the middle of Town Square because all the other people were at their homes watching for Envy. Three people stepped out of the aircraft, one of them running towards us. The other two were just walking.
“OH MY GOD! Suki you grew up so much! I can’t believe you are seven because you are getting so big! Do you miss me?” The girl picked up Suki and tossed her in the air after hugging her.
“Yes I do, Rikku!” This girl had a cheery feeling around her. Her blonde hair was exactly like Suki’s, and well they looked exactly alike because they both also had tan skin and green eyes.
“Oh brother and pops are coming. They are tired after a long day of treasure hunting...OH MY THERE IS FINALLY SOMEBODY ELSE WITH BLONDE HAIR! Who is he?” She was clearly talking to me. Well, I knew this town enough to know that Suki’s family and I were the only people with blonde hair in the town Basil. It was annoying that everybody either had red, black, or brown hair in this town; I felt alone with my super blonde hair.
“Oh, hey Suki how’s my girl?” Suki came running up to a man who also had blonde hair, and the man next to him looked exactly like her. Tan, blonde, green. Seems like that all that family has those things in their appearance.
“Oh hey cuz, and hey sis,” the other man greeted. So, Yuni is Rikku, Suki, and Andru cousin...okay, they looked nothing alike. I didn’t know the other two siblings because they were always at home because they were sick or injured or something. They went to close to Envy when they were doing their pickup jobs at the park in Sentra Faira and were lucky they didn’t die painfully.
“Guys this here is Tyler Fern. He is from Eve City-”
“Wait, Suki Eve City was destroyed by Envy thousand years ago,” Yuni interrupted.
“Yeah, Yuni. Um, he is from a thousand years ago. Yeah,” Suki answered.
After that:
Because Andru, Rikku, Yuni, and Pops heard that I was from a thousand years ago they took me to Commander Lucka’s place to talk about it because it was weird. I finally arrived at Luka’s after watching Yuni all the time. We walked there, and I didn’t know how much time it took; if I had to guess it probably took thirty minutes. “Well, here is her place guys.”
“Knock on the door, Yuni,” Pops commanded. So, Yuni did, and Wilden answered it. I knew they had a little three year old named Violet, and I saw her playing with a teddy bear and a moxie girl.
“You are welcomed. Come in please.” We came into the house, well mansion thing. It was super huge and gothic. I guessed Lucka liked dark stuff because Wilden said she did a little while back. “What do you want?”
“We want Luka and Tyler to talk in private about...you know what probably.”
“About him being from a destroyed city called Eve. Let me get her.” He walked up the stairs to get his wife, and I waited with the others. Of course, I passed the time by looking at Yuni, nobody seemed to notice. Okay, I had a big crush on her. Somebody call the love police.
“Here I am. Tyler come over to my workroom.” Luka had black hair like Yuni and river blue eyes. Her baby looked a lot like her, but the child had Wilden’s facial features.
We, Luka and I, entered Luka’s workroom:
It was like one of those places that you go to get your hands read or cards picked or whatever else, told your future. “Sit down, Tyler. Anywhere, but the big purple seat.” I sat down in a blue seat, and it hurt my back it was very uncomfortable.
“What are we doing?” I asked Luka.
“Talk about your life. Talk about your family. Talk about anything you remember about Eve City. Talk about it now.” So, I told her about my childhood about my family and job and Eve City. “Now what about this place?”
“Um-”
“Don’t worry I won’t be offended about anything that you say, freaking anyTHING.” I didn’t trust this girl enough to tell her what I really thought. I didn’t trust her enough to tell about my feelings for Yuni.
“It’s fine, but I sure miss my home.” Gosh, I could've told her my real feelings; I could’ve I hated my place to my guts. The only reasons I still want to be in this place is Yuni; she was HOT with her revealing dress on.
“You’re lying, I can tell. You like Yuni, and you hate this place to your guts and want to get the h*ll out of here. Also you don’t trust me enough to tell me this type of information.” How did she know that, I wondered. “I can read minds you know, Tyler. I should’ve told you that.”
“That’s kind of creepy.”
“I can focus on one mind, and gather all the info I need, and then leave at will. Why do you think i’m so good at this? I could even read multiple at the same time.” Oh great, that's just freaky. No matter what she could read my mind and know all my dirtiest secrets I tell nobody. Looks like I got to learn how to trust her, I told myself. I needed to learn to have a better life in this new place.
“Well, can I go now?”
“You can go now or learn the truth that even I don’t know,” Luka answered. So, I went out the door thinking that this was a complete waste of time. Then Luka came out also. “I have to tell you something!”
“What?”
“You can come one of her protectors, you know? It would make you both happy if you joined her team,” she whispered so nobody else would hear. I didn’t think I was up for the job, but I accepted anyways by nodding my head. “Plus, something inside me tells me that you are in great danger that you cannot escape no matter what you do.”
“It is probably nothing, Luka.” But, she looked really serious when she said that I was in danger, and I should have listened to her more often because that would have solved many problems.
“You’re wrong, Tyler, you are in serious danger. That’s why Wilden and I are coming with you and Luka after the finals in basketball. Maybe you can come see the game?” Luka started to walk away to where the others were at. I knew she knew something I did not.
“But, Luka, who would take c-”
“Emmett, our friend, will take care of Violet. Now go home, Tyler. The finals for Wilden are tomorrow and he needs his sleep. You and your friends also need to go, and I will inform Yuni that you are coming with her.” She then continued her walk to where the others were at, the living room. I decided I can go because Luka was taking care of business for me, and I was tired because I wasn’t used to this type of stuff happening to me. Because, for the whole day I was standing up while I usually did nothing but act back in Eve City.
“Okay.” But, I had my doubts about leaving because I wanted to know what the complete truth was; I knew that it was too late to go back now. There was no turning back.
I went outside:
The sky was eaten by darkness and stars. I guessed that it was about 12:30 A.M. It was a new day, and no wonder Luka wanted me to go. The stars reminded me about Yuni’s eternal beauty, she was even more stunning than the stars themselves. “Tyler, wait up!” When I turned around I saw Yuni running towards me. I then wondered if Yuni could read my mind, probably not. But, it would be weird if she could.
“Okay,” I responded. That word seemed to be my response for every question that night. She caught up to me.
“I hate the dark, it reminds me of the Shade.” Even though she was complaining I still liked the moment. For Pete’s sake, I just learned something new about her. “But, I hate Envy even more. I will stop at nothing to stop that monster once and for all.” She stared into my eyes. Something then destroyed that moment.
“YUNIE, WAIT UP! DON’T WANDER ALONE IN THE FREAKING DARK NIGHT!” Rikku came sprinting down the path. She just had to ruin that moment, didn’t she? Her blonde hair was bouncing around like a ball being played by four year olds. “Look I found a sphere; a sphere that looks unique!” She took out a red shining circular object from out of her ball. “I wonder what’s in it and why it is so hot.”
“Me too. Play it, Rikku.” Yuni walked over to where Rikku was standing, and so did I. When Rikku squeezed the sphere it started to show a movie-like footage. I was standing there in awe because it was beautiful, but I still did not understand how a crystal ball thing can play a movie when it was just a normal sphere.
It was showing a man with a girl that looked a lot like Yuni less the uber-hotness. Everything was a reddish color, so you couldn’t tell what their hair, skin, or eye color was. They were warning the viewer about a thing they called Tusan, Nathan’s slave. Then they explained that when Envy is defeated it gets reborn by feeding off a host of a random person that was nearby Envy when it gets defeated, and the person hosted will technically turn into Envy without their free will. Just because Tusan, Nathan, was playing with the strings with a monstrous thing.
“What the! Mom...dad! Why didn’t you tell me this earlier,” Yuni yelled at the top of her lungs. After that, she began crying. Tears were flowing down her cheeks like they were rivers. She reminded me how I used to be ten years ago, but I was still like that now. Just nothing bad happened to me lately. “Tusan...I have to start my journey now to avenge my parents!”
“You promised Wliden you would go to the final, Yunnie. Plus, Andera and Kirami aren’t here. We will all meet at the finals, and then we can go on the journey altogether as one excited group.” Rikku put her hand on Yuni’s shoulder and wiped the tear off of Yuni’s face. Yuni stopped crying, looking at her cousin. It surprised me that they were COUSINS, Rikku wasn’t even a unicron.
“I just can’t believe my parents would hide something that big from me, their own daughter. We used to tell everything to each other.” Another tear went down Yuni’s amazing face. She once again started to cry. Crybaby, that word hunted my head. Forever and ever and ever. At least I was not the only crybaby in that cruel world.
“We have to go home, guys, it’s getting late,” I commanded. Yuni grabbed my hand.
“My home is the temple.”
“No, Yuni you can stay with me. You know where I live right, Tyler, right? Come on we have to go!” Rikku ran leaving us behind in the darkness. If she ran off in our journey, I wondered, would she do it for a good reason? I put that thought out of head, and then started walking.
“So you are from the infamous Eve City?”
“Yes.” I was a little annoyed about why she asked me that freaking annoying question. Didn’t Wilden tell her he found me on the bench unconscious, laying there all wet and sandy. He brought me back to his village to see if I was alright, and he discovered that I was from thousand years ago somehow. Like, I didn’t tell him, yet then I remembered Luka could read my mind. The girl with a man’s name could read my mind.
“How was it there? I heard they had tall buildings everywhere with lights all over the place with a stadium that shined like the sun along with a huge movie studio.” She let go of my hand. “And, they did this!” Her hands went up in the air, yelled like a fan girl, and she smiled. “I wished we did that.”
“Yes.” Now I was answering everything with yes. The basketball stadium there was the brightest thing I ever seen in my entire life. All the seats were filled when the people there were rooting for the team that they liked. It was loud. I lived near to it, and sometimes I couldn’t go to sleep at night because how loud and light the stadium was. I will always remember those sleepless nights filled with stupid people.
“It is very different now, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“You say yes to everything don’t ya?” she questioned me. Yes, that was my word of the night.
“No, I don’t say yes to everything.” All Yuni did was giggle. Well, I don’t know why she giggled, but I loved her giggle. It was one of those innocent types of giggles that were super high. All unicrons had that type of innocent laugh. I knew this because I read a book on unicrons. I didn’t know everything, gosh, I was a normal seventeen year old boy.
“I thought so, come on we have to go to Rikki’s house or she is going to freak out. You never want to see her freak out, EVER. Rikku gets freaking insane when she does.” Then we started to walk once again. Yuni was still more beautiful then all of the bright stars in the sky. But, something seemed wrong with her; it was probably because her parents hid that big secret from her and she was depressed about that.
After getting home:
My bed was calling for me because it was almost 1:oo in the mourning. Only five hours of sleep, crap. So, I went to bed because I didn’t have any pajamas to sleep in. The bed felt compty. “Time to go to bed.” I closed my eyes.
Five hours later:
I woke up, and somehow I was on a boat that was on the water. “Where am I!?” I screamed when I opened my eyes.
“A boat...oh no. Stay there!” I saw that Luka was the one with me, and though a small window I saw Envy, I could point out that giant circle thing with a face from anywhere. That freaking cloud monster thing was coming our way. We had to go. For some reason I got out of bed, I didn’t listen to Luka. I needed to check if Yuni was okay because I knew she was here. And, I saw her, standing on the deck.
“Help me, guys! We have to keep this boat floating or we all will die. Come on!” Recognizing that it was Yuni, I ran out of my room. Yuni was right there with her wooden staff. She had a red shirt with glitter on it and jeans.
“Yuni!”
“Tyler, help me here. Do you have anything to fight with?” Wilden then ran up to me with a sword. He put it the weapon in my hands, and ran off. Yuni nodded her head while I noticed her black hair was in a side ponytail.
“How can I help you?” It felt weird that I had a sword in my hands. The only sword I ever held before that moment was a fake sword for my television show UnDead. The blade was sharp, it was heavy, I could kill something with it. Then I looked up; Envy was still there, laughing at us ants with silence. Wait, that made no sense.
“We have to get away from Envy or he will kill us all. Plus, I don’t have the powers to kill it yet.” She started to rise up her staff. After that, she rose it above her head and she summoned a dragon. It was red like her shirt and beautiful like her. “But, just in case, we have to get ready to fight this thing. Come on, Fira, we have to do this!”
“Alright!” Luka came. The look on her face told me that she was angry, probably because I ignored her simple demand. Envy was getting closer and closer to the boat. Any second he would of been on top of us, overpowering the puny humans on board.
“Hold on,” Wilden demanded. The boat violently turned around in circles. The fast circling motion was like a ride in an amusement park people threw up on. Rikku was hoping tightly on a rope looking a little green.
“We are going to make this, we are going to make this.” I kept telling myself that over and over again. I thought it was the end for me. But, I looked over to Yuni. Even then she was simply stunning, even though she was about to throw up with all the spinning happening.
“Yeah,” Yuni answered. Her hands were holding onto the side of the boat. The wind made her ponytail go out of her hair and now it was down. I liked it better when her hair was down. Yuni slowly inched to me and held my hand. If I died I would die happy now. Our heads were together, but I didn’t know if she liked me or not.
“Yes.” I wanted to kiss her. I knew she wouldn’t like that because we just meet yesterday afternoon and she probably liked things to go nice and slow, not fast. The urge, it was so overpowering. Luckily, I fought the overwhelming urge to kiss her lips. The wind was fierce because Envy was close, and now we were stuck in a circular motion of the joy ride. We would be that way until we were too far away from Envy to make its random wind powers ineffective to us. The monster was coming closer and closer to us; it was time to play that legendary Jaws movies music. My final moments were about to come, the shark of the skies was about to take its bite of doom.
“We will live through this.” As she said that, Yuni closed her eyes in sheer terror. My eyes were still on her. Beauty was in the eye of the beholder. Yuni was the definition of beauty in the inside and outside. It was kind of wicked that I found somebody stunning when they were scared to death, but I did this moment. Even when she was frightened Yuni looked hot as the sun on the day of the end of the world.
“I know.”
“Guys, Envy is going the other way,” Rikku pointed out. The wind had stop blowing; we were all alright. “Is Yunnie okay Tyler?”
“Yes.”
“You say yes to everything, don’t ya?” Okay, now Rikku had also noticed that I said yes often. Somehow, they saying that made me think about my dad and my eldest sister. Crybaby, you ain’t nothing but a big crybaby. That was all they called me just because I used to get very emotional about everything they did to me when I was younger. But, then Yuni let go of my hand and went to her cousin Rikku. My perfect moment was over.
“No, I don’t, Rikku.” I said no to my dad and Jenna when they called me a crybaby. No, no, no. No i’m not one I am just having one of those things in my early life! Those memories will haunt me forever, but yet I would praise them for they were the only thing I had left of Eve City.
“Good.” She hugged Yuni and patted her on the back once again. Rikku was protective over Yuni, a little bit too protective.
“Yes.” Wait, there I went again with saying yes all the time.
“Are you sure yes isn’t the only thing you say?” Rikku and Yuni questioned at the same time.
“Yes.” Then I realized I shouldn't have just said that. It just proved their point about me saying yes about everything. I slapped myself in the head. Why did I just do that? Those girls were smart, way smarter than me. All they did was laugh when I answered their question.
“Guys, stop doing that back there we still have to see if Envy is anywhere near us,” Wilden commanded. Luka appeared again to stare us down with her soul piercing eyes. We needed to be more serious about our situation. She pointed to a broken rope and then looked at me. I knew she wanted me to do something with that rope.
“Replace that rope with this one, Tyler.” She placed a rope in my hand. Wilden and Luka sure liked giving stuff to me, but I did not like it whatsoever. It was getting annoying.
“Yes.” Why did I always say yes those days, those good old days? I wished I said okay or something like that. But, no I had to always freaking said yes or no back then.
“Well, don’t just stand there get to it because Envy can come back and that rope can be our d*mn demise. That would be REALLY bad and that b*tch, Dee, who is next in line, would have to take the freaking d*mn journey besides of Yuni, the only girl practicing that wasn’t a complete a*shole.” I always wondered where the rest of Wilden’s team was, but I guess they took different boats because they had families of their own to protect. And, dang, Luka loved to cuse a lot. Yeah, I was just going to stay on her good side.
new that whatever the reason was it was not good.
“Envy payed Mika and Kenzie a visit.” Then tears were falling from her eyes again. I wasn’t annoyed about her always crying because I used to all the time until dad and Jenna vanished from thin air at random times. Somehow that made me not cry anymore and I became a strong boy. But, I still hated them both with all my guts.
“What about Envy?” There was always something bad happening when people said that name. Gosh, I hated that name.
“He destroyed another town, Tolo Town. I had dear friends there and well they are probably all dead. Dead, they are all DEAD.” She couldn’t stop crying, so I knew she cared about her old friends.
“How do you know this?”
“Luka said she saw Tolo being destroyed and I have to make all the dead go to the Netherrealm, Shade’s liar, or Tauros, Shade’s hideout, or MARKA will take them.” Yuni rested her elbow onto the edge of the boat, and stared at the endless blue sea. I knew she really cared about other people’s safety, and she wanted nobody else to die or she would be in even more pain then she was in right at that moment.
“What does MARKA, whoever they are, do to them?” The thing they did to the dead shocked me. No wonder she wanted to go there immediately.
“They turn them into monsters or to the really powerful ones things they call dark priests.” She got something from out of her jean pocket. It was a round blue thing. It showed a picture of a normal person.
“Why are you showing me this?”
“To show you what they do to the innocent souls that should not belong to them.” She pressed a small button on her round thing. The picture showed a great beast that skin was scales and with teeth so sharp it would cut anything. It’s eyes were still human, but it was scary. Who would do this to a person? Wait, MARKA would. “We shouldn’t see them on our journey, but after that its fair game. Their leader, Nathan I believe his name is, will stop at nothing to kill all of us, the defeated of Envy.” Okay, I did not want to see these people, but if I did I would give them a piece of their own medicine or atleast try to beat them.
“Okay, we should go.”
“Wilden is going there. But, for some weird reason, now he wants us all to call him W.” That was weird especially for a guy who was all about being serious. It was totally nuts. Yuni started to walk away once again. Away from reality.
“Wait, what do the Dark Priest look like?” I asked. She turned suddenly around, and telling by the look on her face it was bad.
“Nobody knows. JK, they actually look like humans just covered with d*mn black Shade. At least, that is what people think they look like.”
When we arrived at Tolo Town:
The whole place was like a war zone. Houses were blown over and were in millions of pieces. Blood was everywhere you stepped and looked. The docks were mostly under water. Knowing kids and babies were there, I wanted to cry but I forced myself not to. I was no longer a crybaby; I was no longer a crybaby. “Rest in peace Kenzie and Mika,” Yuni cried. Everybody bowed their heads down but me.
“This is messed up.” All of the others looked at me funny after I made that remark. It wasn’t like I was saying I think they deserved it. They just were sad and all of them were mourning, oh, it wasn’t sad. These thoughts in my head were so d*mn confusing!
“Poor Kenzie, Mika, and Michelina; Suki would be so devastated when I tell her that they died because of Envy.” Rikku seemed most depressed out of all of them. There were a billion teardrops on my face, and I thought it was impossible to make Rikku cry, the puffball of the group. I guessed wrong again. I should have just stopped judging people before I knew them.
“I’m sorry for your lost, and i’m sure Kenzie, Mika, and Michelina were very good people with souls that belonged to the Good.” There were no survivors, Luka checked everywhere with her powers. Envy killed every single breathing soul in that village. Everybody was probably having a good day until Envy attacked. Then everybody screamed for help, but it was too late when help finally arrived. But, now we could do them a favor and make sure MARKA doesn’t turn any of them into monsters.
“I just need a little bit more time before I can send them to the other places, guys.” Yuni dropped to the ground. She didn’t care about the fact that she landed in a pile of blood; she just needed to have time to cope with her lost. Once again, Rikku comforted her grieving cousin. And, I did too. It seemed like it was the right thing to do.
“You can take as long as you like,” Rikku said while hugging her. I just patted her on the shoulder.
“Can I be alone?”
“Well, we only have four hours until the game starts, and we have to meet Andrea and Kirami there also before it starts,” Wilden answered. So, Yuni picked up her staff from wherever she kept it.
“I’m ready then, W.”
“You can have more time if you like, Yuni,” he responded. I really thought she needed more time to cope too, and so did Rikku. Yuni got up and then ran over to the ocean and went into it. The waves made her sandals and the bottom of her jeans wet. But, I was still admiring her hotness. Okay, I was really into her it freaking hurt.
“I can do it now. This game means a lot to you, and I won’t make you miss it because I was mourning old friends which I hadn’t seen for years.” Yuni raised up her staff above her head, crying.
“Wait, Yunnie! I want to get something here.” Rikku went running off to one of the destroyed houses. Then she appeared again with a pearl bracelet she found. The pearl were the color of clouds.
“Kenzie’s necklace! You can wear it I have enough bracelet,” Yuni shouted to Rikku.
“I will never take it off, ever.” The girl put the bracelet around her wrist. It looked really good on her, but it would have looked better on Yuni, of course. The pearls glistened in the sunlight. It could be the sparkle in the Shade.
“Can I start now?” Her staff was still above her stunning head. There were tears on her face because of her friends’ deaths.
“Yes,” I answered.
“Do you ever say anything but yes?” Luka questioned. Oh great, I thought, now she thinks I say yes too much. Just great.
“I actually do.” I finally learned how to not say yes. I was no longer a yes man, but now I was a clueless man. Even Einstein was once clueless, and then he became the wizkid of all time.
“I would like to start now. It would be bad of MARKA gets even more monsters. But, sometimes people live forever if unsent. If they don’t get captured by MARKA, and everything without a soul is useless to them.” I didn’t know why she was going on about MARKA and immortality.
“It is going to start, Tyler.” Luka put her hand on my shoulder. “Don’t be afraid by what you see.” Then, of all things, Yuni danced. The waves were dancing around her and souls of people came towards her.
“Kenzie! NO!” Rikku tried to grab a girl with short brown hair, tan skin, and green eyes but Luka let go of me to stop her. “No, no, NO! You too Mika.” She stared at a girl around Suki’s age who had brown hair, pale skin, and green eyes. The poor woman started to sob like how I used to when dad and Jenna yelled at me. The souls turned into shooting stars when they reached Yuni and go off in the distance. That was hard to watch.
“I told you to be prepared, but I see you’re crying.” Luka wiped away the tear that I cried off of my pale face. And, looked into my eyes. “Do not hide who you’re really are, Tyler.” She went onto the boat after she comforted me with Wilden. So, I decided to go to the boat since this was just creepy. People die, and Yuni dances. That is a little bit creepy. Yuni was going out of the water, and Rikku was on her knees. Rikku’s hand was still reached out.
“This is a reasonable time.” I was still looking at Yuni. This time she was the one comforting Rikku. “Completely reasonable.”
“It is going to be alright,” Yuni said to Rikku.
“No, it isn’t. All of us will die one time or another even if we’re immortal. Immortals can still die inside. Envy really out did himself this time.” She got up, and grabbed Yuni’s hand.
“I can give you more time if you like, Rikku.” Yuni got up, and stayed there, waiting for an answer.
“Yunni, I must go on.” Rikku grabbed onto her necklace, looking at it. It must of
been one of her friend’s favorite bracelet or something. “We need to go. MARKA is probably coming right this moment.” I wondered why MARKA knew where every dark soul was. But, I guess we still had to go.
“We can stay a little longer,” Yuni pleaded.
“No, for all we know MARKA can murder us in cold blood and turn us into one of them.” Rikku then got up, and ran over to the boat. I continued to walk towards the boat until I noticed Yuni wasn’t coming.
“Why aren’t you coming?” I questioned. She just stayed there glaring at something.
“MARKA monsters are here!” When I turned around I saw a foe right behind me, breathing down my neck. It wanted to end another life. So, I started to run, but Yuni wouldn’t come. She stood on her ground with her staff ready.
“Yuni, we have to go now!”
“Tyler, we have to fight now. There would be one less foe to worry about. The soul will go to its rightful place at last!” She summoned one of her dragon; both of them were ready to fight. Then another foe flew in front of me. “I will fight this one and you will fight that one over there. Come on, we’re trapped if we don’t fight these stupid things!”
“Alright.” Then there was a bright blinding light. Right before I could even hit that thing it fell onto the ground, and seconds later Yuni’s hit the ground before she could fight. “What the heck?”
“I never leave friends behind. They are coming; we have to go now!” I then saw that it was Rikku. Rikku defeated and killed the beasts in the matter of seconds. That was so awesome, she knew how to kick butt. “I ain’t waiting all day.” People came onto the island; it was the MARKA workers. So, we hurried onto the boat before any of the MARKA workers could see us. We ran as fast as the wind because we were scared; all of us were scared out of our mind. Then we reached the boat, rejoiced.
Kathmandu is the capital and largest municipality of Nepal. It is the only city of Nepal with the administrative status of Mahanagar (Metropolitan City), as compared to Upa-Mahanagar (Sub-Metropolitan City) or Nagar (City). Kathmandu is the core of Nepal's largest urban agglomeration located in the Kathmandu Valley consisting of Lalitpur, Kirtipur, Madhyapur Thimi, Bhaktapur and a number of smaller communities. Kathmandu is also known informally as "KTM" or the "tri-city". According to the 2011 census, Kathmandu Metropolitan City has a population of 975.453 and measures 49,45 square kilometres.
The city stands at an elevation of approximately 1.400 metres in the bowl-shaped Kathmandu Valley of central Nepal. It is surrounded by four major hills: Shivapuri, Phulchoki, Nagarjun, and Chandragiri. Kathmandu Valley is part of three districts (Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur), has the highest population density in the country, and is home to about a twelfth of Nepal's population.
Historically, the Kathmandu Valley and adjoining areas were known as Nepal Mandala. Until the 15th century, Bhaktapur was its capital when two other capitals, Kathmandu and Lalitpur, were established. During the Rana and Shah eras, British historians called the valley itself "Nepal Proper". Today, Kathmandu is not only the capital of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, but also the headquarters of the Bagmati Zone and the Central Development Region of Nepal.
Kathmandu is the gateway to tourism in Nepal. It is also the hub of the country's economy. It has the most advanced infrastructure of any urban area in Nepal, and its economy is focused on tourism, which accounted for 3.8% of Nepal's GDP in 1995–96. Tourism in Kathmandu declined thereafter during a period of political unrest, but since then has improved. In 2013, Kathmandu was ranked third among the top 10 travel destinations on the rise in the world by TripAdvisor, and ranked first in Asia.
The city has a rich history, spanning nearly 2000 years, as inferred from inscriptions found in the valley. Religious and cultural festivities form a major part of the lives of people residing in Kathmandu. Most of Kathmandu's people follow Hinduism and many others follow Buddhism. There are people of other religious beliefs as well, giving Kathmandu a cosmopolitan culture. Nepali is the most commonly spoken language in the city. English is understood by Kathmandu's educated residents. Kathmandu was devastated by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on April 25, 2015.
ETYMOLOGY
The city of Kathmandu is named after Kasthamandap temple, that stood in Durbar Square. In Sanskrit, Kastha (काष्ठ) means "wood" and Mandap (/मण्डप) means "covered shelter". This temple, also known as Maru Satal (in ″Newar language″), was built in 1596 by King Laxmi Narsingh Malla. The two-storey structure was made entirely of wood, and used no iron nails nor supports. According to legend, all the timber used to build the pagoda was obtained from a single tree. The structure unfortunately collapsed during the major earthquake in April 2015.
The colophons of ancient manuscripts, dated as late as the 20th century, refer to Kathmandu as Kasthamandap Mahanagar in Nepal Mandala. Mahanagar means "great city". The city is called "Kasthamandap" in a vow that Buddhist priests still recite to this day. Thus, Kathmandu is also known as Kasthamandap. During medieval times, the city was sometimes called Kantipur (कान्तिपुर). This name is derived from two Sanskrit words - Kanti and pur. "Kanti" is one of the names of the Goddess Lakshmi, and "pur" means place.
Among the indigenous Newar people, Kathmandu is known as Yen Desa (येँ देश), and Patan and Bhaktapur are known as Yala Desa (यल देश) and Khwopa Desa (ख्वप देश). "Yen" is the shorter form of Yambu (यम्बु), which originally referred to the northern half of Kathmandu.
HISTORY
Archaeological excavations in parts of Kathmandu have found evidence of ancient civilizations. The oldest of these findings is a statue, found in Maligaon, that was dated at 185 AD. The excavation of Dhando Chaitya uncovered a brick with an inscription in Brahmi script. Archaeologists believe it is two thousand years old. Stone inscriptions are an ubiquitous element at heritage sites and are key sources for the history of Nepal
The earliest Western reference to Kathmandu appears in an account of Jesuit Fathers Johann Grueber and Albert d'Orville. In 1661, they passed through Nepal on their way from Tibet to India, and reported that they reached "Cadmendu, the capital of the Kingdom of Necbal".
ANCIENT HISTORY
The ancient history of Kathmandu is described in its traditional myths and legends. According to Swayambhu Purana, the present day Kathmandu was once a lake called Nagdaha. The lake was drained by Manjusri, who established a city called Manjupattan and made Dharmakar the ruler of the land.
Kotirudra Samhita of Shiva Purana, Chapter 11, shloka 18 refers to the place as Nayapala city famous for its Pashupati Shivalinga. The name Nepal probably originates from this city Nayapala.
Very few historical records exist of the period before the medieval Licchavis rulers. According to Gopalraj Vansawali, a genealogy of Nepali monarchs, the rulers of Kathmandu Valley before the Licchavis were Gopalas, Mahispalas, Aabhirs, Kirants, and Somavanshi. The Kirata dynasty was established by Yalamber. During the Kirata era, a settlement called Yambu existed in the northern half of old Kathmandu. In some of the Sino-Tibetan languages, Kathmandu is still called Yambu. Another smaller settlement called Yengal was present in the southern half of old Kathmandu, near Manjupattan. During the reign of the seventh Kirata ruler, Jitedasti, Buddhist monks entered Kathmandu valley and established a forest monastery at Sankhu.
MEDIEVAL HISTORY
LICCHAVI ERA
The Licchavis from the Indo-Gangetic plain migrated north and defeated the Kiratas, establishing the Licchavi dynasty. During this era, following the genocide of Shakyas in Lumbini by Virudhaka, the survivors migrated north and entered the forest monastery in Sankhu masquerading as Koliyas. From Sankhu, they migrated to Yambu and Yengal (Lanjagwal and Manjupattan) and established the first permanent Buddhist monasteries of Kathmandu. This created the basis of Newar Buddhism, which is the only surviving Sanskrit-based Buddhist tradition in the world. With their migration, Yambu was called Koligram and Yengal was called Dakshin Koligram during most of the Licchavi era.Eventually, the Licchavi ruler Gunakamadeva merged Koligram and Dakshin Koligram, founding the city of Kathmandu. The city was designed in the shape of Chandrahrasa, the sword of Manjushri. The city was surrounded by eight barracks guarded by Ajimas. One of these barracks is still in use at Bhadrakali (in front of Singha Durbar). The city served as an important transit point in the trade between India and Tibet, leading to tremendous growth in architecture. Descriptions of buildings such as Managriha, Kailaskut Bhawan, and Bhadradiwas Bhawan have been found in the surviving journals of travelers and monks who lived during this era. For example, the famous 7th-century Chinese traveller Xuanzang described Kailaskut Bhawan, the palace of the Licchavi king Amshuverma. The trade route also led to cultural exchange as well. The artistry of the Newar people - the indigenous inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley - became highly sought after during this era, both within the Valley and throughout the greater Himalayas. Newar artists travelled extensively throughout Asia, creating religious art for their neighbors. For example, Araniko led a group of his compatriot artists through Tibet and China. Bhrikuti, the princess of Nepal who married Tibetan monarch Songtsän Gampo, was instrumental in introducing Buddhism to Tibet.
MALLA ERA
The Licchavi era was followed by the Malla era. Rulers from Tirhut, upon being attacked by Muslims, fled north to the Kathmandu valley. They intermarried with Nepali royalty, and this led to the Malla era. The early years of the Malla era were turbulent, with raids and attacks from Khas and Turk Muslims. There was also a devastating earthquake which claimed the lives of a third of Kathmandu's population, including the king Abhaya Malla. These disasters led to the destruction of most of the architecture of the Licchavi era (such as Mangriha and Kailashkut Bhawan), and the loss of literature collected in various monasteries within the city. Despite the initial hardships, Kathmandu rose to prominence again and, during most of the Malla era, dominated the trade between India and Tibet. Nepali currency became the standard currency in trans-Himalayan trade.
During the later part of the Malla era, Kathmandu Valley comprised four fortified cities: Kantipur, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, and Kirtipur. These served as the capitals of the Malla confederation of Nepal. These states competed with each other in the arts, architecture, aesthetics, and trade, resulting in tremendous development. The kings of this period directly influenced or involved themselves in the construction of public buildings, squares, and temples, as well as the development of water spouts, the institutionalization of trusts (called guthis), the codification of laws, the writing of dramas, and the performance of plays in city squares. Evidence of an influx of ideas from India, Tibet, China, Persia, and Europe among other places can be found in a stone inscription from the time of king Pratap Malla. Books have been found from this era that describe their tantric tradition (e.g. Tantrakhyan), medicine (e.g. Haramekhala), religion (e.g. Mooldevshashidev), law, morals, and history. Amarkosh, a Sanskrit-Nepal Bhasa dictionary from 1381 AD, was also found. Architecturally notable buildings from this era include Kathmandu Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, the former durbar of Kirtipur, Nyatapola, Kumbheshwar, the Krishna temple, and others.
MODERN ERA
EARLY SHAH RULE
The Gorkha Kingdom ended the Malla confederation after the Battle of Kathmandu in 1768. This marked the beginning of the modern era in Kathmandu. The Battle of Kirtipur was the start of the Gorkha conquest of the Kathmandu Valley. Kathmandu was adopted as the capital of the Gorkha empire, and the empire itself was dubbed Nepal. During the early part of this era, Kathmandu maintained its distinctive culture. Buildings with characteristic Nepali architecture, such as the nine-story tower of Basantapur, were built during this era. However, trade declined because of continual war with neighboring nations. Bhimsen Thapa supported France against Great Britain; this led to the development of modern military structures, such as modern barracks in Kathmandu. The nine-storey tower Dharahara was originally built during this era.
RANA RULE
Rana rule over Nepal started with the Kot Massacre, which occurred near Hanuman Dhoka Durbar. During this massacre, most of Nepal's high-ranking officials were massacred by Jang Bahadur Rana and his supporters. Another massacre, the Bhandarkhal Massacre, was also conducted by Kunwar and his supporters in Kathmandu. During the Rana regime, Kathmandu's alliance shifted from anti-British to pro-British; this led to the construction of the first buildings in the style of Western European architecture. The most well-known of these buildings include Singha Durbar, Garden of Dreams, Shital Niwas, and the old Narayanhiti palace. The first modern commercial road in the Kathmandu Valley, the New Road, was also built during this era. Trichandra College (the first college of Nepal), Durbar School (the first modern school of Nepal), and Bir Hospital (the first hospital of Nepal) were built in Kathmandu during this era. Rana rule was marked by tyranny, debauchery, economic exploitation and religious persecution.
GEOGRAPHY
Kathmandu is located in the northwestern part of Kathmandu Valley to the north of the Bagmati River and covers an area of 50,67 square kilometres. The average elevation is 1.400 metres above sea level. The city is directly bounded by several other municipalities of the Kathmandu valley: south of the Bagmati by Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City (Patan) with which it today forms one urban area surrounded by a ring road, to the southwest by Kirtipur Municipality and to the east by Madyapur Thimi Municipality. To the north the urban area extends into several Village Development Committees. However, the urban agglomeration extends well beyond the neighboring municipalities, e. g. to Bhaktapur and just about covers the entire Kathmandu valley.
Kathmandu is dissected by eight rivers, the main river of the valley, the Bagmati and its tributaries, of which the Bishnumati, Dhobi Khola, Manohara Khola, Hanumant Khola, and Tukucha Khola are predominant. The mountains from where these rivers originate are in the elevation range of 1.500–3.000 metres, and have passes which provide access to and from Kathmandu and its valley. An ancient canal once flowed from Nagarjuna hill through Balaju to Kathmandu; this canal is now extinct.
Kathmandu and its valley are in the Deciduous Monsoon Forest Zone (altitude range of 1.200–2.100 metres), one of five vegetation zones defined for Nepal. The dominant tree species in this zone are oak, elm, beech, maple and others, with coniferous trees at higher altitude.
TOURISM
Tourism is considered another important industry in Nepal. This industry started around 1950, as the country's political makeup changed and ended the country's isolation from the rest of the world. In 1956, air transportation was established and the Tribhuvan Highway, between Kathmandu and Raxaul (at India's border), was started. Separate organizations were created in Kathmandu to promote this activity; some of these include the Tourism Development Board, the Department of Tourism and the Civil Aviation Department. Furthermore, Nepal became a member of several international tourist associations. Establishing diplomatic relations with other nations further accentuated this activity. The hotel industry, travel agencies, training of tourist guides, and targeted publicity campaigns are the chief reasons for the remarkable growth of this industry in Nepal, and in Kathmandu in particular.
Since then, tourism in Nepal has thrived; it is sometimes called the "third religion" of Nepal. It is the country's most important industry. Tourism is a major source of income for most of the people in the city, with several hundred thousand visitors annually. Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world visit Kathmandu's religious sites such as Pashupatinath, Swayambhunath, Boudhanath and Budhanilkantha. From a mere 6179 tourists in 1961–62, the number jumped to 491504 in 1999-2000. With the end of Maoist insuregency period in 2009 there was a significant rise of 509,956 tourist arrivals. Since then, tourism has improved as the country turned into a Democratic Republic. In economic terms, the foreign exchange registered 3.8% of the GDP in 1995–96 but then started declining. The high level of tourism is attributed to the natural grandeur of the Himalayas and the rich cultural heritage of the country.
The neighborhood of Thamel is Kathmandu's primary "traveler's ghetto", packed with guest houses, restaurants, shops, and bookstores, catering to tourists. Another neighborhood of growing popularity is Jhamel, a name for Jhamsikhel coined to rhyme with Thamel. Jhochhen Tol, also known as Freak Street, is Kathmandu's original traveler's haunt, made popular by the hippies of the 1960s and 1970s; it remains a popular alternative to Thamel. Asan is a bazaar and ceremonial square on the old trade route to Tibet, and provides a fine example of a traditional neighborhood.
With the opening of the tourist industry after the change in the political scenario of Nepal in 1950, the hotel industry drastically improved. Now Kathmandu boasts several five-star hotels like Hyatt Regency, Hotel Yak & Yeti, The Everest Hotel, Hotel Radisson, Hotel De L'Annapurna, The Malla Hotel, Shangri-La Hotel (which is not operated by the Shangri-La Hotel Group) and The Shanker Hotel. There are several four-star hotels such as Hotel Vaishali, Hotel Narayani, The Blue Star and Grand Hotel. The Garden Hotel, Hotel Ambassador, and Aloha Inn are among the three-star hotels in Kathmandu. Hotels like Hyatt Regency, De L'Annapurna and Hotel Yak & Yeti are among the five-star hotels providing casinos as well.
DEMOGRAPHICS
Kathmandu's urban cosmopolitan character has made it the most populous city in Nepal, recording a population of 671846 residents living in 235387 households in the metropolitan area, according to the 2001 census. According to the National Population Census of 2011, the total population of Kathmandu city was 975543 with an annual growth rate of 6,12% with respect to the population figure of 2001. 70% of the total population residing in Kathmandu are aged between 15 and 59.
Over the years the city has been home to people of various ethnicities, resulting in a range of different traditions and cultural practices. In one decade, the population increased from 427045 in 1991 to 671805 in 2001. The population was projected to reach 915071 in 2011 and 1.319.597 by 2021. To keep up this population growth, the KMC-controlled area of 5,076.6 hectares has expanded to 8.214 hectares in 2001. With this new area, the population density which was 85 in 1991 is still 85 in 2001; it is likely to jump to 111 in 2011 and 161 in 2021.
ETHNIC GROUPS
The largest ethnic groups are Newar (29.6%), Matwali (25.1% Sunuwar, Gurung, Magars, Tamang etc.), Khas Brahmins (20.51%) and Chettris (18.5%) . Tamangs originating from surrounding hill districts can be seen in Kathmandu. More recently, other hill ethnic groups and Caste groups from Terai have become present as well in vast majority. The major languages are Nepali, Nepal Bhasa and English is understood by about 30% of the people. The major religions are Hinduism and Buddhism.
The linguistic profile of Kathmandu underwent drastic changes during the Shah dynasty's rule because of its strong bias towards the Brahminic culture. Sanskrit language therefore was preferred and people were encouraged to learn it even by attending Sanskrit learning centers in Terai. Sanskrit schools were specially set up in Kathmandu and in the Terai region to inculcate traditional Hindu culture and practices originated from Nepal.
ARCHITECTURE AND CITYSCAPE
The ancient trade route between India and Tibet that passed through Kathmandu enabled a fusion of artistic and architectural traditions from other cultures to be amalgamated with local art and architecture. The monuments of Kathmandu City have been influenced over the centuries by Hindu and Buddhist religious practices. The architectural treasure of the Kathmandu valley has been categorized under the well-known seven groups of heritage monuments and buildings. In 2006 UNESCO declared these seven groups of monuments as a World Heritage Site (WHS). The seven monuments zones cover an area of 188,95 hectares, with the buffer zone extending to 239,34 hectares. The Seven Monument Zones (Mzs) inscribed originally in 1979 and with a minor modification in 2006 are Durbar squares of Hanuman Dhoka, Patan and Bhaktapur, Hindu temples of Pashupatinath and Changunarayan, the Buddhist stupas of Swayambhu and Boudhanath.
DURBAR SQUARES
The literal meaning of Durbar Square is a "place of palaces". There are three preserved Durbar Squares in Kathmandu valley and one unpreserved in Kirtipur. The Durbar Square of Kathmandu is located in the old city and has heritage buildings representing four kingdoms (Kantipur, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Kirtipur); the earliest is the Licchavi dynasty. The complex has 50 temples and is distributed in two quadrangles of the Durbar Square. The outer quadrangle has the Kasthamandap, Kumari Ghar, and Shiva-Parvati Temple; the inner quadrangle has the Hanuman Dhoka palace. The squares were severely damaged in the April 2015 Nepal earthquake.
Hanuman Dhoka is a complex of structures with the Royal Palace of the Malla kings and of the Shah dynasty. It is spread over five acres. The eastern wing, with ten courtyards, is the oldest part, dating to the mid-16th century. It was expanded by King Pratap Malla in the 17th century with many temples. The royal family lived in this palace until 1886 when they moved to Narayanhiti Palace. The stone inscription outside is in fifteen languages.
Kumari Ghar is a palace in the center of the Kathmandu city, next to the Durbar square where a Royal Kumari selected from several Kumaris resides. Kumari, or Kumari Devi, is the tradition of worshipping young pre-pubescent girls as manifestations of the divine female energy or devi in South Asian countries. In Nepal the selection process is very rigorous. Kumari is believed to be the bodily incarnation of the goddess Taleju (the Nepali name for Durga) until she menstruates, after which it is believed that the goddess vacates her body. Serious illness or a major loss of blood from an injury are also causes for her to revert to common status. The current Royal Kumari, Matina Shakya, age four, was installed in October 2008 by the Maoist government that replaced the monarchy.
Kasthamandap is a three-storeyed temple enshrining an image of Gorakhnath. It was built in the 16th century in pagoda style. The name of Kathmandu is a derivative of the word Kasthamandap. It was built under the reign of King Laxmi Narsingha Malla. Kasthamandap stands at the intersection of two ancient trade routes linking India and Tibet at Maru square. It was originally built as a rest house for travelers.
PASHUPATINATH TEMPLE
The Pashupatinath Temple is a famous 5th century Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva (Pashupati). Located on the banks of the Bagmati River in the eastern part of Kathmandu, Pashupatinath Temple is the oldest Hindu temple in Kathmandu. It served as the seat of national deity, Lord Pashupatinath, until Nepal was secularized. However, a significant part of the temple was destroyed by Mughal invaders in the 14th century and little or nothing remains of the original 5th-century temple exterior. The temple as it stands today was built in the 19th century, although the image of the bull and the black four-headed image of Pashupati are at least 300 years old. The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Shivaratri, or the night of Lord Shiva, is the most important festival that takes place here, attracting thousands of devotees and sadhus.
Believers in Pashupatinath (mainly Hindus) are allowed to enter the temple premises, but non-Hindu visitors are allowed to view the temple only from the across the Bagmati River. The priests who perform the services at this temple have been Brahmins from Karnataka, South India since the time of Malla king Yaksha Malla. This tradition is believed to have been started at the request of Adi Shankaracharya who sought to unify the states of Bharatam (Unified India) by encouraging cultural exchange. This procedure is followed in other temples around India, which were sanctified by Adi Shankaracharya.
The temple is built in the pagoda style of architecture, with cubic constructions, carved wooden rafters (tundal) on which they rest, and two-level roofs made of copper and gold.
BOUDHANATH
The Boudhanath, (also written Bouddhanath, Bodhnath, Baudhanath or the Khāsa Chaitya), is one of the holiest Buddhist sites in Nepal, along with Swayambhu. It is a very popular tourist site. Boudhanath is known as Khāsti by Newars and as Bauddha or Bodhnāth by speakers of Nepali. Located about 11 km from the center and northeastern outskirts of Kathmandu, the stupa's massive mandala makes it one of the largest spherical stupas in Nepal. Boudhanath became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.The base of the stupa has 108 small depictions of the Dhyani Buddha Amitabha. It is surrounded with a brick wall with 147 niches, each with four or five prayer wheels engraved with the mantra, om mani padme hum. At the northern entrance where visitors must pass is a shrine dedicated to Ajima, the goddess of smallpox. Every year the stupa attracts many Tibetan Buddhist pilgrims who perform full body prostrations in the inner lower enclosure, walk around the stupa with prayer wheels, chant, and pray. Thousands of prayer flags are hoisted up from the top of the stupa downwards and dot the perimeter of the complex. The influx of many Tibetan refugees from China has seen the construction of over 50 Tibetan gompas (monasteries) around Boudhanath.
SWAYAMBHU
Swayambhu is a Buddhist stupa atop a hillock at the northwestern part of the city. This is among the oldest religious sites in Nepal. Although the site is considered Buddhist, it is revered by both Buddhists and Hindus. The stupa consists of a dome at the base; above the dome, there is a cubic structure with the eyes of Buddha looking in all four directions.[clarification needed] There are pentagonal Toran above each of the four sides, with statues engraved on them. Behind and above the torana there are thirteen tiers. Above all the tiers, there is a small space above which lies a gajur.
CULTURE
ARTS
Kathmandu valley is described as "an enormous treasure house of art and sculptures", which are made of wood, stone, metal, and terracotta, and found in profusion in temples, shrines, stupas, gompas, chaityasm and palaces. The art objects are also seen in street corners, lanes, private courtyards, and in open ground. Most art is in the form of icons of gods and goddesses. Kathmandu valley has had this art treasure very long, but received worldwide recognition only after the country opened its doors to the outside world in 1950.
The religious art of Nepal and Kathmandu in particular consists of an iconic symbolism of the Mother Goddesses such as: Bhavani, Durga, Gaja-Lakshmi, Hariti-Sitala, Mahsishamardini, Saptamatrika (seven mother goddesses), and Sri-Lakshmi(wealth-goddess). From the 3rd century BC, apart from the Hindu gods and goddesses, Buddhist monuments from the Ashokan period (it is said that Ashoka visited Nepal in 250 BC) have embellished Nepal in general and the valley in particular. These art and architectural edifices encompass three major periods of evolution: the Licchavi or classical period (500 to 900 AD), the post-classical period (1000 to 1400 AD), with strong influence of the Palla art form; the Malla period (1400 onwards) that exhibited explicitly tantric influences coupled with the art of Tibetan Demonology.
A broad typology has been ascribed to the decorative designs and carvings created by the people of Nepal. These artists have maintained a blend of Hinduism and Buddhism. The typology, based on the type of material used are: Stone Art, Metal Art, Wood Art, Terracotta Art, and Painting.
MUSEUMS
Kathmandu is home to a number of museums and art galleries, including the National Museum of Nepal and the Natural History Museum of Nepal. Nepal's art and architecture is an amalgamation of two ancient religions, Hinduism and Buddhhism. These are amply reflected in the many temples, shrines, stupas, monasteries, and palaces in the seven well-defined Monument Zones of the Kathmandu valley recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This amalgamation is also reflected in the planning and exhibitions in museums and art galleries throughout Kathmandu and its sister cities of Patan and Bhaktapur. The museums display unique artifacts and paintings from the 5th century CE to the present day, including archeological exportation.
KATHMANDU MUSEUMS ABD ART GALLERIES INCLUDE:
The National Museum
The Natural History Museum
Hanumandhoka Palace Complex
The Kaiser Library
The National Art Gallery
The NEF-ART (Nepal Fine Art) Gallery
The Nepal Art Council Gallery
Narayanhity Palace Museum
The Taragaon Museum
The National Museum is located in the western part of Kathmandu, near the Swayambhunath stupa in an historical building. This building was constructed in the early 19th century by General Bhimsen Thapa. It is the most important museum in the country, housing an extensive collection of weapons, art and antiquities of historic and cultural importance. The museum was established in 1928 as a collection house of war trophies and weapons, and the initial name of this museum was Chhauni Silkhana, meaning "the stone house of arms and ammunition". Given its focus, the museum contains an extensive quantity of weapons, including locally made firearms used in wars, leather cannons from the 18th–19th century, and medieval and modern works in wood, bronze, stone and paintings.
The Natural History Museum is located in the southern foothills of Swayambhunath hill and has a sizeable collection of different species of animals, butterflies, and plants. The museum is noted for its display of species, from prehistoric shells to stuffed animals.
The Tribhuvan Museum contains artifacts related to the King Tribhuvan (1906–1955). It has a variety of pieces including his personal belongings, letters and papers, memorabilia related to events he was involved in and a rare collection of photos and paintings of Royal family members. The Mahendra Museum is dedicated to king Mahendra of Nepal (1920–1972). Like the Tribhuvan Museum, it includes his personal belongings such as decorations, stamps, coins and personal notes and manuscripts, but it also has structural reconstructions of his cabinet room and office chamber. The Hanumandhoka Palace, a lavish medieval palace complex in the Durbar, contains three separate museums of historic importance. These museums include the Birendra museum, which contains items related to the second-last monarch, Birendra of Nepal.
The enclosed compound of the Narayanhity Palace Museum is in the north-central part of Kathmandu. "Narayanhity" comes from Narayana, a form of the Hindu god Lord Vishnu, and Hiti, meaning "water spout" (Vishnu's temple is located opposite the palace, and the water spout is located east of the main entrance to the precinct). Narayanhity was a new palace, in front of the old palace built in 1915, and was built in 1970 in the form of a contemporary Pagoda. It was built on the occasion of the marriage of King Birenda Bir Bikram Shah, then heir apparent to the throne. The southern gate of the palace is at the crossing of Prithvipath and Darbar Marg roads. The palace area covers 30 hectares and is fully secured with gates on all sides. This palace was the scene of the Nepali royal massacre. After the fall of the monarchy, it was converted to a museum.The Taragaon Museum presents the modern history of the Kathmandu Valley. It seeks to document 50 years of research and cultural heritage conservation of the Kathmandu Valley, documenting what artists photographers architects anthropologists from abroad had contributed in the second half of the 20th century. The actual structure of the Museum showcases restoration and rehabilitation efforts to preserve the built heritage of Kathmandu. It was designed by Carl Pruscha (master-planner of the Kathmandy Valley) in 1970 and constructed in 1971. Restoration works began in 2010 to rehabilitate the Taragaon hostel into the Taragaon Museum. The design uses local brick along with modern architectural design elements, as well as the use of circle, triangles and squares. The Museum is within a short walk from the Boudhnath stupa, which itself can be seen from the Museum tower.
ART GALLERIES
Kathmandu is a center for art in Nepal, displaying the work of contemporary artists in the country and also collections of historical artists. Patan in particular is an ancient city noted for its fine arts and crafts. Art in Kathmandu is vibrant, demonstrating a fusion of traditionalism and modern art, derived from a great number of national, Asian, and global influences. Nepali art is commonly divided into two areas: the idealistic traditional painting known as Paubhas in Nepal and perhaps more commonly known as Thangkas in Tibet, closely linked to the country's religious history and on the other hand the contemporary western-style painting, including nature-based compositions or abstract artwork based on Tantric elements and social themes of which painters in Nepal are well noted for. Internationally, the British-based charity, the Kathmandu Contemporary Art Centre is involved with promoting arts in Kathmandu.
Kathmandu contains many notable art galleries. The NAFA Gallery, operated by the Arts and crafts Department of the Nepal Academy is housed in Sita Bhavan, a neo-classical old Rana palace.
The Srijana Contemporary Art Gallery, located inside the Bhrikutimandap Exhibition grounds, hosts the work of contemporary painters and sculptors, and regularly organizes exhibitions. It also runs morning and evening classes in the schools of art. Also of note is the Moti Azima Gallery, located in a three storied building in Bhimsenthan which contains an impressive collection of traditional utensils and handmade dolls and items typical of a medieval Newar house, giving an important insight into Nepali history. The J Art Gallery is also located in Kathmandu, near the Royal Palace in Durbarmarg, Kathmandu and displays the artwork of eminent, established Nepali painters. The Nepal Art Council Gallery, located in the Babar Mahal, on the way to Tribhuvan International Airport contains artwork of both national and international artists and extensive halls regularly used for art exhibitions.
CUISINE
The staple food of most of Kathmanduites is dal bhat. It consists of rice and lentil soup, generally served with vegetable curries, achar and sometimes Chutney. Momo, a type of Nepali version of Tibetan dumpling, has become prominent in Nepal with many street vendors selling it. It is one of the most popular fast foods in Kathmandu. Various Nepali variants of momo including buff (i.e. buffalo) momo, chicken momo, and vegetarian momo are famous in Kathmandu. Dal Bhaat is the local cuisine of Kathmandu.
Most of the cuisines found in Kathmandu are non-vegetarian. However, the practice of vegetarianism is not uncommon, and vegetarian cuisines can be found throughout the city. Consumption of beef is very uncommon and considered taboo in many places. Buff (meat of water buffalo) is very common. There is a strong tradition of buff consumption in Kathmandu, especially among Newars, which is not found in other parts of Nepal. Consumption of pork was considered taboo until a few decades ago. Due to the intermixing with Kirat cuisine from eastern Nepal, pork has found a place in Kathmandu dishes. A fringe population of devout Hindus and Muslims consider it taboo. The Muslims forbid eating buff as from Quran while Hindus eat all varieties except Cow's meat as the consider Cow to be a goddess and symbol of purity. The chief breakfast for locals and visitors is mostly Momo or Chowmein.
Kathmandu had only one restaurant in 1955. A large number of restaurants in Kathmandu have since opened, catering Nepali cuisine, Tibetan cuisine, Chinese cuisine and Indian cuisine in particular. Many other restaurants have opened to accommodate locals, expatriates, and tourists. The growth of tourism in Kathmandu has led to culinary creativity and the development of hybrid foods to accommodate for tourists such as American chop suey, which is a sweet-and-sour sauce with crispy noodles with a fried egg commonly added on top and other westernized adaptations of traditional cuisine. Continental cuisine can be found in selected places. International chain restaurants are rare, but some outlets of Pizza Hut and KFC have recently opened there. It also has several outlets of the international ice-cream chain Baskin-Robbins
Kathmandu has a larger proportion of tea drinkers than coffee drinkers. Tea is widely served but is extremely weak by western standards. It is richer and contains tea leaves boiled with milk, sugar and spices. Alcohol is widely drunk, and there are numerous local variants of alcoholic beverages. But its use has been now reduced.refnational survey. Drinking and driving is illegal, and authorities have a zero tolerance policy. Ailaa and thwon (alcohol made from rice) are the alcoholic beverages of Kathmandu, found in all the local bhattis (alcohol serving eateries). Chhyaang, tongba (fermented millet or barley) and rakshi are alcohols from other parts of Nepal which are found in Kathmandu. However, shops and bars in Kathmandu widely sell western and Nepali beers. Shops are forbidden to sell alcohol on the first two days and last two days of the Nepali month (Nepal Sambat).
FESTIVALS
Most of the fairs and festivals in Kathmandu originated in the Malla period or earlier. Traditionally, these festivals were celebrated by Newars. In recent years, these festivals have found wider participation from other Kathmanduites as well. As the capital of the Republic of Nepal, various national festivals are celebrated in Kathmandu. With mass migration to the city, the cultures of Khas from the west, Kirats from the east, Bon/Tibetan from the north, and Mithila from the south meet in the capital and mingle harmoniously. The festivities such as the Ghode (horse) Jatra, Indra Jatra, Dashain Durga Puja festivals, Shivratri and many more are observed by all Hindu and Buddhist communities of Kathmandu with devotional fervor and enthusiasm. Social regulation in the codes enacted incorporate Hindu traditions and ethics. These were followed by the Shah kings and previous kings, as devout Hindus and protectors of Buddhist religion.
Cultural continuity has been maintained for centuries in the exclusive worship of goddesses and deities in Kathmandu and the rest of the country. These deities include the Ajima, Taleju (or Tulja Bhavani), Digu taleju, and Kumari (the living goddess).[citation needed] The artistic edifices have now become places of worship in the everyday life of the people, therefore a roster is maintained to observe annual festivals. There are 133 festivals held in the year.
Some of the traditional festivals observed in Kathmandu, apart from those previously mentioned, are Bada Dashain, Tihar, Chhath, Maghe Sankranti, Naga Panchami, Janai Poornima, Pancha Dan, Teej/Rishi Panchami, Pahan Charhe, Jana Baha Dyah Jatra (White Machchhendranath Jatra), and Matatirtha Aunsi.
HINDUISM
Assumedly, together with the kingdom of Licchhavi (c. 400 to 750), Hinduism and the endogam social stratification of the Caste was established in Kathmandu Valley. The Pashupatinath Temple, Changu Narayan temple (the oldest), and the Kasthamandap are of particular importance to Hindus. Other notable Hindu temples in Kathmandu and the surrounding valley include Bajrayogini Temple, Dakshinkali Temple, Guhyeshwari Temple, and the Sobha Bhagwati shrine.
The Bagmati River which flows through Kathmandu is considered a holy river both by Hindus and Buddhists, and many Hindu temples are located on the banks of this river. The importance of the Bagmati also lies in the fact that Hindus are cremated on its banks, and Kirants are buried in the hills by its side. According to the Nepali Hindu tradition, the dead body must be dipped three times into the Bagmati before cremation. The chief mourner (usually the first son) who lights the funeral pyre must take a holy riverwater bath immediately after cremation. Many relatives who join the funeral procession also take bath in the Bagmati River or sprinkle the holy water on their bodies at the end of cremation as the Bagmati is believed to purify people spiritually.
BUDDHISM
Buddhism started in Kathmandu with the arrival of Buddhist monks during the time of Buddha (c. 563 - 483 BC). They started a forest monastery in Sankhu. This monastery was renovated by Shakyas after they fled genocide from Virudhaka (rule: 491-461 BC).
During the Hindu Lichchavi era (c. 400 to 750), various monasteries and orders were created which successively led to the formation of Newar Buddhism, which is still practiced in the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Sanskrit.
WIKIPEDIA
This large Ethiopian Gospel Book was made in the first half of the sixteenth century and is written in Ge'ez, the traditional liturgical language of the Ethiopian church. Containing eleven full-page miniatures, six canon tables and five elaborately ornamented harags, or headpieces, this manuscript represents the Golden Age of what has been termed the Gunda Gunde style, named after a monastery in the town of Agame. The Gunda Gunde style is characterized by bold blocks of color defined by detailed and often delicate linear motifs. Figures are highly stylized and expressive, while the accompanying canon tables and harags are filled with intricate interlace and geometric forms. The manuscript is exceptionally well preserved, and is an excellent and rare example of Ethiopian illumination from one of its most important artistic centers.
To explore fully digitized manuscripts with a virtual page-turning application, please visit Walters Ex Libris.
“Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful.”
(Thich Nhat Hanh - Vietnamese Monk, Peace Activist and Writer, b.1926)
Saurabh is an architect in Delhi, he wanted his portrait by me so we met recently for lunch in Hauz khas village which is in South Delhi.
As he was living in Milano for a few years, we spoke Italian for fun, he had many expressions and most of all an amazing smile.
We went outside to the Deer Park and I took several shots.
I selected this one where everything on his face is smiling, it is the universal language in the world and a source of joy and happiness.
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Please do not use any photographs without permission (even for private use).
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Me encantaría morderte, deshacerte con mis labios, beso a beso. Saborear a cada instante, cada hueco, cada recoveco que dibujan los vértices de las esquinas de tus huesos...
PRESIDIO OF MONTEREY, Calif. -- The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center’s most colorful day of the year came May 8 as the Presidio opened its doors and welcomed a crowd estimated at more than 5,000 during its 31st hosting of Language Day. Attendees were treated to a diversity of songs, skits, dances, classroom demonstrations as well as food and wares that represented the cultures of 23 languages studied here at the military’s preeminent language training facility. Also in attendance were 54 combat veterans of the Vietnam War, honored guests during a “Welcome Home” ceremony led by Col. Paul Fellinger, Presidio of Monterey garrison commander, and Dan Presser, Military and Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee member, in commemoration of the war’s 50th anniversary.
Official Presidio of Monterey Web site
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PHOTO by Steven L. Shepard, Presidio of Monterey Public Affairs.
Derweze (Turkmen language: The Gate, also known as Darvaza) is a Turkmenistan village of about 350 inhabitants, located in the middle of the Kara-Kum desert, about 260 km north from Ashgabat. Darvaza inhabitants are mostly Turkmen of the Teke tribe, preserving a half-nomadic lifestyle.
The Derweze area is rich in natural gas. Not far from the burning crater are two other craters of similar origin. These craters are not burning as the gas pressure is much weaker. At the bottom of one of these craters is light grey mud while the last crater contains a turquoise lake. This lake prevents further attempts at drilling. Not far from the burning crater are several dormant wells (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derweze).
My video: youtu.be/I3zMyQMdXpw
Info Island International (233,205,33)
International Plaza-Rare languages booth area
The Lakhota Language booth serves as an awareness to a language still in usage and under going a revival. The Booth put together by Willow Shenlin presents a web-browser (menu), a glossary (translations), a dreamcatcher (SLURLs list) and a mustang (audio URLs)
After yesterday's buckle shinin', another new American word for me to learn was 'bobtail'.
Bobtailing is when a semi-truck is traveling without an attached trailer. This can occur when a semi-truck is in the process of picking up a trailer (and has no trailer to deliver) or is returning from delivery (and has no trailer to pick up). Bobtails are a common sight on Texas highways.
Once again, James McMurtry's lyrics are spot on. Unfortunately if you follow the song to the end, there is a sad ending.
"She's been green breaking horses when she's home from the road,
Waiting on dispatch to find her a load.
She leased all but the trap, ponies can't graze a thing,
Another bobtail of coastal ought to last them 'til spring.
Randy says not to worry, he'll feed while she's gone.
She's got the Freightliner idling half up on his lawn.
He don't like her driving when the northers come blue
But if the horses went hungry Lord knows what she'd do"
jukebox # 505
Here is a rather good solo live version of the same song.
PRESIDIO OF MONTEREY, Calif. - The Presidio's Outdoor Recreation program took military members from the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center and Naval Postgraduate School for a fun-filled weekend getaway north of Ventura, Calif. on Nov. 18-20. In addition to great food and gorgeous vistas, the trip was an opportunity to try a host of ocean related activities including surfing, scuba diving, and kayaking. For information on more upcoming trips and other great services from the Presidio's Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Directorate you can view their monthly newsletter by clicking here .
Official Presidio of Monterey Web site
Official Presidio of Monterey Facebook
PHOTO by Steven L. Shepard, Presidio of Monterey Public Affairs.
5th grade; for help with thinking of topics to write about in reading journal.
Printables for this can be found at my page at HSLaunch.
Wonder if the tongue is salty before or after you start drinking?
There are probably a whole bunch of steers trying out sign language by now.
PRESIDIO OF MONTEREY, Calif. -- Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center Commandant, Col. Phillip Deppert, along with school mascot "Lingo" led Service Members and Presidio and DLIFLC staff on a run from Presidio's Price Fitness Center to Soldier Field for the Sept. 16 POM & DLIFLC Run/Walk for Life event in support of September's Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. The walk portion of the event began at the post's Headquarter's Building, also finishing at Soldier Field, and was led by Presidio of Monterey Garrison Commander, Col. Lawrence Brown.
Official Presidio of Monterey Web site
Official Presidio of Monterey Facebook
PHOTO by Steven L. Shepard, Presidio of Monterey Public Affairs.
This sign on a bicycle trail in Tan-dz Taiwan is odd because you just never see oxen and carts like this even in rural areas.
PRESIDIO OF MONTEREY, Calif. - Service members from the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center were honored by Coca-Cola and the San Francisco Giants during a pre-game presentation at AT&T Park in San Francisco. A handful of service members were on the field prior to the Giants' July 21 game versus the Arizona Diamondbacks and were presented an autographed jersey by Giants' pitcher and former Cy Young Award winner Barry Zito. Zito founded the charity "Strikeouts for Troops" in 2005 in support of service members with war-related injuries and their families, and is also involved in multiple other military related non-profit organizations. In addition, 20 DLIFLC service members not involved in the pre-game ceremony were given tickets to watch the game, which ended with a Giant's loss by a score of 1-3.
Official Presidio of Monterey Web site
Official Presidio of Monterey Facebook
PHOTO by Steven L. Shepard, Presidio of Monterey Public Affairs.
Holy Family and St Michael, Kesgrave, Ipswich, Suffolk
A new entry on the Suffolk Churches site.
There are ages of faith which leave their traces in splendour and beauty, as acts of piety and memory. East Anglia is full of silent witnesses to tides which have ebbed and flowed. Receding, they leave us in their wake great works from the passing ages, little Norman churches which seem to speak a language we can no longer understand but which haunts us still, the decorated beauty of the 14th Century at odds with the horrors of its pestilence and loss, the perpendicular triumph of the 15th Century church before its near-destruction in the subsequent Reformation and Commonwealth, the protestant flowering of chapels and meeting houses in almost all rural communities, and most obvious of all for us today the triumphalism of the Victorian revival.
But even as tides recede, piety and memory survive, most often in quiet acts and intimate details. The catholic church of Holy Family and St Michael at Kesgrave is one of their great 20th Century treasure houses.
At the time of the 1851 census of religious worship, Kesgrave was home to just 86 people, 79 of whom attended morning service that day, giving this parish the highest percentage attendance of any in Suffolk. However, they met half a mile up the road at the Anglican parish church of All Saints, and the current site of Holy Family was then far out in the fields. In any case, it is unlikely that any of the non-attenders was a Catholic. Today, Kesgrave is a sprawling eastern suburb of Ipswich, home to about 10,000 people. It extends along the A12 corridor all the way to Martlesham, which in turn will take you pretty much all the way to Woodbridge without seeing much more than a field or two between the houses.
Holy Family was erected in the 1930s, and serves as a chapel of ease within the parish of Ipswich St Mary. However, it is still in private ownership, the responsibility of the Rope family, who, along with the Jolly family into which they married, owned much of the land in Kesgrave that was later built on.
The growth of Kesgrave has been so rapid and so extensive in these last forty years that radical expansions were required at both this church and at All Saints, as well as to the next parish church along in the suburbs at Rushmere St Andrew. All of these projects are interesting, although externally Holy Family is less dramatic than its neighbours. It sits neatly in its trim little churchyard, red-brick and towerless, a harmonious little building if rather a curious shape, of which more in a moment. Beside it, the underpass and roundabout gives it a decidedly urban air. But this is a church of outstanding interest, as we shall see.
It was good to come back to Kesgrave. As a member of St Mary's parish I generally attended mass at the parish's other church, a couple of miles into town, but I had been here a number of times over the years, either to mass or just to wander around and sit for a while. These days, you generally approach the church from around the back, where you'll find a sprawling car park typical of a modern Catholic church. To the west of the church are Lucy House and Philip House, newly built for the work of the Rope family charities. Between the car park and the church there there is a tiny, formal graveyard, with crosses remembering members of the Rope and Jolly families.
Access to the church is usually through a west door these days, but if you are fortunate enough to enter through the original porch on the north side you will have a foretaste of what is to come, for to left and right are stunning jewel-like and detailed windows depicting St Margaret and St Theresa on one side and St Catherine and the Immaculate Conception on the other. Beside them, a plaque reveals that the church was built to the memory of Michael Rope, who was killed in the R101 airship disaster of 1930.
Blue Peter-watching boys like me, growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, were enthralled by airships. They were one of those exciting inventions of a not-so-distant past which were, in a real sense, futuristic, a part of the 1930s modernist project that imagined and predicted the way we live now. And they were just so big. But they were doomed, because the hydrogen which gave them their buoyancy was explosive.
As a child, I was fascinated by the R101 airship and its disaster, especially because of that familiar photograph of its wrecked and burnt-out fuselage sprawled in the woods on a northern French hillside. It is still a haunting photograph today. The crash of the R101 put an end to airship development in the UK for more than half a century.
Of course, this is all ancient history now, but in the year 2001 I had the excellent fortune to be shown around Holy Family by Michael Rope's widow, Mrs Lucy Doreen Rope, née Jolly, who was still alive, and then in her nineties. She was responsible for the building of this church as a memorial to her husband. We paused in the porch so that I could admire the windows. "Do you like them?" Mrs Rope asked me. "Of course, my sister-in-law made them."
Her sister-in-law, of course, was Margaret Agnes Rope, who in the first half of the twentieth century was one of the finest of the Arts and Craft Movement stained glass designers. She studied at Birmingham, and then worked at the Glass House in Fulham with her cousin, Margaret Edith Aldrich Rope, whose work is also here. But their work can be found in churches and cathedrals all over the world. What Mrs Rope did not tell me, and what I found out later, is that these two windows in the porch were made for her and her husband Michael as a wedding present.
Doreen Jolly and Michael Rope were married in 1929. Within a year, he was dead. Mrs Rope was just 23 years old.
The original church from the 1930s is the part that you step into. You enter to the bizarre sight of a model of the R101 airship suspended from the roof. The nave altar and tabernacle ahead are in the original sanctuary, and you are facing the liturgical east (actually south) of the original building, and what an intimate space this must have been before the church was extended. Red brick outlines the entrance to the sanctuary, and here are the three windows made by Margaret Rope for the original church. The first is the three-light sanctuary window, depicting the Blessed Virgin and child flanked by St Joseph and St Michael. Two doves sit on a nest beneath Mary's feet, while a quizzical sparrow looks on. St Michael has the face of Michael Rope. The inscription beneath reads Pray for Michael Rope who gave up his soul to God in the wreck of His Majesty's Airship R101, Beauvais, October 5th 1930.
Next, a lancet in the right-hand side of the sanctuary contains glass depicting St Dominic, with a dog running beneath his feet and the inscription Laudare, Benedicere, Praedicare, ('to praise, to bless, to preach'). The third window is in the west wall of the church (in its day, the right hand side of the nave), depicting St Thomas More and St John Fisher, although at the time the window was made they had not yet been canonised. The inscription beneath records that the window was the gift of a local couple in thankfulness for their conversion to the faith for which the Blessed Martyrs Thomas More and John Fisher gave their lives. A rose bush springs from in front of the martyrs' feet.
By the 1950s, Holy Family was no longer large enough for the community it served, and it was greatly expanded to the east to the designs of the archtect Henry Munro Cautley. Cautley was a bluff Anglican of the old school, the retired former diocesan architect of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, but he would have enjoyed designing a church for such an intimate faith community, and in fact it was his last major project before he died in 1959. The original sanctuary was retained as a blessed sacrament chapel, and the church was turned ninety degrees to face east for the first time. The north and south sides of the new church received three-light Tudor windows in the style most beloved by Cautley, as seen also at his Ipswich County Library in Northgate Street, and the former Fosters (now Lloyds) Bank in central Cambridge.
Although the Rope family had farmed at Blaxhall near Wickham Market for generations, Margaret Rope herself was not from Suffolk at all, and nor was she at first a Catholic. She was born in Shrewsbury in 1882, the daughter of Henry Rope, a surgeon at Shrewsbury Infirmary, and a son of the Blaxhall Rope family. The largest collection of Margaret Rope's glass is in Shrewsbury Cathedral. When Margaret was 17, her father died. The family were received into the Catholic church shortly afterwards. A plaque was placed in the entrance to Shrewsbury Infirmary to remember her father. When the hospital was demolished in the 1990s, the plaque was moved to here, and now sits in the north aisle of the 1950s church. In her early days in London Margaret Rope designed and made the large east window at Blaxhall church as a memorial to her grandparents. It features her younger brother Michael, and is believed to be the only window that she ever signed.
In her early forties, Margaret Rope took holy orders and entered the Carmelite Convent at nearby Woodbridge, but continued to produce her stained glass work until the community moved to Quidenham in Norfolk, when poor health and the distances involved proved insurmountable. She died there in 1953, and so she never saw the expanded church. Her cartoons, the designs for her windows, are placed on the walls around Holy Family. Some are for windows in churches in Scotland and Wales, one for a window in the English College in Rome. Among them are the roundels for within the enclosure of Tyburn Convent in London. "They had to remove the windows there during the War", said Mrs Rope. "Of course, with me, you have to ask which war!"
Turning to the east, we see the new sanctuary with its high altar, completed in 1993 as part of a further reordering and expansion, which gave a large galilee porch, kitchen and toilets to the north side of the church. The window above the new sanctuary has three lights, and the two outer windows were made by Margaret Rope for the chapel of East Bergholt convent to the south of Ipswich. They remember the Vaughan family, into which Margaret Rope's sister had married, and in particular one member, a sister in the convent, to celebrate her 25 year jubilee.
The convent later became Old Hall, a famous commune. They depict the prophet Isaiah and King David.
The central light between them is controversial. Produced in the 1990s and depicting the risen Christ, it really isn't very good, and provides the one jarring note in the church. It is rather unfortunate that it is in such a prominent position. It is not just the quality of the design that is the problem. It lets in too much light in comparison with the two flanking lights. "The glass in my sister-in-law's windows is half an inch thick", Mrs Rope told me. "In the workshop at Fulham they had a man who came in specially to cut it for them". The glass in the modern light is simply too thin.
Despite the 1990s extension, and as so often in modern urban Catholic churches, Holy Family is already not really big enough, although it is hard to see that there could ever be another expansion. We walked along Munro Cautley's south aisle, and at that time the stations of the cross were simple wooden crosses. However, about three months after my conversation with Mrs Rope, the World Trade Centre in New York was attacked and destroyed, and among the three thousand people killed were two local Kesgrave brothers who were commemorated with a new set of stations in cast metal.
Here also is a 1956 memorial window by Margaret Rope's cousin, Margaret Edith Aldrich Rope, to Mrs Rope's mother Alice Jolly, depicting the remains of the shrine at Walsingham and the Jolly family at prayer before it. Another MEA Rope window is across the church in the galilee, a Second World War memorial window, originally on the east side of the first church before Cautley's extension. It depicts three of the English Martyrs, Blessed Anne Lynne, Blessed Robert Southwell and Blessed John Robinson, as well as the shipwreck of Blessed John Nutter off of Dunwich, with All Saints church on the cliffs above.
The galilee is designed for families with young children to play a full part in mass, and is separated from the church by a glass screen. At the top of the screen is a small panel by Margaret Rope which is of particular interest because it depicts her and her family participating in the Easter vigil, presumably in Shrewsbury Cathedral. This is hard to photograph because it is on an internal window between two rooms.
A recent addition to the Margaret Edith Aldrich Rope windows here is directly opposite, newly installed on the south side of the nave. It was donated by her great-nephew. It depicts a nativity scene, the Holy Family in the stable at Bethlehem, an angel appearing to shepherds on the snowy hills beyond. It is perhaps her loveliest window in the church.
Finally, back across the church. Here, beside the brass memorial to Margaret Rope, is a window depicting the Blessed Virgin and child, members of the Rope family in the Candlemas procession beneath. The inscription reminds us to pray for the soul of Sister Margaret of the Mother of God, mistress of novices and stained glass artist, Monastery of the Magnificat of the Mother of God, Quidenham, Norfolk, entered Carmel 14th September 1923, died 6th December 1953. Sister Margaret of the Mother of God was, of course, Margaret Rope herself. She was buried in the convent at Quidenham, a Shrewsbury exile at rest in the East Anglian soil of her forebears. The design is hers, and the window was made by her cousin Margaret Edith Aldrich Rope.
Back in 2001, we were talking about the changing Church, and I asked Mrs Rope what she thought about the recently introduced practice of transferring Holy Days on to the nearest Sunday, so that the teaching of them was not lost. Mrs Rope approved, a lady clearly not stuck in the past. She had a passion for ensuring that the Faith could be shared with children. As we have seen, her church is designed so that young families can take a full part in the Mass. But she was sympathetic to the distractions of the modern age. "The world is so exciting for children these days", she said. "I think it must be difficult to bring them up with a sense of the presence of God." She smiled. "Mind you, my son is 70 now! And I do admire young girls today. They have such spirit!"
She left me to potter about in her wonderful treasure house. As I did so, I thought of medieval churches I have visited, which were similarly donated by the Mrs Ropes of their day, perhaps even for husbands who had died young. They not only sought to memorialise their loved ones, but to consecrate a space for prayer, that masses might be said for the souls of the dead. This was the Catholic way, a Christian duty. Before the Reformation, this was true in every parish in England. It remained true here at Kesgrave.
And finally, back outside to the small graveyard. Side by side are two crosses. One remembers Margaret Edith Aldrich Rope, artist, 1891-1988. The other remembers Lucy Doreen Rope, founder of this church, 1907-2003.
This dual language dictionary was published about 10 years ago.
Babah has always used one of his children's names as the author; he rarely uses his own name only in his published works. The one above is a combination of his youngest son's name (Abdul Latif) with his (Syeikh Ahmad). Othman is his father (our grandfather) while Bajunid is the Arabic family surname, a clan originating from Hadhramaut.
This published work is the last to-date. He has another one completed but unpublished, in three languages - Arabic, Malay, and English (with help from his elder sons).
this scanned cover page was sent by Topsy from a copy given to him