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Quaid-I-Azam University Islamabad This paper examines the present language policy of Pakistan and its consequences for the indigenous languages of the country. It then relates this to efforts at localization---creating computer software in the languages of the country---and argues that all such efforts have been power-oriented. This means that only those languages have been selected for localization which are used in the domains of power---government, bureaucracy, judiciary, military, commerce, media, education, research etc---thus further strengthening them vis a vis the marginalized languages of the people. It is therefore argued that the efforts at localization should be rights-based i.e. all language communities should be considered equal and their languages should be localized not because of their present use in the domains of power but because they too should be strengthened by being put to such use. Language Policy and Localization in Pakistan: Proposal for a Paradigmatic Shift 1. Introduction Pakistan is a country with at least six major languages and 58 minor ones (see Annexure-A). The national language, Urdu, has over 11 millions mother-tongue speakers while those who use it as a second language could well be more than 105 million (Grimes 2000). Those who may be considered barely literate in Urdu---if the rate of literacy is really 43.92 per cent as claimed in the census of 1998---are nearly 66 million. That is rather a large number compared to nearly 26 million (17.29 per cent) who, having passed the ten-year school system (matriculation), can presumably read and understand a little English (Census 2001). And yet computer programmes, including e-mail and the internet, function in English in Pakistan and not even in Urdu let alone the other languages. This means that most Pakistanis are either excluded from the digital world or function in it as handicapped aliens. Indeed, most matriculates from Urdu-and Sindhi-medium schools have such rudimentary knowledge of English that they cannot carry out any meaningful interaction, especially that which would increase their knowledge or analytical skills, with the computer. Perhaps only the 4.38 graduates (Census 2001) (about 6.5 millions) could do so if they could afford to buy computers. However, the mushroom growth of small shops, or 'computer cafes' as they are called, has made PCs available to most boys ---girls generally avoid such places because they are used by sex-starved youths to visit pornographic sites---with a little cash to spare. However, these 'cafes' are in the urban, not the rural, areas and for any prolonged and meaningful use of the computer one must possess a PC or have access to one in one's place of work or study. As only the rich can afford personal machines and very few people go to educational institutions which have computers, the number of Pakistanis actually benefitting from the computer can only be a small percentage of the whole population. The question then is whether it is cost-effective to create computer programmes in Pakistani languages. This operation, or localization as it is called, is costly and time consuming. Should time and money be spent upon it or not? And if so, which should be the language or languages of localization? Urdu, the national language and the urban second language? or Punjabi, the language of 44.15 per cent Pakistanis? Or Sindhi, the language of 14.10 per cent people but, in addition to that, a language used in the education system, media, administration and judiciary in Sindh? Or Pashto, a very important language spoken by 15.42 per cent people and also used in Afghanistan? These are important questions which can only be answered in the light of our values. That is why those with different values will have different answers. This paper is divided in three sections. First, there is a section on past language policies and their consequences. This is needed in order to understand the linguistic and educational practices one witnesses in Pakistan today. Section-2 is on efforts at localization in Pakistan till date. After these historical sections there is an introspective, analytical but largely normative section on future localization efforts in Pakistan (Section-3) It is with this section, informed as it is with my personal values, that I do not expect much agreement. It is being presented here as the starting point of a debate and not as the only correct solution. Section-1
2. Language Policies and Their Consequence Let us start with the major languages spoken in Pakistan. According to the 1998 census these are: Box 1 Language Percentage of Speakers Number of Speakers Punjabi 44.15 66,225,000 Pashto 15.42 23,130,000 Sindhi 14.10 21,150,000 Siraiki 10.53 15,795,000 Urdu 7.57 11,355,000 Balochi 3.57 5,355,000 Others 4.66 6,990,000 Source: Census 2001: Table 2.7. The population is assumed to be 150 million in 2003 as it was 132, 352,000 in 1998 and the growth rate is 2.69 per cent. Urdu, the national language, is a second language for 105 million people according to the Ethnologue (Grimes 2000). It is also spoken as a mother tongue by over 48 million people in India as well as a diaspora settled in the Arab states (mainly the Gulf), Mauritius, Britain, North America and the rest of the world (estimated to be over 60 million in the Ethnologue). Moreover, as ordinary spoken Hindi and Urdu are varieties of the same language, this is one of the big languages of the world. The following table gives an idea of its size in numbers. Box 2 Mother Tongue Speakers Second Language Speakers Hindi 366,000,000 487,000,000 Urdu 60,290,000 104,000,000 Total 426,290,000 591,000,000 Grand Total: Mother tongue + second language speakers of Urdu-Hindi = 1,017,290,000. Source: Grimes 2000: see under 'Pakistan' and 'India' entries. While this makes spoken Urdu-Hindi one of the great languages of the world---only Chinese with 1,113,000,000 speakers has more speakers (Skutnabb-Kangas 200: Table 1.4)---the script and the style divides the two languages. If one counts only mothertongue speakers the numbers go down considerably. Urdu is the mother tongue of only 7.57 per cent people in Pakistan (Census 2001: Table 2.7). It had very few mother tongue speakers before 1947 when Urdu-speaking immigrants (Mohajirs) came and settled down in large numbers in Pakistani, especially Sindhi, cities. Although it was used by educated people in Punjab, the North West Frontier Province and Kashmir because of British policies (Rahman 1996: Chapter 3), it was not considered a threat for the indigenous languages of the area (for a list of these languages see Annexure 1). It was because of the linguistic and educational policies of the Pakistani political decision-makers that there is opposition to Urdu. These policies will be discussed below: Another policy, though this time one which has never been openly declared, is to support English. This policy and its consequences will also be discussed below: 2.1 The Policy about Urdu According to the constitution of Pakistan Urdu is the national language of the country and 'arrangements shall be made for its being used for official and other purposes within fifteen years' from 1973 when the constitution was made (Article 251 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan). However, Urdu is indeed the most widely understood language and the major medium of interaction in the urban areas of the country. Even ethnic activists agree that it could be a useful link language between different ethnic groups. However, it has been resisted because it has been patronized, often in insensitive ways, by the ruling elite of the Centre. The story of this patronization is given in detail in several books (see Rahman 1996) but it always fell short of what the more ardent supporters of Urdu demanded (for their position see Abdullah 1976). In the beginning, since a very powerful section of the bureaucracy spoke Urdu as a mother-tongue (being Mohajirs), there was an element of cultural hegemony about the privileging of Urdu. The Mohajir elite's position, stated or implied, was that they were more cultured than the speakers of the indigenous languages of Pakistan. Hence it was only natural that Urdu should be used in place of the 'lesser' languages. This position, with which we are familiar through the works of linguists who oppose the arrogance of monolingual English speakers (see the following authors for such
arrogance in other contexts Skutnabb-Kangas 2000; Crystal 2000: 84-88; Nettle and Romaine 2000) created much resentment against Urdu and, indeed, may be said to have infused the element of personal reaction to or antagonism against the speakers of Urdu in the first twenty years of Pakistan's existence. The main reason for opposition to Urdu was, however, not merely linguistic nor even cultural. It was because Urdu was the symbol of the central rule of the Punjabi ruling elite that it was opposed in the provinces. The use of Urdu as an ethnic symbol is given in detail in Rahman (1996) but a brief recapitulation of major language movements may be useful. The most significant consequence of the policy that Urdu would be the national language of Pakistan was its opposition by the Bengali intelligentsia or what the Pakistani sociologist Hamza Alavi calls the 'salariat' ---people who draw salaries from the state (or other employers) and who aspire for jobs (Alavi 1987). One explanation is that the Bengali salariat would have been at a great disadvantage if Urdu, rather than Bengali, would have been used in the lower domains of power (administration, judiciary, education, media, military etc). However, as English was the language of the higher domains of power and Bengali was a 'provincial' language, the real issue was not linguistic. It was that the Bengali salariat was deprived of its just share in power at the Centre and even in East Bengal where the most powerful and lucrative jobs were controlled by the West Pakistani bureaucracy and the military. Moreover, the Bengalis were conscious that money from the Eastern wing, from the export of jute and other products, was predominantly financing the development of West Pakistan or the army which, in turn, was West Pakistani- (or, rather, Punjabi-) dominated (HBWI: 1982: Vol 6: 810-811; Jahan 1972). The language, Bengali, was a symbol of a consolidated Bengali identity in opposition to the West Pakistani identity. This symbol was used to 'imagine', or construct, a unified Bengali community as communities, such as nations, were constructed through print language and other unifying devices in Europe (Anderson 1983). In Sindh, Balochistan, the N.W.F.P and South Western Punjab the languages used as identity symbols were Sindhi, Balochi and Brahvi, Pashto and Siraiki. The mobilization of people, especially the intelligentsia, as a pressure group which became possible through these languages made them powerful ethnic symbols (Rahman 1996). However, Urdu was not resented or opposed much except in Sindh where there were language riots in January 1971 and July 1972 (Ahmed 1992). But even in Sindh the crucial issue was of power. The Mohajirs were dominant in the urban areas and the rising Sindhi salariat resented this. The most evocative symbol to mobilize the community was language and it was this which was used. Apart from the riots, people's real conduct remains pragmatic. The Mohajirs, knowing that they can get by without learning Sindhi, do not learn it except in rural areas where it is necessary for them. The Sindhis, again because they know they cannot get by without learning Urdu, do learn it (Rahman 2002: Chapter 10). In short, the privileging of Urdu by the state has created ethnic opposition to it. However, as people learn languages for pragmatic reasons (Rahman 2002: 36), they are giving less importance to their languages and are learning Urdu. This phenomenon, sometimes called 'voluntary shift', is not really 'voluntary' as the case of the native Hawaiians, narrated by Daniel Nettle and Suzanne Romaine, illustrates (Nettle and Romaine 2000: 94-97). What happens is that market conditions are such that one's language becomes deficit on what Bierre Bourdieu, the French Sociologist, would call cultural 'capital' (Bourdieu 1991: 230-231). Instead of being an asset it becomes a liability. It prevents one from rising in society. In short, it is ghettoizing. Then, people become ashamed of it as the Punjabis, otherwise a powerful majority in Pakistan, are observed to be by the present author and others (for a survey of the attitude of Punjabi students towards their language see Mansoor 1993: 49-54). Or, even if language movements and ethnic pride does not make them ashamed of their languages, they do not want to teach them to their children because that would be overburdening the children with far too many languages. Indeed, as Annexure 2 indicates, there is hardly any material in the minor languages of Pakistan which has been developed by the state or is taught in schools. The few books which do exist have been developed by language activists and private people. This is not surprising because people do not teach their own languages to their children as indicated above. For instance, Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum Khan (1864-1937) reported in 1932 that the Pashtuns wanted their children to be instructed in Urdu rather than Pashto (LAD-F 12 October 1932: 132). And even this year (2003), the MMA government has chosen Urdu, not Pashto, as the language of the domains of power, including education, in the N.W.F.P. In Baluchistan too the same phenomenon was noticed. Balochi, Brahvi and Pashto were introduced as the compulsory medium of instruction in government schools in 1990 (LADBal 21 June and 15 April 1990). The language activists enthusiastically prepared instructional material but on 8 November 1992, these languages were made optional and parents switched back to Urdu (Rahman 1996: 169). Such decisions amount to endangering the survival of minor languages and they devalue even major ones but they are precisely the kind of policies which have created what is often called 'Urdu imperialism' in Pakistan. In short, the state's use of Urdu as a symbol of national integration has had two consequences. First, it has made Urdu the obvious force to be resisted by ethnic groups. This resistance makes them strengthen their languages by corpus planning (writing books, dictionaries, grammars, orthographies etc) and acquisition planning (teaching languages, pressurizing the state to each them, using them in the media) (for these terms see Cooper 1989). But second, it has jeopardized additive multilingualism recommended by UNESCO (2003) and, of course, by many eminent linguists and educationists (Edwards 1994) as Urdu spreads through schooling, media and urbanization, pragmatic pressures make the other Pakistani languages retreat. In short, the consequence of privileging Urdu strengthens ethnicity while, at the same time and paradoxically, threatens linguistic and cultural diversity in the country.
2.2 The Policy About English English was supposed to continue as the official language of Pakistan till such time that the national language (s) did not replace it. However, this date came and went by as many other dates before it and English is as firmly entrenched in the domains of power in Pakistan as it was in 1947. The major reason for this is that this is the stated but not the real policy of the ruling elite in Pakistan. The real policy can be understood with reference to the elite's patronage of English in the name of efficiency, modernization and so on. To begin with the Civil Service of Pakistan (CSP) was an Anglicized body of men who had moulded themselves in the tradition of the British. The officer corps of the armed forces, as Stephen P. Cohen suggests, was also Anglicized. It was, in his words, the 'British generation' which dominated the army till 1971 (Cohen 1994: 162-163). This generation and its values have been described by many army officers and one of the best descriptions comes from Major General A. O. Mitha who says that there were both Westernized and indigenized officers in the army upto the 1960s but the latter gradually gained dominance (Mitha 2003: 261264). It is understandable that members of this elite had a stake in the continuation of English because it differentiated them from the masses; gave them a competitive edge over those with Urdu-medium or traditional (madrassa) education; and, above all, was the kind of cultural capital which had snob value and constituted a class-identity marker. What is less comprehensible is why members of these two elites, who now come increasingly from the lower-middle and middle classes which have studied in Urdu-medium schools (or sschools which are called English-medium but teach mostly in Urdu), should also want to preserve, and indeed strengthen, the hegemony of English---a language which has always been instrumental in suppressing their class? The answer lies in the fact that the elite has invested in a parallel system of elitist schooling of which the defining feature is teaching all subjects, other than Urdu, through the medium of English. This has created new generations, and ever increasing pools, of young people who have a direct stake in preserving English. All the arguments which applied to a small Anglicized elite of the early generation of Pakistan now applies to young aspirants who stand ready to enter the ranks of this elite. And their parents, themselves not at ease in English, have invested far too much in their children's education to seriously consider decreasing the cultural capital of English. Moreover, most people think in terms of present-day realties which they may be critical of at some level but which they take as permanent facts of life. This makes them regard all change as utopian or suspiciously radical activities. To think of abolishing English is one such disquieting thoughts because, at least for the last century and a half, the people of this part of the world have taken the ascendancy of English for granted. In recent years with more young people from the affluent classes appearing in the British O' and A' level examinations; with the world-wide coverage of the BBC and the CNN; with globalization and the talk about English being a world language; with stories of young people emigrating all over the world armed with English---with all these things English is a commodity in more demand than ever before. As mentioned earlier, the British colonial government and its successor Pakistani government has rationed out English. Its stated policy was to support Urdu but that was only to create a subordinate bureaucracy at low cost (vernacular-medium education costs less than English-medium education). It was also to keep an anti-ethnic, centrist, ideological symbol potent and vibrant in the country. The armed forces, better organized than any other section of society, created cadet colleges from the nineteen fifties onwards. These schools, run on the lines of the elitist British public schools, were subsidized by the state. In the 1960s when students from ordinary colleges, who came by and large from vernacular-medium schools, protested against these bastions of privilege, the government appointed a commission to investigate into their grievances. The report of this commission agreed that such schools violated the constitutional assurance that 'all citizens are equal before law' (Paragraph 15 under Right No. Vl of the 1962 Constitution). However, the Commission was also convinced that these schools would produce suitable candidates for filling elitist positions in the military and the civilian sectors of the country's services (GOP 1966: 18). This meant that the concern for equality was merely a legal nicety. And this, indeed, was what happened. Today the public schools are as well-entrenched in the educational system of the country as ever before. They have been given large campuses and grants for building schools which are far superior to government vernacularmedium schools. Although most of their budget comes from tuition fees, the state also gives them grants, gifts and aid. The following chart helps to illustrate how the state if self supports elitist English medium schooling. Box 3 DIFFERENCES IN COSTS IN MAJOR TYPES OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS(in Pakistani rupees) Institution Average cost per studentPayer (s) Cost to the state per year Madrassas 5,714 (includes board andPhilanthropists + religiousVery little as subsidy on
computers, books etc in some madrassas Urdu-medium chools 2264.5 (only tuition) State 2264.5 Elitist English 96,000---for 'A' level &Parents None reported except medium schools 36,000 for other levels subsidized land in some (only tuition) cantonments. Cadet colleges/public 90,061 (tuition and allParents + state (average of14,171 (average of 5 cadet schools facilities). 6 cadet colleges + 1 publiccolleges only) school Source: Data obtained from several institutions. In short, by supporting English through a parallel system of elitist schooling, Pakistan's ruling elite acts as an ally of the forces of globalization at least as far as the hegemony of English, which globalization promotes, is concerned. The major effect of this policy is to weaken the local languages and lower their status even in their home country. This, in turns, militates against linguistic and cultural diversity; weakens the 'have-nots' even further and increases poverty by concentrating the best paid job in the hands of the international elite and the English-using elite of the peripheries. English, after all, is the language of the greatest power in the world. It spread as the language of the colonies of Britain in African and Asian countries (Brutt-Griffler 2002). Then, when Britain withdrew from its ex-colonies, English spread because of American economic power, American control of world media and international commerce. This has been condemned as linguistic imperialism by Phillipson (1992: 38-65) and Tove Skutnabb-Kangas calls English a 'Killer language' (2000: 46). Globalization will increase the power of English because it will open up more jobs for those who know it. These jobs will be controlled by multinationals which are dominated by the U.S.A. They are also controlled by the international bureaucracy---United Nations, World Bank, IMF, donor agencies etc---which has started operating increasingly in 'English'. This will increase the demand for English schooling which will increase the pressure on all the languages of the world---especially the neglected indigenous languages not taught in schools or used in good jobs. 2.3 The Policy About Indigenous Languages According to the constitution 'Without prejudice to the National language, a Provincial Assembly may by law prescribe measures for the teaching, promotion and use of a provincial language in addition to the national language' (Article 251). However, the only provincial language which is used in education as well as in the lower administration and judiciary is Sindhi. Sindhi was used in Sindh ever since the British conquest and its use, as its supporters complain, is now less in the cities (especially Karachi) than it was in British days (Rahman 1996: Chapter 7). The only other language used by some schools upto class-5 and in the madrassas is Pashto. Except for these language, and in these restricted domains, Pakistan's indigenous languages are not used as media of instruction on for adult literacy in any part of Pakistan. As movements for the preservation of minor (or weaker) languages in Europe tell us, if a child is told that his or her language is inferior, the message being conveyed is that he/she is inferior. In short, one is giving a negative image to a child by telling him or her that the 'cultural capital' they possess is not capital at all but a stigma and a handicap. This makes the child reject an aspect, and an essential one at that, of his or her legacy, history, culture and identity. What is created is 'culture shame' ---being ashamed of one's own true identity. Incidentally, the poor and less powerful classes, gender and communities have always been ashamed of aspects of their identity. In South Asia, the caste system forced manual workers to live miserable lives. This was unjust enough but the worst form of injustice is perpetrated by the fact that the lower castes or classes (ajlaf, kammis, outcastes, Sudras etc) not only accept lower social status but look down upon people lower in the social scale and even upon themselves. That is why when people became literate and rose in affluence and power, they left their communities and even started using names of groups with higher social respect. Hence, 'the number of Shaikhs and the other categories' ---Syed, Mughal and Pathan---increased phenomenally, while the occupational "caste" groups registered a sharp decline' (Ahmad, R. 1981: 115). Moreover, there are many literary works in Urdu and other languages---not to mention one's own observation---showing how embarrassed the poor are by their houses, their clothes, their food, their means of transportation and, of course, their languages. In short, the reality constructed by the rich and the poor alike conspires to degrade, embarrass and oppress the less powerful, the less affluent, the less gifted of the human race. This relates to language-shame---being embarrassed about one's language---and hence to possible language death. The year 2000 saw three excellent books on language death. David Crystal's, Language Death; Daniel Nettle and Suzanne Romaine's Vanishing Voices and Tove Skutnabb-Kangas's, Linguistic Genocide in Education or Worldwide Diversity and Human
Rights. These books have made linguists conscious that, with the standardization created by the modern state and the corporate sector, the smaller languages of the world are dying. Either the speakers die or, which is more often the case, they voluntarily shift to a powerful language which helps them survive but as members of another human group rather than their own. The question is whether these threatened languages can be saved from extinction? This question has been answered, with reference to some cases by Joshua A. Fishman. However, Fishman concludes that they can only be saved 'by following careful strategies that focus on priorities and on strong linkages to them, and only if the true complexity of local human identity, linguistic competence and global interdependence are fully recognised' (Fishman 2001: 481). In Pakistan, as brought out earlier, the linguistic hierarchy is as follows: English, Urdu and local language. In the N.W.F.P and Sindh, however, Pashto and Sindhi are seen as identity markers and are spoken informally. In Punjab, unfortunately, there is widespread culture-shame about Punjabi. Parents, teachers and the peer group combine to embarrass students about this language. In all of the elitist English-medium schools the author visited there were policies forbidding students from speaking it. If anyone spoke Punjabi he or she was called 'Paendu' (rustic, village yokel) and made fun of. Many educated parents speak Urdu rather than Punjabi with their children. Pakistan T.V plays use the term 'Urdu-medium' for lack of sophistication. The children of elitist English-medium schools are indifferent to Urdu and claim to be completely bored by its literature. They are proud to claim lack of competence in the subject even when they get 'A' grades in the O' and A' level examinations. They read only English books and not Urdu ones nor those in other languages. Indeed, the other languages are so low in prestige that education in them does not count as education at all. These attitudes, being the opposite of the ones Fishman prescribes, are having a squeezing effect on Pakistani languages. Urdu is safe because of the huge pool of people very proficient in it and especially because it is used in lower level jobs, the media, education, courts, commerce and other domains in Pakistan. Punjabi is a huge language and will survive despite culture shame and neglect. It is used in the Indian Punjab in many domains of power and, what is even more significant, it is the language of songs, jokes, intimacy and informality in both Pakistan and India. This makes it the language of private pleasure and if so many people use it in this manner, it is not in real danger. Sindhi, and Pashto are both big languages and their speakers are proud of them. Sindhi is also used in the domains of power and is the major language of education in rural Sindh. Pashto is not a major language of education nor is it used in the domains of power in Pakistan. However, its speakers see it as an identity marker and it is used in some domains of power in Afghanistan. It too will survive though Pakistani city Pashto is now much adulterated with Urdu words. Educated Pashtuns often code-switch between Pashto and Urdu or English. Thus, the language is under some pressure. Balochi and Brahvi are small languages under much pressure from Urdu. However, there is awareness among educated Balochs that their languages must be preserved. As they are not used in the domains of power they will survive as informal languages in the private domain. However, the city varieties of these languages will become much Urdufied. It is the over sixty small languages of Pakistan (Annexure 1), mostly in Northern Pakistan, which are under tremendous pressure. The Karakorum Highway which has linked these areas to the plains has put much pressure on these languages. The author visited Gilgit and Hunza in August 2002 and met local language activists among others. They all agree that their languages should be preserved but they are so appreciative of the advantages of the road that they accept the threat to their languages with equanimity. Urdu and English words have already entrenched themselves in Shina and Burushaski and, as people emigrate to the cities, they are shifting to Urdu. Even in the city of Karachi the Gujrati language is being abandoned, at least in the written form, as young people seek to be literate in Urdu and English---the languages used in the domains of power. In short, the smaller languages of Pakistan are under threat as evidenced in Annexure 3 which indicates that some of them are endangered and may be dying. Thus, any policy which can help them cope with the dangers of internal linguistic pressure and globalization should be welcome. Section-2 3. Localization in Urdu Localization, or technical localization, is merely the translation of programmes originally written in English into other languages. In Pakistan, for instance, programmes have been developed in order to use Urdu in place of English in Windows. The history of the creation of Urdu software is inspiring because it was initially seen as an exercise in misplaced nationalistic zeal---Urdu being the national language. Urdu letters do not follow each other without changing shape. They adopt several shapes depending whether they are in the word-initial, medial or terminal positions. Moreover they do not begin at the same height. Their height (Kursi) varies according to the
word they are used in. Thus the computer had to be fed, as in logoraphic systems, with ligatures giving different combinations of betters. Such a programme, not being alphabetical, occupied much space. The first such system was developed by Ahmed Mirza Jameel, proprietor of the Elite Publishers (Karachi). He saw the Chinese characters being typeset in Singapore in 1979 and got the idea of using this kind of system for Urdu. He spoke to the sales manager of the firm in Singapore and the firm agreed to create a specimen of Urdu which was exhibited in July 1980 in Birmingham. The work of selecting the corpus was accomplished by Matlub ul Hasan Sayyid while their ligatures were determined by Ahmed Mirza Jameel. In six months he created 16,000 ligatures which could create 250,000 words of Urdu. This was called Nuri Nastaliq and was exhibited in Urdu Science College in August 1980. It was adopted by the Jang Group of newspapers which started publishing their newspapers in it. It was also enthusiastically welcomed by Dr Ishtiaq Hussian Qureshi, Chairman of the Muqtadra, in 1980 (Jameel 2002: 8). Later a number of softwares---Shahkar, Surkhab, Nastaliq Nizami were created. The last mentioned was created by the Pakistan Data Management Services (PDMS) Karachi, established in Karachi in 1978, and it was installed by the National Language Authority (Maqtadra Qaumi Zaban)---an institution specifically meant for promoting the use of Urdu in Pakistan---in 1995. The PDMS has also created Mahir software which works with the latest version of Windows and processes both Urdu and Sindhi (Hisam 2002). The second wave of development came in 1998 when FAST, a private university excelling in computer studies in Lahore, organized the National Urdu Computer Seminar on 12 September 1998 in which it was resolved that the Urdu code plate would be standardized (Muqtadra 2002a: 87). The representatives of the Muqtadra were Aqeel Abbas Jafri and Dr. Atash Durrani. The Unicode is basically for the Arabic script naskh which, according to all researchers, needs less positions than the nastaliq script in which Urdu is written. Atash Durrani became the incharge of this section and, according to him, exhibited the first code plate based on the American Standard Code International on 05 June 1999 at the Pakistan Science Academy in Islamabad (see Muqtadra 2002: 87). Dr. Sarmad Hussain, a prominent computational linguist from FAST, carried out linguistic research which fed into the resolution of technical issues. Dr. Mohammad Afzal, also present at the historic 1998 seminar, later developed a programme which was supported by Dr. Atta ur Rahman, Minister of Science and Technology, in General Pervez Musharraf's government from 1999-2002 (Afzal 2002). This programme was the URLSDF (Urdu and Regional Languages Software Development Forum) which standardized the keyboard and an encoding scheme by 2001. The Internationalization Standardization Organization (ISO) accepted the standards and added them to the Unicode in March 2002. According to Dr. Atash Durrani, he met Ahmed Abdullah incharge of Microsoft Dubai office, in software competition (ITCN Asia 2000 Exhibition) in March 2000 in Karachi (Also see Muqtadra 2002: 90-92). He persuaded Abdullah to include changes for Urdu in Unicode-4 (2003). Later the Centre of Research in Urdu Language (CRULP) at FAST, headed by Sarmad Hussain, created the Nafees Nastaliq which was released on 14 August 2003. It enables one to make free websites in Urdu Nastaliq using Unicode Standard. Sarmad Hussain's team has also developed the Nafees Pakistani Naskh which allows one to write Sindhi and Pashto. Siraiki, Punjabi, and Balochi can be written in both the scripts so that there is no major Pakistani language which cannot now be written (Hussain 2004). Dr. Sarmad and his students' research on Urdu---see Muqtadra 2002a and 2003---has provided insights into the processing and use of Urdu for computerization. A number of other people, such as Tahir Mufti, have also contributed in this development (see Muqtadra 2002). Computer-assisted translation from English to Urdu has been made possible by several people including Tafseer Ahmed (Ahmed 2002). The Government of Pakistan has now launched the Urdu localization project. The internet will be displayed in Urdu; English to Urdu translation will be carried out and speech recognition an processing in Urdu will also be possible. This project, also being carried out by Sarmad Hussain at CRULP, should be completed by June 2006. The Muqtadra, headed by Professor Fateh Mohammad Malik, became very active in localization in Urdu (Muqtadra 2002: 87). At present this section is being supervised by Aqeel Abbas Jafri who has much expertise in using Urdu in the computer. Standards for e-mail and other procedures were established over the years and Urdu can now be processed conveniently. The new identity cards made by the Government of Pakistan are now made by computer programmes functioning in Urdu. In December 1999 a new keyboard, compatible with the Urdu programmes, was also developed. . Urdu websites are available (Jafri 2002), though the official website of Pakistan is in English. Softwares to process Sindhi are being used but there is little development in Punjabi, Pashto, Balochi and other languages. This, however, is now technically possible as these languages are all written in variants of the naskh and the nastaliq scripts. However, to create programmes in all languages of Pakistan a new policy of localization would be required. It is to this that we turn now. Section-3 4. The Desiderated Paradigmatic Shift in the policy for Localization
Pakistan should not rest content with localization in Urdu alone. We should go in for what Kenneth Keniston, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Human Development at MIT and one who has written on localization and its relation to language and culture, calls 'cultural localization'. In this 'software written in one culture is adopted to the needs and outlooks of another' (Keniston 1997: 1). This is important because some assumptions and values do always go in the creation of computer programmes. Erran Carmel, a writer on software development, argues that most of those who work on software development belong to the 'hacker' sub-culture. The 'hackers' are rebellious, anti-authoritarian, highly individualistic and talented people who detest tradition, hierarchy and family values. Accordingly, programmes they make reflect a high degree of individualism, irreverence, informality and egalitarianism. (Carmel 1996). These values are often resisted by other societies and Keniston has given many examples of this resistance from all over the world. In Pakistan, although only one concern has been expressed---the easy availability of pornography on the internet---there are other issues also. The internet promotes a culture of pseudo-egalitarianism and informality which actually breaks established norms of politeness in Pakistani society. First, there is the implied atmosphere of irreverence for titles, spellings and naming patterns in the way e-mail addresses are made, chatting is conducted and messages are sent. For instance, although Pakistani norms of politeness insist on the use of titles or honorifics with the name, the internet promotes just the opposite as the norm. This is already being done from a position of power by a small highly westernized elite which promotes forms of address which are against Pakistani norms of politeness (Rahman 1999: Chapter 10). The internet also promotes the same values and, since it appears modern, it impresses its users to condemn traditional forms of behaviour. The internet also promotes the use of contractions which, in a country where only a very tiny elite knows the standard British or American spellings, makes young people regard the standard as nothing but old fashioned legacies of the older generation. Then, because most programmes are American, the computer-literate young people tend to be excessively impressed by American values such as individualism, capitalism, market economy and the fragmentation of relationships. This creates the kind of reaction which Benjamin Barber mentions in Jihad versus Mc World (1995). In Pakistan this reaction takes the form of Islamist revivalism---as that term is defined by Qasim Zaman (2002)---which make young people educated in secular institutions reject modernist values while aspiring to change the world through modern technology. This means that the Islamists emphasize the use of the computer though they reject and resist the values and discourses of the world which created it. Indeed, knowing what a power-giving device it is, they use it quite as much as the Americanized section of the society. Thus, quite literally at times, the reaction of those who are appalled and dismayed by the American fashions and values displayed by the affluent young, becomes the response of jihad. In short, if true cultural localization takes place some of these objections can be met. However, one problem can never be overcome. It is that computers create the illusion of speed and power. They are like magic. They give the illusion of immense power and breathtaking speed at the tips of one's fingers. This creates a kind of 'hacker' culture among the digerati in Pakistan. They become impatient with all the processes of creating knowledge, beauty and relationships which traditional methods entailed. This visibly increases the gap between the older and the younger generation and increases the tendency to scoff at slow arts like writing letters. Whether it will decrease the capacity to read, write and create art---all slow processes—cannot be determined at this stage. But the fact remains that a fundamental change has occurred in the perception of knowledge in Pakistan. Whereas traditionally knowledge was seen as part of civilized behaviour, it is now seen as information and skill. Whereas it was necessary for a learned, or even an ordinarily educated, man to know some history and literature---quoting or at least appreciating the masters of Urdu and Persian poetry was considered necessary fifty years ago---it is no longer necessary. Indeed, the digerati place a higher value on skills---computer skills, skills of persuasion, advocacy, 'selling' etc---than on facts, analysis, literary and artistic appreciation and so on. It is not true to say that people were fond of reading books in the past and now they are not. What may be true is that the computer takes away the time of the intellectually curious in such a way that they read less books than they would have had it not been there. However, this assertion has not been tested in any manner and may be taken as the subjective opinion of the present author. Whatever the problems associated with the computer, it is necessary to use it in Pakistan. So far the basis for its use is elitist power. It is proposed that the new basis should be peoples' power. This needs explanation. Power is that which creates the possibility of obtaining tangible or intangible gratification (Rahman 1996: 8). Tangible gratifications are consumer and producer goods; intangible ones are prestige, popularity, the dissemination of ones' ideas, control over others etc. When computer programmes are in English they increase the power of the elite. They also save money which, again, strengthens the ruling elite as it invests this money in other power projects such as strengthening the armed forces, the bureaucracy and so on. It also strengthens the power of the elite of the Centre---America and the West are the 'Centre' in this case and Pakistan the periphery---which exports copyright computer programmes, disseminates its language and cultural values and control all matters to do with the computerization of a society. In short, the use of English in the computers is an elitist project in Pakistan.
Localization in Urdu is a step forward towards increasing the power base of the people. Initially, however, the investment will not appear to be cost-effective in terms of pecuniary calculations. At the moment the people who are spearheading the localization programmes in Urdu in Pakistan use English also. However, if the government actually starts using computers in Urdu-medium schools, it can really benefit a very large number of people. In these schools neither students nor teachers know enough Urdu to use the computer even if it is provided to them. The next step should be localization in the other major languages of Pakistan. This will appear as a waste of money to begin with. After all, anyone who is literate can operate in Urdu in Pakistan though not in English. The rationale for this proposal is psychological and cultural more than pecuniary or practical. Culturally appropriate computer programmes in the indigenous languages of Pakistan will support and strengthen these languages. They will bring them more prestige and may, perhaps, encourage people to feel that they too can be used in modern domains. The major Pakistani languages are too large to be endangered. However, they need to be given more prestige to take their rightful role in the domains of power. It may, therefore, be pertinent to repeat the six factors outlined by David Crystal for the endangered languages. These are: 1. An endangered language will progress if its speakers increase their prestige within the dominant community. 2. An endangered language will progress if its speakers increase their wealth relative to the dominant community. 3. An endangered language will progress if its speakers increase their legitimate power in the eyes of the dominant community. 4. An endangered language will progress if its speakers have a strong presence in the educational system. 5. An endangered language will progress if its speakers can write their language down. 6. An endangered language will progress if its speakers can make use of electronic technology (Crystal 2000: Chapter 5). The last is especially relevant in the context of localization which we have been describing. Although the candidates for localization, after Urdu, should be the major languages of Pakistan (Greater Punjabi [i.e. Siraiki, Hindko etc], Pashto, Sindhi, Balochi and Brahvi). However, it is the smaller languages, the ones which may be endangered, which will benefit much from localization. Besides making them more prestigious and enabling people to interact with them, one can think of practical situations in which e-mail, information CDs and web pages in minor languages in far flung areas may be useful. Case-1: The Fishermen of Balochistan and Sindh These fishermen living on the coastal lines of Pakistan often venture out when storms and tidal waves are expected. They also become prisoners of India when they stray in Indian waters. If computers are installed in the village schools, post offices and other public places they can be warned of a coming natural disaster. They can also be educated about straying into alien waters and, should they do so, what procedure they should adopt. In this case, the additional benefit can be that the school children, who read the e-mails in their own language and pass on the message to the fishermen, will develop a positive feeling for their language. Case-2: Medical Help in Far flung areas Supplementing the radio and T.V, the computer can also be used to give information about basic health issues in far-flung areas especially those which become snowbound during the winter. This information, in the local languages, should be on CDs and also on the web pages. As in Case-1, the computers should be located in prominent public places in villages and small towns. Case-3: Advocacy Through the Computer People can be made aware of women's rights, children's rights, AIDS, family planning in their local languages through the computer. The novelty of using their own language through this new technology, the computer, will tend to disseminate these new ideas and make them more pervasive than they are at present. Case-4: Literacy for Children and Adults Lessons in the local language as a bridge to the link language (which may be Urdu) may be given in attractive computer games which may be used for children in the morning and adults in the evening. This will make children acquainted with their own languages before moving on to other languages.
In short, Pakistan needs a localization policy but it should be a policy which empowers the common people rather than the elite or the multi-national corporations. Such a policy will also serve to raise the prestige of the indigenous languages of the country and save them from being further marginalized in this age of computerization and globalization. 5. Conclusion Pakistan's language policy has so far been in the interest of the elite. It has strengthened the English-using elite's hold over the most powerful and lucrative jobs in the state and the private sector. The policy of favouring Urdu has made ethnic groups express ethnicity in terms of opposition or resistance to Urdu. The policy of localization should not follow these lines. It should empower the masses rather than the elite. Although localization has begun in Urdu and Sindhi it should now be extended to the other languages of Pakistan. This will not be immediately cost-effective in pecuniary terms but it will be psychologically supportive of the identity and languages of the common people who will be able to preserve the positive aspects of their culture while undergoing modernization.
Dr Tariq Rahman The Urdu University A few days back the well known poet, columnist, and ex-senator Jamal Uddin Aali gave us the news that an Urdu University has been established in the country. In personal conversation he told me that he had dreamt about it a long time back and it was now that the Urdu Science College and Urdu Arts College, both in Karachi, had been upgraded to a university. The dream, of course, is very old. He traced out its history to Maulvi Abdul Haq (Baba-e-Urdu) and also to Sir Syed Ahmed Khan. That, of course, is true---it certainly is an old dream. What is even more significant is that it is an anti-colonial dream; it is an ego-sustaining dream; it is an identity-creating dream; it is a psychologically healing dream. Think of a time when the British armies had defeated the rulers of South Asia. A Mughal emperor still sat on the throne in the Red fort but he did not rule beyond the Fort itself. Even the Marhattas no longer galloped about collecting taxes. Calcutta, not Delhi, was the centre of power and, since 1858, the language of the universities and colleges was English. In England the Social Darwinists declared proudly that Europe had evolved to a higher level of civilization than Asia and Africa. Macaulay's words that English, and only English, was fit for higher education and oriental knowledge was useless reverberated across enslaved India. It was in these days of despair and psychological onslaught that Sir Syed, who had founded the British Indian Association in 1866, wrote to the Secretary of State: We very humbly but earnestly solicit the government of India to establish a system of public education of the highest class, in which arts, sciences, and other branches of literature may be taught through the instrumentality of the vernacular. In those days the Thomson Civil Engineering College at Roorke and the vernacular department of the Medical College at Agra did teach professional scientific disciplines in Urdu. However, none had the prestige which the word 'university' had in British eyes--even if it was in India. Moreover, the Hindus were already asking for a Hindi University. Above all, some British officers felt that the country would 'fall prey to the rapacity of a second Mahmud of Ghazni' if English was removed. In their eyes English was associated with British values while Urdu, and even more so Persian, were symbols of Muslim identity. Some felt it would be difficult to translate the texts and quality instruction would be missing. For all these reasons E.C Bayley, Secretary to the Government of India, wrote to the BIA on 05 September 1867 that university education 'can probably be carried on by natives of India only through the medium of the English language'. So, this first attempt at creating an Urdu university met with failure. The second attempt was made by Anjuman-e-Punjab, created by G.W. Leitner (the Orientalist, educationist and Principal of Government College, Lahore) in 1865. In 1868 the Punjab Government requested the Government of India to allow them to establish an Oriental University. The medium of instruction and examination was supposed to be Urdu. This was refused. However, a university college was permitted and this began functioning in 1869. In this College, while vernacular learning was taught, all the other subjects were taught on the model of the Calcutta University. By this time Sir Syed had come to the view that competence in English was necessary to procure the best jobs in British India. As such, if Muslims got educated in Urdu they would not be able to compete with Hindus for jobs. Thus, Sir Syed opposed the Oriental faculty saying that it was 'to keep us in a state of slavery'. Sir Syed was not wrong. It was, indeed, pragmatic to learn the language used in the domains of power i.e. the government itself; the judiciary; the bureaucracy; the military; higher education; higher commerce; elitist media and so on. It was empowering for the Muslims to learn English under these circumstances rather than Urdu. Thus, in order to gain power, Sir Syed's Aligarh became an English-medium university. All other universities in British India too were English-medium institutions. The dream of the Urdu University slumbered on. True, Urdu would keep the Muslims in the ghetto but how can one stop dreaming? After all it was so
psychologically mortifying; so demeaning; so hurting; so humiliating to have no words of ones own for discourses of a high order. Learning itself meant English learning---the Orient was dumb! But such are the realities of power and power was with the British conquerors. The dream was revived during the Khilafat days of the nineteen twenties. Thus was the Jamia Millia Islamia established in Delhi in 1925. Among the eminent Muslims who founded it were Hakim Ajmal Khan and Dr. Zakir Hussain. The Jamia taught some subjects in Urdu all right but for others it used English. The dream of the Urdu University had, however, come true in princely India---in the realm of Mir Osman Ali Khan (1886-1967), the Nizam of Hyderabad. This was created in 1917 by Sir Akbar Hyderi, the Prime Minister of Hyderabad. The University was seen by British officers as part of the Nizam's effort 'to enforce a Muslim culture throughout the state and so to strengthen the Muslim hold on Hyderabad in the event of federation or independence for India in any other form'. The Muslims saw it as a symbol of their identity. They felt that the creation of such a university demonstrated that they could manage their own affairs in the world of higher learning. It was psychologically gratifying to feel that one did not have to fall back on English alone to create and disseminate modern knowledge. The university created many Urdu terms for purely modern ideas (40, 724 new terms upto 1937) and created learned books from other languages into Urdu. It modernized Urdu and thus made it possible to use it in the domains of modern life as Japanese and Korean are used. Nowadays, because of the recommendation of the Gujral committee in 1975, an Urdu University on the lines of Osmania was established in Hyderabad. I was told by Khalique Anjum, an eminent scholar-administrator of Urdu in India, in private conversation in February 1998 in New Delhi that it was in its infancy. Personally I felt that it could not succeed as long as the graduates were not given jobs. And that will not happen as long as the working language of the state and private enterprises is not Urdu. This is exactly what I feel about the newly established Urdu University in Pakistan. It will succeed only when the language of the domains of power in both the public and private sectors changes from English to Urdu. Such a change, if it occurs, should not harm the interests of the other languages of Pakistan because Pakistan is a federation and it will remain strong only as long as the federating units have a stake in its unity. And this stake will be created, among other things, by respecting all languages and giving them their due. Thus, it is only by the consensus of all the ethnic language groups that Urdu can function as a link-language and in this position it can be used in the domains of power. Once that happens, the Urdu University will prosper. As it is, even if its graduates remain under-privileged in their quest for jobs, the Urdu University will function three purposes. First, it will allow those students to achieve academic success who understand academic concepts but do not do well in examinations because they do not know English. Second, it will create a fairly large body of young people competent in Urdu who will create a pressure group which will make the state displace English for Urdu and other Pakistani languages in the domains of power. And, lastly, it will make people feel that Urdu---and by extension all our languages---are fit to be used for the highest intellectual activities. This is a psychological boost worth administering to ourselves in the wake of globalization which threatens all our Asian languages and cultures. These are no minor benefits and one can only wish the Urdu University all success in its career.
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Atef Design was created in 2006. The company is on the leading edge of developing scalable websites and e-commerce solutions. Since the inception we have investMore
$1 mil. - $5 mil.in Revenue
10 - 20EmployeesContact people at this company
4-42312 Yarrow Central RdChilliwackBritish Columbiav2r 5e2Canadaview map
(604) 726-4824
Enterprise_Iteration-NT.1545[04] SEIDXWK-31

subset: commoncrawl


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As cult figures go, few are more reclusive and mysterious than Nurse with Wound's Stephen Stapleton. Collaborator with David Tibet, definer of a legendary (and partly fictional) experimental music cannon, and creator of thirty or so confoundingly fascinating albums, Stapleton seldom finds it necessary explains himself. His liner notes for this rhythm-obsessed collection of soundscapes mentions a dream involving himself, Joe Meek, Graham Bond, and Jac Berrocal as inspiration, and a rare interview uncovers his motivating obsession with mambo. But nothing, really, could account for an album as weirdly compelling, as austere yet sensual, as scarily intense and yet intermittently humorous as this one. Originally recorded in 1994, the album starts with the distant techno beat and muttered observations of the title track, where Berrocal's bicycle (which figured in his own composition of the same name) is name-checked and someone named "Michael" is mysteriously absent. The cut has an inexplicable heft, despite its stark minimal elements. There's next to nothing there, but you can't turn away. The two succeeding tracks outclass it though. "The Self Sufficient Sexual Shoe", with its Jarboe-ish sybilline whispers and ominous drum & bass thunder, is an ineluctable juxtaposition of sexual heat and metallic-polished chill. "Two Golden Microphones" is denser, more tribal, layering clinking hammer tones atop a fluctuating ooze of synthetics, introducing voices, a digeridoo, and a world beat at various points along its 17-minute duration. Cuts become more difficult as you move further on, dissolving finally into the abstract austerity of "Finsbury Park, May 8th, 1.35 PM (I'll Se You In Another World)" and its even more esoteric re-imagination, "1.35 PM Remix."
Blesst Chest "Blesst Chest Theme Song" (audio) (premiere) // Music
The Chairman Dances "Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin" (audio) (premiere) // Music
National Park Radio 'The Great Divide' (album stream) (premiere) // Music
Kendra Erika "The Truth Never Lies" (video) (premiere) // Music
Josh Ritter Gives Beautiful Performance at Prospect Park (Photos)
// Notes from the Road
"Josh Ritter kicks off a string of summer U.S. shows with rousing free performance at BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival.READ the article


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This darling wedding day shoot makes me all happy and smiley (even through my hangover gah!) Russian photographer Nelly Suleymanova has a real knack for capturing her clients at their most beautiful…and hello, white lace tights? – Yeah amazing!
Ashley & Hunter's Brightly Coloured Wedding
Ashley & Hunter's wedding had me smitten as soon as I saw it. They went for a fun fair theme with brightly coloured and fun pinwheels, noise makers, rock candy, pumpkins and a BBQ from Buz n Neds Barbeque. This pair both have a self-confessed obsession with shoes so Ashley wore an amazing pair from Betsey Johnson with a Marilyn Monroe portrait on the sole and Hunter wore red, black and white high top Vans that matched their brightly colored wedding…the bridesmaids even wore red pumps to match.
Ashley dress was by Alvina Valenta which she teamed it with an amazing antique brooch which she found at Ant Hill Antiques in Carytown in Richmond, Va. Their flowers were vibrant and sunny to match the theme and the bridesmaids all wore their own purple mis-matched dresses.
Urban, Girtty, Hearts & Love
Emma & Mattias' urban & gritty engagement session in Hackney Wick (the East End of London) have inspired me no end. I not only love the rough 'n ready, graffiti style shots (which are fast becoming a bit of a McNeil signature) but the wonderful heart shots send my heart a-flutter. I asked David how this images came about and he told me that as they were wondering down the street, looking for locations, they came across a warehouse where a Valentines night was being set up. They asked nicely if they would use their heart covered wall as a backdrop and the lovely people said yes. Aren't the results fabulous?
Thursday Treats – 18th Feb 2010
via Miss Wallflower
What have you been loving this week? Here's my top picks from blog land, the interweb and everywhere in between
♥ Unbridaled – I would imagine that every Rock n Roll Bride can recognise this situation!
♥ Top 10 wedding trends for 2010
♥ The uber popular Paloma's Nest have relaunched their website and are offering free worldwide shipping on all orders placed before 1st March!
♥ I've been seeing Catbird NYC all over blog land this week. I can see why. This is my persoanl pick. LOVE
♥ Katie & Josh's Eco-Chic wedding
♥ Remember the lesbians
♥ Stripes & tulle
♥ Check out Gingerlily's amazing images and comment on her blog for the chance to win your own print
♥ Heart-shaped – darling vintage valentines decor
♥ Remember this awesome Rock n Roll Bride? Well her fabulous peacock bouquet was so popular that she's only gone into business making them – and even better, my girls at Ilovelolliblog are giving one away!
Italian Style – The Punk of Wedding Photography
I was sent a collection of bridal fashion shoots from Italian photographer Joanne Dunn the other day and I have to say I fell in love immediately. She describes her work as "personal fusion photography—the punk of wedding photography", and boy can I see why. These chicks are certainly Rock n Roll baby!
The Italians are notoriously painfully stylish and ahead of the game and these shots definitely prove that to me – the black and white palate, the crimped hair, the tiered dress – all scream high fashion bridal style for 2010.
Edit: the stunning dresses were made by local (Italian) dressmaker Giovanna Albano who can be contacted on 0039 081961898 or 0039 335 8004824
Under the Spotlight – Dylan McBurney
Today's Under the Spotlight victim is Northern Irish photographer Dylan McBurney. I've fallen in love with not only Dylan's beautifully naturalist approach to photography, but his passion for his work, his family and his clients. From speaking to him today, I'm totally convinced he'd be a great photographer to work with! So all your Irish brides who think there's not enough Rock n Roll on the emerald isle…I beg to differ!
Who are you and what do you do?
I'm Dylan McBurney and I'm a photographer.
Where are you based and what cities/countries are you available to work in?
I live in Carrickfergus just outside Belfast, Northern Ireland with my wife Caroline and daughter Corrina and I photograph weddings across Ireland, France and elsewhere in Europe.
You're the first person I've interviewed from Northern Ireland? What is the wedding industry like over there?
Northern Ireland is a pretty cool place to get married. The people are renowned for their friendliness. That's what I love most about working here.
Do you get to work with a lot of great clients?
Fortunately the type of clients we attract are very much into photography and they can understand why my pictures look different to other people's pictures. A lot of our clients have a relationship with the visual and creative arts – we seem to cover a lot of architects and musician's weddings.
How would you describe your photography?
Unobtrusive, journalistic and moment-oriented. I shoot with my emotions – I like to capture the feeling between people and that's generally not something you can pose or stage.
Who/what are your biggest influences? Whose work do you really admire?
Henri Cartier-Bresson for his sense of composition and timing. Garry Winogrand for his ability to make pictures out of the chaos of the street. And Joel Meyerowitz, again for his street pictures, but also for his fine art colour work of which I'm a big fan.


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2015 was a great year for movies. Audiences around the world were treated to everything from a new Mad Max, to the return of Star Wars and dinosaurs in Jurassic World. Here are my top 10 films of 2015:
Amy Schumer was fantastic in this hilarious film.
Even funnier was WWE wrestler John Cena, even if he was only in the film for about 10 minutes. The film catapulted Schumer from Comedy Central star to legit film star.
Tarantino is back with The Hateful Eight – another racially charged western.
We talk about the film's treatment of Jennifer Jason Leigh, what Django might have looked like with Will Smith, and how you go about casting an actor for "that scene" with Samuel L. Jackson.
It's Reel Spoilers 147: The Hateful Eight
You've been warned.
Starring: Tom O'Keefe, Kevin Brackett, Joe Buttice
Run-time: 1hr 15min
We're down to three this week, but we soldier on.
Star Wars still rules the land, but surprisingly other movies made money too. Go figure. Hollywood managed to sneak out a new Will Ferrell movie. It was news to us, but based on the box office it wasn't news to America.
All this plus Joe goes on a wrestling tangent that we didn't edit out (hey, it's Christmas) and Tom gives us quick reviews of Concussion and The Big Short.
It's Reel Spoilers 146: 'The Hateful Eight' Box Office Report.
You've been warned.
Starring: Tom O'Keefe, Kevin Brackett, Joe Buttice
Run-time: 52min
The holiday season not only brought the return of Star Wars, but also the return of Quentin Tarantino for film buffs. The director's latest – and his greatest film to date – The Hateful Eight is an experience unlike anything you're likely to have in movie theaters this year or anytime soon.
Beautifully filmed in 70-millimeter, the move engages audiences from the very beginning of this three-hour spaghetti western. Watching Tarantino's latest film is like watching a master at work. He uses beautiful cinematography in the mountains of Wyoming, but also dishes out more fake blood than I've ever seen before.
Clocking in at just over three hours with an overture and an intermission, The Hateful Eight is a western "who done it," featuring top notch acting. With standout performances from Samuel L. Jackson as Maj. Marquis Warren, and Kurt Russell (doing his best John Wayne imitation as John Ruth), the audience gets their moneys worth.
So this is where we normally have some sort of synopsis where we try to entice you to listen. "Dan said something old timey. Tom was bored. Joe is creepy." That sort of thing… But here's the deal – we're talking about STAR WARS. That's all you need to know.
The internet has been screaming at you for the last six months saying "DON'T SPOIL STAR WARS!!1!"
Now you have all of these Star Wars spoilers swimming around your little nerd head and you can't discuss them aloud for fear of ruining it for a fellow nerd. Well, we're here for you. This is when we shine. So put on your headphones and join us for an epic (in both length and content) episode. The one you've been waiting for since you were 10-years old.
It's Reel Spoilers 145: 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens.'
You've been warned.
Starring: Tom O'Keefe, Kevin Brackett, Dan Graney, Blake Fehl, Joe Buttice
Run-time: 1hr 55min


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Excellent service at a reasonable price!
Easy website to navigate and place order. Delivery was on time and accurate. I will use Garden Grocer again on my next trip.
Danielle from Garden Grocer was amazing. She made sure everything was perfect for us. The constant contact between text, email and phone calls was very comforting.


text: anita sports bras Archive Heidi Klum Intimates Now at Big Girls Bras Exclusive to Big Girls Bras: N, O, and P Cups Now Available in the Aviana 2357 Which Type of Bridal Undergarment Should You Choose? The Truth About Push-Up Bras Bras For Under $20, Free Underwear Promotion, and more sales! Brand Highlight: Mazu Swimwear Comfort Straps Can Change How You Feel Year End Sale Starts Now! Save up to 75% off Your Favorite Brands! What's the Best Bra for Women Who Work in Construction? Brand Highlight: Hanes Women Apparel (On Sale!)


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A Place to Grow for Refugees from Myanmar
Dark clouds loomed over the Transplanting Traditions Community Farm on a recent evening, threatening to rain on a midsummer potluck dinner. But underneath the tin roof of the farm's largest building, everyone was dry and happy, eating at picnic tables and talking in English and Karen. Like the roof covering the diners, the Triangle has… Read more »
Antibodies from Dengue Fever Survivors Can Be Used to Prevent Zika Infection
Antibodies derived from patients who survived Dengue fever can be used to fight the Zika virus now and potentially open the door for the development of a Zika therapeutic treatment in the not too distant future. Those are among the findings of a new study led by researchers at the University of North Carolina at… Read more »
Grant from Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust to Promote Healthy Lifestyles Among North Carolina Native Communities
The American Indian Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will use a $386,082 grant from the Winston-Salem-based Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust to strengthen programming aimed at preventing obesity and chronic disease among the state's Native communities. The grant will support the Healthy Native North Carolinians Network, a center initiative that… Read more »
Researchers Discuss Challenges, Successes of HIV Cure Research in Science
A better understanding of HIV latency is the key to eradicating the virus researchers at the University of North Carolina and partner institutions write in a perspective in the journal Science. Worldwide, 37 million people are living with HIV. A cure has proved elusive due to viral latency – a period when the virus remains… Read more »
UNC Researcher Finds Isolated Coral Reefs Far from Human Activity Are Not Healthier
For the world's coral reefs, the picture keeps getting gloomier. Although it's widely assumed that both local and global factors are contributing to their decline, new research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows that isolated reefs far from human activities are in fact not healthier than those in more densely populated… Read more »
UNC-Chapel Hill Graduate Student and Alumna Receive Boren Fellowships
Christine Kim, a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill graduate student, and Julia Tenyotkin, a Carolina alumna, have each been awarded the National Security Education Program's David L. Boren Fellowship, which supports fields of study, particularly languages, identified as critical to United States national security. Valued at up to $30,000, Boren scholarships are awarded… Read more »
Biostatistics' Tan Wins Award for Best Paper in Canadian Statistics Journal
Xianming Tan, research associate professor of biostatistics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health, has received the Statistical Society of Canada's Canadian Journal of Statistics Award for his paper, "Variable selection and inference procedures for marginal analysis of longitudinal data with missing observations and covariate measurement error,"… Read more »
Yeo, School of Nursing Help Develop Doctor of Nursing Practice Program in Japan
SeonAe Yeo, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing professor, recently returned from two weeks in Tokyo, Japan where she worked with faculty at the premier nursing school of St. Luke's International University to assist it in its effort to start the first Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program in Japan. With the support… Read more »


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Clean Eating Lemon Vanilla Doughnuts - can even be made Paleo (by All Sorts of Pretty)
Mint Chocolate Popsicles | Tutti Dolci
Green Tea Coconut Popsicles. The perfect creamy summer treat.. what's even greater is these only require a few minutes of prep time! Mmmm.Whoa. Whoa mommy.
Flower Patch Farmgirl: The Crack Bark That Changed Everything
Heat honey on medium heat until your candy or instant-read thermometer reads 240˚ F, or indicates the soft ball stage of candy making. To confirm that you are at the soft ball stage, drop a bit of the honey into a cup of cold water. It should form a sticky and soft ball that flattens when removed from the water. Have the tahini ready to heat in a separate small pot, and once the honey is at the appropriate temperature, set the honey aside and heat tahini to 120˚ F. Add the warmed tahini to...
[This is my first entry for the SOS Kitchen Challenge: Sesame Seeds this month: anti candida friendly, sugar-free, gluten-free halvah. If you've got a sesame-based recipe of your own to share, link up below--and win one of our eleven prizes!] Have you ever noticed how some of the foods ...
Coconut Halvah Candy
Coconut icecream
Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies
Caramel Turtle Chia Pudding
Peanut Butter Pie
Christmas Presents: Truffles, Chocolates, Candy | seitan is my motor
Vegan Christmas Cookies
Strawberry Balsamic Refrigerator Jam (sounds amazing, had pannacotta with fresh strawberries and balsamic vinegar as dessert and that ROCKED! i know it sounds like an odd pairing but it is so surprisingly different in such a great way!)
Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies.
Dessert hummus. It tastes like chocolate chip cookie dough!
Apple nachos with peanut butter, almonds, pecans, unsweetened coconut, and chocolate chips from Manifest Vegan
Vegan Halloween Treats: Chocolate Candy "Bar" - Healthy. Happy. Life.
cookie dough truffles | The Kind Life
Raw Vegan Fudge Brownies
Thinmints Cookies. Yum!
Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter
Lemon Bar Cookies


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Wise Dan sat a perfect ground saving tactical trip and blew the doors off his rivals in Saturday's Grade I Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita Park.
Obviously set realistic fractions for the first four furlongs but the tempo picked up considerably after that and Wise Dan was always traveling smoothly under John Velazquez.
Wise Dan tipped off the rail turning for home and the race was over in a matter of strides.
Animal Kingdom, making his first start in more than eight months, rallied for the place in a gallant effort.
Obviously held the show and Excelebration finished fourth.
Wise Dan, trained by Charles Lopresti and owned by Morton Fink, paid $5.60 to win. He is definitely a serious contender for Horse of the Year honors. Quotes:John Velazquez (jockey, Wise
Dan, 1st) – "I just wanted to get him in the right
position. When I was able to do that, and you've got a horse as good as
this, you can expect a result like this."
Charles Lopresti
(trainer, Wise Dan, 1st) – "I was able to use that race at
Keeneland (Shadwell Turf Mile) as the perfect setup for today. I didn't
have to do much with him. He proved he was the best horse today. I never
had any doubts. I was just a little concerned about how the race would shape
up. He's just a special horse. We'll probably take him back to our
farm in Kentucky and give him some time. We'll make a plan for him at the
first of the year."
Rafael Bejarano (jockey,
Animal Kingdom, 2nd) – "They were going so fast early and I
was stuck down inside. I had no choice. Then I had to go in and out of horses.
When I finally got to ask him, he gave me a huge kick. I only wish I could have
asked him earlier. The winner (Wise Dan) got first jump on me. If it is the
other way around, it might have been a different finish."
Graham Motion (trainer, Animal
Kingdom, 2nd) – "Seconds are very tough and I have some tough
second-place beats in the Breeders' Cup. I'm thrilled with the way he
ran. If he doesn't get steadied at the top of the stretch … I don't
know. What a great run and what a great horse. He's a special
Joe Talamo (jockey, Obviously,
3rd) – "We figured to be on the lead and we had an easy
lead. I just wish that outside horse (Suggestive Boy) hadn't been out
there. He just put pressure on us. I don't know if that cost us the
race, but we did feel it. He stayed on well."
Joseph O'Brien (jockey, Excelebration,
4th) – "It has been only 14 days since his last start and this
was his first time on a left-handed course. Things were disorganized in the
race and he took a bit to catch up to it. I'm not sure you saw his best race."
Aidan O'Brien (trainer, Excelebration,
4th) – "He's run a good race."
Thierry Jarnet (jockey, Moonlight
Cloud, 8th) – "It was a bad race. I couldn't get out
around the bend."
Freddy Head (trainer, Moonlight
Cloud, 8th) – "She had a rough trip and maybe got a bit
discouraged. It's been a long season, but I'm a bit disappointed. I
thought she'd run better than that."
The first stakes race at Saratoga 2016 is in the b...
The racing at the forty day Saratoga 2016 meeting...
Robert Baker and William Mack's Giant Run pulled a...
In the $300,000 United Nations (G1), World Approv...
Sam-Son Farm homebred Up With the Birds, Canada's ...
Graded stakes winners Forever Unbridled and Tom's ...
Stonestreet Stable's homebred Grade 1 winner ...
Superstar filly Songbird proved that Saratoga, th...
Songbird, who was sent off as the .30-1 betting f...
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other passionate horse racing fans!


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Sateen Sunday: Take 15% off 1+ Yards of Organic Cotton Sateen Ultra fabric through 11:59 p.m. EDT July 24th.
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STARmeterSEE RANK
Down 45,820 this week
Lacey Rae
Lacey Rae was born on April 17, 1982 in Concord, California, USA as Lacey Rae Pawlowicz. She is an actress and producer, known for Sideways (2004), Wolf Peak (2015) and Jamie's Got a Gun (2015). See full bio »
Born:in Concord, California, USA
More at IMDbPro » Represent Lacey Rae? Add contact information


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Crazy Substitute Teachers
Enjoy, NG4.02 / 5.00 2,198 Views
Vacuum Salesman
This dude and his Megazord vacuum cleaner4.00 / 5.00 2,634 Views
Markiplier Animated | Mark Of The Survey Corps
This took far too long to make...3.97 / 5.00 5,672 Views
Nice flash, it does point out that there are a lot more idiots on newgrounds then there are people with sense, good job, keep it up!
A true lesson. :D
Yep, it wont help, idiots are impervious to learning, but I give it 5/5 for its message. >:]
It needs to be interactive!!!
lol gr8 movie
Good going
That was a good way to show those noobs not to take voting so lightly.
Not enough interactivity, lol.


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Man cited for 4th DUINovember 19,2013Man cited for 4th DUI
BELLOWS FALLS A Westminster man with three drunken-driving convictions was arrested for driving under the influence Saturday night, police said.
At 11:38 p.m., Bellows Falls police stopped 54-year old Thomas E. Coombs on Westminster Street. Coombs was held at Springfield prison until he was sober and was issued a citation to appear in Brattleboro criminal court at a later date.MORE IN This Just InMore than 26,000 people were without power when severe thunderstorms rolled through the state in... Full Story
A Rutland man was allegedly drunk and playing Pokémon Go when he crashed his... Full StoryCASTLETON Even without the traditional ice cream truck music, kids flock to Adam Babbs... Full Story
- Most Popular
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Featured Package:
Earl Klugh's, second annual Weekend of Jazz at Kiawah Island Golf Resort
November 10-12, 2011
Learn More
Join the Kiawah E-Club
- The Luxury of Choice
- Kiawah restaurants offer big time taste for the Kids, too!
- New Body Rescue From the Sea
- The Spa At The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort
- Wells Gallery and The Sanctuary murals
- Andrew Harper's Kid-friendly Luxury Hotels
- Fabulously Chic Over 50 Blog reviews The Ocean Room
- Top 10 Beaches in America
- Beauty beyond skin deep
- Cherrywood BBQ and Ale House – National BBQ Month
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BBQ, beach, birding, Charleston, Cherrywood BBQ & Ale House, Condé Nast Traveler, Dining, Earl Klugh, Easter, fine dining, Gourmet & Grapes, Hollings Cancer Center, Jasmine Porch, Jasmine Porch at The Sanctuary, Jonathan Banta, Kiawah, Kiawah Beverage Series, Kiawah Island, Kiawah Island Golf Resort, kiawah river, marathon, Mingo Point, nature, Night Heron Park, Oyster Roast, Recreation, Sanctuary, Sommelier Garth Herr, South Carolina, spa, Steakhouse, Tennis, The Atlantic Room, The Ocean Course, The Ocean Room, The Ocean Room at The Sanctuary, The Ocean Room at The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, The Sanctaury at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, The Sanctuary, The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Tomasso, Tomasso at Turtle Point, Weekend of Jazz, Wells Gallery, wine dinner
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Tag Archives: Wildlife
May 8
What is Kiawah Island known for around the world? One could argue a myriad of things, and one would be correct. However, this beautiful South Carolinian gem is arguably known best for its one-of-a-kind designer fairways and greens, drawing golfers … Read More
Jan 14
Winter can be a tough time for wildlife. Colder temperatures and less availability of food makes every day a challenge, and Bird Feeding 101 is your guide to helping the wildlife around you. Many animals have adapted to the cold … Read More


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It only takes a minute to get started. Fill out our simple sign up form and login to the website.
This step is voluntary but will drastically enhance your chances of getting interest from other over 40s members on the site. Write a little about yourself, your hobbies and upload your best photo.
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And start dating


text: Olaf Stuut - Square by Manual Music published on 2013-03-08T12:37:33Z Olaf Stuut is an artist from Holland, based in the south, in the city Tilburg. From a young age he was fascinated by music from all sorts and kinds and learned to play a couple of instruments to express himself trough notes. At the age of 15 he came in contact with music production software and since then he was hooked to the the world of digital music. A musician who will always tell a story within his compositions, with strong vibes, challenging harmonies and sounds. Olaf Stuut's music can't be placed in one genre, although it connects to many of them; techno, deep house, ambient, psychedelic, cinematic... 'Square EP' is his debut within the Manual family after recently having released on Traum and it's Zaubernuss sub label, and on Rhapsodic to name a few. Expect two cuts of funky, yet moving and deep melodic house music. Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/manualmusicofficial Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/manualmusic Subscribe to our Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/manualmusic Genre melodic techno Comment by Oedipe this track is insane!! really 2013/11/06 17:57:42 +0000 Comment by Mind Field Records Blinding tune... Great new talent! 2013/04/03 13:56:44 +0000 Comment by rikisi ♥ 2013/03/11 07:50:39 +0000 Comment by viky baou Great !!! 2013/03/10 07:58:14 +0000 Comment by Luís M lovely melody and vibe ! 2013/03/10 00:58:07 +0000 Comment by PhVanderfull Oulala : Great Sounds Here !! ^^ 2013/03/08 19:17:26 +0000 Comment by patatjesambal sicke sicke track 2013/03/08 16:14:04 +0000 Comment by datcom nice 2013/03/08 14:01:14 +0000 Comment by AntizénitH Trippy ... !!! 2013/03/08 13:24:42 +0000 Comment by KzzKzz ohoh 2013/03/08 12:57:22 +0000 Comment by D-Mand Been waiting for this track!! Glad to see MNL releasing it! 2013/03/08 12:56:01 +0000 Comment by Cliff de Zoete Epic :) 2013/03/08 12:53:24 +0000


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The Halo or Horns Test
Their result for The Halo or Horns Test ...
The Honest Angel
You scored 42 Horns and 72 Halo!
Their Analysis (Vertical line = Average)
They scored 42% on Horns, higher than 64% of your peers.
They scored 72% on Halo, higher than 76% of your peers.
All possible test results
The Minimalist
You don't care enough to be inherently evil or good, you don't have very sharp horns or a very bright halo, not much interests you very often, you are bland. Read more
The Muse
Though generally good, you have a twist of evil lime in your sweet halo tea. You can be amusing from time to time, a good sidekick. Read more
The Precious Angel
You see things through a bright and shiny halo, every now and again the horns poke out, but very rarely do you stray from your angelic demeanor, you are considered to be a good person. Read more
Fiesty Little Devil
Playful, bitter, and jumpy with a twist of shine. You are set in your ways, and opinionated, mostly for the horns, but sometimes the halo speaks up to balance you. Read more
The Observer
You are the balance between good and evil. You judge each situation with all variables obvserved. You're a good friend, but that doesn't mean you won't stab someones back if you feel provoked. Read more
The Honest Angel
You are nice, you are not so nice. It depends on how you feel at the time and how people treat you. Generally good with a streak of not so good, people would be wise not to cross you! Read more
The Purest of Evils
Get the fuck out of your way cause here you come! If you're not already in an institution for the insanity you breathe out on a daily basis, drop me an email cause we should hang out! lolololol You're... Read more
The Headstrong Imp
You know what you like. You like things a certain way, your way. A sprinkle of good filters into your witch-stew like brain, but not very much. Read more
The Rollercoaster
Look I'm evil! Look I'm a nice person! What you are is an ocean of rollercoaster, going back and forth from angel to demon with the changing of the tide. People should stay clear of making you angry, ... Read more
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