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day and night in concultures (was: equinox)

From:Pablo Flores <fflores@...>
Date:Friday, September 25, 1998, 14:45
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Nik Taylor wrote:

>Pablo Flores wrote: >> I once began to think, just as an exercise, about how the seasons =
would go
>> on in a planet with two or more suns.
>A great story to read relating to this is Asimov's _Nightfall_ (?), >there's also a book by Asimov based on that short story.
I've read it! It was a long time ago (I must have been 12 o 13 at that = time) but I still remember quite a lot of it. I didn't read the book = tho, just the story. I also read a short story in an omnibus collection... Stories from all = around the world, translated into English. This one is called "The = Lens", by Annemarie van Ewyck. It takes place in a planet called = Mertcha, in the mathematical centre of the Galaxy (well, now we know = there's a major black hole there, but...). The description is = impressive. I quote: "[...] And I had looked forward so much to this first, languorous ride = through the broad avenues of Tiel, under a sky full of radiance. I had = longed for the blaze of the billions of stars that shine down on this = small red planet in the mathematical centre of the galactic lens. A = world where darkness is an artificial condition and where black-out = curtains are as familiar a feature as light-switches elsewhere. [...]" There is a sun, but it's weak compared to the stars. In the Holy Place = of Tiel, starlight comes down and focuses on the center of a labyrinth = that people can walk. If you're lucky, as you get inside the labyrinth, = you get higher and higher in your spirit, and in the centre, with half = the galaxy concentrated over you, you enter holy ecstasy and you're = invited to stay and meditate with the monks in the Place.
>Imagine a language with no word for star!
If it hadn't one, someone from another planet would come and teach the = natives one. I'm Elvish about this :-) I'd prefer many stars and no sun. The "language with no word for X" topic is interesting even after being = worn out by thousands of opinions. Of concultures and conlangs I can = remember now, there's the one in planet Gethen, in Ursula K. LeGuin's = "The Left Hand of Darkness". There are a lot of words for snow and in = general for weather (some are mentioned). But there's no verb meaning = "to fly", and also no word for "war". These people can pillage, ravage, = burn down, assault, murder, etc., but never in large numbers or in an = organized fashion, so the concept of war doesn't exist. Going back to seasons, I wonder if someone has read (also Ursula's) = "Exile Planet". The planet revolves around a giant star in an orbit of = about 60 Earth years. Children are conceived mainly in autumn, so "the = Winter" is either at the beginning or the end of a person's life... = No-one except the oldest ones live enough to see two winters.
>"Public media should not contain explicit or implied descriptions of =
sex
>acts. Our society should be purged of the perverts who provide the >media with pornographic material while pretending it has some redeeming >social value under the public's 'right to know.'" - Kenneth Star, 1987
Great quote! --Pablo Flores ------ =_NextPart_000_01BDE890.09ACDBE0 Content-Type: application/ms-tnef Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64 eJ8+IhERAQaQCAAEAAAAAAABAAEAAQeQBgAIAAAA5AQAAAAAAADoAAENgAQAAgAAAAIAAgABBJAG ADwBAAABAAAADAAAAAMAADAFAAAACwAPDgAAAAACAf8PAQAAAFIAAAAAAAAAgSsfpL6jEBmdbgDd AQ9UAgAAAABDb25zdHJ1Y3RlZCBMYW5ndWFnZXMgTGlzdABTTVRQAENPTkxBTkdAQlJPV05WTS5C Uk9XTi5FRFUAAAAeAAIwAQAAAAUAAABTTVRQAAAAAB4AAzABAAAAGgAAAENPTkxBTkdAQlJPV05W TS5CUk9XTi5FRFUAAAADABUMAQAAAAMA/g8GAAAAHgABMAEAAAAdAAAAJ0NvbnN0cnVjdGVkIExh bmd1YWdlcyBMaXN0JwAAAAACAQswAQAAAB8AAABTTVRQOkNPTkxBTkdAQlJPV05WTS5CUk9XTi5F RFUAAAMAADkAAAAACwBAOgEAAAACAfYPAQAAAAQAAAAAAAAFlzkBCIAHABgAAABJUE0uTWljcm9z b2Z0IE1haWwuTm90ZQAxCAEEgAEAMAAAAFJlOiBkYXkgYW5kIG5pZ2h0IGluIGNvbmN1bHR1cmVz ICh3YXM6IGVxdWlub3gpAMkQAQWAAwAOAAAAzgcJABkACwAtAAMABQA3AQEggAMADgAAAM4HCQAZ AAsALQADAAUANwEBCYABACEAAABBODk4MTZDNjY3NTREMjExOUMyOTQ0NDU1MzU0MDAwMADBBgED kAYAsAoAABIAAAALACMAAAAAAAMAJgAAAAAACwApAAAAAAADADYAAAAAAEAAOQBgZ4QUk+i9AR4A cAABAAAAMAAAAFJlOiBkYXkgYW5kIG5pZ2h0IGluIGNvbmN1bHR1cmVzICh3YXM6IGVxdWlub3gp AAIBcQABAAAAFgAAAAG96JMUhMYWmKxUZxHSnClERVNUAAAAAB4AHgwBAAAABQAAAFNNVFAAAAAA HgAfDAEAAAAbAAAAZmZsb3Jlc0B0YXUud2FtYW5pLmFwYy5vcmcAAAMABhBnU+dGAwAHEFgJAAAe AAgQAQAAAGUAAABOSUtUQVlMT1JXUk9URTpQQUJMT0ZMT1JFU1dST1RFOklPTkNFQkVHQU5UT1RI SU5LLEpVU1RBU0FORVhFUkNJU0UsQUJPVVRIT1dUSEVTRUFTT05TV09VTERHT09OSU5BUExBAAAA AAIBCRABAAAAFgkAABIJAACbDwAATFpGdfRHA0r/AAoBDwIVAqQD5AXrAoMAUBMDVAIAY2gKwHNl dG4yBgAGwwKDMgRGAgBwcHJxMSAIVQeyAoMz9wPGBxMCgH0KgAjPCdkCgAcKgQ2xC2BuZzEwM540 CvsS8QvyE6BvdAWQAQVATmlrIFRheYMWYRk6MTggIHcaMg46GT8aRAqLbGkxNPI0AtFpLR8DDNAf Axy/2x3PG00+ID8aRFABoBZg/CBGFmEHkRxEIacijyOfIRpxPiBJIAIgY2VQIGJlZwORdCUQdAJo C4BrLCBqdXNNBUBhBCADkWV4BJBjPQQAZSpQAaAIYAVAaG//B+AqAClQEfAqwAIgJYEIYOBsZCBn byYPJx8oLK0CICALgCqwIAtRbhIA/RwwaSoAKcAtICkQBcAEYOsW0CyQdQCALiGlLa8uv+0Z6kEt cBbQYQVAKpAFsL55KcI2cS1gFtALYHQLgG5nKcUEIDiBQQCQBGB2yicEIF8aoGdoADAHQIBsXyAo PyksM2//NH8Z6ixhFtA5QQdALNAw8fUG4G8awGI3ADjkKWAqwP8JgDCSKgA2kiwgACA2tDLm4xtN IaVJJ3YpUDdTMaDuISjwMXEqwiAWYDgCB3HvKrAtgDogKQBtKoIRwELBMylwCfAgMRIgJRAxM+8q sD0yRpIHcSkpYCvxKQB/KpADEAMgFtAHgAbQFEFxnnUxoESRRAEFQG9mQzGCLijxZGlkbicFQO83 UyxiPkMqAG8qVSxjQIr/QN8L4ijxPdM3UzEAQBkww78DoANwAwBHcAQgFkFsGmH6aQIgLlGQBgA2 0QiQBCDfA1I9wQMgCsAIYG5KtC0g5nItUCpQdHIAcTfBP2F7C4Ap0UUYgB7gQBBJ0FRvOHICIClQ OIFjOeE/YSLLVZApUEwJ8HMiKlA+kk5uMVAAwAiBIHYDkUUwd3lja0nRPTFha18HkQtRKUEw2lZV TQSQdH8RsSpQMNEsYgDALGFcIWl/VlFQ4AnwVAApUEmBLGJHSQdAYXg3ACh3N7BszSpQbiwxXlAg a16yPVf9XBFqBbECYADQGsAsIFEg7z1EV2Er8FGRKVVyKVANsP8E9FFhOKIHcBOgB5AAkELAT0nS SMAlySGlIltRkV3/V6EtYCkAEcAtYBZgPmA/Yf0CEHJDsAsgLJAlEEUgEbD3OCcfUBHgdCpQGGJk QFLx/wQgBRANsCnxUvE5oErEA2D7TwJCwG4KUFXBSZAHYDewrypQUxEUQU8xazcAZi1A/wMgSYFU EEoQAHApQEnSZkSvGIBmxErEC2B6XUdiR/H/UWFrYyqQEdE/tguAYkEsMPdQUT+iOIFzAMBIAy1g MSX/W79czymQWaF0oUQAVyFJ0P82QFOTHDA9YkoACsBfIGOR/ziiA5EKwDfgH1ArYHTSAiBfShBi 0wBwdzZgcy0r4mN/CHABkAuAKtEycSrBOdBt9wMQBzBsUmY2gQhwe+Me4P05oS0D4VtRB5E3sBHw d1P7SdBlgyJMrFbRMnF4QjKS/2FzQzE5QV5QWUBQ4WNge8G/SrEp4kwiEdFJ0XPUSAbw/TcAUFmj a4dw0n2TgkIHkf9x43nyAhB7MBHwVcIsU1zy7xRBSYFD8QGgeQUQAjBqQvE2kXBlbwtQh9EDkUOw 1mxY0kmQeQhgJzJxCkD9WMB5K6EEIIrhLXBzkwCQ/2mzizGIxipQi/YqEDmgbEKfUyGOVTDRiuEF wHNwaID/MaAroVMhc8Vc9CpQMZMRwP5sdYheEXlRXPNUYzkgFEF/iuGNtIgEYNE3AAWQcNFz7zcA efKK5QuAdkjhgsNw0X+VtAeAeYFUYTGFdAICIGufOJFz1ISDTJ0hpT5JAMD+Z3GiiJJpAUSwmDVe sFOC+26kcNIhQjZJkmYySkJV4f+FUYYhVeJSVF6wPVIxFy0z34YSeeMaUADQakRuN9FCwMtVw0nR J1KARWyWoEAQ8yu1OGM6LUdQQqBzMRbQ/3zgMjEAcDcAcNR58pzxMqGbTJ1W0iKcH50nWCIpwb+Q AHZQOIKIEgeQN+NlaxH/KrABgBRBKXA38lORUFEr8f8+kUthKoB58WtjqnEDACzh/UnQT0mQkvIt QH0SppR5Uf8YYgQgKQCKEkg3XrFT4T1l7yxiVeMDoDElRxIALHCBQd0w0VUR4C1AMQBLSdBXEP5H SNBKQAQgVsUBgIQgefL1SYFEd8UiYgN70nvSSTb/nSJSMZ2CXrKQdW6AMVBUEO8DIG7CggGgkyif knuzB4DvAjBRYQmAYfFCpJM9dJzx3ZPRYpexAHA38iIp0RhQ3nlXUXnyPdOc+iJnIbcU/xHwiZqQ ADnwqOEqUFQQWFD/wfJHcAShceKLoq3Ar2EqUJ9FIAsgBJAqUBIAYy6BVO8xUJPSMNELYHKo8Wsw SHL/VcGPU1BCxcC90W9wZtEqwP8qEAIgn3KHpCkiBTG4QgrB/3HgB5BKQisgBABJwJofIdL8R283 8j8wYKGXAiy0KlD/KQAtIGwjBpCfhxHAaXE3Yp4oPdO0RDlAR1AiRcowv2DxhIExUbcUMRYW0HYG 8P+jIlLlMQCboABwNqIKwca213AQSWMrxDZOUEV4oTHA9nkssIOCQyoQLVAW0HiC/8iVY8GXoQtx hFEw0ivwxhD3yBS+MCxxV6rzqkA4gaxw/6CTRpMpUwuAveNu1QnwtkN/MQHGQQIgOUEe4HzgUZJO /m964FXxKyDI47JzLVCrQf9V0n1yQsEJ8GoUzJJhATHxfwPwiBIy30Ffmro77xpEIvxQdQJgdkGX wk8zLUKgcf95QntiKxELUHjxSWGPUWNg/x7gP2FiaXCEKyDhfzuPGeq/dhF2oa7gj8KHEAiQdKYx /+YkKXAxEAhwboJdZdwhk9H/7LB3QSUQGiGWoIy06b/qz1cZ6uW0MZNwrNFvCcBh/nAqEOWRVGEH IndB0EJjcf8aUHlxOAGeo3KRocIW0Qng/3xQGIDwz/HfGertQnTRWFD/CkFsBe8D5VM5QYsQhcMp 0elfIi4nqkAttKAJ8DFRDzHAUdAKwCpQMTk4N3/4H04jy2Y2c2QznfbhDC2+LSTa/18g3wrBF/EA BqAAAAMAEBAAAAAAAwAREAAAAABAAAcwYJE0TY/ovQFAAAgwYGeEFJPovQEeAD0AAQAAAAUAAABS ZTogAAAAADnf ------ =_NextPart_000_01BDE890.09ACDBE0--