Txapelas Available in the USA

You may be wondering, what the heck is a "txapela"?

Don't worry, you may know it as a Basque beret. And according to this article appeared at TransWorldNews, you now can buy the original ones in the USA.

Here you have the info:

Fashion News

Jaxon Hats Brings The Authentic Basque Beret To North America

USA Hat Seller Goes Direct To Europe For Classic Berets

San Diego, California 11/13/2007 08:03 p.m. GMT (FINDITT)

Everything we wear is made in China these days, right? Wrong. It’s true that berets – classically European - are made in Asia and sold in droves in North America, but not all berets.

This iconic headgear originally hails from Europe’s Pyrenees Mountains, home of the Basque culture. With the US Dollar consistently losing ground to the Euro and the quality of apparel from Asia getting better all the time, who in their right mind these days would go to Europe for hats? Answer: Jaxon.

"In our quest for the best, we wanted to bring this authentic headwear to our customers where the differences in quality are obvious," says Jaxon Hats designer Bruce Zales. Pressed for details, Zales begins by lecturing on the making of wool felt, likening it to a kind of "conjuring" where one hatter’s felt-making formula (compressed, entangled fibers making an incredibly strong material) can be "light years" better than another’s. The quality of the wool-felt material is the important starting point in any felt hat, and if that were the only difference it would be sufficient reason to go to Europe for the Basque Beret. But it’s not the only difference. This meaty pure virgin wool beret is "Impermeable" (Waterproof). The sweatband (many berets don’t even have sweatbands) is made from genuine leather (most US importers of European berets have gone to vinyl as a cost saving strategy). The lining is sewn (not glued) to the inside top of the hat, but not on the sides (so that the beret can "breath" on the wearer’s head). Together, these details make a big difference in comfort, looks, and functionality.

Price? Not an arm and a leg, as Jaxon purchases the substantial quantities required for working directly with the factory-no middleman. The retail is $48 and bulk purchasers/resellers can buy directly from Jaxon at $27.50 each with a purchase of 12 units minimum. You’ve got to see these berets to appreciate this value. Stay warm, stay dry, and be cool.

The Jaxon Basque Beret is available in three colors - Black, Navy, Grey - and five sizes - Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large, Double-extra Large.

~ ~ ~

Bloodless Bullfight

A few years ago I had this argument with a girl from The Netherlands who had nothing but contempt for the Basques, that one time we discussed the issue of the bloodless bullfighting in Euskal Herria. She denied it existed.

Here you have this information published at The Olive Press (witty name by the way):

The other bullfighting

November 13, 2007 | Features

THE young man runs towards the charging bull. The crowd cheers loudly, much louder than normal. The bull looks confused. Expecting to have impaled his foe he now finds he is behind him. The performer has dived over the top of the bull, rolled over and is now back on his feet.

This is a different kind of bull fighting. It is bloodless, more acrobatic than the conventional style and growing in popularity across Spain.

.......

The main difference between this version and recortes, roughly translated as ‘trimming,’ is the most obvious. The animal lives. No blood is shed and after the fight the bull goes back out to graze and maybe enjoy the company of a few cows.

The participants wear less formal clothes and, in many cases, perform more daring stunts than their armed counterparts. Those taking part often work in teams of two but the fight is not split into definable stages.

Acrobatic

This style can be traced to the Basque Country and is often referred to as the Basque-Navarra style. Goya’s depiction of 19th century fighter Juanito Apiñani pole vaulting over a charging bull sums it up quite well.

In the Concurso de Recadores, the performer runs adjacent to the bull while it runs at him. Just before he is impaled on the horns, he arches his back, narrowly avoiding being hit before running off to the side of the ring with the bull in hot pursuit.

Stunts include sitting on a stool or kneeling down until the performer and the bull are literally face-to-face and the performing of mid-air cartwheels as the bull passes underneath the airborne youth.

More daring performers stay glued to the spot, swivelling out of the way at the last moment. In a near suicidal move, one performer is used to distract the bull and keep him in charging a straight line, while another jumps on the bull as a gymnast might a hobbyhorse.

The participants wear numbers and are awarded points for style by panel of judges, with the winner being the one, naturally, who accumulates the most points.

This is dangerous. The performers are locked in contest with a bull that has not been weakened through blood loss and whose horns are not lowered.

Strangely however, the amateur nature of recortes ensures that accidents are few and far between.

With no organisation controlling recortes or training participants, the art is perfected in childhood, against young bulls, spontaneously at festivals.

By the time teenagers come to face the larger bulls their reactions are sharp.

Accusation and defence

The most widely known Corrida Vascolandesa takes place during the infamous San Fermin fiesta in Pamplona.

Although many in the Basque Country, Navarra, and indeed, Catalunya, try to distance themselves from ‘the bulls,’ seeing it as a Spanish pastime, there is a surprising history of bullfighting in the Basque Country.

Bilbao even has its own museum dedicated to the art.

Despite this, recortes almost died a death until it was rescued by a public becoming less disposed to the gore of mainstream bullfighting and a youthful attraction to danger. There certainly is not a lot of money in it and the young stars of recortes have yet to become national celebrities on the scale of the popular matadors.

Animal rights activists, in Spain and across Europe, are still not impressed. The League Against Cruel Sports has recently taken up the cause of the bull and sees little difference between standard bullfighting and recortes, saying: “While this is considerably less bloodthirsty, were we are concerned this is still a sport that causes considerable stress and injury to the bull. Therefore we are opposed to it.”

Research suggests that a majority of Spaniards may share their view.

A recent Gallup study revealed that only a quarter of 25-34 year olds had any interest in the corrida.

Yet the crowds watching recortes, particularly in central Spain, are young.

Continues...

So, wherever she is is, she stands corrected.

And by the way, the Basque Country and Navarre are one and the same, just two different ways to call Euskal Herria, the land of the Basques.

~ ~ ~

Eusko Flickr : Amezketa

Amezketa
Originally uploaded by zubillaga61

Modern Day Conquistadors Defend Aznar

There is little doubt that Spanish politicians have nothing but contempt for Latin Americans, they tend to see the inhabitants of Latin America as some sort of underdeveloped infants that made a huge mistake when they decided to go their own way and declare independence from the only source of enlightenment they ever knew, the advanced and God blessed Spain.

So earlier today two of them decided to become the champions for one of Spain's must hated politicians, José María Aznar.

From Juan Carlos Borbón we can understand it, he is after all as much of a byproduct of Francisco Franco's regime as Aznar. But to get Zapatero to defend the mustached midget and demand that he is not called a fascist that is beyond understanding.

Here you have the note by Yahoo News:

Spain's king tells Venezuela's Chavez to "shut up"

By Manuel Farias and Pav Jordan

Sat Nov 10, 3:59 PM ET

Spain's King Juan Carlos told Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Saturday to "shut up" during closing speeches by leaders from the Latin world that brought the Ibero-American summit to an acrimonious end.

"Why don't you shut up?" the king shouted at Chavez, pointing a finger at the president when he tried to interrupt a speech by Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.

Zapatero was in the middle of a speech at the summit of mostly leftist leaders from Latin America, Portugal, Spain and Andorra, and was criticizing Chavez for calling former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar a fascist.

Chavez, a leading leftist foe of Washington, also attacked Spanish businessman Gerardo Diaz Ferran earlier in the week after he questioned the safety of foreign investments in Venezuela.

"I want to express to you President Hugo Chavez that in a forum where there are democratic governments ... one of the essential principles is respect," Zapatero told the leaders gathered in the Chilean capital, Santiago.

"You can disagree radically, without being disrespectful," Zapatero, a socialist, said sternly, drawing applause from some of the other heads of state.

Chavez, a former soldier, made his mark on the three-day summit from the start, announcing his arrival earlier in the week with defiant lyrics from a Mexican ballad.

"With the truth in hand, I do not offend, I do not fear," Chavez said on Saturday. "The government of Venezuela reserves the right to respond to any aggression."

Now, lets see; Zapatero estates that they were taking part of a forum for democratic governments, why then didn't he asked Juan Carlos Borbón to shut up, after all, Chavez is an elected president while Borbón is a king imposed by a fascist dictator by the name of Francisco Franco?

He demands from Chavez to refrain from calling Aznar a fascist, yet, Aznar is a fascist by all accounts, he is the ideological heir to Franco's regime, the same regime that had Zapatero's grandfather executed for his political ideals.

Which political ideas?

Well, Zapatero, like his grandfather before him, claims to be a socialist, at least he belongs to a political party that is supposed to be socialist, meaning that Zapatero is a leftist just like the majority of the Latin American leaders as the article mentions. But this is where Zapatero draws a distinction, he is a Spaniard before being a socialist/leftist, so he sides with the member of a monarchy who happens to be Spaniard too and together they defend the honor of a third Spaniard.

And they do so because as Spaniards they can not allow for a third world fella with a brown skin to belittle a conational.

And that Mr. Zapatero is called racism, no wonder why this woe is on the rise in Spain.

Shame on you Zapatero, for siding with a king imposed by a tyrant to defend a fascist in front of a group of people that you consider inferior to you and your fellow Spaniards.

~ ~ ~

The Millán-Astray Incident

Speaking of Spaniards who hate the Basques, Keith Johnson reminded me of the incident in which Unamuno exposed José Millán-Astray as a hateful Basque-phobe.

Here you have the details of the incident from Wikipedia:

Confrontation with Unamuno

Millán-Astray is perhaps best remembered for a heated argument with Miguel de Unamuno, the Basque writer and philosopher, on October 12, 1936. The celebration of the Dia de la Raza had brought together a politically diverse crowd at the University of Salamanca, including Enrique Pla y Deniel, the Archbishop of Salamanca, and Carmen Polo Martínez-Valdés, the wife of Franco, and Millán-Astray himself. According to the British historian Hugh Thomas in his magnum opus The Spanish Civil War (1961), the affair began with an impassioned speech by the Falangist writer José María Pemán. After this, Professor Francisco Maldonado decried Catalonia and the Basque Country as "cancers on the body of the nation," adding that "Fascism, the healer of Spain, will know how to exterminate them, cutting into the live flesh, like a determined surgeon free from false sentimentalism."

From somewhere in the auditorium, someone cried out the motto "¡Viva la Muerte!" As was his habit, Millán-Astray responded with "¡España!"; the crowd replied with "¡Una!" He repeated "¡España!"; the crowd then replied "¡Grande!" A third time, Millán-Astray shouted "¡España!"; the crowd responded "Libre!" This was a common Falangist cheer. Later, a group of uniformed Falangists entered, saluting the portrait of Franco that hung on the wall.

Unamuno, who was presiding over the meeting, rose up slowly and addressed the crowd: "You are waiting for my words. You know me well, and know I cannot remain silent for long. Sometimes, to remain silent is to lie, since silence can be interpreted as assent. I want to comment on the so-called speech of Professor Maldonado, who is with us here. I will ignore the personal offence to the Basques and Catalonians. I myself, as you know, was born in Bilbao. The Bishop," Unamuno gestured to the Archbishop of Salamanca, "Whether you like it or not, is Catalan, born in Barcelona. But now I have heard this insensible and necrophilous oath, "¡Viva la Muerte!", and I, having spent my life writing paradoxes that have provoked the ire of those who do not understand what I have written, and being an expert in this matter, find this ridiculous paradox repellent. General Millán-Astray is an invalid. There is no need for us to say this with whispered tones. He is an invalid of war. So was Cervantes. But unfortunately, Spain today has too many invalids. And, if God does not help us, soon it will have very many more. It torments me to think that General Millán-Astray could dictate the norms of the psychology of the masses. An invalid, who lacks the spiritual greatness of Cervantes, hopes to find relief by adding to the number of invalids around him."

Irritated, Millán-Astray responded: "¡Muera la inteligencia! ¡Viva la Muerte!" ("Death to intelligence! Long live death!"), provoking applause from the Falangists. Pemán, in an effort to calm the crowd, exclaimed "¡No! ¡Viva la inteligencia! ¡Mueran los malos intelectuales!" ("No! Long live intelligence! Death to the bad intellectuals!")

Unamuno, unfazed, continued: "This is the temple of intelligence, and I am its high priest. You are profaning its sacred domain. You will succeed, because you have enough brute force. But you will not convince. In order to convince it is necessary to persuade, and to persuade you will need something that you lack: reason and right in the struggle. I see it is useless to ask you to think of Spain. I have spoken." Millán-Astray, controlling himself, shouted "Take the lady's arm!" Unamuno took Carmen Polo by the arm and left in her protection.

Unamuno's quote "Venceréis, pero no convenceréis" ("You will succeed, but you will not convince") was, paradoxically, the slogan of the Salamanca municipality protesting the devolution from the Archive of the Spanish Civil War to the Catalan Government of Catalan documentation seized during the war by the fascist forces. Unamuno's heirs publicly decried this use.

I dedicate this post to Rocío Millán Almonte.

~ ~ ~

Keith's "Apology"

Izaro News has published the "letter of apology" that Keith Jonson sent to some of the individuals that contacted him regarding his hateful article against the Basque language and the efforts by the Basque society to strengthen a language that defines them as a people.

Here you have it:

First of all, I wanted to thank you for taking the time and trouble to write. And forgive the mass nature of the reply, but the sheer volume of mail makes individual responses physically impossible. Second, for the many non-English speakers among you, I appreciate the effort made to write in English. While there were a variety of opinions regarding the article, a common complaint was that it denigrated Euskera. I think that some people have seen only local press summaries which, I feel, presented a distorted view of what I wrote, but even some readers who saw the original version took umbrage at certain aspects.

I wanted to stress that I never set out to denigrate Euskera, and regret any offense it may have caused to Basque speakers. As in any article, I tried to gather a variety of different voices and present their opinions, rather than my own.

Which brings me to two smaller points that many readers complained about. First, the headline, “Inquisition.” That is an unfortunate choice of words; but in U.S. newspapers, journalists don’t write their own headlines.

Secondly, many readers complained that the article somehow is related to an editorial agenda of News Corp., and drew a link with one member of the News Corp. board, Jose Maria Aznar. I just wanted to stress that whatever errors there are in the article are mine; there is never any interference from above at any time, and certainly not when the editorial independence of the newspaper has been the key concern during the whole takeover process.

Best regards
Keith Johnson

Looks familiar?

Indeed, it resembles the half hearted apology that we heard from John Kerry when he said that all Basques were terrorists.

And that is the problem with US citizens now a days, they think that they can say whatever they want about others because when the going gets tough they can get away with an excuse, never a true apology.

So I ask, what would have happened if instead of Euskara Keith had decided to deride lets say, Hebrew?

By now he would be getting the label journalists fear the most, and that is anti-Semitic.

Therein lies the problem, openly insulting the Basques (and the Inuits by the way) is not considered a crime by the international community, so people like Keith Johnson feels free to say whatever they want against the Basques. This situation should change and hate crime should be punished no matter what community you want to attack as part of a propaganda campaign.

The worst part is that in an authentic Freudian Slip, Keith tells us who paid him to write his shameful piece of propaganda, yes indeed, the mustached midget is behind the whole incident.

Keith, your excuse won't fly, we demand a public apology from yourself and from the Wall Street Journal.

~ ~ ~

Aznar Suffers Dementia

Yes indeed, José María Aznar needs to be put in a mental institution as soon as possible.

Despite all the evidence against his conspiracy theory he insists on carrying on with it.

Here you have a note published by the UPI regarding this issue:

Aznar insists ETA is to blame for bombing

Published: Nov. 9, 2007 at 12:21 AM

MADRID, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar said this week that the Basque separatist group ETA was involved in the 2004 Madrid train bombings.

Aznar said the planners of the bombings "are not in remote deserts or faraway mountains," El Pais reported.

Aznar's government was ousted three days after 191 people died in the bombings on March 11, 2004. Voters turned to the Socialist Party because they blamed Aznar and his Partido Popular for supporting the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and for focusing on ETA as evidence grew that linked the bombings to Islamists with ties to al-Qaida.

A recent poll indicated that the percentage of Spaniards who believe Islamist terrorists were alone responsible rose by 25 percent during the trial of the accused bombers, to 78 percent, the ThinkSpain Web site reported.

Leaders of Aznar's Partido Popular have distanced themselves from his insistence that ETA was involved.

The Socialist Party has released a video of past statements from the Partido Popular on the bombings. Justice Minister Mariano Fernandez Bermejo suggested Aznar's best course is to "shut up."

I insist, I think it is time to put this delusional idiot behind bars, unless of course Barcepundit wants to nominate Aznar for the Nobel Peace Prize or some other honor like that.

~ ~ ~

Basque Government's Formal Complaint

The hate crime committed by Keith Johnson against the Basque community has elicited a formal complaint by the Basque Government to the Wall Street Journal.

Here you have the note published by EITb:

Life

Article about Basque

Basque Government sends complaint letter to Wall Street Journal

11/09/2007

The letter says the article "doesn't reflect neither the situation of Basque language nor the linguistical politics of the Executive". The author answered saying he didn't pretend to denigrate the Euskera.

Basque Government answered with indignation the article published on Tuesday by the Wall Street Journal entitled "Basque Inquisition: How Do You Say Shepherd in Euskera?", an article "which doesn't reflect neither the situation of the Euskera nowadays nor the linguistical politics of the Executive of Gastéis. It is also surprising the fact that the article appeared in the front page of a newspaper of economic articles".

Aitor Sotes, representative of Basque Government in the US, said he was surprised when he read that and he added that he has sent a letter asking for a rectification.

The executive od Gasteiz defends that the Euskera is in a revival moment after 40 years of dictatorship. This is possible thanks to the efforts of the different areas such as Education or Health.

My goodness, and then the author responds that he was not trying to denigrate Euskara. What was he trying to do? Please his Spanish wife with a last name that reminds us of another Basque-phobe, this one by the name of José Millán Astray?

A true apology is expected Mr. Johnson, your demi-cul one is not gonna fly.

~ ~ ~

Keith Johnson Exposed by Mike Morris

This note appeared at EITb:

Life

Answer to an article

Expert answers the article of the 'Wall Street Journal'

11/09/2007

The author of a translation dictionary from English to Basque answers the article published on Monday in the Wall Street Journal, related to the Euskera. The letter, defends Basque comparing it with many other languages.

Mikel Morris, author of a translation dictionary from English to Basque, answers the article written in the Wall Street Journal. The article, publishes on Monday, criticises Basque language and the fact that teachers in the Basque Country have to take a year off work to learn the language.

In the answer, Mr. Morris says "it is a shame that the author didn't contact expert people to write the article". The he also compares Basque language with other minor language or even how "every language creates neologisms when new concepts come up".

In what follows we reproduce the whole letter written by Mikel Morris, author of the translation dictionary from English to French Leading English-Basque dictionary, answering the article written by Mr. Johnson in the Wall Street Journal.

The letter

Dear Mr. Johnson, My name is Mikel Morris and am the author of the Leading English-Basque dictionary .

Thus, I feel that I am qualified to speak on this subject. It is a shame that you did not contact expert people who are actually familiar with languages in general and with Basque in particular. To begin with, Leopoldo Barreda is hardly an authority to have an informed opinion of Basque since he knows hardly any Basque (and I am skeptical as to whether he could get by in any other language other than Spanish). It is scientifically false to say that a language is more ancient than another and wholly inaccurate to say that a language such as Basque is little suited to modern life. Every bona fide linguist knows that any language can express any idea, especially when language planning has taken place.

I fail to understand what you mean by "newly minted" words such as aireportu, zientzia, demokrazia. Every language creates neologisms when new concepts come up. You should study the case of Icelandic or even French. Basque is no exception.

Your observation on shepherd is an example of gross ignorance of not Only Basque but of English as well. The origin of the word shepherd is sceaphierde, (From Old English) from sceap "sheep" + hierde "herder," from heord "a herd" ( Cf. M.L.G., M.Du. schaphirde, M.H.G. schafhirte, Ger. dial. schafhirt.) The Webster dictionary defines "shepherd" as "1 : a person who tends sheep" Thus, you probably meant "herder" or "drover" rather than "shepherd", but then again that term is too general in English and is usually combined with the animal being driven.

You mention that Basque numbers have no relationship to Indo-European And that would seem to be a disadvantage. Are European children in Finland, Hungary, Estonia and Turkey at an equal disadvantage? I think not. Finns pray to "Jumala", is that bad or equally as bad as "Jainkoa"? Why?

I am especially amazed at Joseba Arregi (who writes his surname as Arregi not Arregui as you write it though you could have written it as Arregy to make it more palatable to an English-speaking readership;-)). If you quoted him correctly, he has turned full circle in what he had been working for when he basked in power in the PNV. He helped me with my own dictionary project.

As for statistics, I fail to see where you got the figure 450,000,000 speakers for Spanish. Are you including Anglos who speak "Taco Bell" English in the States? German tourists who can order a beer in pidgin Spanish in the Costa Brava? George Bush? Indians in Guatemala who can barely utter a sentence in intelligible Spanish? An authoritative estimate from the Ethnologue Survey (SIL) gave a figure of 332,000,000 in 1999. Has Spanish acquired an extra 120,000,000 since 1999? If so, that is truly amazing but hardly plausible.

Finally, we get to the crux of the problem: is Basque an official language? If so, it should be equal in every way to Spanish. If not, that should be so stated and either be accepted as a fact or changed. Swedish is still official in Finland even though a small minority actually uses it as their mother tongue. I can hardly feel sorry for Spanish-speaking teachers who refused to learn Basque before. I myself, a native speaker of English, was able to give classes in Basque and Spanish at a High School.

It is a shame that you won't answer me but at least you are confronted With some facts and questions. Although I understand your rabidly pro-Spanish leanings, you should, in the name of good journalism, get your facts straight and talk to competent people who know something about languages.

Sincerely Yours

Mikel Morris

~ ~ ~

Love Letter to Keith Johnson

Here it is, enjoy it:

Dear Mr. Johnson,

I take this opportunity to congratulate you for your excellent article titled "Basque Inquisition: How do you say shepherd in Euskera?".

The editorial staff at the Wall Street Journal must be so proud to count with such an intelligent, well informed and witty reporter like you.

It was about time to put those Basques in the place were they all belong, watching over a herd of something, be it pigs, donkeys, cows, whatever, who cares, their basic intellects fit perfectly with their cavemen-era language and shepherding is the only activity that they should be allowed to perform. Your article will finally make them understand that they do no belong in this world.

Even more, I like your brave posture regarding the languages that modern people should speak, besides the Spanish that you mention (how else could we interact with the janitors and the groundskeepers slaving away in our transnational megacorporations) the only languages that should be allowed in this high tech world are English, French, Russian and Japanese. All the other ones should disappear along with that Euskara non sense. I think you should take it a step forward and call for all the books written in Euskara and other dialects to be burn in huge bonfires in front of the city halls of all the cities of the world. Who needs dialects like Mayan, Hebrew or Tagalog when we can all communicate perfectly in English?

The Basques must understand that the day that they decided to be part of Spain and France a compromise to learn real languages was included in the deal, I mean, they begged to be French and Spanish for so long, why then this useless obsession with speaking a language that only cows, sheep and donkeys understand?

Plus, we have to remember the warning given to the free world by the great human rights champion and liberator of the Iraqi people, José María Aznar, who constantly reminded us that every single Euskera speaking person is a potential terrorist. Why else would he help making the world safer by clamping down on the Ikastolak (the Basque language school system) and shutting down evil media outlets like Egunkaria and Euskal Irratia?

We need to take our fight against terrorism one step further, why don't you contact your congressman in order to get the USA to donate the money needed to build walls around the Basque towns were people still speak their barbaric and violent Euskera language? We can not afford for them to switch back from wielding grammar to wielding guns. A wall is working for the USA and for Israel, why not for Spain and France?

I specially liked the part where you tell the Basques that they are so stupid that 2,000 years ago they did not come up with Euskera words for airport, computer, fiber optic, quantum physics, television and space station; I mean, they did not have those back then?

This lack of words in their vocabulary indicates just how inferior Basques are when compared to their Spanish and French counterparts. That explains why the Spaniards have been trying to erase them from the face of the earth like they did with those tribes in America called Aztecs and Incas. If the Spanish were not so obedient of the international laws that bestow rights to the Basques and other üntermenschen Madrid could have solved this problem a long time ago.

So Keith, I hope you can accept my invitation to a nice bullfight in Madrid so we can share together the amazing and progressive Spanish culture, then we could go to the subway and kick a Latin American teenage girl on the head, later we could take part in a paramilitary parade organized by the Ermua's Forum and the Falange Youth, finally we could cap it up by taking flowers to the Valle de los Caídos to honor Francisco Franco and thank Adolph Hitler and Benito Mussolini for ushering a new age of light and brotherhood in Spain.

Yours Truly.

~ ~ ~