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The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent.
An island nation in South Asia, it was until 1972 known as Ceylon. Sri Lanka is surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar, the Palk Strait and lies in the vicinity of India and Maldives. Sri Lanka is a republic and a unitary state which is governed by a semi-presidential system with its official seat of government in Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte, the capital. As a result of its location in the path of major sea routes, Sri Lanka is a strategic naval link between West Asia and South East Asia. It has also been a center of the Buddhist religion and culture from ancient times and is one of the few remaining abodes of Buddhism in South Asia along with Ladakh, Bhutan and the Chittagong hill tractsThe Sinhalese community forms the majority of the population; Tamils, who are concentrated in the north and east of the island, form the largest ethnic minority. Other communities include Moors, Burghers, Kaffirs, Malays and the aboriginal Vedda people. The country is famous for the production and export of tea, coffee, coconuts, rubber and cinnamon, the latter which is native to the country. The natural beauty Sri Lanka has led to the title The Pearl of the Indian Ocean, it is full of lush tropical forests, white beaches and diverse landscape throughout along with a rich biodiversity. The country lays claim to a long and colorful history of over three thousand years, having one of the longest documented histories in the world. Sri Lanka's rich culture can be attributed to the many different communities in the island. Sri Lanka is a founding member state of SAARC and a member United Nations, Commonwealth of Nations, G77 and Non-Aligned Movement. Name In ancient times, Sri Lanka was known by a variety of names: ancient Greek geographers called it Taprobane and Arabs referred to it as Serendib (the origin of the word "serendipity"). Ceilão was the name given to Sri Lanka by the Portuguese when they arrived in 1505, which was transliterated into English as Ceylon. As a British crown colony, the island was known as Ceylon, and achieved independence under the name Dominion of Ceylon in 1948. In Sinhala the country is known as ශර ලංකා śrī laṃkā, IPA: [ʃɾiːˈlaŋkaː], and the island itself as ලංකාව laṃkāva, IPA: [laŋˈkaːʋə]. In Tamil they are both இலஙைக ilaṅkai, IPA: [iˈlaŋɡai]. The name derives from the Sanskrit शी लंका śrī (venerable) and lankā (island), the name of the island in the ancient Indian epics Mahabharata and the Ramayana. In 1972, the official name of the country was changed to "Free, Sovereign and Independent Republic of Sri Lanka". In 1978 it was changed to the "Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka". The name Ceylon is still in use in the names of a number of organisations; in 2011, the Sri Lankan government announced a plan to rename all of those for which it is responsible.
Geography and climate
Topographic map of Sri Lanka. The island of Sri Lanka lies in the Indian Ocean, to the southwest of the Bay of Bengal. It lies between latitudes 5° and 10°N, and longitudes 79° and 82°E. Sri Lanka is separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. According to Hindu mythology, a land bridge to the Indian mainland, known as Rama's Bridge, was constructed during the time of Rama by the vanara architect Nala. Often referred to as Adam's Bridge, it now amounts to only a chain of limestone shoals remaining above sea level. According to colonial British reports, this is a natural causeway which was formerly complete, but was breached by a violent storm in 1480. The island consists mostly of flat-to-rolling coastal plains, with mountains rising only in the south-central part. Amongst these is the highest point Pidurutalagala, reaching 2,524 metres (8,281 ft) above sea level. The climate of Sri Lanka can be described as tropical and warm. Its position between 5 and 10 north latitude endows the country with a warm climate moderated by ocean winds and considerable moisture. The mean temperature ranges from about 16 °C (60.8 °F) in the Central Highlands, where frost may occur for several days in the winter, to a maximum of approximately 33 °C (91.4 °F) in other low-altitude areas. The average yearly temperature ranges from 28 °C (82.4 °F) to nearly 31 °C (87.8 °F). Day and night temperatures may vary by 4 °C (7.20 °F) to 7 °C (12.60 °F). During the coldest days of January, many people wear coats and sweaters in the highlands and elsewhere. May, the hottest period, precedes the summer monsoon rains. The rainfall pattern is influenced by monsoon winds from the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal: as the winds encounter the mountain slopes of the Central Highlands, they unload heavy rains on the slopes and the southwestern areas of the island. Some of the windward slopes receive up to 2,500 millimetres (98.4 in) of rain each month, but the leeward slopes in the east and northeast receive little rain.
200 mm (47 in) and 1. The arid northwest and southeast coasts receive the least amount of rain at 600 mm (24 in) to 1. Flora and fauna Horton Plains National Park represents Sri Lanka mountain rain forests Sri Lanka hosts several wild elephants herds.900 km2 . The mountains and the southwestern part of the country. rising to almost 90% during the monsoon season in June. and spoonbills. the dominant vegetation of the lowlands is a tropical evergreen forest. and eastern parts of the island. and the Wilpattu National Park in the northwest preserves the habitats of many water birds. ironwood. northeast. Anuradhapura experiences a daytime low of 60% during the monsoon month of March. broad foliage. which receives between 1. Humidity is typically higher in the southwest and mountainous areas and depends on the seasonal patterns of rainfall. bringing moisture from the Bay of Bengal. receive ample rainfall at an average of 2.500 mm (98 in). Much of the rain in these areas falls from October to January. known as the "wet zone". and a dense undergrowth of vines and creepers. Between December and March. and places like Colombo experience daytime humidity above 70% all year round. In the wet zone. deer. ibis. Kandy's daytime humidity usually ranges between 70% and 79%.Periodic squalls occur and sometimes tropical cyclones bring overcast skies and rains to the southwest. Varieties of flowering acacias are well adapted to the arid conditions and flourish on the Jaffna Peninsula. monsoon winds come from the northeast. are some valuable species such as satinwood. Subtropical evergreen forests resembling those of temperate climates flourish in the higher altitudes. mahogany and teak. During the Mahaweli Ganga Program of the 1970s and 1980s in northern Sri Lanka. the government set aside four areas of land totalling 1. but a high of 79% during the November and December rains. Forests at one time covered nearly the entire island. and peacocks. southeast. In the highlands. pelicans. Most of the east. ebony. and northern parts of the country comprise the "dry zone". during the rest of the year there is very little precipitation.900 mm (75 in) of rain annually.200 mm (47 in) per year. such as storks. The Yala National Park in the southeast protects herds of elephant. with tall trees. but by the late 20th century lands classified as forests and forest reserves covered around ⅓ of the land. Among the trees of the dry-land forests.
which was exported to Egypt as early as 1400 BCE. Anthropologists believe that some discovered burial rites and certain decorative artefacts exhibit similarities between the first inhabitants of the island and the early inhabitants of Southern India. . One of the first written references to the island is found in the Indian epic Ramayana. was the ancient seaport of Tarshish from which King Solomon is said to have drawn ivory. Sri Lanka was also the first Asian nation to have a female ruler in Queen Anula (47–42 BC). Ancient Sri Lanka was also the first in the world to have established a dedicated hospital in Mihintale in the 4th century BCE. also known as Veddahs and numbering roughly 3. and Sinharaja. which was created by the divine sculptor Vishwakarma for Kubera.(730 sq mi) as national parks. important for conserving water in a climate that alternates rainy seasons with dry times. Bundala. the so-called "Fortress in the Sky". The national flower of Sri Lanka is the Nymphaea stellata (Sinhalese Nil Mahanel). the national tree is the Ironwood (Sinhalese Na). Paleolithic human settlements have been discovered at excavations in several cave sites in the Western Plains region and the South-western face of the Central Hills region. Ancient Sri Lanka was also the world's leading exporter of cinnamon.000. Among the latter are large "tanks" or reservoirs. which is endemic to the country. some with a slope as finely calibrated as one inch to the mile. and the national bird is the Sri Lanka Junglefowl. a southern city in Sri Lanka. The earliest-known inhabitants of the island now known as Sri Lanka were probably the ancestors of the Wanniyala-Aetto people. History Pre-historic Sigiriya Rock Fortress. Linguistic analysis has found a correlation of the Sinhalese language with the languages of the Sindh and Gujarat. and huge public works. English historian James Emerson Tennent also theorised Galle. the Kanneliya-Dediyagala-Nakiyadeniya. although most historians believe that the Sinhala community emerged well after the assimilation of various ethnic groups. The main written accounts of the country's history are the Buddhist chronicles of Mahavansa and Dipavamsa. The island has four biosphere reserves. Hurulu Forest Reserve. and elaborate aqueducts. peacocks and other valuables. the treasurer of the Gods. From the ancient period date some remarkable archaeological sites including the ruins of Sigiriya. which described the emperor Ravana as monarch of the powerful kingdom of Lanka.
Ancient Sri Lanka A Buddhist statue in the ancient capital city Polonnaruwa. who is believed to have been the son of Mauryan Emperor Ashoka. who embraced the faith and propagated it throughout the Sinhalese population. . brought by Bhikkhu Mahinda. and was increasingly frequented by merchant ships from the Middle East. Thailand. most notably of the Sinha royal dynasties that lasted over 2000 years. the Chera dynasty and the Pallava dynasty. Burma. Buddhism arrived from India in the 3rd century BCE. Since ancient times Sri Lanka was ruled by monarchs. The island was invaded by South Indian kingdoms on a few occasions and parts of the island were ruled briefly by the Chola dynasty. The Buddhist kingdoms of Sri Lanka would maintain a large number of Buddhist schools and monasteries. and support the propagation of Buddhism into Southeast Asia. There had been incursions by the kingdoms of Kalinga (modern Orissa) and some from the Malay Peninsula. the Pandya dynasty. Persia. circa 1200AD. Mahinda's mission won over the Sinhalese monarch Devanampiyatissa of Mihintale. Colonial era Colonial Coat of arms of British Ceylon Sri Lanka had always been an important port and trading post in the ancient world.
Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia. A Portuguese colonial mission arrived on the island in 1505 headed by Lourenço de Almeida. Buddhist scholars and the Teetotalist Movement also played a vital role in this time. The city of Colombo was developed as the administrative centre and commercial heart with its harbor. Although much of the coastal regions of the island came under the domain of European powers. coffee. At that point the island consisted of three kingdoms. The island enjoyed good relations with the United Kingdom and had the . The British East India Company took over the coastal regions island controlled by the Dutch in 1796. Kotte at the Western coast. unified the island under British rule. Don Stephen Senanayake being the first prime minister. in 1802 these provinces were declaring a crown colony under direct rule of the British government. sugar. and Yarlpanam (Anglicised Jaffna) in the north. During World War II. A large segment of the British and American fleet were deployed on the island. The islands were known to the first European explorers of South Asia and settled by many groups of Arab and Malay merchants. popular pressure for independence intensified. The Dutch arrived in the 17th century. On 4 February 1948 the country gained its independence as the Dominion of Ceylon. European colonists established a series of cinnamon. as were tens of thousands of soldiers committed to the war against Japan in Southeast Asia. when the youth leagues opposed the "Ministers' Memorandum. therefore the island was not part of the British Raj. and the British established modern schools. There was a plan to transport them to Ceylon by submarine. namely Kandy in the central hills.Malaysia. Independence The formal ceremony marking the start of self rule. mistreatment and abuse of natives by colonial authorities gave rise to a struggle for independence in the 1930s. colleges. with the opening of the first parliament at Independence Square. Majority of Ceylonese forget the war as part of British Commonwealth Forces. the son of Francisco de Almeida." which asked the colonial authority to increase the powers of the board of ministers without granting popular representation or civil freedoms. The British also brought a large number of indentured workers from Tamil Nadu to work in the plantation economy. The annexation of the Kingdom of Kandy in 1815 by the Kandyan convention. and some Ceylonese expatriates in the Far east joined to form a Lanka Regiment in the Indian National Army. Following the war. to lead a liberation struggle there. but this was aborted. indigo cultivation followed by tea and rubber plantations and graphite mining. the island served as an important Allied military base. roads and churches that brought Western-style education and culture to the native people. the interior. hilly region of the island remained independent. with its capital in Kandy. The office of Prime Minister of Ceylon was created in advance of independence on 14 October 1947. Increasing grievances over the denial of civil rights.
in response to this deliberate marginalisation. Government and politics . to the exclusion of Hindu and Islam.British Royal Navy stationed at Trincomalee until 1956. Both the Sri Lankan government and LTTE have been accused of various human rights violations. as the sole official language of Sri Lanka. However in 1971. An attempt to make Buddhism the national religion. On 21 July 1960 Sirimavo Bandaranaike took office as prime minister. and it is seen by many Tamil as a symbol of their marginalization In 1956. During her second term as prime minister. following the death of Velupillai Prabhakaran and much of the LTTE's other senior leadership. to the Sinhalese majority. The immediate (and intended) consequence of this act was to force large numbers of Tamil who worked in the civil service. her government instituted socialist economic polices and strengthened ties with the USSR and later China. with the adaptation of a new constitution. was also made. and who could not meet this language requirement. The final stages of the war left some 300. to resign. the government of Sri Lanka called for redevelopment of the nation. came to believe that they deserved a separate nation-state for themselves. the country became a republic changing its name to Sri Lanka and remained a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. Ceylon experienced a Marxist insurrection. Supporters of the law saw it as an attempt by a community that had just gained independence to distance themselves from their colonial masters. the Official Language Act (commonly referred to as The Sinhala Only Act) was enacted. ostensibly to reverse colonial discrimination against Sinhalese in favour of Tamil. is a symbol of their fight against British colonialism. With Solomon Bandaranaike elected as prime minister. Ceylon began moving towards links with the communist bloc. One single strip of orange on the left part of the flag represents the Tamil population. Post War With the end of the war. 214. which was quickly suppressed with international support. Many Tamil [who?].000 people displaced. which. On 19 May 2009. In 1972. The lion in the national flag is derived from the banner of the last Sinhalese Kingdom. The law mandated Sinhala. Affirmative action in favour of Sinhalese was also instituted.227 IDPs (74%) had been released or returned to their places of origin. the President of Sri Lanka officially claimed an end to the insurgency and the defeat of the LTTE. while promoting a policy of non-alignment. there was an on-and-off civil war against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). the Sinhalese majority attempted to remodel Sri Lanka as a Sinhalese nation-state. Civil war One of the aspects of the independence movement was that it was very much a Sinhalese movement. the language of Sri Lanka's majority Sinhalese community. As a result. From 1983 to 2009. and became the world's first female prime minister and the first female head of government in post-colonial Asia. which is spoken by over 70% of Sri Lanka's population. By 2 May 2010. a separatist militant organisation who fought to create an independent state named Tamil Eelam in the North and East of the island.
The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. is Mahinda Rajapaksa. and is popularly elected for a six-year term. Members of parliament are elected by universal (adult) suffrage based on a modified proportional representation system by district to a six-year term. The Constitution of Sri Lanka establishes a democratic. the Colombo Plan. took office on 21 April 2010. Jayaratne. The parliament reserves the power to make all laws. the President is responsible to the Parliament of Sri Lanka. In the exercise of duties. Current politics in Sri Lanka are controlled by rival coalitions led by the left-wing Sri Lanka Freedom Party. During 1971 and 1989 the army assisted the police in government response against the Marxist militants of the JVP and fought the LTTE from 1983 to 2009. It is also a member of the Non-Aligned Movement. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. the party that receives the largest number of valid votes in each constituency gains a unique "bonus seat. M. The military of Sri Lanka comprises the Sri Lankan Army. the comparatively right-wing United National Party led by former prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Through the Cold Warera. The President of Sri Lanka is the head of state. which is also a unitary state. which is a unicameral 225-member legislature. suspend. the Sri Lankan Navy and the Sri Lankan Air Force. Sri Lanka has been a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and the United Nations. Colombo. . There are also many smaller Buddhist. or end a legislative session and dissolve Parliament any time after it has served for one year. who took office on 21 November 2005. socialist and Tamil nationalist political parties that oppose the separatism of the LTTE but demand regional autonomy and increased civil rights. The government is a mixture of the presidential system and the parliamentary system." The president may summon. Since 1948. The President appoints and heads a cabinet of ministers composed of elected members of parliament. the commander in chief of the armed forces. The President's deputy is the Prime Minister. as well as head of government. The primary modification is that. Sri Lanka followed a foreign policy of non-alignment but has remained closer to the United States and Western Europe. On 1 July 1960 the people of Sri Lanka appointed the first-ever female head of government in Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike. Sri Lanka has enjoyed democracy with universal suffrage since 1931. Sri Lanka receives considerable military assistance from Pakistan and China. These are administered by the Ministry of Defence. mainly in domestic affairs. who leads the ruling party in parliament and shares many executive responsibilities. Her daughter Chandrika Kumaratunga served for a short period as the prime minister between August and December 1994 before being elected as the first female president of the country from 1994 to 2005 for 2 consecutive terms. D. headed by President Rajapaksa. and has been elected for two consecutive terms. socialist republic in Sri Lanka. The current president. The current prime minister.
Administrative divisions Bay of Bengal Palk Strait Northern Province Gulf of Mannar North Central Province North Western Province Eastern Province Central Province Uva Province Western Province Sabaragamuwa Province Southern Province Indian Ocean Provinces The Provinces of Sri Lanka (Sinhala: පළාත Tamil: மாகாணம) have existed since the 19th century but they didn't have any legal status until 1987 when the 13th Amendment to the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka established provincial councils following several decades of increasing demand for a decentralisation of the Government of Sri Lanka.71 1. Sri Lanka is divided into 9 provinces and 25 districts. Between 1988 and 2006 the Northern and Eastern provinces were temporarily merged to form the North-East Province. Prior to 1987. all administration was handled by a district-based civil service which had been in place since colonial times.966 Eastern Trincomalee 9.674 2.939 North Central Anuradhapu 10.664 . Each province is administered by a directly elected provincial council: Administrative Divisions of Sri Lanka Area Populatio province Capital (km²) n Central Kandy 5.460.104.423.996 1.
the korales and ratas. The districts are further subdivided into divisional secretariats. They were formerly known as 'D.361.488 1. who is known as District Secretary.R. which is elected. and are known as a 'D.331 5.812 2.177.A.O.R.S.278. and these in turn to Grama Niladharis. administers a district. notably Matale and Uva.S. the Divisions are administered by a 'Divisional Secretary'. Divisions' after the 'Divisional Revenue Officer'.Northern North Western Sabaragamu wa Southern Uva Western Districts ra Jaffna 4 8. Divisions'. Currently. Each district is administered under a District Secretariat. The Districts are known in Sinhala as Disa and in Tamil as Maawaddam.884 1. Divisions'.271 8. දසතරකකය Tamil: மாவட்டம).559 2. The Government Agent.892 Ratnapura Galle Badulla Colombo 4.709 5. Divisions are also administered by a 'Pradeshiya Sabha' and 'Pradesha Sabhai' (Sinhala and Tamil for 'Regional Council').G.169.801.358 3. Later the D. These were originally based on the feudal counties. Cities Cities by population Provin Populati Ran City ce on k Wester 682 046 11 Galle n 12 Batticaloa 13 Katunayake Ran k 1 2 3 4 5 Kandy 6 7 Trincomal ee 8 9 City Colombo Colombo DehiwalaWester Mount 232 220 n Lavinia Moratuw Wester 202 021 a n Wester Negombo 142 451 n Trincomal Eastern 131 954 ee Wester Kotte 125 914 n Kandy Central 119 186 Provin Populati ce on Souther 97 209 n view · talk · edit Eastern 95 489 90 231 84 200 75 290 74 129 74 117 71 879 70 273 66 951 Galle Jaffna Kotte Wester n Battaramull Wester 14 a n 15 Dambulla 16 Dalugama Maharagam 17 a 18 Kotikawatta Chavakachc heri Anuradhapu 20 ra 19 Central Wester n Wester n Wester n Norther n North Central Kalmunai Eastern 103 879 Vavuniya Norther 101 143 n Norther 98 193 n 10 Jaffna .O.s became 'Assistant Government Agents' and the Divisions were known as 'A. Rural D.902 1.200 The provinces of Sri Lanka are divided into 25 districts (Sinhala: දසතරකක sing.776 Kurunegala 7.311. Originally a Disa (usually rendered into English as Dissavony) was a duchy.
Members of the Burgher community speak variant forms of Portuguese Creole and Dutch with varying proficiency.9% of the total population. and is widely used for education. Tamils are concentrated in the North. Religions .49 deaths per 1. There are also small ethnic groups such as the Burghers (of mixed European descent) and Malays from Southeast Asia. especially in and around the capital. with an annual population growth rate of 0. are called "Indian Origin" Tamils. while members of the Malay community speak a form of creole Malay that is unique to the island. Central and Western provinces of the country. East. There is a significant population (8. According to 2001 census data Indian Tamils makeup 5. Language Sinhalese and Tamil are the two official languages of Sri Lanka. There is a small population on the island of the Vedda people. nearly 50% of whom were repatriated following independence in 1948. The World Factbook states that Sri Lankan Tamils make up 14% of the population. scientific and commercial purposes.3% but this figure only accounted for Sri Lankan Tamils in governmentcontrolled areas.79%. Indian Tamils who were brought as indentured labourers from India by British colonists to work on estate plantations. The Sinhalese people form the largest ethnic group in the nation. Sri Lanka has a birth rate of 15. They are distinguished from the native Tamil population that has resided in Sri Lanka since ancient times. composing approximately 81. Sri Lankan Tamils are the second major ethnic group on the island and have called it home for generations. Sri Lankan Tamils 4. Population density is highest in western Sri Lanka. who trace their lineage to Arab traders and immigrants from the Middle East. They are believed to be the original indigenous group to inhabit the island.63 births per 1.1% of the Sri Lankan population and.000 people. Their presence is concentrated in the cities and the central and eastern provinces. not accounting for those in rebel-held territories.2009 estimation Demographics Population growth in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka is the 53rd most populated nation in the world.0%) of Moors.000 people and a death rate of 6. English is fluently spoken by approximately 10% of the population.
Buddhism constitutes the religious faith of about 70% of the population of the island. having previously been preserved as an oral tradition. the Sri Lankan monastic lineage was revived through contact with Thailand and Burma. Sri Lanka has the longest continuous history of Buddhism of any predominately Buddhist nation. Jaffna is an important place for Hinduism in Sri Lanka. During periods of decline. the son of the Emperor Ashoka. Sri Lanka religiosity religion Buddhism Hinduism Islam Christianity Source: David. Periods of Mahayana influence. most of whom follow the Theravada school of Buddhism. 1993 percent 69% 15% 8% 8% . According to traditional Sri Lankan chronicles. Buddhism was introduced into Sri Lanka in the 2nd century BCE by Venerable Mahinda. most Hindus are Tamil and they constitute a majority in Northern Sri Lanka. The Pali Canon (Thripitakaya). Sri Lanka has a multi ethnic and multi religious population. During this time.Temple of the Tooth is the focal point of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. as well as official neglect under colonial rule. a sapling of the Bodhi Tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment was brought to Sri Lanka and the first monasteries were established under the sponsorship of the Sri Lankan king. was first committed to writing in Sri Lanka around 30 BCE. with the Sangha having existed in a largely unbroken lineage since its introduction in the 2nd century BCE. Hinduism the second most prevalent religion in Sri Lanka and it also arrived from India. created great challenges for Theravada Buddhist institutions in Sri Lanka. but repeated revivals and resurgences—most recently in the 19th century—have kept the Theravada tradition alive for over 2000 years. Today. The Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil. during the reign of Sri Lanka's King Devanampiyatissa.
All religious communities are represented in the western province and in other urban centres in sizeable numbers. particularly at the United Nations. the World Bank. There are many Buddhist temples spread throughout the island in addition to numerous mosques. It also is a member of the Commonwealth. Other famous Parsi families in Sri Lanka include the Captain family and the Pestongee family. Religion plays an important part in the life and culture of Sri Lankans. . once per month according to the Lunar calendar. Buddhists are distributed across most parts of the island except in the north. and the religion has been adopted by around six percent of the population. having been brought to the island by Arab traders over the course of many centuries. with 99% of Sri Lankans saying religion is an important part of their daily life. Hindu temples and churches. few remain. and the Colombo Plan. independence. particularly Roman Catholics are mainly concentrated along the western coastal belt. while also stressing the importance it places on regionalism by playing a strong role in SAARC. The former finance minister of Sri Lanka. east. International Monetary Fund.Religions which today exist in Sri Lanka. The Buddhist majority observe Poya Days. Hindus are concentrated in north. and development in the developing world. European colonists introduced Christianity to the country in the 16th century. Sri Lanka was a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). most are Sunni who follow the Shafi'i school. Asian Development Bank. Foreign relations and military Foreign relations Sri Lanka traditionally follows a nonaligned foreign policy but has been seeking closer relations with the United States since December 1977. where it seeks to promote sovereignty. As a result of emigration. in addition to Buddhism and Hinduism include Islam as well as different churches of Christianity. and central high lands. Christians. There also was a small population of Zoroastrian immigrants from India (Parsis) who settled in Ceylon during the period of British rule. It participates in multilateral diplomacy. was a Parsi. yet they have played a significant role in the growth of the country. Sri Lanka was ranked the 3rd most religious country in the world by a 2008 Gallup poll. Nariman Choksy. the SAARC. Hinduism was primarily established in Sri Lanka by migrants and often invaders from southern India. Hindus constitute just over 7 percent of the population. The Hindus and Muslims also observe their own holidays. Followers of Islam comprise nearly eight percent of the population. though high populations also exists in the capital city of Colombo and in the surrounding suburbs. Muslims are concentrated in several pockets along the coast and in theinterior. Sri Lanka continues its active participation in the NAM. especially in areas where respective communities are concentrated. mostly of the Shaivite school.
Sri Lanka contributed with forces in international missions organised by the United Nations. The total strength of the three services is around 230. Peace keeping Even though its armed forces were then engaged in an internal conflict. comprising the Sri Lanka Army. Sri Lanka does not use a military draft. On 21 October 2009 another group of two hundred Sri Lankan troops including nine officers from all three branches of the armed forces were added to the current deployment in a passing-out parade. this was a low intensity conflict which progressed into a bloody conflict which included elements of conventional warfare as well as classic guerrilla and asymmetric warfare. due to three major insurgencies. which are the Special Task Force. Since 2002 the Sri Lankan armed forces have also taken part in several peace keeping missions with the UN. ended by a military outcome with a comprehensively defeat of the LTTE May 2009. Economy . halted several times briefly by failed peace overtures. comes under the purview of the Ministry of Defence (MoD). China).Military Sri Lanka Air Force IAI Kfir fighter aircraft The Sri Lanka Armed Forces. In support of the armed forces there are three paramilitary units functioning under purview of the Ministry of Defence.000-100. including a 30 year long conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam which was proscribed as a terrorist organisation by 32 countries. with pitch battles taking place in land and at sea. Unique in modern military history. the primary focus of the armed forces has been on internal security. later briefly moving to the air and unprecedented use of suicide attacks by a violent nonstate actor.000 active personnel. it resulted in the deaths of 80.000 people. the Sri Lanka Navy and the Sri Lanka Air Force. the Civil Security Force and the Sri Lanka Coast Guard Since independence from Britain in 1948. In a rare occurrence in modern history the conflict that had 30 years of constant fighting. notably the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti and continue to contribute their forces to the United Nations. the conflict itself did not result in any territorial or constitutional changes. Due to this conflict the armed forces had expanded to its current size and where in a continuous mobilized state for the last 30 years. Although it drew in other regional countries into the conflict directly (India) or indirectly (Pakistan. The two hundred troops are scheduled to leave for Haiti on 8 November 2009.
and today Sri Lanka has the highest per capita income in South Asia.3%. While the production and export of tea. and continuing civil strife. while textiles and garments have reached 63%. slow growth and lack of foreign investment From 1977 the UNP government began incorporating privatisation. The development of modern ports under British rule raised the strategic importance of the island as a centre of trade. the plantation economy aggravated poverty and economic inequality.The Colombo World Trade Center in Colombo.8% in 1996. During World War II. About 14% of the population live on less than US$ 1. While the standard of living and literacy improved significantly. In the 19th and 20th centuries. sugar and other agricultural commodities remains important. Sri Lanka's most widely known export. industries were nationalised and a welfare state established. and further declined to 16. The year of 2001 saw the first recession in the country's history. the nation's economy suffered from inefficiency. until a drought and a deteriorating security situation lowered growth to 3. The economy rebounded in 1997–2000. rubber and Ceylon tea.25 per day. textiles. the global slowdown. . budgetary problems. From 1948 to 1977 socialism strongly influenced the government's economic policies. Since the separatist war ended in May 2009 the Sri Lankan stock market has shown marked gains to be among the 3 best performing markets in the world. Sri Lanka became a plantation economy. the island hosted important military installations and Allied forces. The GDP grew at an average annual rate of 5. as a result of power shortages.8% in 2005 (compared with 93% in 1970). famous for its production and export of cinnamon. telecommunications and finance. However. coffee. deregulation and the promotion of private enterprise. Colonial plantations were dismantled. with average growth of 5. By 1996 plantation crops made up only 20% of export. Ceylon tea. rubber. The Colombo Stock Exchange reported the highest growth in the world for 2003. the nation has moved steadily towards an industrialised economy with the development of food processing.5% during the early 1990s. which remains a trademark national export. Signs of recovery appeared after the 2002 ceasefire which died away following the beginning of war.
In April 2004. Education University of Colombo . but this was disrupted with the reemergence of the civil war resulting in increased lawlessness in the country and a sharp decline in tourism.972. New York Times has placed Sri Lanka Number 1 in 31 places to go in 2010. Its main theme to support the rural and suburban SMEs and protect the domestic economy from external influences. Health Life expectancy was 69 for males and 76 for females in 2006.9 physicians per 100. particularly the South and East coast. and embarked on a subsidy program called the Rata Perata economic program. The economy was briefly buoyed by an influx of foreign aid and tourists. Government expenditure on health care was aprox. The Médecins Sans Frontières are active in Sri Lanka. with an income per head of US$1. while inflation reached 20%. such as oil prices. the economy was estimated to have grown by 7% last year. Also the end of war has ensured the rule of law in the whole of the island. were devastated by the 2004 Asian Tsunami. there was a sharp reversal in economic policy after the government headed by Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party was defeated by a coalition made up of Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the leftist-nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna called the United People's Freedom Alliance. But following the end of the 3 decade long separatist war in May 2009 tourism has seen a steep uptick. Recently. The new government stopped the privatisation of state enterprises and reforms of state utilities such as power and petroleum. Parts of Sri Lanka. the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. According to the Sri Lankan central bank statistics. US$ 105 (PPP) in 2006.000 people. Its economy grew by an average of 5% during the 1990s during the 'War for Peace' era. Sri Lanka. still lags behind some of its neighbours including Maldives but is ahead of its giant neighbour India. Sri Lanka has about 48.
which provide specialised education in a variety of fields. with 99% of the children entering the first grade. but a number of private schools do exist. These schools are modelled on British colleges. Many of the schools offer subjects in Sinhala and Tamil languages with regionally leading schools offering subjects in English medium also. the University of Jaffna. the University of Kelaniya. the University of Ruhuna. the University of Peradeniya. However in the 1980s changers to this system saw the separation the of administration of schools between the central government and the provincial government. The free education system ensures that primary to tertiary education is provided free of charge to its citizens.Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology With a literacy rate of 92%. such as computer science. A majority of them are public. An education system which dictates 9 years of Compulsory Schooling for every child is in place. W. However the lack of space in these institutions and the unwillingness to establish private universities has led to a large number of students been denied entry into formal universities as well as high undergraduate unemployment. W. In recent decades. As a result. Sri Lanka has one of the most literate populations amongst developing nations. the Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka and the Wayamba University of Sri Lanka. In these schools General Certificate of Secondary Education. These include the government owned Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology and the Institute of Technological Studies. In 1942 a special education committee proposed extensive reforms to establish an efficient and quality education system for the people. Transport . They include the University of Colombo. the Eastern University of Sri Lanka. conducted by the Department of Examinations. a large number of international schools have been established across the nation. Thus the elite National Schools are controlled directly by the Ministry of Education and the provincial schools by the provincial government. a former minister of education. Kannangara. the University of Moratuwa. Students sit for the GCE Ordinary Level Examination (O/Levels) in grade 11 and the GCE Advanced Level Examination (A/levels) in grade 13. a number of public and private institutions have emerged. business administration and law. has greatly contributed to this. International Baccalaureate and Cambridge International Examinations are popular education programs. Most schools in Sri Lanka provide education from grades 1 to 13 in the same institution. rural provincial schools tend to be coeducational. A free education system initiated in 1945 by Dr. While most reputed National and Private Schools centred around large cities are usually single-sex institutions. Dr. Kannangara led the establishment of the Madhya Maha Vidyalayas (Central Schools) in different parts of the country in order to provide education to Sri Lanka's rural population. C. and 83% of the total population having had Secondary Education. Sri Lanka has around 16 public universities. the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.
A second international airport is under construction in Mattala. abductions and armed clashes created a climate of fear in the east. The Bandaranaike International Airport. In its 2007 report. spreading to the north by the end of the year". The government has launched several highway projects to bolster the economy and national transport system. however. handling over 4. 22 kilometres (14 mi) north of Colombo. child recruitment. Both the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the government of Sri Lanka are accused of violating human rights. the Colombo-Kandy (Kadugannawa) Expressway. SriLankan Airlines is the official national carrier. domestic arm of the national carrier. with a vast majority of them being paved. There are also plans to build a major bridge connecting Jaffna to the Indian city of Chennai. Amnesty International stated that "escalating political killings. There are twelve paved airports and two unpaved airstrips in the country. It was voted the best airline in South Asia by Skytrax. The total length of Sri Lankan roads exceeds 11. shallower harbour at Kankesanturai. linking Colombo with Kandy. The human rights situation in Sri Lanka has come under criticism by human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. The first railway line was inaugurated on 26 April 1867. Human rights Human rights as ratified by the United Nations are guaranteed by the constitution of Sri Lanka. The Ceylon Transport Board is the state-run agency responsible for operating public bus services across the island. while Expo Aviation and Lankair are private airline companies. as well as the United States Department of State and the European Union. .840 mi). partly owned and operated by Emirates Airline. whilst also outlining concerns with violence against women. is located in Katunayaka. in the south of the island.000 kilometres (6. However. It has three deep-water ports at Colombo.GM EMD G12 . The new Port of Hambantota is currently under construction. north of Jaffna. and due to begin operations in November 2010.ALBERTA diesel locomotive used for transportation Most Sri Lankan cities and towns are connected by the Sri Lanka Railways. have expressed concern about the state of human rights in Sri Lanka. the Colombo-Padeniya Expressway and the Outer Circular Highway to ease Colombo's traffic congestion. the report also stated that the ceasefire between government and LTTE remained in place despite numerous violations. including the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway.1 million TEUs annually. SriLankan Air Taxi is the smaller. Trincomalee and Galle. Sri Lanka also maintains 430 kilometres (270 mi) of inland waterways. the state-run national railway operator. currently the country's only international airport. There is also a smaller. The Port of Colombo is the largest port in Sri Lanka. the death penalty and "numerous reports of torture in police custody".
However. and lately Sri Lanka. Until recently. Hindu Devotess engaing in 'Kavadi' at a Vavuniya temple. the Sri Lankan minister for HR said "We regret one or two statements made here. Traditional food . But economic growth and intense economic competition in developed countries has spilled over to most of Sri Lanka. westernisation or a loss of identity and assimilation. has experienced a dramatic makeover in the western mould. engaged in traditional crafts and expressed themselves through traditional arts. have eaten traditional food. particularly in the urban areas. producing changes that might variously be identified as progress. The island is the home of two main traditional cultures: the Sinhalese (centred in the ancient cities of Kandy and Anuradhapura) and the Tamil (centred in the city of Jaffna). In more recent times a British colonial culture was added. that fly in the face of all concrete evidence. innuendo and vituperative exaggerations. for example. the report presents a distorted view of the actual situation in Sri Lanka during the year 2007 and is a litany of unsubstantiated allegations. with far-less damage to civilians. certainly those in the villages. most Sri Lankans. than in any comparative situation. that the situation in Sri Lanka is deteriorating." Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said. when we have dealt more firmly with terrorism. Culture and arts The Buddha statue at Mihintale.
Esala Perahera (A-suh-luh peh-ruh-ha-ruh) is the grand festival of Esala held in Sri Lanka. accompanied by eggs. such as Nidhanaya. Afterwards there were many Sinhalese movies produced in Sri Lanka and some of them. it has become a unique symbol of Sri Lanka. His latest film. jaggery.Traditional dish of Kiribath with lunumiris Sri Lankans have added western influences to the customary diet such as rice and curry. The elephant is paraded around the city bearing the tooth of Buddha. . pittu (mixture of fresh rice meal. While Dutch and Portuguese influences are found with the island's Burgher community preserving their culture through traditional favourites such as Lamprais (rice cooked in stock and baked in a banana leaf). Festivals Elephants at the Esala Perahera Every year on or about 13 April Sinhala and Tamil people celebrate Sinhalese and Tamil New Year Festival. kollywood of Indian cinema. Many films are in the Sinhalese language and the Sri Lankan cinematic style is similar to bollywood. kottu. milk or savouries. Happening in July or August in Kandy. batter cooked rapidly in a hot curved pan. The festival ends with the traditional 'diyakepeema'. very lightly roasted and mixed with fresh grated coconut. Kiribath (cooked in thick coconut cream for this unsweetened ricepudding which is accompanied by a sharp chili relish called "lunumiris"). love stories and the years of conflict between the military and Tamil Tiger rebels. Breudher (Dutch Christmas cake) and Bolo Fiado (Portuguese-style layer cake). The first film to be produced and shown in Sri Lanka was Kadawunu Poronduwa (The Broken Promise) which was released in 1947. It is very grand with elegant costumes. Cinema Sri Lankan cinema in past years has featured subjects such as family relationships. It is a Buddhist festival consisting of dances and richly decorated elephants. and various spices including cinnamon cloves and nutmeg). The first colour film of Sri Lanka was Ranmuthu Duwa. Kandian dances and various other cultural dances. There are fire-dances. The most influential filmmaker in the history of Sri Lankan cinema is Lester James Peiris who has directed many movies of excellent quality which led to global acclaim. cashew nuts. and hoppers ("appa"). The elephants are usually adorned with lavish garments. However the new year for tamils have been established as being on 14 January from this year. Middle Eastern influences and practices are found in traditional Moor dishes. wattalapam (rich pudding of Malay origin made of coconut milk. Wekande Walauwa ("Mansion by the Lake") became the first movie to be submitted from Sri Lanka for the Best Foreign Language film award at the Academy Awards. and Muslims celebrate Ramadan. received several international film awards. eggs. then steamed in a bamboo mould). whip-dances.
Controversial filmmaker Asoka Handagama's films are considered by many in the Sri Lankan film world to be the best films of honest response to the ethnic conflict raged in the country for many years. Jothipala. Nurthi. D. Tamil language movies are also filmed in Sri Lanka but they are part of Kollywood which is Indian Tamil cinema. Indian music in films greatly influenced Sri Lankan music and later Sri Lankan stars like Sunil Shantha found greater popularity among Indian people. was released through Radio Ceylon. a large number of private radio stations have also being introduced. Europe and the United States are also widely popular.S. 'Samanala thatu'. It is also known as Sri Lankan Tamil cinema in Sri Lanka. Radio Ceylon had more Indian listeners than Sri Lankan ones. Sri Lankan Literature Sports . In 1903 the first music album. Initially all Television stations were state controlled. and cable and satellite television is gaining in popularity with Sri Lanka's middleclass. with its programming reaching neighbouring Asian nations. Annesley Malewana and Clarence Wijewardene did great work. Broadcast television was introduced to the country in 1979 when the Independent Television Network was launched. A very popular type of music is the so-called Baila. M. at the Cannes Film Festival for his Sinhalese language film Sulanga Enu Pinisa (The Forsaken Land). Lankadeepa and Lakbima in Sinhalese and the Tamil publications Dinakaran and Uthayan. Also Vernon Corea introduced Sri Lankan music in the English Service of Radio Ceylon. Divayina. and they have gained commercial popularity and success. Radio Ceylon is the oldest-running radio station in Asia. It was established in 1923 by Edward Harper just three years after broadcasting was launched in Europe. However some Kollywood films are based in Sri Lanka as well. Southeast Asia. The station is managed by the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation and broadcasts services in Sinhalese. English and Hindi. Prasanna Vithanage is one of Sri Lanka's most notable filmmakers. It remains one of the most popular stations in Asia. Media The national radio station radio. but private television networks began broadcasts in 1992. H. both local and international. Global television networks from India. The notable songwriters Mahagama Sekara and Ananda Samarakoon made a Sri Lankan music revolution. Music The earliest music came from the theatre at a time when the traditional open-air drama (referred to in Sinhala as Kolam. Sokari and Nadagam). Fernando. and 'Hiripoda wessa' have attracted Sri Lankans to cinemas. Tamil. Sri Lankan films are usually in the Sinhalese language. Amaradeva. In the early 1960s. His films have won many awards. By 1963. Recent releases like 'Sooriya Arana'. Since the 1980s.R. At the peak of this revolution. or any award for that matter. Milton Mallawarachchi. musicians such as W. Popular publications include the English language Daily Mirror and The Sunday Observer and The Sunday Times.In 2005 the director Vimukthi Jayasundara became the first Sri Lankan to win the prestigious Camera d'Or award for Best First Film. a kind of dance music that originated from Portuguese music introduced to the island in colonial times.
1997. The country cohosted the 1996 Cricket World Cup with India and Pakistan. March 2001. and has hosted the Asia Cup tournament on numerous occasions. football (soccer) and tennis. Cheena di and Angampora. athletics. The Sri Lanka national cricket team achieved considerable success beginning in the 1990s. surfing. swimming and scuba diving on the coast. 2004 and 2008.A Test match between Sri Lanka and England at the SCC Ground. the beaches and backwaters attract a large number of Sri Lankans and foreign tourists. Sri Lankan cricket team reached the finals of the 2007 Cricket World Cup. competing on provincial and national levels. Rugby union also enjoys extensive popularity. Aquatic sports such as boating. by far the most popular sport in the country is cricket. It will also co-host the 2011 Cricket World Cup. the Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu Stadium. . The national cricket team of Sri Lanka won the Asia Cup in 1986. Sri Lanka has a large number of sports stadiums. the R. Sri Lanka's schools and colleges regularly organise sports and athletics teams. rising from underdog status to winning the 1996 Cricket World Cup. While the national sport in Sri Lanka is volleyball. where they lost to Australia. Colombo. as do as do aquatic sports. Premadasa Stadium and the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium in Dambulla as well as the Galle International Stadium. There are two styles of martial arts native to Sri Lanka. including the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground.


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subset: commoncrawl


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- Overview
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This 38 year old had large, droopy breasts that interfered with physical activity and clothing choices. She underwent a reduction to address these issues.
This 42 year old was 5'3", weighed 140 pounds and wore a 36D. She wished to be considerably smaller, so she underwent a breast reduction.
This 18 year old was 5'4", weighed 165 and wore a 32H bra. She wanted to be smaller, but still wanted to have C cup breasts. She underwent a bilateral reduction mammoplasty.
This 42 year old had significant breast enlargement and desire reduction. She was 5'5" and weighed 150 pounds. Following her surgery, she had fewer symptoms of breast hypertrophy and found it easier to buy clothes.
This 42 year old was 5'2", weighed 102 pounds and wore a 30E bra. She wanted to be smaller and less droopy. She underwent a mastopexy with reduction and is now a 30C.
This 34-year-old mother was 5'2" and weighed 165 pounds. Her breasts were droopy and she wanted to be about two cup sizes smaller, so she underwent a reduction/mastopexy.
This 28 year old had breast enlargement that was causing back and breast pain. She underwent a bilateral breast reduction and her pictures are at 4 months.
This 52 year old had massive breast hypertrophy and wanted relief from her symptoms of back and shoulder pain. She was 5'2" and 180 pounds at the time of her surgery. She had over 1,200 grams of tissue removed from each breast and had great improvement in her symptoms.
This 29 year old thought her 38DDD breasts were too large for her 5'0" 133-pound frame. Following a bilateral breast reduction she feels more comfortable in a C cup.


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Linguine with Turkey, Basil, and Crème Fraîche
Photo: David Hillegas; Styling: Linda Hirst
How to Make It
Step 1
Cook pasta in boiling salted water according to package directions.
Step 2
Meanwhile, whisk together crème fraîche and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water. Toss pasta and turkey in sauce mixture, adding enough cooking water to evenly coat pasta. Stir in lemon juice and basil. Serve immediately.
Step 3
*Crème fraîche is a cultured cream product similar to sour cream, but with a less tangy taste and a softer texture. You can substitute Mexican crema or a mixture of equal parts sour cream and whipping cream.
Caroline Wright,
3 stars – based on 2 reviews


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oya bal
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text: left many people job less and homeless ,unable to make money because they lost their jobs form the crash Retrieved from "http://history.answers.wikia.com/wiki/What_effect_did_the_wall_street_crash_have_on_australia?oldid=4533" Ad blocker interference detected! Wikia is a free-to-use site that makes money from advertising. We have a modified experience for viewers using ad blockers Wikia is not accessible if you've made further modifications. Remove the custom ad blocker rule(s) and the page will load as expected. Categories: History Answered questions Add category Cancel Save


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I suspect that Bruce Hamilton retired abruptly to avoid some trouble, too.
I read something about Riley Junk and his girlfriend having sex parties. It makes perfect sense!!!! I always tried to figure out how people got away with some of the things they got away with, while other people, such as me, got in trouble for blinking wrong!
|Me love you long time
I witnessed my Supervisor touching her boss in front of a room full of people and told her that it made me uncomfortable. Instead of talking to me about it, she went to Bruce Hamilton and told him, and he in turn thought I was accusing him of having an affair; it was a pretty strong reaction by him if he was innocent. Anyway, I was retaliated against for another 2 years for that!
|I see nothing!
In a nutshell, it hurts my heart to think that nothing can be done. I wrote a letter to that Commander about some issues and he just blew it off, no wonder! I had the same thing with the previous commander...I wonder if he was involved with them too. Is nothing sacred! I don't give a rat's butt if what they do on their own time does not effect the workplace.
|Wanna fuck?
Unfortunately, people can get away with inappropriate sexual behavior, even if it causes the kind of problems it causes. Sad.
I know a gal who has worked there for 6 years, she is still constantly reminded that she is not one of them:(


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tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-17:346802 Bob the Mole bobthemole bobthemole 2012-12-10T07:32:50Z tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-17:346802:155721 ZOHMAIGOTT Neil Gaiman REPLIED TO MY TWEET!!! 2012-12-10T07:32:50Z 2012-12-10T07:32:50Z public 2 @NeilHimself: According to @23andMe, genetically I am 99.6% Ashkenazi, 0.3% unspecified European and 0.1% East Asian. I want to know the story of that .1%

@Bobthemole: @neilhimself My entire family is South Indian, but testing showed my dad's maternal ancestor is north european. We are all v puzzled.

@Bobthemole: @neilhimself Who was the Adventurous Nordic Lady who made her way to India all those millenia ago and became my ancestor?

@NeilHimself: @bobthemole it's wonderful to wonder.

 comments tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-17:346802:155447 Someone sould write a dissertation on Misha Collins' social engineering experiments 2012-11-23T05:58:48Z 2012-11-23T05:58:48Z public 3
[Crossposted from my Tumblr]

Here's the scoop on the latest kerfluffle.

Shortly after the conclusion of GISHWHES (the Misha-organized scavenger hunt), all participants received an email pointing to mysterious websites and twitter accounts that hinted at a new event, "Christmas Will Never Be The Same". After the success of GISHWHES and various other Misha-related events, expectations were high for another creative, participatory, and/or charitable event.

Today the event turned out to be a web screening of "Stonehenge Apocalypse", a Syfy original movie starring Misha. He and another actor will be providing MST3K style commentary. There is a small fee for viewing, and options to spend more money to interact with the actors/receive swag. All in all, a bit of a letdown after all the fan speculation.

What's been fascinating to me is the fan reactions (all readable on the Tumblr #misha collins tag while the wank lasts). They tend to fall among the following broad categories…

"I'm disappointed that this event is kinda lame and costs too much money. It's Christmas, and I thought Misha would give us a gift."

"How dare you criticize Misha! He does so much for us and we should be grateful for what we get."

"Misha is a sell-out, going commercial and exploiting impressionable young girls for money and boobs."

"Stop putting hate on the #Misha Collins tag! I will block anyone who does!"

"I'm not criticizing Misha, I'm just saying I'm disappointed. I'm entitled to my feelings and I'm allowed to have an opinion, aren't I? I'm just stating my opinion."

"You're an entitled cunt for having such high expectations of someone who just had a baby, ran a marathon for charity WITH A COLD, and is still wading through photos of hairy men in tutus trying to identify the GISHWHES winners. What more does this beautiful man have to do for you?"

"It's just $8, and I know you have money so stop acting like you're an advocate for impoverished fans."

"What's going on? Why is everyone angry at Misha? What's this Stonehenge thing? I'm so confused!"

Oh, Fandom. Never ever change.

I know I'm getting to be an old fart when fandom wars make me tick off squares on a bingo card. But there's an extra layer of madness that keeps me hanging around the Misha Collins fandom.

On one hand we have the ginormous hydra-headed internecine fandom. On the other hand the object of the fandom's devotion is a professional troll with a degree in Social Theory, who likes to poke things to see what happens.

Whether Misha genuinely miscalculated the excitement value of the Christmas project, or consciously engineered high expectations followed by a plausible let-down just to collect data on fan reactions, I do not know. But I really REALLY want it to be the latter.

Because I'm an old fandom fart and I want to see something new under the sun.

 comments tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-17:346802:155286 This Explains Everything! 2012-09-16T23:15:49Z 2012-09-16T23:15:49Z public 2 All these years I've been wondering how the human populations keeps increasing despite EGADS BODILY FLUIDS!!!!!!!

The explanation: "Sex Doesn't Gross You Out When You're Aroused."

Thank you, researchers from the Netherlands.

 comments tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-17:346802:154778 Unsinkable 2012-04-07T08:18:04Z 2012-04-07T08:18:04Z public 0 There's still a bit of stigma attached to admitting that one likes Titanic. Leonardo DiCaprio entire career has been built on establishing himself as a Serious Thespian instead of the Justin Beiber of the mid-90s. No one sings "My Heart Will Go On" except under the most ironic of circumstances.

But for one moment in timeTitanic was the biggest thing on the planet. No English movie has ever been as big in Pakistan (My 80 yr old grandfather heard the hype and wanted to see it), and I don't think the phenomenon was any smaller elsewhere. Little wonder - the movie was about the biggest man-made vessel of its time, the grandeur and hubris of the late colonial period brought low by implacable Nature. Throw in a pair of star-crossed lovers, craft every scene to wrench at the heart-strings, then dial everything up to eleven. There is no room for smallness.

Titanic is back on the big screen today, in full 3D glory. I am fifteen years older than I was when I last watched it. The wild impetuous love between Jack and Rose no longer makes sense to me (though I give the actors credit, Winslet and DiCaprio worked miracles to make them credible). The class dynamics appear simplistic. The idiot villain makes me face-palm. But the movie still cast a deeper spell on me today than anything I've watched in recent memory. Even as the ship barreled to its doom, even with every kind of foreknowledge, I was on the edge of my seat hoping Please, God, let them miss the iceberg this time and the collision shook me along with everyone else.

Titanic is overblown and sentimental and as much as mark of its maker's hubris as the original ship, but boy is it good at what it sets out to do. It doesn't even try for subtle. It just clubs you over the head until the catharsis spills out like cerebral fluid. It appeals to your inner 15-year-old. And that's how it can draw you back into the theater a decade and a half later when you have disposable income and an overpowering nostalgia for a simpler pre-9-11 world. There's a reason why no one in the theater was younger than 23, and why people came out singing "My Heart Will Go On", softly but unapologetically.

No one would have remembered the movie if it were a quiet intimate period piece like, say, The English Patient.

No one would remember a ship that didn't sink.

 comments tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-17:346802:154517 I already wear purple everyday... 2012-02-25T20:14:43Z 2012-02-25T20:14:43Z public 1 "I am Looking Forward to Lent" by By Kinsolving, Hancock and Franzen

 comments tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-17:346802:154119 bobthemole @ 2012-02-24T22:09:00 2012-02-25T04:09:47Z 2012-02-25T04:09:47Z public 3 Gave up fanfic for Lent. Lasted two days.

 comments tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-17:346802:154099 Watch "Touch". Now. 2012-02-17T12:46:33Z 2012-02-17T12:46:33Z public 0 I rarely see a TV show that I feel I have to run out and tell people about immediately, but Touch is one. Just saw the pilot - it's awesome as a stand-alone and it lays an intriguing foundation for the rest of the series.

If you don't have time for a new TV series on your plate, just watch the pilot for the story of an unremarkable cell phone that travels around the world and changes peoples' lives.

 comments tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-17:346802:153841 THIS is why we can't have Starks in Winterfell 2012-02-02T15:15:40Z 2012-02-02T15:15:40Z public 0 The Groundhoggus officialis has seen its shadow. Since winter hasn't actually arrived in Texas yet, does this mean 6 more weeks of autumn?

 comments tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-17:346802:153135 Recs post! 2012-01-04T06:25:21Z 2012-01-04T06:25:21Z public 0 Yuletide came and went. I finished the last corrections to my story about 5 hours before the deadline and then gasped for breath. It is unquestionably the longest fic I have ever written even if it's still well under 10,000 words, but I'm happy with it. And very relieved that the recipient seems to like it too.

The Heirs of English Magic is my sequel to Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, in which I tie up various loose ends from the novel and give the female characters a well-deserved chance to kick ass. For all my complaints during the writing process, this has been one of my most enjoyable writing experiences. It took me a few days to get comfortable with the 19th century-ish prose style but once it clicked, I had a ball! Research was a ton of fun - canon-compliance takes on a whole new level when "canon" is actual history, and some of my favorite bits were the result of trying to force the story to fit real events and places.

I've already posted about the gifts I received, but I'll mention them again. Both were based on the character Quorra from Tron:Legacy. #include "light.h" by cmshaw and Sunrise by that_runneth.

In the Supernatural fandom, The Chuck Writes Story is a fanfic about Fanfic, and hilarious and familiar and ambitious and utterly poignant. It's a satire of fandom wank and a philosophical meditation on the intersection of Fiction and Reality. And it seems to suggest that, by writing about questionably-fictional and unquestionably attractive men having hot sex, perhaps we are doing God's Work. Read this if you read nothing else.

Deep Breaths by trollprincess. What Supernatural canon would have been if the women lived and the men died. Mary Campbell/Ellen Harvelle.

I seem to like stories about Chuck Shurley. Here's another: The Winchester Revision is a University AU framed within the greater SPN verse. Just because Dean and Sam weren't the victims of an apocalyptic conspiracy doesn't mean their lives were perfect. And Castiel, in all his forms, will ask questions.

That's it for now. I haven't been keeping track of my Yuletide reads but I'll collect and post them at some point.

Happy reading!

 comments tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-17:346802:152723 Look what I got for Yuletide! 2011-12-25T16:51:25Z 2011-12-25T16:51:25Z public 0 It will come as a surprise to no one that I can be somewhat weird. I watch Summer Blockbusters like the rest of society but when while everyone else is ooh-ing and gasping at the crisply rendered explosion that smothers the screen after a T-rex chomps on a Transformer, I'm distracted by the fate of the minor female character who is neglected by the script after she does her duty lending Emotional Depth to the male protagonist. It's become a trend.

Tron: Legacy would have been another forgettable explode-a-thon if not for the last few minutes of the movie. Quorra, a piece of self-aware software who had lived her entire life in a virtual reality world, was incarnated into the "Real World" by a piece of technology that broke my brain*.

I immediately had two questions: (1) Does her body work normally? and (2) Did Sam have to explain menstruation to her?

My prompt for Yuletide was: Quorra spent her entire existence as an "isomorphic algorithm", mentored by, well, a guy. When she finally transfers into the real world, the computer fabricates for her what appears to be a fully-functioning human body. A female body. In a film world that magnificently fails the Bechdel test, how does she come to terms with the messy practicalities of being a newly-made human? Do the richness of colors and scents make up for the drawbacks of being stuck in this strange new world? How does she construct a background for herself, and who are her allies?

Maybe I'm not the only person who was captivated by Quorra's story, because I received not one but TWO Yuletide stories about her.What I find amazing is how the same prompt inspired two brilliant but very different stories**.

One, Sunrise, is a long, deliciously plotty account of how Quorra adapted to the "User World". The rich, sensual details contrast the beauty and ugliness that the world offers to someone unprepared for it. Quorra survives a crippling isolation and then returns to the Grid with a new appreciation for it.

The other, #include "light.h", is more brief but no less intense. It's a missing scene from the movie - the minutes between Quorra's and Sam's emergence from the virtual world and their ride on Sam's motorbike. The witty banter between the two characters had me grinning like a maniac. There's also a lovely bit of world-building as Quorra tells Sam about religious belief in her world.

Thank you, wonderful writers, for making my Yuletide gay. Everyone else, please read their excellent stories!

* I'm a biomedical engineer. I design microscopic structures on a computer and use lasers to fabricate them out of goop. In 4 years, I've barely made more than little rectangles a thousandth of the size of a grain of rice. Seeing fully-functioning people pop out of thin air...hurt in ways that I can't express.

**To the credit of both authors, they kept FAR away from my wacky preoccupation with guys-dealing-with-periods.

 comments tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-17:346802:151348 The Markhov Generator 2011-12-03T04:41:11Z 2011-12-03T04:41:11Z public 0 Available here. I ran it on my fic journal.

crisp for reasons based entirely on hearsay. The worst of the burrito? Would I still be me if I should sign in pig's blood. " Buffy dissolved into peals of giggles. Spike decided to not call attention to the flames and continued. "Lanai was enraged and sent him out anyway. "All those months I lived by your word and knew I was convinced that I had the answers for him, right here.

Would I still be me if I should sign in pig's blood?

 comments tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-17:346802:150626 I cut my hair 2011-11-24T06:57:27Z 2011-11-24T06:57:27Z public 0 I cut my hair, I cut my hair! Shorter than shoulder-length!

It was getting badly tangled and damaged, so as much as I liked having lush rolling curls tumbling midway down my back, I was more into not shedding everywhere. And not spending an hour detangling dreadlocks in the shower. And not having a sore scalp from the weight of it.

I don't miss a single inch.

I watched Tangled in celebration. Did have a twinge of regret when I realized I never got around to wearing a Mother Gothel costume. But by the time I can afford to buy/make one, my hair will be long enough for the role again.

http://www.negative13.com/images/motherGothel.jpg Don't hate me 'cuz I'm a conniving bitch.

 comments tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-17:346802:150517 About Amnesia-fic 2011-11-14T01:06:22Z 2011-11-14T01:06:22Z public 13 I tend to dislike amnesia-fic, especially if they are about reuniting a memory-less person with the other member of their OTP.

Characters are the products of their histories and if you take away the memories of those histories, how are they the same people? Unless the fic is an exploration of how much personality remains intact if you take away memory, but fics (outside the Dollhouse-verse) seldom explore that.

There's also the dynamic when one person in a pairing is an amnesiac and the other knows everything about them. If they two are teaming up to reconstruct the amnesiac's life, I think that's an interesting story because the memory loss is the primary "antagonist" and everyone's agreed on that.

But what I don't get is stories where A thinks B is dead and months later discovers a memory-less (and newly human) B working in a bar somewhere. The story then becomes about A convincing B that they belong together, although B would rather keep hir current simple bartending life and not be pursued by this creepy stranger, thank you. Inevitably, A devolves into a stalker who can't stay away from this stranger who bears a resemblance to hir lost (unrequited) love. And B is unusually content with hir memory-less life and has no curiosity about hir past. A eventually wears down B and they establish a new relationship. Sometimes B regains hir memories, precipitating another crisis, but conflicts are resolved and they embark on a happy paired life of whatever shenanigans (vampire slaying? demon hunting?) they were up to before they were separated.

I'm not entirely sure what's going on at a meta level, but it seems that the reestablishment of the pairing is prioritized over the will and happiness of the individual characters. And it's like amnesia is a shortcut for getting characters together without dealing with their mutual baggage - which I think is completely pointless and undermines everything that makes the pair interesting in the first place. What surprises me is the popularity of this trope - I'm sure I've read half a dozen spuffy fics with this plot, and now I'm finding them in Supernatural too.

There's probably a good reason Amnesia fic is so popular, and if I knew what it was I'd be able to appreciate it better. Does anyone have thoughts? Have you written or do you love reading this genre? What am I missing in my analysis?

 comments tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-17:346802:149829 Yuletide Nominations 2011-11-12T04:46:16Z 2011-11-12T04:46:16Z public 0 Here are my nominations for Yuletide:

Dresden Files - Jim Butcher :

Karrin Murphy
The Leanansidhe
The Archive (Ivy)
Rashid the Gatekeeper

It's a motley bunch of (mostly) supporting characters and I don't recall them interacting much in the series. But The Dresden Files is an incredibly layered series with a bunch of complex worlds and I couldn't decide which to focus on. So I picked an interesting character from each from mundane Chicago, the Unseelie Court, and the White Council, plus one creepy little orphan girl who knows everything (including the contents of every parenting book ever written). I could have fun writing any or all of these.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clarke :

Arabella Strange
John Childermass
Lady Pole
John Segundus

Most of the flash-bang in the Strange/Norrell series comes from the volatile Practical Magicians in the title. But I was drawn more to the sedate sensible people* who ended up as collateral damage to the protagonists' shenanigans. I can see them pooling their resources after the conclusion to the novel, and lobbying for responsible teaching and practice of magic.
* Perhaps "sedate" and "sensible" aren't the words to describe Childermass, but he's the most pragmatic character in the book and knows how to play his cards.

The Lost Room :

Wally
Suzie Kang
The Sood
Lee Bridgewater

This SyFy mini-series was Character-actor-Central when it aired, and it had exquisite world-building. I was fascinated by the underground economy that sprang up around the pursuit and acquisition of Objects, and the subtle (and not so subtle) ways the Objects drew out the worst in their owners. I picked two characters (Kang and The Sood) who trade in knowledge about the Objects, but avoid personal contact with them. Wally owns one Object with a ludicious power that he hoards like his Precious. Bridgewater's a cop who was trying to help the Token Mundane in the series. I want to know what she does with her new-found knowledge of the Objects after the series conclusion.

 comments tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-17:346802:149756 More Meta-fic: Lance Sweets and Castiel Angel-of-the-Lord hook up on LJ 2011-10-31T12:25:48Z 2011-10-31T12:25:48Z public 0 The man--possibly Castiel--looked down. "I, too, was not entirely truthful. Or I was, but no one would believe me. I am an Angel of the Lord. Dean and Sam Winchester are real. The apocalypse is coming."

There had been a long pause.

"The apocalypse is coming and you're writing porn?" asked Sweets.

So Lance Sweets is "observing" Booth and Bones so he can write Kathy Reichs fanfic. Castiel is writing wincest for the Supernatural book series. Everyone goes bowling on an awkward triple date.

The whole series is worth reading...
http://delicious.com/longsufferingly/verse%3Abones%2Fspn

 comments tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-17:346802:149480 Crack-fic 2011-10-30T12:57:24Z 2011-10-30T12:57:24Z public 0 Never gets old.

CW-actors RPF AU / Harry Potter Marauders-era crossover

"I think you need to tell me what happened here, Mr. Ackles," says Professor Fry.

Jensen has been in Professor Fry's office a lot before, for all sorts of reasons. He's never thought you should expel me before.

"I told A--Jessica Alba. About the Whomping Willow."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

http://longsufferingly.livejournal.com/102357.html

 comments tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-17:346802:148966 This looks very interesting 2011-10-27T23:39:54Z 2011-10-27T23:39:54Z public 0 If I made Cinderella, the audience would immediately
be looking for a body in the coach. —Alfred Hitchcock

When I write a story, what do readers immediately look for?

If you told me you expect troubled characters to have epiphanies in bathrooms, I wouldn't be surprised. After all, I have an actual series by that name.

 comments tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-17:346802:148496 Magical new TELEVISIONS!!!!! 2011-10-27T07:01:48Z 2011-10-27T07:01:48Z public 0 Everyone watch TERRA NOVA you guys!

Fifteen minutes into the pilot I was crying for the leads!

 comments tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-17:346802:148250 Not My Fandom Fest 2011-10-24T03:23:55Z 2011-10-24T03:23:55Z public 0

The party is winding down but there's some hilarious stuff to read at the Not My Fandom Fest, where people people take a stab at writing fic for fandoms they've only experienced through hearsay.

My own contributions:

Arrested Development
Death Note
Good Omens
Harry Potter (TNG)
House
Iron Man
Sherlock

And don't miss these brilliant ficlets by other people:
Community
24
ALL THE SUPERNATURALS

 comments tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-17:346802:147582 My Televisions, let me show you them. 2011-10-19T05:33:09Z 2011-10-19T05:33:09Z public 0 I have a ridiculous backlog of TV shows I've been meaning to write about:

Castle:
First I was bored by it, then I loved it, then I got bored, and now it's winning me over again. It's a quirky screwball crime drama with great chemistry between the leads - fluffy cotton candy and little more. It occasionally has DEEP DARK episodes which are handled well, but the strength of the show is in it's dramedy and the will-they-wont-they relationship between Castle and Beckett. Actually it's more of a "will-they-in-the-November-February-or-May-sweeps-period" because everyone agrees it's a foregone conclusion. Even the "Romantic Rivals" introduced about twice a season start shipping Caskett and bow out gracefully after the last commercial break. Bonus! Beckett is now seeing a therapist, who talks like a shipper mouthpiece.

Fringe:
This is my current favorite show. I avoided it forever, expecting it to be a cheap x-files knock-off. It had a number of gratuitous "homages" to the x-files, which I painstakingly made fun of on Tumblr, but then the plot took an abrupt left turn and entered the realm of alternate realities.

The characters are pushing my buttons in a good way - people who have been horribly scarred by circumstance but still defend the world with compassion and humor. And the mad scientist had a mysophobic fit in a hotel room the same week as me! How could I love him more?

I know many LOSTies have sworn off any JJ Abrams show but Fringe is handling its non-linear storytelling structure a lot better. And the characterization and acting alone are worth following the show. Several actors are playing multiple characters - and doing a much better job than Eliza Dushku.

Supernatural:
After much encouragement by snickfic, I watched the Good Parts Version of this exclusively to read all the great fanfic out there. I was fascinated to find that my feelings about the characters diverge greatly from the fandom norm. I started out a Sam fan whereas Dean slowly grew on me. Castiel, for all his befuddled charm, needs to be slapped sometimes. Or spanked. Either's fine by me.

I also am a lot more into the universe than the lead characters. This may be because back in 2004 I had a dream that God had abdicated and Heaven and Hell were waging a backstage war over the world. I had vague notions of writing a novel about it one day except now I don't have to, thanks to Mr. Kripke! But I want to know what everyone else is doing. Where are the Saints? Is the Virgin Mary spearheading a "Find My Son" campaign? How are ordinary people reacting to the sudden absence of God, when they don't even know He's missing? Was God kidnapped? By the Old Ones? Is he in a coma, ala Dogma? I HAVE ALL THESE QUESTIONS THAT THE SHOW DOESN'T CARE TO ANSWER!

Community:
I've watched the five most recent episodes. Sometimes I can't tell if the humor is really silly or too subtle for me. It's probably the latter. Plus, I only want to watch the Troy and Abed show.

The best bits get giffed on Tumblr anyway.

Parks and Recreation:
I've only seen the first episode and the recent "Pawnee Goddesses" one. I liked what I saw. Maybe I'll watch it again.

Misfits:

I've only seen a handful of episodes - I think they've only killed one probation worker so far. And I want to slap that curly haired kid. I liked it but I won't watch the rest until the next Network show hiatus.

DOCTOR WHOOOOOOOO:

I think this is one of my favorite seasons. I don't follow the chronological order everything happened in, but I have saved a lot of diagrams from Tumblr and will study them deeply some day. Amy and Rory are appropriately badass, AND they launched a perfume company. Plus, I want to be River Song when I grow up.

Torchwood: Miracle Day:

I am aspiring to be River Song because I will never reach the level of Badassery that is Gwen Cooper shooting a firearm while bouncing a cooing baby on her shoulder. Plus that scene where Gwen and Jack are betraying each other and understanding each other perfectly and hating each other? One of the best scenes in the entire series. Too bad that rubbish about the ass-crack of the world making people immortal had to get in the way. Bonus! When it comes to choosing the least appropriate inflection for a line of emotional dialogue, John Barrowman never disappoints. And that is why we LOVE him.

And I need to post this before something crashes, yeah?

 comments tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-17:346802:145337 Today 2011-09-27T04:15:36Z 2011-09-27T04:15:36Z public 0 ...Started bad, got worse, and that was before I started the experiment that I've done dozens of times before and keeps finding new and improved ways to fall apart on me.

I don't know how much longer I can keep up this nonsense.

 comments tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-17:346802:144864 Truck got Stuck 2011-09-19T14:56:35Z 2011-09-19T14:56:35Z public 0 Everything about this song is perfect.

 comments tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-17:346802:143988 So what happened to Tonks after Charon's Train? 2011-09-15T08:30:46Z 2011-09-15T08:30:46Z public 0 The sequel to Charon's Train was Terminus, in which I have Sirius and Remus meet up in the afterlife.

It's not my best work (too sentimental, unfortunate present tense use) and Tonks isn't actually in it. But my favorite part is when Sirius and Remus speculate on Tonks' whereabouts after the events of Charon's Train. I've excerpted that bit below. It's short.

( Cut for spoilers... )

 comments tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-17:346802:143812 Tonks fic: Charon's Train 2011-09-15T08:15:43Z 2011-09-15T08:15:43Z public 0 As much as I love Tonks, while I was in the Remus/Sirius fandom I struggled with my desire to see Tonks happy AND give Remus and Sirius a Happily Ever After. This was a bit difficult on account of all three characters being dead at the end of Book 7. I was too much of a canon-junkie to resurrect them all and create an AU threesome.

J.K. Rowling did me a favor by temporarily killing Harry Potter in Deathly Hallows and giving him a vision of the afterlife complete with a misty replica of King's Cross Station. With a canon afterlife I could easily give my favorite pairing their cozy domesticity, and compensate Tonks for the rich full life that was taken from her.

Also I like trains.

Title: Charon's Train
Author: Bob the Mole
Words: 2536
http://archiveofourown.org/works/119657

This is the first fanfic I ever wrote. I still think it's one of my best.

 comments tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-17:346802:143578 Nymphadora Tonks: The Woman and the Wankery 2011-09-15T08:01:59Z 2011-09-15T08:01:59Z public 0 After a brief hiatus in which I pulled one all-nighter to make a presentation, and another all-nighter to grade assignments, I hereby present the first of tonight's many celebrations of Tonks.

Since this entire festival is about celebrating women who face the ire of some branch of fandom, I thought I'd explore why Tonks - despite her Awesome - is subjected to the indignities of fandom wank.

Tonks, simply put, is awesome. She is about as hip as wizards get, her hair can turn luscious shades of plum and rose, and she is a certified badass in her position as an Auror. This makes her, in some eyes, too good to be true. The charge of being a "Mary Sue" has been laid against her for this reason.

The concept of the Mary Sue has a long and convoluted history. It started out as a criticism of poorly characterized and unconvincingly perfect self-insertions by naive authors, but became a disparaging label for any female character with an "excessive" number of positive qualities. Paradoxically, most male characters with similar positive traits aren't criticized in the same fashion.

Many people counter-argue that interesting female characters like Tonks are dismissed as Mary Sues because of the lingering sexist belief that women have limited capabilities, and any highly capable woman is automatically incredible.

Another reason for dismissing female characters is if they pose a threat to the critic's preferred OTP. In Tonks' case, she was criticized for marrying Remus Lupin who is popularly shipped with Sirius Black.

As someone who was involved in the Remus/Sirius slash fandom, I encountered a distressing number of fics in which Tonks was characterized as a usurper who came between the two men - despite the fact that Sirius died before Tonks and Remus began their relationship.

I think these are inadequate reasons for hating on Tonks. Sure, she's got physical features and traits found in many self-inserts, but she doesn't take over the narrative. She isn't the most complex character in the series, but as she's a background figure there aren't many opportunities to reveal her inner life. As for her "interference" with the Remus/Sirius pairing, to criticize her for that is to reduce her to her relationships and she deserves better.

 comments