Life & People

Vepsians and Veps language

Vepsians and Veps language

Karelia

Karelia (Karelian and Finnish Karjala; Russian: Карелия, Kareliya; Swedish: Karelen), the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden. It is currently divided between the Russian Republic of Karelia, the Russian Leningrad Oblast, and Finland (the regions of South Karelia and North Karelia).

Vepsians

Veps or Vepsians are Finnic people that speak the Veps language, which belongs to the Finnic branch of the Uralic languages. The self-designations of these people in various dialects are vepslaine, bepslaane, and (in northern dialects, southwest of Lake Onega) lüdinik and lüdilaine. According to the 2002 census, there were 8,240 Veps in Russia. Of the 281 Veps in Ukraine, 11 spoke Vepsian. (Ukr. Census 2001). The most prominent researcher in Finland is Eugene Holman.[5] Western Vepsians have kept their language and culture. Nowadays almost all Vepsians speak fluently in Russian. The young generation in general does not speak the language.

Veps language

The Veps language (also known as Vepsian, natively as vepsän kel’, vepsän keli, or vepsä), spoken by the Vepsians (also known as Veps), belongs to the Finnic group of the Uralic languages. Closely related to Finnish and Karelian, Veps is also written using Latin script.

According to Soviet statistics, 12 500 people were self-designated ethnic Veps at the end of 1989.

According to the location of the people, the language is divided into three main dialects: Northern Veps (at Lake Onega to the south of Petrozavodsk, to the north of the river Svir, including the former Veps National Volost), Central Veps (in the Saint Petersburg region and Vologda Oblast), and Southern Veps (in the Saint Petersburg region). The Northern dialect seems the most distinct of the three; however, it is still possible for speakers of one dialect group to understand those of another. Speakers of the Northern dialect call themselves "Ludi" (lüdikad), or lüdilaižed.

In Russia, more than 350 children learn the Vepsian language in a total of 5 national schools.[3]

Veps proverb

@ Ed rada, ka ed śö.
Idiomatic translation: He that will not work, shall not eat.

References

Vepsians

[1]^ Russian census 2010
[2]^ Ukrainian census 2001
[3]^ Population of Estonia by ethnic nationality, mother tongue and citizenship
[4]^ Национальный состав населения Республики Беларусь
[5]^ http://www.eng.helsinki.fi/staff/holman.html

Veps language

[1]^ http://www.helsinki.fi/~tasalmin/europe_report.html#Vepsian
[2]^ Законодательные акты: О государственной поддержке карельского, вепсского и финского языков в Республике Карелия
[3]^ http://gov.karelia.ru/News/2004/12/1209_03_e.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karelia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vepsians
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veps_language
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Veps_proverbs

Vesper Lynd (Casino Royale)

Vesper Lynd (Casino Royale)

Vesper Lynd is a fictional character featured in Ian Fleming's James Bond novel Casino Royale. The name is a pun on "West Berlin". It has been claimed that Fleming based Lynd on the real life Special Operations Executive agent Christine Granville. In the 1967 film of Casino Royale, she is played by Ursula Andress. In the 2006 adaptation, she is played by Eva Green. Coincidentally both Ursula Andress and Eva Green won the BAFTA awards for best actress for their role in their respective Bond movies (Dr. No and Casino Royale).

In the novel, the character explains that she was born on a "dark and stormy" night, and her parents named her "Vesper" after the Latin word meaning evening to commemorate the night. Fleming created a cocktail recipe in the novel that Bond names after her. The "Vesper martini" became very popular after the novel's publication, and gave rise to the famous "shaken, not stirred" catchphrase immortalised in the Bond films. The actual name for the drink (as well as its complete recipe) is uttered on screen for the first time in the 2006 adaptation of Casino Royale.

Quotes·Quotations by Vesper Lynd

Eva Green as Vesper Lynd from Casino Royale (2006)

¶ I don't believe you. You've got a choice, you know. Just because you've done something doesn't mean you have to keep doing it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesper_Lynd

Venice and Venetian language

Venice and Venetian language

Venice

Venice (Italian: Venezia [veˈnɛttsja],[1] Venetian: Venexia [veˈnɛsja]; (Latin: Venetia)) is a city in northeast Italy sited on a group of 118 small islands separated by canals and linked by bridges.[2] It is located in the marshy Venetian Lagoon which stretches along the shoreline between the mouths of the Po and the Piave Rivers. Venice is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks.[2] The city in its entirety is listed as a World Heritage Site, along with its lagoon.[2]

Venice is the capital of the Veneto region. In 2009, there were 270,098 people residing in Venice's comune (the population estimate of 272,000 inhabitants includes the population of the whole Comune of Venezia; around 60,000[3] in the historic city of Venice (Centro storico); 176,000 in Terraferma (the Mainland), mostly in the large frazioni of Mestre and Marghera; 31,000 live on other islands in the lagoon). Together with Padua and Treviso, the city is included in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area (PATREVE), with a total population of 1,600,000. PATREVE is only a statistical metropolitan area without degree of autonomy.
The name is derived from the ancient Veneti people who inhabited the region by the 10th century BC.[4][5] The city historically was the capital of the Venetian Republic. Venice has been known as the "La Dominante", "Serenissima", "Queen of the Adriatic", "City of Water", "City of Masks", "City of Bridges", "The Floating City", and "City of Canals". Luigi Barzini described it in The New York Times as "undoubtedly the most beautiful city built by man".[6] Venice has also been described by the Times Online as being one of Europe's most romantic cities.[7]

The Republic of Venice was a major maritime power during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and a staging area for the Crusades and the Battle of Lepanto, as well as a very important center of commerce (especially silk, grain, and spice) and art in the 13th century up to the end of the 17th century. This made Venice a wealthy city throughout most of its history.[8] It is also known for its several important artistic movements, especially the Renaissance period. Venice has played an important role in the history of symphonic and operatic music, and it is the birthplace of Antonio Vivaldi.

Venetian language

Venetian or Venetan is a Romance language spoken as a native language by over two million people,[6] mostly in the Veneto region of Italy, where of five million inhabitants almost all can understand it. It is sometimes spoken and often well understood outside Veneto, in Trentino, Friuli, Venezia Giulia, Istria, and some towns of Dalmatia, totalling 6–7 million speakers. The language is called vèneto or vènet in Venetian, veneto in Italian; the variant spoken in Venice is called venexiàn/venesiàn or veneziano, respectively. Although referred to as an Italian dialect (Ven diałeto, It dialetto) even by its speakers, it is in fact a separate language, not a variety or derivative of Italian. Instead, Venetian differs both in grammar, phonetics, and vocabulary. It is usually classified as a Western Romance language, a branch of Romance to which Italian does not belong. Some authors include it among the Gallo-Italic languages,[7] but by most authors, it is treated as separate. Typologically, Venetian has little in common with the Gallo-Italic languages of northwestern Italy, but shows some affinity to nearby Istriot.

Venetian is not closely related to Venetic, an extinct Indo-European language that was spoken in the Veneto region until about the 1st century BCE.

Venetian proverb

@ Amor novo va e vien, amor veccio se mantien.
Idiomatic translation: Of soup and love the first is the best.

Notes

Venice

[1]^ Il Nuovo DOP
[2]^ a b c UNESCO: Venice and its Lagoon, accessed:17 April 2012
[3]^ Mara Rumiz, Venice Demographics Official Mock funeral for Venice's 'death'
[4]^ "Online Etymology Dictionary". Retrieved 11 June 2010.
[5]^ Richard Stephen Charnock (1859). Local etymology: a derivative dictionary of geographical names. Houlston and Wright. p. 288.
[6]^ Barzini, Luigi (30 May 1982). "The Most Beautiful and Wonderful City In The World – The". New York Times. Retrieved 28 March 2009.
[7]^ Bleach, Stephen; Schofield, Brian; Crump, Vincent (17 June 2007). "Europes most romantic city breaks". The Times (London). Retrieved 27 May 2010.
[8]^ "Venetian Music of the Renaissance". Vanderbilt.edu. 11 October 1998. Retrieved 22 April 2010.[dead link]

Venetian language

[6]^ Ethnologue.
[7]^ Haller, Hermann W. (1999). International The other Italy: the literary canon in dialect. Toronto.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venetian_language
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Venetian_proverbs

Henry Bromel (1947-2013)

Henry Bromel (1947-2013)

Alfred Henry Bromell (September 19, 1947 – March 18, 2013) was an American author, screenwriter, and director.

Henry Bromel

Love

¶ Sometimes when you look back on a situation, you realize it wasn't all you thought it was. A beautiful girl walked into your life. You fell in love. Or did you? Maybe it was only a childish infatuation, or maybe just a brief moment of vanity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Bromell

Shane West (1978- )

Shane West (1978- )

Shane West (born Shannon Bruce Snaith; June 10, 1978) is an American actor, punk rock musician and songwriter. West is best known for portraying Eli Sammler in Once and Again, Landon Carter in A Walk to Remember, Darby Crash in What We Do Is Secret, and Dr. Ray Barnett in ER. He is currently portraying the role of Michael in The CW action drama television series Nikita. Aside from acting, West has performed with punk rock band The Germs.

Quotes·Quotations by Shane West

Shane West as Landon Rollins Carter from A Walk to Remember (2002)

¶ Love is always patient and kind, it is never jealous; Love is never boastful or conceited; It is never rude or selfish, it does not take offense and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people's sins but delights in the truth; It is always ready to excuse; to trust, to hope and to endure whatever comes. Love does not come to an end. [Love]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shane_West

Vanellope von Schweetz

Vanellope von Schweetz

Quotes·Quotations by Vanellope von Schweetz

Vanellope von Schweetz from Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

¶ I'm ADORABLE!

Valenti Angelo (1897-1982)

Valenti Angelo (1897-1982)

Valenti Angelo (1897-1982) (variant name Valenti Michael Angelo) was an Italian-American printmaker, illustrator and author, born June 23, 1897 in Massarosa, Italy. He immigrated to the United States with his family in 1905, living first in New York City then settling in Antioch, California. At the age of nineteen, Angelo moved to San Francisco, working by day as a labourer and spending his evenings and weekends at libraries and museums. He soon became a versatile artist and an especially skilled engraver and printer. Angelo's favoured medium was the linocut, and his prints depicting urban nocturnes and desert scenes of the American Southwest are particularly coveted by collectors and dealers. In 1926, Angelo made his first book illustrations for the well-known, San Francisco-based Grabhorn Press.

In a period of 34 years, Angelo decorated and illustrated roughly 250 books. Among these were folio editions of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, The Travels of Sir John Mandeville, and numerous books of the Bible. Many of these books have been included in the annual American Institute of Graphic Arts exhibitions since 1927. Under the tutelage of May Massee of Viking Press, Angelo began writing children's stories in 1937. In 1939, Angelo won the Newbery Honor for Nino. After a mid-life relocation to New York State, he returned to San Francisco in 1974 and continued his life's work. Angelo died in San Francisco on September 3, 1982.

Quotes

If someone says, “It’s not the money, it’s the principle,” it’s the money.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valenti_Angelo

Selena (Supergirl)

Faye Dunaway as Selena from Supergirl (1984)

Quotes·Quotations by Selena

Faye Dunaway as Selena from Supergirl (1984)

¶ More or less, I think they were. You included.

Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)

Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)

Søren Aabye Kierkegaard (English pronunciation: /ˈsɔrən ˈkɪərkəɡɑrd/ or /ˈkɪərkəɡɔr/; Danish: [ˈsɶːɐn ˈkiɐ̯ɡəɡɒːˀ]) (5 May 1813 –11 November 1855) was a Danish philosopher, theologian and religious author. He was a critic of idealist intellectuals and philosophers of his time, such as Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling and Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel. He was also critical of the state and practice of Christianity, primarily that of the Church of Denmark. He is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher.

Much of his philosophical work deals with the issues of how one lives as a "single individual", giving priority to concrete human reality over abstract thinking, and highlighting the importance of personal choice and commitment.

His theological work focuses on Christian ethics, institution of the Church, and on the differences between purely objective proofs of Christianity. He wrote of the individual's subjective relationship to Jesus Christ, the God-Man, which came through faith.

His psychological work explored the emotions and feelings of individuals when faced with life choices. His thinking was influenced by Socrates and the Socratic method.

Kierkegaard's early work was written under various pseudonyms whom he used to present distinctive viewpoints and interact with each other in complex dialogue. He assigned pseudonyms to explore particular viewpoints in-depth, which required several books in some instances, while Kierkegaard, openly or under another pseudonym, critiqued that position. He wrote many Upbuilding Discourses under his own name and dedicated them to the "single individual" who might want to discover the meaning of his works. Notably, he wrote:

"Science and scholarship want to teach that becoming objective is the way. Christianity teaches that the way is to become subjective, to become a subject."

The scientist can learn about the world by observation but Kierkegaard emphatically denied that observation could reveal the inner workings of the spiritual world. In 1847 Kierkegaard described his own view of the single individual:

God is not like a human being; it is not important for God to have visible evidence so that he can see if his cause has been victorious or not; he sees in secret just as well. Moreover, it is so far from being the case that you should help God to learn anew that it is rather he who will help you to learn anew, so that you are weaned from the worldly point of view that insists on visible evidence. (...) A decision in the external sphere is what Christianity does not want; (...) rather it wants to test the individual’s faith."

Quotes·Quotations by Soren Kierkegaard

Advice

¶ Far from idleness being the root of all evil, it is rather the only true good.

Love

¶ Don't forget to love yourself.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soren_Kierkegaard

United States

United States

The United States of America (USA or U.S.A.), commonly referred to as the United States (US or U.S.), America, or simply the States, is a federal republic[10][11] consisting of 50 states and a federal district. The 48 contiguous states and the federal district of Washington, D.C. are in central North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is the northwestern part of North America, west of Canada and east of Russia which is across the Bering Strait in Asia, and the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-North Pacific. The country also has five populated and nine unpopulated territories in the Pacific and the Caribbean. The U.S. exercises full international defense authority and responsibility for three sovereign nations through Compact of Free Association with Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau, all of which are Pacific island nations which became US territories after World War II and gained independence in subsequent years.

At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km2) in total and with around 316 million people, the United States is the fourth-largest in total area, the fifth largest in the contiguous area and third in population. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries.[12] The geography and climate of the U.S. is also extremely diverse, with deserts, plains, forests, and mountains that are home to a wide variety of wildlife.

Paleo-indians migrated from Asia to what is now the United States mainland around 12,000 years ago. European colonization began around 1600, mostly from England. The United States emerged from 13 British colonies located along the Atlantic seaboard. Disputes between Great Britain and the American colonies led to the American Revolution. On July 4, 1776, delegates from the 13 colonies unanimously issued the Declaration of Independence, which established the United States of America. The American Revolutionary War, which ended with the recognition of independence of the United States from the Kingdom of Great Britain, was the first successful war of independence against a European colonial empire.[13][14] The current Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787; 27 Amendments have since been added to the Constitution. The first 10 amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and guarantee many fundamental civil rights and freedoms.

Driven by the doctrine of manifest destiny, the United States embarked on a vigorous expansion across North America throughout the 19th century.[15] This involved displacing native tribes, acquiring new territories, and gradually admitting new states.[15] The American Civil War ended legalized slavery in the United States.[16] By the end of the 19th century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean,[17] and its economy was the world's largest.[18] The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the country's status as a global military power. The United States emerged from World War II as a global superpower, the first country with nuclear weapons, and a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union left the United States as the sole superpower.

The United States is a developed country and has the world's largest national economy, with an estimated 2013 GDP of $16.2 trillion –22% of global GDP at purchasing-power parity, as of 2011.[6][19][20] The per capita GDP of the U.S. was the world's sixth-highest as of 2010.[6] The US has the fourth most unequal income distribution among OECD nations, behind Chile, Mexico and Turkey.[21] The economy is fueled by an abundance of natural resources, a well-developed infrastructure,[22] and high productivity;[23] and while its economy is considered post-industrial it continues to be one of the world's largest manufacturers.[24] The country accounts for 39% of global military spending,[25] being the foremost economic and military power, a prominent political and cultural force in the world, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovation.[26][27]

Quotes·Quotations by United States

Friends

¶ Scratch my back and I will scratch yours.

Motto

@ In God we trust

Success

¶ Success is a ladder that cannot be climbed with your hands in your pockets.

References

[1]^ 36 U.S.C. § 302 National motto
[2]^ Simonson, 2010
[3]^ Dept. of Treasury, 2011
[4]^ a b c d "United States". The World Factbook. CIA. September 30, 2009. Retrieved January 5, 2010 (area given in square kilometers).
[5]^ a b "U.S. POPClock Projection". U.S. Census Bureau. (figure updated automatically).
[6]^ a b c d e f "United States". International Monetary Fund. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
[7]^ "Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2011". Newsroom. United States Census Bureau. September 12, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
[8]^ "Human Development Report 2013". United Nations Development Programme. March 14, 2013. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
[9]^ a b Feder, Jody (January 25, 2007). "English as the Official Language of the United States: Legal Background and Analysis of Legislation in the 110th Congress". Ilw.com (Congressional Research Service). Retrieved June 19, 2007.
[10]^ The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge, Second Edition: A Desk Reference for the Curious Mind. St. Martin's Press. 2007. p. 632. ISBN 978-0312376598.
[11]^ Onuf, Peter S. (1983). The Origins of the Federal Republic: Jurisdictional Controversies in the United States, 1775–1787. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 978-0812211672.
[12]^ Jump up to: a b c d Adams, J.Q.; Strother-Adams, Pearlie (2001). Dealing with Diversity. Chicago: Kendall/Hunt. ISBN 0-7872-8145-X.
[13]^ Greene, Jack P.; Pole, J.R., eds. (2008). A Companion to the American Revolution. pp. 352–361.
[14]^ Bender, Thomas (2006). A Nation Among Nations: America's Place in World History. New York: Hill & Wang. p. 61. ISBN 9780809072354.
[15]^ a b Carlisle, Rodney P.; Golson, J. Geoffrey (2007). Manifest Destiny and the Expansion of America. Turning Points in History Series. ABC-CLIO. p. 238. ISBN 9781851098330.
[16]^ "The Civil War and emancipation 1861-1865". Africans in America. Boston, MA: WGBH. No date. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
Britannica Educational Publishing (2009). Wallenfeldt, Jeffrey H., ed. The American Civil War and Reconstruction: People, Politics, and Power. America at War. Rosen Publishing Group. p. 264. ISBN 9781615300457.
[17]^ White, Donald W. (1996). "1: The Frontiers". The American Century. Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-05721-0. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
[18]^ Maddison, Angus (2006). "Historical Statistics for the World Economy". The Netherlands: The Groningen Growth and Development Centre, Economics Department of the University of Groningen. Retrieved November 6, 2008.
[19]^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database". International Monetary Fund. September 2011. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
[20]^ The European Union has a larger collective economy, but is not a single nation.
[21]^ "Crisis squeezes income and puts pressure on inequality and poverty". OECD (2013). Retrieved 26 July 2013.
[22]^ [1][dead link]
[23]^ "U.S. Workers World's Most Productive". CBS News. February 11, 2009. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
[24]^ "Manufacturing, Jobs and the U.S. Economy". Alliance for American Manufacturing. 2013.
[25]^ "Trends in world military expenditure, 2012". Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. April 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
[26]^ Cohen, 2004:History and the Hyperpower
[27]^ BBC, April 2008:Country Profile: United States of America

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States

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