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Category: Dancing With The Has-Beens
Former "Dancing With The Stars" Host Brooke Burke Drags New Host Tyra Banks For Being "A Diva" And Pulling Focus
April 14, 2022 / Posted by: Kristian
Dancing With The Stars has gone through a lot of changes recently. Most drastic is the change from the series moving from ABC to Disney+. But before that, Tyra Banks took over from Tom Bergeron who hosted since season one. But that's Tyra Banks: DRAHMAH! And that's the problem, so says Brooke Burke, a former host of the show. In a new interview, Brooke's review of Tyra of a host is not glowing. Calling her a "Diva," Brooke more than suggests that Tyra often pulls focus. YOU DON'T SAY?!
Tags: Brooke Burke, Dancing With The Has-Beens, Dancing With The Stars, Tyra Banks
The Full Cast Of The 30th Season Of "Dancing With The Stars" Was Announced
September 8, 2021 / Posted by: Kristian
The entire cast of who will shimmy for attention and a check on the new season of Dancing with the Stars was announced this morning. We already heard that YouTuber JoJo Siwa joined the cast and will be part of the U.S. version's first same-sex pair. Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Sunisa "Suni" Lee was also named as a contestant, as well as world-renowned collegiate rower Olivia Jade. And today, we learned that also part of the cast is Sporty Spice herself, Melanie Chisholm, from the Spice Girls. Pack it up losers! It's time to spice up your goddamn lives!
Tags: Brian Austin Green, Christine Chiu, Cody Rigsby, Dancing With The Has-Beens, Dancing With The Stars, Iman Shumpert, Jojo Siwa, Kenya Moore, Lori Loughlin, Melanie C, Melanie Chisholm, Olivia Jade, Tyra Banks
JoJo Siwa Will Be A Part Of The First Ever Same-Sex Team On "Dancing With The Stars"
August 27, 2021 / Posted by: Kristian
Dancing With The Stars will be back for season 7421 this fall. Okay, only the 30th but honestly, it feels like more. The show has been on for 16 years and this coming season will feature the first-ever same-sex pairing. Two members of the cast have already been announced. Gold medalist Olympic gymnast, Sunisa "Suni" Lee, and dancing ponytail JoJo Siwa will be a part of the cast. JoJo will dance with a female partner. Other countries' versions of DWTS have featured same-sex couples, but this is the first time the U.S. version has. So ABC's feedback line better be prepared to explode from all of the gay-hating tricks who are going to call in.
Tags: Carrie Ann Inaba, Dancing With The Has-Beens, Dancing With The Stars, Jojo Siwa
Meanwhile On "Dancing With The Stars," Tyra Banks Screwed Up And Anne Heche Talked About How Going Public With Ellen DeGeneres Messed Up Her Career
October 6, 2020 / Posted by: Kristian
SPOILER ALERT for the two of you here who watch: Anne Heche was eliminated from Dancing With The Stars this week but not before Tyra Banks experienced her first major televised fuck up as she announced an incorrect bottom two. And apparently after the elimination, Anne was pissed. But before she huffed off, she talked about how dating Ellen DeGeneres fucked shit up for her, and I'm not talking about the time she ended up at a stranger's house in the desert and told them she was the daughter of God. I'm talking about her money and movie career.
Tags: Anne Heche, Dancing With The Has-Beens, Dancing With The Stars, Tyra Banks
Carole Baskin Is Being Sued For Defamation By Her Missing Husband's Family
September 23, 2020 / Posted by: Kristian
Carole Baskin, the 59-year-old big-cat rescuer who was famous for fifteen minutes because coronavirus quarantine was keeping sane people indoors and so they all watched Tiger King for some reason, is getting sued. Carole, who is currently doing the least on Dancing with the Accused Murderers Stars, has long been accused of murdering her husband (who disappeared one day), Don Lewis, and feeding him to her big cats after running his dead body through a meat grinder. His family is now suing her for allegedly being part of jokes about Don's disappearance on DWTS.
Tags: Carole Baskin, Dancing With The Has-Beens, Dancing With The Stars, Tiger King
The Cast Of The 29th Season Of "Dancing With The Stars" Has Been Announced, And Yes, Carole Baskin Is In It
Dancing With The Stars officially announced the cast of its 29th season on Good Morning America today. We already heard that tiger savior and possible husband murderer Carole Baskin and Anne Heche were going to risk breaking their bones for a check, and joining them and the rest of the cast will be Nev Schulman of MTV's Catfish and Jesse Metcalf, the big-tittied gardener from Desperate Housewives.
The new season starts on September 14th and if the promos are any indication this cast reveal doesn't even matter because this show is going to be all about new host and executive producer, Tyra Banks. Well, we've known for quite some time that much like the Borg, Tyra likes to insert herself places and take the fuck over.
Tags: AJ McLean, Carole Baskin, Dancing With The Has-Beens, Dancing With The Stars, Jeannie Mai, Jesse Metcalfe, Johnny Weir, Nelly, Nev Schulman, Skai Jackson, Tyra Banks


The Vineyard, Looe, Cornwall, sleeps 4-13 in 7 bedrooms.
The Vineyard is a very spacious modern house sleeping 13 with a heated outdoor pool and in a very private setting within 32 acres of fields and vineyard. The location affords incredible sea views over Whitsand Bay and Seaton Beach and makes this stunning house perfect for family gatherings and celebrations.
The ground floor has marble floors throughout and has great socialising spaces, including a huge open plan family room with TV. The designer kitchen is decorated and equipped to a very high standard, and there's a separate utility room too. The spacious dining room seats 13, and a 2nd snug/living room allows your group to spread out if they wish.
Full length glass doors lead from the family room to a huge decked area with private outdoor heated swimming pool, barbecue and outdoor dining and a seating area. Dogs are welcome and there is parking for up to 8 cars.
Popular Seaton beach which has a beach cafe is within walking distance. Or walk along to Downderry, another popular beach. Good restaurants and pubs nearby include the Blue Plate and the Inn on the Shore at Downderry, both very popular.
Torpoint and Looe are both approx 15 minutes away by car. From Torpoint there's a 15 minute car ferry to the historical town of Plymouth, with fabulous shops, an award winning shopping centre, restaurants and the famous Theatre Royal. The South West Way coast path is just a short walk from the house, and golfers can enjoy the 18 hole golf course at the prestigious Whitsand Bay Hotel as well as Looe golf club.The twin villages of Kingsand and Cawsand, and the delightful Mount Edgcumbe Country Park, are both a short drive.
Seaton is ideally situated as a base from which to explore south east Cornwall and beyond; along this spectacular coastline there are unchanged villages to visit, a large selection of fabulous beaches and activities for all ages.
Fabulous open plan kitchen with integrated Neff oven, espresso machine, dishwasher, fridge, freezer and microwave. Utility room with washer and dryer.
Large marble dining table in open plan kitchen plus a separate formal dining room off the kitchen with comfortable seating for 13 people.
Huge open plan living room/kitchen which has sea views and doors opening to the deck and swimming pool. Comfy seating for 13 guests. Separate snug.
Large TV in the living room. DVD player, iPod dock and radio also in the house.
WiFi and phone line in the house. There is mobile reception for most networks.
Underfloor heating on the ground floor. Central heating upstairs.
3 doubles (2 of which are are en suite), 2 single rooms, 1 twin room (2 singles), 1 triple room (3 singles).
All bed linen and house towels are included in the price. Guests are asked to bring their own beach towels.
4 bathrooms (2 en suite) and 1 separate toilet. 2 bathrooms have a bath and 2 have showers.
Unfortunately the house does not have disabled access or facilities.
A travel cot is in the property plus 2 small child futon beds. We ask that guests bring their own bedding/linen for these. High chair available.
Situated in 32 acres of private vineyards and farmland so plenty to explore. Lawned areas, decked area with outdoor seating around the pool, barbecue.
Private outdoor pool, open and heated April to end October. Outside pool heated by an air source pump so the temp is still dependent on the weather.
Hardwood gates lead to private parking on the drive area for 8 cars.
Smoking is not allowed inside the property.
The property is surrounded by 32 acres of farmland and vineyards and overlooks Seaton beach. It is approx 5 miles to the A38. The South West coast path is within a short walk of the house.
Torpoint and Looe are the biggest towns nearby approx 15 mins by car. From Torpoint you can take a 15 minute car ferry to the historical City of Plymouth which has fabulous shops and harbour.
A grocery shop and post office can be found in the centre of Downderry on the main road through. There are more shops and a Co-op in Looe approx 4 miles away. The closest supermarket is in Liskeard.
Smugglers Inn in Seaton is approx 1 mile (20 min walk), The Inn on The Shore in Downderry is a 40 min walk. Blue Plate Restaurant also in Downderry and there is a beach cafe on Seaton Beach.
Normal changeover day is Friday. Min stay is 3 nights, midweek breaks and short breaks are available. Min stay in peak summer and some half terms is 7 nights, 4 night min stay over Xmas/NY. We require a refundable £300 damage deposit. Pool is closed Nov-March. Please make an enquiry for more info.
Looe 4 miles away. Famous and very scenic branch line joining mainline at Liskeard market town.
There is a bus stop down in Seaton (20 mins walk). The 75 Plymouth Bus serves this stop and runs between Torpoint and Liskeard, also stopping at Portwrinkle and Downderry.
Newquay Airport is 1 hour away by car.


Cropped Hoodie is rated 4.7 out of 5 by 10.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Catastronomical from Love it! Great design and quality. Took a risk on this cropped hoodie. I'm broad across the back and shoulders and am about a size 12, so bought a large and it is a great fit, still plenty of room to move and a good length, not too short. I've been wearing it non stop since it arrived!
Rated 5 out of 5 by BritJ from Love it!! Had been looking at this jumper to buy, finally did and couldn't be happier! Perfect fit, early shipping and great quality jumper!!
Rated 5 out of 5 by MsDelf from So comfy I love my jumper, looks exactly the same as advertised. Fits to size.. and so warm and comfortable.
Rated 3 out of 5 by Em5767 from Great Colour and Feel Happy with the purchase, love the colour of the jumper and the cuffs. Thin feel but still warm.
Rated 4 out of 5 by amberr from Great basic Nice colour and cropped length. Only criticism is that I bought it based on the description that it has a 'fleece lining', which it doesn't, so I was disappointed about that.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Hanci from Great fit! I received this item a few weeks ago, and it's exactly what I was hoping for! Great fit and super comfy. Would definitely recommend!
Rated 5 out of 5 by Amanda13 from Brought this for my daughter in a small. Should have got an extra small as it's a big small.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Katey from Better than i expected. So very soft, would purchase another.


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photo credit: Renato Reyes facebook
Filipino rights defenders to present real human rights situation at UN rights review
Philippine social movements meet the new President: "He invited us to Malacañang"
Hopes are high for the new Duterte administration to push for genuine change.
Change, indeed, is coming
Last June 30, while Rodrigo Duterte was taking his oath as the new president of the Philippines, thousands of people belonging to different organizations of the progressive social movement were holding a rally at the Mendiola Bridge.
The rally, however, was entirely different from the usual demonstrations whenever they set foot on this historic bridge. That time, it was meant to show their support for the incoming administration and push for the people's agenda for change.
It was unusual indeed. There was no presence of truncheon-wielding policemen to hold them from reaching the gate leading to Malacañang (the office of the President), no barbed wires and no barricades at all. Traffic enforcers who were usually adverse to protest-rallies were so eager to give rallyists generous space of the road. There was no cussing from irritated car drivers, too.
"It was a big surprise. Change, indeed, is coming," observed one of the participants.
But the biggest surprise came when members of the Presidential Security Group suddenly appeared at the rally and fetched several leaders to meet with the President himself in Malacañang.
It was probably the first time that a President invited members of the progressive organizations to Malacañang.
Opposite of the outgoing president
It was a total opposite of the outgoing President's attitude towards groups belonging to the progressive social movement. The people will not forget how Aquino snubbed and sneered at the leaders of the People's Surge, a group of Haiyan (Yolanda) survivors, who went to Malacañang in 2014 to hand in their petition to the President asking for additional financial aid and the scrapping of the no-build zone policy that would displace many fisherfolk. The people will indeed remember the Aquino administration for its insensitivity and lack of sympathy to the poor.
President Duterte inviting leaders of the progressive social movement may be seen as a symbolic gesture of his desire to work with them to genuinely advance people's aspirations for change. He had previously appointed known activists Rafael Mariano of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (Peasant Movement of the Philippines) and Judy Taguiwalo to head the Department of Agrarian Reform and the Department of Social Welfare and Development, respectively. (While writing this article, a news just came in that former Gabriela representative Liza Maza was appointed as head of the National Anti-Poverty Commission)
People's Agenda for Change
The meeting with Duterte lasted for forty minutes where the leaders and the President discussed a wide range of issues including contractualization, destructive mining, ancestral lands, land reform, the release of political prisoners on humanitarian grounds, increasing the budget for health services and education. Towards the end of the meeting, the leaders presented to the President the People's Agenda for Change.
The People's Agenda includes a 15-point program for nationalist and progressive change advancing concrete proposals on key sectors such as the economy, social policy, peace and human rights, anti-corruption and governance and foreign policy.
TWHA partners, Ibon Foundation, Gabriela, Council for Health and Development and Advocates for Community Health contributed in the crafting of the proposals in their areas of advocacy.
The People's Agenda is a product of consultations and workshops among different sectors in the past weeks the culmination of which were the Mindanao Peace Summit held in Davao City and the National People's Summit in Manila.
In Davao City, more than 40,000 gathered at the Rizal Park to support the resumption of the peace talks between Duterte's administration and the National Democratic Front. They called on the next president to address the root cause of the armed struggle and heed the Mindanao people's demand to stop destructive mining and logging operations, the expansion of big plantations and the militarization of Lumad and peasant communities.
These calls were contained, together with other proposals, in a document called Mindanao Development Agenda that was presented to the incoming Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello who attended the event. He was joined by labor activist Joel Maglunsod who will serve as Labor undersecretary and another activist May AnchetaTempla who will serve as social welfare department's undersecretary.
In Manila, thousands filled the University of the Philippines Film Center to hear representatives of various sectors present their urgent demands for the first 100 days of Duterte's administration.
National industrialization
One of the speakers, Sonny Africa, executive director of Ibon Foundation, emphasized the importance of national industrialization in achieving economic development. He asserted that the Philippines should break free from and fight against unfair and foreign biased agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership led by the United States, Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership initiated by China, the World Trade Organization, Asia Pacific Economic Conference, Asean Free Trade Area, and others.
Other proposals included the implementation of genuine agrarian reform, ending the practice of contractualization among workers, improved services for the Overseas Filipino Workers, stopping privatization of health care and education, junking counter-insurgency operations like Oplan Bayanihan that victimize peasants and indigenous peoples, protection of the ancestral lands from development aggressions, good governance and abolition of the pork barrel, stopping US military intervention in the guise of EDCA (Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement) and assertion of national sovereignty and patrimony.
After the presentation, the leaders handed over copies of the People's Agenda to the representatives of the executive and legislative branches of government.
Present to receive the proposals were members of the progressive social movement who are now part of Duterte's administration such as Rafael Mariano and Judy Taguiwalo. Party-list representatives belonging to the Makabayan bloc (Gabriela, Alliance of Concerned Teachers, Bayan Muna, Anakpawis and Kabataan) were also there to accept the proposals.
Copies were also given to representatives from the offices of Senators Grace Poe, Allan Peter Cayetano and Francis Escudero who attended the event.
In his speech, Bayan Muna representative Carlos Zarate said that under Duterte's administration, a lot of opportunities have opened up to advance pro-people measures citing Duterte's pronouncements on resolving the problems of farmers and indigenous peoples, the need to address the roots of the armed conflict, the release of political prisoners, an end to contractualization and others.
But he raised caution that amidst positive opportunities being opened to the social movement, the forces of reactionaries and conservatives, landlords and big capitalists and US imperialism are still strong.
"Change will not be served on a silver platter. Ultimately, we shall fight for genuine change," Zarate said.
Democracy, Empowerment, Human Rights
Advocates for Community Health, Council for Health and Development (CHD), Gabriela, IBON Foundation

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Home / HLRN / TopTenRealEstateDeals.com: Top 5 Pick of the Week
TopTenRealEstateDeals.com: Top 5 Pick of the Week
October 24, 2013 by Allie Early
TopTenRealEstateDeals.com offers fresh real estate news for luxury and celebrity listings across the United States. Check out a taste of their Top Ten list below:
The Bob Hope Home
Opposites do attract, sometimes in strange ways. An interesting example is comparing Dolores and Bob Hope's choices in home design. From their elegant Old Hollywood-styled estate in Toluca Lake, California, they took a 180-degree swing in taste when they designed their Palm Springs volcano house in 1973. Bob and Dolores were married for 69 years - rare for any couple but especially rare for entertainment celebrities. Bob died in 2003 at the age of 100 and Dolores died in 2011 at the age of 102. Though a comedian for a former generation's taste and with film roles bordering on the much appreciated slapstick of the day, when looking back on his best quotes, it's apparent that the fruit of his imagination was timeless. Bob Hope was a rare multi-talented individual who excelled as a comedian, actor, singer, dancer, author, and athlete. He will never be forgotten for his annual tours taking entertainment to the troops around the world.
Princeton University Tusculum Mansion
Sometimes the history of the home is the best part. Then again, sometimes the house is by itself. In the case of Tusculum mansion, those two aspects display in perfect balance. It's hard to imagine that signer of the Declaration of Independence, John Witherspoon lived here when the house consisted of only the main center section. In 1773, Princeton built the house to lure Witherspoon into becoming president of the University. The original build consisted of 5,000 square feet and had a study, kitchen, drawing room, parlor and two bedrooms. The mansion was named Tusculum ("wisp of incense") after the country house of the Roman orator, Cicero. Princeton's plan was a good one and Witherspoon became their sixth president. In 1830, a wing was added and in later years other residents added another two wings.
Much modernized since the days of Witherspoon, the 9,235 square foot, five bedroom, six bath home still retains its historical details. It consists of the main residence, huge stone embankment barn, caretaker's cottage, and numerous farm out-buildings dating from the 18th-20th century. All buildings have been recently repaired, restored or rebuilt. Tusculum retains its historic farm context but serves as a residence for luxurious modern living. Its main house and barn readily accommodate entertaining on a large scale. The wine cellar holds 2,000 bottles and is entered through a special tasting room.
Ziegfeld Theatre Mansion
Whether it's referred to as the "Hilton of the Hamptons" or as the "Palace of the Stars," this Hamptons estate plays host to all the A-listers. Name most any celebrity and they've been there. One of the main reasons is the 110-seat screening room designed to duplicate the Ziegfeld Theatre. Film premieres draw Hollywood and New York celebrities like bees to honey and it is also used for photo and movie shoots. Between these and celebrity rentals, part owner Bob Felner has said it acts "literally, like an ATM machine." Some former renters have included Madonna, Warren Beatty, Kevin Costner and Sandra Bullock.
The property is on five and a half acres on a Georgica Pond inlet with a flowing creek through the property for boat access to the pond. The 19,000 square foot main house has eight bedrooms, twelve bathrooms, an indoor wave pool and spa, outdoor pool, a walk-out lower entertainment level and tennis court. There is a cottage on the property that is also a celebrity rental.
Montana's Shelter Island Home
Named Whispering Rock, it is situated on its own 24-acre island. Don't worry about any inconvenience in getting there since the owner will also have eight acres on the mainland and can leave there in their boat and arrive inside the main house or boat house via computerized rail without ever leaving the boat or stepping on a dock. Almost more interesting than the home is the engineering used to assure the island never feels like an island. Though this is currently a three building, 44,000 square foot compound, there is power and other utilities that will support an additional three compounds. The entire island is improved with clay shooting range and jogging trails. Only the best materials were used in the construction of the 44,000 square feet of the compound's structures which include hewn stone, copper, and other natural materials and appears to have stood for centuries. Exterior details include lichen-covered native Montana Chief Cliff stone, trims of custom copper and Indiana Limestone blue/black Virginia slate roofs. Due to its positioning on the out-jutting point of the island, the main home has some of the world's most beautiful views.
Walton's Mountain Home
Christy Walton is selling her 2.5 acre Jackson Hole, Wyoming vacation home and we get to see what it's like to vacation like the wealthiest woman in the world. Set in a nature wonderland, the 8,606 square foot home with its six bedrooms and seven baths has a lot going for it. The floors are 200-year-old reclaimed oak, the windows are handcrafted by Albertine. There is a two bedroom summer guest house nestled within the landscaped grounds, a three-car heated garage and two working fireplaces in the main house. The property comes with a sauna, gym, game room and walls of glass to view wildlife and the surrounding mountains from almost every room. According to the photographs and the agent's apt description, "Ellen Creek meanders through the grounds, past abundant wildflowers, against the panoramic backdrop, creating small ponds and waterways."
Check out this real estate hot list here.
Photos courtesy of toptenrealestatedeals.com
Can't get enough of the latest and greatest Haute Real Estate news? Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter! For Haute pics of the latest and greatest listings, be sure to visit us on Instagram.


We have a Website What we need is to build a beautiful Store With Catalog, Sliders on Home Page to be adjusted, One Additional Functionality of Custom tailoring needs to be provided for each product. Custom Tailoring can have one form or can be given as a option post selection. There are two reference sites which can be referenced for constructing.


From folklore to fairy-tales; In centuries of storytelling, the heroes tend to be those who do the right thing. In corporate narratives doing well is heroizing but consulting a 2017 meta-analysis of 354 academic sources, comparing fiscal performance and corporate responsibility initiatives, tells us that ethics and result-orientation are now two pages in the same chapter: 'Doing good' in a societal context and 'doing well' as a business had a causal and significant interlink in S&P500-corporations over a time span of 20 years.
According to the meta-analysis by Babson Social Innovation Lab and IO Sustainability, the companies best at synergizing social responsibility with business-plans and corporate values experienced significant share price increases, protected and nurtured firm value, and increased their revenues by up to 20 percent. Moreover, employee turnover rates halved, and productivity rose with 13 percent in responsible organisations, hinting to enhanced employee engagement. This tendency happens in parallel with an increase in demand for sustainable products.
Although not part of the academic vocabulary, one would argue that doing good to do well is a no-brainer.
However, the more you investigate, the better the case for an increased focus on corporate responsibility gets. One prominent upside is employee engagement.
In a study of 15 thousand employees, Ph.D. in Organizational Behaviour at the Grossman School of Business, Ante Glavas and his colleagues found that corporate responsibility positively and significantly mediated employee engagement, likely because the employees attain a sense of purpose.
But that is not all. Spinning the globe to consult Singapore Management University, Madeline Ong, also a Ph.D. in Organisational Behaviour, argues that running a responsible business makes employees significantly more prosocial which means more positive, helpful, socially acceptable, and friendly – especially if they deem their own tasks significant contributions to the overall purpose. In a paper, she and colleagues conclude that employee engagement is likely to create a positive feedback loop or virtuous cycle of prosocial activity, which further increases employees' prosocial motivation and organizational citizenship behavior. As such, responsible approaches to business appear to be a win-win-win for employer, employee, and the society.
Today, only 30 percent of workers are millennials, however by 2025 as baby boomers retire, 3 in every 4 employees will be millennials.
With globalization, many millennials have been used to travelling from an early age and now stay highly connected to each other and to global issues via social media. In that sense, companies who honestly want to 'do good' can benefit from the global connectivity, awareness and motivation that millennials bring to their business.
Pioneering own, concrete takes on sustainability may be a strong means of luring in customers.
In the wake of the 2016 Paris Agreement, the 2015 SDG-deal, and many years of public attention, corporations are still flocking onto the sustainability band-wagon. But as the wagon becomes heavier, the word sustainable loses punching power, from a marketing standpoint at least.
As countermeasure, companies have found success in pioneering own, concrete takes on sustainability. Differentiation of both brand and cause has become an important way of swaying customers' brand preference.
As the Global Goals are interlinked and addressed by a myriad of corporations, all goals will be supported one way or another, explains Essehag.
In other words; they advocate very specific angles or solutions to very specific problems. An example of this is how ice-cream giant Ben & Jerry's ironically is fighting global warming to prevent the ice from melting, or how Coca Cola and Pepsi are racing each other to becoming the first zero net water major distillery. And it is working. A study by Society for Human Resources Management found that companies with strong sustainability programs in general had a 43 percent stronger public image than those with poor sustainability programs. This will surely bring joy to marketing, but finishing where we started, the same study saw a 55 percent better morale and 38 percent better employee loyalty in the sustainable end of the comparison.


Says Hunter S. Thompson. One of my favorite writers all thanks to Professor Good.
Figured today was a good reason to give it a shout-out, as it is the 138th anniversary of the famous horse race held Churchill Downs.


The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's assistance to help locate Louis E. Haley, who was reported as missing.
Update: An 88-year-old Middleburg man missing since Friday afternoon was located safe Saturday evening. Louis E. Haley was located by members of the Virginia State Police in Halifax County.
Louis E. Haley is described as a black male, approximately 5-feet, 9-inches tall, 165 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen in Markham in Fauquier County on Friday afternoon. He was wearing a black jacket, black pants, and black boots. He was also wearing a black hat.
Haley drives a 1995 white Ford pickup bearing Virginia tags TV10709. The pickup has a Washington Redskins flag and a United States flag on each side of the cab of the truck.
Anyone with any information regarding his possible whereabouts o is asked to immediately contact Detective M. Grimsley at 703-777-1021.


Faversham is first mentioned in a royal charter of 811AD, where it is described as the King's Town.
In the 1850s a Saxon Cemetery was discovered on the southern edge of the town. The burial goods found in the graves indicate an important regal settlement.
In Domesday Book (1086 AD) Faversham is listed as land owned by the King. It had the right to hold a market, which is held on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Faversham is a member of the Federation of Cinque Ports, set up to provide ships and men to the Crown at times of war. Membership allowed valuable trading concessions.
The town possesses several original royal charters, including Magna Carta. These charters gave the town permission to govern itself, in the face of conflict with both the Abbey and the Warden of the Cinq Ports. This led to the development of trading which enabled the town to build its wealth during the Tudor period.
Merchants established themselves in the town, mainly along Abbey Street, where their premises extended from a smart frontage on the street to warehousing at the Creekside.
Faversham Town Council still meets in the Guildhall. The current building is a Georgian replacement supported by the original Elizabethan wooden columns.
The manufacture of explosives was another industry which endured for centuries. The first gunpowder factories originated in the 16th century. The industry finally left the area in the 1930s, for reasons of safety.culminating in the modern Shepherd Neame brewery, serving international markets. Hops were grown locally, and hop-pickers arrived every September from London to work on the ripened crop.
Increasing demand for housing in London from 1830 led to the establishment of brickfields along the north Kent coast, a major source of employment until cheaper bricks became available from Bedfordshire, around 1900.
Faversham is now a commuter town, offering reasonably priced housing in a semi-rural environment. The future of the town depends on it achieving a balance between preserving its rich heritage and providing an infrastructure which meets modern expectations.


As a social member a comment and update on the "denim" issue mentioned several times in other reviews. Both our daughter and son-in (from San Francisco) do wear denim and there have been a few times I wanted to go to the club, but had to go somewhere else instead. I do understand the rational for the policy, but it does not recognize that today probably the majority of denim selections surpass other more traditional attire. In any case, the club has relaxed the rule to make appropriate exceptions in the Bar and the Grill, but not the fireside room. A very sensible compromise in my view. As a rule, service here is always exceptional, the atmosphere excellent and friendly and the food four star and better. It is elegant, but not stuffy.
The staff was amazing. The club itself is perfect. Beautiful and serene.
The club itself is perfect. Beautiful and serene. I went around 5 and at 6:30, we could watch the sun set over the water from our table!
Man oh man... If only a full membership didn't literally equal my rent give or take 100 dollars, I'd be here wayy more often.
This is the second banquet I've attended here and the food was better than average for the circumstances. It's a lovely venue, too.
Best course and facilities in the Central Valley. Friendly staff.
food is good, staff is nice, golf course is a fun place to play.
food is good, staff is nice, golf course is a fun place to play. The "new" club house is pretty sweet!


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{{Infobox country
| native_name            =
| conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Nepal
| common_name            = Nepal
| status                 =
| life_span              = 1768–2008
| government_type        = Unitary absolute monarchy
 under military dictatorship
 under a totalitarian military dictatorship
Unitary authoritarian Panchayat absolute monarchyUnitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
 under a provisional government
| year_start             = 1768
| year_end               = 2008
| event_start            = Unification under Prithivi Narayan Shah
| date_start             = 25 September
| event_end              = Republic
| date_end               = 28 May
| event1                 = Thapa premiers
| date_event1            = 1806–1837 and1843–1845
| event2                 = Pande premiers
| date_event2            = 1799–1804 and1837–1840
| event3                 = Rana regime
| date_event3            = 1846–1951
| event4                 = Panchayat system
| date_event4            = 1960–1990
| p1                     = Gorkha Kingdom1768:Gorkha Kingdom
| p2                     = Malla (Kathmandu Valley)1769:Malla Dynasty
| p3                     = Chaubisi Rajya1770s—1780s:Chaubisi Rajya| flag_p4                = Kirati flag.png
| p4                     = Kirat Region1774:Kirat Kingdom
| flag_p5                = Flag of Sikkim (1967-1975).svg
| p5                     = Kingdom of Sikkim1776:Kingdom of Sikkim
| p6                     = Baise rajya1780s:Baise Rajya
| p7                     = Doti Kingdom1791:Doti Kingdom
| flag_p8                = Flag of the Kumaon Kingdom.svg
| p8                     = Kumaon Kingdom
| flag_p9                = Flag of the Princely State of Tehri Garhwal.svg
| p9                     = Garhwal Kingdom 1804:Garhwal Kingdom
| s1                     = Garhwal Kingdom1816:Princely State of Tehri Garhwal
| flag_s1                = Flag of the Princely State of Tehri Garhwal.svg
| flag_s2                = Flag of Sikkim (1967-1975).svg
| s2                     = Kingdom of Sikkim
| flag_s3                =
| flag_s4                = Flag of Nepal.svg
| s4                     = Nepal2008:Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal
| image_map              = Gorkha Empire 1805.jpg
| image_map_caption      = Territory of the Kingdom of Nepal in 1808
| image_map2             = Nepal rel location map.svg
| image_map2_caption     = Territory of the Kingdom of Nepal in 2008
| image_flag2            = Pre-1962 Flag of Nepal.svg
| flag_alt2              = Pre-1962 Flag of Nepal
| image_flag             = Flag of Nepal.svg
| flag_alt               = Flag of Nepal
| flag_width             = 85px
| flag_border            = no
| flag_type              = Top: Flag (1962–2008)Bottom: Flag (pre-1962)
| image_coat             = Coat of arms of Nepal (1962–2008).svg
| symbol_type            = Coat of arms(1962–2008)
| coa_size               = 100px
| national_motto         = Janani Janmabhumishcha Swargadapi Gariyasi (Sanskrit)Mother and Motherland are greater than heaven
| national_anthem        = 1962–2006:"Shriman Gambhir" (Nepali: श्रीमान् गम्भीर)()2007–2008:"Sayaun Thunga Phulka" (Nepali" सयौँ थुँगा फूलका)()
| capital                = Kathmandu
| common_languages       = Nepali (official)
| religion               = Hinduism (official)
| currency               =
| title_leader           = Mahārājādhirāja (The Great King)
| leader1                = Prithvi Narayan Shah Dev
| year_leader1           = 1768–1775
| leader2                = Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev
| year_leader2           = 2001–2008
| deputy1                = Damodar Pande
| year_deputy1           = 1799–1804
| deputy2                = Girija Prasad Koirala
| year_deputy2           = 2006–2008
| title_deputy           = Prime Minister
| legislature            =
| upper_house            = Senate(1959-1960)National Assembly(1990-2002)
| lower_house            = House of Representatives(1959-1960; 1990-2002)
| stat_year1             =
| stat_area1             =
| stat_pop1              =
| today                  = NepalIndia
| footnotes              =
| demonym                = NepaleseNepali
| area_km2               =
| area_rank              =
| GDP_PPP                =
| GDP_PPP_year           =
| HDI                    =
| HDI_year               =
| flag2_border           = no
| event5                 = Constitutional monarchy
| date_event5            = 1990–2008
| coordinates            =
}}

The Kingdom of Nepal (), also known as the Gorkha Empire () or Asal Hindustan' ()(), was a Hindu kingdom in South Asia, formed in 1768, by the unification of Nepal. Founded by King Prithvi Narayan Shah, a Gorkha monarch  who claimed to be of Khas Thakuri origin, it existed for 240 years until the abolition of the Nepalese monarchy in 2008. During this period, Nepal was formally under the rule of the Shah dynasty, which exercised varying degrees of power during the kingdom's existence.

After the invasion of Tibet and plundering of Digarcha by Nepali forces under Prince Regent Bahadur Shah in 1792, the Dalai Lama and Chinese Ambans reported to the Chinese administration for military support. The Chinese and Tibetan forces under Fuk'anggan attacked Nepal but went for negotiations after failure at Nuwakot. Mulkaji Damodar Pande, who was the most influential among the four Kajis, was appointed after removal of Bahadur Shah.  Chief Kaji (Mulkaji) Kirtiman Singh Basnyat, tried to protect king Girvan Yuddha Shah and keep former king, Rana Bahadur Shah away from Nepal. However, on 4 March 1804, the former king came back and took over as Mukhtiyar (premier) and Damodar Pande was then beheaded in Thankot. The 1806 Bhandarkhal massacre instigated upon the death of Rana Bahadur Shah, set forth the rise of authoritative Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa, who became the de facto ruler of Nepal from 1806 to 1837. During the early nineteenth century, however, the expansion of the East India Company's rule in India led to the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814–1816), which resulted in Nepal's defeat. Under the Treaty of Sugauli, the kingdom retained its internal independence, but in exchange for territorial concessions, marking the Mechi and Sharda rivers as the boundary of Nepalese territories. The territory of the kingdom before the Sugauli treaty is sometimes nascently referred to as Greater Nepal. In the political scenario, the death of Mukhtiyar Mathbar Singh Thapa ended the Thapa hegemony and set the stage for the Kot massacre. This resulted in the ascendancy of the Rana dynasty of Khas (Chhetri) and made the office of the Prime Minister of Nepal hereditary in their family for the next century, from 1843 to 1951. Beginning with Jung Bahadur, the first Rana ruler, the Rana dynasty reduced the Shah monarch to a figurehead role. The Rana rule was marked by tyranny, debauchery, economic exploitation and religious persecution.

In July 1950, the newly independent Republic of India signed a friendship treaty in which both nations agreed to respect the other's sovereignty. In November of the same year, India played an important role in supporting King Tribhuvan, whom the Rana leader Mohan Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana had attempted to depose and replace with his infant grandson who would later become King Gyanendra. With Indian support for a new government consisting largely of the Nepali Congress, King Tribhuvan ended the Rana regime in 1951.

Unsuccessful attempts were made to implement reforms and adopt a constitution during the 1960s and 1970s. An economic crisis at the end of the 1980s led to a popular movement that brought about parliamentary elections and the adoption of a constitutional monarchy in 1990. The 1990s saw the beginning of the Nepalese Civil War (1996–2006), a conflict between government forces and the insurgent forces of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). The situation of the Nepalese monarchy was further destabilised by the 2001 Nepalese royal massacre.

As a result of the massacre, King Gyanendra returned to the throne. His imposition of direct rule in 2005 provoked a protest movement unifying the Maoist insurgency and pro-democracy activists. He was eventually forced to restore the House of Representatives, which in 2007 adopted an interim constitution greatly restricting the powers of the Nepalese monarchy. Following an election held the next year, the Nepalese Constituent Assembly formally abolished the kingdom in its first session on 28 May 2008, declaring the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal in its place.

Until the abolition of the monarchy, Nepal was the world's only country to have Hinduism as its state religion; since becoming a republic, the country is now formally a secular state.

History

18th century
Origins

The country was expanded from the one of the Chaubise principality called the Gorkha Kingdom. The Parbate Brahmins and the ruling Shah dynasty as well as the Chhetri (Kshatriya) aristocratic clans such as the Pande family, Basnyat family, Thapa dynasty and Kunwar family (later Rana dynasty) among the Gorkhali people trace their ancestry to the Hindu Rajputs and Brahmins of Northern India who entered modern Nepal from the West following Muslim advances. The actual historical process however by which this migration took place and the history of the Gorkhalis' ultimate conquest of Nepal span a couple of centuries and are drastically different from what Chauhan proposes. More importantly, Chauhan's overall thesis claiming the existence of a Gurkha identity way before the Shahs came to the Nepali hills is not supported by historical evidence available in Nepal. In Nepal, the warrior people are not referred to as 'Gurkhas', they are called 'Gorkhalis', meaning the 'inhabitants of Gorkha.' Their famed battle cry is "Jai Kali, Jai Gorakhnath, Jai Manakamana".

The etymology of the geographical name 'Gorkha' is indeed related to the Hindu mendicant-saint Gorakhnath. In the village of Gorkha is situated a temple dedicated to Gorakhnath as well as another dedicated to Gorakhkali, a corresponding female deity. The Nepali geographical encyclopedia 'Mechi dekhi Mahakali' (From Mechi to Mahakali) published in B.S. 2013 (1974–75 AD) by the authoritarian Panchayat government to mark the coronation of King Birendra Shah agrees with the association of the name of the place with the saint but does not add any further detail. The facts regarding when the temples were built and the place named after the saint are lost in the sweeping winds of time. We may guess that these developments took place in the early part of the second millennium of the Common Era following the rise of the Nath sect. In fact, the pilgrimage circuit of the sect across the northern Indian sub-continent also spans a major part Nepal including Kathmandu Valley. The Newars of Medieval Nepal have a couple of important temples and festivals dedicated to the major Nath teachers. Immediately before the rule of Gorkha by the Shahs, Gorkha was inhabited by both Aryan and Mongoloid ethnic groups and ruled by the Khadkas, who were probably of Magar origin. Dravya Shah defeated the Khadkas in 1559 AD and commenced Shah rule over the principality. Prithvi Narayan Shah belonged to the ninth generation of the Shahs in Gorkha. He took the reins of power in 1742 AD.

Expansion

King Prithvi Narayan Shah, the ruler of the small principality of Gorkha, initially drafted the Gorkhali Army. The Chief of the Gorkhali Army were drawn from Chhetri noble families of Gorkha such as Pande family, Basnyat family and Thapa dynasty before the rule of the Rana dynasty. However, the first civilian army chief was Kaji Kalu Pande who had significant role in the campaign of Nepal. He was considered as an army head due to the undertaking of duties and responsibilities of the army but not by the formalization of the title.

Battle of Nuwakot

The first battle by Gorkhali forces united under King Prithvi Narayan Shah was the Battle of Nuwakot. The first army commander was Kaji Kalu Pande of the Pande noble family of Gorkha. Pande put up tactics to attack Nuwakot, a strategic fort of Malla king of Kathmandu, from multiple sides by surprise. On 26 September 1744, Pande with a contingent of soldiers climbed from the northern side of Nuwakot city at Mahamandal. He led the surprise attack with a Gorkhali war cry of "Jai Kali, Jai Gorakhnath, Jai Manakamana". The panicked soldiers of Nuwakot under commander Shankha Mani tried to defend but lost after their commander was killed by the 13-year-old Prince Dal Mardan Shah, brother of the king. The second contingent of Gorkhali forces led by Chautariya Mahoddam Kirti Shah (also a brother of the king) passed Dharampani and faced strong tussle but ultimately won over the defenders. The third part of the forces, led by the king himself, advanced to the fort of Nuwakotgadhi after the capture of Mahamandal. The soldiers panicked by death of their commander fled to Belkot from the Nuwakot fort and Nuwakot was annexed by Gorkha.

Battle of Kirtipur

Despite his initial resentment that the valley kings were well prepared and the Gorkhalis were not, Kaji Kalu Pande agreed for a battle against the kingdom of Kirtipur in the Kathmandu valley on being insisted by the king. The Gorkhalis had set up a base in Naikap to mount their assaults on Kirtipur. They were armed with swords, bows and arrows and muskets. The two forces fought on the plain of Tyangla Phant in the northwest of Kirtipur. Surapratap Shah, the king's brother, lost his right eye to an arrow while scaling the city wall. The Gorkhali commander Kaji Kalu Pande was surrounded and killed, and the Gorkhali king himself narrowly escaped with his life into the surrounding hills disguised as a saint. Page 227. In 1767, King Prithvi Narayan Shah sent his army to attack Kirtipur for a third time under the command of Surapratap. In response, the three kings of the valley joined forces and sent their troops to the relief of Kirtipur, but they could not dislodge the Gorkhalis from their positions. A noble of Lalitpur named Danuvanta crossed over to Shah's side and treacherously let the Gorkhalis into the town.

Annexation of Makwanpur & Hariharpur
King Digbardhan Sen and his minister Kanak Singh Baniya had already sent their families to safer grounds before the encirclement of their fortress. The Gorkhalis launched an attack on 21 August 1762. The battle lasted for eight hours. King Digbardhan and Kanak Singh escaped to Hariharpurgadhi. Makawanpur was thus annexed by the Gorkhali forces.

After occupying the Makawanpurgadhi fort, the Gorkhali forces started planning for an attack on Hariharpurgadhi, a strategic fort on a mountain ridge of the Mahabharat range south of Kathmandu. It controlled the route to the Kathmandu valley. At the dusk of 4 October 1762, the Gorkhalis launched an attack. The soldiers at Hariharpurgadhi fought valiantly against the Gorkhali forces but were ultimately forced to vacate the Gadhi (fort) after midnight. About 500 soldiers of Hariharpur died in the battle. Mir Qasim, the Nawab of Bengal extended his help to kings of Kathmandu valley with his forces to attack the Gorkhali forces. On 20 January 1763, Gorkhali commander Vamsharaj Pande won the battle against Mir Qasim. Similarly, Captain Kinloch of British East India Company also extended his support by sending contingents against Gorkhalis. King Prithvi Narayan sent Kaji Vamsharaj Pande, Naahar Singh Basnyat, Jeeva Shah, Ram Krishna Kunwar and others to defeat the forces of Gurgin Khan at Makwanpur.

Conquest of Kathmandu valley and Declaration of Kingdom of Nepal
The victory in the Battle of Kirtipur climaxed Shah's two-decade-long effort to take possession of the wealthy Kathmandu valley. After the fall of Kirtipur, Shah took over the cities of Kathmandu and Lalitpur in 1768 and Bhaktapur in 1769, completing his conquest of the valley. In a letter to Ram Krishna Kunwar, King Prithvi Narayan Shah expressed his unhappiness at the death of Kaji Kalu Pande in Kirtipur and thought it was impossible to conquer Kathmandu valley after the death of Kalu Pande. After the annexation of Kathmandu valley, King Prithvi Narayan Shah praised in his letter about the valour and wisdom shown by Kunwar in the annexation of Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur (collectively known as Nepal valley at the time). Vamsharaj Pande, Kalu Pande's eldest son, was the commander of the Gorkhali forces who led the attack during the Battle of Bhaktapur on 14 April 1769.

Conquest of the Kirata

King Prithvi Narayan Shah had deployed Sardar Ram Krishna Kunwar to the invasion of Kirata regional areas comprising; Pallo Kirant (Limbuwan), Wallo Kirant and Majh Kirant (Khambuwan). On B.S. 1829 Bhadra 13 (i.e. 29 August 1772), Kunwar crossed the Dudhkoshi river to invade King Karna Sen of the Majh Kirant (Khambuwan) and Saptari region with fellow commander Abhiman Singh Basnyat. He then crossed the Arun river to reach Chainpur (Limbuwan), where he later achieved victory over the Kiratas. King Prithvi Narayan Shah bestowed 22 pairs of Shirpau (special headgear) in appreciation to Ram Krishna Kunwar after his victory over the Kirata region.

 Political conflicts
In 1775, the King Prithvi Narayan Shah, who expanded the Gorkha Kingdom into the Kingdom of Nepal, died in Nuwakot. Swarup Singh Karki, a shrewd Gorkhali courtier from a Chhetri family of eastern Nepal, marched with an army to Nuwakot to confine Prince Bahadur Shah who was then mourning the death of his father. He confined Bahadur Shah and Dal Mardan Shah with the consent from newly reigning King Pratap Singh Shah who was considered to have no distinction of right and wrong. In the annual Pajani (renewal) of that year, Swarup Singh was promoted to the position of Kaji along with Abhiman Singh Basnyat, Amar Singh Thapa and Parashuram Thapa. In Falgun 1832 B.S., he succeeded in exiling Bahadur Shah, Dal Mardan Shah and Guru Gajraj Mishra on three heinous charges. The reign of Pratap Singh Shah was characterized by the constant rivalry between Swarup Singh and Vamsharaj Pande. The document dated B.S. 1833 Bhadra 3 Roj 6 (i.e. Friday, 2 August 1776), shows that he had carried the title of Dewan along with Vamsharaj Pande. King Pratap Singh Shah died on 22 November 1777 with his infant son Rana Bahadur Shah succeeding as the King of Nepal. Sarbajit Rana Magar was made a Kaji along with Balbhadra Shah and Vamsharaj Pande while Daljit Shah was chosen as Chief Chautariya. Historian Dilli Raman Regmi asserts that Sarbajit was chosen as Mulkaji (equivalent to Prime Minister), while historian Rishikesh Shah asserts that Sarbajit was the head of the Nepalese government only for a short period in 1778. Afterwards, rivalry arose between Prince Bahadur Shah and Queen Rajendra Laxmi. Sarbajit led the followers of the Queen opposed to Sriharsh Pant who led the followers of Bahadur Shah. The group of Bharadars (officers) led by Sarbajit badmouthed Rajendra Laxmi against Bahadur Shah. Rajendra Laxmi succeeded in the confinement of Bahadur Shah with the help of her new minister Sarbajit. Guru Gajraj Mishra came to the rescue of Bahadur Shah on a condition that Bahadur Shah should leave the country. Also, his rival Sriharsh Pant was branded outcast and expelled instead of being executed as execution was prohibited for Brahmins.

Prince Bahadur Shah confined his sister-in-law Queen Rajendra Laxmi on the charge of having illicit relation with Sarbajit on 31 August 1778. Subsequently, Sarbajit was executed inside the palace by Bahadur Shah with the help of male servants of the royal palace. Historian Bhadra Ratna Bajracharya asserts that it was actually Chautariya Daljit Shah who led the opposing group against Sarbajit Rana and Rajendra Laxmi. The letter dated B.S. 1835 Bhadra 11 Roj 4 (1778) to Narayan Malla and Vrajabasi Pande asserts the death of Sarbajit under misconduct and the appointment of Bahadur Shah as regent. The death of Sarbajit Rana Magar is considered to have marked the initiation of court conspiracies and massacres in the newly unified Kingdom of Nepal. Historian Baburam Acharya points that the sanctions against Queen Rajendra Laxmi under moral misconduct was a mistake of Bahadur Shah. Similarly, the murder of Sarbajit was condemned by many historians as an act of injustice.

Vamsharaj Pande, once Dewan of Nepal and son of the popular commander Kalu Pande, was beheaded on the allegations of conspiring with Queen Rajendra Laxmi. In a special tribunal meeting at Bhandarkhal garden east of Kathmandu Durbar, Swaroop Singh held Vamsharaj liable for letting the King of Parbat, Kirtibam Malla, run away in the battle a year ago. He had a fiery conversation with Vamsharaj before Vamsharaj was declared guilty and was subsequently executed by beheading on the tribunal. Historian Rishikesh Shah and Ganga Karmacharya claim that he was executed in March 1785, whereas Bhadra Ratna Bajracharya and Tulsi Ram Vaidya claim that he was executed on 21 April 1785. On 2 July 1785, Swaroop Singh's opponent Prince Regent Bahadur Shah was arrested, but on the eleventh day of imprisonment, on 13 July, Singh's only supporter Queen Rajendra Laxmi died. Then onwards, Bahadur Shah took over the regency of his nephew King Rana Bahadur Shah and as one of his first orders as the regent, he ordered Swaroop Singh, who was then in Pokhara, to be beheaded there on the charges of treason. Singh had gone to Kaski to join Daljit Shah's military campaign of Kaski fearing retaliation of the old courtiers due to his conspiracy against Vamsharaj. He was executed on B.S. 1842 Shrawan 24.

Tibetan conflict

After the death of Prithvi Narayan Shah, the Shah dynasty began to expand their kingdom into what is present-day North India. Between 1788 and 1791, Nepal invaded Tibet and robbed Tashi Lhunpo Monastery of Shigatse. Tibet sought Chinese help and the Qianlong Emperor of the Chinese Qing Dynasty appointed Fuk'anggan commander-in-chief of the Tibetan campaign. Heavy damages were inflicted on both sides. The Nepali forces retreated step by step back to Nuwakot to stretch Sino-Tibetan forces uncomfortably. Chinese launched an uphill attack during the daylight and failed to succeed due to a strong counterattack with khukuri at Nuwakot. The Chinese army suffered a major setback when they tried to cross a monsoon-flooded Betrawati, close to the Gorkhali palace in Nuwakot. A stalemate ensued when Fuk'anggan was keen to protect his troops and wanted to negotiate at Nuwakot. The treaty was favouring more to Chinese side where Nepal had to send tributes to the Chinese emperor.

19th century

Dominance of Damodar Pande

Damodar Pande was appointed as one of the four Kajis by King Rana Bahadur Shah after the removal of Chautariya Bahadur Shah in 1794. Pande was the most influential and dominant amongst the court factions in spite of the post of Mulkaji being held by Kirtiman Singh Basnyat. Pandes were the most dominant noble family. Later due to the continuous irrational behaviour of King Rana Bahadur Shah, a situation of civil war arose where Damodar was the main opposition to the King. He was forced to flee to the British-controlled city of Varanasi in May 1800 after the military parted with influential Kaji Damodar Pande. After Queen Rajrajeshwari finally managed to assume the regency on 17 December 1802, later in February she appointed Damodar Pande as the Mulkaji.

After Rana Bahadur's reinstatement to power, he ordered Damodar Pande, along with his two eldest sons, who were completely innocent, to be executed on 13 March 1804; similarly, some members of his faction were tortured and executed without any due trial, while many others managed to escape to India. Among those who managed to escape to India were Damodar Pande's sons Karbir Pande and Rana Jang Pande. After Damodar Pande's execution, Ranajit Pande who was his paternal cousin, was appointed Mulkaji along with Bhimsen Thapa as second Kaji, Sher Bahadur Shah as Mul Chautariya and Ranganath Paudel as Raj Guru (Royal Preceptor).

Thapa Regime

Thapa courtiers, who were Kshatriya, rose to power when the King Rana Bahadur Shah was murdered by his half brother Sher Bahadur Shah in 1806. Bhimsen Thapa (1775–1839), the leading Thapa Kaji, taking opportunity of the occasion massacred nearly 55 military and civil officers and catapulting the Thapas into the power. He took the title of Mukhtiyar succeeding Rana Bahadur as the chief authority and his niece Queen Tripurasundari as Queen Regent of junior King Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah.

Anglo-Gurkha War

Rivalry between Nepal and the East India Company—over the princely states bordering Nepal and India—eventually led to the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814–16). The Treaty of Sugauli was signed in 1816, ceding large parts of the Nepali territories of the Terai and Sikkim, which accounted to nearly one-third of the country, to the British in exchange for Nepalese autonomy. As the territories were not restored to Nepal by the British when freedom was granted to the people of British India, most of these lands later became a part of the Republic of India. Sikkim remained independent until annexed into India in 1975 when it becomes the 22nd state of the Republic of India. However, in 1860 the British returned the authority over some of Nepal's land in the Terai back to Nepal (known as Naya Muluk, new country) as an act of gratitude for supporting Britain during various Indian uprisings, such as the Sepoy mutiny.

Rana Regime

Factionalism among the royal family led to a period of instability after the war. In 1846, Queen Rajya Lakshmi Devi plotted to overthrow Jang Bahadur Rana, a fast-rising military leader who was presenting a threat to her power. The plot was uncovered and the queen had several hundred princes and chieftains executed after an armed clash between military personnel and administrators loyal to the queen. This came to be known as the Kot Massacre. However, Jung Bahadur emerged victorious eventually and founded the Rana dynasty; the monarch was made a titular figure, and the post of Prime Minister was made powerful and hereditary, held by the Ranas.

 Third Nepalese Tibet War

Jung Bahadur Rana sent forces under his brothers Bam Bahadur Kunwar and Dhir Shamsher Rana to attack Tibet again to achieve complete victory. His forces succeeded in defeating Tibetan forces on two sides. The Tibetan team arrived in January 1856 to sign a treaty. After a month, the Treaty of Thapathali was signed which was more favourable to Nepal.

20th century

 Nepal and the British
The Rana regime, a tightly centralized autocracy, pursued a policy of isolating Nepal from external influences. This policy helped Nepal maintain its national independence during the British colonial era, but it also impeded the country's economic development and modernisation. The Ranas were staunchly pro-British and assisted the British during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and later in both World Wars. At the same time, despite Chinese claims, the British supported Nepalese independence at the beginning of the twentieth century.

In December 1923, Britain and Nepal formally signed a treaty of perpetual peace and friendship superseding the Sugauli Treaty of 1816 and upgrading the British resident in Kathmandu to an envoy. Slavery was abolished in Nepal in 1924.

Democratic reform

Popular dissatisfaction against the family rule of the Ranas had started emerging from among the few educated people, who had studied in various Indian schools and colleges, and also from within the Ranas, many of whom were marginalised within the ruling Rana hierarchy. Many of these Nepalese in exile had actively taken part in the Indian Independence struggle and wanted to liberate Nepal as well from the internal autocratic Rana occupation. The political parties such as the Praja Parishad and Nepali Congress were already formed in exile by leaders such as B.P. Koirala, Ganesh Man Singh, Subarna Shamsher Rana, Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, Girija Prasad Koirala and many other patriotic-minded Nepalis who urged the military and popular political movement in Nepal to overthrow the autocratic Rana Regime. Among the prominent martyrs to die for the cause, executed at the hands of the Ranas, were Dharma Bhakta Mathema, Shukraraj Shastri, Gangalal Shrestha and Dasharath Chand. This turmoil culminated in King Tribhuvan, a direct descendant of Prithvi Narayan Shah, fleeing from his 'palace prison' in 1950, to the newly independent India, touching off an armed revolt against the Rana administration. This eventually ended in the return of the Shah family to power and the appointment of a non-Rana as prime minister. A period of the quasi-constitutional rule followed, during which the monarch, assisted by the leaders of fledgling political parties, governed the country. During the 1950s, efforts were made to frame a constitution for Nepal that would establish a representative form of government, based on a British model.

In early 1959, Tribhuvan's son King Mahendra issued a new constitution, and the first democratic elections for a national assembly were held. The Nepali Congress, a moderate socialist group, gained a substantial victory in the election. Its leader, B.P. Koirala, formed a government and served as prime minister. After a period of power wrangling between the king and the elected government, Mahendra dissolved the democratic experiment in 1960.

King Mahendra's new constitution

Declaring the contemporary parliament a failure, King Mahendra in 1960 dismissed the Koirala government, declared that a "partyless" Panchayat system would govern Nepal, and promulgated another new constitution on 16 December 1962.

Subsequently, the Prime Minister, members of parliament and hundreds of democratic activists were arrested. In fact, this trend of the arrest of political activists and democratic supporters continued for the entire 30-year period of the partyless Panchayat system under King Mahendra and then his son, King Birendra.

The new constitution established a "partyless" system of panchayats (councils), which King Mahendra considered to be a democratic form of government, closer to Nepalese traditions. As a pyramidal structure, progressing from village assemblies to a Rastriya Panchayat (National Parliament), the panchayat system constitutionalised the absolute power of the monarchy and kept the King as head of state with sole authority over all governmental institutions, including the cabinet (council of ministers) and the parliament. One-state-one-language became the national policy, and all other languages suffered at the cost of the official language, Nepali, which was the king's language.

King Mahendra was succeeded by his 27-year-old son, King Birendra, in 1972. Amid student demonstrations and anti-regime activities in 1979, King Birendra called for a national referendum to decide on the nature of Nepal's government: either the continuation of the panchayat system with democratic reforms or the establishment of a multiparty system. The referendum was held in May 1980, and the Panchayat system won a narrow victory. The king carried out the promised reforms, including a selection of the prime minister by the Rashtriya Panchayat.

End of Panchayat system
There was resentment against the authoritarian regime and the curbs on the freedom of the political parties. There was a widespread feeling of the palace being non-representative of the masses, especially when the Marich Man Singh government faced political scandals on charges of misappropriation of funds allotted for the victims of the earthquake in August 1998 or when it reshuffled the cabinet instead of investigating the deaths of the people in a stampede in the national sports complex in a hailstorm. Also, the souring of the India-Nepal trade relations affected the popularity of the Singh government.

In April 1987, Nepal had introduced the work permit for Indian workers in three of its districts, and in early 1989, Nepal provided 40% duty concession to Chinese goods and later withdrew duty concessions from Indian goods in such a manner that the Chinese goods became cheaper than the Indian goods. This led to the souring of relations which were already strained over the purchase of Chinese arms by Nepal in 1988. India refused to renew two separate Treaties of Trade and Transit and insisted on a single treaty dealing with the two issues, which was not acceptable to Nepal. A deadlock ensued and the Treaties of Trade and Transit expired on 23 March 1989. The brunt of the closure of the trade and transit points was mainly faced by the lower classes in Nepal due to the restricted supply of consumer goods and petroleum products such as petrol, aviation fuel and kerosene. The industries suffered because of their dependence on India for resources, trade and transit. The Government of Nepal tried to deal with the situation by depending on foreign aid from the US, UK, Australia and China. However, the government's strategy to manage the crisis could not satisfy those people who desired negotiations with India rather than dependence on foreign aid as a solution.

Taking advantage of the uneasiness amongst some people against the government and the strained India-Nepal relations, the Nepali Congress (NC) and the left-wing parties blamed the government for perpetuating the crisis and not taking any serious measures to solve it. In December 1989, the NC tried to utilize B.P. Koirala's anniversary by launching a people's awareness program. The left-wing alliance known as the United Left Front (ULF) extended its support to the NC in its campaign for a party system. On 18–19 January 1990, the NC held a conference in which leaders from various countries and members of the foreign Press were invited. Leaders from India attended the conference; Germany, Japan, Spain, Finland supported the movement; and the Embassies of the US and West Germany were present on the occasion. Inspired by the international support and the democratic movements occurring throughout the world after the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1989, the NC and the ULF launched a mass movement on 18 February to end the Panchayat regime and the installation of an interim government represented by various parties and people.

On 6 April the Marich Man Singh government was dismissed and Lokendra Bahadur Chand became the Prime Minister on the same day. However, the agitating mob was not satisfied with the change of government as they were not against the Singh government per se but against the party-less system. On 16 April the Chand government was also dismissed and a Royal Proclamation was issued the next day which dissolved the National Panchayat, the Panchayat policy and the evaluation committee and the class organizations. Instead, the proclamation declared "functioning of the political parties" and maintained that "all political parties will always keep the national interest uppermost in organizing themselves according to their political ideology."
During this protest many civilians were killed: after the end of the Panchayat rule they were seen as 'undeclared martyrs'. One of those martyrs is Ram Chandra Hamal, a member of the Nepali Congress and killed during his imprisonment.

1990 People's Movement

People in rural areas had expected that their interests would be better represented after the adoption of parliamentary democracy in 1990. The Nepali Congress with the support of "Alliance of leftist parties" decided to launch a decisive agitational movement, Jana Andolan, which forced the monarchy to accept constitutional reforms and to establish a multiparty parliament. In May 1991, Nepal held its first parliamentary elections in nearly 50 years. The Nepali Congress won 110 of the 205 seats and formed the first elected government in 32 years.

Civil strife
In 1992, in a situation of economic crisis and chaos, with spiraling prices as a result of the implementation of changes in the policy of the new Congress government, the radical left stepped up their political agitation. A Joint People's Agitation Committee was set up by the various groups. A general strike was called for 6 April.

Violent incidents began to occur on the evening before the strike. The Joint People's Agitation Committee had called for a 30-minute 'lights out' in the capital, and violence erupted outside Bir Hospital when activists tried to enforce the 'lights out'. At dawn on 6 April, clashes between strike activists and police, outside a police station in Pulchok (Patan), left two activists dead.

Later in the day, a mass rally of the Agitation Committee at Tundikhel in the capital Kathmandu was attacked by police forces. As a result, riots broke out and the Nepal Telecommunications building was set on fire; police opened fire at the crowd, killing several persons. The Human Rights Organisation of Nepal estimated that 14 persons, including several onlookers, had been killed in police firing.

When promised land reforms failed to appear, people in some districts started to organize to enact their own land reform and to gain some power over their lives in the face of usurious landlords. However, this movement was repressed by the Nepali government, in Operation Romeo and Operation Kilo Sera II, which took the lives of many of the leading activists of the struggle. As a result, many witnesses to this repression became radicalised.

Nepalese Civil War

In February 1996, one of the Maoist parties started a bid to replace the parliamentary monarchy with a people's new democratic republic, through a Maoist revolutionary strategy known as the people's war, which led to the Nepalese Civil War. Led by Dr. Baburam Bhattarai and Pushpa Kamal Dahal (better known by his nom de guerre "Prachanda"), the insurgency began in five districts in Nepal: Rolpa, Rukum, Jajarkot, Gorkha, and Sindhuli. The Maoists declared the existence of a provisional "people's government" at the district level in several locations.

21st century

Palace massacre

On 1 June 2001, Crown Prince Dipendra allegedly went on a shooting-spree, assassinating 9 members of the royal family, including King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya, before shooting himself. Due to his survival, he temporarily became king before dying of his wounds, after which Prince Gyanendra (Birendra's brother) inherited the throne, according to tradition. The massacre shattered the aura of mythology that still surrounded the Royal Family, exposing their far too human intrigues.

Meanwhile, the Maoist rebellion escalated, and in October 2002 the king temporarily deposed the government and took complete control of it. A week later he reappointed another government, but the country was still unstable because of the civil war with the Maoists, the various clamouring political factions, the king's attempts to take more control of the government, and worries about the competence of Gyanendra's son and heir, Prince Paras.

Suspension of responsible government
In the face of unstable governments and a Maoist siege on the Kathmandu Valley in August 2004, popular support for the monarchy began to wane. On 1 February 2005, Gyanendra dismissed the entire government and took to exercising his executive powers without ministerial advice, declaring a "state of emergency" to quash the Maoist movement. Politicians were placed under house arrest, phone and internet lines were cut, and freedom of the press was severely curtailed.

2006 democracy movement

The king's new regime made little progress in his stated aim of suppressing the insurgents. The European Union described the municipal elections of February 2006 as "a backward step for democracy", as the major parties boycotted the election and the army forced some candidates to run for office. In April 2006 strikes and street protests in Kathmandu forced the king to reinstate the parliament. A seven-party coalition resumed control of the government and stripped the king of most of his powers. As of 15 January 2007, a unicameral legislature under an interim constitution governed Nepal.

Abolition of the monarchy
The Constituent Assembly came to fruition on 24 December 2007 when it was announced that the monarchy would be abolished in 2008 after the Constituent Assembly elections; and on 28 May 2008, Nepal was declared a Federal Democratic Republic.

Zones, districts, and regions

Nepal was divided into 14 zones and 75 districts, grouped into 5 development regions. Each district was headed by a fixed chief district officer responsible for maintaining law and order and coordinating the work of field agencies of the various government ministries. The 14 zones were:

Government and politics

Until 1990, Nepal was an absolute monarchy running under the executive control of the king. Faced with a people's movement against the absolute monarchy, King Birendra, in 1990, agreed to large-scale political reforms by creating a parliamentary monarchy with the king as the head of state and a prime minister as the head of the government.

Nepal's legislature was bicameral consisting of a House of Representatives and a National Council. The House of Representatives consists of 205 members directly elected by the people. The National Council had sixty members, ten nominated by the king, thirty-five elected by the House of Representatives and the remaining fifteen elected by an electoral college made up of chairs of villages and towns. The legislature had a five-year term but was dissolvable by the king before its term could end. All Nepali citizens 18 years and older became eligible to vote.

The executive comprised the King and the Council of Ministers (the Cabinet). The leader of the coalition or party securing the maximum seats in an election was appointed as the Prime Minister. The Cabinet was appointed by the king on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. Governments in Nepal have tended to be highly unstable; no government has survived for more than two years since 1991, either through internal collapse or parliamentary dissolution by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister according to the constitution.

The movement in April 2006 brought about a change in the nation. The autocratic King was forced to give up power. The dissolved House of Representatives was restored. The House of Representatives formed a government that had successful peace talks with the Maoist Rebels. An interim constitution was promulgated and an interim House of Representatives was formed with Maoist members. The number of seats was also increased to 330. The peace process in Nepal made a giant leap in April 2007, when the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) joined the interim government of Nepal.

Notes

 References
 Citations

 Sources

 Further reading
 Garzilli, Enrica, "A Sanskrit Letter Written by Sylvain Lévi in 1923 to Hemarāja Śarmā Along With Some Hitherto Unknown Biographical Notes (Cultural Nationalism and Internationalism in the First Half of the 21st Cent.: Famous Indologists Write to the Raj Guru of Nepal – no. 1), in Commemorative Volume for 30 Years of the Nepal-German Manuscript Preservation Project. Journal of the Nepal Research Centre, XII (2001), Kathmandu, ed. by A. Wezler in collaboration with H. Haffner, A. Michaels, B. Kölver, M. R. Pant and D. Jackson, pp. 115–149.
 Garzilli, Enrica, "Strage a palazzo, movimento dei Maoisti e crisi di governabilità in Nepal", in Asia Major 2002, pp. 143–160.
 Garzilli, Enrica, "Il nuovo Stato del Nepal: il difficile cammino dalla monarchia assoluta alla democrazia", in Asia Major 2005–2006, pp. 229–251.
 Garzilli, Enrica, "Il Nepal da monarchia a stato federale", in Asia Major 2008, pp. 163–181.
 Garzilli, Enrica, "La fine dell'isolamento del Nepal, la costruzione della sua identità politica e delle sue alleanze regionali" in ISPI: Istituto per gli Studi di Politica Internazionali, CVII (Nov. 2008), pp. 1–7;
 Garzilli, Enrica, "Le elezioni dell'Assemblea Costituente e i primi mesi di governo della Repubblica Democratica Federale del Nepal", in Asia Maior 2010, pp. 115–126.
 Garzilli, Enrica, "Nepal, la difficile costruzione della nazione: un paese senza Costituzione e un parlamento senza primo ministro", in Asia Maior 2011, pp. 161–171.
 Garzilli, Enrica, "The Interplay between Gender, Religion and Politics, and the New Violence against Women in Nepal", in J. Dragsbæk Schmidt and T. Roedel Berg (eds.), Gender, Social Change and the Media: Perspective from Nepal, University of Aalborg and Rawat Publications, Aalborg-Jaipur: 2012, pp. 27–91.
 Garzilli, Enrica, "Nepal, stallo politico e lentezze nella realizzazione del processo di pace e di riconciliazione", in Asia Maior 2012, pp. 213–222.
 Garzilli, Enrica, "A Sanskrit Letter Written by Sylvain Lévy in 1925 to Hemarāja Śarmā along with Some Hitherto Unknown Biographical Notes (Cultural Nationalism and Internationalism in the First Half of the 20th Century – Famous Indologists write to the Raj Guru of Nepal – No. 2)", in History of Indological Studies. Papers of the 12th World Sanskrit Conference Vol. 11.2, ed. by K. Karttunen, P. Koskikallio and A. Parpola, Motilal Banarsidass and University of Helsinki, Delhi 2015, pp. 17–53.
 Garzilli, Enrica, "Nepal 2013–2014: Breaking the Political Impasse", in Asia Maior 2014, pp. 87–98.
 Wright, Daniel, History of Nepal''. New Delhi-Madras, Asian Educational Services, 1990

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