Avril Lavigne - Kiss Me

Kiss me
out of the bearded barly
nightly
beside the green green grass
swing swing (swing swing)
swing the spinning step
you wear those shoes and
i will wear that dress.

ohhhh......
(chorus)
kiss me
beneath the milky twilight
lead me
out on the moonlit floor,
lift your open hand
strike up the band and
make the fog lights dance
silver moon sparkling.
So, kiss me.

Kiss me (kiss me)
Down by the broken treehouse
Swing me (swing me)
upon it's hanging tire,
Bring bring (bring bring)
bring your flowerhat
we'll take the trail marked on your
father's map, ohhhhh

(chorus)

instrumental section

OHHH....kiss me
beneath the milky twilight
lead me
out on the moonlit floor,
lift your open hand
strike up the band and
make the fog lights dance
silver moon sparkling.
So, kiss me.

So, kiss me.

So, kiss me.

(lalala lalala)

So, kiss me.

Tianmen Mountain

Tianmen Mountain
天门山
Location
Location	Tianmen Mountain National Park, Zhangjiajie, in northwestern Hunan Province, China

Tianmen Mountain (Chinese: 天门山; pinyin: Tiānmén Shān) is a mountain located within Tianmen Mountain National Park, Zhangjiajie, in northwestern Hunan Province, China.
A cablecar was constructed by the French company Poma from nearby Zhangjiajie railway station to the top of the mountain. Tianmen Mountain Cableway is claimed in tourist publications as the "longest passenger cableway of high mountains in the world", with 98 cars and a total length of 7,455 metres and ascent of 1,279 metres. The highest gradient is an unusual 37 degrees. Tourists can walk on kilometres of paths built onto the cliff face at the top of the mountain, including sections with glass floors. An 11km road with 99 bends also reaches the top of the mountain and takes visitors to Tianmen cave, a natural hole in the mountain of a height of 131.5 metres.^[4]
A large temple is also located on the summit with chairlift or footpath access. The original temple here was built in the Tang Dynasty. Today a more recent construction with Tang dynasty architecture occupies the site and includes a vegetarian restaurant in the 10000 square metre setting.
On September 25, 2011 Jeb Corliss glided through the 100 feet (30 m) wide archway in the mountain using a wing suit. The flight began from a helicopter at 6,000 feet (1,800 m), and ended with a safe landing on a nearby bridge.

Himalayas

The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya, is a mountain range immediately to the north of the Indian subcontinent. By extension, it can also refer to the massive mountain system that additionally includes the Karakoram, the Hindu Kush, and other lesser ranges that extend out from the Pamir Knot. Some of the world's major river systems arise in the Himalayas, and their combined drainage basins are home to some 3 billion people (almost half of the Earth's population) in 18 countries. The Himalayas have profoundly shaped the cultures of South Asia; many Himalayan peaks are sacred in Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. Geologically, the Himalayas originate from the northward movement of the Indian tectonic plate at 15 cm per year to impact the Eurasian continent, with first contact about 70 million years ago, and with movement continuing today. This caused the formation of the Himalayan arc peaks: the lighter rocks of the seabeds of that time were easily uplifted into mountains. An often-cited fact used to illustrate this process is that the summit of Mount Everest is made of marine limestone.

Geography

Overall, the Himalayan mountain system is the world's highest, and is home to the world's highest peaks, the Eight-thousanders. To comprehend the enormous scale of this mountain range, consider that Aconcagua, in the Andes, at 6,962 metres (22,841 ft), is the highest peak outside Asia, whereas the Himalayan system includes over 100 mountains exceeding 7,200 metres (23,622 ft). There are 14 Himalayan peaks with elevation over 8,000 metres (26,000 ft). The five highest peaks in the Himalaya are:

• Everest, 8,848 metres (29,029 ft)
• K2, 8,611 metres (28,251 ft)
• Kangchenjunga, 8,586 metres (28,169 ft)
• Lhotse, 8,516 metres (27,940 ft)
• Makalu, 8,462 metres (27,762 ft)

The main Himalayan range runs west to east, from the Indus river valley to the Brahmaputra river valley, forming an arc 2,400 km (1,500 mi) long, which varies in width from 400 km (250 mi) in the western Kashmir-Xinjiang region to 150 km (93 mi) in the eastern Tibet-Arunachal Pradesh region. The range consists of three coextensive sub-ranges, with the northernmost, and highest, known as the Great or Inner Himalayas.

In Hindu mythology

In Hindu mythology, Himavat is the God of snow, a personification of the Himalayas, which are also known as Himavat Mountains. He is the ruler of Himalaya Kingdom, which finds mention the epic Mahabharata. He is father of daughter, Ganga (Ganges), Saraswati who became rivers and Parvati, who married Shiva.

Ecology 

 

The flora and fauna of the Himalayas vary with climate, rainfall, altitude, and soils. The climate ranges from tropical at the base of the mountains to permanent ice and snow at the highest elevations. Owing to the latitude near the Tropic of Cancer, the permanent snow line is among the highest in the world at typically around 5,500 metres (18,000 ft) - for comparison, equatorial mountains in New Guinea and the Rwenzoris have a snow line some 900 metres (2,950 ft) lower. The amount of yearly rainfall increases from west to east along the southern front of the range. This diversity of altitude, rainfall and soil conditions combined with the very high snow line supports a variety of distinct plant and animal communities. For example the extremes of high altitude (low atmospheric pressure) combined with extreme cold allow extremophile organisms to survive. The unique floral and faunal wealth of the Himalayas is undergoing structural and compositional changes due to climate change. The increase in temperature may shift various species to higher elevations. The oak forest is being invaded by pine forests in the Garhwal Himalayan region. There are reports of early flowering and fruiting in some tree species, especially rhododendron, apple and Myrica esculenta. The medicinal properties of some important species may be affected by changing climate.

Religion

The Taktshang Monastery, also known as the "Tiger's Nest"

 

Several places in the Himalaya are of religious significance in Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and Buddhism. In Hinduism, the Himalaya have also been personified as the god Himavat, the father of Shiva's consort, Parvati. A notable example of a religious site is Paro Taktsang, where Padmasambhava is said to have founded Buddhism in Bhutan. A number of Tibetan Buddhist sites are situated in the Himalaya, including the residence of the Dalai Lama. There were over 6,000 monasteries in Tibet. The Tibetan Muslims had their own mosques in Lhasa and Shigatse.

Rendang

Rendang is a spicy meat dish which originated from the Minangkabau ethnic group of Indonesia,and is now commonly served across the country.One of the characteristic foods of Minangkabau culture, it is served at ceremonial occasions and to honour guests. Also popular in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the southern Philippines and southern Thailand, rendang is traditionally prepared by the Indonesian community during festive occasions. Culinary expert often describe rendang as: 'West Sumatra caramelized beef curry'. Though rendang is sometimes described as being like a curry, and the name is sometimes applied to curried meat dishes in Malaysia, authentic rendang is nothing like a curry. In 2011 an online poll by 35,000 people held by CNN International chose Rendang as the number one dish of their 'World’s 50 Most Delicious Foods' list.

Composition and cooking method

Rendang is rich in spices; next to main meat ingredient, rendang uses coconut milk (Minangkabau: karambia), and mixture of ground spices paste, which include ginger, galangal, turmeric leaves, lemon grass, garlic, shallot, chillies and other spices. These spices are called pemasak in Minangkabau language. Spices used in rendang are known as a natural antimicrobial substances and serve as natural organic preservatives. Garlic, shallot, ginger and galangal are known to have strong antimicrobial properties.That is why dry rendang if cooked properly could last for as long as four weeks.The authentic Padang rendang took hours to cook (usually four hours), that is why cooking rendang is time-consuming and requires patience.The pieces of meats slowly cooked in coconut milk and spices in perfect heat until almost all the liquid is gone, allowing the meat to absorb the spicy condiments. The cooking process changes from boiling to frying as the liquid evaporates. The slow cooking process allows the meat to absorb all the spices and to become tender.During the process, the meat in spicy coconut milk should be slowly and carefully stirred and turned over without burning or ruining the meat — well until all the liquids evaporated. This process is known as caramelization in culinary technique, in rendang case is not using sugar, but caramelizing coconut milk instead. Because of using numerous and generous amount of spices, rendang is known to having a complex and unique taste. Rendang is often served with steamed rice, ketupat (compressed rice cake), or lemang (glutinous rice barbecued in bamboo tubes), accompanied with vegetable side dishes of boiled cassava leaf, cubadak (young jackfruit gulai), cabbage gulai, and lado (red or green chilli pepper sambal).

Cultural significance

Rendang is known as one dish to be delivered to elders during Minangkabau traditional ceremony

Rendang is revered in Minangkabau culture, as it contains their philosophy, musyawarah; traditional discussion and consultation to the elders. The four main ingredients symbolize the wholeness of Minangkabau society:

1. Dagiang (meat), symbolize "Niniak Mamak": traditional clan leaders; such as datuk, nobles, royalties or revered elders.
2. Karambia (coconut), symbolize "Cadiak Pandai": intellectuals such as teachers, poets and writers
3. Lado (chilli), symbolize "Alim Ulama": clerics, ulama and religious leader. The hotness of chilli symbolize the strict sharia
4. Pemasak (spices), symbolize the rest of Minangkabau society.

In Minangkabau tradition, rendang is pre-requisite dish during special occasions in traditional Minang ceremonies and served to honor a special guest. From birth ceremony to circumcision, marriage, and Al Quran recital.
In Malay tradition such as those in Riau, Jambi, Medan in Sumatra or Seremban and Kota Bharu in Malay Peninsula, rendang is a special dish served in various traditional ceremonies; circumcision, marriage, and religious festival such as Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha.
In Malay classical literature, rendang is mentioned in Hikayat Amir Hamzah as early as the 1550s.

Variations

Rendang is made from beef (or occasionally beef liver, chicken, mutton, water buffalo, duck, or vegetables like jackfruit or cassava). Chicken or duck rendang also contains tamarind and is usually not cooked for as long as beef rendang. Other Rendang variations:

1. Rendang daging: meat rendang, the most common rendang is made from meat of various cattle product; beef, water buffalo, goat, mutton or lamb
2. Rendang ayam: chicken rendang
3. Rendang itiak or Rendang bebek: duck rendang
4. Rendang hati: cattle liver rendang
5. Rendang talua or Rendang telur: eggs rendang, specialty of Payakumbuh
6. Rendang paru: cattle lung rendang, specialty of Payakumbuh

Beef liver rendang

Leaning Tower of Pisa

The Leaning Tower of Pisa (Italian: Torre pendente di Pisa) or simply the Tower of Pisa (Torre di Pisa) is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa, known worldwide for its unintended tilt to one side. It is situated behind the Cathedral and is the third oldest structure in Pisa's Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo) after the Cathedral and the Baptistry. The tower's tilt began during construction, caused by an inadequate foundation on ground too soft on one side to properly support the structure's weight. The tilt increased in the decades before the structure was completed, and gradually increased until the structure was stabilized (and the tilt partially corrected) by efforts in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
The height of the tower is 55.86 m (183.27 ft) from the ground on the low side and 56.70 m (186.02 ft) on the high side. The width of the walls at the base is 4.09 m (13.42 ft) and at the top 2.48 m (8.14 ft). Its weight is estimated at 14,500 metric tons (16,000 short tons). The tower has 296 or 294 steps; the seventh floor has two fewer steps on the north-facing staircase. Prior to restoration work performed between 1990 and 2001, the tower leaned at an angle of 5.5 degrees,but the tower now leans at about 3.99 degrees.This means that the top of the tower is displaced horizontally 3.9 metres (12 ft 10 in) from where it would be if the structure were perfectly vertical.

Construction

Construction of the tower occurred in three stages across 177 years. Work on the ground floor of the white marble campanile began on August 8, 1173, during a period of military success and prosperity. This ground floor is a blind arcade articulated by engaged columns with classical Corinthian capitals.
The tower began to sink after construction had progressed to the second floor in 1178. This was due to a mere three-metre foundation, set in weak, unstable subsoil, a design that was flawed from the beginning. Construction was subsequently halted for almost a century, because the Republic of Pisa was almost continually engaged in battles with Genoa, Lucca, and Florence. This allowed time for the underlying soil to settle. Otherwise, the tower would almost certainly have toppled.^{[citation needed]} In 1198 clocks were temporarily installed on the third floor of the unfinished construction.
In 1272 construction resumed under Giovanni di Simone, architect of the Camposanto. In an effort to compensate for the tilt, the engineers built upper floors with one side taller than the other. Because of this, the tower is actually curved.Construction was halted again in 1284, when the Pisans were defeated by the Genoans in the Battle of Meloria. The seventh floor was completed in 1319. It was built by Tommaso di Andrea Pisano, who succeeded in harmonizing the Gothic elements of the bell-chamber with the Romanesque style of the tower. There are seven bells, one for each note of the musical major scale. The largest one was installed in 1655. The bell-chamber was finally added in 1372.
After a phase (1990–2001) of structural strengthening,the tower is currently undergoing gradual surface restoration, in order to repair visual damage, mostly corrosion and blackening. These are particularly pronounced due to the tower's age and its exposure to wind and rain.

Architect

There has been controversy about the real identity of the architect of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. For many years, the design was attributed to Guglielmo and Bonanno Pisano, a well-known 12th-century resident artist of Pisa, famous for his bronze casting, particularly in the Pisa Duomo. Bonanno Pisano left Pisa in 1185 for Monreale, Sicily, only to come back and die in his home town. A piece of cast with his name was discovered at the foot of the tower in 1820, but this may be related to the bronze door in the façade of the cathedral that was destroyed in 1595. However, recent studiesseem to indicate Diotisalvi as the original architect due to the time of construction and affinity with other Diotisalvi works, notably the bell tower of San Nicola and the Baptistery, both in Pisa. However, he usually signed his works and there is no signature by him in the bell tower which leads to further speculation.

History following construction

 

Galileo Galilei is said to have dropped two cannon balls of different masses from the tower to demonstrate that their speed of descent was independent of their mass. However, this is considered an apocryphal tale, its only source being Galileo's secretary.During World War II, the Allies discovered that the Germans were using the tower as an observation post. A U.S. Army sergeant sent to confirm the presence of German troops in the tower was impressed by the beauty of the cathedral and its campanile, and thus refrained from ordering an artillery strike, sparing it from destruction.On February 27, 1964, the government of Italy requested aid in preventing the tower from toppling. It was, however, considered important to retain the current tilt, due to the role that this element played in promoting the tourism industry of Pisa.A multinational task force of engineers, mathematicians, and historians gathered on the Azores islands to discuss stabilisation methods. It was found that the tilt was increasing in combination with the softer foundations on the lower side. Many methods were proposed to stabilise the tower, including the addition of 800 tonnes of lead counterweights to the raised end of the base.In 1987 the tower was declared as part of the Piazza del Duomo UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the neighbouring cathedral, baptistery and cemetery.
On January 7, 1990, after over two decades of stabilisation studies, and spurred by the abrupt collapse of the Civic Tower of Pavia in 1989, the tower was closed to the public. The bells were removed to relieve some weight, and cables were cinched around the third level and anchored several hundred meters away. Apartments and houses in the path of the tower were vacated for safety. The final solution to prevent the collapse of the tower was to slightly straighten the tower to a safer angle, by removing 38 cubic meters (50 cubic yards) of soil from underneath the raised end. The tower was straightened by 45 centimeters (18 inches), returning to its 1838 position. After a decade of corrective reconstruction and stabilization efforts, the tower was reopened to the public on December 15, 2001, and was declared stable for at least another 300 years.In May 2008, after the removal of another 70 metric tons (77 short tons) of ground, engineers announced that the Tower had been stabilized such that it had stopped moving for the first time in its history. They stated it would be stable for at least 200 years.